Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 37
>Chapter Title: Elixir Rush (3)
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The massive surge of my master's energy burrowed in from my back, advancing toward my esophagus.
It began gently enveloping the ferocious energy of the Explosive Demon Pill as it spread from my esophagus.
Up to this point, there was nothing particularly unusual, nothing strange about the process.
But at the time, I didn't realize it. That this was only the beginning.
The heavy, immense energy wrapped around the large, savage surge. The two energies stayed together without mixing, growing even larger.
And then, that massive energy began to burrow into my meridians.
Toward my frail, narrow meridians, which could barely handle even five years of cultivation.
"!!!"
My eyes snapped wide open from the unexpected agony, and I nearly screamed without thinking.
Even amid the filthy pain, a thought flashed through my mind.
'So that's why he warned me not to pass out or open my mouth!'
Of course, my master wasn't crudely shoving that entire massive energy into my meridians all at once.
He was drawing it out like thread from a huge spool, guiding the Explosive Demon Pill's energy with his own, stretching it long and thin as he moved it.
'Th-that thing's too big! It won't fit!!'
Still, it was far too much for my meridians to handle.
"Hngh!!!"
I gritted my teeth so hard they nearly shattered to endure the pain. Without a mirror, I couldn't check, but I was probably making a hideous face.
Meanwhile, the Explosive Demon Pill's energy raced through my meridians, ravaging them as it followed my master's guidance.
- Do not lose track of the flow of true energy that this old man is leading.
On the verge of losing my mind, I forcibly focused on that energy, recalling my master's final warning.
Ridiculously, once I concentrated on something else, the pain started to feel a bit less intense.
And then.
Thud!
I could somewhat grasp what was happening inside me.
'So my meridians weren't naturally narrow.'
The Explosive Demon Pill's energy wasn't tearing my meridians apart. More precisely, it was charging through, pushing out the waste buildup scattered throughout them.
In other words, the pain I felt was from that waste being forcibly ripped away.
Perhaps because the waste was cleared.
Ridiculously, after a little time passed, a cool sensation spread through the areas where I'd felt pain.
It was the worst.
'Urk!!'
The foremost meridians pierced by the Explosive Demon Pill's energy still throbbed with pain, while the rear ones it had already passed through brought rising waves of cool pleasure.
Pain and pleasure intertwined, creating a sensation that felt like it would cross some forbidden line.
How long had I endured like that, teeth clenched, fighting myself?
'Gh... it's over....'
The energy, racing along the heart method of the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword, surged past the final meridian toward my dantian.
If I just absorbed it into my dantian, it'd be done.
I thought that for a moment.
'!?'
For some reason, the Explosive Demon Pill's energy didn't return to my dantian. Instead, it headed back into my meridians.
As if planning an encore lap around the meridian circuit.
'I'm screwed,' dominated my mind, but since most of the waste had been cleared on the first pass, the second lap brought no real pain.
And just as it completed the second lap and returned to my dantian.
'!?'
This mad old coot started sending the Explosive Demon Pill's energy back into my meridians again.
'Why again?'
No sooner had the question arisen than the mad old coot personally demonstrated the reason.
'Why there!?'
The energy racing through my meridians split into dozens of tiny fragments under my master's guidance, scattering outward.
Exiting the major meridians, toward the minor ones throughout my body.
A thought struck me.
'If you could've split it even smaller, you should've just done that, you mad old coot!!'
Now I saw it wasn't that he couldn't split it finer—he just hadn't.
Of course, having watched the whole process, I knew why.
It needed to retain enough size to forcefully blast away the waste blocking the meridians in one go.
But reason or not, the mad old coot had subjected me to horrific agony.
And now, those dozens of finely split energy strands delivered a new torment.
The pain of piercing the major meridians' waste had felt like being jabbed repeatedly by blunt objects all over.
But now, traversing the minor meridians throughout my body, it was like dozens of ants had crawled inside and were biting away at my insides—a gruesome agony.
I couldn't tell if I was absorbing an elixir or being tortured.
Finally, on the verge of truly passing out and wanting to let everything go.
"Whew. You endured well."
A deep breath from behind me came with the mad old coot's praise.
'Endured my ass.'
I really thought I was going to die.
Honestly, I wanted to spew some satisfying curses.
"Hm?"
But once I regained my senses, a sensation I'd never felt in my life washed over me.
What was it like.
Like a lifelong illness suddenly vanishing.
My body felt so light. Had it ever been in this good a state?
Impossible physically, but I could've sworn I could fly to the heavens.
"Hahaha. It must feel quite wondrous."
"Is this the power of elixirs, Master?"
I could see why murim folk went mad with fiery eyes for elixirs, but for some reason, my master shook his head.
"Your internal energy hasn't increased by much. It's less the elixir absorption and more the effect of the marrow cleansing."
"!?"
Focusing on my dantian as he said, my internal energy itself hadn't grown much.
At best, ten years' worth?
My original dantian could hold about five years', so it had tripled in capacity.
The Explosive Demon Pill contained about thirty years' worth, so realistically, only about a third had been added to my dantian.
But more importantly, that term "marrow cleansing."
Marrow cleansing.
I'd skimmed murim novels on my commute, so I knew roughly.
