Chapter 300

In the end, Pyo Wol left the Hao Clan with nothing to show for it.

It was impossible to gain anything from the Hao Clan, whose system had already collapsed and where Hong Yushin was absent.

He had wasted two precious days waiting for Hong Yushin in vain.

At this point, searching for the whereabouts of Eom So-so or So Gyeoksan was meaningless. Rather than expending mental energy chasing after them, it was better to lose interest and move on his own.

If his connection with them was not yet severed, they would surely meet again someday.

Pyo Wol stopped by the market to buy supplies for sleeping outdoors, then mounted his horse.

He hadn’t decided on a specific destination, but he wanted to leave Runan now.

Pyo Wol rode his horse toward Mount Tianjung. He intended to pass the foot of Mount Tianjung and head east.

He had no particular destination in mind.

If he had his way, he would have tracked down the Nine Dragons Assassination Guild, but it was impossible as he currently had no information about them.

Rather than needlessly expending mental energy with no information, it seemed better to follow his heart for the time being.

The place his heart was drawn to was the sea.

He had never once seen the sea in his life.

Even when he wandered All Under Heaven as an orphan, he had never been to the sea. After being abducted by the Bloody Shadows Guild and raised as an assassin, he had stayed exclusively in Sichuan Province, surrounded by high plateaus.

He had experienced large rivers on his way here, but he had never even been near the sea.

He also felt that if not now, when would he ever see the sea? Because of this, Pyo Wol’s steps naturally turned toward the sea.

He didn’t know for sure, but he knew that if he kept going east like this, a vast sea would appear. That was why he was heading east without a plan.

To go east from Runan, one had to pass the foot of Mount Tianjung.

Mount Tianjung was by no means a small mountain.

Just as its magnificent name suggested, the mountain was high and stretched across a vast area. For that reason, many people, when crossing from Runan to the east, chose a detour, taking a river that flowed south instead.

But Pyo Wol chose the path over Mount Tianjung.

Although the mountain path was treacherous, he thought it was worth crossing.

There was a path on Mount Tianjung that people used.

It was just that not many people used it because the mountain path was so rough.

Pyo Wol rode his horse up the mountain path.

Although it wasn’t flat ground and he couldn’t gallop freely, the horse seemed happy just to be out of the stuffy stable and walking.

The mountain path snaked its way along the mid-slope of Mount Tianjung.

Pyo Wol was in no hurry.

Even on horseback, it was not a mountain that could be crossed in a single day.

If he rushed, he could fall off a thousand-zhang cliff.

Pyo Wol would somehow survive, but the horse he was riding would not.

As he proceeded with such caution, darkness slowly began to descend on Mount Tianjung before he had gone very far.

Walking on a night path where one couldn’t see an inch ahead was even more dangerous. Pyo Wol found a place to camp for the night before the sun set.

It was a small, flat area slightly off the mountain path. Pyo Wol tied his horse in a grassy spot and prepared to camp.

Preparing to camp was nothing more than lighting a bonfire and choosing a place to sleep. For his meal, he could make do with the beef jerky he had prepared in advance.

Pyo Wol quickly lit a bonfire and flattened a spot he had chosen. Then he sat near the bonfire and chewed on the beef jerky.

It was then.

Gwia, which had been clinging quietly to Pyo Wol’s arm until now, suddenly wriggled and crawled down.

Once on the ground, Gwia glanced at Pyo Wol and then disappeared into the bushes.

Even though Gwia had completely vanished into the bushes, he strangely wasn’t worried. He had faith that it would definitely return.

Pyo Wol set aside his worries about Gwia.

Although small, Gwia was extremely agile and possessed a formidable poison.

It was safe to say that it wouldn’t be harmed by other animals.

After finishing the beef jerky, the first thing Pyo Wol did was Qi Circulation.

Pyo Wol circulated his Internal Energy using the Thunderbolt Soul Severing Mind Method.

As he operated the Thunderbolt Soul Severing Mind Method, Pyo Wol realized that his Internal Power had become much more profound than before. It seemed his Internal Energy had grown without him realizing it as he gained various enlightenments through fierce battles.

