Qi Arts Master Chapter 98
“Gak!”
Seol Dong let out a short cough and spat up a bit of blood.
Hoo… Tian Ailang watched in admiration. Seol Dong was adjusting the meridians in his muscles and lungs—areas affected by the killing intent—forcing his way out of its grip.
I never expected him to think of that. As expected from a healer's mindset.
The other medical students, observing Seol Dong's actions and results out of the corner of their eyes, followed suit.
“Kuwek!”
“Gak!”
They each cried out in agony as they resumed their choked breathing. The medical students were still under the influence of the killing intent, feeling the pressure and pain, but their expressions had improved dramatically from the start.
“They're insane……”
Song Sogeol, watching from the side, murmured in awe. Even he, who had met countless people and gathered information since childhood, found the scene utterly novel.
“Heh heh, heh heh heh.”
Ma Chung, observing the training from a distance, was startled by his disciples' actions but gazed fondly at their courageous advance.
Tian Ailang nodded in satisfaction at the medical students' performance, which exceeded expectations.
“Good. Then I'll raise the intensity.”
“Pardon?”
Song Sogeol tensed at Tian Ailang's words. The killing intent from moments ago had been overwhelming even for him, with all his real combat experience. He worried that their flash of ingenuity wouldn't solve the root problem.
But contrary to Song Sogeol's concerns, the students' eyes gleamed brighter.
“This training for killing intent and combat also boosts our understanding of the body, right?”
“I've never felt my body react like this before.”
“This is fun……”
“Might even help treat patients lost in qi deviation?”
“Uahaha! Bring on the trials, master!”
“Snap out of it, bro.”
Far from fearing it, the medical students seemed thrilled. This suited their temperaments far better than physical drills. Already obsessed with medicine, perhaps their mental fortitude was simply stronger.
“Wh-what's this…? Scary.”
Song Sogeol, who had endured Tian Ailang's killing intent, shrank back from the students' madness.
* * *
Two full cycles of seasons passed at the Medical Pavilion—withering and blooming twice. In that time, the world grew colder and hotter still, devouring each other's desires and blood. But the Medical Pavilion stuck to its unchanging daily routine.
The so-called trainees began their physical conditioning at dawn, dividing into groups to summit and descend the five peaks.
“Huff. Haa! I'm dying.”
“Ughhh. Why is this always so brutal?”
“Urk!”
Of course, it wasn't easy. Just when they adapted, more rings and vests were mercilessly added, making it hellish even after two years.
Song Sogeol struggled too. His superior inner energy and cultivation offered some comfort, but that was it. He glanced at the seven rings on each arm and the six vests on his torso. With the students averaging six to eight rings and six vests, the physical gap was negligible. Chun Seok, naturally gifted or a master of tuina therapy, had even packed on muscle for ten rings and nine vests.
Without inner energy, sheer quantity meant little in these drills.
“This is maddening.”
Song Sogeol fought down nausea, steadying his breath. He looked beside him.
“Heok. Heok.”
Hwa Ran furrowed her smooth brow, panting roughly. She wore the same load as Song Sogeol.
“Sis, you okay?”
Hwa Ran managed a smile at his words, then weakly shook her head.
“Yeah. No, I'm dying.”
Tian Ailang's training drew no distinction between men and women. In battle, only strength and survival matter, he declared. And he had no choice. The foes he envisioned while drilling them were no pushovers: savage beasts of the Southern Forests for tough bodies, Black Wind Valley's killing intent and aura for combat, and stalwart women like the North Sea Ice Palace's snow fairies or Sacheon Dangga's Dang Jeong-ah.
Tian Ailang held a personal standard: at minimum, they had to match that level. The martial world would call it insane, impossible—but no one here knew or could know.
“Sis, let's grab food.”
“Ugh… No appetite.”
Not just Song Sogeol and Hwa Ran—all the students were queasy from the climb, appetites gone. But skipping meals meant failing the next rounds, so they dragged their weary bodies to the dining hall.
Tian Ailang had asked the Hao Clan Lord to lend a master chef affiliated with the Hao Clan, setting up a dedicated kitchen so trainees could focus purely on training. The upgraded meals helped even the nauseous force something down.
“Bro! Hurry! Morning meat side dish!”
“Y-yeah! Coming!”
Sibling Chu Yeon urged her brother Chu Dam.
“How is she so peppy?”
Song Sogeol eyed the spirited Chu Yeon in disbelief. Mysterious moxa burns dotted the siblings' bodies, and they chewed something incessantly.
“Masters of herbs, huh……”
Behind them strode Chun Seok, kneading his own body. Beside him, Ha Chun followed like a porcupine, needles jabbed into his flesh.
Here, each survived this hell with their specialties. Song Sogeol shook his head.
