Chapter 150
The one emitting white steam like a boiling kettle was...
"Ho... oop!"
...a person.
That's just how people are.
Although they are like dust in the universe, they sometimes go against the principles of nature and emit a divine ki...
This is even more so for a martial artist who has honed their martial arts.
What is martial arts?
Some considered martial arts as a path to enlightenment, while others believed that martial arts were a means to realize chivalry.
But to the God of War, Moyong Cheon, martial arts were nothing more than a fight to strike, break, choke, and crush the opponent.
And with that simple philosophy of martial arts, he became the number one in the world.
'I...'
Suddenly, he recalled the God of War, who had preached the futility and worthlessness of martial arts to him when he was young.
'Am I getting stronger?'
—Getting stronger is a relative concept, so at a glance, it cannot be defined. But your grandfather thinks so. Getting stronger. That is, to believe in oneself. Every martial artist dreams of becoming a master, but due to the burden and anguish of it, they hit a wall. The only thing that can overcome that is faith in oneself. Excessive confidence becomes arrogance, but sometimes it also becomes the driving force that produces the best results. Always believe in yourself and strive forward. Whether it's martial arts... or life.
'Living Buddha... Grandpa.'
Suddenly, it came to him.
It had been so long that it had been submerged in his memory, and he had lived his life having completely forgotten it.
That one sentence lit a fire in his heart.
'Yes... I'll believe in myself!'
Myo-seon felt a sense of anxiety at the heterogeneous wave of power and the backflow of ki and blood, which seemed not of this world.
It was because she had started to learn the <Sunflower Manual>, which Teacher Bao had translated.
But...
'I feel like my body is being sucked into the oral formula!'
The anxiety she had first felt was completely erased the moment she recalled her grandfather's one sentence.
On the contrary, while the mystery of the Sunflower Manual was sucking up all of Myo-seon's essence, ki, and body, it was sending a warm and comfortable aggregate of ki power through the fine meridians of her body.
Sss...
The white ki that was flowing from her Baihui point was gradually amplified.
The fact that her body was emitting a hot heat was a self-purifying outburst of the body protecting itself by not being able to store the external power and emitting it outside the body.
But Myo-seon could not perceive that she was overdoing it at all.
On the contrary, an indescribable sense of stability was dominating her senses, will, and soul, and this was precisely.
'It feels as if the Sunflower Manual was mine from the beginning...'
...a strange phenomenon where the nature of the martial art and the practitioner's five senses were optimized.
That is, it meant a perfect unity of body and martial art.
This strange phenomenon appears when a practitioner of the 'Heavenly Martial Body' trains in a moderate martial art, and in most cases, it produces an earth-shattering result.
In other words, Myo-seon was currently facing a once-in-a-lifetime important moment.
Just then.
'No?!'
Myo-seon, who was taking in the mystery of the Sunflower Manual into her body, was greatly astonished.
'What on earth is this...'
It was because she had felt that the Conception Vessel, which had been blocked her whole life, was being opened by the power of the Sunflower Manual.
'My Nine Yin Severed Meridians!'
That lump was the symptom of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians.
The Nine Yin Severed Meridians was a disease where the extreme yin cold ki, condensed with a cold nature, blocked the nine Conception Vessels of the body.
Therefore, the dregs of ki and blood that could not flow completely accumulated in the Conception and Governor Vessels, and it was a terrible curse where the patient eventually died.
Also, although the symptoms could be alleviated by taking the inner core of the Sun Fire Li, which contained the world's best yang ki, or by learning an extreme yang martial art, for example, the Nine Yang Divine Art or the Nine Heavens Limitless Art, it was an incurable disease that could not be completely cured.
'But! But... it's breaking through. No! It's not breaking through, it's completely getting rid of it!'
The power of the Sunflower Manual broke through Myo-seon's Conception and Governor Vessels like an irresistible, strong wave, and Myo-seon sensed that that divine ki was the annihilation of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians that had tormented her with cold ki her whole life.
Also.
'Surely... I'm opening my Conception Vessel!'
