Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 194
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 194
“In a few weeks, let us journey to the Martial Arts Alliance.”
“Ah, the Yongbong Assembly, then.”
The Mudang Sect’s blood calamity had delayed this year’s schedule, yet the Yongbong Assembly would commence without fail.
Jegalling nodded.
“Indeed. Though of course, this is merely a smokescreen….”
“A smokescreen?”
At my question, Jegalling paused deliberately.
The sound of master and disciple sipping tea echoed softly through the tea room.
Soon, Jegalling opened his lips.
“A claim has been raised that those who incited the blood calamity at the Mudang Sect were not from the Demonic Sect.”
I realized this assertion was connected to Samjeolchuho Dobaekhwa.
Samjeolchuho was the sole individual who had uncovered the true identity of the Hyeolseonggyo.
Jegalling continued.
“If they were from the Demonic Sect, we would need to launch a purge against them. But if they are a third force entirely, that too is problematic and requires investigation. For that purpose, all the schools of the Martial Arts Alliance will gather for a conference.”
At those words, my mind immediately grasped the hidden agenda.
“Then you are using the Yongbong Assembly as a smokescreen for that investigation.”
“Precisely. And thanks to this, you shall participate as well. Though I suppose the championship is already yours for the taking.”
At that, I responded with a slightly startled expression.
“Must I really participate and win the championship? I’ve consumed so many spiritual medicines that I should have no rivals among those at my stage.”
“Do you think other sects don’t consume spiritual medicines? In any case, the other cultivators at your stage have made such fierce demands that withdrawing would look rather poor. The arrangement has been made accordingly.”
A friend’s son… no, rather, a master’s friend’s disciple.
I understood the root cause of this situation.
The cultivators at my stage, who had suffered from Baek Rin-ui-seon’s outrageous behavior, had raised the banner of resistance.
Other masters had surely played their part in this as well.
The sentiment of: ‘He boasted so much about his disciple—let me see if it’s really true!’
‘Hehe… Indeed. When it comes to disciples, even a seventy-year-old elder becomes like a child.’
In the Gangho, a disciple is as precious as one’s own flesh and blood.
And the Yongbong Assembly is the formal stage where one’s true abilities are recognized.
In modern terms, it was as if he had done nothing but boast about his son’s achievements without ever showing his actual test scores.
‘Just how much has my Master been bragging about me when I’m not around?’
From what Cheonwoo had said, I could infer it was quite extraordinary.
Even Jang Mun-in of the Mudang Sect had looked at me with pitying eyes, asking why I had to be caught by such a person. And Mudang Gwon-je had done the same….
‘No, that’s not it. My Master was simply expressing joy at having an excellent disciple! He wasn’t cursing out a mediocre one or anything—what’s wrong with a master being proud of a talented disciple?’
Just as Jegalling was incorrigible as a master, I was incorrigible as a disciple.
A mad master-disciple relationship unparalleled in the Gangho burned brilliantly.
“Master, this disciple shall certainly return with the championship.”
I’m sorry, Cheonwoo.
As the flames of passion ignited in my eyes, Jegalling nodded.
“It would be wise to learn a few additional martial techniques in the meantime.”
“Learn additional martial arts?”
I hadn’t anticipated this. Jegalling continued speaking.
“Yes. When I reviewed the battle at the Mudang Sect the other day, I noticed several inconveniences. For instance, situations where you need to subdue multiple lesser martial artists simultaneously.”
His assessment was accurate. I nodded in agreement.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“To speak frankly, the Taeul Danseonggeom is certainly two levels below Taeguk Hyegeom until it reaches divine mastery. Of course, it harmonizes exceptionally well with the Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong and Five Elements Divine Art, but the problem is that the Taeul Danseonggeom itself requires considerable time to achieve mastery, and until then it can only be utilized as a one-on-one combat technique.”
This was unexpected.
Usually, people unconditionally claim that the sect’s martial arts are supreme under heaven.
Though he included the caveat about before achieving mastery, I never expected him to speak so candidly.
I simply nodded.
“Of course, this applies to any sword technique. In multi-opponent battles, other types of martial arts prove more effective than swordplay.”
“By other types of martial arts, you mean…?”
“For example, projectile weapons and poison.”
“Projectile weapons and poison—that’s what the Sacheon Tang Clan specializes in. And what I’m currently learning from Hyeolsaeng.”
“Exactly. However, since your focus has been on evading and blocking projectiles, you’ve rarely had the opportunity to wield and throw them yourself.”
I nodded in acknowledgment.
Jegalling gazed at his disciple with satisfaction.
“There are several other options as well. Whip techniques, dual-sword techniques, archery…”
In chaotic melee combat rather than one-on-one duels, subduing multiple lesser martial artists at once.
Indeed, compared to my Master’s examples, the sword is a weapon specialized for formal duels.
“Among these, what I recommend to you is projectile weapon mastery. Though it might be more accurate to call it finger technique. At your level, you could become proficient with just a little training.”
Finger technique.
Desire stirred within me.
“What kind of martial art is it?”
“The Flicking Finger Heaven Penetration.”
A martial art I’d never heard of before.
Jegalling held up his large, thick fingers one by one and flicked them.
“This martial art originates from the Jeonjin Sect of old. The Jeonjin Sect, now extinct, was renowned among Daoist sects for possessing unique and powerful martial techniques. Their martial arts and teachings greatly influenced the Mudang Sect and the Huashan Sect, but for reasons unknown, they vanished from history.”
At those words, I could retrieve a memory.
The Jeonjin Sect!
In the novel, it was a sect that was annihilated in conflict with the Hyeolseonggyo.
‘Martial arts from such a sect…’
I never imagined it would connect like this.
