The Genius Grandson of the Namgung Family Chapter 80

Chapter 80

The words of Chwiwol Geolgae that they would win if they properly dealt with the Eighteen Arhat Formation.

Ha Hyeon had actually vaguely sensed this.

No, to be precise, he couldn’t sense anything from them.

‘Something… like the scent of danger.’

It was a sensation that had developed after Ha Hyeon’s confrontation with The Blood Sword Lord.

It wasn’t something that could be accurately compared or clearly judged as greater or lesser.

Just something felt when a powerful person was present.

Needless to say, his grandfather Namgung Mu-ryong and Chwiwol Geolgae exuded the fragrance of powerful individuals, and the Leader of the beggars sect also strongly emanated the aura of strength.

He could sense that feeling again at the training ground earlier.

In particular, Master Juwon radiated an energy comparable to his grandfather or Chwiwol Geolgae, and the dozens of warrior monks training in the courtyard were the same.

However, as one moved toward the back of the training ground, that sensation faded.

Especially in the very back row.

‘Was his name Wonchul?’

Ha Hyeon recalled the young warrior monk he had met at the main gate of Shaolin Temple.

His solar plexus was prominent, and his refined movements revealed how much training he had undergone, but Ha Hyeon hadn’t thought he seemed particularly dangerous.

Chwiwol Geolgae spoke to Ha Hyeon, who had momentarily been lost in thought.

“However, that doesn’t mean you should let your guard down. It’s not for nothing that even children ignorant of martial arts know about the One Hundred Eight Arhat Formation and the Eighteen Arhat Formation. You’ve felt the terror of formations well during the six days you spent climbing to the peak of Jungeuk, haven’t you?”

“Yes. I truly realized it thoroughly…”

The formations deployed by Chwiwol Geolgae weren’t simply meant to make one lose their way.

Upon entering some formations, one would experience hallucinations of constantly hearing wailing, while others created the sensation that heaven and earth had been turned upside down.

“Where did you learn all those formations? Are they perhaps The beggars sect’s secret techniques?”

“Kul kul. Those The beggars sect beggars only know the Beat the Dog Formation. These are things I picked up here and there along my travels.”

Although he claimed to have picked them up casually, they were formations of remarkably high quality.

“Don’t worry. When the time comes, I’ll teach you all the formation techniques. You greedy child.”

Ha Hyeon smiled brightly at hearing the words he had been waiting for.

“I’m going out for a while, so either practice or rest as you see fit.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m not telling you.”

Chwiwol Geolgae replied briefly and then swiftly left Jungeuk.

Ha Hyeon chuckled and went out to the small yard attached to Jungeuk, intending to practice with his sword.

“Brother!”

Namgung Min was already in the yard.

He was bare-chested and holding a sword, and since his practice session with Chwiwol Geolgae yesterday, he had practically been living there except for eating and sleeping.

The insight gained thanks to Chwiwol Geolgae was so precious that even sleep seemed like a waste of time.

“Hyeon.”

“Have you been here since morning?”

Namgung Min glanced at the sun high in the sky and said.

“Time has already flown by so quickly.”

“I’m hurt. Are you trying to move ahead all by yourself?”

“Haha. With you catching up so quickly, how could I possibly stay still?”

Sweat dripped from Namgung Min’s chin as he spoke.

Considering it was the middle of winter, it was clear he was undergoing extremely rigorous training.

“Is it the training from yesterday?”

Namgung Min nodded.

Training to swing the sword directly at what the eye sees.

Namgung Min, who was so brilliant that he had been using his head without consciously being aware of it his entire life, was now practicing wielding his sword without thinking.

“Would you like to see?”

“Yes, Brother.”

Ha Hyeon sat down in a spot where he could clearly see Namgung Min.

Namgung Min stood up five logs that had been lying on the ground in front of him.

“Hoo.”

He exhaled a long breath.

His white breath scattered in the cold air.

“Heup!”

At that moment, Namgung Min held his breath and swung his wooden sword.

And Ha Hyeon had the illusion of seeing five streams of light pouring out from Namgung Min.

BWAK!

And the five logs that had been set up all fell backward at once.

It felt as if five swords had been swung simultaneously.

“Whoa…!” Ha Hyeon stood up suddenly, even though she had only just sat down.

“Brother?! This is…?”