...she realized that it was the moment of 'opening the Conception Vessel', which she had thought she would never be able to reach in her lifetime.
'...I'll keep circulating the power of the Sunflower Manual in my body. Continuously...'
She also felt like stopping.
Unless one was a human whose heart was made of steel (for example, So-ah), there was no way not to feel fear before the terrifying phenomenon of opening the Conception Vessel overnight.
But Myo-seon did not stop.
No, she could not stop.
'If I can become strong like So-ah... if I can do that!'
Myo-seon.
She was, after all, a martial artist of the martial world where swords and sabers flew, and a martial artist who had inherited the theory of the God of War, Moyong Cheon, that martial arts were just a fight.
'Even for the sake of So-ah, who painstakingly obtained the Sunflower Manual... I'll go to the end.'
She decided to see the end of the fateful opportunity.
And...
From the beginning, Myo-seon was a martial arts prodigy, far from ordinary.
***
This was the second time So-ah had seen the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, that is, Wi-ji Gang.
The first time he had seen him, it was during the funeral of Moyong Cheon and Wi-ji Woon, so he had not observed Wi-ji Gang carefully as he was in a state of confusion.
Moreover, he was too young at that time to observe someone closely.
But after growing up and meeting him again, So-ah was surprised and could not help but be impressed by Wi-ji Gang's aura.
'He's different... completely different from the seniors of the Orthodox Path. Anyone would have their knees buckle.'
In fact, So-ah had rarely been impressed by someone's demeanor in his life.
Because he had already met both the God of War and the Heavenly Demon, who were called the best of their time, when he was young, and had spent time on close terms with Wi-ji Chan, who was born with a 'Heavenly Martial Body', his threshold for 'people' had become too high.
At best, only the Great Master Gongcheng and Master Gwangwon of Shaolin, Master Yonggak of Zhongnan, and Baek In-hwa had impressed So-ah, but other than them, he had never been emotionally moved by anyone...
'I was foolish. It's only natural. If he's Grandpa Wi-ji's son and Brother Chan's father, he must be a master who can be considered the best of his time.'
Once again, So-ah realized that there were many existences of heaven beyond heaven in the world.
But that was all.
He had only vaguely guessed that Wi-ji Gang's martial prowess was beyond description...
He was not scared or intimidated in the slightest.
It was precisely that point that surprised Wi-ji Gang.
'What a truly amazing brat. Not only are his martial arts stronger than expected, but his mind games and guts are unparalleled... Indeed, he is a worthy rival and friend to Chan.'
As soon as So-ah crossed the threshold of the Cult Leader's office, Wi-ji Gang had been endlessly emitting an formless aura towards him.
Therefore, he had thought that even the most daring human would show at least a slight wavering...
His expectation was shattered.
So-ah, who was currently staring into Wi-ji Gang's two eyes and not being pushed back in the slightest in terms of aura,
'A face full of will and a firm posture. Even the Supreme Meridian Energy that is faintly flowing out... Indeed! Indeed, he is the disciple of the God of War!'
...was, on the contrary, surpassing Wi-ji Gang in the invisible psychological warfare.
"It's been a long time, Young Hero Jin."
"It's been a long time, Cult Leader."
Wi-ji Gang's one sentence was somewhat cold.
But So-ah politely cupped his fists.
"The Martial Alliance is a group that is on a different track from our cult. For what reason have you climbed this Hundred Thousand Great Mountains?"
"Cult Leader. First, this..."
So-ah took out a letter he had been carrying in his bosom.
The letter was written by Abbess Hongryeon herself, and it was a kind of guarantee that proved that So-ah was the representative negotiator who represented the official position of the Martial Alliance, and that all future diplomatic authority between the Martial Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was vested in So-ah.
Wi-ji Gang, who had read it all, showed a smile that somehow felt sinister.
"This year, how old are you?"
"I am twenty-two."
"Indeed, it can be called a young man's success."
It was a statement whose meaning was difficult to grasp.
Not only So-ah, but also Jeon Woo-chi, who was standing by his side, nervously swallowing his saliva, could not help but feel a sense of doubt.
