Chapter 103
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Is This Really Okay?
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Before earning the moniker Heavenly Hands Soul Stirrer, Tang Clan Head Tang Myeong had operated under the name Heavenly Hands Buddha Slayer.
This was because, uncharacteristically for a Tang clansman, he shunned killing and preferred poisons and hidden weapons.
When the Tang Clan prodigy, who had been hailed as their hope, immersed himself in swordsmanship instead of poisons and hidden weapons, the entire clan was thrown into uproar.
But after inheriting the position of clan head, he delved deeply into poisons and hidden weapons.
And in less than a decade, he perfected the Ten Thousand Blossoms Heavenly Shower—a genius among geniuses.
Tang Myeong was the one who had expanded the Tang Clan into the Thousand-Man Tang Clan.
The Thousand-Man Tang Clan got its name from having a thousand warriors, and Tang Myeong had steadily increased the number of Tang fighters.
This had long sparked much talk in the Murim Alliance.
Until then, the Tang Clan had pursued an elite few, never exceeding five hundred warriors at most.
Now, however, they praised Tang Myeong for building the Thousand-Man Tang Clan.
Even as the Demonic Cult stirred chaos in Sichuan, they felt secure knowing the Tang Clan held firm.
"It is an honor to meet you, Clan Head. I am Scholar Cheon Taesan."
Cheon Taesan cupped his hands in greeting.
Tang Myeong, seated on the dais, brushed back his jet-black hair and eyed him intently.
"Scholar? Isn't Scholar Cheon a martial artist? How can the wielder of the famed Scholarly Divine Sword call himself a mere scholar?"
Cheon Taesan met Tang Myeong's gaze evenly.
"Did you invite me as a scholar, Clan Head? Or as a martial artist?"
"As a scholar, of course."
"That is why I am a scholar."
The conversation's focus felt slightly off-kilter, but Tang Myeong chuckled.
How could someone who brushed off his aura and questions so casually be a simple scholar?
"You're beyond expectations. I invited you after hearing you'd even reformed Mok Jimong—not to mention Pang Soun and Nangong Mubaek. Forgive me if it offended."
"Very well."
Junior etiquette demanded humility when asked for understanding, so this straightforward reply was unexpected.
"Hahaha! Indeed! Beyond expectations!"
Tang Myeong laughed heartily, clearly pleased.
"Scholar Cheon, I have one question."
"Please ask."
"Do you know when the Poison Man lost its poison aura?"
"After Elder Garu Uheon attacked me, it had already lost its poison aura by the time I claimed it."
"Is that so? That differs sharply from our investigations."
Tang Myeong fixed Cheon Taesan with a sinister glint in his eyes.
"From what this seat has heard, you fought the Demonic Cultists at Hopyeon Field using the Poison Man."
"I did deploy the Poison Man at Hopyeon Field. But its poison aura was weaker than expected, leaving me at a loss. That was when I prepared the Garu Storm Pipe."
Tang Myeong crossed his legs and spoke.
"Fine, let's say that's true. This seat intends to let the matter drop. The elders may grumble, but I can silence them. In exchange, reform my youngest son for me."
Cheon Taesan stared back at Tang Myeong.
"So, you're saying there's no reward for reforming your youngest son, Young Master Dang Jiin?"
"Exactly. Is it because you're a scholar? Sharp comprehension."
Cheon Taesan sensed this was a kind of test.
"That won't do. I came because Young Master Dang Jinok promised a gift that would satisfy me."
"So, you're fine with us investigating the Poison Man more thoroughly?"
"I wrested the Poison Man from Elder Garu Uheon and handed it over to the Tang Clan—that alone warrants compensation. Being pressured like this would be most unjust."
"Hmmm."
Tang Myeong drew out a long breath, glaring at Cheon Taesan.
Killing intent seeped from him, constricting Cheon Taesan, but Cheon Taesan rotated his three strands of spirit energy to deflect it.
"Hooh."
Tang Myeong snapped his fingers and spoke.
"Very well, the past is the past. The Tang Clan isn't so stingy. We'll prepare a gift you'll find satisfactory, Scholar Cheon."
He didn't specify what the gift would be—a sign that Tang Myeong was no ordinary man.
"In any case, properly reform Dang Jiin."
"Understood."
"I'd love to set up quarters for you near Dang Jiin's residence, but clan rules bar outsiders from living within the Tang Clan grounds. Bear the inconvenience and commute to his place for the lessons."
To Cheon Taesan, that was no hardship.
What mattered was gaining access to the Tang Clan's interior.
"Understood. When do the lessons begin?"
"Dang Jiin is currently undergoing punishment at the Enforcement Hall. Start once he's released. The punishment will take a few days. Rest easy at the Noble Guest Pavilion in the meantime."
As he spoke, Tang Myeong stared piercingly at Cheon Taesan, who rose to his feet.
"I'll take my leave."
"See that you do."
Cheon Taesan hadn't expected blessings or well-wishes from the Tang Clan Head.
The clan head had invited him yet treated him like an unwelcome guest.
This alone proved how awkward Tang clansmen were with people.
Cheon Taesan knew the clan head had no intent to humiliate him.
Still, it soured his mood—human nature, unavoidable.
'Perfect timing. I haven't even checked the dantian I absorbed from Lady Ojuhyang. I'll spend these days circulating energy through it.'
As he exited the clan head's quarters, he sensed blood flows from the guards protecting it everywhere.
No matter how perfectly they erased their presence with the Ghost Food Great Technique, they couldn't escape his eyes as living beings with pulsing blood.
Outside the quarters stood four stone lanterns as tall as he was, placed in the garden.
He detected blood flows inside the lanterns.
'Insane! Hiding inside stone lanterns?'
