Chapter 107: Muscle Training (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 107: Muscle Training (3)
I was always struck with admiration whenever I watched Namgung Su-ah’s swordplay.
Partly because of how marvelously she wielded that massive greatsword as if it were an extension of her own limbs, and partly because it was nearly impossible to find a single opening in her form.
Clumsy martial artists thought the Heavy Sword was simply about mindlessly pouring weight into a single strike, but that was a foolish notion.
Even a Heavy Sword required feints. One had to know how to be light when lightness was needed, and one must never let themselves be dragged around by the weight of the blade.
Watching Namgung Su-ah made that principle crystal clear.
Her body danced in perfect tandem with the long blade. Even if an opponent managed to dodge her strike, her figure remained hidden behind the greatsword, making any counterattack incredibly difficult.
It was, quite literally, a sword of perfect offense and defense.
And then came the finishing touch.
Thump—!
A massive pressure erupted with her footstep, violently weighing down on the surroundings.
"So this is the Namgung style..."
Chun-bong let out a small gasp of admiration.
The subtleties of the Emperor Sword Form layered into Namgung Su-ah’s blade were enough to make any opponent wither in despair.
It was a textbook Heavy Sword—forcing the enemy to endure strike after strike until they were finally crushed to death beneath the sheer weight of the blade.
As Namgung Su-ah wiped the sweat from her brow and sheathed her sword, Seo-jun jumped to his feet and clapped.
"Bravo...!"
Her skills had improved significantly. Honestly, if they fought with swords alone and without using internal energy, Seo-jun was confident he’d get his ass handed to him.
"Hehe, it was nothing."
Namgung Su-ah approached gracefully and leaned her weight against Seo-jun.
Previously, she had been hesitant to get close when she was sweaty, fearing she might smell. But now, having realized Seo-jun truly didn’t mind, she showed zero hesitation.
It was a correct assessment on her part.
Her body was warm from the intense movement, and her scent, far from being unpleasant, wafted around her invitingly. Who could possibly dislike that?
While stroking the head of Chun-bong—who was currently pouting and glaring daggers at them—Seo-jun fell into deep thought.
'Still, at this rate... Chun-bong might get there first.'
Namgung Su-ah was a talented martial artist. Combined with her relentless hard work, she was showing an absurd rate of growth.
In truth, reaching the Super Peak Realm before the age of thirty was considered extraordinary. Even if you searched the entire Murim, such cases were incredibly rare.
But Chun-bong... she simply defied all standards.
She was only seventeen. Yet, in Seo-jun’s eyes, it was clear as day: Chun-bong was truly only one step away from the Super Peak Realm.
"Why is our Chun-bong so strong?"
"Hmph."
The way she tilted her chin up was adorable. When he playfully scratched under her chin, she started purring with delight, making his heart ache from the sheer cuteness.
"Ever since your Severed Meridians were cured, you’ve been a completely different person."
There was an old saying that martial artists born with Severed Meridians possessed absurd talent, and if they were ever cured, they would leave a massive mark on the Murim.
It seemed the same applied to acquired Severed Meridians.
While the condition itself didn't create talent where there was none, Chun-bong’s case was special. The combination of the Yin energy that had been blocking her blood vessels, the spirit herbs she had consumed, and the refined Qi that had been trapped and aged in her Dantian had culminated in immense internal growth.
No joke—Chun-bong’s internal energy was probably double Su-ah’s right now.
Furthermore, during the process of curing her meridians, she had undergone something akin to a Bone-cleansing and Body-changing, reaching an outstanding level of Essence. It was almost time for her breakthrough.
"Our Chun-bong... you might hit the Super Peak Realm before you even turn twenty, won’t you?"
As he spoke, he squished her soft, Profound Realm cheeks. Chun-bong’s nose tilted toward the sky in pride.
"Hmph, of course! I am Geum Chun-bong, after all!"
"Who’s a good girl? Our Chun-bong is."
Seo-jun scooped Chun-bong up in his arms and looked at Namgung Su-ah, who was still leaning against his shoulder, staring up at him.
