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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Growth
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Clack. Clack.
'Heh. The echoing sounds and the eerie atmosphere… it's like we've entered a cave.'
Ha Song looked around, craning his neck like a country boy visiting a city for the first time.
In truth, this passage was no different from an ordinary cave.
But that was precisely why Ha Song found it so fascinating.
How could a passage beneath a river be just like a common cave?
Normally, one would traverse an underwater passage with the constant fear that the ceiling might burst and flood at any moment.
Yet, this place inspired no such anxiety.
It was so sturdy that not even the sound of the river flowing directly above could be heard.
Furthermore, considering his lord's actions before they entered, it was undoubtedly a place of mechanisms and formations.
Mechanisms and formations were difficult to install even on open ground.
But under a river?
His lord must have some incredible connections.
Ha Song could no longer hold back and spoke up.
"Um… My lord? How is this place…"
"Snap out of it. I'm not holding onto some golden lifeline."
"Gasp! How did you know what I was thinking? Have you, perhaps, mastered the art of mind-reading?"
"Why don't you wipe the drool from your lips before you talk about mind-reading?"
"Ahem. Then how do you know of a place like this?"
Ha Song cleared his throat in embarrassment, but his questions continued. He had a subtly persistent side to him.
"It was my mistake to tell you to keep quiet only until we arrived."
"I-I apologize if I've made you uncomfortable."
"Enough. Let's just say... it's one of the things arranged for my future by an old acquaintance with a storied past."
Maeng Ak's voice trailed off. Something seemed to have occurred to him as he answered.
It was his master from his past life, Maeng Eun-ho.
From their very first meeting, he had recognized Maeng Ak's talent.
And so, he had taken the ruffian Maeng Ak as his disciple, roamed the entire Central Plains, and climbed every mountain there was to climb.
He had provided him with invaluable experience, hoping Maeng Ak would one day lead the Green Forest.
Many things had happened in the process, and just as his master had hoped, those experiences became nourishment that Maeng Ak would not trade for anything.
This secret vault and passage were the same.
He had first learned about mechanisms and formations while building this place, and thanks to that knowledge, he had saved his life countless times in the war against the Orthodox Faction.
But to think it would be helpful in this life as well. Life was truly unpredictable.
Watching Maeng Ak, Ha Song was filled with questions.
'Could the secret to my lord's strength be related to this 'old acquaintance' he mentioned? But for someone who has just reached adulthood to speak of an 'old acquaintance'…'
Ha Song scratched the back of his head. It felt like every time he asked a question to resolve his curiosity, more questions would arise.
"My lord. If it's not too much trouble, may I ask for more details?"
"Yes. But let's save it for later. It seems we've arrived."
This time, he truly wanted to satisfy his curiosity, but the timing was not right.
They had reached the door leading into the secret vault.
Just as Ha Song was feeling disappointed by the shorter-than-expected length of the passage.
Maeng Ak opened the door to the vault.
Krrrrk. Thud!
It was as heavy as it was large.
Thanks to that, the sound of it scraping against the floor echoed through the passage.
For any ordinary martial artist, it would have been impossible to open this door alone.
'Good thing I was standing behind him. I almost showed my lord a pathetic side of myself.'
Through the settling dust, Ha Song's relieved expression could be seen.
But his expression stiffened at the sound of his lord's voice that followed.
"Close it and follow me."
"…Yes, sir."
* * *
Krrrrk. Thud!
As ordered by Maeng Ak, Ha Song closed the door.
But he had to use half of his internal energy to do so.
Having suddenly shown such a disgraceful side, Ha Song's expression hardened.
Seeing the expected result, Maeng Ak spoke.
"Was it that difficult to close a mere door?"
"Hah... Hah... I apologize. I will improve."
"Enough. It was a joke, so don't make that face."
Ha Song, face flushed and breathing heavily, looked up at the word 'joke'.
As if to prove it was true, Maeng Ak was smiling slightly.
'He knew I'd have a hard time closing it.'
He felt a little resentful, but the feeling of relief was greater.
He didn't want to show his lord any more pathetic displays, no matter how small.
"By the time we leave this place, I'll make it so you can open a paltry door like this with ease."
"Huh? What do you mean…"
"'Huh?' you say. Surely you haven't forgotten?"
At Maeng Ak's sudden words, Ha Song searched his memory.
Come to think of it, right before he swore his loyalty, Maeng Ak had said he would help him break his limits.
But he hadn't taken it seriously.
Think about it. What martial artist would pour so much effort into someone who wasn't even a direct disciple, but merely a subordinate to command?
Of course, if it was just a matter of tweaking his martial arts or giving advice, it was possible.
But a martial artist's limit was not something that could be easily broken by such things.
Especially for someone like Ha Song, who had struggled before a wall for a long time.
"You were serious? My lord, you are truly…"
Ha Song was deeply moved.
For the eyes of the lord standing before him were filled with sincerity.
Something surged up from the deepest corner of his heart.
