13. An unbearable stench filled the air.
The technique I was practicing, the Golden Turtle Soaring Art, was a martial art created by a master known as the Memory Child.
It was a strange martial art that originally stemmed from the method of training fighting cocks.
Although the Memory Child was a skilled master, he was not the type to flaunt his abilities like the ancient sages who roamed the martial world.
Generally, masters of the Taoist lineage cultivated martial arts not to harm others, but to seek their own immortality.
Nevertheless, the Memory Child was a master who did not feel intimidated even before the King of Zhou, and it was rare for anyone to properly master the Golden Turtle Soaring Art he left behind.
Achieving greatness in this art was extremely difficult because its ultimate goal was immortality.
To narrow it down through the narrow perspective of the martial world, it was the realm of invulnerability to blades and swords.
In other words, it meant that a turtle that achieved invulnerability could roam freely across the world.
This Golden Turtle Soaring Art consisted of five stages: the Wooden Chicken, the Fiery Chicken, the Fighting Chicken, the Transcendent Chicken, and the Golden Turtle.
Each stage had a secret technique, and in detail, there were methods of movement and techniques.
Since I had not lost my memory, I only needed to focus on the mental techniques that divided the levels of internal energy.
I was bewildered when I first learned of this classification.
Why would a chicken, upon gaining enlightenment, transcend its own limits to become a Golden Turtle? Perhaps the Memory Child thought that martial artists and fighting cocks were similar, just as I thought of martial artists as mad monkeys.
In any case, whether it was a mad monkey or a fighting cock, it was the same from my perspective, so I found this classification appealing.
In the Wooden Chicken stage, the core was to focus on achieving an unmoving heart, so I actively utilized this when resolving my stagnation.
From the second stage, the Fiery Chicken, when I infused my internal energy, whether it was a weapon or a tool, it would be engulfed in heat.
This was because the Golden Turtle Soaring Art was based on extreme internal energy.
In fact, I began to gain notoriety from the moment I broke through the Fiery Chicken stage, and by the time I reached the Fighting Chicken stage, I had acquired skills worthy of being called a master.
To accurately describe my skills, I had broken through the Transcendent Chicken stage but had not conquered the realm of the Golden Turtle, and I found myself causing a ruckus in the martial world before returning to the past.
The Transcendent Chicken stage allowed for free breathing, unimpeded movement, and fighting not according to the rules but transforming the rules freely to fight.
I always strove diligently to reach the final stage, the Golden Turtle.
However, reaching the Golden Turtle stage was an arduous and tedious process, much like how it made no sense for a normal human body to not be pierced by swords and spears.
But this time was different.
It was just a feeling, but it felt very good.
I had only repeated the first stage of the One Cycle of Heaven a dozen times in my small room, yet my level in the Wooden Chicken stage was rising astonishingly fast.
Given enough time, I felt I could soon enter the Fiery Chicken stage.
I had been relentlessly repeating the One Cycle of Heaven in my small room when I opened my eyes.
Dawn had arrived once more.
The surroundings of the Zaha Inn felt eerily quiet.
As the vital energy began to circulate through my blood vessels, my senses heightened.
I relied on my senses to check if there were any signs of life nearby or if I could hear anyone's breathing before entering a state of rest.
Since there were still enemies in this place, I had no intention of resting comfortably for the time being.
As I closed my eyes in a state of rest, memories of powerful figures from my past life began to flood my mind.
Even those who had acted before I became strong...
I felt my lips involuntarily curl into a smile as I thought of them.
Those who had shown me even a little kindness would help me, while my clear enemies would be ruthlessly trampled.
To do that, I had no choice but to skip meals and endure discomfort, sitting in meditation for long hours.
Internal energy truly blossomed only through the patience of enduring day by day.
It was a strange analogy, but it was indeed true.
When I awoke from my state of rest at noon, I immediately felt hunger.
The side dishes I had bought yesterday were completely cleaned up by Cha Seong-tae last night.
Perhaps due to my empty stomach, I suddenly thought of the soup from my favorite place, Chunyang Restaurant. 'I should have a bowl of soup.' Suddenly, while rummaging through Cha Seong-tae's robe, I unexpectedly found a heavy pouch.
Seeing that the pouch looked unfamiliar, it was clearly not mine but belonged to Cha Seong-tae. 'What luck.' I quickly wiped the sleep from my eyes, washed my face, and headed towards Chunyang Restaurant, taking a fresh look around the neighborhood.
Despite Jo Il-seong and Jo Yi-gyeol ascending last night, Iyang County felt quiet and peaceful as if nothing had happened.
However, the rumor that I had killed Jo Il-seong had spread overnight, and the townspeople stared at me wide-eyed, as if they had seen a ghost, every time I appeared.
No one even greeted me; they all just kept their mouths shut.
Upon entering Chunyang Restaurant, the owner, Jang Deok-soo, was startled when he saw me. “Oh, you’re here?” “Deok-soo hyung, soup.” “Ah, right. Sit over there.” A moment later, a large bowl of soup with an enormous amount of ingredients was served.
This soup, filled with various meats and thinly sliced vegetables, seasoned with spicy sauce, was simply called Chunyang Soup.