This was a good thing for Pyo Wol.

The Soul Restraining Thread that Pyo Wol often used was a Special Technique that could not be maintained for long without the support of Internal Power.

To maintain the Soul Restraining Thread for a long time, a powerful Internal Energy that flowed ceaselessly was required.

The Silken Serpent Strong Energy (Sasa-gang), a level above the Soul Restraining Thread, was even more demanding.

It was a Martial Art that could not be used often because it consumed an extreme amount of Internal Energy in a short time.

It would be a different story if he had a Spirit Medicine that could dramatically increase his Internal Power, but in a situation without such an item, the only solution was to steadily build up Internal Energy through consistent Qi Circulation.

Pyo Wol focused solely on his Qi Circulation.

It was nearly impossible for someone like him, without a proper background or faction, to obtain a Spirit Medicine renowned in the Jianghu.

Pyo Wol was not the type to cling to and obsess over hopeless matters. He had a strong tendency to focus on what he could do, on things with a high probability of success. That was why he focused more on Qi Circulation.

But for some reason, he was able to concentrate exceptionally well today.

Perhaps it was because of Mount Tianjung.

Mount Tianjung had long been famous as a sacred mountain.

So much so that its name, Tianjung, meant the center of the sky.

Befitting the center of the sky, Mount Tianjung was particularly filled with spiritual Qi.

Pyo Wol immersed himself in the spiritual Qi and operated the Thunderbolt Soul Severing Mind Method.

Rumble!

It was as if lightning was striking inside his body.

There was no way lightning was actually striking, but that was what Pyo Wol was feeling.

A strong stimulus was being continuously applied to the nerves in his body. That was why he felt as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt.

The more he circulated his Qi, the more intense the stimulus became.

In the end, the stimulus was so strong that Pyo Wol’s body trembled, but he did not stop his Qi Circulation.

No one had taught him, but he instinctively realized that he must not stop his Qi Circulation now.

Pyo Wol circulated his Qi even more fiercely.

He lost track of time.

He even forgot the fact that he was circulating his Qi.

In the end, it was as if Pyo Wol was not circulating his Qi, but the Internal Energy was moving on its own.

Without Pyo Wol’s guidance, the Internal Energy moved fiercely along its designated path.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

A series of faint popping sounds erupted from within Pyo Wol’s body.

It was the sound of his Blood Meridians naturally widening as the Internal Energy moved like a tidal wave.

The Internal Energy that had widened Pyo Wol’s Blood Meridians now began to deviate from its path. It started to spread into the minor meridians connected to the major ones.

Unlike the major meridians, the minor meridians were difficult to train perfectly.

They were so narrow and countless that it was impossible to perceive each one. That was why most Martial Artists only trained their major meridians and didn’t even glance at the minor ones.

Pyo Wol was the same.

He had created and learned the Thunderbolt Soul Severing Mind Method alone, without a master. As a result, his fundamental knowledge was sorely lacking. So he had never even thought of expanding his domain to the minor meridians.

But now, he seemed to understand for sure.

‘When the vessel is full, it naturally overflows. The overflowing Qi is bound to fill the low and narrow places…’

Pyo Wol realized he was facing a major turning point.

At first, he didn’t know why this was happening. But now, he thought he knew.

It was because the time had come.

On his journey from Chengdu to this place, Pyo Wol had fought numerous battles.

Through these fierce battles, Pyo Wol had grown a lot. But the growth rates of his mind and body were different, so they couldn’t achieve harmony.

Also, Pyo Wol had too many things to worry about and was not given time to comfortably sort through his insights. But even though he himself was unaware, his numerous experiences and enlightenments had been steadily accumulating. And when the time was right, everything that had been built up burst forth like a floodgate opening.

Pyo Wol did not try to control what was happening inside him. He left it alone and simply observed. He felt that it would be alright to do so.

Indeed, his thoughts were correct.

Everything was finding its place and moving on its own.

The amplified Lightning power stimulated the nerve bundles, making them thicker and stronger, and even activated the blocked minor meridians, allowing for an unobstructed flow of Internal Energy.

Pyo Wol spent the night in a state of self-annihilation.

