Chapter 100 : Joint Meridian Opening (2)
Chapter 100: Joint Meridian Opening (2)
The opening of the third blocked meridian.
It had only succeeded because master and disciple had synchronized their internal energy as one.
The Azure Medicine Pavilion's full support had also been invaluable.
Had Namgung Jun been alone, he would never have accomplished it.
Of course, he would have eventually succeeded in opening it—but only after a considerable amount of time had passed.
The third blocked meridian, which had stood like a fortress against the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art, burst open.
Through the newly opened passage, the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art, the Azure King Pure World Qi, and the medicinal energy of the spiritual elixir flowed in succession.
Yet there was no time to revel in the joy of succeeding.
The overwhelming pain that struck his entire body the instant the meridian opened threatened to rob him of consciousness.
He had to endure.
Though he remained seated in the lotus position while circulating his Qi, it felt as though his body were being hurled about and violently shaken.
And that was not all.
Roooar!
The instant the third blocked meridian opened, the compressed frigid Yin energy erupted violently in every direction.
It easily overwhelmed the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art that had filled his primary meridians, pushing it aside and taking its place.
'This is bad.'
Even with his consciousness growing hazy, Namgung Jun accurately grasped the situation within his body.
The frigid Yin energy that had accumulated inside the third blocked meridian was extraordinary.
Even with Lee Se-ha reinforcing him from behind, suppressing it proved difficult.
The Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art was steadily being pushed back before the increasingly violent Yin energy.
Meanwhile, Lee Se-ha desperately protected the major acupoints with her internal energy, preventing the Yin energy from spreading further.
While she defended the meridians, Namgung Jun redirected his blazing Yang energy and gradually eroded the frigid Yin energy from its outermost edge.
Even so, it looked as though it would take considerable time.
The crucial question was whether Lee Se-ha could endure until the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art completely refined the frigid Yin energy into internal energy.
'This won't be easy.'
As Namgung Jun weighed the time required to refine the energy against the difference in strength between the opposing forces, unable to find an answer—
Something unexpected happened.
A portion of Lee Se-ha's internal energy, which had completely sealed the meridians, suddenly shifted and deliberately opened a single path.
The frigid Yin energy immediately surged through that opening.
'Master?'
'I'll draw part of the frigid Yin energy into my own body to disperse it. You focus on refining the rest as quickly as possible.'
'If you do that, you could suffer severe internal injuries!'
'Hmph. As long as I don't die, that's good enough.'
Despite Namgung Jun's protest, Lee Se-ha had already acted upon her decision.
Part of the frigid Yin energy was now being guided exactly where she intended.
She accepted a portion of the Yin energy herself, reducing the burden her disciple's meridians had to bear.
'So this... is the frigid Yin energy of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians.'
Even with her eyes closed and focused solely on circulating her internal energy, she could clearly tell.
Frost was gradually forming over the hand she had placed upon Namgung Jun's Mingmen acupoint.
At the same time, an overwhelming cold poured from Namgung Jun's entire body.
Lee Se-ha felt her whole body stiffening from the freezing chill, while even the circulation of her internal energy gradually slowed.
Only after being helplessly struck by a supreme master of Ice Arts should one ever experience something like this.
Now that she personally endured the frigid Yin energy, sorrow quietly welled up within her.
'So he has been enduring something even worse than this all by himself...'
Her disciple had always been steady and composed.
Even before his master, he had rarely shown any sign of hardship.
Yet now she realized the unimaginable agony Namgung Jun had silently endured alone.
It filled her with guilt and pity.
'My disciple... you've suffered so much.'
Suppressing the emotions welling inside her, Lee Se-ha refocused on circulating her internal energy.
The frigid Yin energy invading her own meridians also had to be expelled eventually so that her disciple could absorb and refine it.
To accomplish that, she held it at the Laogong acupoint within her palm, preparing to force it back whenever the time came.
While imprisoning the invading Yin energy within her palm, Lee Se-ha continuously adjusted the blazing Yang energy flowing into Namgung Jun.
'Master has taken part of the frigid Yin energy herself. I have to finish this as quickly as possible.'
