Chapter 64
The Heavenly Dragon Secret Grounds (2)
The space beyond the stone wall was far larger than Baek So-cheon had expected.
It gave the same expansive feeling as wandering through a cave and suddenly emerging into an enormous cavern.
This place had never been underground to begin with. Sunlight streamed through several small windows set high in the walls, and a brook flowed across the chamber. Flowers and grass grew throughout the area.
Judging from the scene before him, it was difficult to believe that he was indoors.
The most eye-catching feature was the small hot spring in the center.
It was large enough for two or three adults, and wisps of steam rose continuously from its surface. Had it been anywhere else, it would have looked like an ordinary hot spring. But because it was here, it exuded an extraordinary air.
“It is called the Dragon Spring. Immersing yourself in it will heal internal injuries, and circulating your energy inside it will allow you to accumulate more internal energy than you would outside. It also restores vitality to the body. Under normal circumstances, I should have brought you here three years ago.”
Had that happened, Ak So-gun would likely have attempted various methods here to repair Baek So-cheon’s dantian.
However, after the Heavenly Twin Gu entered his body, the thought of bringing Baek So-cheon here had vanished entirely.
“I should have brought you much sooner...”
Baek So-cheon comforted him when he heard the regret in his voice.
“Please don’t dwell on it. It wasn’t your true will, Alliance Leader.”
“No amount of consolation changes the fact that I was the one who failed to overcome the Gu.”
Perhaps his repeated self-reproach was only natural.
After all, he was the man ranked at the very top of the Martial Ranking.
It would probably take Ak So-gun a long time to fully come to terms with what had happened.
“What are those?”
More than ten jars stood against one wall.
“Food stored in preparation for prolonged training here.”
As expected, the jars contained Fasting Pills and various other foods that could be preserved for long periods.
Sunlight entered the chamber, and the ventilation was excellent, making the place remarkably comfortable. There was even a bed for sleeping, as well as a privy tucked into one corner.
The chamber was spacious enough to make it an ideal place for martial arts training.
“Remain here for the time being and recuperate. Simply resting will not be enough, so...”
Ak So-gun retrieved a carefully preserved chest from one part of the Heavenly Dragon Secret Grounds.
“I saved this in case of an emergency. With the Dragon Spring and this, perhaps you will discover a way to restore your dantian.”
Baek So-cheon opened the chest Ak So-gun offered him.
A single root of snow ginseng lay inside.
An intense fragrance of ginseng spread from within.
Baek So-cheon’s eyes widened.
“This is...!”
“That’s right. Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.”
Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng!
Among medicinal herbs and spirit medicines, it was one of the greatest treasures, possessing unrivaled efficacy.
Faced with Ak So-gun’s sincerity, Baek So-cheon realized that it was time to reveal the truth.
He had intended to wait until he had recovered more of his internal energy, but now that Ak So-gun was even offering him the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, he could no longer keep it hidden.
“Alliance Leader, the truth is that I succeeded in repairing my dantian.”
Ak So-gun stared at him in astonishment.
“Truly? When?”
“Only recently.”
Baek So-cheon explained how he had met Ban Yun-saeng and repaired his body.
He also told him that this was likely why the Gu inside him had disappeared.
“Oh! That is fortunate! Truly fortunate! Heaven has not abandoned us.”
Ak So-gun rejoiced as though it were his own recovery.
“Then you should consume this Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng yourself, Alliance Leader.”
“No. If your dantian has been repaired, then you need this medicine even more. Use it to replenish the internal energy you lack.”
“You should take it, Alliance Leader.”
When Baek So-cheon refused again, Ak So-gun replied gently,
“As you know, I already possess more than enough internal energy.”
The greater a martial artist’s existing internal energy, the more sharply the benefits gained from spirit medicine diminished.
Up to two cycles, one could receive nearly the full effects of a spirit medicine. Beyond two cycles, its efficacy fell by more than half, and from three cycles onward, the benefits decreased drastically.
Simply put, once someone possessed three cycles of internal energy, they might have to spend hundreds of thousands of taels on spirit medicine merely to gain another year or two.
The Alliance Leader currently possessed three and a half cycles of internal energy.
Meanwhile, the Cheokcheon Alliance Leader was known to possess approximately four cycles.
Baek So-cheon had fought him evenly with only three cycles before ultimately losing, which was an extraordinary achievement.
“At most, the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng would grant me a little over ten years of internal energy. But if you consume it, you may gain as much as two cycles.”
Baek So-cheon could feel that the Alliance Leader was sincerely looking out for him.
