Immortal Spirit Pill
It was just as Baek Il-gang had said.
On the way to Yeom Baek, the Blue Scale Corps leader's quarters, Jeong-un passed rows of warriors dressed in full uniform with swords at their waists.
All of them wore grim expressions, but at the sa ti, there was an oddly fervent excitent in the air.
"To think they'd wear such faces when heading out for a mission..."
It was a sight Jeong-un had never seen before.
As he looked at them with so curiosity, Baek Il-gang quietly spoke from the side.
"Well, we'll get the details soon enough, but the rumors are everywhere already."
"What rumors?"
"They say the Tomb of the Divine Physician has been discovered."
"... The Divine Physician?"
Jeong-un tilted his head in confusion, prompting Baek Il-gang to look at him for a mont before letting out a hollow laugh.
"You don't know of the Divine Physician? The more I see you, the more I realize just how peculiar you are, young hero. You're especially clueless when it cos to the news of the martial world or the ways of martial artists."
"Is it really necessary to know all of that?"
Jeong-un answered a bit gruffly.
The very thing Baek Il-gang pointed out was sothing Jeong-un was well aware of himself.
Since he was born in rural Hanzhong and spent most of his ti shut away in his room, it was more pronounced.
In reality, his knowledge of the martial world was limited to what he had read from the booklets he sotis picked up while lying in bed.
'As long as a martial artist is good at martial arts, isn't that enough?'
Seeing him think that way, Baek Il-gang let out a snort.
"The Divine Physician was once The World's Greatest."
"The World's Greatest?"
Unusually, Jeong-un's eyes widened.
He hadn't expected that answer at all.
After all, 'The World's Greatest' was not a title one could ntion lightly.
"That's right. In the long history of the martial world, he was the only one ever called 'The World's Greatest'."
"So there really was such a person."
The martial world is vast, and there are all the more martial artists within it.
Back when exchanges between sects were rare, there were countless famous masters who passed away without ever eting each other.
Moreover, each possessed unique martial arts, making any comparison difficult.
Without a direct confrontation, it was almost impossible to say who was superior.
'And yet, he was still called The World's Greatest?'
That ant most martial artists acknowledged him without ever even facing him.
It was hard to fathom what level of might he must have possessed.
"But why is the appearance of such a person's tomb our mission?"
"Right, if it were just an ordinary grave, there'd be no need for such an uproar. But there's a legend passed down in the martial world, you see."
"...?"
"... Though I doubt you'd know it, young hero."
Letting out a small sigh, Baek Il-gang continued slowly.
"The Divine Physician, true to his title, was originally a physician. He possessed the greatest dical skills of his era and was even called the 'Divine Healer'. Whenever famous martial artists were injured, they'd all go to him for treatnt—that says it all. Anyway, they say he experienced a great revelation."
"What sort of revelation?"
"After examining the many extraordinary bodies of top masters, he suddenly realized the very essence of what it ans to harness martial strength within the body. Afterwards, he created his own martial art, founded a school, and ascended to the position of World's Greatest."
"Is that even possible?"
"Of course not. If it were, every martial artist would've started by learning dicine."
A physician devising his own martial art and rising to be The World's Greatest...
Jeong-un, mulling over the story, asked, now quite intrigued,
"Did he leave behind any disciples?"
"He left behind a single disciple, but it seems that one never made a na for himself. It appears the martial art he created wasn't as extraordinary as the man himself..."
"So the Divine Physician himself was simply that exceptional."
"Indeed. After him, no one else ever claid to be his disciple."
It was regrettable.
It would have been an opportunity to experience the martial arts of one called The World's Greatest.
Even if not as powerful, it would have been nice if soone had inherited his lineage.
"Then why are we getting involved? If he left no disciples, what's the point of a tomb being found? Did soone at least discover a secret manual?"
Jeong-un's interest seed to fade.
Frankly, even if a martial arts manual had surfaced, it wouldn't matter much to him.
He already crafted and used his own techniques.
'Martial arts are like clothing.'
Off-the-rack clothes are convenient, but always leave sothing to be desired.
A garnt tailored to one's own body fits best.
That's how Jeong-un felt about martial arts.
That was why he had little desire for even the most outstanding martial arts manuals.
He could refer to them to so extent, but didn't expect them to be of great help.
From his experience, true insights were gained when he risked his life in actual combat or in duels much like it.
Of course, that only applied when facing truly formidable opponents.
"They say sothing even greater than a manual is buried there."
"What...?"
"A cultivation pill."
"A cultivation pill?"
In response to Jeong-un's question, Baek Il-gang nodded.
"The Divine Physician was said to be second to none in the art of alchemy as well. The cultivation pill he crafted was so remarkable that even Shaolin's Great Rejuvenation Pill couldn't compare."
"Even the Great Rejuvenation Pill..."
The Great Rejuvenation Pill was the pride of Shaolin—a peerless cultivation pill.
Its recipe was a tightly guarded secret, and the ingredients were said to cost a fortune.
Accordingly, its effect in increasing internal power was said to be trendous.
It was so famous that idle chatterers loved to discuss it.
'I rember now.'
There was the widely known story of a man once called 'Fist God' who stole Shaolin's Great Rejuvenation Pill and fled, so much so that it was even retold in booklets.
Back when he was shut in his room, Jeong-un had read about it with amusent.
"Why are you smiling?"
"... It's nothing."
When Jeong-un unconsciously corrected his relaxed expression and answered, Baek Il-gang spoke in so surprise.
