“Engraving a star into your energy….”

Seo-jun furrowed his brow.

“Is this that whole simki-che thing, or something about jeong-gi-shin?”

“Exactly. Jeong-gi-shin—body, energy, and spirit. Kanggi means that the gi is imbued with spirit.”

“Huh?”

“Ugh.”

Theory was always difficult. Who cared about theory when all that mattered was using the technique properly?

As Seo-jun grumbled, Chun-bong decided to simplify it for him.

“It means your inner energy is infused with your spirit. That’s why it appears in the form of a star.”

“Ah, so you could’ve just said that from the start. Why do they always make it so complicated?”

“I don’t know either.”

Chun-bong shook her head.

Experts in any field tended to overcomplicate their explanations. Still, it all made sense to them.

Seo-jun stared at her for a moment before asking, “Hey, about that monster.”

“The Gajugwi?”

“Yeah, that thing. Does something like that just randomly pop up anywhere?”

If it did, it’d be like a natural disaster. Imagine a neighbor’s overflowing water supply flooding your house—just a chaotic mess.

“Of course not. If it did, half the population would be wiped out.”

“Right? It didn’t make sense. But then again, it showed up yesterday.”

“What.”

Was this turning into an apocalyptic scenario instead of a martial arts world?

“Where do monsters like that usually live?”

“Hmm… They’re not usually near human settlements. Most places are cleared by martial artists.”

“So, what about here? Did the Cheongha Sect slack off or something?”

“I wouldn’t know. A monster as powerful as the Gajugwi sneaking into a human area is already unheard of.”

“Hmm, is this place close to where they usually live?”

“Do you really think Shaanxi is some backwater?”

At the mention of Shaanxi, Seo-jun’s eyes lit up.

“Shaanxi? The same place where the Mount Hua Sect is?”

“Yeah, that’s right. How do you know about Mount Hua?”

“It’s famous, isn’t it? Everyone knows Mount Hua.”

“But you didn’t know about Shingeomgeumga?”

Chun-bong was irked. But Seo-jun felt it was unfair.

“Hey! Ask anyone from my neighborhood—they all know Mount Hua, but nobody’s heard of Shingeomgeumga.”

“Alright, alright.”

“Seriously…!”

Seo-jun felt truly wronged.

He left Chun-bong to sulk for a bit and slipped out of the room.

In these situations, giving someone space before apologizing worked best.

“Now, where…”

Seo-jun wandered through the Cheongha Sect’s compound until he found himself standing in front of the main hall.

There was no one guarding the entrance. Was it confidence, or was this small sect so remote that guards weren’t necessary?

Either way, it wasn’t his concern. He knocked on the door of the main hall.

“Is anyone there?”

“Come in.”

Upon entering, he found the sect leader polishing a sword.

The older man sat cross-legged, calmly wiping down his blade. The sight was impressive—it had all the aesthetic of a martial arts world.

“I have something to ask.”

“Speak freely.”

“Does the Cheongha Sect have any medicinal pills on hand?”

“We do. Though they’re not of the highest quality.”

“If I asked for one, would you give it to me?”

“Do you need one?”

The sect leader stopped polishing his sword and looked up, his eyes filled with depth. Seo-jun held the gaze for a moment before nodding.

“Yes.”

“I see.”

The sect leader stood up, sheathed his sword, and exited the hall.

“Follow me.”

They arrived at a building marked with a large sign: Medicine Hall.

‘I feel strangely proud of myself for reading that.’

Seo-jun’s growing proficiency in reading Chinese characters was starting to pay off.

“Master, are you inside?”

“Master?”

A middle-aged man poked his head out of the small building in response to the sect leader’s call.

“What brings you here, Sect Leader?”

“I recall we still have some Cheongha Dan left.”

“Yes, we do, but…?”

“Bring one out.”

“Wha—?”

The medicine hall master furrowed his brows. He glanced at Seo-jun, clearly puzzled, but eventually nodded and went back inside.

Seo-jun turned to the sect leader, equally perplexed.

“I was just asking, but are you really giving me one?”

“I heard you gave Cheong-un some valuable advice.”

All Seo-jun had done was offer some light guidance about following the flow of his inner energy.

He hadn’t expected such a suggestion to be repaid with a medicinal pill.

“It wasn’t much…”

“One person’s trivial advice can be life-changing for another. Your words helped Cheong-un achieve a breakthrough. Giving you a pill is no great matter.”

Seo-jun kept quiet for a moment, staring at the sect leader before bowing slightly.

“Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it.”

“…I’ll think it over a bit more.”

With the Cheongha Dan in hand, Seo-jun returned to his quarters, his steps light.

“Hmm—”

He opened the box, and the fragrance of the pill swept through him, making him feel refreshed. It was even more invigorating than the Blackwood Dan he’d given to Chun-bong before.