Without genuine affection, Ak So-gun would never have opened the Heavenly Dragon Secret Grounds or offered up the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng so readily.
“Thank you, Alliance Leader.”
Baek So-cheon no longer refused.
In any case, to resolve the current crisis in the martial world, he needed to restore his strength.
When consumed by a martial artist, Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng could provide between one and a half and two cycles of internal energy.
With Baek So-cheon’s ability, he could absorb the full two cycles.
Even if he retained only a third of that amount, it would still give him forty years of internal energy.
Baek So-cheon already possessed fifty-one years of exceptionally pure internal energy.
Adding another forty years would be like regaining the second of a pair of wings.
And what if I refine the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng inside the Dragon Spring?
He hoped he might be able to accumulate slightly more than forty years.
Baek So-cheon received another reward for honestly revealing his condition.
“If you can use internal energy again, then you should be able to learn that as well. Come over here for a moment.”
Ak So-gun led him to a bookshelf beside the bed.
Dozens of books filled its shelves.
This was the true final chamber of the Murim Alliance’s Myriad Book Archive.
The martial manuals stored here were of a higher level than even those accessible to the Pavilion Masters.
Alongside the manuals were numerous rare editions that were nearly impossible to obtain on the open market.
Among them, one volume had been placed separately on the highest shelf.
Anyone could tell that it was the most precious book in the collection.
Ak So-gun removed it and handed it to Baek So-cheon.
“If you have recovered your internal energy, this should prove useful.”
Baek So-cheon examined the manual and was stunned.
“This martial art...!”
It was one of the four manuals known as the greatest martial arts of all time.
Thousand-Handed Tathagata Asura Divine Sword.
It was one of the two remaining manuals Baek So-cheon had been seeking.
He had once believed it would be the most difficult one to obtain, yet now it had fallen into his hands.
“This is far too precious for me.”
“I had always intended to give this to you as well. I planned to reward you with it for ending the war. If not for you, the Cheokcheon Alliance Leader would be soaking in that Dragon Spring right now. You are more than qualified. Take it.”
“You should learn it yourself, Alliance Leader.”
“It is too late for me to begin. Moreover, allowing such an extraordinary martial art to disappear unused would be a sin for any martial artist. So accept it.”
“I will refuse no longer. Thank you, Alliance Leader.”
Baek So-cheon bowed his head.
He felt even more ashamed for having misunderstood such a good man.
“It must never happen, but if the Cheokcheon Alliance were to win the war, this martial art would fall into their leader’s hands. I refuse to allow that. Memorize the entire manual, then burn it. Before you die, pass it on to someone worthy.”
“Understood.”
Baek So-cheon accepted the manual respectfully.
“I heard that spirit medicines have become difficult to obtain recently. Even so, I will try to find more.”
Baek So-cheon hurriedly waved his hands in refusal.
“That won’t be necessary. The Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng is more than enough.”
“But it is not enough for me.”
It seemed Ak So-gun had decided to repay every slight and hardship Baek So-cheon had suffered over the past three years.
“The Cheokcheon Alliance Leader still doesn’t know that I have recovered my internal energy. I believe it would be best to keep it secret for the time being.”
“Very well. I alone will know for now.”
“Thank you.”
“The Cheokcheon Alliance and the Blood Church have joined forces. I regret asking this of you, but once again, I need your strength. So does this martial world.”
“Unless we find some way to break their alliance, facing them will not be easy.”
In the previous war, the forces of the Murim Alliance and the Cheokcheon Alliance had appeared evenly matched.
No—if Baek So-cheon were excluded, the Cheokcheon Alliance had held the advantage by roughly seven to three.
Baek So-cheon alone had raised the Murim Alliance’s strength from three to five and forced the war into an armistice.
“That is why you must recover quickly. From this moment onward, this place is yours. Do not concern yourself with outside affairs. Train here at your own pace before emerging.”
“Thank you.”
As Ak So-gun turned to leave, Baek So-cheon cautioned him.
“Now that people know we have reconciled, whoever planned this may devise another scheme. You must remain vigilant in everything you do.”
“I understand.”
Ak So-gun left the Heavenly Dragon Secret Grounds.
Left alone, Baek So-cheon took a deep breath.
“Then... shall we begin?”
He first carried the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng to the Dragon Spring.
After stripping off his clothes, he stepped into the water.
When he submerged his body, the heat felt pleasantly intense.
Even the energy touching his skin made it obvious that this was no ordinary hot spring.
Baek So-cheon slowly circulated the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method.
The difference in the rate at which his internal energy accumulated was undeniable.
It gathered more than three times faster than when he cultivated outside.
