Pang!

Jin Cheon-hee transitioned into a low kick. His hair billowed softly.

“Master, I’m truly glad I was able to save Yeo Haryoon. It’s probably one of the two best things I’ve done in my life. The other was becoming your disciple.”

“Hee, you are truly kind.”

Translated: ‘You’re being deceived because you’re too kind.’

Suddenly, his master spoke. “Hee-ya, this time, I’d like you to try performing the Three Powers Fist Technique with a spear.”

“I’ve never used a spear before. Will that be alright?”

“Yes. You should be able to awaken its essence.”

As he said this, he extended his hand. A wooden practice spear, which had been hanging on the wall, flew into his master’s grasp as if sucked in by a vacuum.

Void-Grasping Art.

Just how many gapja of internal energy does my master possess?

Due to the nature of the Five-Elemental True Qi, which splits and moves energy into five paths, it was difficult to measure his exact amount of internal energy even with a pulse diagnosis.

His master spun the spear once, as if it were flowing water, and tossed it to Jin Cheon-hee.

The perfect arc it drew was mesmerizing.

Tak.

The spear was, at once, lighter than expected and heavier. It was light enough to simply hold, but heavy enough that swinging it all day would be taxing. More than anything, its length made it harder to find the center of gravity than a sword.

Zhuge Rin said, “There’s no need to find it difficult. If you can’t do it, you just do it until you can. But for you, who has practiced the Three Powers Fist Technique until it’s imprinted on your very being, you should grasp it quickly.”

Grasp it? Grasp what?

Considering his master’s habits, the meaning was simple.

‘It means if I grasp it, I can immediately move to the next stage. And if I don’t, he won’t tell me the answer and will just grind me into the dust until I do.’

Trying to think too deeply about what he was supposed to realize would only give him a headache.

For now, let’s just do it.

Jin Cheon-hee first spun the spear in a circle. His body, thanks to his recent training, was well-built. His strength and stamina were a given, and while he wasn’t as tall as that Heavenly Demon kid, he was growing properly.

I can do this, he thought.

Jin Cheon-hee executed the forms of the Three Powers Fist Technique while holding the spear.

Pang!

The spear tip struck the air.

Ah, that’s not the right feeling.

A spear needed to be sharp. It was different from a fist.

Should I try to make it sharper, with the feeling of parting the air?

Strangely, even though he was just holding a spear while going through the Three Powers Fist Technique stances, there were no blockages in his movements at all.

Hung!

The sound of a clean hit rang out.

High strike, middle strike, low strike, block, deflect.

The movements flowed one after the other, as if they always had.

It wasn’t that Jin Cheon-hee was intentionally doing it. His body was moving as if it remembered, as if he had learned spearmanship before.

I see. It’s simple, and that’s precisely why it’s easy to adapt.

If you compared it to a vessel, the Three Powers Fist Technique was like a large, unadorned earthenware pot. It was ugly, with no brilliant flourishes, but it could hold a great many things.

This is fun.

A smile spread across Jin Cheon-hee’s face. Like a child who had received his very first toy, he began to swing the spear, lost in a State of Selflessness absorption.

I want to follow that perfect arc my master just showed me.

Once, twice, ten times, twenty times.

He had no idea how much time had passed. He just did it, and did it again.

Tang!

The elasticity of the spear shaft felt good. The weight at the spearhead felt good. The feeling of cutting the air was fun.

As his thoughts reached that point, internal energy began to flow from his body. The five energies of his Five-Elemental True Qi flowed out, creating four distinct properties. And then those four true qis—Fire, Wind, Metal, and Water—merged into one, creating a true qi with a new property.

Kwarereureung—

The Five-Elemental True Qi: Thunder.

Sparks of electricity began to fly from the spearhead. It was a form of true qi, similar to Sword Qi, but slightly different.

Jin Cheon-hee’s spear continued to move. Electricity flowed along the arc of the spear’s movement. It was like a meteor. The light created by the lightning scattered and gathered like stars.

Kwarereu!

In contrast, a pattern of lightning strikes began to be carved into the training ground floor.

The Three Powers Fist Technique, once called the most humble and featureless of arts, was transforming into a brilliant spearmanship, wreathed in lightning.

The thunder Jin Cheon-hee drew bloomed in the training yard.

And then, the spear art reached its climax.

Kwagagagwang—!

The wooden spear embedded itself in the granite floor.

Enlightenment shot through his entire body.

He was out of breath. He rested his head against the quivering spear shaft, panting for a long time. He closed his eyes, savoring the new understanding.

His consciousness briefly sank inward, and he quickly organized what he had learned.

Five-Elemental Divine Art, Sixth Level. Thunder and Lightning! I’ve reached the sixth level.

That wasn’t all. He had learned spearmanship through the Three Powers Fist Technique. He had no idea what this spear art was.

Just then, his master spoke.

“It is called the Bewildering Lightning Spear (迷離雷槍), the Bewildering Lightning Spear. It was named for the way the lightning gathers and scatters. But in the Gangho, it is more famous by another name. The Ten Paces Divine Spear (十步神槍).”

The moment he heard that, a chill ran up his spine.

The Ten Paces Divine Spear? This was the Ten-Pace Divine Spear?

It was a spear art mentioned several times in the novel. It was a legendary art, named so because no enemy could approach within ten paces (十步) of it.

