Chapter 63
“The Samjae Sword Technique is the basic sword method for a shaman. Heaven and Earth exist, and within them, man exists as well.”
Geum Cheongsan’s words echoed through the small courtyard of Yeon Hongwon. Unyeong and Bang Gijin held their wooden swords upright with one hand, listening intently to his words.
Finally, Unyeong, whose physical strength had greatly improved, decided it was time to hold the sword. Though Geum Cheongsan had said it was okay to start before, Unyeong had kept postponing it.
Now, having found the Uncheol Mine and with the merchant guild having gone to the Martial Alliance, there was finally room to seriously practice swordsmanship.
You will see nothing here.
At the spring near Uncheol Mine, grandfather Seol Wonpyeong spoke. He had already instructed Unyeong and Seol Dojin to keep quiet, so they could trust him.
While his father Seol Jadan and Commander Wi had gone to the Martial Alliance, there was nothing they could handle at the moment. But the Uncheol Mine wasn’t going anywhere, and there was no immediate need for development.
‘Well, even if grandfather intervened, it probably wouldn’t solve things any faster. Better to leave it be for now.’
If they got confused, they could subtly mention the Jegal family. Even if they only knew about iron ore and not the mine itself, it would have been too large for Seol alone to manage.
From now on, he planned to practice the basic sword forms while simultaneously strengthening his body.
For the moment, he was simply excited by the familiar sensation after such a long time.
Even though it was just a wooden sword for children, holding the hilt made his heart beat faster.
Geum Cheongsan continued speaking, but Unyeong’s attention was entirely on the sword.
“The actions of striking down, swinging, and thrusting correspond to Heaven (Cheon), Earth (Ji), and Man (In) – the Three Talents. They express the origins of the universe and aim to embrace the universe in your heart. This is also the fundamental method of using the sword.”
Unyeong muttered to himself at Geum Cheongsan’s words. That “Heaven-Earth-Man, Three Talents” thing was never left out anywhere.
If those Taoist guys wanted to cultivate themselves, they could have done it deep in the mountains. What did they mean, embedding Tao in swordsmanship?
“Even without practicing the Samjae Mind Technique alongside it, this sword method is excellent for learning the basic movements of the sword.”
Still, Unyeong had benefited greatly from both the Samjae Mind Technique and the Samjae Sword Technique. While he couldn’t grasp the Tao contained in the sword technique, he understood why they aimed to embody such a mindset.
Understanding the essence of martial arts came naturally to Unyeong.
By simply moving his body, he could sense the heart within the martial arts. Though he muttered about that “Samjae” again and again, he could clearly feel Heaven, Earth, and himself when performing the Samjae Sword Technique.
“Before learning the full forms, we will train in the basic movements: downward slash, horizontal slash, and thrust. Once you are familiar with these three, I will teach you the initial forms of the Samjae Sword Technique.”
After Geum Cheongsan finished speaking, Bang Gijin stepped forward.
“Begin with the two-handed downward slash. Slowly. Start.”
Following his master’s command, Bang Gijin grasped the wooden sword with both hands, lifting it above his head into the high stance (Sangdan-se).
Then, slowly, the sword descended.
The strike came down cleanly, without a tremor.
‘Well learned.’
Unyeong nodded, observing Bang Gijin’s downward slash.
“Faster. Again.”
At Geum Cheongsan’s stern command, Bang Gijin struck downward a bit faster.
“A little faster. Again.”
As the downward slash was repeated several times, Unyeong concentrated on Bang Gijin’s movements.
Although Geum Cheongsan and Bang Gijin intended to demonstrate for Unyeong, he was measuring Bang Gijin’s mastery.
‘As expected, Mujai isn’t bad. If I apply myself well from here, I can grow even faster.’
Unyeong thought Bang Gijin’s foundation, formed during his time as a Sword Ghost, was solid. Indeed, it was clear he had learned from an excellent teacher.
Unyeong could see how much effort Geum Cheongsan had put in to ensure Bang Gijin achieved such perfect form.
“Next is the horizontal slash. Slowly. Start.”
Following Geum Cheongsan’s instructions, Bang Gijin demonstrated the horizontal slash from the middle stance (Jungdan-se) several times.
“Next, the thrust. Start.”
The thrust flowed naturally after the horizontal slash demonstration.
Unyeong focused intently on Bang Gijin’s movements.
