Chapter 96

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 96

Chapter Title: Lesser Formless Art (2)

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A soft, intensely flat sensation wrapped around my waist, just a bit above the hips.

And ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right after that.

"Sihyeon~! The gang's here~!"

"My disciple, it's been a while."

"Young master! Hehe, I missed you."

The voices I'd missed filled my ears.

I swung Luri toward the direction of the voices with a whoosh, and she flew off with a low thwip and a boooom.

I turned my head.

"Whoa."

Among the countless swimsuit designs I'd eyed at that fabric shop in Xi'an before.

Wearing the one that had made my top-tier aesthetic sense blurt out, 'Hmm, that's badass.' were Narang, Sojeo, Elder Sister Seol, and Busty standing side by side.

Luri slotted perfectly into the gap between them big enough for one little girl, completing the four-person party.

As expected of me.

Seeing how the swimsuits I'd picked out as perfect matches for each of them actually suited them all flawlessly made my chest swell with pride for no reason.

Narang and Sojeo in simple bikinis that, far from hiding them, made their overflowing busts stand out even more.

Luri in a bikini with frills that accentuated her hips, as if proudly declaring she'd grown a bit despite being a kid.

Elder Sister Seol, whose bust disparity couldn't be bridged by a regular bikini, rocking a slingshot monokini that highlighted her figure perfectly.

And then...

"Gah!"

I nearly had a knight's meltdown.

I absolutely wasn't thinking anything naughty like tan lines on my sky-like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠master.

"Young masteeeer!"

My chest-swelling Narang and Sojeo jiggled over and slammed their intense mass against my arms.

This place...

Heaven...

Elder Sister Seol approached with a shy smile, step by step, and even Luri, whom I'd tossed aside earlier, came toddling over.

It was the perfect composition I'd envisioned.

Unfortunately, this wasn't reality—it was a fantasy.

If I hadn't earned it through my own efforts, it meant nothing.

...And honestly, I doubted I'd ever see something like this in real life anyway.

Sure, there was that saying about heroes having three wives and four concubines, but typically, families were structured around a principal wife and her concubines.

Suppose I properly proposed to Narang and Sojeo.

And then spouted nonsense to Elder Sister Seol like, 'I already have a principal wife... would that be okay...?'

She'd cleave me into gold/si/hyeon right there on the spot.

Even if I survived that crisis somehow, the only ending left for me would be the public enemy of the martial world.

...Part of why I've been passive about advancing our relationships is that.

Anyway.

Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.

I closed one eye and chanted the incantation softly.

Following Teacher Tathagata's lesson that excessive indulgence in form leads to being sucked into the storm of space-time.

I cleared my mind calmly.

The bittersweet beach memories faded away like a game service ending.

For a moment... I was happy...

"Kuhk."

Tears welled up, so I tilted my head back.

I... sometimes... shed tears...

Hmm.

Enough with the dramatics.

Before the wolf pup, having devoured all the jerky I'd stashed in the backpack, devolved into a dark-evolved wolf, let's break through.

Not this primitive, ancient, barbaric Central Plains trash jerky.

Geum Sihyeon's special soft, delicious beef jerky.

It'll all vanish the moment I look away.

Next floor.

I felt like I'd encountered a fortuitous encounter before even claiming the rewards.

[Chamber of Poison Conquest]

The moment I strode in majestically.

Kuuuung—!

The stone door sealed shut.

And poisonous mist began seeping out from all sides.

Seeing a switch-like thing by the opposite door.

The standard way was probably stocking up on anti-poison pills to push through, or maxing out lightness skill to hit the switch before the poison took hold.

But.

Who am I?

Immunity to All Poisons Geum Sihyeon.

Savoring the tickling Lakilhyang scent in my nose, basking in the Five Elements Residual Poison brushing my skin.

I walked to the center of the passage and sat cross-legged.

Hakryeongcho, Danjanghwa, Mongryeongcho...

While fully enjoying these precious poisons hard to buy even with money through my whole body, I popped the Eight Poisons Pill I'd squeezed from the Black Tiger Sect leader and closed my eyes.

The poison seeping through skin and lungs flowed along my meridians, steadily piling up in my dantian.

I could absorb it all with the Northern Bright Divine Art.

But if I can absorb poison, couldn't I store it in my true energy and expel it instead?

According to Tang Mok.

The starting point for Sichuan Tang Family poison arts is creating a separate poison core in the dantian.

Snakes and bees store venom in separate poison sacs, so it's modeled after that.

Since my dantian already had illegal residents—

Luri-brand demonic arts migrants—building unauthorized structures.

With the feel of erecting another refugee camp next to it, I gathered and condensed the infiltrating poison at one point.

The greedy Northern Bright true energy kept trying to swallow the poison, drooling greedily,

but how could I call myself a martial artist if I couldn't control my own true energy?

With time and effort, kneading diligently.

I managed to form a cute little poison core.

The thick poison mist that had filled the air vanished completely, leaving only clean air.

Click.

I stood, pressed the switch, and both the entrance I'd come from and the exit by the switch opened.

"Hmm..."

After a brief deliberation.

