**Scaling the Wall (3)**
“You got it right. Therefore, in our Shaolin, we also pass down first-class martial arts through the Arhat Faction. And the children who reach the level of emitting techniques like fist winds or palm winds through first-class martial arts, are taught the Seventy-two consummate arts by their masters or teachers. By studying the Seventy-two consummate arts, they are allowed to scale the wall through unconventional thods.”
And this was a thod not only used in Shaolin but also employed by other prestigious sects and the Five Great Families.
Because of the existence of such thods, these prestigious sects, which possessed multiple advanced martial arts, could always cultivate a large number of masters.
The more advanced martial arts they had, the more disciples could beco masters by learning advanced martial arts suited to their constitutions.
Thinking this far, Mu-jin naturally wondered why he was taught strange thods by being fed the Great Restoration Pill and having his ridians stimulated instead of being taught the Seventy-two consummate arts.
And he soon found the answer to that question.
‘They tailored it to suit my disposition.’
He had always said that he disliked complicated and intricate things. He believed that if the body was strong, the mind would be at ease.
Grandfather Hyun-gwang also ntioned that others scale the wall by ‘studying’ advanced martial arts.
Even techniques that operate qi solely within the body were so complex that they made one want to throw away the martial arts manual, so just how complicated would the key formulas of advanced martial arts be?
Scaling the wall through advanced martial arts ant that one needed at least the intellectual capacity to interpret and understand all the key formulas of those advanced martial arts.
Thinking this far, Mu-jin could not help but feel deeply moved.
“I will do my best to train and show that I can scale the wall.”
Grandfather Hyun-gwang had thought up a special thod that only he could use, tailored to his dislike for complexity.
Beyond being his grandfather, he was truly the best teacher he could have.
* * *
After hearing the direction of his training, Mu-jin began his full-fledged training.
“First, you must get accustod to sending qi through your small ridians. Slowly perform your martial arts and focus on the flow of your qi.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
Responding to Hyun-gwang’s words, Mu-jin assud the basic stance of the Revolving Fist Technique and began to move his body slowly.
Just as he had absorbed the Lesser Restoration Pill and received training from Hye-dam in the past.
Of course, this ti was different.
‘I need to form a new habit. The mont I think of using martial arts, qi must flow not only through the main ridians but also through the small ridians.’
As Mu-jin moved his body slowly, he visualized it in his mind.
Qi starting from the danjeon, flowing through every tiny small ridian.
Unlike before, when it only flowed through the main ridians, a much larger amount of qi flowed through at once.
Naturally, a vast amount of true qi surged from the danjeon and spread to all four of Mu-jin’s limbs.
Whiz!
Mu-jin’s body moved very slowly, but every ti he threw a punch, a fierce cracking sound exploded.
“Whew. This ti, let’s increase the speed a bit more.”
Having gotten sowhat accustod to sending qi through his small ridians, Mu-jin increased the speed of his Revolving Fist Technique.
After becoming familiar with the Revolving Fist Technique, he then checked each of the martial arts he had learned, such as the Xiao Hong Quan and the Autumn Wind Leg, sending qi through the small ridians.
As a result of repeating this training for ten days, Mu-jin beca accustod to performing martial arts while sending qi through the small ridians.
“It seems you’ve adapted to so extent. Ha ha ha. Now, show the martial arts you displayed at Cheonryu Sangdan last ti.”
“I will do so.”
Mu-jin took the basic stance and demonstrated his own martial arts, which he had refined by combining various martial arts techniques.
It was a martial art where he simultaneously applied the key formulas of various techniques.
“Whew. Start slowly.”
Previously, he had fully embodied these techniques and executed them freely, but now he had to utilize the small ridians as well.
Mu-jin’s body moved slowly but continuously.
And every ti his Striking Bone Technique struck the air, a gust of wind arose around it.
The power of his martial arts went beyond rely fortifying his body and began to emit externally.
“Whew. A bit faster.”
However, Mu-jin, already imrsed in a state of Muah Ji-kyung, paid no attention to the fist winds or palm winds that were occurring.
