Chapter 205

How long had I been unconscious?

My body felt as light as a feather, and my mind was clear. It felt as though I’d only slept for a moment, yet the world had changed a great deal while I was out.

What’s going on?

The room held only simple furniture and a few decorations. The faint scent of fresh timber lingered in the recently built room.

It was a familiar sight, one I’d seen countless times before. Yet it had never felt so strange.

This is…

I looked around, my eyes trembling.

I could feel qi saturating the air, and everything around me was so bright that it was as if someone had implanted night-vision goggles in my eyes.

Even the moon beyond the latticed window seemed bizarre.

Why was the moon out when it was this bright? Wasn’t that actually the sun?

I sat there in a daze for a long while, as though bewitched, before finally realizing the truth.

“Oh.”

This world—the Murim—was exactly as I remembered it. Nothing had changed except me.

A small voice slipped from my lips before I realized it.

“The Conception and Governor Vessels…”

When a blocked tunnel is opened, light pours in.

Anyone accustomed to the darkness inside would naturally find that light strange. That was exactly how I felt now.

Only after removing the enormous obstacle known as the Conception and Governor Vessels could I finally see a light I’d never known existed.

“You’re awake.”

The owner of the sudden voice stood leaning against the doorway.

There wasn’t even a lamp in the room, yet I could make out every age spot and wrinkle covering his face.

“Old Master.”

The Fire King, Jeok Cheongang, answered as if he’d been waiting for me.

“Yeah.”

“You’re really old.”

For a moment, he was struck speechless. I added one more thing.

“And strong. Stronger than anyone I’ve ever seen.”

This wasn’t an attempt to take back what I’d just said, nor was it empty flattery. I meant it with one hundred percent sincerity.

Now that I had opened the Conception and Governor Vessels, I could glimpse, however faintly, the terrifying martial arts hidden within that small frame.

“Ahem. You’re stating the obvious.”

Jeok Cheongang cleared his throat in embarrassment and changed the subject.

“So, how do you feel?”

“Fantastic.”

There was no need to read a System message or circulate my internal energy to examine my body. I could feel it the moment I opened my eyes.

The corners of his mouth twitched at my immediate answer.

“Of course you do. Do you have any idea how much trouble this old man went through—no, I handled it with ease, but it’s still not something just anyone could do. Indeed.”

“……”

“I’m telling the truth!”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“That look on your face is disrespectful! That look!”

That was because his intentions were painfully obvious.

His martial arts might be unfathomable, but his personality was completely transparent.

Violent and impossibly eccentric, yet surprisingly easy to understand—that was how I saw Jeok Cheongang.

“I have ptosis, so people often misunderstand my expression.”

I put on an utterly shameless face and denied everything. Jeok Cheongang began to snort.

“Why is everyone here like this? That so-called Lesser Family Head keeps neglecting major family business to come by and see you, and those physicians are all quacks who do nothing but gossip about whether you’re going to live or die.”

“Wait. Die? Did someone get seriously hurt?”

“Who else would it be?”

At his meaningful stare, I asked with a sinking feeling:

“Are you talking about me?”

“That’s right. The whole place was in an uproar for the past seven days and nights. If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve shoved you under a rock until you came to your senses.”

I didn’t even hear the rest. I blinked at him in a daze.

“I was unconscious for seven whole days and nights?”

“Not seven whole days and nights. Only seven. I thought you’d be lying there for at least a month, but the Heavenly Martial Physique truly is remarkable.”

“This isn’t some kind of side effect, is it?”

“Listen to the insolence in this brat’s voice. I went through all that trouble to open your Conception and Governor Vessels, and what do I get? ‘Side effect’?”

“You just said you handled it with ease.”

Jeok Cheongang froze, then shouted:

“That’s beside the point! Even after you take a shit, you still have to wipe your ass. I removed all the turbid qi that had been piling up inside your body, layer upon layer. Obviously, you’d need time to adjust to your new body!”

“……”

He was so worked up that the analogy was a little strange, but I understood what he meant.

Some kind of optimization process, maybe?

Come to think of it, it would be strange for someone on the verge of death to leap to his feet just because his Conception and Governor Vessels had been opened. Even after leveling up, mental fatigue could still build up and knock a person unconscious.

Even so, an entire week?

“Then the gathering must be over.”

“The gathering—or half a gathering—ended three days ago.”

Still visibly sulking, Jeok Cheongang continued:

“That fellow Ak Bulgun is still here.”

I tilted my head at the unexpected name.

Ak Bulgun, an instructor at Heaven’s Gate Temple, had originally come to the Jin Family of Taiyuan to take Jin Mukyung back.

Could he really be planning to wait until Jin Mukyung finished his seclusion?

“Why is Sir Ak still here?”

“Ask him yourself.”

“Come on. I was wrong, so stop being angry and tell me.”

Jeok Cheongang replied curtly:

“Do I look that petty to you? I mean he’s on his way here, so you can hear it directly from him.”

“Oh.”

Sure enough, he was right. Not long afterward, approaching footsteps announced the arrival of two people.

“My youngest!”

Jin Wikyung’s voice trembled with emotion when he saw that I had awakened after seven days and nights. Behind him came Ak Bulgun’s blunt voice.

“It seems Great Hero Jeok is here as well. I have something important to discuss with you. Would that be all right?”

Jeok Cheongang answered firmly:

“No. Get out.”

“It concerns Jin Taekyung’s plans as well.”

“…Damn it.”

Jeok Cheongang muttered a quiet curse and perched on a chair.

