Chapter 4
4 – Why did it turn out like this?
The mind technique, Taehomooshingyeol太虛舞神結.
Taeho太虛.
It means the sky, but it also has other meanings.
The most fundamental concept of Ki.
Taeho had the most basic concept of all mana.
[In this world, everything that exists has mana. Martial artists create the concept of Ki (氣) and use it as their foundation, while sorcerers surround themselves with the concept of mana and use it. However, the Demon King I encountered in my past life used a power similar to the aura of death (邪氣), and some members of the New World Martial Arts used the power of elemental attributes itself. So if we follow all those origins, wouldn’t there also be a starting point for mana?]
A fleeting thought passed by like a coincidence.
I gained a flash of inspiration like lightning, and I created the Shin Gong.
Taeho.
The starting point of all Ki.
“Actually, I started grand and magnificent, but the rewards were not significant.”
A coincidence of coincidences.
I came to know its existence as miracles piled upon miracles.
From Noble mtl dot com
But at that time, it was too early for me to understand it.
In terms of the martial arts world, I could barely handle five people, but even that level was not enough.
One reason was that there were plenty of martial artists who wanted to capture me in this life… I mean, the third life.
That’s why I named it Taeho, hoping to discover Taeho eventually.
Mushin Gyeolbu.
The name I added afterwards was simple.
Because this martial art is Dong Gong (動功), which means moving energy.
It is also a martial art that can be learned while moving.
If I had been in a prestigious school, there would have been no need to make it a dynamic art.
But as soon as I came out into the martial arts world, I had very little time to train in martial arts.
That’s why I created this martial art as a means to focus my attention.
Even when I need to escape, I can gather my energy on my own.
Compared to other divine arts, the amount of energy I can draw is relatively small, but it’s enough.
Honestly, I couldn’t rest easy while trapped in the chaotic situation created by the Zhengpa faction.
No matter how skilled I am, I couldn’t handle ten opponents with just one hand.
As a result, I had less time to recover my energy, and as time passed, my physical strength began to weaken.
At that time, the concept of death truly approached me.
My mind was foggy, and it wasn’t easy to escape the countless enemies of the Zhengpa faction.
Then, suddenly, a thought came to me.
Since it had come to this, why not create a divine art that could replenish energy while moving?
And so, Han Seojin created the divine art and was able to survive using it.
The martial arts known as divine arts are remarkably fast.
To put it dramatically, the North Sea Divine Art, which excels at gathering energy, can even gather sudden bursts of energy within a year of practicing the divine art.
“Of course, it has various drawbacks.”
The energy is murky.
The gathered energy is difficult to move around like a few steps.
Such drawbacks do exist.
However, there is also the advantage that it is unparalleled in gathering energy.
The Taeho Mushi Gyeol, on the other hand, is the opposite of the North Sea Divine Art.
Even if one gathers energy throughout the year, they can barely accumulate ten years’ worth of internal energy.
The purest form of ki.
It has the advantage of being able to switch to any other art in the middle because it gathers the ki closest to the Taeho.
Even if I switch to another art, the advantages of Taehomusin are not diminished.
No matter what art I master, when I sleep, move, or even fight, I absorb and control the surrounding ki.
But that’s not the only advantage.
The foundation of everything, the body.
It makes the body as solid as diamond.
Starting from the vital and untouchable points, the skin, muscles, and bones, when Taehomusin is engraved into the body, it strengthens all of these on its own.
At the same time, it constantly gathers ki.
That’s why it’s not inadequate to call this an art.
By mastering the most basic groundwork of this art alone, one can finish.
By doing so, one can make the body as firm as if they had mastered the reverse muscle meridian, one of the seventy-two arts of Sollim.
The only downside is that no one else can master it but me.
“First, let’s lay the foundation.”
The foundation.
It is also the most important thing as a martial artist.
I close my eyes.
The moment I set my mind to master the art, I begin to feel all the surrounding mana.
[I am the noblest existence, trampling the myriad demons and standing on the highest sky.]
I chant the resolution.
I become aware of mana and begin to breathe.
Most prodigies spend years sensing this.
If it takes half a year, one might become a genius representative of the era.
But I feel the surrounding ki, my senses heightened.
The martial arts acquired in the third life, Wu Gong.
Mastering the divine arts, Shen Gong.
The union of the Taigu godly dance with the dance of emptiness.
“Creating vessels in an instant.”
Referring to the vessels imbued with divine energy.
*
I close my eyes and synchronize my body.
The more I concentrate, the more my body merges with the energy.
As if my physical self has been thrown into the sea of mana.
“…What is happening?”
I am genuinely surprised.
This body has absorbed mana exceptionally well.
And the mana is entirely obedient to my will.
Having reached a high realm multiple times, my control over mana is unparalleled, but it wasn’t always like this.
Perhaps, this is the advantage I gain in this world.
It feels as if I’m breathing in harmony with the mana in the vicinity.
As I took a deeper breath, I realized that being submerged in the sea of mana was not just a metaphor, but a reality.
The sea.
It was because a colossal sea of mana was passing beneath the ground.
“Do you sense the ley lines?”
Ley lines.
It refers to the places where the great path of mana passes through.
But even for something colossal, this was excessively massive.
It was clearly abnormal.
“Yet they claim it’s drying up?”
How incompetent are the martial world and the magical world?
While the thought of the Empire and the Alliance crossed my mind, if those two powers had existed, the martial and magical worlds wouldn’t have collapsed to this extent.
