🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 5
After quietly watching the three people depart, Cheongun returned to his room, not to the training hall.
Until recently, he had been sleeping with his mother, but at some point, she had said she wanted to sleep separately.
It was a considerate gesture.
Training while being conscious of others has its limits.
“Father is, of course, a master, but my mother must be quite skilled too,” he thought.
She even provided him with a suitable room, as if telling him to train freely.
“Phew… it feels somehow stifling.”
It wasn’t an unexplained suffocation.
Cheongun knew very well what was causing it.
It was Shingi-che (mind-body energy).
Because the three elements weren’t in harmony, one naturally surged out.
Among them, the Qi was especially excessive.
Taking the elixirs daily, his internal strength accumulated almost automatically, whether he wanted it or not.
At the age of five, it seemed he already had a decade’s worth of internal power accumulated.
It was somewhat unfortunate, but it wasn’t confined to just his dantian (energy center).
It was still small and spread throughout his body.
Since the Cheonui Simgong technique is slow, there was no way around it.
“Still, I’ve found a clue.”
Circulating energy is directly connected to breathing.
It occurs in the process of inhaling and exhaling.
Because breathing is fundamental to everything, this method was particularly difficult for Cheongun.
“A meditation technique with breaths almost indistinguishable from no breathing at all.”
It wasn’t just slow.
The fundamental nature of breathing had to be preserved.
By circulating internal strength within the body, it supplied each part with what it needed.
This might not be the only solution, but once it was possible, the accumulation of internal strength would become absurdly fast.
Cheongun steadied his breathing.
In fact, it was so slow it was nearly at a standstill.
After continuous practice, he could now slow his breathing to one breath every moment.
Breathing is essential to all living beings—each has their own method.
As more time passed, he felt his breath surging.
His body and instincts told him he had to breathe immediately, but Cheongun refused.
The internal strength in his dantian was minimal but pure and orderly.
On top of that, the elixirs and herbs he had been consuming—he hadn’t absorbed all the energy they contained, and only a little remained in his dantian.
But he was still a child.
As a result, the energy was stored throughout his body, and Cheongun began using his dantian to stimulate the hidden internal strength.
“My breath…!”
It grew heavier.
He wanted to inhale desperately but had no intention of stopping.
If left as it was, the accumulated energy might harden in place.
And that would require even greater effort later.
The internal strength flowing along his meridians was almost at its limit in stimulating the accumulated energy.
Having forcibly stopped his breath required extreme concentration just to manage his internal strength.
“This won’t do.”
He stopped stimulating multiple areas simultaneously and focused on the Qihai point, the closest point to his dantian.
Although the paused breath now brought not just suffocation but pain, Cheongun did not stop.
Even if he lost consciousness, it didn’t matter.
If he fainted from not breathing, he would naturally start again.
Stimulating the energy in the Qihai point wasn’t the same as unblocking the meridians.
Gradually, his vision began to blur.
Even as the sight dimmed, Cheongun did not breathe.
Reciting the Cheonui Simgong hand signs repeatedly, he stimulated the energy accumulated in the Qihai point into internal strength.
At first, he hesitated, fearing the sudden stimulation might backfire.
But there was no more time.
Cheongun, who knew well that anything attempted for the first time must succeed, pressed on.
This way, he would not develop fear when attempting similar things later.
“Ugh…!”
Now he had reached his limit.
If he held his breath any longer, he would lose consciousness.
His instincts continuously urged him to breathe, but he ignored them.
“Please…”
Only his vision had grown faint, but now even his consciousness felt hazy.
He sensed this final chance and poured all his energy into it at once.
And at the same moment, he lost consciousness.
Naturally, the nearby Heukdan Yak (attendant) noticed.
“Master Cheongun?”
Peeking in, they saw Cheongun collapsed to the side.
“Wh-what…!”
Rushing over, they tried to check his pulse, but it was nearly imperceptible.
Moreover, his dantian was almost completely empty.
“Possessed by internal energy?”
It was hard to accept.
It was difficult enough to believe that a five-year-old had even formed a dantian, let alone experienced Zhuhua-imma (internal energy possession).
The attendant carried Cheongun to Sowol’s room, explaining the situation to the person waiting.
“Eh…?”
“We must inform him immediately.”
“Yes, yes!”
Sowol, awakened by the sudden commotion, seemed to have heard that Cheongun had collapsed.
Immediately, immense internal strength began swirling violently within the room.
“Who… what happened?”
The voice was unlike Sowol’s usual calm tone.
It was cold, sharp, almost exuding deadly intent.
“H-he collapsed while training alone for a moment…”
“…Bring Master Yeowoon. Take Cheongun inside.”
