Chapter 9
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Infinite Body Revealed
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In the blink of an eye, a woman materialized out of thin air and dropped to one knee.
Her outfit screamed assassin at first glance.
"Let me introduce her. This is Mae Hyang, my personal bodyguard."
Mae Hyang.
She was the leader of the Flower Breaking Squad, Jo Jung-seon's personally assembled guard unit, a master of stealth arts and palm techniques.
"Ah, yes. Nice to meet you."
Yi Ho-chang offered his greeting.
Then, after staring intently at Mae Hyang for a moment, he narrowed his eyes and asked,
"Um... just to make sure, but weren't you the one following me earlier?"
At his words, Mae Hyang, Jo Jung-seon, and Sima Hwa-yeong's eyes widened in surprise.
Jo Jung-seon was especially shocked as he shot back,
"What makes you think that?"
"Pardon?"
"Did you perhaps sense Mae Hyang's presence?"
Yi Ho-chang scratched his chin with his index finger as he replied,
"Well... it wasn't exactly sensing a presence. More like I kept feeling this gaze on me... And when I saw the squad leader's eyes just now, they gave off a similar vibe, so I figured I'd ask."
"Hah..."
Jo Jung-seon let out an admiring sigh.
And rightly so—Mae Hyang's stealth skills were the best in the entire Flower Breaking Squad.
For him to have sensed her gaze...
'Maybe Hwa-yeong was right after all.'
The heaven-sent prodigy known as the Infinite Body.
And people born with such fortunes rarely possessed just that one gift.
Heaven and fate were notoriously biased like that.
Which only made his expectations soar even higher.
Jo Jung-seon spoke up.
"Truth be told, I was worried about your safety, so I assigned Mae Hyang to shadow you. Even with Miss Sima accompanying you, I couldn't help but fret."
"Ah, I see. Thank you for your concern."
"No need for thanks... But to think you sensed Mae Hyang's gaze... Heh heh, the more I learn about you, young hero, the more intrigued I become."
What, seriously...?
A bit much, isn't it?
But he'd compared the taste of a persimmon to that of a persimmon, and denying it now would ring false.
Jo Jung-seon continued,
"Anyway, Mae Hyang will now demonstrate a martial technique. Just watch closely and mimic it like you did with the Wave Tiger Fist. Mae Hyang?"
"Yes."
"Show him the Dragon Claw Palm. That old pine tree over there will make a fine target."
"Understood, Hall Master."
At Jo Jung-seon's command, Mae Hyang stepped into the courtyard in front of the annex and took up position before the pine tree.
She inhaled deeply, gathering internal energy into her right hand, then thrust her arm forward into empty air.
The space around her hand seemed to warp, and as she gently pressed her pale, slender palm against the pine...
Crack.
The sound of wood splintering.
Yi Ho-chang's eyes went wide.
The tree, utterly unchanged at the moment of contact, began splitting bit by bit—then shook violently as if possessed.
Snap! Thud!
It was like a dragon plummeting from the heavens, true to its name.
Finally, the trunk shattered into dozens of pieces, collapsing into a heap of sawdust.
Mae Hyang bowed toward Jo Jung-seon and Yi Ho-chang upon finishing her display.
Having witnessed the whole sequence, Yi Ho-chang couldn't help but marvel aloud.
'Whoa, that's insane.'
Is this what real martial arts look like?
Worlds apart from that Wave Tiger Fist earlier...
Hold on.
She expects me to replicate that?
Jo Jung-seon spoke up.
"Your turn now, young hero."
"...Yes, sir."
But the water was already spilled, and backing out now would kill the mood.
Fine.
Let's give it a shot.
I never claimed to be a pro anyway—just said I'd mimic it.
I've laid the groundwork already.
Even if I flop, no big deal.
Still, he couldn't deny a spark of greed.
In that brief moment, he'd seen it clearly: how to move, the principle behind unleashing palm force.
But seeing wasn't the same as understanding.
The Dragon Claw Palm felt like jumping from basic arithmetic to calculus compared to the Wave Tiger Fist.
Even so, he'd committed—time to take position.
Such chances didn't come often.
"Hoo."
Exhaling deeply, Yi Ho-chang stood before another pine next to the pile of dust.
Just like Mae Hyang, he naturally gathered energy into his right hand.
And placed it on the tree.
......
Nothing happened.
Not quite right?
He felt the air push back when he extended his arm softly like her, but the power fell woefully short.
What was wrong?
As Yi Ho-chang narrowed his eyes in thought, so did Jo Jung-seon.
'Just a fluke after all, then.'
That's when Yi Ho-chang reset his stance.
Inhaled once more, thrust his hand out.
Heat shimmered at his fingertips like a mirage—and as he snapped his hand forward...
Pop!
A small burst of air.
Everyone's eyes widened.
Yi Ho-chang's lips curled into a grin.
'Ah, so that's how it's done.'
He had the feel now.
Stance again.
He knew the flaw, had practiced—time to apply it properly.
Swallowing a breath, he gathered all his energy from his toes and unleashed it through his arm.
A larger shimmer rippled around his hand.
Got it.
Timing locked, he slowly pressed his palm to the pine.
