Chapter 004. Regaining the Dantian.
‘Fatal damage is recovered.’
It is a phrase dry beyond asure.
However, the changes that occurred in Dam Jeok-san's body were too drastic to be expressed by just such a phrase.
Because…….
The place where the dantian was shattered had been cleanly healed.
As if nothing had happened.
“……It can't be.”
Destruction of the dantian.
That does not simply an returning to before the dantian was ford.
When the dantian is destroyed, scars so deep that they cannot be recovered remain in that place.
This is because fragnts of the shattered dantian beco embedded in every corner of the acupoints.
To remove the fragnts, breathing exercises are necessary.
However, performing breathing exercises in a state where the acupoints are torn to shreds is practically close to impossible.
In fact, even throughout the long history of Murim, there were almost no martial artists who made a coback after losing their dantian.
Everyone in the Martial Sovereign Castle, as well as the Murim world, said so.
The Sword Dragon Dam Jeok-san is finished.
From the subordinates who trusted and followed him, to even the master who took him in as a disciple.
But Dam Jeok-san did not give up and searched the world thoroughly.
In the midst of that, he found hope in the moirs of an unknown monk.
That was precisely the Prajna Heart Technique.
The Prajna Heart Technique is one of the arts of Shaolin Temple, the Mount Tai and North Star of Murim.
However, it is a basic technique widely spread even to secular sects, so it is an ambiguous martial art that cannot be called a supre divine art.
However, the monk said that he recovered a shattered dantian through that Prajna Heart Technique.
‘The problem was that the monk said he accumulated rit for a full 50 years…….’
Dam Jeok-san did not have such a long ti. Because he could not be sure if he could last even 5 years right now.
But he did not hesitate and moved Gyeong-won to obtain the Prajna Heart Technique.
Fortunately, the majestic yet gentle genuine qi of the Prajna Heart Technique could flow even through torn acupoints.
The problem was that it was only at a very ager level.
‘Empty titles like genius of the century or sword talent to define an era really had no aning.’
It seed that a truly long ti was needed to recover his condition through Buddhist martial arts.
‘At least 15 years.’
Even that was possible because it was Dam Jeok-san. He was a genius who earned the alias Sword Dragon in just a few years despite becoming the Martial Sovereign's disciple at a quite late age.
However, all those processes.
Were resolved with just one Predation.
It was truly sothing close to a miracle.
Indeed, it was worthy of an ability that made an ordinary human the strongest in a world.
Surprising and joyful.
He felt like shouting in exclamation right now. But Dam Jeok-san had no such leisure.
Isn't he a body that must leave for the North in just a few days?
He imdiately inhaled and started qi circulation.
VROOOM―
The clear energy of the Prajna Heart Technique dug into Dam Jeok-san's body riding the heart ridians.
That energy swirled around the acupoints of the whole body and headed for Dam Jeok-san's lower abdon.
And after swirling around the lower abdon once, it disappeared softly.
Because the dantian was not ford.
The pain felt when swirling around the acupoints torn to shreds with embedded fragnts was nowhere to be found.
‘This…… was true.’
Dam Jeok-san, having finished checking, began to recite the chant of another martial art without delay.
The divine art given to the disciples of the Martial Sovereign.
Instead of the extrely high difficulty of training, it is a supre art with which one can easily discuss the world if mastered.
It was the Extre Heaven Sovereign Destruction Art (Geuk-Cheon-Gwe-Hwang-Gong).
Dam Jeok-san falling into qi deviation was also because this Extre Heaven Sovereign Destruction Art was blocked by a wall.
He reached the 4th star faster than anyone else.
Due to that, he could earn the alias Sword Dragon in the Kangho.
However, the realm of the 5th star is a wall of demons.
Quite a few practitioners of the Extre Heaven Sovereign Destruction Art are blocked here and waste decades or fall into qi deviation and beco crippled.
But at that ti, Dam Jeok-san had no choice but to hurry.
The first disciple of the Lord of the Martial Sovereign Castle and his Eldest Senior Brother, Martial Heaven Sword Tiger (Mu-Cheon-Geom-Ho) Cheon Woo-myeong.
Because he had already trained the Extre Heaven Sovereign Destruction Art to above the 5th star.
‘The gap must have widened even more now.’
Dam Jeok-san did not stop reciting the chant of the Extre Heaven Sovereign Destruction Art even while thinking so.
