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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Peng Ja-ryeong waited with his arms crossed, a multitude of questions swirling in his mind.
Even after Peng Ha-ryeong took a seat across from him, beside their mother, Muyong Hye, he still struggled to decide where to begin.
It was Muyong Hye who finally broke the silence.
“Ha-ryeong.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Tell me about this benefactor.”
It was a broad question, but it was the best place to start.
Peng Ha-ryeong paused and gathered her thoughts.
“I… don’t really know him.”
“What do you mean…? Never mind. Continue.”
Peng Ja-ryeong almost jumped out of his seat, but he quickly regained his composure.
She considered her limited interactions with Namgung-Woo.
They’d only spent three days together.
Five, if you counted the time in Wuan County.
Hardly enough time to truly know someone.
And he wasn’t exactly forthcoming about himself.
The Yang brothers usually spoke for him.
They hadn’t known him much longer than she had, yet there was something different about their behavior.
They clearly knew something about him that he hadn’t shared with the Peng Family.
They acted as if they were protecting him.
They might have thought they were being subtle, but they weren’t fooling anyone.
While the Peng Family was known for its straightforwardness, they were still a prominent martial arts family, steeped in the art of politics.
Especially with the Imperial Court practically next door.
They might appear unconcerned with appearances, but they were actually the most perceptive and politically astute family in the Jianghu.
Even Peng Ha-ryeong and Peng Mu-ho, who weren’t directly involved in family politics, possessed a certain level of awareness.
They’d been observing Namgung-Woo, trying to understand him.
And their conclusion was…
“He’s… unusual.”
“Unusual how?”
“He seems… lacking in common sense. Like he grew up in complete isolation. But he also possesses incredibly deep knowledge.”
“Hmm… Perhaps he was raised in seclusion, trained by a reclusive master.”
Peng Ja-ryeong reflected on what little he knew about Namgung-Woo.
First encountered in Wuan County. Affiliated with the Yo-Pyeong Escort Agency. Traveling with them, which suggested his journey originated in Shanxi Province, perhaps Lin Fen County.
“But his martial arts are exceptionally strong.”
“His martial arts?”
That was unexpected. Peng Ja-ryeong’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“Yes. He destroyed a Form Snatching Wraith with a single sword strike in Wuan County.”
“A Form Snatching Wraith… those are tricky opponents.”
Peng Ja-ryeong was confident he could defeat one.
But with a single strike? He wasn’t so sure.
“I was unconscious at the time, caught in the blast from the other wraith’s self-destruction. But Uncle saw it. He said it was a Sword Qi attack, an incredibly refined and powerful one.”
“But his aura… No, wait. A martial artist of that caliber could easily control their aura. I see. That’s why you stopped me. It makes sense now.”
Peng Ha-ryeong had prevented him from probing too deeply into Namgung-Woo’s background, thinking he was underestimating him.
He’d assumed she was simply trying to prevent him from being disrespectful to their benefactor.
But she’d also been protecting him, preventing him from making a fool of himself by challenging someone far stronger.
He nodded, with understanding dawning on him.
Peng Ha-ryeong, slightly annoyed by his earlier arrogance, continued, “And he seems to have some medical knowledge.”
“Medical knowledge?”
Martial artists had a deep understanding of the human body. They needed to know how to move, how their meridians and acupoints functioned, to improve their skills.
But that was different from formal medical training.
Martial arts were originally meant for self-cultivation and longevity, a path to transcendence. But that was in the past. Now, they were primarily used for combat.
So, even with their knowledge of the body, they focused on enhancing their power and efficiently disabling or killing opponents, not healing.
Mastering medicine required as much time and effort as mastering martial arts. There was a reason why healers, despite their fame, weren’t known for their combat prowess.
Those who mastered both martial arts and medicine were rare, and they achieved great renown.
In other words, becoming a master of both at a young age was incredibly difficult, almost impossible without exceptional talent.
But no one present dared to say it was impossible.
“If he truly has the same constitution as Ye-ryeong…”
“Yes, Mother. It’s possible. But if he’s also a powerful martial artist, that means he’s achieved balance in his essence, energy, and spirit. He must have overcome his condition much earlier than Ye-ryeong.”
