Chapter 32

Paeng Ja-ryeong, with his arms crossed, was waiting for Paeng Ha-ryeong.

There were so many things he wanted to ask. Even after Paeng Ha-ryeong sat down across from him, next to Moyong Hye, who was seated at the head of the table, Paeng Ja-ryeong was still pondering what to ask first.

In the midst of this, Moyong Hye was the first to speak.

“Ha-ryeong.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“What kind of person is our benefactor?”

It was a fundamental question, but there was no better question to satisfy their curiosity.

Paeng Ha-ryeong hummed briefly, organizing her thoughts, and then spoke.

“I’m not sure either.”

“What do you mean…? Never mind. Continue.”

For a moment, Paeng Ja-ryeong lost his composure and leaned forward, but he quickly regained his self-control and sat back down.

Paeng Ha-ryeong reflected on what she had observed about Namgung Woo.

They had only spent about three days together.

If you included Muan County, it would be five days.

It was far too short a time to truly know someone. Moreover, Namgung Woo wasn’t the type to talk much about himself. Most of the time, the Yang Brothers spoke on his behalf. Even though the brothers hadn’t spent much time with Namgung Woo either, their behavior was somewhat peculiar.

Clearly, the two brothers must have heard some secret about Namgung Woo that he hadn’t shared with the Paeng Family.

That’s why they acted as if they were protecting Namgung Woo. The Yang Brothers might think the Paeng Family wouldn’t notice, but they were far from fooling the sharp eyes of the Paeng Family.

Even though the Paeng Family had a bold martial arts tradition, being a prestigious martial family in the martial world meant politics couldn’t be ignored.

Especially the Hapbuk Paeng Family. With the Imperial Family, the most powerful force in the world, right next door, they had to be even more cautious.

Outwardly, it might seem like they didn’t care about anyone’s opinions, but in reality, the Hapbuk Paeng Family was the most observant and quick-witted among the martial families.

Even Paeng Ha-ryeong and Paeng Mu-ho, who were direct descendants but far from the position of family head, had basic political awareness.

The two had been closely observing Namgung Woo to figure out what kind of person he was.

And the conclusion they reached was…

“He’s a strange person.”

“In what way?”

“He seems to lack a lot of common sense, as if he lived in a remote mountain village. But at the same time, he has surprisingly deep knowledge.”

“Hmm… Perhaps he was raised by someone special.”

Paeng Ja-ryeong briefly recalled Namgung Woo’s background.

Their first encounter was in Muan County. He was affiliated with the Yopyeong Escort Agency and had been traveling with them, so his starting point was Imbun County in Shanxi Province. It was possible he was from Shanxi.

“But his martial arts are incredibly strong.”

“Martial arts?”

That was a surprising statement. Paeng Ja-ryeong, who had been expecting something entirely different, asked in confusion.

“Yes. In Muan County, he destroyed a Soul-Stealing Ghost Phantom with a single sword strike.”

“Soul-Stealing Ghost Phantom… That’s a tricky one to deal with.”

Paeng Ja-ryeong was confident he could handle a Soul-Stealing Ghost Phantom alone.

But with a single sword strike? That was hard to believe.

“I lost consciousness during the explosion caused by another Soul-Stealing Ghost Phantom, but my uncle saw everything. He said it was Sword Aura, and the Aura Energy was refined to an unbelievable degree.”

“But surely his energy waves… No, if he’s that skilled, it’s entirely possible to artificially control his energy waves. So that’s why you stopped me back then. Now I understand.”

Paeng Ha-ryeong had subtly been trying to stop Paeng Ja-ryeong from underestimating Namgung Woo’s martial arts and digging into his background.

It wasn’t just about not being rude to their benefactor. While that was part of it, she was also trying to stop Paeng Ja-ryeong from acting rashly without fully understanding Namgung Woo’s true strength.

Paeng Ja-ryeong, who had felt a bit hurt that Paeng Ha-ryeong seemed to side with Namgung Woo over him, nodded in understanding.

Paeng Ha-ryeong, who had been watching Paeng Ja-ryeong with a slightly awkward expression, continued.

“And it seems like he’s also studied medicine.”

“Medicine?”

Martial arts masters naturally have a deep understanding of the human body. They need to know how to move their bodies, the structure of their meridians, and their functions to improve their martial arts.

But that’s different from formally studying medicine.

Originally, martial arts were a form of life cultivation and a discipline to transcend human limits. But that was a thing of the past. Martial arts had long since become techniques for combat.

So, even with a deep understanding of meridians, the focus was more on amplifying strength and efficiently subduing or killing opponents rather than healing.

Studying medicine requires effort and time comparable to martial arts. It’s no wonder that renowned physicians, despite their fame, often lack pure combat prowess.

Martial arts and medicine. Those who master both are extremely rare, and such individuals quickly gain widespread fame.

In other words, becoming a master in both martial arts and medicine at a young age is incredibly difficult. It’s nearly impossible without innate talent.

But no one present said it was impossible.