As his appearance suggested, Ak Bulgun was not much of an orator. After listening to his entire dry explanation, I spoke.

“So you’re inviting us to that… Star… Star-Array…”

What was it called again? His explanation had been so boring that I could barely remember what I’d heard.

When I faltered, Jeok Cheongang supplied the name.

“The Star-Array Grand Banquet.”

“Ah, right. The Star-Array Grand Banquet.”

“It is a grand event where martial artists from across the world gather in one place to vie for supremacy and reinforce their bonds. It is held once every two or three years, and this year’s Star-Array Grand Banquet will take place in Henan.”

At Ak Bulgun’s additional explanation, Jeok Cheongang gave a derisive laugh.

“Reinforce the bonds of the Murim, my ass. It’s a place where powerful people cheer each other on, flatter one another, and build connections.”

Talk about a mercilessly blunt assessment.

Ak Bulgun gave a small nod without offering any real objection. It seemed Jeok Cheongang wasn’t wrong.

Jeok Cheongang continued in a cutting tone:

“It was the same forty years ago. The Demonic Cult had barely been driven out, and already they were fighting over their interests… I saw more than enough ugliness.”

I could more or less picture what it had been like.

A time of chaos was also a time of opportunity. The greedy and powerful never let an opportunity pass them by.

It might even have been partly related to why Jeok Cheongang had gone into seclusion on Mount Jiuhua again.

Still, it sounds like an enormous event.

Jeok Cheongang narrowed his eyes at my curious stare.

“What are you looking at?”

“It’s nothing. I was just wondering why someone who hates crowds and anything troublesome would go to a place like that.”

“I was asked to.”

“……?”

Was Jeok Cheongang really the sort of person to comply simply because someone asked him to?

The question vanished as soon as I heard the title of the person who had asked.

“The Martial God.”

“Oh.”

The Martial God, whom I’d only ever heard about.

They said there were Ten Kings on earth, Three Saints in the heavens, and one god above them all.

If the request had come from that Martial God, even Jeok Cheongang probably couldn’t have refused easily.

“He was the one who created the Star-Array Grand Banquet and asked this old man to attend. That was the first and last time the One God, Three Saints, and Ten Kings gathered in one place.”

As though recalling those days, Jeok Cheongang tapped the armrest of his chair with a distant look in his eyes. Then he suddenly turned to Ak Bulgun.

“How is he doing?”

“He has not shown himself for many years. There are even disturbing rumors circulating…”

“You’re worried the Martial God might be dead? Ha. There are far too many idiots with nothing but shit in their heads.”

Jeok Cheongang let out a hollow laugh, then turned back to me.

“So, what do you think?”

“Hmm.”

“Even if it is a feast for the powerful, there is no denying that the Star-Array Grand Banquet is a gathering of martial artists from across the world. Anyone can display their abilities to the fullest, regardless of their background.”

“I’m not sure.”

I scratched the back of my head, unable to answer easily.

The Star-Array Grand Banquet. A gathering where martial artists from across the world assembled to reinforce their bonds and vie for supremacy.

It was a chance to face outstanding masters and make a name for myself throughout the Central Plains.

But…

Was that really so important?

Ever since coming to the Murim, I’d found myself wondering about that from time to time.

Why did I practice martial arts? Why did I keep training even after becoming strong enough to protect my own life and the people precious to me?

After thinking about it for a long time, I’d finally found the answer not long ago.

Because it’s fun.

Just as I’d told Cheongpung, I liked martial arts. They were fun.

Even if I gained more money and fame than I could possibly imagine, I would never stop training.

I was already addicted to martial arts. I’d discovered just how thrilling and satisfying it was to become stronger.

“Young Hero Jin.”

Ak Bulgun’s quiet voice broke through my thoughts. It was time to answer.

I took a deep breath and opened my mouth.

“I…”

The expressions of all three men changed strangely when they heard my answer.

The three men left.

Alone in the room, I thought back to my final exchange with Jeok Cheongang.

You want to become stronger. Is that your answer?

Yes.

Does that mean you’ll attend the Star-Array Grand Banquet?

It doesn’t matter where I go, as long as I can become stronger than I am now.

You’re still young, and you’re already strong enough. If you attend the Star-Array Grand Banquet, you could etch your name into the Murim and gain wealth and fame. Aren’t you tempted by those things?

I am. By martial arts. By a higher realm.

……!

Jeok Cheongang had stared at me with trembling eyes for a long while before leaving me with a single command.

Come to my quarters at dawn.

Remembering his final words, I sat down on the bed.

My field of vision was as bright as midday, and I could hear the footsteps and breathing of people outside the pavilion as clearly as if they were right beside me.

You’re already strong enough.

Jeok Cheongang himself had said those words before leaving. The Fire King, Jeok Cheongang, had acknowledged me.

But there was something else I wanted to hear.

You’re stronger than anyone.

Back when I was an F-rank Hunter, my wish had been to become an E-rank Hunter. When I first set foot in the Murim, my goal had been to surpass Hyuk Mujin.

As time passed, I grew stronger, and my dreams grew more ambitious.

Some people might call that greed. But greed and dreams were different.

I had a dream now. The Fire King, Jeok Cheongang, was the guide who could lead me toward it.

I’m looking forward to morning.

There were roughly three shichen¹ left until dawn.

It looked like tonight would be a long one—for both me and Jeok Cheongang.

Especially for me. It’ll be a night longer than I can even imagine.

I lay flat on my back.

It was time to leave behind everything that had happened in the Murim and return.

Logout.

Ding.

With the cheerful System notification, my eyes slowly closed.