“Burp! That was good.”
“There’s quite a bit left. Shall I make it into jerky?”
“Yes.”
“Please rest now. I’ll clean up.”
“Oh, really? Thanks, I’ll leave it to you.”
Ma Dong-pil glanced at Seo Ryang while carrying the pot. Seo Ryang had already stood up and was walking to the edge of the courtyard.
He’s grown even more.
Though always tall, Seo Ryang had appeared frail due to the demonic qi deviation.
That Seo Ryang was gone. His broad shoulders, well-honed body, and absolutely unwavering gait exemplified the ideal warrior.
He had actually grown taller too. In the early days of their Solitary Bamboo Forest life, they had been about the same height, but now Ma Dong-pil had to look up slightly to meet his eyes.
Though some people grow later than others, the change in his physique was still astonishing.
“Young Master, about your wounds…”
“It’s fine. This much can be handled with qi cultivation.”
“Understood.”
Though he had more to say, Ma Dong-pil focused on cleaning up first.
Seo Ryang walked to the edge of the courtyard and went outside through the main gate.
He took a deep breath.
“The air here is absolutely incredible!”
Even if it is an insanely dangerous place.
The air is good and his stomach is full. Most importantly, he’d killed that Lù Shǔ beast that had gotten him before.
It had been a fulfilling day.
“Though my arm is a bit sore.”
Seo Ryang frowned while looking at his left arm. The arm that had blocked the Lù Shǔ’s back kick was swollen.
Still, this isn’t too bad.
As he smiled while examining his arm, Seo Ryang suddenly looked over his whole body.
Not bad at all.
After eight months, his body had reached near perfection.
His appropriately swollen chest muscles, abs compressed like flint, and well-proportioned limbs were quite pleasing to the eye. It was impossible to imagine this was once an emaciated body with visible ribs.
This really is a bizarre place.
The overly concentrated spiritual energy not only created spiritual bamboo and demonic beasts but even transformed the bodies of those who lived here.
Of course, this was only possible with corresponding effort. Since entering the Solitary Bamboo Forest, he hadn’t slept more than two hours a day.
Even so, this wasn’t the kind of physique one could achieve in just eight months.
“That’s why it’s dangerous.”
Too much of a good thing becomes poison. While the bamboo and demonic beasts here had perfectly adapted to the environment, humans could not.
At this rate, his body would develop problems within three months.
I need to gain everything I can before then.
Seo Ryang sat in lotus position.
Closing his eyes to observe his interior, he felt his pulsating danjeon.
This was power he couldn’t have imagined eight months ago. His seething internal energy felt ready to burst out into the world at any moment.
Come.
The master’s call.
His danjeon responded to the soul’s cry imbued with powerful will.
Woong!
The swelling danjeon shot spiritual energy through his entire body’s meridians with a bang!
Whoosh.
The aftermath of hot power flowing like smoke.
Though not evil, it was fierce; though not unsettling, it was ominous. Even its fragments carried energy potent enough to throw everyone within range into panic.
Demonic Energy[1].
The demonic qi he had once found so repulsive now rose from his entire body.
Swish!
Faint heat shimmer flickered around his shoulders and back. The internal injuries from fighting the Lù Shǔ were healing.
Though the spiritual energy concentration was high, this speed was excessive even accounting for that.
A smile crossed Seo Ryang’s lips, seeming both bitter and satisfied.
It’s getting deeper.
The quality of the demonic qi had deepened further.
This had nothing to do with spiritual energy. It was purely possible because his enlightenment was on a different dimension from other masters.
The demonic qi would continue to improve in quality day by day.
So what if it’s demonic arts? You couldn’t learn martial arts this powerful anywhere else in the world. I should consider myself lucky.
Shadow True Demonic Arts[2].
It was an art he had created himself by combining the Dark Shadow Energy and True Demonic Art.
Remarkably, the Dark Shadow Energy, which had strongly inherited the advantages of Shaolin[3] martial arts, retained its Buddhist elements even when merged with demonic arts. Yet its level of demonic studies surpassed even the Ten Great Demonic Arts.
