Internal Energy (2)

Having succeeded in storing even the tiniest amount of qi in his body, Mu-Jin put more effort into the Tona method.

He continued to inhale and exhale repeatedly, gradually gathering qi. With each repetition, the amount of qi he absorbed slightly increased.

Initially, it was at the fifth decimal place, but soon it seemed to have progressed to the fourth decimal place.

Beob Gang, having finished his breathing exercises, watched Mu-Jin, who was deeply immersed in a state of intense focus.

More than two hours had passed since Mu-Jin started the Tona method.

Beob Gang had completed several cycles of internal energy circulation and then stood up, realizing significant time had passed.

But there was Mu-Jin, still maintaining his concentration and repeatedly practicing the Tona method.

And more astonishingly:

"Did he really sense qi in just one day?"

Beob Gang noticed a very subtle difference in the amount of qi flowing in and out of Mu-Jin's nose and mouth.

His face displayed a rare expression of shock as he stared at Mu-Jin.

It was a truly remarkable rate of progress. Even Beob Gang, known for his hard work, had taken about ten days to sense qi using the Tona method.

He hadn't believed it possible for someone to feel qi in just one day, even with help from a side-by-side breathing session.

Mu-Jin's exceptional persistence and concentration, combined with his innate talent, had made this miracle possible.

The two factors worked synergistically, and Beob Gang's subtle assistance had helped bring about this result. 

Watching this talented child, Beob Gang thought:

"Sasuk Hyun Song and Sasuk Hyu Jong were right. This child will be the cornerstone of our thousand-year-old Shaolin."

Compared to Beop Seong, considered the most talented among their peers, Mu-Jin seemed even more gifted.

Of course, Beop Seong had come from a martial family and could sense qi before entering Shaolin, so a direct comparison might be unfair.

As Beob Gang watched Mu-Jin with admiration, he made a resolve:

"Just wait a bit longer, Mu-Jin. I will break your fears and ensure you start Shaolin training."

"It was a resolution that would have shocked Mujin if he had heard it."

And perhaps sensing the ominous energy contained in that promise, Mu-jin, who had been concentrating, took one last breath and opened his eyes. When he had started the Tona method, it had been just as the sun was setting. Now, the surroundings were completely engulfed in darkness.

"I'm sorry, Sasuk. I didn't realize it had gotten so late."

"It's fine. But you should hurry back to your quarters. It's almost time for the evening bell. I was worried you might be late, but it's good you finished on time."

"Thank you for your help, Sasuk!"

Mu-Jin stood up and gave the distinctive one-handed Shaolin salute to Beob Gang.

"Now that you can sense qi, you can start learning Buddha's Heart Technique from tomorrow."

"Besides sensing qi, I also need to memorize all the pressure points, don't I?"

"Being the son of a medical family, there's no way you wouldn't know the pressure points, right?"

"Oh… I mean, yes! Haha, just joking."

"Haha, quite the jokester. It's late, so hurry on back."

"Yes, Sasuk!"

Fearing his lie might be exposed, Mu-Jin quickly turned and ran towards his quarters.

"I must memorize all the pressure points by tonight."

If he couldn't memorize the pressure points and learn Buddha's Heart Technique tomorrow, all his lies would be exposed.

Mu-Jin was unintentionally set for an all-nighter.

* * *

The next day, Mu-Jin woke up early as usual and dragged a still-drowsy Mu-Yul out of bed to join him in stretching. During the morning training session, he did abdominal exercises with Beob Gang that didn't strain his knees.

"Those who can sense qi and have memorized the pressure points, step forward."

During the morning training, they finally started learning Buddha's Heart Technique. Having sensed qi in just one day and memorized the main pressure points through an enforced all-nighter, Mu-Jin stepped forward confidently.

"What?" 

To his surprise, several other children also stepped forward. 

"Is sensing qi easier than I thought?" 

Mu-Jin wondered.

"This is the booklet containing the essentials of the Buddha's Heart Technique, the foundation of our Shaolin's core techniques," Hyu Jong said to the children who stepped forward. He meticulously explained the contents of the booklet to them.

