Chapter 219
Chapter 219
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 219
Chapter Title: A Monk's Advice
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“You said you learned from that old man, the Raging Flame Great Ghost, how to use the power of searing yang to push away a wine cup, didn’t you?”
At the time, the Yin Ghost Demon Sword had chuckled and said.
“It’s rarely used now, but in the past, demonic martial arts had many techniques of *Deuk-bu-sil-bu*.”
“Techniques where there was neither gain nor loss. Things like the *Cha-gi-ta-ryeok* that the Raging Flame Great Ghost was so fond of.”
The Raging Flame Great Ghost had once taught Bu Eun-seol the secret of *Cha-gi-ta-ryeok*, a method to neutralize an enemy’s internal energy and simultaneously redirect it elsewhere.
“Using *Cha-gi-ta-ryeok* allows you to redirect an enemy’s internal energy, but it also prevents you from pouring your own internal energy into the enemy.”
The Yin Ghost Demon Sword, who had been squatting in front of Bu Eun-seol as he built a coffin, spoke with the bright, innocent smile of a child.
“But this utterly useless, obsolete technique happens to shine when used against the Shaolin’s *Go-sim-jong* art!”
*Cha-gi-ta-ryeok* was not a technique to counter an enemy’s surging internal energy, but rather to gather it, seize it, and drag it downward.
Though it was an otherwise useless art, it proved remarkably effective against the *Go-sim-jong* technique of the Eighteen Arhats, who unleashed their disparate internal energies all at once.
In the past, when surrounded by the Eighteen Arhats, the Yin Ghost Demon Sword had escaped their *Go-sim-jong* by using *Cha-gi-ta-ryeok*.
And he had passed that technique on to Bu Eun-seol.
‘Drag the surging internal energy down to the Yongcheon acupoint.’
*Vwoom!*
Bu Eun-seol shifted his Reversing Extremes True Qi, which had been resisting the onslaught, and wrapped it around the qi of the Eighteen Arhats.
The moment he tried to pull it down into the ground through the Yongcheon acupoint, a pressure point near the sole of his foot,
‘What is happening?’
Something strange occurred.
The instant he tried to wrap the Eighteen Arhats’ internal energy and push it into his Yongcheon acupoint, the captured energy began to flow naturally into his own meridians.
“……!”
Bu Eun-seol was not the only one to notice the anomaly.
The Eighteen Arhats, who had been unleashing their *Go-sim-jong* with all their might, stared at each other, their eyes wide.
‘How can this be!’
The internal energy that had been pressing down on Bu Eun-seol was suddenly being absorbed into his meridians.
‘Is that man a ghost?’
Gong Myeong’s eyes widened in disbelief.
The internal energy of each of the Eighteen Arhats was well over a full sexagenary cycle.
Yet this man was effortlessly receiving that torrent of energy and circulating it within his own body?
This was something that should not be possible unless he were a ghost.
‘No, he must have learned the Demonic Sect’s *Hwa-gong-dae-beop* or the Ghost Sect’s *Yo-won-so-gong*!’
Seeing Bu Eun-seol take their true qi into his body, Gong Myeong concluded that he must have mastered a demonic art that could instantly absorb or extinguish internal energy.
*Vwoom.*
Meanwhile, a low vibration began to emanate from Bu Eun-seol’s body, accompanied by a burgeoning golden glow.
He was continuously circulating the profound internal energy of the Eighteen Arhats through his own meridians.
The sight of Bu Eun-seol, bathed in a golden light, was like the majestic image of an enlightened Buddha.
Only after seeing the golden light flowing around his body did Bu Eun-seol understand why this phenomenon was occurring.
‘The origin of my true qi… it was Shaolin’s after all.’
The Blood Diamond had told him that the breathing technique Bu Eun-seol had learned since childhood was a life-preserving secret extracted from Shaolin’s Muscle/Tendon Change Classic.
And it was true.
When he had wrapped his qi around another true qi of the same origin, they had naturally merged within his meridians.
‘This feels refreshing.’
The pure internal energy of the Eighteen Arhats flowed ceaselessly through Bu Eun-seol’s meridians, cleansing his qi and blood and clearing any blockages.
“Ugh.”
Just then, Gong Myeong let out a groan and his body trembled slightly.
What if Bu Eun-seol continued like this, like a drowning ghost, endlessly circulating their internal energy through his meridians?
