Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Flame Lord 4
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Raising his head, Baek Moo-jin found himself alone once more on Snow Garment Peak. At that moment, Baek Moo-jin opened his eyes. The scene of him lingering on Snow Garment Peak vanished like an illusion, and he was still sitting there with his palms pressed against Jin So-hye's back.
But Jin So-hye's body had already passed the critical juncture and begun the Greater Heavenly Circulation.
Where had the Flame Lord gone?
Had it been annihilated by Baek Moo-jin's power?
That couldn't be.
How much time had passed?
Baek Moo-jin couldn't gauge it. He simply withdrew his hands to let Jin So-hye, who had started her own Greater Heavenly Circulation, proceed undisturbed. Since he too had depleted his qi, he sat beside her and entered meditation to regulate his breathing.
The peculiar sight of the two sitting side by side in meditation continued for a long while.
Even as dawn broke, they both gazed inward at their own bodies.
For both Baek Moo-jin and Jin So-hye, tending to their bodies took precedence over wondering about the Flame Lord.
But when they completed their Greater Heavenly Circulations, something truly strange occurred.
It was a kind of reward.
However, the magnitude of the reward differed between them.
This was because Baek Moo-jin's internal energy had been far stronger than Jin So-hye's from the start. The vessels were simply too disparate.
Baek Moo-jin had used his own energy throughout, while Jin So-hye had merely borrowed the Flame Lord's power.
The Flame Lord's energy had been redistributed by Baek Moo-jin.
Jin So-hye, who began first, and Baek Moo-jin, who followed later, finished their Greater Heavenly Circulations almost simultaneously.
Jin So-hye sat quietly, steadying her breath for a moment.
At that time, Baek Moo-jin witnessed a strange phenomenon from behind her.
Among the highest stages of martial arts, there is the Three Flowers Gather at the Summit. It's when three flower-like illusions bloom above the head during meditation.
Yet from Jin So-hye's back rose an illusion of crimson flames.
Baek Moo-jin smiled.
'She succeeded.'
He could feel that Jin So-hye had grown stronger.
But behind Baek Moo-jin, who had also completed his circulation, flickered a white flame far grander than hers.
No one was there to witness it.
Baek Moo-jin simply thought that the effect was amplified because he had pushed himself so hard. His recovery seemed unusually swift, but since it was a positive change, there was little room for suspicion.
In any case, it meant the Flame Lord's power had divided and settled into their dantians.
Jin So-hye's vessel couldn't fully contain the Flame Lord's immense power from the outset. It had floated aimlessly within her like an ill-fitting load. But Baek Moo-jin and the former patriarchs of the Snow Mountain Baek Family had shattered it, so the scattered energy redistributed itself according to their capacities, finding new homes in Jin So-hye and Baek Moo-jin.
In helping Jin So-hye, Baek Moo-jin had ended up storing an unimaginable portion of the Flame Lord's power within himself as well.
Who had created the Flame Lord?
When had it begun?
How had it amassed such power?
Someone surely knew the truth, but at this moment, Baek Moo-jin knew nothing.
He hadn't thought it through with his head; he had simply acted from the heart.
He had helped because he wanted to.
Baek Moo-jin had never considered himself a righteous knight, but his intent to aid Jin So-hye in her crisis was the very essence of the White Path—the heart of chivalry.
Such serendipitous gains come without reason or clear cause.
It was simply something Baek Moo-jin had obtained.
Unexpectedly, like fate itself.
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2.
Jin So-hye exhaled deeply.
"Hoo..."
She turned to Baek Moo-jin with a much more relaxed expression.
"Patriarch Baek, thank you."
Baek Moo-jin startled unnecessarily and replied.
"Ah, yes."
"Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
Baek Moo-jin had been observing his body since earlier, but nothing felt amiss. He asked.
"And you, Lady Jin?"
Jin So-hye nodded in response.
"Thanks to you, I feel much better. Completing the Greater Heavenly Circulation has made my body so light. Far lighter than usual."
The two inexperienced youths gazed at each other, purely delighted.
Baek Moo-jin asked.
"What about the Flame Lord's energy?"
Did Jin So-hye even know that Baek Moo-jin had fought it?
Her response came calmly.
"It seems to have settled. Your qi was purer than I expected. I worried it might carry extreme yin energy, but that was just my fear. It's like when Father and my guardians helped me."
Baek Moo-jin nodded and said.
"What exactly is the Flame Lord's true nature? You might not believe it, but while aiding you, I saw a vision. A massive fire dragon was dwelling inside you."
"Pardon? Really?"
"Why would I lie at a time like this?"
"What happened to that fire dragon?"
To her innocent question, Baek Moo-jin answered boyishly.
"I shattered it to pieces."
"Really?"
"Yes."
There was no need to mention the absurd tale of the former patriarchs appearing to help. Even he found it hard to believe. It was something to keep in his own heart.
Jin So-hye tilted her head curiously and stood to test her martial arts.
Baek Moo-jin watched her from where he leaned against the bedframe. Before his eyes, Jin So-hye moved like a dancer.
At one point, she drew forth power strong enough to provoke the Flame Lord, wrapping her right palm in Annihilating Heaven Flame Flower Qi.
Whoosh!
The room filled instantly with scorching heat, startling Jin So-hye into withdrawing her flame qi.
'How is it operating so smoothly?'
She spun around, blinking her large eyes as she looked down at Baek Moo-jin.
"Patriarch Baek."
"Yes."
"Thank you."
Baek Moo-jin smiled.
'I'm going mad.'
Jin So-hye was a beautiful woman. Whether she had just teetered on the brink of life and death, clashed with some illusory being, or encountered the King of Hell himself, that fact remained unchanged.
Baek Moo-jin was a man, after all.
He shook his head unwittingly, a smile playing on his lips as he rose. Approaching her slowly, he said.
"I'm glad. Rest now. Even if you feel better, you need it. I'll be nearby. I should rest a bit too before returning to the Alliance."
Jin So-hye said nothing.
Baek Moo-jin smiled, gave a slight nod, and headed for the door, leaving her standing there.
In that instant, as he brushed past, Jin So-hye grabbed his hand.
The motion was light and precise.
What fool in the world extends her hand first? But in this moment, she had clearly expressed her intent. Relationships between men and women sometimes advance in ways that make one wonder if it's allowed.
Whatever it signified, there was no immediate way to confirm. But the moment Jin So-hye grasped his hand, Baek Moo-jin pulled her close, wrapping one arm around her waist and cupping her face with the other as he kissed her.
With their profound martial skills, this was truly a perilous moment.