Chapter 24:

Chapter 24:

After finishing dinner, it was time for the afternoon’s self-directed training.

‘Wow!!!’

In a secluded corner of the Arhat Faction’s practice yard, the very thing Mu-jin had longed for was installed.

The thing he had asked Hyun Seong for in exchange for taking on the children’s education.

It was the Power Rack.

There, of course, were the barbell rods to hang on the Power Rack and the weight plates to hang on the barbell rod. Lastly, there was a bench for lying down.

‘The Power Rack is made of wood, so it’s a bit shaky, but it’s not heavy yet, so it shouldn’t matter, right?’

It had been over four months enjoying free weights with sandbags as his barbells.

Now, simply increasing the number of sandbags was no longer satisfying. Moreover, sandbags couldn’t be used for the main movements of free weights, known as the ‘big three.’

Therefore, Mu-jin had asked Hyun Seong in exchange for taking over the morning training of the introductory disciples.

To make him a Power Rack, a barbell rod, and weight plates.

Even if Shaolin Temple was a monastery, it was still a prestigious orthodox sect, so he thought they would certainly have enough money to afford such items.

Of course, they wouldn’t make it just because he demanded it, so Mu-jin had come up with a suitable excuse.

‘Our family’s training method is divided into several stages, and I have to move on to the third stage soon. And from the third stage, certain items are necessary.’

That was Mu-jin’s vague excuse. On top of that.

‘I lack the time to train my body while teaching other children. Therefore, these items are absolutely necessary for me to exercise more efficiently.’

It was a bonus that he made it seem like he was sacrificing his time because of the other children.

The last addition was somewhat of a boast but also a fact. After all, it was difficult to focus on his own exercise while teaching others.

Anyway, thanks to such efforts, the exercise equipment Mu-jin had longed for finally appeared before his eyes.

‘Heh, the big three lifts in the martial world.’

Mu-jin’s pectoralis major and quadriceps were throbbing with excitement at the thought of lifting iron.

* * *

Four months had passed since Mu-jin received the exercise equipment from Hyun Seong.

During that time, Mu-jin’s body had advanced by not just one, but several levels.

‘Phew.’

After catching his breath, Mu-jin shouldered the barbell rod and squatted down.

It was the epitome of a proper squat form.

On Mu-jin’s shoulders, several weight plates were hanging from the barbell rod.

The total weight of the rod and plates was approximately 150 geun (90 kg).

Compared to the weight Choi Kang-hyuk used to lift, this might only be considered a warm-up, but currently, Mu-jin was just thirteen years old.

In Korean age, that’s about a first or second-year middle school student. A child roughly five feet and four inches tall, just starting puberty, was squatting with a barbell rod weighing about 90 kg.

After completing his twelfth rep of 150 geun squats, Mu-jin put the barbell rod back onto the Power Rack and let out a deep sigh.”

“Phew.”

**

For the past four months, Mu-jin had been pushing himself to do 12 reps of the big three lifts, reaching around 230. If he calculated it based on one rep, it would be close to 300.

When he first started using the Power Rack, his big three lift was around 170, so in the past four months, he had made significant progress.

Considering his age, 170 was already a high number. He had been exercising consistently for about half a year before starting with sandbags, and for the past four months, he had been doing free weights with sandbags, which made it possible.

However, despite achieving incredible progress for his age, Mu-jin’s expression wasn’t bright.

Today, as usual, Beob Gang was watching Mu-jin’s exercise and approached him with a puzzled face.

“What’s wrong, Mu-jin?”

“Ah, I greet you, Master Beob Gang.”

Mu-jin, who had a gloomy expression, bowed to Beob Gang.

Beob Gang, who received Mu-jin’s greeting, asked again.

“You seem to be worried about something.”Rêađ latest cha/p/ters on no/v/e/l(b)in(.)c/o/m

Beob Gang was thinking, “What could be bothering him?”

Mu-jin’s achievement over the past four months was truly remarkable.

Just looking at the barbell rod he was currently holding was proof of that. Honestly, even Second-class Disciples wouldn’t be able to lift that much weight without using internal energy.

In terms of physical strength, Mu-jin was already on par with some Second-class Disciples.

