Chapter 85:

Chapter 85:

Trailing closely behind Mu-yul was Mu-gyeong.

Unlike Mu-yul, who exhibited animalistic movements, Mu-gyeong was integrating the techniques of the Thousand-Pound Fall into the various stepping techniques he had mastered.

‘He’s getting faster and faster.’

Mu-gyeong was applying the various stepping techniques and light-footwork he had learned, regardless of the type of martial arts, according to the situation.

In the midst of this, he was continuously calculating in his mind, blending the techniques of the Thousand-Pound Fall with countless stepping techniques and light-footwork, showing that the term “genius” was well-deserved.

In the end, the one who fell farthest behind was Mu-gung. Due to his large build, Mu-gung found it very difficult to run in this obstacle-filled environment.

Watching this for a moment, Hyun-gwang decided to give Mu-gung some advice.

– Remember the center of your body.

Mu-gung flinched involuntarily at the sudden voice piercing into his mind.

‘It’s the voice of Grand Master Hyun-gwang.’

Realizing the owner of the voice, Mu-gung regained his composure.

Once again, Hyun-gwang’s wisdom was conveyed into Mu-gung’s mind.

– Remember the center of your body and widen your field of vision.

– Do not fear the obstacles. As long as you don’t touch them, there will be no problems.

– Just avoid them with minimal movement.

This advice was perfect for the large-built Mu-gung. It also aligned with Mu-gung’s direction.

Instead of flashy and variable movements, avoiding obstacles with minimal movement was indeed the essence of the mystery of stillness in motion (정중동).

– With the training you’ve received from Hye-dam, you should be able to do it.

As Mu-gung had been consistently training in the Unmoving Heart technique, he would be able to exhibit minimal movement with precision.

Indeed, perhaps thanks to Hyun-gwang’s advice, Mu-gung seemed to have realized something.

The frustration-filled expression on Mu-gung’s face as he tried to avoid obstacles with his large build turned into one of seriousness.

Swish.

Thud.

Of course, it wasn’t perfect from the start. As Mu-gung tried to avoid obstacles with minimal movement, the obstacles brushed against various parts of his body, and sometimes he even collided with them outright.

However, finding a direction and moving forward was entirely different from merely getting frustrated without a direction.

Even though his body was accumulating small wounds, Mu-gung continued to move forward with a calm expression.

The number of obstacles touching his body gradually decreased.

* * *

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Mu-jin, with his overwhelming internal energy and physical strength, had run to a position invisible to the other children.

Running toward the target point, Mu-jin organized his thoughts about light-footwork in his mind.

To be precise, he was thinking about the light-footwork that suited the path he was taking.

“Grandfather said, no matter how strong I am, it’s useless if I can’t get close to my opponent.”

Thus, his movement technique did not need to be unpredictable or flashy. Instead, it had to be so fast that his opponent could never escape.

“Alright. I’ll go all out.”

That’s why Mu-jin began to utilize the Celestial Weight technique solely to enhance his speed.

Naturally, countless branches and bushes appeared, blocking his path.

“Haaah!”

Mere bushes and branches couldn’t wound Mu-jin’s body.

Ignoring everything that blocked him, Mu-jin sprinted forward at his highest speed in a straight line.

His movement truly embodied the word “unstoppable.”

Behind Mu-jin, deep footprints and countless fallen branches and bushes were scattered like corpses.

A massive tree appeared in front of Mu-jin as if to test the movement technique he had thought of.

“I won’t lose!”

As if considering this a test, Mu-jin focused his energy and ran with full force.

Mu-jin, without slowing down, reached the vicinity of the massive tree.

“Haaap!”

With a shout, Mu-jin leaped and his flying kick struck the massive tree.

Boom!Ne/w novel chapters are p/u/blished on no/vel(/bin(.)c/o/m

A hole exploded in the center of the massive tree, as if a thunderbolt had struck it.

Defeating his challenge, Mu-jin continued to sprint forward without slowing down.

Returning with the wooden target in a much shorter time than on the first day, Hyun-gwang chuckled and spoke.

Now, everyone had skillfully integrated the Celestial Weight technique into their own qinggong or stepping techniques.

And above all else.

