Myth of Martial Arts - Chapter 25

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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 25
Perhaps because of the Changung Contract, Mu Jin showed no defensiveness whatsoever before Jang Wook.

That trust welling up from deep within was something he had never felt even in the presence of his wife and children.

Once Mu Jin finished his account, he spoke with quiet composure.

“The lives of Yeo Ga and Gwak Ga are of little consequence. Yet the Deung Family showed me kindness, and I could not bring myself to betray that debt.”

Tonight was undoubtedly no ordinary night.

What occurred outside the Mu Clan estate was witnessed by many, but regrettably, only those involved knew the truth of it.

Nevertheless, the incident caused considerable upheaval and would undoubtedly become a topic of conversation for days to come.

After his conversation with Mu Jin, Jang Wook returned to Changung Academy, and the burlap sacks and wooden boxes containing more than ten thousand cultivation methods and martial techniques were sent to Changung Academy by Mu Jin’s orders.

Half an hour later, Jang Wook stood in the Library Pavilion of Changung Academy, gazing once more at the bookshelves now brimming with cultivation methods and martial techniques. A sense of inexplicable accomplishment washed over him.

“Director, is there anything else you require?”

Wang Do, the steward of the Mu Clan, asked respectfully.

Wang Do did not know of Jang Wook’s abilities, nor was he aware that Mu Jin had become a student of Changung Academy.

Yet he was shrewd enough to discern that Mu Jin held Jang Wook in very high regard.

Before departing, Mu Jin had personally instructed him to obey Jang Wook’s commands without fail, and so Wang Do conducted himself with utmost deference.

Jang Wook waved his hand and smiled.

“No need. You’ve worked hard tonight—you may return now.”
“Very well, Director. I shall take my leave.”

Wang Do nodded, then turned to the Mu Clan guards.

“Let us go.”

Shortly after, Wang Do and the guards departed, leaving Jang Wook alone in the Library Pavilion.

After watching Wang Do’s party leave, Jang Wook surveyed the Library Pavilion once more.

His gaze swept across the bookshelves laden with cultivation methods and martial techniques, and a smile spread steadily across his face.

The lamplight seemed to shine ever more brightly, as if illuminated by the vast collection of knowledge now filling the chamber.

Jang Wook had already catalogued the cultivation methods and martial techniques he had acquired.

Mortal-tier lower-grade cultivation methods: ten thousand volumes; martial techniques: fifteen thousand volumes.

Mortal-tier mid-grade cultivation methods: twenty-two hundred volumes; martial techniques: six thousand eight hundred volumes.

Mortal-tier upper-grade cultivation methods: three hundred sixty-six volumes; martial techniques: six hundred ninety-six volumes.

Spirit-tier lower-grade cultivation methods: ten volumes; martial techniques: twenty-two volumes.

Spirit-tier mid-grade cultivation methods: one volume; martial techniques: one volume.

More than half of these cultivation methods and martial techniques had originally belonged to Changung Academy, while nearly the other half came from Sinwang Academy and Unsan Academy.

After a moment, Jang Wook exhaled lightly and turned to ascend the spiral staircase to this level.

At one of the bookshelves, Jang Wook halted and carefully withdrew a cultivation method, his eyes flashing with keen intensity.

“With so many Mortal-tier upper-rank cultivation methods here, I should be able to refine the previous nine-stage

Extreme Flawlessness cultivation method.”

Even the sixth stage of Extreme Flawlessness was already terrifyingly powerful; he could scarcely imagine how fearsome the previous nine-stage version would be.

With excitement kindling in his chest, Jang Wook carefully opened one cultivation method and simultaneously activated his Insight.

【Cultivation Method: Withered Pine Drinks Rain Technique

(Mortal-tier upper-rank, nine stages total, cultivation possible up to Gyeseon Realm 9th Stage, average of 36 flaws per stage)】

This cultivation method surpassed Mortal-tier middle-rank — the highest rank Jang Wook had practiced before, in the Extreme Martial Way.

Jang Wook’s eyes gleamed brilliantly.

“Thirty-six flaws — it actually has fewer flaws than the Extreme Martial Way I trained in before!”

Indeed, whenever he examined the Mortal-tier upper-rank cultivation methods, the flaws were consistently this sparse.

Having witnessed firsthand the power of Mortal-tier upper-rank cultivation methods, Jang Wook’s confidence swelled further.

