Chapter 58

"If you wear those fluttering clothes and enter the water, they will hinder your swimming. You should also change into something more suitable."

"Understood, Master."

Youshin Yun made Marek take off his clothes as well. As he did, muscles as massive as Marek’s body were revealed, shining like black pearls.

In an instant, the two men were standing in nothing but their undergarments, and Tang Haling, with a face as red as a radish, could only look at the ground. In contrast, Zhuge Jun was looking at Youshin Yun with eyes full of surprise.

‘...He gave a body-to-body transmission to a mere subordinate? Did he really intend to break through the gateway together?’

Body-to-body transmission was not simply a matter of passing on energy. If done incorrectly, it could lead to a surge of energy, causing the practitioner to lose all their internal strength, a highly dangerous risk.

Therefore, it was only performed for the next generation of successors in each sect or family, and only after extensive preparation and safety measures were in place.

Yet, Youshin Yun had completed the process so swiftly, without any of these precautions.

He didn’t even set up a simple protective formation...

Did he have such confidence in the stability of his martial arts?

‘...If not, then...’

Did he trust them, whom he had only just met, to this extent?

Zhuge Jun felt a strange sensation.

"Huff, huff!"

Just before entering the water, Marek was taking deep breaths to loosen up his body.

‘Is this really going to be okay...?’

He tried not to show his anxiety, but...

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Seeing the shadows of the giant armored fish swimming in the water, even he, who had lived a fearless life, felt an uncontrollable fear of life and death rising within him.

Thud.

At that moment, Youshin Yun lightly tapped Marek’s shoulder. Surprised, Marek turned his head.

Youshin Yun was looking at him with an expression that seemed to say he knew everything.

"Don’t worry. The armored fish won’t target you."

"Huh?"

Suddenly, the armored fish would avoid him.

Confused by his master’s incomprehensible words, Marek tilted his head, but...

Seeing the sincerity in Youshin Yun’s eyes, he felt inexplicably reassured.

"Alright, when I count to three, jump into the water and swim without stopping to the land on the right."

"Understood!"

Marek nodded, his face tense. However, Tang Haling’s reaction was different upon hearing his words.

The embarrassment she had felt at Youshin Yun’s earlier words had subsided, and now she was worried about Marek.

‘...How can he be so irresponsible?’

She thought she needed to stop him immediately. While Youshin Yun had given him an unknown internal energy, it would likely only help him withstand the extreme cold of the Thousand Cold Ice Water. It wouldn’t protect him from the armored fish’s sharp teeth.

According to her research, Youshin Yun was a master of external martial arts, so he might be able to endure for a short time, but Marek would be torn to pieces in seconds.

"One."

"Two."

While she hesitated, Youshin Yun was already counting.

"Wait...!"

Just as Tang Haling was about to stop Marek,

Swoosh!

A bone-chilling sound came from somewhere.

"!"

"!"

Everyone’s faces showed shock as they identified the source of the sound.

Tang Haling was so startled that she couldn’t even finish her sentence.

Drip.

Blood was flowing down Youshin Yun’s thigh. He had cut himself with a sword that he had somehow produced.

Everyone was visibly stunned.

"Three!"

Youshin Yun finished counting.

Splash! Plunge!

Without hesitation, he jumped into the Thousand Cold Ice Water.

Plunge!

Seeing this, Marek also threw himself into the water.

‘Gulp!’

Upon entering the Thousand Cold Ice Water, Marek nearly lost consciousness.

‘Unbelievable cold.’

Despite his preparation, the water’s temperature was beyond his imagination.

The extreme cold was squeezing his heart, and the blood in his body felt like it was freezing.

‘I need to keep moving...’

He dared not open his eyes, fearing they would freeze shut. But Marek clenched his teeth and forced his stiff, heavy limbs to move.

He couldn’t give up.

‘If I give up here, I’ll let my master down! Marek, I won’t give up!’

As his master had said, the armored fish were not targeting him.

This meant that all the armored fish were following the scent of his master’s blood.

How could he betray his master’s command, who had even offered himself as bait?

‘Just a little more! Just a little more! Please, move!’

Each movement of his limbs felt like they were about to shatter, but he kept swimming.

Then, at that moment,

Rumble! Rumble!

A change began within his body. The Donghua Xian Qi and Leiyun Shen Qi that Youshin Yun had given him started to flow naturally through Marek’s eight meridians.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The two energies efficiently absorbed the extreme cold of the Thousand Cold Ice Water into his body.

As a result,

Marek’s Cold Body was evolving to a higher level, beyond its limits, without him even realizing it.

He was truly experiencing a stroke of luck.

But Marek, unaware of this fact,

‘Huh?’

He was merely confused by the unknown energy spreading warmth from his head to his toes.

His body, which had been as stiff as a stone, gradually regained its flexibility.

As his movements became easier, he finally opened his eyes and started to move toward his goal with renewed effort.

And finally,

Splash.

Marek managed to climb out, using one hand to touch the ground.

"Cough!"

He spat out the Thousand Cold Ice Water that had filled his mouth.

‘Master!’

He looked around, shivering like a leaf, to the opposite side.

"!"

Unfortunately, no one was standing on the opposite land.

The situation in the water was urgent.