"So you desire the cultivation pill, young hero?"
"It's not that I'm uninterested."
"Huh."
When Jeong-un didn't deny it, and kept a calm expression, Baek Il-gang opened his eyes wide—as if seeing this side of him for the first ti.
"A martial artist is a martial artist, I see."
"So is that the answer, then?"
"No. The legend specifically says that the Divine Physician left a pill called the Immortal Spirit Pill in his tomb."
"The Immortal Spirit Pill...?"
"Yes, the very sa pill said to surpass even the Great Rejuvenation Pill or the Purple Grass Pill, personally crafted by the Divine Physician himself—the Immortal Spirit Pill."
At last, Jeong-un nodded as if understanding.
A cultivation pill said to outclass even the Great Rejuvenation Pill, pride of Shaolin, the pillar of the Nine Great Sects.
He could understand why martial artists would go crazed over it.
"So, is it our job to secure this Immortal Spirit Pill?"
"Us?"
Baek Il-gang let out a snort, as if amused.
"Well, I'm not sure that's actually our task. They say that for this mission, the corps leaders are personally taking the field."
"Then?"
"People like us will probably just end up doing odd jobs."
Even if sothing so grand actually existed, they probably wouldn't even get to see it.
Baek Il-gang added, raising his eyebrows.
'The Immortal Spirit Pill, huh.'
He couldn't even begin to imagine how much internal power it held.
It seed as unreal and distant as the very words 'World's Greatest'.
* * *
Once again, Yeom Baek, the Blue Scale Corps leader, was buried in a pile of docunts.
So that's the position for all the prodigies gathered at the Heavenly Martial Hall's Blue Scale Corps, Jeong-un thought absent-mindedly.
Frankly, every ti he saw him, Yeom Baek looked more like a scholar than a martial artist.
"Sit."
"Yes."
As soon as Jeong-un and Baek Il-gang took their seats, Yeom Baek imdiately began to speak.
"Well, it's so noisy that you must have heard that the Divine Physician's tomb has been found."
"Yes."
"Thanks to that damn rumor, I have to go all the way to Yangyang."
His words were sowhat rough for soone simply discussing a mission.
Even when reporting with Lee Si-geon after their last mission, Yeom Baek sotis showed a free-spirited side.
He seed to restrain that part of him, but it still peeked out.
'So it's true the corps leaders are taking the field.'
He recalled the mont when Yeom Baek's vital ki alone was suffocating.
In that domain, he wouldn't even have been able to fight with his sword drawn.
No matter his temperant, he was a master with incredibly strong power.
If Jeong-un could observe even a fraction of his martial arts again, it would be imnsely helpful.
While Jeong-un was thinking that with so regret, Yeom Baek continued.
"You two also have a task. Thanks to the ridiculous rumor about the tomb, Yangyang is in chaos—full of all sorts of scoundrels, whether Righteous or Evil Faction. Go and make sure those causing trouble know they might end up in a grave themselves while searching others' tombs."
"So it's just a rumor?"
Baek Il-gang asked sowhat incredulously at Yeom Baek's words.
Yeom Baek, in turn, widened his eyes and stared at him.
"So you really believed that rumor? Do you even know the source?"
"What's the source?"
"An herbalist who climbed Nokmun Mountain supposedly discovered a grave. There was a headstone with the words 'King of Martial Arts' inscribed. At so point, that beca the Divine Physician's tomb in the rumors."
"What the...?"
Baek Il-gang looked dumbfounded.
Jeong-un, beside him, simply gave a wry smile.
"Right, that's the entire story driving these wild rumors all across the Central Plains. Every martial artist is gathering for that little tidbit. The real problem is that all the commotion is making a ss of law and order in Yangyang. I hear the authorities have already sought help from the Murim Alliance."
"Is it necessary for a corps leader to go personally?"
"The hall leader seems to think it's worth confirming the Immortal Spirit Pill in person. If by any chance the rumor is true, things could get very interesting, and you two wouldn't be enough. Anyone who leads more than three lines is already out on solo missions as it is."
Even for a single manual, martial artists would risk their lives.
If the Immortal Spirit Pill left behind by the Divine Physician truly existed, Nokmun Mountain would beco a living hell, soaked in blood.
"The interesting thing is, the herbalist who discovered the grave disappeared without a trace. There's no evidence of where he lived or who he really was. No one even knows how the rumor started anymore."
"So then..."
"Right, it ans we've got hundreds of martial artists gathered for the sake of a cultivation pill whose existence no one can even confirm."
"..."
Only then did Baek Il-gang's expression turn truly serious.
No matter the reason, hundreds of ard martial artists gathering practically guaranteed trouble.
If that happened in a large city filled with civilians, it could beco a huge incident.
"So our task is to head to Yangyang?"
Jeong-un asked quietly, and Yeom Baek nodded.
"Yes. Many martial artists from the Heavenly Martial Hall should already be there and active. Your task is to go and assist them. I hear there've already been several who've gotten stabbed while growling at one another."
"I see."
"Tang Yerin and Jo Gwang, who will form a squad with you, have already departed for Yangyang."
"What?"
"...?"
When Jeong-un asked in blank surprise, Yeom Baek looked at him curiously.
"What's wrong?"
"A squad?"
"Yes. Haven't you already worked together on a mission?"
"... Don't they usually switch up the squads every ti?"
"Why bother?"
Jeong-un let out a small sigh.
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