Almighty God of War - Chapter 4

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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004

Guyang Cheongang opened his eyes at the sound of someone knocking on the door.

Then he heard Elder Hwang’s voice.

“Young Master, the Second Young Master has come to see you.”

Sitting up, Guyang Cheongang tucked the silk pouch containing the jade pendant into his sleeve and said.

“Let him in.”

The door opened and Guyang Cheongi entered.

Sitting across from Guyang Cheongang, he glanced nervously toward the door with an anxious expression and said.

“Brother, are you alright? You looked quite tired in the Main Hall earlier, so I came because I was worried.”

Guyang Cheongang felt puzzled inside.

‘This kid, I know he’s only twelve years old, but his speech and demeanor are incredibly mature. Is this what makes the descendant of a prestigious family different, even when facing decline? But his eyes are completely different from when I saw him in the Main Hall?’

The gaze Guyang Cheongi had shown in the Main Hall was cautious and guarded in front of his mother Dong Yeonhwa.

But now he was looking at him with eyes as warm as Guyang Cheongcheong’s.

‘Was he deliberately acting cold because he couldn’t show affection toward me in front of Dong Yeonhwa?’

Of course, he didn’t show his inner thoughts outwardly.

What was inside his body was a 38-year-old man who had experienced all of life’s ups and downs.

“I’m fine. You know well enough what condition my body is in.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Did you come because you were worried about me?”

Guyang Cheongi answered with a bright smile, looking somewhat excited.

“That’s part of it, but I wanted to give you something special as a birthday present, Brother.”

“I already received a precious gift from Father.”

“Mine isn’t really a gift… it’s something I really want to teach you, Brother. It’s martial arts from our main family.”

Guyang Cheongang was genuinely surprised.

“Have you forgotten that my body cannot learn martial arts? That’s why Father doesn’t teach me martial arts either.”

“I know. But Brother, you’re the eldest son of the main family, and it doesn’t make sense for you to know nothing about our family’s martial arts.”

“Hmm…”

As Guyang Cheongang hesitated, unsure how to respond, Guyang Cheongi unhesitatingly pulled out a small book from his chest.

“Brother, this is a secret manual containing the Transcendent Heart Method, our family’s secret mental cultivation technique.”

As if waiting for this moment, Akasha’s voice was heard.

[Doctor, the Transcendent Heart Method is one of the four great martial arts remaining in the Guyang Family after the Great War between Orthodox and Demonic sects.]

‘Four great martial arts?’

[Yes. The Transcendent Heart Method, Infinite Thirteen Forms, Infinite Thirty-Six Swords, and Wind Wall Seventy-Two Wave Sword.]

‘Hmm…’

[Before the Great War between Orthodox and Demonic sects, it seems to have been an introductory martial art learned before practicing secret techniques. The evaluation is that it’s upper first-class, not quite reaching the pinnacle level. Anyway, it would be good to accept the secret manual. Martial arts formulas can be truly valuable information.]

Guyang Cheongang took the book.

On the book’s cover, the four characters ‘Transcendent Heart Method’ were clearly written.

Guyang Cheongi said.

“As you know, Brother, during the Great War between Orthodox and Demonic sects long ago, all of our main family’s core secret martial arts were lost.”

Seeing Guyang Cheongang nod silently, Guyang Cheongi continued.

“Father said that among the remaining internal energy cultivation methods, the most profound one is the Transcendent Heart Method. Although you won’t be able to practice it directly, Brother, I believe that knowing it even theoretically will surely help you. Because you’re an unparalleled genius, Brother.”

Guyang Cheongang felt his heart warm at the child’s sincerity.

He smiled gently and said.

“Thank you.”

[Guyang Cheongi seems to truly love his brother. He just can’t show it outwardly because of his mother.]

‘I think so too.’

Guyang Cheongi said with a worried expression.

“You know that Mother must never find out that you know the Transcendent Heart Method, right? If we’re caught, she might order me to be confined in the training room for a hundred days.”

‘This kid, though young, knows well how dangerous what he’s doing is. If it were discovered that he secretly took out the family’s secret manual, it might not end with just a hundred-day confinement. Yet he’s taking such risks for me. It’s hard to dismiss this as just childish behavior.’

Guyang Cheongang raised his hand to ruffle Guyang Cheongi’s hair and said.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be careful.”

Guyang Cheongi said with a pitying expression.

“Father has been searching for Divine Physician Hwata for several years now to cure your illness, Brother. He said that if we can just find that person, you can become healthy.”

“Divine Physician Hwata? He can cure the Nine Yin Severed Meridians?”

“Yes, I once overheard Father and Mother talking about him.”

Guyang Cheongi continued with sparkling eyes.

“Divine Physician Hwata is one of the Three Great Divine Physicians. He’s said to have reached the divine realm especially in treating strange internal injuries and rare diseases. However, he’s turned his back on the world and lives in seclusion deep in the mountains, making him extremely difficult to meet.”

“Ah!”

Guyang Cheongi said with a mature attitude.

“Brother, there’s an old saying that sincerity can move heaven. Since Father is working so hard, your chronic illness will surely be cured.”

Guyang Cheongi stood up, checked for sounds outside, and said.

“I should go now.”

“Alright. Thank you so much for the Transcendent Heart Method.”

After Guyang Cheongi left, Guyang Cheongang asked Akasha.

‘Akasha, what exactly is the Nine Yin Severed Meridians?’