‘If we proceed any further, Songshan will not remain intact.’

Mu-jin had to be stopped from further destroying the mountain forest.

Compared to the first day, the number of bushes and trees he had destroyed had significantly decreased.

Ignoring small obstacles, Mu-jin focused solely on speed with his simple yet forceful qinggong. Thanks to Hyun-gwang’s advice, he could make sharp turns.

Though his qinggong was still so crude that he ignored bushes and branches as he ran, it was Mu-jin’s unique qinggong. It was inevitable given that his martial art, named ‘Mountain-Shattering Divine Step,’ was so powerful it could destroy mountains if mastered.

The moment a complex and intricate maneuver was added, the current explosive power would be halved.

Even the name ‘Mountain-Shattering’ seemed to exceed the usual scope of qinggong.

Hyun-gwang, watching Mu-jin with a peculiar expression, turned his gaze to the other three children.

‘Hahaha. They are all achieving more than I expected.’

When Mu-jin first proposed training with the other children, Hyun-gwang had a simple reason for accepting.

‘It was just a choice for after I am gone.’

Hyun-gwang knew that Mu-jin’s nature didn’t suit Shaolin.

Thus, he feared that if he left, Mu-jin would drift away from Shaolin. He might even leave Shaolin entirely.

So, he readily accepted Mu-jin’s wish to train with the other third-generation disciples.

Just as he remained on earth out of force, he hoped Mu-jin would stay in Shaolin because of his bond with the other children.

But that was just the initial reason for accepting the proposal.

Teaching the four children, those thoughts had long since vanished.

Even without Mu-jin, the other three children were talented enough to be called prodigies, making teaching them enjoyable.

‘I must hope that those four will become the future of Shaolin. Amitabha.’

He hoped Shaolin would soon forget his absence when he was gone.

* * *

Having created a qinggong method perfectly suited for himself called ‘Mountain-Shattering Divine Step,’ Mu-jin moved on to his next plan.

It was a plan to open a new clinic branch to make money.

For this, Mu-jin frequented Hyuncheon, the abbot of Shaolin, Chubodang, which managed the funds, the external affairs office, and even the Cheonryu Merchant Guild, with which he was working on medical matters. He also met with Ryu Ji-gwang.

As a result, Mu-jin managed to open a new clinic in Luoyang as he had wanted.

Naturally, the news also reached Ryu Seol-hwa.

“Master Mu-jin, is it true that you are opening a new clinic in Luoyang?”

Ryu Seol-hwa, who had come to visit as usual after four days, stuffed her mouth with a hearty meal and subtly asked Mu-jin.

In response to her question, Mu-jin finished chewing and swallowing his food before speaking.

“Since it is a business with the Cheonryu Merchant Guild, I thought it was time to open a new branch.”

“...Then, may I join you there?”

“Are you saying that, benefactor Seol-hwa?”

A hint of puzzlement appeared in Mu-jin’s eyes at her words.

“If you do that, there will be no one to care for the female patients who come here.”

“That is true... Actually, because of that, I have a request for you, Master Mu-jin.”

“If it is a request I can fulfill, I will do so.”

Thanks to Ryu Seol-hwa, Mu-jin had been secretly eating nourishing food without the Shaolin disciples’ knowledge, so he was willing to accept most requests.

As Mu-jin stared at her intently, Ryu Seol-hwa tried to calm her trembling heart.

Her heart was pounding not only because she was having a private conversation with Mu-jin but also because she was about to reveal her ambitions for the first time in her life to someone.

“I was thinking of managing all the future clinics, including those in Deungbong County and the new one in Luoyang.”

She had lived her life depending on others with her infinitely lowered self-esteem, and now she had to confess her aspirations to the man she admired the most.

Though she tried to keep her head up, she couldn’t bring herself to look Mu-jin directly in the eye, her face turning red as she shyly lowered her gaze.

Watching her for a moment.

‘She’s changed a lot.’

Mu-jin, realizing she was starting to break out of her shell, couldn’t help but smile warmly.

He thought it might be due to her steady exercise, which had slightly restored her self-esteem.

As her former fitness center manager and the one who had taught her to exercise, it was a sight that warmed his heart.