Chapter 31
Chapter 31
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Shaanxi Province, Qinling Mountains (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The sweltering heat had finally eased up a notch, and cool breezes began whispering through the mornings and evenings.
By then, Seolha had fully absorbed the Shaolin Great Return Pill and my qi lingering inside her body.
Seolha had sensed something extraordinary brewing as she watched her internal energy steadily grow.
Now that she had completely taken in the pill and my qi, the amount of energy she possessed was considerable.
I could confidently say it was the largest among any twenty-three-year-old in the martial world.
Seolha had reached a level that defied norms, and even she seemed genuinely shocked by it.
"Compared to when I lost my dantian... it feels like it's grown at least tenfold, maybe even more."
"Hm. Yeah, that tracks. The volume of a sphere is proportional to the cube of its radius, after all."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. Just talking to myself. In simple terms, even a tiny increase in the size of your dantian—like the width of one finger joint—means a massive jump in capacity."
"Ahh..."
"You don't get it, do you?"
"Um... yeah. Hehe."
Seolha flashed a sweet, beaming smile, and seeing that, I couldn't help but grin back.
Right. No need to break out equations for these two. Just explain it simply and let them take it as is.
In any case, Seolha with her boosted internal energy was impressive.
Not just the sheer volume, but its purity was on another level.
The Shaolin Great Return Pill lived up to its name—no smoke and mirrors there. Having taken one myself, I knew it for a fact.
Moreover, Seolha's meridians throughout her body were as pristine as a newborn babe's, without a trace of impurity.
Judging by that, her cultivation level had to be right at the peak of peak mastery.
But thinking about it that way made it feel like she still had a long road ahead.
Peak mastery—what was that? Peak.
When would I get her to transcendent peak, and then to the Transformation Realm?
At least Transformation Realm would let me breathe easy.
Still, considering Seolha's age, it was an astonishing achievement.
Unless some monster on the level of that Mad Wolf Blood Demon Chae Ji-gyu suddenly ambushed her, she could at least buy some time now.
Yeah. That was no small feat. There were plenty of first-rate experts her age out there, but still.
And even more astonishing was Yeonhwa.
Yeonhwa hadn't fully absorbed the Changgung Pill's energy yet, but her dantian was already on par with Seolha's in size.
Maybe it was because she was from the Namgung Family. Perhaps her body was especially receptive to their spirit medicines.
Once Yeonhwa absorbed it all, her dantian would surely surpass Seolha's.
Meaning an even greater volume of internal energy.
And since she'd cleansed her meridians spotless too, she'd shine brightly in time.
"Alright, you two. Come here."
I called over the pair, who were still sparring in the training yard.
Not a drop of sweat on either of them. Despite moving around just moments ago, they stood before me fresh and vibrant.
"You'll be coming with me on outings from now on. So, what do you think we'll need?"
"A heart that adores the great hero."
Seolha said it casually with her usual bright smile.
Yeonhwa's eyes went wide in shock, her face screaming, Whoa, she can pull that off?
"Correct. Seolha got it right, so come inside with me now. Yeonhwa, keep training."
"Wha!? Th-that was actually the answer!?"
"Wasn't it?"
"Hwah? Does that mean you don't have 'a heart that adores the great hero'?"
As I replied, Seolha slyly chimed in like a crafty fox.
"Huh!? N-no! I-I adore the great hero too!"
Yeonhwa stammered in genuine fluster.
I couldn't hold back and burst out laughing, while Seolha covered her mouth, chuckling softly.
"Wh-what? You were teasing me!"
She's fun. Such a fun girl.
She's twenty now, but after three years bedridden, she still felt like a girl.
No wonder Seolha, who had looked after her through it all, felt more like a mom than a three-years-older sister.
Hm. But Seolha in her early twenties... that could be nice too. Even more alluring, maybe?
"Alright, enough joking. Let's get serious. If you two were traveling with me now, the most essential thing would be lightness skill. I don't care for camping out. So I'll be moving at my pace until we hit a major city. You get what I mean?"
"Yes, great hero. If we're following you, we can't be a burden at the very least."
Yeonhwa nodded enthusiastically at Seolha's response.
"Exactly. That's the answer. So show me your lightness skills. Now that you've regained your energy, let's check."
"Great hero, I haven't finished absorbing it all yet..."
"It's fine. You're almost done, so it shouldn't matter."
And so I inspected their lightness skills.
Seolha practiced something called the Super Light Divine Method.
It was a Namgung Family technique, but like their Grand Connection Sword, it wasn't mainstream caliber.
Second-rate at best. Even being generous, all you could say was a solid C+.
