SWNOVELXO Chapter 183
183 – Skin Like White Jade
Thud.
I felt a cold raindrop fall on my cheek.
My mind snapped back to reality. I slowly lifted my eyelids.
In my view, the figure of Sosumahu was snugly in my arms. Beyond her, I could see Heuksaryong collapsed with her hand on my chest.
Before falling into the Mind’s World, I confirmed through my senses that Sosumahu charged at me in response to the magic radiating from my body.
But what about Heuksaryong Wi Soryeon?
‘Did she, by any chance, try to separate me from Sosumahu?’
Wi Soryeon lay unconscious, reaching out her hand between Sosumahu and me.
Despite appearing like that, Sosumahu was an absolute master of the Hwakyung. Moreover, she had been nurturing her magic at the Heavenly Horse Mound for fifty years, so an immense amount of magic must have been gathered in her body.
With our magics resonating in that state, it was naturally perilous to make contact.
If I were to compare it, it would be like touching someone electrocuted by high-voltage current with bare hands.
A misstep could lead to being electrocuted myself, meaning I could fall into the state of Deterioration Due to Reversing Heaven.
It was a dangerous situation. The elite-trained Heuksaryong wouldn’t be oblivious to that.
Yet, she threw herself into the fray, risking everything to separate me from Sosumahu.
For a martial artist, falling into the condition of Deterioration Due to Reversing Heaven would be a punishment worse than death.
‘…Why on earth…’
Two years ago, she forced me to call her “big brother.”
That’s all there was to our relationship.
Why was she risking herself for me?
As much as I might be deemed the worst scoundrel surpassing Jo Go and the Ten Dark Assassins, I wasn’t completely devoid of conscience.
Without a doubt, she, Heuksaryong Wi Soryeon, had risked her life for me.
She faced injustice without caring for herself.
Ironically, that spirit of heroism was precisely what the White Path Orthodox Faction emphasized so much.
‘This foolish girl…’
I couldn’t stand leaving a debt unpaid.
It had been that way in my personal life and even while engaged in politics in the Forbidden City — a debt was something that needed to be repaid.
So that there wouldn’t be any repercussions.
But I had incurred a debt.
Suddenly, my heart sank. I grabbed Heuksaryong’s wrist and checked her pulse.
‘Thankfully, she’s fine.’
Her vital energy was intact. There were some internal injuries, but she hadn’t fallen into the state of Deterioration.
It was immensely fortunate that it had ended at this level.
I carefully detached Heuksaryong from me.
‘What’s that awful smell?’
Sniff sniff.
Sticking my nose into her clothes, a foul odor wafted through the air. Unless it was some wasteful, grotesquely flawed martial art like Regulation Preservation, most martial arts accompanied a Transformation of Flesh and Bone once they reached the Stage of Transcendence.
I, too, had experienced a Transformation of Flesh and Bone the instant I broke through Hwakyung’s Wall in the Mind’s World.
I had no recollection of it, but the lingering, rancid odor was evidence enough.
Carefully, I separated Heuksaryong and Sosumahu from my embrace and headed toward the Cave Lake.
Thank goodness there was a first-class water source here. I bathed in the lake and hand-washed my odor-ridden clothes.
Phew!
After finishing my bath and laundry, I infused my wet clothes with internal energy, blowing away all the moisture until they were dry, and then looked at my reflection in the lake.
Despite countless weight trainings and martial arts training, my face reflected still bore a thinness that I was less than fond of.
‘Maybe my features sharpened even more after the Transformation of Flesh and Bone.’
This damn face wasn’t becoming bulkier; it seemed to be growing even thinner. The path of an alpha male like Henry Cavill or Arnold Schwarzenegger felt further away from my eyes.
But I had no intention of giving up. I was determined to undergo stronger martial arts training and become a true man.
“My skin looks great!”
In stark contrast to my face, my skin was truly at its best. It felt more moist, smooth, and plump than any celebrity’s flawlessly radiant skin from a cosmetic advertisement.
An overwhelmingly superior skin whitening effect than any modern dermatological treatment or cosmetics. That was the Transformation of Flesh and Bone. Even after the first session, my skin was amazing, and I felt as if I had regained its elasticity.