“Yes, sir.”
Once inside, Cheongun’s complexion was thankfully not too bad.
Just a bit pale, perhaps.
Though lacking color, it was hard to guess what exactly he had done.
There seemed to be no serious harm.
Though his dantian had been empty, it now contained a little energy.
“Madam, I’ve brought Master Yeowoon.”
“Ah, please come in.”
It seemed Cheongjin personally brought the physician.
Being one of the disciples of a divine master, Yeowoon would surely understand the cause.
“Up to now…”
“Please examine Cheongun first.”
“Yes, of course.”
As Yeowoon checked Cheongun’s pulse and circulated internal strength, his eyes widened suddenly.
“Oh-ho…”
His reaction was unusual.
Clearly, he was very intrigued.
“It’s done.”
Fortunately, the examination ended shortly after.
“What exactly happened?”
After briefly observing Cheongun, now regained in color, Yeowoon spoke.
“I assure you, even my master has never seen anything like this.”
Hearing this from a physician could have been terrifying, but his bright expression alleviated any fear.
“Master Cheongun recently received the Beolmo Se-su (hair-growth ritual), correct?”
“Yes.”
“Strangely, only the Qihai point now holds a broader meridian energy.”
“The Qihai point?”
“Yes. Though I’m not certain, it seems he did it himself.”
“Did what…?”
“You can think of it as similar to Beolmo Se-su.”
Cheongjin and Sowol were left speechless.
It’s not unusual to open meridians oneself occasionally.
Even among martial masters, some can unblock the Ren and Du meridians independently.
But Cheongun was five years old.
It was unbelievable that he did it entirely on his own.
“But only one Qihai point?”
“He accomplished it himself and exhausted his strength.”
“Nothing else is needed?”
“No. He just needs to eat well as usual. His vitality is intact.”
“Phew, that’s a relief.”
“Indeed. We were shocked, but thankfully, all is well.”
It seemed that instead of an accident, this was actually fortunate.
“Oh, does this mean a similar event could occur again?”
“Yes. In fact, it will likely happen. But there’s no need to worry—he succeeded on his first attempt.”
This meant he knew the method.
Moreover, Cheongun was not reckless enough to overdo it out of pride.
What could have been a dangerous incident in the night turned out to be a blessing.
Cheongun recalled his grandfather’s words:
Leave him be, and he will grow on his own.
What he needed was not teaching, but an environment where he could do anything.
“Ah, there is one thing that’s necessary.”
“What is it?”
“Shingi-che. Its balance is important. Right now, Master Cheongun’s Qi is too pronounced. His mindset is extraordinary, but this body cannot handle it in any other way.”
Reports said he was training his body.
But physical growth alone couldn’t keep up with his energy and mind.
“We must adjust it moderately.”
“Yes, we will explain it carefully to Master Cheongun.”
“I’ll do that. I spend the most time with him.”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
With that, Yeowoon and Cheongjin left, and Sowol returned Cheongun to his room.
The next morning, unaware of anything, Cheongun felt brief joy at his success.
“I sense unfamiliar energy.”
It was probably the physician’s Qi.
He had already finished checking his pulse.
It was somewhat unwelcome.
He wished he had been informed only after finishing everything.
More importantly, he felt as if the blocked meridian had been opened.
“I’ll need to control the speed.”
If all meridians were made like the Qihai point, he wouldn’t handle the accumulation speed.
One point at a time, during the Seven Nights period.
That was Cheongun’s goal.
Though there was no visible change yet, when he circulated energy reciting the hand signs, he could feel it.
It felt as if he was accumulating internal strength directly in his dantian via the Qihai point.
Now, all Cheongun needed was time.
And he wished for it to pass faster than for others.
Until then, he intended to continue his usual training.
“Master, did you cough?”
It was Sibi’s voice, signaling morning.
“Yes. I’m hungry.”
“Meal time is soon. Shall I help you prepare?”
“Yes.”
Cheongjin and Sowol already knew, but would not say anything until Cheongun brought it up.
After the meal, he would begin learning the martial techniques of Cheongeumjang, the pinnacle of martial arts.
He was quite excited.
He had never seen anyone in his previous life master Cheonui Simgong.
How would the other techniques compare?
Five years passed.
Cheongun, once five, turned ten, and the brief outing of his grandfather Cheongin came to an end.
For five years, following his initial determination, he had steadily controlled the cycle as Sowol had advised, and now had only a third of the meridians left to open.
Cheongun had grown considerably, along with Cheongjin and Sowol.
Everyone at the Cheongeumjang estate waited for one person.
