The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 301

The Martial Alliance Leader ate the whole plate of dumplings deliciously.

The reason I thought of buying him dumplings was because I saw him reminiscing about the past at the inn.

Everyone has memories, and those memories become the driving force to live in the present.

The Martial Alliance Leader is a person who lives a life dedicated to the martial world. I thought it would be okay to gift such a person this much of a memory.

"I'm still eating even though I had dinner. This dumpling house. Where was it?"

I explained the location to him in detail.

"Yes. That's right. To be honest, I think I had a small obsession. The obsession that I, the Martial Alliance Leader, should not leave the Martial Alliance. In fact, this dumpling house that I like so much... it's a place I can go to and come back from within a short time."

He chuckled at the empty air and continued, "But this time, thanks to you, I went out of the Martial Alliance for the first time in years. At first, I couldn't stand it because I was so curious about you, who said you would have a public duel right in front of the Martial Alliance, and after seeing the expression of Seo Mun-wang-ryang, who had won the duel, I followed you to the inn, thinking that something big might happen to you."

It seems the Martial Alliance Leader came to the inn to protect me from Seo Mun-wang-ryang.

Although I had thought that might be the case, the Martial Alliance Leader I know rarely takes unnecessary actions, and even if he does something, he only acts for the sake of the entire martial world.

It means he is not a person who is moved by personal feelings.

But hearing that he had come to the inn entirely for me... for some reason, I felt a corner of my heart grow warm.

"So I watched the duel, and after eating at the inn where you were staying, two shichen (4 hours) had passed. And I came back here and thought about it carefully. Then, do you know what surprised me the most?"

"I... don't know."

"That nothing had happened."

"Ah..."

"I was gone for a whopping two shichen, but nothing happened in the Martial Alliance. In fact, if you think about it, it's a natural thing. I don't do the work of the Martial Alliance for that long in a day, and I spend most of the day here..."

I think I understood why he used the expression 'obsession' at first.

Wasn't it that the Martial Alliance Leader was not becoming one with nature here because he liked nature, but that it would have been difficult for him to endure here if he didn't do so?

A conversation I had with the Martial Alliance Leader in my past life suddenly comes to mind.

'At some point, the development of my martial arts stopped. I don't know if this is my limit, or if it's because I'm getting old. But... now, the inspiration I had when I was learning martial arts in the past is completely gone...'

To be honest, at that time, I had thought, 'Is the old man getting senile?'

Because I thought the Martial Alliance Leader's skills were far above mine, and I thought he was the best in the world.

But thinking about it now, the reason his martial arts stopped seems so clear.

Since I also felt it while living my second life, even if he is the Martial Alliance Leader, he might not know.

"Alliance Leader. I'm not daring to give you advice, but there is one thing I realized while cultivating the Tao, may I tell you that?"

The Alliance Leader's eyes slightly opened.

Has anyone told him this recently? And a young martial artist as young as me?

It might have been decades since he had received advice.

"What are you trying to say? Go ahead and say it."

"I... believe that martial arts can only change when life changes."

"Life... has to change?"

"Until now, you have lived as the Martial Alliance Leader within the Martial Alliance, so wouldn't it be a way to prepare for the next life?"

"Heh heh. Are you telling me to quit being the Martial Alliance Leader?"

"No. I'm not trying to say that. I believe that the Martial Alliance and the martial world absolutely need you, Alliance Leader, right now."

"Then?"

"Now, you live the life of the Martial Alliance Leader who also goes outside the Martial Alliance, not just the Martial Alliance Leader inside the Martial Alliance. This time, too, you were away for two shichen to meet me, but you said nothing happened, right? You can walk around like that, and occasionally go to the delicious restaurants in Kaifeng to eat, and go to meet your friends in this area... then I think there will be a big change for you, Alliance Leader."

The Martial Alliance Leader didn't answer.

I thought I might have been marked by him for saying something presumptuous, but what can I do?

This is what I have felt while living two lives.

If I had lived the same life as the Self-Taught Swordsman Unhwi in my second life, would I have been able to achieve the same accomplishments as now?

"It's been a long time since someone has said this to me."

Fortunately, he said in a sentimental voice, as if he were not angry at my words.

"About fifty years ago. My master told me. You have a personality that gets absorbed in one thing, so you have to abandon that obsessive personality to become free. At that time, I couldn't understand why my master was saying such things to me. But now, I think I can roughly... understand those words. This time, too, I was absorbed in being the Martial Alliance Leader."

"It is a word from a martial arts novice who knows nothing. You don't have to think deeply about it."

"Sometimes, such words are the ones that stick in the heart the most. Didn't you just tell me what you really wanted to tell me, without considering the interests?"

He smiled broadly.

His impression, which had seemed a little cold, was gone, and now his expression was like a spring breeze.

"From now on, I should also go around this area often. Before the things I remember disappear one by one."

"The old woman who sold the dumplings just now also said she was thinking of quitting her business soon because she is old. You should go a few more times before she closes."

"Yes. I really should."

He, after smiling with a pleased expression, became a little more serious again and continued, "Yes. I haven't even told you why I called you yet. I was so engrossed in the dumplings."

"Ah, that's right. Why did you call me?"