They would eventually be drained of their internal energy and meet a miserable end.
‘Hmm.’
Bu Eun-seol, watching this, considered for a moment before frowning.
Even if their origins were the same, the combined internal energy of the Eighteen Arhats, by a simple calculation, amounted to well over ten sexagenary cycles.
Although he was distributing their energy evenly throughout his blood vessels, the sheer volume was too much. A normal martial artist’s meridians would have been torn to shreds.
‘I can’t keep this up.’
A dull ache was already spreading to his dantian.
At that, Bu Eun-seol’s eyes flashed, and he shouted.
“Prepare yourselves! After I annihilate all your internal energy, I will take your heads.”
Speaking during an internal energy contest was a suicidal act. Opening one’s mouth to exhale would cause a rapid loss of internal energy.
But when Gong Myeong saw Bu Eun-seol open his mouth and shout in the middle of their clash, he was utterly shocked.
“Urk.”
As he let out an undignified groan, the flow of his internal energy instantly wavered.
With the energy stream of Gong Myeong, the most powerful among them, faltering, the other Eighteen Arhats were also thrown into a panic.
“Ugh.”
The *Go-sim-jong* technique required a constant and stable outpouring of pure true qi.
But with all Eighteen Arhats flustered, their streams of true qi began to tangle chaotically.
‘Now!’
Bu Eun-seol quickly seized the opportunity and poured the internal energy flowing through his meridians into the ground.
“Argh!”
The Eighteen Arhats cried out and staggered back as the true qi that had been circulating through Bu Eun-seol’s body vanished without a trace.
“My internal energy! It’s all gone!”
As Gong Hak, the youngest of the Eighteen Arhats, panicked, Bu Eun-seol did not miss the chance to break through the barrier of qi and step outside.
He had finally escaped the *Go-sim-jong* technique.
“Hah, hah.”
The Eighteen Arhats all hung their heads, gasping for breath.
Having rapidly expended their energy while their minds were unstable, they had fallen into a state of exhaustion.
*Shing.*
In that moment, Bu Eun-seol drew his Ink Sword.
If he were to attack now, he could strike down the Eighteen Arhats in a single blow.
“……”
But Bu Eun-seol did not.
Had he broken the *Go-sim-jong* technique honorably, he would have immediately taken their heads.
But this victory was one he had stumbled into, thanks to having learned Shaolin’s life-preserving art.
To kill the Eighteen Arhats by taking advantage of his knowledge of a Shaolin internal art would only leave a bitter taste.
“Why did you not kill us?”
As Bu Eun-seol stood like a statue with his sword drawn, Gong Myeong spoke in a low voice.
“If you had struck immediately, you could have cut off this humble monk’s head… before Gwang Yeon even had a chance to intervene.”
Bu Eun-seol looked at the pale Gong Myeong and said coldly.
“That is none of your concern.”
Sheathing his Ink Sword, Bu Eun-seol turned his body.
“Go.”
Staring at Bu Eun-seol’s back, Gong Myeong finally understood.
‘Come to think of it…’
The internal energy of Bu Eun-seol, which had enveloped the power of the *Go-sim-jong*, had been both profound and pure.
Thinking back, such a cultivation method could never be mastered by a wicked demonic practitioner.
Moreover, would a demon who reveled in slaughter miss a chance to take the heads of the Eighteen Arhats in one fell swoop?
‘I see. That is why Wudang stopped pursuing him.’
Wudang had ordered the Dae-ui-go-su, Song Ak, to kill Bu Eun-seol without fail.
But in the end, he had returned empty-handed.
Despite this, Wudang had shown no particular reaction and had not pursued Bu Eun-seol further.
Perhaps it was because Song Ak had seen Bu Eun-seol’s true nature.
“The rumors of the martial world are not to be trusted.”
Gong Myeong sighed deeply.
It had been said throughout the Orthodox Faction that the demonic Sip-ma-jeon-in of Nang-ya-gak had slain a Dae-ui-go-su…
But seeing him in person, he was merely a cold-hearted warrior.
“May this humble monk ask one thing?”
“……”
“Why does a warrior such as yourself harbor such hostility toward the Beggars’ Union?”
Normally, Bu Eun-seol would not have answered this question.
But sensing a hint of goodwill in Gong Myeong’s voice, Bu Eun-seol turned his head.