“Sigh. As you probably felt, the last log fell ever so slightly later. Four is still your limit.”

He spoke with self-deprecation, but even four was an impressive achievement.

In fact, if one hadn’t been paying close attention, one might not have noticed that the fifth fell later.

It was a frighteningly swift sword strike.

Ha Hyeon realized that Namgung Min hadn’t simply swung his sword five times quickly.

‘It’s the heart. Brother’s heart is moving.’

Wielding the sword as the heart leads, not the head.

This was the essence of the enlightenment Namgung Min had attained.

“Master Chwiwol Geolgae told me this. That my middle dan field has opened.”

The middle dan field is the field of the heart.

When the field of the heart opens, the body follows the heart.

“Middle dan field…”

Ha Hyeon might have felt puzzled by this unfamiliar concept, but strangely he accepted it naturally.

“Haha. Seeing your reaction, Master Chwiwol Geolgae really is remarkable.”

“My master?”

“Yes. Last night when I was organizing the enlightenment I gained, the master helped me. That’s when he said that you, Ha Hyeon, might already know about the middle dan field.”

“I just heard the term middle dan field for the first time.”

Namgung Min shook his head.

“What it’s called isn’t important. You already know how to wield your sword as your heart moves.”

“Heart…”

Ha Hyeon suddenly recalled several scenes.

The sensation he felt during his battle with Moyong Cheong, and in his final clash with The Blood Sword Lord.

“I do seem to have experienced that… but I don’t think I can control it at will yet.”

“Haha. So greedy. It’s enough to learn from now on. I’ll still be here in front of you until you have time to learn everything.”

Namgung Min approached Ha Hyeon and ruffled his hair as he spoke.

“Well. Let’s have lunch and then continue.”

As he was shaking out and putting back on the clothes he had set aside, Ha Hyeon said,

“Brother. I have a good idea.”

“What is it?”

“About how to deal with the Eighteen Arhat Formation tomorrow.”

“The Eighteen Arhat Formation?”

Namgung Min smiled slightly.

He had been waiting for Ha Hyeon to bring up the Eighteen Arhat Formation.

He could have taken the initiative to explain how to approach the Eighteen Arhat Formation.

But he suppressed that desire.

He judged that it wouldn’t help Ha Hyeon’s development.

“Let’s hear what you have to say.”

Namgung Min stood before Ha Hyeon, forgetting his intention to go for lunch.

His face showed great anticipation for what his youngest sibling would say.

* * *

Late at night.

Ha Hyeon came out to the Jungeuk courtyard with his sword again.

What he held was not a wooden practice sword, but his beloved sword.

The brilliant moonlight shattered upon striking Ha Hyeon’s sword.

‘If everything goes according to plan, I should be able to handle the Eighteen Arhat Formation.’

He recalled the plan she had made with Namgung Min during the day.

Though the time had been short, Ha Hyeon had learned a lot from Chwiwol Geolgae.

He could pride herself on having a particularly good understanding of the spiritual body technique and formation techniques.

Adding the swift sword technique Namgung Min had shown him today to these two skills, the answer came more easily than expected.

‘I’ve prepared everything I can. This is all or nothing.’

Ha Hyeon steeled himself.

And as he was about to swing her sword.

“Hoho. What is the devotee doing up at this hour?”

“Master Juwon!”

Master Juwon walked leisurely in through the entrance of Jungeuk.

His footsteps were so light that even Ha Hyeon, with his excellent sensing abilities, didn’t notice him until he was very close.

“Do you want to win that badly?”

Master Juwon asked Ha Hyeon point-blank.

Ha Hyeon nodded without hesitation.

“Yes. I want to win.”

“Why? Because of the small transformation pills?”

“That’s part of the reason.”

Master Juwon couldn’t help but smile at the brutally honest answer.

He took one step closer to Ha Hyeon and said with a serious face,

“Then may I make a proposal to you?”

“Please speak.”

“I will give you the promised three small transformation pills. In exchange, how about forfeiting tomorrow’s match?” “What do you mean…?”

Ha Hyeon was stunned by the unexpected proposal.

Master Juwon smiled gently and said,

“Do you know how the reputation of the Hundred and Eight Arhat Formation has been maintained?”

“Because it’s a powerful formation technique?”

“That’s correct too. But the real reason is different.”

“The real reason…?”