"Anyway, from what I can see, your balance of Essence, Qi, and Spirit is already quite good, Noona."
This was the advantage of Righteous Faction martial arts: growing while maintaining a strict level of balance from the very beginning. It was quite different from his own growth, which skewed much closer to the extreme methods of the Evil Sect or the Demonic Cult.
"But it feels like you're just a little short of reaching the Super Peak Realm. If you can find a way to grow just a tiny bit more, I think you’ll be there soon too."
"Hehe, aren’t you flattering me a bit too much?"
"No, I’m serious."
It was just that this "tiny bit" of growth was always the hardest part. He wasn't just spouting empty words.
Seo-jun closed his eyes and imagined the scene a few years down the line.
Himself, Chun-bong, and Su-ah. An image of three Super Peak masters roaming the world together.
A roaming force equivalent to an entire major sect, traveling the lands while laughing and chatting?
It would be nothing short of a disaster for anyone in their way.
A walking disaster... what a terrifying title.
Watching them quietly from a distance, Namgung Jin-cheon wore a faint smile on his lips.
'Is the new generation finally coming into bloom...?'
Even after he was gone, these children would lead the Namgung Clan well.
Myeong-i was gradually getting closer to Su-ah, and above all, an unprecedented genius cherished her deeply.
If his future son-in-law reached the Transcendent Realm, he would have no lingering regrets about following his late wife into the afterlife...
Wuuu—
At the faint vibration of his sword, Namgung Jin-cheon stroked the blade with a rough, calloused hand.
'I know... Do not worry too much, my wife...'
The moon in the night sky shone exceptionally bright.
*
Seo-jun bid Namgung Jin-cheon and Namgung Su-ah goodnight, promising to see them tomorrow, and headed back to his room.
Namgung Su-ah had asked if the three of them could just sleep together, but that was a bit much. Seriously.
If she was clinging to him all night, he was confident he wouldn't be able to get a single wink of sleep.
"Hey, hey."
Chun-bong, who had been scurrying ahead excitedly, suddenly spun around.
"What?"
"By the way, are you all cured of that?"
"Cured? Of what? I’m not sick."
"Looking at your mental state, I’m not so sure about that."
"What?!"
Seo-jun clutched his chest in mock offense. Chun-bong ignored him as usual and continued.
"You know, that thing. Your aversion to women. You seem fine now even when Unnie clings to you."
"Ah, that?"
Seo-jun fell into a brief silence. The conclusion wasn't hard to reach.
"It’s not as bad as it used to be."
Looking back, it had really been a form of fear.
That mysterious woman. That bitch who had likely bewitched his mother into killing his father.
It wouldn't have been difficult to enchant his mother, who was just an ordinary person. A simple Soul-Snaring technique could easily turn a mortal into a puppet.
Nevertheless, seeing his father betrayed by the mother he trusted most was reason enough to distrust women in general. It was only natural to feel tense whenever he saw someone who shared even minor traits with that mysterious woman.
But now?
"Who am I?"
"Murim expert Lee Seo-jun?"
"No. I’m the Super Peak Murim expert Lee Seo-jun."
He could just kill them all. That was the confidence he had gained.
Even if that woman was some kind of immortal, the fact that she was nowhere to be seen suggested she was under some kind of restriction.
In that case, he just had to get strong enough to find her and crush her skull.
It was a simple and clear conclusion.
"But actually, I was always fine with Noona. Why would I hate a pretty and kind Noona?"
"...You dog."
"Hey! Why?! It’s true!"
"Just die."
"Wait! Miss Geum!"
Seo-jun snorted and followed Chun-bong as she entered the room.
The room, which he hadn't been in for a while, was an absolute mess.
It wasn't that the maids were neglecting their duties; it was because Seo-jun had explicitly forbidden anyone from cleaning his room.
And if no one cleaned, it was a law of nature for a room to become messy.
You know, entropy—the degree of disorder—always increases over time, doesn't it?
It was only natural for the disorder of the room to increase as time passed.
