Ultimate Martial Venerable - Chapter 8

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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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Episode 8. A Body Aflame
“Come at me with everything you have.”

At Yuk Ho Yeon’s words, Yuk Beom took his stance in the center of the Pavilion by the Lake.
His grandfather was a master of the Inner Gangjing Realm

at the ninth stage. Even at full strength, he’d be fortunate to brush the old man’s sleeve, so there was no reason to hold back.
Yuk Beom drew his left foot back and lowered his hips. As his breathing settled, his entire body hardened like a drawn bow pulled taut.
A faint gleam of satisfaction flickered across Yuk Ho Yeon’s eyes.

“Here I come!”

Yuk Beom drove off the ground.
His straightened fist hurtled toward Yuk Ho Yeon’s chest, but just before it touched cloth, an invisible barrier stopped it cold.
Whoosh!
A transparent ripple shimmered through the empty air.
Even as Yuk Beom drove his shoulder forward, his fist couldn’t penetrate further. It was the wall of Strong Energy

that an Inner Gangjing martial artist wore around their body.
And yet when his Yeon Che Gong sixth-stage fist created a disturbance in that barrier, Yuk Ho Yeon’s eyes brightened.

“Again!”

Yuk Beom used the rebound to twist his hips.
The power that began at his toes flowed through his legs and waist, then surged into his back. The strength he had honed over thousands of strikes against rock in the Western Mountains converged into a single point.

“Collapsing Mountain Fist!”

Crash!
Both fists struck the barrier head-on.
The air around the pavilion trembled sharply, and concentric ripples spread across the once-calm lake. Yuk Ho Yeon felt his lips curl upward without thinking.
It was every bit the equal of a newly advanced Inner Gangjing martial artist’s full blow.
Then it happened.
A thread-thin wisp of energy surged from Yuk Beom’s dantian.
It raced along both arms and bloomed above his fists in violet flame.
Crack!
The smile vanished from Yuk Ho Yeon’s face.
He flicked his hand lightly, and a powerful gust erupted, pushing Yuk Beom back three paces. The flame on his fists soon extinguished without a trace.
Yuk Beom gasped for breath, feeling the hollow void of his depleted dantian. It seemed he’d spent the entire wisp of energy in a single burst.

“What was that flame just now?”

Yuk Ho Yeon approached urgently.

“I’m not entirely sure myself.”

He could not yet reveal anything about his master or Mun Hwa Jeong. Yuk Beom drew out the answer he had prepared in advance.

“It first appeared when I drew my strength too far during cultivation. I can’t use it at will, and it seems to emerge only once when enough energy has accumulated in my body.”

Yuk Ho Yeon seized Yuk Beom’s fist and examined it carefully from every angle. The back of his hand was unmarred, with no trace of burns.
A moment later, unconcealed joy spread across the old man’s face.

“Do you know what you possess, boy?”

Yuk Beom shook his head.

“Innate Fire.

That is what you have.”
“Innate Fire?”
“Only those born with an affinity for fire can awaken it. Usually it manifests after one has cultivated Strong Energy, but you’ve already unlocked it at the Yeon Che Gong stage.”
“The Yuk Clan’s secret transmission is the Blazing Gold Body—a transcendent martial art that tempers the body through the power of fire.

But until now, no one has ever mastered it completely.”

Blazing Gold Body.

.
Yuk Beom had heard that name since childhood—the highest secret technique of the Yuk Clan, passed down only to successive heads of the family.

“If one lacks talent in handling fire, the technique yields only half its power, and careless practice can cause the flames to harm the body itself.”
“But you are different. You may well reach a stage even our ancestors never attained.”

He left the Pavilion without further delay.

“Come with me.”
“Where are we going, Grandfather?”
“The Scripture Hall. I will teach you the Blazing Gold Body tonight.”

Yuk Beom’s heart thundered against his ribs.
It was the family secret technique he had longed for since childhood. If he learned the Blazing Gold Body, perhaps he could nurture the Flame Practitioner’s fire alongside it.
Even as Yuk Ho Yeon walked toward the Scripture Hall, excitement thrummed through him like a current he could not quite contain.

“Forgive me.”

Yuk Beom looked up at the sudden apology.

“I knew how hard you labored, yet I saw only a lack of talent. I failed to recognize the jewel that lay at my side—a shameful oversight.”
“You’ve done nothing wrong, Grandfather.”
“No. A man must own his mistakes.”

Yuk Ho Yeon stopped walking and looked at Yuk Beom squarely.