“Because it has never lost.”

He continued with a serious expression.

“Do you know the best way to avoid defeat?”

“…To not create situations where you have to fight.”

It was something his grandfather had emphasized many times.

But the meaning it implied seemed quite different.

“Correct. That’s why the Eighteen Arhat Formation also wants to prevent any possibility of losing in advance.”

“…”

Ha Hyeon closed his eyes slightly without answering.

The corners of his closed eyes trembled.

Disappointment, anger, heartbreak… a whirlwind of emotions swept through him.

“Sigh…”

But Ha Hyeon dissolved those emotions with a single deep breath.

“Master.”

“Speak.”

“I will pretend I didn’t hear what you just said.”

“…!”

This time it was Master Juwon who couldn’t hide his surprised expression.

A brief silence fell between them.

Then Master Juwon burst into hearty laughter and said,

“Hoho… I’m sorry. I misjudged you.”

“Pardon?”

Ha Hyeon was bewildered by Master Juwon’s suddenly changed demeanor.

How could someone who had appeared so serious until just now seem so friendly with just one laugh?

“Honestly, until just now, I thought you were gentle-natured. But that’s not it.”

Master Juwon turned his head slightly to look at the moon in the sky as he continued.

“Rather, you already know how to maintain your composure.”

“I still have a long way to go.”

“Haha. No need to be modest. You are… indeed the child of Yeong-ryeong. It was good to glimpse traces of Yeong-ryeong for a moment. Though you controlled it well.”

“It seems my mother wasn’t so good at controlling herself.”

“Hoho. If I had said this to Yeong-ryeong, she wouldn’t have bothered to answer but would have rushed at me. With killing intent, no less.”

Master Juwon smiled and pulled something out of his sleeve to hand to Ha Hyeon.

“I think it’s better for you to have these than me.”

“These are…!”

Ha Hyeon’s eyes trembled.

What Master Juwon handed over were several letters and a Buddhist scripture.

“These letters were sent to me by Yeong-ryeong. They contain nothing significant… but I think they’ll mean a lot to you.”

Ha Hyeon skimmed through the letters and then opened the scripture.

Inside, there were detailed notes, showing how diligently someone had studied Buddhism.

“I stopped by Yangshim Hall just in case, and fortunately it was still there. This is the scripture your mother used when she briefly studied here.”

Ha Hyeon hugged the scripture and letters tightly.

Though it was impossible since they were written decades ago, she felt as if she could sense her mother’s warmth.

“Thank you, Master Juwon.”

“No need for thanks. It’s just a few pieces of paper.”

Though Master Juwon said this, Ha Hyeon could feel his deep regret.

These letters must have been precious mementos to Master Juwon as well.

Yet he didn’t hesitate to give them to Ha Hyeon, who seemed to need them more.

“The night grows cold. You should head inside now.”

“Yes, Master Juwon.”

“Since I’ve given you a gift, go easy on us tomorrow.”

“I’ll have to think about that.”

Master Juwon chuckled at his own insincere request and left Jungeuk.

On the way back to the therapy hall.

He looked up at the sky and whispered to himself.

“Yeong-ryeong. Your son is a blessing to the righteous martial arts world.”

If Shaolin won, it would be good for maintaining the reputation of the Eighteen Arhat Formation, and if Ha Hyeon won, it would be an investment in the future of the righteous martial arts world.

He thought that neither outcome would be a loss as he walked with light steps.

* * *

The next morning

Ha Hyeon, Namgung Min, and Chwiwol Geolgae headed to the same training ground as yesterday.

When they arrived, the Shaolin arhats were already densely lined up on one side of the training ground.

“Amitabha. You have arrived.”

Master Juwon, who was essentially the Shaolin host of this match, stepped forward and put his palms together in greeting.

Instead of his usual simple monk’s robe, he was wearing the ceremonial robe typically worn for Buddhist rituals.

Although the match had originated from a simple bet, this showed that he was taking it as a serious contest.

“What’s the need for such formality? Let’s just begin.”

At Chwiwol Geolgae’s words, Master Juwon gave a signal to the monks.

Eighteen warrior monks stepped forward.

“These are our disciples of the ‘Won’ generation. We look forward to today’s match.”

“We also look forward to it.”

Namgung Min and Ha Hyeon also bowed and stepped forward.