Chapter 124
"My goodness... what a rare item."
"Hah... at this level, it wouldn't be inferior even when compared to the finest products of the Noh family of Gwangju."
Jeon Woo-chi and the Poison King clicked their tongues as they looked at the <Soft-Armored Mail>.
The soft-armored mail was so impressive in its elasticity, hardness, and appearance that the word 'masterpiece' came to mind at a glance.
"Right? It's a real windfall. I thought about giving it to my junior sister, junior brother, or even my new disciple, but I can't. I have to wear this. Where else would I get something like this? Hahahat."
Of course, the happiest person was So-ah.
Although he wasn't the type to have his eyes turn over for wealth, he seemed to be overjoyed as if he had acquired a new weapon.
'So this is why swordsmen are so obsessed with famous swords, huh? Hehe.'
As if he had guessed So-ah's inner thoughts, Jeon Woo-chi also said with a pleased expression.
"You defeated the strongest divine monk of Shaolin, Master Gwangwon, with your bare hands. If you even wear the soft-armored mail, won't you become the strongest in the Orthodox Path? Keke."
Of course, it was just a joke to go along with the heightened atmosphere.
However.
"Aww! Still, the strongest in the Orthodox Path! Master Gongseung or Elder Yong-gak are out of my league, brother."
'Of course... it's embarrassing that he's taking it seriously. Hmph.'
As Jeon Woo-chi was having that thought, the corners of So-ah's mouth secretly went up.
"Well, the story might change depending on how much of this I can accumulate."
In that moment, the gazes of Jeon Woo-chi and the Poison King fell on So-ah's right hand.
In his hand was the <Vajra Copper Man Divine Pill>, which was emitting a yellowish light.
"Brother Woo-chi."
"Yes?"
"There's a saying that even the Ten Thousand Great Mountains are best seen after a meal, so let's eat first."
"Th-That?"
"Yes. I wonder how outstanding a spiritual pill it is."
For the first time since he had seen So-ah, Jeon Woo-chi read 'greed' in his eyes.
'By the way... even the Ten Thousand Great Mountains are best seen after a meal? Was there such a saying?'
***
Although he didn't show it, So-ah's mind and body had accumulated considerable strain and fatigue.
The side effect of the [awakened state] had turned his body into a powder keg that could explode at any moment.
Therefore, rather than digging up the Tathagata Grass, So-ah decided to take the <Vajra Copper Man Divine Pill> first.
'Since it's a rare spiritual pill, even if it doesn't increase my internal and external skills, it will surely wash away the aftereffects of the awakening.'
With that thought, So-ah sat in a cross-legged position on a rock under the waterfall.
The huge stream of water falling from the sky roared.
So-ah's heart also pounded.
And...
Gulp
As he swallowed the divine pill with bursting anticipation.
As if fire was spewing from the divine pill that went down his esophagus, So-ah was engulfed in a terrible burning sensation.
'Ugh...!'
If one were to pick the person who could endure physical pain the best in the world, it would undoubtedly be So-ah.
From the age of nine, he had been beaten with a raw tree for two shichen every day, and he had continued his physical training by stirring up Mount Da-ak as if his lungs would burst. Even now, after experiencing a physical transformation, he was someone who trained tirelessly.
However, even So-ah could not help but let out a groan in the face of the gruesome burning sensation.
'It's like I swallowed a red-hot iron lump.'
Previously, when he took the <Great Purity Ultimate Divine Pill>, So-ah had also faced considerable pain.
But the fire-attribute energy contained in the <Vajra Copper Man Divine Pill> presented a much more terrible pain...
"Keueuk..."
So-ah clenched his fists tightly and began to sweat profusely.
'So-ah...'
A sense of anxiety also crept into Jeon Woo-chi's heart as he watched So-ah.
'If a spiritual pill is like water, then the user's body is the vessel. What if So-ah's vessel is not enough to contain the <Vajra Copper Man Divine Pill>?'
In the martial world, there are often cases where people get into trouble after taking unverified spiritual pills.
Conversely, although it was not common, there were also cases where people suffered from qi deviation because the energy of the spiritual medicine was too strong.
However.
'Still, that's not it!'
So-ah's vessel is too small to contain the energy of the spiritual pill?
That was an absurd leap of logic.
'No way. What kind of kid is So-ah...'
Jeon Woo-chi reprimanded himself for his groundless fears.
'That monster who absorbed the energy of the Greater Rejuvenation Pill as if it were nothing even while unconscious? His vessel is too small? Goodness... I'm crazy too, crazy.'
