Chapter 7
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 3.3
Chapter Title: Chapter 3. Growth.
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The Southern Demon King primarily wielded a chilling aura like eternal permafrost.
In contrast, the Nine Yang Blazing Flower Art obtained at the eighth star was its polar opposite, a technique of extreme yang energy.
But it didn't end there.
The Nine Yang Blood Reversal Method could even revive someone on the brink of death by reversing the Nine Orifices' breathing, leaving a thread of life intact.
Of course, against a Demon King who harbored divine power, even that wasn't enough to hold out in the end.
"But if it had reached Great Completion, there might have been a way to pull through."
An Hoe was all but certain of it.
He had personally pushed the Nine Yang True Scripture to Great Completion before his regression.
"Even before Great Completion, the Nine Yang True Scripture lived up to its fame, but after... there's no comparison."
The moment the Nine Yang True Scripture reached Great Completion, its five effects—the Nine Yang Divine Art, Nine Yang Vitality Art, Nine Yang Diamond Body, Nine Yang Blazing Flower Art, and Nine Yang Blood Reversal Method—all multiplied in power.
From that point on, it performed on par with a mid-to-lower tier divine art from the first hierarchy at Great Completion.
Thanks to that, even as a second-hierarchy hero, he had racked up achievements rivaling those of first-hierarchy heroes.
The problem lay in the difficulty of achieving that completion.
Even the founder, who had devoted his entire life to the Nine Yang True Scripture, had never crossed that threshold.
There was only one reason An Hoe had succeeded.
"It wasn't because my aptitude surpassed the founder's. It was thanks to the Two Forms Divine Art."
By dividing his mind, he had split the burden one person would bear into four parts.
The perceived load wasn't quartered—it shrank to a tenth.
...Thirty years.
Even so, that's how long it took him to reach Great Completion.
"Long, yet short."
That's how An Hoe summed it up.
No one had ever reached Great Completion since the Nine Yang True Scripture appeared in the world.
Yet it was still hailed as one of the five supreme arts of past and present, giving rise to sayings like "Reach Great Completion, and you'll claim the throne of the world's strongest."
"Getting back to Great Completion won't be easy."
It was fundamentally different from the Two Forms Divine Art, which he'd mastered in just three months.
The Two Forms Divine Art had progressed so quickly because he already grasped its core principle, and its mental method followed a "scripture" structure.
The Nine Yang True Scripture, on the other hand, began by altering the nature of one's inner energy through the Nine Orifices' breathing.
"It starts with the breath, then reshapes the meridians, the five viscera and six bowels, bones, muscles, skin—every part of the body."
In that process, the mortal shell peels away layer by layer.
Just as a child can't grow into an adult overnight, the Nine Yang True Scripture required stages.
Without any variables, he'd have to prepare for at least a decade.
An Hoe figured he could shorten that with some luck. Finishing his calculations, he assessed his current state.
"Only third star? Slow."
Slow by his standards, at least.
Compared to his first encounter with the Two Forms Divine Art before regression, it was ten times faster.
Still, it felt sluggish due to the inertia of someone who'd already glimpsed beyond the norm.
Without physical limits, he could have progressed several times quicker.
"Probably won't hit fourth star until after spring. By then, I can leave the room."
At fourth star, the Nine Yang Vitality Art would unlock.
He planned to use it to engrave a refining formation into his body.
Even if it fell short of a seventh-order multi-refining formation, a fourth-order one for mobility would suffice.
Limitations were inevitable.
The gap between seventh and fourth was like heaven and earth. Still, it wouldn't be unbearable.
"...Even if Mother believes in me, having her son holed up in his room for nearly a year would shake anyone."
There were ways to hurry, of course.
Alchemy had its "curses."
Refining magic was one such thing.
Unlike refining formations, it forced equivalent exchange by offering the sacrifice itself.
Which meant the quantity and quality of the required sacrifice were absurdly high.
If it fell "short," the magic would arbitrarily balance the exchange.
"By taking what the caster treasures most."
It could be an object, a memory, or in the worst case, a nearby life.
That's why it was called taboo.
Its addictiveness rivaled drugs.
Once you relied on it, you couldn't stop.
He'd experienced it firsthand and knew how horrific that addiction was.
Without the Two Forms Divine Art, he might never have escaped it.
So he avoided that path entirely.
Shaking off stray thoughts, he focused on his breathing.
"Hoo."
As the Nine Orifices' breath circulated, Nine Yang energy filled him.
He guided it through his meridians with a soothing touch.
The process was tedious and complex, but to him, it was as natural as breathing.
The "power of extraordinary imagery" made it possible.
"Young master, I'm coming in."
As one cycle of energy circulation ended, Song Hwa shuffled inside with grunts of effort.
Jerky, dried fruit, a jar of honey water—everything he'd requested in advance.
Just far more than expected.
Soon, the table beside his bed piled up like a mountain, and An Hoe chuckled.
"Plenty for snacks today."
"Snacks... You're not eating a proper meal?"
"Of course I am. Gotta eat right as you get older."
"...Yes."
The young master's age was still thirteen, even after the new year. Song Hwa had plenty to say but swallowed it.
