Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 724

‘Things have gotten busy.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong, having left the main hall, went straight to his residence.

It wasn’t for any other reason. Before heading back out into the world with Gi Woo-Hui, he needed to get his body into the best possible condition.

Of course, with Gi Woo-Hui’s skills, he would receive excellent treatment along the way.

‘But I need to control my inner energy to maximize the effectiveness of the treatment.’

Sitting in a meditative pose, Yeon Ho-Jeong closed his eyes and immediately began circulating his energy.

Whoooosh!

The Radiant Divine Core was beyond needing any further adjustments. Without conscious effort, his tightly knit inner energy maintained its optimal state on its own.

Since opening the Limitless [a state of martial arts mastery] and completing the Radiant Divine Core, its light had never once dimmed. Even in the face of excessive inner energy consumption or extreme internal injuries, it might have shrunk, but it never disappeared.

Before he knew it, the Radiant Divine Core had become intertwined with his life. This light would never be lost until his life was extinguished.

Flash!

As his will stirred, four streams of inner energy emanating from the Radiant Divine Core each summoned a divine beast.

The mystical energies governing the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys maximized his vitality.

The divine beasts, like the Radiant Divine Core, began full activity the moment his will arose. Unlike before, when he had to exert some effort to get the cart rolling downhill, now, the moment he commanded, ‘Go down!’ it would start racing down the steep path.

The reaction of his inner energy immediately led to a reaction in his body. Moreover, Yeon Ho-Jeong had exceptionally good reflexes, making his current body a perfect match.

‘There are no problems, as expected.’

His internal energy, blood vessels, nerves, and bones were all normal.

However, it wasn’t his best condition.

‘It’s not that there’s a problem with one particular area. The overall function itself has declined.’

Even a master is still human. Even though he had opened the Limitless, it was natural for his physical functions to decline in the face of extreme fatigue, as he still possessed a human body.

‘In this case, the best thing to do is just rest.’

For the past few years, he had lived each day with excessive intensity.

But thinking about it, he had been just as intense during his time as the Dark Emperor. However, back then, he had borrowed the energy of heaven and earth to recover instantly, maintaining his physical functions at their best.

In other words, it wasn’t a problem caused by a change in his core inner energy.

‘It’s not a different problem.’

Flash!

Suddenly, a divine light burst from Yeon Ho-Jeong’s opened eyes.

‘Speed. It’s a matter of speed.’

After his regression, he had grown stronger at an alarming rate.

After correcting his body, which had been worse than that of a first-rate martial artist, he broke through to the Limitless in less than a decade through unimaginable effort and fierce real-life battles.

Even with all his memories from his past life, this was a remarkable achievement. Looking at the results alone, it was an absolutely abnormal pace.

‘If I had abandoned the family’s secret technique that led from the Yeon Family Divine Core to the Radiant Divine Core and instead mastered the existing Hongcheon Energy, I would have actually opened the Limitless even faster than I did now.’

Despite this, he had insisted on the Divine Core Energy to become better than he was in the past. As a grandmaster of martial arts, he had faith in it.

‘What if I had opened the Limitless with Hongcheon Energy as the core?’

A chill ran down his spine.

If he had, he would have been seized by a fatigue that was incomparable to what he felt now, and he wouldn’t even have been able to open his eyes. No matter the process, he wouldn’t have rested.

‘Perhaps I might have lost consciousness for a long time after opening the Limitless.’

By controlling his body with his will, he ignored even the warning signs of pain and fatigue. Yeon Ho-Jeong had lived such a life.

But there were times when the body dominated the mind. If he had opened the Limitless faster while mastering Hongcheon Energy, his body would have extinguished the lamp of his mind. This meant removing consciousness for a complete recovery.

That could have been a long sleep, or even death.

‘As expected, focusing on the Divine Core Energy was the right choice. However…’

Yeon Ho-Jeong closed his eyes again.

‘I should seal it for a while.’

Whoosh!

The energy of the Radiant Divine Core, which had been actively circulating and spreading throughout his body, returned to its original place and remained as a perfect light.

‘And from now on.’

Thump! Thump!

His heart began to beat strongly.

The lungs more actively absorbed the natural energy dissolved in the inhaled air, and the liver completely detoxified the minute waste products that had been causing fatigue.

Sizzle!

Black smoke rose from Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body.

It was the discharge of impurities. Normally, they would have been expelled through urine and feces, but the remaining energy was filtered by the kidneys and released through the pores using inner energy.

In that process, the Radiant Divine Core did not intervene at all.

He was controlling his body using only the Four Divine Energies he had cultivated so well.

Before he knew it, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s room was filled with a hazy smoke.

How much time had passed?

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had opened his eyes, released his meditative pose and stood up.

“……”

A satisfied smile appeared on Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face as he looked down at his body.

“As expected.”

He definitely felt better. The fatigue he had been feeling since the battle had clearly dissipated.

There was still room for improvement, but he had achieved his initial goal. If he took care of his body and received treatment from Gi Woo-Hui on the way to their destination, he would soon regain his perfect condition.

‘Now that I’ve found a way.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong left the room.

There was no time to rest.

“Wow! Big Sister, you’re eating so well!”

It felt like he could smell the alcohol just from hearing the voice.

So Jeong-Gwang’s somewhat louder voice was filled with an uncharacteristic heartiness.

Muk Bi smiled and raised her glass. So Jeong-Gwang laughed heartily and clinked his glass against hers.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve drunk like this. It feels like all my fatigue is just melting away, you know?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, watching them from a corner of the dining hall, chuckled. Drinking alcohol to relieve fatigue? As someone who had just relieved his fatigue, he found such talk ridiculous.