No, before he knew it, such distracting thoughts had cleanly disappeared from his mind.
Only the chant of the Extre Heaven Sovereign Destruction Art and the genuine qi springing up following that chant.
And the acupoints through which that genuine qi flows.
Dam Jeok-san's mind was filled only with thoughts about such things.
The genuine qi of the Extre Heaven Sovereign Destruction Art runs through the acupoints of his whole body dozens and hundreds of tis.
But that genuine qi all scattered in vain upon reaching the lower abdon where the dantian should be.
The reason was simple.
‘Not enough.’
He was intentionally scattering it to create a slightly more perfect and solid form of dantian.
Because he didn't want to experience losing everything due to qi deviation again.
How much ti passed like that?
It might be a few hours, or it might be just a few seconds.
He just concentrated to the extent of completely forgetting the flow of ti.
A dantian the size of a small seed ford in Dam Jeok-san's lower abdon.
Because the demonic energy absorbed by the ability of Predation remained intact, internal energy that could only be obtained by circulating qi for several months was accumulated.
Moreover, since it was ford in an almost perfect shape, it was small but solid.
That wasn't the end.
‘This…… isn’t simply a matter of shape. The genuine qi is pure to the extent that it cannot be compared to before losing the dantian.’
Purity of genuine qi.
That was a problem that always held Dam Jeok-san back.
Because the ti he started learning martial arts was late.
However, as the injury of the dantian healed, it beca a purer state than before learning martial arts.
A body that even the mighty Martial Sovereign had given up on cleansing the marrow and cutting the hair.
It was truly worthy of being called a miraculous encounter.
With this, Dam Jeok-san stood at a much more advantageous starting point than before.
Although the amount of internal energy is absolutely insufficient, he can also resolve that by using the authority of Predation.
To him, monsters were no different from spiritual dicine.
Dam Jeok-san thought so and rose from his seat.
Then sticky black lumps fell from his body with a thud.
A terrible stench emanated from those black lumps.
Wastes accumulated in the body during that ti ca out as the dantian was newly ford.
Although it was enough to make one frown, Dam Jeok-san didn't care much.
Because before becoming the Martial Sovereign's disciple, he used to wander around in a much worse state than this.
“Gyeong-won.”
Dam Jeok-san called the subordinate who did not leave his side even while going through all sorts of hardships and disgrace.
“Yes, Young Master.”
Gyeong-won, who was guarding his quarters from outside, answered imdiately.
“Co in.”
“Yes.”
At Dam Jeok-san's words, Gyeong-won opened the door imdiately without asking twice.
The mont he walked into the room.
Dam Jeok-san slowly raised internal energy from the bean-sized dantian.
Originally, it is a ager amount that should scatter without any aning.
However, Dam Jeok-san's ability to control qi is on a different level from ordinary people.
The ager internal energy spread widely in the air and began to form a heavy presence.
The pressure that can be shown only by a martial artist possessing internal energy weighed down on Gyeong-won's shoulders.
“……!”
Gyeong-won felt a sensation of his whole body trembling for an instant, despite having vastly deeper internal energy than Dam Jeok-san.
What kind of nonsense is this?
Gyeong-won was astonished for a mont, but soon began to grasp the situation.
‘Did the Young Master…… regain his dantian?’
It is nonsense.
Even if one searches through the vast history of Kangho, there is no one who recovered a shattered dantian so easily.
But Gyeong-won also thought that it was not just an impossible thing.
Because he had always believed that it would be like this soday.
If it is Dam Jeok-san, his liege. He believed he would achieve it regardless of whether there was a precedent or not.
Even so, he didn't know it would happen so quickly.
Perhaps it was a mistake to try to judge Dam Jeok-san by his own standards.
“Young Master…….”
Gyeong-won thought so and spoke to Dam Jeok-san with a slightly trembling voice.
“Congratulations.”
He said, bowing deeply at the waist.
“It is still early.”
Dam Jeok-san slowly shook his head looking at such a Gyeong-won.
“I have only taken the first step. In this state, I won't be able to achieve even one-tenth of what I confidently declared to the Black Panther Spear.”
He continued speaking with a still nonchalant look.
Even though he was talking about insufficiency, it was a tone filled with hope, not despair.
Because Dam Jeok-san had a firm plan.