“If he’s like Ye-ryeong in terms of constitution…”

“Yes, Mother. It’s entirely possible. But if he’s also reached a high level in martial arts, it means he’s achieved a balance of essence, energy, and spirit. That would mean he overcame his constitution much earlier than Ye-ryeong.”

Paeng Ye-ryeong had the most exceptional talent in the history of the Paeng Family.

Her five senses allowed her to improve the Paeng Family’s secret technique, the Void Spirit Divine Art, just by thinking about it. And she did this not by studying the perfected version of the art but by observing the still-rough version that Paeng Ha-ryeong practiced as a child.

Now, there was no martial art in the Paeng Family that hadn’t been touched by Paeng Ye-ryeong. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that all their martial arts had advanced by a level.

The Heaven and Earth Void Divine Technique, which Paeng Ye-ryeong had poured the most effort into, had now transcended the limits of secular martial arts and could stand shoulder to shoulder with the martial arts of the Nine Sects and One Gang or the Heonwon Family.

And this was despite her not being able to practice martial arts herself.

If she could actually practice and fully grasp the sensations, the achievements would be beyond imagination.

Every time she gathered energy, it flowed into her fully opened Upper Dantian, expanding her celestial gate. Paeng Ye-ryeong had to give up martial arts to prolong her life.

Burning through her short life to reach the absolute peak and escape the Heavenly Punishment was one path, but unfortunately, Paeng Ye-ryeong was a premature baby. Her body couldn’t keep up with the explosive growth of her spiritual enlightenment and energy.

But what if she could suppress her spirit and control her energy so it didn’t overwhelm her essence?

“We can’t be too optimistic.”

It was possible that, in addition to her opened celestial gate, she had a special skeletal structure.

Paeng Ja-ryeong tried to analyze the situation as objectively as possible. If they set their expectations too high and it turned out to be an illusion, the disappointment would be just as great.

“So, here’s the thing.”

Paeng Ha-ryeong quietly rolled up her sleeve and extended her pale arm forward.

“Would you two like to check my meridians?”

“Your meridians?”

Paeng Ja-ryeong naturally agreed, and Moyong Hye, being from the Moyong Family, one of the Seven Great Families, also practiced martial arts.

The two placed their hands on Paeng Ha-ryeong’s wrist. Carefully controlling their internal energy to the minimum level they could perfectly manage, they sent a small stream of energy into Paeng Ha-ryeong’s meridians.

It didn’t take long for them to notice the anomaly in Paeng Ha-ryeong.

The deeper they went, following the unusually smooth and refined meridians, the more they felt the presence of endlessly stretching meridians.

“Incredible…”

“Did you have some kind of enlightenment?”

Paeng Ha-ryeong’s entire meridian system was wide open, as if she had been reborn.

It was a level even Paeng Ja-ryeong, who had just stepped into the Transcendent Peak, couldn’t reach.

Moyong Hye, who had a relatively shallow understanding of martial arts, exclaimed in surprise.

“So, does that mean Ha-ryeong has also reached the Transcendent Peak?”

“Well…”

Before Paeng Ja-ryeong could answer definitively, Paeng Ha-ryeong pulled her wrist back and shook her head.

“Not quite. But I think I’m similar to Uncle Mu-ho.”

“Uncle Mu-ho? That’s still an incredible level. To be at the late stage of the Peak at 24.”

“This is also thanks to our benefactor.”

“Our benefactor?”

Paeng Ha-ryeong looked down at her perfectly healthy, even more resilient and stronger arm, and recalled the past.

“Our benefactor didn’t just heal me. He opened all my meridians, and like this…”

Crackle.

A spark of lightning jumped between Paeng Ha-ryeong’s fingers.

“He left Thunder Qi behind.”

“…Incredible.”

Divine Qi.

Energy accumulated through divine techniques.

Normally, when true energy leaves the body, it gradually reverts to the natural energy of the world. For it to remain as internal energy for so long meant the energy was incredibly profound.

It was Divine Qi accumulated by a peerless master using a peerless divine technique.

“If it’s our benefactor, he can definitely heal Ye-ryeong. Without a doubt.”

Paeng Ha-ryeong’s voice was filled with unwavering belief.

“So, rather than worrying, wouldn’t it be more beneficial to think about how to repay him?”

§

Namgung Woo was in the darkness.

Not the darkness outside, but the darkness within.

Excluding external stimuli, he sank deep into his inner self.

In the training cave borrowed from the Paeng Family.

There, Namgung Woo sank to the very bottom of his consciousness for the first time.

Passing the platinum dragon formed by the Heavenly Thunder Qi of the Heavenly Thunder Emperor Divine Art.

Beyond the blue sky drawn by the Vast Heaven Qi of the Vast Heaven Divine Art.

He reached the end.

The peak of the physical.

The depths of the mental.

There, filling Namgung Woo’s spirit, was the third energy.

Void Spirit Divine Art.

The three heavens Namgung Woo possessed.

The last one.