At the same time, he let out a snort of derision.
In that moment.
"Keuaaaaaaang!"
Wasn't So-ah, who was in a life-and-death struggle, shouting at the top of his lungs?
"Kik-kik!"
The shout was so loud and resonant that even the great ape was startled and had a seizure.
Jeon Woo-chi, thinking that the great ape might interfere with So-ah's qi circulation, gently hugged the creature and frowned.
'He's not going to really suffer from qi deviation like that, is he?'
He had barely managed to shake off his anxiety, but he became anxious again.
***
The fire energy of the spiritual pill did not stop at his throat but continued relentlessly.
The energy of the spiritual pill, which began to slowly melt in his body, passed through his five viscera and six bowels, flowed through the three hundred or so vital points of his body, and swept through every corner of his fine meridians, heating So-ah's body like lava.
'If I can't overcome this pain...'
I will die.
So-ah instinctively realized that the <Vajra Copper Man Divine Pill> was on a different level from the spiritual pills he had taken so far.
If he couldn't properly absorb a spiritual medicine that contained such powerful true ki?
It was obvious that his life would be in danger.
However.
'Conversely...'
If he could completely melt the spiritual pill that contained an unprecedentedly immense power?
If only he could do that!
'Perhaps...'
He ground his teeth.
If he could really absorb all the efficacy of the <Vajra Copper Man Divine Pill>.
He thought that he might be able to raise his realm, which had been stagnant in the Manifestation Realm, by another level.
Soon, that thought suddenly turned into a strong tenacity.
But there is no such thing as a fluke in the world.
As expected, the spiritual pill was not easy.
As if it had no intention of easily giving up its power, this time, a coldness so intense that it would freeze one's heart just by touching it began to torment So-ah.
So-ah's body, which was sitting in a cross-legged position with his eyes closed, trembled minutely, unable to withstand the terrible chills.
At the same time, a cold chill began to rise from his Baihui point.
The hands of Jeon Woo-chi and the Poison King, who were watching, were also drenched in sweat.
A look of tension was evident on their faces.
So-ah raised his Great Whale energy to control the coldness.
Although the Great Whale energy did not have the characteristic of extreme yang, it could be said to be the purest in the world.
Soon, the coldness of the spiritual pill was offset by the circulation of the Great Whale energy.
And...
As the burning sensation and coldness disappeared, this time, his dantian was the problem.
Because his dantian began to shake violently, as if it would explode at any moment.
'My dantian has a total of 7 gapja worth of internal energy latent in it. If it were to explode...'
So-ah's body would not leave a trace in the universe.
However.
'I... humans... are like the universe.'
Even in the midst of the continuous crisis, So-ah calmed his mind by recalling Moyong Cheon's teachings.
The burning sensation as if he had been thrown into a pit of fire, followed by the coldness that felt like his whole body was freezing.
And the turmoil of his dantian, which was causing a great commotion. To endure all this with a clear mind was a pain that an ordinary person could not even imagine...
If So-ah's perseverance had been even slightly lacking, his life could not have been guaranteed by now.
But he endured and endured.
Whether the spiritual pill swallowed him or not, So-ah focused solely on circulating its energy and reminded himself that a human is a microcosm.
The waterfall falls.
The time of great nature, transcendent to all phenomena, flows leisurely, and within it, humans wage a ceaseless life-and-death struggle with divine skill.
But at this moment, So-ah was neither a human subordinate to nature, nor a greedy person blinded by divine skill.
He was just a microcosm that observed all things and embraced the world in his body.
And soon.
A huge fluorescent light burst from So-ah's body and stretched towards the sky!
"Hah...! Is that, the peerless realm?!"
"Gasp...!"
The Poison King and Jeon Woo-chi, with faces of great astonishment, naturally shifted their gazes towards the light.
It was a brilliant and radiant explosion of light.
So much so that even the baby great ape's eyes sparkled with curiosity at the enchanting feast of light.
And...
"Ho... op!"
A breath containing a mighty energy flowed from So-ah's mouth.
Simultaneously.
With his closed eyes now open, So-ah shot up from his seat.
"So-ah!"
Jeon Woo-chi saw it.
The sight of So-ah's two eyes, which were dazzling and deep, something he had never seen before, as if they held a golden light that had pierced through the abyss, descending upon the heavens.
***
"Hah... I can't believe it. How can this young brat cross the threshold of the Profound Realm!"
