Myth of Martial Arts - Chapter 13

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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 13
Among the eight students, Im Myeong possessed the least talent.

Every single category bore a large character marking “None”.

Next came Mo Jang Bong, Jang Hyung Yang,

Hwa Jin Gang,

Jo Sin,

Yeop Nak,

and Yo Mok Wan, the only female student among them.

These six students possessed either One-Star Low-Grade Constitution Aptitude or One-Star Low-Grade Five-Star Aptitude.

Only So Yeol

possessed both One-Star Low-Grade Constitution Aptitude and One-Star Low-Grade Five-Star Aptitude simultaneously.

Yet from Im Myeong, whose aptitude was poorest, to So Yeol, whose aptitude was finest, not a single one of them had managed to cultivate even a trace of True Force.

In other words, despite years of training, they had all merely treaded water and achieved no progress whatsoever.

‘Sigh. Let it be. If they lack talent, so be it. The people have already come—I can hardly turn them all away, can I?’

Jang Wook sighed and felt a measure of pity for them in his heart.

Their clothing suggested they came from backgrounds far from ordinary.

And the better their origins, the more intense the burden and suffering their lack of talent would bring them.

After a moment of contemplation, Jang Wook addressed the people below the platform.

“There is one matter I neglected to mention yesterday. Since all of you have gathered today, I shall speak of it now. The Extreme Flawlessness technique is a very special cultivation method, so all of you may begin training it from now on. Well—Mu Jin and Mu Muk are exceptions.”

Im Myeong and the others clenched their fists in excitement.

Mu Jin and Mu Muk looked bewildered.

“Why only us, sir?” Mu Jin asked.

Mu Jin regarded Jang Wook with a puzzled expression, unable to fathom the reasoning in his mind.

Before Mu Jin could even finish, Jang Wook spoke calmly, as if he had anticipated the very question.

“I intend to teach the Extreme Flawlessness technique once every several days. My concern is that my disciples will struggle to keep pace with the progression. You two have already reached a high level of cultivation realm, so if you were to switch to Extreme Flawlessness immediately, without the support of follow-up techniques you would remain stuck at Gyeseon Realm 1st Stage, Gyeseon Realm 2nd Stage. Even possessing tremendous True Force within your body, you would have no means whatsoever to deploy it—a state I’m certain neither of you would prefer.”

Mu Jin fell silent. Jang Wook’s reasoning held weight.

“Then when may we begin training?” Mu Jin asked.

Mu Jin drew a deep breath and gazed at Jang Wook with visible tension.

The unspoken meaning behind these words was a question of when Jang Wook would teach the ninth and tenth stages of Extreme Flawlessness.

Jang Wook smiled and spoke.

“Mu Muk may begin training after I teach the third stage of Extreme Flawlessness. But you, Mu Jin, must wait until I teach the sixth stage of Extreme Flawlessness before you may begin.”
“Well…”

Not only Mu Jin, but Mu Muk and Mu Heuun were equally startled. Mu Jin stared at Jang Wook in confusion and asked.

“But Director… Muk’s cultivation has already reached Gyeseon Realm 6th Stage, and I’ve been stuck at Gyeseon Realm 9th Stage for over a decade.”

Gyeseon Realm 6th Stage corresponded to a six-stage cultivation method, and Gyeseon Realm 9th Stage corresponded to a nine-stage cultivation method.

Could three-stage and six-stage cultivation methods in ‘Extreme Flawlessness’ truly satisfy the uncle’s requirements?

Of course, those who had signed the Changung Contract unconsciously trusted Jang Wook deeply, so they didn’t doubt his words. They simply had questions.

They merely wanted answers from Jang Wook.

“You’ll understand naturally once you’ve trained in ‘Extreme Flawlessness.'”

Jang Wook spoke with a calm smile. He disliked trouble, so he naturally found explanation tedious.

The effect of the miniaturized ‘Extreme Flawlessness’ was roughly one-tenth that of the complete version.

The True Force generated through cultivation fell far short of the mysterious power within his body, but was many times to over ten times stronger than ordinary True Force.

