"Shake… Shake…"
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Under Bi Ryu-yeon's hands, four Lightning Knives, each containing a Lightning Qi, were continuously swaying left and right, without entangling or colliding, maintaining a constant distance and speed. Their movement was rhythmic, resembling the action of scissors.
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Bi Ryu-yeon looked calmly at a pine tree standing in front of him.
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"Swish…"
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His right arm, which had been hanging down towards the ground, gracefully lifted in a semi-circular arc. The movement of his outstretched right hand, parallel to the ground, was ordinary and everyday, not too fast to be visible. The speed of the arm movement did not reflect the speed of the Lightning Knives. One of the two Lightning Knives, swaying under his right hand, flew towards the large pine tree ahead, trailing a graceful, river-like tail of light.
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The remaining blade leaped from just above the ground into his right hand. The graceful curve of the Flash Thunder followed an eight-chapter distance to the large pine tree in front of him. At that moment, Bi Ryu-yeon's extended right index finger bent inward horizontally. Following the tuning played by his slender fingers, the Flash Thunder circled the tree, slicing its base in two, and returned to its master's hand. The tree was cut at an angle, falling towards Bi Ryu-yeon as intended.
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As the tree fell, Bi Ryu-yeon's left hand moved again in a semi-circle, looking up at the sky. Suddenly, a lightning-like flash appeared, bisecting the falling tree vertically. Shortly afterward, his left index finger drew a small circle, winding the Soul Threading Skill once around the finger, pressing the thread inward. The Flying Lightning Knife, soaring as if to pierce the sky, changed direction and landed safely back in Bi Ryu-yeon's left hand. The tree continued to fall towards him, perfectly split in two.
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Two more Lightning Knives joined the four in his hands, making six streaks of light that flew simultaneously toward the falling tree. The trajectory of the Lightning Knives, drawing a path of light, resembled a painting. As the six streaks of light approached the tree, Bi Ryu-yeon's fingers extended in front of his chest, moving as if playing a zither on six thin, transparent strings of light. Following his performance, the six Lightning Knives precisely divided the falling tree into six parts, then swam around each log, wrapping them with Soul Threading Skill, shattering the pine logs into thousands of pieces. A single pine tree turned into thousands of fragments, scattering in the air.
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Though the explanation was lengthy, the event occurred in an instant, like a dream. The six successfully completed Lightning Knives safely returned to their master's embrace.
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"Hmm…" A thin smile graced Bi Ryu-yeon's lips. 'Lightning Stream Melody (雷光流河曲). Not a bad performance.'
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It was a majestic performance desired by the Thunder God himself, bent on destruction. Now, three years since he first wielded a Flying Lightning Knife, Bi Ryu-yeon had finally mastered controlling six knives. The more he thought about it, the more gratifying it felt. He could feel strength surging in his shoulders, yet he felt no need to relax them.
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"Ke-ke-ke. Astonishing, truly astonishing. Already six knives. Congratulations, my disciple!"
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A strange laugh accompanied by his master's voice came from behind. Bi Ryu-yeon slightly turned his head back.
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"Master? What brings you here?"
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His question was brief but encapsulated all his doubts.
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"You and your manner of speaking!"
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The master, suddenly wearing a gentle expression, spoke softly, causing Bi Ryu-yeon to immediately show a wary face.
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"Don't worry, my disciple. Even if you have done something terrible, this master can forgive you. Don't underestimate the boundless tolerance of this master, as vast as the sky!"
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"What? Where does this baseless delusion come from? Terrible deeds? Someone might mistake me for a criminal. And tolerance? I've never seen it in all my years by your side, so I'm not sure what that is."
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"Ha-ha, you suspect me, don't you? And without some shady incident, how could you already be able to control six Lightning Knives? Such a phenomenon is nothing short of miraculous, isn't it?"
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'Admit it, and it will be better for you!'
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The master's sharp gaze, filled with that meaning, turned towards Bi Ryu-yeon, making him inwardly flinch. He remembered the Human-Shaped Ginseng he secretly consumed years ago, feeling as if he might suffer indigestion despite it already being fully absorbed. Fortunately, the master didn't dwell on the topic for long. Knowing his disciple's nature, he probably didn't want to waste effort.
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"Anyway, it's good. Now that you can wield six Lightning Knives, it's time to move on to the advanced course. Follow me."
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Bi Ryu-yeon's face twisted peculiarly at these words.
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'Advanced course? After all this training, I'm still only at the intermediate level? Where does it end if I'm still in the middle?'
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Harboring doubts, Bi Ryu-yeon followed his master to a small waterfall, about a half-hour's distance from the house. The surface where the waterfall hit created white foam, and the depth of the pond, judging by the color of the water where it splashed, seemed quite profound. The waterfall wasn't very powerful, but it wasn't weak either. On one side of the waterfall stood a tall cliff, about five chapters high, with a path leading up to it. Atop this cliff, Bi Ryu-yeon sat facing his master.
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"My disciple, did I ever tell you the legend related to Master Gae of the Golden Axe Pond?"
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"Ah, the axe rampage incident at Golden Axe Pond? Of course, I know it."
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"Did I tell you how the founding master retrieved those heavy axes from the bottom of the lake?"
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"No. Based on my extraordinary memory, you had glossed over it, saying I would naturally understand once I mastered the advanced course of the Lightning Knives. You're not backing out now, are you?"
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Skepticism was still evident in Bi Ryu-yeon's voice.
