The Rise of the Martial Extremity Supreme
Dok Junseong handled the matter brilliantly, as expected.
A sudden rumor sent a ripple of unrest through the murim world.
The second-rank administrator of the Murim Court, Do Mu-won, had been exposed for colluding with the Shadow Demon Cult and harming imperial interests. He was executed by dismemberment, and his entire family and relatives were stripped of all official posts and exiled to remote wastelands.
By then, word of how Han Yujin had nearly wiped out the Shadow Demon Cult single-handedly had already spread. Most people naturally accepted Do Mu-won’s downfall as the inevitable result of losing his powerful backer in the ensuing political struggle.
Only those who knew the fuller truth marveled at the prestige of the Golden Lotus Martial Venerate, a presence so overwhelming that even the imperial family had to tread carefully.
It was only natural.
Throughout history, few organizations had ever matched the Shadow Demon Cult in power. Yet Han Yujin had marched straight into their headquarters and crushed them completely, as if raiding a den of common thugs.
As the rumor spread to wider regions and more people confirmed its truth, a new title for Han Yujin became inevitable. And because it belonged to a man who might very well be the strongest of all ages, it had to be grand.
The incident at Okhan Castle—where his aura alone had made everyone tremble—combined with the creation and dissemination of the revolutionary Wonryeok Sim-gong, which shattered common sense, fueled the speculation.
After many candidates vied for consideration, the title Martial Extremity Supreme finally emerged as the consensus.
Considering the weight of the word “Supreme,” using it so openly as a title was truly unprecedented. The prefix “Martial Extremity” itself was so lofty that anyone who claimed it—even a Life-and-Death Realm expert—would have been mocked for arrogance.
Some said it was only possible because the various factions that had already formed ties with the Golden Lotus Martial Venerate—now called the Martial Extremity Supreme—raised no objections.
But that interpretation missed the essence entirely.
The real reason was simpler: no faction dared risk angering him, and by destroying the notoriously evil Shadow Demon Cult, he had gained genuine honor.
Once again, the murim proverb that strength decides everything proved true.
Meanwhile, because Dok Junseong’s background and the communication channel he had used to pressure the imperial family belonged to the Orthodox Alliance, the Unorthodox Alliance might have been expected to stir up trouble.
Yet somehow—whether by coincidence or design—information about the headquarters of the assassin organization Geukya leaked, plunging them into immediate internal chaos.
Assassin groups were universally despised, even among other Sapa factions. They accepted requests without discriminating between the righteous, the demonic, or anyone in between.
While Sapa sects were already notorious for poor unity and constant infighting driven by self-interest, assassin organizations crossed the line so frequently that many factions waited for any excuse to eradicate them.
In the end, Han Yujin resolved the situation without lifting a finger.
Now that he had gained confidence in overcoming the Heartless Tribulation, there was no need to personally seek out such people for tedious experiments. He simply needed to prevent a second or third Emotionless Killing King from appearing.
After about a year, everyone had accepted the title of Martial Extremity Supreme. No one raised any objections.
Then another year passed.
The rumors—already widespread—about what had happened at the Shadow Demon Cult’s main headquarters and the traces left behind began to spawn yet another new rumor.
The Martial Extremity Supreme had reached a new realm above the Life-and-Death Realm, the so-called Nature Realm. Only an absolute expert at that level could freely wield the power of heavenly lightning, the rumor claimed.
It was around that time that another piece of news shook the rivers and lakes: he was to marry the Clear Stream White Phoenix, Eun Miryeong of the Hyeonbaek Sect.
Han Yujin had pondered long and hard.
Once he stopped maintaining ambiguous distance, the increased time they spent together had deepened his feelings for Eun Miryeong.
The more he knew her, the more he appreciated her extraordinary talent for putting people at ease. At the same time, Her constant sincerity created a gentle, yet unending, stream of emotions.
Yet despite his earnest wishes, her cultivation progress remained minimal.
He had carefully refined spiritual pills using the spiritual herbs obtained from the Shadow Demon Cult, and even mobilized the thousand-year-old spiritual herbs sent by the imperial family as gifts. None of it had made much difference.
