Chapter 30
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: I'll Give You a Way to Live (1)
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Creak—
As Moo-jin stepped into the room amid the groan of old hinges, the faint scent of aged wood and lingering incense brushed his nose.
'Hm.'
Moo-jin scanned the interior with an intrigued expression.
It was far too modest for the abode of Shaolin's abbot.
No grand Buddha statue adorned the space, nor were there shelves crammed with Buddhist scriptures.
Only the rice-paper windows fluttered in the breeze, quietly filling the room with soft light.
"Welcome. Benefactors Kang Moo-jin and Kang Moo-woong. Please, have a seat."
"Greetings, Abbot."
Moo-jin and Moo-woong offered ritual bows to the abbot, who smiled warmly, then took their places.
"I am deeply grateful to you both, yet equally apologetic. To one, I have committed a sin, and to the other, incurred a debt."
"Not at all, Abbot. It was an unavoidable accident."
"Haha. Your kind words humble me."
The Shaolin abbot, offering another bow with sincere eyes to Moo-woong, now turned his gaze to Kang Moo-jin.
'Heavens...'
For the first time facing Moo-jin directly, the abbot's mouth fell slightly agape of its own accord.
He was struck with awe by the immense power emanating from Moo-jin.
'Remarkable.'
Shaolin's abbot, Dohyun, bore another title: Buddha Venerable.
He was one of the Ten Martial Venerables, said to be the mightiest in the world.
'I cannot fathom its depths.'
Yet even to Dohyun's eyes, the limits of this young man's power were invisible.
Having devoted himself to the Buddha's path, his gaze pierced not only raw strength but potential as well—and what he saw in Moo-jin was like...
'A bottomless abyss.'
An endless chasm with no discernible floor. Moo-jin's potential mirrored it perfectly.
'And those eyes...'
The abbot's attention shifted to Moo-jin's gaze.
His pupils, thick with heroic spirit, belonged not to a twenty-five-year-old from a modest escort agency.
'Like a warrior who has clawed his way out of the Asura Realm.'
Those eyes evoked a survivor from the Asura Path—one of the Three Good Paths, a realm of eternal strife.
"Abbot?"
"Ah, forgive my rudeness. My mind rippled like waves for a moment."
Snapping from his reverie, the abbot retrieved a small wooden box from beneath the table and placed it atop.
"This is...?"
"A Revitalization Pill."
"...!"
Kang Moo-woong jolted in shock.
Were this not the abbot's quarters, he would have let out a startled yelp.
"R-Re-Revitalization Pill!?"
What was a Revitalization Pill?
The quintessence of Shaolin Temple's thousand-year Dharma lineage, condensed into a secret elixir.
Rare beyond measure and strictly guarded even within Shaolin, it could not be bought with thousands of catties of gold.
And now, to give one to an outsider like Kang Moo-jin?!
'This is jackpot.'
One pill alone could shatter any barrier in a single leap, they said.
Even a third-rate warrior could stand at the peak overnight with a Revitalization Pill.
'Must... absolutely must take it!'
As Moo-woong's face lit with eager anticipation, a bombshell dropped from Moo-jin's lips.
"Could you offer something else instead?"
"...!!"
Y-You madman!?
Did he bash his head escaping the Repentance Cave Formation?
Moo-woong gaped at Moo-jin spouting nonsense and lunged to clamp his mouth shut.
But Moo-jin's words flew faster than his hand.
"I'd prefer to see the Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing Scripture."
"Haha... Amitabha."
The abbot fiddled with his prayer beads, looking troubled.
The Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing Scripture was among the top three legendary manuals even in the Scripture Pavilion, where Shaolin's myriad secrets slumbered.
Only a select few granted permission could glimpse it within Shaolin itself.
This manual, dubbed the path for mortals to become Buddhas, could not be shown lightly—no matter the debt Shaolin owed Moo-jin.
"Namu Amitabha... Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva..."
Murmuring sutras with closed eyes, the abbot opened them after what felt an eon.
"Might you explain your reason? Why would a master like you, Benefactor Kang, seek the Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing Scripture?"
"Everyone at our Diamond Escort Agency learned Shaolin's foundational martial arts. Their roots lie in Shaolin."
"Yet you seem to walk your own path already."
To the abbot's eyes, Moo-jin was a completed warrior of grandmaster caliber, forging his unique way.
Truthfully, even a top-three Shaolin manual like the Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing Scripture seemed unnecessary for him.
"Yes. But its roots remain in Shaolin unchanged. So I wish to see the main trunk where those roots reach."
"Haha. A splendid reason indeed. Very well. Normally forbidden, but I'll permit it this once."
"My thanks, Abbot."
"...!!"
Moo-woong's eyes bulged wide.
Shock pounded his heart; he nearly fainted.
Granting that!?
Asking to see the Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing Scripture in Shaolin was like demanding Mount Hua's sect leader show their exclusive Violet Haze Divine Art.
And he agreed!?
Moo-woong teetered on the verge of collapse...
Thud!
No, he collapsed.