Having grasped the situation, Namgung Jun sharpened his concentration.
He drew forth every remaining ounce of internal energy from his dantian and focused entirely on suppressing the frigid Yin energy.
The sooner he finished, the lighter his master's burden would become.
Still dissatisfied, Namgung Jun boldly activated the Azure King Pure World Qi as well.
Previously, it had merely protected his meridians and blocked the enemy's advance.
Now it directly collided with the frigid Yin energy.
Hummm!
The Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art flowed simultaneously through both master and disciple.
With the addition of the Azure King Pure World Qi, the raging Yin energy was sealed off throughout the body.
While Lee Se-ha's blazing Yang energy—which until now had served as an unrelenting battering ram—became a fortress guarding the major acupoints—
Namgung Jun carefully manipulated the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art, slowly devouring the frigid Yin energy.
Had it been ordinary internal energy, it could only have suppressed the Yin energy without truly dissolving it.
But the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art fiercely consumed the frigid Yin energy and refined it into pure internal energy.
Part of that purified internal energy was then absorbed by the Azure King Pure World Qi, causing it to grow stronger.
Block it.
Devour it.
Absorb it once again.
Namgung Jun simultaneously executed completely different methods of internal energy control throughout countless locations within his meridians.
Without the memories of having once reached the pinnacle of martial mastery, such control would have been impossible.
By the time the momentum of the frigid Yin energy had noticeably weakened, Namgung Jun was utterly absorbed in controlling his internal energy.
His desperate determination to lessen his master's burden and quickly eliminate the Yin energy filled every movement of his Qi.
Perhaps because such powerful martial intent had infused his internal energy manipulation, even the Azure King Pure World Qi—which had previously moved somewhat sluggishly—became noticeably swifter.
'The Azure King Pure World Qi... is advancing.'
Even amidst his countless manipulations of internal energy, Namgung Jun clearly felt the growth in his mastery of the Azure King Pure World Qi.
Since he had only begun cultivating it relatively recently, its accumulated power had remained modest.
But as it absorbed the pure internal energy refined from the union of blazing Yang energy and frigid Yin energy, it raced through its circulation pathways.
Its strength rapidly expanded.
Rooooar!
Even so, the frigid Yin energy of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians continued to rage fiercely.
The cold radiating from Namgung Jun's body grew denser until frost began forming outright.
Even combining all the Yin energy that had escaped during the first and second openings could not compare to what emerged from the third.
'This really is relentless... unbelievably so.'
The beads of sweat upon Lee Se-ha's forehead froze the instant they formed.
Though they had successfully opened the third blocked meridian, master and disciple still had to battle the overwhelming cold pouring forth from the Nine Yin Severed Meridians like a flooded river.
Three days passed in that struggle.
---
Boom!
A dull explosion echoed from the center of the master and disciple as they continued circulating their Qi.
The blazing heat they unleashed had finally driven away every last trace of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians' frigid Yin energy.
The appearance of the master and disciple, who had nearly become frozen statues of white ice, also began to change.
Dense steam rose around them as the thick ice rapidly melted away.
“Huu...”
As Namgung Jun opened his eyes, Lee Se-ha also slowly steadied her breathing.
“Jun. Are you all right?”
“Master... you pushed yourself too far.”
“For my disciple, this much is nothing.”
Namgung Jun gave a bitter smile.
He had not missed the disturbance within Lee Se-ha's aura.
It appeared she had suffered internal injuries after personally absorbing such a great quantity of the frigid Yin energy.
“It was a valuable experience. It gave me even greater motivation to raise my mastery of the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art. Even Major Mastery isn't enough. The Yin energy of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians was far more vicious than I imagined.”
“You should treat your internal injuries first.”
After hearing their conversation, the Head of the Azure Medicine Pavilion immediately examined Lee Se-ha's pulse.
“Hm. They're not severe internal injuries, but you'll certainly need time to recuperate. It seems the Hall Master of the Heavenly Sword Hall shouldered part of the burden of the meridian opening.”
Hearing those words, Namgung Jun's expression darkened.
