Pay‑to‑Win King of Martial Arts (Novel) - Chapter 94 - Opening (2)

Chapter 94 – Opening (2)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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The last time the shop’s grade had risen, it had said that the number of talents available for purchase had increased.

The list really had expanded, but to be honest, I had not felt it very strongly. The number of talents I could equip anyway was limited. This time, however, the difference was unmistakably tangible.

[ Ghosts and Gods – Fourth Grade ]

[ Price: Free (Original Cost: 9,500 nyang of silver) ]

[ The above price reflects a one-time special benefit. ]

But what was this now. The highest I had been able to see before was fifth grade. That meant prices from fourth grade upward had been locked. But now I could see the prices for fourth grade. Unfortunately, the prices for third grade and above were still hidden. Even so, I figured it was better than nothing that even a single grade had been opened.

And the newly opened prices were not merely mischievous. They were downright savage. If fifth grade had ranged from 1,500 to 3,000 nyang of silver, then fourth grade easily leaped from 8,000 to well over 10,000.

That meant the one-time benefit was simply giving away a talent worth 10,000 nyang of silver, which was an enormous gain by any measure.

“Why did this suddenly appear?”

As I rolled the pill in my palm, I suddenly realized something.

I did not know what this pellet was, but the aura it carried did not feel unpleasant in the slightest. If anything, it felt almost familiar.

Right now, I was handling demonic qi and spiritual qi at the same time through the Dual Intent Heart Art. After absorbing an enormous amount of demonic qi in Hubei, the demonic qi had the upper hand, but I was not lacking in spiritual qi either. That was because I had absorbed part of the energy of the Supreme Clarity Pill that had once been inside Myeong-seong’s body.

So if some miraculous medicine contained only condensed spiritual qi or only condensed demonic qi, I would naturally feel at least some resistance to it. But that was not the case with this medicine.

‘Or it could be nothing at all.’

That possibility existed too, of course. Like the possibility that a rat had crawled into my clothes and left droppings there.

I lifted the medicine and sniffed it. For droppings, it smelled remarkably fragrant. If I had to compare it to anything, it was close to mint. This was definitely a miraculous medicine. As far as I knew, only miraculous medicine could produce such a rich and concentrated scent.

Could it be because of this medicine that the shop’s grade had risen? It probably was. That was intuition. And the distinctive familiarity of this aura strengthened that intuition into certainty.

I went through the newly opened fourth-grade talents first. Even though it was only one time, the fact that they were all effectively free made me feel at peace just looking at them.

While scrolling down the list, I stopped at one entry.

[ All Streams Return to the Source – Fourth Grade ]

[ Price: Free (Original Cost: 13,000 nyang of silver) ]

[ The above price reflects a one-time special benefit. ]

Unhelpfully, there was no explanation of the trait itself. But I was strongly drawn to the talent called All Streams Return to the Source. That was because I was handling two extreme forms of energy, demonic qi and spiritual qi. Of course, there was also the minor advantage that it was the most expensive among the fourth-grade talents.

I had always possessed a good eye for choosing things. Even in fields I did not understand. I used to call that All Streams Return to the Source when speaking to my juniors. If you could recognize good rice, then eventually you would also learn to recognize good weapons.

Think as deeply as possible, decide as quickly as possible. Following that principle, I purchased All Streams Return to the Source. At the same time, the prices of all the other talents returned to their full values.

‘Did it work?’

I blinked, but I could not tell what had changed. I had bought something grand-sounding called All Streams Return to the Source, so I felt as though I should notice some kind of difference.

At times like this, there was nothing better than circulating qi. Circulating qi was itself an act of observing my own body.

I immediately sat in the lotus position and entered qi circulation. I drew the internal energy from my dantian and sent it up onto the road called the qi channels.

‘…Wait a second.’

Something, something was strange. Originally, I circulated qi twice. First with spiritual qi, and then a second time with demonic qi. If the spiritual qi and demonic qi mixed, I was certain deviation would occur.

But astonishingly, my body naturally raised both spiritual qi and demonic qi up onto the qi channels at once. The spiritual qi and demonic qi remained wary of each other, but they did not collide.

I finished the circulation as quickly as I could and opened my eyes. Then I released spiritual qi from my left hand and demonic qi from my right.

Up until now, even though I possessed the Dual Intent Heart Art, I had only been able to draw out one type of energy at a time depending on the situation. But now, I could operate both energies simultaneously. I did not know yet what kind of usefulness that would have. Even so, it had to be better than not being able to do it.

Then I slowly brought both hands together in front of my chest. Once there was enough space between my palms to fit two fists, the energies gradually began to tangle. It was a strange experience. Under ordinary circumstances, they should have collided and exploded.