Her already lacking talent combined with the thin spiritual energy density of this world meant she was essentially stagnant without pills. Moreover, the herbs grown in this environment produced pills with only modest efficacy.
Han Yujin had already reached a clear understanding.
Like many untalented cultivators in the cultivation world, she would never reach the Dharma Soul stage before her lifespan ran out. Forcing the attempt would only end badly.
At least she had reached the level where she could be called an Initiation stage cultivator. Thanks to the many pills she had consumed, her lifespan had increased considerably—likely more than what could be expected from practicing Wonryeok martial arts alone.
Roughly one hundred years.
That was the time she had left, considering her current age.
In truth, it was a long time. For Han Yujin, who did not originally belong to this world, it was long enough to feel burdensome depending on how he looked at it.
Even so, he felt only regret.
The reason he could feel such pure regret without any sense of burden was simple: as he began the main refinement of the Dragon Heart’s meridian stage, he could sense his own lifespan increasing dramatically.
Even by the most conservative estimate, he could live at least five hundred years without reaching Core Formation. That calculation even excluded the final Body Refining stage entirely.
When compared to the roughly two hundred years of lifespan granted to a normal Dharma Soul cultivator, the difference was truly astonishing.
Besides, a hundred years was time he would need to spend anyway.
It seems it will take roughly that long to completely finish the Body Refining stage.
After all, this was a Yeonheo-grade Dragon Heart. The idea of refining such an immense object in merely twenty or thirty years was absurd.
In any case.
Looking at it differently, with a hundred years still ahead of him, he decided not to worry or fret in advance. Instead, he would focus on the good and act accordingly.
Thus, he decided on marriage without hesitation.
Seogwang Gahu’s opinion had also provided a small reference. The wedding could offer a good excuse to the various major sects that had yet to trade with him—sects whose pride had kept them away.
After completing the necessary formal procedures of engagement and betrothal gifts,
the wedding was finally held in grand fashion at the Golden Lotus Manor.
The scale itself was not excessively large, but the status of the attendees was extraordinary.
First, the leader of Eun Miryeong’s sect, the Hyeonbaek Sect, personally presided over the ceremony as the bride’s guardian and expressed wholehearted approval of their union.
Major figures from both the Orthodox Alliance and the Unorthodox Alliance attended in droves. Under the guise of congratulatory gifts and return gifts, they completed the martial arts transactions they had been waiting for.
Even the imperial family sent representatives, delivering what amounted to a second round of compensation disguised as gifts. This time it included access rights to the imperial vault. Han Yujin could comfortably ignore the complex political maneuvering between various factions that came with it.
After the complicated ceremonial procedures and the lively banquet that followed,
even Han Yujin felt a touch of fatigue by the time everything concluded. Had his enhanced intellect as a cultivator not been at work, he might have made numerous blunders and provided great amusement to the guests—just as Eun Miryeong had done several times.
Fortunately, he managed to strike the perfect balance: neither too skilled nor embarrassed.
And so he spent a blissful first night with Eun Miryeong as husband and wife.
Since they were each other’s first spouse and already shared deep love, the intimacy was truly ecstatic. By his own judgment, it was comparable, at least in part, to the heavenly pleasures of the Joyful Realm within the Six Paths of Reincarnation.
Naturally, since both were cultivators, the fact that their first night lasted several days longer than expected was merely a small, amusing incident.
Guuuuung…!
A faint yet heavy wave of spiritual energy emanated from Han Yujin as he sat in meditation, the Dragon Heart—now shrunken to the size of a fist—resting in his palm. The same wave flowed from the Dragon Heart itself.
This was the fragmentation process that occurred intermittently during refinement. What had changed from before was that similar waves now radiated from Han Yujin’s own body as well.
At that moment, he felt a paradoxical sensation: heat and cold at once, a fullness that threatened to burst his body, and at the same time a solidity that seemed capable of withstanding any force.
