Cheon So-hee’s expression is quite ominous.
I asked what she was thinking, but it seems she’s pressuring me to spill the beans about what thoughts I had and who I was thinking of.
For a moment, I recalled her, whom I hadn’t seen for over a year. If I hadn’t seen her for such a long time, I might not have remembered her appearance, voice, or scent.
But now, it’s only been a little over a year. I can still vividly recall that moment when she awkwardly yet passionately invaded my mouth.
It’s not like I’m talking to my girlfriend about my ex, so there’s really no need to hide it.
“I was thinking about the martial arts she taught me. I didn’t think she would teach me something like the Ascending’s Skill.”
I confidently hid the truth and replied.
Since I heard Tonae Technique is good, I started thinking about her as a side note.
“Hey, So-hee, you’re a martial artist too, so you understand how great it is to learn the Ascending’s Skill. So, cut me some slack if I was grinning a bit.”
Contrary to my expectations, So-hee squinted her eyes and stared intently at my lower abdomen, her cheeks slightly twitching.
“The inner power technique she taught you isn’t the Ascending’s Skill.”
She informed me of one particular fact in a rather displeased tone.
“Didn’t you say before that it was the Ascending’s Skill?”
“True that it’s an Ascending Martial Art, but it’s not on the level of a skill.”
So, Ascending Martial Art equals skill? But now it’s not?
[Thought about resetting, but I ended up pulling a Tier 1 right off the bat. Can I just raise this character now?]
[It’s indeed a Tier 1 character. S-grade, not SS-grade though. Reset in 24 hours, let’s go.]
Is this the vibe? As I made a face that didn’t seem to comprehend her words, she continued as if she was about to give more explanation.
“The original form of that inner power technique is the Ascending’s Martial Art, but the Tonae Technique you’ve learned is nothing but a half-baked version with decent capability. The necessary process for storing energy was awkwardly omitted, and you don’t know the fundamentals of the inner power technique.”
“I was told that it’s a technique for kids, so it doesn’t build up inner power.”
“What nonsense. The younger you are, the faster the inner power gathers, so you should do the energy storage faster.”
Huh? What’s this about?
Murong Sang-a told me it was a childlike technique where inner power doesn’t build up.
“So, does that mean she intentionally skipped the energy-conducting process when she taught me?”
“Only a genius of a thousand years may touch the Ascending Martial Art deliberately. It was probably a half-baked technique prepared for the possibility of the martial arts leaking out.”
Since Murong Sang-a is indeed a genius of a thousand years in the world of martial arts visual novels, it makes sense that she would’ve directly interfered.
Was it modified on the spot since in a reverse family they couldn’t let inner power build up?
“What if it’s not the Ascending’s Skill? What if it’s a half-baked martial art? Still, I’m alive because of this Tonae Technique, so I should always be thankful to her.”
You said you were going to teach martial arts, and yet you still haven’t.
“Always?”
“Teaching martial arts isn’t just doing a favor. I don’t easily forget favors.”
My name is Kang Yoon-ho. A man who doesn’t forget favors. The feeling of my tongue too.
So, hurry up and teach me, will you?
After hearing my response, she frowned a little with her lips puffed out.
“Yoon-ho.”
Her voice was cold.
“Yeah?”
“Don’t use the Tonae Technique anymore.”
What kind of boundary are we crossing here?
“I need to use this to recover my body. What am I supposed to do if I don’t?”
“From now on, I’ll teach you my version of the Tonae Technique. Sit in a crossed-leg position.”
“Alright. I’ll try.”
Modification, huh? With such a utility performance, I wondered if modification is even necessary.
“I’ll help you with the energy storage at the dantian, so concentrate from now on.”
Energy storage! If I can build up inner power at the dantian, I need to learn this!
I sat in a crossed-leg position, ready to use the Tonae Technique.
She placed her hand on my back and began to slowly infuse her inner power.
This is the power of the Heavenly Killing Star.
If Murong Sang-a’s inner power felt like a truck driving cautiously, the energy of the Heavenly Killing Star was like a fierce, sharp modified vehicle screaming “vroom! vroom!”
