Chapter 414
## Chapter 414. The Price of Connection (2)
—
A single clash of techniques left only a solitary conviction behind.
*‘He is incredibly powerful!’*
It had nothing to do with a comparison of our internal reserves. The very plane he operated on was entirely distinct. Much like the most formidable rabbit cannot hope to overcome even an infant tiger, the realm he occupied was of a completely different order. If forced to make a comparison, his caliber was reminiscent of Mo-yong Gang or Nam-gung Tae-ha.
A shuddering chill traveled down my spine, and cold perspiration poured out in streams. My heart plummeted with a heavy thud, showing absolutely no indication of steadying itself.
*‘What sort of wretched luck is this…….’*
I had managed to obtain the Taiji Elixir, a legendary medicine of the eras, yet what were the chances of it being plundered by an unidentified powerhouse right before I could consume it? It truly felt as though being struck by a stray bolt of lightning mid-meditation to unlock the Lightning Spirit Divine Art would be a more statistically likely event.
“Why do you remain silent? I take it this item carried little weight to you after all.”
The elderly man spoke with casual disrespect, adopting a delinquent posture as if he had no further intention of striking. How could I navigate out of this predicament? What path could I forge that would yield the greatest advantage to me……?
After a brief moment of intense calculation, I put on a front of compliance and lowered my head.
“Ah! It seems to have slipped away. It is an object of great value to me, so would the Elder be gracious enough to return it?”
My tone carried the utmost courtesy I could muster. This was not an act of submission. It was merely the proper etiquette to display before a senior.
“You claim this belongs to you?”
*Click.*
The moment the wooden container unlatched, the intoxicating aroma of the Taiji Elixir diffused through the surrounding air. *Hey, hey! Old man! The potency is evaporating!*
“*Ahem*, i-it is an exceedingly delicate substance, so would you mind sealing it back up?”
“And what if I choose not to?”
“I-I implore you.”
Anxiousness forced a stutter into my speech. I was losing my mind.
“*Heh, heh.* You are quite an entertaining brat. To think you would scramble to show such deference now, immediately after unleashing a lethal strike. Tell me, are you truly a disciple of the Orthodox sects?”
Confound it, what nonsense was he spouting now? Even so, I forced my facial muscles to arrange themselves into a smile.
“Be that as it may, might I inquire as to the Elder’s Great Name?”
“There is zero requirement for you to be aware of it.”
“*Son of a— wretched……*” Why did every single old-timer I crossed paths with possess such a warped temperament? Or was a twisted personality simply an inevitable consequence of reaching advanced age?
“Just what is it that you desire? Is your aim that wooden container?”
“And what if it is?”
What do you mean, “what if it is”? Why are you attempting to seize another person’s property as though it were the most natural thing in the world?
“There exists an ancient proverb, *‘Tam-bu-sun-jae,’* which dictates that those who harbor avarice for the wealth of others frequently invite fatal peril upon themselves.”
“Ho-oh…… did such a phrase exist? How peculiar. I have spent my entire existence coveting the belongings of others, yet my breath remains quite steady.”
“…….”
The old man rotated one of his arms in a mocking gesture meant to provoke me.
“Did you not confidently declare as well? That I would be forced to part with at least a single limb. Yet, I appear entirely whole, do I not?”
*Whoosh— whoosh—*
His arm sliced through the air with a weightlessness that suggested it might float away. Dammit, I had truly believed I could sever at least one arm. That was, until I recognized that he was an Absolute Master. When crossing paths with such an enigmatic senior, the wisest course of action was to flee instantly without establishing any ties, but retreating was impossible due to the Taiji Elixir resting in his palm. It was utterly maddening.
“Then how about we negotiate thus? We shall split the medicine precisely in half. Following that, we can go our separate ways……”
“And what if I decline?”
“…….”
Stifling the fury bubbling within my chest, I spoke again.
“Then how about a sixty-forty distribution?”
“I decline.”
“Seventy-thirty……. This is the absolute limit of my concessions.”
“Hmm, and if I still decline, what is your move?”
Observing him casually flipping the wooden container into the air while wearing a smirk, I realized I would die fulfilled if I could just plant a single, clean strike right on his jaw…….
“What, will you report my conduct to the local magistrates?”
“…….”
Watching the corners of his mouth twitch with amusement, it was clear the old-timer was thoroughly enjoying the predicament itself. Given that his proficiency in goading an opponent was so highly developed, this was undoubtedly not his first or second time deriving amusement from completely dominating an adversary in this fashion.
