Wudang Sacred Scriptures

Just then, Instructor Hyeonmun, who had been watching the situation unfold, shouted:
“Brother Hyeonho, that’s not a foul. The boy’s ball never touched the ground.”

Referee Hyeonho answered:
“Brother Hyeonmun, what that boy used wasn’t Taiji Sphere Techniques. It was clearly the Heaven-Earth Sphere Technique.”
“Brother Hyeonho, as long as he didn’t use his hands, it can still fall under Taiji Sphere Techniques. Has the ball ever stopped spinning?”

Hyeonho had no answer.
The ball had remained in constant rotation. No hands were used.
And even in normal Taiji Sphere play, the ball would sometimes drift from the practitioner’s body.
At that moment, Elder Council Leader Myeonghyeon, who had been silently observing the back-and-forth between the two instructors, spoke up:

“There’s no rule that forbids using the Heaven-Earth Sphere Technique during the Contest for the Pearls—as long as the ball keeps spinning.”
With this clear verdict from the highest authority of the sect, Referee Hyeonho had no choice but to declare:
“Yang Jin, eliminated.”

Yang Jin stepped back, looking bitterly wronged.
In the meantime, Kwak Yeon turned to his victorious teammate:
“Cheoljung, get to the center. Quickly.”

That had been his strategy from the very beginning.
Moving around too much while managing two spinning balls was impossible. So the plan was to hold formation and protect the ball holders.
Time, after all, was on their side.

Now that the situation had turned in their favor, the noble-born disciples panicked.
Their confidence had been completely shattered.
Kwak Yeon looked at Seok Jangsan.
“Jangsan, now.”

— Tap-tap-tap!
Seok Jangsan sprinted forward and slammed directly into the midsection of a flustered noble disciple.
The noble was knocked flat, and his wooden ball flew into the air.
“No! Don’t let them catch it!”

Seok Geon shouted furiously. Losing more balls now would be a disgrace.
Even if they had to let it hit the ground, they needed to stop the catch.
Two noble disciples moved in from the sides to intercept.

But Seok Jangsan leapt into the air and knocked the falling wooden ball away with his shoulder.
He had never intended to catch it.
The ball bounced off Seok Jangsan’s shoulder and shot toward the cluster of Eternal Wudang disciples.

“Jeong I-chu, that one’s yours!”
“On it!”
At Kwak Yeon’s call, Jeong I-chu caught the descending ball with his chest, cradling it like a shield.

It was an extraordinary moment.
Instructor Hyeonmun immediately shouted:
“Brother Hyeonho, the ball was stolen. Eliminate him.”

A flustered Referee Hyeonho replied:
“But… it wasn’t taken directly, was it?”
“It’s a team event. That still counts. Whether they were holding it or not, it was clearly taken from them.”

He was right. If they didn’t want this rule to apply, it should’ve been a one-on-one match.
With no room to argue, Referee Hyeonho raised his voice:
“Sang Munang, eliminated!”

The Eternal Wudang disciples roared with excitement.
“Woooooo!!”
Seok Jangsan returned to their formation.

Two Eternal Wudang disciples now stood firmly, each spinning a ball, while the remaining five protected them from all sides.
“This… I didn’t see this coming,”
murmured the Lady of the Southern Cliff Palace from the elevated platform, her expression filled with interest.

The Lady of the Jade Void Palace nodded.
“Indeed. Who would’ve thought they’d pull off such a tactic?”
The Lady of the Black Tortoise Palace chimed in:

“Even just managing to spin two balls like that is incredible. That’s proper formation of Taiji Sphere Techniques—even if they’re staying in place.”
As the palace lords continued to praise the Eternal Wudang disciples, Grand Elder Unhak Jin-in spoke in a frigid tone:
“Referee Hyeonho, pause the match immediately.”

“Yes, Grand Elder.”
At the sudden interruption of the Contest for the Pearls, all six palace lords turned to face Grand Elder Unhak Jin-in.
“Grand Elder, what’s the meaning of this?”

asked the Lady of the Southern Cliff Palace.
Unhak Jin-in responded coldly:
“There’s a more urgent matter than this contest. I ask for your understanding.”
Though the six palace lords technically outranked Unhak Jin-in, he was the senior-most among the “Un” generation, and the senior brother of the current sect leader. He was the de facto head of the sect and they couldn’t defy him.