A collaboration between Demon-Subduing Energy[4] and Demon-Continuing Energy[5] that seemed absolutely impossible to mix.
The result exceeded imagination.
Crack! Crack!
His muscles rippled throughout his body, and the sound of bones shifting rang out ominously.
His physical foundation slowly reassembled. With each cultivation session, his body subtly changed to better accommodate the martial art. He was progressing toward a divine body capable of simultaneously wielding both the magnificence of Buddhist arts and the explosive power of demonic arts.
Flash!
Seo Ryang opened his eyes.
“Haa.”
His unconsciously released breath carried the pleasure of ecstasy.
Just then, Ma Dong-pil’s voice came from beside him.
“Have you finished?”
“Yeah.”
He had already cleaned the courtyard and taken up guard duty. Though he could immediately stop cultivation if he sensed killing intent, he must have still been worried.
Ma Dong-pil quietly called out to Seo Ryang.
“Young Master.”
“Setting up the mood to nag at me again?”
“Didn’t you promise not to enter dangerous areas alone?”
Seo Ryang scratched his head.
“What can I do? Time is running short.”
“Time?”
“Ah, you didn’t know?”
“What do you…”
“This place is dangerous now. More precisely, it will become dangerous soon.”
“What do you mean?”
When Seo Ryang explained what he had sensed, Ma Dong-pil’s expression immediately hardened.
“You’re saying we have three months at most?”
“Yes.”
“How can that be?”
“It’s natural for a place where balance has been broken.”
Balance? What does he mean by that?
Seo Ryang pointed to his left arm.
“Look. The arm injured by the Lù Shǔ has already healed this much. It will probably be completely healed by tomorrow morning.”
“That’s fortunate…”
“Do you think this is normal?”
“Ah… certainly not normal, but…”
“When skin tears, the body heals the wound. But what happens when the healing speed becomes extremely fast? What happens if it keeps trying to heal even after it’s completely healed?”
“…”
Seo Ryang spread his fingers.
“It bursts.”
“…!”
“That’s how the Solitary Bamboo Forest’s environment works. It’s good for growth up to a certain level, but the moment you hit a plateau, it immediately becomes poison.”
“Then…”
“Right. Within three months, or as little as two months, we need to enter the forest’s deep layers.”
“I see.”
“Once I catch just a couple more beasts, the path to the deep layers, where no one has ever ventured, will open. That’s where the highest quality spiritual bamboo, which the cult’s leadership comes to harvest, grows.”
Seo Ryang grinned.
“I need to get that.”
Ma Dong-pil sighed.
“Young Master, I’ll go seek an audience with the Cult Leader.”
“Suddenly?”
“You just said we need to leave this place within three months or something terrible will happen.”
“That’s right.”
“But unless the Cult Leader commands it, you must continue staying here…”
Seo Ryang tilted his head.
“Have you met with the Cult Leader without me?”
“…Pardon?”
“When did the Cult Leader say such things?”
Ma Dong-pil’s expression became bewildered.
“Isn’t it… obvious? Since he sent you here, you can’t return to your residence unless he permits…”
“Puhah! Don’t tell me you thought I’ve been stuck here for eight months because of the Cult Leader?”
“Was… that not the case?”
Swoosh.
Seo Ryang rose from his seat.
Tall with a sturdy build. Just looking at his trained physique, he was no less impressive than any peak master.
“The Cult Leader only told me to go to the Solitary Bamboo Forest, he never specified when to return.”
“…!”
“I only realized this after learning martial arts, but the Cult Leader was granting my request. It just happened to be the Solitary Bamboo Forest rather than the outskirts.”
“Such an interpretation…”
“Not a suitable place for getting some fresh air? Well, that’s true. But thanks to that, I’ve gotten stronger, haven’t I?”
Seo Ryang smiled.
It was composure that had come after gaining strength, no, after accepting reality.
“I plan to gather everything I can get before leaving. That’s why I’ve endured until now. Because it benefits me too.”
“…I see.”