As an introductory martial art, Buddha's Heart Techniques its content was not very complicated. It mainly involved the order in which to circulate the qi inhaled through breathing.

As it was the basic technique, Buddha's Heart Technique contained only the safest and sturdiest pressure points necessary for containing the essence of qi. As one progressed to higher levels, the number and complexity of the pressure points increased, along with the risk of mishandling them. While increasing the number and complexity of pressure points also accelerated the rate of internal energy cultivation, it was natural to start with the safest Buddha's Heart Technique.

"Now, return to your positions and begin practicing Buddha's Heart Technique. If you have any questions or don't understand something, raise your hand, and the senior disciples will come to help you."

After Hyu Jong finished explaining Buddha's Heart Technique, Mu-Jin and the other children returned to their positions. Mu-Yul, who had been practicing Tona method at his place, welcomed back Mu-Jin.

"Wow, how did you manage to do all that in just one day?"

Mu-Yul, born into an ordinary family and brought into Shaolin by chance, had yet to sense qi. Instead of showing jealousy toward his friends, he simply smiled and replied to Mu-Jin's inquiry.

"You'll be able to do it soon too. But don't talk too much, just focus on your breathing for now."

Mu-Jin, gesturing for silence with his index finger as he surveyed the positions of the senior disciples around, whispered, "Shh."

"Okay. Hehehe."

Mu-Yul responded with a grin, then closed his eyes and focused on his breathing.

"Alright, let me concentrate too."

After chatting with Mu-Yul, Mu-Jin double-checked the booklet on Buddha's Heart Technique to ensure he had the pressure points and their order firmly in his mind. Then, assuming the meditative posture, he deeply breathed in through his nose, just like during the Tona method.

Utilizing the method he had practiced the previous night, he circulated the qi in accordance with the essence of Buddha's Heart Technique, mixing the qi in the air with his own and rotating it along the pressure points.

"Oh, this is much more efficient than just grabbing it randomly."

As he circulated the qi along the pressure points, he noticed that much more qi remained in the pressure points than the previous day. Although it had only increased from three to four decimal places, it was still a significant improvement compared to the Tona method.

"Hehehe, internal energy, internal energy!"

Delighted to finally obtain the essence of internal energy, Mu-Jin immersed himself in practicing Buddha's Heart Technique without realizing the passage of time.

* * *

Four days had passed since Mu-Jin began practicing Buddha's Heart Technique. Even though he hadn't made any notable accomplishments during that time, his internal energy, which had previously been as small as a grain of rice, had grown to the size of a soybean.

Fascinated by the process of increasing his internal energy size, Mu-Jin diligently polished his Buddha's Heart Technique during the evening self-study period today.

Beside him, Mu-Yul, still in the meditative posture, repeated the Tona method.

Based on his experience of sensing qi with Beob Gang's help, Mu-Jin forcibly sat Mu-Yul down every time and practiced Buddha's Heart Technique together.

Mu-Yul, forced to repeat the Tona method by Mu-Jin, stealthily opened his eyes as a while passed.

Sensing that Mu-Jin was completely immersed in his breathing exercises, Mu-Yul cautiously stood up.

For a young boy like Mu-Yul, sitting still for more than a short while and repeating the Tona method was quite a challenge.

Although he longed to wake up Mu-Jin, who was deeply engrossed in Buddha's Heart Technique, and play with him, he couldn't muster the courage because of the stories he had heard.

It was said to be dangerous to disturb someone during meditation.

Suppressing his disappointment at not being able to play with his friend, Mu-Yul stealthily moved and quietly opened the door of the dormitory.

"Phew."

Successfully sneaking out of the dormitory, Mu-Yul breathed a sigh of relief and started his evening stroll with a bright face.

As an introductory disciple, he was limited to specific areas even during the self-study period.

The Hall of Arhats and the quarters where the introductory disciples lived were among those restricted areas.

Mu-Yul wandered around the corridors of the dormitory area as if it were an adventure.

In the meantime, he discovered a child lying on the floor, apparently asleep, in a dim corner.

"Hmm? My mom always said you'd catch a cold sleeping on the floor."

