Chapter 523

Ssssss.

Hot. Scorching Yang Qi surged from my dantian, spreading through my limbs and bones and racing along my acupoints. Everything felt still and vividly clear.

I circulated my internal energy through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.

Once, twice, three times…

Circulating qi was like rolling a snowball down a high hill. With every pass, the snowball grew. But it could also pick up dirt, stones, and twigs along the way.

Those impurities were turbid qi. They muddied the purity of my internal energy, and each pass burned away more of them, refining it.

More. More. More.

I kept circulating my energy, repeating the words to myself as if entranced.

Three jiazi¹ of internal energy took the shape of a fire dragon and swam unhindered through my body. In the image I held in my mind, the dragon grew larger, its heat burning hotter.

Then I knew.

Now.

Fwoosh.

At my command, Scorching Yang Qi surged in every direction. The heat was overwhelming, as though a small sun had burst inside me.

My closed eyes grew hot. Flames seemed to pour from my nose instead of breath.

No—it wasn’t just a feeling. That had to be what was happening.

Water overflowed when there was too much of it. Now the internal energy filling my body was flowing out.

Heat poured from my eyes, nose, mouth, and the other openings known as the seven apertures, scorching the air around me. The same thing was happening through the countless pores all over my body.

Ssssss.

I could feel an immense flow of qi gathering above my crown. At the same time, I began to draw on the blank canvas of my mind.

I was my own master. Every acupoint in my body was mine, as was every strand of qi that had flowed out of it. None could defy my will.

I couldn’t see the Scorching Yang Qi above my head, but I could feel it taking the shape I wanted.

One, two, three.

Three petals, red as though they were burning.

Three Flowers Gather at the Crown.

This was what enlightenment had brought to my Supreme Peak realm.

It was a realm any martial artist in the world would dream of reaching. For me, though, it was only the first hill.

Hoo.

The short breath I let out carried the last traces of turbid qi I’d filtered away. Once I had expelled even that final handful, leaving my internal energy and mind clear, I stepped toward the next hill.

Five Qi Returning to Origin.

I’d attempted it several times since opening my Middle Dantian, but I’d never succeeded. Another wall stood in my way.

I’ll get past it. Right now.

A sharp tingle ran through my chest as I made up my mind.

I couldn’t lose this edge of tension. Punching blindly at a wall would only hurt my fist. If I wanted to put even a hairline crack in it, I had to stay alert and read the flow precisely.

Let my guard down for even a moment, and my internal energy could reverse its flow.

Following a road someone else had laid was easy. I was carving out a new one of my own. I had to move boulders, cut through undergrowth—and I could always slip while climbing a cliff.

A reversal would cause an Internal Injury. If I kept forcing my way forward while injured, I’d be asking for qi deviation.

According to Jeok Cheongang, plenty of martial artists had died or been left half-crippled that way. I had no intention of ending up in a wheelchair while Dark Heaven was taking a gigantic dump all over Murim.

Slowly. Carefully.

Fortunately, training with Mungyeong had helped a great deal.

The Scorching Yang Qi I’d built through the Fire Gate Divine Technique—the cultivation technique at the heart of the Fire Gate Clan—had power and explosiveness to rival the techniques of other prestigious sects. Its movements, however, were correspondingly rough.

This training had helped me make up for some of that weakness.

I can do this. As long as I keep my head clear, I can do it.

It was warm. The Three Flowers Gather at the Crown trembled above my head.

Don’t worry. Internal energy is faster than hands.

First ring.

I had just begun to move my internal energy with care when someone spoke.

“Rein it in. Trying now is a waste of effort anyway.”

“…!”

Crack!

The sudden voice shattered my concentration. The internal energy taking shape as Five Qi Returning to Origin scattered.

At the same time, my internal energy reversed its flow. Gastric juices surged up from deep inside my body, and I vomited.

“Oooooogh!”

Splash.

Vomit flecked with blood spilled across the floor.

Fuck. So this is where the Niagara Falls I saw in pictures were hiding.

I poured out what had come up and stood panting. Then I saw the side dishes I’d eaten that morning waving at me from the floor.

“Uweeegh! Bleeegh!”

Ah. Couldn’t hold that back.

Only after emptying my stomach several more times did my mind finally clear. I glared at the owner of the leather shoes who had already moved a considerable distance away.

“What are you doing?”

Mungyeong inspected the shoes on his feet before answering.

“I only bought these three days ago. I’d rather they didn’t get dirty.”

“Not that. Why did you talk to me while I was circulating my qi?”

“I didn’t even shake you, so what’s the problem? You’ve reached that realm, yet your composure is shattered by a few words. That is your deficiency.”

“You startled me!”

“You startled me too. What the hell have you been eating yesterday and today to produce so much…?”

Mungyeong frowned at the vomit spread across the floor.

“The longer I look, the filthier it gets. Though from the shape, it does bear a passing resemblance to Five Qi Returning to Origin.”

“Hey, Mr. Mun!”

“Mr. what?”

I held Mungyeong’s cold stare.

One second. Two seconds. Three.

