As we were sitting and waiting in the waiting room, Yi Mok, the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance, ca to .
"What is it?"
Yi Mok cupped his fist and made a request.
"Please show them so rcy. They are the children who will lead the future of the martial arts world."
"Fine. As long as they aren't rude."
"Thank you."
After he made that request and left, Zhuge Xiaohui, who was sitting next to , said.
"He didn't need to make such a request... From what I've heard, everyone knows what the clans did. There are also people who ca just to watch. The atmosphere is that Dark Jade Heaven is already acknowledged as the best under heaven. Surely no one would be foolish enough to act up."
"So that's why your infamy as the Calamity Witch is also famous."
"Really! Please stop saying that!"
"What if I don't?"
"Hah... I shouldn't say anything, I'll just get more wrinkles at this rate..."
Just then, the tournant seed to have started, as it was noisy outside.
"It looks like the tournant is starting."
"Sitting here is boring. Shall we go out and watch?"
"Okay."
We left the waiting room and moved to the place prepared for spectators to watch the matches. It was below the platform where the Alliance Leader and the Seventeen Heroes gathered to watch the matches.
When I arrived there, as if by a miracle of Moses, the contestants parted to both sides, making way for . Seeing that, Zhuge Xiaohui said to .
"Being with Taejin-nim, this is convenient. No, is it convenient? The attention is a bit concentrated..."
As she worried, I heard people whispering as they looked at us.
"Look there, it's Dark Jade Heaven and the Calamith Witch."
"Incredible handso man and beautiful woman. But is it true that the Calamity Witch really ruined her clan by making a bad plan?"
"That's right. You've never been to the Zhuge Clan, have you? Going there now has beco like a pilgrimage among martial artists."
"Really? I should go too."
Hearing that, Zhuge Xiaohui, unable to bear it any longer, made an angry face and began glaring at people. Then people quickly avoided her gaze.
Just then, soone ca in front of us, cupped their fist, and greeted us.
"Nice to et you, Dark Jade Heaven-nim. I am Yeon Bu-so, the head of the Baekwon Group and the son of the Alliance Leader."
"Taejin-nim, I greeted you yesterday. It's nice to see you again today."
This was Yeon Bu-so, the guy who later gets his arm cut off and becos crippled by the protagonist Cheon Un-woon. Yeon Bu-so was a fairly handso young man. He was a true genius who had reached the early stages of the Profound Realm without any special destinies. Cheon Un-woon, on the other hand, shits blood and obtains various destinies to reach the Profound Realm. Of course, he probably had the help of the Martial Arts Alliance, but it's nothing compared to the destinies Cheon Un-woon obtains. But perhaps because he was too genius and beca arrogant, he didn't acknowledge Cheon Un-woon's level of the Life-Death Realm, picked a fight, and ended up like that.
"I see. Nice to et you. I'm Taejin. And you're Dang Seol-hwi, whom I saw yesterday."
"Yes, Taejin-nim."
"Seeing you two together, it seems things went well."
"Oh my, as expected, you're amazing. How did you know?"
"You're a fine young man and woman, good to see. I should give you a gift."
Pretending to search my pocket, I took out the water Zhuge Xiaohui had washed in this morning from my inventory. Using [Matter Conversion], I converted it into enough alloy tal to make one sword, the sa alloy used in the composite sword I had made in One Piece, and handed one to each of them.
"What is this?"
"Take it to the Alliance Leader. If you say it's the material of the sword I showed him, he'll know. If you have an excellent blacksmith, it could beco a treasure sword. It's good material, so use it wisely."
"Oh~ I see. Thank you, Taejin-nim."
"I'll use it well."
They were very happy to receive my gift. As for , I was happy to get rid of the dirty water in my inventory. But Zhuge Xiaohui, watching from the side, had a face like she'd eaten shit.
Anyway, without giving Zhuge Xiaohui a single glance, they sat on the opposite side of her and watched the matches. From this, it seed Yeon Bu-so was no longer interested in Zhuge Xiaohui.
The tournant began. As I watched the matches, I asked Nano to scan and store the martial arts of each sect. Then my turn ca.
"Dark Jade Heaven Taejin and Oh Seon, the head disciple of the Hangshan Sect, please co forward."
The Hangshan Sect of this world is a group of nuns, similar to the Ei Sect in other martial arts novels. I went out holding a wooden sword I had prepared in advance. Oh Seon, nervous because I was her opponent, was trembling with her hands together in prayer.
"I los... eek!"
When Oh Seon suddenly tried to declare defeat, I quickly used [Telekinesis] to pull her, grabbed her head, read the martial arts of the Hangshan Sect, and let go.
"Hmm... Done. Attack once. I'll take it easy."
I gestured for her to attack. The reason I did this was because when I read her mories, she had a good character. She was very sincere and kind. Even if her master was a bit of a ss.
