Chapter 232

The teaching came to an end only after a long time had passed.

It wasn’t that the game was decided. The Go board still had empty spaces here and there, and many spots remained where stones could be placed.

However, Venerable Woo-am’s teaching seemed to have reached its conclusion.

Venerable Woo-am instructed Jin Ja-gang to place a stone in one final position, then stopped speaking for quite a while and quietly gazed at the Go board.

Eyes that were looking at the Go board, yet not looking at the Go board.

“Remember this well. This is the final move.”

Venerable Woo-am carved a stone with more care than ever before. It was different from his previous stones.

Red agate.

A beautiful precious jade with bright red stripes flowing like waves.

Venerable Woo-am concentrated for a full watch period on carving the red agate. The Go stone created by his hands shone with beautiful luster.

Venerable Woo-am’s hand trembled as he lifted the Go stone.

Click.

Even after placing the stone, Venerable Woo-am’s hand did not easily withdraw.

Jin Ja-gang waited silently.

Until Venerable Woo-am’s emotions had sufficiently subsided.

Seeing Venerable Woo-am’s expression stained with regret, no one could have rushed him.

Only after quite a while did Venerable Woo-am open his mouth. Still not removing his hand from the Go stone.

“Since I was young, after accidentally encountering the Toad Technique, I continued to have doubts. Why does such a cunning martial art remain in the Taoist sect? It’s dangerous to learn and destructively powerful, so it doesn’t suit the Taoist sect at all.”

Jin Ja-gang only listened quietly.

“So I speculated. Perhaps this Toad Technique is incomplete. Perhaps it was passed down in an incomplete state. Then where did the original source come from? After pondering for days, I happened to meet a person from Zoroastrianism and began debating this issue with him.”

Zoroastrianism – wasn’t that the Western Tibet Demon Cult!

“I know. Associating with a Zoroastrian figure is extremely dangerous. But I was young and he was young too. Once… no, let’s not go into such stories. Anyway, we eventually reached the same conclusion.”

Venerable Woo-am paused briefly before speaking.

“The Toad Technique remaining at Qingcheng lacked mantras, and the Five Thunder Perforation Heaven Technique remaining in Zoroastrianism lacked incantations.”

Though Venerable Woo-am couldn’t see, he laughed seeing Jin Ja-gang’s lack of reaction.

“You don’t understand. If you had understood, this would have been a very surprising story.”

“My knowledge is shallow, so I have nothing to say. Is it possible to learn martial arts even without incantations?”

“Some sects in Western Tibet use mantras when utilizing internal energy. They believe that by repeatedly chanting special mantras, the power contained in words guides internal energy. In the martial world, we generally use breathing methods and incantations that guide mental intention.”

“It might not have existed originally, so is there a need to distinguish it?”

“If it hadn’t existed originally, I wouldn’t have reached that conclusion either. In the martial world, there’s a tendency to regard mantra-based spell cultivation methods as heretical techniques. The Toad Technique was also originally a complete martial art with both mantras and incantations, but parts may have been lost according to later cultivation patterns.”

Jin Ja-gang understood and nodded. The martial world’s hostility toward the Demon Cult exceeds imagination. If something even slightly resembles something from the Demon Cult, suspicious glances pour from all directions and it gets ostracized.

Even if the Toad Technique had cultivation methods similar to the Demon Cult’s mantra techniques, it would have been difficult to easily practice them.

“What follows is just such a story. Wanting to completely restore the Toad Technique, I accepted the Zoroastrian Five Thunder Perforation Heaven Technique and that friend learned the Toad Technique. Thus the Jade Void Nine Light Five Thunder Toad Technique was created.”

Venerable Woo-am finally removed his hand from the red agate Go stone he had placed last.

“Unfortunately, my Go ends here.”

Venerable Woo-am sighed regretfully.

“Take that stone. Then what I can teach you ends here. Is there anything more you want to ask?”

“That friend… is he still alive?”

Venerable Woo-am stood up.

“According to recent news, he’s imprisoned in the Guizhou branch of the Martial Alliance.”

“I’ll ask one more thing.”

Jin Ja-gang thought briefly before asking.

“Have you completed the Jade Void Nine Light Five Thunder Toad Technique, Venerable?”

Venerable Woo-am smiled.

