Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: The Martial Training Pavilion Lord's Challenge
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Cheonhwi, who had returned to Mo-ok, sat at the edge of a sheer cliff and peered down below.
The busy Mount Hua Sect Taoists, followed haphazardly by a procession of merchants and martial artists, stretched on endlessly.
It looked just like an army of ants.
The scenery of the Mount Hua Sect visible below Lotus Peak was changing day by day.
"Looks like the rumors are spreading even more."
He was gazing down with a satisfied expression when...
"Martial Uncle!"
Jeokgeom's shout rang in his ears.
Jeokgeom came rushing over, even deploying his movement technique as if something urgent had come up.
"Huff... huff... Martial Uncle. A, a guest has come to see you."
"A guest? Who is it?"
"Well..."
At that moment, a light breeze blew in, and the stern-faced Lord of the Martial Training Pavilion appeared.
"Have you returned safely?"
"Martial Uncle Hyeon-yang?"
Cheonhwi looked at him with an unexpected expression at his sudden arrival.
'What brings him all the way here?'
Cheonhwi's puzzlement was natural.
He and the Martial Training Pavilion Lord maintained a certain degree of familiarity. They had often run into each other at the Ten Thousand Scriptures Pavilion and exchanged greetings.
However, the Lord had never personally visited Mo-ok before.
"What brings you here?"
"I came because I have something to ask."
"Something to ask?"
In that instant, Hyeoncheong from that morning flashed through his mind.
"What is it?"
"What on earth kind of training did you put those disciples through who left with you?"
The Martial Training Pavilion Lord's eyes narrowed.
The Plum Blossom Sword Guards he had met today were completely different from before.
To be precise, their martial arts and internal energy were the same, but their mindset—their very disposition—had changed.
The disciples, who had been so naive just the day before as they ventured into the martial world, had grown into proper Plum Blossom Sword Guards in a mere few days.
It was as if...
'They had become different people altogether.'
Cheonhwi stared at the Martial Training Pavilion Lord, lost in thought, and asked with a puzzled look.
"Didn't they tell you what kind of training they received?"
"No."
The Martial Training Pavilion Lord's brow furrowed.
He too wanted to hear the answer directly.
But whenever he asked the disciples what training they had undergone, their faces would turn pale, and they would just tremble in silence without a word.
"So, I had no choice but to come find you myself to learn what that training was."
The Martial Training Pavilion Lord's eyes blazed.
Having witnessed his disciples' growth with his own eyes the day before, he had been plagued by curiosity ever since.
'What kind of training could cause such dramatic growth in just a few days? Or... had the people themselves changed?'
Even knowing it would be an imposition, he had come in person.
"If it's not too much trouble, could you share that method with me as well?"
"That's fine with me."
Cheonhwi watched the Martial Training Pavilion Lord, whose eyes sparkled, and moved his lips.
"I used the Transformation Qi Art."
"Transformation Qi Art...?"
A gasp escaped the Martial Training Pavilion Lord's lips.
"It's a type of Confucian qi art that maximizes the body's flexibility. It's pretty effective."
The Martial Training Pavilion Lord's eyes widened to their utmost.
Flexibility was one of the most important virtues for a martial artist, but mastering it was exceedingly difficult.
Yet to maximize it...
Hearing the explanation made the reason for their vastly improved martial prowess understandable.
"So it's an external qi art."
"Something like that."
'It's a bit different, but the results are the same, so it doesn't matter.'
Though the principles differed, Cheonhwi, finding it tedious to explain, glossed over it.
"Then, could you demonstrate that Transformation Qi Art for me?"
"Sure, but it makes the whole body flexible at the cost of a problem."
"A problem...?"
"It hurts quite a bit."
The Martial Training Pavilion Lord, who had tensed up thinking it was some grave issue, let out a scoff.
"Pain is nothing..."
"P-Pavilion Lord!"
Jeokgeom, who had been listening to the conversation from the side, called out to him in alarm. With a face drained of color, he cautiously opened his mouth.