If someone somehow kept their room perfectly clean even as time went by? Then that person had to be the Heavenly Demon. If that wasn't defying the heavens, what was?
Chun-bong wasn't the Heavenly Demon either, so she just kicked some scattered clothes out of the way and flopped onto the floor.
"Ayy, Miss Geum. Why are you sulking again? Hmm? Today’s a good day."
"Go sleep with Unnie."
"Really?"
"......"
"...I won’t, so don’t look at me like that. You’re scaring me."
Seo-jun watched her reaction, and at the perfect moment, he tucked his hands under Chun-bong’s armpits and hoisted her up into the air.
Finding herself dangling before she even knew what was happening, Chun-bong had her cheeks ruthlessly squished and ravaged by Seo-jun’s demonic hands, forcibly dispelling her sulky mood...
And Chun-bong realized anew.
'What is with this guy...?'
It had been like this for a while, but it really felt like he knew her better than she knew herself.
He knew exactly what to do and when to do it to change her mood. It felt like every part of her was being completely seen through.
'Am I just living too simply?'
As she stared blankly at Seo-jun, he gave her a cheeky smirk.
Thump. Her heart fluttered. It was just because she hadn't seen him in a long time, she told herself.
Feeling inexplicably annoyed by her own reaction, she started tugging on his hair.
"Why is your hair such a mess? Aren't you going to trim it?"
"I’m growing it out. Don’t you know that our bodies, hair, and skin are sacred gifts from our parents?"
"Who even said that?"
"What..."
"Whatever, just sit down."
Chun-bong found a dagger in the corner of the room and sat down in front of Seo-jun.
Seo-jun’s eyes darted around nervously.
"Hey... you’re confident about this, right?"
"I’ve never done it, so I don’t know."
"Chun-bong. Wait. Let’s think about this one more time."
"No, I can do it. It can’t be harder than the Azure Cloud Divine Sword."
"Wa-wait...!"
Surprisingly, Chun-bong actually had a talent for hairdressing.
*
The next day, before his training with the Fist King, Seo-jun took a moment to organize his thoughts.
'There’s so much to do.'
First and foremost was the Domain.
Even if it wasn't the true Domain of the Transcendent Realm, every martial artist had their own sphere of influence.
Of course, it wasn't a literal, physical domain.
It was the range within which one could perceive all movements, and the distance one could reach within a single breath.
It varied depending on the weapon used, one’s physique, or the profundity of the footwork one practiced.
But was that sphere truly unrelated to the Domain one gained upon reaching the Transcendent Realm?
If he could somehow blend what he had realized from watching the Giryeon Sect Leader with his own pseudo-domain, he might just see a path to the Transcendent Realm.
Therefore, it was his highest priority for now.
Next was sorcery.
He was currently using it in a makeshift way, but he felt the need to learn it properly to some extent.
He seemed to have a knack for it, and it would be a waste to let that talent rot.
However, it was quite different from martial arts.
Unlike martial arts, which sought answers from within oneself, sorcery relied on the external.
Perhaps that would change at higher levels, but for now, Seo-jun couldn't create something from nothing.
This meant he couldn't use earth-based sorcery in a place where there was no soil.
There were various other differences in its "feel," so he knew he needed to gain proper mastery over it.
And that wasn't all.
He had to master the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Astral Qi and give some serious thought to Demonification.
He had to keep practicing the Emperor Sword Form and couldn't neglect the Yellow Cloud Divine Sword either.
He was probably forgetting a few other things, too.
'Hmm. Why am I living so diligently?'
The question occurred to him suddenly, but it was all necessary.
He could play and eat all he wanted after he hit the Nature Realm or something.
"Alright, let’s begin!"
Seo-jun looked up at Pae Jin-gwang’s booming voice. The man was grinning broadly, the muscles rippling across his entire body.
"First, I’m going to figure out exactly how much weight you can lift."
'Should I just use some trick to pump up some "balloon muscles"? I really don't want to work out...'
Seo-jun considered the option with utmost seriousness.