Muk Bi moved a plate full of food in front of So Jeong-Gwang.

“Eat some snacks while you drink, little brother.”

“Hahaha! My stomach is made of steel. I don’t need snacks, I’m perfectly fine!”

“They say it’s okay when you’re young, but you’ll get sick when you get older.”

“I eat so well normally, I think I’ll be fine?”

It seemed they had become siblings in no time.

Yeon Ho-Jeong inwardly tilted his head.

‘Was Muk Bi older?’

In fact, it didn’t matter now.

What did age matter to a martial artist who lived on the edge of a blade? If they thought someone was better than them, they were their older brother or sister. There was such magnanimity in the world of martial artists.

Yeon Ho-Jeong approached them.

“Oh? Commander Yeon?”

So Jeong-Gwang smiled and waved his hand.

Muk Bi said,

“Join us for a drink.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong snorted.

“A drink? I’m too busy for that.”

“Why? Do you have to go somewhere again?”

“That’s right. But…”

Yeon Ho-Jeong frowned as he looked at the bear lying face down on the table next to So Jeong-Gwang.

“What’s with this guy? Did he drink that much already?”

So Jeong-Gwang shrugged his shoulders.

“That guy’s drinking capacity doesn’t match his size. Oh, you know him too, Commander Yeon?”

“I know him. But was he this bad?”

“This guy, I guess he’s really awkward around Big Sister. He drank a lot because he was nervous, and then he passed out face-first before the second watch [a timekeeping period in ancient times].”

Yeon Ho-Jeong clicked his tongue.

Muk Bi smiled awkwardly and asked again,

“What’s going on?”

“I think I need to go near the Hubei Province for a while.”

In an instant, white haze rose from Muk Bi’s body. She had discharged her alcohol energy.

So Jeong-Gwang’s eyes widened.

“Big Sister. Why waste such good alcohol…?”

“Quiet.”

“…Yes.”

Muk Bi looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong again and said,

“Will it be a long journey?”

“I don’t know. I’m going to check the other side’s reaction, but no one knows what might happen.”

Sizzle!

White alcohol energy also poured out of So Jeong-Gwang’s body.

Yeon Ho-Jeong let out a sound of admiration.

“Did you already adapt the divine skill to your body? Your detoxification is fast.”

“I’m an expert in this area. I have many days where I drink heavily and then work right away.”

So Jeong-Gwang’s face became serious.

“Are we going too?”

“You don’t have to go. No, there’s no need for you to go.”

“Huh?”

“You’re still weak.”

So Jeong-Gwang’s face turned sullen.

“What a waste of alcohol.”

He said that, but he seemed a little disappointed.

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“I said we’d go together, but there’s a limit to your strength right now. At least you need to be able to hold your own against your friend before I can use you with peace of mind, right?”

“Tch.”

“I didn’t give you the family’s martial arts and the Taeul Pill [a powerful elixir] for nothing. I don’t know how long it will take, but train properly while I’m gone. I’ll tell the Iron Brigade Commander.”

“Understood.”

He didn’t know what he would tell Hwang Seok-Tae, but he had to get stronger as soon as possible. That was his top priority.

Yeon Ho-Jeong placed his hand on So Jeong-Gwang’s shoulder.

“There will be many times when I need your mind in the future. Muk Bi and Jin Yang are strong, but they are thorough martial artists, not skilled in strategy. But you are different. That’s why you need to get stronger. The world is too dangerous to live with martial power that can’t support your intellect.”

“Understood. Don’t worry.”

“Good.”

Muk Bi asked,

“When do we depart?”

“We’ll leave as soon as we’re ready.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

“Okay. And…”

Yeon Ho-Jeong kicked Jin Yang’s chair.

Thud!

“Cough!”

Jin Yang coughed in surprise and raised his flushed face.

Yeon Ho-Jeong clicked his tongue.

“Don’t pretend to sleep when you’re awake.”

“Cough! When did you know?”

“A little while ago, you idiot.”

“Cough cough!”

Sizzle!

Jin Yang also immediately discharged his alcohol energy. His flushed face quickly regained its normal color.

Yeon Ho-Jeong asked,

“You’re definitely coming, even if no one else does.”

“Are you trying to push me to the limit from the start?”

“We need to work together.”

Jin Yang chuckled.

“Alright. I don’t like sitting around in a place like this when I could be fighting.”

“Every battlefield is dangerous, but this one could be especially so. Be mentally prepared.”

“Don’t worry.”

Muk Bi asked,

“What about the others? Are Senior Paeyul or Gang Ryang not coming?”

“They’ll be stubborn, but I’m going to leave Senior Paeyul behind. I’m planning to have him stay with Commander Hwang for the time being.”

“There will be a strong backlash.”

“I’ll persuade him somehow.”

“Is there really a need for that? Senior Paeyul is very strong.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded.

“I know. I have something else in mind.”

“Then I understand.”

“Get your body ready so we can leave tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

“Ah, and Jin Yang, I need to see you separately.”

Jin Yang’s eyes widened.

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“I taught Jeong-Gwang, so I should teach you what you’re lacking, right?”

Jin Yang’s mouth dropped open.

“You, you’re going to teach me?”

“Why? You don’t want to?”

“…It’s not that I don’t want to.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t take away your martial arts. The martial arts you’ve mastered are exceptional. But there are definitely things you’re lacking, so to grow faster, we’ll discard what needs to be discarded and take what needs to be taken.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong turned his body.

“Well, let’s head back to the Central Plains.”

And a day passed.