"Y-You shouldn't do that..."
"What are you saying?"
The Martial Training Pavilion Lord's gaze sharpened.
"Do you think I can't endure mere pain?"
Jeokgeom swallowed hard.
But even so, he didn't give up.
"N-No, it's not that. But it's better if you don't..."
"Quiet."
Coldly cutting off Jeokgeom's words, the Martial Training Pavilion Lord approached Cheonhwi and said.
"I need to experience the effects of this Transformation Qi Art myself as soon as possible to see what all the fuss is about."
"Alright. Then, first, assume the cross-legged position."
"Cross-legged? Hm, very well."
Obediently following Cheonhwi's instructions, the Martial Training Pavilion Lord sat cross-legged, and soon Cheonhwi's hand struck his acupoints like lightning.
Tat-tat-tat!
Surprise flickered in the Martial Training Pavilion Lord's eyes.
'Such a technique...!'
Unaware of Cheonhwi's true prowess, the Martial Training Pavilion Lord was shocked by the lightning-fast hand movements he couldn't even follow with his eyes.
"Did he strike eighteen acupoints and meridians in that brief instant...?"
But that was not all.
Cheonhwi's hand movements grew even more varied and intricate, and the Martial Training Pavilion Lord's gaze changed accordingly as he felt them.
'Impossible! Such swift techniques... No wonder Sect Leader Martial Brother and Martial Brother Hyeondo cherished Cheonhwi so much.'
Only then did the seniors' protective attitude toward Cheonhwi start to make sense.
'The future of Mount Hua is bright!'
A smile formed on his face, softening his previously stern expression with warmth.
Just then, Cheonhwi stopped his hands.
"All done."
"Is it? But you said it came with considerable pain, yet it feels fine... Gahk!"
Suddenly, a sound like a pig being slaughtered burst from the Martial Training Pavilion Lord's mouth.
With it, his entire body began to twist grotesquely, veins bulging on his forehead.
Krunch!
Gritting his teeth to endure the pain, he snapped his bloodshot eyes open and muttered.
"S-So that's why they turned pale whenever asked about the training..."
Now he understood their feelings.
Meanwhile, Cheonhwi gazed at the enduring Martial Training Pavilion Lord with renewed admiration.
'Oh! He's holding out?'
He knew full well how hard the pain of the Transformation Qi Art was to bear.
"I-It's... done."
Cheonhwi immediately released the Transformation Qi Art.
With a series of cracks, the Martial Training Pavilion Lord's twisted body returned to normal.
"You're the first Martial Uncle to endure the Transformation Qi Art for this long."
It was sincere praise from the heart.
"I-Is that so?"
Wincing with a wry smile, the Martial Training Pavilion Lord wiped the sweat from his brow and moved his body.
"Truly remarkable results."
Testing his body here and there, he unwittingly murmured to himself.
A lightness in his body and fluid movements.
The effects were palpably clear.
He wanted to apply it to every disciple of the Mount Hua Sect right away.
But...
'Can the disciples endure this?'
The pain was so intense it negated all those benefits.
'I nearly passed out.'
Swallowing dryly, he looked at Cheonhwi.
"By the way, when did you learn such a unique Confucian qi art?"
"At the Ten Thousand Scriptures Pavilion."
Cheonhwi lied indifferently.
'Who would know if it exists there or not?'
"The Ten Thousand Scriptures Pavilion... I see."
As expected, the Martial Training Pavilion Lord accepted it.
It was already widely known in the Mount Hua Sect that Cheonhwi visited the Ten Thousand Scriptures Pavilion daily, so he harbored no doubts.
"But it's surprising. That those kids would willingly undergo the Transformation Qi Art..."
The Martial Training Pavilion Lord trailed off mid-sentence.
He noticed Jeokgeom's troubled expression as he spoke.
"They wouldn't have done it willingly, would they?"
"Nope."
"How did you manage it?"
"I made them choose between two options."
"Choose?"