Silencing the palace lords, Unhak Jin-in called out to the training floor:
“Master of Eternal Wudang.”
“Yes, Grand Elder. Please speak.”

“How dare you teach the Thousand Petal Embrace Technique to your disciples without permission from the Jade Void Palace?”
Gasps spread across the platform where the palace lords and elders sat.
The Thousand Petal Embrace Technique!

A basic foundational art taught only to disciples of the Jade Void Palace.
It was used to prepare them for their signature martial techniques.
Now that they thought about it, the way the Eternal Wudang disciple caught the wooden ball to his chest—it looked eerily familiar.
Was that the Thousand Petal Embrace Technique?

They hadn’t recognized it before because they assumed it was just a variation of the Heaven-Earth Sphere Technique.
But since Unhak Jin-in was a former disciple of the Jade Void Palace, he had recognized it instantly.
Instructor Hyeonmun replied calmly:

“Grand Elder, I’ve never even heard of such a technique.”
“Are you trying to lie here in the Grand Training Hall?”
Unhak Jin-in’s voice thundered through the arena.

“That boy’s soft reception of the ball just now—such grace is impossible without advanced micro-muscle control. And aside from the Thousand Petal Embrace Technique, what other training in our sect develops that ability?”
The Thousand Petal Embrace Technique, as its name suggested, developed the practitioner’s fine muscular control to the point they could cradle a butterfly on their chest without harming it.
Improved jumping power and multidirectional movement were just side benefits.
Its true purpose was to lay the foundation {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} for mastering Flower Transfer Technique—a secret martial art that redirected the opponent’s strength.

Faced with this accusation, Instructor Hyeonmun spoke without hesitation:
“Grand Elder, it’s not impossible to develop micro-muscle control through other means.”
“That’s true. But to show results in just six months? There’s no other way unless they’re born with extraordinary talent—and even then, only the Thousand Petal Embrace Technique could achieve that.”

Instructor Hyeonmun’s chest burned with anger at the Grand Elder’s remarks—once again dividing talent and drawing lines of hierarchy.
“How can you be so sure? The disciples of Eternal Wudang have spent the last three years at the training school undergoing rigorous physical conditioning. That alone would’ve given them a solid foundation. I believe their understanding of the Heaven-Earth and Taiji Sphere Techniques naturally led to this outcome.”
“Nonsense! Pure drivel. Are you suggesting, as the head of Eternal Wudang, that some average students surpassed martial techniques that have been handed down for generations through three years of training alone?”

“……”
“Do you intend to disgrace our sect’s traditions and teachings, Instructor Hyeonmun?”
The Elder Council Leader, Myeonghyeon, frowned at how Grand Elder Unhak Jin-in twisted the conversation to intimidate. He finally spoke.

“Grand Elder, I don’t believe Instructor Hyeonmun is lying.”
“Council Leader!”
“What those children demonstrated wasn’t the Thousand Petal Embrace Technique. It only appeared similar. In truth, the Thousand Petal Embrace Technique is itself derived from Taiji Sphere Techniques. So it’s only natural they’d look alike. Wouldn’t you agree, Grand Elder?”

Cornered by Myeonghyeon’s sharp question, Unhak Jin-in had no choice but to admit:
“Yes… that’s true.”
“Do you still believe it was the Thousand Petal Embrace Technique?”

A question asked only after the answer is obvious always carries a barb.
Unhak Jin-in furrowed his brow ever so slightly before smoothing his expression and replying:
“Council Leader, it seems I may have misjudged the situation.”

“It’s easy to misread things in the heat of the moment. Besides, it’s precisely because the Eternal Wudang disciples have mastered the intricacies of the Taiji Sphere Techniques that such confusion arose.”
Myeonghyeon let out a hearty laugh and looked toward Instructor Hyeonmun.
“Instructor Hyeonmun.”