Oh Seon, breaking out in a cold sweat, took a stance and said to .
"Th-Then excuse . Ha!"
I received Oh Seon's attacks, guiding her to correct attacks and postures. It was perfect instructive sparring.
Thwack!! Pow!! Thud!!
After sparring like that for a while, she suddenly beca dazed and began attacking unconsciously.
"Oh~ So this is what they call entering the state of 'No-Self' in martial arts."
It refers to a state during martial arts training or combat where one forgets oneself, and all movents flow naturally. They often say, 'He entered the state of No-Self.' For soone training in martial arts, entering No-Self is an important ti when they might advance to the next level. Seeing that, the spectators began to murmur. I ignored it and continued to receive and guide Oh Seon's attacks.
After a while, Oh Seon stopped attacking and just stood there blankly. She had reached the point of organizing what she had gained.
Suddenly, the nuns of the Hangshan Sect ran out, surrounded Oh Seon, and guarded the periter. They too understood Oh Seon's condition.
"You have given great instruction to Oh Seon, benefactor. Thank you."
The elderly nun who bowed her head and thanked was Jeong Seon, Oh Seon's master. This woman was also one who, greedy, ssed with Cheon Un-woon and ended up with her arm cut off and her dantian destroyed.
"It's nothing. I'll go down now."
When I said that, the person acting as judge asked.
"Then the match..."
At the judge's question, Jeong Seon said.
"We lose."
At that declaration, the spectators only murmured, not cheering.
"I'm envious. I wish I could receive instruction too."
"I know, right. Such opportunities aren't common."
I went back to Zhuge Xiaohui's side and sat down. Then Zhuge Xiaohui said.
"Um... Could you teach later too when I train?"
"Maybe if I have ti later."
Zhuge Xiaohui also trained in martial arts, so she must have been envious seeing Oh Seon's state.
Anyway, with Oh Seon entering No-Self, the match was temporarily paused. After about an hour, Oh Seon ca to, and the matches resud. Feeling bored, I took out so potato chips from my inventory and ate them. Zhuge Xiaohui kept watching .
"Do you want so?"
"You were eating so deliciously, I was curious what it was."
"It's just potato sliced thin and fried in oil."
"Ah, I see. I'm curious, may I try one?"
At that, I held out the bag of chips to Zhuge Xiaohui. She took one chip and tried it.
"Gasp! It's so delicious. What is this?"
"I told you, it's just fried potato."
"That can't be. For fried potato to taste like this..."
Of course, modern potato chips contain MSG besides potatoes and salt, so it was natural for Zhuge Xiaohui to feel that way.
We shared the chips and watched the matches. Zhuge Xiaohui, finding it unsatisfying to take one at a ti, took a whole clump and ate it.
"Hey, take it in moderation. Are you trying to fill up on potato chips?"
At my words, Zhuge Xiaohui said, embarrassed.
"W-Well, it's so delicious, I just..."
Just then, the tournant announcer called Zhuge Xiaohui. It was her turn.
"I'll be back."
"Okay."
Zhuge Xiaohui's opponent was Moyong Yu, the son of the Moyong Clan leader.
The two faced each other, cupped their fists, and began the match. Zhuge Xiaohui fought evenly with Moyong Yu but ended up losing by a narrow margin. That's how it looked on the surface, but from what I saw, Moyong Yu had held back. Perhaps he felt pity, thinking Zhuge Xiaohui's situation was bad.
"You're very weak."
"I thought I might have won if I'd tried a little harder..."
"You don't even realize your opponent held back. That's pathetic."
"Wh-What? Is that true?"
"Yeah."
Then Zhuge Xiaohui scowled and tried to go sowhere.
"Where are you going?"
"To confront Moyong Yu."
"Confront him about what? This all happened because you're weak. You weren't even worthy of seeing Moyong Yu's real skill. Bla your own weakness."
At that, Zhuge Xiaohui sighed deeply, then sat back down next to and started eating chips again.
"Oh, it's all gone... Is there more?"
"No. Don't take out your frustration on food. It makes you look ignorant."
"Hah... This is crazy... Please teach later."
"If I have nothing else to do."
After several more matches, the day's tournant ended. We returned to the inn.
"Shall I order food?"
"No, don't. It's so tasteless I can't eat it anymore."
"Huh? I thought it was delicious... This inn is famous as a good restaurant; it's a place martial artists coming to the Martial Arts Alliance make a point to visit."
"Wait a mont. I'll make so food."
I went out for a mont, took jajangmyeon, sweet and sour pork, and fried dumplings from my inventory, and returned to the room.
"I brought it. Let's eat."
"Huh? What's this black noodle? The sll is good, but it looks a bit..."
She seed put off by the black color of the unknown dish.
"It's a dish made with chunjang. Mix it well and eat."
"Is that so?"
Zhuge Xiaohui mixed the jajangmyeon and took a bite.
