The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 200

Even after the Taoist-Buddhist Great War ended, the Shaolin monks stayed at the Wudang Sect for a few more days before returning.

During that time, the disciples of our Wudang Sect and the monks of the Shaolin Temple freely exchanged their martial arts and shared friendships.

In fact, at first, there were quite a few adults who were worried that it would be difficult for us to become close to each other.

Because we are sects that represent Buddhism and Taoism, and in the exchanges so far, it is said that we have not mixed like water and oil.

However, this time, since we had similar interests, it was enough for us to become close to each other.

"If you raise your arms in this posture and lower them to the side and then raise them again, the inner muscles of your arms will be strengthened, and you will be able to lift a greater weight. The fact that the shape of your muscles becomes beautiful is an additional effect."

"Oh! I see. Thanks to you, monk, I have learned something good. I recently found a posture that can put a great load on the calves, would you like to see it?"

"The calves? Since the calf muscles are the most difficult muscles to grow artificially, I was worried about that, but may I have a look?"

The Shaolin monks and our senior brothers are all people who are serious about building their bodies.

They became close to each other while talking about what posture, what intensity, and what equipment to use to train most effectively.

And there was another group.

"Sob, sob... I was so sick and lying down, but didn't you come to me and say that if I can move, I should move to get better? So even though I was burning with fever, I went out and swung my wooden sword five hundred times."

"Ugh... I also have a similar experience. Our great senior brother is such a strict person... Last time, he said he would strengthen his lower body strength, but he didn't climb Mount Song by the stairs that were laid out properly, but he told me to go around the back mountain and climb up, didn't he? Although So-sil Peak looks low, to climb up through that rugged mountain..."

"But isn't it your great senior brother who is telling you to do it? We... ugh. It's the youngest who is doing that."

The amount of training that the disciples of Shaolin and Wudang are currently doing far exceeds the amount of training that ordinary people do.

Therefore, they sympathized with each other in similar aspects.

Although I could hear them talking bad about me very faintly when I eavesdropped on their conversations, I generously overlooked it.

Because sometimes, you have to talk openly like that and let out all the stories inside to forget the pain and suffering you have received so far.

Of course, I did remember all the faces of the senior brothers who were talking like that.

It's not that I have any other meaning.

Since they must have properly forgotten the pain and suffering of training, I thought that they would be able to do it even if I made it much harder than usual in the next training session.

"Donor Unhwi. I will be on my way now. I will look forward to a year from now."

"Yes. Let's meet then with more developed appearances. I will also look forward to it."

Monk Yeong Hwan did not hang out with the other monks or our senior brothers and went back to Shaolin first.

In fact, although it was not a generation that he could hang out with, it seemed that he wanted to go back as soon as possible and train.

Although it seems his body has not yet properly recovered, it seems his body is itching to train as soon as possible.

I can't even guess how much more a person with such a monstrous talent will develop if he adds effort to it.

It feels as if there are only monsters around, so I also had the thought that I could be the one who falls behind the most if I'm not careful.

This is the reason why I have to keep pulling the reins, even though I have a lot of thoughts of wanting to spread out for a while every time one incident ends.

Because I have to be at least a little ahead of others to be able to lead them in the future.

The war that will happen in the future, I am thinking of leading it as much as possible.

Until then, I have to somehow receive the recognition of the entire martial world and make it so that no one can object even if I lead the war at the very front.

Just as I was recognized in the Wudang Sect.

'Yes. Rest is a luxury for me now. Later. Really later, when the war is all over, I will rest until I'm sick of it.'

So I will continue to train today, tomorrow, and after that.

It's the same now. Now that the Shaolin monks have not yet left, I have split my eating and sleeping time to have spars and duels with them, and I have extracted as much as I can from what I can get.

Fortunately, since there were as many as thirty Shaolin monks, even if I had a duel with them once a day, I could have a spar as many as thirty times.

Although it would have been impossible before due to the limits of my stamina or internal energy, after consuming the Great Return Pill, it was not that difficult to face about thirty rising stars.

To the extent that I even had the thought that if it were my current self, I would not be one-sidedly defeated by the Demon Flower Hall Master, whom I had promised to have another match with in a few months.

'Of course, the Demon Flower Hall Master is not such an easy martial artist.'

But, I also know well.

When you get involved with a human of the same kind as the Demon Flower Hall Master, you have to be extremely careful and prepared to face him.

It has no meaning to fight well on an equal footing.

Because if he thinks that our levels are similar and that I will really surpass him, he might use some dirty trick to subdue me and kidnap me.

So when I face the Demon Flower Hall Master, I have to win overwhelmingly at once so that he cannot use any strange tricks.

Although I wonder if I can improve my skills enough to overwhelm him in less than a few months, what can I do?

Because it is not a matter of whether I can do it or not, but a matter that I have to do.

"Donor Unhwi. Would you like to have a match with me this time?"

As I was sitting in the shade of a tree and thinking like this for a very short time, a Shaolin monk came to me and spoke.

"Of course. Ah... you were Monk Il-won, right?"

"You remember me? I am very happy. To think that a martial artist like donor Unhwi remembers me."

He said to me with an awkward expression.

Monk Il-won.

He is the monk who defeated Senior Brother Un Mak with overwhelming skills in the first spar of the third day of the Taoist-Buddhist Great War.

