Chapter 29 Killing Two Birds with One Stone (1)

Chapter 29 Killing Two Birds with One Stone (1)

Thud, thud!

Ha Jin-ak’s internal energy, Gu Yang-jeok’s own true qi, combined with the spirit essence of the Jasmine Pill and the martial power of Jung Jung-san.

They once again.

Slammed fiercely into the wall.

“…Guh, ugh.”

Crimson blood flowed from the tightly pressed lips of Gu Yangjie.

His complexion was poor.

The vivid red, as much as the darkened blood, signified deep internal injuries.

Then, ping, a light flashed before his eyes.

To Gu Yangjie’s vision, it seemed as if countless explosives were detonating.

It meant the despair of losing Ha Jin-ak, the overwhelming power.

Yet, Gu Yang-jeok did not lose consciousness again. Instead, it burned fiercely within him.

Kung, thud thud!

In one leap, a great stride.

Gu Yang-jeok bent his knees, clutching his belly as if it might burst out at any moment.

A fire, thick with venom, flared in Gu Yang-jeok’s pupils.

But then, a cold voice cut through it.

-Do not push yourself any further.

It was Jeong Jung-san.

What he felt emanating from him was a sense of tranquility.

Soon, a power even more profound than the borrowed internal energy Gu Yang-jeok possessed blocked the path to the Small Heavenly Circuit.

He was surely trying to stop him, wary that he might suffer severe internal injuries or fall into demonic possession.

But Gu Yangji kicked away the hand Zheng Zhongshan extended. Tranquility was not something that suited him.

He only pressed forward, sharpening the edge of his spear even more resolutely.

Sensing that unyielding resolve, Zheng Zhongshan spoke.

-……You.

But Gu Yangji did not listen.

Instead, as if determined to see this through before the spirit of the Jasmine Dan dispersed, he sharpened his intent even further.

This entire sequence was clearly unfavorable.

If handled poorly, even Zheng Zhongshan himself could be swept into demonic possession.

This could not be justified solely by the notion of killing two birds with one stone.

If Jeong Jung-san withdrew his hand now, the spirit energy of the Jasodan would scatter wildly, burrowing deep into the blood vessels.

If that happened, it would become meaningless unless Gu Yang-jeok performed the Great Heavenly Circulation.

Therefore, Jeong Jung-san asked again.

-Are you leaving?

Kwuk.

In response to that telepathic question, Gu Yangji answered by thrusting his spear tip once into Jeong Joong-san’s qi.

Even if his current actions might be criticized later.

He intended to follow the righteousness and principle he sought.

There, Jeong Joong-san felt a slight favor toward Gu Yangji.

Had Jeong Jung-san been the type to weigh personal gain and loss, his arm wouldn’t have been severed in his youth.

-Go on then!

‘……Seems he’s convinced, thankfully.’

Satisfied, Gu Yang-jeok absorbed Jeong Jung-san’s energy and gazed at the wall blocking the Minor Heavenly Circuit.

Seventy percent.

The probability Jeong Jung-san would accept his will.

Put differently, the probability he would withdraw his hand and impose a severe punishment on himself was thirty percent.

A severe punishment would surely involve destroying his dantian or severing the tendons and meridians of his limbs, so that must be factored in too.

Considering the weight carried by Huashan’s Dharma Protector, the probability of both outcomes occurring was also high.

Even so, Gu Yangji rolled the dice.

The stakes were Gu Yangji.

The reason he rolled the dice was his experience having a ‘slight’ conversation with Jeong Jung-san in a past life.

It was truly a wretched gamble.

Yet, even though the gamble succeeded, Gu Yangji showed no sign of relief.

Gu Yangji grabbed Jeong Jung-san’s hand, which was reaching out from behind him, and pulled it toward him.

“Ugh.”

Zheng Zhongshan let out a momentary gasp at the unexpected suction force, uncharacteristic of a late-stage cultivator, but he didn’t panic.

Such was the strength of Gu Yangji’s resolve. He merely looked at his young disciple with even more admiration.

Then.

They collided.

Kwoong, Kwooong!

A trail of blood spread from the corner of Gu Yangji’s mouth. But he didn’t stop.

Gu Yangjeok seized the very head of fear and crushed it down.

‘One more time.’

