Regression of the Yong Clan Heir

Chapter 4: Family Martial Art (1)

Having mastered his family’s martial arts, Yong Hwarin increasingly felt that his progress had reached a standstill the more he trained.

‘I understand the reason now that I’ve practiced it myself. If I hadn’t realized this in the future, I wouldn’t have been able to pinpoint the flaws in this martial art no matter how much I thought about it.’

Yong Hwarin pondered how to explain the flaws in the family martial art to his father and Mo Biyoung.

Eventually, he came up with an idea.

He decided that if he claimed to have discovered something left behind by their ancestor in an isolated training chamber used long ago, no one would doubt his story.

To make this convincing, he wrote a document in advance and then lightly scorched it to give it the appearance of old paper. Afterward, he placed it in a damp, moldy corner for ten days so that mold would grow on the paper.

Shortly after preparing it, Yong Hwarin approached Mo Biyoung.

“I wish to undergo isolated training for thirty days,” he said.

Although surprised by his sudden request, Mo Biyoung quickly agreed.

Considering Yong Hwarin’s current level, it was indeed a time when he might hit a wall. Breaking through it on his own would allow him to reach a new stage of progress. However, the fact that this moment had come years earlier than it would for others astonished her.

“Of course, go ahead.”

There was a dedicated training chamber exclusively for direct family members.

Only those of direct lineage could access it. Regular martial artists used separate training chambers prepared for them.

Yong Hwarin planned to emerge from the isolated training chamber holding the forged document. The plan seemed so straightforward that his expression brightened considerably.

Seeing his expression, Mo Biyoung tilted her head in puzzlement. Isolated training, no matter how much one loved martial arts, was hardly something to enjoy.

Strictly speaking, the martial arts of the Heavenly Central Sect were little more than incomplete techniques. Because they were practiced in such a half-finished state, they caused strain and ultimately prevented one from reaching the transcendental realm or beyond.

The reason lay in the origins of the Heavenly Central Sect’s martial arts, which stemmed from the Demonic Path.

This was something Yong Hwarin only learned after the sect’s destruction.

How shocked he had been when he discovered the truth.

Originally, the founder of the Heavenly Central Sect had been a chivalrous hero active in Henan, who inherited martial arts from the Guardian of the Hidden Saint Cult, a sect annihilated by the Three Demonic Heavens.

The Hidden Saint Cult was neither part of the orthodox nor the unorthodox factions, walking a middle path between the two. However, due to certain events, they were attacked by the Three Demonic Heavens and wiped out.

A protector of the Hidden Saint Cult, who had been roaming the jianghu even before the cult’s destruction, passed down the protector-level martial arts of the Demonic Dragon Emperor Sword and the Blood Bamboo Divine Art to the founder of the Heavenly Central Sect.

Though the founder eventually mastered the demonic arts through various trials and tribulations, he was, at his core, a chivalrous hero and thus could not bring himself to wield such dark techniques. Yet, both sword arts were far too powerful to simply abandon.

Therefore, the founder spent a long time refining them and recreated them as the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword and the Azure Bamboo Sword.

This was often how martial arts, widely practiced in the murim, came into being.

However, a problem arose because these arts, from their very inception, did not align with orthodox principles.

The demonic foundational techniques of these sword arts were discarded and replaced with the clan’s internal arts, which resulted in the arts losing half their original power.

Even with this reduced strength, the sect still produced one of the Twelve Great Masters of Murim and the greatest swordsman in Henan.

But that was all.

While the arts could lead a practitioner to the pinnacle of mastery, reaching the supreme level was nearly impossible.

When demonic sword arts are executed with orthodox internal techniques, the arts inevitably become incomplete. The explosive potential of demonic sword arts can only be realized when paired with demonic internal techniques.

However, the founder kept the origins of these family arts a closely guarded secret, leaving later generations unable to discern the reason behind their limitations.

This truth only came to light much later, when the Dabie Sect used the excuse that the Heavenly Central Sect had mastered demonic martial arts to launch an attack against them.

It was only much later that the involvement of the Three Demonic Heavens in these events became known.

The Three Demonic Heavens, fearing the revival of the Hidden Saint Cult and believing the Heavenly Central Sect could become the starting point of such a resurgence, instigated the Dabie Sect to carry out the assault.

This revelation was uncovered through the relentless vengeance pursued by Mo Biyoung.

By then, however, no one in the murim cared enough to question the destruction of the Heavenly Central Sect, and no controversy arose.

The tale ended with the perception that the annihilated sect had merely engaged in futile conflicts for revenge and ultimately perished.

Thus, the martial arts of the Heavenly Central Sect were deeply entangled with a complex history.

When Yong Hwarin entered the secluded training chamber, he immediately found the writings left behind by the sect’s founder. Knowing that leaving too quickly might arouse suspicion, he decided to train for a few days.

Yong Hwarin practiced the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword from start to finish.

The martial arts world often remarked that the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword was far too extraordinary for a small sect like the Heavenly Central Sect to possess.

Even when Yong Hwarin personally executed the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword, he could feel its remarkable power.

‘Now I must delve deeply into the internal techniques of my family.’

He decided to spend a few quiet days practicing qi circulation with the Nine Dragons Heavenly Ascent Technique, the only internal art passed down in his family.

Ever since he was young, Yong Hwarin had diligently practiced his clan’s internal art in an effort to overcome his frail constitution.

However, it yielded no significant results, leading him to abandon it after a few years. Yet, the knowledge of the technique remained intact in his memory.

Although it was a late start, he believed that if he diligently cultivated his internal qi now and consumed the spiritual medicines he knew of from the future, he could quickly enhance his martial power.

In the future, Yong Hwarin had operated a trading company and acquired a substantial number of spiritual medicines.

