Episode 11: The Breakthrough of the Conception and Governing Meridians!
The Poison Master seemed to think that being afflicted by the Blood Drying Powder was merely a reason for Won Seung to diligently learn the art of poison.
Won Seung now had to master poison techniques for survival. Fortunately, having gained thirty years of inner strength, he could now fully engage in poison studies.
His anger towards the Assassin Training Facility had seeped into his very bones.
‘How should I exact my revenge?’
Won Seung began to dream of vengeance.
*
Spring, summer, and autumn passed quickly, and as the leaves began to fall, Instructor Jang summoned Won Seung.
Visiting Instructor Jang’s office for the second time, nothing had changed.
Instructor Jang handed over two prepared books.
“These are called the Grand Purity Sword Technique and the Celestial Balance Sword Technique. While the Splendid Sword Technique is renowned throughout the martial world, it focuses too much on speed. The Grand Purity Sword Technique will help you master transformation and illusion, and the Celestial Balance Sword Technique contains the essence of the balanced sword, essential for mastering the sword.”
Won Seung was puzzled by this unexpected kindness.
“I receive regular reports on your progress. I hear you’ve reached the eighth level in the Splendid Sword Technique? And the seventh level in both the Soul Splitting Blade Technique and the Nine Palaces Revolving Blade Technique. You were truly born to become a Ten Perfections. Although it goes against the rules, I can give you this much at my discretion, so make sure to master it.”
“Thank you. I will definitely achieve greatness.”
Won Seung expressed his gratitude with a hint of sincerity, pleased inside. At some point, he had begun plotting the demise of Instructor Jang and a few other cruel instructors. But gratitude was still gratitude.
“As long as you don’t forget this kindness.”
‘I won’t forget my grudges either.’
Won Seung replied inwardly, wearing an innocent smile. He had learned that the more he concealed his true feelings, the more he could gain from others.
Instructor Jang’s voice became secretive.
“How is the Poison Master’s health these days? With winter approaching, I’m a bit concerned.”
“Indeed. Although Master is highly skilled, the cold in the mountains must be harsh for someone of his age.”
“All the more reason for you to take good care of him.”
Won Seung wondered why Instructor Jang was so concerned about the Poison Master. Then he immediately understood Instructor Jang’s intentions with his next words.
“I heard he spends all his time writing books, which would only weaken his energy. Take him for walks occasionally.”
‘Hmph! You covet Master’s poison techniques. Master is far above you.’
Won Seung knew about the Poison Master’s writings. They seemed impressive on the surface but were actually a mess. However, not many would recognize them as a scam. The Poison Master had put great effort into creating fake books.
Everything about the Poison Master was in Won Seung’s mind, and he was learning through nightly practice. Most of the Poison Master’s poison techniques had already been passed on to Won Seung.
Curious by nature, Won Seung had a strong experimental spirit and sometimes created poisons even the Poison Master hadn’t thought of. This only made the Poison Master smile more often, though his body continued to weaken.
*
The tally marks on the headboard of Won Seung’s bed had grown to seven lines. The number of children had decreased to forty-five. As the children’s skills improved, the training became more rigorous, inevitably leading to casualties.
Spring arrived, and it was time to take the Bright Vitality Pill.
‘It should be fine this time.’
Won Seung hesitated but decided to take it. The speed of his inner power growth had increased with the consumption of poison. Although his achievements were faster than others, Won Seung’s ambition was great. He wanted to gain sixty years of inner strength as soon as possible.
The reason Won Seung wanted to surpass sixty years was simple. It was because of the bulging Taiyang point and the energy that occasionally flowed from his body without his control.
This made him constantly wary of Instructor Jang or the instructors noticing his achievements. He had to keep his hair messy, wear loose clothes, and walk with hunched shoulders, but he couldn’t live like that forever.
The Poison Master had said that once he surpassed sixty years, he would be able to conceal his energy and appear like an ordinary person, so he was eager to achieve it.
On the day of taking the Bright Vitality Pill, Instructor Jang brought the wooden box as he had last year, and the children, unaware of the Blood Drying Powder mixed in, looked on with anticipation.
Won Seung pretended to take the Bright Vitality Pill while also consuming a pill he had prepared. After hearing about the ingredients of the Bright Vitality Pill from the Poison Master, he had prepared a supplementary pill.
Upon taking the Bright Vitality Pill, his chest felt refreshed. Warm energy flowed from his dantian and mingled with the Bright Vitality Pill’s energy, while the pill he made melted, spreading intense heat throughout his body.
The Meridian Cleansing Pill had the earth attribute, making it a nourishing elixir that boosted inner strength regardless of one’s constitution.
The Bright Vitality Pill had the water attribute, and Won Seung created the Fire Poison Pill to add the fire energy.
As the fire energy spread, the water energy of the Bright Vitality Pill became even more potent. The water and fire energies clashed fiercely, unable to mix, but Won Seung covered them with his original energy. The thirty years of Won Seung’s inner strength, achieved thanks to the Meridian Cleansing Pill, had a strong earth attribute.
The water and fire energies were contained within the earth, merging together. This formed a heavy energy that entered the dantian and circulated through the body’s meridians.
‘Oh!’
As things went as expected, Won Seung was impressed.
I must be a genius.
But suddenly, his chest felt tight. It was as if his blood had stopped, his body stiffened, and he couldn’t breathe.
