Completion of the Four Gods (3)
‘Hmm? What do you mean by that?’
‘I was worried the balance might be off.’
‘Sasinmu?’
‘Yes.’
‘Explain in more detail.’
‘The qi of the Four Gods corresponds to four of the five viscera: the liver, lungs, heart, and kidneys. It activates these organs to push the body’s robustness to its absolute limit.’
‘Correct.’
‘I’ve only acquired two types of qi so far. Wouldn’t that create an imbalance inside my body?’
‘Nonsense.’
‘Pardon?’
‘Some people are born with strong hearts, others with robust lungs or livers. Does that mean most of them die young from organ imbalance?’
‘Ah…….’
‘The human body is incredibly complex, yet it has evolved for utmost efficiency. This holds true not just for humans, but all living beings. Unless afflicted by external factors or illness, the body adapts swiftly to its current state.’
‘So, if one organ is innately strong, the others naturally focus on activating the body accordingly.’
‘To put it extremely, as long as it’s not a vital organ directly tied to life, a person can survive even if one is damaged or removed.’
‘The human body truly is mysterious.’
‘It is. And among them, the most mysterious is undoubtedly the liver.’
‘The liver?’
‘Unlike the heart, lungs, or kidneys, it’s not prone to fatal risks. Yet it performs the most work in the body. Detoxification is a prime example.’
‘Detoxification…….’
‘Indeed. Beyond that, it synthesizes muscles, stores nutrients from food, and bolsters immunity against diseases. Its regenerative ability is exceptional too.’
‘An amazing organ.’
‘Once you master all of Sasinmu, nothing can be neglected. But mark my words: when you venture into the jianghu and fight blood-soaked battles, you’ll benefit most from the Azure Dragon Qi governing the liver.’
‘…….’
‘Of course, once your body reaches a certain level of completion.’
* * *
Tzztzztzzt.
The dust settled.
Woo woo wooong.
A translucent cyan glow flickered and writhed, forming the shape of a dragon before vanishing.
A strange vitality bloomed across Yeon Hojeong’s face.
He detected an infinitesimal fatigue—even he hadn’t noticed it, one that ample sleep couldn’t dispel.
His skin gradually cleared.
His sun-tanned complexion remained, but it now seemed to radiate an inner glow.
Finally.
At long last.
I’ve grasped it all.
The reason he hadn’t touched Azure Dragon Qi until now was clear.
He wanted to mature the Three Gods Qi, forge their organic bonds, and elevate the functions of his five viscera and six bowels to their utmost within limits.
It wasn’t just about Azure Dragon Qi.
He’d planned to draw out the final piece of qi at the decisive moment, whatever it was.
‘If one organ is innately strong, the others naturally focus on activating the body accordingly.’
With his heart, lungs, and kidneys hyper-activated by the Three Gods Qi, his liver’s detoxification had sharpened even without Azure Dragon Qi.
Once its potential maxed out, adding Azure Dragon Qi would explode the liver’s capabilities.
Then, the enhanced liver would amplify the density of the remaining Three Gods Qi in turn.
A method to complete Sasinmu not by summoning all Four Gods for a stable base, but by leveraging the principle of mutual generation.
It took a bit longer than expected. But…….
Not bad.
His liver couldn’t keep pace with the superiority of his heart, lungs, and kidneys, subtly accumulating fatigue.
It signaled the limits of organ enhancement.
In other words, the perfect timing to summon the Azure Dragon and explosively boost them.
Ziiiiiiing!
A bizarre hum emanated from Yeon Hojeong’s body.
He drew in a deep breath.
“Huuuup.”
Saaaaak!
White Tiger Qi surged with his inhale.
High-density natural qi flooded his lungs, influencing his blood flow.
Thump thump!
His heartbeat quickened slightly, invigorating Vermilion Bird Qi.
Mighty cardiac muscle pumped blood, infusing explosive power into his limbs.
“Hooo.”
Weeeeng!
His liver—the body’s grandest biochemical factory—kicked into full gear.
The cyan Azure Dragon Qi explosively grew it, supplying nutrients to damaged muscles, stockpiling residual energy, and converting micro-fatigues into easily expelled components.
Thoom!
His ceaselessly spinning kidneys shoved the fatigue-laden substances toward the excretory organs.
Black Tortoise Qi activated instantly, vaporizing them through eighty-four thousand pores.
And finally.
Bi-ra Jin-gyeol anchored his body to perfection, ensuring not a single strand of the Four Gods Qi strayed.
Kwajijik!
Fresh cracks spiderwebbed across the already shattered training ground floor.
The perfectly converged Four Gods Qi, condensed by mutual generation, unleashed monstrous pressure.
The ground within five zhang of Yeon Hojeong trembled like an earthquake.
Fussst.
Yeon Wi, having set down his broken sword, gazed at his son.
He’s changing.
His son’s body, his qi, everything was transforming.
Yeon Hojeong hunched like a coiled lion, fists clenched and trembling, as translucent four-colored qi flashed like lightning.
And that qi writhed independently, forming eerie shapes.
Dazzling.
Yeon Wi looked left, toward the east.
