Chapter 11
Chapter 11
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Chang'an Ink Sword Grove (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The very first thing I felt when I arrived in this world and began cultivating the Obliterating Origin Divine Art was that "the air is different."
It was different.
The thick, humid density of a rainy day. But without the actual wetness.
A place that seemed utterly empty, yet felt completely filled with something.
Something invisible. Something intangible. Something hard to perceive.
But it was definitely there. In my body, in the Black Wall, even in a single Rock Grain Pill.
And that was not all.
It permeated the entire world, every blade of grass and tree.
It was what we commonly call qi.
Something I could never sense back in 21st-century South Korea.
I think it's because of the era.
During the 67 years I've spent here, that qi filling the world had diminished ever so slightly, but enough that I could clearly feel it fading.
Thinking about it, the disappearance of this murim world and martial arts might just be a natural extinction.
But I'm not entirely sure. It could simply be a temporary change due to environmental factors.
In any case, the foundation of martial arts begins with drawing that qi into the body through breathing and accumulating it.
Commonly known as the inhalation-exhalation method.
Inhaling to absorb the qi, exhaling to expel everything else.
The dantian is where the qi of heaven and earth gathers, transforms into internal energy, and accumulates.
A virtual organ. The body's storehouse.
Qi has no physical form, so accumulating it inside doesn't make it tangible or touchable. You just sense it.
That is internal energy, and the method of accumulating it is the heart method.
A technique that teaches the breathing pattern and how efficiently to build internal energy. The heart method.
The superior the heart method, the faster you accumulate internal energy.
You might achieve in one month what takes others a year.
Martial arts is the method of turning that formless qi into something tangible.
It's not just swinging a sword quickly or moving with flashy footwork.
It's properly distributing the accumulated internal energy through the body's meridians to affect the muscles and physique.
Fail to understand that, and you'll be stuck at third-rate your whole life.
How quickly you grasp it and how you apply it determines if you become a peak expert, reach the Transformation Realm, or even the Manifestation Realm.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"Alright, now let's talk about you. The dantian is a virtual organ, so it can't really shatter or anything. So why did yours disappear?"
"I... don't know."
"Don't say you don't know. Think about it."
"I've thought about it every single day for the past three years. But... I couldn't find the answer."
"Well, that makes sense. No one who's lost their dantian could possibly avoid thinking about it. Fine, I'll tell you. You lost your dantian because impurities were blocking your primary meridians and all your body's channels. In other words... it's like San-gong poison. You know what that is, right?"
"San-gong poison?"
"Yes. San-gong poison scatters your internal energy after entering the body. It's the same for you. You and Namgung Yeonhwa both lost your dantians due to something with the same effect."
"You mean we were poisoned? But how could San-gong poison last this long...?"
"Yes. Its effects are on a completely different level from ordinary San-gong poison. Anyway, nothing's blocking you from reforming your dantian anymore. I've completely cleared it out over the past ten days."
"Th-then!"
"There's still a problem, though. You have to start from scratch. Just like when you first sensed qi and formed your dantian through breathing."
"Ah..."
"That's why I'm going to use my method on you. Well, it's a bit different from mine."
"Your... method, sir?"
"Yeah. It might be a little painful. You're going to do it, right?"
"Of course!"
No murim warrior in this situation would refuse because of a little pain.
If they did, they wouldn't be a murim warrior. They'd be an idiot.
"I'm going to mix this one Shaolin Great Return Pill with my own internal energy to form the foundation of your dantian. In crude terms, it'll be at least a full jiazi's worth."
"A-a full jiazi!?"
"But it's different. The efficiency is better. Impure internal energy is meaningless even if you have ten jiazi. But the internal energy I'm giving you is on another level. You'll feel it directly in your body."
With that, I took out the Great Return Pill.
A wooden box the size of my palm, yet it exuded tremendous pressure.
And when I opened it, the very air around us changed.
Elixirs are items condensed with qi.
Qi from heaven and earth gathered and refined into medicinal form.
So anyone who can sense qi would naturally feel something extraordinary upon seeing an elixir.
I took out that Great Return Pill and popped the whole thing into my mouth, swallowing it down.
"Eh!?"
"What? Surprised because I ate it after saying it was for you?"
"N-no, it's just..."
"It's easier for me to absorb it and pass it to you than for you to eat and absorb it directly. Better efficiency, too."
"Ah! I see!"
"If you ate this and tried to absorb its qi, you probably couldn't handle even half. Forty percent would be impressive. The rest would scatter through your pores. But not me. I can absorb it all, one hundred percent. Get what I'm saying?"