Cheon Taesan pitied the guards who lay motionless in the cold stone, protecting the clan head, and muttered unwittingly.
"The clan head is strong enough to need no guards, yet he puts people through this. I wonder if he even eats his meals warm like this. Poor souls."
He tapped the top of a stone lantern as he muttered.
The guard inside nearly broke his concealment upon realizing the scholar had pinpointed him exactly.
Stone lanterns blocked presences naturally, like stone coffins, so even without the Ghost Food Great Technique, most experts couldn't detect them.
With the technique added, not even transcendent masters could sense them.
That was why they hid inside.
Yet the scholar knew their positions and cast pitying glances at all four lanterns.
The stone lantern guard felt a surge of emotion.
Hiding in a stone lantern for duty was tantamount to torture.
The scholar's acknowledgment shook his breathing slightly.
"What if it rains? Tsk tsk. Still better than those in the pond, I suppose. Guard duty's a rotten job."
The scholar's sighing exit from the moonlit gate felt oddly grateful.
He was the first to pity his plight.
Thinking of the pond guards consoled him—his own post was better, at least.
My impression of Tang Myeong was that he resembled an old man with nine serpents coiled in his belly.
Even if his bloodless, tearless eyes and demeanor were typical of the Tang Clan vibe, the aura emanating from him wasn't pleasant.
As I sat there dazed for a while, Yeoseol spoke up.
"Brother. I'm going out to the garden to play with the bugs."
I couldn't help but chuckle at that.
Yeoseol "playing with bugs" meant circulating energy through natural spirit veins.
No one could detect her doing so.
Natural spirit energy resembled spirit energy and wasn't perceptible as internal energy flow.
Plus, she actually played with real bugs, leaving no room for suspicion.
She just looked like an innocent girl with no friends, amusing herself with insects.
"Alright. I'll circulate energy inside the room."
"Okay."
Now I could circulate without worry.
In that sense, shaking up the martial world wasn't so bad.
When I was just an unknown scholar, I couldn't ignore others' eyes.
"Don't stray beyond the garden."
"Yeah."
Once Yeoseol left, I placed the dantian in my mouth.
The dantian was a secret even from Yeoseol.
After it settled into the Life Gate acupoint, I circulated with the Heavenly Net Heart Technique.
I felt vast internal energy surging through my three meridians and was astonished inwardly.
'What is this?'
I sensed pressure from my blood vessels beyond what thirty-odd years of cultivation could produce.
'This sensation, this pressure of internal energy. If the records are correct, this is nearly a full Jiazi worth of power.'
Considering how long the dantian had been in Lady Ojuhyang, absorbing over thirty years was impossible.
'That means when Ojuhyang died, her internal energy lost control, allowing the dantian to absorb it far faster than before.'
It felt like striking gold.
My martial arts foundation was the Seven Stars Seven Origins spirit energy, but there was no reason to reject internal energy.
'A full Jiazi puts me near peak mastery. Of course, martial arts refinement must support it, but without a Jiazi of internal energy, even perfect refinement doesn't make one a peak expert.'
Previously, fusing internal energy and spirit energy onto paper had succeeded with the Autumn Leaf Flying Blade.
Back then, I could only lift a teacup with void grasp.
Now with a Jiazi, I wondered how much stronger void grasp had become.
'A Jiazi should lift twice a teacup's weight, right?'
A small inkstone caught my eye.
An inkstone would weigh more than two teacups.
I extended my hand, emitting spirit and internal energy. The inkstone floated smoothly into the air.
"Mm!"
I was startled.
Lifting the teacup before had felt like hoisting a lead weight its size.
'Now the inkstone feels as light as a brush.'
I realized that while internal energy doubled from half to a full Jiazi, capabilities multiplied several times over.
I was just as amazed.
No martial arts manual recorded the emotions and experiences of each realm.
That's why a master was needed.
A master imparted their own experiences.
"In that case!"
I set down the inkstone and focused on the sword hanging on the wall.
Fusing the Jiazi internal energy with spirit energy from rotating my three strands, I attempted void grasp.
Shing!
The sword slipped from its sheath on the wall.
Swish!
It flew into my hand in an instant.
"This is void grasp!"
A sudden idea struck me, and I tried it immediately.
Whoosh!
Samadhi True Flame erupted from my hand.
The flames surged like kindling tossed into a forge.
It clung to the sword, lingering along the blade.
Internal energy-formed Samadhi True Flame couldn't adhere to a blade.
Only sword qi could unify with a sword via internal energy.
But my summoned Samadhi True Flame, half spirit energy, wrapped the blade and blazed at my will.
"Like a torch."
I uttered an odd sentiment.
It was that bright.
"Flame sword..."
I felt profound emotion.
A mere scholar now bore the title Scholarly Divine Sword and ascended to the ranks of absolute powerhouses.
I could even summon a sword with void grasp—a feat only for them.
Pride swelled, but so did fear: was this really okay?
This level was for transcendent experts.
'Can't boast anywhere. For now, this astonishing power stays my secret.'
Secrets piling up wearied me.
Yet I wondered how much more I could gain by further accumulating power in the dantian.
'No. Calm down. To survive this harsh world, I must hide not three-tenths, but half my ability.'
As excitement ebbed, my mind cleared, sorting scenarios.
Even in this positive turn, one thing kept me from fully enjoying it.
I still hadn't perfectly deciphered the final word of the Heavenly Net Heart Technique's last verse.
The phrase "The Perfected One Has No Self."
It meant one who reaches the pinnacle transcends the self, but I hadn't grasped its meaning in the Heavenly Net Heart Technique.
'Enlightenment needs time.'
I breathed deeply, casting aside impatience.