WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME NOVELS

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Former Supreme ◈

Chapter 51: The Internal Energy of a Single Tear (2)

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Baek Socheon sat cross-legged, circulating his internal energy.

How long had it been since he had last done this? His heart swelled so much that he felt tears might spill from his eyes.

Instead of his old heart method, he circulated the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method. True to its designation as the greatest of all time, it was superior to the heart method he had previously cultivated.

'Ah!'

A sigh of admiration escaped him. What he had only imagined after reading the secret manual was on an entirely different level from actually circulating it.

The energy flowing through his meridians was faster and more vigorous than before. The internal energy gathering in his new dantian was also far purer. Perhaps because it was his first time, or because he was filling an empty dantian with internal energy for the first time, the amount accumulating felt smaller than he had expected.

'There's a way to confirm it.'

Once he had grown accustomed to the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method, Baek Socheon took a box from his leather bag.

It was the very box of Hundred-Year Fleeceflower Root he had received from Wang Gon long ago. When he had first received it, he had never imagined he would use it himself one day.

He had kept it in his leather bag, box and all, but upon examining it closely this time, he found that it was low-grade among Hundred-Year Fleeceflower Roots. Even among roots of the same age, high-grade ones cost several times more. Then again, it had probably been used as a bribe because it was low-grade.

Even so, it was valuable. He had heard that most spiritual medicines in the Central Plains had been consumed during the Orthodox-Demonic War, making good medicines difficult to obtain. Spiritual medicines prefixed with “thousand-year” or “ten-thousand-year” were especially hard to find, and even when they did appear, they sold for exorbitant prices.

Baek Socheon carefully chewed and swallowed the fleeceflower root. Compared to the Everlasting Poison-Forgetting Grass fruit he had taken before, it was fragrant and sweet, like candied fruit. Once he had chewed and swallowed every last bit, he began circulating the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method.

Normally, a Hundred-Year Fleeceflower Root granted a martial artist five to ten years' worth of internal energy at once. That was for a middle-grade root. Since the one he had taken was low-grade, it should grant four to nine years' worth. A high-grade root granted six to eleven years. In most cases, the amount varied above or below the middle-grade standard.

Baek Socheon's level of martial arts allowed him to draw out the maximum possible internal energy from spiritual medicine. Now that he could even circulate the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method, the greatest heart method of all time, its effects would be maximized.

Sssss.

Baek Socheon began circulating his energy. He dissolved the concentrated medicinal power of the Hundred-Year Fleeceflower Root and sent it through the meridians of his entire body. It was only enough energy to create a few years' worth of internal energy, but it was incomparably greater than the single drop of internal energy he had felt at first. That was why Baek Socheon trembled throughout the entire circulation.

After making one full circuit through his body, the energy settled into his new dantian.

When he completed a full circulation, Baek Socheon let out an exclamation.

It held both joy and regret.

Only three years' worth of internal energy had gathered in his dantian. Under normal circumstances, it should have been filled with nine years' worth. His feeling that too little internal energy had accumulated during his earlier circulation had been correct.

Yet those three years' worth of internal energy were purer than anything Baek Socheon had ever felt. It was so pure that he could not help but marvel at how such internal energy could exist. This was not because of the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method. If the heart method accounted for one part of that purity, the remaining nine parts came entirely from his new dantian.

It was a dantian far more advanced than his original one.

Baek Socheon understood. Compared to his old dantian, this new one made it harder to gather internal energy, but once gathered, that internal energy would be purer than anything else.

When using the same amount of internal energy, the power of a technique produced by purer internal energy was far greater.

What if he encountered a great opportunity and filled this new dantian with three sixty-year cycles' worth of internal energy?

Before his dantian was damaged, Baek Socheon had possessed three sixty-year cycles' worth of internal energy. Of course, that had only been possible because the Murim Alliance had given him its full support.

What if he possessed the same three sixty-year cycles' worth, but of purer internal energy? On top of that, he had learned both the greatest heart method of all time and a fist art.

It meant he would definitely become stronger than before.

