Chapter 203

I read through the System message floating before my eyes.

It was the Quest reward notification I hadn’t gotten a chance to check before passing out.

System

• Quest One Step Back was completed successfully!

• You have acquired a large amount of EXP!

• Level Up!

• Level Up!

• You have acquired 20 Bonus Points!

That’s insanely generous.

Two level-ups, plus bonus points. All told, a single Quest had given me the equivalent of roughly four levels.

Maybe the reward was bigger than expected because of who my opponent had been.

Close window.

Shhk.

The translucent holographic window disappeared, revealing Jeok Cheongang walking toward me.

He held the satchel he had brought with him.

“Are you awake?”

“Ah, yes. Just woke up.”

“How does your body feel?”

“Light as a feather.”

Jeok Cheongang looked me up and down, then nodded.

“I suppose young men really do recover quickly. We can move straight on to the next step.”

“Ah, the next step. Sounds good.”

“I knew you’d say that. This old man prepared something perfect for you. Let’s see…”

“Old Master.”

“Hm?”

“I mean, that’s all well and good, but…”

I gave him an awkward smile.

“Could you release my acupoints before we start?”

I meant that literally.

I had no idea what had happened, but my entire body had been frozen stiff ever since I opened my eyes.

Jeok Cheongang had struck my Paralysis Acupoint while I was asleep.

As things stood, the most I could do was speak.

“I’m sure you meant well, but we should probably get started on the next round of training… Heh heh.”

“Ah, yes. Training.”

Jeok Cheongang rummaged through the satchel.

“This is the next round of training.”

“Getting my acupoints sealed is training?”

Or was releasing them supposed to be the training?

While I was trying to figure that out, Jeok Cheongang pulled something from the satchel.

“Here it is. I forgot I’d stuffed it all the way at the bottom.”

“…Isn’t that a rope?”

“That’s right.”

He slung the sturdy rope over his shoulder, strode over, and hoisted me into the air.

“W-Wait. What are you doing?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

He carried me toward a massive boulder.

It had been lodged deep in the earth for who knew how long and was so large that several grown men with their arms outstretched couldn’t have encircled it.

“Hmm. This should do.”

Jeok Cheongang muttered under his breath and brought the edge of his hand down on the boulder.

Shhk. Shhk.

The red Force around his hand sliced the enormous boulder apart like cheesecake. After only a few cuts, he had transformed it into a five-star stone bed.

“This should be just right.”

“W-Wait a second. You’re not planning to tie me to this thing, are you?”

“Tie you? I’m securing you.”

“…”

How was that any different from calling shit feces?

At any rate, I was beginning to tremble.

Actually, the Paralysis Acupoint had been suspicious enough from the beginning. So was the satchel Jeok Cheongang had been rummaging through this whole time.

He’s not actually going to pull out a whip and a mask, is he?

While my pupils quaked, Jeok Cheongang began securing me to the boulder with the rope.

He wound it around various parts of my body, tied it tight, then smiled in satisfaction.

“This should keep you from falling off.”

“Phew.”

“What was that sigh of relief for?”

“I’m relieved it isn’t a tortoise-shell knot.¹”

“A tortoise-shell knot? What’s that?”

“…A type of restraint technique.”

“Restraint? Something they use in the military, I take it.”

“…”

Mostly Japanese guys use it.

Well, whatever.

I was now tied down with my arms and legs spread wide.

Both wrists, both ankles, my chest, stomach, and legs. It really did look as though he was trying to secure me rather than restrain me.

Then again, he already struck my Paralysis Acupoint. There’s no need to tie me up that tightly.

But what the hell was he planning to do?

As my eyes darted around, Jeok Cheongang finally opened the satchel.

At that very moment—

Whoosh!

“Gasp.”

An indescribable fragrance burst from it.

A crisp, refreshing sensation entered through my nose and spread throughout my body, strong enough to cure a chronic case of rhinitis on the spot.

My eyes widened as I stared at the objects inside.

“These are…”

Three roots lay neatly arranged within the satchel.

Jeok Cheongang picked up the reddish roots and laid them across his palm.

“Elixirs.”

“Whoa. Where did you find something this valuable?”

