—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Heavenly Pillar Peak.
One of the highest peaks of Mount Wudang.
Reaching Heavenly Pillar Peak required traversing treacherous mountain paths and scaling sheer cliffs, making it a place rarely visited by humans.
“But why do you ask about Heavenly Pillar Peak…?”
“Actually…a celestial being appeared in my dream and told me to come here.”
Hak-un pondered my words, tilting his head slightly, then looked at me with a surprised expression.
“Do you mean you met the True Immortal of the Great Void?!”
“The True Immortal of the Great Void?”
Feigning ignorance was difficult.
I asked as naturally as possible, and Hak-un, uncharacteristically, launched into an impassioned explanation.
“He’s the former elder master of the Wudang Sect! Once renowned as the best swordsman in all the land! He disappeared after declaring his intention to cultivate immortality, and his whereabouts have been unknown since…!”
“Former elder master…that’s a long time ago.”
He was only briefly mentioned in the original story, so I didn’t know much about him, but a former elder master must be incredibly old.
Probably close to a hundred years old.
Considering that, he truly was an immortal-like figure.
Living to such an age in this era, even for a martial artist, was an extraordinary feat.
After all, martial artists inevitably made enemies, willingly or not.
Surviving such a tumultuous life, retiring peacefully, and enjoying a leisurely old age was the epitome of success.
“The True Immortal of the Great Void appeared in your dream…perhaps he intends to impart some wisdom…”
Hak-un looked at me with undisguised envy.
The former Wudang’s best swordsman must have been one of the most powerful martial artists in the world.
The original story depicted him as having reached an incredibly high level, so it was understandable that a Wudang Taoist would be envious.
“…Benefactor, I’m ready.”
“Me too.”
While I was talking with Hak-un, Hye-ryeong and Mokgyeong finished their preparations and approached me. Both were dressed in lighter clothing than usual, suitable for mountain climbing.
We stood before the mountain path leading to Heavenly Pillar Peak and bowed to Hak-un.
“Then, we’ll see you later.”
“May you gain enlightenment. If possible, please convey to the Sect Leader that he would be honored to meet the True Immortal.”
“I’ll pass on the message.”
Heavenly Pillar Peak…
How long would it take?
We began our journey to meet the reclusive master.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“…Someone lives on top of that?”
“He’s a recluse!”
Hye-ryeong looked at me as if I had asked a silly question.
…Was that common knowledge?
“The further removed from human interference a place is, the more abundant its natural energy. It’s not surprising. Especially since Taoists prefer such environments.”
Taoists did have a penchant for such places.
But now we had to climb it?
I craned my neck as far back as it would go, trying to see the peak of Heavenly Pillar Peak.
It was obscured by mist. I couldn’t even gauge its height. We might end up climbing all day.
“Benefactor, there seems to be a path this way.”
“…It looks like an animal trail.”
“Mister, what’s an animal trail?”
“Literally a path animals use. Meaning the chances of encountering whatever uses this trail are very high.”
Look at the size of those footprints.
What kind of animal lived on this mountain to leave such massive prints?
Were there tigers here?
“Whatever it is, we’re not easy prey. Let’s take the animal trail.”
I took the lead and stepped onto the trail.
The path, made of dirt and rock, was in relatively good condition, so the climb shouldn’t be too strenuous.
Several hours later.
I inhaled deeply, gazing at the sunset peeking through the misty sky.
“The view must be spectacular if you live here.”
“Hehe, looking at the sky from so high up makes me feel like a celestial being!”
“Seeing such a landscape every day must make one lose interest in worldly affairs.”
We each shared our impressions, resting on nearby rocks.
Even for martial artists, climbing a steep peak for almost two hours was tiring.
But we were about two-thirds of the way there, so our ordeal was almost over.
“Let’s get moving. The celestial being is probably staring daggers at us for taking so long.”
“…That’s true.”
“What about me?”
“…I don’t know.”
The True Immortal of the Great Void was only interested in Mokgyeong and me.
There was nothing I could do about that.
Hye-ryeong was talented, but she paled in comparison to Mokgyeong.
…Though, if I thought about it, reaching the level of a direct disciple in just over two years was quite an achievement. Perhaps I had protagonist-level talent.
Of course, being forced to constantly improve my skills in a life-or-death environment for over a year played a significant role.
And I wasn’t a complete novice when I first arrived in this world.
“Now we have to scale a sheer cliff…”
“Mister, what if we fall?”
“We’ll hope for a miracle and look forward to our next lives.”
“Falling from this height would leave no bones to collect.”
We continued our ascent, exchanging light banter. Now came the cliff.
If I had mastered Qinggong, I could have reached the top in an instant, but unfortunately, I had no affinity for such techniques.
Besides, scaling a cliff like this would require superhuman Qinggong, beyond the capabilities of ordinary martial arts. Even if I had learned Qinggong, I wouldn’t have been able to climb this.
“Mokgyeong, Hye-ryeong. You go ahead.”
“No, we should go together.”
“I want to go with Mister!”
“…Are you sure?”
I doubted she could handle the climb in her condition. I tried to dissuade her again, but Hye-ryeong insisted on accompanying me.
“…I’ll go with you as well. This is a good opportunity to train one’s natural strength.”
“…Suit yourself.”
I didn’t argue further.
With a sigh, I reached for a protruding rock.
How far did this cliff extend?
I looked up at the mist-shrouded peak and began my ascent.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“…So, you climbed with only your hands?”
“I never learned Qinggong.”
“No Qinggong…hm. Qinggong isn’t strictly necessary. Walking and running are perfectly acceptable ways to live.”
Telling that to someone who just scaled a cliff seemed a bit insensitive.
I dusted off my clothes, which had been scraped against the cliff face, and glanced at Hye-ryeong, sprawled on the ground.
…Then I quickly averted my gaze to Mokgyeong, who seemed relatively unfazed.
Had he really climbed the same cliff? How was he so clean?
Perhaps noticing my stare, Mokgyeong looked away shyly and said,
“…I trained to climb cliffs like these when I was younger.”
…If you say so.
I turned my attention back to the True Immortal of the Great Void. He looked much the same as he had in my dream.
He stroked his long, flowing beard and gestured towards me.
“Did you bring the wine?”
“…Here it is.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve had a drink.”
“…Couldn’t you just go down and buy some?”
“Don’t be absurd. Do you think a hermit like me carries money?”
“You could just go to the Wudang Sect…”
“If I go down, I’ll be bombarded with requests.”
True. A senior figure like him would cause a commotion at the Wudang Sect.
“…Someone of your stature would certainly attract attention.”
“Ah, this is the life. Excellent…”
Seeing this dignified-looking man guzzling wine straight from the bottle shattered my image of a reclusive master.
…Of course, eccentric recluses were common in wuxia stories.
Time to get down to business.
“True Immortal of the Great Void. May I ask why you summoned us?”
“I didn’t summon you. Heaven did. I merely appeared in your dream to relay the message.”
Heaven summoned us?
I looked up at the sky at his words.
Countless stars twinkled in the night sky.
Heaven…did he mean literally heaven? Or was there another meaning?
“Don’t overthink it. It’s simply the natural order of things.”
“…I understand it’s pointless to dwell on it.”
“Indeed. How can mere mortals like us comprehend the will of heaven?”
“…Then, do you have no other business with us?”
“That child will find his own path with a little guidance. But you…hm.”
He stared intently at my face for a long time.
His expression was contemplative, as if choosing his words carefully.
I waited patiently, meeting his gaze.
Finally, he smiled faintly and spoke.
“Tai Chi. Would you like to learn?”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
[Your Text Here]
thanks boo bear