Ice Dragon of Namgung - Chapter 2

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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 2
Namgung Geom studied his face in the mirror.
The face of a fifteen-year-old boy bore the pallor of illness, yet it was presentable enough.
“Even now, it’s astonishing.”
Namgung Geom still couldn’t quite believe he’d awakened in this body.
But rather than dwell on it, he simply accepted things as they were.
There was no answer to be had.
Worrying over it would only give him a headache.
Better to spend that time considering what lay ahead.
“Well then, let’s take a closer look at this new body.”
He set the mirror aside and began to assess himself.
‘The bones seem sound enough.’
His musculature was nearly nonexistent, yet his skeletal frame was surprisingly sturdy.
‘The meridians aren’t bad either.’
Wide and solid meridians—ideal for cultivating internal force.
The problem was.
Nine meridians completely sealed, radiating extreme yang fire energy.
Guyang Jeolmaek.
A constitution where extreme yang fire energy crystallized within nine meridians, severing them and triggering spasms—an incurable affliction.
Most who suffered it didn’t survive past twenty; their meridians would wither and death would follow.
He already knew this from his inherited memories, but confirming it now made his frown deepen.
Guyang Jeolmaek was nearly impossible to cure.
Nine in ten victims died.
The survivor might live—or might not.
It wasn’t called incurable for nothing.
To treat Guyang Jeolmaek, one had to neutralize the extreme yang fire energy with opposing extreme yin force.
But ordinary extreme yin energy wouldn’t suffice.
Extreme yang fire energy was the essence of yang qi.
To eradicate it required a force of comparable power.
“The Bingbai Qi would work.”
The Bingbai Divine Art—Beihai Bing Palace’s supreme technique—was fully capable of matching extreme yang fire energy.
But at his current level, he couldn’t suppress it.
To suppress extreme yang fire energy, he needed to reach at least the Third Stage.
“That much is child’s play.”
With the experience of his previous life, Namgung Geom was confident he’d reach that level faster than anyone.
“Still, I never expected to be reborn as the eldest son of the Namgung Clan.”
The Namgung Clan.
Centuries of history, an absolute swordsmanship house, and leader of the Five Great Clans that represented the Orthodox Way.
The background of the Namgung Clan was no worse—and likely better—than his previous position at Beihai Bing Palace.
“On the surface, my status is hardly poor.”
Within the martial world, being a direct descendant of the Namgung Clan was a position that made royalty envious.
Yet the more one possessed, the greater the danger.
Namgung Geom coolly assessed his position.
He was the eldest son of the Namgung Clan.
By rights, the leadership of the Namgung Clan should have fallen to him.
But reality was far different.
His father, Namgung Il, had been caught in a trap set by Sapalyeon before he was even born, and perished.
Moreover, Namgung Geom himself suffered from Guyang Jeolmaek—a life that could end at any moment.
No one in the Namgung Clan believed he would ever inherit its leadership.
The most likely scenario was that one of his uncles would become the next clan leader.
Namgung Geom thought of his three uncles.
They were locked in fierce competition for the position of branch family head.
What was interesting was that Namgung Pal, the clan patriarch, had yet to decide who would become the branch family head.
This had given rise to much speculation.
Some whispered that Namgung Pal was considering Namgung Geom, the eldest son, for the position.
But few took that rumor seriously.
Namgung Geom suffered from Guyang Jeolmaek; in his current state, reaching twenty would be difficult.
Even if he miraculously recovered, his chances of prevailing over his uncles were virtually nonexistent.
“But would the uncles themselves think the same way?”
For now, they surely didn’t see him as a threat.
But if he were to cure the Guyang Jeolmaek and distinguish himself, everything would change.
He couldn’t know what form that change would take.
“I ought to keep my uncles in check.”
He had no intention of making enemies of them, but caution couldn’t hurt.
As he was settling these thoughts, the door suddenly opened and a middle-aged woman entered.
When Namgung Geom recognized her face, a smile bloomed at the corners of his mouth.
She was Kang Moyeon, his biological mother.
Namgung Geom found her entirely familiar.
Namgung Geom’s memories and emotions lingered in his consciousness.
He naturally accepted Kang Moyeon as his mother.
“You’re awake! Are you feeling all right?”
Kang Moyeon, seeing that Namgung Geom was conscious, hurried to him with evident relief.
From her expression, Namgung Geom could sense how deeply she had worried for him.
“I’m fine, Mother. Don’t worry.”
