Despite feeling sorry for Hye-geol, the sparring match between Dao Yuetian, Mu-yul, and Ling-ling continued.
Dao Yuetian, increasingly disoriented by their strange coordination, ultimately allowed Mu-yul to land a blow.
Since it was a sparring match, not a life-or-death duel, Hye-geol called an end to the fight.
Mu-yul, who won the sparring, smiled brightly.
If it had been anyone else, it might have looked like the victor’s sneer, but not with Mu-yul. He even smiled like that when he was the one getting hit.
After the sparring, Mu-yul, Ling-ling, and Dao Yuetian began conducting their Qi.
Watching the bizarre scene in disbelief for a moment, he saw the two humans and one monkey stand up after finishing their Qi circulation.
Jegal Jin-hee stepped forward.
The sparring match started similarly to Dao Yuetian’s.
Mu-yul and Ling-ling continued their peculiar and intricate attacks, while Jegal Jin-hee barely managed to hold out by waving her fan defensively.
However, some unnoticed signs built up, leading to a sudden change.
Mu-yul and Ling-ling, who had been attacking Jegal Jin-hee fiercely, suddenly slowed down, their breaths turning frosty.
Jegal Jin-hee, who had been focused solely on defense, seized the opportunity.
In an instant, Jegal Jin-hee’s fan stopped right in front of the sluggish Mu-yul and Ling-ling.
Hye-geol, addressing the victorious Jegal Jin-hee, said,
“Your ice techniques are quite impressive.”
“It’s a martial art called Wolha Seonmu, Hye-geol Sunim.”
“Hahaha. Experiencing such ice techniques will be a great learning experience for Mu-yul.”
“For me as well, it was a valuable lesson on dealing with cooperative techniques.”
Though Hye-geol tried to have a warm conversation with Jegal Jin-hee as an elder, Mu-yul and Ling-ling, unable to completely dispel the cold, shivered and called out.
“I’m s-s-so cold, Master!”
Hye-geol hurriedly approached them, placing his palms on their backs.
“I will perform the True Qi Guidance, so remember this well!”
Watching the scene, which suddenly turned into an emergency aid situation, Mu-jin thought,
‘…It seems ice techniques are extremely effective against the less intelligent.’
The next day, Mu-jin introduced the final sparring opponent to Jegal Jin-hee and Dao Yuetian.
“Greetings, Master Uncle Hye-dam.”
A middle-aged man with an imposing presence, who responded with just a nod to Mu-jin’s greeting.
Beside him was Mu-gung, the final sparring opponent.
‘At least he understands what’s being said.’
Mu-gung appeared slightly less muscular than before, but he still had a formidable build.
“I’ve come to arrange a sparring match with Mu-gung for these two.”
With Hye-dam’s curt approval, Mu-gung stepped forward.
Dao Yuetian drew his wooden sword calmly for the sparring.
After exchanging formalities, the match began.
Dao Yuetian’s quick sword sliced through the air towards Mu-gung, who remained unperturbed by the speed.
Mu-gung, who had experienced many real battles with Mu-jin, was also the second-class disciple of the Jeomchang Sect, known for its swift swords.
However, while he wasn’t caught off guard, he wasn’t exactly comfortable either.
‘Faster than the Sa-il Sword Technique from Il-hwi Dojang!’
In terms of sheer speed, it felt even faster than the attack from the swordsman who had wounded Mu-jin.
Instead of attempting a reckless counterattack, Mu-gung focused on the minimal movements required to evade Dao Yuetian’s sword.
Each time, his robe got cut and shallow wounds appeared on his skin, but Mu-gung, in deep concentration, focused solely on Dao Yuetian’s movements.
Hye-dam, watching the sparring with his arms crossed, nodded slightly in approval of Mu-gung’s strategy.
After over twenty strikes, with shallow wounds accumulating, Mu-gung had a revelation.
Predicting Dao Yuetian’s next move, Mu-gung prepared to strike.
However, with his opponent being faster, it was difficult to attack first.
‘I’ll overpower him with strength!’
Mu-gung unleashed his Tathagata Palm towards the anticipated point.
Dao Yuetian, unable to change his trajectory mid-strike, drove his wooden sword into Mu-gung’s palm.
As expected, Mu-gung’s Tathagata Palm shattered Dao Yuetian’s sword.
However, Dao Yuetian immediately withdrew the broken sword and swung it at Mu-gung’s exposed side.
As Mu-gung tried to argue his victory, Hye-dam, who had been silently watching, shouted.
Startled, Mu-gung turned to see Hye-dam’s stern expression. Though it looked indifferent to others, Mu-gung, who had lived with him for years, knew he was quite angry.
“Have you not yet mastered the Immovable Heart Technique?”
“Then why did you let your guard down at the end?”
Seeing his master speak at length, Mu-gung decided to admit his fault.
Mu-jin, watching the scene, intervened.