"Gasp! What is this? This sweet and savory taste... It's like a small storm erupting on my tongue. Haa~!"
Zhuge Xiaohui had an expression of great happiness after eating the jajangmyeon. It reminded of a scene from a food ani.
"I know these are dumplings, but what's that?"
"That's sweet and sour pork. Dip it in the sauce and eat."
"I see."
She tried the sweet and sour pork with an expectant expression.
"Gasp! The crispy shell crumbles in my mouth... The sweet and sour sauce wraps around my tongue. It's like... like small sparks flying on my tongue. Haa~!"
"Good grief... Savor it moderately and eat quickly. The noodles will get soggy and tasteless."
"Ah, yes, yes."
Then Zhuge Xiaohui, forgetting all face, began devouring the jajangmyeon and sweet and sour pork like mad. As a result, I only got to eat my jajangmyeon and a couple of fried dumplings.
"Hah~ I ate so well. To think there was such delicious food..."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"Please make it again next ti. I didn't know you could cook this well."
"We'll see. More importantly, co here for a mont."
When I told her to co, Zhuge Xiaohui blushed and slowly approached .
"A-Are you going to do it again today?"
"Not now. First, sit cross-legged and try circulating your energy."
At that, Zhuge Xiaohui looked disappointed and answered.
"Yes..."
I was going to perform an experint on Zhuge Xiaohui. If I gathered natural energy and infused it into her, would she be able to receive it? Of course, I didn't plan to give so much that it would strain her body.
When Zhuge Xiaohui sat cross-legged and began circulating her energy, I placed my hand on her back. Gathering the natural energy from the surroundings, I began infusing it along the path she was using. Controlling it slowly took ti, but fortunately, she seed to receive it well. When she seed to reach her limit, grimacing in pain, I stopped infusing energy and helped her with the circulation.
After a while, she was doing well on her own, so I removed my hand and just watched. But the circulation took too long. When the assistant ca to bring washing water, I told him it was fine today and not to let anyone near the room. I then spent the ti running simulations on the martial arts I had obtained that day. It was only the next morning that she finished her circulation.
"Gasp! How long have I been like this?"
"About half a day. It's already morning."
"I-Is that so?"
Then she stood up, examined her body, and said.
"I feel full of power. You gave inner energy."
"No, I just gathered natural energy and infused it into you. First, let's wash up. You sll bad."
Indeed, as Zhuge Xiaohui circulated her energy, impurities from her body seed to have co out, and the sll was no joke. Zhuge Xiaohui also slled her clothes and grimaced.
"Ugh... I'll have to throw these away."
When Zhuge Xiaohui took off her clothes, I washed her the sa way as yesterday. This ti, thinking the sll might not co out, I also used [Life Magic] while doing it. After that, Zhuge Xiaohui changed into new clothes.
"Anyway, thank you. I thought you wouldn't help with sothing like this at all. Why the sudden kindness?"
"It was just an experint. I was curious if one could get stronger this way. You could say you were just a lab rat."
Then Zhuge Xiaohui sighed and said.
"Hah... Of course. I'm the fool for expecting... Still, thanks to you, I did get stronger."
We ate a simple breakfast. There was still so ti before the tournant, so we went to buy more clothes for Zhuge Xiaohui. For various reasons, more clothes had beco unusable, so it couldn't be helped. We burned the unusable clothes in an empty lot behind the inn. Perhaps because the impurities ca from her, Zhuge Xiaohui seed reluctant to just throw them away.
"All burned. Now let's go to the Martial Arts Alliance."
"Okay."
Today, as yesterday, I watched the matches and scanned them with Nano. Now, I seed to have almost all the Orthodox faction martial arts.
Today too, as yesterday, I gave instruction to my opponent, who was a decent fellow. Though he didn't enter 'No-Self' like Oh Seon, he seed to have gained sothing. He declared defeat with a satisfied expression and left the stage. Because of that, it seed the tournant participants now rather wished to fight .
Anyway, the tournant ended with the quarterfinals remaining. It seed the tournant would end tomorrow.
"It's a bit disappointing. If I had received the inner energy a bit earlier, I might have gone further."
"There will be no such opportunity again. I'm leaving here after tomorrow."
"I see. Where is your destination?"
"North."
Then Zhuge Xiaohui thought for a mont, then asked with a surprised face.
"Surely you're not going to the North Sea Ice Palace?"
"Yes. I have business there."
After finishing here, I planned to go to the North Sea Ice Palace to obtain the 'Cold Jade Clear Sky Art', and finally to Baekdu Mountain to et Dongtu Sin Ak-ui and obtain the 'Ultimate Void Fist'. Then I would have obtained everything I wanted from Nano Machine. If I went as far as the Demon God Descension, there was more to get, but I planned to go to that separately.
Making those plans, I washed with Zhuge Xiaohui, then diligently "tornted" her with my bat, and fell asleep.
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