My demeanor shifted into one of absolute gravity. I refused to let myself be steered around and permit him to control the momentum indefinitely.
“What exactly do you want?”
“What do I want, you ask?”
“Are you unaware that the object in the Elder’s possession is no commonplace medicine? If you abscond with it without a steel-hardened resolve, you will find yourself incapable of weathering the consequences.”
“…….”
The elderly man cast another glance at the contents of the wooden container. As a shade of seriousness finally crept into his features, it appeared a proper dialogue might at last be viable.
“Relying on the single clash we just shared, it is evident that the Elder has little actual requirement for that medicine……. Rather than courting jeopardy, why do I not fulfill a desire of the Elder’s choosing instead?”
“You speak as though it is an incredibly perilous object?”
“Indeed.”
“…….”
“That medicine is the rightful property of an immensely renowned…… *ahem*, a titanic…… *cough*! An Orthodox sect. Should they discover that the Elder has plundered it…… it will hardly conclude with a basic charge of larceny.”
The old man’s expression hardened somewhat. He tugged at the small beard on his chin, entering a state of deep reflection.
“*Haha*, you truly possess a magnificent silver tongue. Hearing your words, I am almost convinced that danger is afoot.”
It seemed my words were finally breaking through——.
“The very rascal who turned the Wudang Sect into a mortal foe by obliterating their Maengho Unit just a few suns ago is now proposing to notify Wudang regarding the presence of the Taiji Elixir?”
*Son of a—*, he was fully informed? A mocking smirk played on the old man’s lips as he launched the wooden container into the sky once more.
“By all means, proceed to inform them. Let us discover if you can even manage to step past the Wudang Sect’s Sword-Washing Pond.”
Just who in the world was this person?
The adversary before me was an Absolute Master. His sect, his name, and his moral alignment were completely hidden. Nevertheless, extracting what I could from our brief conversation, he did not appear to harbor a specific desire to end my life, nor did he seem consumed by a base greed for the Taiji Elixir. Even so, it was equally apparent that he had no intention of rendering the Taiji Elixir back to me without a fuss.
Much like the case with Mo-yong Gang, individuals who possessed rather eccentric psyches at that advanced stage of life were prone to erupting in fury if an amusement or a game failed to entertain them. In such an instant, the jest would instantly cease to be a jest.
In a split second, I sprinted through the archives of my mind, reviewing every text regarding military engagement, grand strategy, and deceptive maneuvers, and formulated a tactic to confront him. Yes, this was the solitary option available to me at present.
*Thud—*
“Return it to me……!!!”
“That belongs to me! What gives you the right to seize another person’s property!”
“Aaaah! Aaaaaah! Aaaaaaaaah!!”
I collapsed onto the earth, thrashing my legs wildly and grabbing hold of the fabric of his trousers. It was an absolute blessing from the heavens that my junior martial siblings and the members of the Tae-eul Sect were nowhere in sight. Had they witnessed this, the sheer mortification would have killed me. Furthermore, the old-timer clearly had not anticipated a display of this nature, as a look of total mystification washed over his face.
“……Cease this.”
“Return it!!!! I commanded you to return it!!!!”
“Stand up! Are you not the Black Flame Dragon whom both the Heterodox and Orthodox paths view with immense caution——!”
“It is mine! Mine!!! Yield back So-un’s property!!!”
“Stop……! STOP!!!!”
The instant the old man’s tattered garments billowed outward and a terrifying wave of murderous intent washed over me, a realization struck. *‘This is actually producing results?’* My teeth rattled from the oppressive weight of his killing intent, yet I clamped my jaw shut and threw myself across the dirt even more frantically.
“It belongs to So-un!!!! Yield back So-un’s property!!!”
“This troublesome brat……”
Abruptly, the old man struck the earth beneath him with a swift stomp. Before I could process the action, the ground swelled violently upward, launching my physical form into the open air.
“What……”
Before another syllable could escape my lips, the old-timer executed a fluid, sweeping motion with both hands. In that very instant, colossal forces slammed into both flanks of my torso in rapid succession.
*Thwack! Thwack-thwack!*
As though I had been struck by a palm spanning the dimensions of a residence, an agonizing torment radiated through my entire being. Yet, that was merely the surface of the problem. I attempted to marshal my internal reserves to shield my form, but.
“Ugh……”
A excruciating sensation of my meridians being forcibly contorted seized me. Delivering a concussive shock via a massive impact was a feat achievable by anyone boasting a profound comprehension of internal cultivation. However, to intentionally warp the internal energy pathways within that very impact was a completely different tier of mastery. It stood as definitive testimony to the celestial height he had attained. Consequently, even the fallback option of fleeing should things turn disastrous had been utterly eliminated.
