Chapter 352
Chapter 352: I Need Much More Training
After a lengthy discourse by Mu Ohja, the question-and-answer session commenced.
As Cheonsangdong had mentioned, a practitioner seated in the front row rose and entered the training square.
Then, Mu Ohja pulled a talisman from his pocket and affixed it to the training square.
From that moment on, the conversation between the two was inaudible.
Among the newly arrived Baihua Palace disciples, a slight murmur arose.
A veteran from the group of women explained the silent formation to the Baihua Palace disciples.
The first question-and-answer session concluded in half an hour (approximately 7 minutes).
It seemed he hadn’t fared well, exiting the Five Dragons Palace with slumped shoulders.
The situation was similar afterward.
Sometimes, the question-and-answer session lasted up to fifteen minutes (15 minutes), but generally didn’t exceed half an hour.
By morning, thirty people had completed the question-and-answer session.
All appeared to have failed, their expressions grim.
At noon, the question-and-answer session was temporarily halted for lunch.
The practitioners moved to the dining hall, but all remained silent, concentrating on their meals.
Yeon Jeokha, eating with Lee Doju, murmured:
“Everyone’s awfully quiet. They aren’t even asking the thirty who finished the question-and-answer session first.”
“Look at the faces of those who finished first. What could you possibly ask them?”
Hearing this, Yeon Jeokha looked around.
He saw people with somber expressions, as if at a funeral.
It was an atmosphere where it was difficult to approach and speak to anyone.
“Even if you asked them, there’s no guarantee they’d give a proper answer. Besides, knowing Mu Ohja’s tastes a little, I’m not even asking. It’s better to use that time to read another line of the ‘Taiyi Jinhuazongzhi’.”
“Mu Ohja likes the ‘Taiyi Jinhuazongzhi’?”
“Yes.”
“Damn it. I’m finished.”
For Yeon Jeokha, who had only been studying the ‘Namhwa Jingjing’, this was a blow.
At that moment, someone approached the two.
It was a Nam Chaehwa practitioner who had purchased information about the examiner from Yeon Jeokha.
“You’re not the only one finished. I’m done too. Let’s put the mistakes aside for now and first return my five nyang.”
Lee Doju, not understanding what was happening, only looked alternately at Yeon Jeokha and the practitioner.
After that, six more people approached.
“Give me back my money!”
“Yeon Dubi. What a swindler! You said the examiner was Cheongbulno? Did you try to swindle a fellow practitioner? Give me back my money!”
“Trying to swindle so obviously. You’re an idiot. Give me back my money while I’m still being nice.”
“Swindler!”
All seven had bought information from Yeon Jeokha.
Yeon Jeokha looked around with bewildered eyes.
“This is a disaster. This look isn’t good.”
Fortunately, no Five Dragons Palace priests were visible nearby.
“I wouldn’t know what to say even if I had ten mouths. But, if you think about it, I’m a victim too. I bought the information from Manhwangju and Cheonsangdong. I’ll return the money tonight. My money pouch is in my room, so I can’t give it to them now.”
Then, a skeptical someone said:
“Nonsense. If you run away, who will we ask for our money back?”
“Who said I’m going to run away? I also came to the Five Dragons Palace to learn mystical techniques, just like all of you. I’m a man of my word. If I say I’ll do it, I’ll do it.”
Yeon Jeokha felt furious but restrained himself.
The great Yeon Jeokha of the world, being called a swindler in a place like this!
“Did everyone hear that? He’ll return it tonight. Keep a close eye on him so he doesn’t run away.”
Hearing the man’s words, the people who had approached murmured and dispersed.
“Damn, I’ve never seen anything so ridiculous. Swindling in the Five Dragons Palace. Crazy bastard.”
“Don’t even think about running away. If you’re caught, I’ll tear you to pieces.”
“Ha! A swindler in the Wudang Sect. What kind of situation is this? If you run away, you’ll really die. Damn you.”
With each insult, Yeon Jeokha gritted his teeth.
‘Manhwangju, Cheonsangdong, damn you both. If I let you off easily, I’m not human.’
Yeon Jeokha, face red, looked around for the two.
But Manhwangju and Cheonsangdong were nowhere to be seen.
He had no choice but to become the target of the Namchaehwa practitioners’ insults.
When the Namchaehwa practitioners finished insulting him and left, Lee Doju asked:
“Something seems to have gone wrong?”
Lee Doju didn’t believe the Namchaehwa practitioners’ words.
Yeon Dubi was too clever to commit such an obvious fraud.
“Ah! I heard from Manhwangju and Cheonsangdong that the examiner was Cheongbulno, but it turned out to be Mu Ohja.”
“How did they know?”
“They said they found out using money. So I gave them ten nyang…”
“Tsk tsk! If this gets out in the Five Dragons Palace, they might expel you, so be careful.”
“They already know.”
“Oh! Really?”
“Yes, they told me there won’t be any more chances, so be careful in the future.”
“Oh! The Five Dragons Palace priests are truly immortal. If it were Taihua Palace, this wouldn’t have ended like this.”
“Right?”
Yeon Jeokha scratched his head.
If it weren’t for his uncle, the Sword Emperor’s recommendation, he would have definitely been expelled.
The Namchaehwa practitioners, as well as those from other pavilions, looked at him askance.
They also seemed to have more or less understood what had happened after the commotion.
The question-and-answer session resumed.
Yeon Jeokha, sitting at the back, felt uncomfortable under everyone’s gaze and moved forward.
He had already given up on passing the question-and-answer session.
Now he just wanted to quickly finish the session and get out of the Five Dragons Palace.
Had about an hour passed?