“I searched the storehouse. It was packed to the rafters with useless junk, so finding them was a damn nuisance.”

Mountains of silk, gold, silver, and jewels were nothing but worthless clutter in his eyes.

But he was a martial artist to his very bones. Elixirs or martial arts manuals that could improve his martial arts were another matter entirely.

“To be honest, these elixirs aren’t especially potent. If all you wanted was more internal energy, a hundred-year-old He Shou Wu² or snow ginseng would be far better.”

“Then why…”

“You’re wondering why I bothered bringing these?”

“Yes.”

“Because only these can provide pure Scorching Yang Qi. Swallowing every elixir you can find might increase the amount of your internal energy, but its power would suffer.”

“Oh.”

I thought I understood what he meant.

Put simply, it was a matter of fuel. You could pile on all the firewood you wanted, but oil was what made a fire explode.

What he held wasn’t firewood. It was oil that would further strengthen the Scorching Yang Qi already inside me.

Still, I’m touched.

I hadn’t expected Jeok Cheongang to go this far for me.

For a man as cantankerous as him to endure the hassle of personally selecting and bringing me elixirs filled with Scorching Yang Qi could only mean that he truly intended to teach me the Fire Gate Clan’s martial arts.

And I’m not even officially his Disciple yet.

A man with a warm heart and warm internal energy.

That was the Fire King, Jeok Cheongang.

When he met my heated gaze, he flinched and took a step back.

“W-What’s with that stare?”

“Nothing. You just seem like a really good person, Old Master.”

“…!”

“You brought those for me to eat, right?”

Jeok Cheongang hesitated before answering.

“…They merely caught my eye, so I brought them along.”

“I see.”

“This old man kept the better ones for himself.”

“Yes. Heh heh.”

“Stop laughing!”

Jeok Cheongang barked, then hastily changed the subject.

“A-Anyway, this old man will now use these elixirs to open your acupoints.”

I had been thinking of teasing him a little more, but what he’d just said sounded serious. My ears perked up before I knew it.

“You’re going to open my acupoints?”

“You heard me. When this old man examined your body before, your muscles and bones were exceptional, just as one would expect of the Heavenly Martial Physique, but you had a considerable amount of turbid qi inside you.”

“Oh.”

“I heard that until recently, you spent your life drowning in wine and women. Even the finest sword will lose its edge if neglected for too long. The Heavenly Martial Physique is no exception.”

I couldn’t deny it.

The Jin Family’s Cultivation Technique was extremely stable, but it lacked power and efficiency when circulating internal energy.

I circulated my qi whenever I had the chance, but the traces left by twenty years of slacking off had yet to disappear.

“Then…”

“This old man will use the elixirs and my internal energy to burn every last bit of turbid qi from your body. For you, it should be far more effective than cleansing the sinews and washing the marrow.³”

“That’s welcome news.”

“I doubt you’ll find it quite so welcome.”

“What?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

Before I could say anything else, he sealed my Mute Acupoint. My tongue went rigid, trapping a silent cry inside my mouth.

What the hell is this?

Now I really was a corpse with its eyes open.

Jeok Cheongang grinned down at me as I lay frozen like a plaster statue.

“First, let’s get those elixirs into you.”

His wrinkled fingers pried open my jaw and slipped all three roots into my mouth.

For a moment, the taste of dirt and a crisp coolness filled my mouth. Then the hard roots melted the instant they touched my tongue and flowed down my throat into my stomach.

The next moment—

Ding.

System

• You have consumed Fire Spirit Grass!

• You have consumed Red Flower Grass!

• You have consumed Flame Red Grass!

• Quest Acupoint Opening has been created!

• You cannot refuse this Quest. Forced progression will begin!

Gah!

System notifications rang out one after another as tremendous heat swept through my body.

Only then did I understand what Jeok Cheongang had meant.

It fucking hurts!

With my acupoints sealed, I couldn’t scream or thrash around. All I could do was stare wide-eyed.

Just as I hurriedly tried to draw up my internal energy, Jeok Cheongang rolled up his worn sleeves.

“All right, then. Shall we begin in earnest?”

“…!”

