Chapter 12
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Entry into the Cult - Sky, Stars, Dawn, and Night
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"Geum-gang, a martial artist has three vital points."
Ha Jin often sat Geum-gang on her lap and taught her about the martial world.
She talked especially a lot about martial artists' bodies and acupoints.
She said that understanding the body directly led to the completion of the Golden Body.
"Neck, heart, head?"
"Hahaha. Those three are a person's vital points. Now guess. What part of a martial artist must you shatter to ensure they can never use martial arts again for the rest of their life?"
Breaking the dantian of a martial artist who cultivates internal energy turns them into a cripple.
"The dantian."
"That's right. The dantian is like our heart. Just as blood circulates, the dantian circulates their internal energy. Now, for the second one—to stop them from using martial arts for just a short while, where would you strike?"
"Hmm. I don't really know. Break any part of the body...?"
"My disciple is starting to take after me. That's half the right answer. But the answer your master wants is the acupoints."
"We can't strike acupoints ourselves!"
Geum-gang cried out indignantly.
She was somehow getting ruder by the day, but Ha Jin, already a bit off-kilter, just patted her head.
"Yes, little one. That's why there's the acupoint-sealing technique to block the paths between them. A martial artist whose acupoints are sealed can't circulate their internal energy. Think of it like severed blood vessels."
"That sounds painful. Just tell me the last vital point. I've been thinking, but I have no idea."
Geum-gang, sprawled comfortably on her lap, crunched on a snack as she prodded Ha Jin.
"I can't just tell you. How about giving this master's cheek a..."
"Eww, that's cheating! Fine, I won't listen then!"
As Ha Jin leaned in her cheek, Geum-gang jumped up.
"Aigoo, alright, I get it. I'll tell you. Sit back down."
Geum-gang settled obediently back on her lap and looked up expectantly, as if she really wanted to know now.
'This is her way of...'
"Ahem. The last one is something many martial artists overlook: the mind. The spirit. Consciousness... call it what you will. When it scatters, they can't draw up their internal energy. The more profound the martial arts, the more true this is."
"The mind... the spirit..."
"Can someone whose spirit has crumbled unleash the wonders of ascent? No, they cannot. Spirit and body are linked."
"A strong body must house a strong spirit as well."
"Exactly. Yes. My disciple is a genius."
Geum-gang quietly savored Ha Jin's praise.
"We don't have a dantian. So we're like people without hearts."
"That's why we force our true energy to circulate."
"Right. Without a dantian, we must rigorously train our acupoints and spirit. Cultivate an unyielding spirit that never falls, my disciple."
"Yes, Master."
Crunch.
'Heh. Tasty.'
Back then, Geum-gang simply thought she needed to become a strong martial artist.
The principle of the Heavenly Movement Formula is the movement of the heavens.
The movement of the heavens as seen from human eyes.
The sun always shines upon us.
Why does the moon hide its face?
The stars find their places and soon form constellations.
Our earth stands firm in one spot, watching over them.
Ah, the order of the heavens is so beautiful.
The dantian is our earth, internal energy the celestial bodies.
The acupoints are the paths of the celestial bodies.
The Heavenly Movement Heart Formula offered reliability and safety comparable to orthodox martial arts...
However, because it was dissected and reassembled from a modern person's perspective, it became a complete demonic art.
For safety, one simply had to follow the formula as is.
But Geum-gang's stubbornness wouldn't allow it.
'The Earth... the Earth... rotates. Yes, the Earth rotates...!'
Like a scientist insisting on heliocentrism, her bullheadedness was unbreakable.
Swish.
Swish.
Of course, no matter how much Geum-gang modified the martial art, the core principle of [celestial movements] was hard to change.
And even if the principle was flawed, dismantling the meticulously calculated celestial trajectories felt like a waste.
With her clever mind turning, she chose an arrogant principle of claiming to be a star herself.
'Hmm. What if I make my body the star?'
What would the movements of the stars look like from the sun's perspective?
Become a star herself and orchestrate the movements of the celestial bodies.
Combine it a bit more with the Golden Body Art, altering the celestial movements slightly.
Discard the difficult and complex principles.
The most important thing was becoming a star oneself.
Shine like a star.
With a star's power, turn the surroundings into her own domain.
So no one could move her.
And she could move them all.
"Ooom!"
It fit Geum-gang's heart perfectly.
The problem was, in proportion to the formula's arrogance, the temperament of the heart method grew wild.
The internal energy and qi surging fiercely along her acupoints throbbed as if alive, pounding every meridian.
If it weren't for Geum-gang, if she hadn't cultivated the Golden Body, her acupoints would have burst and she'd be dead already.
Reciting the Heavenly Movement Formula, Geum-gang felt her whole body burning in agony.