Introductory disciples usually undergo one and a half to two years of training before taking an exam.

Through this exam, the children are matched with a second-class disciple as a master, suitable for their body type, constitution, and temperament.

It is then they truly belong to Shaolin, and instead of an instructor, they get a real ‘master.’

Well, even after becoming a third-class disciple, only their living quarters change; the basic training continues in the Arhat Faction.

However, once they have gained some experience and learned some of Shaolin’s martial arts, they then directly receive the Seventy-Two Consummate Arts from their master.

The selection of a third-class disciple in the exam, based on body type, constitution, and temperament, is linked to this.

The Seventy-Two Consummate Arts are so complex that each person only masters two or three arts. In other words, they take disciples with similar constitutions to pass down the arts.

After becoming a true disciple, there was a high chance that Mu-gyeong would learn different martial arts.

That was okay, too.

With some luck, he might meet a master with excellent teaching skills, and by that time, his body would have developed even more. Just like when he learned the three introductory martial arts, he could make up for his lack of Qi manipulation with his physical prowess.

But there was just one area where this was impossible.

‘Weights can’t build up your internal organs. Damn.’

That area was the internal energy techniques.

If one mishandles the meridians and the Qi flows chaotically, causing the internal organs to burst out, what then? Having a lot of muscles doesn’t mean one can prevent an organ rupture.

If that were possible, doctors would be prescribing bench presses to train the pectoral muscles instead of performing surgery on heart disease patients.

And here lay the problem: if one couldn’t master the superior internal energy techniques among the consummate arts, then similarly, one would lack the internal energy to use the martial arts that belong to the consummate arts.

Certainly, aren’t there often mentions in martial arts novels of those terrifying peerless martial arts that would consume a decade’s worth of Qi with just one use?

To utilize such peerless martial arts, a peerless internal energy technique was essential.

Fortunately, Mu-jin had one secret method that could inflate his Qi without having to learn a peerless internal energy technique.

That method was none other than active cultivation.

Yes, the very active cultivation he had learned during his wall-facing meditation.

Gleaning clues from the words of Beob Gang and Master Uncle Hye-jeong, Mu-jin had in fact been continuously practicing active cultivation.

Thanks to this, when it came to the Buddha Mind Technique, he could now always conduct Qi while breathing, not just during exercise.

However, that didn’t mean it was perfect.

“Actually, I’ve been contemplating an issue regarding active cultivation, Master Uncle.”

“Is it about active cultivation?”

Beob Gang, who had been tilting his head at Mu-jin’s words, suddenly caught on and exclaimed with a shocked expression.

“Mu-jin, don’t tell me you’ve mastered the Buddha Mind Technique!?”

Even while conversing with him, Beob Gang could feel Qi faintly moving around Mu-jin.

This meant that Mu-jin had reached the true realm of ‘active cultivation,’ where he could continue conducting Qi even in his daily life.

However, Mu-jin shook his head at Beob Gang’s question.

“I can continuously conduct the Buddha Mind Technique usually, but there are precisely two moments when conducting is impossible. That’s what troubles me.”

“Ho... I’m quite curious about those two things.”

“One is when I hold my breath. And the other is during sleep.”

“...Isn’t that to be expected?”

Beob Gang looked at him with an incredulous expression, but Mu-jin still had a face full of frustration.

“Setting aside sleep, there are more moments than you’d think when I have to hold my breath. For example, I can’t maintain Qi flow while eating or drinking.”

“So, what you’re saying is that you’re pondering over how to accumulate Qi even when you’re not breathing or when you’re asleep?”

“That is correct, Master Uncle.”

Mu-jin was utterly serious, but Beob Gang was at a loss for words.

Conducting Qi even while sleeping was not so much an internal energy technique as it was close to some sort of realm.

It was a realm where the internal energy technique had completely merged with the body and mind, allowing for natural Qi flow even during sleep.

However, the problem was the former. An internal energy technique that allowed one to accumulate Qi without breathing?

There could be no such thing even in the great Shaolin...

“Hm?”

As Beob Gang thought this, a certain martial arts technique flashed through his mind.

It wasn’t an internal energy technique, but it was a concept of some martial art that absorbed Qi through the skin.