Chapter 47

“What are you doing?”

“…Meditating.”

“Why? You already know everything just by looking, don’t you?”

“Because the Void and Spirit are invisible.”

“Ah… I guess that’s true.”

The two exchanging this meaningless conversation were Namgung Woo and Paeng Ye-ryeong, and the location was the very training cave where they had learned the Void Spirit Divine Art.

Having accepted the master-disciple relationship, Paeng Ye-ryeong took the words “think of him as a senior” literally and called Namgung Woo “senior.”

“But senior, don’t you already know everything?”

“…I thought so at first, but in reality, I realized I didn’t know anything at all.”

Namgung Woo was well-versed in theory, enough to teach Paeng Ye-ryeong. However, when it came to actual combat, he still relied on the familiar Vast Heaven Divine Art and Heavenly Thunder Emperor Divine Art.

The three dantians—upper, middle, and lower. Namgung Woo had yet to harmonize them.

Paeng Ye-ryeong circled around Namgung Woo, who was trying to meditate, and watched him intently before speaking with a puzzled expression.

“But senior, you’re a master of the Fire Realm, right?”

“…That’s right.”

“Then your three dantians are balanced, and your essence, energy, and spirit are unified, achieving the Three Flames Convergence and reaching the state of Five Origins Unity, right?”

“…If we’re just talking about the Fire Qi of my internal energy.”

Perhaps dissatisfied with Namgung Woo’s answer, Paeng Ye-ryeong puffed her cheeks and narrowed her eyebrows.

“That’s weird.”

“…What is?”

“If only the Fire Qi of your internal energy is rising, that means only your energy is increasing, right? How did you become a Supreme Peak Master without achieving the Three Flames Convergence?”

How did he become a Supreme Peak Master? Namgung Woo himself wanted to know the answer.

Why had he reached the Fire Realm? Was it because of the understanding and knowledge of martial arts he had gained as a martial artist who reached the Fire Realm? Or was it because of the heavenly body he had received, connected to the heavens like the Azure Tranquility Eyes?

Then why hadn’t others, with their innate physical talents and the enlightenment and martial knowledge passed down to them, reached the Fire Realm?

The thought that the answer to the mystery surrounding him lay in that difference struck Namgung Woo’s mind with force.

“Ye-ryeong.”

“Uh, yes?”

It was the first time he had called her by her name, and even Paeng Ye-ryeong seemed momentarily dazed.

“I think I’ve grasped something…”

Namgung Woo looked at Paeng Ye-ryeong with half-opened eyes and spoke decisively.

“Get out.”

“…Okay.”

For the past few days, Namgung Woo had spent time with Paeng Ye-ryeong, figuring out how to handle the Void Spirit Divine Art.

§

Paeng Ye-ryeong, who had stumbled out of the training cave, saw her older sister pacing at the entrance and quickly ran over.

“Sister? What are you doing?”

“Uh, uh? Ye-ryeong? Were you here too?”

Nodding, Paeng Ye-ryeong gestured with her fingers, explaining what she had just done.

“Senior went in, so I sneaked in. Swoosh.”

Paeng Ye-ryeong had always had a faint presence. Even Paeng Ja-ryeong, a Supreme Peak Master, would often miss her unless he consciously focused on his senses.

Now that the heavenly gate was beginning to close, a more human-like feeling was slowly returning, but it was still minimal.

With Paeng Ye-ryeong’s innate talent and the Void Spirit Divine Art added to the mix, it would be extremely difficult for even a Supreme Peak Master like Han Gyeran to notice her.

Only the Protective Divine Technique of the legendary Shadow Spider could compare to Paeng Ye-ryeong’s stealth.

But her sister’s incredible martial arts aside, Paeng Ha-ryeong felt the need to scold her younger sister for this incident.

Clenching her fists with firm resolve, Paeng Ha-ryeong adopted a stern posture, placing her hands on her hips, and scolded Paeng Ye-ryeong harshly.

“You shouldn’t disturb Senior while he’s training. Even if you’re learning the same martial art and need advice, you should make an appointment and seek guidance properly. You can’t just barge in like that. It’s troublesome for Senior too.”

“Sister.”

“What? Have you reflected?”

“Do you make appointments and wait?”

“……”

Paeng Ha-ryeong quickly lost her confidence.

Paeng Ye-ryeong, who had been squinting at her sister, lightly poked her with a question.

“Sister?”

“…Well, not exactly.”

The hand on her hip lost its strength, and Paeng Ha-ryeong’s attitude deflated.

“Ah, I get it.”

Paeng Ye-ryeong suddenly said that and looked at Paeng Ha-ryeong’s stomach.

“Did you use it all up?”

“Ugh…!”

Paeng Ha-ryeong let out a pained sound, as if struck in a vital spot.

Paeng Ye-ryeong didn’t have the Azure Tranquility Eyes like Namgung Woo, which could uncover all the secrets of the world. Nor did she have the transcendent senses of peerless masters like Paeng Hu-sang or Gwak Dan.

But Paeng Ye-ryeong had her innate talent and the memory of her sister proudly showing her new power.

“Do you want to get more?”

“It’s not just because of that…!”

Paeng Ha-ryeong fidgeted with her fingers, trailing off.

The Thunder Qi she had received from Namgung Woo.

The Heavenly Thunder Divine Energy she had carefully stored in her middle dantian had been completely exhausted.

Paeng Ha-ryeong regretted it. The Thunderous Blade Art, or more accurately, the Heaven and Earth Thunderous Blade, was something she couldn’t learn due to her lack of innate talent and incompatible internal energy techniques.

But with the Heavenly Thunder Divine Energy, Paeng Ha-ryeong could use the Heaven and Earth Thunderous Blade. A powerful trump card with destructive force, something a martial artist living in the martial world would find invaluable.