More than half of physical attractiveness arises from skin. I already knew that if your skin is good, you’ve already got a solid advantage.
The allure of my baby skin would surely make countless daughters of the Nine Provinces and Eight Monarchs infatuated.
With a satisfied smile, I left the lakeside, spread my clothes on the cold cave floor to create a makeshift bed, and laid Heuksaryong on top of it. After that, I laid Sosumahu down next to her.
Lastly, I stepped outside to gather firewood and set a fire.
Crackle crackle.
The orange flames illuminated the dark cave.
I proceeded to dismantle the meat from the Mysterious Blood Network. The internal organs would be used for stew, and the meat I’d dry to make jerky or smoked dishes.
All a survival skill I learned during my school days.
“Daddyyyyyy… Mommyyy…”
Snooze snooze.
Sosumahu, lying next to Heuksaryong, began to talk in her sleep.
It seemed like Heuksaryong was sleeping well, too.
I could see the heat returning to her previously cold white cheek.
Since Heuksaryong’s injuries were on account of me, I first had to perform the Condition of Deterioration Due to Reversing Heaven and Pressure Point Massage.
Before treating her, I had to get accustomed to the body I had just transformed in the stage.
Having obtained the experience in the Mind’s World, I needed a bit of time to adapt to my physical form in reality.
I sat in a meditative posture and closed my eyes.
Ultimate Transcendence and the Stage of Transcendence.
In terms of levels, there wasn’t much difference — merely one step. Yet there was a monumental difference between the two, as vast as the sky and the earth, or the Earth and the Moon.
From the Stage of Transcendence onward, I could tap into the Middle Dantian and employ my mind. I could infuse my internal energy and magic into attacks.
The activated Middle Dantian acted as a boost for my internal energy. From the Stage of Transcendence, I would transform into a superhuman with two hearts: the Lower Dantian and the Middle Dantian. The benefits of being at the Stage of Transcendence didn’t end there.
Protective Spirit Energy also became a passive skill from the Stage of Transcendence onward. While it was possible to protect the body with internal energy at prior stages, from the Stage of Transcendence onward, a shield of internal energy known as Protective Spirit Energy would be applied continuously to the body. Therefore, to hit those more skilled than the Stage of Transcendence, one needed either powerful physical force, sword techniques, or special martial arts capable of penetrating Protective Spirit Energy.
Add to that the thought acceleration and bullet time made possible by employing the mind, which also became available starting from the Stage of Transcendence.
While up to Ultimate Transcendence, physical abilities were merely elevated to that of a super soldier captain, stepping into the Stage of Transcendence meant truly entering the realm of superhumans.
Evidence of that roared within my body, filled with unprecedented power. Magic had now completely crystallized into internal energy. Sitting in my meditative position, I performed the Primordial Unity Energy Technique, completing the cosmic circle before rising from my seat.
‘Nice.’
Having contained the overflowing strength, I took a deep breath and assessed the state of the collapsed Heuksaryong.
Something was off with her breathing—a shallow cough escaped Wi Soryeon. It must have been due to her internal injuries. Beside her, Sosumahu lay soundly asleep, oblivious to the situation.
With slightly trembling hands, I began to remove Heuksaryong’s clothes. To maximize the effectiveness of my Pressure Point Massage through the Condition of Deterioration Due to Reversing Heaven, I needed bare skin contact.
As I undid her clothing, her toned back muscles and the compression bandages wrapping around her chest came into view. I had performed Pressure Point Massage on my disciple before. But my disciple, Seoharin, was a fellow classmate.
This was the first time I was performing Pressure Point Massage on an outsider, especially an attractive woman. My face heated up for no reason.
But it had to be done.
I had trained this massage, no, this Pressure Point Massage technique for today. I couldn’t let it go to waste.
I carefully unwrapped the compression bandages. Hidden beneath the bandages, her generous breasts made their presence known.
Though not to the extent of Seoharin or Jeoksawol, they were certainly impressive enough to claim the title.
I infused internal energy into my fingers and pressed on Heuksaryong’s pressure points.