“Should you repeat such a display, I shall ensure your expiration is absolute next time.”
“…….”
I assumed a quiet, respectful posture and began the painstaking process of untangling my distorted meridians. I had reached the logical conclusion that this was not a person with whom rational dialogue was possible.
*‘A single misstep and my life is forfeit.’*
Within the *Kangho*, individuals of his archetype—who appear to be engaging in mere mockery yet possess the genuine capacity to slaughter—are far more terrifying than those who shout empty vows of murder simply to project strength. Those who broadcast their murderous intent openly are at least operating on a comprehensible plane, whereas this old-timer had clearly ascended to a tier far beyond my current reach. To him, I likely did not even register as a fellow human being.
“At last, we find ourselves capable of maintaining a temperate dialogue.”
“…….”
I forced down the retort of *‘And who exactly was responsible for ruining the atmosphere to begin with!’* within my mind. As I maintained my silence, the elderly man initiated the discussion once more, appearing quite content.
“You, who is the master that instructed you?”
“It is Hall Master Gang Chae-seok of the Tae-eul Sect.”
“……Who might that be?”
“He stands as the most potent expert within the Tae-eul Sect.”
The old man tilted his head in confusion, his gaze drifting past my shoulder into the empty air for a fleeting moment before his brows furrowed and he glared back at me. What, was he catching sight of some phantom?
“Do you offer your fealty to someone possessing lesser strength than your own?”
“…….”
“Has anyone actually bestowed formal guidance upon you?”
In truth, the old man’s query hit directly at the core of my foundational dilemma. For all practical purposes, my true instructors were the Tae-eul Sword Emperor, the fragments of my previous incarnation, and the extensive texts housed within my mind. In this current existence, I had picked up certain arts from the Sword Demon, yet he had steadfastly barred me from addressing him as my master.
“To have climbed to this pinnacle without an instructor……. Small wonder your mental state was so unhinged.”
He had reduced a perfectly sane individual to a lunatic in a single breath. Yet, I lacked the leisure to offer a retort. The task of resolving the knotted internal energy pathways was proving far more complex than I anticipated.
“It is a tragedy. A karmic bond (*in-yeon*) never truly aligns with the whims of human desire.”
The old man, studying me with an intricate, unreadable expression, raised the wooden container.
“Is it your purpose to ingest this?”
“……Provided you return it, yes.”
“You speak as though it were your birthright.”
“Because it belongs to me……”
The old man cut off my words ruthlessly.
“You must absolutely not ingest this.”
Dammit, what sort of ridiculous claim was this now?
“What do you mean by……”
“Is your Dantian not already brimming with a greater volume of internal energy than your frame can safely govern?”
While it was true that I possessed five full cycles of internal energy, I had never for a single moment considered it sufficient. This was largely because I was perpetually embroiled in brutal conflicts and desperate straits, leaving me with a constant craving for greater power, but the core issue stemmed from the fact that every technique I wielded was an aggressive, dominant martial art that drained internal energy with extreme violence.
“Necessity is a subjective concept, Elder.”
“Even if the toll is the total destruction of the equilibrium of your *Jeong-gi-sin*?”
The Elder’s inquiry struck like a sudden thunderbolt. Before I could fashion a reply, he pressed on.
“Since the threshold of your internal energy swelled, have there not been numerous occasions where you lost consciousness after drawing upon it?”
“……!”
Reading the shock on my face, the old man gave a knowing nod, his suspicions confirmed.
“It serves as a warning that the harmony of your *Jeong-gi-sin* is systematically fracturing. Should you foolishly continue to accumulate internal energy in this manner, you will be fortunate if you merely perish from Qi Deviation.”
To think my internal condition had deteriorated to such an extreme degree. It had never even crossed my mind.
“If fortune does not favor me…… what is the outcome?”
“In all likelihood, you will transform into a blood-crazed maniac (*gwang-in*), perpetrating endless slaughter until your life gives out.”
“That is impossible. The Elder may be unaware, but the martial arts I command are fully equal to Wudang or Shaolin regarding the purity of their essence. They are hardly the common techniques of the Heterodox path.”
“You foolish brat…… do you believe Orthodox martial arts possess the power to rewrite the fundamental laws of the cosmos?”
The old-timer balanced the wooden container effortlessly upon the tip of a single finger.