He sharpened the dulled edge once more, gathering his scattered internal energy anew.

Soon, he cleared away the blood-soaked mess created by the previous collision.

To shatter the wall blocking the Ren and Du meridians, he needed to clear away as many obstacles as possible.

And so, once more.

Gu Yangjeok threw his entire being into the collision with the wall.

CRASH-!

“…Guh.”

Beyond the faintly visible distance.

It was a matter of widening the narrow reservoir of the dantian, expanding its reach to the realm of the river.

Until the vessel Ha Jin-ak had broadened could hold a larger bowl.

About one to three times.

Gu Yang-jeok calculated thus and finished preparing to charge at the wall.

Just then.

“…I’ll help too.”

Thud.

Someone reached out a hand from behind him.

The wind and dust of a lifetime tangled thickly, wrinkled palms felt against his skin.

Soon, the sensation of internal energy forcing its way in made Gu Yangjie realize who it was.

Baek Dan-hyeon, who had guided him this far.

‘Like this, there’s no way I can fail.’

Gu Yangji no longer counted the attempts.

A single one would suffice.

As long as he didn’t lose his mind or his sharpness, he could pierce through the minor circulation and transform into the lingering energy of the remaining Zhaosidan.

Kung, thud! Kururru…….

Gu Yangjeok was enveloped in the ecstasy coursing through his entire body as he traversed the Ren and Du meridians.

Though he had experienced this once before, the thrill was immense—one of the most profound in his life.

“……Ah!”

Thus, Gu Yangjeok’s essence, energy, and spirit all reached a peak that could be likened to the pinnacle.

Zheng Zhongshan withdrew his hand from Gu Yangjie’s back with a satisfied expression.

“Reaching the peak at seventeen? Truly a prodigy of Huashan!”

Gu Yangjie remained immersed in the emotion for a moment, then chuckled softly as he felt the feeling gradually wash over him.

‘So I still have a long way to go.’

The enemies he would face ahead.

And the events yet to unfold – the peak he had reached was woefully inadequate.

Moreover, he needed a companion who would walk the same path and gaze upon the same horizon.

“…Huh?”

Lost in these thoughts, Gu Yangjie startled at the sudden surge of energy rippling from afar.

The atmosphere had violently trembled due to a martial artist’s abrupt breakthrough.

Baek Dan-hyeon and Jeong Jung-san felt it too.

“Jang-myeong again?”

“Heh heh, so there were two prodigies after all.”

While Gu Yangjie had attained his peak through a stroke of luck, Yu Zhangming had reached his pinnacle entirely through his own efforts.

And he had done so not in the secluded retreat where the Dharma Protector resided, but within Huashan Sect itself.

Gu Yangjie grinned mischievously, imagining what Yu Zhangming must be experiencing right now.

‘Well, you should probably get a little used to people fawning over you, Senior Brother.’

Might as well go watch the fire burn.

After bowing deeply to Zheng Zhongshan and Bai Danxian, Gu Yangjie dashed toward Huashan Sect.

* * *

‘What on earth is going on?’

Yu Zhangming scratched the back of his head awkwardly, looking at the senior brothers surrounding him.

While training with Zhao Hun in Gu Yangjie’s absence, he’d suddenly gained insight, explored it, found the answer, and reached the pinnacle.

He explained the incident repeatedly, yet for some reason, his seniors wouldn’t let him off easily.

Instead, they tried to hype up the atmosphere to an almost bizarre degree.

“Impressive!”

“So what was this enlightenment?”

What was this enlightenment?

Yu Zhangming couldn’t answer that question.

Ironically, he had forgotten it the moment he attained it.

It hadn’t even remained in his subconscious.

As if he were no longer meant to know, it had been completely erased from his mind.

What was even stranger was…

‘At the very end, I felt something… poignant, I think.’

Yu Jang-myeong tilted his head once, then answered the senior monk who had asked.

“I forgot.” “

”……What?“

”Because I forgot it the moment I realized it.”

His words, reminiscent of Zen koans, made the senior brothers recall the Diamond Sutra of Shaolin.

In other words, it was something difficult to grasp easily.

Noticing their expressions, Yoo Jang-myeong calmly observed his own state once more.

“I too feel as if I’ve just gained something… It’s difficult to answer without sorting it out first.”

“Is that so?”

