Chapter 353
Chapter 353
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 353
Chapter Title: Celestial Raiment Heart Art
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The dead of a winter so cold, at the crack of dawn.
Bu Eun-seol was asleep, carried on the back of his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang.
He had urged the boy to go inside, for the day was frigid.
But Bu Eun-seol, with the sole intention of helping his grandfather, had worked hard at the inn amidst the severe cold.
As a result, he had fallen ill.
"If this old man directly infuses my true energy to clear his meridians, he'll recover in no time."
Bu Jan-yang muttered softly, turning his head to glance at the sleeping Bu Eun-seol.
"But that would only be a temporary fix. He would just fall ill like this again."
Pausing for a moment, he smiled faintly.
"It's about time I taught him how to generate his own true energy and clear his meridians."
Bu Jan-yang began to recite the scriptures of a divine art to the soundly sleeping Bu Eun-seol, like a lullaby.
It was a wondrous technique that allowed one to synchronize the internal energy circulation of a person they touched with their own body.
"This Celestial Raiment Heart Art, as its name suggests—celestial raiment—allows one to instantly gain divine abilities, as if wearing clothes from the heavens."
Bu Jan-yang continued in a low voice.
"Once you master this secret art, you'll not only be able to comprehend this old man's true energy circulation but also instantly synchronize with it."
But Bu Eun-seol was so deeply asleep that he couldn't hear everything his grandfather was saying.
However, the words of the scripture that Bu Jan-yang recited were being branded into his mind like a hot iron.
Wisdom Light Mind-Speech.
Bu Jan-yang was using a Buddhist technique to forcibly implant the scripture into Bu Eun-seol's mind.
And the soundly sleeping Bu Eun-seol unconsciously learned the secret art passed down by Bu Jan-yang and began to imitate his true energy circulation.
***
"Nonsense."
Bu Eun-seol, who had been fast asleep on Bu Jan-yang's back, suddenly opened his eyes.
And he spoke in a voice filled with disbelief.
"They say there are countless martial arts in the world, but how could there be a secret art that allows one to comprehend another's true energy circulation?"
He added with a pout.
"If such a secret method existed, wouldn't you be able to steal the internal energy arts of every sect in the world?"
At that, Bu Jan-yang smiled.
"You think it doesn't exist?"
"Of course."
Bu Eun-seol nodded firmly.
"I'd bet on it."
Passing down an internal energy art is comparable to the effort of raising a child to adulthood.
If one could snatch away such a complex and profound circulation of true energy in an instant?
That sect would either stand tall in the martial world as the greatest sect under heaven, or it would have been destroyed by the combined forces of the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions.
That's how crucial an internal energy art is to a sect.
"Hahaha. Since becoming a martial artist, you seem to have studied internal energy arts quite a bit."
Bu Jan-yang grinned.
"You're right. There is no secret art in this world that can steal another's true energy circulation."
He continued in a low voice.
"However, a secret art that allows you to synchronize with another's true energy circulation can exist."
"Synchronize?"
"That's right."
Bu Jan-yang said in a gentle voice.
"If you can temporarily synchronize another's true energy circulation with your own body? Wouldn't that be the same as comprehending their art?"
"Synchronization... I see."
Bu Eun-seol's entire body glowed faintly as if he had reached an epiphany.
And his consciousness once again stepped out of the illusion, watching himself being carried on his grandfather's back.
The conversation between Bu Eun-seol and Bu Jan-yang from the moment he 'woke up'.
It hadn't actually happened.
It was merely a series of questions and answers created by the mind of Bu Eun-seol as he watched the illusion.
Because the Celestial Raiment Heart Art, which Bu Jan-yang had engraved with the Wisdom Light Mind-Speech, was truly inside his head.
'The Celestial Raiment Heart Art...'
As Bu Eun-seol recalled the scripture that Bu Jan-yang had unconsciously engraved, he slowly began to escape the inner demon and regain his sense of self.
*Clang. Crumble.*
Then, the illusion—the scene of his grandfather and the Pyeong-an Inn—began to shatter like a mirror.
And Bu Eun-seol's consciousness returned completely to reality.
When he opened his eyes, he saw A-yeon, suffering as if her body was on fire.
'With this secret art, it's possible.'
Awakened from the illusion, Bu Eun-seol drew upon the Celestial Raiment Heart Art.