He simply continued to perform martial arts repeatedly, increasing their speed and power.
How long had he been swinging his Striking Bone Technique?
“One more ti!”
Completely accustod to sending qi through the small ridians, Mu-jin demonstrated his martial arts with full force.
Whiz!
Whiz!
Each ti his limbs extended, increasingly powerful winds were created.
“The last one!”
At the peak of his concentration,
The qi, endlessly condensed by his martial arts, failed to remain in his fist and burst out.
From Mu-jin’s final punch, a faint golden energy shimred like a mirage.
It was fist qi.
“Ha ha ha. You’ve finally reached the stage of emitting qi.”
Watching the mirage emanating from Mu-jin’s fist, Hyun-gwang nodded with a satisfied expression.
“But, this is rely the beginning.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
Without needing Hyun-gwang’s warning, Mu-jin knew this fact very well.
Through his real-life battles and the fights he had witnessed, Mu-jin realized that not all masters who handled sword qi or fist qi were at the sa level.
“For now, keep practicing martial arts and get used to the sensation of emitting qi. After you beco familiar with that sensation, practice generating fist qi by adjusting the qi yourself instead of relying on the power of martial arts as you are now.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Right after responding to Hyun-gwang, Mu-jin resud his movents, practicing his martial arts once more.
As if not wanting to forget the sensation of the energy he had just created.
* * *
A few days later.
“You haven’t left for another place in the anti, have you?”
A woman with her face covered by a veil arrived at the entrance of Deungbong-hyeon.
She looked at Sung Mountain behind Deungbong-hyeon.
‘It seems too late to climb up now…’
The ti for receiving visitors at the Shaolin Temple was from 1 PM to 5 PM.
As it was already past 5 PM, it was impossible to reach the Shaolin Temple today even if she started climbing Sung Mountain now.
Deciding to spend the day here and climb Sung Mountain tomorrow morning, Jegal Jin-hee moved on.
She rented an entire private room in a fairly clean-looking inn and took a short rest before getting up.
‘Co to think of it, he might be there instead of Shaolin, right?’
With this thought, she left the inn and headed sowhere.
Where she arrived was a large mansion with a signboard that read [Musculoskeletal Treatnt Clinic].
She ca hoping Mu-jin might be at the Musculoskeletal Treatnt Clinic.
Calming her slightly pounding heart, she entered the clinic.
“Welco.”
She was greeted by a radiant, beautiful woman.
“Are you here for so discomfort?”
Jegal Jin-hee replied in a calm tone to the question of the brightly smiling woman.
“I’m not here for treatnt.”
“Then, for what reason…?”
“Is Novice Monk Mu-jin here right now?”
At Jegal Jin-hee’s calm question, the bright woman’s expression montarily hardened. She quickly tried to regain her composure and forced a smile.
‘Look at that?’
Having observed many political battles within the Jegal family, Jegal Jin-hee couldn’t be fooled.
“For what reason are you looking for Monk Mu-jin…?”
In response to her question, Jegal Jin-hee removed the veil covering her face and answered.
“I am soone who has promised a future with Novice Monk Mu-jin.”
Upon hearing Jegal Jin-hee’s reply, the beautiful woman, Ryu Seol-hwa, turned stone-faced.
‘Well, it was a promise for a future sparring match, but.’
Jegal Jin-hee had no intention of revealing that she had omitted a word.
* * *
Shaolin Temple at Sung Mountain. Hyun-gwang’s residence.
Since the day he first manifested energy, Mu-jin practiced martial arts with the Striking Bone Technique whenever he had ti.
Perhaps thanks to that training, he had beco completely accustod to using his martial arts, utilizing all his strength, and each ti he executed a full-force move, energy would burst forth.
When he thrust his fist, fist energy would erge; when he extended his palm, palm energy would follow. In addition, he could create energy with the Golden Locking Hand technique or emit energy from his foot when he swung his leg.
However, it was not yet perfect.
‘It’s still at the level where it only cos out when I focus all my concentration and use my full strength.’