“Are you truly all right?”
Kang Moyeon asked, unconvinced.
“Yes. I just feel a bit languid, but otherwise I’m well.”
“Even so, it’s best we have the physician Jang examine you.”
Kang Moyeon instructed the maid outside to bring Jang Sinmyeong at once.
“You must have worried yourself sick over me.”
“What mother wouldn’t? It’s you who suffers the agony each time—that’s what troubles me.”
Kang Moyeon gazed at him with maternal anguish.
Since Namgung Geom was ten years old, when the extreme yang fire energy in his Guyang Jeolmaek first erupted, he had suffered these attacks periodically.
With each passing year, the intensity of the episodes grew, and the pain intensified.
After enduring a single fit, he would be so exhausted he couldn’t rise for days.
Kang Moyeon’s heart ached watching her son endure such terrible suffering again and again.
“Mother, I’m not as weak as you think. I won’t be defeated by the pain of Guyang Jeolmaek, so please don’t worry.”
At Namgung Geom’s steadfast composure, Kang Moyeon’s eyes grew red.
“I’m sorry. Here I am as your mother, and I can’t help you in the slightest.”
“I know how much you agonize over me. Please don’t speak like that.”
Kang Moyeon shook her head.
“What good is worry alone?”
“I know you’ve been searching every avenue through Mother’s family for elixirs of extreme yin and divine techniques.”
Kang Moyeon was the precious jewel of the Hangzhou Geumshang, one of the four great merchant houses under the Tianshang Alliance.
Using the wealth and connections of Hangzhou Geumshang, she had been searching far and wide for an elixir and divine technique that could cure the Guyang Jeolmaek.
“But what has it achieved? Years have passed with nothing to show for it.”
Kang Moyeon sighed.
“Your concern alone is more than enough for me, Mother.”
Namgung Geom spoke from the heart.
In his previous life, he had lost his mother early.
He never had the chance to know her love.
But now his mother was alive, and he received her worry and affection.
For him, that was enough and a gift beyond measure.
As for curing the Guyang Jeolmaek—well, he could accomplish that through his own strength.
Kang Moyeon fixed her gaze on Namgung Geom.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s just that you seem to have grown up quite a bit.”
Kang Moyeon sensed that something had changed about Namgung Geom.
Until now, he had lost all will and spirit to the pain of his Guyang Jeolmaek, living in helplessness.
Especially after an attack, he would seem half-dead with suffering.
But now he displayed a serene composure.
Even his manner of speech and bearing seemed more mature.
“I’m already fifteen now.”
When Namgung Geom spoke with self-importance, Kang Moyeon couldn’t help but laugh.
Just then, a sound came from outside.
“I’ve brought the physician Jang.”
The maid announced his arrival.
“Show him in.”
With Kang Moyeon’s approval, the door opened and a man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties entered the room.
He was Jang Sinmyeong, a disciple of the renowned physician valley Seongsugok, and he oversaw Namgung Geom’s medical care.
Namgung Geom bowed to Jang Sinmyeong in greeting.
“You’re awake. How do you feel?”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
“Still, let me have a look at your condition just to be safe.”
At Kang Moyeon’s suggestion, Jang Sinmyeong approached Namgung Geom.
“I’ll take your pulse.”
Namgung Geom held out his wrist without protest.
The Bingbai Qi had already been dispersed.
Unless Jang Sinmyeong were a master of internal force, he would sense nothing of the Bingbai Qi’s presence.
Jang Sinmyeong closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to Namgung Geom’s wrist.
The pulse examination went on for some time.
“What do you find?”
When he finished, Kang Moyeon asked.
“The extreme yang fire energy has quieted. There’s nothing to worry about for now.”
Yet Kang Moyeon’s expression remained troubled despite his words.
Even if he said things were well enough at the moment, the next seizure was what frightened her.
But she held her tongue in front of Namgung Geom.
“Thank you for your trouble. You should go and rest now.”
Jang Sinmyeong bowed and withdrew.
“As the physician said, I’m fine, Mother. Please go rest as well.”
“Is there nothing else you need?”
“No, there’s nothing.”
“Very well. Then rest. I’ll return this evening.”
Kang Moyeon looked at Namgung Geom with concern before leaving the room.
Alone now, Namgung Geom turned his thoughts to what lay ahead.
The first thing that came to mind was vengeance from his past life.
According to his memory, a hundred years had passed since his death in that previous existence.
