Chapter 23: Strange Internal Energy (2)
"This can’t be happening!"
Jeok Gwang’s wooden sword had already been cut down to half its length.
As Yong Hwarin stepped forward and thrust his sword, Jeok Gwang was struck by a flash of terror.
Up until now, he had never lost to anyone his age. That arrogance had grown within him. But now, for the first time, the thought that he might actually die sent chills down his spine.
"I-I lost… Urgh!"
Jeok Gwang, startled by his severed sword, was about to declare his defeat.
However, Yong Hwarin’s wooden sword struck Jeok Gwang’s abdomen faster than his tongue could speak. As Jeok Gwang gasped and bent forward, Yong Hwarin’s blade came crashing down mercilessly toward his head.
Jeok Gwang tried to dodge, but he was caught in Yong Hwarin’s sword flow and couldn’t escape. He clenched his teeth and raised his wooden sword to block the strike.
Crack!
The force of the energy channeled through the wooden sword froze Jeok Gwang in place.
‘How could someone suppress my energy in an instant with such internal strength?’
While Jeok Gwang reeled in shock, Yong Hwarin’s sword changed trajectory.
This time, the strike came from below, slicing upward.
Jeok Gwang willed himself to move, but his body didn’t follow. If that sword hit him, he was sure his jaw would be shattered.
With difficulty, he barely moved his wrist to block the strike.
Clang!
But the rebound sent Jeok Gwang flying several zhang into the air. To avoid crashing into the ground, he tried using Thousand-Pound Fall.
But before he could land, Yong Hwarin had already rushed in and drove his elbow into Jeok Gwang’s abdomen.
It was a move from the Dragon-Fighting Fist technique.
Thud!
Boom!
Pain coursed up Jeok Gwang’s spine and into his brain, making him feel as if his head were shaking.
Looking down at Jeok Gwang, Yong Hwarin spoke.
"How can a warrior allow his back to touch the ground?"
When Yong Hwarin mockingly repeated the words Jeok Gwang had said earlier, Jeok Gwang was consumed with fury. But when he met Yong Hwarin’s eyes, he flinched.
Shhhk!
Yong Hwarin drove his wooden sword straight into the ground.
Jeok Gwang felt a primal fear that if he didn’t move, that wooden sword would pierce through his chest. Desperately, he rolled to the side to dodge.
Watching Jeok Gwang roll away, Yong Hwarin said,
"A warrior with both his back and belly on the ground... What a truly pitiful sight."
Shamed and furious, Jeok Gwang leapt up to charge again, but Yong Hwarin smiled.
"Didn’t we agree that losing one’s wooden sword means defeat?"
Jeok Gwang froze mid-motion.
If he attacked Yong Hwarin now, he would be banned from ever stepping foot in the martial world again. Defeated, Jeok Gwang lowered the arm holding his broken sword.
He turned his back and walked away, casting a murderous glare at Yong Hwarin.
"Wait. What about our wager?"
Yong Hwarin reminded him once more of their bet.
Jeok Gwang stopped walking.
"I-I shall never set foot in the Jaegal Clan again!"
His lips trembled as he shouted, fists clenched and shaking.
He had intended to humiliate Yong Hwarin, but instead had utterly disgraced himself, dragging down the honor he had painstakingly built over the years.
"Just wait, Young Master Yong."
"I look forward to our next meeting, Young Hero Jeok."
Yong Hwarin’s calm reply made him seem almost cold-blooded. People were stunned not just by the unexpected outcome, but by his composed demeanor.
No one was more shocked than Mo Biyoung and the Two Wook Sword Demons, who had been watching from nearby.
‘What is the true face of the rumored heir?’
Even Jaegal Cheongyeong and Jaegal Yohye looked at Yong Hwarin as if they were seeing him for the first time.
Watching from the side, Jaegal Byeok murmured,
"It seems we’ve misunderstood Young Master Yong. He is no weak scholar. Doesn’t he have the air of a peerless eccentric?"
Jaegal Cheongyeong said nothing but silently agreed.
‘Brother Hwarin... he really has changed a lot.’
In contrast, something curious flickered in Jaegal Yohye’s gaze.
Thus ended the bizarre martial duel that had taken place at dawn in a corner of the Jaegal Clan’s training grounds.
*
After the duel, Yong Hwarin, conscious of the stares he was receiving, chose to take his meal in his room.
"Young Master, when did you train like that?"
Jungwook asked in disbelief.
"I was always with you two guards. How could I have trained secretly?"
"Then what were those techniques just now? I’ve never seen the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword executed so naturally and flawlessly."
Even within the clan, no one had demonstrated it with such ease and precision.
"I suppose I’m a once-in-a-century genius. I’ve only been training for a few months, and yet I beat Jeok Gwang, who’s famous all over."
Yong Hwarin even upped the exaggeration with a playful response, making Jungwook look completely deflated.
"Hahahaha! Young Master, you jest!"
Jungwook laughed awkwardly, unsure whether to believe him.
Still, Jungwook, Namwook, and Mo Biyoung all began to wonder if they had failed to recognize the sleeping dragon hiding within their clan.
