“Lord Yeon… have you been well?”

“Young Hero Jin!”

“You look quite well.”

“Kehkehkeh! Your way with words is still the same. I have been well. And you, Young Hero Jin?”

“I have been well too. Except for the fact that I was restless because I wanted to see you, Chairman.”

“Hohohot!”

So-ah and Lord Yeon, who had reunited after a long time.

The two exchanged jokes with a pleased heart and had a short chat.

As the conversation continued…

…soon, Lord Yeon’s face was filled with deep concern after hearing the news from So-ah about the subjugation of the Gansu cult branch and the fatal injury caused by the Blood Demon.

“Oh my… so that’s what happened.”

“Yes. Thanks to that, the subjugation ended successfully, so it’s okay.”

“Tsk-tsk. Where is such a sophistry? What’s the use of saving the world and saving the world? Becoming a hero and being revered by the people is a futile thing. You have to be healthy. Don’t you know that health is the best?”

Lord Yeon scolded So-ah with a stern expression.

‘A doctor is a doctor.’

Seeing Lord Yeon like that, So-ah smiled slightly.

“Isn’t that why I came, Chairman? You… will treat me, right?”

“Of course! Let’s go to the sickroom right away.”

As soon as his words ended, Lord Yeon took So-ah to the pharmacy, laid him on a bed, and began to take his pulse.

***

“Hmm… I have never seen a case like this in my life.”

Lord Yeon, who had been keenly examining So-ah’s body for a long time with all the diagnostic methods corresponding to observation, listening and smelling, questioning, and palpation, opened his mouth with a low sigh.

At that, Jeon Woo-chi, who was standing by his side, asked with a worried voice.

“Lord Yeon. Is his condition very bad?”

“No. On the contrary, his condition is so good that I am surprised. As a result of the diagnosis, Young Hero Jin’s blood vessels are severely damaged. In most cases like this, the patient does not regain consciousness, or the qi and blood are twisted and evil qi invades the five viscera. Then, even a healthy person would die a violent death in eight or nine out of ten cases.”

Jeon Woo-chi’s eyes widened like a lantern.

Although the news that his condition was good was good news, the words that he would not be able to escape death in this case were a chilling one.

But So-ah was different.

Since So-ah had already mastered medical skills to the extent that he could slap a village doctor, he immediately understood Lord Yeon’s words.

“I think it’s probably because Brother Woo-chi boosted my vitality with his spell, and I took the Great Return Pill of Shaolin and the Three-Flower Ice Soul Pill of the North Sea. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t be this fine no matter how excellent my resilience is.”

Only after hearing So-ah’s words did Lord Yeon nod as if he understood.

“If it’s the Great Return Pill of Shaolin or the Three-Flower Ice Soul Pill of the North Sea, they are treasures that cannot be obtained even with a thousand gold, so it’s understandable.”

“Lord Yeon. Will I be cured quickly? I also know a thing or two about medicine, but connecting damaged blood vessels must be a really difficult task…”

“Don’t worry about that part, Young Hero Jin.”

“…Chairman?”

“Because restoring damaged blood vessels is my specialty.”

Lord Yeon looked at So-ah with a faint smile.

“As expected! Our Chairman… is the best in the world in medicine.”

So-ah, who was so pleased with Lord Yeon’s affirmation, made a joke.

“Young Hero Jin. Instead…”

“?”

“It will hurt a lot.”

“What do you mean?”

“Because I have to use a long needle to connect the damaged blood vessels.”

As soon as his words ended, Lord Yeon took out a long piece of metal from his acupuncture case.

“Hah…”

“Hup!”

So-ah and Jeon Woo-chi, with astonished faces, simultaneously sucked in their breath.

‘Is that a needle? It’s a sword. Crazy!’

How would So-ah have known?

That the piece of metal, which was hard to distinguish whether it was a sword or a needle, was the unique long needle of the ‘Yeon family’ that could only be seen at the Qinghai Manchu Pharmacopoeia.

***

As expected, So-ah’s strength was recovering at an unbelievably fast rate.

Lord Yeon rarely took care of patients himself.

Because in the Manchu Pharmacopoeia, there were plenty of doctors who were not lacking to be called divine doctors.

But Lord Yeon himself had been doing his best for several days, performing acupuncture every two hours, applying moxibustion, and boiling and offering decoctions.