“I am trying to find the Geol-wang.”
“The Geol-wang…”
Gong Myeong nodded as if he finally understood the whole situation.
“So the Beggars’ Union gave us your location.”
“The Beggars’ Union?”
“Indeed.”
A faint smile touched Gong Myeong’s lips.
“Elder Gu is a Grand Elder of the Beggars’ Union, but he is not on good terms with the leadership. You must be aware of this fact.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded slightly.
The Geol-wang, Gu Hong-cheong, had been a martial prodigy who distinguished himself from a young age, and as a result, he quickly inherited the essence of the Beggars’ Union’s martial arts.
He eventually rose to become a candidate for the position of Young Union Leader.
His ambition was to systematically develop the Beggars’ Union, a den of beggars, and transform it into the number one faction in the world, surpassing even Shaolin.
However, the former Union Leader, Sang Gwan-un, believed his ambition would ruin the Beggars’ Union and ultimately passed the leadership to Gu Hong-cheong’s junior brother, Yeon Wi-seong.
Greatly disheartened by this, he left the Union and wandered aimlessly, but then Yeon Wi-seong suddenly died.
At that, Gu Hong-cheong returned to the Beggars’ Union, thinking he could finally become the leader.
But the elders of the Eight Branches chose the moderate No Bong as the next leader, not the ambitious Gu Hong-cheong.
However, as if by the will of the heavens, even No Bong fell ill with a strange disease and lost his strength, and eventually, the duties of the Union Council fell to the Vice Leader, Hae Pung.
This time, Gu Hong-cheong changed his plans.
He intended to prop up the Dae-ui-go-su Seong-ryun as the Union Leader, while he himself would rule the Beggars’ Union from behind the scenes.
But after Seong-ryun was killed by Bu Eun-seol, that plan too was thwarted, and now he was building his own faction with the intention of becoming the Union Leader himself.
“Are you searching for Elder Gu’s whereabouts?”
“Do you know where he is?”
“I do not. His movements are so elusive that even the Beggars’ Union’s intelligence network cannot find him.”
Then why bother with all this talk?
As Bu Eun-seol raised an eyebrow with a bewildered expression, Gong Myeong smiled faintly.
“However, I do know a way to make him come to you.”
Taking a deep breath, he looked past Bu Eun-seol at the clear sky and said.
“Go to Seon-hwa Peak on Won-un Mountain.”
“Seon-hwa Peak?”
“Indeed. If you go there, you will see a way to make Elder Gu come to you.”
The words were like a riddle.
But Bu Eun-seol nodded slightly. The Head of the Eighteen Arhats, Gong Myeong, was not one to speak nonsense.
“Amitabha.”
Gong Myeong brought his hands together and chanted the Buddha’s name before turning around.
“I hope this has been of help.”
It was truly a strange turn of events.
Why would Gong Myeong, the Head of the Eighteen Arhats and a high monk of Shaolin, give him such information?
‘So even Buddhist monks calculate their own gains.’
After some thought, Bu Eun-seol was able to see through Gong Myeong’s scheme.
No matter how great Bu Eun-seol’s skills were, he could not defeat Gu Hong-cheong, who had reached the Supreme Realm.
If he went to find Gu Hong-cheong and fought him, the Eighteen Arhats could maintain the peace of the martial world in one fell swoop without bloodying their own hands.
“Well then.”
As Gong Myeong turned, the Eighteen Arhats followed.
However, Gwang Yeon did not leave, instead looking at Bu Eun-seol as if he had something to say.
“Do you have something to say?”
Gwang Yeon faced Bu Eun-seol and pressed his palms together.
“Seeing Benefactor Bu makes this humble monk feel ashamed.”
“……”
“Even as a disciple of Buddhism, it is inevitable that one considers the interests of one’s temple. In truth, the Head of the Arhat Hall… has borrowed the hand of the Geol-wang.”
“I am aware.”
Bu Eun-seol answered as if it were nothing.
“My goal is to fight him anyway.”
“I see.”
Gwang Yeon said with a faint smile.
“Are you aware? If one masters the Prajna Divine Power among our temple’s Seventy-Two Supreme Arts, one gains an ability like *Tashintong*.”
“……”
“Of course, one cannot truly read a person’s mind… it is more to the level of sensing another’s emotions through the flow of their true qi or predicting their movements.”