The fewer flaws there were, the more precise the method was — and that meant he could refine the previous nine-stage Extreme Flawlessness cultivation method all the more easily.
* * *
While Jang Wook worked busily refining cultivation methods, Mu Jin was not idle either.

Now Mu Jin stood alone outside the solemn residence, gazing quietly at the stone tablet by the gate entrance.

Two characters were carved into the tablet.

Deung Family Residence.

.

Unlike the Mu Clan, the Deung Family had taken root in the Imperial City for centuries, weathering countless trials, with a foundation that ran deep.

The residence was classical in design and grand in presence, its grounds spacious enough to house nearly a thousand souls.

By contrast, though the Mu Clan was called the foremost family of the Imperial City, their foundation was thin and their numbers few; their residence could not compare to the Deung Family’s estate.

One was a modest dwelling, the other a sprawling mansion — the gulf between them was as vast as heaven and earth.

In the night wind, Mu Jin stood before the residence gate with a conflicted expression, lost in memories of the past.

Before Mu Jin had waited long, the Deung Family Patriarch, Deung Buk So, hurried out to greet him warmly.

“I had no warning of your visit, Patriarch Mu, and failed to receive you properly from afar — please forgive the discourtesy.”

Deung Buk So spoke with propriety, his voice noticeably hoarse.

Though the Deung Family and Mu Clan competed fiercely in several ventures, Deung Buk So showed Mu Jin great deference.

Not a trace of anger colored his tone — instead, a faint undercurrent of apprehension lay beneath his words.

Observing Deung Buk So’s white hair and weathered visage, Mu Jin felt emotions he could not put into words.

‘Time truly is merciless!’

How arrogant and overflowing with confidence the young Deung Buk So had been.

That commanding assurance, that razor-sharp edge he’d wielded over the realm—Mu Jin had never forgotten it.

But now, twenty-odd years later, Deung Buk So had matured, and aged as well.

That fierce confidence no longer radiated from his frame.

Mu Jin exhaled softly, steadying his emotions, and then smiled as he spoke.

“Patriarch Deung, it has been far too long since we last met. I trust you have been well?”
“I am grateful for the Patriarch Mu’s concern. Patriarch Mu, please come this way.”

Deung Buk So could not fathom why Mu Jin had suddenly come to the Deung Family Residence. But now that he had arrived, Deung Buk So had no choice but to respond with careful deliberation.

Mu Jin cast a glance at the wary guards flanking both of them, then moved forward with an untroubled smile, stepping slowly into the Deung family manor.
* * *
As the night deepened, most of the lanterns throughout the Imperial City had already been extinguished.

Beneath the pale moonlight, this thriving city had fallen silent, as if it had returned to nature itself.

Yet the Library Pavilion of Changung Academy still shone with lamplight, and the shadow of a man was cast sharply against the window.

Jang Wook had forgotten what fatigue even felt like, leafing through cultivation manuals, entirely unconscious of time’s passage.

His mind was wholly absorbed in refining the cultivation method, oblivious to any change in the world beyond.

Time flowed past like a silent thief.

On the far side of the Imperial City, the sun slowly revealed itself, its brilliant dawn light suffusing the earth in gold.

Though Jang Wook had remained awake all night within the Library Pavilion, he showed not the slightest trace of weariness. Rather, his eyes burned with vitality like a roaring furnace.

“At last, I have succeeded in the refinement!”

The ninth-stage cultivation method of the Extreme Flawlessness had finally been perfected through his relentless, day-and-night efforts.

Jang Wook clenched his fist with force, and an undeniable joy surged up from the depths of his being.

He had a premonition.

That once he cultivated the seventh through ninth-stage cultivation methods of the Extreme Flawlessness, his martial prowess would transcend yet another realm.

Shortly after, Jang Wook collected himself. Then, as his stomach let out a loud gurgle, he finally became aware that time had shifted.

“Dawn has broken before I even noticed.”

Though he had labored through the night, Jang Wook’s harvest was as vast as mountains; such exhaustion was more than worth enduring.

Shaking his head lightly, Jang Wook drew several Gyeseodan Pills from the gray pouch at his side and tossed them all into his mouth at once, then chewed them down.

This spiritual medicine could not truly replace a proper meal, yet it was perfect for sating a hungry belly.