But So-ah maintained a polite tone and responded to Wi-ji Gang.
"Success? That's too much."
"You have gained the full trust of the Martial Alliance at a young age, so what is it if not success? I didn't understand when my father used to dote on you so much... but now I see. You are a very charming person."
In that moment.
'Huh? I have a feeling that something will go well again.'
So-ah had been secretly worried that he would be questioned about beating up the gatekeepers of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
But at Wi-ji Gang's shower of praise, So-ah had a feeling that things would go well.
But.
"But, on the other hand, you are also very arrogant and presumptuous."
At Wi-ji Gang's one sentence, that premonition flew away.
'Of course! Aww!!'
So-ah cursed inwardly.
He had definitely intended to persuade them nicely with words...
What was he supposed to do with them, who had used their hands without any warning?
Beating them up was the best policy.
But So-ah did not have the slightest intention of bringing up the uncomfortable truth and arguing about right and wrong.
Instead.
"Cult Leader... regarding the incident at the mountain gate... I apologize. It may seem like an excuse, but since the masters of your esteemed cult attacked first without considering the circumstances, I had no choice but to perform an act of self-defense, so if you would be so generous as to understand, I will deeply reflect and also be deeply grateful."
...he showed the meticulousness of unfolding his specialty, the 'acting' divine art and the 'eloquence' divine art, in a consecutive manner.
'Th-That heaven-defying brat... he's at it again. Wow... I never imagined he would do that in this situation. Is he really human?'
Watching such a So-ah, Jeon Woo-chi, far from clicking his tongue, trembled with rage.
Since he had grasped So-ah's usual behavior, tone, and personality, he knew that the current So-ah was once again performing the 'acting divine art' that he had displayed in front of the Poison King.
It was truly a surprising 'no'.
Because Wi-ji Gang's aura was so menacing that he himself could not even look at him properly...
Whether his heart was made of steel, or whether he was a cold-blooded person whose blood was as cold as a snake's.
Moreover, since So-ah's acting skills were so perfect that they could slap the cheek of any street storyteller or Beijing opera actor, Jeon Woo-chi was even afraid of such a So-ah.
'A person with a purpose is this scary! Wow... Jin So-ah. You're amazing, so amazing. My goodness!'
But for some reason, a laugh was about to come out.
To hold back that laugh, Jeon Woo-chi tried to imagine the saddest thing possible.
Whether that was the case or not.
The acting of the actor, Jin So-ah, continued without stopping.
"Furthermore, I sincerely apologize for my disrespect and irreverence in knocking on the door of the Great Heavenly Demon Divine Cult without any notice. But, Cult Leader! The reason I have come to see you, the greatest power and master of the current martial world, despite the rudeness, is to discuss a matter so important that it would more than offset all of that."
This time, even Wi-ji Chan was surprised.
'Hah... So-ah was a light and fun brat when he was young. Has he changed into a very tragic and serious person while I wasn't looking?'
Of course, since he did not know that So-ah was currently displaying a perfect acting skill, he was once again chewing on the old sage's true words that 'even the mountains and rivers change in 10 years'.
And...
At the end of that magnificent performance.
...he had come to play his 'trump card'.
"Cult Leader! Please, show tolerance to this junior of the martial world who has come a long way. Furthermore, I earnestly ask you to show mercy to this unworthy one, whose fate is by no means shallow with your esteemed cult. Although you may not be pleased, I wish to devise a plan for the Orthodox Path and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult to coexist in these troubled times. If it is a matter that is beneficial to both sides, isn't the distinction between black and white meaningless? At the very least, I hope you will recognize my loyal heart, which seeks to pursue 'practical benefits'."
In an instant.
The two eyes of Wi-ji Gang, who had been showing a cold reaction all along, trembled slightly.
So-ah, who saw that,
'Done!'
...rejoiced, and,
'Aww! The world's greatest swindler! A brat who would sell the water of the Yangtze River for money! You really can't stop him!'
...Jeon Woo-chi was astonished.
(End of Chapter)