BFLT 4

BFLT

Posted by Mona, Released on October 9, 2025

Episode 4. Taeeumjeolmaek (1)

“Could it be that Young Master Lee kang’s martial talent has finally awakened?”

The chief steward’s expression was grave.

“Though he was born with severed meridians and cannot cultivate inner energy, his talent and comprehension couldn’t have simply vanished. Even the clan head once marveled at his gifts when he was young.”

The patriarch gave a faint smile.
“Indeed, that’s true.”

The Taeeumjeolmaek—a rare condition found nowhere else under heaven—was not without its strange advantages.

Though one could not gather internal energy, one’s senses grew sharper—particularly intuition, insight, and memory.

In his youth, when the elders had yet to raise the matter of succession, even the clan head treated I-gang warmly. He had personally taught swordsmanship to both sons.

“I recall the clan head rejoicing, saying that two prodigies had been born in a single generation—the greatest since the Immortal Divine Sword.”

“Ha… yes. Those were the days.”

But that was all in the past. The clan head’s bitter smile soon faded.

“A useless memory. Realizing it now changes nothing. On the contrary…”

The steward’s face stiffened, realizing his blunder.

“It will only give the elders more reason to push I-gang as the heir. After the succession ceremony, the boy will have but two years left to live. I wish only for him to live freely until then.”

“Forgive me, my lord. I misspoke.”

The Baek’s Council of Elders held immense influence. The clan head knew all too well the foul intentions of those who insisted on the principle of firstborn succession.

Patriarch Baek Ryusan was gravely ill. His heir, Lee kang, was destined to die soon.

When both were gone, the clan’s power would naturally fall into the elders’ hands.

“lee kang’s brilliance is but a memory now. He lost his light at ten years old and has lived in despair ever since.”

A heavy silence followed.

“Then how, I wonder,” said the steward, “did he manage to fend off those assassins?”

After a long pause, he smiled faintly.

“Perhaps the spirit of the Immortal Divine Sword truly aided him.”

“Ha! You’ve grown quite the joker.”

I-gang lived alone in a manor once said to have belonged to Baek Seongcheon, the Immortal Divine Sword himself, in his twilight years.

“Ghosts in this world? If that old immortal sword still lingered, he’d be nothing but a wandering wraith.”

The steward winced at the irreverence. Baek Ryusan smiled thinly, then hardened his face.

“Regardless, those who dared raise a blind blade against us cannot be left alive. Send the Red Dragon Unit.”

“Yes, my lord.”

If the clan’s elite unit was dispatched, even assassins who left no trace would soon have their tails caught.

“So your father keeps his distance only to appease the elders?”

The Immortal Divine Sword’s spirit—emerging from the blade—stared wide-eyed.

“Yes. He used to stand against them, but when I turned ten and refused the heir’s position… he changed his approach.”

I-gang spoke as he applied salve to his wounds. A week of rest had mostly restored his health.

“So, the frail firstborn plays the fool and the father favors the clever second son, establishing a pretext to pass the title. I see.”

The ghost grasped the situation quickly—but his expression showed no sympathy.

“Pathetic! A clan head of the Baek bloodline, cowed by his own elders? Spineless!”

He scoffed. Though family hierarchies could complicate authority, this was too extreme.

I-gang shook his head.
“All thanks to you, ancestor.”

“Me?”

“If one practices Immortal Divine Art, one lives a long life.”

“Indeed… that’s why it’s called Immortal.”

The master nodded with pride.

“All of Father’s elders joined the council—and they don’t die. They just keep piling up.”

“…Ah.”

“The clan lord’s grandmother—my great-grandmother—is still serving as a Supreme Elder. Do you think Father can talk back to them?”

The spirit’s face froze. Even Baek Seongcheon himself had lived to 130 years. Because of this long-lived martial art, the Baek ’s elders held far greater power than those of any other noble house.

“Ahem… well, the old masters always did preach respect for one’s elders.”

“You changed your tune fast. Anyway, I’m ready.”

I-gang tightened his black training robes.

The Immortal Divine Sword sighed in relief.

“Good. Words alone won’t stop a flying blade. I shall personally oversee your training.”

After leaving the Red Dragon Hall, I-gang had asked the spirit to teach him martial arts—and the ancient master had agreed without hesitation.

Now that his body had healed, today would mark the beginning of his cultivation.

He walked toward a detached training hall, empty and silent since his maid Sohwa’s death.

“So, you wish to learn the Way of Martial Arts?”

“Yes.”

“Do you wish to grasp the stars with your sword and cut down the moon itself?”

“I don’t have such lofty dreams.”

“Then what do you seek from the martial path?”

After a pause, I-gang replied quietly:

“I just want to avenge Sohwa. And gain enough strength to protect myself.”

The Immortal Divine Sword frowned.

“Hmph. Self-deception can be a motive, I suppose.”

Then, nodding as if satisfied with his own reasoning, he continued:

“Using true energy even with severed meridians… is simpler than you think.”

lee kang’s eyes widened. This was the very secret he’d longed to know.

“How?”

“You simply die.”

“…What?”

lee kang’s face twisted.

Of course, dying wasn’t an acceptable method.

Once they reached the training hall, the spirit told him to sit cross-legged.

“For a frightened descendant like you, I’ll clarify: what I meant is that death reveals the flow of energy and spirit. Since you can’t die, we’ll use another way.”

“I understand.”

“Silence. Only answer when asked.”

The old ghost’s tone turned stern.

“Do you know what the Lunar Severed Meridians truly are?”

“It’s a rare condition—born with the energy pathways broken, unable to circulate qi.”

“Wrong.”

“…Wrong?”

“Qi flows in all living beings. Most humans can’t sense it, but it’s always there. If your meridians were truly severed, you’d have died long ago.”

He poked lee kang’s abdomen with a spectral finger—cold, but not painful.

“If the flow of qi is a river, then your condition means the river is narrow as a stream.”

“I see…”

“Qi still flows, but the channel is too thin—stifling vitality and making the release or accumulation of energy impossible.”

lee kang fell silent. This was a world where swords shone and ghosts existed; such logic didn’t seem impossible.

“If the pathways aren’t broken, can they be widened? Would that cure me?”

“Yes. You could even use martial arts.”

lee kang’s face brightened—then darkened again when the spirit added:

“But it’s impossible.”

“…What?”

“You wish to widen the meridians, correct?”

“Yes, of course—”

“I’ve cut men open, severed limbs, seen entrails spill, and never once found a ‘meridian.’”

He spoke casually, but his words reeked of blood.

“I saw bone, blood, marrow, muscle—but no ‘qi channels.’ Break the skull, and you find only pale brain. No spirit, no soul.”

lee kang said nothing.

“And yet—you can see me, can’t you?”

The ghost pointed at himself.

“You see my spirit with your eyes. How curious. Perhaps that, too, is connected.”

“Does that relate to martial arts?”

“Of course. When I possessed your frail body, how else could I wield internal energy?”

That was indeed lee kang’s biggest question.

“I used my will as a pillar, forcing energy through your blocked channels. That was the enlightenment I reached in my final years. In essence—”

He launched into a long lecture.

“There are three treasures: Essence, Qi, and Spirit. Will is Spirit. I forged my intent into a bridge between body and qi. Mind is Spirit; Spirit is Will.”

lee kang cut him off mid-speech.
“So, in short—”

“If you don’t understand, learn it properly!”

“…You mean it’s a matter of willpower, right?”

“Determination, yes. Through sheer effort, one might reconnect the meridians.”

lee kang was speechless. Even in this world, ‘effort and grit’ were apparently universal laws.

“Ha! You youths always sulk at the word ‘effort.’”

Still, the spirit seemed to have a method in mind.

“You’ve practiced the Lunar Scripture?”

“Yes. For my health.”

“Good. The clan focuses on the Solar Mind Technique, yes?”

“Yes. Most finish the Lunar Scripture by age seven, then focus only on Solar cultivation.”

“Hah! That’s because the Lunar Scripture was incomplete. But I perfected it before I died.”

“What?! Truly?”

“Indeed. I can’t heal your condition, but I can teach you.”

No one with severed meridians had ever properly learned martial arts. Yet the world’s strongest man offered to train him.

“Please, Master! Teach me!”

“Very well. The principle is simple—identical to the Lunar Scripture.”

The Immortal Divine Sword grinned.

He taught with passion. The structure was much the same as the old Lunar Scripture: a sequence of chants and movements to purify the mind, flowing seamlessly like water.

lee kang demonstrated what he had memorized flawlessly.

“Your form is weak, but your spirit isn’t bad. Again.”

Each full set took about thirty minutes and ended with a straight punch into the air.

“Hup!”

A bead of sweat dropped from his chin.

This time, however, the Immortal Divine Sword floated right in front of him.

“The true purpose of the Lunar Scripture is to manifest will into reality. When your mortal fist can strike my ghostly body—you will have grasped its meaning.”

“Haa… haa…”

“That was the sixth time. Again.”

It was an absurd demand—to strike a ghost bare-handed.

Still, I-gang obeyed. Again and again, his fists cut through empty air. After three and a half hours—seven rounds—he still hadn’t landed a single hit.

“Impressive perseverance. You’ve talent as well—don’t lose heart.”

lee kang never once complained. The spirit, watching him, was secretly pleased.

“It took me ten years to touch what did not exist—and another twenty to cut it. But you’re better than I ever was. You’ll touch me in three years, cut me in ten.”

Of course, that didn’t make him gentle.