Genius Martial Arts Trainer

Hyun-gwang, having glossed over the topic of the head monk, continued speaking.

“To cross the wall, Mu-jin, you will take the Great Restoration Pill. However, there is something you must know beforehand. This time, when you take the Great Restoration Pill, you must keep in mind that it is not simply about increasing your internal energy.”

“What should I be mindful of then?”

“This time, you must utilize the energy of the Great Restoration Pill to stimulate all the meridians in your body.”

“!!!”

Stimulating the meridians.

It was a concept frequently seen in martial arts novels. Typically, it involved falling from a cliff, coincidentally acquiring a miraculous medicine, and reaching a new level during the absorption process.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve also obtained a miraculous medicine.’

Reflecting on this, Mu-jin nodded thoughtfully.

When martial artists circulated their energy throughout their bodies, the energy typically flowed through the largest meridian points.

The reason was simple.

Martial arts were ultimately techniques for fighting, utilizing the major meridians that allowed for the fastest and most substantial movement of energy. In combat, speed was crucial.

Stimulating the meridians involved clearing the blocked or narrow pathways that were rarely used.

It could be considered a form of road expansion.

In other words, if the energy had previously moved along one or two-lane roads, stimulating the meridians would expand those roads to four or even eight lanes.

Even with the same amount of internal energy, the volume of energy that could be used at one time would increase. Naturally, the power and speed would also increase to an incomparable degree.

Just thinking about it made Mu-jin’s heart race.

“So, should I take the Great Restoration Pill and stimulate the meridians right now?”

When Mu-jin asked with a slightly excited face, Hyun-gwang shook his head.

“You need to prepare to stimulate the meridians first.”

Saying this, Hyun-gwang handed Mu-jin a small booklet he had prepared in advance.

Mu-jin accepted the booklet and opened it.

Inside, the booklet contained drawings of the human body with various points and lines, along with additional explanations.

“This booklet was written by this old man over several days. It details the order and routes for stimulating the meridians. You must memorize the contents of this booklet before absorbing the Great Restoration Pill.”

As Mu-jin nodded thoughtfully, Hyun-gwang added a final explanation.

“This old man will assist you with the absorption, but ultimately, you are the main actor. Mu-jin, so do not be impatient. From now on, take your time to memorize the contents of the booklet thoroughly.”

“Disciple, calm your mind and steadily memorize the contents.”

“Haha, I trust you.”

* * *

After that, Mu-jin read and reread the booklet Hyun-gwang had given him in his room.

Through the drawings and phrases written in the booklet, he repeatedly trained his imagination.

Imagining guiding the energy of the Great Restoration Pill to stimulate the meridians in the order written in the booklet.

And after three days had passed,

“Are you fully prepared?”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

Finally, it was time to absorb the Great Restoration Pill.

When Hyun-gwang handed over the box containing the pill, Mu-jin took a deep breath to calm his nerves before accepting it.

‘This is the Great Restoration Pill.’

He only briefly gazed at the pill revealed upon opening the box.

Mu-jin then boldly put the Great Restoration Pill into his mouth.

The moment his teeth crushed the pill, a massive surge of energy began to seep out as the perfect balance of the pill was disrupted.

Despite the vastness of the energy, Mu-jin, who had previously experienced consuming the lesser version, the Lesser Restoration Pill, was not fazed.

He confidently swallowed the partially chewed Great Restoration Pill.

‘The energy is vast, yet there is no hint of malevolence.’

Indeed, it was fitting to be a symbol of Shaolin. Despite the immense energy, it didn’t feel harmful to the body.

Even someone untrained in martial arts would find their energy replenished by consuming it. Of course, the energy not absorbed would be wasted into the air.

But Mu-jin had no intention of wasting any of that energy.

‘Let’s begin immediately.’

As he had done with the Lesser Restoration Pill, Mu-jin began to guide the energy of the Great Restoration Pill within his body.

However, this time was different. The goal was not simply to increase his internal energy.

He did not guide the energy according to the Great Vehicle Mind Technique. Instead, as written in Hyun-gwang’s booklet, he mixed the energy of the Great Restoration Pill with his own and directed it towards the meridians.

‘Ugh.’

The massive energy of the Great Restoration Pill forcefully broke through the narrow pathways.

The pain from this was considerable, but surprisingly, the forcibly opened and expanded meridians did not sustain any significant injuries.

This was because, despite its vast and heavy nature, the energy of the Great Restoration Pill fundamentally contained a protective quality.

‘Whew. Let’s start with the fingertips on the left hand.’

