Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Return to Void Serenity Hermitage
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Jinmu, who had returned to Void Serenity Hermitage, didn't step out of his quarters for quite some time.
He even paused his daily heart art training, staring blankly at the ceiling.
My money...
For some reason, it felt like tears would well up any moment.
Blood-sweat money.
But what could he do?
He couldn't turn back what had already passed.
I should get up and train.
But strangely, today of all days, he didn't hear Cheongu and Cheongsang training.
What could be the matter?
Recently, Myeongjin had been helping with their training in Jinmu's stead.
As Jinmu struggled to shake off his daze and rise,
he heard Cheongu and Cheongsang whispering outside.
"Um, but senior brother."
"Yeah?"
"Is it okay?"
"What?"
"The money we left at Dongrim Battlefield. The masters seemed so pleased with it..."
"Ah, that money. But wouldn't Senior Uncle not mention it specially because there's a deeper meaning?"
"So I was thinking."
"Yeah?"
"Shouldn't we at least bring him the ninety coins he made for us?"
The quarters weren't soundproof.
Cheongu's voice drilled into Jinmu's ears like a hammer blow.
That damn punk!
The instant he heard the voice, double wicks of rage ignited in Jinmu's eyes.
He had just barely been trying to forget!
Bam!
Jinmu kicked the door open.
"Eek, Senior Uncle?"
Cheongu and Cheongsang jumped to their feet.
"What do you mean, bringing it?"
"Pardon?"
Cheongu blinked blankly in response, but Jinmu, radiating chilling fury, leaped forward.
Kuak!
"Kyaaak!"
Jinmu's fist sank into Cheongu's plump flesh.
"Dare to covet my property! Die, you gluttonous parasite who just bloats on meat!"
Cheongu took a relentless barrage of punches and kicks from Jinmu without even knowing what was happening.
And only then did Cheongsang realize why Jinmu hadn't reported the money left at Dongrim Battlefield to the sect.
Ah, Senior Uncle isn't rejecting worldly desires but accepting and embracing them. By flowing naturally with the secular world, he seeks to attain enlightenment seamlessly. He's worried that reporting it to the sect would hinder his unique path to the Dao, different from others.
The louder Cheongu's screams grew, the deeper Cheongsang felt the greed for money that even a Taoist priest should transcend.
Contrary to his thoughts, Jinmu simply wanted to hoard it all for himself, but Cheongsang's misunderstanding deepened, and Cheongu's suffering intensified.
"Hua!"
After thoroughly thrashing Cheongu for a good while, Jinmu finally stopped and let out a long sigh.
Fortunately, with his naturally tough build, Cheongu hadn't passed out.
"Hm? You're up... Why is Cheongu like that?"
"M-Master. Sniff, sob."
Myeongjin, who had just returned from a brief outing, looked puzzled, and Cheongu began shedding pitiful tears.
"Senior Uncle was giving Cheongu some guidance."
"Guidance?"
He was clearly beaten, yet Cheongu was crying while Cheongsang, expression unchanged, called it guidance. Myeongjin nodded.
"Anyway, are you alright?"
"Yes, Master. Sorry to worry you."
"No need. I was worried about you holing up for days, but you've gotten up now, so that's good. Come, I caught a pheasant today. Let's eat together."
"Pardon? You did it yourself? You should've just told us."
Jinmu felt a pang of guilt upon realizing his master had gone pheasant hunting because he hadn't come out. He turned his head away.
How dare these punks make our master hunt personally.
"Cheongsang, Cheongu."
"Yes, Senior Uncle."
"Start a fire. Boil some water."
"Got it."
Cheongsang hurried off, and Cheongu followed, sniffling.
Beating Cheongu had eased his frustration a bit.
Handy for when I'm down. Tough hide, plenty of padding to hit.
Time passed swiftly at Void Serenity Hermitage.
Two months had already gone by since the incident at Danganggu.
Thanks to alliances with several merchant groups lately, things had gotten busy, leaving Void Serenity Hermitage out of the spotlight as usual.
Aside from occasional visits from Jinhyeo, no one came by due to Wudang's busyness, allowing them to focus solely on training.
Near Void Serenity Hermitage, the Three Grotto Caves.
This spot had somehow become Jinmu's dedicated heart art training ground.
Jinmu devoted nearly the entire day to heart art training, except for mealtimes.
As he sat cross-legged on the flat ground, circulating his qi, a clear immortal aura rose like a haze from his body.
Wooong.
The rock cave, carved a palm's depth, began to vibrate faintly.
Good.
Jinmu finished a full circulation and gauged the qi filling his dantian.
It had grown considerably.
The heart art Jinmu cultivated was the Six Yang Divine Art, one of Wudang's signature supreme techniques.
A unique heart art that drew yang energy from the taiji's yin.
It was the true qi left by the Sect Leader and elders to save Jinmu, now refined and solidified through accumulation.
Hah, a mere forty years of cultivation?
Having been purified through refinement, it rivaled the internal energy of an unorthodox warrior with a jiazi's worth of power.
Jinmu drew the sword beside him and thrust it straight forward.
Tziiing!
As the energy stored in his dantian smoothly circulated through his meridians and infused the blade, it vibrated finely.
With the vibration, a bluish immortal aura enveloped the sword, growing thread-like and rippling endlessly.
Like sea grass dancing in ocean currents.
The realm after elastic qi: Intent Qi.
Infusing intent into qi.
In other words, shaping qi according to one's will.
What Jinmu manifested was sword threads.