“Bear with it, no matter how much it hurts. Pain is temporary, but martial arts last a lifetime.”

Tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap!

His fingers blurred as they jabbed and tapped all over my body.

Each impact scattered my internal energy, allowing the unfamiliar energy of the elixirs to race through me. Trapped in the boiling heat, I screamed without a sound.

AAAAAAAAARGH!

Unlike Jin Taekyung’s bloodshot eyes, strained by unbearable pain, Jeok Cheongang’s gleamed with fervor.

It’s proceeding smoothly. No, explosively.

Was this the Heavenly Martial Physique at work?

The speed at which the internal energy spread was astonishing. The more than thirty years of energy contained within the elixirs ran wild through every minor meridian in Jin Taekyung’s body.

Jin Taekyung tried to raise his own internal energy and suppress it, but that was not what Jeok Cheongang wanted.

He can tame it later. For now, it must be allowed to run wild.

A tamed fighting bull sometimes forgot how to charge.

The newly infused energy of thirty years had to break through everything in its path without restriction.

The attempt was dangerous enough that a single mistake could cause qi deviation. Even Jeok Cheongang, a Supreme Peak master, swallowed dryly as his fingers continued to move.

Gyeonjeong, Amun, Bongan, Ip-dong…

Tap. Tap-tap!

Following his guidance, hundreds of acupoints opened and closed over and over. Before long, black sweat poured from Jin Taekyung’s entire body, accompanied by a musty odor.

The stench was vile enough to make even someone with an iron stomach gag, but the corners of Jeok Cheongang’s mouth twitched with delight.

It worked!

This was proof that a tremendous amount of turbid qi was being expelled.

As if to confirm his conclusion, the sweat gradually lightened and the stench slowly faded.

Before long, the sweat became clear, and a pleasant body scent wafted through the air. Astonishment filled Jeok Cheongang’s eyes.

Already?

It was fast. Far too fast.

The process he had expected to take at least three shichen⁴ was already nearing completion in less than one.

Even more astonishing was the fact that the energy of the elixirs had barely diminished.

Ordinarily, a considerable amount of energy would be lost in the process of purging the turbid qi and circulating what remained.

Jin Taekyung was different.

As expected of the Heavenly Martial Physique… It truly lives up to its name.

At this rate, he could remove all the turbid qi and still gain the full thirty years of internal energy.

Yet instead of satisfaction, greed and indecision filled Jeok Cheongang’s eyes.

What if we push further?

The Conception Vessel and the Governor Vessel—the mountain known collectively as the Conception and Governor Vessels.

It was a realm most martial artists of the Murim could not reach even after devoting their entire lives to training.

Breaking through it required both enormous internal energy and enlightenment, but it might be possible now.

The Heavenly Martial Physique. And my help.

Even so, attempting to open the Conception and Governor Vessels at once was dangerous.

Leaving everything else aside, Jeok Cheongang’s greatest concern was whether Jin Taekyung could withstand the pain.

What should I do?

After agonizing over it again and again, Jeok Cheongang finally spoke.

“I think you can open the Conception and Governor Vessels.”

“…!”

Jin Taekyung’s bloodshot eyes trembled as he endured the pain. Unable to answer, he could only listen as Jeok Cheongang continued.

“But you’ll have to accept the risks that come with it. The pain will likely be beyond anything you’ve experienced so far. A single mistake could cost you your life.”

“…”

“The choice is yours. If you trust this old man and wish to leave it in my hands, blink twice.”

The next moment, Jin Taekyung blinked without hesitation.

Two blinks, without the slightest trace of doubt.

Seeing the unwavering trust in his eyes, Jeok Cheongang felt something warm rise within his chest.

Has this brat truly trusted me that deeply?

Suppressing the swell of emotion, he forced the corners of his mouth upward.

“All right. Let’s give it a try.”

At the same time, an immense torrent of internal energy flowed from his fingertips into Jin Taekyung’s body.

Ding.

System

• Information for Quest Acupoint Opening has changed!

• Quest Conception and Governor Vessels has been created! The difficulty and rewards have been adjusted to reflect the updated information!

As I listened to the System notification, one thought crossed my mind.

No, fuck…

I was sure I’d only blinked once.