Hello. The energy that entered my body was your second. Let me introduce you to my inner power, like riding a tricycle at the tip of a blue spear.
While it wasn’t comparable to a truck or a modified vehicle, these were the inner powers that had been roaming inside my body for over a year. They were friends who would mercilessly return home after the Tonae Technique was complete.
Her energy flowed into my dantian, ignoring the blue spear tip and creating something like a cage in a fighting arena.
What the hell? Do I need to have a royal rumble or something?
“Let the energy flow inside.”
I followed her instructions and poured the energy I had accepted into the iron cage she created in my dantian.
Normally, the energy would gather briefly and then flow through the meridians of my whole body, but it got stuck due to her iron cage and wouldn’t escape.
“Concentrate the energy into a single point.”
If that were easy, I would have done it ages ago. My energy was like that of an elementary school student; it would run towards any path opened up but wouldn’t stay orderly.
As I fumbled around, she slowly began to narrow the iron cage she formed at my dantian.
Much like how elementary students crowd towards a ball in a dodgeball game, the energy began to gather to a single point.
I think this might just work!
As I concentrated hard, I felt the energy sticking firmly into a single point.
Did it work?
“Not yet. You need to circulate the energy to increase its size. Follow my lead.”
I began to move along with her energy flow.
Though the way was similar to Murong family head’s Tonae Technique, she was offering a different route.
The path she led followed the same principle, but instead of sending the energy to the meridians at the end, it returned back to the dantian.
For the first time, the energy returning to my dantian had noticeably increased in quantity.
“Rotate it and gather it again.”
Is this a final fusion approval? I rotated the increased energy slowly and stuck it with the firmly gathered energy in my dantian.
“Keep repeating that.”
I began to use my inner power to circulate like this until I was exhausted.
—–
“Congratulations.”
When I opened my eyes after circulating until my energy would no longer increase, she calmly congratulated me.
“Did I really gather inner power?”
I asked her, feeling dazed. I could definitely feel it in my dantian, but I couldn’t believe it. Me, accumulating inner power?
“You’ve accumulated about two years’ worth of inner power. Yoon-ho, have you ever taken any elixirs?”
“I’ve often had ginseng.”
Kang Yoon-ho of Joseon was the kind of guy who would sip on precious ginseng tea whenever he felt like it. Of course, I must have released most of it without learning martial arts, but it seems some stayed in my body.
Even without taking haws for ten years, I somehow accumulated two years’ worth of inner power.
If it were like civil service, it would feel like having received a position as a grade 9 civil servant but getting additional salary recognition for two years of military service.
“That half-baked martial art you used…”
“Yeah?”
“I borrowed parts from the Taemyung Sural Technique I learned and modified it.”
“Weren’t you saying you shouldn’t learn the martial arts of Salmak?”
Isn’t this going to make me a target for assassins?
“Only my teacher and I learned the Taemyung Sural Technique from Salmak. I only borrowed the energy storage section and some parts during the circulation, so absolutely no one will notice.”
She emphasized the safety of it on purpose.
Is it like replacing deficient parts with compatible substitutes?
“That’s a relief.”
“While it’s not the complete technique, the energy storage speed will be slower. But since the martial efficiency is so high, make sure to utilize that technique from now on.”
“Sure thing.”
I don’t aspire to become the greatest martial artist. I just want to say goodbye to a life of getting beaten up by low-tier thugs.
By the way, if only a couple of people have learned it from Salmak, isn’t that a heavenly killing technique? It’s incredible that she would teach me something so significant.
When I looked at her, it seemed she had something she wanted as she gazed at me intensely.
Should I at least say thank you? But it doesn’t seem like that’s enough to repay her for sharing such a heavenly technique.
Oh! Suddenly, a great idea popped into my head.
“So-hee, thank you so much. But do you have a name in mind for this inner power technique?”
“Nope.”
“Then how about we name it after you and me as ‘Small Wheel Mental Image Technique’?”
So-yoon (韶允) means beautiful truth. Kind of a fitting name for a relationship that holds only truth like mine and hers.
“Naming it after both of us?”
