The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything - Chapter 311

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 311: The Spark of Malice (4)

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Ice Art.

A martial art that manifests and uses yin energy.

It sounded simple in theory, but bringing that energy into tangible form was anything but easy.

The greatest difficulty was that Ice Art constantly eroded the body while it remained within it.

The human body had to maintain a steady temperature, but Ice Art kept lowering it, slowly eating away at one's life.

That was why there were countless yang-based cultivation arts, while Ice Art could be counted on one hand.

To begin with, humans used qi by borrowing its power, not by manifesting the nature of the energy itself.

‘Except for those insane Demonic Cult bastards, of course.’

Those bastards had kicked common sense all the way to the Western Regions. They manifested the nature of qi itself to breathe fire and shoot ice.

That was not something that naturally occurred within the laws of the world.

In any case, using Ice Art was difficult.

Your constitution had to suit it, and you needed a stable Ice Art.

Beyond that, you had to give up other martial arts.

The nature of Ice Art opposed other cultivation arts, especially the yang-based cultivation arts that made up most martial arts. Learning both was no different from coating your whole body in oil and stepping into a fire pit.

Among the martial arts of the martial world, the only one capable of handling yin and yang at once was Wudang Sect's Two Principles Taiji Divine Art.

...Yet I was using it right now.

“Haha. I must be really drunk. I'm using Ice Art.”

I set down my cup, picked up another, and drew up my internal energy as I had before.

Tssssss!

The cup turned cold again.

“Haha, this is insane.”

Smack. Smack. Smack.

Thinking I still had not come to my senses, I slapped myself across the face three times.

“Oh my!”

The woman who had demonstrated Ice Art beside me stepped back in surprise, but this was not the time to worry about that.

This time, I picked up the bottle and drew up my internal energy.

Tsssssss!

“...”

Watching the bottle turn cold and frost over, I poured myself a drink and swallowed it, just in case.

“Ah! That's refreshing.”

“...”

It was not the right thing to say in this situation, but chilled like this, the liquor really did taste twice as good.

“...Young Master, could it be...”

Haeryeong cautiously asked, “Have you learned the Two Principles Taiji Divine Art from Wudang Sect?”

Wasn't that something only the Wudang Sect Leader or the disciple meant to inherit the sect received?

Even within Wudang Sect, there were probably only a handful of people who had learned it.

“...Then, could you perhaps be a demonic being...?”

“...”

“Uh, um, you're not, right? Right?”

“...”

I did not know either.

Not knowing was driving me crazy.

Haeryeong sent the woman who had used Ice Art away.

I could not let her hear any more.

...Besides, I could chill Frosted Flower Dew Liquor and drink it myself now.

Holding the bottle, I asked, “Is that person trustworthy?”

If word got out that I had used Ice Art...

“You may trust them. If they were not trustworthy, I would not have taught them martial arts in the first place.”

Glug, glug.

Haeryeong frowned, perhaps displeased by the sight of me pouring another drink.

“...Can you really drink right now?”

“I'm drinking for the experiment.”

“What does that...”

“I need to know what's going on.”

I ran various tests while emptying a bottle of Frosted Flower Dew Liquor.

First, the power of my Ice Art was not that strong.

It was not because I was controlling the yin energy. No matter how much internal energy I poured into it, the temperature did not drop below a certain point.

It only released enough yin energy to make liquor taste good.

I could not freeze anything.

‘Can this even be called Ice Art?’

In other words, I could use Ice Art, but it was not at a level useful in combat.

At most, I could do what the woman from earlier did, serving drinks at a tavern.

‘...I doubt the customers would like it much.’

“Young Master, what are you thinking...?”

“Ahem. Nothing.”

Second, my internal energy had not changed.

That was the part I understood the least.

No matter how closely I examined my dantian or circulated my qi, my internal energy remained the same.

The nature of my original Taeul qi had not changed.

Yet when I drew up that Taeul qi and shifted it through the basic circulation method of Ice Art...

Whoooosh.

...Cold energy poured out.

‘This is driving me insane.’

I simply could not understand the mechanism that produced this cold energy.

On top of that, I had only roughly imitated the circulation method of Ice Art. I had not learned it properly.

‘This is a serious problem.’

If a martial artist did not properly understand their own internal energy, it could become a matter of life and death.

It was no different from carrying a Thunderclap Bomb inside your body, one that could explode at any time.

“...Young Master?”

Perhaps noticing something was wrong with my expression, Haeryeong and Yang Gunbaek cautiously asked, “Are you all right?”

