Lee Sung Min stared back at Namgoong Heewon, who had asked him who he was. It wasn’t a hard question to answer. It was just that Namgoong Heewon was the young master of the Namgoong bloodline and the successor to be the next head of his household. Sung-Min was surprised that the name of Wijihoyeon, the “Son of the Heavenly Demon”, had come out of his mouth.
“… My name is Lee Sung-Min.”
“Lee Sung Min? Never heard of that name. Ah, sorry. I lack experience. I’m the type who hears what I want to hear and don’t listen to the things I don’t want to. In a way, I’m pretty rude.”Namgoong Heewon replied. He shrugged his shoulders.
“By any chance, do you have a nickname they call you by?”
“I do not. I’m not of the martial arts. I’m a mercenary.”
“A mercenary… meaning.. you are not a martial arts master? Are you saying you were never part of the martial arts?”
“I’m a No-Class.”Lee Sung-Min replied.
Namgoong Heewon’s expression slightly hardened. After a short moment of silence, he started to chuckle.
“A greater being than I thought you would be. You already seem to be on the verge of mastering your level. Am I right?”
“I’m not a martial arts master.”
“But you have familiarized yourself with the arts, have you not?”
“I did, but unlike the ‘real’ masters like yourself…”
“A ‘real’ master – what a laughable term.” Namgoong Heewon said.
He laughed loudly.
“I have mastered the arts and have the surname of ‘Namgoong.’ However, that does not mean I know the arts of Zhongyuan. It was my great-great-grandfather who was summoned to Eria from another world. He gathered all the masters with the surname of ‘Namgoong’ to start our household in this world. That is how I came to be. I have never been to the Temple of Zhongyuan, nor is it my birthplace. My hometown is Eria.” Namgoong said. He crossed his arms.
“Should I then be called a martial arts master? I learned my accent from my family, and it’s the same with my martial arts skills. Does that make me a martial arts master? I wasn’t even born in Zhongyuan and summoned to this world.”
“But you are closer to being real than I am.” Lee Sung-Min replied.
Namgoong Heewon laughed aloud once more.
“Perhaps. Are you able to use ‘Disciplined Strength’?”
“I am capable of doing so, yes.”
“But you haven’t perfected your cycle of qi yet. You haven’t even Mastered your level. Have you reached the highest Peak of your level yet?”
“Ihave not.”
“Does that mean your ‘Qi Vessel’ on your back has not been penetrated yet?”
(t/n wuxia term – the energy flow of qi from your tailbone to your neck, similar to a blood vessel. This ‘qi vessel’ helps the qi flow more effectively. Once this flow is penetrated, it is a new step to reaching another level.)
Namgoong Heewon looked confused. At this, Sung Min blushed and nodded lightly.
“It has not been penetrated.” Sung-Min replied.
“ …. That doesn’t make sense.” Namgoong Heewon murmured at Sung-Min’s reply. and frowned.
“Are you saying you are at the level of using Sword Strength, but the ‘Qi Vessel’ on your back has not even burst? How’s that even possible?”
“Is one not capable of using ‘Sword Strength’ if the flow of the Qi Vessel is not penetrated?”
“Normally, yes. The blood flow in your body needs to withstand the flow of your inner strength and the circulation has to be at top speed. Having the Qi Vessel penetrated means the fastest path for your inner strength to flow has opened up.”
“Does it really matter?”
“Of course it matters. Using Sword Strength is very impressive, but without the Qui Vessel in your back penetrated, using those powers won’t be efficient at all. It would just be a waste of inner strength.”
Sung Min then realized he didn’t have to go through the process of ‘concentration’ when he was using his Sword Strength. He had simply thought he wasn’t using his powers efficiently, but it had turned out his Qi Vessel in his back hadn’t been penetrated at all, which was why his powers were not as effective.
“But even so… I suppose there are cases like you. I haven’t experienced it myself, but I’ve heard stories of cases like this. I heard that the physical body isn’t able to keep up with the martial arts techniques if the physical body is incapable of completely accepting the powers.“
“Are you saying that’s the case with me?”
“I’m saying it’s a possibility. You should hope that’s not the case, however. Most of those cases… they don’t end well. The imbalance of the heart, body and energy result in a disability in the body.”
Sung Min’s face hardened at Namgoong’s words. Although it was unclear whether there was an imbalance of his heart, body and energy, it was clear that his condition was dangerous in the long run.
“When are you going to stop talking about all of this stuff that’s hard to understand?” Scarlett piped up abruptly.
She had been listening in to the conversation looking deadpan. Scarlett was a magician and wasn’t able to understand most of the conversation the two men were having.
At this, Namgoong Heewon let out a laugh and bowed his head slightly.
“Haha.. I apologize. It was disturbing me, so I couldn’t help it..”
“By the way, about the Son of the Heavenly Demon..” Sung Min said cautiously. Sung Min felt apologetic towards Scarlett, but he couldn’t help mentioning her.
“What is she like?”
“Are you interested in her?”
“I’m not a martial arts master, but I know how serious it is to have ‘Heavenly Demon’ as a nickname. She may be a ‘Minor Heavenly Demon’, but a demon is a demon. I am only asking out of curiosity.”
“Haha.. how many people do you know of who is called a ‘Heavenly Demon?’”
“Almost none.” Sungmin replied. Namgoong laughed aloud.
“In Eria, there are currently three figures with the nickname of ‘Heavenly Demon’ in Eria.”
Their orders had come out. Scarlett had given up trying to interrupt their conversation. She picked at her dish of seasoned shells and vegetables with her chopsticks, her lips pressed in disapproval.