The new disciples of Main Sect Training Hall froze in place at Instructor Hyeonmun’s sudden outburst.
“You’ve improved, but you’re still far from satisfying me. However, your effort is commendable, so I’ll give you another chance.”
“For this moment, while I am instructing you, I am your Teacher.”
“Understood, Teacher!”
“All of you, put down your wooden spheres and practice the Eight Desolation Steps again.”
Instructor Hyeonmun went around, correcting each disciple’s stance as they moved.
“When shifting from Armored Five Step to Following Tiger Step, put eighty percent of your weight on your heel. The remaining twenty percent should go into your calves to create rebound.”
By that afternoon, three new disciples, including Seok Jangsan, had achieved the First Level of Heaven-Earth Sphere Technique.
Instructor Hyeonmun couldn’t help but be astonished.
Never before had disciples from the Outer Martial Hall shown such rapid progress.
If Main Sect Training Hall disciples could bridge the gap to innate talent through sheer effort, Wudang’s entire martial culture might change.
At some point, Wudang had begun to lose its essence. It had started defining talent solely by birthright.
Perhaps that was why, in this generation, Wudang had failed to produce the greatest Sword Immortal.
If these new disciples continued to excel, they could become the foundation of a new martial philosophy.
Instructor Hyeonmun was now deeply curious about them.
That evening, he returned to the training grounds after dinner.
He wanted to observe how the disciples trained after their daily lessons.
There, he saw them gathered around Kwak Yeon.
“It really worked,” said Jeong I-chu, his face flushed with excitement.
“Kwak Yeon, it’s all thanks to you correcting my stance.”
“No, I-chu, it’s because of your own effort,” Kwak Yeon replied, shaking his head.
Jeong I-chu blushed even deeper.
“You’re too modest. You’re making me embarrassed.”
“Oh? Well, if you say so, then I’ll take credit,” Kwak Yeon said awkwardly.
The disciples burst into laughter.
As the laughter died down, Jeong I-chu added,
“But today, Teacher Hyeonmun gave me some pointers. I feel bad for saying this, but it made things even easier.”
“There’s nothing to feel bad about. What did he correct?”
Jeong I-chu demonstrated the adjusted movement, and Kwak Yeon let out a small exclamation.
“Wow! I hadn’t even thought of that. He really is amazing.”
“Yeah, it definitely feels more natural this way.”
Kwak Yeon turned to the others.
“What if we all share the corrections we received from Teacher today? That way, we’ll learn even more from each other.”
“That’s a great idea. It’ll help us fill in our weaknesses.”
The other disciples all agreed.
“Yeah! Practicing together will make us even better.”
“That’s exactly right!”
One by one, the disciples demonstrated the movements Instructor Hyeonmun had corrected, explaining the changes.
Everyone listened attentively.
Finally, all the disciples had taken their turn.
Then, their eyes turned toward Ha Gang, who was sitting quietly in the corner.
His face flushed red as he hesitantly stood up.
“I... I was corrected on this part.”
Ha Gang demonstrated the movement.
As he returned to his spot, Seok Jangsan patted him on the shoulder.
“Just stay here. That took courage too. But in the end, it’s your choice.”
Ha Gang nodded slightly, and Seok Jangsan turned to address the group.
“Alright, let’s train now. Tomorrow, let’s all achieve the First Level together and shock Teacher Hyeonmun!”
The disciples burst into laughter.
Even Ha Gang managed a small smile.
For the first time, Kwak Yeon found himself smiling as well.
Back in his office, Instructor Hyeonmun pulled out a report from the Outer Martial Hall instructors.
It contained their evaluations of Kwak Yeon.
The next morning, he summoned Kwak Yeon to his office.
“What exactly did you do in the past two days?”
“Don’t lie or leave anything out.”
Kwak Yeon told him everything.
Hearing the full story, Instructor Hyeonmun was utterly stunned.
What Kwak Yeon had discovered was a Martial Principle.
For a child to realize such a thing on his own...
Without a complete understanding of meridian flow, it should have been impossible.
“Did I do something terribly wrong?” Kwak Yeon asked cautiously.
“The principle itself isn’t incorrect. But martial arts aren’t that simple. Since this was just a foundation technique, you could apply it without issue. But if you recklessly apply it to advanced martial arts, you could fall into Qi Deviation.”
Kwak Yeon was startled.
“I was too reckless.”
“Your approach is correct.”
“Maintain that mindset.”
“And starting today, return to the training grounds.”
“Thank you, Master! I mean... Teacher!”
A few days later, once all the new disciples had achieved the First Level of the Heaven-Earth Sphere Technique, Instructor Hyeonmun addressed them.
“You have established the foundation of the Heaven-Earth Sphere Technique. From here, you must continue training diligently. Those who are confident may practice while walking up and down the mountain paths or add additional wooden spheres. Starting today, we will move on to the Taiji Sphere Technique.”
The new disciples, who had gathered bare-chested, were given iron spheres.
“The Heaven-Earth Sphere Technique is the foundation of footwork. The Taiji Sphere Technique, on the other hand, is the foundation of palm and fist techniques. Furthermore, it is a method to grasp the principles of Taiji Boxing, and you must reach the Tenth Level to master it.”