“Sharp as always. If the restoration had been complete, I wouldn’t have called it the Jade Void Nine Light Five Thunder Toad Technique. I would have just called it the Toad Technique.”

“Then…”

“The Toad Technique is a supreme internal energy method, but it was still too dangerous to rely on while incomplete. However, the Qingcheng sect has many mental methods that are safer and more excellent than the Toad Technique. I became sect leader and the martial world’s situation was turbulent. I didn’t have the leisure to pursue the Toad Technique further. But that friend probably saw it through to the end. The last contact I received was exactly about that.”

“I understand.”

Jin Ja-gang stood up and politely cupped his fists.

“I sincerely thank you.”

“You don’t ask why I taught you the Go game pattern to the very end.”

Jin Ja-gang had known all along. The situation on this Go board was a high-level confrontation that a beginner like Jin Ja-gang couldn’t understand.

The story of someone who had played Go for forty years. That was Venerable Woo-am’s own story.

This Go board was a trace of the friendship through Go that he and the Zoroastrian person had shared.

“It’s too early now, but I think someday I’ll be able to understand the deep friendship contained in this game pattern.”

“Your knowledge of martial learning is shallow, but your intuition is really sharp. You’ll probably survive much longer than I think.”

Venerable Woo-am said.

“This is return payment for the Muscle Strengthening Heart Liquid. It wouldn’t have been very useful before climbing this peak, but now it will be quite helpful. Before taking it, chant Huazhi, Chiyan, Ganxue, Xuanbaifeibu, Sanwushenshui and bow to the Supreme Elderly Lord, then take it.”

Venerable Woo-am casually threw Jin Ja-gang a pill wrapped in paper.

“A fellow with many martial art ambitions who didn’t eat the Muscle Strengthening Heart Liquid himself but gave it to others. How admirable.”

Jin Ja-gang opened the paper.

‘Since he told me to bow to the Supreme Elderly Lord, this must be!’

A pill the size of a fingernail was visible. It had an extraordinary fragrance and three golden dots embedded in it.

The Qingcheng sect’s treasure, the Supreme Clarity Divine Pill!

How could Jin Ja-gang, who had been a member of the Medicine Sect, not know the Supreme Clarity Divine Pill!

To give such a precious spiritual medicine to Jin Ja-gang?

Jin Ja-gang looked at Venerable Woo-am with surprised eyes.

“Your surprised expression is clear to see. I can tell without looking. You’re only now realizing you’re from the Medicine Sect.”

“May I receive this?”

“You keep forgetting. I told you I’m the sect leader.”

Venerable Woo-am chuckled, then with those words as his last, waved his hand and went down.

Jin Ja-gang looked at the Supreme Clarity Divine Pill in his hand for a moment, then knelt and bowed reverently.

“Huazhi, Chiyan, Ganxue, Xuanbaifeibu, Sanwushenshui, I receive the Supreme Elderly Lord’s Supreme Clarity Divine Pill.”

Jin Ja-gang slowly put the Supreme Clarity Divine Pill in his mouth. It instantly dissolved in his saliva and permeated under his tongue.

Soon, along with a fragrant aroma, his body gradually warmed.

Jin Ja-gang circulated internal energy according to the principle of Water Ascending, Fire Descending. He widened the path of internal energy with three dikes and increased the amount that could be contained to accept the Supreme Clarity Divine Pill’s energy to the maximum.

The tremendous energy boiling in his stomach wasn’t easily absorbed no matter how much he circulated internal energy. It was comparable to Kunlun Sulfur Oil.

Jin Ja-gang’s right half sweated profusely. The Supreme Clarity Divine Pill’s medicinal effect embraced Jin Ja-gang’s injured and ruptured qi and blood, chasing the dirty waste matter from his right half to the opposite side. The expelled waste matter seeped and was absorbed into his left half.

Jin Ja-gang frantically continued circulating in a state of selfless absorption, melting the Supreme Clarity Divine Pill’s energy into his right half. The Supreme Clarity Divine Pill naturally headed toward Jin Ja-gang’s lower dantian, but his dantian was filled with turbid energy and hardened like solidified lava. In that desolate dantian, nothing could be absorbed except poison energy.