"Yes!"
"Then wait a moment. I'll do it right now."
With those words, I felt the Great Return Pill's energy spreading through my body.
The internal energy it provided was immense. But compared to what I already had, it wasn't that much.
So I gathered and compressed its energy, wrapping it like a bundle in cloth.
If I left it alone, it would all be absorbed into my internal energy, and I wouldn't be able to give it to Seolha.
I compressed the energy inside my body.
Compressing internal energy is basic for any murim warrior.
Master it, and you can form sword qi. Push it to the limit, and you can create sword force.
A concentration of qi. The realm where you can imbue qi into objects beyond your body.
In any case, I continued compressing the Great Return Pill's energy while mixing in my own pure internal energy.
The very essence of internal energy. Something I'd refined to utmost purity by contemplating my body over 67 years.
Among elixirs, there's something called Pure Qing Stone Liquid.
The essence formed when qi scattered in nature liquefies and gathers under special conditions.
What I was doing now was similar to creating that.
If anything, mine was purer in terms of refinement.
After all, I'd eliminated even unnecessary liquid components.
"Alright, it's ready. Get prepared. It won't be easy. Keep your wits about you."
"Yes, sir!"
Seolha sat in the proper lotus position. I sat behind her, placed my palms on her back, and transferred the compressed energy.
From my dantian, through my arms and hands, to the spot on Seolha's back where her dantian had been.
"Ngh..."
The compressed energy carried an immense weight in itself.
The amount now flowing into Seolha's body was more than she could gather even if her dantian hadn't been lost.
So if I released control of that energy now, her qi and blood would burst, her channels twist, and she'd become crippled or die.
That's why my task was simple.
Securely fix that energy in the place where her dantian used to be.
Hold it firm so it doesn't burst or slip control, then let it trickle out bit by bit.
"Alright. This energy is now settled in your dantian. But it's not yours yet. You know that, right? So from now on, treat the energy that flows out as your own and grab hold of it. I'll let out a tiny amount, make it yours, then start the Small Heavenly Circuit."
As I spoke, I released the energy.
If a dent formed in the compressed energy, it would burst like a balloon pierced by a needle—pop!
But if the containing energy was perfectly firm?
It wouldn't burst, and qi would leak out in the thinnest stream. That was the current situation.
I pierced the compressed energy with a hole like a needle prick. From there, the compressed qi began to flow out.
But left like that, it would shred Seolha's primary and secondary meridians like a jet spray.
So I wrapped it once more, softening it to diffuse gently.
Seolha moved the energy that flowed out.
Energy flowing from her own dantian. Absorbing it in sequence.
I confirmed the released energy circulating through her channels under her guidance and returning to her dantian.
And that energy began to settle and gather on one side of Seolha's dantian.
Thus, Seolha finally reclaimed her lost dantian.
Done. Success. One full circuit is all it took.
From now on, she just needs to repeat it endlessly.
Seolha now had an amount of energy in her body incomparable to what she'd build through inhalation-exhalation or heart methods.
Just operating it would make her dantian grow rapidly.
"Whew."
I hadn't been too worried, but success still brought a natural sigh of relief.
Part of me wanted to guide my true qi to open her Ren and Du meridians and complete the Grand Heavenly Circuit.
But not yet. That's not something someone else can do for you.
I could watch and assist, but she had to do it herself.
Doing it for her would yield only half-baked results. Or maybe none at all.
"She's concentrating, so just listen. From now on, do the Small Heavenly Circuit whenever you get the chance. Focus on that. Got it?"
At my words, Seolha suddenly gathered her internal energy.
What? I told her to keep circulating it diligently—why stop?
Having gathered her internal energy, Seolha opened her eyes and stood up immediately.
Perhaps due to her long-lost internal energy, she wobbled once but quickly steadied herself.
Then she looked at me, tears welling in her eyes, clasped her hands, and spoke.
"Sir... sob. This girl... has received a great grace."
With that, Seolha bowed deeply to me.
She must have really wanted to do this. She even set aside her newly regained internal energy for it.
"Good. So do your best from now on. It all depends on you."
At that, Seolha rose and threw her arms around me, pressing her lips to mine.
Like she wanted to devour me. Our tongues tangled wildly.
After a long kiss, Seolha pulled back, hugged me tightly, and whispered in my ear.
"Sir. Sir. Please... hold me. I want to be embraced by you right now."
Hearing that, a surge of heat rushed below my belt.
Damn it. I can't hold back if you do that. Fine. Let's go. We'll figure it out after.