Moreover, he had applied the ointment that could only be made at the Qinghai Manchu Pharmacopoeia to all of So-ah’s wounds and had even cleanly managed the fractures that had not yet fully healed…

‘Done. Now I can even draw out the power of awakening.’

On the exactly 7th day of receiving treatment.

So-ah realized that he could now operate his internal energy as before.

“Chairman. I think my body has completely recovered.”

“It will. In fact, most of the damaged blood vessels have been restored. But stay at my house for a few more days and focus on recuperation. Because a complete cure is finished by observing the prognosis after the treatment is over.”

“I will do so. Then I can now explode my internal energy, right?”

“That’s right. On the contrary, it can be a test to gauge the degree of recovery, so try to raise your internal energy as much as you can.”

As soon as the permission was granted, So-ah found a deep mountain nearby and sat down in a cross-legged position.

Since he had decided to test the operation of his internal energy, he was thinking of raising the power of his awakened state.

A moment later…

While simultaneously raising the power of the [Great Purity Limitless Divine Core] and the [Vajra Bronze-Man God Core] that were deeply submerged in his lower dantian, he raised his Supreme Meridian Energy to the maximum, and a powerful wave of ki spread from around his body.

In an instant, a phenomenon occurred where the atmosphere was distorted and the surrounding objects were compressed, a rare sight as if space-time was being crushed.

White steam rose from So-ah’s Baihui point.

Soon, his face was dyed the color of a jujube, and when he opened his closed eyes, a blue-green light exploded from his two eyes, so brightly that it illuminated the close distance of the dark mountain.

‘Entering the awakened state has become easier than before, hasn’t it?’

It was a strange thing.

To enter the awakened state, even So-ah had to exert considerable concentration and invest a certain amount of time.

But now, the power of awakening was being activated without any difficulty, as if it had been completely accumulated in So-ah’s body from the beginning.

This was a case of two possibilities.

One was to risk one’s life and raise one’s innate qi.

The other was,

‘My internal energy has increased by leaps and bounds.’

So-ah’s case was the latter.

‘It’s thanks to taking the Great Return Pill and the Three-Flower Ice Soul Pill.’

So-ah attributed the increase in his internal energy to the taking of the spiritual medicine.

It was inevitable…

Because the Great Return Pill and the Three-Flower Ice Soul Pill that he had taken when he had lost consciousness were not just any spiritual pills.

The Great Return Pill was a precious spiritual pill that was given only once to those with very outstanding martial arts talent among the disciples of the main mountain of Shaolin, and was not provided more than twice even to the abbot’s material or a divine monk like Gwangwon.

Moreover, since the manufacturing method of the Three-Flower Ice Soul Pill had been lost, it was a treasure that could no longer be produced, so So-ah was once again impressed by Shaolin and the North Sea, who had readily given such a spiritual pill.

‘Hmm… I should make a big donation to Shaolin… and as for the North Sea, well, they’re like family who eat from the same pot as me anyway.’

To those who have shown kindness, even greater kindness.

To his enemies, he would give them hell. That was Jin So-ah.

Vowing to repay the kindness to Shaolin and the North Sea, he entrusted his consciousness to the explosive internal energy.

‘I’m lucky.’

Power overflowed.

Although So-ah’s internal energy had reached its peak to the point where it was meaningless to count the years, he felt that he had opened his eyes once again through this opportunity.

‘At this rate, I won’t be behind Master Gong-seung in terms of the total amount of internal energy. I might even be able to release a more enormous amount of internal energy.’

So-ah’s thoughts were not a delusion.

In fact, So-ah’s current internal energy was comparable to that of the God of War, Moyong Cheon, in the past.

Although Moyong Cheon had accumulated his internal energy through long hours of training, So-ah had taken various spiritual medicines through his master and the Heavenly Demon since he was young, and after overcoming the ordeal of the Ghost Valley Mountain Manor, he had even ingested the [Great Purity Limitless Divine Core] and the [Vajra Bronze-Man God Core], which did not exist in the human world.

Furthermore, he had taken the Great Return Pill twice, which was unprecedented for an outsider, and had taken the inner core of the Snow Mountain Giant and the Three-Flower Ice Soul Pill of the North Sea, so it was safe to say that there was no one in history as lucky as So-ah.

Just then.

[Owner of the Ghost Valley Mountain Manor… do you wish to challenge the trial of the third room?]

‘?!’

A familiar voice echoed in So-ah’s mind.

