Chapter 20
“He’s taking too long. Is he perhaps having some trouble inside?” Neung Jo-Eun anxiously asked. It had been more than two hours since Mu-Gun dived into the sea.
“Don’t say something so unlucky. Watch what you say, disaster comes from the mouth.” Nak Il-Bang swiftly rebuked him.
“I’m just worried.”
“If the Seafarer’s legacy is really in there, retrieving it could take some time. Don’t think too much of it,” Sah Do-Kwang reassured Jo-Eun.
“Hearing that is comforting...”
“Have faith in the First Young Master. If this was enough to put him in danger, he wouldn’t have been able to cure his qi deviation in the first place.”
“Exactly. The heavens will ensure the First Young Master’s safety.” Il-Bang agreed with Woo Byeok-San’s remark.
Jo-Eun was still anxious, but he decided to trust his colleagues’ words. No, he decided to have faith in Mu-Gun and wait.
After another hour passed, Mu-Gun finally resurfaced.
“There! The First Young Master has returned!”
Upon discovering Mu-Gun, they quickly steered the ship toward him and pulled him up.
“Thank goodness you’re safe.”
“Did I worry you?”
“You were there for quite some time. I was about to jump in to find you when you reappeared.”
“Obtaining the Seafarer’s secret techniques took quite some time.”
“Does that mean you now carry his legacy?”
“Yes. Fortunately, it was worth the trouble.”
“As expected. Considering you were given the opportunity to obtain the Seafarer’s legacy, I think you’ve been blessed with good fortune, First Young Master,” Baek San-Kyung said in an envious tone.
“Hmm. I would like to convey his secret technique to you guys. However, considering your talent, I honestly think it would be difficult for you all to handle.”
“I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I know. I just think it’s a pity. Instead, I’m going to teach you all martial arts best suited to each of you, so don’t be too disappointed.”
“Disappointed? Nonsense. I already consider myself fortunate to be on the receiving end of your guidance, First Young Master.”
The others nodded in agreement with San-Kyung.
Mu-Gun smiled at them. “It’s nice to hear such flattery. Let’s head back now, shall we? Diving into the sea and my trip back here has made me hungry.”
“If I knew this would happen, I would’ve prepared something to eat in advance.”
“How would you know when I would be out? It’s fine, we can just come up with something to eat. so don’t worry.”
Mu-Gun and his subordinates returned to Sea Dragon Island and quickly cooked something up using the food ingredients the Sea Dragon Gang left behind.
Mak Dae-Pung prepared the food. He said that he had worked in the kitchen of an inn and learned how to make food by watching the others when he was young. Maybe that was why his culinary skills were pretty good. He made noodles and japchae, which tasted pretty good.
Thanks to him, Mu-Gun was able to satiate his hunger.
“It’s already late, so let’s stay here for the night. We’ll depart tomorrow.”
“Understood.”
The night had fallen by the time they finished their meal. Since they weren’t in a hurry to leave, they decided to stay the night at Sea Dragon Island.
The next day, after having a simple meal, they left the Sea Dragon Archipelago and returned to the Maritime Defense Base in Dongtou.
***
While Mu-Gun and the six men were on their way back to the Maritime Defense Base, the White Dragon Squad and White Tiger Squad prepared to return home. Since they had obliterated the Sea Dragon Gang, there was no longer any reason for the majority of the Baek Sword Sect’s combat forces to stay at the Dongtou Maritime Defense Base.
Of course, some forces would have to be deployed to maintain control at sea, but there was no need to station so many squads here anymore.
Baek Cheon-Gi ordered the White Wolf Squad to stay since they had worked the least in the defense base out of the three squads. He then prepared the White Dragon and White Tiger Squads’ return to their home in Wenzhou. Mu-Gun decided to stay behind at the Maritime Defense Base with the White Wolf Squad to wait for Baek Cheon-Ung and Baek Mu-Ok’s return from the Guangdong Jin Family. Someone needed to lead the White Wolf Squad in Cheon-Ung’s absence.
