Chapter 98
At that same time, an emergency meeting had been convened within the Martial Alliance of the Central Plains.
"...So what exactly is the Demonic Cult doing?"
"Things seem to have calmed down somewhat since the Young Cult Leader's husband-selection competition began, but even before that, Demonic Cultists had continuously been attempting to cross the border."
"Hmm. Fortunately, Kunlun noticed the situation and managed to stop them."
"But if even one route is breached, it'll become a serious problem."
The heads of the Five Great Clans and Nine Great Sects had gathered together.
At the center sat the Martial Alliance Leader.
Sword Emperor Namgung Myeong.
"They're obviously doing this to gain an advantage in the upcoming negotiations."
"How is Kunlun's current situation?"
The Kunlun Sect Leader let out a shallow sigh and shook his head.
"...Not good."
"The number of Kunlun disciples dying while stopping them has risen sharply."
"If the negotiations collapse, they'll probably use the momentum to invade in even greater force."
"At this rate, even we won't be able to endure much longer."
Kunlun was effectively blocking the main route from the Demonic Cult into the Central Plains.
Because of that, it had been destroyed and rebuilt countless times throughout history.
In other words...
Kunlun had once again reached a critical point.
"This is exactly why those Demonic Cult bastards can't be trusted!"
"This will continue forever!"
"Forget the negotiations! We should wipe them out immediately, Alliance Leader!"
"The Peng Clan agrees with the Yan Clan."
"The Demonic Cult and our orthodox Martial Alliance are like water and oil. We cannot coexist."
"There must be some kind of trap hidden behind these negotiations."
Some hardliners wanted to cancel the talks and strike the Demonic Cult immediately.
But there were others.
"The Mount Hua Sect opposes both of those opinions."
"This is the first chance for reconciliation in hundreds of years."
"The outcome of these negotiations could decide the next several centuries."
"After experiencing the last Great Orthodox-Demonic War, how can you speak of war so easily?"
"The Beggar's Union also opposes war."
"If another large-scale conflict breaks out, both the Martial Alliance and the Demonic Cult could destroy themselves."
"We must not make a rash decision."
The moderates wanted to use the negotiations to achieve a reconciliation that hadn't been possible for centuries.
And between them sat those who refused to take a side.
As the debate remained deadlocked, the Tang Family Head, who had been listening quietly, finally asked,
"What does the Alliance Leader think?"
"If the Alliance sends troops toward the border, the Demonic Cult will use that as justification to demand even more."
Namgung Myeong was one of the leaders of the moderate faction.
And one of the people who most wanted the negotiations to succeed.
But he couldn't afford to ruin everything with the wrong decision.
"...The negotiations will proceed as planned."
"However, the Dragon-Tiger Unit under my direct command will be dispatched to Kunlun."
"That is all."
"This meeting is adjourned."
Back on the first floor of the Treasure Pavilion.
Six hours had already passed.
The sun had long since set outside.
Candles mounted along the walls dimly illuminated the room.
In the quiet stillness, Cheon Soyeon rested one hand against Suhyeok's back and watched him carefully.
...Impressive.
Even if the martial arts scattered throughout ordinary markets were low-level techniques, creating a new martial art from scratch was extraordinarily difficult.
There was a reason sect founders were revered.
Yet something absurd was unfolding before her very eyes.
Flip, flip.
Suhyeok had gone through more than ten martial manuals in one sitting.
A mountain of books had already piled up beside him.
And they weren't only orthodox martial arts.
He had included all kinds of obscure texts from unorthodox schools as well.
He wasn't simply skimming them.
He was using them as foundations to create an entirely new internal cultivation method.
" inhale... exhale...."
Normally, combining incomplete martial arts like this would make qi deviation almost inevitable.
Yet the cultivation method he had created was close to perfect.
Its completion was so high that even Cheon Soyeon was impressed.
As an internal cultivation method alone, it could stand beside those of the five great families.