Bu Eun-seol stared intently at Gwang Yeon’s face.
“A similar supreme art is the Sword Pavilion’s *Deung-gak-il-jeon*.”
Then, Gwang Yeon whispered in a soft voice.
“What I am saying is that upon reaching the Supreme Realm, these things become possible even without learning the martial art.”
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol’s eyes wavered like water.
He could now understand the meaning of Gwang Yeon’s words.
‘*Tashintong*, *Deung-gak-il-jeon*… so that was it?’
It was no coincidence that Gwang Yeon had seen through his Heaven’s Lament.
He too must have mastered the Prajna Divine Power.
And because he had meticulously observed and analyzed the first four forms of Bu Eun-seol’s Mu-sang-cheon-ryu…
He had been able to predict, to some extent, the form of Heaven’s Lament, which Bu Eun-seol had unleashed as his finishing blow.
‘If I had fought the Geol-wang without knowing this…’
Bu Eun-seol narrowed his eyes.
If he had faced Gu Hong-cheong in his current state?
He would have been defeated, even if he had unleashed Heaven’s Lament hundreds of times.
‘So small pieces come together to form a single picture.’
Gwang Yeon, who had mastered the Prajna Divine Power, was able to grasp the form of Heaven’s Lament to some extent after clashing with the Mu-sang-cheon-ryu style several times, despite not having reached the Supreme Realm.
Then the Geol-wang, who was already in the Supreme Realm, would naturally be able to see through the form of Heaven’s Lament.
“Benefactor Bu, you are accepting all trials and achieving enlightenment on your own.”
Gwang Yeon looked at Bu Eun-seol with a deep gaze.
“But whether in martial arts or in Buddhism… a good teacher is necessary for great achievement.”
He spoke as if he had peered into Bu Eun-seol’s circumstances and his very heart.
‘Hmm.’
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes deepened.
The secret of Nang-ya-gak’s martial arts lay in ‘enlightenment.’
Having mastered various martial techniques, he no longer had a teacher and was evolving his martial arts through life-and-death battles.
While this method allowed for rapid enlightenment, it had the disadvantage of requiring him to grasp the profound principles of martial arts on his own.
“In the past, Nang-ya-gak produced the world’s greatest martial artist several times, yet it still does not have a systematic method of teaching.”
Gwang Yeon said in a low voice.
“Ultimately, the achievement of one’s martial realm is determined by the learner’s capacity for enlightenment, which has made it difficult to produce more outstanding figures.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
Bu Eun-seol could not understand Gwang Yeon’s attitude of imparting enlightenment to him.
“Am I not your enemy?”
“I, too, am a disciple of Shaolin.”
Gwang Yeon smiled.
“Elder Gu’s ambition is not limited to the Beggars’ Union. Rather than letting a man who could throw the martial world into chaos gain power… it would not be so bad for a man without such ambition to be victorious.”
Bu Eun-seol was dumbfounded.
‘Was Shaolin always this fearsome?’
The Head of the Arhat Hall had used the stratagem of killing with a borrowed knife by giving him information on Gu Hong-cheong.
And now, the one called the greatest prodigy of Shaolin was saying that he would rather a simple man of the Demonic Path win…
Than a figure from the Orthodox Faction who could stir up a storm in the martial world.
“It seems the disciples of Buddhism enjoy borrowing the hands of others for their own benefit.”
Despite Bu Eun-seol’s scathing words, Gwang Yeon’s eyes remained unwavering as he smiled.
“Depending on one’s perspective, it could be seen that way.”
‘This one should have been a secular disciple as well.’
Gwang Yeon was a man better suited to the secular world than to a Buddhist monastery.
Perhaps Shaolin, knowing this, had given him the position of a novice monk.
“Well then, if fate allows, we shall meet again.”
Gwang Yeon, as if his work was done, brought his hands together in a gesture of respect.
Then, he used a movement technique and vanished in an instant.
Watching Gwang Yeon’s back as he disappeared like the wind, Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
“Is this the beginning?”
In any case, thanks to Gwang Yeon’s advice, he had discovered a major flaw in his martial arts.
And he had finally caught the Geol-wang’s tail.
“But…”
With this, Bu Eun-seol had to completely revise the plan he had laid out so far.
Not only that, but he also had to urgently remedy the flaw in his martial arts.
Only then could he barely face the fearsome enemy that was the Geol-wang.