At first, demonic qi and spiritual qi twined around each other like threads as if probing each other, then before long they penetrated deep into one another and assimilated.

Soon, a kind of energy I had never seen before unfolded between my hands.

And that energy was exactly the same as the aura emitted by the pellet.

***

“What are you thinking? You sent him into the Cave of Repentance without even asking my opinion.”

Cheong-hwa grumbled in front of Cheong-ui. Cheong-ui merely smiled placidly.

“When Hui-yeong comes out of the Cave of Repentance, you will probably be grateful to me.”

“Again with the vague clouds and wind.”

“A Daoist ought to mix in a few cloudy sayings from time to time.”

Cheong-hwa shook his head repeatedly.

“Why did you send him in? At least tell me. I am that child’s master, am I not?”

“I cannot.”

Cheong-hwa let out a cry of incomprehensible noise, but Cheong-ui simply ignored it.

In truth, it was a secret that Cheong-ui had possessed a Heavenly King Divine Pill. A Heavenly King Divine Pill he had received from the Huizhou merchants about a year ago.

If a rumor spread that Wudang possessed a relic of a mysterious sect, it would become troublesome, so only Cheong-ui knew of it.

He had been agonizing for a long time over whom to give it to, and then Muk Hui-yeong had appeared at exactly the right moment. That was because the Heavenly King Sect of Qinghai had been famous for martial arts of a hegemonic nature.

Muk Hui-yeong’s martial arts were Wudang martial arts, yet they also contained a hegemonic side, and because of that, the Heavenly King Divine Pill seemed better suited to him than Wudang’s Supreme Clarity Pill.

That insight had been correct. In fact, the Heavenly King Divine Pill was an exceptionally suitable miraculous medicine for Muk Hui-yeong. That was because the Heavenly King Divine Pill was composed of a mixture of demonic qi and spiritual qi. That was also why it could display explosive effects like those of a Great Return Pill.

Of course, Cheong-ui had not known that the hegemonic aura dwelling within the Heavenly King Divine Pill was in fact demonic qi.

Had demonic qi and spiritual qi been entirely separate energies, that would have been one thing, but since the two had combined into a new kind of energy, it was only natural that he would not know.

Like so many worldly things, all Cheong-ui had been able to think was that it was filled with direct, fierce, and destructive energy.

So from Cheong-ui’s perspective, he had merely given a kind gift.

Which was to say, what was now happening inside the Cave of Repentance was an inevitability born from one coincidence overlapping another.

***

I knew instinctively that this miraculous medicine was a lucky chance that would raise my current strength in the most efficient way possible.

‘Did a miraculous medicine like this even exist?’

At that moment, a chill ran sharply down my spine. What if Cheong-ui had given it to me after realizing I had learned demonic qi?

But no matter how I thought about it, that was impossible. The Sect Leader of the Wudang Sect would sooner cut down someone who had learned demonic qi than encourage him with a miraculous medicine.

And the aura of this miraculous medicine had spiritual qi and demonic qi twisted together. Unless one had directly seen or made mixed energy of that kind, there was no way one could possibly know.

Which meant this had ended up in my hand purely by chance.

‘Can such a coincidence really happen?’

Cheong-ui had somehow obtained a miraculous medicine with spiritual qi and demonic qi intertwined and then handed it to me, and I just so happened to be practicing demonic qi. At this point, it felt like fate.

And even more conveniently, I had ended up in the Cave of Repentance. The Cave of Repentance was also used for secluded cultivation, so there was no danger of internal energy leaking outside.

Since I had been locked into the Cave of Repentance, that meant I had at least several days to myself. There was a strangely sinful thrill in the idea of consuming a miraculous medicine containing demonic qi inside Wudang’s Cave of Repentance, but there could hardly be a place more perfectly suited for it.

“Good.”

“What do you mean, good?”

At the faint voice that drifted over, I jumped in alarm.

“…Who is that?”

When a voice suddenly comes out of pitch-black darkness, there is no choice but to tense up. But the answer I got after asking was unexpected.

“Me. Myeong-il.”

“Ah.”

Myeong-il’s voice came from beyond the wall. The wall was thick to begin with, and his voice was quiet as well, so I had to focus extremely hard just to barely hear him.

‘…Ah. This brat still hasn’t come out yet?’

I had forgotten for a moment. Myeong-il had also been confined in the Cave of Repentance. I think his punishment had been for half a year. It felt like a rather harsh penalty for a child, but as it was the judgment of his master and the Sect Leader, it was not for me to comment on.

“Why were you sent in here?”

“I just opened my eyes and found myself here. Absurd, right?”

“I suppose the Sect Leader had his reasons.”

I had wanted sympathy for this unjust situation, but Myeong-il was, as expected, incapable of sympathy.

“How long have you been in the Cave of Repentance?”