"Then we'll take our leave, Abbot."
"All is emptiness, yet within emptiness lies certain reunion."
Absorbing the abbot's profound Buddhist farewell, Moo-jin and Moo-woong stepped out and headed straight for the Scripture Pavilion.
"You... you... you're insane!"
Smack!
Moo-woong, thrilled beyond measure, slapped Moo-jin's back with his palm.
"Ack!"
The stinging shock from his reddened palm quelled his excitement.
It felt like striking rock, not flesh.
"This is all for you, brother."
"For me?"
"Yeah. What use is a frail brother like you as is?"
Moo-jin thumped his chest and jutted his chin proudly.
"Don't worry. I'll tweak it after reviewing, then teach you."
"Ha...!"
The Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing Scripture was notoriously complex and profound—even Shaolin had few who mastered it.
And he'd refine and impart it?
Admiration welled at his confidence.
"Don't push too hard. Even if you don't get it, big brother understands."
Moo-woong halted near the pavilion and clapped his brother's shoulder.
"Don't overdo it, Moo-jin."
"Go rest at the lodgings. Won't take long."
"Alright. I'll wait."
Moo-jin watched Moo-woong head to the guest quarters, then entered the Scripture Pavilion.
A familiar-voiced monk greeted him.
"Welcome, Great Hero Kang."
"You're the pavilion master, Master."
"Haha. Indeed."
Awaiting Moo-jin was Master Hye-myeong, Moo-woong's teacher.
"This way. The Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing Scripture is here."
Guiding Moo-jin inside, Hye-myeong passed shelves brimming with martial manuals and passed a towering stack to retrieve four thick volumes from a high shelf.
"Shaolin rules allow only three days. I trust you understand."
"Plenty."
"Then I'll leave you to it."
Moo-jin flipped open the Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing Scripture without watching him go.
The four hefty tomes were as thick as his finger-length.
"Let's see what you've got."
With eager eyes, he turned to the first page.
The Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing Scripture divides into two parts.
The Tendon Changing Scripture strengthens muscles and bones to forge the Diamond Indestructible Body, pinnacle of external arts.
The Marrow Cleansing Scripture harmonizes vital energy, tempers the five viscera and six bowels, and births ultimate internal arts.
Master one alone, and the other weakens—both must be cultivated. Together, they elevate man to Buddha.
'Intriguing.'
With peerless memory, sharp perception, and innate genius, Moo-jin read and memorized all four volumes in a day. A glint sparked in his eyes.
'It resembles the cultivation for True Immortal in the Linked Qi Realm. Not identical, but strikingly similar.'
This path to Buddhahood granted the Six Supernatural Powers upon practice.
The resulting 'Buddha' closely mirrored a Linked Qi Realm True Immortal.
Different worlds, yet gazing at the same heavens.
'Middle Kingdom holds its own. Even I would need time to cultivate this now.'
To Moo-jin, perfecting it demanded at least a decade.
Coming from one who had touched martial pinnacle, it proved the scripture's profundity.
Of course, that was his view alone.
Others would faint at the claim.
Even geniuses needed over a century; Shaolin had but one who fully mastered it in history.
'Six Supernatural Powers...'
Heavenly Eye, beholding all.
Heavenly Ear, hearing all sounds.
Others' Minds Insight, piercing thoughts.
Fate Insight, revealing karma and rebirths.
Divine Stride, transcending space-time.
Leak Exhaustion, severing delusions for enlightenment, completion, and Buddhahood.
The manual's mere text evoked godlike might. Moo-jin grew fascinated.
'Per this, I've already achieved Great Completion in the Tendon Changing Scripture once.'
It transformed frail flesh into Diamond Indestructible form.
Moo-jin had fused Shaolin's foundational Diamond Art with the Immortal Forbidden Art into his unique Immortal Diamond Qi Art, reaching Great Completion in the Linked Qi Realm.
Thus, Tendon Changing completion was past; he built toward it still.
To ascend the full scripture, only the Marrow Cleansing Scripture remained.
"Harvest reaped."
Moo-jin set down the tomes and exited the pavilion.
"A-Already done?!"
Hye-myeong gaped at Moo-jin emerging after barely a third of allotted time.
"Yes. Saw plenty."
"You finished it already!?"
Hye-myeong had glimpsed it a decade-plus ago, recognized as prodigy.
Yet even he quit after failing the first volume in seven weeks.
Its intricacies overwhelmed even Shaolin's genius.
'Di-Did he quit too?'
Hye-myeong stared blankly.
At first, he thought surrender like his own.
But that confident face screamed full comprehension, not defeat.
"H-Heading home?"
At the still-shocked master's query, Moo-jin nodded.
"Yes. Before that, one thing to confirm..."
"A q-question?"
Hye-myeong swallowed dryly, tense.
What if it was about the scripture? Shamefully, he'd abandoned early—no wisdom to answer.
'Still, Moo-woong's brother... can't look bad.'
Praying it wasn't, he nodded.
"Can I take this Stormwind Secret Manual with me?"
Hye-myeong froze at the absurd question.