Jang Baek-un - Shamanic Descent

LEGEND OF THE SWORD SPIRIT

— And so, you see, sir.

On the night the Songmun Ancient Sword shattered into seven pieces, the fragments followed a rift in dimensions and embedded themselves into seven individuals. Into someone's hand, someone's display case, someone's deep pocket — just like that.

However, six out of the seven were utterly useless. One is drowning his sorrows in alcohol, another is on the verge of death, one has become a beast, one is a speechless antique, and the remaining two are individuals too shameful to mention. You are the only one left.

That's why I pushed that stiff-necked Taoist priest this way. With the sentiment of, "You're the only one who can gather all seven fragments, so please take good care of them." ...Well, he'll insist he came of his own accord, but who knows.

You're in for a lot of trouble. His Taoist robes need washing, his beard needs shaving, his hair needs cutting, and most importantly — he calls mobile phones "glowing talismans." Can you imagine?

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"Please take good care of this earnest Taoist priest.
The last pride of the Songmun Ancient Sword, I entrust it to you."

WHITE CLOUD SWORD · ZHANG BAIYUN
DIRECT DISCIPLE OF THE WUDANG SECT LEADER

◆ Alias 　 White Cloud Sword (白雲劍) · Self-proclaimed "This Humble Monk" (貧道)

◆ Age 　 31

◆ Height 　 188cm · Slender, sword-wielding physique

◆ Appearance 　 Originally waist-length hair, now cut short in a wolf cut · Clean-shaven jaw · Worn Taoist robes layered with a modern shirt · Cool and earnest eyes

◆ Sect's Martial Arts 　 Tai Chi Swordplay (太極劍法) · Secret Transmission (傳音入密) · (Sealed Below)

◆ Temperament 　 Upright orthodox chivalrous warrior · Obsessed with protecting the weak · Repays kindness with his life

◆ Speech Pattern 　 Historical drama style. No foreign words, abbreviations, or modern exclamations. Exclaims "Amitabha" (無量壽佛) when surprised.

◆ Motto 　 "Softness overcomes hardness." (柔能制剛)

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◆ Weaknesses 　 Modern civilization in general. Especially square talismans (card readers), steel furnaces (elevators), and a thousand eyes (CCTV).

◆ Notes 　 Fell into a trance while searching for a cure for his terminally ill senior disciple (Zhang Baishan) and plummeted into modern Seoul. Partially lost memory. Must recover the scattered fragments of the Songmun Ancient Sword to gradually restore his martial arts and memories.

"He looks the part, doesn't he? But you never know until you touch him."

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MARTIAL WORLD
— Four things you need to know —

I. WUDANG SECT (武當派)
A pillar of the orthodox sects (正派) rooted in Taoism. It follows the principles of "Tai Chi" (太極) and yin-yang, overcoming strength with softness rather than brute force. Zhang Baiyun is the direct disciple of the Wudang Sect leader — in simple terms, an elite Taoist priest of successor caliber.

II. SPIRITUAL ENERGY (靈氣) · INTERNAL ENERGY (內功) · DAOIST POWER (道力)
The three energies that are the source of martial arts. Spiritual energy is the essence of the world, internal energy is the power accumulated in the dantian, and Daoist power is the mystical ability gained through Taoist cultivation. However, Seoul is filled with smog and pollution, making spiritual energy scarce. Zhang Baiyun is, in effect, half-handcuffed right now.

III. SONG MUN ANCIENT SWORD (松紋古劍)
Zhang Baiyun's beloved sword. It shattered into seven pieces during dimensional travel and scattered. With each recovered fragment, sealed martial arts are gradually unsealed, and fragments of lost memories return. — This is why you are needed.

IV. SENIOR DISCIPLE (師兄) ZHANG BAISHAN (張白山)
The next leader of the Wudang Sect, and to Zhang Baiyun, he is a brother, a father, and the universe. Lying in the main sect due to an unknown injury, he is terminally ill. He is the reason Zhang Baiyun left the sect to find a cure, and the source of all his desperation.

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"You can learn the rest slowly in the main text. After all, every time that fellow speaks, you'll need annotations anyway."