Upon absorbing all the internal energy from the Lesser Restoration Pill with Hyun-gwang’s help, Mu-jin’s danjeon was densely filled with nearly twenty years’ worth of internal energy.
Mu-jin’s internal energy increased to nearly three times what he originally had.
With this level of internal energy, he could immediately set out into the martial world and proclaim, “I am a martial artist!” and it would be credible.
Though it wasn’t enough to be considered a master, for his age, it was an incredible amount.
However, as with everything in life, the situation wasn’t entirely positive.
Due to the sudden increase in internal energy, Mu-jin’s danjeon was currently at full capacity, and he couldn’t control his energy at all.
The proof of this was the brightly shining light in Mu-jin’s eyes.
“Hahaha. If you were to use martial arts in your current state, your body would break first.”
“…It seems I was too greedy.”
Mu-jin also vaguely understood his situation. Seeing this, Hyun-gwang smiled warmly and spoke.“Follow me, my boy. I’ll take you to someone who can greatly help you.”
The place they arrived at with Hyun-gwang was one of Shaolin’s pavilions.
In the courtyard of that pavilion, Mu-gung was standing still in the initial stance of the Vajra Fist technique.
No, upon closer inspection, Mu-gung’s body was moving very slowly.
Mu-gung, practicing this mysterious, slow punching, saw Mu-jin entering the pavilion and exclaimed, “Oh?”
“Gal!”
At the moment Mu-gung’s concentration broke, a powerful lion’s roar erupted from inside the pavilion.
“Eek!”
Mu-gung, making a sound unbefitting his size, took the initial stance of the Vajra Fist again, seemingly startled by the roar.
Shortly after, the owner of the powerful lion’s roar opened the door and greeted Mu-jin and Hyun-gwang.
“I greet Senior Brother Hyun-gwang.”
The man, reminiscent of one of the Four Heavenly Kings with his robust physique and impression, was Hye-dam.
Hye-dam glanced at Mu-jin’s peculiar head with a slightly displeased expression and then spoke.
“Have you come because of Mu-jin’s condition?”
“Hahaha. As expected of Hye-dam, you recognized it immediately.”
Indeed, the expert Hye-dam had instantly discerned Mu-jin’s condition.
“May I proceed in my own way?”
“Hahaha. That’s why we came to you.”
“Understood.”
Without adding unnecessary words, Hye-dam focused on the core issue and concluded the conversation.
“Hahaha. Then I leave him in your hands.”
Hyun-gwang also turned to Mu-jin, signaling he had nothing more to say.
“Train with Senior Uncle Hye-dam here, and learn to control your energy.”
“Yes, Grandfather!”
Mu-jin responded energetically, and Hyun-gwang smiled kindly before leaving the pavilion.
“What should I start with, Master Uncle Hye-dam?”
Instead of answering with words, Hye-dam tilted his head slightly, indicating Mu-gung beside him. Mu-jin, catching on, walked to the spot Hye-dam’s gaze pointed to and took his place.
Instead of giving instructions, Hye-dam called his disciple.
“Beob-hwi.”
“Yes, Master!”
“Train him from the basics, just like Mu-gung.”
“Understood, Master!”
Following Hye-dam’s orders, Beob-hwi approached Mu-jin and began to speak.
“Assume the initial stance of the Revolving Fist Technique.”
Following Beob-hwi’s instructions, Mu-jin first took the initial stance of the Revolving Fist Technique, the very first martial art he had learned.
“Now, perform the Revolving Fist Technique sequentially, using the minimum amount of internal energy you can manage.”
‘The minimum amount of internal energy, huh.’
Mu-jin focused his mind, facing the massive energy coiled in his danjeon.
For Mu-jin, who had just over two years of martial arts training, the amount of internal energy he had was overwhelming. He began drawing a portion of this heavy internal energy and directed it into his meridians.
Mu-jin initially intended to draw out a thread-like amount of internal energy, but what actually came out was something akin to a thick rope.
‘Is this really the minimum I can manage right now?’
Accepting this, Mu-jin channeled the energy into his meridians and began performing the basic moves of the Revolving Fist Technique.
The Revolving Fist Technique was the most basic martial art that didn’t require any special secrets or tips.