Peng Ye-ryeong possessed the greatest talent in the Peng Family’s history.
She had refined their signature footwork, the Infinite Void Steps, simply by observing it and visualizing it in her mind.
Not the perfected version used by their strongest warriors, but the imperfect version Peng Ha-ryeong had used as a child.
Every Peng Family technique bore the mark of her influence.
It was no exaggeration to say she’d elevated their entire martial arts system.
The Heaven and Earth Infinite Void Divine Art, the technique she’d focused on most, had transcended the limitations of mortal martial arts, rivaling the techniques of the Nine Great Sects and the Xuanyuan Family.
And she’d achieved this without ever physically practicing the techniques.
If she could train her body, the results would be unimaginable.
But every bit of Qi she cultivated flowed into her open Celestial Gate, widening it further. To survive, she’d had to abandon martial arts.
Burning brightly for a short time, reaching an absolute realm and breaking free from her curse, might have been an option.
But she was a premature baby, her body too frail to withstand the explosive growth of her spirit and Qi.
But what if she could control her spirit, suppress her connection to the heavens, and prevent her Qi from overwhelming her body?
“We can’t be too optimistic.”
Perhaps he possessed a unique physique, not just an open Celestial Gate.
Peng Ja-ryeong tried to remain objective. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment if it proved false.
“That’s why…”
Peng Ha-ryeong rolled up her sleeve, revealing her smooth, unblemished arm.
“Could you both examine my meridians?”
“Your meridians?”
Both Peng Ja-ryeong and Muyong Hye, who had trained in martial arts as members of the Muyong Family, were capable of this.
They placed their fingers on her wrist, carefully channeling a small amount of True Qi into her meridians.
It didn’t take long for them to realize what had happened.
Her meridians were incredibly refined and clear, flowing smoothly and extending far beyond what they’d expected.
“This is…”
“Did you achieve some kind of enlightenment?”
Her completely opened smaller meridians were beyond even Peng Ja-ryeong’s, who’d reached the cusp of the Transcendent Realm.
Muyong Hye, whose understanding of martial arts was less profound, gasped, “Does this mean… you’ve reached the Transcendent Realm?”
“That’s…”
Before Peng Ja-ryeong could answer, Peng Ha-ryeong withdrew her arm and shook her head.
“Not yet. But… I’m probably close to Uncle’s level.”
“Uncle Mu-ho’s level? That’s incredible! Late stage of the Peak Realm at twenty-four?”
“This is also thanks to the benefactor.”
“The benefactor?”
Peng Ha-ryeong looked at her arm, stronger and more resilient than before, and recalled the events in Wuan County.
“He didn’t just heal me. He opened all my smaller meridians, and he… left this.”
*Crackle.*
Sparks of lightning danced between her fingers.
“He left behind his lightning Qi.”
“…Divine Qi.”
Divine Qi.
The refined energy cultivated through divine arts.
Ordinary True Qi would dissipate quickly once it left the body, returning to the natural energy of the world.
For it to remain within her for so long meant it was incredibly potent.
It was the Divine Qi of a transcendent master, cultivated through a divine art.
“He can heal Ye-ryeong. I’m certain of it.”
Her voice was filled with unwavering conviction.
“So, shouldn’t we be thinking about how to repay him?”
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Namgung-Woo was enveloped in darkness.
Not the darkness of the outside world, but the darkness within.
He shut out all external stimuli, sinking deep into his own consciousness.
In the training hall provided by the Peng Family, he descended to the deepest recesses of his being.
Past the platinum dragon formed by the Heavenly Thunder True Qi of the Heavenly Thunder Emperor Divine Art.
Past the azure sky woven by the boundless Qi of the Sky Vault Great Evolution Divine Art.
He reached the very core.
The pinnacle of his physical being.
The nadir of his mental landscape.
There, residing at the heart of his spirit, was the third Qi.
The Ethereal Void Divine Art.
The third of his three heavens.
The last piece of the puzzle.
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