“Should've studied medicine too……”
He sighed softly, scanning the self-treating students.
After breakfast, morning physical training began.
Thud.
“Ah!”
A student collapsed under the vests and rings' weight, letting out a sharp yelp. Seol Dong shouted urgently.
“Everyone, prepare!”
Shooooaaah——!
Tian Ailang's ferocious killing intent engulfed them instantly—far beyond the first day's. It even mixed in inner energy compressing space from all directions.
Once trainees endured basic killing intent with mental fortitude, Tian Ailang layered on his Divine Dragon Overawes the Multitude pressure.
With inner energy added, they coped via their own energy, will, and wits.
One by one, students moved under the immense pressure.
Papapap!
Ha Chun jabbed giant needles into his neck meridians, then roared a lion's cry.
“Gah!”
The killing intent and energy assailing him split apart momentarily. His self-developed one-shot lion's roar: not the true version requiring vast sound arts inner energy, but needles temporarily elasticizing throat muscles and qi, exploding his inner energy with ambient natural qi.
Seol Dong swiftly crushed a pellet from his bosom with his fingers. Mysterious smoke rose, inhaled through his nose—using inner heat to vaporize it instantly.
“Hmm~ As expected, fumacia helps force muscle relaxation. Next time, tweak the ratio.”
Nearby siblings Chu Yeon and Chu Dam chewed relentlessly like Seol Dong, enduring the onslaught.
Chun Seok swelled his muscles with gestures, filling them with inner energy to resist external pressure.
Hwa Ran opened her body, naturally deflecting the killing intent and energy.
Song Sogeol gaped at them, chuckling wryly.
“Ha… Impressive, but they're turning into a freak squad.”
He, too, circulated inner energy blindingly fast inside to withstand it—speed enough to horrify any warrior.
After morning training, trainees took a brief lunch and rest before endless sparring.
Endless Sparring: Unlimited bouts among trainees until a final victor, judged by whose waistband fell. Team-ups, inner energy, even ganging up allowed. Losers faced Tian Ailang immediately.
For them, the goal wasn't victory—it was avoiding Tian Ailang.
Same difference, really.
“Damn!”
Seol Dong, early out from checks, grimaced toward Tian Ailang.
Tian Ailang smiled faintly.
“Seol Dong, I won't kill you.”
His eyes flashed yellow.
“Ah, ah! Clan head! Not thunder qi, right?!”
Kurrrung!
With thunder, Tian Ailang vanished.
“Eek!”
Seol Dong leaped back, igniting ten pellets at once. Smoke filled the air instantly.
“Fire!”
He infused fire qi into the smoke. Tadadadak! It burned like a bomb's fuse, engulfing the area in flames—to block and scorch Tian Ailang.
Seol Dong's affinity for fire qi from herb handling, honed deliberately.
But Tian Ailang was already behind him.
Crack!
“Kuwuk!”
Seol Dong flew with a screech from the blow.
“Hot hot hot!”
He flapped wildly at his own fiery smoke.
Twirling midair, he landed braced for the next assault. Once started, Tian Ailang didn't stop until total incapacity. End it by subduing him—or being subdued.
Of course, in two years, trainees never once subdued him.
Kurrrung!
Thunder boomed; Seol Dong, face fallen, dumped herbs into his mouth—a reborn fumacia blend for muscle relaxation.
“Please, mega-fumacia, give me strength. Hup!”
Arms crossed, he crouched.
Pop!
Invisible strike sent him flying.
Pop?
Tian Ailang cocked his head at the odd sound, seeking Seol Dong. He rose unscathed, assuming a stance.
“Oh ho.”
Tian Ailang raised his striking fist, marveling. Immense elasticity.
He grinned.
“Our Seol Dong's cooked up another fun trick!”
Then more students joined—fresh dropouts.
“Seol Dong bro! We're here. Let's gang up!”
Chu Yeon hurled mystery herbs wildly at Tian Ailang.
“Bro!”
“Got it!”
Chu Dam's hand fluttered; sparrow-shaped flames like Tian Ailang's fireballs dove at the herbs.
Boombombboom!
“Chu Dam bro, left flank! I'll take right! Wind and fire users, follow us—rest with Seol Dong bro for frontal breach!”
At Chu Yeon's cry, the swelled numbers moved in perfect sync. No novice combo.
Seol Dong squad baits with bodies, others wheel-fight?
Tian Ailang smiled. Time to forge them relentlessly. Broad strokes aligned, but details fit their natures—like qi clan traditions. They'd grown beyond hopes.
Not satisfied yet, but pleasing.
“Hahaha! Good! Come at me!”
Joy at his retainers' progress, Tian Ailang summoned thunder qi fully.