Hmm. That should do it.

“Slip of the tongue. I must have suffered a serious Internal Injury.”

“Looking at you makes my qi-sea acupoint throb.”

I avoided his flat stare and hurriedly changed the subject.

“What brings you here all of a sudden? No, wait. How did you get in?”

“What do you think the door is for?”

“But Mujin’s guarding the door…”

My voice trailed off.

Slide. Thump!

A figure collapsed with a faint flop through the half-open doorway.

The back of the head was so familiar that my eyes widened before I could stop them.

“Mujin! Hyuk Mujin!”

“Leave him,” Mungyeong said in a grim voice. “He won’t wake up even if you shake him.”

He wouldn’t wake up even if I shook him?

That blood-crazed Killing Ghost had finally done it.

I roared furiously.

“You cold-blooded murderer! You’re just like that bastard the Slaughter Saint!”

“He was asleep blocking the door. I tried to wake him, but he wouldn’t budge… What did you just say?”

“Huh?”

“I asked what you said.”

“What?”

What the fuck?

Right on cue, Hyuk Mujin’s corpse—no, his body—stirred. A vigorous snore followed.

Grrrrrr.

“…”

“…”

Our gazes met in silence. I gave Mungyeong a charming smile.

“There seems to have been a very slight, insignificant misunderstanding.”

“It didn’t sound like a misunderstanding. Or an insignificant one.”

“Can’t we just agree that good is good?”

“Dead is dead?”

“Oh… How did you get that from what I said?”

“Why couldn’t I? Do you have a problem with it?”

I did have a problem with it, and his cochlea also seemed to have a serious problem, but I lacked the courage to point that out.

“I was wrong.”

“And an apology settles everything?”

“I believe a sincere conversation can untangle any knot.”

“Good. Go have one with Dark Heaven’s Lord of Heaven, then. Now wipe that irritating smile off your face before I tear your mouth apart.”

“Our ancestors said you can’t spit in a smiling face.”

“Ptui.”

Splat.

Hmm. Our ancestors were wrong.

At times like this, I had to regain my composure. I calmly wiped the spit from my cheek.

“That came out incredibly fast. I thought it was a hidden weapon.”

“If I put internal energy behind it, I can burst someone’s eyeballs.”

“Impressive. Are you Zerg,² by any chance?”

“I’m the Grim Reaper.”

“…Once again, I’m very sorry.”

Mungyeong looked at me as if calculating how many pieces he’d have to cut me into for people to say he’d killed me properly. Then he clicked his tongue.

“Enough. Every time I talk to you, it drains me.”

“……”

He’s one to talk. I’m losing life force by the second.

I’d bet Hyuk Mujin’s left atrium that conversation had shaved at least three days off my life.

I told that bastard Hyuk Mujin to stand guard. He couldn’t even resist falling asleep again.

Mungyeong was something else, but Hyuk Mujin was no less impressive.

“So what brings you here…?”

“That sounded like ‘What shitty thing have you come here to do this time?’”

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

“Oh… no. I was just curious.”

“Your pronunciation seems to have grown rather strange since I last saw you. Must be my imagination.”

“Of course. Just your imagination.”

Mungyeong sighed quietly and tossed me the bundle in his hand.

Thump.

I caught it reflexively and stared at it with wide eyes.

“What’s this?”

“A pill.”

“A pill?”

Is it Santa Claus in spring? What’s with the sudden present?

I opened the bundle, still unsure what to make of it, and found a small, sturdy-looking wooden case inside. A strange fragrance reached deep into my nose.

This is…

They said you could tell how potent some elixirs were before you even saw them. Now I understood what they meant. I knew the pill inside was powerful before I opened the case.

Click.

When I opened the case, a reddish pill came into view. Even at first glance, it was clearly no ordinary pill.

I stared at it for a moment, then looked up at Mungyeong.

“What are you looking at?”

“Why are you giving me something like this all of a sudden?”

“It holds a considerable amount of fire qi. It’ll help you.”

“What?”

“Is there a hidden weapon stuck in your ear? Don’t make me say it twice.”

“No, I wasn’t asking what it does…”

Mungyeong’s face crumpled. For someone who spent most of his time looking bleak, it was a remarkable display of emotion.

“I found it on the way here.”

“…?”

“Let me correct that. I saw it while passing by and bought it. Satisfied?”

What do you mean, satisfied, old man?

I touched the red pill in its case.

Item check.

Ding.

System

Mungyeong’s Specially Crafted Pill for Jin Taekyung

Would you like to view more detailed information?

Y / N

Yeah. No. That’s enough.

I closed the small System window and gave Mungyeong a lukewarm look.

“‘Saw it while passing by and bought it.’ Right.”

“…What’s that look for?”

“Nothing. Thank you. I’ll take it.”

What I felt toward Mungyeong was half gratitude, half fear.

I appreciate the good pill, but what the hell is the next training session going to be…?

Being treated this well all of a sudden felt like being fed a good meal before an execution.

As if he understood what my trembling gaze meant, Mungyeong opened his mouth.