‘These fish are faster than I thought.’

Youshin Yun was swimming deep in the water, where the people on land could no longer see him.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Behind him, all the armored fish in the lake were chasing him with their steel-like teeth bared, completely driven mad by the blood flowing from his thigh.

Despite the imminent danger, Youshin Yun did not look like someone being chased. Instead, there was a hint of ease in his expression.

There was one reason for this.

‘The extreme cold is supposed to be intense, but it feels just right, refreshing even.’

The extreme cold from the Thousand Cold Ice Water was actually invigorating Youshin Yun.

The principle was the same as Marek’s stroke of luck, but in Youshin Yun’s case, it wasn’t a transformation of his body. Instead, the cold was converting into internal energy, like taking a potent medicinal pill, and accumulating in his Second Mana Library.

System messages kept appearing in front of Youshin Yun’s eyes.

[The extreme cold from the Thousand Cold Ice Water is penetrating the player’s body.]

[The passive effect of the Reverse Heaven Body, ‘Five Elements Resistance,’ is activated.]

[The skill ‘Five Elements Resistance’ resists the extreme cold from the Thousand Cold Ice Water.]

[The ‘Complete Absorption’ function of the Donghua Xian Qi is activated.]

[The player’s internal energy has increased by 100.]

...and so on...

One of the passive effects of the Reverse Heaven Body, Five Elements Resistance, gave him an incredible resistance to the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

The extreme cold from the Thousand Cold Ice Water, which had tried to penetrate his body, was blocked by the Five Elements Resistance and then captured by the Donghua Xian Qi, forcing it to convert into internal energy.

As time passed, his internal energy continued to increase.

Youshin Yun felt a sense of happiness.

‘Sweet, so sweet! To obtain such pure and extreme cold internal energy for free.’

He wanted to stay in the water longer.

But as his breath started to become short,

A system message appeared, signaling the end.

[All the extreme cold from the Thousand Cold Ice Water in the lake has been absorbed.]

[There is no more cold to absorb.]

‘Damn!’

Youshin Yun clicked his tongue in disappointment.

He stopped swimming and stood still.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

A large group of armored fish, which had been chasing him, suddenly surrounded him.

‘I have no choice. It’s time to wrap this up and get out.’

Youshin Yun, without any panic, slowly drew his sword, which he had been holding in reverse grip.

As the armored fish blocked his view,

Crackle! Crackle!

His sword began to glow with a golden light.

The people on land, who had been waiting anxiously for Youshin Yun to resurface, were growing restless.

‘I can’t just stand by any longer.’

At that moment, Tang Haling, biting her lip, started to approach the lake.

Zhuge Jun, startled, quickly grabbed her arm.

"Miss Cai! What are you doing?"

"Can’t you see? We need to save him before it’s too late!"

"It’s not safe! Miss Cai will be in danger too!"

"Get out of my way!"

Tang Haling was determined to jump into the water, even if it meant pushing Zhuge Jun aside.

But Zhuge Jun, of course, had no intention of letting her pass.

Just as the standoff was about to escalate,

Crackle! Crackle!

Something unusual was happening in the lake.

"Is that...?"

"What, what...?"

Tang Haling and Zhuge Jun’s eyes were drawn to the lake.

A part of the lake was bubbling violently, as if the water was boiling.

And in the next moment!

A golden beam of light shot up,

Boom!

A massive water column exploded from the lake.

"Aaaah!"

As countless armored fish, mixed with the water column, rained down like hail, Zhuge Jun let out a terrified scream.

But the armored fish, which had fallen to the ground, were completely still, charred black.

"Wow!"

At that moment, Marek shouted, having noticed something.

Everyone’s attention turned to where he was pointing.

"Huff!"

Youshin Yun appeared on the left side of the land.

Indeed, all of this was the result of Youshin Yun using the third form of the Leiyun Twelve Swords, Heavenly Thunder Surge.

As everyone was still in shock, Youshin Yun called out to Marek in a casual tone.

"Marek."

"Yes!"

"Feel for a part of the wall that feels different."

Marek quickly started feeling the wall as Youshin Yun had instructed.

‘This is it!’

He soon found a part that felt distinctly different and signaled to Youshin Yun.

"Alright, press it with all your strength."

As soon as he finished speaking, Youshin Yun also pressed a part of the wall.

A loud, grinding sound, like a giant gear turning, echoed through the cave.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The previously calm water of the lake began to swirl violently.

The onlookers’ eyes widened in shock.

‘The water is draining!’

With a tremendous whirlpool, the water of the lake was gradually disappearing into somewhere. The massive amount of water rapidly drained, and finally, the bottom of the lake was exposed.

At the bottom of the lake were two holes from which the water had drained and one hole blocked by a steel wall.

The first gateway of the Ten Thousand Phenomena, which was considered impossible to pass, had been perfectly solved.

‘...What is he...?’

Tang Haling looked at Youshin Yun with a mix of emotions.

Then, noticing her gaze, Youshin Yun spoke to her.

"Hey, Baoguo."

"Yes?"

"Stop staring and give me some clothes."

Seeing the man who had created this incredible situation act as if nothing had happened, a look of shock appeared on everyone’s faces, including Tang Haling’s.

Martial World Noble Reincarnation