Yeonhwa's was the Celestial Bow Cloud-Step Divine Method, paired with the Celestial Bow Unbound Sword.
It was decent first-rate, but useless now that she'd abandoned the sword style.
"Forget both of those. They're no good. From now on, learn the lightness method I'll teach you. Watch closely—I'll demonstrate once."
With that, I unleashed my upgraded version of Obliterating Origin Instant Step, customized to my liking.
It was reliably effective. The only issue? It didn't have a name yet.
"This lightness skill... hm. Yeah, let's call it Ink Sword Instant Step. We're in Ink Sword Grove, after all."
"Great hero... did you just invent this lightness skill on the spot?"
Seolha stared at me in astonishment, and I shook my head.
"It's partly original, but mostly a tweak on an existing one."
"Ah..."
"Anyway, you saw it once. Think you can mimic it?"
At my words, Seolha and Yeonhwa both freaked out, faces screaming, What kind of question is that?
"Pardon!? Great hero, how could anyone copy something like that after seeing it just once?"
Ah. Right. I'd been thinking too much from my perspective.
"Got it. Then I'll explain in detail—listen carefully. First, to do this, gather your internal energy in your soles. Compress it, then explosively release it in an instant, using the rebound to..."
I spent a good while explaining it to them.
It wasn't that complicated. Get the timing right, and you'd have half of it down already.
But even after I finished, they looked utterly lost.
"Compress... it? And rebound... um..."
"Like this? Is it? No... not quite..."
Watching them, it hit me clearly.
The problem was me explaining it. I wasn't matching their level at all.
Man, if they just knew how engines worked, this would be a breeze.
My Ink Sword Instant Step, an upgrade of Obliterating Origin Instant Step, was basically an engine cycle.
Intake-compress-explode-exhaust. Cycling that for explosive propulsion.
But I couldn't explain it that way. We're in early Ming Dynasty—no sparking an industrial revolution here.
So I slowed down, breaking it out in more detail, tailored for their understanding.
Doing that made me realize something.
I finally got why manuals used those cryptic phrases—like total gibberish.
It was the writers' fault.
They thought they were making it 'easy to understand' with their little mnemonics.
But it was all delusion on their part.
Sure, some probably used metaphors, euphemisms, or deliberate obscurity to keep it from casual eyes.
Like a commentary with a cipher key.
But none considered the learner's level.
So they just scribbled in their own private lingo.
I didn't need that nonsense. I explained everything clearly and kindly.
From one to ten. From ten to a hundred.
What reason did I have to hide from these two? Better to teach them fast.
In the end, thanks to my patient guidance, they picked up Ink Sword Instant Step in no time.
After a few tries, they squealed with delight, loving how it felt.
Like they'd just bought new designer shoes. Yep, definitely martial artists at heart.
"Alright, time to test it. You two, circle Ink Sword Grove. Uh... fifty laps."
"Fifty!?"
"Got it, great hero. Be right back."
Yeonhwa yelped back in surprise, while Seolha bolted off without a second thought.
Seeing that, Yeonhwa slapped her forehead and chased after.
Sheesh. Personalities really shine through.
But is Seolha okay being that blindly obedient? Kinda worrying.
Half a month later, just as Yeonhwa fully absorbed her remaining spirit medicine and my qi...
Their lightness skills had reached a decent level.
Honestly, Ink Sword Instant Step was straightforward.
Compress and explode the minimal amount of internal energy in your soles for maximum thrust.
Master the knack, and it was just practice from there.
You could keep it up as long as your energy held out.
With both ready, we prepared for the trip to Sichuan.
While they honed their skills, I'd made another quick visit to Qing Mountain.
Namgung Hwi and Qing Mountain Sect's master were unchanged, and things around them seemed fine.
Eh, they'll handle themselves. They've survived fine so far—no big changes expected anytime soon.
I also swung by Xi'an Merchant House for a stack of bills of exchange.
Ones valid in Sichuan. Without them, I'd have to lug around sacks of silver—too much hassle.
Plus, I got proper scabbards for my Dark Radiance Sword, Seolha's Cloud Flow Sword, and Yeonhwa's Island Sun Sword.
Finally looking proper. Even swordsmen need decent sheathes.
"Let's go."
"Yes, great hero."
"We're off, great hero."
Seolha and Yeonhwa wore sleek black martial robes, black veils over their hair.
No real need for veils, but stunning beauties attract trouble everywhere.
Without them, headaches were guaranteed.
Better to nip it in the bud.
And so, as the heat faded and early signs of falling leaves appeared in the mountains, we left Ink Sword Grove for Sichuan.