As Mu-jin sequentially performed the moves of the Revolving Fist Technique, his danjeon, which had been steadily channeling internal energy into his meridians, suddenly started pouring out even more internal energy, as if a dam had burst.
“Gal!”
At that moment, a serene and majestic roar imbued with the spirit of the Buddha erupted.
A sudden shout can usually startle a person, but Hye-dam’s pure lion’s roar actually calmed Mu-jin’s mind.
“Stop your movements and gather your energy.”
Following Beob-hwi’s instructions from the side, Mu-jin, regaining his concentration, calmed the rampaging energy.
“Whew.”
Only after he had finally managed to calm his energy did Mu-jin open his eyes.
“We will start again from the beginning. Use the minimum amount of internal energy. You must maintain a consistent amount of energy without any fluctuation. Each time you fail to control it perfectly, you will gather your energy and start over.”
“Understood.”
Responding, Mu-jin began the basic moves of the Revolving Fist Technique once more.
Hye-dam’s training method.
It was training to cultivate an ‘immovable mind.’
The martial arts Hye-dam had mastered dealt with Extreme Yang Energy. This energy, due to its nature, often excited the practitioner.
To freely handle such Extreme Yang Energy, and to avoid making mistakes due to excitement or falling into qi deviation, the most crucial aspect was cultivating an immovable mind.
There were various training methods to cultivate such an immovable mind, but the current method Mu-jin was undergoing—maintaining a consistent amount of internal energy—had been devised specifically for Mu-jin.
It was a training method that Hye-dam had come up with while practicing to perform the role of an infrared lamp.
The training method had come full circle, with Mu-jin now using it. Life indeed worked in mysterious ways.
The next day.
Through a day’s worth of training, Mu-jin had managed to perform the Revolving Fist Technique with a fairly consistent amount of internal energy.
“Is the next step to move on to the Xiao Hong Quan?”
Mu-jin, barely maintaining his focus, asked after completing the Revolving Fist Technique. Beob-hwi shook his head.
“This time, you will train not only your internal energy but also your form. In addition to what you’ve been doing, perform the moves of the Revolving Fist Technique as slowly as possible, at a consistent speed.”
“…”
At Beob-hwi’s words, Mu-jin glanced over at Mu-gung.
Next to him, Mu-gung was performing the Vajra Fist Technique at a snail’s pace.
‘Since yesterday, I wondered what he was doing…’
It now became clear that Mu-gung had started from the Revolving Fist Technique and worked his way up to the Vajra Fist Technique.
‘…Poor guy.’
Mu-jin and Mu-gung had become third-class disciples at the same time. This meant that Mu-gung had been repeating this training for over four months.
Mu-jin knew that although Mu-gung looked like a bear, he was actually quite vain.
Even if he didn’t show it, Mu-gung was probably finding this training unbearable.
Perhaps sensing Mu-jin’s sympathetic gaze…
‘What are you looking at, huh?’
Mu-gung, who was in the middle of the painfully slow Vajra Fist, frowned and glared at Mu-jin.
“Gal!!”
Once again, Hye-dam’s lion’s roar echoed through the courtyard.
“Eek.”
And once more, Mu-gung made a strange sound that didn’t match his size.
‘The bear startled by gunshots.’
Shaking his head, Mu-jin focused his mind and assumed the initial stance of the Revolving Fist Technique.
“Move as slowly as possible, but make sure your movements are uninterrupted.”
Following Beob-hwi’s instructions, Mu-jin began performing the Revolving Fist Technique at a very slow pace, maintaining the same amount of internal energy.
‘Twice, no, at least three times harder.’
As the speed of performing the Revolving Fist Technique significantly decreased, the time to maintain the consistent amount of internal energy increased.
“Just moving slowly is not enough. Continuously think about the optimal path for your fist to extend. The same goes for the flow of your internal energy. Observe yourself constantly, but do not let yourself slip into a state of no-mind and merely follow the flow.”
Beob-hwi continued to give warnings to Mu-jin, who was performing the Revolving Fist Technique at a slow pace.
Although a state of no-mind is considered a great fortune for martial artists, for Mu-jin at this moment, it was poison.
If he let his internal energy run wild when he couldn’t even control it properly, he could end up falling into qi deviation.
Mu-jin concentrated on each muscle fiber, each flow of internal energy through his meridians, as he moved his body.