“If you need anything from this point forward—whether medicinal herbs, weapons, or whatever else the clan can provide—you have only to ask. It will be yours.”

Yuk Beom thought of the empty purse at his side.

“Then I need funds to purchase medicinal materials.”
“How much?”
“Tens of gold coins should suffice.”

Yuk Ho Yeon laughed aloud.

“You ask for such a pittance? I’ll have a word with the Accounts Office tomorrow. Take whatever you need.”

As the two entered the Scripture Hall, the old keeper—Sin Do—set down his book.

“What’s all this commotion in the dead of night?”
“Sin, bring out the Blazing Gold Body Manual.”

At Yuk Ho Yeon’s words, Sin Do’s eyes narrowed.

“Age has made you impatient. What boy has earned the right to learn that?”

His gaze fixed on Yuk Beom.

“Don’t tell me it’s Yuk Beom.”
“It is.”

The old man spoke as if he found it absurd.

“How long have you been learning martial arts, and already you’re chasing after the Blazing Gold Body? Yeon Che Gong Stage 6 alone is not enough.”

Yuk Ho Yeon laughed with confidence.

“Once you see it for yourself, you’ll think differently.”

Yuk Beom followed the two old men out of the Scripture Hall toward the Black Stone.
The problem was that moments ago he had conjured flame and spent all the energy in his body. He had no way of knowing whether he could produce flame again so soon.
Yuk Beom closed his eyes and steadied his breathing, but his Dantian responded sluggishly at best.
The old man let out a soft chuckle.

“So you’re going to show us your trick of standing all night?”
“Please wait just a moment longer, sir.”

Yuk Ho Yeon kept up a composed facade, but urgency crept into his voice.
Yuk Beom shut out all sounds from the world around him.
He recalled the moment when the inferno of the Innate Fire swept through bone and meridians, when from deep within his Dantian a wisp of energy—thin as thread—had been born.
After a long pause, a faint warmth bloomed in the previously empty Dantian.
Yuk Beom’s eyes snapped open.
Before the warmth could scatter, he drove his fist toward the Black Stone.
Bang!
――――――――――
【Black Stone Evaluation】
Realm: Yeon Che Gong Stage 6
Grade: Intermediate
――――――――――
The old man did not even glance at the measurement result.
His gaze was fixed on the violet flame that erupted from Yuk Beom’s fist.

“This is…….”

The old man stepped forward and caught the burning fist with his bare hand. The flame licked across his palm, yet he showed no sign of pain.

“Innate Fire.”

His trembling voice echoed across the courtyard before the Scripture Hall.

“True Innate Fire. Heaven has finally granted our Yuk Clan a proper heir!”

The old man, who normally kept his emotions concealed, held fast to Yuk Beom’s hand and would not let go.
Yuk Ho Yeon smiled with satisfaction.

“Will you now bring out the secret manual?”

Instead of answering, the old man drew an aged book from his robe.
The condition of the binding was sound, yet the cover bore the unmistakable marks of countless years.
Blazing Fire Golden Body Manual.
The moment Yuk Beom saw those four characters, his heart leaped.

“The secret manual cannot be taken outside.”

The old man handed him the book and spoke.

“Memorize all of it before the night is through. Any part you do not understand, ask me anytime. I will watch directly over how far you progress.”

Yuk Beom accepted the secret manual with both hands.

“Thank you.”

He settled himself before the Scripture Hall and immediately unfolded the first page.
The Blazing Gold Body was a martial art that tempered flesh and bone with the fire essence of heaven and earth, forging the entire body into a weapon. It shared roots with the body-tempering discipline that O Jin had taught him.

‘If I could master both practices together…….’

Yuk Beom suppressed his excitement and etched every character into his mind.
Inside, Yuk Ho Yeon and the old man were tilting wine cups together for the first time in ages. The low laughter of the two elders occasionally drifted beyond the door.
Deep into the night, Yuk Beom never lifted his eyes from the book.
By the time dawn broke, he had memorized every word of the final passage.
* * *
As morning arrived, Yuk Beom gathered all the medicinal ingredients and headed for O Jin’s tavern.
Though he had gone without sleep the entire night, his mind remained sharp.

“Master, I’ve arrived.”

O Jin’s gaze fell upon the ring on his disciple’s finger, and he asked.

“Did you acquire all the ingredients?”
“Yes. Money came in last night, so I bought everything that was left.”
“Money came in?”
“I demonstrated my skills to Grandfather, and he gave me gold coins along with one of the clan’s secret techniques.”