When the quality of True Force improved, the quantity naturally decreased.

By his calculations, the moment Mu Muk began training in ‘Extreme Flawlessness,’ his cultivation realm would necessarily drop to Gyeseon Realm 3rd Stage, possibly even lower.

Mu Jin’s cultivation realm would similarly fall to Gyeseon Realm 6th Stage, or even Gyeseon Realm 5th Stage.

Therefore, three-stage and six-stage cultivation methods in ‘Extreme Flawlessness’ could certainly satisfy the uncle’s training requirements.

But Jang Wook had no desire to explain, and Mu Jin quietly held his tongue without asking further.

The classroom fell silent again.

Since Jang Wook said nothing, no one dared open their mouth.

After dismissing Mu Jin, Jang Wook looked down again and murmured to himself.

“Since you’ve chosen to enter Changung Academy, I as the director cannot treat you poorly.”

Lost in thought, Jang Wook gestured toward Mu Muk.

“Mu Muk, come here.”

Mu Muk rose respectfully and climbed onto the dais.

“Take these sixty-six Gyeseodan Pills and distribute them to everyone—six per person.”

Jang Wook placed six more Gyeseodan Pills into an old glass bottle and handed it to Mu Muk. The bottle was tightly packed with crimson medicinal orbs, each bearing three mysterious lines etched across its surface.

Gyeseodan Pill was a premium-grade alchemical pill that could greatly elevate the cultivation realm of Gyeseon Realm masters. The lower one’s current cultivation, the stronger the effect.

The old glass bottle Mu Muk had just received from Jang Wook’s hands contained a total of sixty-six Gyeseodan Pills.

Moreover, they were all top-tier, five-star premium Gyeseodan Pills—their efficacy several times greater than ordinary three-star premium pills.

Mu Muk opened the old glass bottle and distributed the pills one by one to everyone.

‘What is this? An alchemical pill?’

Im Myeong and the others regarded the six crimson pills in the hand with puzzlement.

A refreshing fragrance wafted from the pills, filling everyone with an almost irresistible urge to swallow them at once.

Remarkably, Mu Jin—reputed to be the strongest in the Imperial City—showed visible excitement.

His eyes never left the six crimson pills, each the size of a pinky finger, as he spoke in an animated voice.

“Gyeseodan Pills! They’re genuine Gyeseodan Pills!”

With his broad knowledge, he knew precisely how precious the Three Gate Gyeseodan Pills were.

To speak plainly, an ordinary Gyeseodan Pill was worth over ten thousand Hwang Bi.

A Three Gate Gyeseodan Pill, moreover, carried a value of twenty to thirty thousand Hwang Bi.

‘To store something this precious in such a shabby old bottle—what a waste of treasure!’

Mu Jin felt a pang of regret at the sight of the pills.

Even a single grain scraped from one Gyeseodan Pill was worth far more than this weathered glass vial.

Had the person on the stage not been Jang Wook, he would have already cursed aloud.

Though Im Myeong and the others did not know the pills’ effects, watching Mu Jin’s expression and the reverent way he accepted the pills—as if handling sacred relics—they sensed their immense value.

If an expert at the Gyeseon Realm 9th Stage was this excited, one could guess their worth even with the dullest mind.

“These are Gyeseodan Pills. Taking them will elevate your cultivation realm.”

Jang Wook explained matter-of-factly.

He spoke as though introducing something utterly ordinary, betraying no particular concern.

In truth, he felt none.

He could manufacture these pills whenever he wished, crafting up to eighty-one in a single batch.

With sixty-six distributed to the students and fifteen remaining, there was no reason for concern.

“Going forward, I shall distribute these Gyeseodan Pills regularly to all students. Think of it as a special benefit of attending Changung Academy.”

With six Gyeseodan Pills combined with the simplified Extreme Flawlessness technique, these students would soon reach the peak of the Gyeseon Realm 1st Stage.

The thought of personally cultivating a group of mediocre talents into prodigies filled Jang Wook with a sense of accomplishment.

“You can elevate your cultivation realm?” Im Myeong asked, unable to hide his astonishment.

