Wudang Sacred Scriptures

“Is that true?”
At Kwak Yeon’s question, Seong Deok-sam nodded.
“Of course, it’s true. The instructors wouldn’t lie. But why aren’t you eating?”

“I lost my appetite. Sorry, but could you take it away?”
“Alright. Once you get out of here, you’ll finally have a proper meal. I’ll be going now, so focus on your energy circulation practice.”
“……”

“Kwak Yeon, you know you’re our hope, right?”
Kwak Yeon, whose heart was already pounding, felt a surge of emotion welling up inside him.
He took a deep breath to calm himself and focused on his energy circulation training.

Every single day was precious, yet he had been unable to train for several days.
Locked in this chamber, with his hands and feet bound to a chair, proper training had been out of the question.
The only thing he could do was practice Taiji Internal Arts Energy Circulation.

Since he couldn’t assume the lotus position, he had attempted Standing Energy Cultivation from the first day of his confinement.
Theoretically, it was possible, but he had always been warned not to attempt it carelessly.
Even though Taiji Internal Arts was considered a safe internal energy technique suitable for beginners, that didn’t mean it was completely without risk.

But Kwak Yeon didn’t have the luxury to be picky.
Following the principles of Taiji Internal Arts, he began his energy circulation while seated in the chair.
Unlike in the lotus position, where his meridian points remained fully open, they now felt constricted, making the process significantly more difficult.

Even though actual energy wasn’t flowing through his body, he kept feeling as though something was blocking it. Because of that, the speed of his energy circulation was ten times slower compared to when he practiced while seated in the lotus position.
At that moment, Kwak Yeon finally understood why Instructor Hyeonmun had said that Standing Energy Cultivation wasn’t necessary.
The benefits simply weren’t worth the risk.
However, given that he had no idea how long he would remain imprisoned, he had no other choice but to attempt it.

Is there a way to speed up energy circulation while in a standing position?
He fell into deep thought.
Since no one was around to disturb him, he was able to concentrate entirely on the problem.

Then, he realized why Standing Energy Cultivation slowed down energy circulation.
It’s because of the difference in posture between standing and sitting!
Unlike in the lotus position, where the meridian points remained open, standing caused some of them to become blocked.

If I can find a way to keep them open…
It wasn’t necessary to open all of them at once.
If I can sequentially open my meridian points by focusing on energy flow, I should be able to match the speed of seated training.

After all, he wasn’t actually circulating real internal energy yet.
The real problem was that, with his body tied to the chair, he couldn’t change his posture to open his meridian points.
Moreover, even if he could move, shifting his position mid-training might accidentally open the wrong meridian points, leading to energy deviation.

"No matter how safe seated training is, you must never move carelessly during energy circulation. If the wrong meridian opens and the flow is disrupted, you’ll suffer energy deviation."
Recalling Instructor Hyeonmun’s warning, Kwak Yeon shook his head.
Changing posture is impossible. If I try to adjust my stance, it’ll just waste more time. That means I need a way to open the meridian points without moving…

A vivid image of Celestial Meridian Map and the human body's structure appeared in his mind.
Meditation texts say that meridian points are located between muscles… If I can subtly move my muscles, I might be able to open the meridians without changing posture!
This method required only minimal movement, reducing physical strain while minimizing the risk of failure.

I just need to train consistently to master the speed. The more familiar I become with it, the faster it will get.
Thanks to his years of Danjeon Breathing Training, his breath control was already refined to the point where he could naturally maintain the Breath-In-Subtle, Breath-Out-Minute rhythm.
Kwak Yeon began sequentially opening his meridian points, slowly circulating energy in a standing posture.

After nearly half a shichen, he finally succeeded in performing Microcosmic Orbit with Taiji Internal Arts while in Standing Energy Cultivation.
I did it!
The first time was always the hardest.

Just like how knowing the path was more important than walking it.
Now, all he needed was patience and diligence.
And if there was one thing he prided himself on, it was perseverance.