He reached out and slowly took hold of her wrist pulse.
At that, the true energy flowing within Bu Eun-seol's body began to perfectly mimic the circulation of true energy occurring inside A-yeon's body.
*Whoom!*
The true energy, which had been operating under the Counter-Polarity Heart Art, instantly began to circulate in the manner of A-yeon's Secret Origin Divine Art.
At the same time, a faint light began to gather between Bu Eun-seol's brows once more.
The heart art of the Sword Pavilion, unlike typical orthodox arts, trained the lower and upper dantian simultaneously...
It was a method that accumulated immense internal energy while also aiming to fortify the spirit.
'This could be called an overly ambitious heart art.'
However, an art like this was difficult for disciples of ordinary talent to even begin to learn.
Especially if one forced its circulation without a solid foundation of internal energy, not only their body's true energy but also their very spirit could split into two.
'As a sect of women, they must have needed greater power.'
The history of the martial world has been particularly harsh on female sects.
Nevertheless, the Sword Pavilion was able to stand tall, likely because they created this strange and marvelous heart art that opened both the lower and upper dantian at once.
'It's blocked here.'
Bu Eun-seol, synchronized with A-yeon's true energy circulation, felt a discomfort in his lower abdomen.
It was the Qi Sea acupoint, the ocean where true energy is stored. There, frigid ice energy that had not been expelled had pooled.
Because of that, the circulation of pure yang energy was not smooth.
*Whoom!*
Bu Eun-seol quickly unleashed the absorption technique from the Glacial River Arts.
The frigid ice energy pooled deep within her Qi Sea acupoint began to be absorbed back into Bu Eun-seol's body.
*Sshhh.*
As the coldness vanished in an instant, A-yeon's dantian warmed, and color slowly began to return to her complexion.
'She should be able to recover in about two days.'
Watching A-yeon, Bu Eun-seol wore a smile.
Now that all the cold energy was removed, A-yeon would likely make a full recovery by dawn.
'But there's no need to wait two days.'
Focusing his mind, Bu Eun-seol once again drew upon the Secret Origin Divine Art.
If he infused his Counter-Polarity True Energy in a manner similar to the Sword Pavilion's internal art, her injuries would heal even faster.
*Woooong.*
Before long, a majestic light began to flow from Bu Eun-seol's forehead.
And he began to continuously infuse immense true energy into A-yeon's Dazhui acupoint.
***
A-yeon was dreaming.
To be precise, through the illusion of the Spirit Summoning Secret Speech, she was reliving past memories like a dream.
Her first memory was in front of a rundown inn.
*Creeak.*
Opening the door to the old inn, A-yeon stared intently at a man sitting by the window.
He had thick, dark eyebrows, a high-bridged nose, and long, unbound hair.
His features were so stunningly handsome they were blinding, yet he possessed a solemn and lonely air.
The moment she saw his eyes, A-yeon felt as if a bolt of lightning had pierced her mind.
Destiny.
Looking into the man's eyes, she felt an inexplicable sense of destiny.
'What am I thinking?'
Steeling herself, A-yeon walked up to the man and spoke coldly.
"Bu Eun-seol, the Ten Demonic Champions of the Wolf Fang Pavilion. Is that correct?"
The moment their eyes met, her breath caught.
His unfathomably deep eyes were filled with sorrow. At the same time, a strange sensation traveled up her spine, unsettling her heart.
In the end, she had to circulate her profound energy just to meet his gaze.
"Since your appearance in the martial world, you have consistently killed Champions of the Great Cause. Do you admit to this?"
At the time, A-yeon had entered the martial world to deal with the Ten Demonic Champions who were killing the Champions of the Great Cause.
And after much hardship, she had finally found him.
But this man was unreasonable.
"A-yeon, a disciple of the Sword Pavilion, challenges you."
In the end, she had challenged him with confidence, but...
"I refuse."
He gave an unexpected answer.
"Go and ask the leader of the Martial Alliance. Ask why the Ten Demonic Champions have no choice but to fight the Champions of the Great Cause."
It seemed there was a story between the Champions and the Demonic Champions that she was unaware of.
Left with no choice, she decided to travel with him and assess the situation.
But that journey was not easy.
It was a path of blood itself.
This man, despite being one of the Ten Demonic Champions, was being pursued by masters from the White Horse Temple and the Hell Blood Fortress.