Seol Jinak was almost certainly dead.
So too were the enemies of the Beihai clan.
There was little point, then, in pursuing vengeance for wrongs already a century old.
It was better to let the past die and focus on living now.
What mattered most was treating the Guyang Jeolmaek.
‘First, I’ll concentrate on advancing the Bingbai Divine Art and removing the extreme yang fire energy from the Guyang Jeolmaek.’
Everything else could wait.
“Then I’ll begin at once.”
Namgung Geom wasted no time and threw himself into cultivating the Bingbai Divine Art.
The first step was to refine the internal force in his dantian into Bingbai Qi.
The internal force residing in his dantian was an imperfect force shaped by properties.
The initial task was to refine that force into true Bingbai Qi.
For Namgung Geom, who possessed the cultivation and understanding of his past life, this was no difficult feat.
Following the method of the Bingbai Divine Art, he refined the property-shaped energy.
Time passed.
In his dantian, a cold, solid Qi of ice took root.
The Bingbai Qi of the Bingbai Divine Art.
With it came relief—the burning heat of the extreme yang fire energy that had tormented him seemed to fade away.
‘The First Stage is complete.’
The First Stage of the Bingbai Divine Art involved opening the dantian, gathering energy, and refining it into Bingbai Qi.
In his previous life, Namgung Geom had taken three months to accomplish the First Stage.
This time, he completed it in less than two hours.
A remarkable feat indeed.
But Namgung Geom did not pause to celebrate—he immediately moved on to the Second Stage.
The Second Stage of the Bingbai Divine Art involved using the Bingbai Qi to open the vital meridian passages and complete the Lesser Microcosmic Circulation.
The Bingbai Qi in his dantian synchronized with his consciousness, sharpening like a blade.
The Bingbai Qi, transformed into a sword of ice, moved toward his meridian passages.
Crack!
The tightly sealed passage tore open like paper with a sudden rush.
Breaking open blocked meridians is no simple matter.
Yet the Bingbai Qi of one who had grasped the enlightenment of ascension moved like a divine blade.
Under the assault of his Bingbai Qi, the stubbornly sealed passages burst open one after another.
At last, the meridian passages of the Conception Vessel and the Governing Vessel opened in succession, and the circulation circuit was complete.
This was the Lesser Microcosmic Circulation.
Namgung Geom circulated his Bingbai Qi.
The essence of the spirit medicine that had accumulated in his meridian passages merged with the Bingbai Qi and converged toward his dantian.
With that, the Second Stage of the Bingbai Divine Art was complete.
In his past life, it had taken a full year to achieve the Second Stage.
Yet now he had completed it in mere hours.
Even Namgung Geom found it almost absurd.
The advancement was far too swift to attribute solely to his past-life cultivation and understanding.
“Come to think of it, this body seems to take to ice cultivation far too readily.”
When he had opened the major meridian passages, and even when the Bingbai Qi had settled in his dantian, there had been no particular resistance.
Rather, it had felt as though the Bingbai Qi was being welcomed and met with resonance.
As that thought crossed his mind, a particular constitution came to memory.
The Celestial Ice Body.
A physique with dantian and meridians inherently attuned to ice cultivation, said to accelerate the mastery of ice arts several times over when cultivated.
“A Celestial Ice Body—I never would have imagined such a thing.”
For others, it might have been different, but for Namgung Geom, the Celestial Ice Body was the greatest stroke of fortune.
With a Celestial Ice Body, he could recover his past-life cultivation far more swiftly than expected.
Not only that—surpassing his past-life realm was not impossible.
Most importantly, with the power of the Celestial Ice Body, he could much more readily dispel the extreme yang fire energy of the Guyang Jeolmaek.
Namgung Geom decided to complete the Third Stage of the Bingbai Divine Art while his momentum held.
The Third Stage was the Greater Microcosmic Circulation.
The Bingbai Qi surged toward the channels of the Greater Microcosmic Circulation.
Whoosh!
In that instant, the extreme yang fire energy of the Guyang Jeolmaek suddenly awakened and spewed forth flames.
The Bingbai Qi, being an opposing force, had provoked the extreme yang fire energy.
Searing heat shot through his entire body, and agony flooded in.
A stifled groan escaped him.
Namgung Geom swallowed his pain and drew up his Bingbai Qi.
Last time, he had merely pushed back the extreme yang fire energy.
“This time, I will end it once and for all.”
Namgung Bingryong
Author |
Baek Wolgeom
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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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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