Chapter 008

I Obtained Guan Yu’s Martial Arts

Who Is the Winner? (3)

“Th-That’s a spiritual medicine?”

The thing carefully hidden inside Mak Pyeong’s sleeve—

It was a spiritual medicine known as the Great Purity Pill (太淸丹).

“How did this bastard get his hands on a spiritual medicine?”

Gwan Hwi tilted his head in confusion.

To a martial artist, a spiritual medicine was like a heavenly treasure capable of increasing one’s internal energy.

Normally, internal energy was cultivated by training every day and gradually accumulating qi within the dantian.

A spiritual medicine could drastically shorten the time required for that training, which made such medicines extraordinarily expensive and rare.

In other words, it wasn’t something that a disciple of the Lust Demon should have possessed.

“Besides, if it’s a Great Purity Pill… it’s actually a fairly decent spiritual medicine.”

The Great Purity Pill wasn’t a peerless spiritual medicine like Mount Hua’s Purple Mist Divine Pill or Shaolin’s Great Restoration Pill.

At most, it could increase the internal energy within one’s dantian by roughly five years’ worth of cultivation.

But spiritual medicines were so rare that even an effect of that level made them extremely valuable.

“It’s a good thing I didn’t just leave it there.”

Even at his current level, Mak Pyeong had already earned a terrible reputation across several cities.

If his cultivation had increased after consuming the spiritual medicine, it was impossible to know how many more women would have become his victims.

The number was beyond estimation.

“Thaaanks for the gift.”

Gwan Hwi slipped the wooden box containing the Great Purity Pill into his clothes.

This is perfect timing. Take it immediately and sit in meditation.

“…? Here?”

Gwan Hwi made an awkward expression at the general’s voice, which had been silent until now.

Martial artists normally chose the place where they would circulate their qi very carefully.

The moment a martial artist sat cross-legged and began circulating internal energy was also the moment when they were at their most vulnerable.

Therefore, they needed to choose a location that was as safe as possible from outside interference.

“Wouldn’t this place be a little…”

Even though there didn’t seem to be anyone around, meditating in the Little Lust Demon’s hideout made Gwan Hwi uneasy.

The area was completely exposed on all sides, meaning someone could interfere at any moment.

Besides, Mak Pyeong’s corpse was still lying nearby.

“If someone just taps me on the shoulder, I could go into qi deviation.”

If someone became curious after seeing the corpse and merely tapped Gwan Hwi on the shoulder, his qi could reverse and he could fall into qi deviation (走火入魔).

Once qi deviation occurred, one’s internal energy would usually reverse or run rampant.

Becoming crippled would then be only a matter of time.

There is no time for that. The meridians throughout your body are all on the verge of tearing apart.

“…!?”

Gwan Hwi’s eyes widened.

So that’s why I was in pain?

While fighting Mak Pyeong, his entire body had hurt whenever he swung the guandao.

But he had assumed it was because he hadn’t had time to recover after fighting the Soul Medicine Hall.

He had never imagined that the meridians throughout his body had been reduced to such a wreck.

You dull fellow. You must have felt horrific pain, yet you simply endured it and carried on. You are quite extraordinary yourself.

The pain of one’s meridians tearing apart was said to be as agonizing as feeling one’s flesh burn while still alive.

And yet Gwan Hwi had endured that pain and displayed such an excellent performance in battle.

Watching this descendant almost made Guan Yu feel as though he were looking at his younger self.

Now, consume the spiritual medicine.

“Understood.”

Gwan Hwi tore open the lid of the wooden box and swallowed the Great Purity Pill whole.

Then—

“Gaaah?!”

Dark red blood poured from his mouth like a waterfall, and his vision suddenly turned completely white.

“W-What is happening…?!”

---

“Urgh…!”

His face twisted from a type of pain he had never experienced before.

It was as though he had accidentally swallowed something incredibly hot.

A burning pain traveled down his throat and into his stomach.

Is it normally this painful? It shouldn’t be!

This was his first time taking a spiritual medicine, but he had heard stories about them before.

Spiritual medicines containing pure qi were supposed to increase internal energy or restore one’s health.

They weren’t supposed to cause pain and make someone vomit blood.

It’s because of the condition of your body. The spiritual medicine’s pure energy is fighting the poison inside you.

Over the past year, countless doses of the Soul Medicine Hall’s deadly poison had accumulated within Gwan Hwi’s body.

Most of it had disappeared, but some still remained and continued eating away at him.

The terrible pain Gwan Hwi felt was caused by the Great Purity Pill’s energy removing that poison from his body.

Endure it. Guide the spiritual medicine’s energy toward your dantian.

A familiar voice reached him through his mind, which had gone completely white from the pain.

Even while writhing in agony, Gwan Hwi followed the voice’s instructions and guided the spiritual medicine’s power toward his dantian.

He wouldn’t have been able to do it alone.

But the general’s voice guided him like the steering wheel of a ship, allowing him to maintain his direction.

I will recite the formula for you.

High-level cultivation formulas containing profound principles began flowing through his mind.

