So-san, a Second-Generation Disciple of the Starpoint Sect, was feeling a subtle sense of incongruity.
The source of that incongruity was Baek Hyun, the Initiate Disciple he was instructing.
Among the countless Initiate Disciples of the Starpoint Sect, he possessed particularly outstanding talent that stood out.
With behavior and demeanor mature beyond his years, he was subtly favored even by the strict Senior Brothers of Azure Cloud Pavilion, making him the top prospect of this cohort.
He already played the role of the de facto leader among the Initiate Disciples and was a boy who naturally drew attention.
However, the current Baek Hyun was different from his usual extraordinary self in some indefinable way.
His skin, already clean and neat like that of a child from a renowned noble family, now shone with a luster free of even the slightest blemish.
His features, handsome enough to call striking, had been refined even further, giving off the air of a noble young master from a novel.
Above all, a warm and comforting aura, impossible to describe in words, was subtly emanating from his entire body.
A drastic change that was impossible to believe had happened overnight.
In the end, as soon as training ended that day, So-san had no choice but to call Baek Hyun aside.
"You seem quite different from yesterday. What happened? Did you consume some precious spirit medicine from the mountains?"
"Hmm... I'm not sure how to explain this."
In response to So-san's question, Baek Hyun hesitated for a moment before replying in a slightly uncertain voice.
His expression suggested even he himself had no idea what was going on.
"I was just meditating quietly on a secluded peak... and suddenly an immense light burst forth, and my body changed like this."
"...There's no way something like that could happen without consuming a peerless spirit medicine. Are you lying to me?"
"Why would I do that? I have no idea why this happened either, so I was planning to consult the Senior Brothers after training ended."
With those words, Baek Hyun unhesitatingly extended his forearm.
It was an invitation to check his meridians with internal energy.
For a martial artist, allowing another to probe their meridians required immense trust.
Knowing Baek Hyun's usual conduct, So-san channeled his internal energy into the boy's acupoints with half doubt and half belief.
-Fwoosh!!
"Gasp!?"
He could only gasp in shock.
The moment So-san's internal energy flowed into Baek Hyun, an astonishingly hot extreme yang energy incinerated the foreign qi entirely.
'W-what is this...? Baek Hyun hasn't learned any heart method with yang properties yet!'
Yang energy was immensely powerful, but if not handled properly, it could consume its user—a dangerous force.
Thus, even in the Starpoint Sect, which primarily dealt with yang energy, they only taught proper handling after foundational training was complete.
For this cohort of Initiate Disciples, who had only begun training a few weeks ago, yang-based martial arts were years away.
Even if they had learned it, having such intense fiery yang energy flowing through the body was impossible.
No heart method of the Starpoint Sect allowed the body to harbor yang energy that pure and hot.
Intense fiery yang energy was a weapon in itself.
Letting it flow through meridians and store it in the dantian was akin to pumping lava through one's veins instead of blood.
Impossible for ordinary martial artists, and even if possible, fraught with extreme danger.
But what of the Baek Hyun before him?
'No side effects at all—he looks perfectly at ease. No... he's purifying his body and gaining vitality through the yang energy in his meridians!'
Was this even possible?
Could such a change occur in a child who had barely begun learning martial arts?
Faced with a situation that shattered his common sense, So-san momentarily froze, forgetting even his position as a senior.
And soon after, he realized something.
This was not something he could handle alone.
"W-well... let's hear what the other Senior Brothers have to say first."
To resolve the absurd situation he faced, So-san sought help from the other Senior Brothers and Senior Disciples in Azure Cloud Pavilion.
But their reactions were no different from his own.
"W-what the hell...? You're really fine? No, how are you unharmed with this heat coursing through your meridians!?"
"More than that, why is there a middle dantian near your heart? I haven't even formed one yet..."
"What is that? It's scary. How did you do it?"
The Second-Generation Disciples who gathered at So-san's desperate plea repeatedly probed Baek Hyun's meridians in shock.
But no matter how much they examined, the reality before them did not change.
Baek Hyun, an Initiate Disciple of the Starpoint Sect, had overnight gained a middle dantian—the hallmark of a supreme expert—
and fiery yang energy that even most peerless masters could not easily handle.
After taking turns examining Baek Hyun, the disciples in charge of Azure Cloud Pavilion sent him back first and held a meeting among themselves.
"Even after checking myself, I can't believe it. Who would have thought a child that age could possess such a body."
"Maybe he used some forbidden sorcery..."
"Don't talk nonsense. We'd have noticed immediately. And if he had, would Baek Hyun have let us probe him so willingly?"
"Ugh, I know it's ridiculous, but how else do you explain it? No trace of spirit medicine energy, so how did that child acquire such a bizarre physique?"