“Yes, Council Leader.”
“You’ve taught your disciples well.”
The word “taught” struck deep in Hyeonmun’s chest.

Normally, people would say he’d “trained” them, or “oversaw their development.” But to hear that he’d truly taught them—that carried weight.
He recalled the moment when Kwak Yeon had quietly asked for permission to teach the others how to control micro-muscles. Instructor Hyeonmun had prohibited them from explaining the principle directly. Kwak Yeon had clearly tried to show them through trial and demonstration. And now, they were seeing the results.
Moreover, combining the Heaven-Earth Sphere Technique to compensate for the weaknesses of the Taiji Sphere was a brilliant tactical decision.

“I never saw this coming.”
His chest tightened again—not from worry, but from pride.
This alone was enough to prove the worth of Eternal Wudang. And it was satisfying to see the sour expression on the Grand Elder’s face.

Though they had only scored two small victories by catching their opponents off guard, the attempt to frame Eternal Wudang as useless had failed.
“Continue the contest!”
As soon as the match resumed, the noble-born disciples—true heirs of prominent families—immediately began applying the Heaven-Earth Sphere Technique.

Not only that, the spin of their Taiji Spheres accelerated dramatically. The wooden balls looked like they were glued to their bodies.
“They’re using internal energy.”
Instructor Hyeonmun recognized it immediately and turned toward Referee Hyeonho.

“Brother Hyeonho, isn’t it against the rules to use internal energy in the Contest for the Pearls?”
“Brother Hyeonmun, why shouldn’t it be allowed? We’re already allowing fusion techniques.”
“Those are applications suited to team matches.”

“Isn’t internal energy usage also an application of one's own skill? If it bothers you so much, tell the Eternal Wudang disciples to use internal energy too.”
But the Eternal Wudang disciples had only just begun to sense the faintest traces of internal energy.
And two of them—including Kwak Yeon—hadn’t even gathered enough to wield it.
The balance shifted drastically in an instant.

“Jang Unho! Eliminated!”
“Pyo Yeongsang! Eliminated!”
“Jong-su! Eliminated!”

Three Eternal Wudang disciples lost their balls and were knocked out one after the other.
Now it was down to four versus five.
But even that wasn’t entirely accurate.

Jeong I-chu and Ho Cheoljung were locked in place, each spinning one of the two balls—unable to move from their positions.
Which meant only Seok Jangsan and Kwak Yeon remained to face all five of the noble disciples.
Meanwhile, three of the noble-born disciples had seamlessly integrated their spinning balls into their movements with ease. They were clearly comfortable and confident.
Instructor Hyeonmun was puzzled. It made sense that Seok Jangsan, being highly skilled, had held his ground.
But Kwak Yeon? Wasn’t he the least physically gifted among them?

And yet, he hadn’t been eliminated.
That question was answered the moment Seok Geon stepped forward with a wicked grin, revealing his true intentions.
Seok Jangsan was occupied, fending off a coordinated assault from the rest of the noble disciples some distance away.
Meanwhile, Seok Geon had deliberately chosen to isolate Kwak Yeon, making his motives crystal clear.

Just as expected, Seok Geon unleashed his full internal energy and activated the Taiji Sphere Technique.
— Whoosh!
The wooden ball spun violently, clinging to his upper arm as if magnetized.

His arms, legs, and posture remained completely unrestrained, giving him perfect freedom of movement. He sneered at Kwak Yeon like a predator.
“Now I’ll show you how it's really done.”
Seok Geon sneered with smug satisfaction.

“Well, if you hand over the ball now, I might spare you a broken bone or two.”
Kwak Yeon smirked.
“I was wondering when you'd finally show your true colors.”

“Oh? So you've got some pride after all? Good. Please—keep resisting. It'll make this more fun.”
Seok Geon charged forward, aiming a punch straight at Kwak Yeon’s face.
As he moved, his wooden ball rolled over his shoulder and latched onto his back, just behind the scapula.
— Fwhhsssh!

The force was so intense, it generated a sound like a gust of wind.
By contrast, Kwak Yeon, still needing to focus on spinning his own wooden ball, couldn’t move freely.
He was already at a disadvantage.