I needed to investigate further.

Rather than answer, I raised the bottle.

“Do you have any more Frosted Flower Dew Liquor?”

“...”

“I think I need to run more experiments.”

For the first time, a crease appeared between Haeryeong's brows.

“My life is on the line.”

“...Phew.”

I had asked seriously, though.

After I emptied two more bottles of Frosted Flower Dew Liquor, Haeryeong said there was no more and threw me out.

‘How stingy. I even brought her useful information.’

I did not learn much more after emptying three bottles in total.

For one thing, as long as my internal energy lasted, a faint chill continued to radiate from me.

Also, even if I stopped circulating it midway through using Ice Art, my restored internal energy did not feel foreign.

In other words, I could convert it into Ice Art, but returning it to its original state did not seem to cause any major problems.

‘Thank heavens.’

That gave me some relief.

At least it did not mean there was a problem with my dantian.

Haeryeong persistently asked why I had learned Ice Art, but I could not answer at all.

I had not learned Ice Art to begin with.

If I had to name one thing I suspected...

‘This damned Azure Dragon Bangle...’

For some reason, I could picture the damn thing peeking out and saying, “Why are you only giving me shit?”

It was definitely the prime suspect.

After all, if I thought of recent events that had caused dramatic changes to my body, there was only Je Geumhak, that good-for-the-body man.

Je Geumhak was also a yin-yang practitioner who handled both yin and yang energy.

I had been beaten so badly that my mind was hazy, so I could not remember clearly, but the only time my dantian had changed was when the Azure Dragon Bangle absorbed Je Geumhak's internal energy.

Seen that way, the Azure Dragon Bangle was definitely the prime suspect.

The Absorbing Star Grand Art could only take in an opponent's internal energy. It could not assimilate it into my own internal energy. The other person's internal energy manifested as it was.

If the Azure Dragon Bangle had absorbed Je Geumhak's Ice Art and I was now using that Ice Art...

‘That roughly fits the situation.’

There were records that people who had learned the Absorbing Star Grand Art in the past had gone around releasing energies of various natures.

Go Jungak, the Vampiric Fiend who had owned the Azure Dragon Bangle in my previous life, had even used ten different kinds of energy.

Of course, those unassimilated energies eventually drove people mad or caused qi deviation.

Everyone knew it was not something to learn carelessly, even aside from its inclusion on the Martial Alliance's list of forbidden arts.

The problem, if it was one, was that my situation differed somewhat.

The reason I had begun using the Azure Dragon Bangle in the first place was that the energies within my dantian did not split apart.

Even now, I had felt safe because the energies had not separated. So why had I become able to use Ice Art?

Whatever the case, one thing was certain.

‘Fuck these Demonic Cult bastards...’

This was all those Demonic Cult bastards' fault.

If they had not existed, I would not have ended up with such a bizarre body.

As I cursed at Je Geumhak and the other demonic beings, I sensed a presence behind me.

“...What are you doing?”

“Ha... How did you know?”

“How would I not know? At least make an effort to hide. I can sense you this clearly.”

The person who peeked her head out and stood beside me was none other than Saryeon.

“I'm practicing a stealth art, but it's harder than I thought.”

“You have the Ghost Breath Movement Art. Why bother?”

“The Ghost Breath Movement Art makes internal energy react slowly. I heard a stealth art can conceal your presence even while using internal energy... Wouldn't that be better in actual combat?”

For assassinations and infiltration, a stealth art probably was better.

“There's a decent stealth art in the Ten Thousand Books Repository. Read it later.”

“You've read all of the Ten Thousand Books Repository too?”

Yes, in my previous life.

“What kind of person are you, seriously?”

Saryeon shook her head as though she had no idea.

“Still, where are you coming from this late at night?”

“Then where are you coming from this late at night, Senior Brother?”

“I went to handle something important.”

Did she know I was tirelessly working day and night for the peace and security of Taeul Sect?

She probably did not.

And it was better that she did not.

This was the weight and responsibility of being the First Senior Brother...

Sniff, sniff.

“What are you...”

“Hold still!”

Saryeon suddenly leaned in close, sniffing at me with suspicious eyes.

“You smell like alcohol.”

“...Liquor is always involved in important work.”

“So what was this important work?”

“Ahem... It's too early to tell you. I'll let you know when the time comes. Anyway, what's that?”

I hurriedly changed the subject and pointed at the bundle she was carrying. Saryeon answered, “Sweets and snacks. The junior disciples have been training hard, so I want to reward them.”

