Chapter 309: Should I Touch Them Myself?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 309: Should I Touch Them Myself?
Crack. Crackle.
The first change occurred in his skin.
The skin, which had been hideously distorted in places by burns, began to crack and peel away. Soon, fair, pristine flesh began to reveal itself.
Clatter, clatter.
The next change was his teeth.
Sun-woo’s teeth, which had been damaged in numerous life-and-death struggles, fell out in clusters, and new teeth immediately began to sprout. Before long, a set of pearly whites, incomparable to his previous ones, took their place.
Then came his hair.
Rustle.
His hair, most of which had been scorched away by Neung So-hwa’s Explosive Wheel Tribulation, fell away in clumps. In its place, jet-black hair, as lustrous as ebony, began to grow anew.
The next transformation happened within.
The acupoints connected throughout his body collapsed in an instant, only to be remodeled into wider, sturdier forms. His dantian, which had been damaged by the Flame Emperor’s Demonic Qi and the Extreme Yin Energy, also reshaped itself, becoming broader and thicker.
Woooooooong.
A massive, incredibly auspicious energy began to shimmer around his body before seeping inside. These energies further urged Sun-woo’s transformation, eventually reconstructing him into a completely different person.
Whirring.
How much time had passed?
Flash!
Sun-woo’s eyes snapped open.
He slowly turned his gaze to inspect his own body. He knew instantly.
He had undergone Marrow Cleansing.
The severe burn marks that had covered his body from the Explosive Wheel Tribulation were gone without a trace, and even his scorched hair had been restored to a lustrous sheen. Not only that, but his teeth—which had been chipped, broken, and damaged during his battles—had grown back anew, filling him with a sense of wholeness.
He had been completely transformed.
He glanced down at his lower half. It certainly looked larger than before.
It must be the effect of the Marrow Cleansing.
Sun-woo felt an inexplicable sense of pride. It hadn't been small to begin with, but the thought that it had grown even larger filled him with a surge of confidence. Surely, there was no one in the Central Plains more well-endowed than him.
Next, Sun-woo examined his internal state.
Inside, the Flame Emperor’s Demonic Qi and the Extreme Yin Energy, now perfectly harmonized and fused, were settled calmly.
‘Thank you.’
Feeling their presence, Sun-woo offered his silent gratitude. Thanks to them, he had experienced the Marrow Cleansing he had only dreamed of. How could he not be grateful?
In truth, Sun-woo had been doubtful whether he would ever be able to achieve Marrow Cleansing.
Marrow Cleansing was a physical transformation that reconstructed a body that had reached a certain realm to be fit for that level. Usually, those who reached the Transcendent Realm were in their middle or old age, past their physical prime. Consequently, such martial artists inevitably suffered from an imbalance. The "vessel" to hold their elevated realm was simply too frail.
In such cases, the body undergoes a peculiar change. It reconstructs itself into a vessel capable of containing that high realm, returning the body to something close to its physical peak. This was why most masters in the Transcendent Realm maintained a youthful appearance. They had all experienced Marrow Cleansing at least once.
However, there was a catch to this process: it was rarely experienced by those who reached the Transcendent Realm at a young age. Since they were already at their physical peak when they attained that level, their bodies didn't perceive a need for Marrow Cleansing.
Because of this, Sun-woo had half-given up on the idea. Reaching the Transcendent Realm at the age of twenty-eight—the absolute peak of physical condition—meant that undergoing Marrow Cleansing was nearly impossible without a stroke of divine luck.
But today, that luck had found him.
During the process of refining the Flame Emperor’s Demonic Qi and the Extreme Yin Energy from the Ice Essence, his body had been placed under extreme strain, triggering the necessity for reconstruction. And at the moment of perfect refinement, his body had used those two harmonized energies to undergo a total transformation.
Sun-woo was deeply moved. He had grasped a massive, unexpected fortune.
It was luck—an immense stroke of luck that might never come again.
The full-body burns from the Explosive Wheel Tribulation were gone, replaced by milky-white skin, and his scorched hair was restored to a state even more lustrous than before. He had been worried about his hideous appearance, but this was truly a blessing in disguise.
Furthermore, his acupoints had widened to an incomparable degree, and his dantian had become much thicker. Acupoints were the pathways through which internal energy was projected. Since those pathways were now larger and sturdier, his output would be astronomical.
He couldn't be certain until he tested it, but he was sure he could now produce more than double his previous output. Of course, the consumption of internal energy would be just as high.
‘Aigoo, you beautiful little things.’
Sun-woo once again expressed his gratitude for the heavenly luck that had found him.
Even though he had reached the lofty heights of the Mid-Transcendent Realm, a corner of his heart had been filled with anxiety. When he first fell into the Murim, the Mid-Transcendent Realm was considered the level of the second-strongest person in the Central Plains, but as time went on, stronger masters had appeared one after another.
From Neung So-hwa right in front of him, to Bukgung Yeon, the Sword Man, and even the Yin-Yang Demon. Even excluding Lee Jae-won, there were plenty of people stronger than him. How could he not be anxious?
It was unlikely to happen, but if even one of them were to become his enemy, Sun-woo wouldn't be able to survive. The gap between the Profound Realm and the Mid-Transcendent Realm was that vast.
In the midst of such anxiety, he had been given the means to become even stronger. How could he not be thankful? Of course, compared to the great heights of the Profound Realm, this might be a mere drop in the bucket, but Sun-woo was satisfied with the fact that he had moved forward.
‘Now, let’s return this to its owner.’
Having expressed enough gratitude, Sun-woo placed his hand back on Neung So-hwa’s dantian. Since the energy had been refined as much as possible, he intended to send it back.
Woooooooong.