I exited back through the entrance, waited a bit, then re-entered.

"Nope."

No infinite poison refill event triggered.

A sigh escaped at the subpar facilities and service, worse than a roadside stall.

The final room was once again wooden puppets, thud thud.

- Kikikiki, emergency—

Like there was level scaling, this time a horde of first-rate puppets nearing the Peak realm poured out.

But first-rate lowbies and Peak experts are worlds apart—three whole characters' difference, a realm beyond realms.

I stomped them effortlessly, time for harvest again.

Sharing this joy with someone would've been nicer.

But considering the Chamber of Poison Conquest, coming alone was a blessing. Same for the wolf pup.

Treasure hunting on hold for now.

First, the manual said to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠be here—

The Lesser Formless Art.

"Hmm..."

Like the Northern Bright Divine Art, the incantations had Chinese characters paired with Korean.

Clearly a martial arts manual.

Yet the meaning resonated with Daoist teachings.

Especially the third verse.

One of my traits—Clear Mirror Still Water—from Teacher Kongming, but originally a Daoist term for non-action.

I could only offer silent thanks to my second brother, Geum Sirang.

The rest of the incantations were steeped in Daoist thought, so without deep study of the Daodejing and Lao-Zhuang philosophy, full comprehension would've been impossible.

Unlike the intuitively written Northern Bright Divine Art, the Lesser Formless Art was the epitome of dull pedantry.

I flipped pages entranced, etching the principles into my mind.

Closed the final page and sat cross-legged.

Quietly close eyes, contemplate the inner self.

The human body is no mere machine, but a microcosm of the universe.

My dantian was vast primal void, meridians weaving the cosmos into one great wave.

If past martial learning was twisting flows with personal will to forge new paths and wield power.

Lesser Formless.

Even the faintest potential is never identical.

My sword cannot match Sword Demon Master Wijiryang's.

Nor Elder Sister Moyong Seol's.

Nor the Peaceful Life Swordsmanship of that assassin I cut down before.

Polishing it in the same form.

Believing mimicry was right—that was me.

But.

It can never be the same.

As the universe I'd bounded expanded.

Martial arts stalled at certain realms suddenly unfurled wings, racing to expand possibilities.

I marveled at my past blindness; monotonous forms and methods proliferated with myriad potentials.

Round and round, back to the start.

The Way is formless.

Form arises from the vessel.

Bluntly embodying that was splitting and remaking the Blood Wolf Swordsmanship into mine.

But now, no need to fully engrave in flesh...

"Kruuuuh..."

No.

Not yet sufficient.

Wiped the blood from my nose.

Spit out surging stagnant blood.

To fully embody the Lesser Formless Art's essence, my flesh's limits were clear.

Put differently.

Essence, energy, spirit not in harmony.

Superlative Peak.

No.

At least Flower Transformation Realm to fully claim it.

New realization.

Peak, Superlative Peak—these demarcations express harmony of essence-energy-spirit accessibly.

Thus, ultimate harmony: Flower Transformation.

But.

This was plenty. Overflowing.

Clear insight into infinite martial branches, key to the truest path obtained.

"Huuuu..."

All that's left.

Embody the intent for my sword.

Then, next realm awaits.

...Though the grasp hasn't come properly yet.

I sensed it wouldn't take long.

The remaining items in the Northern Secret Annex were honestly a bit disappointing.

Sounds gluttonous, I know.

But with overflowing inner power, common spirit pills can't handle it—no real effect.

Weapons? No need beyond bow-sword. Thousand-Zhang Black Dragon Robe? Even less.

Couldn't even pick more than one stingily.

Fortuitous encounter x3, really the best?

Arguably, absorbing poison for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a core and learning Lesser Formless Art counted, if generous.

But poison absorption was my skill.

Stingy, stingy.

Unfair, unfair.

Anyway.

The one that caught my eye.

I grabbed a mask.

Material: exquisitely carved jade, not overly flashy, design neatly covering eyes and nose—charming.

If I had to compare.

A refined hahoe mask!

"Accumulated Evil's Retribution: Punishment comes slow but sure. I've come to punish your wicked deeds!"

I spouted dramatic lines in theatrical tone, filling my heart with national pride after ages.

Righteous thief Hong Gil-dong retires.

Only Justice Hahoe remains...

After a solo bout of madman dramatics, I exited through the designated exit.

Dawn was breaking from the sky.

True early bird... not quite.

Still, deepened martial insight washed away fatigue cleanly.

Maybe leisurely head to the Beast Palace like this? Using lightness skill casually midway.

"Keurheung—"

A tiger's death rattle from somewhere snapped me alert.

"Ah, right."

Entrance and exit on opposite sides.

I barely recalled the wolf pup, still snoring with nose snot, sprawled out.

Almost made an abandoned dog.

Hurried back to the stone forest toward the lakeside.

A chill ran down my spine.

Survival instincts screaming—but what threat here? Maxed Soul Moon Divine Eyes.

There, far—no, closer now, very close—

"Oh my, Young Master? What a coincidence... no, no! This must be fate! You've come to see this servant, haven't you, Young Master? I've missed you so dearly!"

Ha.

I'm screwed.