They had prepared themselves, but the agony that surged through them went beyond anything they had imagined, and the mbers of the Sa Hwal Squad forgot their vow not to scream.
They did not know.
Compared to the pain they would yet endure, this much was nothing more than a tickle.
Still, Gi Parang clenched his teeth and did not scream.
His face flushed as if it would burst at any mont, but he endured with superhuman patience.
Watching that sight, Hwa Sogwang shook his head.
“You stubborn bastard... Fine. Endure it, endure it well.”
He had almost told him that this wasn’t even real pain yet, but chose not to.
Why bother saying such a thing?
Hwa Sogwang didn’t like this situation at all.
This training hall should have belonged solely to the disciples of the Blazing Fire Divine Palace, a place to make them strong.
And yet here he was, letting not just outsiders but even his sworn enemies co in to be made stronger.
Normally, Hwa Sogwang would have flown into a rage, thrashing and cursing.
But he could not.
For this was the decision of the lord he served—Yeon Woo Jin.
Yes. I am my lord’s faithful servant. If my lord desires them to grow stronger, then it is my duty to obey.
Even so, he felt wronged.
Yeon Woo Jin gave a faint smile to the indignant Hwa Sogwang and said:
“Later, bill Bukcheon Gate for the expenses. If they don’t pay, then tell them no one else from Bukcheon Gate will receive body strengthening.”
Hwa Sogwang was overwheld with gratitude for the thoughtfulness of his lord.
“Th-thank you, my lord.”
His face brightened.
Kekeke. Since my lord said so, I can bleed them dry. Now, let’s see, how much should I demand?
Just picturing the Gate Master of Bukcheon Gate crumpling his face over the bill washed away all his earlier irritation.
****
The pain steadily intensified.
The Sa Hwal Squad mbers thought to themselves:
Please, ask us sothing—anything. End this tornt already.
But Yeon Woo Jin asked nothing.
He simply continued the torture in silence.
Had they known this agony was part of a process leading to sothing greater, would they have despaired so?
No.
They would have endured.
Yeon Woo Jin deliberately did not tell them.
Because they had attacked him, and punishnt was due.
Ti passed, and at last Gi Parang, the squad leader, sensed sothing first.
What is this?
He felt the energy within his body grow stronger.
Gi Parang thought:
Because I endured the pain, I’ve gained a fortune.
Now the suffering seed bearable.
Gi Parang laughed inwardly.
Is this what they call turning misfortune into fortune? Later I’ll sneer at him. Thanks to your torture, I grew stronger. I’ll even thank him. What kind of face will he make then?
He grew curious.
No... better not. No need to provoke him for nothing.
The man tornting him wasn’t human.
A monster who reattached severed limbs without effort, who wielded telekinesis as naturally as breathing.
A monster with the Fla Emperor and the Green Forest Grand Emperor as vassals.
There was no benefit in provoking such an impossible being.
Even if he grew stronger, he could see clearly—he could never match him.
The first priority was to get out of here alive.
And then?
Return to Bukcheon Gate?
He didn’t know.
After seeing such a monster, what aning did his own newfound strength have?
No. People always wanted more. To beco the strongest among n, even if one could not touch gods.
So he waited desperately for this hellish ti to pass.
But his subordinates’ faces looked strange.
Each of them bore an odd expression.
When a brief pause in the tornt ca, as it always did, Gi Parang quickly sent them a voice transmission.
—What is it? Those faces?
At his question, the subordinates replied one by one.
—My energy has grown stronger.
—My inner force is moving with incredible vigor.
—The speed of my circulation is absurdly fast.
Each was saying their body had strengthened.
Having felt it himself, Gi Parang instantly understood.
—It seems the torture has strengthened our bodies.
His n looked at him with faces that said, What nonsense is this?
—What are those eyes? Are you saying you don’t believe ?
—How can that be? Torture making the body stronger... We’ve never heard such a thing.
—Nonsense, yes. But how else do you explain our bodies’ change? Not just mine—every one of us tortured has changed.
At that, his n nodded.
Indeed, only the tornt could explain this mysterious transformation.
—Do not let it show. Hide your strength as much as possible. Looks like the torture will end soon. When the chance cos, we’ll unleash our power all at once, subdue them, and escape.
—Yes!
—Until then, circulate your energy and store as much as you can.
—Yes!
****
A few days later.
Yeon Woo Jin observed Gi Parang and his n.
They were all feigning weakness.
Tilting his head, Yeon Woo Jin remarked:
“How strange. Why do you all look so weak? The great art clearly succeeded.”
Great art?
At those words, they stared at him wide-eyed.
Was he saying he had done sothing to them?
Yeon Woo Jin took Gi Parang’s hand.
Gi Parang tried desperately to hide his energy.
But this was Yeon Woo Jin.
“Your ridians are stronger, your dantian has expanded, your muscles are reinforced. What is this? Were you pretending to be weak?”
Gi Parang struggled to act innocent.
“P-pretending to be weak? N-no. Truly, I have no energy left.”
“That can’t be. Your body is overflowing with vitality.”
