Chapter 57
"So the Martial Alliance Leader gave up the Eternal Extreme Acupoint Treasure after all."
The place I visited after receiving the elixir was the Divine Doctor's house. A small room filled with the scent of various medicines and decoctions.
Inside, the Divine Doctor was caring for sick patients while closely observing me.
"'Gave up' you say - did you know this would happen, Divine Doctor?"
"Of course, what fool in the Central Plains doesn't know about your Nine Yin Blocked Meridians? Even street children use 'Bingyeon' instead of 'cripple' as an insult, you fool."
The Divine Doctor spoke to me as if it was obvious. Then the Martial Alliance Leader had intended to give me the tournament prize from the start.
"Where are those children now? For the crime of insulting my precious master, death..."
Besides me, Bi Wol, Verdandi, and Azazel were all present. The only elixir that could save my terminal condition was now in my hands.
"Stop that. This isn't something that will be resolved by your intervention."
I stopped Bi Wol, who seemed to be letting emotions take over. Being ridiculed was common in the Central Plains martial world. People often referred to beggars as Beggar Sect leaders too.
"The Eternal Extreme Acupoint Treasure is said to burn people to death with yang energy if taken directly, so it must have been quite troublesome for the Martial Alliance Leader to handle."
The legendary divine doctor who was said to even revive the dead sighed once before speaking.
"While it's the only elixir that can cure the Nine Yin Blocked Meridians, it's also a legendary item said to enable Complete Rebirth, so it would be dangerous if misused by evil people."
Complete Rebirth (Huangu Tuotai).
A phenomenon where masters who reach high realms transform their bodies to become more suitable for martial arts through internal energy and enlightenment.
In martial arts novels, there were cases of old people becoming younger, extending their lifespan, or reaching the realm of Indestructible Diamond Body where the body becomes as hard as diamond.
"But to achieve Complete Rebirth, don't you need to unblock the Conception and Governing vessels and the Life-Death Mystic Gate?"
In "The King of the Vajra Fist," I had set it up so that Complete Rebirth required unblocking the Conception and Governing vessels and the Life-Death Mystic Gate (the gateway between life and death in Taoism).
Originally, I had made these detailed settings to use in a scene where the protagonist Kim Hyul would achieve Complete Rebirth and heal his injuries through enlightenment after receiving fatal wounds fighting Bi Wol.
Since my novel "The King of the Vajra Fist" was a low-power martial arts novel, not everyone could achieve Complete Rebirth.
If it had been an immortal cultivation story about committing atrocities to become an immortal, or like recent neo-martial arts novels, my condition might have been easier to cure.
"You fool. The Eternal Extreme Acupoint Treasure has the effect of unblocking the Conception and Governing vessels and Life-Death Mystic Gate. Usually these areas are blocked by turbid energy and can't be opened..."
"...So it uses an enormous amount of energy to force them open."
Bi Wol nodded as if finally understanding. The Conception and Governing vessels, which are open at birth but become blocked as one grows, normally require tremendous effort to unblock.
Since attempting it could even result in death, this was why I hadn't tried until now.
"That's right. But your master has one more important thing to do before that."
The Divine Doctor held up one finger to the hopeful-looking Bi Wol, indicating something that needed to be done first.
"What is it?"
"...Probably removing the divine body that Shub-Niggurath directly implanted."
While Verdandi asked in confusion, Azazel answered instead of the Divine Doctor.
Having already contracted with the Outer God Morgidian, she had known about my body's condition all along.
"Yes, like someone infested with parasites, there's something implanted throughout the body, not just the cold energy."
The Divine Doctor raised his eyes slightly in surprise. He pointed at the black tentacles writhing behind her back.
"Like that strange mass of flesh behind your disciple. Would you let me dissect it? To see how to dissolve it..."
The Divine Doctor blinked his eyes as if discovering something fascinating. He seemed eager to research Azazel's tentacles that he was seeing for the first time.
"No."
"Tsk tsk. These children would face death for you, yet you won't even let me experiment with a small piece?"
"What's not allowed is not allowed."
I cut in before Azazel could readily agree.
Born different as a succubus and denied her position as a saint while being pointed at by others, such words could hurt her.
"...Ah. Brother, I don't know how you always say things that move my heart so."
Azazel trembled while covering both cheeks with her hands in ecstasy. Seeing her excited state, even the Divine Doctor realized something was wrong.
"Sister, saying such things troubles Master."
Unlike before, Bi Wol calmly checked Azazel. She seemed to have realized that jealousy alone couldn't solve everything.
"Oh my, is it because of the Eastern rule that masters and disciples shouldn't be together? I thought that didn't apply to me since I'm from the Western Regions."
Azazel tapped her lips with her fingers while making a coy expression. She looked just like a purring female cat.
The Divine Doctor's face turned pale seeing this.
There was even a term for "teacher-student taboo," as relationships between masters and disciples were considered trash-like behavior worthy of death.
"If you've become part of the Central Plains, you should follow its rules."
"I think so too! We are all Master's disciples!"
Bi Wol and Verdandi stopped Azazel. While Bi Wol was probably afraid of losing her position as the favorite disciple.
'...Why is even Verdandi checking Azazel?'
My head spun at the sudden thought. Imagining that this pure, blank slate of a child might like me, I couldn't begin to imagine what she might do.
Originally, such pure children realizing their love was the most frightening. While I had ways to control Bi Wol from knowing her for so long, it wasn't the case with her.
I swallowed hard, sensing the future ahead.
"Anyway... to remove the strange thing implanted in your master's body, we need to first identify the host that implanted it."
The Divine Doctor cleared his throat loudly while checking my acupoints. The host he mentioned must definitely be Shub-Niggurath.
"Then we just need to eliminate the host first?"
Surprisingly, it was Azazel, known as the devout saint, who first made such a shocking statement. As if completely changed into a different person, she showed she would stop at nothing when it came to matters concerning me.
"Yes, then you'd need to mix bodies with someone who has consumed the Eternal Extreme Acupoint Treasure, to gather yang to supplement yin. To overcome the Extremely Yin Body Constitution, they'd need to be at least at a higher realm than you."
"What...?"
I was dumbfounded by what came out of the Divine Doctor's mouth. Gathering yang to supplement yin meant having relations with a man and woman to gather yang energy.
Originally, it was known as an impure technique, and those who practiced it were called perverts and ostracized.
"Then at least, if one reaches the Transformation Realm..."
Bi Wol's throat suddenly moved up and down greatly. She looked like a wild animal salivating.
"But how many people in this vast martial world have reached the Transformation Realm? You'd need to have relations with someone like a princess carrying dragon's blood or someone called a fairy."
The Divine Doctor shook his head as if telling us to give up. Most people who reached the Transformation Realm had no interest in the Central Plains martial world anyway.
In the original novel "The King of the Vajra Fist," Bi Wol's final realm as the final boss was the Transformation Realm, so I couldn't carelessly introduce characters of the same level.
"...How does one reach this Transformation Realm?"
"Please tell me too, Master!"
Azazel and Verdandi asked me how to reach the Transformation Realm, as if not even considering looking for someone else.