Chapter 373: The Festival (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 373: The Festival (3)
Secular experts who have reached the pinnacle of Internal Cultivation are bound to be hearty eaters.
This isn't simply because they expend vast amounts of energy through their martial arts; it is because food itself is the very essence of Natural Qi.
Just as those of noble birth or cultivators of the Buddhist and Taoist paths digest spirit elixirs to build their internal power, masters of Internal Qi Gong who have achieved the Great Heavenly Cycle of true qi can turn every meal into a potent medicine. Their nourishment translates directly into profound Qi accumulation, burning away every trace of waste until not a single speck remains.
This was how supreme experts could emerge even from humble, impoverished sects that could scarcely afford spirit medicines.
‘Still, you have to leave enough nutrients to maintain muscle strength...’
Jeong Yeon-shin mused as he sat in the simple, neat guest room. The air was filled with the faint, tranquil scent of incense unique to a Buddhist temple.
An incredibly gaunt Buddhist nun stared at him with eyes of unfathomable depth. To her left and right sat three elderly nuns each, all appearing to be of a similar age.
They were the monastics of the Emei Sect—all of them Buddhist nuns.
—His age is truly... I never imagined the Hidden King Amidst Flowers would be this young. And they say he even accelerated his growth through Marrow Cleansing and Bone Rebirth.
—Rumor has it he is only seventeen or eighteen. Not even twenty yet.
—Regarding the tournament... isn't this young benefactor carrying too heavy a burden? To stand among the leaders of the great sects, no matter how high his martial prowess and status... it is a truly pitiable position.
—It stirs my compassion. Our junior sister is right.
—I worry about our Sect Leader's words. She rarely tempers her speech or softens her delivery...
—I heard that this youngest Black Rank of the Desolate Fortress strongly inherited the blood of his grandfather, the Hegemon Hero.
A gentle wave of internal power brushed past Yeon-shin’s ears and faded like a sigh.
These were the nuns' telepathic transmissions. Originally, they were mere whispers sealed within energy waves according to the profound mnemonic of Telepathy, but Yeon-shin’s Upper Dantian effortlessly unraveled the structure of their true qi, translating the messages in his mind without him even trying.
It was his Upper Dantian’s fault. Unlike its quiet master, it was excessively curious. This was certainly not Yeon-shin's intention. Absolutely not.
‘The Baihui Point—Hundred Meetings—is the problem.’
Instead of eavesdropping, Yeon-shin found himself worrying for the Emei Sect Leader sitting silently before him.
Her body looked as though skin had been stretched taut over bone, a stark contrast to the burly, muscular physiques of the Shaolin monks he had met. Even considering her age, which was easily over sixty, she was far too skeletal.
It was then that Abbess Baekyak spoke.
"Do you have something you wish to say?"
Her voice was firm, a sharp contrast to her gaunt appearance. The sheer volume of her accumulated Qi was so immense that the very air vibrated for a moment.
Only then did Yeon-shin notice the nine ordination scars on the Emei Sect Leader's forehead. Those red marks symbolized the highest status of a martial monastic in the lands of Sichuan. It was said that the only other monastics in the Jianghu who bore the same number of scars were the Shaolin Abbot and the head lama of the Potala Palace in the outer realms.
She was, without a doubt, a peerless expert of the Orthodox Factions.
"Did you not summon me, Abbess? Please, speak," Yeon-shin replied politely, addressing her as a venerable elder monastic, not as a supreme hegemon of the Jianghu.
While the surrounding Emei nuns flinched slightly at his directness, Abbess Baekyak spoke with an expressionless face.
"I am asking because I am curious about your thoughts, Benefactor."
"..."
"I have already made my decision. Benefactor Jeong, you are not a suitable participant for this tournament."
"Why is that?" Yeon-shin asked, straightening his posture slightly.
He had heard the Emei nuns whispering about his age, but his shoulders, now incomparably broader than before his Marrow Cleansing and Bone Rebirth, were clear proof of his physical maturity.
"A moment ago, I faintly sensed the true qi leaking from you. It was wonderfully auspicious."
"Is this about the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect?"
Abbess Baekyak nodded slightly.
"Things that humans perceive as auspicious share a fundamental commonality. This applies to the internal power of Buddhist and Taoist cultivators as well as the energy of spirit beasts. If they did not share some resemblance, it would be difficult to group them all under the word 'auspicious.'"
"I suppose so."
