Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village
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The time I spent learning the basics of acupoints and foundational knowledge from Hwa Se-myeong for medical studies lasted about a month. During that period, he brought thick medical texts and diagrams for me to memorize, and since I was used to such tasks, I recited them while operating the Thunder Scripture I had learned from Mang-ryang. After a month passed, Hwa Se-myeong said in astonishment,
"Your memorization skills are incredible. No ordinary person could memorize this quickly!"
"Haha..."
"Your study methods are solid too—far beyond a mere martial artist. Have you studied separately somewhere?"
I gave a wry smile, recalling my study sessions with Mang-ryang. The intense years of study back then were proving useful now.
"A little..."
"Anyway, it's fortunate you're from the martial world and already know the basics of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and acupoints. Now, let's get into the main topic."
According to him, the knowledge martial artists had about acupoint strikes or qi circulation was extremely limited and simplistic. Martial artists might memorize dozens or hundreds of acupoints, but only up to the level needed for their own techniques. Unless they were from a proper Taoist sect like Wudang, there was a vast gap between martial artists' and physicians' acupoint knowledge. What I had memorized over the past month encompassed and expanded far beyond the 'basics' I already knew, requiring at least ten times more effort.
Hwa Se-myeong said,
"Before that, do you know that Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism each have their own unique breathing methods?"
"I know about Buddhism and Taoism, but Confucianism is new to me."
"The essence of their teachings is largely the same. Confucianism aims for 'following one's nature' through self-cultivation, premised on the 'pure principle.' It's hard to explain, but ultimately, they cultivate breathing to achieve the Yang Spirit."
"Do Confucian scholars also train breathing related to the lower dantian like martial artists?"
"Indeed. It's an extremely secretive transmission, but it definitely exists. That's why, on this land of Goryeo, a school called the Flowing Path—which synthesizes Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism—has gained fame."
It was astonishing. Confucianism meant the scholars quoting Confucius and Mencius, yet they had their own exclusive martial arts! And if it could compare to the orthodox arts of Buddhism or Taoism, its profundity must be immense.
Hwa Se-myeong took a sip of tea and continued,
"Then, do you know what the Yang Spirit is?"
"From what I've read, it's called the Primordial Spirit. There's a ultimate realm beyond the Yin and Yang Spirits—that's the Primordial Spirit."
"You've studied well. Correct. Though the paths and processes differ for the three schools of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, they all lead to the Primordial Spirit. From your perspective as a martial artist, what kind of realm do you think the Primordial Spirit is?"
"Hmm..."
It was a tough question, so I pondered. In that month, I had memorized the basics from three thick medical texts, but it was all rote memorization—no time for deeper thought. After much deliberation, I answered,
"I think it's the Heavenly Spirit Core."
Heavenly Spirit Core!
The ultimate internal art realm likely achieved by the White Lotus Cult's three Dharma Protectors—a state of semi-permanent, superhuman qi flowing endlessly! It was said to be attained by opening the middle dantian, but truly only Triple Excellence Lee Gwang seemed to understand it properly. Other martial artists either didn't know the concept or vaguely associated it with the middle dantian.
Hwa Se-myeong said in surprise,
"What? The Heavenly Spirit Core wasn't mentioned in any of the medical texts I taught you—how do you know it?"
"A renowned master from my school mentioned that realm. He said my internal energy approaches it but isn't quite there."
"Hmm... That person must be connected to the White Lotus Cult. Among countless internal art cultivators in the martial world, only they define it with the term 'Heavenly Spirit Core.' Your school seems deeply tied to them."
"......"
Of course it was. The Thunder God Style was originally the White Lotus Cult's Dharma sect, but it had been driven from the jianghu decades ago—a sect of misfortune. It was natural for Lee Gwang, from the White Lotus Cult, to understand and use the Heavenly Spirit Core concept. But I had no intention of saying that much, so I just nodded.
"Yes, I see..."
"Anyway, since you know it, this will be easier to explain. As you said, the Heavenly Spirit Core is a path to the Primordial Spirit. But it's not the Primordial Spirit itself—just an intermediate stage."
"An intermediate stage?"
"Yes. Ultimately, one reaches a state where the upper, middle, and lower dantians are all open, gaining infinite power and transcending humanity—that's the Primordial Spirit. A being that far surpasses the immortals called 'divine immortals' in the world—that's the Primordial Spirit."
".......!!"
I was shocked by a concept I had never considered.
"'Transcending immortals'?"
According to Mang-ryang, Taoism didn't distinguish much between immortals and gods. Most Daoist cultivators indeed saw becoming an immortal as their final goal. To say the Primordial Spirit transcended immortals meant possessing terrifying power that surpassed most gods in a human body!
I thought it over and summarized,
"By cultivating internal energy in the lower dantian to its peak, one advances to the middle dantian's Heavenly Spirit Core, and surpassing that leads to the Primordial Spirit realm."
"Exactly. That's the White Lotus Cult Leader's martial theory."
"... No way!!"
"Just as you think. The White Lotus Cult Leader himself has reached the Primordial Spirit, allowing him to transmit that martial theory to his Dharma Protectors and followers."
I was utterly dumbfounded.
To think the path through the Heavenly Spirit Core to the Primordial Spirit was a real, experienced process! It was a moment where I truly felt the monstrous power of the White Lotus Cult Leader, whom I'd heard about in stories.
But it made sense. Without that level of power, the Ming Emperor wouldn't fear him, and millions of troops would mean nothing. It was an absolute deterrent that rendered human armies meaningless.
I asked my question.
"Wait a moment. Even I, who have used spirit medicines to approach the limit of human internal energy, think few humans possess more qi than me. Not boasting, but there aren't many in heaven and earth."