Her eyes widened a bit.
“Do you dislike it?”
“No, it’s fine.”
She shook her head with a small smile. Good thing, I was ready to change it if she didn’t like it since I just thought of it on the spot.
“Then from now onwards, this inner power technique shall be called Small Wheel Mental Image…”
“But why, Yoon-ho?”
Suddenly, her voice took on a serious tone.
“Huh?”
“Why does it include ‘Mental Image’?”
This is why I dislike the sharp-eared Heavenly Killing Star.
Of course, ‘Image’ refers to her. The weight of this inner power technique is 80% hers, so I can’t leave her out. But stating it would be the actions of a rookie.
“I named it ‘Mental Image’ because it’s about feeling the flow of inner power and using it for the small circulation. Does it sound awkward?”
Since I named it after all those blue spear tips and trucks, it flows perfectly.
“No, it’s fine.”
She pulled back her suspicious gaze and smiled at me again.
Thank goodness. I almost made a name like So-Yoon-Sang-a Technique that would have brought major trouble.
“Truly, thanks to So-hee, my long-standing wish has come true.”
I smiled brightly and thanked her once more.
“From now on, don’t use the old technique, but the one I taught you.”
“Of course. Whenever I use this inner power technique, I’ll always think of So-hee.”
And sometimes think about her too.
“Yeah.”
Looking satisfied, she gave me a small smile.
—–
After I learned the inner power technique, So-hee began the real martial arts training.
“Starting today, I’ll teach you one martial art and self-defense technique.”
She took me to the training hall and started explaining what we would be doing from this day forward.
“Is that medicine in that big basin for the martial arts?”
“Yep. The martial art I’m going to teach you, Yoon-ho, is called the Jade Face Protective Technique.”
That name sounds like it’s something a ridiculously handsome guy would use.
She began to explain the Jade Face Protective Technique to me.
As I heard her explanation, it turned out that this so-called martial art, which seemed to fit a handsome person, was an external technique (外功).
More specifically, it’s External Family Qi Gong (外家氣功).
Most martial arts use internal power to unleash superhuman might, but the Jade Face Protective Technique strengthens the skin through an external method.
“So, it’s a martial art that hardens the skin when applying medicine and absorbing it?”
If learned correctly, it’d apparently take a lot to pierce the skin with clumsy cuts.
When I said I didn’t want to get hit, I didn’t think she’d bring me external skills that would make me feel little pain even if low-tier thugs hit me.
After providing me with the essential preparations, she began applying the medicine to my body.
It felt like all over my body was coated in something akin to pain relief lotion. My senses felt sharper now.
Thus, I began learning the external technique and self-defense under the Heavenly Killing Star.
——–
One day while focusing on recovery and martial arts training.
“You’re really working hard!”
Who is it? A middle-aged man I’ve never seen before suddenly appeared while I was learning self-defense from So-hee.
“What’s going on?”
So-hee responded to the suddenly appearing middle-aged man in a business-like manner.
Do they know each other from the Heavenly Killing Star?
“Look at how you’ve grown! Hmm hmm. Truly impressive. Just hang yourself.”
The man ignored So-hee’s words and examined me, speaking with an inexplicable smile. What is he talking about?
“If you don’t want to hang yourself, just say your business.”
“You sure are harsh when asking for favors.”
Are they on friendly terms or something?
He seems to easily slide past So-hee’s sharp attitude like it’s a normal thing.
“…”
So-hee couldn’t contradict the man, possibly due to some hidden feelings.
“Actually, I’m here because of something important.”
The man removed his smile and spoke to So-hee with a serious face.
“What’s going on?”
As she spoke, So-hee glanced at me briefly.
Should I step aside?
“I’ll step aside.”
“You need to hear this too.”
“Then I will listen carefully.”
I paused and stared at the middle-aged man.
“What a polite young man.”
After giving me a compliment, the man straightened his back and alternately looked at both of us, pausing slightly.
Something unsettling is going on.
The man seemed to think we were ready to listen and opened his mouth in a seriously hushed tone.
“I’m here because of the Cheon Sal-pa massacre incident.”