Of course, it would not be easy. Even if the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method gathered internal energy faster than other heart methods thanks to its peerless effects, he would still need more than seventy or eighty years of heart method training alone to gather three sixty-year cycles' worth of internal energy.

In other words, he needed spiritual medicines or fortuitous encounters.

That was why he had to obtain at least one sixty-year cycle's worth of internal energy by any means necessary. Only then would he stand a chance of fighting the Black Heaven Alliance Leader or the Blood Cult Leader.

Even with one sixty-year cycle's worth, he would still be more likely to lose if he fought them now. He had lost even when he possessed a full three sixty-year cycles' worth.

The Black Heaven Alliance Leader might have grown stronger while Baek Socheon recovered from his injuries. On top of that, the new threat, the Blood Cult Leader, had already achieved full mastery of the Blood Heaven Art.

Baek Socheon forced those grim thoughts aside and smiled brightly.

'For now, this is enough.'

The future could wait. For now, he should celebrate gaining these three years' worth of internal energy.

It was only three years' worth, but it gave him a reassuring feeling, as though he could topple a mountain. It felt as if he had gained a second life. In truth, that could be the case. At a critical moment, that small amount of internal energy might save his life.

There was an even greater advantage. Since the new dantian had formed behind his ruined original dantian, no one could confirm his internal energy by injecting their own into him.

His original dantian still remained in its proper place, destroyed as before. Anyone inspecting him would only confirm that one.

This was extremely important. If the Black Heaven Alliance Leader learned that Baek Socheon could gather internal energy again, they would immediately try to kill him. The only reason they had spared Baek Socheon and taken their time until now was their confidence that they could kill him whenever they wished.

'I must never let anyone find out that my dantian has been restored until I've gathered at least one sixty-year cycle's worth of internal energy.'

Until then, he had to obtain and consume every spiritual medicine he could find while building his internal energy through the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method.

Until he could defend himself, he had to quietly build up his internal energy.

After completing a long session of energy circulation and making plans for the future, Baek Socheon opened his eyes.

Ban Yunsaeng was looking at him with an emotional expression.

“What a relief.”

“It's thanks to you, Elder.”

“Should I call this a success? Or a failure?”

“I don't know how you see it, Elder, but for me, it was a success. A tremendous success.”

“Congratulations.”

Ban Yunsaeng gave a hollow laugh.

Of course, the complete transformation Ban Yunsaeng had envisioned had failed. Yet Ban Yunsaeng found hope in that failure.

If there could be several people like Baek Socheon, if Ban Yunsaeng could obtain Everlasting Poison-Forgetting Grass fruit every year, then perhaps repeating the method over and over might eventually lead to success.

It was a futile thought, but Ban Yunsaeng smiled brightly. They could not remember the last time they had smiled this happily. Yes, this much was enough.

“What will you do now?”

“I have to return to the Alliance.”

“When you see Gwoe Yeo, give them my regards.”

Ban Yunsaeng held out a bottle of liquor they had prepared.

“Take this to them.”

“I understand.”

“Did you say you were going to stop the war?”

“Yes.”

“If you prevent the war, my contribution will be great as well.”

“Of course. I'll be stopping it thanks to you, Elder.”

“You fool, I'm not shameless enough to claim that much credit. It's enough that I contributed a small part to such a good cause. And remember what I told you before. The Alliance is important, and so is the martial world, but live for yourself.”

Ban Yunsaeng looked out the window at the fluffy clouds drifting lazily through the sky.

“Looking back on my life, I wonder whether I was truly someone who wanted to succeed with the Complete Transformation Method. What kind of person would I have become if I had never met my master and begun this research?”

Baek Socheon understood Ban Yunsaeng's regret. He was much the same. He had begun something as though possessed by it, then lived for it as if it were his entire life. He did not regret it, but sometimes he wondered what kind of life he would have lived if he had not walked this path.

“I'll remember that. Once I stop this war, I'll do my best to live solely for myself.”

“You've thought it through well.”

At that moment, Ban Yunsaeng vomited blood and collapsed.

“Elder!”

Baek Socheon supported Ban Yunsaeng. He tried to treat them with even his three years' worth of internal energy, but Ban Yunsaeng stopped him.