At his words, the senior monks expressed regret but did not show unnecessary irritation.

Instead, they praised Yu Zhangming as if he were extraordinary.

“To reach the pinnacle at just twenty-one years old!”

“Haha, it seems the Three Pure Ones favor Brother Yu.”

Such remarks, once ignited, tended to burn until they cooled. Yu Jang-myeong’s face flushed crimson, unable to hide his discomfort.

‘Both my senior brothers and fellow priests… they’re overestimating me too much.’

This situation felt utterly unfamiliar to him.

He was still the same Yu Jang-myeong as yesterday.

Nothing had changed; even his clothes and sword remained exactly the same.

Yet, merely because his cultivation had risen one level, they were elevating his worth this much.

Yu Jang-myeong found this both pleasing and, in another sense, unsettling.

‘Before, they didn’t seem this interested in martial arts. Today, especially…’

Then, Yu Jang-myeong’s gaze turned to Jo Hun.

His cheeks had grown fuller compared to before, and his body was gradually becoming plump.

‘Is this the wind blown by the master?’

Yu Zhangming recalled Gu Yangji’s deeds.

He had exposed corruption within the Golden Ring Trading Company, reclaiming assets nearly rotted away by villains. At the Nine Dragons Tournament, he had soared to fame, earning a legendary sword even elders envied.

Rumors circulated that he had beheaded the leader of the Three Evils of Shaanxi. Within Shaanxi, Gu Yangji’s reputation had grown beyond imagination.

‘Probably… the new head of the Golden Ring Trading Company, Master Bai Tian, spread favorable rumors.’

Though he hadn’t asked for details, Yu Zhangming knew Gu Yangji was exchanging letters with Bai Tian and Zhen Xugu.

‘And he even inherited the senior brother’s will.’

Haah.

A sigh escaped Yu Zhangming’s lips.

Though not yet twenty, the weight on Gu Yangji’s shoulders was no small matter.

‘As his senior brother, I must be of help to him.’

Even if he had received everything from Ha Jin’e, he could not compare to himself at his peak.

Just as his senior brother Ha Jin-ak had done, Yu Jang-myeong resolved to become a senior brother who could be a pillar of strength for Gu Yang-jeok.

As his thoughts reached that point, he also dimly sensed why the senior brothers were trying to lighten the mood.

“Thank you for your kind regard. But flattering me is enough for now.”

“……?”

What sounded like a request to tone it down caused the atmosphere to stiffen.

Gu Yangji watched this unfold from afar, holding his breath.

Fame was always like that.

‘They crown you Emperor, God, or Immortal at will, but the moment you show a single flaw, they’ll accuse you of being from the heretical sect.’

That was why, for Gu Yangjeok, fame brought more harm than good.

He wasn’t inherently virtuous to begin with, so rather than being shackled by maintaining some pointless reputation, reaping benefits suited his temperament better.

‘I wonder how Senior Brother will handle this.’

Just as Gu Yangjeok watched with interest,

Yoo Jangmyeong opened his lips.

“I cannot find satisfaction in the realm of the peak.”

“……”

After a moment, Yu Zhangming turned his gaze toward the Plum Blossom Pavilion where Ha Jin’ak resided.

“While I intended to lift the stagnant atmosphere by reaching the pinnacle, Senior Brother collapsed while investigating corruption outside. How could I, as his disciple, simply stand by and watch?”

Grit.

At those words, several cultivators gritted their teeth.

Some, chastising themselves for having momentarily forgotten, had tears welling in their eyes.

Ha Jin-ak was the senior master.

And the senior master was the young elder of the sect.

That he had fallen outside, struck down by the Black Dragon Sect’s cowardly tactics.

Even if Gu Yang-ji had inherited his will, that fact remained unchanged.

“That is why the peak is insufficient.”

Yu Zhangming felt an emotion he had never before harbored—anger—gradually swelling within him.

He then uttered words that powerfully condensed that feeling.

“I will become stronger.”

At those words, Gu Yangji revealed the aura he had concealed and replied.

“Of course. That is how it should be, Senior Brother.”

Hearing this, Yu Zhangming gaped in surprise at how much stronger Gu Yangji had become, then covered his mouth with his hand.

The atmosphere within the Huashan Sect was far too elevated now to bring up such a topic.