Geum Cheongsan’s gaze fell on Unyeong’s bright, eager eyes.
Having assessed Bang Gijin, Unyeong turned his attention to Geum Cheongsan. Their eyes met, and Unyeong gave a slightly awkward smile.
Though he wanted to evaluate Geum Cheongsan’s Wu-Wei, there was no method at the moment.
To make an accurate judgment for future guidance, he needed to know what to do next—but for now, he had no clue.
Things like passing along instruction or teaching new martial arts were natural with a senior. But right now, it was impossible, leaving Unyeong frustrated.
‘Grandfather. Hurry up. There’s so much to do.’
He knew he should abandon impatience, but he simply couldn’t. His mind wanted to start with whatever he could at the moment, but impatience crept in unconsciously.
‘Grandfather must be busy too. Sigh. Let’s not rush.’
Geum Cheongsan smiled as he watched Unyeong sigh quietly. He realized Unyeong was nervous about starting sword training.
“Miss, how did you find it?”
Geum Cheongsan’s voice was unusually gentle.
“Yes, Master. There was no tremor in Bang Warrior’s sword.”
Unyeong answered loudly to his master’s question.
“That is forged through harsh training.”
Geum Cheongsan’s gaze fell on his disciple, Bang Gijin. His eyes were filled with warmth, and Bang Gijin’s face reddened slightly, embarrassed by the master’s attention.
“From today, you will begin practicing this downward slash as well.”
“Yes, Master.”
“It will not be easy, of course. But perfection cannot be expected from the start. Training is the process of seeking perfection. What matters is to begin.”
“Yes, Master.”
Unyeong agreed with Geum Cheongsan that training is the journey toward perfection. Though their standards might differ slightly.
“Now, let’s begin. Start with the slow downward slash.”
“Yes.”
Unyeong nodded and swept the sword. His fingertips had been tingling all along, and perhaps he had focused more on Bang Gijin’s demonstration to distract himself from that tingling sensation.
He lifted the sword above his head with both hands. Hoo. Exhaling softly, he concentrated on the sword tip and lowered it slowly.
Slower than Bang Gijin.
He felt a warm energy from the sword hilt—or perhaps it was simply his heart welcoming the sword.
“Ah, Miss?”
Geum Cheongsan’s voice seemed to call, but Unyeong’s eyes remained fixed on the tip.
He lifted the sword again, slowly lowering it. Slightly faster than before, yet flawless, the sword cut the air.
Faster again, faster again.
Unyeong’s sword descended relentlessly.
滴滴. Sweat trickled down Unyeong’s forehead, unnoticed.
He focused all his senses on the sword tip, striking continuously.
Unyeong entered a state of selflessness (Mu-a).
“Ma… Master?”
Bang Gijin called Geum Cheongsan in a trembling voice. Geum Cheongsan was also startled, but he knew what must be done.
Right before him was what he had never shown his disciple. He did not avert his gaze from Unyeong and called Bang Gijin.
“Gijin, from now on, don’t take your eyes off her sword. Watch carefully.”
“Huh? Yes, Master.”
Geum Cheongsan swallowed hard, observing Unyeong in Mu-a.
He felt daily that Unyeong’s talent exceeded imagination, but this moment was indescribable.
From the moment Unyeong first lifted the sword, Geum Cheongsan felt a sense of vastness. Unyeong’s form seemed like a single sword. As the sword fell slowly, Geum Cheongsan felt as if his body were being cut by it.
Body-Sword Unity? No, it wasn’t that. This was simply Unyeong’s sword starting from a realm Geum Cheongsan would never understand in his lifetime.
Even he thought the sword nearly perfect—but was it still lacking? Unyeong’s sword grew more stable with each repetition.
Questioning whether this was possible was meaningless. It simply was.
‘The basics are important.’
A saying he had heard countless times from his teacher, the previous head of the Seol family’s Hogaedae.
Geum Cheongsan never neglected basic training, always emphasizing it to his disciple Bang Gijin.
But when faced with someone whose basics were perfect from the start, he did not know what to do.
He could only hope that Bang Gijin would find something from that perfect sword.
And so could he.
‘Haha. I truly don’t know what to say. I should tell the Master to find a teacher for the young master immediately.’
Geum Cheongsan shook his head in disbelief, facing Unyeong’s frowning expression.
Even while performing such a perfect sword form…
