Genius Martial Arts Trainer

Trap (3)

Wi Ji-hak, who had led Mu-jin to the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, asked, “Will you consume it here? Or will you take it with you?”

“I will consume it elsewhere.”

“I understand. Consuming it here would be unsettling. The cold is too intense, and it would be mentally uncomfortable.”

Wi Ji-hak nodded at Mu-jin’s answer and added some advice. “But it would be best to consume it as soon as possible. The Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng is an elixir that grows in a place with intense cold, so its efficacy will quickly dissipate if you take it elsewhere.”

After the brief explanation, Wi Ji-hak placed the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng into a small metal box next to the Ice Crystal and handed it to Mu-jin. “This is the box we used to bring the ginseng to the Martial Alliance. It contains Ice Crystal powder, which will help maintain some of the cold. However, its effect is weak compared to keeping it next to the Ice Crystal itself, so it won’t last long. In fact, we had to continuously infuse it with cold using the help of a warrior from the North Sea Ice Palace to bring it here. But you haven’t mastered the Ice Technique, have you?”

“I should return to the Shaolin Hall as soon as possible.”

“To prepare for any contingencies, I will assign Martial Alliance warriors to escort you. Return directly to the Shaolin Hall.”

“Thank you for your consideration. Amitabha.”

Immediately after leaving the storage room, Wi Ji-hak said, “Everything is prepared, so return quickly.”

Ignoring Wi Ji-hak’s farewell, Mu-jin used his body technique to swiftly leave the Martial Alliance, accompanied by several warriors to ensure his safety. Given the value of the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng as a prize, it was a situation ripe for someone to covet it excessively.

Upon reaching the entrance of the Martial Alliance, Mu-jin met the Shaolin disciples who had been waiting for him.

Mu-jin quickly explained the situation to them, and they immediately set off together for the Shaolin Hall.

“We will guard the perimeter of the hall, so you should proceed with the consumption of the ginseng,” said the senior monk.

“Thank you, Elder Monk.”

As Mu-jin bowed respectfully, Master Hyun-hyeon instructed the Shaolin disciples on their positions to guard against any potential threats.

Watching them for a moment, Mu-jin then headed to his room. Once inside, he opened the box, and as expected, an immense energy emanated from the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.

As the surrounding cold diminished, the unfamiliar environment caused the ginseng’s efficacy to wane. Even the energy dissipating now was immense, making any martial artist want to immediately consume it.

Without hesitation, Mu-jin raised his internal energy in both hands.

Crack!

He crushed the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.

Kwaaaa.

Though there was no actual sound, Mu-jin felt as if he could hear one.

As the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, imbued with an endlessly condensed coldness, was being crushed, a highly concentrated energy began to gush out with tremendous force.

“Hoo.”

Mu-jin exhaled deeply, expanding the Golden Turtle Technique, which had only covered his hands, to envelop his entire body.

If he didn’t do this, his whole body would have succumbed to frostbite due to the cold of the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.

With his body protected by the Golden Turtle Technique, Mu-jin continued to crush the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng from its end, as if grinding it with a compressor.

Though the ginseng took on a form similar to a plant, once Mu-jin’s grip broke its shape, it began to transform not into powder but into pure energy.

The immense cold radiated to every corner of the room, causing frost to form and even icicles to develop, turning the room into what looked like an ice storage.

Despite this, Mu-jin remained focused on dismantling the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.

When only a small amount of the ginseng was left,

“!!!”

Feeling a strange sensation in his fingers, Mu-jin stopped crushing the ginseng and quickly grasped the source of the sensation.

“Got it.”

A black creature, much smaller than a bean and roughly the size of a coarse salt grain, was trying to escape into the remaining ginseng but was caught by Mu-jin.

This was the trap prepared by the shadowy forces within the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng. In Mu-jin’s view, the ginseng itself was merely bait for this creature.

It was a Yin-Yang Gu.

A type of Gu poison, it absorbs the energy of its host and camouflages itself like a chameleon.

In other words, if this creature was inside an elixir, one wouldn’t notice anything unusual even after consuming it.

Similarly, when absorbed into the body through the elixir, it would absorb part of the new host’s inner energy, take on a similar color, eliminate any sense of difference, and coil itself naturally around the upper dantian.

Since it coils around the upper dantian, where the brain is located, it can allow a sorcerer to impose a form of ‘brainwashing’ on the host.

Even if it had already settled inside, it would be impossible to detect through pulse diagnosis because it harbors the same energy as the host.

‘In the original story, Namgung Jin-cheon consumed this and turned into a ruffian.’

Originally, Namgung Jin-cheon was an arrogant and annoying person, but he wasn’t one to bully others without reason.

In any case, since this creature was discovered, it could be said that the shadowy forces’ plan for the Yongbongji Conference had been thwarted.

‘In the original story, it appeared only once, and it was said to be extremely difficult to make.’

Creating it was already difficult, but using it was even harder.

Because it had the ability to hide by absorbing the host’s energy, it had to be immediately put into an elixir upon creation.

Moreover, to keep it alive, it required constant feeding of elixirs since it was continuously absorbing energy for its survival.

“Hmm. I should keep it as evidence for later.”

Mu-jin placed the small insect he had in his hand into the box he received from the leader of the Martial Alliance and sealed it tightly with multiple layers.