The group trembled with barely contained excitement.

What they had long dreamed of was to cultivate True Energy and become true martial practitioners.

Yet their talent was sorely lacking, and despite years of effort, they remained stuck at the threshold of cultivation.

But now, with the Gyeseodan Pills in hand, they could break through and cultivate True Energy at last.

“Thank you so much. We are truly grateful to you, Director.”

Im Myeong and his companions spoke with trembling voices, unable to contain their elation.

Jang Wook said nothing, but Mu Jin spoke in his place.

“We truly owe the Director our gratitude. Without him, we would never have obtained such a precious pill as the Gyeseodan Pill. This is a treasure that cannot be bought no matter how much money one has!”

Watching Mu Jin’s excitement, Im Myeong fell silent for a moment before asking carefully.

“Mu Jin, is this Gyeseodan Pill really that precious?”

He knew the Gyeseodan Pill was significant, but he did not grasp its true value.

“Precious doesn’t even begin to cover it!”

Mu Jin cast an irritated glance at Im Myeong, drew a deep breath, and spoke solemnly.

“As far as I know, there is not a single Alchemist in the Imperial City, so naturally no pills are sold here. Outside the Imperial City, the price of a Gyeseodan Pill ranges from ten thousand Hwang Bi at the low end to thirty thousand Hwang Bi at the high end. The Gyeseodan Pill that the Director bestowed upon us is a premium-grade, first-rate three-mark pill, which could fetch thirty thousand Hwang Bi!”

He continued, unable to contain his excitement.

“In other words, a single Gyeseodan Pill costs as much as three years of tuition for one student! Yet the Director gave us six of them all at once! And most importantly, premium first-rate three-mark Gyeseodan Pills are in high demand even in major cities, and supply cannot meet demand. In our Imperial City, no amount of money can procure them!”

In short, the Gyeseodan Pill could be described in one phrase: a thing that money cannot buy.

After hearing Mu Jin’s explanation, Im Myeong and his companions widened their eyes and gazed at the six pills in their hands in disbelief.

‘So this Gyeseodan Pill is truly so precious!’

Even young men of families like theirs could barely afford one or two Gyeseodan Pills with years of accumulated wealth, and anything beyond that was utterly beyond their means.

Even Mu Muk’s face showed a flicker of astonishment. He, too, had not anticipated that the Gyeseodan Pill held such extraordinary value.

He was learning pill crafting under Jang Wook’s instruction, but he did not yet grasp the worth of pills as deeply as his father Mu Jin did.

‘The profession of an Alchemist is hardly different from stealing money!’

Mu Muk could not contain his inner astonishment.

He had witnessed Jang Wook’s entire pill-crafting process, and it had been accomplished so effortlessly in less than half a day.

Moreover, Jang Wook had produced eighty first-rate three-mark Gyeseodan Pills at once, meaning he had earned two million four hundred thirty thousand Hwang Bi in less than half a day.

And the materials, even including the pill furnace, cost scarcely more than one hundred thousand Hwang Bi.

This was truly money-making faster than banditry.

‘So there is indeed a reason everyone yearns to become an Alchemist.’

As Mu Muk came to understand the fearsome nature of the Alchemist profession more and more, an ineffable excitement welled up in his chest.

‘Since the Director said I too have talent for pill crafting, I shall be able to become an Alchemist in the future!’

“Brother!”

Mu Heuun met Mu Muk’s eyes with an equally excited expression. She too had heard from Mu Muk that Jang Wook was teaching him the methods of pill crafting.

In that moment, Im Myeong and his companions grasped the true value of the Gyeseodan Pill, and their gazes, thick with emotion, turned toward Jang Wook.

“Director, we…”

They had paid only ten thousand Hwang Bi in tuition, yet they had received six Gyeseodan Pills worth thirty thousand each—how could they not be moved?

They longed to express their gratitude to Jang Wook, yet they sensed that no words of thanks, however heartfelt, could capture even a fraction of such boundless generosity.

A Gyeseodan Pill worth a full thirty thousand Hwang Bi.

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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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