Chapter 152
Chapter 152
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: Reconstruction of the Dantian
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Pung Kyo-gon let out a heavy sigh once more and spoke.
"She... stood by that bastard's side until the very moment she died, shielding him. Ah. I just couldn't... couldn't..."
Tears streamed down from Pung Kyo-gon's eyes.
He must have truly loved his wife.
There seemed to be some deep story behind it all.
Han Ibi decided not to press for more details and changed the subject.
"By the way, Senior Pung...?"
Looking at his childlike face, Han Ibi couldn't bring himself to insert the character for "old" between "Pung" and "Senior."
"Speak."
"If I may be so bold... why hasn't Tak Bu-yong killed you all this time, Senior Pung?"
Pung Kyo-gon replied.
"Hmph. Because I possess what that bastard wants."
"What he wants?"
"Exactly."
With that, Pung Kyo-gon barely managed to move his body, stiff from years of captivity, and raised his arm.
Scars.
More scars.
Not just one or two—the marks of repeated wounds and healings.
Han Ibi stared at them with a puzzled expression for a moment, and then a line from the Fortuitous Encounter DB system flashed through his mind.
[...All the body's acupoints will open fully, inner energy will increase, and within a year, the blood will be completely purified...]
"Ugh! No way... don't tell me it's the blood...?"
"That's right."
No!
What, was he some kind of Dracula?
Han Ibi recalled Pung Kyo-gon's immortal-like demeanor.
That astonishing appearance that defied age!
And to think it hid a secret like this!
Han Ibi ground his teeth and shouted.
"I've never seen such a heaven-defying monster!"
"Kukukuku. If that were all, I'd count myself lucky. My blood is just a side dish."
"Pardon? What's more?"
"Yes... that's the real reason they came to our Gwanheon Villa."
"So it wasn't a chance visit."
"Correct. That dog of a man has been preparing for this for a very long time."
"Ah, I see. But... how did he know about Gwanheon Villa, which is unknown to the world, and your supposedly... er, cough, sorry. invincible supreme martial arts...?"
Han Ibi stumbled over the words "invincible under heaven," as they just didn't sit right on his tongue.
"If even Tak knows, who else wouldn't?"
"Pardon?"
"My grandfather, the first-generation Villa Lord, came from the Wudang Sect."
"Gasp!"
Han Ibi was genuinely shocked.
According to Pung Kyo-gon's explanation, it went like this.
In the previous generation, two individuals were revered as the Wudang Sect's greatest prodigies: Pung U-baek and Ji Hyeon-gyeong.
They were even said to be the finest geniuses since Wudang's founder, Zhang Sanfeng.
Pung U-baek was Pung Kyo-gon's grandfather.
Ji Hyeon-gyeong was the grandson of the Sect Leader from two generations prior.
The two vied fiercely for the top spot in the sect...
But Pung U-baek always stayed a few steps ahead.
His martial talent was so extraordinary it could only be described as heaven-sent.
As a second-generation disciple, he even threatened the Sect Leader's prowess.
Ji Hyeon-gyeong, the hardworking genius, always tasted bitter defeat at his feet...
Unlike the worldly Ji Hyeon-gyeong, Pung U-baek was the true Taoist, always carefree and detached.
He seemed utterly uninterested in power and position.
And sure enough, weary of the rivalry, Pung U-baek suddenly stepped down to secular disciple status.
He returned home and established Gwanheon Villa.
As an unnamed minor clan lord, Pung U-baek was completely forgotten by the martial world.
Pung Kyo-gon said.
"The world forgot our Pung family entirely, but the Wudang Sect kept watching us all along."
Han Ibi said with a bitter expression.
"The more talented they are, the blacker their hearts tend to be."
"Regardless of Wudang's schemes, my grandfather created peerless martial arts upon the foundation of Wudang's teachings. Those are Gwanheon Villa's Mountain-Shrouding Gorge Flow Technique and Seamless Swordsmanship."