Damn monster.
So even the energy he hid was seen through.
Since he was caught anyway, Gi Parang decided he might as well ask.
“Haah, fine. Yes, I’ve grown stronger. But... did you do sothing to us? Just now you said ‘great art.’”
“Yes. I perford a great art to strengthen your bodies.”
“A great art to strengthen us... Then are we to beco jiangshi?”
“What? No. You’ve simply grown stronger. See there? You’ve received the sa great art as they did.”
He pointed to the Blazing Fire Divine Palace disciples, who were gleefully showing off their newfound power.
Boom!
Crash!
“Hahaha! My body feels so light! So light!”
“Energy is overflowing from !”
Gi Parang couldn’t understand.
Weren’t they enemies?
Why would an enemy grant them a body-strengthening art?
Who in the world would believe such a thing?
Seeing their incredulous faces, Yeon Woo Jin said:
“Well, it does sound absurd even to . But there’s a reason.”
“Would you tell us?”
Yeon Woo Jin nodded and explained:
“The art I used is called Flow-Reversal Heavenly Muscle Formation. I advanced it from the Reverse Muscular Flow Formation. Have you heard of that?”
“I know it as ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) a formation that employs Yogic postures from Tianzhu to make the body flexible and strong.”
In that mont, Gi Parang and his n understood why he had twisted their bodies into grotesque shapes.
He had forced them into yoga-like postures.
So it was true.
But why?
“You wonder why I gave you strength, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Because soon the Heavenly Demon Cult will reerge. This is to prepare for that.”
“What?”
The last thing they expected.
“Wh-what do you an? The Heavenly Demon Cult?”
“Cheongi Jinin has read the heavens that way. We don’t know exactly when, but the ti is short. I’ll visit Bukcheon Gate too, to strengthen them. So I did it here at once to save ti.”
“We attacked you, and yet you bestow this grace on us?”
“Yes.”
“And if, having gained this power, we attack you?”
Yeon Woo Jin smirked.
“Even if you attack, you can’t do anything to .”
“What?”
“To be honest, if I only knew where their base was, I could wipe out the Heavenly Demon Cult this instant. The only reason I endure is because I don’t know their stronghold.”
Arrogant words.
As though the Heavenly Demon Cult ant nothing to him.
Did he not know what they were?
No one in the Central Plains was ignorant of their infamy.
If they returned, it would be a calamity near annihilation.
But Yeon Woo Jin had shown his divine might.
That confidence must be real.
“If you are so strong, then why strengthen us at all? Would it not suffice for you to handle everything?”
“I cannot travel the entire Central Plains protecting everyone. So I must make at least one more person strong enough to protect those around them.”
His words carried genuine conviction.
“You all have families, don’t you? You must protect them. Isn’t that right?”
For a mont, it was as if his body radiated light.
He was their enemy, yet he bestowed grace. Their own Gate Master had disguised them as bandits, a humiliating task.
Their hearts tilted toward Yeon Woo Jin.
And he had just said—he would bestow the sa grace upon the people of Bukcheon Gate.
To grant even his enemies such favor—this was a true great man.
What would it be like to serve such a lord?
The thought filled them all.
They wanted to follow him.
But they already had a master.
They could not betray him.
They could only pray that in the next life, they might serve Yeon Woo Jin.
“Thank you... We don’t know how to repay this grace...”
They bowed in true gratitude.
Yeon Woo Jin smiled gently.
“Protect just one more person. That will be enough.”
“Yes! We will risk our lives to protect at least one more!”
“We will protect them!”
Thus, true to their na, the Sa Hwal Squad swore to stake their very lives on protecting others.
****
Two months later, they erged from inside.
Their faces turned pale with shock.
“Is this real? Only two days passed outside?”
“Yes.”
“This... makes no sense.”
“It doesn’t! We spent two whole months in there!”
“There are witnesses here!”
Confusion reigned.
They had cultivated for two months, yet outside only two days had gone by.
Now, Yeon Woo Jin could no longer be seen as human.
The people of the Blazing Fire Divine Palace were overjoyed.
To have such a divine lord.
The people of Bukcheon Gate, on the other hand, were envious.
Of those fortunate enough to serve him.
Then one of the Sa Hwal Squad muttered:
“If only our Gate Master would take him as lord, then we too could serve him.”
Flash.
Gi Parang’s eyes lit up.
That’s it!
If the Gate Master accepted Yeon Woo Jin as his lord, all would be resolved.
“That’s it! If our Gate Master accepts him as lord, then he becos our lord as well!”
“That’s right!”
“He said he would visit Bukcheon Gate. Once the Gate Master sees his divine might, surely he will follow.”
“Yes, it’s possible. And if we push him harder, it’s certain.”
At Gi Parang’s words, everyone’s faces brightened.
“Gather together. We must discuss how to persuade the Gate Master.”
Already, their Gate Master was gone from their minds.
They thought only of serving Yeon Woo Jin.
If their Gate Master refused, they were ready to force him to submit.
They were already Yeon Woo Jin’s loyal subordinates.
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