But his martial arts were exceptional, and he never yielded to any crisis or ordeal.
Moreover, after dispatching an enemy, he would always observe the wounds on the corpse to improve his own martial arts.
'He's a strange one.'
At first, she thought he was a vicious demon of the Unorthodox Path.
But after watching him for a while, she realized he was closer to a true warrior, with a cold personality but a fiery martial spirit in his heart.
Furthermore, his martial prowess was in no way inferior to her own.
"Song-ak, a disciple of Wudang."
Just as they broke through the encirclement of the Hell Blood Fortress and the White Horse Temple, a Champion of the Great Cause from the Wudang Sect, Song-ak, appeared and challenged him.
'I don't want to see it.'
That man of the Unorthodox Path was not a bad person.
And Song-ak, too, was a pure and clear person, like an autumn breeze.
For the first time, A-yeon hesitated to observe another's swordplay.
She didn't want to see the two of them fight to the death.
'Let's go back.'
In the end, she returned to the Sword Pavilion.
And she immersed herself deeply in the way of the sword.
To become as strong as that man of the Unorthodox Path.
So that when they met again, she could truly test her skills against his.
—I heard the successor to the Demonic Cult destroyed the Five Venoms Sect and found traces of organized child kidnappings.
Before she knew it, that man had become the successor to the Demonic Cult.
And as it happened, the Sword Pavilion was investigating the child kidnapping cases.
—I will go to the Demonic Cult myself and request information on that matter.
Without a hint of hesitation, she headed for the Demonic Cult.
And finally, she saw him again.
Time had passed, but the man's appearance hadn't changed at all.
Despite his high position, his sorrowful eyes and lonely air remained. And so did the disposition of a solitary challenger, as if drenched in blood.
The only thing that had changed was the level of his martial arts.
Unlike when she first saw him, he was now so unfathomably strong she couldn't hope to follow, and the gap between them was too vast to be closed in a short time.
—I challenge you.
She thought that if she fought him again, she could uncover the secret to his astonishing progress in martial arts.
But he told her to fight his subordinates first.
She willingly engaged them in battle, but in the end, she managed only a narrow victory by half a move against a man named Yu Un-ryong.
The fact that she couldn't even easily defeat his subordinate meant that a duel with him was a guaranteed loss.
The gap was so wide that she might not even learn anything from it.
'Was I not even qualified to fight him?'
In her heart, she already felt it.
That fighting him would only end in her obvious defeat.
But she insisted on the duel.
She had no hope that clashing swords with him would surely lead to a great epiphany.
She just wanted to face him, just the two of them, and exchange blows.
She recovered her energy and waited a full day, but he never came to the appointed place.
—Lord Bu and I are already engaged.
After waiting, she went to find him, only to see a beautiful woman weaving a sinister plot against two other women.
'He's engaged?'
In that moment, she felt something that had filled her heart drop away.
She didn't know why, but agony and frustration surged within her.
—It's a lie.
But she soon realized.
Not a single trace of emotion rose in his eyes.
If he were truly engaged, even if he didn't show affection, he would have at least shown his agreement in front of everyone.
—What engagement gift did you exchange with him?
In the end, A-yeon couldn't stand by and watch, so she intervened in the argument.
For some reason, she found that flirtatious beauty detestable.
—Even if the Lord got on his knees and proposed?
When she said she had never thought of him as a man, one of the surrounding women asked that question.
For a moment, she imagined him on one knee with a serious expression.
Her breath quickened, and she felt dizzy.
But that was a delusion a disciple of the Profound Gate should never even imagine.
—Of course.
In the end, she lied and fled the Demonic Cult.
But from that day on, her mind was filled with visions of him.
'Was I someone who should never have set foot in the Profound Gate?'
It was frustrating and painful.
And she sublimated that pain and frustration into her swordplay.
Instead of sleeping, she circulated her energy, and when she opened her eyes, she devoted herself solely to her sword. Her internal energy snowballed, and her swordsmanship improved.
Her martial skill grew stronger and stronger, but her heart felt empty and void.
And when she closed her eyes, the man's face still appeared.
—The Black and White Witch has appeared!
It was a good excuse.
The Pavilion always sent disciples down whenever a crisis befell the martial world.
This was a chance to travel the martial world, deal with villains, and sort out her thoughts.
And to forget him.
Forever.
A-yeon swore it.