A term that popped up often: a grand technique performed on newborns in prestigious clans or massive sects.
Using a supreme expert's internal energy to refine an infant's muscles and bones and meridians, optimizing them for martial arts cultivation—like major surgery.
"Th-then, isn't marrow cleansing only possible on children?"
"Hahaha. It's harder with age, but not exclusively limited to infants."
My master began his explanation there, going into detail.
"I didn't plan to do marrow cleansing from the start. Even for this old man, attempting it on a fifteen-year-old boy would be a gamble. I intended to just clear the waste from the major meridians and call it done."
"Then why...?"
"First, there was less waste accumulated in your body than I expected, Il-mok. Seems you didn't eat much fiery or meaty foods as a child. Plus, you endured so well that we preserved more of the Explosive Demon Pill's energy than anticipated. But your dantian was too small to hold it all, so we had no choice but to clear the minor meridians' waste as well."
From a poor family, and later an orphan, so I hadn't eaten richly.
And that had turned into a blessing in disguise.
"Now your body is as pristine as a child's after marrow cleansing. Your internal energy hasn't surged, but you'll grow far faster than others."
But as he explained, a question arose.
"But is marrow cleansing possible with just twenty years of cultivation?"
If it were that easy, every martial clan would do it on their kids.
My master shook his head at my question.
"Hahaha. Of course not. To preserve as much of the Explosive Demon Pill's energy as possible, this old man mainly used his own cultivation."
"!!!"
Thinking back, during the meridian clearing, my master's internal energy had always enveloped the Explosive Demon Pill's. So the energy directly clashing with waste at the forefront was mostly his, not the pill's.
And even after that, only a third of the pill's energy remained? That meant he'd used at least thirty years' worth of his own.
"Thank you, Master!"
Forgetting the torture he'd just put me through, I bowed deeply to him.
"Hahaha. Think nothing of it. Your late start in martial arts was my only regret, but now that handicap is gone."
Despite losing over thirty years' worth of internal energy—more precious than life to a warrior—my master wore a satisfied smile.
Even more than me, the recipient.
* * *
After finishing the elixir absorption and marrow cleansing.
I changed into fresh training robes Jin Ha-yeon had brought and began training.
The robes I'd worn reeked of rot from the waste expelled from my meridians.
And after swinging my sword several times under my master's watchful eye.
'This is insane.'
I couldn't help but be stunned by the marrow cleansing's effects.
Earlier, it had just felt like my body was lighter, but moving it and my internal energy myself revealed a world of difference.
With the waste-clogged meridians expanded, my internal energy now flowed freely through them.
Like a single-lane road widened to four lanes.
Even the minor meridians were cleared, towing away every parked car from the alleys—no traffic jams at all.
The only issue was that my meridians were now too vast compared to my internal energy reserves.
I could send fifteen years' worth through with room to spare, so my explosive power and speed had surged, but I couldn't sustain it long.
But that was trivial.
'My meridians are wider anyway, so I can absorb way more energy during Qi Circulation and Breath Adjustment.'
Indeed, after a few Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword forms depleted my energy and I did Qi Circulation and Breath Adjustment, my empty dantian filled in moments.
Those who'd received marrow cleansing as kids and trained from infancy had cultivated under these conditions all along.
Prestigious clan young masters started with this from birth, so the gap would widen absurdly with age.
Those guys would become later-generation disciples, earning titles like Five Dragons and Two Phoenixes, strutting around.
- I reached this realm through hard work! Your laziness is why you're lacking!
I pictured those arrogant prestigious clan later-generation disciples spouting such lines.
'Sure enough, even in murim, you need to be born with a silver spoon.'
Or win the lottery like me.
"Heh heh heh."
With the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Lord as my master, it was a rare jackpot.
Thus, drunk on the elixir rush and marrow cleansing high, how long did I practice the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword?
Even movements that once felt awkward now flowed freely.
And their power and speed were incomparable to before—swinging the sword was pure joy.
When my energy ran dry, I'd do Qi Circulation and Breath Adjustment; once refilled, swing again.
'No. It should be a bit faster here.'
'Not enough! Your rhythm control is clumsy! Slow the end a little and flow smoothly into the next move!'
Each swing revealed tiny flaws; upon recovering energy, I'd correct them.
"Hahaha. This old man will take his leave now."
"Take care, Master! Thank you so much!"
My master, watching contentedly, departed Wind Rock Hall when time came.
Even after the sun hid behind the mountains and darkness fell.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
'Still not enough!'
Lost in the sword, I relentlessly swung and circulated energy, chasing the perfect sword path.
How long had I been sword-drunk like that?
"Hah. Hah."
Sweet elixir breath puffed from my mouth, every muscle screamed, and the raw sensation in my sword-grip palm finally hit when.
Snapping to, I realized an important fact I'd forgotten.
Absorbing an elixir naturally boosted martial achievements.
And with marrow cleansing too, my Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword progress soared steeply.
Higher realm in Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword meant worse side effects.
I'd been swinging like a madman, lost to those side effects.
Gaining immense progress in just a day, but that wasn't the point.
Naturally, last night's dream flashed back.
Perhaps that nightmare had been a prophetic one.