"Phew, brother. I was so nervous."
"Huh? About what?"
Yeon Ji-pyeong groaned.
"I was afraid that father would get angry."
He looked tense as he watched his brother talk to their father without hesitation.
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled unknowingly.
"Hey, is father a soldier? Are we his subordinates?"
"Well, no, but…"
"Whoever says what, father is father, and you and I are his children. What's wrong with treating father with affection?"
"Huh."
Yeon Ji-pyeong stared blankly at Yeon Ho-jeong. He seemed to have never thought of it that way.
Yeon Ho-jeong pulled his brother's cheek.
"You little…"
"Ouch! It hurts!"
"Don't be so scared of father."
"Really?"
Yeon Ho-jeong's smile, as he looked at his brother, was very gentle, unlike the Black Darkness Lord who was feared by the White Island martial arts world.
"Do you think father wants to be stiff and strict in front of his children? He has the family law and the family rules, so he must be trying to set an example for you."
"Ah…"
"Well, I admit he's a bit too much sometimes."
"Gulp!"
"Father has lived like that all his life, and he will continue to do so. And his love for his children will never change."
Yeon Ho-jeong turned his body.
"Don't wait for his affection, or expect to be rewarded. It might be hard, but it's good for your mental health."
"Is that so?"
"Parents don't have to wait for their children, do they?"
Yeon Ji-pyeong smiled as he watched Yeon Ho-jeong walk away.
"Now that I think about it, you're right."
His brother was the first to let go of his hatred for him. But the result was confirmed by his own courageous action.
His relationship with his father was a bit different from his brother's, but in the big picture, it was not much different.
"…But he's still scary."
* * *
The next morning.
"I greet the great master."
The two gatekeepers, who used to be rude, bowed respectfully.
Yeonhojeong nodded.
"I came to see my father."
"Yes."
They seemed to have received a prior notice. The swordsmen and the knife wielders opened the door to the master's chamber.
The sight inside the wide-open door was strangely new.
"The master is currently in the training hall. You can go there."
"Alright."
Behind the master's chamber, he passed through a modest bamboo forest and saw the open training hall.
Whirring.
As he headed to the training hall, Yeonhojeong felt a strange vibration from his core. He didn't even focus his mind on his inner power, but his true energy was wriggling.
'Sympathy.'
His non-true energy didn't know what to do. It seemed like his true energy was scared, but also excited.
It was because of Yeonwi.
Whoosh.
In the center of the training hall, Yeonwi sat cross-legged and a beautiful aura rose from his body.
He had never learned it, but he knew what martial art it was. Under the pressure that enveloped the whole training hall, the sharp and lofty atmosphere was dominant.
'Sword Extreme Thought Energy.'
Sword Extreme Thought Energy was also one of the Five Supreme Martial Arts.
'Amazing.'
It was not a matter of whether he had achieved mastery or not.
His inner power, which had been refined countless times, was compressed beyond saturation, and the compressed power burst out and filled his whole body.
His understanding of true energy was different from that of other martial artists. It was as if he was proclaiming himself as the master of Yeon family.
Woo woo woo. Woong.
The emanating power gradually subsided.
"Have you arrived?"
He spoke even while cultivating.
The most vulnerable moment for a martial artist was when he was cultivating. He needed extreme concentration, so he became insensitive to the external energy, and a small shock could cause an irreversible situation.
Yeonwi was free from the danger of cultivation. The realm of Yeon family's master was that great.
'At least, he is not below Namgoong family's master.'
He had fought with Baekdo martial world and learned the level of Gudaemoon faction and the Seven Great Families better than anyone else. In Yeonhojeong's eyes, his father's martial art was competing for the first place among the Seven Great Families.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes."
"Sit here."
Yeonhojeong climbed up to the training hall.
It was not a high place, but it felt like he was climbing a very high staircase.
Yeonhojeong sat in the center of the training hall and crossed his legs. It was the same place where Yeonwi had just cultivated.