Though he responded, Ma Dong-pil still seemed confused. He couldn’t even attempt to interpret the intentions of the cult’s, no, the demonic path’s absolute authority.
The same would be true for most of the demonic practitioners within the cult.
“By the way, how did it go with what I asked for?”
“Ah, please wait a moment.”
Ma Dong-pil brought five packets of medicine, tea leaves, and a long weapon wrapped in black cloth from the room.
Seo Ryang’s eyes sparkled.
“You brought five portions of Turbidity Control Grass[6]?”
“Yes. They said they had some distributed for personal experiments.”
Seo Ryang muttered in admiration.
“That’s impressive indeed. How much money do they have to distribute Turbidity Control Grass even to ordinary physicians?”
“The Yunnan Branch[7] sends medicinal herbs monthly. They say such herbs are abundant in Mount Ailao[8] in Yunnan. They’ve even succeeded in cultivating some herbs, so quantities are plentiful.”
“Ah!”
Though he’d never been to Mount Ailao, he’d heard its terrain was among the most treacherous in the continent, teeming with all sorts of poisonous creatures, fierce beasts, and unusual herbs.
“But how did Turbidity Control Grass…”
“There’s something else. Is this the Cave Pine Tea?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Well done.”
Seo Ryang tucked the medicine packets and tea leaves into his clothes. His delight was evident.
“Just asking in case, but can you get more Turbidity Control Grass?”
“If we use the method of going through my colleague without anyone knowing, I honestly can’t give you a definite answer.”
“Tch. Really?”
“Yes. This month they’re studying the mixture ratio for a decoction called All-Wellness Decoction using this herb. Since it’s the main ingredient, we’d have to wait at least two more months to get more…”
“Wait.”
Seo Ryang tilted his head.
“What did you just say? All-Wellness Decoction?”
“Ah, yes. That’s what I heard.”
“Turbidity Control Grass is used in All-Wellness Decoction?”
“Yes.”
Seo Ryang frowned.
Wasn’t All-Wellness Decoction the medicine he had drunk relentlessly for three months after awakening in this body?
“You said Turbidity Control Grass is the main ingredient? Are you sure?”
“That’s definitely what I heard, but…”
This doesn’t make sense.
Turbidity Control Grass, true to its name, removes turbid qi. However, it also suppresses yang energy, so even internal energy masters can harm their bodies if they take it carelessly or overdose.
No matter how much processing it undergoes, the essential nature of medicinal power doesn’t change.
They fed such an herb to a patient dying from the effects of demonic qi deviation? And not just as a supplementary ingredient, but as the main component?
It’s even stranger considering his body had been covered in Demonic Energy Traces[9].
Turbidity Control Grass attacks even demonic qi because its medicinal power is too strong. While it might be fine with abundant demonic qi, it’s fatal when used on a depleted body.
“That can’t be right? Even someone with basic medical knowledge wouldn’t prescribe that?”
As his suspicions grew, Seo Ryang lowered his eyes in thought and suddenly recalled another prescription.
“Dong-pil.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Do you know about the Brocade Crystal Needles?”
He asked just in case, but surprisingly, Ma Dong-pil nodded.
“Of course.”
“You know? What is it?”
“Rather than the name of needles specifically, it should be considered an acupuncture technique. It’s a method that slightly tenses overly relaxed muscles to balance the body.”
“How do you know that?”
“I received the treatment several times before missions when my body was loosened from qi cultivation. It’s not even a difficult procedure. I remember it was quite effective…”
Suddenly Ma Dong-pil couldn’t continue speaking.
Above the Young Master’s expressionless face, his floating eyes carried their characteristic cold murderous aura.
They administered All-Wellness Decoction to an extremely depleted body, and stuck Brocade Crystal Needles into a body that was already completely rigid?
And not to just anyone, but to the Cult Leader’s disciple?
Surely the physician didn’t do this independently.
It would have to be at least a top executive or someone of similar disciple rank…
Disciple?
Suddenly, memories of Hong Yeo-rin flashed through his mind.
And the fact that she was the younger sister of another disciple like himself.
“…Look at these bastards?”