'Fuck...! This is really gonna kill me...!'
The formula Geum-gang had arbitrarily remodeled was somehow incomplete.
It was only natural, as an unskilled martial artist had haphazardly patched together a complete heart method.
Blood burst from her body, enveloped in golden radiance.
Her acupoints swelled and tore, immediately affecting her flesh.
"Grrrrr...!"
Clearly, when circulating internal energy through the Governor Vessel, an immense power welled up.
A power close to omnipotence.
Since it didn't clash with the Golden Body Art and its subtleties, Geum-gang's body didn't collapse.
However, even in lotus position, her muscles trembled.
If not for the diligently sculpted muscles and bones and her sturdy organs holding out, she'd be dead already.
Vomiting blood, Geum-gang felt pressure building in her eyes, her brain as if aflame.
Her body rejected the internal energy, as if this output was beyond what her current flesh could handle.
'Grrrrk...!'
Geum-gang could no longer maintain lotus position and sprang up, halting the circulation.
Even in that brief motion of pushing off the ground, power surged enough to shatter the floor.
"Argh, fuck—! This is impossible."
A curse she hadn't uttered aloud since falling into the martial world poured out refreshingly.
She figured a master of the Cult Leader's caliber must have reasons for everything she said.
Though Geum-gang had tweaked it a bit...
This was truly no good.
Just 10 seconds.
Even 10 seconds of circulation left her like this.
Training with Ha Jin had been so relaxing.
Just get beaten, counterattack a bit.
And somehow, she'd grown stronger.
"Agh. My head hurts."
Something was missing.
Was it because I don't have a dantian?
Or did I really mess up the formula?
If only she could wield that power that rose for that brief moment.
Her thoughts spiraled, but the risk was too great to try again.
Scratching her head furiously, Geum-gang tossed aside the formula and went to sleep.
A grand hall that looked flashy but somehow empty.
It gave the impression of being untouched by human hands, utterly vacant.
"Ugh... uuuugh..."
"You must eat."
A sharp-featured woman handed a spoon to the ink-black-haired girl.
"No. I don't want to eat. I want to be alone. Leave. Leave..."
"For the Sacred Fire Festival, you must show dignity before the cultists. How could you do that in this state?"
Though the girl was clearly of higher status, the woman spoke without hesitation.
To the point of seeming rude at first glance.
The woman, her hair neatly pinned up, glared venomously at the girl.
"Ugh... ugh... I hate places with lots of people. I hate it, I said..."
The girl's face twisted in unease as she shook her head.
"I'll have to report this to the Cult Leader. At this rate..."
"Ahh! No! I hate that! Fine, give me the utensils. I'll eat."
The girl startled like a child hearing a ghost story and took the utensils.
Slurp.
Slurp.
Slurp.
Slurp slurp.
"Mmm. It tastes good."
'You threw such a fit about not wanting to eat.'
The maid grimaced inwardly, grumbling to herself.
She was certainly a hassle, but the girl before her looked so young that such whims didn't seem out of place.
Ignoring her resentful thoughts, the girl slowly brought the porridge to her mouth.
"The Left Envoy and Right Envoy are coming, you said. Tell them to go back. I want to be alone."
"It's done now. The Cult Leader has decided to appoint new Left and Right Envoys."
The girl dropped the spoon she was holding with a clatter.
"What?!"
"Why the fuss? It's been months... no, years since you've seen the current Left and Right Envoys. The Cult Leader has judged them unqualified."
"Why wasn't I told...!"
"Told?"
The maid smirked, curling her lip slyly.
"Ugh... I hate it."
The girl hated change.
Change always flowed in negative directions.
Dreadful thoughts resurfaced.
Ignoring the girl's quickening breath, the woman continued.
"Well, isn't it for the best? The current Left and Right Envoys are from the previous generation, so new ones are needed."
The girl couldn't defy the Cult Leader's will.
Even though she could crush them in an instant.
She could barely even meet her eyes.
If it was her decision, they would surely be her limbs.
They would bind her even tighter, no doubt.
Unpleasant scenarios rose in her mind.
Her breath grew ragged.
Even for the girl overflowing with internal energy, fear brimmed full.
"Hah... haa... enough now. Jin-ok. Leave... leave... leave...! Ahh—!"
Tears fell in drops as the girl let out a moan.
The maid, however, wore an indifferent expression, as if accustomed to it.
"How long will you keep this up? Fine. I'm going."
The maid closed the massive door behind her and left.
The girl remained alone in the darkness.
She curled up small, holding her breath.
Nothing attacked her.
Yet her fear overflowed.
What made her so anxious, so endlessly anxious?
Hiding in the warm darkness, the girl huddled once more today.
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