Vol 2 Chapter 82. Prepare Yourself (3)
Namgung Jin couldn't believe the scene unfolding before his eyes.
He had already heard from his younger brother that this man could perfectly execute the Twelve Forms of the Iron Sword of their clan.
But he hadn't believed it.
Since it was his younger brother, who was still lacking in accomplishment, he had thought there must be some mistake.
But what was this sight before his eyes now?
It was none other than the Emperor Sword Form.
The level of martial arts was not the issue.
How could an outsider from another clan perform his family's secret sword art?
Patrick spoke to the dumbfounded Namgung Jin.
“Don’t make such a dazed face. This is just an imitation, after all.”
“Im… imitation?”
“Why? Does it seem strange because it looks more plausible than yours?”
“……”
“That’s only natural. No matter how much of an imitation it is, it’s bound to be better than yours.”
Namgung Jin bit his lip hard.
It was frustrating, but he couldn't deny those words.
The Emperor Sword Form that Patrick was performing was clearly on a much higher level than his own.
Patrick withdrew his sword stance and spoke.
“Kid, do you see the difference between your clumsy sword form and mine?”
“…Is it the difference in the level of internal energy?”
“Haaah…. How did Namgung fall to such a state?”
Patrick let out a deep sigh as he looked at Namgung Jin with a pitiful gaze.
‘Just curse at me instead.’
That gaze, filled with genuine disappointment and pity, was a humiliation in itself for Namgung Jin.
Then, Patrick wrote two characters on the ground with his sword.
“When all is said and done, the key to opening the door of high-level martial studies is this fellow here.”
And the characters Patrick wrote on the ground were….
-True Intent
“……”
Namgung Jin stared blankly at the characters.
Patrick said to him.
“Don’t tell me you can’t read, can you?”
“Of course not. But….”
Namgung Jin looked at Patrick, contemplating.
Then, he spoke with a respectful clasped hands greeting.
“I am lacking and cannot fully understand the Captain’s teachings. Please, add to your teachings so that this deficient one may understand.”
Namgung Jin’s attitude had changed slightly.
A much more polite etiquette was evident in his dealings with Patrick.
Who would rebuke a young man who had shed his arrogance and was showing full courtesy for the sake of learning?
“Argh, this blockhead.”
Correct answer, Patrick Sky Schneider.
Patrick scratched his head roughly and said.
“I told you, didn't I? It lacks true intent. True intent. Do you not know the words?”
“No. I do. I know, but….”
“If I give you some teaching, you should have some moments where you go ‘Ah, I see,’ gain some enlightenment, suddenly fall into meditation, and your state rises. There should be some of that flavor for me to also say things like, ‘Ho ho ho, the future of Namgung is truly bright.’ But this is like reading scriptures to a crow….”
“……”
Having grown up hearing he was quite the genius since he was young, this was the first time in his life Namgung Jin had been so openly berated.
Just as his soul felt like it was about to escape from the storm of nagging, Mun Yul’s hand landed on his shoulder.
“Master Mun Yul?”
“Just…. Let it go in one ear and out the other.”
That was the advice from the grand disciple to the Bong-gong of his own sect.
***
A while later.
Before Patrick, who had poured out a torrent of frustration, a shrunken Namgung Jin knelt with his head bowed.
Patrick let out heavy sighs and said.
“Hooooo…. Now listen carefully. I find it bothersome, so I won’t explain twice.”
“…Yes.”
The thoroughly demoralized Namgung Jin replied in a dying voice.
Patrick then spoke with a frown.
“The Emperor Sword Form is a will-imbued unique skill. What do you think a will-imbued unique skill is?”
“That is….”
“Just honestly say what you think.”
“I have never thought about it.”
“…You haven’t?”
“No. The state of intent still feels like a world too distant for me, so I have not even thought about it.”
“Hahaha. I see. I see.”
“Yes. That is so… Gyaak!”
CRACK!
Namgung Jin was kicked by Patrick and sent flying far away.
“I’m not doing this. Go home, you punk!”
As Patrick was about to go berserk again, Mun Yul intervened.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Bong-gong, calm down.”
“How can I be calm? The eldest son of the Namgung Clan has never even thought about intent?! And you call yourself a martial artist?!”
“…I haven’t either.”
“Go die!”
In the end, Mun Yul was kicked as well.
***
A short while later.
This time, both Mun Yul and Namgung Jin were kneeling before the fuming Patrick.
“Hooo…. Hooo….”
Patrick focused on calming his inner demon in front of the two.
“Haa…. I’m going crazy. How can the eldest son of the Namgung Clan and the grand disciple of the great Twin Dragon Sect be like this….”
“……”
“……”
“Argh, should I just bury them both here for the sake of the bright future of the Orthodox martial world and raise some new, sharp ones?”
That man seems like he would actually do it, which is terrifying.
With the two shrinking further, Patrick muttered toward the sky.
“Calmly teach them what? In that time, I could discard these ones and pick up a new useful one…. Ah, I get it. Who said I was actually going to do it?”
‘What is he doing?’
‘How should I know?’
‘He’s your sect’s Bong-gong, isn’t he?’
‘So what? Do you think a normal person can understand that man?’
Mun Yul and Namgung Jin exchanged glances, communicating with their eyes about Patrick.
“Trying to be clever? Eyes rolling, are they? Huh?”
As Patrick’s gaze fell upon them, they flinched again.
They were like children being disciplined by a scary teacher in a village school.
Patrick sighed at them and said.
“Intent refers to the form and goal of the martial art you wish to embody.”
“……”
“……”
Patrick continued speaking to the two, who wore uncomprehending expressions.
“Every martial artist sets a direction in the course of their martial training. The sword of Diancang pursues speed, the sword of Wudang pursues flexibility, and the sword of Mount Hua pursues illusion, in that manner.”