After years of contemplating while preparing for the Yongbongji Conference, Mu-jin concluded that using this creature as evidence right away would be foolish.

‘Damn martial arts novels.’

In a world without CCTVs or cameras, bringing this creature out and saying, “This came out of the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng!” would only lead to the other side rebutting with, “This is a set-up!” and that would be the end of it.

Logically, it was strange enough to find this creature without consuming the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, one of the rarest elixirs.

Anyone could see that it seemed like an act committed with prior knowledge of this creature’s presence in the ginseng.

Naturally, it would lead to questions about how this knowledge was obtained and who did it, but Mu-jin had no idea who was responsible.

He didn’t even know when it was placed there. He only knew that the Yin-Yang Gu was inside.

Of course, he could have crushed the ginseng in front of Wi Ji-hak and shown the creature, but…

‘The result would be the same.’

In the end, not knowing who did it made it meaningless. It would only lead to mutual suspicion.

The already conflicted orthodox factions could become even more fragmented, making it easier for the shadowy forces to thrive.

Therefore, Mu-jin decided to secretly dispose of the creature and leave Shaolin to break the shadowy forces’ plans while hiding his identity.

It would be even better if he could secure evidence related to the Yin-Yang Gu during the process.

“Hmm. It seems there’s still some energy left.”

He briefly gazed at the remaining piece of the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, which was still emitting and losing energy.

Without hesitation, Mu-jin put the remnants of the ginseng into his mouth.

Hwaaah!

Ignoring the coldness that spread from his mouth, Mu-jin swallowed it down.

Then, he began to absorb the energy of the ginseng with the Dae-seung Divine Technique.

‘Because the Yin-Yang Gu has already absorbed some energy, there’s less than expected.’

Even though only a small piece was left, the energy was less than he anticipated, so he absorbed it quickly.

Thus, right after absorbing the energy of the ginseng that had entered his body, Mu-jin took a deep breath and began to draw in the external energy.

As the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng was crushed, its cold energy spread throughout the room.

Some of it mixed with the ambient qi and escaped outside through small gaps, but the room was still filled with a massive amount of cold energy.

Although it was difficult to gain the benefits of the elixir, one could still experience the effects of cultivating in a place where natural qi was condensed.

“Hoo.”

After about one sijin of qi cultivation, Mu-jin opened his eyes with a deep breath.

The room, which had begun to accumulate frost and icicles, was now filled only with moisture and a wet floor. The cold had completely dissipated.

In that one sijin, some of the cold energy had been absorbed into Mu-jin’s danjeon, while the rest had been expelled from the room.

“About fifteen years’ worth of cultivation?”

Although the gain was ridiculously small for consuming the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, Mu-jin thought it was better than nothing and stood up.

* * *

“Huh. I didn’t realize the energy of the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng was this strong.”

The Shaolin disciples standing guard around the pavilion where Mu-jin was located muttered in amazement.

They could feel the immense cold energy constantly flowing out from the room Mu-jin had entered.

“If the energy flowing out is this much, how much energy has Mu-jin absorbed?”

There was a slight misunderstanding among them.

They assumed Mu-jin was in the process of absorbing the elixir, so they thought the immense cold energy was just the remnants of what he couldn’t absorb.

“The cold is so intense, I worry it might disrupt his internal balance.”

“Well, Mu-jin should be able to endure it. He might even be releasing some of the cold intentionally to maintain balance.”

Master Hyun-hyeon responded calmly to one of the Shaolin disciples’ concerns.

During the hour of guarding the pavilion, the Shaolin disciples’ faces changed to a mixture of anticipation and worry.

The fortunate aspect was that, unlike the initial massive outflow, the cold energy gradually weakened over time.

And finally, after the cold energy completely dissipated,

Screeeech.

The hinges, damp with cold and moisture, made an unpleasant creaking sound as Mu-jin emerged.

“Is your body alright?”

“Yes, Elder Monk.”

Hearing Mu-jin’s response, the Shaolin disciples sighed in relief. Mu-jin, puzzled by their reaction, tilted his head. He didn’t understand why they were concerned about his well-being when he hadn’t even engaged in any combat.

Meanwhile, in the distance, a man focused his internal energy to watch the scene from afar.

‘It seems he succeeded in absorbing it. Heh heh.’

With a satisfied expression, he turned towards the direction of the Murim Alliance.

* * *

That night.

As usual, the Muja Group’s four members were preparing to sleep, spreading mats on the floor in their room.

However, for some reason, Mu-yul, while holding his mat, noticed Mu-jin deep in thought and asked,

“Hey, Mu-jin, what are you doing?”

Mu-jin, deciding that pondering was pointless, spoke to the other three members of the Muja Group.

“You all know we have to return to Shaolin tomorrow, right?”

“Of course.”

“So, we should get to bed early. We need to pack our things and leave first thing in the morning.”

In response to Mu-gung and Mu-gyeong’s replies, Mu-jin grinned and asked,

“Don’t you want to stay a bit longer?”

“Stay a bit longer? How?”

“Hmm. If we ask Master Uncle Hyun-hyeon, he might give us an extra day.”

Mu-gyeong and Mu-gung, always the model students, gave practical answers, but Mu-jin shook his head.

“That doesn’t make any sense. Think about it, guys. If we go back to Shaolin now, when do you think we’ll be able to come out again?”

Mu-jin had decided to recruit accomplices for a plan to escape.

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