The training was incredibly arduous.
‘Wow. If Mu-yul had been training under Master Uncle Hye-dam, he would have gotten stress-induced alopecia within five days. Oh, but he’s already bald, so maybe it wouldn’t matter?’
Whenever his concentration waned due to the monotony…
“Gal!!”
Hye-dam’s lion’s roar would invariably ring out.
It was an extremely static form of training.
* * *
It took Mu-jin seven days and nights to complete his training with the Revolving Fist Technique.
By the fourth day, Mu-jin could perform the Revolving Fist Technique continuously at the minimum speed, and for the next three days, he trained to control the amount of internal energy.
He used the same amount of energy but gradually increased that amount little by little.
The day after finishing the Revolving Fist Technique, Mu-jin started training with the Xiao Hong Quan, just as he had done as a novice.
Xiao Hong Quan training proceeded in the same way as the Revolving Fist Technique, but the difficulty was incomparable.
Unlike the Revolving Fist Technique, which only required the flow of internal energy, Xiao Hong Quan had unique flows according to its secrets.
While he made mistakes due to a lapse in concentration with the Revolving Fist Technique, Xiao Hong Quan proved challenging right from the first move.
However, with grit and determination, Mu-jin, a personification of effort, pushed through the terribly static training.
In just ten days, he managed to complete his training with the Xiao Hong Quan.
Of course, there were still six more martial arts to master: from the Autumn Wind Leg to the Nine Palace Steps, Arhat Palm, Guanyin Hands, Stone-crushing Finger, and the Vajra Fist. Yet, Mu-jin was not worried.
During his Xiao Hong Quan training, he had adapted to maintaining the amount of internal energy according to its unique flow.
Although each martial art had different secrets and flows, understanding the concept was key.
Another ten days passed.
Mu-jin finally succeeded in performing all six remaining martial arts with the same internal energy and at the same slow pace.
This didn’t mean his training was over. Mu-jin’s martial arts involved combining the secrets of various techniques and performing them simultaneously.
But Mu-jin wasn’t concerned.
‘At least now, I can control the exact amount of internal energy I want.’
He could now handle the internal energy he gained from the Lesser Restoration Pill freely.
Combining various secrets simultaneously was something Mu-jin was already familiar with. He had honed this skill sufficiently with the help of Hye-geol, Hyun-cheon, Hye-gwan, and Hyun-gwang.
“I shall take my leave now.”
Mu-jin, having completely mastered the energy from the Lesser Restoration Pill and with his once brightly shining eyes now calm, spoke to Hye-dam in a serene tone.
“Hmm.”
Hye-dam simply nodded without saying much.
As Mu-jin turned to leave the pavilion, Beob-hwi, who had guided him through each training session, spoke to his master.
“Master, I now understand why Senior Uncle Hyun-gwang accepted Mu-jin as his grand-disciple.”
Mu-jin had caught up with Mu-gung, who had started four months earlier, in less than a month.
Of course, Mu-jin’s training focused more on cultivating an immovable mind rather than martial arts or combat skills. He had cultivated his mind, not increased his martial arts level.
What surprised Beob-hwi was Mu-jin’s concentration.
The young Mu-gung still had impatience in his heart, often letting his mind get ahead of his body.
In contrast, despite being a year younger than Mu-gung, Mu-jin rarely lost his focus.
“Sometimes, he seemed older than me, Master.”
Even though Beob-hwi had only observed Mu-jin for about a month, he had already discerned Mu-jin’s true nature.
And then, in an uncharacteristic manner, Hye-dam spoke.
“What’s with that hair?”
“…”
Recalling Mu-jin’s hairstyle, Beob-hwi erased the hypothesis he had formed in his mind.
A few days after Mu-jin had completely mastered the internal energy from the Lesser Restoration Pill, the promised month finally passed.
“All preparations are complete, Abbot Bang-geon.”
“Hahaha. Then, I will send the disciples responsible for the treatment. Head of the Merchant Guild, please take care.”
The preparations for the business between Shaolin and the Cheonryu Sangdan were completed.
Mu-jin, along with the disciples assigned to handle the treatments, left the Shaolin Temple’s mountain gate with Ryu Ji-gwang.
It was the first time since entering the world of martial arts that Mu-jin descended from Mount Song.
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