Chapter 321: The Soaring Party
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CHEUSEUCHEU-T, CHEUSEUCHEU-T-
Red eye-light, mixed with sensations of both light and dark, rapidly shot out and divided into nine strands.
Those soon connected like strings to each martial talent’s pupils.
A mystical sight.
Thus, Shaolin Temple’s Central Peak Morning Star Hyo-gak, Wudang Sect’s Three Absolutes Azure Crane Chang-woon, and all the other martial talents felt wave-like thrills the moment the red eye-light connected.
It felt as if their entire bodies were floating up like feathers.
Following that, Cheol Ryu-heun’s soft voice was heard.
“From now on, each of you operate your respective sects’ internal power mental techniques and enter meditation. You don’t have to close your eyes. This eye-light will naturally guide you to the world of mental imagery.”
No sooner had the words ended.
‘Huh?’
‘No, this can’t be…!’
‘My! What is this…’
Everyone was silently astonished.
Because suddenly each of their fields of vision had turned to darkness.
As if pitch-black paper had been stuck directly over their eyes.
At the same time, Hyo-gak realized it was a supreme eye technique that was consistent with his sect’s secret supreme art, Sumeru Eye.
‘This is definitely a skill that affects the upper dantian!’
Sumeru Eye was also such an essence.
It possessed the power to destroy an opponent’s upper dantian using the eyes.
It was a supernatural ability based on sacred Buddhist power created by Dharma Master Bodhidharma, and in the past was also called Prajna Mind Eyes.
It was alternatively called Holy Buddha Eyes in the Unorthodox and Brahma Heaven Eyes in the Demonic path.
In truth, it was a secret supreme art with murderous essence that violated Shaolin Temple precepts, so only the Head Abbot was qualified to learn it.
At some point, Hyo-gak had seen it.
The sight of his master Dharma Master Won-gong practicing Sumeru Eye.
That’s right.
The light he had seen then had also shot out long like this.
But… the light rays from the eye technique Cheol Ryu-heun was executing numbered all of nine strands.
‘How amazing. It probably requires tremendous mental power and energy.’
Cheol Ryu-heun spoke indifferently again.
“Hurry, discard your idle thoughts.”
At those words, all the martial talents hastily recalled their mental technique formulas one by one and entered meditation.
After some time passed from that point.
Hyo-gak saw a radiance appear in front of him within the pitch-black mental world.
It was an extremely large light that filled the entire front.
Moreover, it was shaped like a door.
In an instant.
-Open the door of light.
A voice similar in feel to Sound Transmission.
It was Cheol Ryu-heun.
“Yes.”
Hyo-gak, having answered, approached the gleaming door.
Thus he extended one hand and gently pushed.
HWAAAK-!
Amid the light exploding forth.
Hyo-gak stepped into the space beyond.
“Ah…! Sect Master Cheol.”
Cheol Ryu-heun’s figure with hands clasped behind his back was fixed in his eyes ahead.
“You’ve come. You were the fastest.”
The moment Cheol Ryu-heun muttered expressionlessly, a door of light appeared to one side and soon opened wide.
From there, a man in blue clothes walked in step by step.
It was Wudang Sect’s Chang-woon.
Almost simultaneously.
SEUK.
A woman with a fresh and pure bearing appeared.
It was Potalsa Temple’s Buddha Crown Martial Flower Myo Jeong-mun.
Seeing that sight, Hyo-gak quietly muttered to himself.
‘Dharma Friend Somyeong… as expected, she appeared quickly.’
The title Somyeong was Myo Jeong-mun’s male dharma name.
Potalsa Temple was a Buddhist martial sect composed entirely of female disciples, but they used their secular names for external activities.
That was the major difference from Shaolin Temple.
Soon newly generated doors of light.
Three in total.
The three who appeared this time were Baek Lim, selected as Mount Heng Sect’s young dragon, Mount Hua Sect’s Prosperous Flower Sword Son Im Kang-yu, and Mount Huang Sect’s Shadowless Swift Guest Pa-pyeong.
Immediately after.
FLASH FLASH, FLASH FLASH…
Three other doors also opened wide as if in competition.
A small, thin man; a tall, broad-shouldered bearded man; and a man with distinctively plump cheeks.
They were Kongtong Sect’s Seven Yin Sword Jing-hyeon, Emei Sect’s Shu Gold Great Pillar Han-sol, and Taishan Sect’s Small Pure Spirit Hero Geon-ram.