“Urgh…”

Even while struggling against the pain, Gwan Hwi began circulating his qi through the Great Circulation (大周天) according to the formula.

I have to do this somehow.

Gwan Hwi was a martial artist in his own right.

He knew that if he missed this opportunity, there might not be another.

Even if it kills me, I’ll do it.

Gwan Hwi had already crossed the threshold of death once.

He had experienced death indirectly.

Compared to that, this little bit of pain was far too insignificant to stop him.

“Hehehe.”

Gwan Hwi forced the corners of his mouth upward into a smile as the energy of the Great Purity Pill surged violently inside his body.

The Conception Vessel (任脈) began at his lips, traveled down through his chest and abdomen, and reached the Conception Vessel point at the perineum.

The Governing Vessel (督脈) began at the perineum, traveled up through the tailbone and spine, passed the Baihui acupoint, and eventually returned to his lips.

The cycle repeated again and again.

Pure true qi pushed out the impurities and waste accumulated inside his body, reconstructing his physical form in the process.

Good. Now pour all the spiritual medicine’s energy into repairing your body.

Normally, after taking a spiritual medicine, a martial artist would focus on absorbing all of its power into the dantian and making it their own.

Guan Yu intended to do the opposite.

He planned to use all of the spiritual medicine’s power to repair Gwan Hwi’s body.

There was no point in building a house on a half-destroyed foundation only for it to remain a broken house.

Therefore, he intended to use this pure internal energy to repair the foundation and create an entirely new base.

After all, to become a martial artist capable of dominating the world, one’s foundation had to be solid from the very bottom.

“Huff… huff…”

After finishing the circulation of the energy according to the cultivation formula, Gwan Hwi breathed heavily.

Now you look somewhat respectable.

It feels… like this isn’t even my body.

It was a strange sensation.

His body felt far too light, and his strength seemed to overflow.

How should he describe it?

It was almost as if he were experiencing only half as much gravity as before.

I’ve never felt anything like this.

His physical strength didn’t merely overflow.

He felt as though he could accomplish anything.

Since this was his first time experiencing such a sensation, he couldn’t yet control his expression.

Bang!

As a test, he threw a punch.

A clear sonic boom rang out as his fist tore through the air like a flash of lightning.

It was moving so quickly that even Gwan Hwi himself couldn’t follow his fist with his eyes.

How should he describe it?

It was as though the divine strength he had previously used so crudely had finally been sharpened into a deadly weapon.

Already at the peak of the Second-Class realm. Your growth is fast. Well done.

Guan Yu’s satisfied voice echoed in his mind.

If you hadn’t lost so much energy reconstructing your body, you would have already broken through the First-Class barrier.

“I see. It’s a little disappointing.”

There’s no need to be disappointed. With your talent, you’ll break through the First-Class barrier soon enough.

With Gwan Hwi’s talent—presumably that of a Heavenly Martial Constitution—the First-Class realm was nothing special.

Those blessed with heavenly talent could reach the very limits of heaven as long as they continued to work hard.

From now on, circulate your energy according to this internal cultivation technique.

“Is what I just learned your cultivation technique, General?”

Yes. It is called the Dragon Soaring Morning Technique (龍飛晨功).

“…!”

The cultivation technique of Guan Yunchang, which no one in the Gwan Family had ever inherited.

Gwan Hwi’s pupils trembled as he became the first person to receive instruction in it.

Finally…

The martial art that no member of the Gwan Family had been able to inherit for hundreds of years was finally being passed down to him at this very moment.

I’m learning martial arts…

The revival of his family was Gwan Hwi’s goal in life, and it was also the dream of every previous head of the Gwan Family.

Today, for the first time, he had taken a step toward that goal.

It was the moment when, in the darkness where he couldn’t see even an inch ahead, he finally took his first step toward the light.

The emotion he felt was impossible to put into words.

“Thank you, General.”

Gwan Hwi looked at the brilliantly shining moon and smiled brightly.

That smile, brighter than the moonlight itself, contained a happiness he had never experienced before.

---

Yunseong City — Yicheop Inn.

The Yicheop Inn was always packed with customers because ordering baekju—white liquor—came with two small side dishes for free.

Today was no different.

The inn was filled with people.

“Have you guys heard about it?!”

“Heard about what?”

“The Soul Medicine Hall. I heard all of them were killed—the disciples and even the Hall Master!”

“What?!”

The faces of everyone who heard those words were filled with shock.

Even those who had merely overheard the conversation looked horrified.

“The Soul Medicine Hall?!”

“No way! Who could possibly have attacked the Soul Medicine Hall?!”

The Soul Medicine Hall was on an entirely different level from ordinary Black Faction organizations.

Someone might say that they were merely lawless criminals who didn’t follow the law.

But even among such people, the Soul Medicine Hall possessed extraordinary martial power and influence.

“Wasn’t Gwang Sa-heun, the Soul-Poison Blade, a First-Class expert?! Who could have killed him?”

Compared with other places, Yunseong City was small and had relatively few people.

There were only two First-Class experts in the entire city.

Gwang Sa-heun, the Soul-Poison Blade.

And No Hae-sang, the Black Phantom.