Pyo Wol opened his eyes to the tickling sensation of the morning sun.

“Hoo!”

A light sigh scattered in the cool breeze.

Pyo Wol could feel it.

A great change had occurred within his body.

There was no change in his external appearance, but internally, a change equivalent to the creation of a new world had taken place.

Everything was different.

The speed of his thoughts.

The reaction speed of his nerves.

His view of the world.

And even the flow of his Internal Energy.

He couldn’t know his exact level because there was no one to compare himself to, but it was a fact that he was far stronger than the him of yesterday.

Some might call it a miraculous encounter, but Pyo Wol didn’t think so.

His current achievement was a natural reward for his efforts and experiences so far.

It was not something he had obtained for free without any effort.

What he liked most was the Lightning power he had naturally accumulated while learning the Thunderbolt Soul Severing Mind Method.

It wasn’t just that the Lightning power was stimulating his nervous system.

He felt that if he put his mind to it, he could do even more. But Pyo Wol did not rashly attempt to think about it.

The most dangerous moment was always the process of settling down after gaining enlightenment.

Rapid change inevitably brings about instability.

What was important now was to bring his loosened body to its optimal state while undergoing Zhengyang.

“I’ll have to stay here for a while.”

Fortunately, he had enough beef jerky. If he ran out of food, he could hunt to replenish it.

It was then.

Slither!

Something crawled up his leg.

It was Gwia.

Its belly was bulging, as if it had eaten something.

Perhaps because of that, its speed in climbing Pyo Wol’s body was slow. Still, Pyo Wol waited patiently for Gwia to climb up.

Finally reaching his shoulder, Gwia tilted its head repeatedly as if something was strange.

Gwia pressed its nose against the nape of Pyo Wol’s neck and acted as if it were sniffing him.

Pyo Wol found Gwia’s behavior strange and cute, so he just watched.

After sniffing Pyo Wol for a long time, Gwia crawled down his body. Then it crawled back into the bushes. But it didn’t disappear completely; it stopped and looked at Pyo Wol.

It looked as if it was telling Pyo Wol to follow.

Pyo Wol looked at Gwia for a moment, then grabbed his horse’s reins. At that, Gwia slithered forward again.

Gwia stopped midway to check if Pyo Wol and the horse were following well. When it seemed they were, it diligently pushed through the bushes and moved forward again.

Gwia went deeper and deeper into Mount Tianjung.

They were already far from the campsite near the mountain path.

He didn’t know how Gwia had found its way to this distant place, but Pyo Wol followed behind it without a word.

Gwia was a Mystical Creature.

It must have had some thought in mind to be acting this way.

The place Gwia led him to was a secret space with a small spring.

Clear water flowed ceaselessly from the spring, which was surrounded by a forest.

Pyo Wol looked around.

Wildflowers were blooming in the forest around the spring.

Bees were flying around the charmingly bloomed wildflowers to collect nectar.

But the appearance of the bees was different from the common bees Pyo Wol knew.

They were more than twice the size of ordinary bees, and their colors were also vibrant. The stinger on their tails was particularly prominent.

At a glance, he could tell they were not ordinary bees.

They were bees that carried a deadly poison, enough to cause death with a single sting.

Seeing so many poisonous bees (Dokbong) flying around, it was clear that their hive was not far away.

Pyo Wol looked at Gwia.

He was curious why it had guided him to such a place.

It was then.

Snatch!

Suddenly, Gwia snatched a poisonous bee flying overhead.

The poisonous bee flapped its wings violently in resistance, but Gwia paid it no mind and swallowed it whole.

The poisonous bee’s deadly venom seemed to have little effect on Gwia.

After devouring the poisonous bee in an instant, Gwia coiled up on the spot. It looked as if it were resting comfortably.

Pyo Wol understood the meaning Gwia was trying to convey.

“You want us to stay here for a while.”

Water for Pyo Wol to drink was close at hand, and grass for his horse to eat was everywhere. And there were countless poisonous bees flying around to be Gwia’s food source.

It seemed there could be no better place to train his body that had undergone a rapid change.

Pyo Wol accepted his silent friend’s proposal.