"The Heaven-Ruling Dragon-Slaying Art is a divine art designed to shatter the energy of Crushing Evil and Revealing the Truth. Since its ultimate purpose lies in slaughtering Flood Dragons, anyone possessing sacred internal power must absolutely avoid the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect."
The Heaven-Ruling Dragon-Slaying Art of the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect. What Yeon-shin had heard previously aligned perfectly with the Emei Sect Leader's words. It was a martial art created specifically to hunt and kill Flood Dragons, the pinnacle of spirit beasts. Furthermore, Abbess Baekyak was someone who had personally clashed with the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect.
"My Guanyin Golden Summit Qi was shattered in just three kicks. When I unleashed the Tiger-Subduing Palm Technique in response, she met my hand directly—giving me no time to even build up a shockwave."
She spoke in a calm, measured tone.
"That was the Heaven-Overturning Dragon-Slaying Formula. In an instant, a thunderous Fa Jin erupted, stripping away my Body Protection Qi entirely."
"The nearby hall of our sect was swept away along with it, as if it had been bombarded by fire bombs..." one of the elderly nuns beside her added.
The hall they referred to was the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas, a place of immense history. Because it housed countless palm-sized Buddha statues, pilgrims from far beyond Sichuan flocked there just to place an offering. It was also famous for its size, which rivaled that of a grand palace.
"The Heaven-Overturning Dragon-Slaying Formula, backed by the internal energy of the Heaven-Ruling Dragon-Slaying Art, is fundamentally a martial art designed to crush a Flood Dragon's scales. I felt that power all too clearly."
"..."
"Those who practice Buddhist internal energy must not attempt to withstand it. This is a fact known to all under heaven, so no one will fault you, young Benefactor, for avoiding the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect. I have already spoken with the Sect Leader of Qingcheng. I would like you to observe the duels and take on someone other than her."
Yeon-shin fell silent for a moment. None of the Nine Sects had failed to leave an impression on him, but this was the first time he had been treated so thoroughly like a child—even though his physical appearance was now that of a fully grown adult.
‘The monastics of Emei are truly benevolent.’
The tension in his heart, wound tight with the desire to avenge Ha Do-un, Commander of the Heaven-Aligned Wing, seemed to ease slightly.
However, the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect, who routinely practiced human sacrifice through formations, had to die by his hand.
"..."
As Abbess Baekyak watched him intently, telepathic messages flew incessantly among the nuns to her left and right. Every single one expressed bewilderment. Given their Sect Leader's usual temperament, she should have cut the conversation short with a single, decisive word. It was highly unusual for her to go to such lengths to convince the Commander of the Demonlight Wing. They also wondered about the auspicious energy she claimed to have sensed from him earlier.
Suddenly, Abbess Baekyak spoke. "You have a stubborn streak beneath that handsome face."
"This is a tournament that I hosted," Yeon-shin replied calmly.
"I am aware that you interfered with the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect's affairs. If you brashly step forward first, the Lord of the Tenth Sect and the Pure Demon Alliance Leader will surely take a step back and call upon her instead," Abbess Baekyak said, her tone definitive.
Yeon-shin tilted his head inwardly. "I merely seized a single formation. It was hardly a difficult or significant matter."
"Was it not a Flood Dragon's sorcery formation?"
"There were no safeguards against it being dismantled. It must have been a minor matter to them—perhaps they can easily prepare another."
"...You have not seen how she treats an enemy with whom she shares an irreconcilable feud."
"If what you say is true, Abbess, then who is supposed to face her? The Taoists of Qingcheng are famous for infusing their swordplay with Taoist power," Yeon-shin asked. His implication was that it would be the same no matter which of them stepped forward.
Slide.
Abbess Baekyak rolled a large Buddhist bead between her fingers. Her face was indifferent—the countenance of a supreme master of the Orthodox Factions.
"I intend to step forward."
"...?"
"This tournament is not a survival match where the winner keeps fighting. Even if I am slain by the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect, I can still blunt the vanguard of the Unorthodox Factions."
"Are you suggesting we trade lives?"
"The Desolate Fortress is currently clashing with multiple factions of the Thirteen Heavens, and the recent famine has been extremely severe. Because of this, the depravity of the Heterodox Sects has crossed all bounds. If we do not sever their momentum here, the common people of Sichuan will be burdened with lifelong, inescapable anguish."
Crushing Evil and Revealing the Truth, Expelling Demons and Eradicating Evil.