......
The tree stayed silent.
A failure?
Everyone thought so—until...
R-r-r-rumble...
The pine began shaking as if seized by the collar.
Then...
Crack!
A small fissure appeared where his palm had touched.
Only then did the trembling stop.
"...!"
"...!"
"...!"
Everyone's eyes widened like saucers.
The power was laughably weaker than Mae Hyang's, but that phenomenon was unmistakably the Dragon Claw Palm.
Mae Hyang was the most stunned.
'How is a child who hasn't even learned the Return to One Divine Art...?'
To wield the Dragon Claw Palm, one needed the incantations and methods of the Return to One Divine Art.
And that art was a secret technique passed solely to her.
No way Yi Ho-chang could have learned it unbeknownst to her.
And sure enough, he knew no internal cultivation methods at all.
Yet he'd replicated something awfully close.
Which made it, in a sense, not the Dragon Claw Palm—but a new technique akin to it.
How could she not be amazed?
'Is this what they call true talent...?'
A master worthy of the title, Mae Hyang—who recognized the real deal—sincerely marveled.
Jo Jung-seon, too, had no room left for doubt.
'He truly was born with the Infinite Body...!'
Yi Ho-chang finished his clumsy imitation with an awkward smile.
"My skills are pretty rough. Must be embarrassing to watch, Hall Master."
No one thought that.
They only saw humility.
Composing himself, Jo Jung-seon said,
"Young hero."
"Yes, Hall Master."
"Have you ever heard of the Infinite Body?"
Yi Ho-chang narrowed his eyes briefly, then nodded.
Not that he'd read much, but it popped up constantly in the wuxia novels he'd skimmed.
Jo Jung-seon pressed on at his affirmation.
"I believe you possess it."
"Me? Really?"
Now it was Yi Ho-chang's turn to be shocked.
What the hell is this guy on about?
Infinite Body out of nowhere?
Isn't that a protagonist-only cheat trait?
But Jo Jung-seon was dead serious.
"When I first heard you'd mimicked the Wave Tiger Fist, I didn't buy that you might have the Infinite Body. It's a third-rate technique, after all. But replicating an advanced art like the Dragon Claw Palm after seeing it once? No more doubts."
"I-is that so?"
"No jest. Advanced techniques like that require internal energy cultivation, yet your dantian is empty. And still, you gathered force and mimicked it. Do you grasp what that means?"
In that instant, a half-forgotten memory resurfaced in Yi Ho-chang's mind.
'So Elder Jin Hyeop's "gift everyone would covet" was the Infinite Body?'
Realization clicked, and all the mismatched puzzle pieces suddenly fit perfectly.
He let out a hollow chuckle.
The slow-motion punches, mimicking the Wave Tiger Fist, sensing Mae Hyang's gaze.
All thanks to Jin Hyeop's gift.
Jo Jung-seon spoke then, his expression unusually grave.
"Young hero."
"Yes?"
"That's precisely why I'm worried."
"Worried... about what?"
"To a martial artist, the Infinite Body is a heavenly boon—but it can be poison too. Jealousy and inferiority run rampant in the jianghu."
Yi Ho-chang instantly got it.
Even as a former National Hand, he'd lived his life drowned in envy and spite.
"That's why I'm concerned. No matter how well you hide your brilliance, it pierces through like a needle in a pocket."
Jo Jung-seon spoke from the heart.
He'd endured such pain himself once.
Which left Yi Ho-chang deep in thought.
If he truly had the Infinite Body, it'd be his seed capital in this unfamiliar land—but he was too young, too rootless to leverage it.
Then, a bright idea struck.
"Then take me under your wing, Hall Master."
"...Me?"
"Not just shelter me. While under your protection, I'll teach you Go. In return, shield me from the jianghu—and teach me your specialty: formations."
Sima Hwa-yeong and Mae Hyang's eyes widened; Jo Jung-seon couldn't help but grin.
The kid was sharp as hell.
Yi Ho-chang continued,
"Or how about Miss Sima takes me in? If the great Sima Family claims me, I'll never forget the grace."
He'd name-dropped Sima Hwa-yeong deliberately.
They treated Infinite Body like a treasure; of course Jo Jung-seon or the Sima Family would covet him.
'No organization turns down talent.'
That had been his life as a Go pro.
Every field fought to recruit the gifted.
As Sima Hwa-yeong gathered herself to reply, Jo Jung-seon burst into laughter.
"Ha ha! The more I see, the more impressive you are, young hero. Very well—I'll take you in and teach you formations."
"Hall Master!"
"What's wrong, Miss? He proposed it to me first."
Sima Hwa-yeong's eyes flashed with regret at missing her moment.
A child born with the heavenly prodigy Infinite Body.
Just having him would benefit her clan immensely, one way or another.
And she'd let him slip away by a hair.
Reading her dismay, Yi Ho-chang quickly added,
"Miss Sima."
"Yes?"
"If it's alright with you, would you teach me your acupoint strike technique?"
"...Pardon?"
An unexpected offer.
But Yi Ho-chang meant it.
Insurance when available—and he'd seen acupoint strikes firsthand; they were damn appealing.