Chapter 55

Shinma's Selection (55)

Nengsomil asked Chaowang with a composed expression, "Actually, I don't have much desire for martial arts. What use would it be for me to learn a new internal cultivation technique at my age?"

Chaowang earnestly advised, "Think carefully. The opportunity to learn the highest internal cultivation technique in the martial world is rare. This will truly be a great fortune for you."

"But I already have thirty years of internal cultivation..."

Hansuhwa chuckled.

At this moment, Fanjie couldn't hold back and interjected, "Forget that nonsense! I'll clean it up for you."

Nengsomil was startled, "Clean it up?"

Chaowang smiled bitterly and looked at Nengsomil, "Thirty years of internal cultivation isn't that impressive. The quality of internal cultivation is more important than the quantity."

Hansuhwa nodded, "Just thirty years. I achieved that level of internal cultivation after two years of practice."

"I took about a year."

Chaowang's words made Fanjie shout back, "I took six months!"

Chaowang frowned and glared at Fanjie, "Can't you at least consider the situation before boasting?"

Hansuhwa also cast an unsatisfied glance at Fanjie.

Fanjie suddenly felt wronged, "It's true! Ask our master..."

"He's passed away, didn't you say?"

"..."

Nengsomil felt a sense of alienation, as if he was in a different dimension from the three of them.

However, they were all unparalleled geniuses in martial arts, so there was no way to refute them.

But since his fate was at stake, he couldn't just stand by.

It was one thing to call it the ultimate martial technique, but he couldn't entrust his life to an unverified and dubious martial art.

Learning a martial technique and creating one are vastly different matters.

'Better to die than to suffer!'

How many people had become cripples after falling into madness while learning a poorly conceived internal cultivation technique?

"I am quite satisfied with my current state."

Nengsomil's words made Chaowang unusually persistent in his persuasion, "Think about the time you were beaten by the Fasaduan gang. If you had learned this internal cultivation technique, they wouldn't have stood a chance against you."

"Well, in life, one encounters all sorts of things, don't they?"

"We guarantee that this is the highest internal cultivation technique."

"Then it would be even more inappropriate for someone as talentless as me to learn it, wouldn't it? It would be a waste of the martial technique."

At this point, Chaowang's gaze began to turn cold.

He had shown considerable patience, but now he was reaching his limit.

Fanjie and Hansuhwa were no different.

At this moment, Samshim, who was clearing the table, sensed the tense atmosphere and approached.

"If it's really necessary, I'll learn it."

Fanjie exploded, "What, man? You're going to throw away all the internal cultivation we gave you by feeding you Gongqing Shiqiu?"

Chaowang and Hansuhwa also emitted a killing aura.

Samshim looked at Nengsomil with a pained expression, "Ah—! It's a shame, but I can't learn the internal cultivation technique you three created."

However, Nengsomil was surprised for a different reason.

'Gongqing Shiqiu?'

He wondered what kind of medicine could change a person so much, and it turned out to be Gongqing Shiqiu!

'I would be the same!'

Of course, the world would feel like a bed of flowers.

"I'm sorry. I was too greedy."

Samshim's polite apology and retreat made Nengsomil's mind swirl with doubt.

'How could someone who took Gongqing Shiqiu be so regretful?'

Nengsomil's heart wavered.

'Could it really be a genuine technique?'

At that moment, Nengsomil felt a terrifying aura that seemed to slice his body into pieces and turned his head.

He froze.

If looks could kill, he would have been killed a hundred times over by the gazes fixed on him.

"Did I never have a choice from the beginning?"

The three nodded simultaneously.

"If I refuse... will I die?"

But the answer was unexpected.

"No."

Fanjie continued, "We won't kill you."

And Hansuhwa added, "We won't kill you."

"..."

Nengsomil felt a chill run down his spine.

Their words were more terrifying than an outright threat to kill him.

Nengsomil sighed, "Alright. But I have one condition."

He asked the three, "So, you want to test the safety of the martial technique you created through me?"

"What's the point? Whether you know or not, the result won't change."

Fanjie's retort made Nengsomil serious, "Even if I have to suffer, I'd rather know why."

"Isn't it the opposite? Knowing and still suffering is foolish."

"I thought so too, but not anymore. After being betrayed without knowing why, my values have changed."

Fanjie nodded, "You're right. But we take pride in it being the highest internal cultivation technique in martial history!"

Chaowang also nodded, "If I were twenty years younger, I would have given up my current internal cultivation to learn this."

Hansuhwa added, "It's the technique that Danyi will learn. Do you think we would create something trivial?"

Nengsomil felt a bit more convinced by their confident answers.

"But what if there's a problem? Like madness or other side effects?"

The three laughed simultaneously.

They had Danyi, a solid foundation to rely on.

"I promise. You've encountered a great fortune here."

Chaowang's words were echoed by the other two.

Finally, Nengsomil made his decision.

No matter how skilled he was, he had no way to escape from them.

"Alright. I'll do it."

Thus, Nengsomil became the first person to learn the internal cultivation technique, Weihua Xinong, which the three had devoted their hearts to.

* * *

To cultivate internal energy, one must go through the process of Yunqi Tuna (運氣吐納).