For an ordinary martial artist, the effect would likely have been no more than double.
However, Baek So-cheon’s realm, combined with the exceptional efficacy of the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method, increased the result to more than threefold.
That was not all.
As he circulated his energy, powerful vitality surged through the meridians of his entire body.
If the Dragon Spring had to be described in a single phrase, it would be this:
Once you entered, you never wanted to leave.
After completing several cycles of energy circulation, Baek So-cheon opened the chest containing the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.
His heart pounded as he looked down at it.
He had consumed many spirit medicines while accumulating three cycles of internal energy, but this was his first time taking a supreme treasure on the level of the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.
Baek So-cheon began chewing it.
A bittersweet fragrance burst across his tongue, richer and more pleasant than any spirit medicine he had ever tasted.
After chewing it thoroughly and swallowing, he began refining it with the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method.
Sssssss.
Perhaps because he was refining it within the Dragon Spring, he absorbed even more energy than he normally should have.
The amount of internal energy he ultimately accumulated was fifty years.
He should originally have gained forty years, but the Dragon Spring had allowed him to obtain an additional ten.
“Excellent!”
Baek So-cheon cried out in delight.
Combined with his existing fifty-one years, he now possessed one hundred and one years of internal energy.
He was only nineteen years short of two full cycles.
Moreover, his internal energy was incomparably purer than before.
He might still be somewhat disadvantaged in a prolonged battle, but he could now unleash attacks with power close to that of his former prime.
No. It’s still not enough.
The Cheokcheon Alliance Leader alone possessed more than four cycles of internal energy.
The Blood Church Leader’s cultivation had never been publicly revealed, but it was unlikely to be insignificant.
Still immersed in the Dragon Spring, Baek So-cheon quietly opened the manual for the Thousand-Handed Tathagata Asura Divine Sword and began reading it carefully.
***
Four days later.
Baek So-cheon stood at the center of the Heavenly Dragon Secret Grounds with the Returning Shadow Sword in his hand.
During those four days, he had meticulously memorized every verse of the Thousand-Handed Tathagata Asura Divine Sword.
After repeatedly checking until he was certain that not a single passage had been forgotten, he obeyed the Alliance Leader’s instruction and burned the manual.
Before his death, he would either pass the martial art directly to a disciple or leave behind a new manual.
With more than a hundred years of pure internal energy within him and his beloved Returning Shadow Sword in his grasp, Baek So-cheon’s heart raced.
He was still learning the Heaven-Overturning Nine Fists, the greatest fist art of all time.
But no matter what anyone said, Baek So-cheon was a swordsman.
Now he would make the Thousand-Handed Tathagata Asura Divine Sword his personal sword art, use the Heaven-Overturning Nine Fists as a supplementary martial art, and rely upon the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method as his cultivation method.
Together, they formed a truly perfect combination.
Of course, if he could obtain the final remaining martial art, it would be the crowning touch.
But that, too, was hidden in an extraordinarily difficult place to reach.
For now, I should focus on the sword.
Baek So-cheon swung his blade and unleashed a technique.
The Thousand-Handed Tathagata Asura Divine Sword was a sword art founded upon speed.
But it was not merely a fast sword.
It was an extreme-speed sword.
A sword art that sought to become as swift as light itself.
He encountered no difficulty understanding the First through Fourth Forms.
From the Fifth Form onward, however, it seemed he would need to study and contemplate them continuously.
The technique he was currently executing was the First Form:
Heavenly Pivot Form.
Baek So-cheon thrust his sword.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
More than ten sword trails were drawn through the air.
The manual stated that once the Thousand-Handed Tathagata Asura Divine Sword reached full mastery, every sword trail would remain visible and combine to form a single image.
All the sword trails coming together to create one complete picture.
Although Baek So-cheon had once reached the pinnacle of the martial world, even he wondered whether such a thing was truly possible.
At present, preserving every sword trail of the First Form alone was difficult.
Yet the manual claimed one could preserve every trail from the Seventh Form?
To accomplish that, all seven sword forms would have to be executed in the span of a single blink.
If it were possible, it would represent the absolute limit of the fast sword.
The ultimate swordsmanship attainable by a human being—
No, perhaps it could only be performed after surpassing the limits of humanity itself.
Baek So-cheon felt his competitive spirit ignite.
Regardless of the war, as a martial artist, he would one day bring the Thousand-Handed Tathagata Asura Divine Sword to full mastery and discover what image its complete sword trails created.
For the first time in a long while, Baek So-cheon forgot the complications of the world and immersed himself entirely in swordsmanship.