The Supreme Clarity Divine Pill’s medicinal effect forcibly struck the dantian. But as the Supreme Clarity Divine Pill’s energy increased, the blocked dantian became even more solid. Not just the dantian, but the turbid energies of his left half also became more agitated. A sensation like his left half was being squeezed came over him.

The entire qi and blood of his left half was drawing in all the body’s turbid energy to resist the Supreme Clarity Divine Pill. This was the method for internal energy and turbid energy to achieve equilibrium within Jin Ja-gang’s body.

A groan was about to escape but he held it back. If he opened his mouth, all this medicinal effect would fly away.

The Supreme Clarity Divine Pill pressed the dantian harder. The more it did so, the harder the dantian became. The pain as if his dantian was breaking made it unbearable for Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang continued circulating the Supreme Clarity Divine Pill’s energy through his right half. The Supreme Clarity Divine Pill’s energy, having nowhere to go, was divided toward the three dikes Jin Ja-gang had created, and the rest spread and accumulated in his three meridians. The three meridians had come to serve the role of the dantian.

As the Supreme Clarity Divine Pill’s energy accumulated in his right half, his left half accepted natural energy drawn through breathing and Baihui as turbid energy and accumulated it.

Internal energy on the right side and turbid energy on the left side were being accumulated simultaneously. Of course, the Supreme Clarity Divine Pill’s massive medicinal effect wasn’t at a level where equilibrium could be achieved with turbid energy drawn in hastily.

Mutual Waxing and Waning of Yin and Yang.

If equilibrium couldn’t be achieved, the Supreme Clarity Divine Pill’s energy could be extinguished. It would extinguish itself to achieve balance with the left half’s turbid energy.

‘No!’

What a waste. He couldn’t lose the Supreme Clarity Divine Pill that even ordinary people, let alone Qingcheng sect disciples, would find difficult to see once in a lifetime!

The Supreme Clarity Divine Pill’s efficacy was equivalent to nearly twenty years of internal energy cultivation. Losing that energy would be too wasteful.

Jin Ja-gang thought with his head throbbing from the heat throughout his body.

A method to absorb all of the Supreme Clarity Divine Pill.

‘Poison energy!’

Poison energy adheres to and mingles with turbid energy. Having properties opposite to vital energy, it attaches to turbid energy and becomes turbid energy.

Jin Ja-gang stood up without even finishing his circulation. Though his head was confused from the massive medicinal effect, he moved frantically. He searched for things that could be made into turbid energy. His entire body’s senses were maximally activated through continuous circulation.

Jin Ja-gang smelled, maintained energy perception, and found grasses and trees full of poison energy to stuff in his mouth. He also crushed minerals to powder or inhaled anything that could be inhaled, chewing and eating indiscriminately.

How much time passed? His whole body became a fireball and he could barely see ahead.

‘Ugh!’

Thanks to the side effects of the Clarity Pill, not fainting even at this time was something to thank Mang Ryo for. Jin Ja-gang moved to the maximum extent his body could move, inhaling poison energy. He didn’t distinguish between day and night, or between types.

When he finally came to his senses, Jin Ja-gang was in a nearby valley full of yin energy. The surroundings were a complete mess. He had scraped and eaten the humus and rotten leaves under trees in shady areas, leaving holes everywhere.

“Hah.”

Jin Ja-gang lay spread-eagle and took deep breaths.

Naturally, equilibrium couldn’t be achieved with the hastily supplemented turbid energy and the Supreme Clarity Divine Pill’s energy.

So at the final moment, Jin Ja-gang converted the Supreme Clarity Divine Pill’s remaining power into turbid energy and moved it to his left half.

He realized that Mutual Transformation meant not only changing turbid energy into internal energy, but also changing internal energy into turbid energy was possible.

So anyway, he had succeeded in accumulating all the Supreme Clarity Divine Pill’s energy in his body without major loss. Separate from the fact that he couldn’t immediately draw out and use that energy.

Jin Ja-gang sat up. Because the Supreme Clarity Divine Pill’s remaining energy had changed to turbid energy and occupied his qi and blood, his left half felt numb. Though his body wasn’t damaged anywhere, the different feelings on left and right made it uncomfortable.

“It’ll take time to get used to.”

However, the turbid energy occupying his left half would all become his power someday. It was enough to think of it as temporarily entrusted.

He could become stronger and live much longer.

For that, he had to meet him who was imprisoned in the Martial Alliance!