Chapter 56: Above You, Below Me (1)

After reading both books, I thought,

“This is no joke.”

These two books were meant to teach the basics of psychic abilities. Yet, they were still difficult for me.

The basics of psychic abilities are divided into three stages. These are referred to as stages of awakening.

The first stage is called independent awareness. It is the stage of self-realization where one becomes aware of their abilities without any guidance.

Currently, I am at this independent awareness stage. I am aware of my abilities. Now, I just need to move on to the next stage.

The second stage is called Enlightenment. It is the stage where one can sense the yin and yang energies in the world. Once you can sense these energies, you can move on to the next stage.

The third stage is called Right Enlightenment. It is the stage where, having understood one’s abilities and the yin and yang energies of the world, one can use these energies to utilize their abilities.

When one can freely activate their abilities, they are said to have achieved Right Enlightenment. From this point, one can talk about principles of activation and spiritual resonance.

Only those who achieve Right Enlightenment are treated as true psychics. Those who don’t are merely ordinary people with awakened spiritual sight.

There are many such ordinary people.

“This is tough.”

Right now, I am stuck at the second stage, Enlightenment. Yin and yang energy? What is that? Is it something you eat? I remembered that a stone known as Extreme Yin was in my room.

I had taken it from the research lab raid last time. It was stashed away in a corner along with a sealed box. It was a strange stone that felt cold to the touch.

At that moment, I heard Nayu’s voice from the right.

“Nayu Stretch Stretch.”

“You’re tall enough already. Why are you doing these stretches? Go away!”

“Nayu Stretch Stretch!”

On my monitor, a stretching exercise was playing. To get past the Enlightenment stage, I needed to feel the energy, and it was said that these stretching exercises were good for children at this stage.

They were also said to help children grow taller. Could stretching really help with height? Amazing.

“Hajin Stretch Stretch!”

“I’m determined not to lose!”

“Ugh, stop!”

So, the three of us did three sets of the stretching exercises. As a result, Jamsuni didn’t grow even a centimeter, and, of course, I couldn’t feel anything either.

Is it really right to do children’s exercises for hours like this? In a moment of disillusionment, I turned off the monitor. Nayu seemed disappointed, but I had no choice but to say,

“As expected, this isn’t it.”

“I feel the same way. I guess I’ll just have another glass of milk.”

How on earth am I supposed to feel the yin and yang energies? Yin and yang energy. Yin Qigong, yang Qigong, yin-yang Qigong. Kirieon.

“Oh, right.”

The Qigong sect and Kirieon specialize in yin and yang energy. I hurriedly pressed my smartphone. Are there any cheap Qigong schools nearby?

In the past, Taekwondo schools were popular; now it’s Qigong schools that are in vogue.

These Qigong schools are found in every corner of the country.

Wouldn’t training at one of these Qigong schools help me understand yin and yang energy faster? I quickly pressed my smartphone.

Luckily, there was a Qigong school nearby. I memorized the location of the Qigong school.

***

A month passed like that. For a month, I worked hard to compensate for the scooter I wrecked at Mountain and to save up for the registration fee at the Qigong school.

“Is it here?”

With the money I had saved, I knocked on the door of the Qigong school. When the door opened, a woman who looked like an instructor greeted me.

“Ah, hello. What brings you here?”

“Um, I’m here to join the adult class.”

“The adult class? Ah, we do have an adult class. Our former master was quite remarkable, so there are people who have been attending since then.”

“Former master? Then, who is the current master?”

The woman who looked like an instructor lowered her head.

“Well, I’m the current master. Nice to meet you. My name is Lee Jin-yu.”

Master Lee Jin-yu looked to be in her late twenties. She had a gentle and charming appearance. However, as befitting a Qigong practitioner, there were times when her solid physique showed under her uniform.

“Shall we check your level? How much can you focus your energy? How much yin and yang energy can you sense?”

“Um, well.”

I scratched my head and replied.

“I can’t feel it at all.”

“What? Really? Well, that’s possible. Then you came to the right place. I’ll teach you the basics step by step.”

Led by Master Lee Jin-yu, I paid the registration fee and received my uniform. Training began the very next day.

Master Lee Jin-yu handed me two small stones and said,

“Here, hold these stones.”

I held the two stones. Naturally, I felt nothing.

“Which stone feels hotter?”

“Um, well.”

I cautiously replied,

“I can’t feel anything.”

“It’s okay. Many adults can’t feel this level of yin-yang energy. How about this one?”

Master Lee Jin-yu handed me another stone. Of course, I felt nothing from that stone either.

“This one too.”

“How about this one?”