“Miraculous objects of this caliber are abundant within the treasuries of Wudang and Shaolin, yet they never mindlessly cram internal energy into a single disciple. Given the monumental impact a solitary Absolute Master exerts upon the grand tapestry of the Murim, does that strike you as a logical omission?”
I halted my efforts to clear my meridians and simply stared blankly at the senior. My thoughts ground to a halt, as though a heavy blunt instrument had struck the rear of my skull.
“Do you imagine they never attempted the exact path you are walking? They have navigated it all before, which is precisely why they refuse to replicate such an idiotic blunder.”
I had been entirely ignorant. It was standard protocol to keep such profound insights guarded from outsiders. Just how many cycles of agonizing trial and error would the Tae-eul Sect—which had failed to birth a single Absolute Master throughout its five-century chronicle—be forced to endure in the days to come?
“Then, does the deceptively modest aura of internal energy emanating from the Elder…… relate to this very principle?”
“*Heh, heh, heh.* You possess a remarkably sharp perception.”
A moment ago, my prospects had vanished entirely. Yet, along with that loss, a novel prospect had manifested. It occurred to me that perhaps this eccentric senior could provide the resolution to the dilemmas that had plagued me for so long.
“Then what course of action should I pursue?”
“What are you implying?”
“Does there exist a method to consume this medicine and scale even greater heights of strength?”
The instant the question left my lips, a sharp gleam ignited within the old man’s eyes. He looked precisely like a toddler who had stumbled upon a fascinating plaything.
“There is.”
Without a second thought, I bent my waist in a deep bow.
“I humbly petition for your instruction.”
“And why should I oblige?”
The refusal was delivered with instantaneous finality.
“…….”
What was my next move? Should I resort to thrashing about on the earth as I had done previously……?
“If your intent is to reenact that repulsive display, I shall terminate your existence on this very spot.”
It appeared that particular avenue was firmly closed.
“…….”
I racked my brain, searching for any leverage to persuade this enigmatic senior to grant me even a fraction of his wisdom. Yet, absolute vacancy met my efforts. How could I hope to ‘sway’ him when I lacked the ability to deduce his true identity, his background, or even his underlying objective?
Just as my mental strain was reaching a point of acute vertigo.
“Hmm…… I suppose substituting it with this method will suffice.”
The Elder murmured those words quietly to himself before closing the distance between us with rapid strides. And
“What are you intending to……”
Before a full sentence could form, the old man’s fingers slammed into ten of my acupoints in rapid succession.
“Ha! You have already managed to undo half of the restriction?”
He immediately struck an additional twenty acupoints, then unceremoniously jammed the Taiji Elixir straight past my lips. *Huh? Forcibly fed it to me?*
*‘Confound it……! You literally just proclaimed I would perish if I consumed this!’*
As the Taiji Elixir dissolved instantly, flowing through my mouth, I lacked the ability to either eject it or swallow it naturally.
“The agony will be severe, so brace yourself.”
With that, the wretched old-timer began executing a relentless barrage of finger strikes across my entire physical frame.
*Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta.*
In the brief window it required for the liquefied Taiji Elixir to slide down my esophagus, the old man, having targeted a grand total of thirty-three critical acupoints, delivered a sweeping motion with his palm, and my body was instantly propelled through the air, tumbling backward into the depths of the cavern.
“Wa—wait! My physical form, it refuses to obey……”
“As it should. Considering I have bound you utilizing the *Sura-swae-geum-tan-pa-ok-gyeol*. It would defy reality if you could move.”
I had finally secured a minuscule thread that might unveil his true heritage, but the sheer consternation left me unable to voice a reply.
“Ah, a greenhorn of your generation is likely ignorant of that term. Regardless, provided you survive the ordeal, your dilemma will be thoroughly solved.”
This was because the *‘Sura-swae-geum-tan-pa-ok-gyeol’* was a legendary acupoint-sealing method that had been completely expunged from the records of the Unorthodox Murim a century ago, owing to the horrific, agonizing deaths it inflicted upon its victims.
“D—don’t speak such absolute garbage! That is a technique designed strictly for torment!!!”
“Oh, so you actually possess a modicum of literacy regarding the arts?”
“You absolute lunatic of an old man……!!!”
Having offered that parting remark, the old-timer let out a smirk and swept his palm once more. In response, the massive boulder I had previously hauled flew into the air, completely sealing off the cavern mouth.
*Thud.*
Enveloped in the descending dark, the sensation of every single meridian throughout my physical frame locking up became terrifyingly distinct. Simultaneously, I could feel the volatile essence of the Taiji Elixir beginning to ignite within my Dantian.
“I—I am utterly ruined!”