There coiled a massive dragon with twin horns and flowing white whiskers.
Majestic and mystical.
Azure Dragon.
He turned right, to the west.
A pillar-thick beast with four massive legs roared ferociously, upholding the earth.
Overflowing dignity and ferocity.
White Tiger.
Yeon Wi lifted his gaze to the southern sky.
Crimson-flamed wings blazed, radiating intense heat as if to upend heaven and earth.
Beauty laced with overwhelming savagery.
Vermilion Bird.
Finally, his eyes turned north.
Unlike the dynamic three divine beasts amplifying their presence, a hexagonal monster silently overlooked the world.
Immobile, yet growing heavier—the incarnation of profound heaven.
Black Tortoise.
Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise.
Yeon Hojeong had now claimed all of the Four Gods Martial Arts.
Yet the changes didn’t end there.
Woooooong!!
Yeon Wi’s eyes widened.
Bi-ra Jin-gyeol?
Water begets wood, wood begets fire.
Water’s Black Tortoise Qi nurtures wood’s Azure Dragon Qi, which fuels fire’s Vermilion Bird Qi.
Metal begets water; amplified Black Tortoise Qi via metal’s White Tiger Qi accelerates their growth.
All but White Tiger Qi refined to supreme quality.
Then what of the White Tiger?
Where was the earth qi to nurture metal, the foundation of earth begets metal?
Paaaak!
Bi-ra Jin-gyeol.
It amplified White Tiger Qi to match the supreme quality of the three true qis.
Filling the gap in the five elements’ mutual generation.
Flash!
Celestial light enveloped the four-colored Four Gods Qi.
“Incredible.”
Awe lit Yeon Wi’s face.
“You’ve achieved great accomplishment in Bi-ra Jin-gyeol!”
Woooong!
The myriad lights swirled across the training ground before gradually calming.
“Hooo.”
Yeon Hojeong exhaled more deeply than ever and opened his eyes.
Clear.
They’d always been clear, but now the gaze was utterly transformed.
Within those starkly divided black-and-white pupils slumbered a mighty force primed for explosive advance.
Yeon Wi smiled and asked,
“You rascal.”
Yeon Hojeong grinned back.
‘You built that martial prowess through such toil to be a great wall for your son—how am I supposed to keep up if you’ve already reached this height?’
His words belied his pride.
Yeon Wi’s eyes and upturned lips brimmed with joy.
“You must press on further, Father. You too.”
“Must I sleep even less from now on?”
“That’s for you to decide, Father.”
“What? Hahaha!”
Despite the impudent tone, Yeon Wi didn’t rebuke him.
Instead, he burst into a laugh he’d never shown before.
And rightly so.
This monstrous son had just taken his first step beyond human limits, embarking on the ultimate journey.
Supreme mastery.
He’d shattered Mujongjibyeok—the wall dubbed the martial endpoint—and ascended to the stage of the nine great factions’ leaders and six great sects’ heads.
Still young.
Having just set foot there, he couldn’t yet rival veterans who’d honed it for decades.
Yet reaching it at such a tender age was staggering.
Scour a thousand years of murim history—how many could claim this realm at his age?
“Hojeong.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks to you, Father. I’m grateful.”
“And Hojeong.”
“Yes.”
‘Splendid.’
Yeon Hojeong smiled.
“Shall we share a drink today?”
A playful remark he’d never made to his father before.
Yeon Wi accepted his son’s bold proposal with booming laughter.
“Very well. When else would I drink with you if not today? Let’s make it a grand one.”
Thus, before countless warriors’ eyes, the prestige of the Bi-san Yeon Family shook the world once more.
* * *
The spar between father and son at the Martial Alliance’s inner training ground spread like wildfire.
Naturally, it reached the Moyong family.
“Yeon the Commander?”
“Indeed.”
Moyong Woo clicked his tongue.
“How on earth already?”
He was genuinely stunned.
The shock was too great for even admiration.
Supreme mastery.
Martial arts deepened endlessly; no need to divide into first-rate, peak, etc.
Yet an absolute limit confronted all.
People called it Mujongjibyeok and despaired.
Breaking through to a new realm was exceedingly rare.
One in ten thousand across the vast jianghu?
That was Mujongjibyeok.
And a youth in his twenties had pierced it.
The world would erupt.
A different shock from when he’d upended a prestigious house as the Wall-Mountain Tiger Lord.
“Remarkable.”
“Yes, remarkable.”
Moyong Gun’s gaze was chilling, almost ferocious.
Fierce eyes, yet laced with honest awe.
Monstrous bastard.
Just when he thought that was the limit, the kid vanished into the distance; catch him, and he’d sprout wings to soar.
No other like him.
Moyong Gun sensed crisis.
He’d meant to uproot him from the start, but this growth speed left no room for delay.
‘Some weeds die laughably easy, while monster ones sprout sky-high over a cup of tea.’
Killing intent flickered in Moyong Gun’s eyes.
“Woo-ya.”
“Yes, brother.”
“After deployment, bury the Myeol Sa Army.”
“……!”
“No half-measures. We end it.”