“It is already too late for me.”

While Baek Socheon had been circulating his energy, Ban Yunsaeng had swallowed a poison pill.

Ban Yunsaeng had taken a poison pill whose effects spread slowly, thinking they should at least apologize one last time and say goodbye.

Ban Yunsaeng did not regret swallowing it.

They had not chosen death only because their method had failed, or because they could never perform it again.

“...Many people died because of my greed. It is time for me to go and ask their forgiveness.”

Many people had died when the method failed. Those who had accepted the method had willingly risked their lives in pursuit of complete transformation, but now that Ban Yunsaeng thought about it, they felt terribly sorry for them.

“...It is best to leave while there is someone willing to bury me. I am sorry.”

“No, Elder.”

Baek Socheon mourned Ban Yunsaeng's death.

“Your complete transformation certainly succeeded. Thank you.”

Ban Yunsaeng smiled brightly.

“Thank you... I hope that one day, you will achieve a true complete transformation. If you do... I will have no regrets.”

With that, Ban Yunsaeng closed their eyes.

Baek Socheon buried Ban Yunsaeng in a sunny spot overlooking the Everlasting Poison-Forgetting Grass far below. He remained there for three more days before leaving.

* * *

Baek Socheon did not return directly to headquarters. To meet someone, he entered an inn in the market district of Lanzhou, Gansu.

“Bring out your best liquor and the dish you do best.”

“Understood.”

“And I would like to see the owner of this place.”

“I am the owner.”

“Not you. The real owner.”

The innkeeper's expression stiffened slightly.

“Deliver this letter to your owner. If the secret leaks because you fail to deliver it directly, you won't survive.”

This was a Nine Dragons Inn. There were several Nine Dragons Inns throughout the Central Plains, and the one where Baek Socheon had once sent Beon Saeng on an errand was also a Nine Dragons Inn in Zhejiang Province. Baek Socheon had come to meet Cheon Geuk again.

The Nine Dragons Inns throughout the Central Plains were connected to the Assassin Alliance, though few people knew that.

Three days later, Cheon Geuk appeared there.

“You truly have an extraordinary talent for surprising people in every way.”

“I wanted to see you.”

“Don't joke around.”

“I need your help.”

Cheon Geuk thought that the affairs of the world were truly unpredictable. She had never dreamed that she would meet Baek Socheon again so soon. It likely meant that the situation in the martial world was changing quickly.

“Tell me.”

“Before that, I have a request. I want to speak with you alone.”

He was asking her to send away the Guardian Assassin Stars.

Before she could answer, a powerful aura swept through the room. It was the energy released by the Guardian Assassin Stars. They gave off their most hostile aura to make their refusal clear.

“Do you know what that means? It means you are asking me to hand over my life.”

“Come on! You're much stronger than me.”

“Symbolically speaking.”

“Please.”

Baek Socheon had made the request twice. That meant this was important to him.

At that moment, Eastern Star's voice transmission reached her.

-That is not possible. I know you trust him, Alliance Leader, but we cannot allow it.

-I know. Let it go this once.

-Alliance Leader.

-The martial world is on the brink of war. No one knows what role that man will play in it. So let's invest in him while we can.

-...

-Trust me. If you cannot trust me, then trust the fate that made a woman as young as me the Assassin King.

After she went that far, Eastern Star did not insist any longer.

-Understood.

-Thank you.

The Guardian Assassin Stars disappeared.

“They are all gone now, so kill me.”

Baek Socheon answered her joke with one of his own.

“When no one's watching, shouldn't a man and a woman be doing something else?”

Cheon Geuk snickered.

“Sounds like you want to sleep with me.”

“Let's deal with this first.”

Baek Socheon took something from his leather bag.

To Cheon Geuk's surprise, they were banknotes collected from the Central Plains' Three Great Banking Houses.

“It is one million four hundred thousand nyang.”

It was the money he had deposited in three banking houses. He had withdrawn all of it except for one hundred thousand nyang reserved for emergencies.

“My entire fortune.”

Footnotes:

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