“This is good stuff. But… it might not be enough to fully heal her.”

Seo-jun stared at the brown, herbal pill, a mixture of dry plants packed into a ball. Despite its humble appearance, the energy contained within could save a person’s life.

‘The more I learn, the more complicated it gets.’

What exactly was this energy called gi?

The deeper Seo-jun delved, the more it felt like he was sinking into a bottomless pit.

“Well, whatever.”

He’d figure it out eventually.

Closing the lid of the box, Seo-jun opened the door to his room.

“Hey, Chun-bong, you still mad?”

“I wasn’t mad to begin with.”

“Oh, sure, our Chun-bong is definitely not pouting.”

Seo-jun teased her, squishing her unusually puffed-up cheeks. Chun-bong glared at him.

“Stop it.”

“Come on, I’ve got something for you. A real good one this time.”

Her eyebrows twitched as Seo-jun pulled out the wooden box.

She eyed it suspiciously, scratched her cheek, then glanced at his face.

“…I’m fine, really. I’ve almost recovered.”

“Healed? My ass.”

“I’m serious. I’m practically all better after that last pill. You should take this one.”

“Sss!”

Seo-jun shoved the box toward her like he was about to force-feed her the pill. Chun-bong pouted.

“You’ll just get stronger and find better medicine later, right?”

“And how long do you think that’ll take?”

“Well… probably not too long?”

Seo-jun knew his level. He wasn’t invincible, but in most areas, there weren’t many who could challenge him.

It may have seemed like an easy achievement, but the peak level he had reached wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

“But, you know…”

“Hmm?”

“Surprise…!”

Seo-jun moved like lightning, opening the box and grabbing the pill. Chun-bong reacted instantly, using the momentum from pushing off the floor to leap up.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Seo-jun reached out, using the Geumna technique to grab her sleeve.

When it came to energy control, he might have the upper hand, but in pure martial arts, Chun-bong was still ahead.

She countered by grabbing his sleeve as well, but Seo-jun wasn’t planning on a direct fight.

“Gotcha!”

He pulled her into his arms.

“W-what…!”

Chun-bong flailed her limbs, but it was checkmate.

“What can you do now?”

She could’ve broken free if she used her full strength, but there was no way Chun-bong would seriously hurt him.

Seo-jun held her tightly, pressing the Cheongha Dan to her lips.

“You’re not gonna open your mouth? You know if this pill breaks, its effectiveness will be ruined, right?”

“Mmmf!”

“C’mon, open up!”

“Mmm!”

“Alright, fine…”

Chun-bong glanced at his face and saw the look in his eyes. He wasn’t bluffing—he would crush the pill if she didn’t cooperate.

Reluctantly, she opened her mouth.

Guilt washed over her as the pill’s refreshing energy flowed into her body.

“Now, sit down and meditate. Let it absorb properly.”

Seo-jun’s warm voice calmed her, and she closed her eyes, settling into a meditative pose.

‘Idiot.’

She cursed him in her mind.

Such a foolishly kind man.

After using Yin-Yang Reversal to heal Chun-bong’s blocked meridians, Seo-jun stepped outside.

“Haa…”

Chun-bong had already fallen asleep after absorbing the energy of the pill.

Seo-jun looked down at his hands and clenched his fists.

“It worked.”

It was a new attempt, and he’d succeeded.

No, it was skill. Who else but him could pull off something like this?

Feeling a sense of pride, he hummed as he walked across the courtyard.

As he treated Chun-bong’s meridians, excess Yin energy had leaked out. Instead of reversing it into Yang, which was tricky, he’d absorbed it himself.

His Honwon Singong easily absorbed the Yin energy, which in turn boosted his own internal energy.

“This is what you call killing two birds with one stone.”

Seo-jun tested the flow of his energy. The murky power of Honwon Singong coursed smoothly through his meridians.

‘I’ve heard people don’t usually absorb all of the energy from a pill, but even just catching what leaks out is a huge gain, huh?’

He briefly considered hanging around anyone who was taking a medicinal pill, but quickly dismissed the idea. Besides Chun-bong, who would even let him do that?

Either way, that was a thought for later.

Seo-jun focused on reviewing the battle from the previous night.

‘The Gajugwi’s defensive energy technique.’

Its armor had absorbed so much, but mastering that technique could be invaluable.

Guiding his energy along the memory of the flow from last night, Seo-jun couldn’t help but smile.

The difference between studying martial arts and schoolwork was that martial arts were fun.

The night passed quickly as he practiced.

The next morning, Seo-jun felt utterly defeated.

“Nooo! This can’t be happening!”

Chun-bong yawned as she walked outside, but her cheeks were noticeably slimmer.