Moreover, the martial artists of the Paeng Family aimed to master all five of their family’s secret techniques. For Paeng Ha-ryeong, who had only mastered the Cyclic White Escape Blade and the Iron Blood Fierce Star Blade, it was an irresistible temptation.

But there was no other choice.

The Black Tortoise Lion she had faced was a master of a higher level than her. Sparing her strength would have been akin to throwing her life away.

“I did save a little, though…”

Paeng Ha-ryeong’s shoulders slumped.

She had hoped to save at least a little, so she could later cultivate the Primordial Thunderbolt Divine Art and grow her Thunder Qi.

But in her spar with Namgung Woo, she had given it her all…

“You’re an idiot.”

“…I just wanted to brush past his collar.”

Paeng Ha-ryeong pouted and made excuses.

It was hard to tell who was the older sister and who was the younger one in this conversation.

Before Paeng Ye-ryeong had escaped the Heavenly Punishment, Paeng Ha-ryeong had tried to act maturely to reassure her sister. But now that it was no longer necessary, she had become even more unrestrained in her actions.

“It was the middle dantian, right? Where Senior’s energy was.”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, sister. Are you aware? Senior is a man too, you know. Asking him to put his energy there is a bit… even I find it weird.”

“It’s not because of that!”

Paeng Ha-ryeong’s face turned completely red as she shouted.

Shouting seemed to clear her mind, and Paeng Ha-ryeong anxiously glanced toward the training cave, worried her voice might have carried inside.

“The training cave has good soundproofing, so it won’t be heard. So, sister, why were you waiting here?”

“The clothes are done. I was going to check them with Senior.”

The Hapbuk Paeng Family had already gifted Namgung Woo a martial robe made of the finest silk, but that was just a ready-made product.

It wasn’t tailored perfectly to Namgung Woo’s body.

Originally, they had planned to make a custom robe, but creating a martial robe using special materials was a highly challenging task that required time. Namgung Woo, who had to leave for Beijing immediately, didn’t have the luxury to wait for it to be completed.

“Ah, sister.”

Suddenly realizing a mistake in what she had said, Paeng Ye-ryeong called out to Paeng Ha-ryeong.

“What now?”

“…I didn’t close the door when I came out.”

After all, this training cave had been entirely given to Namgung Woo by the Paeng Family. It had essentially become Namgung Woo’s personal training cave.

Since no one else would sneak in, Paeng Ye-ryeong had left the door wide open to avoid making noise that might disturb Namgung Woo’s meditation.

“Ah, ah…”

Paeng Ha-ryeong’s face, which had regained its bright complexion, turned red again as she glanced toward the training cave… and saw Namgung Woo standing at the entrance with an awkward expression.

“Well, shall we go see the clothes?”

§

“How is it? We used the finest silk from the Paeng Family, combined with the silk of the Shadow Spider, to create this fabric.”

Namgung Woo moved around, examining the clothes he was wearing.

The black martial robe, with its subtle sheen, followed the style of a well-established family.

It resembled a hanbok, specifically a cheollik, but unlike the typical cheollik with narrow, long sleeves, this one had slightly wider sleeves that tightened at the wrists, perfectly tailored for martial use.

Like the cheollik that would later become the everyday wear of military officials, with some modifications, it was perfectly suited as a martial robe.

“The silk of the Shadow Spider is quite remarkable. It’s elastic, so no matter how roughly you move, the clothes won’t tear. It also resists spiritual energy, so most spells won’t even touch your body.”

The tailor from the Paeng Family explained with pride, suppressing his excitement over his masterpiece.

‘Spider silk. Familiar material.’

People often think spider silk is weak, but while it’s thin, it has remarkable properties. It’s over five times stronger than steel of the same mass.

Before Namgung Woo came to this world, spider silk was often used to weave fabric or create clothes through genetic modification. It was highly regarded as a new material for clothing.

But in this world, there was no need for advanced genetic modification. One could simply obtain superior spider silk from spirit beasts or demons that had undergone natural genetic mutations.

The awkward atmosphere was still palpable, but Paeng Ha-ryeong, pretending not to notice, spoke up.

“The Shadow Spider is considered a grade higher than the Soul-Stealing Ghost Phantom that Senior captured. Unlike the Ghost Phantom, which has nothing to offer, the Shadow Spider’s silk is extremely rare. Some even leave the Ghost Gate open just to obtain it.”

What, is it some kind of farm?

“The Imperial Family allows this?”

“They tacitly permit it. The Shadow Spider’s silk is something even the Imperial Family can’t obtain easily. There’s nothing rarer than the Shadow Spider’s silk, except maybe the Heavenly Silkworm Silk.”

It wasn’t a matter of existence but of availability in the market.

Even if it wasn’t the Shadow Spider’s silk, there were better materials for making martial robes or armor, but those were so rare that obtaining them was nearly impossible.

The Heavenly Silkworm Silk, for example, was far superior in performance, making one wonder if there was anything better. But surprisingly, it was consistently produced because a few places, including the Imperial Family, raised Heavenly Silkworms.

“Another precious gift.”

“Don’t say that. What Senior has done for the Paeng Family far outweighs this. If it were up to me, I’d melt all the Mystic Iron we have to forge a sword for you… but Senior already has something far more valuable.”

“Sister, even if we gather all the remaining Mystic Iron, it’d barely be over two taels.”

“…That’s why I said ‘if it were up to me.’”

Watching the sisters bicker with a smile, Namgung Woo began to see the outline of his next destination.

A place where even the Paeng Family’s blacksmiths, who worked with small amounts of Mystic Iron, had given up on processing the horn of the Netherworld Horn.

That place would be Namgung Woo’s next destination.