Chapter 5: Even an Iron Tree Can Bloom

Just days before the start of the first lunar month.

"Greetings, Patriarch!"

The heavy silence of the chamber was suddenly broken by a figure materialized out of thin air, dropping into a deep, respectful bow before the leader of the Seo Family. It was a man clad in a dark, tight-cuffed martial robe, emblazoned with faint qilin patterns.

"The Young Master trains with absolute diligence, and his rate of improvement is truly astonishing, my lord."

The Patriarch wasn't nearly as shocked as he had been the first time Seo Gun-Woo, the commander of the Seo Family army, delivered this news. Every daily report was somehow better than the last. It was getting to the point where the Patriarch half-wondered if this disciplined boy was even his real son. He simply couldn't fathom such a radical transformation.

Yet, despite his disbelief, he and his wife had never felt a more profound joy. Although it went against the main family's traditions to actively practice martial arts—having deliberately isolated themselves from the brutal Martial World—the Patriarch was more than willing to break those ancient rules if it meant Jin-Woon was finally walking a righteous path.

"Even I, someone considered a veteran martial master, pale in comparison to the Young Master's sheer talent. I am certain of it, my lord."

"Ho..."

The Patriarch let out a hearty laugh, stroking his beard. Even the famously strict Commander Seo Gun-Woo smiled.

"He may be talented, but do not let him slack off, Gun-Woo." The Patriarch suppressed his overflowing joy, forcing a serious tone.

"Of course I won't, my lord."

The Patriarch turned his gaze toward the growing, bright moon outside his window. He let out a long, deep sigh, as if finally releasing a heavy burden he had cooped up inside himself for years.

"It seems the moon is piercing the clouds, at last."

Under a night sky illuminated by a bright moon and countless twinkling stars, a bare-chested figure strolled across the quiet grounds of the Seo Family estate.

Growl.

"Ugh... I would kill to eat some actual food," he muttered.

Just the thought of those bland fasting pills—the only thing he had consumed for an entire month of closed-door seclusion—made Jin-Woon involuntarily shudder.

‘And don’t even get me started on the actual training...’

He gulped, pushing the nightmarish memories of Commander Seo Gun-Woo's relentless regimen to the back of his mind.

Yet, despite the lingering ache in his newly forged muscles and the hollow emptiness in his stomach, his mood was incredibly bright. In fact, he felt lighter and more alive than he had in months, having finally shed his heavy past as the ultimate slacker.

Freshly bathed, he devoured the sprawling meal like a famished tiger.

"Mmmmm... I missed the taste of real meat so much!" he groaned, drool still pooling in his mouth even as he aggressively chewed.

‘If I just had a jar of good liquor to wash this down, it would be perfect—No! No, forget it. I’ve changed. Or at least, I am changing.’

Jin-Woon violently shook his head, physically tossing the craving aside. It was exactly that blind love for fine wine that had fueled his days as a carefree wastrel, dragging him into gambling dens and destroying his public face. Enduring an entire month on nothing but dry fasting pills inside the Reflection Chamber hadn't just tempered his muscles; it seemed to have reforged his mentality as well.

Rustle. Rustle. Several bright green leaves drifted through the open window, floating gently into Jin-Woon's private chamber. Caught in the warm, flickering lamplight, the simple, quiet sight felt entirely mesmerizing to him.

"The breeze is incredibly soothing tonight."

He stood by the window for a long moment, simply letting the cool air wash over him. It was a stark contrast to the suffocating, heavy silence of the Reflection Chamber. Feeling a surge of restless energy, Jin-Woon eventually stepped out of his pavilion and strolled through the quiet courtyard. He moved with a steady, grounded stride, silently taking in the sprawling Seo Family estate perfectly illuminated beneath the bright, watchful moon.

Jin-Woon soon found himself standing before the martial training courtyards near his residence. In the past, he would barricade himself inside his room the moment the Seo Family army began their strenuous daily regimens. He had completely ignored them, convinced that martial arts were an exhausting, dangerous waste of time. While he had outgrown his childhood fear of the heavily armored soldiers, he still went out of his way to avoid their sweat-soaked routines. Yet today, as he finally took in the full sight of the training grounds, that old discomfort was completely gone.

He stepped down into the sunken training pit, walking slowly across the wide courtyard as he truly examined his surroundings for the first time.

The deep, violent notches carved into the stone floor by heavy blades. The splintered remains of half-broken wooden dummies. The massive racks lined with every weapon imaginable, standing silently before the commander's platform.

The current Jin-Woon saw all of this in an entirely new light. Standing alone in the deserted courtyard, his heart settled into a profound, undisturbed stillness. He slowly clenched his fists.

‘To think I was the idiot all along.’

‘Why do these idiots strain their bodies just to swing heavy weapons? Don't they value their own lives? Why don't they just enjoy their family's wealth and spend their days in peace?’

Those were the exact thoughts he used to harbor, back when he was perfectly content living as the ultimate slacker. That was, of course, before his fiancée had quite literally beaten some sense into him, forcing his mindset onto the right track.

Now, he finally understood the absolute truth of the Murim.

"Big fish eat little fish."

For his entire life, Jin-Woon had never been forced to face that harsh reality. Shielded entirely by the overwhelming prestige of the Seo Family name, his mischievous antics had always gone unpunished. He had never been mistreated or genuinely challenged.

Until the Yun Family.

"No need to dwell on the past anymore," he muttered, shaking the bitter memory away.

He approached a solid wooden dummy resting in the corner, and hauled the heavy, human-sized target toward the center of the open courtyard.

‘Hmm. Now I can strike however I want.’

Jin-Woon casually cracked his knuckles, a confident smirk playing on his lips.

For the past month inside the Reflection Chamber, his only targets had been the empty air and Commander Seo Gun-Woo. Yet, no matter how much of his newly refined strength he poured into his fists, he couldn’t make the iron-blooded commander budge a single inch. Even though Gun-Woo had genuinely praised his growing power, Jin-Woon wasn't satisfied in the slightest.

‘How can he call my progress astonishing when my punches didn't even tickle him?’

He shook his head, physically tossing the lingering frustration aside.

"Hoo… Inner peace."

Jin-Woon closed his eyes, recalling the profound teachings his master had drilled into him.

"The pinnacle of the martial path is not found in the rigid strike, but the still mind; only water that is completely undisturbed can perfectly reflect the heavens."

Phew.

He let out a long, slow breath, completely clearing his mind of all distractions until only the dummy remained in his sights.

He dropped into a low, stable stance, his body moving on pure instinct. Drawing his clenched right fist back to his hip, he extended his lead arm forward, palm facing sideways to guard his center. His gaze locked fiercely onto the chest of the wooden dummy.

Once he stabilized in the posture—a stance now permanently burned into his muscle memory thanks to his grueling closed-door seclusion—he unleashed a swift, full-force strike. As he punched, the world seemed to slow; his mind was so still that he could perfectly trace the devastating path of his fist through the empty air.

Thud.

A dull, heavy echo rang out as his knuckles slammed into the dummy's chest. A split second later, a sharp, violent noise shattered the absolute silence of the training courtyards.

CRACK.

"Hah!" he gasped, his eyes wide. "I did it!"

Staring at the jagged fissure splintering outward from the center of the solid wood, Jin-Woon felt a surge of genuine, hard-earned pride for the very first time in his life.