"Oh ho. The names alone sound impressive. But they never got a chance to shine in the world, right?"
Pung Kyo-gon shook his head and replied.
"Just once. I heard he revealed them as an unknown swordsman. When the old monster monk Gongbo from the Western Region's Dharma Wheel Temple threatened the Martial Alliance Leader and plunged the martial world into terror."
"Hmm. It must have been a satisfying scene, but that's when he got exposed. Maybe that's why this all happened."
Then Pung Kyo-gon spoke in a bitter tone.
"But heaven grows jealous of geniuses, they say... My grandfather passed away early from illness, leaving behind my infant father."
By now, not a shred of doubt remained in Han Ibi's mind.
No child could make up a story like this.
As much as he hated to admit it, this kid was... sigh, a grandfather.
Then Han Ibi remembered something and said.
"Ah! So that family secret manual you said was torn up..."
Pung Kyo-gon nodded.
"Yes. It's the Mountain-Shrouding Gorge Flow Technique and Seamless Swordsmanship."
Han Ibi snapped his fingers as if it all clicked.
"Tak Bu-yong is after that manual."
Pung Kyo-gon said.
"Hmph. As if he'd get his way."
Han Ibi replied.
"Now that I've heard your story, Senior, it's my turn. I am from the Qingc..."
"What's your name?"
"...Jong Ri-mae."
"That's enough. The rest doesn't matter."
"Not even my sect affiliation?"
"It's Taoist-based."
"Y-yes."
"Good enough."
"For what?"
"Getting out of here."
"Out?"
"Yes. You were trying to leave earlier."
"Well, sure."
"Then we're set. The rest is up to heaven."
"What are you...?"
But Pung Kyo-gon cut him off bluntly.
"That stone door responds to the Wudang Sect's Yang-Infinite Ultimate Divine Art. It's not about brute force—you have to distribute power strictly according to Taiji principles to open it. Watching that Tak bastard do it so many times, I figured it out naturally."
Han Ibi said.
"If I may ask... why tell me this?"
"The Mountain-Shrouding Gorge Flow Technique is Taoist-based but refined to greater purity and precision. So it contains the essence of Wudang's Yang-Infinite Ultimate Divine Art."
Only then did Han Ibi grasp what this childlike elder was getting at.
He asked in astonishment.
"Are you going to teach me the Mountain-Shrouding Gorge Flow Technique right now?"
"Yes."
"But..."
"Don't want to leave?"
"Of course not."
"Then learn."
"...Yes."
Pung Kyo-gon stared straight at Han Ibi and added.
"But no master-disciple nonsense. Once we escape, we go our separate ways."
"Understood."
Cool, I like it.
"Good. Time is short."
"Right. Actually, I sneaked out of wall-facing training. We need to wrap this up before they notice."
"No time for long lessons. I'll overlay the essence of the Mountain-Shrouding Gorge Flow Technique onto your existing inner energy—just enough ultimate technique to open that door."
"Got it."
"Assume half-lotus position."
The childlike elder sat on the bed with a stern expression and addressed Han Ibi.
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.
Han Ibi was now peering into his inner self in a profound state of egoless trance.
Within the green screen of the Inner Energy Management System, he watched the changes in his dantian with awe.
Pung Kyo-gon's claim of being "Supreme Under Heaven" had seemed dubious.
But the title "Supreme Teacher Under Heaven" fit him perfectly.
No lengthy explanations were needed.
He transmitted only the essential core at the right moments.
Han Ibi's body was drenched in sweat, steam rising faintly from his head.
Originally, Han Ibi's dantian interior was a mess.
Four streams of energy allied and clashed, locked in a precarious bloodbath of biting and tearing.
First, the Taoist-based Zhongli Pure Heart Method.
This pure heart method became the base material to contain the Mountain-Shrouding Gorge Flow Technique.