The harmonized energies began to resonate with Sun-woo’s dantian, as if they were happy to be returning to their original master.
‘When you get there, make sure to grow some nice new skin.’
Conveying his will, Sun-woo began to pour the harmonized energies back into her dantian.
Woooooooong.
The refined Harmony Qi flowed through Sun-woo’s hand and began to seep into Neung So-hwa’s dantian. From there, it started to spread throughout her entire body. The Harmony Qi began to slowly repair the areas that had been ravaged by the fierce battle.
However, her condition was so wretched that the recovery was not just slow, but almost despairingly so.
‘Ah...’
Sun-woo let out a mental sigh of pity. It seemed she would need a significant period of convalescence to return to her original state.
‘Well, at least she’s gained refined Harmony Qi. That should be enough.’
Just as Sun-woo was trying to think positively...
Crack.
The sound of something splitting suddenly struck Sun-woo’s ears.
‘What?!’
Sun-woo’s eyes widened. It was a very familiar sound.
‘No way... could it be...?!’
Sun-woo quickly turned his gaze to her body. He could see her skin cracking in various places.
‘Marrow Cleansing!’
Seeing this, Sun-woo realized that a mysterious transformation was beginning to take place in her body as well.
Crack. Crackle.
The skin all over her body split, and her crimson hair began to fall out strand by strand. Soon, a radiance began to emanate from her entire body, dazzling Sun-woo’s eyes.
Sun-woo squeezed his eyes shut. He felt like he might go blind if he kept looking. With his eyes closed, he began to observe her internal state through the hand he had placed on her dantian.
Sun-woo was struck with awe. Not just her exterior, but her interior was undergoing a phenomenon no different from Marrow Cleansing.
Her cracked dantian began to knit back together, becoming even thicker, and her shredded acupoints collapsed, only for larger and wider ones to emerge. She was achieving a perfect Marrow Cleansing.
‘Whoa...’
Sun-woo let out a gasp of admiration. It seemed the refined Harmony Qi hadn't just bestowed its grace upon him.
He felt a slight twinge of jealousy. She was already a powerful woman. Now that she had achieved Marrow Cleansing, just how much stronger would she become?
Sun-woo made a firm mental note: never, ever make an enemy of Neung So-hwa. If she ever decided to kill him, he wouldn't stand a chance.
Woooooooong.
Pushing aside his stray thoughts, Sun-woo continued to pour Harmony Qi into her dantian until she was completely stabilized.
*
How much time had passed?
Sun-woo could feel that Neung So-hwa’s internal state had perfectly stabilized and that the Harmony Qi had fully settled in her dantian. Only then did he slowly open his eyes.
He began to scan Neung So-hwa’s form.
The first thing that caught his eye was her milky-white skin. She had always boasted fair skin, but after the Marrow Cleansing, it seemed to glow with an ethereal radiance. It was a feast for the eyes.
Next was her lustrous red hair. Fortunately, all the hair she had lost seemed to have been restored, appearing even more brilliant and vibrant than before.
Looking down, he saw her red eyebrows neatly grown back. They had returned to their original, beautiful shape.
‘Phew.’
Sun-woo let out a sigh of relief. He had been worried that something might go wrong. But seeing Neung So-hwa’s state, his worries proved to be groundless. She still possessed a transcendent beauty—no, it wouldn't be a lie to say she was even more beautiful than before.
‘No, I should check her whole body. You can’t tell just by the face!’
Sun-woo quickly changed his mind. Just because her face had perfectly transformed didn't mean her entire body was perfect. There was no telling what variables might have occurred.
Having made up his mind, Sun-woo slowly lowered his gaze. He intended to check her entire body.
‘Come to think of it, did her breasts get bigger too?’
As his gaze passed her neck, a sudden curiosity struck him. Since he had undergone an unintentional enlargement himself during the Marrow Cleansing, he wondered if the same had happened to her chest.
Sun-woo narrowed his eyes and lowered his gaze further, eventually stopping at her voluptuous breasts.
‘Did they get bigger? Hmm... or not?’
Looking at them, Sun-woo fell into a dilemma. Perhaps because she was lying down, he couldn't quite tell if there was a significant change just by looking.
‘Should I touch them myself?’
Shake, shake.
Sun-woo violently shook his head from side to side. He wasn't some perverted demon; how could he even think of doing such a thing? Especially to a precious friend. It was a despicable thought.
‘But since we’re friends... maybe a little joke like that is okay?’
Slap!
This time, Sun-woo slapped his own cheek.
‘As if! Dammit.’
If you think about it, even childhood best friends don't go around pulling each other's junk to build camaraderie. What kind of bullshit self-justification was that? He must have lost his mind, bewitched by those tempting, full breasts.
Sun-woo slowly pulled his gaze away from her chest. He felt like he’d keep having strange thoughts if he kept looking.
He lowered his gaze even further. This time, her smooth abdomen came into view. Usually, women develop a moderate layer of fat to protect the uterus. Neung So-hwa was no exception; a thin, soft-looking layer of fat on her smooth belly blurred his vision.
Seeing this, Sun-woo was overcome by a powerful impulse. A fierce urge to touch it. Even if it was a thin layer, fat was fat. It would surely be soft and squishy.
He was tempted. He wanted to knead that soft flesh with a rough hand.
Grit.
Sun-woo clenched his teeth. He desperately wanted to touch and squeeze to his heart's content, but if he did that here, he would undoubtedly be branded a scoundrel. After all, he wasn't her lover, her husband, or even her family; how could he do something so bold? Moreover, the abdomen was an area where a woman would feel even more shame being touched than her breasts. There was no way he could just touch it.
Grrrrit.
Sun-woo gritted his teeth so hard they nearly broke, then lowered his gaze even further.
And there it was. He could see her Secret Realm.