"I called you because I have something to give you."

"You've already given me a lot..."

"So you're not going to take it?"

"No! I mean I'll be twice as grateful."

I don't know what it is, but since it's something the Martial Alliance Leader is giving me, it would be best to take it unconditionally.

Not only will the Martial Alliance Leader not give me anything that will harm me, but there is a high possibility that he will give me something that is hard to obtain.

"Open it."

He handed me a small wooden box.

When I opened the wooden box, inside was something like a small, white bead, carefully wrapped.

Since it was a scent I had never smelled before, and a shape I had never seen before, as I was looking at it with puzzled eyes, the Alliance Leader smiled broadly and said, "I gave you an elixir a few days ago, but you ended up using it to recover from your internal injury, didn't you?"

"Ah, I'm sorry."

I reflexively apologized first.

Because I felt a little sorry that I had used the Heavenly Transformation Pill given by the Alliance Leader to recover from an internal injury during a duel, not to improve myself.

Strictly speaking, I did not use all the energy of the Heavenly Transformation Pill to recover from the internal injury.

Fortunately, the remaining energy after recovering from the internal injury is gathered in various parts of my body.

Later, if I spend time to slowly dissolve them and turn them into internal energy, I will be able to obtain a considerable amount of internal energy.

"There's nothing to apologize for. At that time, that was the best move."

Fortunately, the Alliance Leader seems to understand what happened then.

It seems it was easier for him to understand because he had come to watch the public duel.

"I'm not trying to say anything about what happened then, but I felt a little disappointed while watching that duel."

"Disappointment? In what way..."

I subtly asked what he was disappointed about.

The advice of a super master like the Alliance Leader is very valuable.

Because the few words the Alliance Leader says now could become a clue to move on to the next stage.

"It was a disappointment that came from the disharmony you have. The level of enlightenment in performing and composing martial arts, and the understanding of martial arts, have already reached a high level, but your internal energy and body cannot keep up with it. So a limit has been created in the martial arts you can perform. Your mind feels like it can perform stronger and faster, but your body and internal energy don't follow, so what is that if not disharmony?"

"I was lucky to gain insight quickly, but building up internal energy is a problem that time must solve. And I can't learn the martial arts of the evil faction to build up internal energy quickly..."

"That's why I gave you that. There are two ways to dramatically reduce that time. One is body-to-body power transfer. Literally, it's a method where a master with similar internal energy to you transfers the internal energy he has gathered to you."

It's a method I'm well aware of. But I shook my head.

"I don't want to do that. First of all, when transferring internal energy, the amount that is scattered is too much. The amount that is absorbed also varies from person to person, so I heard that in severe cases, you can't even absorb one-tenth of it. And I heard that it also causes a huge blow to the person who gives it."

"Yes. You're right. I also don't recommend it unless it's a very urgent case. That's why there's a second method, isn't there? Of course, it's an elixir. Depending on the situation, taking an elixir is the best way to dramatically increase internal energy."

"Then is this perhaps..."

"That's right. This is a Hwari's inner core. And among them, it's the inner core of a ten-thousand-year-old Hwari."

"Ah...!"

To be honest, I had expected it to be one of the elixirs, but I had never thought it would be the inner core of a ten-thousand-year-old Hwari.

A ten-thousand-year-old Hwari refers to a carp that has lived for a long time and has developed an inner core, a Hwari being a carp that contains yang energy.

Its rarity is of course incomparable to the Heavenly Transformation Pill I received before, and it was the Hwari's inner core that was evaluated to be similar to Shaolin's Great Return Pill.

"Are you really giving this to me too?"

"That's right."

"I said I would take it unconditionally earlier, but I think it's too shameless to covet even this."

"No. In any case, you are the only one who can consume this inner core."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Originally, the carp called Hwari is a carp born with the energy of yang. So it lives in hot places like the crater of a volcano. But the inner core that the Hwari holds has, very strangely, the energy of extreme yin."

He said as if it were interesting.

To be honest, I don't know much about elixirs, so I also listened to his story attentively.

"So when you consume the inner core of a ten-thousand-year-old Hwari, you have to consume it with the meat of that carp. Otherwise, you could be engulfed in cold energy and freeze to death. But we obtained the inner core of a ten-thousand-year-old Hwari... but we couldn't find its meat. Well, if it hadn't been made into dried fish, it would have rotted and disappeared long ago. It's already been over three years since this inner core was in the Martial Alliance's warehouse."

"Th-Then how can I consume it?"

Then the Martial Alliance Leader, looking at me with sharp eyes, said, "I saw it when you were dueling. You're learning the Six Yang Divine Art, right?"

"That's right."

I spoke honestly without hiding anything.

As expected, a master of the Martial Alliance Leader's level seems to be able to tell what martial arts one has learned just by looking.

"The yang energy of the Six Yang Divine Art will be enough to neutralize the yin energy of the Hwari's inner core. And I will help you take it here. Then it will be quite possible, won't it?"

The Alliance Leader said in a confident voice.

This is an opportunity. I answered in a voice full of longing.

"Please, Alliance Leader!"

The Alliance Leader smiled.

He seemed to like my attitude of not missing an opportunity.

(End of Chapter)