In the story, whenever connoisseurs of martial arts mentioned spearmanship, they would say things like:

‘It’s not the legendary Ten Paces Divine Spear, but it’s still a formidable spear art.’ ‘Perhaps he could even surpass the Ten Paces Divine Spear.’ ‘I have lived my entire life as a spearman. I am confident I am worthy of dueling the Ten Paces Divine Spear.’

And yet, the Ten Paces Divine Spear itself had never actually appeared. He’d never thought it particularly strange. The center of any wuxia story was always the sword. It wasn’t called the “King of Ten Thousand Weapons” for nothing. The spear was a supporting character. In a wuxia novel, if they held a “Number One under the Heavens” tournament, you’d be lucky to find one or two spearmen. Most were swordsmen.

Because of this, there was rarely much reason to mention the spear. The protagonist, that Heavenly Demon kid, mainly used a sword or his fists.

Thinking that far, he suddenly realized why his master had tossed him a spear.

To fight the Heavenly Demon Yeo Haryoon, a spear has a type advantage.

The length of a weapon is crucial. Even in a fight between masters who had grasped the “Heart of the Sword,” weapon length was a significant variable. A spear was longer than a sword. It was well-suited for fighting against a destructive swordsmanship style.

The problem was solved if you simply didn’t let them get close.

There was no better weapon for facing that Heavenly Demon kid.

His master spoke. “To learn the Ten Paces Divine Spear, three conditions are required. First, one must master the mind-numbingly dull Three Powers Fist Technique to its absolute peak. Second is the Three Talents Footwork. This, too, must be understood to a level far exceeding what is needed to learn the Bewildering Footwork. The last is…”

“…To have mastered the Five-Elemental Divine Qi to at least the fifth level.”

“Yes. And on top of that, a little talent is required. It is a spear art that demands a special person to master the most trivial of martial arts to its peak, and one that cannot be achieved without the Five-Elemental Divine Art.”

It was a martial art that was highly selective of its user. It wasn’t just about the body’s physical constitution, but about the person’s talent and personality.

His master said, “Congratulations on entering the threshold of the Ten Paces Divine Spear, Hee-ya. In the entire history of the Zhuge Clan, you are the only one to have achieved it in a single attempt.”

At that moment, his master let out a small cough. It was as faint as a child’s breath, yet sharp, as if something was tearing.

When his master pulled his hand away, it was stained with black blood.

A second cough followed. This time, bright red, fresh blood flowed from between his fingers. His master’s large frame swayed once, then collapsed.

In that same instant, Jin Cheon-hee threw the spear aside and ran to his master.

“Yoo Ho! Yoo Ho! Master! Master is…!”

His master’s unconscious body was heavier than a mountain and colder than ice.

They moved his master to a warm bedchamber and treated him endlessly.

Fortunately, his master quickly regained consciousness.

“Another attack… has come.”

“…”

Jin Cheon-hee didn’t answer, just gripped Zhuge Rin’s large hand with both of his own.

Zhuge Rin let out a small sigh at the guilt flooding his disciple’s eyes.

“Hee-ya. I am alright.”

“…”

Jin Cheon-hee smelled the scent of death on his master’s voice. What made him even angrier was how terribly peaceful that voice sounded.

“Go to the archives, the one only the Pavilion Master can enter, and find the manual for the Bewildering Lightning Spear. I have already arranged it so that you, as the Junior Pavilion Master, may enter.”

He was always preparing for the day he would be gone. Preparing so that even after he had worn away, Jin Cheon-hee could survive on his own.

Jin Cheon-hee’s face contorted with emotion.

“Master.”

“Don’t look at me like that. Isn’t this… just the natural order of things?”

His master let out another shallow cough. Perhaps because of Jin Cheon-hee’s treatment, there was no blood this time.

Zhuge Rin’s long silver hair was matted with sweat.

This room is so warm, and he’s sweating so much… so why is his body so cold? His chest felt impossibly tight.

Jin Cheon-hee poured his internal qi into his master’s hand. He had to raise his body temperature.

He overexerted himself. To teach me. He pushed himself too hard, trying to pass everything on to me.

Every day had felt as if his master was teaching him like it was his last.

Blood welled up from his bitten lip. His master reached out and wiped the blood from his disciple’s mouth.

“Master… can I sleep here with you tonight?”

“If this is because of my condition…”

Jin Cheon-hee shook his head. “It’s not like that. It’s just… when I’m older, I won’t be able to act like a child anymore. So I want to be spoiled while I still can.”

At those words, Zhuge Rin let out a small laugh.

“You always put me in a bind.”

It was strange. His master, whom people whispered was a monster, was only weak when it came to his disciple.

Jin Cheon-hee laid his own bedding down right next to his master’s. He would pretend to sleep, but he planned to watch over him all night, until he was stable.

He’s doing much better than in the original story, but it’s not enough.

He had to move on to the next treatment, and fast.

Time, as always, waited for no one.

After that, on days when his condition worsened, Zhuge Rin would confine himself to the inner quarters and not come out.

Even when he was teaching Jin Cheon-hee, the sound of coughing began to accompany his words. It was obvious what that meant.

His condition is getting worse every day.

That was the way of illness. In the early and middle stages, one could live a normal life, eat, and get by. Often, no one even noticed, unless the patient said something.

But in the final stage, the condition would deteriorate rapidly.

He had already lived longer than the time he was given in the novel. The novel hadn’t specified an exact date, but he knew that Zhuge Rin was supposed to have collapsed at the Dragon Phoenix Assembly, before the Beggar’s Sect Branch Leader incident, and then held on and on, unable to rise from his bed, before finally dying.

This time, it was different.