“I can’t even remember. You lose track of how time passes in here.”

“I can imagine.”

Silence fell between Myeong-il and me. Then again, there was not really any particular topic for Myeong-il and me to talk about. Myeong-gyeong was talkative by nature, but Myeong-il was not, and he was not close to me either. So I had assumed the silence would continue.

But the silence broke sooner than I expected.

“You. How do you get strong that fast?”

“Pardon?”

“I can’t say I’ve seen many people, but you’re really getting stronger far too quickly.”

“Well. Isn’t it just talent?”

As always, I answered with a trace of laughter in my voice. But Myeong-il did not seem to take it as a joke.

“Right. Talent, I suppose. I asked something pointless.”

“I was joking.”

“Even if you say it was a joke, it is still true that there is nothing else that makes sense.”

At Myeong-il’s words, I had nothing to say. I could hardly tell him it was because of the talents I had bought from the Martial Talent Shop.

Suddenly, I thought of Myeong-seong. Myeong-seong too had suffered under excessive pressure and eventually made a mistake. There was no guarantee Myeong-il would not end up treading the same path.

“That may be true, but…”

“You don’t need to worry. It’s not that I envy you. Rather, I think you’re amazing.”

Myeong-il said it flatly. As expected, he had insight beyond his years. He had understood what I was worrying about.

“I see.”

“But there is something I am curious about.”

“What?”

“Why are you suddenly speaking politely?”

“Ah.”

I remembered that when I had first seen Myeong-il, I had spoken casually to him. Naturally. He had been much younger than me, and I had not been a main-sect disciple.

But now, somehow, even as a lay disciple, it felt as though I had been completely folded into the generations of the main-sect disciples. So my speech had naturally risen in politeness.

“It just became more comfortable that way.”

“It makes me uncomfortable.”

“Bear with it.”

At my words, Myeong-il too seemed to go quiet for a moment, as though speechless. Soon his voice came again.

“Then I suppose that is how it is.”

Myeong-il adapted quickly, as expected. Though it was a sort of resignation grounded in indifference toward other people.

“Did you get any results from being in the Cave of Repentance?”

“Hard to say. I don’t think so yet. Will you take a look?”

“How am I supposed to look? It’s not as if we can move from room to room.”

“Haven’t you ever done discourse on swords? I’ll explain the path of my sword, and you answer it back.”

“No. I’ve never done discourse on swords.”

“Really? Then learn now.”

Myeong-il was firm. Faced with that strange force in him, I found myself agreeing without realizing it.

“All right.”

“Then I’ll go first. First I’ll stab at your left and right shoulders with Green Wood Blooms of the Five Elements Sword.”

“I dodged it easily. Whoosh, whoosh.”

“…Then I’ll block every direction around you with Flowing Clouds Reach Ten Thousand Zhang of the Flowing Cloud Sword Art.”

“I deflect all that too and counterattack. I have now stabbed you directly in the neck. My condolences to the deceased.”

“That is not how you do it!”

At last, Myeong-il’s voice rose with strength. I chuckled.

“I was joking. You are awfully touchy.”

“Again. Don’t fool around.”

Myeong-il said in a serious voice. What an utterly un-cute brat. Then again, if Myeong-gyeong had been in the same situation, he probably would have gotten angry too. He was just as serious when it came to martial arts.

I felt like I roughly understood the method of discourse on swords now. After all, the sword art Myeong-il used was Wudang’s sword art, so even without detailed explanation, I could more or less see the path of the blade.

When I closed my eyes and listened to Myeong-il’s forms, it felt as though Myeong-il were charging at me right in front of me. Without realizing it, I responded with forms of my own. Myeong-il truly was the greatest prodigy among the Myeong-generation third-generation disciples. He knew exactly when and how each form ought to be used.

I would not lose to Myeong-il now, but being able to glimpse Myeong-il’s martial framework was valuable enough study in itself.

As I immersed myself in the discourse on swords, I too became serious. I could hear faint gasping from beyond the wall. It seemed Myeong-il was just as immersed.

After thirty forms had gone back and forth like that, I used Flowing Cloud Without Color, the first form of the Flowing Cloud Sword Art, and Myeong-il was briefly left speechless.

When I reacted in puzzlement, Myeong-il’s voice soon came.

“That’s possible?”

“What is?”

“How can you block Water Current’s Brave Flash by unfolding Flowing Cloud Without Color, and even counterattack afterward?”

At Myeong-il’s question, I answered him carefully, step by step. Myeong-il’s questions continued, and I answered sincerely based on the movements inside my imagination. Since it was a serious exchange, I did not mention any movement I believed I would be unable to perform myself.

“…Ah.”

And then at some point, a short, almost dying sound burst out of Myeong-il.

The earth shook immediately after that.