And it soon turned into hot tears that streamed from his eyes.
He dropped to one knee, clasped his fist in salute, and poured out his tear-filled gratitude in the form of a vow.
Thud.
"Sob… Sniffle… Your servant, Ha Song! I have already received a kindness as vast as the sea from you, my lord, but if you grant me your teachings, I will endure it even if my entire body is shattered…!"
To those words, Maeng Ak replied with a smile.
"Hah. 'Endure it even if my entire body is shattered,' you say... Yes. You must do just that. Now, follow me."
A shiver.
Ha Song, who had been so deeply moved just a moment ago, felt a shiver run down his spine at Maeng Ak's response.
He wasn't the one smiling, so he couldn't know for sure, but something about the meaning behind that smile bothered him.
'*Gulp.* He must have smiled because he was proud of me, right?'
Shaking off his unease, Ha Song straightened his bent knee and stood up.
Then he followed Maeng Ak, who had already turned and headed deeper into the vault.
'Finally, today, I will surpass my limits!'
The more he thought about the possibility of shattering his limits, the greater his excitement grew.
It made his steps as light as a feather.
Unfortunately, however, it did not take long for that excitement to turn into despair and regret.
From the depths of the vault, Ha Song's wails could be heard.
"Aaaaargh! My lord, please spare me!!!"
Was this what they called the pain of tearing muscles and shattering bones?
Ha Song was now experiencing that very pain firsthand.
Because his muscles were truly being torn and his bones fractured.
"Ha Song. Didn't you say with your own mouth that you would endure it? Hold on a little longer. It's almost over."
"Aaaaaaargh!!"
Despite being told it would end soon, the wailing only stopped after a quarter of an hour had passed.
"Guhhh…"
Ha Song was sprawled on the floor like a corpse, while Maeng Ak stood beside him, dripping with sweat.
Maeng Ak wiped the sweat from his brow and muttered.
"Hoo. It's been a while, so it took a bit longer than expected. Well, even so, it was only about seven minutes."
"…!"
Ha Song, who had been barely clinging to consciousness, shot his eyes open at those words.
'Only seven minutes?!'
It was a hellish pain the likes of which he had never experienced in his life.
He had desperately prayed for it to end even one second sooner.
He had lost count of how many times he had ignored death's whisper, promising to free him from the pain.
And yet, it was only seven minutes. No matter that he was his lord and benefactor, wasn't this too much?
To put it bluntly, it meant that hellish time could have been cut in half…
'If it was going to hurt this much, he could have at least given me a warning. Who just starts beating someone up the moment they step inside…'
He felt resentful and wronged.
But all he could do was move his eyelids.
He was so exhausted he couldn't even move his fingertips.
"That look in your eyes is a bit disrespectful."
"…?!"
Feeling Ha Song's gaze, Maeng Ak furrowed his brow.
Ha Song flinched in surprise.
He himself felt a pang of guilt.
Maeng Ak clenched and unclenched his fist in front of Ha Song and said,
"Was it not enough?"
"…! N-no! Nooo!"
At that, Ha Song shook his head with all his might, his face looking like he was about to burst into tears.
Just a moment ago, he didn't even have the strength to lift a finger and could only glare, but when a person's life is on the line, there's nothing they can't do.
Maeng Ak chuckled and explained why he had made him feel the pain of tearing muscles and shattering bones.
"I know it hurt a bit, but don't hold it against me. It was necessary to forcibly open your Gate of Life and Death."
Unbelievable words came from Maeng Ak's mouth.
He had forcibly opened the Gate of Life and Death…
If this were true, it was an event that would turn the entire Central Plains upside down.
What was the Gate of Life and Death? It was a barrier blocking the Ren and Du Meridians, one that could only be broken by expelling the turbid energy naturally accumulated during growth.
Failing to break through it not only prevented one from reaching the Mastery Realm, but attempting to force it open would often lead to death.
How many masters lived their entire lives as Supreme Masters, never daring to challenge it?
And yet, he had broken through it just by beating him up?
And not even his own Gate of Life and Death, but someone else's…
This time, it was too much for him to handle, and Ha Song began to foam at the mouth.
"G-Ga…te… Grrrgle!"
"Oops. Should I have told you after you recovered? I only told you because you were glaring so hard. Tsk."
Seeing Ha Song's head loll back with only the whites of his eyes showing, Maeng Ak clicked his tongue.
Then, with a practiced motion, he poked a few pressure points with his index finger.
Amazingly, the color returned to Ha Song's face, and he looked more at ease.
His pupils returned to normal, and he looked as if he had simply fallen asleep.
Maeng Ak laid Ha Song down on the floor and stretched languidly.
"Aaargh! After that workout, I'm feeling a bit restless. I should finish up quickly and get some sleep."
Click.
Maeng Ak opened a small box placed in a corner of the vault.
Inside were five pills, each about the size of two finger joints.
The five pills were red, blue, yellow, white, and black, respectively.