When Yuk Beom brought up the Blazing Gold Body, O Jin’s eyes flickered with something fleeting.

“A martial art that tempers the body through flame……. It suits you well.”
“I think so too.”

Yuk Beom laid out more than a dozen medicinal ingredients—Lantern Herb, Red Root, Yellow Essence, and others—in the Rear Courtyard.
O Jin examined the color and fragrance of each ingredient and nodded in approval.

“Nothing spoiled, and the quality is uniform.”
“What will we make today?”
Body Tempering Elixir.”

At the unfamiliar name, Yuk Beom gazed down at the pile of ingredients.

“It doesn’t seem to be a pellet.”
“Correct. You can’t start with pellets when you still can’t properly control your Primal Qi.”

O Jin took a handful of Lantern Herb in his grip.

“It’s a medicinal preparation for tempering the body. It fortifies Qi and blood and muscle, shortening the time needed to build Strong Energy, and it aids your Blazing Gold Body practice as well.”

As he spoke, white vapor curled from his palm.
The Lantern Herb crumbled into fine powder in an instant, yet it never fell to the ground. The powder floated above his hand like a cloud.
The other ingredients, too, were reduced to powder in turn.
As O Jin blended the powders, he explained the proper amount and sequence of each. Even similar powders produced vastly different medicinal effects depending on the order and quantity in which they were added.
A thread of water suddenly flew into the swirling powder.
O Jin flicked his finger, and violet flames bloomed, wrapping around the dampened ingredients.
Moments later, the powder had transformed into a dark-red liquid that released a fragrant aroma.
As the liquid flowed into a large Alcohol Jar, O Jin brushed off his hands.

“This is the Body Tempering Elixir.”
“A drinking medicine, then.”
“That way, absorption is faster.”

Yuk Beom peered into the Alcohol Jar.

“May I test its effects?”
“If you take a little each day, it should last a month or two.”

Hearing that his cultivation speed would accelerate, Yuk Beom didn’t hesitate. He lifted the jar like a wine cup and swallowed a large mouthful of the dark crimson liquid in one gulp.
It had almost no taste.
But the moment the medicine touched his stomach, an unbearable itching erupted across his entire body.

“Ngh!”

Yuk Beom’s instinct was to scratch his arms.

“Don’t scratch.”

O Jin’s warning cut through the air.

“Your body is transforming rapidly. If you scratch now, you could tear off entire layers of skin.”

Yuk Beom’s hands froze in midair.
The itching didn’t stop at his skin. It felt as though thousands of insects were crawling through his bones, gnawing away.

“Master… what am I supposed to do in this state?”

O Jin gestured toward the remaining medicinal ingredients with his chin.

“Prepare them as you just saw me do.”
“Now?”
“You cannot master two paths simultaneously if you only focus when comfortable. Let your body cultivate martial arts while your hands work with the medicine.”

O Jin’s voice turned resolute.

“Complete the first stage of Body Tempering Elixir refinement in this state. Only then will I teach you the true Flame Breathing Method.”

Yuk Beom clenched his teeth and seized a Lantern Herb leaf.
With each movement of his fingers, the itching burrowed deeper into his bones. His concentration scattered before he’d even rubbed the herbs a few times. Finally, he thrust his fist into empty air as if to shake off the torment.

“Pain would be better than this!”

O Jin suppressed a laugh and dragged over a rocking chair.

“Then practice martial arts. Now would be the perfect time to test that Blazing Gold Body you learned last night.”

Yuk Beom immediately assumed the horse stance.
He imagined heaven and earth as a vast furnace, his own body refined within it.
He recalled the opening verse of the Blazing Gold Body manual and steadied his breathing. It wasn’t easy to isolate a single thread of sensation amid the maddening itching and cling to it. Yet he didn’t yield.
He persisted.
O Jin settled into the rocking chair, observing his disciple. There was one thing, however, that he hadn’t revealed.
Ordinarily, one took the Body Tempering Elixir a few drops at a time. What Yuk Beom had swallowed was the amount most people divided among themselves over several days.
It was precisely for this reason that O Jin had poured the medicine into the Alcohol Jar.

‘He must endure this much to be my disciple.’

A mischievous smile spread across O Jin’s lips.
Unaware of any of this, Yuk Beom continued the first breathing sequence of the Blazing Gold Body, persevering through the itching that ravaged his entire frame.

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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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