He needed to reach the level where he could manifest it whenever he wanted.
After that, he had to reach the level where it would co out at any ti, and then, as Hyun-gwang had said, he had to reach the level where he could emit energy like fist energy or palm energy through the very sensation of his martial arts, regardless of the technique he was using.
However, as the saying goes, “Even a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” so he aid first to be able to utilize it whenever he wanted.
‘It would be good to practice using it at the desired mont in actual combat.’
In that sense, sparring with an opponent of a similar level would be of great help.
‘Should I request a sparring match with the senior brothers?’
As Mu-jin was thinking about this, Hyun-gwang’s voice brought him back to reality.
“Mu-jin, it seems a guest has arrived.”
Mu-jin turned his head to look towards the entrance of the pavilion, but no one was imdiately visible.
After a few seconds, however, a woman with her face covered by a veil appeared at the entrance of the pavilion.
Mu-jin could not fathom why this veiled woman had co here.
“Amitabha. This is not a place for worship. If you are lost, I can guide you.”
Mu-jin said, bowing respectfully with his hands in a prayer position. The veiled woman responded.
“I am not here for worship.”
The woman raised her hand and removed the veil covering her face.
“Jegal Jin-hee Siju?”
Recognizing her, Mu-jin wore a puzzled expression.
“What brings you here?”
At his question, a vein subtly popped on Jegal Jin-hee’s forehead.
“Didn’t you say you would always welco a sparring match, Mu-jin?”
“Ah… oh! A sparring match! If it’s a sparring match, you are always welco, Jegal Jin-hee Siju!”
At the ntion of ‘sparring,’ Mu-jin’s face lit up brightly.
He had been thinking about sparring since earlier. Especially since Jegal Jin-hee, who had already used sage techniques in their match five months ago, was the perfect opponent for his training.
But for so reason, when Mu-jin cheerfully exclaid, Jegal Jin-hee’s expression turned cold.
“How can soone who so eagerly welcos sparring return here without even informing ?”
Sensing sothing unusual in her words, Mu-jin asked.
“Do you an to say… did you stop by Nanchang on your way here? To find ?”
“…No, I did not.”
Her cold expression wavered montarily, revealing that she had indeed visited.
Realizing that his best sparring partner might leave, Mu-jin quickly thought of the best reply.
“I apologize for not informing you in advance. After our last sparring match, I gained so insights and returned here to Songshan for serious training.”
“You say you gained insights after our last sparring match?”
“Yes. I was so eager to improve my skills for our next sparring match that I returned here.”
“So, you returned here to prepare for another sparring match with ?”
“Yes.”
Mu-jin, who had quickly fabricated his words, confidently spoke as if they were true, and he was sure of it after seeing her expression.
‘It worked.’
Despite her cold deanor, Jegal Jin-hee’s lips were twitching as if holding back a smile.
However, she then said sothing strange.
“So, you didn’t return to see that woman?”
“What? What woman are you talking about?”
When Mu-jin asked, looking confused, Jegal Jin-hee hurriedly shouted.
“No! It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
‘As expected, it was an unrequited love for that woman.’
Just confirming that was a gain, Jegal Jin-hee thought.
But only for a brief mont.
‘What am I thinking right now! That woman has nothing to do with this. I just ca here to spar!’
When Jegal Jin-hee suddenly shook her head violently, Mu-jin beca slightly worried that they might not be able to spar.
“…Are you feeling unwell?”
“No! I’m fine! So, let’s spar! Spar!”
She seed like a woman obsessed with sparring.
But since Mu-jin also wanted to spar, it didn’t really matter.
To proceed with the sparring match, Mu-jin thought he should first introduce her to Hyun-gwang.
“Grandfather, this is Jegal Jin-hee Siju from the Jegal family.”
As Mu-jin turned his head and spoke to Hyun-gwang, Jegal Jin-hee also followed Mu-jin’s gaze.
Only then did she realize that there was not only Mu-jin but also an old monk in the pavilion.
“……”
Realizing she had made a fool of herself in front of a monk she had never t, her face turned bright red.
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