That’s Not How You Use Martial Arts

Chapter 17
The Golden Dragon Elixir (1)

『 Translator – Divinity 』

The next morning.

Unable to sleep from overwhelming anticipation, I rushed to Cheonpung Martial Arts School right after breakfast.

I opened the gate and went inside, but the assassin lady who had been sitting on the roof until yesterday was nowhere to be seen.

“Huh? Where did she go?”

“That fellow Jin-myeong already left. He can’t stay here indefinitely as the leader of a merchant group.”

It was Master who answered my mumbling as he appeared from the inner door.

I greeted him.

“Good morning, Master. Did you sleep well last night?”

“…Tsk. You shameless brat. You already know everything, and yet you can still call me Master so easily?”

“Well, it’s not like it changes the fact that I learned martial arts from you.”

“You’re too carefree.”

“Why not say I’m magnanimous instead?”

I retorted with a grin, and he didn’t say anything more, just led me inside.

I followed Master, and there was Hwa-ryeon, sitting and waiting for me. In front of her were two extraordinary boxes.

“…Don’t tell me?”

Really? Was she really going to give me elixirs?

I mean, I had hoped for it, but I had also tried to prepare myself for disappointment, just in case…!

Seeing me unable to control my facial muscles, Hwa-ryeon chuckled.

“It seems like you were expecting it.”

“I feel like slinging you over my shoulder and running around the village screaming.”

“…I would absolutely hate that.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I playfully responded to Hwa-ryeon, who was giving me a serious look, and immediately sat down opposite her.

But there were two boxes?

She wasn’t going to give me both… was she? No way.

Then, was it related to the proposition she mentioned yesterday?

“As you expected, these two boxes contain elixirs.”

“Of course, you’re not going to give me both. Should I hear about the proposition you mentioned yesterday?”

“As expected, you catch on quick. But first, let me explain about the elixirs.”

Hwa-ryeon nodded and opened the box on the right.

As soon as she opened it, a refreshing fragrance wafted into my nose.

Wow, it was such a cliché expression, but I couldn’t describe it any other way. A truly refreshing fragrance filled the air.

As I stared with my mouth agape, Hwa-ryeon explained about the elixir.

“This is the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill. It’s an elixir made by the Shaolin Temple.”

“The Lesser Rejuvenation Pill…!”

This was the famous Lesser Rejuvenation Pill?

The one made from the leftover residue of the Great Rejuvenation Pill?

While the words “residue” and “leftovers” didn’t sound too appealing, it was still an incredible elixir that could grant a tremendous amount of internal energy.

“If you consume this Lesser Rejuvenation Pill and cultivate, your internal energy will increase by at least ten years’ worth.”

“Ten years…!”

My current internal energy was equivalent to ten years’ worth.

I had formed my dantian at the age of twelve and spent three years diligently cultivating, accumulating three years’ worth of internal energy. Then, after modifying the Three Talents Technique, I had cultivated the improved version for five years, accumulating seven years’ worth.

So, I could add ten years’ worth of internal energy to my current ten years’ worth.

In other words, my internal energy would double.

That alone was incredible. Truly incredible, but…

“…What about this one?”

My gaze naturally shifted to the box on the left.

It was more ornate than the box on the right that had been opened earlier, as if claiming to hold something extraordinary within.

What could possibly be inside?

“What’s in this one is a bit more special.”

Answering my question, Hwa-ryeon reached for the box on the left.

Her slender fingers undid the lock and slowly opened the box.

Whoosh!

I opened my eyes wide at the intoxicating fragrance that wafted out as soon as the box was opened.

A rich fragrance that was incomparable to the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill shown earlier.

And at the heart of it was an elixir with a faint golden hue.

Moreover, what was surprising was that auspicious energy was swirling around the elixir.

What? Was there something wrong with my eyes?

Auspicious energy swirling around an elixir… was this description even possible?

For a moment, I wondered if I had accidentally smoked opium.

As I blinked blankly, Hwa-ryeon, as always, explained about the elixir.

“This is called the Golden Dragon Divine Elixir.”

“The Golden Dragon Divine Elixir…!”

…What was that? I had never heard of it before.

***

Yeo Dae-un, the master of Cheonpung Martial Arts School and known as the Lightning Sword, watched with a complicated expression as Hwa-ryeon opened the box on the left and showed the Golden Dragon Divine Elixir to Ja-seong.

Last night.

When Hwa-ryeon returned to the school and suddenly declared that she would give the Golden Dragon Divine Elixir to Ja-seong, Dae-un had strongly objected.

—No way! Do you know what that is? It’s something the Fortress Lord received directly from His Majesty the Emperor, something he left for you. That alone, that alone is absolutely unacceptable!

However, Hwa-ryeon remained unmoved by his opposition.

—Uncle, I’ve already made up my mind.

That gaze.