"Haha... hahahat! So-ah!"
The Poison King and Jeon Woo-chi burst out with different reactions as they watched So-ah, who had finished his life-and-death struggle with the <Vajra Copper Man Divine Pill>.
It was inevitable.
The Poison King had devoted half his life to martial arts, but he was far from the [Profound Realm] that So-ah had now achieved, so he felt a sense of emptiness, and Jeon Woo-chi could finally calm his anxious heart.
But both of them must have been happy about So-ah's progress...
"Hmph! The God of War must be pleased. The disciple he took in his later years has achieved a legendary realm at a young age. Keke."
"So-ah. I'm dazed. What kind of Profound Realm is achieved overnight... hahahat!"
So-ah also smiled as he watched the two who were delighted.
But he wasn't sure if he had truly achieved the peerless realm yet.
"Hmm... so a green light really burst from the top of my head and ascended, and a golden light flowed from my eyes?"
"That's right!"
This clearly indicated the phenomenon of the 'peerless realm'.
And since the peerless realm meant the beginning of the Profound Realm.
'I'm in the Profound Realm...'
So-ah had reached the Profound Realm that he had so longed for.
He felt his soul being elevated.
In all of history, the only ones who had crossed the threshold of the Profound Realm at a young age were the founders of Shaolin and Wudang, Bodhidharma and Zhang Sanfeng.
Moreover, it was an achievement that even his grandfather, whom he regarded as a god, or Grandpa Wi-ji had not achieved, so how could he not be overwhelmed with emotion?
"Ah! I feel like some power is about to burst... I can't take it."
As expected, seeing is believing.
So-ah couldn't bear it without witnessing the source of this vast power.
"Brother Woo-chi, just a moment."
"Yes?"
So-ah pushed Jeon Woo-chi's body away and took a fist-fighting stance.
And then...
He extended his fist towards the empty air and unleashed a fist wind.
"Gasp...!"
"Is that a fist wind... or a fist aura?!"
With a roar that shook the heavens and the earth, the fist wind rotated in a spiral and exploded in the air.
At the same time, the waterfall split in half, and for a moment, a strong wind, the aftermath of the fist wind, blew like a typhoon in the hall.
It was a peerless single punch that went against the laws of nature.
"Haha... hahaha... hahahahahahat!"
Only then could So-ah truly feel it.
The reality of the 'Profound Realm' that had come to him.
So-ah was 21 years old.
It was a winter miracle that happened in the twelfth month.
***
"Aww! I told you to pack ten more baskets!"
"So-ah. Just how much Tathagata Grass are you planning to dig up? One basket is enough..."
"Brother!"
So-ah cut off Jeon Woo-chi's words and snorted.
"I told you! The Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons doesn't just have Tathagata Grass! It's full of all sorts of medicinal herbs and spiritual grasses that are worth at least 100 silver coins per root! Are you just going to pass this by?"
As So-ah growled, Jeon Woo-chi covered his face.
'...Of course. Look at him being so frugal even in this situation. What does it matter if he's in the Manifestation Realm or the Profound Realm? It's him... the subject is him! Phew!'
Jeon Woo-chi, who was having that thought, was also happy.
100 silver coins per root!
No matter how much money one had, for example, even a man like Chairman Lee Kun-hee of the Lee family would not just pass by such a windfall.
In the end.
Only after shouldering a full load of baskets did Jeon Woo-chi finish his preparations to set out for the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons with So-ah.
Just then.
"What are you doing, Elder?"
"...What?"
"Aren't you going to dig up medicinal herbs?"
"You brats can dig them up. Does this old man have to move too?"
"Aww! Really?"
"I have no interest in material greed. You brats can dig up a lot of that stuff and sell it. Tsk tsk."
"Do you really think there are only spiritual herbs and medicinal herbs in the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons?"
"What?"
"There are hundreds of thousands of poisonous insects with all kinds of deadly poisons and tens of thousands of vampire bat corpses piled up like a mountain."
"What...?!"
"I thought there would be nothing better for poison research materials. Ah. What a waste. Well then. We'll go by ourselves!"
As soon as his words ended, So-ah put his arm around Jeon Woo-chi's shoulder and hurriedly moved his feet.
In that moment.
"L-Let's go together! You brat! Aren't you going to stop? Hey?!"
The Poison King also staggered after So-ah.
Was the sight amusing?
It was a moment when even the baby great ape, hanging from So-ah's leg, giggled as if it knew something.