I had not tasted such soup since leaving Iyang County.
This was not a dish from the Central Plains but a mix of rice with noodles enjoyed in the region where the Yue people lived.
I was not trying to be dramatic, but I almost shed tears eating this soup that I could only have at Chunyang Restaurant in Iyang County.
Since Jang Deok-soo was watching, I said, “Maybe it’s a bit spicy today; I feel sweat in my eyes.” “Oh, really? I might have added too much seasoning.” “Just right.” Jang Deok-soo chuckled.
It was definitely spicier, warmer, and tastier than I remembered.
While filling my stomach with the soup, Jang Deok-soo whispered, “... But they say you killed Jo. Is that true?”
“I did.”
Jang Deok-soo spoke as if he couldn’t believe it.
“How on earth did you kill him? Jo Il-seong was the strongest here.”
“What do you mean how? He was just a weakling who died while swinging a sword.”
Jang Deok-soo and I chuckled together.
“What about Jo Yi-gyeol?”
“That guy came to kill me at the inn, but he ended up in the grave I had set for him.”
“That bastard, going around killing people at night, serves him right. I’ll definitely let Jo Sam-pyeong know when he returns. I should also inform the other shop owners in advance. Who knows what kind of scum might be trafficking people in this peaceful town? Well done. Want more rice?”
“No, it’s fine.”
As I took out the money for the soup from Cha Seong-tae's pouch, a look of surprise crossed Jang Deok-soo's face.
“What’s this? You used to eat for free all the time.”
“When did I ever eat for free all the time? I paid sometimes.”
“Didn’t we agree to settle it with the noodle soup?”
It was then that I remembered the old days and chuckled.
“Oh, you said it was so bad you couldn’t eat it. Then I should pay with money.”
“Wow, you really have changed. Got it. Take care.”
After finishing my soup, I took a stroll around Iyang County as if patrolling.
This was both to check on the townspeople's well-being and to ensure there were no variables that would disturb my personal training.
I felt that nothing significant would happen until Jo Sam-pyeong arrived.
Everyone thought that if the Jo clan set up a base, they would regularly extort tribute, so through Jang Deok-soo, I confirmed that the townspeople welcomed the news of the Jo clan's demise.
Therefore, I returned to my small room in the Zaha Inn and immersed myself in the Golden Turtle Soaring Art.
I had considered finding a quiet mountain to retreat to for a while, but thinking of the variables, this shabby Zaha Inn was actually safer.
I spent the entire day focusing on accumulating internal energy, and when I fell into a state of rest, I occasionally went to Chunyang Restaurant to solve my meals with soup.
Accumulate internal energy, eat, and relieve myself.
The path to becoming a master was indeed arduous.
How could a normal human not go mad? Sometimes, when I felt my back and legs stiff from sitting for too long, I took walks and carefully examined every corner of Iyang County.
Thus, I focused solely on my training, suppressing my emotions like a 'Wooden Chicken.' In the meantime, my internal energy steadily and rapidly accumulated.
Compared to the past, the speed at which my internal energy was accumulating was so fast that it was almost confusing.
After being holed up in the Zaha Inn for over twenty days, I felt somewhat fatigued from the continuous state of rest, but I had completely conquered the Wooden Chicken stage and entered the Fiery Chicken stage.
It was truly a miraculous speed.
Of course, I had trained harshly in my past life, so my achievements were bound to be swift.
However, the state of my small room had become so filthy that it resembled a beggar's den.
This was due to the bodily waste expelled during the transition from the Wooden Chicken to the Fiery Chicken stage.
As expected, a hellish smell wafted from my small room.
Yet, this unbearable stench was a wonderful reward for me.
It meant my body had become cleaner.
As I progressed through the stages, my physical condition became as clear as pure water, and I would not have to experience such a stench again.
Upon checking, my skin was radiant, my hair was softer than before, and most importantly, my eyes had become clearer, significantly improving my vision.
As I broke through the stages, my senses also heightened.
Unlike internal or external energy, the senses were closely related to situational judgment and survival, so it was essential to raise their level to survive in the perilous martial world.
I clenched my fist and infused my internal energy, feeling a tingling sensation along my spine. 'I’ve become stronger much faster than expected.' I had previously thought of the Golden Turtle Soaring Art merely as a technique suitable for treating stagnation, but now my thoughts had changed. 'I feel like I will become much stronger than before.' Indeed, martial artists feel a greater sense of satisfaction from the rapid achievements of their martial arts than any other joy.
I even found myself worrying foolishly about what would happen if I became an immortal.
At that moment, I heard Cha Seong-tae's voice from outside. “Ugh! What is that smell? It stinks like rotten flesh. Ugh...” As I stepped out of my small room, Cha Seong-tae recoiled in shock, looking as if he might faint. “Did you... just take a dump? Ugh...” Cha Seong-tae quickly covered his mouth with his hand and ran outside the Zaha Inn. “That guy is really something. Wow...” I was momentarily at a loss for words.
Watching Cha Seong-tae gagging outside the inn, I thought to myself that I should live this life relishing in tormenting that guy.
In that moment, Cha Seong-tae let out a retching sound and vomited. “...” I felt a surge of murderous intent welling up from deep within as I stepped outside.