Instructor Hyeonmun explained the mysteries of Taiji in structured teachings.
“You already know that from Taiji comes duality, and from duality, it transforms into the four symbols, and eventually into the ten directions. Everything in the universe contains Taiji, so to understand Taiji is to comprehend all things. Train in the Taiji Sphere Technique until you attain that enlightenment.”
It was not something to be understood intellectually, but rather something to be realized through the body.
“Each of you will draw a circle and rotate the sphere within it. You must not let the sphere leave the circle, nor should its movement stop even for a moment.”
At first, it seemed like a simple game with a ball.
‘This should be easy.’
But they soon understood why this was considered one of Wudang’s foundational techniques.
They quickly realized how incredibly difficult it was to keep the sphere in constant motion while maintaining its rotation.
Just as they became proficient at spinning the sphere on their palms, Instructor Hyeonmun gave the next instruction.
“Raise the sphere onto your forearm, let it roll across your shoulder, and send it to the opposite hand. Begin!”
Naturally, the iron spheres fell to the ground in an instant.
“You fools! I told you not to stop the rotation. The essence of Taiji lies in the circle. The circle extends its force in all directions, connecting heaven and earth. If you halt the rotation, the sphere will not adhere to your body.”
Instructor Hyeonmun’s scolding never ceased.
“Who is breaking their stance? If I catch anyone loosening their posture, they will run ten laps around the training ground in the Duck Walk Stance—no, make that a hundred laps.”
The Taiji Sphere Technique was relentless.
It was at least ten times more exhausting than the Heaven-Earth Sphere Technique.
After training, their mouths were dry, and they could taste iron on their tongues.
Seok Jangsan stood out above the rest.
He was already practicing with a wooden sphere, advancing to the next stage.
“You’re truly gifted.”
Meanwhile, Kwak Yeon was struggling with even the first stage using the iron sphere.
“There’s no way to explain it properly. I’m sorry.”
Seok Jangsan looked genuinely apologetic.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. If anything, I’m glad that at least one of us is managing to do it.”
Watching Seok Jangsan’s progress, ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) Kwak Yeon was struck by how immense natural talent truly was.
“To be honest, I do envy you a little. But at least by chasing after you, I’ve managed to improve this much.”
Hearing that, Seok Jangsan’s expression darkened slightly.
“If Teacher Hyeonmun scolded me for simply moving ahead, then maybe the purpose of the Taiji Sphere Technique isn’t just about increasing physical ability.”
“He really said that to you?”
“It’s frustrating. I feel like I’m on the verge of understanding, but I can’t quite grasp it. I don’t know why he keeps holding back instead of just explaining it outright.”
“Maybe he trusts in your intelligence and wants you to figure it out on your own.”
“Then he overestimates me. I should start staring at the sky and daydreaming like a certain someone.”
“You wouldn’t be able to do that even if you tried. I get distracted because I always have too many thoughts. That day, I was so caught up in figuring out how to extend my time in Taiji Sphere Training that I...”
Kwak Yeon suddenly shouted.
“The essence of Taiji!”
“Remember what Teacher Hyeonmun said on the first day? He told us to understand Taiji first.”
“Of course I understand Taiji. A circle is perfectly balanced. The stronger the rotation, the more it adheres to the body.”
“But that’s just an intellectual understanding.”
“Think about why, unlike the Heaven-Earth Sphere Technique, we start the Taiji Sphere Technique with a heavy iron sphere and gradually move to lighter ones.”
“Well, that’s because lighter spheres are harder to control since they bounce more... Oh! You’re saying that the key to generating the rotational force of Taiji is learning to use different muscles for heavy and light spheres?”
“That’s right! You really are a genius.”
Seok Jangsan exaggeratedly bowed.
“Yes, yes! And the master who enlightens this genius must be an even greater genius.”
The two laughed as they exchanged glances.
Holding an iron sphere in one hand and a wooden sphere in the other, Seok Jangsan spoke.
“So, heavy spheres use large muscles, and light spheres rely on smaller muscles. But how exactly do we control the smaller muscles?”
He rolled both spheres along his forearms, testing their movement.
“I can’t tell the difference at all.”
“Of course, you can’t.”
“...What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Your body naturally adjusts on its own. When the sphere gets lighter, your muscles instinctively shift to maintain its rotation.”
“You mean you can’t do that?”
“Man, what a shame. Teacher Hyeonmun should be seeing you right now. If he did, he’d probably start explaining everything from the basics.”
“Ah, or more likely, he’d throw me out first. Either way, sorry for overestimating you.”
“For people like us, we have to actually train our small muscles. That’s the true purpose of the Taiji Sphere Technique.”
Seok Jangsan’s face turned serious.
“A genius may move a step ahead at first. But in the end, we all hit a wall eventually. That’s when you truly see what a person is made of.”
Kwak Yeon watched him quietly.
Seok Jangsan let out a deep breath and finally admitted,
“Fine, I’ll say it. I’m stuck. I can’t progress beyond the wooden sphere.”
“Don’t worry, Seok Jangsan, my disciple. Your master has already figured out how to use the small muscles.”
Seok Jangsan’s eyes widened.