The order written in the booklet Hyun-gwang had given was quite peculiar.

The energy of the Great Restoration Pill traveled through the esophagus to the stomach. Mu-jin’s internal energy resided in his danjeon.

Naturally, he expected to stimulate the meridians in the central part of his body first. However, the booklet instructed him to guide the energy of the Great Restoration Pill to the extremities—his hands and feet—using his own internal energy.

Instead of touching the smaller meridians, the instruction was to use the main meridians through which energy flowed best at the moment.

The booklet instructed to utilize the massive energy moving through the main meridians to first clear the smaller meridians at the extremities, and then gradually work towards the inner meridians of the body.

Even though this method required repeatedly circulating internal energy from the danjeon and stomach to the fingertips, taking a considerable amount of time, Mu-jin didn’t question the reasoning behind it.

And soon enough, he understood the reason.

‘So this is why…’

After stimulating the meridians, the stagnant energy that had been blocking the meridians started to be expelled.

Therefore, immediately after stimulating the meridians, this stagnant energy had to be expelled from the body. If left unchecked, it would block the meridians again.

The problem arose when the stimulation started from the inside of the body, as the stagnant energy would accumulate continuously.

For example, if he were to clear the path from the danjeon to the left arm in one go, he would have to carry all the stagnant energy blocking the meridians along the way to the fingertips.

Without a massive amount of energy to push all the way to the fingertips, and without the ability to control that energy freely, it would be a very dangerous endeavor.

Of course, this method had its drawbacks.

In seeking safety, it took a long time. And as time passed, the energy of the Great Restoration Pill would be lost through his mouth and nose.

However, Mu-jin didn’t worry.

By the time Mu-jin had stimulated all the meridians in his arms and legs, the energy of the Great Restoration Pill in his stomach had completely run out.

“Now, start absorbing the energy of the Great Restoration Pill through your nose.”

Mu-jin began to absorb the energy of the Great Restoration Pill that Hyun-gwang had held in place with his natural energy, just as he had done previously with the Lesser Restoration Pill.

Using the energy absorbed through his nose, Mu-jin started stimulating the meridians in the central part of his body.

‘Indeed, if I had started from the center, I might have fallen into Qi deviation.’

Each time he stimulated the meridians, he experienced intense pain. If he had cleared a single path from the center at once, the pain would have been continuous. Meanwhile, the stagnant energy would have kept accumulating. At his current level, attempting such a feat would have likely resulted in nine out of ten cases of Qi deviation.

But thanks to Hyun-gwang’s various arrangements, such misfortune was avoided.

After using the last of the energy from the Great Restoration Pill to clear the final meridian,

“Whew.”

With a deep breath, Mu-jin opened his eyes.

His pupils flashed with intense light for a moment.

“Whew.”

As Mu-jin took another deep breath, the light in his eyes quickly subsided.

“It seems you’ve achieved a significant breakthrough. Haha.”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

As Mu-jin bowed his head and responded, Hyun-gwang asked in a worried tone.

“You didn’t get greedy, did you?”

“No, I emptied everything out.”

“Well done.”

The emptied state referred to the energy of the Great Restoration Pill.

As the small meridians were unblocked, the energy of the Great Restoration Pill, mixed with rotten energies, became a type that could not be reabsorbed. If one became greedy, the small meridians could get blocked again, and in the worst case, one could fall into a state of qi deviation.

After unblocking the small meridians and filtering out all the mixed rotten energies, the actual amount of the Great Restoration Pill’s energy that Mu-jin absorbed was barely this much.

It was just a little over half of the Lesser Restoration Pill he had previously absorbed.

Considering that the energy contained in the Great Restoration Pill was easily three times that of the Lesser Restoration Pill, it was a significant loss.

‘Anyway, my internal energy is more than sufficient for my age. The rest can be gathered through mental cultivation. For now, unblocking the small meridians is much more beneficial.’

Mu-jin consoled himself in this way, letting go of his attachment to the Great Restoration Pill.

Watching Mu-jin, Hyun-gwang spoke with a gentle tone.

“Before beginning your serious training, how about washing yourself first?”

“Ahem, I’m sorry.”

The rotten energies that escaped while unblocking the small meridians had stuck to Mu-jin’s kasaya, creating a foul stench.

As Mu-jin stood up with an embarrassed expression and left the room, Hyun-gwang laughed softly.

‘Hehehe. I wonder if this is how all mothers feel.’

It was like the feeling of changing a dirty diaper for a young grandchild.

Since joining Shaolin, Hyun-gwang had never imagined he would experience such feelings, but they were not entirely unpleasant.