In other words, within Yunseong City, the only martial artist capable of killing Gwang Sa-heun should have been No Hae-sang.

“But aren’t both of them members of the Black Faction? Besides, I heard they’re quite close.”

Birds of a feather flock together.

The relationship between Gwang Sa-heun and No Hae-sang was extremely close, and the organizations they led also maintained fairly good relations.

“No. It wasn’t No Hae-sang. There’s no way that lunatic would kill one of his own allies.”

“Then… could it have been Yang Mu-won, the Cloud Valley Spear?!”

At those words, everyone sighed in unison and shook their heads.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“You seriously think it was him?”

Yang Mu-won, the Cloud Valley Spear, was the head of the Yang Family Manor in Taiyuan, the city neighboring Yunseong.

He was an outstanding martial artist whose cultivation had reached the Peak realm.

His spear techniques were so extraordinary that he was also known as the Number One Spear of Taiyuan.

But—

“That guy doesn’t care about anything except making his own living.”

“Exactly. He’s only interested in lining his own pockets.”

Despite being the head of a respectable White Faction family, Yang Mu-won had absolutely no interest in things like chivalry or justice.

He was too busy looking after his own interests to care about the lives of ordinary people.

He was the kind of fake White Faction leader who ignored the common people.

“Huh! Then who was it?!”

“Who killed Gwang Sa-heun?”

The people began murmuring among themselves.

It was only natural that they were curious.

Gwang Sa-heun was an extraordinary expert who had only two possible opponents in the entire city, yet he had been discovered as a gruesomely mutilated corpse along with his subordinates.

“I… heard something.”

A man with shaggy hair covering half his eyes cautiously opened his mouth.

“They say… it was the young head of the Gwan Family Manor.”

“…?!”

“…??”

The Yicheop Inn instantly fell into a chilling silence.

The name was so shocking that everyone was stunned and even seemed to stop breathing.

“You’re… joking, right?”

No one believed it.

No.

They couldn’t believe it.

Was it because they didn’t know who the head of the Gwan Family Manor was?

No.

It was precisely because they knew him so well that they found it impossible to believe.

There wasn’t a single person in Yunseong City who didn’t know about the young man who had struggled desperately to save his family ever since childhood.

And everyone knew that he was only a Third-Class martial artist.

They also knew that his family had been on the verge of collapse for quite some time.

“That guy is only Third-Class. He’s so busy making money that he barely has time to swing a sword properly.”

“Exactly. And hasn’t he been summoned to the Soul Medicine Hall every day for the past year to work?”

“He couldn’t even handle one ordinary disciple of the Soul Medicine Hall. And you’re saying he killed the Hall Master?”

The people scoffed.

Everyone’s eyes clearly said that such a story was ridiculous and impossible to accept.

“…It’s true. I saw it myself.”

The shaggy-haired man continued.

“I saw that young man walk out of the Soul Medicine Hall alone. And… I also heard what the courtesans were saying. They were talking about a handsome young man who had defeated all the disciples of the Soul Medicine Hall.”

“…!!”

“R-Really? It was that guy?!”

“Huh! Was he secretly training his martial arts all this time?!”

“If that’s true, then… that’s incredible!”

Everyone inside the inn became excited and began speaking over one another.

“Gwan Hwi…! I’ve always believed that kid would accomplish something someday!”

“Ha ha ha! He’s finally getting his chance to shine!”

“That’s amazing! Absolutely amazing!”

No one in the inn could hide their excitement.

The young man with the most tragic circumstances in all of Yunseong had killed one of the most vicious Black Faction criminals.

Could there be better news than this?

“Hahaha! That hardworking kid is finally getting the recognition he deserves. I’m genuinely happy for him.”

“I knew he’d make it someday. After struggling so desperately all these years, wouldn’t the heavens help him at least once?!”

Just as everyone was praising Gwan Hwi—

A massive shadow fell across the Yicheop Inn.

A huge shadow whose mere presence silenced everyone inside.

The people suddenly lost their voices and closed their mouths.

“…Who did you say annihilated the Soul Medicine Hall?”

A man with a massive frame and sturdy physique walked into the inn.

Every time his heavy footsteps landed on the floor, the floorboards groaned as though unable to bear his weight.

“……”

The heavy pressure radiating from the man instantly rendered everyone in the inn speechless.

Even though they had never learned martial arts in their lives, they could tell that the man before them was no ordinary expert.

“Calm yourselves. I’m not some evil martial artist from the heterodox path.”

The giant pulled back the waist of his long robe and revealed the black sword hanging there.

The sheath bore the white characters “Shadowless” (無影).

“Th-The Shadowless Blade, Zhang Ryu?!”

“Y-You mean the greatest young martial artist of the Yanmen Zhang Family?!”

The martial artist who had appeared inside the Yicheop Inn possessed an extraordinary aura.

With his imposing appearance and enormous physique, he was Zhang Ryu, the second son of the Yanmen Zhang Family, known as the greatest family in Yanmen.

“Now, let me ask again.”

Zhang Ryu looked around the inn.

“Who was it that annihilated the Soul Medicine Hall?”