After all, he was the only one in the entire training hall who had endured the grueling Jianche Yangsheng Method that every other disciple had abandoned.
That first day, Kwak Yeon repeated his energy circulation training until he successfully condensed his internal energy within a single daegyeong.

That evening, he even managed to reduce the training time to just half a keun.

His meridian points were now significantly open, and his energy channels had become naturally refined, making such rapid progress possible.
At this rate, I won’t even need to sit in the lotus position to train anymore.
That would be an incredible advantage.

With Standing Energy Cultivation, he could practice anywhere, anytime.
Kwak Yeon imagined Seok Jangsan’s reaction.
"He’s going to freak out and start calling me a genius again."

Just as he was picturing Seok Jangsan’s stunned face, a sense of unease crept up on him.
Quite a long time had passed, yet the door to the chamber hadn’t opened.
Ha Gang ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) left behind a confession letter and ran away… Shouldn’t that have cleared my name?

As he was wondering what was going on, the door to the chamber finally swung open.
"Ah! Finally."
But when he saw Seong Deok-sam standing there, Kwak Yeon’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Kwak Yeon, I’m sorry! I didn’t think I’d have to come see you again.”
Then, he noticed the food tray in Seong Deok-sam’s hands—and his heart sank.
So they have no intention of releasing me.

 
****
Meanwhile, in the Wudang Sect’s Main Hall…

"Haaaaah…"
A long, frustrated sigh escaped from Instructor Hyeonmun.
Despite his repeated pleas to release Kwak Yeon, Great Elder Unhak Jin-in had not budged in the slightest.

“The suspicions have not been fully cleared.”
With that single sentence, Unhak Jin-in closed his eyes, ending the discussion.
No one could oppose his decision, as he currently governed all major affairs of Wudang Mountain.

Even Lady Wu of the Jade Palace, his own martial sibling, merely frowned in displeasure.
“He is nothing more than a mere recruit from the outer training hall. If he has done nothing wrong, he will be released in due time. So why are you making such a fuss?”
Her irritable tone carried a lingering resentment toward her disciple, who refused to back down.

As the Palace Lord of Ilgong Palace, she understood the difficulty of having to plead with others. But even so, she couldn't help but feel resentful toward her master.
When she went to Jaso Palace to meet Grandmaster Zhangwen, she was stopped at the entrance.
“Grandmaster Zhangwen is still bedridden. This is hardly a matter serious enough to disturb him.”

No one in Wudang seemed to care about the affairs of Eternal Wudang’s new disciples.
A surge of frustration flared within her.
Weren’t the disciples from the Outer Training Hall also taken in by Wudang?

And yet, they were being treated differently.
If it were one of their own direct disciples, would they still be this indifferent?
Frustration soon turned to self-reproach.

How pathetic…
She had come all this way, yet she couldn’t do anything to help.
When she visited the Precepts Hall to request a meeting with the boy, Instructor Hyeoncheol assured her that he would not be mistreated.

That was the best she could get. Defeated, she could only turn back.
Time was precious at Eternal Wudang, especially now that the disciples were beginning Nine Palaces Palm Techniques, which required true internal energy manipulation.
For Kwak Yeon, this confinement was a devastating setback.

She couldn’t help but feel heartbroken for him.
“Haaaaah…”
Instructor Hyeonmun let out a heavy sigh.

No matter how many times he pleaded for Kwak Yeon’s release, Great Elder Unhak Jin-in hadn’t so much as raised an eyebrow.
“The suspicions have not been fully cleared.”
With that single sentence, Unhak Jin-in closed his eyes, signaling the end of the discussion.

As the one overseeing all major matters of Wudang Mountain, Unhak Jin-in’s decisions were absolute.
Even Lady Wu of the Jade Palace, though visibly displeased, could do nothing but scowl.
“He is nothing more than an ordinary recruit from the Outer Training Hall. If he is innocent, he will be released in due time. So why all this commotion?”