“In the past, I once saved a survivor of the Jeonjin Sect. He suffered from chronic illness and inner demons that worsened, and he eventually passed away, but thanks to my treatment, he was able to live several more years.”
A lone survivor.
The despair he must have felt was beyond my imagination.
“To repay the kindness from those days, he taught me one martial art—the Flicking Finger Heaven Penetration. This technique, both a finger method and projectile weapon art, possesses power worthy of being called divine mastery.”
That Jegalling himself used the term “divine mastery” meant it possessed considerable power.
“I will teach it to you starting today.”
“Thank you, Master.”
Jin Cheon-hee accepted without hesitation.
Since ancient times, when a master offers his disciple a ride, the disciple must board no matter what it takes!
* * *
Training Ground.
Jegalling first demonstrated the technique in a way that Jin Cheon-hee could easily understand.
“We’ll start your practice with these steel pellets.”
He placed a steel pellet no larger than a thumbnail between his fingers and flicked it.
Tat-tat!
The target standing ten zhang away—roughly thirty meters—was pierced through with ease.
What was astounding was that he had drilled a hole through the wooden board using only his fingertip flick, without channeling any inner strength whatsoever.
‘It’s like a handgun. What on earth…’
Jegalling spoke.
“Let’s begin at ten zhang. Once you can manage a hundred zhang—roughly three hundred meters—the first task will be complete.”
Jin Cheon-hee nodded with utmost seriousness.
Jegalling was pleased with such a diligent disciple.
He continued with a smile.
“The Finger Flick Pierces Heaven technique, when perfected to its extreme, can pierce the very heavens. The foundation is this: channel energy through two fingers, create a small explosion of energy between them, and flick the steel pellet outward.”
“Master, I just saw you shoot without channeling energy at all.”
At those words, Jegalling patted his disciple’s head.
“That’s because I’ve begun to reach the realm of Heartless Technique. If you rely on pure physical strength alone, you’ll struggle to reach even five zhang, let alone ten. Don’t attempt that.”
Nod, nod.
“When the Finger Flick is properly executed, the pellet travels at tremendous speed, much like a crossbow bolt. But this is merely the foundation.”
“What comes next?”
“When you flick with your finger—the moment of release—if you infuse energy into the steel pellet itself, both its penetrating power and speed multiply several times over. And if one reaches the realm of Sword Master, one can even wrap sword threads around the pellet to achieve such feats.”
My master gently grasped a second steel pellet.
With a posture as relaxed as eating breakfast, he flicked his finger.
Tat-tat!
The steel pellet struck the second target with a clear, crystalline sound. But this time, a hole more than five times larger than before was bored through.
It didn’t end there.
A hundred meters beyond the target, a tree suddenly collapsed with a deafening roar, then the tree behind it fell, and the one behind that fell as well.
Crash-boom-boom-boom!
The penetration didn’t stop.
The steel pellet continued grinding through its surroundings as it advanced.
“Hmm, I misjudged the force control. What I intended to show you was a much weaker level.”
“….”
“In any case, the steel pellet gains rotational force and begins grinding through its surroundings as it advances. Both penetrating power and destructive force increase together.”
…It was terrifying.
‘Wait, Master definitely said he would teach me a technique capable of subduing multiple lesser martial artists…’
What Jin Cheon-hee had anticipated was a supreme martial art equivalent to a lightweight magnum.
That alone would have been sufficient to subdue multiple lesser martial artists.
However, what my Master brought was Allah’s magic staff.
He had even brought a rocket launcher that could send a tank general to the divine realm with a single shot.
‘No… shit….’
Jegalling, who had been gazing pleasantly at his disciple’s trembling pupils, added one more thing.
“If you use it gently, it’s also good for striking pressure points from a distance.”
At the mention of distant pressure point strikes, Jin Cheon-hee’s pupils stopped trembling.
“Ah, and if you train a bit more…”
My Master cheerfully fired the finger flick technique again.
Kwakwakwakwang!
The target exploded and vanished.
And behind it, the fallen trees all exploded in unison.
The penetration and explosions continued in succession.
Jin Cheon-hee witnessed Allah’s wrath in this distant martial arts world.
“By infusing inner energy into iron pellets and making them explode—that is the principle. Its power is about half that of a Jincheolrae (a type of bomb used in Gangho, with power equivalent to a burst of inner strength, comparable to TNT in modern times). But even that is more than sufficient to sweep away the weak.”
At those words, Jin Cheon-hee grasped the hidden meaning in my Master’s statement.
‘Ah, I see. Since Jincheolrae is strictly managed by the Gwana, using it would bring officials and soldiers to suppress me, but using Jincheolrae with my own fingers would be fine.’
In other words, my Master was telling me that if weak opponents appeared, I shouldn’t hesitate—just fire Allah’s magic staff.
‘So I’m embedding an RPG-7 in my fingertips.’
It wasn’t even at that level.
“Simply firing it is called a direct shot, adding the subtlety of rotation is called a spinning shot, firing continuously is called a barrage, mixing sword techniques to shatter is called a shattering shot, and exploding like this is called an explosive shot.”
Jin Cheon-hee repeated the words to myself.
This world was one where humans ran across water and cut through stone with blades.
Perhaps learning such things for self-defense was only natural.
“Are these five techniques all there is?”
“Yes. Simple and powerful. Once you reach mastery, you’ll be able to apply many variations.”
Jin Cheon-hee briefly realized just how much my Master truly loved his disciple.
“I wonder if this Master’s excessive worry is causing you hardship, Hee.”
Jegalling spoke gently, placing not a lightweight magnum but Allah’s magic staff in his disciple’s hands.
“No, Master. I’ll study hard!”
“Hearing you say that makes this Master happy too.”
Jegalling smiled radiantly.
That smile was so brilliant it was almost blinding.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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