At last, all nine had gathered.
In the meantime, several people stuck out their tongues in amazement.
“Wow… how wondrous. This is my first time experiencing this.”
“Have our mental worlds become connected as one?”
Cheol Ryu-heun nodded and immediately spoke.
“Precisely, it’s the midpoint where mental imagery is connected. From now on is very important. If concentration is disrupted, we all become endangered.”
At that, Hyo-gak beside him shared what he had guessed.
“Hmm, you mean we’ve been bound as one community.”
“That’s right.”
“What should we do now?”
“Accelerated training, you could say. Here, we strengthen each person’s mental technique. So that the medicinal effects each person consumed can be fully manifested.”
Hyo-gak expressed doubt.
“Pardon? How…”
Though their mental imagery was connected, the attributes of their mental techniques were different.
It was worrying.
If they weren’t careful, cracks would occur here…
That was an extremely dangerous matter directly leading to Qi Deviation, the worst internal injury.
Others also showed concerned gazes about that.
But Cheol Ryu-heun himself looked unconcerned.
“Worry not… just follow my words well. Then group achievement will be possible. I never considered failure from the start.”
Those words brought a strange trust to everyone.
“Understood.”
The moment Hyo-gak answered on their behalf.
FLASH!
Brilliant auspicious light exploded from Cheol Ryu-heun’s entire body.
Following that, the entire shared mental world transformed to white.
Then everyone felt it.
The great, warm energy wrapping around their entire bodies.
A power that seemed to embrace everything, perhaps.
Though each person’s internal power mental technique was different, it felt like they were being guided toward harmony as one.
“Think of drawing the internal power from inside your body to the outside. Once you try, you’ll get the feel.”
At that, Hyo-gak, Chang-woon, Myo Jeong-mun, Baek Lim and everyone else swiftly moved the energy within their bodies.
Suddenly.
‘Ah!’
Everyone was startled.
Though they were in a state of mental imagery, their bodies responded separately.
In other words, the subtleties of energy emission were being displayed as if executing internal energy cultivation techniques externally.
In the meantime, Hyo-gak executed one martial technique move.
PAPAPAPANG-!
Heavy palm force striking the air in succession.
It was Shaolin Temple’s exalted palm technique skill, Great Strength Vajra Palm.
Starting with him, everyone executed one move of their sect’s martial arts.
As if they were outside, the various energies shot out following their movements.
They knew it wasn’t real, but that’s exactly how it felt.
Only then did everyone realize.
The reason they received this sensation was because Cheol Ryu-heun’s mystical eye technique had affected their upper dantians.
“Good, you’ve grasped the feeling. Now sit cross-legged and do Energy Circulation and Breath Regulation.”
That meant meditation within meditation.
Without exception, everyone sat on the ground and gently closed their eyes.
It was wondrous.
To think such a thing was possible…
After quite a long time passed.
CHEUCHEUCHEU, CHEUCHEUCHEUEU, CHEUCHEU-
Radiance arose from the heads of everyone who had fallen into selfless absorption.
Each was a different color.
It was natural.
Because each had learned internal power mental techniques of different attributes.
The rays of light soon headed toward Cheol Ryu-heun.
SEUSEUSEU, SEUSEUSEUEU…
Thus the nine streams of light were woven into one.
It was a sight as if Cheol Ryu-heun had become a pillar and wrapped those light rays around himself.
At that moment.
Had each person’s energy collided?
As soon as the light rays mixed together, all the martial talents’ entire bodies grew burning hot.
‘Urk!’
‘Ugh!’
‘Kk… kkeuk!’
The assault of terrible pain.
Was their flesh being mercilessly ruptured?
Agony that severe tormented their entire bodies.
But everyone maintained composure and endured and endured.
Because they knew this was the process of enlightenment.
Hadn’t Cheol Ryu-heun warned them in advance?
That if concentration was disrupted, everyone would be endangered.
So everyone bore the pain and struggled to correct their mental state.
Then suddenly.
KKWANG!
Intangible shock assaulted each person’s mind.
It felt as if their entire bodies were shattering into fine powder.
Moreover, it wasn’t just once.
KKWANG- KKWANG- KKWANG- KKWANG-!
At the continuous shocks, the bodies of the martial talents sitting cross-legged trembled violently.
Following that.