He could also clearly sense that the quality of the Dharma Power generated by his soul was improving with the refinement’s progress. This was partly because the nature of this refinement stage required him to seriously cultivate the Taiji Hoe-won Gong alongside it.
There is still no sign of Origin Power forming, however…
It was only natural. The changing nature of his Dharma Power already felt superior to ordinary Origin Power.
Fortunately, he was beginning to sense, little by little, the divine ability known as Origin Power Great Hand that was contained within the Taiji Hoe-won Gong.
The ability he would eventually obtain would probably not use Origin Power, despite its name, but there was no need to change the name.
After meditating for more than half a day, he finally completed the circulation of both the Samgyeong Johwa-gyeol and the Taiji Hoe-won Gong and opened his eyes.
Roughly three or four months had passed since his marriage to Eun Miryeong.
His training hours had not changed since then, but a clear shift had occurred in his daily routine: he now made sure to eat dinner every day, something he had rarely done before.
He lightly adjusted his clothes, left the training room, and headed toward the main residence on one side of the manor. As he walked he looked around for Mu-yong, but the little one was nowhere to be seen.
She usually played by herself without disturbing them when he or Eun Miryeong trained, but whenever it was mealtime she would bounce over to one of them. It seemed today was Eun Miryeong’s turn.
He walked the all-too-familiar corridors of the main building and entered the dining hall. Sure enough, there was Eun Miryeong, personally moving about with the female servants to prepare the meal.
Mu-yong sat at one side of the table, waiting patiently for food to be placed in the bowl before her.
So today it was the food’s turn, not Miryeong’s.
He chuckled inwardly, took Eun Miryeong’s hand, and began casual conversation. He asked lightly about her training progress and what she had bought earlier that morning when she went out.
The scene was so warm and harmonious that the young female servants watched from the corners of their eyes, secretly nurturing their dreams of marriage.
A short while later.
“Let’s eat now.”
Once everything was ready, Han Yujin sat down first. Mu-yong was already shamelessly devouring her portion, but she was cute, so it was forgiven.
Then, suddenly.
Eun Miryeong, who had lifted her spoon to take a bite, froze. Her expression darkened slightly. Han Yujin had not been paying particular attention, but his heightened awareness as a Dharma Soul cultivator caught the change. He continued chewing without thinking, then suddenly recalled something and quickly swallowed the food in his mouth.
“You… by any chance…”
“Ah.”
The two of them met each other’s eyes almost simultaneously.
Because they were husband and wife, he did something he had rarely done lately. He examined her carefully with his divine sense.
The moment he confirmed it was not a mistake, his mind grew complicated.
It was not as if he had never thought about children after marriage.
In this world’s culture, contraception was nearly nonexistent, married couples were expected to have children, and failing to do so invited gossip. The matter weighed even more heavily because of that.
He had no intention of being tied to this world forever because of children, so he had plans. Even so, learning that Eun Miryeong was actually pregnant left him unable to fully sort out his tangled emotions.
Of course, that was only his inner state. On the surface, he smiled brightly and showed no sign of distress.
“My lord, I…”
When he saw her place a hand on her belly, her face filled with overwhelming emotion, he could only respond in one way.
“Congratulations.”
“Is it true? Shouldn’t we… call a physician for a proper diagnosis?”
“Hahaha… You’ve become a cultivator and you’re still saying things like that?”
Of course, at the Initiation stage one lacked divine sense, so it made sense that she would want confirmation.
“If you wish, I can call one.”
“Mmm… No. If my lord says it is so, then it must be certain.”
She spoke in a voice still thick with emotion, yet clearly at a loss for what to do. It was understandable—learning such important news right as they were about to eat.
“Now that I think about it, we should still call a physician.”
Han Yujin gazed at her with a gentle smile for a moment before speaking.
“We need to know what foods are good and what should be avoided.”
He immediately raised his voice and called for one of the nearby servants. He also summoned the manor steward whom Seogwang Gahu had appointed not long ago.
The man was objectively competent, so entrusting him with fetching a physician would pose no problem.
Approximately two months and a little more had passed since that day.
Eun Miryeong miscarried.