Book 1 Chapter 16

Floating on the water, under the sun, a person was swinging a sword. His sword moved with a languid slowness, as if someone was holding his body and refusing to let go. His name was Hyeon-un.

He was called a prodigy, destined to lead the future of the Mu-dang sect, a renowned family of swordsmanship known as the foremost in the land of Shinju. He had been showered with expectations and had proven his skill on the Jianghu by getting accepted into the Cheonmu Academy, a place every martial artist yearned to enter, in his first attempt.

At the Cheonmu Academy, he stood out among the talents from the nine sects, one faction, five great families, and various other schools, becoming one of the Nine Dragons, the best of the best. He became the object of envy for all young people dreaming of the Jianghu, and his abilities were recognized. He was personally handed down the secret art of the Taegeuk Sword, a technique rarely shared by the Mu-dang sect, by the sect leader. His mastery of the Taegeuk Sword was so fluid, like clouds that could not be grasped, pressed, or cut, that he earned the moniker "Cloud-Chasing Sword." Such was his reputation. Yet, his movements now were clumsy and strenuous. His face was flushed red, and his eyes pleaded with frustration, looking as though he was suffering from some affliction.

'This is no joke!'

Hyeon-un was enduring a fierce battle against the bone-chilling cold and the immense pressure of the water's weight. The water's resistance, its sheer force, was holding back his sword, obstructing its path. He was beginning to feel his limits. No matter how he tried to endure using his internal energy, he had reached the absolute extreme. It had already been half an hour since he entered this cold valley, and it was impossible to continue moving his sword like swimming through the water. A suffocating pressure was building in his lungs, and his heart felt like it would burst from the strain. His entire body cried out in pain.

'Is this truly my limit?'

No matter how he moved his sword, it did not follow the path of the Taegeuk Sword as he intended. It felt like he was wielding a sword weighing a thousand pounds. His master had said that the training would only end when he could swing his sword without any resistance or hesitation. But it was easier said than done, and the end of this training seemed distant. Nevertheless, he was enduring it with all his might, drawing some comfort from the fact that this was supposed to be the final training. But he couldn't go on any longer…

"Puhah!"

"Huk, huk, huk."

A face burst through the water's surface, accompanied by a spray of water. The emerged figure gasped for breath, their breaths ragged and irregular, indicating immense pain. Though it had only been half an hour since he last tasted air, for Hyeon-un, it felt like the first breath of pure, refreshing air he had taken in a hundred years. As someone once said, only when you are deprived of air do you truly appreciate its value?

Recalling this unuttered wisdom, Hyeon-un inhaled, grateful to the heavens for the ability to breathe. But then…

"No, no. Oh, don't do that. I'm falling. I told you not to! Eung, I said no! Uh, oh my, oh my."

His arms flailed, his waist swayed, his legs trembled, and his body teetered. Despite his desperate struggles and efforts to regain balance, his efforts were in vain. With a babble of words and a chattering mouth, he plunged back into the water.

"Thump."

A violent splash erupted, the water's surface rippled, and high waves formed.

"Uaaak, no! This shouldn't happen, no, no! Aak, thump!"

"Oh my, oh my, thump!"

"Mommy, thump!"

"Daddy, thump!"

"Mother, thump!"

"Yeon-su maiden, thump!"

"…, thump!"

"Uh-huh, uh-huh. Thump!"

Various people, with different screams, threw themselves into the valley's water. However, this was not because they were disillusioned with life or had lost the will to live and sought suicide. On the contrary, their desire for survival was exceptionally strong and intense.

When an object is placed in a full bathtub, water overflows by the object's volume. When a stone is thrown into a pond, ripples form according to its weight. Just as these principles suggest, when Jinryeong threw herself in, the resulting disturbance caused the water's surface to surge. Consequently, the others who were barely standing on the water with her lost their balance one by one and fell into the water.

But standing on the water? How could a person stand on water? Had they suddenly acquired wondrous divine powers? In reality, they were able to stand on the water because of two small wooden planks. These planks were about a handspan longer and wider than an ordinary person's foot. Using these, they were able to precariously float on the water.

Of course, standing on water using such small wooden planks was no ordinary feat. Anyone could not do it. First, one would place a wooden plank under each foot and stand on the water. The most crucial element here was a sense of balance, followed by the secret art of lightening the body using internal energy, known as Gyeongsin. Since there were two planks, they tended to move independently, making it crucial to maintain the planks' stability.

As there were no straps, everything had to be managed with internal energy and bodily sensation. Water, by its nature, flows and is constantly changing, and these changes caused by the water's fluidity perplexed people. Even a moment of carelessness would send them straight into the water.

Being able to stand on water did not mean the training was over. If standing on water was called Susanglip (Water Standing), the next stage involved Susangbo (Water Walking) or Susangsaeng (Water Moving). This was the stage of walking or moving on the water's surface, relying on the two planks. One had to be able to glide across the water's surface as if sliding on ice. This stage involved merely walking in a straight line forward.