“Yes, sparring is practice for real combat. If this were a real battle, you’d be dead. You should subdue the opponent, not break their weapon.”
Mu-gung’s forehead veins bulged as Mu-jin’s words added to his master’s scolding.
But Hye-dam, noticing the subtle change in Mu-gung’s expression, scolded him again.
Mu-jin clicked his tongue lightly at the sight of Mu-gung’s defeated look.
He hadn’t intervened just to tease Mu-gung.
‘It’s dangerous to always rely on your hands in close combat.’
If Dao Yuetian had been using the Celestial Flash Sword Art, Mu-gung’s hand could have been cut off instead of breaking the sword.
Mu-jin wanted Mu-gung to be more cautious after imagining such a scenario. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel★fire.net
After being scolded by Hye-geol, Mu-gung, with a more serious expression, began sparring with Jegal Jin-hee.
Unlike previous matches, Jegal Jin-hee took the initiative, having noticed that Mu-gung’s movements were slower compared to others.
Her graceful movements, coupled with her elegant face, created a scene more like a dance than a sparring match.
Despite her smooth movements, the fan in her hand emitted a chilling energy.
However, Mu-gung easily deflected or countered her attacks, as they were slower than Dao Yuetian’s.
Considering the effectiveness of her ice techniques, simply clashing with her palm should have given her an advantage, but Mu-gung’s Tathagata Palm dispelled the cold easily.
As Mu-gung continued to defend calmly, he found an opening and unleashed a fire-infused handprint towards Jegal Jin-hee.
When the fire-infused handprint clashed with her fan, steam began to rise.
As the steam cleared, Jegal Jin-hee, with a slight frown, appeared to be contemplating something. She sighed lightly and acknowledged her defeat.
She had suffered a minor internal injury from the recent clash.
Fortunately, as long as she conducted her Qi immediately, it wasn’t serious.
Since it was a sparring match, continuing despite the internal injury would be foolish.
‘I could have held out if I had more internal energy.’
It was inevitable to feel a bit of regret.
She realized she needed to find a special elixir or improve her internal energy technique.
After Mu-jin arranged the sparring matches with the Muja Trio, Dao Yuetian, and Jegal Jin-hee, they often sparred alternately.
Since the sparring provided entertainment, Dao Yuetian’s proselytizing activities seemed to have decreased a bit.
Meanwhile, Mu-jin’s passive body transformation continued.
He entered a bulking phase due to increased diet, compressed muscles through the Jade Vajra Technique, and repeated this process, resulting in weight loss due to increased muscle mass and activity.
Initially, he made a few mistakes, but Mu-jin, an expert in physical training for over a decade, used his knowledge and experience to stabilize his progress.
A year into his training,
“Are you returning to your family now?”
“Yes, thank you for everything.”
The agreed period ended, and it was time for the Jegal family members to return home.
“I’m the one who should be thankful. You provided equipment, food, and even kept a journal.”
Jegal Jin-hee recorded not only muscle training methods but also Mu-jin’s daily physical changes, diet, and activities.
Thanks to her journal and Mu-jin’s training knowledge, he was able to develop his body without issues.
“I made a copy of this just in case you need it.”
She handed Mu-jin a three-volume book titled “Record of Hardship to Build a Diamond Body,” reflecting how she saw Mu-jin’s training.
As Mu-jin received the gift
, Hyun-gwang, observing, stepped forward and handed Jegal Jin-hee a book.
“Haha. I can’t let you leave with only a gift. This will help you gather cold energy.”
It was a gift Hyun-gwang prepared for her, whose internal energy technique lagged behind her martial arts.
Jegal Jin-hee, usually reserved except around Mu-jin, expressed deep gratitude to Hyun-gwang.
“Thank you, Master Hyun-gwang. I will never forget this favor and will repay it.”
“No need to repay me. Just stand for Shaolin in the future.”
“The Jegal family will never betray Shaolin.”
At Jegal Jin-hee’s firm response, Hyun-gwang nodded with a gentle smile.
After exchanging final gifts, Jegal Jin-hee and her family left Shaolin.
Watching their departing figures, Hyun-gwang turned to his great-grandson.
“It’s been a year already, Mu-jin.”
“Are you ready to learn from me now?”
“I haven’t perfected my body, but I’ve achieved a minimum level.”
After a year of focusing solely on muscle training and the Jade Vajra Technique, Mu-jin surpassed his prime fighting days in physical capability alone.
With a physique resembling a mixed martial artist and strength exceeding 900kg in weightlifting, he wanted to reach 2000kg, but it was time to start martial arts training again.
‘I’ve grasped the process, so I can combine martial arts and muscle training now. And I can’t delay any longer.’
With these thoughts, Mu-jin looked at Hyun-gwang, concealing his bittersweet emotions.
Having spent years together, Mu-jin began to sense that Hyun-gwang didn’t have much time left.