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"Exactly. Now, I will teach you the technique for mastering this advanced course. This course was developed to overturn the general understanding of Flying Knives and to compensate for their weaknesses. Furthermore, the higher course builds on the advanced course to overcome the weaknesses of Silk Swords. Listen carefully, and don't come back later saying, 'I don't quite understand?' and get hit."
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Bi Ryu-yeon's master, the head of the Lightning School and the self-proclaimed number one person under heaven and invincible, elaborated on the training method in great detail. However, as Bi Ryu-yeon listened attentively, his face gradually contorted, becoming increasingly twisted and crumpled. In his mind, the thought 'Could it be?' kept swirling, leading to an involuntary muttering, independent of his will. By the time his master finished his lengthy explanation, Bi Ryu-yeon's face had visibly changed.
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"Do you understand? This is the advanced course of the Lightning Knives, known as Flying Water Lightning."
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"Hah, hah, ah! Master, you're quite the joker. That was a great joke!" Bi Ryu-yeon laughed nervously.
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"A joke? Get to it then, my beloved disciple."
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"It's not a joke?"
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"Absolutely not!" With a firm response, the master shattered Bi Ryu-yeon's hopes with a gentle smile, and simultaneously, his folded leg with the foot attached shot up and landed on Bi Ryu-yeon's belly.
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"Whoosh!" As the leg straightened, Bi Ryu-yeon was flung into the air, flailing helplessly in mid-air.
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"Uh-oh…" Flapping like a chicken yearning to soar in the vast sky, Bi Ryu-yeon was a stark reminder that plummeting creatures lack wings, gradually falling towards the deep blue waves. No matter how hard he flapped, his arms were not wings.
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"Splash!" The sound echoed like a large rock hitting the water.
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"Help, save me! I'm drowning… Master, have you already forgotten what's tied to my wrists and ankles? Glug glug, I'm sinking…"
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His struggles to stay afloat were in vain as Bi Ryu-yeon slowly sank into the water, looking like someone seized by a water ghost. Shivering in despair, he cursed under his breath.
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'This devil, this nemesis! Knowing full well what's tied to my hands and feet, yet you do this to me… I'll get you back for this.'
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Continuously sinking deeper underwater, Bi Ryu-yeon's arms and legs – still futilely flailing – were each encircled by a pair of dark-colored dragon rings, intricately embossed with thunder-controlling dragons.
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These dark dragon rings on Bi Ryu-yeon's wrists and ankles were no ordinary trinkets. Mistaking them for mere ornaments and asking where he bought them would earn a swift punch from Bi Ryu-yeon's fist. He himself had dubbed these rings as accursed demonic objects.
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However, these rings were not magical artifacts that transformed into swords or other mystical weapons at the press of a button, nor were they mysterious treasures imbued with yin-yang energy that bestowed numerous benefits just by wearing them. Their only significant feature, or rather flaw, was their absurd heaviness – a trait that led Bi Ryu-yeon to curse them as shackles.
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On his 11th birthday, Bi Ryu-yeon received these pairs of shackles as a 'gift' from his master. Back then, they were just plain, black, and clunky iron hoops without any dragon engravings. The memory of the overwhelming heaviness he felt when his master first fastened these dark rings around him was still a bitter reminder. They were so heavy that it felt as if his arms were being torn off, rendering his body practically immobile. Fortunately, a year of rigorous training with chopping wood and doing laundry had prepared him somewhat, preventing his shoulders and elbow joints from dislocating simultaneously.
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Each ring weighed about 20 pounds, totaling a staggering 80 pounds, as his master kindly informed him. He was also sternly warned (with a significant amount of intimidation) that he must always wear these dark rings and never take them off. This included during training, working, hunting, and even during private moments in the outhouse, bathing, or sleeping.
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It took Bi Ryu-yeon considerable time to get used to these cursed rings. When he finally became comfortable with them, thinking they were no more than an inconvenience, he realized that this was just the beginning of a much longer ordeal.
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On his 12th birthday, Bi Ryu-yeon's master gifted him another pair of dark rings, each weighing 30 pounds, and fastened them to his arms and legs. The old rings, now familiar as part of his body, were recycled at the blacksmith's. A common trait between master and disciple was their refusal to waste anything of potential value, whether it was a display of frugality or miserliness.
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Despite the grim nature of this 'gift,' Bi Ryu-yeon silently cursed his master, realizing the futility of his frustration. Each year as Bi Ryu-yeon aged, the weight of the rings increased by 10 pounds. From the age of 16, the weight shockingly doubled to 20 pounds per year. His master reasoned that at 16, Bi Ryu-yeon was an adult and deserved 'adult treatment,' according to his bizarre philosophy.
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At 19, Bi Ryu-yeon received slightly less dreadful rings, adorned with dragon engravings, a small mercy compared to the plain iron rings of previous years, which bore inscriptions like 'Happy nth Birthday Bi Ryu-yeon, from Master.'
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Now 19, the weight of each dragon ring was a massive 140 pounds, totaling an incredible 560 pounds on all four limbs. His master's act of throwing him into the water with such weight was akin to binding him to a massive iron pillar. It was implausible to swim with such weight; sinking seemed inevitable.
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Bi Ryu-yeon, submerged and desperate to escape, realized he must find another way out. Even if it meant abandoning the cursed dragon rings, survival was paramount. However, losing them was not an option; the wrath of his master would be severe. The only way to retrieve the lost rings was to endure the absurd training his master had devised, regardless of the possibility of success.