Named for their thread-like form, usable only by those who had reached Intent Qi.
A technique mimicking sword gang, called false sword gang.
From this point, sword qi could be shaped at will.
Typically, manifesting sword threads required at least a jiazi's internal energy.
A realm achievable only by a handful of major sect elders. Impossible with Jinmu's current reserves.
Yet his excessive enlightenment compensated for the lack, allowing sword threads.
Damn, two full months of training, and this is the limit?
Jinmu poured all his energy into it, and the sword threads spread everywhere, filling the cave.
Still, if I can just condense it...
Shurik!
As Jinmu focused his mind, the threads gathered on the sword, wrapping it like a dense spiderweb.
Forging a sword involves repeatedly hammering, folding, and unfolding iron ore purified by fire.
Through countless repetitions, impurities are removed, purity increases, and strength far surpasses the original.
The so-called sword gang was no different.
Splitting refined dantian energy into threads, then recombining and compressing them, yields sword gang stronger than anything.
If the sword qi of masters was raw water or fire, the sword gang of absolutes was ice or magma.
Condensing sword threads.
Jinmu sought the sword gang realm through this process.
But,
Pahak!
The entangled threads scattered in an instant.
"Hah, hah."
They dispersed at the final moment of condensation.
His breathing grew ragged, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Damn."
Insufficient internal energy.
Not enough power to compress the threads externally.
He circulated qi again, gathered power, and tried repeatedly, but all failed.
He had advanced a step through training, but sword gang was still out of reach.
Seemed he truly needed a full jiazi's energy.
"Damn it, should I go find some elixir somewhere?"
Six Yang Divine Art.
Damn Taoist heart art.
"Hoo."
While Jinmu immersed in training, darkness fell outside the cave.
After repeated failures, frustration boiling over, Jinmu got up.
Mealtime with his master, never skipped alongside training—a cornerstone of his routine.
"Chaaap! Haap!"
Shambling back to Void Serenity Hermitage, he saw Cheongu sweating profusely while practicing Seven Stars Fist.
Bang! Pang pang!
Stepping Seven Stars Stance, his successive punches crisply burst the air, echoing through the hermitage.
Just last early spring, Cheongu couldn't infuse qi into his fists.
Now, in full summer with lush greenery, after merely six months, he mimicked membrane bursting decently.
Even with Master Myeongjin's guidance, catching up to Cheongsang's level in such short time.
A disciple worthy of receiving a Taoist name.
Guess that pig didn't just gorge on meat all this time.
And Cheongsang?
Jinmu shifted his slightly surprised gaze from Cheongu.
A bit away, eyes closed, sword held diagonally downward.
The aura?
Hm?
Jinmu's eyes widened gradually.
S-Sword qi?
The energy tinting Cheongsang's sword bluish was slowly lengthening.
Definite.
Sword qi.
Though his enlightenment was still lacking to fully transcend pure sword realm.
"Heh heh, impressive, aren't they? Both Cheongu and Cheongsang."
"......"
Myeongjin, who had approached Jinmu unnoticed, smiled fondly.
Impressive.
He hadn't expected such progress while he focused on heart art.
"Especially Cheongsang's talent is astounding. He hasn't fully broken through the wall yet, but he's mimicking sword qi."
"......"
"Compared to you, their talent is laughably lacking, but they'll be solid pillars of our Wudang."
Lacking?
No way, Master.
Jinmu retained all memories from his time as Hyeokryeon Mugang.
Even Master Myeongjin—no, even Sect Leader Myeonghyeon—couldn't match his past achievements.
Jinmu reaching sword threads recently was possible only due to memories of the absolute realm.
Yet,
Merely past his early twenties.
Despite guidance from Myeongjin and Jinmu, without a fixed master, Cheongsang neared sword qi.
Was he really a genius?
He knew he was exceptional, but...
"What do you say? That wall blocking the boy—won't you break it for him?"
"......"
Myeongjin suggested subtly.
The profound mystery wall Cheongsang needed to surpass—Myeongjin could guide him through it.
He had passed it once before.
But Myeongjin wanted Jinmu to take Cheongu and Cheongsang as disciples.
"Me?"
"Yes. Help them out."
Myeongjin smiled warmly.
Why? What's the point?
But his master had spoken, and Jinmu was already approaching Cheongsang.
"Cheongsang."
"Ah, Senior Uncle."
Cheongsang, deep in training, snapped to attention and bowed to Jinmu.
Ah, I don't want to help.
He felt the need to train Cheongsang, but seeing him improve stung.
"Don't bind it."
"Pardon?"
"The sword has form, but qi is formless. Don't restrict your qi by tying it to the sword. The sword is merely an extension of the hand, a medium to wield qi more effectively."
"Ah!"
Cheongsang let out an exclamation at Jinmu's words.
Easier said than done.
Realizing and applying it was incredibly hard.
He'd said it as obscurely as possible to avoid understanding.
Hopefully he doesn't get it...
"Urk!"
Suddenly, Cheongsang vomited black blood and collapsed.
Huh? Already? That easily?
"Senior brother!"
Cheongu, training nearby, startled and tried to rush over, but Myeongjin blocked him with a pleased face.
"Heh heh, leave him be."
"Pardon?"
As Cheongu worriedly tilted his head, Cheongsang sat cross-legged right there and closed his eyes.
In front of him stood Jinmu, face contorted in fury, covered head to toe in the blood Cheongsang had spewed.
You damn punk!
Blood on his new silk Taoist robe!