“...”

Tsk.

I suddenly felt bad for going to Sohwa Tower alone. I had definitely gone there to work, though.

“...I'm impressed, Junior Sister Ryeon.”

When I patted her head, Saryeon quickly dodged away.

“What are you doing?”

“This is normally something the First Senior Brother should take care of.”

“If you know that, then do it properly.”

For some reason, I felt ashamed of how much I had cursed Gye Cheolyeong in my previous life.

Now that I had become the First Senior Brother, I wondered what was so different between him and me...

‘No. Comparing myself to that bastard is taking it too far. I'm sorry, past me.’

How much had that son of a bitch lorded his authority over us?

Putting him and me on the same level was an insult to me.

That's right.

As I tried to shake the thought away, Saryeon suddenly said, “It's fine. Senior Brother... You're already doing more than enough as a senior brother.”

“Hm?”

While I tilted my head, Saryeon continued.

“You found our Grand Martial Ancestor's true inheritance, and... it was crazy, but you took the junior disciples through the regular examination. Just from that, you're doing well.”

“Did I take them through it? They were the ones who followed me well.”

Saryeon, who had been walking a step behind me, suddenly stopped.

“Hm? Why did you stop? Did you see a ghost?”

“Eunho said something like that once. During the regular examination, it was so hard and painful that Eunho wanted to give up, but saw Senior Brother's back ahead... So Eunho only looked at your back and followed you.”

“...”

“Just by following your back, Eunho arrived at the Martial Arts Academy.”

What in the world had Eunho been telling people?

Feeling awkward, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“What are you talking about? Lady Namgung and Lady Seong were there too.”

Saryeon let out a long sigh for some reason.

“What am I even supposed to say to you, Senior Brother...?”

Then she met my eyes again.

“First Senior Brother, keep moving forward like that. I'll take care of the junior disciples.”

Saryeon spoke as though making a vow, then started walking again.

This time, she walked one step ahead of me.

Seeing her back, I felt both sorry and proud.

After all, when the Orthodox-Demonic War swept through the martial world, it would be impossible to protect Taeul Sect through my strength alone.

I could not have been more grateful that they were all following me so well.

As I followed behind her, something from the regular examination suddenly came to mind.

‘Huh?’

Come to think of it, I had used the Azure Dragon Bangle against the Dark Soul-Severing Unit on the Puyang Plains too.

And...

‘My dantian expanded then too?’

I stopped and looked down at my hands.

If I had absorbed Je Geumhak's internal energy and taken in its nature... had I not also absorbed the nature of the Dark Soul-Severing Unit's internal energy?

But thinking back, I had never had bone swords burst out of me or my flesh split apart like theirs.

‘Well, that requires undergoing procedures that only lunatics would accept.’

It was horrifying even to think about.

If bone swords suddenly burst from my body at the Martial Arts Academy, or if my skin split and closed again among countless White Path figures, I'd be declared a public enemy of the martial world without question.

In any case, it was fortunate that there were no outward changes.

The problem was the internal changes.

The Dark Soul-Severing Unit's specialty was [Dark Assimilation].

There was not the slightest clue to find them in darkness.

Wait a moment...

‘Wow... This is insane.’

Did I... gain the strongest stealth art?!!!

Suppressing my excitement, I called out to Saryeon.

“Saryeon.”

“Yes?”

Saryeon, walking ahead of me, tilted her head.

“I'm about to try something... Don't be too surprised when you see it.”

“...What?”

“I think something may be wrong with my body.”

“What?”

“And you must keep it a secret.”

“...Senior Brother.”

Before Saryeon could continue, I began using the stealth art I had seen in the Ten Thousand Books Repository.

It was not an especially remarkable stealth art, but if I had taken [Dark Assimilation], this stealth art should manifest in the same form as the one used by the Dark Soul-Severing Unit.

In other words, I would be able to hide myself completely.

I used the stealth art and slowly walked toward Saryeon.

Then I spread both arms wide and waved them through the air.

“...”

Saryeon showed no reaction.

I went behind her and waved my body around, then waved beside her, then waved again in front of her.

Throughout it all, Saryeon showed no reaction.

Hah, what was I supposed to do with this?

Maybe I had become someone who could return the fear people of the Central Plains had felt toward demonic beings.

Through this [Dark Assimilation], they would feel that same fear...

“Senior Brother...”

Saryeon suddenly called me. Then she turned her head.