Her irritated tone carried lingering resentment toward her disciple, who refused to back down.
A knock on the door interrupted Hyeonmun’s thoughts.
“Instructor, this is Seok Jangsan.”

“Come in.”
Seok Jangsan, who was usually bright and full of energy, now had a dark expression on his face.
“Something is troubling you.”

“Yes.”
“You’re disappointed in Wudang, aren’t you?”
“To be honest, yes.”

Since Hyeonmun knew that Seok Jangsan was not one to hide his feelings, he spoke bluntly.
“A lot happened at the Outer Training Hall, I hear.”
“Is Kwak Yeon still imprisoned because of those incidents?”

Sharp as always, Hyeonmun thought as he nodded.
“It seems Great Elder Unhak Jin-in wants to use the boy as a scapegoat to cover up the troubles caused by his disciple, Instructor Hyeon Gong.”
Recalling what he had heard from Instructor Hyeoncheol at the Precepts Hall, Hyeonmun spoke again.

“There seems to be a connection.”
“I don’t understand. Kwak Yeon has done nothing wrong. In fact, he’s been trying to help the other disciples.”
“I know that. But people refuse to let go of their suspicions.”

“That’s why you called me here?”
“I need to know the full story. Tell me everything you know—leave nothing out.”
Seok Jangsan revealed that Kwak Yeon had played a role in exposing Hyeon Gong’s misdeeds at the Outer Training Hall.

“But no one can say for certain that Kwak Yeon actually did anything himself.”
Even Seok Jangsan didn’t know the full details since Kwak Yeon had remained silent on the matter.
Hyeonmun nodded.

“They’re not punishing him because he did something.”
“Then why?”
“They’re using him as an excuse.”

“……!”
“Either way, thank you. Thanks to you, I now understand what’s going on.”
After a brief pause, Hyeonmun looked directly at Seok Jangsan and continued.

“But don’t be disappointed in Wudang. There are always people who will make you lose faith in any place.”
“Because of you, I won’t lose faith in Wudang Mountain.”
Seeing the determined look in Seok Jangsan’s eyes, Hyeonmun felt his own self-doubt begin to fade.

Now, it was time to act—not just as the Lord of Eternal Wudang, but as a teacher.
Eternal Wudang was entrusted to him so that no more young lives would be lost needlessly.
 

The furrowed brows of Great Elder Unhak Jin-in deepened as he glared at Instructor Hyeonmun.
“What did you just say?”
Hyeonmun responded without hesitation.

“I said I will take the boy with me.”
Unhak Jin-in studied Hyeonmun’s calm yet resolute gaze before speaking.
“There’s a saying—when the most stubborn of fools refuses to back down, it’s because he has his reasons. So let’s hear yours.”

“There was a mistake at the Outer Training Hall involving Instructor Hyeon Gong, was there not?”
Unhak Jin-in’s sharp gaze locked onto him.
“The Judiciary Hall has already ruled that Hyeon Gong did nothing wrong. The fault was placed on the Master Cook of the Training Hall for his mischief.”

“I believe that as well. However, if I were to submit an official request to investigate Kwak Yeon’s actions, wouldn’t the instructors and assistants at the Outer Training Hall have to testify? And who knows what other stories might come to light in the process?”
A cold chill spread across Unhak Jin-in’s face.
“Are you threatening me, Hyeonmun?”

“If you withdraw your unfounded suspicions about the boy, there will be no need for such a request.”
Unhak Jin-in scoffed.
“He’s just an ordinary recruit from the Outer Training Hall. Is he really worth all this trouble?”

“That is exactly what I was going to ask you, Great Elder. He is just a new recruit from Eternal Wudang—surely he’s not worth all this trouble, either?”
Unhak Jin-in was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“You have a point.”

“Thank you, Great Elder.”
“But know this—I will never forget the warning you just gave me today.”