“Master.”
“It's all right, my disciple. The next opening will be much easier. We have today's experience now... and both of us will only grow stronger.”
Namgung Jun nodded.
“Of course.”
---
The moment Lee Se-ha returned to the Heavenly Sword Hall, she collapsed onto her bed.
After being directly exposed to the frigid Yin energy of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians, there was no avoiding it.
The fact that she had not suffered life-threatening internal injuries was already a tremendous blessing.
She developed a high fever as though stricken by a severe illness.
Although she had medicinal decoctions from the Azure Medicine Pavilion, it seemed her condition would persist for some time.
“Ugh... it's so cold.”
Lee Se-ha hugged a thick blanket tightly.
“I haven't been this sick in a very long time.”
“Even a martial artist of your level can't escape everything.”
Namgung Jun gently blew on a spoonful of porridge before bringing it toward Lee Se-ha's mouth.
“This is rather nice. Having you nurse me like this, Jun.”
Namgung Jun felt uneasy.
It seemed as though Lee Se-ha had taken upon herself pain that should have been his alone.
“Master. Please don't do that again next time.”
“Hm... I'll decide after I see how things go.”
Lee Se-ha opened her mouth like a baby bird, silently asking for the next spoonful.
Namgung Jun chuckled and brought the spoon closer.
The instant Lee Se-ha leaned in to take a bite, Namgung Jun teasingly tried to pull the spoon away—
But Lee Se-ha was faster.
“Not happening! You're still too inexperienced.”
“I let you have that one. I never expected you to move so desperately, Master.”
Chewing the porridge, Lee Se-ha looked at him.
“This is comfortable.”
“You need to recover quickly.”
“All right.”
Master and disciple continued chatting quietly.
Listening to Namgung Jun's stories, Lee Se-ha gradually drifted off to sleep.
---
Ink Fragrance Division.
Holding a letter, Kang Mong hurried into the office of the Bright Mirror Master.
“Bright Mirror Master! A letter has arrived from the Sword Master!”
“The Sword Master? Contacting us so suddenly... did something happen?”
Yun Gyeong-jong immediately rose from his seat and quickly read the letter.
Ordinarily, it was extremely rare for the Sword Master to send word first.
That was true even considering his current closed-door cultivation.
“Hm.”
As Yun Gyeong-jong rapidly scanned the contents with tense eyes, the wrinkles around his eyes deepened.
“Tsk. I wondered why he suddenly sent a letter.”
Clicking his tongue briefly, Yun Gyeong-jong shook his head before sitting back down.
“Has something happened?”
“No. He's requesting that we urgently send a spiritual elixir he needs. Judging from the letter, he seems to be doing well.”
Kang Mong, who had also been standing stiffly, finally released a sigh of relief.
The Heavenly Sword Master was one of the pillars representing the martial strength of the Changcheon Society.
Naturally, everyone became tense whenever his name was involved.
“We should send someone immediately. They can also check on the Sword Master's condition while they're there.”
Yun Gyeong-jong turned toward the large map.
Upon the map were dozens of wooden markers indicating the current locations of the Ten Halls.
“At present, every hall except the Heavenly Sword Hall is away from headquarters on missions. The Hall Master of the Heavenly Sword Hall is recuperating from internal injuries.”
Though the task was simply to deliver a spiritual elixir, it could not be entrusted to just anyone.
The recipient was none other than the Heavenly Sword Master, leader of the Sword Fragrance Division.
Moreover, it would be best if the messenger possessed enough discernment to assess the Sword Master's condition rather than merely delivering the medicine.
There were currently no Hall Masters available.
Even so, Yun Gyeong-jong immediately thought of someone else.
“There may be no Hall Masters available... but there is someone comparable to one.”
Kang Mong's eyes widened as he realized who he meant.
“Surely you don't mean...”
“For now, let's entrust it to Namgung Jun.”
At Yun Gyeong-jong's words, Kang Mong nodded.
“I'll immediately deliver the mission to the Heavenly Sword Hall.”
Less than half a day later, Namgung Jun received the mission issued by the Ink Fragrance Division.