A stubborn and resolute gaze that wouldn’t budge on her decisions. Dae-un, speechless and with his mouth agape, changed his approach.

Instead of outright refusal, he offered an alternative.

—If you want to enhance that Ja-seong kid’s internal energy, how about something else… yes, the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill or other elixirs? They might be inferior to the Golden Dragon Divine Elixir, but even those would surely…!

—No. It has to be the Golden Dragon Divine Elixir.

Hwa-ryeon remained firm despite Dae-un’s persuasion.

He offered several other alternatives, but they were all in vain.

Finally, he asked Hwa-ryeon, who wouldn’t budge,

—Why? Why would you give away such a priceless treasure like the Golden Dragon Divine Elixir…?

The Golden Dragon Divine Elixir.

The golden dragon in its name was a symbol of the Emperor.

As one could guess from the fact that it bore the name of the divine beast, another form of the Emperor, this elixir was made for the Emperor to consume.

It was created by the Imperial alchemists through years of research and refinement, using a variety of spirit beast cores and precious herbs like Polygonum multiflorum, all gathered from across the land and offered to the Emperor.

Its effects were truly extraordinary. Even if consumed by an ordinary person who wasn’t a martial artist, it would free them from the worries of illness for life and make them impervious to a thousand poisons.

And if consumed by a martial artist, in addition to the above effects, it would increase their internal energy by a whole sixty years’ worth, making it truly the ultimate elixir.

Sixty years.

An immense amount of internal energy that would take sixty years of dedicated cultivation to achieve.

The fact that one could gain such internal energy simply by consuming it made the value of the Golden Dragon Divine Elixir immeasurable.

Why would she give away such a treasure, bestowed by His Majesty the Emperor to commend the Fortress Lord for establishing Paecheon Fortress as the supreme martial arts faction and gaining control over the murim…?

Looking directly at Dae-un, who couldn’t understand at all, Hwa-ryeon answered,

—I would like to propose a trade.

“So, what is this proposition?”

Dae-un’s mind returned to the present as Hwa-ryeon’s answer from last night and Ja-seong’s current question intertwined.

He turned to look at Ja-seong, who had already taken his eyes off the Golden Dragon Divine Elixir and was facing Hwa-ryeon.

‘…What an absurd kid.’

Any martial artist, anyone who refined the natural energy within their body into internal energy, couldn’t remain this calm in front of the Golden Dragon Divine Elixir.

Especially someone like Ja-seong, who craved a vast amount of internal energy.

The reason Dae-un was waiting here like this was out of concern that Ja-seong might suddenly lose his mind at the sight of the Golden Dragon Divine Elixir.

—It’s an unnecessary worry. Young Master Gun isn’t that kind of person.

But as Hwa-ryeon said, it seemed to be an unnecessary worry.

“First of all, let me make this clear. Even if you don’t accept my proposition, I will give you this Lesser Rejuvenation Pill. It’s an apology for the past and a token of gratitude for saving my life.”

“And if I accept the proposition, you’ll give me the Golden Dragon Divine Elixir instead?”

Hwa-ryeon nodded.

Ja-seong grinned at this.

“Now will you tell me what this proposition is? I’m dying of curiosity.”

“…During the attack the other day, you said we were all idiots.”

“…Ah.”

Ja-seong’s face stiffened awkwardly at Hwa-ryeon’s words.

Dae-un also recalled that moment.

—It’s not just you. That Neung something guy over there, that assassin lady, and even Master. To me, you’re all idiots. You’ve accumulated all this internal energy, but you don’t know how to use it properly.

What an absurd and crazy statement.

At that moment, everyone thought Ja-seong had gone mad.

However,

—You’re right… I, we were all idiots… What have we been doing all this time…

Ja-seong had proven his words with his actions.

By defeating Shin Se-gon, the Heavenly Mace, in a single strike.

Just like Se-gon had lamented in his final moments, Dae-un couldn’t get angry at Ja-seong.

Because his words, that they were all idiots, were true.

As he was thinking that, he felt a strange gaze.

He turned his eyes, and Ja-seong was glancing at him, seemingly gauging his reaction.

Dae-un wondered what was going on, when a rather hurried excuse came out of Ja-seong’s mouth.

“You see, back then, I was a bit impatient, or maybe I lost my cool? When people lose their reason, they just blurt out whatever comes to mind, right? Simply put, my head was heated, and there was a problem with my brain function…”

“Hold on, Young Master. What are you talking about?”

Hwa-ryeon interrupted Ja-seong, who was rambling on.

Ja-seong closed his mouth and then carefully replied,

“So… I’m sorry. I went too far with my words…”

At his timid apology, Hwa-ryeon and Dae-un stared blankly at Ja-seong for a moment, then smiled wryly at the same time.

The image of the martial arts prodigy who had instantly killed the master Shin Se-gon disappeared, replaced by the image of the kind-hearted youngest son of the Gun family, beloved by everyone in Gun-gang County.