All My Fortune into Inner Power (2)

In the forest behind Baek So-cheon's manor, his three years of inner power was being put to use for the first time.

Baek So-cheon had begun earnestly practicing the fourth fist of the Heavenly Thunder Nine Fists. These were the forms where inner power truly came into play.

The fourth fist required inner power, but with the three years he currently possessed, he could execute it. Of course, it wouldn't come close to its original power—not even by a toe—but he could at least perform the form.

From the fifth fist onward, however, there was a minimum inner power requirement to execute them. The fifth fist demanded at least twenty years of cultivation, and the sixth needed half a jiazi—thirty years. Without that much, it was impossible to even attempt.

The first three fists had mostly been created by observing the movements of wind and sea. From the fourth, they drew inspiration from the moon and sun, the heavens themselves.

The fourth fist, Moon Bright, Stars Rare—meaning when the moon shines bright, the stars grow scarce—comprised five forms, mostly employing both hands. It was from this fist that the Heavenly Thunder Nine Fists began ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to reveal its true might.

Boom.

Even with just three years of inner power, the thick log trunk shattered completely. Combining it with his baseline physical prowess doubled the destructive force. It was enough to crumble an ordinary stone wall.

Baek So-cheon tossed a log into the air and unleashed a punch.

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

The log splintered into fragments that scattered everywhere.

Remnant Moon, Dawn Star—a barrage of rapid punches to the enemy's chest—was the most destructive and powerful technique of the fourth fist. The moment true inner power infused these fists in the future, the opponent would be pulverized beyond recognition.

After unleashing a flurry of the fourth fist, Baek So-cheon felt invigorated. It had been three years since he'd last used a technique powered by inner energy. A faint residue lingered in his meridians, but with his newly remade internals, he worked to adapt.

Then, a voice came from behind.

"You know, fistsuits you pretty well too."

Baek So-cheon looked up to see Cheon-geuk perched on a high tree branch. As always, no trace of her guardian stars could be felt around her.

"Once you pour proper inner power into it, it'll be killer. Why not switch to fist arts this time?"

"Thinking about it."

"For real?"

Some change was necessary. He'd lost to the Black Heaven Alliance Lord using swordsmanship last time, so he needed to switch things up. Relying solely on his purified inner power to charge back in was too risky—the Black Heaven Lord was far too strong an opponent. And it couldn't be ruled out that he'd grown even stronger recovering from his injuries.

"Did you get it?"

"By turning into a rude bitch, yeah."

She turned to show the red pouch on her back.

Baek So-cheon's face lit up.

"Suddenly looking at me like I'm the best thing since sliced bread. Way different from when you first saw me!"

"Come on in."

Baek So-cheon headed toward the house first.

Cheon-geuk pouted and leaped down from the tree.

As she followed him inside, she glanced around the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠interior.

"Nice place."

Just then, Beon Saeng happened to step out of his room—and came face-to-face with her.

"Gasp!"

Beon Saeng froze at the doorway. A beauty he'd never seen before in his life.

The problem was, he knew exactly who she was at first sight.

"That's you, right?"

"Yep."

She always wandered veiled, but now he'd seen her face.

"So, am I dead now?"

"Nah."

"Phew, what a relief."

"For close ones, I just gouge out an eyeball. Might cut out the tongue, might not."

Beon Saeng chuckled as she passed with those chilling words.

"Haha, assassin jokes are no joke, huh."

Cheon-geuk glanced back at him with a tilted ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠head, her eyes saying, Was that really a joke? Then she followed Baek So-cheon into his room.

"At least say it was a joke before you go!"

The door stayed shut.

"That beauty's got a sharp sense of humor."

Beon Saeng walked off casually, but near the end of the hall, he staggered and slumped down. Staring at the empty corridor, he made a miserable face.

"...It was a joke, right? Right?"

Inside the room, Cheon-geuk said to Baek So-cheon,

"Kinda wanna mess with him."

"I get that feeling."

"Why say it like you mean me?"

Baek So-cheon chuckled and opened the red pouch.

He checked each of the three boxes one by one. Upon confirming their contents, his eyes widened in shock—he recognized what these three elixirs were.

"You bought all these with that money?"

"Yeah. They were a bargain."

"Even so, no way."

"Guess you're lucky."

Baek So-cheon suddenly recalled her earlier words.

—By turning into a rude bitch, yeah.

He could tell. She'd gone all out to snag all three.

"You didn't have to push yourself this far."

Noticing he'd caught on, she replied calmly,

"Same goes for you."

"What do you mean?"

"You could've hidden away with that money and lived easy alone. 'Didn't have to push this far,' right?"

"No. This is for my survival. The Black Heaven Lord will hunt me down and kill me."

"If you really tried to hide, it'd take more than average to sniff you out."

"Anyway, thanks."

"Just acknowledging it is enough. Since I went this far, might as well see it through. I'll stand guard—take them and circulate your energy."

Baek So-cheon was truly grateful.

Consuming elixirs and circulating energy was a critical process.

Unlikely as it was, any interruption could spell disaster.

Baek So-cheon gazed at the three elixirs, pondering which to take first.

He chose the thousand-year ha-su-o first.

He chewed it slowly and swallowed. An incomparably profound, mystical aroma filled his mouth—nothing like the century-old variety.

Circulating the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method, Baek So-cheon began melting the thousand-year ha-su-o's energy.

Shhh...

It had been ages since such vast energy filled his entire body.