* * *

When Mu-jin returned after washing up, Hyun-gwang spoke.

“Since you have activated the small meridians, now you will begin the training to overcome the wall.”

Overcoming the wall.

Although it was an abstract expression, Mu-jin understood what it meant.

It referred to reaching a level where one could emit qi to attack, beyond just performing martial arts physically. This typically involved techniques like sword qi, fist qi, or palm force.

“So, what kind of training should I do from now on?”

Mu-jin asked with a look of anticipation, to which Hyun-gwang responded with a light smile.

“You should train in the unique martial arts you demonstrated to this old man a few days ago at Cheonryu Sangdan. However, utilize all the small meridians you’ve just unblocked.”

“Can that really help me overcome the wall?”

In most martial arts novels, don’t people usually have some great enlightenment before they can emit qi?

Seeing Mu-jin’s puzzled expression, Hyun-gwang chuckled and explained.

“Hehehe. The martial arts you are practicing have already reached the limit of what can be contained within your body. By infusing more internal energy through the small meridians, the qi that cannot stay confined within your body will be emitted.”

“……Is that how everyone overcomes the wall?”

Mu-jin asked, tilting his head in curiosity, and Hyun-gwang shook his head.

.”Hehehe. No, that’s not the case. If others trained in this way, their qi and blood would become twisted, or their muscles and bones would be severely damaged. Forcing too much internal energy can harm the qi and blood, and likewise, using martial arts with excessively strong internal energy can damage the muscles and bones.”

“But why is that?”

“It’s because you, Mu-jin, can do it. Your body is so well-developed that it can overpower masters who freely wield sword qi with sheer physical strength. And you have also unblocked your small meridians so that a much larger amount of internal energy can flow without any problems.”

“Ah!”

Mu-jin exclaimed as if he had realized something, and Hyun-gwang, with a profound expression, continued.

“In fact, this method is more of a shortcut. Originally, you must gain enlightenment about qi to emit internal energy outside the body and manifest it according to your will. However, enlightenment about qi is so elusive that not even this old man can predict when and how someone will achieve it.”

In other words, instead of wasting time trying to gain that elusive enlightenment, they were just going to take a shortcut.

For Mu-jin, who disliked complicated and difficult things, it was the perfect solution.

But since this method only applied to himself, Mu-jin had a question.

“So, does that mean everyone else gains enlightenment about qi to overcome the wall?”

“Yes and no.”

Mu-jin tilted his head at Hyun-gwang’s seemingly Zen-like answer, prompting Hyun-gwang to elaborate.

“Some do gain enlightenment about qi to overcome the wall, as you said. However, as I mentioned earlier, that is a very arduous process. Therefore, the shortcut method is to master ascending martial arts.”

“Ascending martial arts?”

“Indeed. Do you know how martial arts are generally categorized?”

“Uh… well, not exactly, Grandfather.”

Although Mu-jin had read the first and second parts of martial arts novels several times, they mainly dealt with divine arts and unique techniques. He vaguely remembered something about the levels of martial arts but couldn’t recall the details.

“Hehehe. Normally, martial arts have their advantages and disadvantages, but the world tends to categorize them simply. First, the most basic martial arts, where one just gathers and moves internal energy, are called third-rate martial arts, introductory martial arts, or basic martial arts.”

“The Revolving Fist Technique I learned is one of those basic martial arts.”

“Exactly. Furthermore, martial arts that use special techniques to amplify speed or power are collectively called intermediate martial arts, or sometimes divided into second-rate and first-rate martial arts depending on their power and complexity.”

Mu-jin nodded inwardly at Hyun-gwang’s explanation.

That meant that the Xiao Hong Quan and Autumn Wind Leg techniques he had learned as an introductory disciple in the Arhat Faction were second-rate martial arts, and the techniques he learned after becoming a third-rank disciple were first-rate martial arts.

And the secular disciples could only learn up to first-rate martial arts.

“Finally, going beyond that, there are martial arts that discuss emitting and utilizing qi externally, and these are known as ascending martial arts. Among these ascending martial arts, those that are particularly powerful and complex are called divine arts, like the Seventy-two consummate arts of our Shaolin.”

“…Then how can people who haven’t reached the level of emitting qi learn ascending martial arts?”

“Hehehe. Think about it the other way around. All ascending martial arts fundamentally involve emitting qi. By understanding the essence of these martial arts and practicing how to use internal energy accordingly, one will naturally be able to emit qi eventually.”

“Ah! So that’s also a kind of shortcut.”

Mu-jin exclaimed in admiration, and Hyun-gwang nodded his head.

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