Finally, Yeon Jeokha’s turn arrived.
Seeing no one in front of him, Yeon Jeokha hurriedly entered the silent formation.
As soon as he sat down, Mu Ohja asked:
“What did Master Yeo say about mixing breath and light to circulate the Ren and Du meridians for one hundred days?”
The basic answer is “spiritual power is generated [百日功靈]”.
Any Five Dragons Palace practitioner could answer that even in their sleep.
The next question was the real one.
But for Yeon Jeokha, who had only read the ‘Namhwa Jingjing’, it was too difficult.
Though confused, Yeon Jeokha thought quickly.
“Circulating breath? If you circulate it for one hundred days, internal energy will accumulate. Master Yeo also talked about the dung beetle, so it’s probably something similar.”
“Internal energy… is generated with spirit.”
Mu Ohja frowned.
‘Spiritual power’ and ‘internal energy’ are different.
But since he said “with spirit,” it wasn’t entirely incorrect.
“Then, what is breath?”
The correct answer is “the mind itself.”
The mind itself is the “breath” because the spirit (神), qi (氣), and essence (精) that make up human nature are like that.
At this point, Yeon Jeokha gave up.
Still, amidst all this, he thought, “if you don’t breathe, you die.”
“It’s something you must do to live.”
The wrinkles of Mu Ohja, who possessed deep understanding, deepened.
There’s a subtle difference between “mind” and “something you must do to live.”
“Breath” is the “mind.”
As he said, “to live,” you must protect the “mind.”
Therefore, while not an incorrect answer, it didn’t align with the teachings of the ‘Taiyi Jinhuazhenjing’.
After that, Mu Ohja asked several more questions, but the answers were slightly off.
Mu Ohja wondered if it was his own lack of cultivation or if the practitioner was at fault.
“Oh! If I said something wrong, I’d say it clearly…”
But as he slipped like an eel, the longer the question-and-answer session went on, the more confused his mind became.
After nearly an hour, Mu Ohja realized it had all been a misunderstanding on his part.
The problem was that he underestimated the depth of someone who came to the Five Dragons Palace to train.
The opponent was terribly ignorant of the Tao.
Mu Ohja, who had been shaking his head, suddenly became curious about this foolish mortal’s name.
“Ah! What is your name?”
For a moment, Yeon Jeokha’s eyes, which looked like a dead fish, gleamed slightly.
He recalled a passage he had read in the ‘Namhwa Jingjing’.
“This I know!”
“If you call the Tao ‘Tao’, it’s no longer the Tao, just like a name…”
“Stop talking nonsense and tell me your full name.”
“Ah, I am Yeon Dubi.”
“You need much more training. Of all the practitioners I’ve seen so far, you’re the worst. You must strive twice, thrice, no, ten times harder than others.”
“That much?”
“There’s nothing in the world that’s obtained for free. Isn’t it easy to become a martial arts master? The same goes for mystical techniques. Since you arrived much later than others, you must constantly strive.”
“Did I fail?”
“Still, in the Five Dragons Palace we still give opportunities, so don’t give up.”
“…”
Yeon Jeokha lowered his head with a somber expression.
“You may leave now.”
“Yes.”
Yeon Jeokha left the silent formation and walked unsteadily outside.
Around him, the seven Namchaehwa practitioners approached like a swarm of flies.
***
The question-and-answer session ended late at night.
Only four people passed Mu Ohja’s question-and-answer session.
The four practitioners, including Lee Doju, moved to the ‘Yeodongbin’ room.
——————————-
That night.
In the Taiyang Pavilion.
Mu Ohja told the six Five Dragons Palace priests about that day’s question-and-answer session.
“…Those four seem suitable to be lay disciples. Though I lowered the standard due to the Palace Master’s request, the practitioners couldn’t keep up, which is regrettable.”
A sigh escaped Priest Cheonmyeong’s mouth.
As always, the precedent wasn’t broken.
Only a handful were selected, so the practitioners’ resentment fell squarely on him.
The six Five Dragons Palace priests, well aware of Mu Ohja’s severity, asked no more.
If it were to lower the standard and accept unqualified people, it would be understandable.
But the opposite made no sense.
Even the Five Dragons Palace Master, Priest Cheonmyeong, lamented the outcome but didn’t question it.
With no further questions, Mu Ohja concluded his explanation.
As the seven Five Dragons Palace priests returned to their rooms one by one, Cheongbulno approached Mu Ohja.
“Was there anyone among those who failed who impressed you?”
“Not really.”
“How about that practitioner with the face full of reddish marks? His appearance was peculiar, so you should remember him.”
“Ah! Yeon Dubi. Of course, I remember him.”
Mu Ohja smiled.
“You remember him? He must have been impressive.”
“Yes, his ignorance of the Tao was memorable.”
“Ignorance?”
“Yes, he seemed like someone who came to learn some mystical techniques because it was fashionable. His nature seemed sincere, but sadly he didn’t seem interested in attaining the Tao.”
“Aha!”
When Cheongbulno showed interest, Mu Ohja asked:
“Why? Do you like Yeon Dubi?”
“I only saw him from afar, so I can’t say I like him or not. But…”
“Yes?”
“From afar, he seemed to have an immortal aura. Perhaps his true nature was hidden due to an illness. That’s what I thought.”
“You saw an immortal aura? I should have looked closer then. There were so many practitioners…”
Mu Ohja spoke apologetically.
Then, Cheongbulno quickly waved his hands.
He feared Mu Ohja would notice and recruit him as a disciple.
“Oh, no! It’s nothing. Just an old man’s nonsense. Don’t mind it.”
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