*Chirp, chirp, chirp.*
A-yeon opened her eyes to the sound of birds chirping outside her window.
It was strange.
Her last memory was clearly of fighting the Black and White Witch, so why was she lying in her quarters at the Sword Pavilion?
Was everything up to now just a dream?
Staring blankly into the air, she belatedly felt the sensation return to her entire body.
And she felt a warmth on her back, at her Dazhui acupoint.
Turning over, her eyes met with a man whose hand was placed on her Dazhui acupoint.
He wore his hair in a topknot, and his eyes were slightly small and long. He had an ordinary face, the kind you could see anywhere.
"You're awake."
As their eyes met, the man's warm hand left her Dazhui acupoint.
A-yeon felt an inexplicable sense of emptiness at its absence.
"You are..."
"Just lie down and rest. You must be exhausted."
The man's voice carried an undeniable authority.
A faint golden light shimmered around his body. At the same time, A-yeon felt her whole body grow warm again.
'Remote Energy Transfer?'
She realized the man was using Remote Energy Transfer to infuse her with powerful true energy to instantly restore her body.
"You."
In her hazy state of consciousness, A-yeon opened her mouth.
And then she saw the red pupils hidden within those slender, long eyes.
Weren't those the eyes of the man she always pictured in her dreams?
"Why are you here?"
No answer came.
But his eyes were filled with concern and care for her.
He had clearly been the one treating her all this time.
'Why are you...'
A-yeon tried to speak again, but no sound came out.
The powerful, warm true energy washing over her made her body languid, as if she were floating on a cloud.
As she slowly closed her eyes, an endlessly warm energy spread through her limbs and bones.
And A-yeon fell into a deep sleep, as if her pressure points had been sealed.
When A-yeon opened her eyes again, four hours had passed.
As she sat up, unlike before, her body was full of vitality, and her meridians were overflowing with true energy.
"You're awake."
As if on cue, a white shadow slowly approached. She had a beautiful face and white hair at her temples.
It was the Mistress of the Pure Heart Garden, her master, Ok Yu-ha.
"Master."
As A-yeon started to get up, her master reached out a hand to stop her.
"Stay lying down. Your internal energy has only just recovered. You won't have any physical strength."
"I'm fine."
A-yeon sat up straight and looked around.
But the strange man she had seen before was gone.
"Yes. How is your body?"
A-yeon circulated her true energy once and shook her head.
"There's nothing wrong at all. But what happened?"
"You don't remember?"
"After I unleashed my sword art to face the Black and White Witch... I don't remember anything."
"I see."
Ok Yu-ha sighed and said.
"You lost consciousness due to the Black and White Witch's illusion technique. And you've woken up a full two days after arriving here."
"How did I get here?"
"I sent a disciple to follow you in secret."
"I see."
After hearing the full explanation, A-yeon's expression darkened.
She had trained so hard and prided herself on not losing to anyone, yet she had been defeated by the Black and White Witch.
"But who was he?"
"He?"
"When I woke up just now, there was a man infusing me with true energy."
"That was Perfected One Chung-hyeon."
Ok Yu-ha forced a smile and said.
"Perfected One Chung-hyeon, who is staying at our Pavilion, expended a great deal of his true power to restore your body."
"He... was a young man."
"A young man? There was no such person. You must have seen things in your unconscious state."
"I see."
A-yeon touched her forehead and shook her head.
'Did I see another illusion?'
The signs of an inner demon had been there for a long time.
She had entertained delusions a disciple of the Profound Gate should not have, many times.
But it was strange.
The feeling of that hand on her back seemed to linger still.
Was it really just a delusion?
Shaking her head, her eyes suddenly widened.
A-yeon's gaze fell on the part of the bed next to her.
A blanket was laid there, and it held the impression of someone having sat on it.
"So Perfected One Chung-hyeon infused his energy from here."
As A-yeon pointed to the blanket, Ok Yu-ha nodded.
"That's right."
'It was a lie.'
Only then did A-yeon realize she hadn't been seeing things.
Perfected One Chung-hyeon was rail-thin and weighed no more than a hundred pounds.
But the impression left on the blanket was that of someone over one hundred and thirty pounds.
'He was here.'
A-yeon's heart swelled.
And a hot emotion filled her mind and welled up, burning her eyes.
Bu Eun-seol.
The man she could not forget even in her dreams had been treating her, watching over her.