95.
The Wall of the Upper Dantian and Yun Dam's Counsel**
The news that the decisive battle at Poyang Lake was scheduled several months away unsettled the entire army—
but for one man, it brought an unexpected sense of relief.
That man was Park Seong-jin.
As he returned to his tent, he felt his breath settle smoothly for the first time in a long while.
There is time.
Right now, study matters more than war.
The battlefield had always driven him forward amid storms of momentum and emotion.
Because of that, he had repeatedly brushed against the sensation of reaching the upper dantian.
Yet whenever battle ceased and seated meditation began, that sensation drifted away.
As urgency faded, it felt as though the door itself closed.
Each night, he practiced sword forms hundreds of times.
He emptied himself, swinging the blade in a state of no-self.
Then he sat again in meditation, observing the quiet energy gathering beneath his chest with each breath.
Still, the upper dantian remained unmoved—
like a firmly shut door.
When touched, it trembled, then returned to stillness.
Park Seong-jin could not understand it.
On the battlefield, mixed with killing intent and turbulent energies, the upper dantian had tried again and again to rise.
In meditation, momentum subsided; forcing it only left a broad trace before everything fell back.
After repeated attempts, he set the sword aside.
"Why is it so difficult?"
For the first time, the weight of cultivation pressed down on him.
A loneliness like drifting alone on a vast sea washed over him.
Then, a quiet presence appeared outside the tent.
"Captain Park."
It was Yun Dam.
He had clearly been observing from afar.
"This is not a matter of the body."
Park Seong-jin lifted his head.
Yun Dam spoke slowly.
"The upper dantian is not a door opened by force."
"It is not something you pile up and break through."
He turned his palm upward, pointing to empty space.
"It is a door that opens on its own, when a person's inner self returns to its proper place."
"On its own?"
"Without conscious effort?"
Park Seong-jin asked,
"Then where should I place my focus?"
Yun Dam answered calmly.
"That, too, is something I cannot teach you."
Confusion flickered in Park Seong-jin's eyes.
Yun Dam continued.
"No one can open the upper dantian for another."
"Each person's depths, shadows, and inner currents must find their own path."
He added,
"Throughout history, those who opened that door are few—and each walked a different road."
At last, Yun Dam placed a hand on Park Seong-jin's shoulder.
"General Park, this is a rare moment for you to look deeply into yourself."
"The war has paused, your momentum is rising, and your body stands at the threshold."
His voice lowered.
"The one knocking on the door of the upper dantian is your own heart."
Park Seong-jin bowed silently.
Yun Dam's words resonated through his chest.
That night, for the first time in a long while, Park Seong-jin assumed a seated posture and turned his gaze deeply inward.
He Must Be Drawn Away from the Battlefield — Lee In-jung's Petition
The skies over Yangzhou were overcast.
After hearing of Park Seong-jin's condition, Lee In-jung deliberated long before hardening his resolve.
If Seong-jin remains on the battlefield like this, it's dangerous.
No one understood Park Seong-jin's momentum better than he did.
And he sensed instinctively that it was now moving in a perilous direction.
Though he was a senior general of the Goryeo army, to Park Seong-jin he remained an elder brother of the same lineage.
That night, he quietly made his way to Chen Youliang's main camp.
Despite defeat, Chen Youliang maintained the dignity of a supreme commander.
He had been reflecting repeatedly on Park Seong-jin's exploits—and the strange aura that had begun to surround him.
When Lee In-jung entered, Chen Youliang rose to greet him.
"Senior General, what brings you here at this hour? Were you not in Yangzhou?"
Lee In-jung bowed deeply—
a gesture rare among generals, almost personal.
"Your Majesty, I have a petition."
Chen Youliang's eyes narrowed.
Lee In-jung exhaled once and spoke.
"Captain Park Seong-jin is currently searching for a way to contain the energy he gained on the battlefield."
Chen Youliang had already suspected as much.
"I have sensed something unusual around that young general as well."
Lee In-jung continued.
"He is a junior I have watched since childhood."
"There is a bond between us as elder and younger brothers in study."
He lowered his voice further.
"Now is the time for quiet immersion more than anything else."
"It is a critical moment."
"He must be removed from the battlefield, to a place close to sky and water, where his mind can settle."
"While there is still room, a quiet refuge must be prepared."
Chen Youliang listened in silence.
Lee In-jung added carefully,
"I would take him myself—but he is now under Your Majesty's command, and I cannot move him at will."
After a pause, Lee In-jung finally laid his heart bare.
"Therefore, I ask this of you."
"Please allow him to be withdrawn from the battlefield for a time."
His voice trailed off.
He knew how heavy this request was—asking to remove the army's greatest asset from combat.
Chen Youliang remained silent for a long while.
Park Seong-jin is the last pillar of my army.
If I remove him, the army may waver again.
But another thought followed.
If that young man opens his realm too early, he could fall into deviation and lose his life.
To lose him in this war would be the greatest loss of all.
Lee In-jung bowed again.
"This is not merely a personal request."
"It is also in Your Majesty's interest—to employ Park Seong-jin in a complete state during the decisive battle."
Chen Youliang's eyes glinted.
"…The decisive battle."
At those words, the balance tipped.
He raised a hand, dismissing the attendants.
When they were alone, he nodded quietly.
"Your words have merit, Senior General."
Lee In-jung lifted his head.
Chen Youliang said,
"There is a small hermitage along the route to Poyang Lake."
"The river there is shallow, spring water flows, and the air of war does not reach it."
"A suitable place for cultivation."
Lee In-jung released a long breath, as though a stone had fallen from his chest.
Chen Youliang smiled faintly.
"Removing Park Seong-jin does not sit lightly with me."
"But as I now think in terms of Poyang Lake, I will first restrain his impatience."
His gaze hardened.
"To win the decisive battle, that young general must stand whole."
Lee In-jung closed his eyes and bowed deeply.
"My thanks. Truly…"
Chen Youliang added,
"Let this remain secret."
"Tell Captain Park only that his duties are temporarily adjusted."
"I will remember."
"You take him. I will manage matters from behind."
In the brief silence between them, a heated trust passed unspoken.
At last, Chen Youliang spoke softly.
"When the decisive battle comes, ensure that Zhang Shicheng strikes Zhu Yuanzhang from behind."
Lee In-jung understood at once.
Support would be given for cultivation—
but when the final battle arrived, participation was not optional.
"I am doing all I can."