"Recite the formula of Biroa Ultimate."
Yeonhojeong calmly recited the formula.
Yeonwi's eyes sparkled.
"You remember it well."
"Yes."
He sat behind Yeonhojeong's back and put his hand on his life gate point.
"Move your non-true energy according to the formula of Biroa Ultimate. I will help you with the true energy change."
Woo woo woo.
As soon as Yeonwi's words ended, Yeonhojeong pulled up his non-true energy.
Yeonwi's eyebrows twitched.
'He is in a hurry.'
He understood his mind. He had been bound by the Non-True Heart Method for ten years, so he wanted to learn advanced martial arts as soon as possible.
But it was hard to achieve mastery of martial arts with a hasty attitude. He had told him that yesterday, but he didn't seem to accept it properly.
Yeonwi calmly guided the boiling non-true energy.
'When the cultivation is over, I'll scold him again…'
That was when.
Whirring!
In an instant, his non-true energy soared with full power.
The circulation of true energy according to Yeonwi's intention was only once. Yet, his non-true energy boiled like crazy.
'Danger!'
Rumble!
Yeonwi, who was trying to control the energy, was startled.
His non-true energy was running through his veins at an incredible speed. The speed was faster and more passionate than anyone he had ever seen.
And it was smooth.
Natural and splendid. It was like watching a river that flowed along the path, but was fierce.
Whirring!
The non-true energy, which had circled several times with a storm-like momentum, gradually faced a change.
In terms of color, the greenish waves changed to blue like a cloudless sky. The color of the blue sky, a blue net.
It changed. The true energy.
To a more high-dimensional energy, to a more arrogant energy.
'Biroa True Energy!'
The speed of his non-true energy transforming into Biroa True Energy was beyond imagination.
Squeak!
The shape and size of his core also changed. It was like a house that was moderately spacious became a palace.
It was an unprecedented surprise. Yeonwi himself had spent a full fortnight on the true energy change when he moved from the Non-True Heart Method to the Sword Extreme Thought Energy. His ancestor praised him for being fast.
His son was different.
In less than half an hour of cultivation, his son had transformed almost all of his non-true energy into Biroa True Energy.
'How can this be.'
A moment later.
"Huff."
Yeonhojeong, who was regulating his breath, slowly gathered his energy.
Yeonwi was surprised again.
'He is skillfully gathering his energy. As if he had been doing it for his whole life.'
He had just pushed it once, but the carriage had already gone down the mountain and reached the destination.
'Amazing.'
Flash!
Yeonhojeong opened his eyes.
His eyes had a different intense light. His pupils, which had a faint blue color, slowly returned to their original color.
"It's over."
"I see."
"Thank you for your guidance."
Yeonwi looked at his son with curiosity.
His son didn't show any sign of joy. He was just infinitely calm.
As if he knew it would happen.
"You didn't need my help."
"Yes."
It was an honest answer.
"But it was a meaningful moment because I could feel your energy."
He didn't know what that meant, and this time, even Yeonwi couldn't understand.
After a silence, he opened his mouth again after half an hour.
"Do you know all the formulas of the Five Supreme Martial Arts?"
"Yes."
"Why did you choose Biroa Ultimate among them? Is it because of its stability?"
Yeonhojeong smiled.
"That's right."
The Five Supreme Martial Arts were all without excess or deficiency. But they had their own personalities.
The most majestic and stable martial art among them was Biroa Ultimate. Even if he used his true energy aggressively, it had less burden on his body than other martial arts.
And it also had an output that was not inferior to the other Four Supreme Martial Arts. Considering Yeonhojeong's personality, choosing Biroa Ultimate was a good choice.
Yeonwi hesitated for a rare moment.
He had something to say to his son. But he didn't know what it was.
A moment later, he nodded and said.
"If you have any difficulties, come to me then."
"I will."
"You did well."
There was not much conversation like yesterday. But the father and son shared much more than yesterday.