At this moment, Abbess Baekyak was a true martial artist of the Jianghu, treating this life-and-death tournament as a monumental event that would decide the fate of her land.
"Please understand, Benefactor. My defeat at the hands of the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect was by no means because my personal martial prowess was lacking. Aside from the compatibility of our techniques, these eyes have clearly witnessed her divine art."
"..."
"There is no chance of victory. This old soul must go first."
The elderly nun's voice quietly filled the guest room. Even without carrying any active internal power, it possessed a distinct weight—the unique spirituality of one who had perfected a divine art, vibrating through the air.
The Sect Leader of the Emei Sect, one of the Nine Sects. Her martial attainment was incredibly deep. She had surely achieved Unified Martial Transcendence. He could envision a scenario where, no matter how many times they fought, he would lose at least once. Even for the current Yeon-shin, it was difficult to guarantee a hundred percent chance of victory.
"Now, I shall ask you again."
Abbess Baekyak continued slowly, implying that if he had sensed her martial prowess, he ought to agree with her judgment.
"When you first saw me, Benefactor, what were your thoughts?"
She thought to herself: a young benefactor had come face-to-face with the Sect Leader of one of the Nine Sects. It was their first meeting. Anyone would inevitably feel an insurmountable wall before them. This held true even between peerless experts of similar caliber. Indeed, the complex martial studies that Jeong Yeon-shin, Commander of the Demonlight Wing, had accumulated to reach his current realm gave even Baekyak the sensation of facing a wall at this very moment.
Both were peerless experts who had trained their Upper Dantians to the absolute limit. Deception was impossible between them.
There could only be one answer.
Yeon-shin looked into the elderly nun's clear eyes and spoke carefully.
"I thought that you should strengthen your muscles and nourish your body."
"...?"
While Abbess Baekyak blinked slowly in confusion, Yeon-shin felt a sense of relief. He was finally able to say what had been bothering him, right before a crucial martial arts tournament.
"As the Sect Leader of Emei, you are someone the common people rely upon. Yet, your back is extremely narrow. Are you not supporting your lumbar spine with internal energy rather than muscle?"
"...My internal energy is like the flowing rivers of Mount Sumeru, so..."
"I cannot feel any significant strength in your iliopsoas muscles either. You must not live with a body in such a state. Even Emei's martial arts must utilize silk-reeling power, so I worry that an unfortunate accident might occur when you twist your waist. Do you eat enough soybeans? I have been wanting to ask you this the entire time."
Wuuuung—
Something rushed into Yeon-shin's mind like a tidal wave. It was a flash of inspiration, the first in a long time, and it was incredibly brilliant.
How could a body woven with muscles no thicker than threads withstand the martial arts of the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect? How could one endure a blow powerful enough to shatter a dragon's scales with such low physical strength? Judging by Abbess Baekyak's appearance, she had somehow managed to escape without any fatal injuries.
‘She must have manipulated the acupoints through which her internal power erupts with extreme fluidity. There is no other way. Her muscles are practically non-existent.’
Come to think of it, the peerless expert known as the Wudang Ancient Sword was also said to have survived a duel with the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect.
‘The Abbess has gone beyond the Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak and achieved Unified Martial Transcendence. Rather than relying on ordinary footwork, it would be better to use the propulsion shockwave of internal energy. By directing the Fa Jin inward instead of toward the opponent, her movements would become far faster and more flexible...’
An assumption bordering on foresight. A brief but densely accumulated wealth of experience. These elements clashed and locked together like a bolt of lightning.
Meanwhile, Yeon-shin did not stop speaking. He felt genuine pity for the state of this venerable monastic who had so deeply cultivated her Buddhist devotion.
"Your waist is not the only concern. The Jianliao Point—Shoulder Crevice, situated over the triangular deltoid muscles of your shoulders, is also a problem. The ultimate technique of fist arts fundamentally relies on rotation, but with such thin muscle coverage, I cannot comprehend how you withstood those heavy blows... You must have mastered an incredibly profound martial principle. If I were to guess, when the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect's Fa Jin reached its peak at the point of impact, you must have used the principle of Reversal at the Extremes to..."
Yeon-shin's words and actions were filled with absolute sincerity. A peerless expert who had polished her Upper Dantian to the absolute limit felt this clearly as she faced him from a hair's breadth away.
Soon, a thin line etched itself around Abbess Baekyak's lips.