“This one too. I can’t feel anything.”

Master Lee Jin-yu brought out yet another stone.

“Ouch, hot. This one?”

“I still can’t feel anything.”

Master Jin-yu and I were both feeling dejected. What is this energy, really? I just can’t understand it.

Then Master Jin-yu, her voice trembling, said,

“It’s, it’s okay. The important thing is your determination. An unyielding spirit! No matter how insensitive you are to yin and yang, I’ll bring stones you can feel. For now, shall we start with the basics of Qigong?”

And so, we began learning the basics of Qigong. The basics involved movements designed to help you sense energy more easily.

Ideally, you would hold two stones and feel the heat and cold while performing this dance. They said this would help you realize yin and yang.

When I tried it, it looked a lot like the dance that Kirieon used to perform.

“Wow, you have a knack for moving your body. This completes Qigong Chapter 3.”

“Phew. Thank you for your efforts.”

“No, Hajin, you did a great job.”

With that, the class ended. For a month, the classes went on similarly. Master Jin-yu would bring stones with strong yin and yang, I wouldn’t feel anything, I learned up to Qigong Chapter 20, and I even watched Master Jin-yu’s yang qigong dance.

I also learned about the ranking system of the qigong sect. Kirieon was counted as the first generation, her disciples were the second, and their disciples were the third, and so on.

This hierarchy was absolute in the qigong sect. Those who rebelled against it formed the top-ranked qigong faction.

Who would have known there was such a backstory? Honestly, it was quite interesting.

Time passed by roughly like that. I believed today would pass just the same.

But today was different. There was an uninvited guest at this small dojo.

“Hello…”

“Hey, Jin-yu. You haven’t forgotten the hierarchical order of our qigong sect, have you?”

“I have never forgotten, Sir.”

When I entered the dojo, Master Jin-yu was bowing her head. And it was in front of a man. The man was also wearing the qigong sect’s uniform, indicating he was part of the sect.

“Yet you ignore the words of someone two ranks higher than you?”

Whack—

As the man kicked Master Jin-yu in the stomach, I didn’t hesitate to step in and land a punch on that bastard’s face.

At that moment, Master Jin-yu quickly stood up and stopped me.

“It’s okay, Hajin. This is an internal matter of our qigong sect.”

“But—”

“The discipline in the qigong sect is quite strict.”

I’ve heard about it before. The discipline in the qigong sect is notoriously harsh.

That’s why they say more than ten people commit suicide every year.

Master Jin-yu gave a sad smile before standing at attention again in front of the man. The man smirked at her stance and then delivered a strong punch to her abdomen.

“···.”

My hands trembled. Should I just stand by and watch this?

“Hey, Jin-yu. This is a really good offer for you. Master Kim Dogun is someone who has trained under a disciple of someone who has seen the founder from afar. He’s a 13th-generation master! You don’t understand how honored you should feel to be his concubine. Kids in your generation are lining up for this opportunity.”

“I’m sorry, sir. I have orders from the former master.”

“Orders to keep this rundown dojo? Wasn’t your previous master a 12th-generation?”

The man in the uniform took something out of his pocket. It looked like a portable scanner.

“His orders are now invalid.”

“What? But—”

The man placed the scanner on the floor and then pulled out a book from his pocket. It was an Oriental-style book decorated with gold leaf.

“The lineage of our qigong sect is proven by inherited secret manuals. Do you recognize the lineage of this manual?”

“This foolish disciple does not know.”

But Master Jin-yu’s expression was filled with despair. She seemed to recognize whose manual it was.

The man placed the manual on the scanner. The scanner displayed the words “<9th Generation>.”

“It’s a secret manual from the 9th-generation grand master. You know that transporting such a manual without the master’s permission would cause it to crumble immediately, right? This means the 9th-generation grand master has permitted Master Kim Dogun to take you.”

“Is that so? I understand.”

Master Jin-yu looked like she was about to cry.

Should I just stand by and watch this madness?

Oh, right. I have the secret manual that Kirieon gave me, don’t I?

What generation does that make me in this hierarchy?

As Kirieon’s direct disciple, I should be considered 2nd generation, right?

Am I actually a 2nd-generation senior in the qigong sect? I suddenly felt like I understood how the military hierarchy worked without ever having been in the military.

How dare a junior more than ten generations lower touch the master?

“Good, good. By the day after tomorrow, have this dojo cleaned up and come over to our side. Any complaints?”

“No, no complaints. I wouldn’t dare question the orders of a higher generation.”

“Wait a minute, Master. I have a complaint.”

I grabbed the shoulder of the man in the uniform.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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