“Gah, gah!”
Won Seung suddenly gasped and fell backward from his seated position.
Instructor Jang, who was observing the children’s energy circulation from the platform, rushed over.
“What happened?”
Instructor Jang asked the instructor supporting Won Seung, but the instructor had no idea what was happening.
‘Could the Blood Drying Powder have gone wrong?’
Instructor Jang, who knew about the Blood Drying Powder added to the Bright Vitality Pill, wondered. The other children were fine.
‘Could it be?’
Since Won Seung lived with the Poison Master, he might have been poisoned by something else, causing an interaction with the Blood Drying Powder.
“Carry him. We’re going to the Poison Master.”
Won Seung, being trained as a Ten Perfections, was like a key to opening the door to a high position. He had already hinted to the higher-ups at the main sect, and they had implied that if he raised a Ten Perfections, he would be appointed to a key position.
Instructor Jang couldn’t let anything happen to Won Seung here. Hoping the Poison Master would save his assistant, he took Won Seung with him.
The Poison Master was greatly surprised when Won Seung was brought in unconscious but frowned outwardly.
“What happened?”
“He was circulating energy after taking the Bright Vitality Pill, but it seems the medicinal energy went wrong.”
Instructor Jang explained.
The Poison Master looked at Instructor Jang with a cold gaze.
“So? What do you want me to do about it?”
“Isn’t he your assistant? Please show some mercy.”
Instructor Jang pleaded earnestly.
“Sigh.”
The Poison Master sighed, pretending to hesitate while looking at Won Seung, then waved his hand dismissively. It was a signal to leave.
Instructor Jang left the residence.
“That stubborn old man. After all these years of service, shouldn’t he save him?”
There was a famous story from when the Poison Master was at the height of his fame. He once poisoned someone for coughing while he was eating, treating human life like a fly’s, earning him the nickname “Poison Monster.”
Instructor Jang couldn’t leave, worried that the Poison Master might not take care of Won Seung.
Then the Poison Master’s voice rang out.
“If you keep eavesdropping there, I’ll kill this brat immediately.”
Instructor Jang disappeared in a flash, startled.
The Poison Master looked down at Won Seung and tapped his head with his staff.
“Instructor Jang is gone. You don’t have to pretend to be unconscious.”
Won Seung slowly opened his eyes. As expected, the Poison Master knew he was conscious. Won Seung made a pitiful face.
“I can’t move my body. What’s happening?”
“How should I know what you’ve done? Tell me what you did.”
Won Seung confessed that he had used a poison to enhance the effects of the Bright Vitality Pill. Unable to move, he could only turn his head while lying down.
The Poison Master chuckled.
“You thought of clashing the water and fire energies and containing them with earth energy, yet you didn’t consider the wood and metal energies?”
“I intended to use my inner strength.”
“If it were that simple, every master with deep inner strength would become a poison expert.”
The Poison Master clicked his tongue.
He then went to the medicine room, crushed a red stone into powder, and ground a gray tree root.
Won Seung recognized them as Firestone and Dragon Blood Wood root, both highly toxic ingredients.
Won Seung’s face turned pale.
“Master, are you trying to kill me?”
The Poison Master chuckled.
“This brat, thinking he knows a bit of poison, acts on his own. How much trouble will you cause in the future? Wouldn’t it be easier to kill you now?”
“Master, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”
Master and disciple exchanged transparent jokes. Won Seung had no doubt the Poison Master would save him, and the Poison Master knew Won Seung was exaggerating.
It was just fun to tease and exaggerate. The Poison Master mixed the Firestone and Dragon Blood Wood root with heavy water and poured it into Won Seung’s mouth.
Soon, the metal energy of the Firestone and the wood energy of the Dragon Blood Wood spread, and the water and fire energies, tightly bound by the earth energy, began to unravel.
After about an hour, the energies of the five elements began to harmonize, forming an extremely powerful energy. This was the result of the Bright Vitality Pill’s energy fully activating.
The energy surged like a mighty river through the meridians, coursing through the twelve main meridians and eight extraordinary meridians, then gathered in the dantian and rose along the Governing meridian.
Won Seung’s facial muscles twitched uncontrollably.
The energy struck the Baihui point.
Boom!
It felt like thunder exploded in his head. Won Seung thought his skull had burst.
Instinctively, he tried to open his mouth, but the Poison Master clamped it shut and shouted.
“Don’t lose the flow of energy!”
The Poison Master, realizing his disciple had stumbled upon an unexpected opportunity, was excited.
Despite the chaos, Won Seung maintained control over the energy in the Governing meridian. The energy that pierced the Baihui point descended unimpeded and collided with the Conception meridian.
Boom!
Won Seung’s brow swelled.
Boom!
The energy of the Governing meridian clashed again with the Conception meridian. The energy of the Governing meridian roiled.
Boom!
At the third collision, Won Seung felt as if the upper part of his neck had vanished. Simultaneously, the energy of the Governing meridian flowed into the Conception meridian with a whoosh.
The Conception and Governing meridians had connected.
Won Seung lost consciousness and slumped.
The Poison Master, aware of what had transpired in Won Seung’s body, was overjoyed. Connecting the Conception and Governing meridians wasn’t something that could be achieved just by having deep inner strength.
His heart raced simultaneously.
‘If he’s connected the Conception and Governing meridians at that age…’
In about ten years, could he rival the Poison King?