After their preparations, the White Dragon and White Tiger Squads left the Maritime Defense Base and headed to the Baek Sword Sect’s headquarters in Wenzhou. Mu-Gun saw them off, then gave the White Wolf Squad members free time so they could rest properly. He also rested for an entire day without thinking about anything else.
After getting enough rest, he thought about the things that would likely happen in the future. His top priority was increasing his internal energy. The martial arts of the Heavenly Descent Thunder God Sect were powerful enough to be regarded as unbeatable. However, they consumed a colossal amount of internal energy.
With his current internal energy, it would be difficult for him to overcome an Absolute Realm master. Meeting one certainly wasn’t common, but nobody knew what the future had in store for them. He needed to have the power to protect himself under any circumstances.
Mu-Gun decided to visit the Medicine King Family on his way back home. In his previous life, Mu-Gun had formed a pact between the Thunder God and the Medicine King Family. Regardless of when it was, the pact required the Medicine King Family to provide the Thunder God’s successor a Divine Thunder Essence Pill, an essence of thunder qi.
The Medicine King Family had kept their promise during two of his previous reincarnations. Mu-Gun believed that this time would be no different.
The Medicine King Family resided at the peak of Shandong Province’s Mount Tai, also known as the Great Eastern Mountain of China’s Five Great Mountains. It would take at least two to three months for a round trip between Mount Tai and Wenzhou, which was in Zhejiang Province. Mu-Gun worried if Cheon-Sang would even allow him to travel outside for two to three months, but he had to go even if he had to run away from home.
“I should reform the Baek Sword Corps first, though.”
In Mu-Gun’s eyes, the Baek Sword Corps was operating too carelessly. It was composed of five squads and consisted of about five hundred members. Its numbers alone showed that it was quite a strong force.
However, in Mu-Gun’s perspective, there were only two hundred useful Baek Sword Corps warriors no matter how he looked at it. Recruiting all sorts of people just to bolster their numbers was meaningless. He would much rather prefer the squads to be filled with only elite members even if it meant reducing their size.
Above all, there weren’t many Baek Sword Corps members that truly worked for the Baek Sword Sect’s sake. The majority only entered the Baek Sword Corps because they were offered a lot of money. Most of them didn’t even have the will or ambitions of a martial artist.
Mu-Gun didn’t want to leave such rabble within the Baek Sword Sect. They wouldn’t be of much help to the sect’s power anyway. Mu-Gun wanted to reform the Baek Sword Corps, which was currently focused purely on external appearance, to strengthen its internal stability. Of course, he’d first have to get Baek Cheon-Sang and the squad leaders to agree to it.
“On a different note, I wonder what I should do with the Golden Sea Turtle’s beast core,” Mu-Gun pondered.
He thought of absorbing it himself, even if the efficiency was low, but he couldn’t help but see that as a waste. After all, his internal energy would sufficiently improve once he had taken the Divine Thunder Essence Pill from the Medicine King Family.
If so, he should give it to someone else, but the key problem was whom he should give it to.
His father, Cheon-Sang, and his younger brother, Mu-Ok, came to his mind first. If he followed his heart, he’d give it to Mu-Ok, but his martial talent would make it inefficient. He thought it would be better in many ways to give it to Cheon-Sang, his father and the Baek Sword Sect patriarch. For the Baek Sword Sect to become stronger, Cheon-Sang had to grow stronger than anyone else.
“I’ve decided. I’ll give it to Father.”
Mu-Gun was determined to give the Golden Sea Turtle’s beast core to his father along with the martial arts of the Heavenly Sea God Sect, which were not particularly important to Mu-Gun. Practicing the martial arts of the Heavenly Descent Thunder God Sect was already a daunting task.
However, he couldn’t let the Heavenly Sea God Sect’s martial arts go to waste either. After all, the Seafarer had requested for that sect’s legacy to live on. Hence, Mu-Gun intended to make Cheon-Sang continue it. It wasn’t just because he was Mu-Gun’s father. Cheon-Sang’s martial talent was the best within the Baek Sword Sect. It would be much easier for him to learn it, especially if he absorbed the Golden Sea Turtle’s beast core.