It’s unlikely that those two powers existed.
I erased those thoughts.
What’s more important is laying the foundation for the Taihe Mysterious Energy.
Huff.
With a single breath, a tremendous amount of mana surged into my body.
I compressed and refined them.
Taihe.
To create mana closest to Taihe. The massive mana surged.
“Stay focused.”
Intense focus.
It’s rare to feel this kind of mana.
Even if it’s said to be a mass-produced type, it happens when I consume the potions.
“Mana gathers to this extent just by exhaling on the surface of the Mana Vein?”
Could this be a truly good training ground?
While my mana dominance is exceptional, it’s not to this extent.
Refining and compressing mana.
If you repeat the process dozens of times, you get an amount of mana so vast that even crafting a vessel becomes challenging.
Crafting a vessel with that.
But now, it was different.
Originally, it was mana of fine dust.
Now, within me, there was mana equivalent to a thumbnail, but ten times larger than that.
“If it’s like this, can I be a bit greedy?”
Harmonizing the physique.
The energy flows through the blood vessels.
I carry away the waste material that lies dormant in every nook and cranny of my body, close to the Dantian.
Pushing out the overly large ones.
These are the waste materials commonly expelled during the purification of the body.
Thus, the energy close to the Dantian circulates through the entire network of blood vessels in the body.
And then.
The end is centered near the battlefront.
This place is where pottery is made.
“I originally only planned to make this pottery.”
But my thoughts have changed.
The mana in the surroundings overflows.
And perhaps it’s the talent possessed by this physical body.
The mana does not ‘scatter’ away.
It’s probably the talent of this physical body.
“It’s good.”
“Phew.”
I exhale.
[My profession begins by breaking the rules created by those who have fallen into twilight. I, who wanted to break everything they created, am a destroyer.]
I recite the mantra.
The mantra is a mental image.
It is based on the aspirations of a recluse who wanted to break the heavens in their third life.
To kill all those who proclaim themselves as the sole bearers of justice, I became the embodiment of absolute evil.
The recluse’s aspirations unfold as the mantra.
“From the Heaven’s Pillar Acupoint to the Heaven’s Pivot Acupoint, channel the Small Heavenly Stream, then evenly distribute the energy to the Dragon Spring Acupoint and Supreme Surge Acupoint.”
I gather the energy.
And I refine the gathered energy. I remove impurities.
The Taehumusin-gyeol only accepts pure mana.
It creates a vast vessel.
Danjeon丹田.
It creates space there.
So far, this is the process of adapting the Taehumusin-gyeol to the body and creating the vessel.
Thud.
A ripple occurred in the world of the mind.
Like throwing a single drop of water into a calm lake, scattering.
From that point, mana entwined in the veins.
The mana removed and pushed out the impurities in the body.
That’s why I had to take off my clothes.
Now, I only have one set of clothes.
“Hoo.”
Harmonize with the surroundings.
The body inhales the mana.
And time passed like that.
Swoosh─.
Slowly opened my eyes.
I saw myself in the mirror.
The skin became taut, and the faded hair began to shine.
And the bluish mana flickered in the right eye.
“I did it.”
Visualization of mana.
A phenomenon where standardized mana is visible to the naked eye.
A phenomenon that would be seen by wizards or experts beyond a certain level!
But more than that, I could smile satisfactorily because I laid the foundation for Cheonan.
Thud, thud.
I turned on the shower, the warm water streaming out as I washed away the impurities clinging to my body.
“It’s actually not a big deal.”
Visualization of mana.
It was simply a phenomenon that appeared regardless of the realm as long as the control of magical power was up to par.
If you’re a swordsman, you have to reach the realm of a sword master, and if you’re a wizard, just create a fifth circle.
“Phew….”
I let out a satisfied sigh with a content expression.
At least the foundation is laid.
And the talent I gained in this life seems better than I thought.
“I still don’t know what ability it is.”
Instead of dispersing as it should, I held onto the mana that should have scattered.
I closed my eyes.
I contemplate myself.
The Taehumushin-gyeol* allows me to control my body meticulously, as if pouring a spirit into a vessel.
But there’s still no spirit.
Even if there were, it wouldn’t be much. Just like how spirits create altars, I am the one creating it.
“The Taehumushin-gyeol is all well and good, but the energy consumption is too high.”
Crunch, crunch.
I chew on a chocolate bar.
I burn the body’s energy to create the most ideal physique.
While Cheonmu-jiche** receives the energy of nature and makes it suitable for martial arts, it cannot create a physique as perfect as the Taehumushin-gyeol, also known as complete martial arts.
“So that’s why the Taehumushin-gyeol was created.”
I put a piece of chocolate in my mouth. I put cookies, bread, and milk in my mouth as well.
Still, I am not full.
“It seems a little lacking.”
I should have brought some instant noodles after all.
Regretfully, I finished my meal.
I opened the cap of the bottled spring water on one side of the bag.
Crackle.
The cheerful sound of opening a can.
Glug, glug, glug, glug.
As I gulp down the refreshing cola, I had to think about my plans for the future.
*Taehumushin-gyeol: Refers to a concept related to martial arts philosophy in Korean culture.
**Cheonmu-jiche: Refers to a concept related to martial arts philosophy in Korean culture.
‘Until I run out of money, let’s toughen up here.’
Thinking about what comes after can wait for later, without any problems.