UDUK, UDUDUK, UDUK-
Chilling sounds burst out in succession.
Was it the aftermath of the shock?
Skin split, bones dislocated, and blood splattered.
Without a single exception.
Sights reminiscent of achieving Bone Replacement and Marrow Cleansing.
That’s right.
It was virtual Bone Replacement and Marrow Cleansing occurring within the mental world.
Watching that, a faint smile formed on Cheol Ryu-heun’s lips.
‘Hoot. Good, now everyone will become somewhat usable.’
* * *
The next day, around the end of the Hour of the Snake.
“Hmm…”
The martial talents who had been lying in the inner room’s beds awoke from sleep.
Hyo-gak was the first to sit up.
Having steadied his breath, he hurried to circulate true energy and examine his body.
‘Wow!’
It was far too amazing.
Because the speed of true energy circulating through his body had doubled.
It was the same for the others.
Voices softly exclaiming in admiration could be heard here and there.
“Heavens…”
“What is this… the energy circulation speed is… insanely fast?”
“I know, right. And my body couldn’t be lighter than this.”
“You too? Me too…”
In the meantime, the lattice door burst open!
CHEOK-
Cheol Ryu-heun appeared with his hands clasped behind his back.
“Everyone, did you sleep well?”
Simultaneously, all the martial talents shouted in unison.
“Yes! Sect Master Cheol!”
“Your bodies will feel light as feathers unlike usual. It’s the effect of the various elixirs’ efficacy being fully manifested in conjunction with mental technique strengthening. Three hidden meridians were additionally opened as well.”
At Cheol Ryu-heun’s simple explanation, Hyo-gak, Baek Lim and others wore moved expressions.
On the other hand, the achievement didn’t feel real.
In the meantime, Cheol Ryu-heun again opened his mouth indifferently.
“You’ll realize it once you fight the enemy. How much you’ve developed.”
Hyo-gak suddenly recalled what he had said yesterday.
-I’ll make you into masters rivaling your respective sect leaders.
His heart pounded.
Though his body remained here at Mount Heng Sect, his heart had already gone to the Shiwan Mountains.
It was the same for the others.
As Cheol Ryu-heun had just said, they wanted to hurry there and confirm their achievement.
However.
Complacency was absolutely forbidden.
Because that place had long been notorious for its dangers…
Soon Cheol Ryu-heun turned around and commanded.
“We leave right after eating. Prepare.”
At that, all the martial talents burned with fighting spirit.
“Yes!”
When Cheol Ryu-heun came outside, Mount Heng Sect Leader White Cloud Sword Duke Taoist Cheon Mu quietly approached him from the front.
“You’re leaving right away? Sect Master Cheol.”
“Yes. I’ve finished everything to be done here.”
“Do you plan to search from the northern part of the Shiwan Mountains?”
“First… I’m thinking of visiting the place where a fortune has been arranged.”
“Pardon?”
“The place where the so-called Ten Directions Ghost Road Lost Soul Formation exists.”
At those words, Taoist Cheon Mu was startled.
“What? That place is…!”
“Yes, I know. It’s an absolute formation without an escape route. But it’s not a problem for me.”
“Ah… you even have a brilliant plan for that. Ho ho. You’re truly amazing. But you’re saying a fortune is hidden in such a place?”
Cheol Ryu-heun answered with a light nod and spoke inwardly.
‘I need to find out through that fortune.’
There were two purposes for setting foot there.
Completing the incomplete divine power, and… finding clues to the dream.
-Must you really go?
-Please hold me before you leave. So that the unease in my heart will diminish a little.
-You finally became a sword, then. You wished for it so desperately…
After going there and completing the divine power, I’ll look into it. Why that mysterious woman appears in my dreams.
* * *
A time nearing noon.
Cheol Ryu-heun, having mounted Divine Wind’s back, threw something to the ground.
TUK-
It was a bundle of thick rope.
Seeing that, all the martial talents tilted their heads.
What is this?
At that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun spoke.
“Tie yourselves.”
Thus everyone wrapped the rope around their waists and tied it, and Cheol Ryu-heun immediately kicked Divine Wind’s belly and pulled the reins.
“Now, we move as fast as possible. We have to stop at a few more places along the way.”
Simultaneously, Divine Wind kicked off the ground with a KKWANG! and exploded with white current.
SYUUUUUUUUNG-
Thus the man and horse quickly receded into the sky beyond.