Mu-Gun had also decided to keep the Flying Golden Shield for himself since he thought it would be useful in many ways.
After deciding on everything that he had to do, Mu-Gun summoned his six subordinates.
“Do you know why I called for you guys?”
“Do you perhaps want to give us an order secretly?”
Mu-Gun chuckled at Il-Bang’s question and said, “Not a secret order, but there is a secret message I want to pass on.”
“Huh? A secret message?”
With an expectant look, they waited for Mu-Gun to answer.
“Just like what you all thought of, I will teach you guys martial arts.”
“Are you being serious?”
“There is a limit to your growth with the martial arts you possess right now. Therefore, I will teach you the Iron Blood Self-Defense Art, which will temper your body, and the Soaring Luna Sword Art, which is an improved version of the 19 Clear Moon Blades.”
“With all due respect, are we the only ones you’ll teach those to?” San-Kyung asked.
“The Soaring Luna Sword Art will be the Baek Sword Sect’s basic sword art in the future. However, you’re the only ones I’ll be teaching the Iron Blood Self-Defense Art to. And as you grow stronger, I plan to teach you additional martial arts.”
Mu-Gun had no intention of teaching others, unless they truly followed him. However, for the Baek Sword Sect to grow, the entire Baek Sword Corps had to grow too. Therefore, he intended to allow anyone from the Baek Sword Corps to learn the Soaring Luna Sword Art.
“We will train to the point of death so that we do not let your teachings go to waste, First Young Master.”
“It’ll be troubling if you really die, though.”
“Huh? Hahaha!”
The six men forced a burst of laughter at Mu-Gun’s lame joke.
“Stop your forced laughter and take some distance from each other.”
As per Mu-Gun’s instructions, they lined up side by side with ample space between each other.
“First of all, I will teach you the Iron Blood Self-Defense Art, an external cultivation method. It will enhance your physical strength and turn your skin as hard as steel. If you can train it to its peak, you’ll be able to manifest protective vajra qi.”
“Protective vajra qi? Are you really going to teach us such amazing martial arts?”
“Would anyone follow me if I didn’t? Along with qigong scriptures, the Iron Blood Self-Defense Art uses bodily movements’ dynamic energy to build up power in the physique. Precise breathing and accurate posture are essential. I will now perform the Iron Blood Self-Defense Art, so pay attention and watch closely.”
Mu-Gun began to perform the Iron Blood Self-Defense Art after organizing his men. Upon witnessing it, they remembered the Iron Blood Vajra Body Cultivation that Mu-Gun had displayed on the ship deck the other day. The Iron Blood Self-Defense Art was from the same school.
They were aware that it was a lower-level technique compared to the former, considering it had less complexity in the movements. Nevertheless, despite being lower in grade compared to the Iron Blood Vajra Body Cultivation, Mu-Gun’s subordinates still found it complicated and difficult.
They focused on and tried to memorize the Iron Blood Self-Defense Art movements Mu-Gun demonstrated to the best of their abilities. However, they weren’t geniuses who could memorize everything at a glance.
Mu-Gun had to perform the Iron Blood Self-Defense Art, which consisted of a total of 188 movements, more than forty times before they could completely memorize it.
However, that in itself was already an amazing feat. Mu-Gun was honestly prepared to repeat it up to a hundred times. His subordinates’ understanding exceeded his expectations, satisfying him.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end. Although they had memorized all of the Iron Blood Self-Defense Art movements, they still had trouble executing them accurately from memory alone. Thus, Mu-Gun had the six of them perform the Iron Blood Self-Defense Art, then rectified their movements one by one. It took three days for them to accurately execute the technique. Finally, Mu-Gun taught them the qigong scripture of the Iron Blood Self-Defense Art.
It took another three days for them to memorize it and learn how to apply it. In total, it took seven days and nights for Mu-Gun to completely pass down the Iron Blood Self-Defense Art. Teaching them the Soaring Luna Sword Art took another five days.
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