"'Bizarre' is the perfect word. Especially since even he doesn't know what's going on. What on earth could it be?"
As the Second-Generation Disciples busily exchanged opinions to uncover the reason for Baek Hyun's changed body,
Hyun-gang, the Pavilion Master of Azure Cloud Pavilion, who had been deep in thought, finally spoke.
"It seems... Baek Hyun was born with the Solar Body."
'!!'
In the midst of no one providing a clear answer, the shocking opinion from the First-Generation Disciple Hyun-gang.
The Second-Generation Disciples were uniformly stunned.
"S-Solar Body...? The legendary constitution said to be innate to the descendants of the Divine Archer Hou Yi!?"
"I-it does make sense if it's the Solar Body, but... does that constitution really exist!?"
Seeing his juniors unable to hide their excitement, Hyun-gang let out a small sigh and continued.
Normally, he would have chided them for losing composure as Daoists, but this event was so astonishing that even he found it hard to maintain decorum.
"Hundreds of years ago, the Heavenly Yang Emperor Lord Dan Sa-pyeong, the supreme ruler of his era and first emperor of the Dali Kingdom, was also said to have been born with the Solar Body.
His descendants in the Dali imperial family strove for generations to recreate his martial arts, resulting in the peerless 'One Yang Divine Art.'
Yet until the kingdom's fall, no one reached Dan Sa-pyeong's level."
The reason was obvious, of course.
"The Solar Body exists. And at this very moment, it has appeared before us as an Initiate Disciple of the Starpoint Sect."
As Hyun-gang finished speaking, the Second-Generation Disciples held their breath.
A once-in-centuries prodigy had entered the Starpoint Sect of their own accord, without any artificial intervention.
Wasn't it as if heaven itself had entrusted a newborn sun to the Starpoint Sect!!
"If that's true, what tremendous fortune for our sect!! For the owner of the Solar Body to come to us naturally... This must be fate!!"
"But why did the ability manifest so suddenly? If he was born with the Solar Body, shouldn't he have been like this from the start?"
"It's not that strange. Even the Heavenly Martial Body is just slightly extraordinary without martial arts training. Through these past weeks of training, the dormant potential of his Solar Body has finally awakened!"
"Indeed... that makes sense. They say even a tiger raised as a dog becomes a dog. From that perspective, Baek Hyun joining the Starpoint Sect is part of the natural flow!"
Excitement was evident on the faces of the Second-Generation Disciples.
They chatted animatedly about Baek Hyun, reveling in joy.
For them, filled with pride in their sect, the appearance of a Solar Body after centuries—and as their junior—was the best possible news.
Jealousy or envy only arises among those of similar age and talent.
Among the fully grown adult martial artists that were the Second-Generation Disciples, none disliked the arrival of a brilliant talent to the sect.
However, First-Generation Disciple Hyun-gang could not simply rejoice purely at the arrival of such a prodigy as his grandson-disciple.
"...For the time being, we won't reveal that Baek Hyun has the Solar Body. Training and treatment will remain the same as before."
'!!'
At Hyun-gang's unexpected declaration—he who held full authority on this matter—the Second-Generation Disciples were at a loss.
"What do you mean, Senior Brother? Shouldn't we report this to the Sect Leader and elders and discuss Baek Hyun's treatment together?"
"Baek Hyun is truly one in a million. Raising a phoenix among sparrows harms both the phoenix and the sparrows!"
Despite the Second-Generation Disciples' objections, Hyun-gang calmly continued, explaining why it had to be this way.
"There are too many in this world who won't welcome that child's existence. To Starpoint, the young sun is a great blessing, but to our enemies, he's a truly irritating presence."
"! You mean the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace?"
"All evil sects, the Demonic Cult, and so on. Perhaps even some in our own righteous faction might view him unfavorably.
Within Starpoint territory, we can protect him from any grudge, but we can't guard him forever."
At Hyun-gang's words, all the Second-Generation Disciples belatedly fell silent.
Even for the Starpoint Sect, the Solar Body was too conspicuous to protect completely.
"But we can't hide it forever, can we? Eventually, the world will learn Baek Hyun has the Solar Body..."
"It doesn't matter. We just hide it until he grows somewhat. Once a phoenix takes flight, no one can bring it down. And a divine beast like a phoenix will soar naturally if it doesn't stray from the righteous path.
Excessive intervention would only ruin him. We just show him the right path and protect him from threats. That alone will let Starpoint soar with him."
Hyun-gang gazed at the fiercely burning sun for a moment before continuing.
"In any case, during the mountain entry exam, the Sect Leader and elders will notice his talent. For now, let's watch quietly. See how far he can fly on his own."
"""Yes, Senior Brother!"""
And so, Baek Hyun's treatment was decided in a subtly nuanced yet firm manner.