As the two focused, Patrick’s words continued.
“Most martial artists learn that direction from their master. When the master says, ‘Do it like this,’ they follow and train accordingly.”
Isn't that obvious?
Doesn't everyone learn that way?
To the two who were thinking this, Patrick spoke in a sharp, scolding tone.
“But that is a reliance on another’s path.”
“……”
“Of course, at the beginning, you must follow your master’s teachings without doubt.”
“……”
“However, even after your martial state reaches a level of maturity, you must not blindly believe the teachings. This is because the sword you wield will lack your own will.”
“……”
“Intent is the key to breaking out of such a stagnant stage. To know the goal of your martial art and to perform it according to that will. That is the essence of a will-imbued unique skill.”
Just then, Mun Yul cautiously raised his hand and spoke.
“Excuse me, Bong-gong.”
“What is it?”
“I understand what you’re saying. In the end, if you add your will to your martial arts and perform them with sincerity, the power increases, right?”
“…Uh.”
Patrick looked a little surprised.
This fellow’s way of thinking was simplistic, but he had accurately pinpointed the core of the definition of intent that Patrick had laid out.
‘Was his insight better than I thought?’
To Patrick, who was thinking this, Mun Yul spoke.
“But aren’t we already doing that? Young Master Namgung Jin here can perform the Emperor Sword Form, and if I push myself, I can perform Nine Dragons Under Heaven. Since we can already perform will-imbued unique skills, why do we have to learn the meaning of intent all over again… What are you doing?”
“What was I expecting? What was I….”
Patrick leaned his hand on a nearby tree, bowed his head deeply, and despaired.
“I was an idiot to expect even a sliver of talent from that bastard for a moment.”
At that, Mun Yul shouted.
“Hey, why?! I’m right. We can already perform will-imbued unique skills, so why learn about intent again.”
“Are you guys doing it knowingly? Do you know what you’re doing?”
“Uh, that’s….”
“Aren’t you all just performing the high-level martial arts that your great ancestors created?”
“Uh…. Is that different?”
“It is!”
Patrick bellowed.
“Do you think high-level martial arts in Jianghu are revered for no reason? They are praised as amazing because they can turn even untalented kids like you into masters as long as you diligently learn them.”
Both the Radiant Dragon Twelve Sword Forms he created and the Namgung Clan’s Emperor Sword Form were divine arts created by those whose martial arts reached the heavens.
Just by diligently following and learning those martial arts, one could wield them with the will and intent of their creator.
However….
“No matter how great, magnificent, and handsome they were, the grandmasters are the grandmasters, and you are you. To properly embody your own intent, you need your own will.”
“……”
“With your own will, decide what you are aiming for and refine your intent accordingly. That is the first step.”
Just then, Namgung Jin spoke to Patrick.
“I understand the Captain’s words with my head.”
“That’s a relief. At least you got it with your head….”
“But is that really possible? Is it really possible to create my own Emperor Sword Form with my own, still-lacking will, rather than the teachings of my great ancestors?”
“Yeah. It is.”
“How can you be so sure of that?”
“Because I’ve seen someone do it.”
“…Pardon?”
Patrick still remembered.
He was a man whose skills were lacking, whose life had been a failure, and whose own life had ended in failure.
But still….
“His will alone was real.”
“……?”
“In any case, there is a precedent. A man completely unrelated to the Namgung Clan manifested the Emperor’s Qi and created his own sword.”
“Such a….”
“I’ll give you about ten days. Within that time, create your sword with your own will. If that’s impossible….”
“……”
“I have a plan for that time too.”
At Patrick’s words, Namgung Jin contemplated seriously before nodding his head.
“I will do my best.”
And with that, Namgung Jin sat down on the spot in a cross-legged position and immediately entered meditation.
Patrick watched him for a moment before nodding.
‘It probably won’t be easy.’
Creating one’s own intent to perform the Emperor Sword Form was not an easy task.
But it was a wall that a son of the Namgung Clan would have to overcome someday.
And….
“Yul, you follow me.”
“Pardon? Shouldn’t I also be meditating to create my intent?”
“Do that later. You need to do something else first.”
“What is that?”
“You’ll know when you follow me.”
And so, Patrick took Mun Yul to the backyard of the Twin Dragon Sect.
There….
“You’re here, honey.”
“Yeah. How are the preparations?”
“I’ve done enough. The World Tree has also fully recovered her energy, so I think it’s possible.”
“Right. Well, if worst comes to worst, we have that too…. Even in the worst case, he probably won’t die.”
At Patrick’s words, Mun Yul’s heart sank.
The words ‘he probably won’t die’ had come from Bong-gong's mouth.
That meant, by a normal person’s standards, he was about to do something where nine out of ten attempts would end in death.
“Excuse me, Bong-gong. What exactly are you trying to do?”
“It’s fine. It’ll hurt a bit, but everyone else does it too.”
At that moment, Mun Yul ran without looking back.
No, he tried to run.
“Where are you going?”
If Patrick hadn’t grabbed the back of his neck, he would have run to the ends of the earth.
“Let me go!”
“Jeez, anyone would think you’re in a crisis of having a vital part of your body amputated against your will.”
“Woooooah!”
Mun Yul struggled with all his might, but his opponent was just too strong.
Patrick dragged Mun Yul before the World Tree.
Then….
POKE POKE POKE!
In an instant, he restrained him by pressing vital acupoints all over his body and made him sit cross-legged.
“What on earth are you trying to do?”
To the suspicious and distrustful Mun Yul, Patrick spoke with a solemn expression.
“Prepare yourself.”
“But wha-….”
“From now on, I will perform the Twin Dragons Heaven and Earth Primordial Heart Law.”
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