But that wasn't what shocked her most.
What in the world is this...?
Through the hand resting against his back, she could feel the enormous quantity of energy inside his dantian.
More than three cycles.
At least 180 years of Internal Energy.
Her shoulder twitched involuntarily.
It was far too much to have accumulated merely from medicinal treasures taken to treat the Nine Yang Severed Meridians.
It was like trying to contain a raging sea inside a tiny glass cup.
...I couldn't even detect it until I sent my own energy into him.
Why have you been hiding this much power, Heuk Mujin?
Perhaps he'd been waiting.
Waiting until he accumulated enough energy to heal the Nine Yang Severed Meridians.
That would explain why he'd asked her to guide his qi.
"I'll begin guiding your qi."
"Move your energy along the path this lady shows you."
The energy began moving smoothly.
But because several meridians were severed, circulating such an enormous amount of power wasn't easy.
Then...
Hummm.
All the energy she had been guiding suddenly changed direction.
Not because of her.
Entirely because of Suhyeok's own will.
"That's dangerous, Heuk Mujin."
"If you continue like this, even the intact meridians will rupture...!"
She warned him.
But he continued anyway.
Cheon Soyeon began to worry about what exactly he was attempting.
Then...
Wooooong.
She felt it.
The severed meridians inside Suhyeok's body were being connected into a circular path around his heart.
It was insane.
If the energy went out of control, his heart itself could explode.
She was about to stop him immediately.
Then...
Wooooong.
"...!"
The ring completed.
A brilliant rainbow-colored light burst from Suhyeok's body, intense enough to resemble the Five Qi Converging to the Origin.
"Hoo...."
As he exhaled, thick smoke escaped his mouth.
The energy now circulated in a perfect loop.
Power gathered within his heart and spread evenly throughout his body.
Dark impurities began oozing from his skin.
Toxins that had accumulated inside him over the years.
A terrible stench filled the surroundings.
[Trait ‘Mana Cultivation Method (S)’ obtained.]
[Achievement ‘Sect Founder’ obtained.]
[Experience gained toward this cultivation method increases significantly.]
It was a gamble.
I wasn't sure whether it would work.
But somehow, I pulled it off.
A single ring had formed around the Mana Heart.
Instead of relying on the damaged meridians made unusable by the Nine Yang Severed Meridians, Suhyeok had adapted the circle system used by magicians into martial arts.
Hummm. Hummm.
The ring rotated without issue.
Internal Energy circulation was now possible.
And that wasn't all.
The violent yang energy and suppressed yin energy within his body began harmonizing.
Muscles that hadn't existed before started forming across his frame.
If he continued adding more circles in the future, he would eventually be able to absorb the remaining Internal Energy stored inside his dantian.
This would've been impossible without the Mana Heart he had plundered from the Black Dragon.
No.
Honestly, without her guiding my qi, this might've been much harder too.
There was simply too much energy.
And this still wasn't the end.
This was only the basic framework.
For now, it was nothing more than a cultivation method.
He still needed martial arts suited to a body with the Nine Yang Severed Meridians.
And he would likely obtain exactly that through the upcoming sparring matches.
Suhyeok stood and clasped his fists.
"Young Cult Leader."
"This was possible thanks to you."
"No."
Cheon Soyeon shook her head.
"From halfway onward, you accomplished it entirely by yourself."
"And this lady already said she would help you, so this is merely a good outcome."
She paused.
"More importantly...."
She frowned and covered her nose.
Suhyeok himself hadn't noticed, but apparently the smell was much worse than he thought.
It was so bad that even the floor beneath where he'd been sitting cross-legged had begun to rot.
"You should wash immediately."
"Even for this lady..."
She grimaced.
"Continuing to endure this stench is difficult."
"...I suppose that would be best."
A little later.
Suhyeok had finished washing.
"Ugh, Young Master."
Hyeon Doun complained while trying to dry him with a towel.