As Pung Kyo-gon recited the incantation of the Mountain-Shrouding Gorge Flow Technique, Han Ibi grasped its profound principles and steadily reshaped the structure of the Zhongli Pure Heart Method.
It was like using the same cement and rebar to build either a single-story house or a complex skyscraper.
The supreme enlightenment of Taoism created by the genius Pung U-baek, combined with the pure energy of the Zhongli Pure Heart Method.
Plus Pung Kyo-gon's excellent guidance—it all fused into an explosive force.
Thus, a new hierarchy formed within Han Ibi's dantian.
The Zhongli Pure Heart Method, former shell owner,
instantly transitioned into the grandly potential Mountain-Shrouding Gorge Flow Technique in a short time.
The Mountain-Shrouding Gorge Flow Technique surged like waves upon transformation, pressing down on the dormant Hongmong Great Law.
Now, even with just the inner energy in his body, he could suppress the Hongmong Great Law's qi.
At the same time, changes came to the poison qi of the Demonic Poison Vigor and the tonic blood of the Scar Vein Blood Technique, which had been opposing the Hongmong Great Law.
As the Mountain-Shrouding Gorge Flow Technique overwhelmingly crushed the Hongmong Great Law, the remaining two energies finally clashed with each other.
Two energies bearing irreconcilable polarity.
Yet this absolute polarity revealed the truth that they were one and the same...
In the end, the Demonic Poison Vigor's poison qi and the Scar Vein Blood Technique's qi merged into a single energy.
This was the property of Wuji and Taiji!
Thus, the entire process perfectly matched Wudang's Wuji theory.
The chaotic traffic jam inside the dantian was neatly sorted.
"Huu-."
Han Ibi exhaled deeply, and green steam billowed out thickly.
Pung Kyo-gon furrowed his brow and said.
"What? You said Taoist-based, but did you practice poison arts?"
Han Ibi smiled and replied.
"No way. I'm a typical righteous sect member. Just badly poisoned, that's all. But..."
Han Ibi bowed politely to Pung Kyo-gon and said.
"Thanks to your grace, Senior, it's all resolved now."
Yes.
The unstable toxins that had flowed through Han Ibi's blood were now completely neutralized.
So poison techniques relying on blood could no longer be used.
But considering how those poisons had unknowingly gnawed at his body,
and how mere toxins had fused into pure inner energy,
the gains far outweighed any loss.
Han Ibi wanted to shout at the top of his lungs or whistle with joy.
Power surged through his entire body, on the verge of exploding.
Pung Kyo-gon sensed the unimaginable transformation in the young man before him but didn't show it.
He said.
"Carry me."
Han Ibi replied.
"Got it. But your arms still lack strength, so best to bind you to my back with cloth."
"Do as you like."
"Yes."
Han Ibi took a step forward.
Mighty energy writhed throughout his body.
It felt like he'd gained superpowers.
'So this is what it really means to be a master...'
Han Ibi slowly approached the stone door again.
Standing before the door,
he reviewed the incantation of the Mountain-Shrouding Gorge Flow Technique in his mind and inserted his hand into the groove below.
Same stance as before, but the interior was worlds apart.
Han Ibi signaled the qi writhing in his dantian.
Slowly drawing up the energy of the Mountain-Shrouding Gorge Flow Technique.
It pulsed vividly, full of power, like a freshly tamed wild horse.
"Hup."
Han Ibi tensed his lower abdomen and began lifting the stone door.
Finally, it rose bit by bit.
He'd succeeded this far before.
The key was from here on.
Han Ibi strained to recall Pung Kyo-gon's words and began reciting the incantation.
'All things form through opposition of extremes, the basic condition of existence. Resolving this opposition means regressing to the pre-existent state—existing yet non-existent.'
True energy surged forth fiercely.
A tingling yet refreshing sensation, like downing a soda.
And finally!
(To be continued in the next installment)