Hwa Se-myeong replied curtly,
"It is boasting... But I agree your internal energy has reached an absolute realm. Even combining East, West, Central Plains, and White Lotus Cult, there might be fewer than ten who can match you in all the world."
"Yet I'm told it's not the Heavenly Spirit Core. Why haven't I reached that realm?"
"Hmm... You have a valid doubt. And you've come to the right person today. Few could answer that besides me."
Smirking, Hwa Se-myeong continued,
"As you might guess, the Heavenly Spirit Core isn't achieved just by increasing absolute qi quantity. Even its actual possessors likely fall short of you in pure qi volume. Yet if your internal energy clashed with theirs, you'd lose every single time. Why do you think that is?"
I suddenly recalled clashing with Han Baek-ryeong in Luoyang. His words evoked that exchange. I shook my head.
"I don't know."
"Your internal energy is vast and inexhaustible but not infinite, and you can't freely condense or distort it beyond acupoint limits. Even the same amount yields huge differences in instantaneous output, and sustainability falls short of the infinite Heavenly Spirit Core. The Heavenly Spirit Core itself is martial arts on another dimension."
"......!!"
Condensation and distortion!
I remembered how Han Baek-ryeong seemed momentarily inferior in power, then overwhelmed me with several times the force. It was definitely power impossible to draw from human qi meridians. As I groaned, Hwa Se-myeong said,
"From what I heard from a Dharma Protector, the middle dantian is conceptualized as the 'field of the mind.' It reclaims the innate fetal breathing, devours yin-yang energies alone, and opens the Heavenly Gate. It's not something reachable by mere internal energy cultivation."
"Then how does one achieve it?"
Hwa Se-myeong laughed heartily.
"Ha ha... Asking me that is tricky. Do you realize what you just asked? How a human becomes an immortal."
"Hmm."
"The only way seems to be asking an absolute being who has already achieved the Heavenly Spirit Core for the secret. Of course, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism may have equivalents, but those who've reached it have usually ascended or lost interest in worldly affairs."
Hearing that, I resolved what I must do next.
'I need to meet a White Lotus Cult Dharma Protector.'
I'd vaguely thought so when Lee Gwang mentioned it, but this conversation confirmed it. To elevate my internal energy realm to the Heavenly Spirit Core, I had to meet one. Only those who had reached it knew the path.
But simply meeting and extracting info was unlikely. Entering a realm akin to immortality with worldly martial arts—why would they share with an outsider? As the difficulty spiked and I panicked inwardly, Hwa Se-myeong cleared his throat.
"Ahem, the conversation keeps veering off. Anyway, the ultimate realm is the Primordial Spirit, and cultivation is needed to reach it. Pursuing medicine can help with that."
"How so?"
"Do you know that the human brain ages over time?"
At the abrupt question, I tilted my head.
"Not sure. Does the brain age?"
"Yes. From the distant mythic era, humans have slaughtered each other in wars. My lineage from Hua Tuo has wandered battlefields since then, observing corpses, dissecting the fearless physiological aspects of humans, and compiling medical knowledge. We discovered that as the body ages, so does the brain."
I knew about brains. I'd seen them burst from smashed skulls, spilling amid massacres, even washed their gray, wrinkled, bluish goo from my hands.
'As I recall, gray, shriveled, and greenish.'
As I pondered the brain's appearance, Hwa Se-myeong said,
"But martial artists' brains age very slowly. Whether in their 50s or 60s, they defy bodily wrinkles and age gradually. Isn't that amazing?"
"It is, but... what does it mean?"
"No matter how brilliant a scholar or sage, the brain ages. Brain exercises can delay it slightly, but that's it. Without martial arts or special methods to activate the brain, function declines sharply after 50."
Pausing for breath, he continued,
"In other words, stimulating the Eight Extraordinary Meridians with qi and breaking through Small and Grand Celestial Circuits inherently affects the upper dantian's potential. Because the brain is where the human soul lingers longest."
"......!!"
"When a human dies and soul and魄 depart, where do they emerge? The qi gathered in the brain exits through the seven orifices. Of course, the soul isn't the brain itself, but it's undoubtedly the longest dwelling place."
"Hmm."
Hwa Se-myeong's Hua Tuo lineage had dissected bodies and fought on the front lines of life and death for centuries or millennia. In that sense, he possessed unique theories diverging from mainstream medicine.
"Now, consider this. Then why can't martial artists become great sorcerers too? Martial arts clearly affects sorcerer potential, yet only innate talent determines who can. Why?"
"I've never thought about it."
Smirking, Hwa Se-myeong said,
"It's about whether you can open the passage."
"Passage?"
"Sorcerers, awakening sorcery, open a spiritual channel utterly different from the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. In distant lands beyond Tianzhu, it's called the 'Tree of God'—the tree of life in heaven. East or West, the diagrams are similar, followed in sequence."
"Hmm."
"No matter how much martial artists study the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, they can't become sorcerers. The 'door' is a completely different system—impossible to open."
Clenching his fist, Hwa Se-myeong declared,
"But mastering the Hua Clan's Hundred and Eight Needles and Hua Tuo's Five Animals Frolic to the ultimate allows opening that door too! Not only that—it liberates the innate limits of the human body, and in medicine, one can control life and death at will!"
"......!!"
As I flailed in shock, Hwa Se-myeong clapped my shoulder.
"You have talent. I'll teach you everything to help you reach that realm."
"Thank you."
Beaming, Hwa Se-myeong said,
"But for that, I need more capital... Can you give me one more root of Spirit Lotus?"
I replied firmly.
"No more."
"Tch..."
Clicking his tongue, Hwa Se-myeong began teaching acupuncture and herbs. I had to study in the suddenly tense atmosphere, a stark contrast to the excitement moments before. I decided to be more careful in future conversations with him.