Yeonhojeong, who was about to bow his head and go down the training hall, glanced at the weapon display.
There were countless weapons on display.
"You train with various weapons?"
"A martial artist should be able to wield any branch in his hand as his original martial art. To do that, he needs more understanding of various weapons."
That's right.
He didn't know when or who he would die by in the martial world. To do that, he had to be able to implement the best martial art in the worst moment.
Yeonhojeong had learned that by fighting, and Yeonwi had learned it by himself.
"Can I take some?"
"Hmm?"
Yeonwi wondered what this amazing son would ask for.
"It doesn't matter. What will you take?"
"First, an iron rod."
"Iron rod?"
"Yes."
"And?"
Yeonhojeong's lips were smiling, but his eyes were filled with an unknown ferocity.
"An axe."
* * *
"…So, it will take about six months for everything to heal, I estimate."
Looking down at the young woman who had splints all over her body, the middle-aged man asked.
"How are your internal injuries?"
"They are not as bad as you think. The problem is, rather than the internal injuries, it's the heartache."
"Heartache?"
"Yes, she seems to have suffered a great shock. Her internal injuries will heal soon, and her external wounds will be cured in half a year, but there is nothing I can do about her mental trauma."
"I see."
The middle-aged man, Namgoong In, looked rather calm.
He patted the doctor's shoulder.
"She grew up wild, but she is still a Namgoong child. She will overcome her emotional scars. Please do your best to treat her."
The doctor bowed his waist as if he was honored.
"Of course. It's only half a year at most, she will recover faster than that."
"I trust you."
Namgoong In tapped the doctor's shoulder several times and left the medical room.
He looked up at the sky for a moment.
Then, a young man approached him.
"Father."
"Is it Hyun?"
He was a handsome man whose beauty reached the sky. Yet, his physique was dignified and he exuded a mysterious aura.
He was Namgoong In's second son, Namgoong Hyun.
"How is Sanghwa?"
"She was badly hurt."
His father was a man who never exaggerated or lied in any situation. If his father said she was badly hurt, then she must have been really hurt.
Namgoong In shook his head.
"Looking at the details of the incident, Sanghwa was wrong. I sent her to learn and grow more, but she became worse instead."
"She was always vain and arrogant. I hope she will grow from this experience."
"I think so too."
"But."
Namgoong Hyun's eyes turned cold.
"Just because she met a robber and realized the preciousness of life, it doesn't mean we have to forgive the bastard."
"The other party is Yeon."
"They are a family that has only been around for fifty years."
"They are a family that made themselves one of the seven great families from one of the six great families in just fifty years. The martial artists are not fools. They wouldn't dare to put their name next to the six great families if they didn't have the qualifications."
"No matter how great they are, they touched Namgoong."
"They have the justification on their side."
Namgoong Hyun fell silent.
Namgoong In spoke in a calm tone.
"Your uncle has already apologized."
"Apologized?"
"Yes."
Namgoong Hyun's lips curled up.
"Then Yeon will bury this incident?"
"Even if they didn't apologize, they would do that."
"Only they will feel relieved because they apologized."
"That's right."
"Your uncle made a mistake, but he handled the aftermath quickly and well."
"If we were to harass Yeon, that would be the case."
Namgoong In looked at Namgoong Hyun.
Even though he saw his son's cold eyes, Namgoong In's expression was still calm. His unchanged expression was similar to Yeonwi, but different in essence.
"Do you intend to endure this, father?"
"Of course. I don't intend to make enemies with such a power over a single child who was ruined."
He said coldly with a kind and calm face.
Namgoong Hyun smiled at his father's words.
"You should. The leader of a great family shouldn't act rashly over such a matter."
Namgoong In smiled faintly.
"Do you plan to go out and drink as a small family?"
"Of course not. They have the justification on their side, there is no point in being hasty."
"Then?"
Namgoong Hyun asked in a meaningful voice.
"When was the meeting of the younger disciples of the seven great families this year?"