After swallowing several pills, Jang Wook stretched slowly.

Then, having carefully returned the cultivation manuals to their places, he rose and made his way back to Hyang Sa So Geo.

“Woof! Woof!”

So Gang trembled with excitement the moment he saw Jang Wook, and wagged his thin tail in a storm of motion.

Jang Wook tossed a handful of Gyeseodan Pills to So Gang, then entered the sleeping quarters and settled into a cross-legged position on the bed.

The seventh stage cultivation method of Extreme Flawlessness was incomparably more complex than the sixth stage, and Jang Wook had to pour tremendous mental effort into guiding the mysterious force through a single heavenly circuit within his body.

Fortunately, once he completed one circuit, the mysterious force began to flow naturally along the pathways of the seventh stage method, so Jang Wook no longer needed to guide it consciously.

In that instant, Jang Wook’s body transformed into a colossal magnet, as if to swallow heaven and earth itself, forcibly drawing in all the spiritual energy surrounding him.

The absorption was so fierce that even the word “ferocious” fell short of capturing it.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth poured into Jang Wook’s body in torrents, and was refined in an instant, becoming part of the mysterious force within him.

Through this process, his bones and muscles were tempered as well, until his body became as resilient as steel forged in dragon fire.

With a single breath, Jang Wook broke through the wall at the peak of Gyeseon Realm 6th Stage and reached the initial stage of Gyeseon Realm 7th Stage.

Yet his cultivation did not halt there; instead, it surged forward explosively.

Gyeseon Realm 7th Stage middle period, Gyeseon Realm 7th Stage late period, Gyeseon Realm 7th Stage peak.

As his cultivation reached the peak of Gyeseon Realm 7th Stage, Jang Wook did not pause but rather pressed forward with even greater momentum, beginning to run the eighth stage cultivation method of Extreme Flawlessness.

Whoooosh!

A torrential flood of spiritual energy crashed toward Jang Wook, and a violent tempest erupted around Hyang Sa So Geo.

This storm was far more intense than the one from his last cultivation session.

Like the fierce waves of a great ocean, its shockwave alone could have sunk a massive ship.

Yet Jang Wook, standing at the center of the storm, remained as unmoved as a mountain, and the terrible tempest had no effect on him whatsoever.

As the storm subsided, Jang Wook’s cultivation realm finally reached the peak of Gyeseon Realm 9th Stage.

When Jang Wook opened his eyes, a sharp beam of light flickered and vanished, and he drew a deep breath, unable to hide the exultation on his face.

“Gyeseon Realm 9th Stage peak!”

In such a short span of time, his cultivation realm had skyrocketed from the peak of Gyeseon Realm 6th Stage to the peak of Gyeseon Realm 9th Stage—no one throughout all history could have achieved such a terrifying rate of progress.

Others might cultivate diligently and consistently every day without rest; those with superior talent could achieve it in fifteen years, while those with lesser talent might still fail even after one hundred and fifty years.

Even the greatest prodigy on the Hwangya Continent could not have cultivated from the peak of Gyeseon Realm 6th Stage to the peak of Gyeseon Realm 9th Stage in such a short time as Jang Wook had.

Such a rate of cultivation could truly be compared to a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis.

“If we’re speaking purely of cultivation realm, I’ve already ascended to the highest ranks of the Imperial City!”

Though the Imperial City had many cultivators, even those at the highest realms were only at the peak of Gyeseon Realm 9th Stage. Mu Jin, Im Hae Ae, Na Ak San—all of them were at the peak of Gyeseon Realm 9th Stage.

The barrier between the peak of Gyeseon Realm 9th Stage and Waseon Realm Lower Stage stood like a deep chasm descended from heaven, blocking the path of all who sought to advance.

Thus, by cultivation realm alone, Jang Wook now rivaled even the aged masters who had trained for decades.

“But my actual power···.”

Jang Wook’s expression mingled joy with frustration.

“Even measuring my own strength has become difficult.”

When he was at the peak of the Gyeseon Realm 6th Stage, he had been able to kill powerhouses at the peak of the Gyeseon Realm 9th Stage with ease, and his combat prowess had not lagged behind those of the Waseon Realm.

Now that his cultivation realm had surged explosively once more, his strength must have grown even more accordingly.

That was why Jang Wook could not gauge precisely where his abilities truly ended.

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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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