Unable to leave the child lying there, Mu-Yul approached him.

"Huh?"

As he got closer, Mu-Yul realized that the child wasn't asleep but lying unconscious on the ground, groaning in pain, with dust covering his clothes.

* * *

At that moment.

Mu-Jin, deeply engrossed in practicing Buddha's Heart Technique, only realized that Mu-Yul had disappeared after he finished his meditation.

"Oh no."

Feeling a sense of responsibility for skipping training, Mu-Jin pushed open the door of the dormitory and stepped out.

"...Where did you go?"

Standing in front of him was Mu-Yul, who had just returned to the dormitory, dragging something like a corpse behind him.

"…"And what's that corpse?"?"

He asked, looking at the limp body being dragged along.

"It's not a corpse! It's Sahyung!"

"You killed him?"

With a face that seemed to be on the verge of death, and seeing the marks dragged along the ground, it was almost like saying, 'You're the culprit!'

"No! It's Mu Gyeong Sahyung, who passed away before me!"

"Then why are you dragging that Sahyung like that?"

"Hehehe. He's too heavy for me to lift, so I just dragged him here. Sahyung needs to wake up a bit and help me lift him properly, but he's completely collapsed."

"Hmm. Was it already collapsed from the beginning?"

"Yeah."

"So, why was that Sahyung lying there?"

"Hmm... I don't know either."

Upon hearing Mu-Yul's response, Mu-Jin bent down and examined Mu-Gyung, who looked like a corpse.

"This seems like mud stains from when Mu-Yul dragged him... And these are footprints, right?"

It didn't take long for Mu-Jin to deduce.

"This... definitely looks like footprints."

"Footprints?"

"Yeah. Both the footprints and when I slightly lifted his clothes, there are quite a few bruises on his body."

"Hmm? Why would Sahyung have been beaten up like this?"

Although Mu-Yul asked with a puzzled expression, Mu-Jin didn't have an answer to that either.

No, to begin with, Mu-Jin wasn't particularly interested in anyone among his peers except Mu-Yul.

He was only casually observing Mu-Gyung because Mu-Yul brought him here.

"Hmm? But come to think of it, why does his name sound familiar?"

Why indeed.

Despite training together for the past few days, his face didn't ring a bell, but his name felt oddly familiar.

However, unable to recall anything specific, Mu-Jin quickly dismissed the thought.

Instead, what caught his eye was Mu-Yul's innocent face as he looked at Mu-Gyung with concern, and Mu-Jin lightly teased him.

"Why? Do you want to know the reason?"

"Yeah! But didn't you say you didn't know either?"

"I don't, but..."

With a slightly ambiguous tone, Mu-Jin raised his hand and pointed somewhere.

"The person who might know is over there."

Turning his head in the direction indicated by Mu-Jin, Mu-Yul saw Mu-Gung practicing alone.

"Mu-Gung knows? Oh! Could it be that Mu-Gung hit him?"

Mu-Yul, innocently pointing fingers at the unsuspecting, made Mu-Gyung a suspect.

"That crybaby? It would be lucky if he had the courage to hit someone like that. Mu-Yul, as you said before, Mu-Gung was one of the first to join even among those here."

"Yeah, yeah!"

"So, he probably knows the situation before we came in."

"Ah! Wow, Mu-Jin, you're really smart!"

Why indeed.

Even with Mu-Yul's innocent praise, Mu-Jin couldn't feel happy for some reason.

It felt like there might be someone who wasn't as smart as that boy.

"Anyway, since he might know, let's ask him."

"Yeah!!"

With a cheerful reply, Mu-Yul turned and ran towards Mu-Gung, who was training alone.

Thud!

Leaving the body named Mu-Gyung lying on the ground after dragging him all this way.

"...Was this a confirmation murder?"

For a moment, Mu-Jin looked at Mu-Yul with an incredulous expression.

Mu-Yul seemed to be saying something, and Mu-Gung, whose training was interrupted, started glaring at Mu-Jin with an irritated expression.

"Sigh."

Feeling annoyed by the situation, Mu-Jin walked over to them.