Huff!
A moan escaped from the sleeping Heuksaryong’s lips. I continued to massage her solid back, infusing my internal energy. The energy of the Dharma Wheel Holy King Technique flowed through her injured vital energy. I pushed away the lurking magic that had embedded itself within her vitals and was obstructing the flow of internal energy with the power of the Dharma Wheel Holy King Technique.
Cough!
Heuksaryong spat out dead blood. This was enough of an emergency treatment for now. Still, I didn’t remove my hands from her body. I kept the massage going. As Heuksaryong’s body continued to twitch and she let out soft moans…
“Umm…”
Beside us, Sosumahu stirred and slowly opened her eyes. Her red pupils captured the sight of me hovering over Heuksaryong, performing Pressure Point Massage.
It was a situation that could easily be misinterpreted. Just as I was about to quickly retract my hands and make an excuse that it was a medical procedure…
“Mommy and Daddy! You two get along so well! Jiyagi is reassured!”
Sosumahu beamed as she spoke.
The term “Jiyagi” must refer to her real name, Baek Rijiak.
Wait, what do you mean you two get along so well?
“I know what Mommy and Daddy are doing! It’s about the relations between men and women, right? Jiyagi will stay out of it, so you two have a good time, Daddy!”
“No, this is just a treatment, and Mommy is currently…”
Just as I was trying to clear up Sosumahu’s misunderstanding…
She tilted her head and innocently said, “Mommy’s not sleeping, Daddy, isn’t she?”
What?
She’s awake?
At Sosumahu’s words, suddenly…
Flop.
Heuksaryong Wi Soryeon, who lay beneath me, flopped about like a fish out of water. Her earlobes turned a bright shade of red.
No way.
She was actually awake?
*
At the same time.
Demon Realm.
Yeon Sowol, or Jeoksawol, and Yujinhwi were continuing their uncomfortable cohabitation.
“…Did you find any traces of the disciple?”
“None at all. Hehe, what about Young Master Yu?”
“…Not a clue…”
Yujinhwi’s face darkened slightly. Despite searching with Yeon Sowol for the disciple, there had been no signs of her.
‘There’s no trace of the Long-Distance Tracking Scent…’
Where could she have gone?
Though she wanted to track her alone, the presence of Yeon Sowol beside her made her uneasy.
She had to keep an eye on that dangerous individual while also searching for the disciple.
The disciple’s level was merely Ultimate Transcendence. In Yujinhwi’s perspective, the disciple was still a delicate and innocent person. Someone who needed to be protected.
‘I must protect the disciple.’
To protect her. Even if the world became her enemy, she would stand by the disciple’s side. If it meant protecting the disciple, she would face the Nine Provinces and Eight Monarchs without hesitation.
She had already resolved to become the strongest in the world. The strongest, someone who could independently confront the world.
Thus, it was only natural to stand against it.
That was the one thing that the stone girl, who was useless aside from her talent in Cheonmuji-che, could do.
Yujinhwi lost focus in her eyes. Her cheeks trembled slightly. She felt anxious. She wanted to meet the disciple right now. She wanted to hold the disciple’s hand. She wanted to embrace the disciple. She wanted to smell the disciple’s scent. Like always, she wanted to stroke the disciple.
She didn’t want to live in a world without the disciple. Her breath quickened. Her heart raced.
She needed the disciple. Right now.
The gaze of Jeoksawol was keenly capturing Yujinhwi’s side profile.
*
Inside a dark room.
The lid of a coffin leaned carelessly against the wall and opened on its own.
Inside the coffin lay a pale corpse with a scent of drugs wafting from it. The moment the lid opened…
Flash.
The corpse’s eyes flew open. Malicious bloodlight sparkled in its pupils.
“Huuh.”
Awakening as the Blood Zombie King through the bone-laden Whispering Blood Technique, This was the moment the entity’s consciousness was revived within the Blood Zombie.
“Now it’s time to exterminate those damn amateurs and clean up the mess.”
The Blood Zombie King uttered in a sinister voice.
His hand trembled.
To clean up this mess, he needed to get to the Demon Realm quickly.