Book 1 Chapter 10

Do you know about Su Ruib

"Sway… sway…"

Now, under his two hands, four lightning rods, holding lightning cores,

were swaying left and right with a constant interval and constant speed, without entanglement or collision. They slowly crossed each other,

a rhythmic movement like scissors.

Bilyuyeon gazed with a calm gaze at an old pine tree standing in front of him.

"Swish…"

His right arm, which had been drooping while looking at the ground, was elegantly lifted, drawing a semicircle. The speed of his right hand, extended forward parallel to the ground, was not imperceptibly fast, but a normal, everyday speed. The fact that his arm's movement wasn't fast didn't mean the speed of the lightning rod was slow. One of the two lightning rods, swaying and scissor-like beneath his right hand, flew towards the large pine tree in front of his gaze. It was a beautiful flight, trailing an elegant tail like a river of light.

The other one, which remained, sprang up from just above the ground and was caught in his right hand. Just as the elegant curve of the flashing lightning flew to the very nose of a large pine tree standing about eight yards ahead, Bilyuyeon's right index finger, extended forward, folded inward horizontally to the ground.

According to the tuning played by Bilyuyeon's slender, long fingers, the flying flashing lightning circled the pine tree, cleaved its trunk in two, and returned to its master's hand. Because the cut surface was angled forward, the tree fell towards Bilyuyeon. It was as intended.

Casually watching the falling tree, Bilyuyeon's left hand moved in a semicircle again to face the sky. In an instant, a lightning flash, as if vertically bisecting the world, appeared and disappeared like an illusion, precisely bisecting the falling tree vertically.

Finally, his left index finger drew a small circle, wrapped the lightning spirit thread once, and then folded the thread inward, pressing it with his finger. The lightning rod, flying as if to pierce the sky, momentarily changed direction and returned to Bilyuyeon's left hand to land. The tree was still falling towards Bilyuyeon, precisely bisected vertically.

With the four lightning rods returned to both hands, two more lightning rods were added, and six streaks of light flew like lightning towards the falling tree. The trajectory of the lightning rods flying, drawing six paths of light, was like a painting.

As the six streaks of lightning flew towards the tree, Bilyuyeon's fingers, extended in front of his chest, began to weave across six thin, transparent threads of light, as if playing a zither. Following Bilyuyeon's playing, the six lightning rods first precisely divided the falling tree into six parts, then swam among the pieces of wood, wrapping them tightly with lightning spirit threads and shattering the pine tree into pieces. The pine tree became thousands of fragments and scattered into the air.

Although the explanation was long, it happened in an instant, like a dream. The six lightning rods, having completed their mission successfully, safely returned to their master's embrace.

"Hmm…!"

A faint smile flickered on Bilyuyeon's lips.

"Lightning Flow River Bend. This is a decent performance."

It was the majestic performance of a thunder god desiring destruction. It had been three years since he learned to control one lightning rod. Finally, he could control six lightning rods. The more he thought about it, the more pleased he became. Bilyuyeon felt his shoulders tense with power but felt no need to relax.

"Geggelgel. Amazing, truly amazing. Six already. Congratulations, disciple!"

With a strange laugh, his master's voice came from behind him. Bilyuyeon tilted his head slightly back.

"Master? What brings you here?"

It was a short but all-encompassing question.

"You impudent brat!"

As his master suddenly softened his expression and spoke gently, Bilyuyeon immediately showed a wary expression.

"Disciple, don't worry. No matter what misdeeds you've committed, this master can forgive you. Don't underestimate this master's boundless generosity, vast as the sky beyond!"

"Huh? Where does that reckless senility come from? Misdeeds? I'm afraid someone might mistake me for a criminal if they heard that. And generosity? In the years I've spent by your side, I've never seen it, so I don't know what it is."

"Hoho, you doubt me. And, without some questionable incident behind your back, how could such a monstrous phenomenon occur where you can already control six lightning rods? Isn't that a paradox? Right?"

" 'My words are correct, so it's better for your well-being to confess!' "

When his master's sharp gaze, imbued with that meaning, fell upon Bilyuyeon, Bilyuyeon couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. He remembered the doll-like samsil he secretly ate years ago, and despite it being fully digested, he felt like he was about to have indigestion. Fortunately, his master didn't dwell on it for long. Knowing his disciple's nature, he probably didn't want to waste his effort.

"Well, anyway, good. Being able to control six lightning rods means you can finally move on to the advanced course. Follow me."

For a moment, Bilyuyeon's face twisted strangely.

"Advanced course? After this much training, I'm still in the intermediate course? What is the end of this that I'm still in the middle?"

Bilyuyeon, unable to shake off his suspicions, followed his master. His master led him to a small waterfall about half a shiken's distance from his house. The water hitting the waterfall was creating white foam. Judging by the color of the turbulent water at the bottom of the waterfall, the pool seemed quite deep. The waterfall's stream was not strong, but not weak either. On one side of the waterfall stood a wide rock face five jang high, and the path connected up to it. On top of that rock face, Bilyuyeon sat facing his master.

"Disciple, did I tell you the legend about our sect's founder last time?"

"Ah, the Golden Axe Abyss ax rampage incident, right? Of course, I know."

"Did I tell you how the founder retrieved those heavy axes from the bottom of the lake then?"

"No. Based on my extraordinary memory, I recall you saying that I would know when I mastered the advanced course of lightning rods, and you glossed over it. You're not backing out now, are you?"

Bilyuyeon's voice still held a trace of suspicion.

"Precisely. I will now teach you the knack for mastering this advanced course. This advanced course overturns the general common sense of flying blades and was developed to compensate for its weaknesses. Furthermore, the higher-level course above it is a training method developed on the extension of the advanced course to overcome the weaknesses of silk swords. Listen carefully. Don't get hit later for asking 'I don't understand?'."

Bilyuyeon's master, the sect leader and self-proclaimed number one and invincible person in the world, explained the upcoming training method in great detail. However, as Bilyuyeon listened attentively to his master's explanation, his face began to twist, and then contort and wrinkle. The words "No way, no way?" lingered in Bilyuyeon's mouth, and he even uttered unconscious murmurs against his will. Meanwhile, his master's long explanation ended.

"Do you understand? This is the advanced stage of lightning rod training, known as Water Lightning Flying."

"Ha, ha, ack! My master has a great sense of humor. That was a wonderful joke, Master!"

"What joke? Then work hard, my dear disciple."

"It's not a joke?"

"Absolutely not!"

With a firm word, his master smiled kindly and plunged Bilyuyeon into despair. And at the same time, the sole of his master's folded leg rose and rested on Bilyuyeon's stomach.

"Shwoosh!"

As his folded legs straightened, Bilyuyeon's body was flung into the air, and soon, losing his footing, he flailed in the air.

"Uh oh…"

Bilyuyeon, flapping like a chicken yearning to fly in the inaccessible sky, slowly fell towards the dark blue waves, as if to prove the truth that falling has no wings. No matter how hard he flapped, his two arms were not wings.

"Splash!"

It sounded like a large rock falling.

"Gulp, help me! Gulp… Master, what are those things tied to my wrists and gulp, ankles… Gulp, gulp, I've already forgotten? Gulp, gulp, gulp, gurgle…"

His struggles, trying not to sink, were in vain as Bilyuyeon's body slowly began to be sucked into the water. He looked like someone whose ankle was grabbed by a water spirit. Bilyuyeon trembled with despair and spat out a grinding curse.

"This, this devil, enemy! Knowing what's tied to my hands and feet, you put me in this state… Just you wait."

His arms and legs, still sinking deeper into the water—still struggling, as if not giving up—each had a pair of dark, dragon-engraved dragon rings.

The dark dragon rings tied to Bilyuyeon's wrists and ankles were no ordinary dragon rings. If you asked where he bought those ornaments just by looking at their appearance, Bilyuyeon's fist would instantly shatter the opponent's mouth. It was these dragon rings that Bilyuyeon himself named "cursed demon beasts."

They were not artifacts that transformed into swords or other mysterious weapons at the press of a button, nor were they mysterious treasures that granted countless benefits just by wearing them due to their mystical yin and yang energy. Their only, worst drawback and characteristic was that they were incredibly heavy. Therefore, he named them "cursed shackles."

On Bilyuyeon's 11th birthday, his master bought him two pairs of shackles as a gift. At that time, they were just plain, black iron rings without any dragon patterns. But the devastating memory of when he wore the dark rings, personally fastened by his master, was still an unforgettable, foul feeling. They were so heavy that he felt like his arms would pop out. It was impossible to move properly. Still, thanks to being trained for a year with steel axe splitting and laundry, he managed to prevent the worst-case scenario of his shoulder and elbow joints dislocating simultaneously.

His master kindly explained that each weighed 20 geun, totaling 80 geun. Then, he sternly warned his glaring disciple that he had to wear these dark rings at all times and must not remove them carelessly. He kindly threatened that he had to wear them during training, work, hunting, even when going to the restroom, bathing, or sleeping.

It took a considerable amount of time for Bilyuyeon to get used to these enemy dark rings. And when Bilyuyeon became accustomed to these dark rings and felt no inconvenience, he realized that it was not the end, but just the beginning.

On his 12th birthday, his master again fastened dark rings, each weighing 30 geun, to his arms and legs as a gift. The dark rings, worn for a year and having become a part of his body, were sent to the blacksmith for recycling. The common point between this master and disciple was that they never threw away anything that showed promise of being profitable. Viewed positively, it was a strong spirit of diligence and frugality; viewed negatively, it could be called miserly stinginess. However, another common point between them was not being bound by common sense or the eyes of others. They paid no attention to the surrounding gazes. In fact, the fact that there was no one around to pay attention to them worked to their advantage.

Bilyuyeon, who received his master's heartfelt—regardless of the good or evil of that sincerity—gift,

"What gift, for crying out loud? This is a shackle, where do you see a gift?"

he cursed his master in his heart, but there was little hope of it having any effect. As Bilyuyeon got older each year, the weight of the dark rings on his arms increased by 10 geun each, steadily growing heavier. Furthermore, after his 16th birthday, the weight outrageously doubled, increasing by 20 geun. His master's reasoning was that from the age of 16, he was a full-fledged adult, and adults should be treated accordingly.

Still, on his 19th birthday, perhaps feeling a little sorry, he gifted him dark rings with dragon patterns. The dark rings he had received up to then were all plain iron rings, with nothing more than the amusing inscription "Congratulations on your [Bilyuyeon's age]th birthday, bestowed by your Master" engraved on the inside.

Bilyuyeon is now 19 years old. One dragon ring weighs 140 geun. His four limbs combined weigh 560 geun. His master had tied Bilyuyeon's body with ropes to an iron pillar and thrown him into the water. He was wearing iron rings equivalent in weight to an iron pillar as thick as a main beam, so his body could not float on the water. Swimming with that body was also out of the question. He might have been much better at diving. Albeit a dive from which he would never return.

He had to find another way to escape from the deep water. He had to survive, even if it meant abandoning the dragon rings. To find the abandoned dark dragon rings, he had no choice but to perform the absurd training his master had taught him. Regardless of whether he succeeded or not. Because if he lost them, he was sure to be severely beaten by his master.