The final, third stage was the most important skill, a remarkably difficult and challenging technique. To demonstrate this difficult skill, Biryu-yeon began her demonstration. Biryu-yeon stood on the wooden planks as naturally and easily as if she were standing on solid ground, without any shaking or instability.

"Watch carefully."

Biryu-yeon's right foot slid across the water, drawing a semicircle towards her left foot. Simultaneously, her left foot was pulled back in a semicircle towards her right foot. As a result, Biryu-yeon's body naturally rotated halfway. Biryu-yeon repeated this process continuously. Her body spun and twirled on the water's surface like a dancer. Then, the speed of her rotation began to increase, and finally, she spun like a top. At that moment, an astonishing thing happened. The water in the valley began to coil and rise around Biryu-yeon's body like a snake.

Of course, the water was not magically enchanted to truly coil around Biryu-yeon's body. It only appeared that way to onlookers. In reality, the water was being pulled up by an invisible pillar created by the internal energy generated around Biryu-yeon, making it seem to those watching from the side as if the water was climbing her body. The internal energy generated by the rotation had drawn the water on the surface.

Eventually, a pillar of water formed on the water's surface. Everyone watched the spectacle with bated breath. Seeing their always eccentric master perform such a feat left no one unsurprised.

"Hap!"

A shout of exertion erupted from within the water pillar.

"Bang."

The water pillar exploded, scattering in all directions. Naturally, those standing motionless and staring intently at the demonstration were doused with an unexpected shower of water.

"See that? Now you try!"

Amazingly, not a single drop of water stained Biryu-yeon's body. Everyone was speechless, their minds lost in wonder. The phenomenon of the water pillar, where water coiled upwards due to internal energy, occurred when the Phoenix Dance was performed at its peak. The higher the mastery of the Phoenix Dance, the larger the water pillar became. It served as a measure of the Phoenix Dance's effective range. This Susanglip and Susangbo were foundational training methods that Biryu-yeon had received when she learned and mastered the Phoenix Dance, a secret technique of the Bireu sect, from her master. She was now passing on that very training to her disciples. More precisely, she was returning the suffering she had experienced while learning it.

The next stage was training to wield a sword underwater. This was not exclusive to swords; those who used sabers had to wield their sabers, those who used spears had to use their spears, and those who used hidden weapons had to use them to swing, stab, and throw. These two types of training were the final stages of their discipline. They would be the last training Biryu-yeon would provide them.

"Hyeon-un, you're too fast. Too fast!"

A roar of reprimand broke out. It was the master's voice. The brief joy of breathing in the air upon returning from the other realm was short-lived. Misery had returned.

"Hey, how long has it been, and you're already out? At least, you should hold on for one hour, right? Are you going to fight for just one hour and then drop your sword? Are you going to get killed by someone else's sword then? Do you want to die like that!"

"No."

Hyeon-un replied with a dejected expression.

"Then get back in there."

"Yes."

He answered weakly and submerged his head back into the water. He did not resurface for a while.

"Next, you! Dang Sam."

Biryu-yeon's finger pointed at Dang Cheol-yeong, the third son of the Dang family, known for his speed and venom. His original name was, of course, not Dang Sam. However, it was impossible for a noble family like the Dang sect, one of the five great families, to name their children in the same way as impoverished commoners or vagrants who simply attached their surname and numbered their children one, two, three, and four. It was one in a million, one in ten million, that Biryu-yeon, finding it bothersome to call Dang Cheol-yeong by his name, had started calling him Dang Sam, meaning the third son of the Dang family. Naturally, Dang Sam, or rather Cheol-yeong, did not welcome this, but he had to endure it, suppressing the sorrow of the powerless.

"What? Me?"

The third son of the Dang family responded with a tone of confirmation, his finger to his face, as if asking if he was indeed the one being pointed at.

"Yes, you. Is there another 'Dang Sam' here besides you? Stop pretending and get in there quickly."

"Yeees~!"

With a face that looked as if he had chewed a bitter herb, he answered weakly and entered the water like a cow being led to slaughter. This process of being repeatedly thrown into the cold valley water and pulled out was repeated numerous times, one by one. Women were no exception. Everyone, regardless of gender, was submerged. Biryu-yeon's philosophy was that she had to pass on the experiences she had undergone to her disciples. She believed that just as she had suffered under her master, her disciples must endure the same experiences her master had endured.

In simpler terms, she was taking out her anger on innocent people, like someone slapped in Huashan taking their frustration out on Sungshan. Watching his disciples disappear into the water one by one, the wicked master Biryu-yeon smiled with satisfaction. Behind him lay Namgung Sang, collapsed as if dead. His entire body sagged like a waterlogged blanket, his life or death uncertain. He had collapsed earlier, exhausted from being too active as a "seasoned instructor."

The sun was still high in the sky, and there was plenty of time. Until the sun hanging in the sky disappeared beyond the western mountains, they would continue to go in and out of the water. If they fell while practicing standing on the water, they would use that opportunity to practice wielding their weapons underwater. On the water, they trained their lower bodies; underwater, their upper bodies. They had to keep going back and forth, between the cold water and the precarious surface.