A wave of ecstasy washed over him—akin to the pleasure of lying with a woman.

After a full circuit through his body, the energy gathered in his dantian.

Naturally, he'd extracted the full jiazi efficacy, adding precisely twenty years' worth of inner power to his dantian—a third of the total.

But its purity was beyond words. Even though it was his own power, he felt a longing to immerse himself in it.

His existing three years were pure, but not to this degree. He'd expected them to average out when mixed, yet the less pure portion had transformed into equally pristine energy upon blending.

Oh!

Another revelation about his new dantian's wonders.

Combined with the prior three years: twenty-three years total.

It was right then.

Whoosh...

The inner power in his dantian surged outward like retreating tides, flooding his meridians once more. This wasn't his intention—it spread on its own.

Observing the changes within for a long while, Baek So-cheon was stunned.

How is this possible?

This new dantian wasn't a dantian at all. It acted as a gateway, while his entire body served as the true dantian. With just three years before, the scant amount had pooled at the entrance. That's why it lingered in his meridians during techniques—it was meant to stay there.

Once his physical training surpassed limits and the Bone Transformation Great Law was applied, this unprecedented bodily state emerged.

Baek So-cheon calmed the inner power permeating his body.

It settled as if gathering in a dantian, distributing evenly through his meridians.

He extended his arm to Cheon-geuk.

"Check my inner power."

"Already bragging?"

"Hurry."

Cheon-geuk grasped his wrist and probed his internals.

"Huh? Where'd all your inner power go?"

"Can't feel it?"

"Where'd you hide it?"

She searched relentlessly but found nothing.

Baek So-cheon realized he could perfectly conceal his inner power throughout his meridians. Even if someone spotted the secondary dantian, hiding it in the meridians would fool them—no one would suspect such a thing.

He summoned his inner power. Normally, it would flow from the dantian and disperse, but it arose directly from his entire body.

In other words, he could mobilize it far faster. And with incomparable purity compared to before.

An unprecedented event in Murim history: inner and outer power had fused. From now on, all inner power he gathered would root throughout his body, transcending the dantian's limits.

Baek So-cheon clenched his fist. Inner power surged instantly, filling it with force enough to shatter iron. Far quicker than before.

Cheon-geuk, watching, wore a baffled expression, utterly clueless.

"You okay?"

Baek So-cheon nodded.

"Keep guarding me."

Without her, his joy might have ended there.

Thanks to her pushing for the elixirs, there was more—and then even more.

The second elixir: the Seven-Colored Five-Pill Dan.

This one burned fiercely compared to the ha-su-o. Grimacing, he chewed and swallowed it.

He circulated the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method again, meticulously absorbing the pill's full effects before gathering it in his dantian. As expected, he extracted the maximum—a full jiazi, twenty years' worth.

It seemed to settle, only to flood outward like a tidal wave.

Rush...

Observing closely, he noted this energy's distinct nature.

As the two powers mingled, it transformed into the same pristine purity as the ha-su-o's, sinking into his meridians.

Ah!

A spontaneous cry of joy escaped him.

The fused inner power now totaled forty-three years.

Baek So-cheon consumed the final Emperor Pill. Its potency was the weakest of the three, but it didn't fail him. He absorbed all twenty-five years fully, with eight years—one-third—settling into his meridians.

In total: fifty-one years of inner power.

Just nine years shy of a full jiazi.

But its exquisite purity would let him fight with far greater might than his old full jiazi.

Baek So-cheon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠finished circulating with a radiant smile.

The sensation was utterly transformed.

No longer centered in the dantian, a majestic power hummed through his entire body. A volcanic urge to erupt welled up.

Calming it, the inner power vanished seamlessly into his meridians.

From Baek So-cheon's expression, Cheon-geuk sensed a monumental change in his body. No need to worry about the earlier vanishing power.

He looked at her.

"I'll never forget today."

She smirked.

"Why say thanks like you're talking to an enemy?"

"Was I?"

Baek So-cheon laughed along.

"Why help me? You could've killed me and taken the 1.4 million nyang."

"I've got enough to eat and live."

"More's always better."

"Maybe 'cause I grew up learning only killing arts from too young, but I don't crave money much. Just enough for a comfy life. This is plenty. Nothing I really wanna buy anyway."

Baek So-cheon felt the same. That's why the money had sat untouched in the estate.

Now Cheon-geuk asked,

"How's it feel?"

"Won't be taking beatings anymore."

"Doesn't mean you can hit me now that you're strong."

"Back then, I was weak. Sorry for hitting you."

His sincere apology brought a smile to her lips. In relationships born of conflict, without genuine remorse from one side, they'd smile at each other forever—yet stay stuck. She knew that well.

"Can you beat the Black Heaven Lord now?"

Baek So-cheon shook his head. If he poured all fifty-one years into it, he might kill him—but miss the chance and drag into a prolonged fight? Certain death.

"Still gotta hide that I've recovered. Need to gather more inner power too."

Cheon-geuk nodded. Having met the Black Heaven Lord herself, she knew his terror.

"Come with me for a bit."

"Where to?"

"Someone I wanna introduce you to."

Cheon-geuk stepped out with Baek So-cheon.

"By the way, you know now, right?"

"Kept a hundred thousand nyang as emergency funds."

"Really?"

Baek So-cheon had set it aside without much thought—and it happened to be exactly that amount.

Her steps lightened, as if she might float away.