That voice was not a human’s voice, but was imprinted on his heart like a heavenly message…

‘The trial of the third room is coming out now!’

The final trial of the Ghost Valley Mountain Manor.

In other words, the final trial where the [Myriad Streams Returning to One Divine Core] was sleeping was about to unfold before So-ah.

‘I thought I had to gain the enlightenment of the life and death realm to find the trial of the third room. So I thought I might never be able to reach it in my lifetime…’

In an instant, So-ah could not help but fall into a whirlwind of doubt and confusion.

But,

[Owner of the Ghost Valley Mountain Manor… do you wish to challenge the trial of the third room?]

The heavenly message continued to echo as if it was urging him…

‘I…’

So-ah had no choice.

‘I have to become stronger.’

Every time he had overcome the ordeal of the Ghost Valley Mountain Manor, So-ah had grown surprisingly.

Of course, it was not an easy path.

Especially the life-and-death struggle with the 18 Vajra Bronze-Men of illusion that he had experienced in the trial of the second room was terrible even to think about again.

But,

‘What is life?’

If you were to pick the person who had lost the most fear in the world, it would be So-ah, and

‘Even if I die, I’m going.’

Retreat did not exist in So-ah’s dictionary.

So-ah had learned that way, had lived that way, and would continue to do so in the future.

And now.

“I challenge the trial of the third room!”

It was a time when he had to become stronger than ever.

‘Blood Demon, you old man. Wait. The day we meet again, I’ll wring your neck.’

The Blood Demon, who had given him his second defeat in his life.

Until he killed him, So-ah would not be able to sleep comfortably with his feet stretched out.

And…

So-ah was originally a person who was strong in revenge.

***

‘What is this…!’

A surprising phenomenon occurred.

As soon as he said he would challenge the trial of the third room.

‘My body is stiffening?’

So-ah’s body stiffened like a block of wood, and he could not take a single step.

He couldn’t even open his eyes properly.

As before, in a cross-legged position, unable to move a muscle, a brilliant white light exploded in So-ah’s vision.

‘…’

The light contained an irresistible power.

So-ah, without knowing it, was lost in a daze, and in his vision, which had spread out like a blank sheet of paper, a scene of a group of stars falling from the sky unfolded.

‘Uh…’

At the same time.

His consciousness flickered and then went out.

***

“This is…”

A landscape that made his heart pound just by looking at it.

Before So-ah’s eyes, a strange,

An otherworldly space that could not be seen as the human world was unfolding.

“What on earth happened?”

But So-ah, as befitting a person with a firm soul, soon realized that the strange world was an illusion, and furthermore, a dream.

‘Yes. This is definitely a dream. A world painted in gray with a dreamlike feeling. It must be a dream.’

But whether it was an illusion or a dream.

The ordeal of the Ghost Valley Mountain Manor always followed the same laws as the present world.

In other words, death here.

‘I’ll actually die.’

Meant death in the present world.

‘I don’t know what kind of ordeal will unfold, but I have to be on my guard.’

As he hardened his resolve…

A huge reclining Buddha statue, which was like looking at Mount Tai, caught So-ah’s attention.

‘It’s really enormous.’

It was not a figure of speech.

That reclining Buddha statue was actually so unbelievably large that it was not lacking even when compared to a huge mountain.

And…

At the highest point of the Buddha statue, two figures were standing upright and looking down at So-ah,

‘What are those?’

The two figures were an old man in his early sixties and a child with a short stature like a dwarf, wearing thick armor.

But.

‘…Is that a person?’

So-ah, who had focused his vision and looked closely at the dwarf, was astonished.

“It’s a monkey?!”

Because the dwarf was not a person, but a monkey.

「How dare a mere human crawl in here?」

So-ah’s face was stained with astonishment.

Because the monkey had spoken in human language.

Moreover, his expression, gestures, and tone of voice.

He was extremely arrogant.

The 18 Vajra Bronze-Men were at least human-shaped illusions.

Now, of all things, do I have to fight a monkey brat?

As So-ah was unable to hide his bewilderment.

The monkey’s mouth opened once again.

「I will make you pay the price for climbing Mount Huaguo, my sacred ground.」

Mount Huaguo?

Why don’t you just say you’re the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal, you monkey bastard.

“Hah… of all things, really, f*ck.”

It was a moment when a deep sigh came out on its own.

(End of Chapter)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep