Chapter 42. Because It’s Mount Hua (Part 2)

'I'm so frustrated, I could die!'

The energy was being sliced away in chunks. He tried to salvage as much usable energy as possible, but there was hardly anything worth keeping.

It was like trying to carve out edible parts from a completely rotten radish. At this point, he was at the stage of extracting only the purest energy from the Seolmae Dan. Any energy that didn't meet his standards was boldly expelled from his body.

This was something others wouldn't even dare to imagine.

Wasn't the purpose of elixirs to enhance one's internal energy? Yet here Chung Myung was, expelling the energy of the elixir out of his body.

If the creators of the Seolmae Dan had seen this, they would have foamed at the mouth and rushed over immediately.

Chung Myung (thinking): 'Do you think I'm doing this because I want to?'

Damn this foundation!

Having gathered only the purest energy in his dantian, he now couldn't even increase his internal energy at will. Even the refined energy of the elixir was now seen as nothing more than a massive impurity.

From the vast ocean of energy, he had painstakingly gathered only a handful of essence.

Desperately, he guided this handful of energy into his dantian.

Whoooooosh!

The essence energy merged with the dormant energy in Chung Myung's dantian and began circulating throughout his body.

One cycle. Two cycles.

In an instant, twelve cycles were completed. Chung Myung's body, sitting in the lotus position, began to float in the air.

This was something far beyond Chung Myung's current level of internal energy, but because the energy was so pure, a phenomenon transcending the quantity of energy began to occur.

Whoooooosh!

The crystal-clear energy circulated through his body over and over, filtering out all the impurities within.

Chung Myung (thinking): 'This isn't what I intended.'

This wasn't what Chung Myung had planned.

Chung Myung had only intended to restore his innate energy with pure energy, but his energy, defying his will, began to regenerate his body.

His broken wrists instantly reattached and healed. The bruises scattered across his body disappeared as if they had never existed.

Drip, drip.

Waste products flowed out of his body, soaking his clothes and forming streams that dripped to the ground. The major meridians, which he thought he had already opened, and even the minor meridians began to widen and expand.

Chung Myung tilted his head back unconsciously.

Chung Myung (thinking): 'Heavens… Heavenly Connection (天通)?'

The Baihui point opened.

Lower Dantian.

The energy, starting from the lower dantian—commonly referred to as the dantian—opened the middle dantian near his chest, and now it was opening the upper dantian.

He felt a sudden fear.

Everything in the world has its stages. A child must crawl. With effort, they might learn to walk, but if a child with weak legs tries to run, they'll fall and crack their head, won't they?

That's exactly what Chung Myung was like now.

Chung Myung (thinking): 'I have to stop it….'

Energy that escapes control is unpredictable. When energy escapes control and destroys the body, it's called Qi Deviation (走火入魔).

This was akin to the initial stages of Qi Deviation. Even if the process itself was beneficial to the body, no one could predict how it would end.

Chung Myung desperately tried to block the energy. But the crystal-clear energy rejected his will and raced along its own path.

Chung Myung (thinking): 'Damn it, listen to me! It's my energy!'

Chung Myung gritted his teeth. Only then did the energy hesitate, as if realizing who its master was.

But it was only momentary. The energy, after briefly hesitating, began to race forward again. Chung Myung clenched his teeth.

Chung Myung (thinking): 'Stop it!'

Even if the energy backfired and harmed his body, he had to stop it now. Just as Chung Myung was gathering all his willpower to suppress the energy—

Elder Brother's voice (in Chung Myung's mind): –So, are you a Taoist or a martial artist?

Chung Myung (thinking): 'Elder Brother?'

The voice of his elder brother echoed in his mind.

The elder brother's voice?

No! This was something he had heard from his elder brother in the past.

Elder Brother's voice (in Chung Myung's mind): –Martial artists control and suppress. But those who follow the Tao let things be. Hey, you fool. Do you think the principles of the world can be solved by force? If you try to stop flowing water by building a dam, the water will just flow over it.

Chung Myung's body relaxed.

Elder Brother's voice (in Chung Myung's mind): –Let it be. If you let it be, everything will flow according to its natural course. Trying to twist nature with human will? Foolish. Humans are also part of nature. How can there be no humans within the vast and high nature?

The energy, now with Chung Myung's permission, raced through his body. The once wild and turbulent energy now flowed gently like water through his entire being.

The energy flowed within his body. The stream grew thicker, becoming a river, flowing through the universe that was Chung Myung.

How much time had passed?

Snap!

Chung Myung opened his eyes. A crystal-clear light shone from his eyes.

And then…

Thud!

Chung Myung: "Ouch!"

Chung Myung, who had been floating in the air, fell to the ground and clutched his buttocks.

Chung Myung: "What? Why was I floating?"

He hadn't imagined his body would float in the air. Rubbing his sore buttocks, Chung Myung stood up.

Chung Myung: "Huu. I almost died."

It had been dangerous.

If things had gone even slightly wrong, he could have been paralyzed or lost his life. Falling off the cliff earlier now seemed like child's play.

But the rewards were clear.

Chung Myung: "Hmm."

Chung Myung lightly shook his wrist. His broken wrist was completely healed. In fact, it felt even stronger than before.

It wasn't just his wrist.

Chung Myung (thinking): 'There were still impurities left.'

Though he had thought his body was completely cleansed, as his level increased, more became visible. He expelled the remaining impurities from his body. If he reached an even higher level in the future, things he couldn't see now would become visible.

But all of this was secondary. What had truly changed was his meridians.

It felt as if his entire body was open.

From the top of his head to the tips of his toes, there wasn't a single blockage. If his meridians had been like a small mountain path before, they were now like a grand highway leading to the imperial palace. Exaggerating a bit, it felt like horses could gallop and hawks could fly through his meridians.

Chung Myung: "My internal energy has also increased."

As he organized his body, his internal energy had risen. Considering how long it usually took to increase his energy even by a fingernail's worth, given how pure and clear it was, this was truly encouraging.

Chung Myung (thinking): 'My innate energy has also fully recovered.'

So, putting it all together.

Chung Myung: "My vessel has grown larger."

For Chung Myung, his body was the vessel that contained his martial arts. If the vessel was small, what it could hold would naturally be limited. By overcoming a new barrier through the Seolmae Dan, his vessel had significantly expanded.

For now, he had only grown stronger by a negligible amount, but this vessel would become the foundation for Chung Myung to surpass his past achievements.

Chung Myung smiled with satisfaction.

Chung Myung (thinking): 'If it weren't for Elder Brother's teachings, I would've been in big trouble.'

Perhaps dying once had given him some enlightenment. The words of his elder brother, which he had once dismissed as mere nagging, now carried a completely different meaning.

He realized something anew.

Chung Myung: "I was just a swordsman."

He wasn't a Taoist.

Mount Hua was both a martial sect and a Taoist sect. That was its identity. But Chung Myung was someone who couldn't quite call himself a Taoist.

Could someone like Chung Myung really revive Mount Hua?

Chung Myung: "Hmm."

Chung Myung scratched his head vigorously. Such worries didn't suit him.

For now, he'd just do his best!

Chung Myung: "If it doesn't work out, so be it."

Chung Myung shuffled over to the chest. With each step, his body moved forward more quickly than he expected, startling him, but since this had once been his natural movement, he quickly adapted.

Click.

Chung Myung took out the box containing the Seolmae Dan and Maehwa Dan from the chest and tucked it into his sleeve.

Chung Myung: "Tsk. What a waste."

Now, this meant nothing to him.

The reason he had been able to rebuild his body was because the energy of the Seolmae Dan had acted as a medium, not because the energy itself had contributed to his internal energy.

Even the most refined elixir was nothing more than an impurity when compared to Chung Myung's internal energy. The Jasodan might be slightly better, but it wouldn't be much different.

Of course, it would help a tiny bit. But it would be too wasteful to use it that way. Someone else could gain much greater benefits from it.

Chung Myung: "Tsk."

Chung Myung clicked his tongue. The situation had turned out quite tricky.

Chung Myung: "Ah!"

After pondering for a while, he tightly closed his eyes.

What's the point of clinging to something that's no longer mine? He had already gained effects that ten Seolmae Dan couldn't provide.

Chung Myung: "Greed leads to ruin. Chung Myung, only take what you can handle."

Chung Myung turned away without hesitation…

Thud, thud, thud!

Chung Myung: "Ahem! Ahem! Hmm!"

A couple of liquor bottles from the chest ended up tucked into Chung Myung's waistband.

This definitely wasn't because he wanted to drink. It was purely out of curiosity about what a hundred-year-aged liquor would taste like.

After stashing the liquor and the box, Chung Myung stood at the cave entrance and glanced back.

Chung Myung: "This feels strange."

It must be because of the traces left behind.

In a Mount Hua that had changed so much, this cave alone retained its past appearance. Being inside it felt like living in that old time again.

Nostalgic.

So nostalgic.

Chung Myung, who had been silently gazing into the cave, smiled faintly and turned his head.

Chung Myung (thinking): 'I should visit here occasionally.'

He wouldn't drink and play like before, but it would be a good place to rest when his heart felt heavy.

Chung Myung: "Though I won't come too often. The past is just the past."

It was an undeniable fact that he had been Maehwa Geomjon Chung Myung. But now, he wasn't Maehwa Geomjon Chung Myung; he was Chung Myung, the third disciple of Mount Hua.

Those bound by the past cannot move toward the future.

The past is merely a signpost guiding his life in the right direction.

Chung Myung: "Well then."

Chung Myung leaped out of the cave without hesitation.

Swoosh!

His now incredibly light body allowed movements completely different from when he had entered the cave.

His feet lightly kicked off the cliff, propelling him upward, higher and higher.

Chung Myung: "Hup!"

With each leap, he ascended nearly three zhang (about 10 meters) at a time. In an instant, Chung Myung reached the top of the cliff.

Chung Myung: "Not bad."

He took a deep breath.

The crisp air at the summit filled his nose, feeling utterly refreshing…

Chung Myung: "Ugh!"

He felt nauseous.

Only then did he realize his clothes were drenched in the sticky filth that had oozed from his body. Chung Myung grimaced and quickly stripped off his clothes.

Chung Myung: "What the hell is this coming out of my body?"

After completely removing his clothes, Chung Myung picked them up with his fingertips and let out a deep sigh.

Chung Myung: "Sigh, really. Nothing goes right. Where's the nearest stream?"

First, he had to wash these clothes before he could even think about returning to Mount Hua.

Chung Myung trudged down the mountain.

That day. The animals that had casually quenched their thirst by the stream as usual all ended up falling ill for several days.