Back then, he had merely used them as gifts to build connections with martial families. But now, those very medicines proved to be beneficial.

Knowing where to procure them, he felt confident that enhancing his martial power would not be a difficult task.

Having resolved the issue of spiritual medicines, his thoughts shifted to martial arts.

“Ah, was there no way to obtain superior martial arts during my previous life?”

Yong Hwarin, who had once lived in the Upper World, had experienced many things. While he knew the origins of certain spiritual medicines, he lacked knowledge about advanced martial arts.

‘In the end, I’ll need to find a breakthrough with my family’s martial arts.’

He grew despondent at the thought of achieving mastery with such incomplete and imperfect techniques.

Then, suddenly, Yong Hwarin lifted his head with a start.

“That’s right!”

A memory of the Secret Manual Scramble from his past life came to mind.

This scramble occurred while he had remained within the sect, not yet venturing out.

The manual alone had allowed an ordinary individual to become the world’s greatest martial artist. After obtaining the manual and going into seclusion, that person reemerged a decade later and was unmatched by anyone who challenged his sword.

When this meteoric new master defeated all the absolute powerhouses, it sent shockwaves through the murim, as if a typhoon had struck.

This was because the martial art was the last creation of Zhang Sanfeng, following his legendary Tai Chi Celestial Sword.

“Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra!”

That was the name of the martial art.

It was the one martial art that had captured Yong Hwarin’s utmost attention in his past life—a skill he had yearned to possess.

The reason the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra had turned the entire murim upside down was simple: it redefined everything they knew about martial arts.

It is said that Zhang Sanfeng, shortly before his ascension to immortality, realized that good and evil were not inherently separate.

He believed that within the human body, good and evil coexist, and focusing on only one aspect during training diminished the potential power.

True strength, he concluded, emerged only when good and evil—orthodox and demonic—were united, achieving a state of true power (眞力).

Furthermore, he theorized that to draw out this strength, one required not just a single dantian, but two. When these two dantians merged into one, forming the Tai Chi Dantian, it would unleash power surpassing human limitations.

His insights, left behind just before his ascension, remained undiscovered until a herbalist stumbled upon them in a cave and brought them to light.

This led to tragedy, as the herbalist’s family was pursued by murim practitioners, forcing them to flee for their lives.

Ironically, the sole survivor of the herbalist’s family became the one to inherit these teachings. That individual later came to be revered across the murim as Ha Cheolryeong, known as the Supreme Sovereign of the World (寰宇一尊), respected by all martial artists.

Eventually, the Wudang Sect accepted Ha Cheolryeong and made him one of their disciples.

However, at this point in time, Ha Cheolryeong would merely be a child playing somewhere at the foot of Wudang Mountain.

‘If I can acquire the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra, I can resolve my family’s long-standing wish.’

Although forming two dantians went against the fundamental structure of traditional internal arts, it was known to grant immense power, enhancing any martial technique.

‘I don’t need its techniques. Ha Cheolryeong, after achieving the Tai Chi Dantian, defeated countless masters with just the Three Calamities Sword Technique. Ultimately, the dantian itself holds the real power.’

A faint smile appeared on Yong Hwarin’s face.

Knowing the future felt immensely satisfying at moments like this.

He could seize the good and avoid the bad.

With the brush and ink prepared in the secluded training room, Yong Hwarin began organizing his thoughts.

He recalled obtaining a remarkable spiritual medicine during his time managing a trading company. One such treasure was Bell Spirit Stone Milk, which he had acquired from the Dabie Mountains.

Only after his family had fallen did he learn the truth: the sudden emergence of transcendent masters within the Dabie Sect was due to their consumption of this Bell Spirit Stone Milk.

This spiritual medicine was truly worthy of being called a priceless treasure (無價之寶).

Yong Hwarin considered that eliminating this medicine could deprive the Dabie Sect of the strength needed to attack the Heavenly Central Sect.

The rest of the spiritual medicines he had in mind were obtained from other regions.

‘On my way to find the cave where Zhang Sanfeng ascended, I can stop by the Dabie Mountains to procure the Bell Spirit Stone Milk.’

Since the cave where Zhang Sanfeng last resided was located in Wudang Mountain, stopping by the Dabie Mountains along the way posed no issue.

With that, Yong Hwarin revised his plan.

Originally, he had entered the secluded training chamber intending to address the problems with his family’s internal arts and introduce a new technique.

However, upon further thought, he realized how dangerous such an approach would be.

If the writings left behind by the founder were revealed, it was inevitable that the martial artists of the clan would be thrown into chaos. Learning of the limitations of their martial arts might lead some to abandon their training or even leave the family.

Moreover, finding an internal art compatible with their techniques in a single day was an insurmountable task. This required thorough consideration and a gradual approach.

Therefore, staying in the secluded training chamber any longer would be a waste of time. Resolving himself, he decided to set out immediately for the Dabie Mountains and Wudang Mountain.

When Mo Biyoung saw Yong Hwarin, who had entered the chamber for secluded training, emerge after just two days, she asked curiously.

“Is something wrong?”

Yong Hwarin shook his head and replied, “No, I realized something during my training and decided to come out earlier than planned.”

Mo Biyoung looked at him with a face that clearly indicated she didn’t understand.

Yong Hwarin pondered deeply. If he intended to leave the family, he needed a convincing excuse. Simply announcing an extended absence would never gain approval from his family.

“I have some business at the Jaegal Clan.”

“The Jaegal Clan? Why?”

“As I began my secluded training, I couldn’t stop thinking about my fiancée. I thought it would be better to visit her before continuing my training. I believe showing her that I’ve regained my health would also be for the best.”

Though Mo Biyoung still thought it was a long road before Yong Hwarin could truly become a martial artist, she nodded in understanding.