What to do from now on.
* * *
Iron Blood Woo Clan, one of the Five Great Families of the Martial Sovereign Castle.
Its main house was located on the outskirts, a little away from the center of the Martial Sovereign Castle.
Amidst the lines of luxuriously unmatched pavilions.
A very noisy sound was heard from Woo Seo-gwang's quarters.
“Damn it……. I will surely tear that lowly Dam Jeok-san to shreds with my own hands!”
The mont his large fist struck the table, the table made of thick stone split into several pieces.
Even if internal energy was imbued, it was a move showing that Woo Seo-gwang's martial prowess far exceeded the level of his peers.
Although the realm of the Extre Heaven Sovereign Destruction Art is rely at the 3rd star, it is because he trained martial arts under the full support of his clan.
Especially recently, he was able to achieve great success by periodically receiving spiritual pills.
Although lowly ones died in that process…….
‘Since I beca stronger and can save more people, the lowly ones should also consider it an honor.’
Woo Seo-gwang did not think so seriously.
The only thing filling his mind was matters regarding Dam Jeok-san.
Why does a guy who even lost his dantian emit such pressure?
He thought he would just quietly beco a corpse and disappear in the North.
Even now, there is no change in that thought.
But Dam Jeok-san's clear and cold eyes looking at him were never forgotten.
Because that was primal fear rising from instinct.
“It’s fine.”
Woo Seo-gwang muttered forcibly to shake off that fear.
He just needs to squeeze the lives of the lowly ones a little more.
If he becos one step stronger than now.
And if news cos that Dam Jeok-san died in the North.
Then this uncomfortable feeling will also disappear.
Woo Seo-gwang wanted to believe so sincerely.
* * *
Dam Jeok-san opened his mouth without even changing his clothes soaked in wastes.
“Gyeong-won, do you rember what I was investigating before I fell into qi deviation?”
At Dam Jeok-san's words, Gyeong-won pondered for a mont and then opened his mouth.
“It was the matter regarding the Iron Blood Woo Clan. They were raising monsters in violation of the Imperial Order and the Castle Lord's Order.”
Monsters were enemies threatening the existence of the Central Plains. And at the sa ti, treasure troves leaving behind countless resources.
With their hides and bones, weapons more powerful than steel can be made.
Also, although limited to extrely few monsters.
One could make spiritual pills by processing parts of their bodies.
“Seeing the spirit of our Second Senior Brother today, it beca certain.”
The monster the Iron Blood Woo Clan is raising is a rare species capable of making spiritual pills.
And the fact that Woo Seo-gwang took the spiritual dicine made by processing that monster.
For an instant, deep contempt dwelt in Dam Jeok-san's eyes.
That was in line with the reason why raising monsters was banned in the Central Plains.
“……They raised the monster by feeding it living humans.”
“Yes, because that way the monster doesn't die.”
Dam Jeok-san spoke in an indifferent tone.
The Martial Sovereign Castle is a barrier protecting people from monsters.
From the first Castle Lord, they have claid to be so.
The naless warrior whose mories Dam Jeok-san read today was so.
And Dam Jeok-san, who lost everything to monsters, also wanted the sa and held the hand of the Martial Sovereign.
However, a mber of such a Martial Sovereign Castle, one who calls himself the Martial Sovereign's disciple, offers humans to monsters.
Dam Jeok-san overlooked it at first even knowing that it might be so.
Because the political burden was too great to strike imdiately.
‘There was no guarantee that I could punish the Iron Blood Woo Clan behind him and the Second Senior Brother either.’
Therefore, at that ti, he postponed the matter with various excuses.
Intending to deal with it after breaking through the realm of the Extre Heaven Sovereign Destruction Art and becoming a little stronger.
But now there was no reason to do so.
Predating on monsters is precisely the way for Dam Jeok-san himself to beco stronger.
Even though he predated on demonic energy that was rely residual traces left on a sword, he obtained more genuine qi than expected.
If he predates on a living monster, he would be able to obtain results beyond what he imagined.
Of course, the risk he has to bear for that is quite significant.
But Dam Jeok-san had no intention of looking on with folded arms at the barbarity of the Iron Blood Woo Clan anymore.
Before leaving for the North, he will clearly imprint it on the entire Martial Sovereign Castle.
The fact that nothing is finished yet.
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