It involves circulating the true energy according to the technique's formula and storing it in the dantian.

By repeating this process of Yunqi Xingong (運氣行功) every day without fail, internal energy begins to accumulate in the dantian.

Therefore, internal energy was not just a measure of a martial artist's strength.

It was the effort accumulated over the years, a testament to a martial artist's life.

That's why martial artists would rather cut off an arm than give up their internal energy.

It was a difficult decision.

As Nengsomil hesitated until the last moment, Chaowang said, "To fill anew, one must first empty."

Nengsomil nodded, determined, and Fanjie stepped forward.

The extreme yang true energy poured into the Mingmen point on his back, moving through the meridians and penetrating the Qihai point where the dantian was located.

In an instant, it burned away Nengsomil's internal energy.

When internal energies of different natures clash directly, they naturally repel each other.

But the difference in level made resistance impossible.

What followed was a sense of emptiness.

It was a pain that felt like his entire life had been negated.

Suddenly, he remembered the first time he cultivated internal energy.

When he was eight years old.

After losing his family to an epidemic, Nengsomil went without food for three days.

On the fourth day, he sold himself to survive.

Thus, he entered the Xiaomen, and each day was like hell.

He did all sorts of menial tasks and endured various insults and violence.

One day, he managed to obtain a Yunqi Tuna technique.

It was a third-rate internal cultivation technique with just a few formulas and no proper name.

But at the time, it felt like he had the whole world.

The process of cultivating internal energy was very slow and arduous.

After more than five years of practice, he had only accumulated about a year's worth of internal energy in his dantian.

Even so, Nengsomil was grateful.

He eventually caught the eye of a branch leader of the Xiaomen.

Under his guidance, Nengsomil finally received a proper internal cultivation technique.

For the next thirty years, he never missed a day of internal energy practice.

People came and went, and money came and went, but the internal energy he had accumulated was entirely his.

But now, even that was gone.

The sense of loss was indescribable.

Ten days passed.

The following ten days were extremely painful.

Chaowang and the other two forcibly opened his Ren and Du meridians.

It was hard to believe, but the person they called Danyi had already penetrated these meridians.

So, to meet the same conditions, he had to penetrate his Ren and Du meridians as well.

The process of penetration was unlike any torture he had ever endured.

The massive true energy surged like a tidal wave, exerting immense pressure that squeezed and flipped his body inside out.

The intense pain of his body being torn apart made him lose consciousness several times a day.

The pain was so excruciating that it felt like he was seeing his life flash before his eyes.

At fifteen, Nengsomil was responsible for errands and odd jobs at the brothels and gambling dens affiliated with the Xiaomen.

It was around this time that he befriended a few peers who had entered the Xiaomen in similar circumstances.

One day, an incident occurred at a gambling den where a disciple of a famous sect was killed.

The cause of death was poisoning.

Nengsomil and a friend who had brought him food and drink were implicated.

The Xiaomen, which he had believed would protect him, instead forced him to make false statements.

They showed him a person who had been disfigured and instructed him to testify that this person had put the poison in the food and drink.

The upper echelons of the Xiaomen promised safety and a higher position in return.

But Nengsomil wasn't foolish enough to fall for such sweet talk.

He hadn't forgotten the fate of those who were used and discarded.

Pretending to comply with the upper echelons, he made them let their guard down and then fled with his friend.

To avoid possible pursuit, they ran day and night for several days without rest.

It was then that he swore to become someone no one could treat lightly.

He started a new life with a new identity.

Thus began the new Shinsofang, starting with two people.

They endured countless hardships that were hard to describe.

But they could endure it because they had a friend they could trust and rely on.

Lee Gyu's betrayal was all the more painful for this reason.

He was the only friend who had built the Shinsofang with him through thick and thin.

'So what?'

In the end, his situation was no different from the beginning.

The current terrifying pain was no different.

It was the price he paid to Chaowang to preserve his life.

It was no different from when he sold himself to the Xiaomen to avoid starving to death.

However, when the seemingly endless pain finally ended, Nengsomil faced a changed world.

The transformation in his body was so remarkable that he was amazed.

His senses became incredibly sharp, and his reaction speed and cognitive abilities were noticeably improved.

His strength was also enhanced.

Fatigue didn't accumulate easily, and his stamina recovered at an alarming rate.

The last ten days were a continuous series of surprises.

It was due to the energy beginning to take root in his dantian.

Cultivating true energy with the Ren and Du meridians penetrated was clearly different.

The time it took to circulate the true energy was reduced by more than a third, and the amount of internal energy accumulated in the dantian was significantly greater.

Naturally, the speed at which internal energy accumulated was different.

It was a world of difference.

Moreover, the internal cultivation technique was created by three great masters who had devoted their hearts to it, so the internal energy began to take root with tremendous momentum.

Chaowang, Fanjie, and Hansuhwa also spared no effort.

To prevent any unforeseen incidents, at least one of them always watched over Nengsomil while he practiced.

Through their conversations during this process, Nengsomil learned how much effort they had put into Weihua Xinong.

On the thirtieth day of learning Weihua Xinong, Nengsomil slowly opened his eyes after completing his Yunqi Xingong.

He couldn't help but let out a sigh of amazement.