Since he had lightly faced Senior Brother Un Mak, who was on the strong side among our senior brothers, as if he were playing with a child, his name and face were engraved in my mind.

Moreover, since he was a person I didn't even know existed when I went to Shaolin last time, I was even more surprised and may have been able to remember him better.

"I saw the spar tournament very impressively. You had amazing skills."

"You flatter me. Isn't it the donor who has truly amazing skills, who defeated Senior Uncle Yeong Hwan, rather than me?"

"I was lucky. If we fight one more time, I will probably lose for sure."

"I think that being able to seize the opportunity to win just once is also a very important ability as a martial artist. It seems the donor was born with that ability instinctively."

Suddenly, I felt a sense of unease from his tone.

Because although it was the first time Monk Il-won and I had met today, for some reason, it felt as if he had known about me for a long time.

"But when I went to Shaolin before, I think I got to know most of the Il generation monks, but it seems this is the first time I've seen you, monk."

"That's right, I have heard a lot about donor Unhwi from my senior brothers. They said there is a donor in Wudang who is extremely talented in martial arts."

"So it's true that we didn't meet then, right? You must have been doing something else then, monk?"

"Hmm... how should I say this. Rather than something else, at that time, I was not a monk."

"Then?"

"At that time, I was in the secular world. It was when I had not yet met the Buddha."

"Does that mean you have not been a monk for long?"

He nodded his head with an awkward smile.

"It has not even been a year since I met the Buddha."

At the words 'one year', I opened my mouth wide without my realizing it.

Because I heard that he had achieved that level of achievement in just one year.

As if he had guessed my thoughts from my expression, he scratched his cheek with his finger and said, "Are you perhaps thinking that I have achieved my current achievement in just one year?"

"Ah. Wasn't it?"

"Haha! I often get that misunderstanding. But in fact, I was a martial artist even before I became a monk. Although I completely abandoned the martial arts I had learned before while being in Shaolin, this internal energy and basic skills are actually what I originally had."

"Aha... so that's what happened."

Only after hearing his explanation did I understand.

Usually, there are not many sects that accept such an old martial artist.

But, among the Nine Sects and One Gang, exactly two places can be entered regardless of age and origin.

One is the Beggars' Sect, and the other is the Shaolin Temple.

Although there is no beggar without a story, the Beggars' Sect accepts anyone as a Beggars' Sect member without asking about their past, as long as they are prepared to throw away everything and live as a beggar, and the Shaolin Temple also accepts them as a monk of Shaolin if they sincerely convert to Buddhism.

Monk Il-won must have had some kind of story.

Although I was curious whether his original martial arts were strong, or if he had suddenly become strong after coming to Shaolin, since it is a great discourtesy to ask a monk about his past, I decided not to ask at all.

"Let's stop talking... would you like to have a duel with me today? Don't go all out, and please go easy on me."

"As you have seen, I don't really know how to go easy in a duel. Shall we go to the training ground for now?"

"Hoho. Amitabha..."

He followed me while chanting, and in the end, that day, I had a duel with him four times in a row.

Although I won all of them, every time I fought with him, I had the thought that he was hiding his skills a little.

Since we have become close like this this time, I thought that I might be able to hear his story someday.

***

A few more days passed, and the night before the Shaolin monks were to return to the Shaolin Temple.

In the dead of night when everyone was asleep, I was having a private meeting with the abbot of Shaolin, the great master Gak-il, in the open space in front of his lodging.

Because he had said that he wanted to talk to me for a moment before returning to the Shaolin Temple.

"Abbot. Did you call for me?"

"You've come? Please understand that I have called you at this late hour because I want to talk without being heard by others."

"It's okay. I didn't have much sleep anyway, but after consuming the Great Return Pill, it seems I have even less sleep."

"Hoho. Is that so? Fortunately, it seems to have some effect."

Although he spoke calmly, those words were a kind of tremendous humility.

Because it is absurd to say that the Great Return Pill had no effect.

As if he found his own words funny, he let out a small laugh and then continued, "Yes. You are going to Zhejiang Province now, aren't you?"

"Yes. I have decided to do so. The elder of the Beggars' Sect, Maeng Gwang-gae, has been to Wudang."

"Maeng Gwang-gae also came to Shaolin. So we also decided to dispatch a few young martial artists."

"May I ask who is going from Shaolin?"

"Of course. Il-jik and Il-won have decided to go."

I immediately nodded my head.

Because the two strongest among the Il generation monks are them.

"That's reassuring. I think they will be a great help no matter what they do when they go."

"The two of them are quite talented."

As if he were happy that the disciples of his sect were being praised, he smiled and continued, "So, they are not thinking of returning to Shaolin with us tomorrow. I am thinking of having them stay at the Wudang Sect for a few more days, and then go straight to Zhejiang Province with you."

"That's not a bad way. If they stop by Mount Song, it will be like going completely around."

"So, please take good care of our disciples."

"How can I take care of the two of them. I'll be the youngest in age."

"Even if you are young in age, there will be no one who can follow you in martial arts and insight."

As he said that, he handed me something.

When I received it and held it, it was a prayer bead that was made small enough to be worn on the wrist.

"This is an item I have had for decades. I will lend you these prayer beads. The words spoken with this token will be considered the same as my words, at least to our Shaolin monks."

I was so surprised that I looked back and forth between the performance and the abbot.

He was trying to give me a much greater authority than I had thought.