[There’s something even you don’t know, Doctor?]

‘I’m not someone who stores martial arts novels in a database like you.’

Akasha responded in a bright tone.

[According to the information I obtained from martial arts novels, the Nine Yin Severed Meridians is an extremely rare disease that occasionally appears in people with genius-level intellect. Tremendous cold energy builds up in nine major acupoints, gradually freezing the entire meridian system. Eventually, the patient dies before reaching twenty years of age.]

‘That’s truly a terrifying disease.’

Guyang Cheongang smiled bitterly and asked further.

‘Akasha, but do I look like someone destined to die young?’

[Not at all. Doctor, you will overcome the Nine Yin Severed Meridians and achieve eternal life.]

‘Eternal life is going too far. Anyway, I need to find a way to cure this disease. I don’t know who Divine Physician Hwata is, but if we can’t find him by the time I turn twenty, that would be a real disaster.’

[You should do that. I’ll help you.]

Guyang Cheongang smiled slightly and opened the Transcendent Heart Method manual.

[Although it will be difficult for you to directly practice martial arts, Doctor, understanding the principles of internal energy will help you understand how energy works in this world.]

‘I agree.’

Guyang Cheongang began reading the manual.

It contained detailed explanations of breathing techniques, meditation methods, and ways to control the flow of qi.

Two hours later, Guyang Cheongang closed the last page of the book and muttered.

‘This is like the cultivation methods passed down in Earth’s Taoism.’

When he lived on Earth, Guyang Cheongang had nothing to do with martial arts or exercise.

Knowing this, acquaintances had recommended cultivation methods that didn’t require much physical movement, like dantian breathing or meditation.

Though he was too busy to continue for more than a few months, what he had practiced then helped him understand the mental cultivation method.

[I had the same feeling. The internal energy cultivation methods of this world seem to have many similarities with Earth’s meditation and qigong practices. Of course, there’s the difference that here it’s actually possible to manipulate energy through internal energy cultivation.]

Guyang Cheongang decided to try practicing the Transcendent Heart Method.

Even though his body wasn’t suitable for learning martial arts, performing basic breathing techniques shouldn’t be a problem.

He sat on the floor in lotus position and began controlling his breathing as written in the book.

Breathing in deeply, exhaling slowly… in the darkness, only his steady breathing echoed quietly.

As the energy circulation and breath control deepened, his body relaxed and his mind gradually became calm.

How much time had passed?

[Doctor, subtle changes are being detected in your vital signs. This breathing technique seems to be affecting your nervous system.]

Regardless of what Akasha was saying, Guyang Cheongang continued to focus on his breathing.

Following the manual’s instructions to concentrate his consciousness on his dantian, he felt a warm sensation beginning there.

And time passed again.

At some point, Guyang Cheongang felt something moving in his dantian.

It was as if a small droplet was flowing out from his dantian and slowly moving along the belt meridian around his waist like a belt.

[A subtle flow of energy has been detected within your body. It appears to be the energy called qi .]

Akasha’s voice clearly carried emotions of surprise and joy.

But such feelings lasted only briefly.

The internal energy that had been circulating through the governing vessel and moving to the conception vessel seemed to hit some obstruction, then suddenly began to reverse flow.

In that moment, an extreme cold swept through his entire body, as if ice picks were tearing through his blood vessels.

Guyang Cheongang’s lips instantly turned blue, and white frost began forming at his fingertips.

Crack-crack-crack-

His limbs twisted mercilessly as a shock that felt like his consciousness was plummeting into an abyss struck him.

A dark shadow of death slowly cast itself over his contorted face.

‘Grrrrr…’

Guyang Cheongang couldn’t even scream.

It felt like being subjected to the Five-Body Dismemberment Torture that was practiced in ancient China.

Fortunately, he didn’t lose consciousness.

Far from it, his nerves were on edge as if standing on the tip of a needle.

[Doctor, you must not lose consciousness! If you let go of your mind now, you’ll fall into qi deviation and become a cripple.]

‘Reverse flow… In system terms, it’s an uncontrollable feedback loop. I need to stabilize it. Somehow…’

He struggled desperately not to lose his mind even in the extreme pain.

Akasha’s voice, unusually filled with urgency, echoed in his head.

[Doctor, the energy waves are extremely unstable! Focus your consciousness on your dantian! According to the theory in the secret manual, it’s absolutely necessary for energy stabilization.]

Guyang Cheongang instinctively recited the incantations of the Transcendent Heart Method while concentrating his mind on his dantian.

And he desperately drew the reverse-flowing qi into his dantian to contain it.

The amount of internal energy was as small as dust, but if there had been even slightly more, he would have fallen into an uncontrollable state and couldn’t have avoided qi deviation.

It was that critical a situation.

The cold gradually subsided as the internal energy began to gather stably in his dantian.

Guyang Cheongang, his entire body soaked in cold sweat, opened his eyes with an exhausted expression.

‘Ugh… Akasha, I almost died…’

But unlike him, Akasha’s voice was extremely bright.

[Doctor, that was definitely existing qi energy, even though it was very weak. And the nanobot system responded to it.]

‘…Aren’t you worried about me?’

[I wasn’t too worried. I believed you were someone who could sufficiently overcome the crisis. And according to my analysis, the survival probability was 87.4%.]

Should he be grateful for such firm trust? But for that, he felt seriously wronged somehow.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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