Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 448

I hope that the power of mine placed on your axe will not be stained with the blood of the good.

This time, Yi Beon immediately understood what Tam Gyeong was saying.

Not only that. Yeon Ho-Jeong and Beom Oh could also understand what Tam Gyeong meant.

“Younger brother.”

Yi Beon looked at Tam Gyeong with shaking eyes.

Tam Gyeong did not turn his gaze to Yi Beon. His clear eyes were fixed solely on Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Yeon Ho-Jeong opened his mouth.

“How can the old man’s power be placed on my axe?”

“I believe you understand.”

“I refuse.”

Tam Gyeong did not ask why he refused, why he was kicking away a blessing.

“If you refuse, then think of it as a request from an old man who doesn’t have much time left to live.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong frowned.

“Why are you doing this?”

“I didn’t ask you for a reason. Nor did I give you a choice of whether to accept it or not.”

“……”

“I’m just asking.”

A request.

Tam Gyeong’s request had a different meaning. He wanted Yeon Ho-Jeong to accept his inner energy, his enlightenment.

It was truly an astonishing thing. For a martial artist, inner energy was the foundation of all martial arts, the source that allowed a weak human body to realize the abilities of a divine being.

Moreover, the inner energy that Tam Gyeong had cultivated was true energy refined by the Shaolin’s mind method, the best Buddhist sect and the strongest martial arts school in the Central Plains. It was also an overwhelming inner energy that boasted a high purity, having broken through the realm of the Supreme [a level of martial arts mastery].

Inner energy was not something easily given even to one’s own disciples. Now, Tam Gyeong was giving that inner energy to a young man who could be considered a complete stranger.

“There is no reason for me to grant your request. And I don’t need the old man’s inner energy.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s words were correct.

Having risen a step higher through his fight with Yayul Jeok, he was on the verge of the Supreme realm, the realm of the Martial God.

For such a Yeon Ho-Jeong, more inner energy was unnecessary. To be precise, even if he received inner energy, it would not be efficiently absorbed.

Wasn’t that why he had given most of the power of the elixir he received from Yang Cheon to Gang Ryang? Even if he melted it down and turned it into his own power, it would take time to get used to the increased power and the foreign true energy.

For Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was about to start a major operation, it was more of a poison. If he were to hide all that energy, he might even end up shedding blood.

Too much is as bad as too little. Yeon Ho-Jeong knew this principle well. Whether it was someone else’s inner energy or an elixir, if the gain was greater than the loss, he would have taken it without hesitation, but for him now, there was neither gain nor loss.

Rather, if he were to weigh the pros and cons, it was closer to a loss. If he were to receive the true energy of a retired Shaolin elder, he would have to bear the burden left in his heart and the resentful eyes of Shaolin.

Tam Gyeong shook his head.

“At your level, you wouldn’t need someone else’s inner energy, let alone the power of an elixir. Unless you have internal injuries or a temporary loss of inner energy. Surely, you didn’t think I wouldn’t know that?”

“Then why are you being so stubborn? I hate feeling uneasy. Just pass it on to Monk Beom Oh instead.”

“No. My inner energy is thoroughly trained through martial arts. Beom Oh has attained the Great Wisdom Power through supreme enlightenment. My energy could disrupt the energy of the Great Wisdom.”

That was not wrong. Even if it was the same kind of inner energy, Beom Oh’s inner energy was incomparable to Tam Gyeong’s in terms of power density. If he was not careful, Tam Gyeong’s true energy could shake Beom Oh’s Great Wisdom Power.

Yeon Ho-Jeong shook his head.

“No matter what you say, I will not accept it. If it’s strength that can be gained by accepting someone else’s power, then I can reach that level at any time. The power I have built up myself is….”

“Don’t you know? With your enlightenment and insight, you can surely internalize someone else’s power as if you had built it up yourself.”

“It would be a pointless struggle.”

“That’s right. It’s a pointless struggle. Unless I process the true energy myself before transferring it.”

“……?!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face hardened.

Tam Gyeong looked at Yi Beon and said,

“This older brother here has never properly trained in martial arts since coming to Mount Bul. He has only been managing his inner energy through constant circulation.”

“……”

“As a result, his inner energy boasts an extreme purity, unmixed with any impurities. In some ways, that purity is greater than that of a master who has broken through the realm of the Supreme.”

Yi Beon’s inner energy was greater than Yeon Ho-Jeong’s.

However, his skills were worse than those of any other master. He had only managed his inner energy for over thirty years, and had never even practiced basic moves, let alone engaged in actual combat.

However, because of that, Yi Beon was able to obtain pure white inner energy without any impurities. That inner energy was reversing his age, which could have ended at any moment, and his years.

“I also know how to turn my inner energy into pure white true energy. Although I will lose more than half of my inner energy in the process, the condensed true energy will boast a purity no less than that of your older brother.”

“……”

“At that concentration, it will be easy for you to absorb. It will be a power more valuable than any elixir.”

“……Why?”

“Do you really want to know the reason?”

“As I said, I can’t stand feeling uneasy. Inner energy is like life to a martial artist, so how can you give such a precious thing to someone else like me….”