"They couldn't even swing their swords properly in real combat. So I tried to give them some effective training, but they refused, leaving me no choice but to use that instead."
Emphasizing "no choice," Cheonhwi's words made the Martial Training Pavilion Lord's face turn icy.
"They refused the training?"
"Yes."
In an instant, his eyes turned cold as ice, brows shooting up as he ground his teeth.
"What training did they refuse?"
"Practicing the Three Talents Sword Art ten thousand times."
"Mere Three Talents Sword Art... ten thousand times?"
The Martial Training Pavilion Lord blurted out in disbelief.
He had thought it was some extraordinary training, but swinging the Three Talents Sword Art ten thousand times?
Just imagining it was horrifying.
"I-Is that true?"
"Yes."
The Martial Training Pavilion Lord clutched his forehead.
It was undoubtedly grueling training.
However...
"Even so, to refuse training... Haah. Have I been too lenient with their regimen all this time?"
Sighing, he shook his head.
"I'm sorry. I should have given them harsher training, yet you did it instead... I've ended up relying on your help."
The Martial Training Pavilion Lord smiled bitterly.
'I hoped he'd stay out of sect affairs as much as possible due to his frail health...'
The Cheonhwi he knew was a weak child.
Weak in body and spirit.
But not anymore.
'He has the skill to become a Plum Blossom Sword Guard anytime, and even volunteers to play the villain for his junior brothers' growth.'
He was not just any Taoist. He deserved to be called a Mount Hua Sect Taoist.
'Martial Brother Kang left behind a treasure.'
A smile graced the Martial Training Pavilion Lord's lips.
"Ah, more importantly..."
Trailing off, he drew close to Cheonhwi and whispered in his ear.
"Can you teach it to me?"
"The Transformation Qi Art?"
The Martial Training Pavilion Lord nodded emphatically.
"But as you saw, the pain is intense, so the disciples won't like undergoing it. You sure?"
"Hahaha. Then just do the same as with you. Swing the Three Talents Sword Art ten thousand times a day, or receive this Transformation Qi Art. The choice is theirs, isn't it?"
In that moment, Cheonhwi's lips curved upward, and the look in his eyes changed as he regarded him.
'Oh ho. Even after experiencing that pain, he plans to inflict it on his disciples? Nice.'
Cheonhwi's eyes crinkled.
"Teaching it is no big deal."
"Then I ask you."
"First, the qi and blood..."
Cheonhwi recited the incantation for the Transformation Qi Art.
"And from there, stimulate the acupoints and meridians... That's how you loosen the muscles?"
Listening, the Martial Training Pavilion Lord kept exclaiming in admiration throughout.
"Got it all memorized?"
"All memorized."
The Martial Training Pavilion Lord, having committed the entire incantation to memory in one go, nodded.
"Thank you."
Offering thanks once more, he met Cheonhwi's eyes with a relieved expression.
"If you ever need my help, come find me anytime... No, just come by whenever you're bored."
"Sure, if I have business there."
"Yes, do come."
Satisfied with Cheonhwi's response, the Martial Training Pavilion Lord departed Lotus Peak with a pleased face.
Meanwhile, Jeokgeom watched the receding figure and silently apologized to his junior brothers in his heart.
'Sorry I couldn't stop it.'
A pang of regret welled up naturally.
He had tried to prevent the Transformation Qi Art from spreading, but to no avail.
The Martial Training Pavilion Lord had been resolute.
"Amitabha."
As he pictured the disciples who would soon suffer under the Martial Training Pavilion Lord's Transformation Qi Art, wearing a sympathetic expression and offering condolences...
'He's quite a decent fellow.'
Cheonhwi smiled contentedly.
He didn't care if the disciples writhed in agony from the Transformation Qi Art.
He simply liked that the Martial Training Pavilion Lord had accepted it—something other Wise Generation Taoists would have rioted against and refused.
'Next time we meet, I should teach him something else.'
Who could have known?
This brief encounter between the two would one day become the cause of screams echoing throughout the Mount Hua Sect.