An Hoe paused mid-bite of dried fruit, glanced at her, and let out a gasp of admiration.
"Oh! Your Jade Flower Art has advanced again."
"Yes, a blockage cleared up suddenly yesterday."
"Good. Very good."
His joy was genuine.
But Song Hwa tilted her head.
The Jade Flower Art wasn't some remarkable technique. It was on par with her original heart method.
The difference? She'd surpassed a year's progress in her old method after just one month.
The secret was simple.
The Jade Flower Art was a heart method An Hoe had crafted solely for Song Hwa.
"More precisely, it's the 'blazing flower edition' of the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture."
The Jade Maiden Heart Scripture was one of the pinnacle divine arts in the third hierarchy that An Hoe knew.
But it handled the essence of yin—specifically, a woman's pure yin energy—so he couldn't cultivate it as a man.
Thus, the Jade Flower Art: a smooth foundation leading straight to the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture.
It wouldn't dramatically boost inner energy or grant flashy prowess on its own.
But any woman who cultivated it would undergo a transformation.
Her body would nurture pure yin energy, becoming the perfect vessel for the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture.
"And that side effect."
Handling pure yin refined the skin and bearing naturally.
Even an ordinary woman would bloom into a beauty.
How much more so for the already lovely Song Hwa?
At Great Completion, she'd be one of the top beauties in the region.
"The problem is the nuisances that'll swarm her."
An Hoe clicked his tongue inwardly.
By then, mastering the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture would give her the strength to fend them off.
He crunched through his food, replenishing calories.
Song Hwa hesitated, then eyed him cautiously.
Her unspoken thirst was clear in her gaze, so An Hoe offered the dried fruit.
"Want some?"
"N-no! It's not that... I have a question."
"The Jade Flower Art?"
"Yes."
"That's all? Ask away. I'll teach you."
"Really?"
Song Hwa's face lit up.
She immediately poured out her questions—truths hidden in the heart formula's profundities.
An Hoe answered calmly, explaining not just the answers but the principles and context.
'I knew Sister Song had sharp aptitude, but her intuition is this keen too?'
An Hoe marveled inwardly.
Martial arts had aspects words and writing couldn't convey.
Intuition bridged that gap.
Those with it grasped intent instantly, reading even the unspoken nuances.
'She's got the talent. No wonder she wasn't just fumbling around.'
He concluded, watching her eyes.
Her past struggles weren't from incompetence.
She'd simply mistaken her exceptional talent for the distance she could actually walk.
"Song Hwa."
An Hoe set teaching aside and softly called her name.
Her gaze, absorbed in the lesson, turned to him.
"I can answer any question. But martial arts must be built step by step. Rush it, and you'll harm yourself. Still okay with that?"
Song Hwa hesitated.
But she soon shook her head.
A smile spread across An Hoe's lips.
As if to say, "Right choice."
Seeing it shook her eyes.
The true An Hoe, hidden behind laziness and impudence all this time. It had been ages since she'd glimpsed it.
Suddenly, the burden she'd shouldered—failing to drag the young master outside—felt lighter.
'He wasn't broken after all.'
There might be circumstances he hadn't shared.
Even so, Song Hwa wanted to pull him out of that room.
To silence the nonsense from people who didn't know him.
Her wish came true two months later.
On a day when early summer's warmth peaked.
He ended his long seclusion and stepped outside.
Faint sunlight settled on his pale face.
The world felt both strange and warm after so long.
Song Hwa watched from beside him, eyes sparkling.
'Ugh. Exhausted.'
Unlike the delighted Song Hwa, An Hoe wasn't thrilled.
The laws' pressure hit the moment he left the room.
His body and mind grew heavy, like a sponge soaking water—too fatigued even to speak.
'...Still, I can hold out until Small Completion?'
Reaching Small Completion meant his adaptation rate would rise accordingly.
Even so, An Hoe aimed for it for one reason.
At Small Completion in the Nine Yang True Scripture, he'd gain the Nine Yang Diamond Body.
Not quite the legendary Indestructible Diamond, but close enough—his flesh would endure barehanded.
Plus, he could then engrave up to a sixth-order multi-refining formation into his body, surpassing the fourth.
That would unravel over eighty percent of the laws binding him.
'At Great Completion, I'd be free of them entirely.'
Adaptation would increase, but the abilities from Great Completion in the Nine Yang True Scripture would outstrip it.
"Song Hwa, I want to see Mother."
Her face brightened further.
She looked ready to dash to the family head, and An Hoe didn't stop her.
He simply closed his eyes, basking in the long-lost sunlight.
Was it the weighed-down body and mind?
He looked languid somehow.
That distinctive drowsiness lingered even when he opened his eyes.
No—his half-lidded gaze, sleepy as if nodding off, deepened the vibe.
He stared blankly at the sky and murmured.
"Took more time than expected. Gotta hustle to make up."
His body was honest, though.
Young and frail, it screamed it had no energy for that.
-Thud-
Before long, he plopped onto a rock in the garden corner.
He only rose when Song Hwa returned.
With her help, he straightened his robes, then went to see his mother, whom he'd missed.