But an extraordinary energy emanated from the small pills.
That energy was the reason Maeng Ak had taken the risk to come here.
"As I thought, they're still here. The Five Elements Pills."
A smile spread across his lips.
As their name suggested, the five pills contained the divided energies of the Five Elements.
If one were to consume all five pills at once and store them in their dantian, their internal energy might not increase significantly, but they would be able to naturally absorb the energy of the Five Elements.
Originally, he should have taken them after achieving the Indestructible Body, as his master Maeng Eun-ho had said.
He had said that only one who had mastered the secrets of the Indestructible Body could contain the energy of the Five Elements in their body.
But back when he had achieved the Indestructible Body, he had been busy with the war against the Orthodox martial world.
The first time he saw them, he had not yet achieved the Indestructible Body.
But now, things were different.
Of course, his body had changed and was no longer an Indestructible Body, but the spirit that had reached that state remained.
Maeng Ak was confident he could make the Five Elements Pills his own.
"The foundation of my internal energy has been sufficiently solidified with the Ancient Jade Serpent. To achieve the Indestructible Body as quickly as possible, I need the help of the Five Elements Pills."
Honestly, it was a bit of a stretch.
Absorbing the Five Elements Pills was something he had never experienced, even in his past life.
However, it was necessary for the upcoming meeting with the top masters in half a month.
"If I can just achieve the Indestructible Body, at the very least, I won't die. The martial arts of the Five Heavenly Pillar Gates, in particular, were based on the energy of the Five Elements. There is no better move than this right now."
Before coming here, no, right up until the moment he opened this small box containing the Five Elements Pills, he had agonized over it.
And now, he had made his decision.
The decision took a long time, but putting it into action did not.
Whoosh.
With his large hand, Maeng Ak crudely grabbed all five pills and tossed them into his mouth.
"…!"
Five different energies spread from his mouth, down his throat, and throughout his entire body.
Each of the energies was fierce, and they waged a bloody battle inside Maeng Ak's body.
When one energy tried to devour another, a different one would try to devour it, maintaining a vicious equilibrium.
That balance became a single vortex, wreaking havoc inside Maeng Ak's body.
If Ha Song could see Maeng Ak now, he would have smirked with schadenfreude.
Because the pain Maeng Ak was experiencing was in no way inferior to that of tearing muscles and shattering bones.
'Kugh. Now I see why Master said the secrets of the Indestructible Body were necessary…'
To achieve the Indestructible Body, one must first master the Divine Arts of the Green Forest Tiger, and in that process, undergo immense external training.
That training is so horrific and agonizing that an ordinary person could never endure it.
It is an endless repetition of tearing and regenerating muscles.
Resilience and mental fortitude.
Only those who overcome that cycle, where a lapse in either would lead to Qi deviation, can obtain the Indestructible Body.
Maeng Ak had achieved it in his past life, and the spirit that had overcome that process was fully intact in his new body.
If not for that, he would have long been consumed by the energy of the Five Elements Pills and died.
'I must calm down and begin circulating my energy. I need to absorb the energy of the Five Elements Pills before they lose their balance.'
"Huuuup!"
Maeng Ak sat cross-legged, bit his lower lip hard, and focused his mind.
As he circulated his internal energy, five-colored steam began to rise from his entire body.
Meanwhile, Ha Song, who had fainted, regained consciousness. Unable to lift his heavy body, he managed to peek his eyes open.
'Am I still dreaming? What is that…?'
His mind was hazy, and his body was utterly exhausted.
It wouldn't have been strange if he were seeing things.
In the end, Ha Song dismissed the unbelievable phenomenon happening before his eyes as a hallucination.
'Ugh. I must be in bad shape. I'm seeing all sorts of things.'
But what he saw was no hallucination.
In reality, the five-colored steam that had risen from Maeng Ak's body gathered above his head and soon formed five illusory rings.
No matter what anyone said, it was clearly the sight of the Five Energies Converging to the Origin.
Maeng Ak had succeeded in absorbing the energy of the Five Elements Pills.
With this, at the tender age of twenty, Maeng Ak had reached a state where he could glimpse the Profound Realm.
It was an event that no one in the Central Plains would believe unless they saw it with their own two eyes.
As if to prove this, Ha Song, who was witnessing it directly, scoffed inwardly.
'Nah. Even if he is my lord, the Five Energies Converging to the Origin is just impossible. I should just go back to sleep.'
And so, Ha Song closed his barely open eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
The experience of suffering the pain of tearing muscles and shattering bones was more potent than any sleeping draught.
"Zzzzzz! Kooooo! Zzzzzz! Kuuuuul!"
The moment his eyes closed, he began to snore loud enough to shake the vault.
Thanks to the noise, Maeng Ak, who was in the middle of circulating his energy, broke out in a cold sweat.
'Just you wait until I'm done meditating…!'
Of course, oblivious to this, Ha Song continued his nasal performance.
"Zzzzzzz! Kuuuuuul!"