“It’s because you are someone else.”

“What do you mean?”

“Because you are someone else, and although you have a rough and rude personality, I know that your essence is full of chivalry and justice.”

Tam Gyeong looked at Beom Oh.

“Beom Oh, that fellow will grow well even without me burdening him. There’s no need for me to give him my share, and he has actually attained the Great Wisdom.”

Beom Oh lowered his head without a word.

Tam Gyeong smiled and nodded.

“You are different. You need help.”

“I am……”

“Aren’t you the core of the White Path martial world?”

“……?!”

“Why? Are you surprised that an old man who has cut ties with the world knows that much?”

“That’s not it. The core of the White Path martial world, that’s absurd….”

“Even if that’s not the case, considering your personality, you will be fighting countless battles in the future. And people will eventually experience the bitterness of defeat. Unfortunately, the moment of defeat is likely to lead to death.”

Tam Gyeong burst into laughter.

“I’m scared. Even though I’m old, I’m scared of death. That’s why I don’t want to go back out into the world.”

Yi Beon’s eyes deepened.

He didn’t want to go out into the world? That was not true. In Tam Gyeong’s heart, there was still a passion to rush out into the world and scold it to his heart’s content.

However, Tam Gyeong had simply acknowledged it.

That it was just a dream of the past, a memory. That even if he went back out into the world, he would not be able to burn with passion as he had in the past.

He knew that it was impure for him to raise his fist just to feel a sense of accomplishment, just to satisfy himself.

“And yet, this damn power keeps igniting a fire in my heart. I have already chosen my life, but it keeps causing me anguish in the name of memories, making me sigh.”

“……”

“I hate that. I no longer need this inner energy and Shaolin martial arts. Although I was the head of the Arhat Hall [a hall within the Shaolin Temple dedicated to martial arts], which symbolizes Shaolin’s martial arts, I am now just a foolish monk who has dedicated the rest of his life to saving sentient beings.”

Tam Gyeong’s eyes were clearer than ever. It was the insight that another enlightened one could show, having completely understood himself.

“I don’t know if this will truly save sentient beings. I may end up meeting the same end as the countless monks who failed to solve the secret of reincarnation for three hundred years and went to the side of Buddha.”

“……”

“But still, I have no complaints about my choice, my past, or my future.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been staring at Tam Gyeong for a long time, sighed softly.

“If you really want to throw away that power, give it to someone else, not me.”

“No. I want to give it to you.”

“There are many people who are much more righteous and full of chivalry than someone like me.”

“Of course. Don’t be arrogant. It’s not because you are the best in the world that I’m giving it to you.”

“……”

“I just hope that you can use this power to save more sentient beings.”

Tam Gyeong shrugged.

“Besides, our Buddhist sect owes a debt to your sect. If it weren’t for the question left here by the Four Directional Martial Emperor, we wouldn’t have spent our lives here.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled without realizing it.

“Isn’t it more like a love-hate relationship than a debt?”

“Whatever it is.”

In the end, no matter how much the conversation continued, it would only repeat the same things.

Someone had to make a decision. And the person who had to make that decision was Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been staring silently into Tam Gyeong’s eyes, sighed again and said,

“You are giving it because you want to. I refuse any interference in my life just because you gave me that power.”

“I’m a busy man. I’m not such a fool to think that you are my person just because I threw a sword that I no longer need to a promising junior.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“But as I said, when the moment of confusion comes and you have to make a choice, remember this. Remember to move in a direction where the blood of the good and righteous does not flow, and if it is unavoidable, to move in a direction where as little innocent blood as possible is shed.”

“I’m always thinking about that, even without the old man’s request.”

“Hahaha, that’s why. That’s why I’m trying to give you this power. It’s better to give a useless power to someone who can use it well.”

Tam Gyeong sat down in a cross-legged position.

“It will take some time to process the true energy. While you wait, you should also manage your inner self. Even if more than half of the power is gone, its purity is so high that it will be difficult to accept easily.”

“Damn it, it’s like being served a feast when I’m not even hungry.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong sat down in a cross-legged position opposite Tam Gyeong.

Thus, Yeon Ho-Jeong unexpectedly gained a power he had not anticipated.

Of course, that power would not be of great help to Yeon Ho-Jeong’s martial arts, but it would certainly be of help to Yeon Ho-Jeong’s life.

Come to think of it, there were many people who wanted to help Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Not to mention his family, Gong Gong Daesa and Seung Hyeon Jin-in also gave Yeon Ho-Jeong much enlightenment.

And now, Tam Gyeong, who was the former master of Shaolin and the strongest head of the Arhat Hall in Shaolin’s history, was also trying to pass on his power to Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Perhaps this was the greatest power that Yeon Ho-Jeong possessed. The power to make those who have attained enlightenment unable to pass him by, the strange presence that makes those who discuss the world unable to help but pay attention.

To the dark king of the underworld, those who send invitations from a dazzling white world.

The history of a young man who walks between black and white, light and darkness, trying to correct the chaos of the world, was facing a great upheaval.