He had defeated Jeok Gwang, who had trained for over ten years, with only a few months of formal martial training due to his previously frail body.
If such a person wasn’t a genius, then who was?
While the three were lost in thought over Yong Hwarin’s potential, he himself was still consumed by the duel earlier that morning.
Yong Hwarin was pondering the strange internal energy.
Gaining such immense power for free could be considered a great stroke of fortune, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that it would come with a price.
In his past life, he had learned there was no such thing as free meal.
‘I need to first figure out how much internal energy I actually have.’
Yong Hwarin tested how much internal energy he had inherited from the old man.
As he relaxed his mind to release the suppressed energy, the Demonic Master’s internal energy that had been dormant beneath his skin surged through his body like a tide.
He felt both a refreshing warmth and a cold intensity at once.
‘This… It’s more than a full *Gapja*!’
Though he could tell it exceeded one full *Gapja*, he couldn’t determine whether it was two or three.
He had never possessed more than half a *Gapja* before, so he had no frame of reference to measure accurately.
‘This internal energy is definitely of the Demonic Path. The Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword felt much smoother when I fought Jeok Gwang. It was even more natural than when I used it with my clan’s Nine Dragons Heavenly Ascent Technique. That proves the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword isn’t a proper orthodox martial art.’
Yet Mo Biyoung and the Two Wook Sword Demons had no idea. They simply thought Yong Hwarin had suddenly become better overnight.
Through the duel with Jeok Gwang, Yong Hwarin had gained deep insights.
And by inheriting the Demonic Master’s internal energy, his understanding of martial arts deepened even further.
‘It’s not just about swinging a sword. The mind must understand first, then the body follows. Only when those two align does the power truly manifest...’
He had always felt something was blocking him when wielding a sword, and now he finally understood what it was.
That realization allowed him to reorganize his martial understanding.
‘Our clan only has two sword arts—Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword and Azure Bamboo Sword. Lately, I’ve focused more on Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword. But our elders said one must learn both to become truly strong. I never understood why until now.’
The two sword arts had different natures and directions.
Because of this, the clan chose to focus on the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword, abandoning the Azure Bamboo Sword for its weaker power.
Yong Hwarin’s thoughts continued to develop.
Mo Biyoung, bringing food, quietly opened the door to call him, but froze upon seeing him.
She was astonished by Yong Hwarin’s appearance—he looked as if he had entered a state of unity between mind and body, gaining profound enlightenment.
His facial expressions shifted constantly, and his eyes moved under his eyelids as if in a dream.
Mo Biyoung immediately understood—he was lost in deep thought and martial realization.
‘Ah… Has the Young Master already entered such a realm?’
Awed, Mo Biyoung sighed at her own inadequacy.
‘Once he wakes, I might no longer be able to teach him… No, perhaps I’ll be the one learning from him.’
It had once been painful to know that a pupil might surpass the teacher.
Yet now, seeing Yong Hwarin show the brilliance of surpassing his master, she felt a quiet pride.
Closing the door, she whispered to the Two Wook Sword Demons who were chatting nearby.
"The Young Master is going through a critical moment. No one is to enter, no matter what. Stop anyone who tries."
Namwook thought she was exaggerating, but the seriousness in her gaze made him peek inside.
"Oh!"
Namwook was about to gasp at the sight of Yong Hwarin seated in meditation, but Jungwook quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.
If he disturbed the Young Master’s meditation, it would be an irreparable mistake.
"Don’t worry, Instructor Mo. We’ll protect him with our lives."
Namwook spoke with exaggerated resolve, and Mo Biyoung nodded. Watching Yong Hwarin’s growth had become a source of joy.
Moments ago, she had felt sorrow at her limitations. Now, she smiled at the privilege of witnessing his rise.
That was the heart of a teacher.
While the three kept quiet outside, Yong Hwarin was falling deeper into the realm of martial enlightenment.
The fundamental difference between Demonic and Orthodox martial arts lay in their approach to power.
Demonic martial arts pursued power directly—brutally and with force.
That made them appear more destructive and dangerous.
On the other hand, orthodox martial arts followed a curved path—like water flowing around obstacles, pausing when blocked, then overflowing and moving on.
Thus, demonic arts were faster to learn due to their linear nature.
Orthodox arts, being like curves, grew slowly but, once developed, their strength increased exponentially like floodwaters.
Already grasping the essence of martial arts, Yong Hwarin realized that the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword followed a linear path.
Its forward momentum was unstoppable.
But the moment you hesitated or faltered, the flow would break, and the sword would lose its power. Therefore, it was a purely offensive technique, not meant for defense.
That was the flaw he had always sensed.
The moment he understood this, a flash of brilliance burst from his body.
‘Ah! So that’s it! The reason the family’s sword arts are different! Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword is offensive, Azure Bamboo Sword is defensive. Azure Bamboo Sword is based on bamboo—flexible and resilient. So the offensive-focused Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword was always weak on defense. While it could crush the opponent with overwhelming force, it was terribly lacking in defense. That’s why our ancestors used Azure Bamboo Sword to cover that weakness. It may not be strong in offense, but its defense surpasses any other art! Now I understand why, despite possessing such high-level martial arts, our family is only a mid-tier clan in Henan.’