Chapter 102:

Chapter 102:

Preliminary Round (2)

Countless individuals gathered at the martial arts arena were unaware that Mu-jin’s turn for the examination was approaching.

Mu-jin looked at the iron block before him and thought.

‘I was disappointed to skip strength training yesterday, but this is perfect for warming up.’

Without hesitation, Mu-jin grabbed both sides of the iron block with his hands.

The iron block didn’t have handles, making it inconvenient to hold and lift.

However, there didn’t seem to be a specific stance required to lift the iron block. In other words, he could use his entire body, like performing a tire flip, to lift it.

Grasping both sides of the iron block, Mu-jin bent his knees as if doing a squat.

Using the muscles of his lower body, glutes, core, and arms, he lifted the iron block with a powerful motion.

‘Hmm. A little over four hundred geun, maybe?’

Thinking it might weigh around 250kg, Mu-jin lowered the iron block after lifting it.

Then, he lifted it again.

“...You’ve passed, so you can move on to the next stage.”

In response to the words of the Murim Alliance warrior overseeing the examination, Mu-jin put down the iron block he had lifted again and replied with an embarrassed look.

“Oh. It’s a habit, but could I lift it ten more times?”

It was the habit of a fitness enthusiast. The weight was just right, making him feel like his muscles would swell after a set of twelve lifts.

Of course, the examiner had no reason to know Mu-jin’s situation.

“...Ahem. There are others waiting, so please move along.”

Suppressing the regret in his itching muscles, Mu-jin turned his gaze to the side.

“Whew!”

Next to him, Mu-gung, who was also undergoing the examination, succeeded in lifting the iron block like Mu-jin, accompanied by deep breaths.

Mu-gung, naturally broad-shouldered, had been practicing Mu-jin’s training methods for over five years. In terms of sheer ‘strength,’ he was not much inferior to Mu-jin.

Meanwhile, Mu-gyeong and Mu-yul, on the other hand, were wrestling with the iron block, their faces flushed red.

Watching their muscles bulge with veins popping out from beneath their kasaya, Mu-jin couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.

Mu-gyeong and Mu-yul had also been training their muscles with Mu-jin’s help, but in a way that suited their martial arts. Unlike Mu-jin or Mu-gung’s brute strength, they had to maintain a well-balanced physique.T/his chapter is updat/ed by nov(ê(l)biin.c/o/m

Some of the disciples from other sects watching this scene began to smirk slightly.

‘Hahaha. So much for Shaolin! They can’t even handle this simple task!’

Unaware that Shaolin disciples weren’t using internal energy, most of them thought that way.

Among them were disciples of the Hwasan Sect.

‘So that’s all there is to them.’

Especially, Hong So-il, who had clashed with Mu-jin the previous night, had a deep sneer on his face.

‘At this rate, they won’t even make it past the preliminary round, let alone meet at the Yongbong Gathering.’

Thinking so, Hong So-il, who had lost interest in the Shaolin disciples, looked around the training ground, searching for someone else.

Several years ago, while wandering the Central Plains as a chivalrous hero, he had met a woman as delicate as a flower.

‘Of all things, she’s with the younger generation of the Five Great Families. Should I wait for another opportunity?’

Seeing Jegal Jin-hee, Hong So-il clicked his tongue lightly and simply gazed at her.

Just like the first time they met, her expressionless face remained as aloof as ever.

* * *

Meanwhile,

A sense of crisis shook Mu-gyeong’s heart, thinking that he might be eliminated at this rate.

Specifically, he imagined a future where, after being eliminated in the first preliminary round, he would return to Shaolin Temple only to be tormented by Hye-gwan.

In the end, judging that it would be dangerous if things continued like this, Mu-gyeong discreetly used his internal energy to lift the iron bar.

Similarly, thinking that Mu-yul might be eliminated if left alone, Mu-jin discreetly sent a voice transmission.

– “Yul-ah. If you continue like this, you’ll just get eliminated.”

At Mu-jin’s warning, Mu-yul whimpered and groaned before lifting the iron bar.

“For now, you two are definitely getting punished.”

When Mu-jin said this with a grin, the faces of the two fell into despair. Mu-gung, feeling proud of his own success, snorted alone.

“...Since there are people waiting behind you, can we move on to the next assessment?”

“Ah, sorry.”

At the examiner’s instruction, the four quickly moved to the next assessment location.

The second task was to run back and forth twenty times between two places where flags were planted.

‘Shuttle run.’

Mu-jin thought of the endurance and direction-changing training often used in modern sports like soccer and basketball.

Several young martial artists, including the four from the Muja Faction, who had passed the first task, waited at the starting line.

As soon as the examiner raised and lowered the flag, everyone ran towards their respective flags.

At the same time, another examiner flipped an hourglass.

For a moment, several martial artists who had started simultaneously ran back and forth between the two flags placed six to seven jang (18-21 meters) apart.

“The level of Shaolin’s third-generation disciples seems much lower than expected this time, Sister Jegal.”

Jegal Jin-hee did not respond to Tang So-mi’s comment, disappointed by the Shaolin disciples’ performance.

But it wasn’t that she was disappointed. Instead, she was struggling to hide her surprise.

‘To think that Monk Mu-jin has grown this much in such a short time.’

She knew the level Mu-jin had reached two and a half years ago. Therefore, she immediately understood.

Mu-jin had participated in the assessment without using any internal energy. His physical capabilities without using internal energy surpassed the basic level of third-rate martial artists who used internal energy.

Indeed, how much strength and speed could he achieve if he wielded internal energy with such physical abilities?

‘...He must have also improved his martial arts during this time.’

Jegal Jin-hee was quite looking forward to sparring with Mu-jin in the finals of the Yongbongjihoe.

However, unlike Jegal Jin-hee, who knew Mu-jin’s and the Shaolin disciples’ true abilities, others thought similarly to Tang So-mi.

Soon, the Shaolin disciples’ third task began.

Mu-gung was the first to step forward.

“Whew.”

Mu-gung lightly regulated his breathing and spread the energy he had drawn up from his danjeon throughout his body.

‘Since I decided to use internal energy, there’s no need to hold back.’

As the extreme yang energy circulated through his meridians and gathered in his palm, Mu-gung struck the boulder.

Bang!!!

With one palm strike from Mu-gung, the boulder, as large as a person, shattered into pieces.

“What, what!?”

Naturally, those who had been mocking the Shaolin disciples’ abilities were now shouting in astonishment.

However, their surprise was premature.

Following Mu-gung, Mu-gyeong didn’t shatter the boulder completely like Mu-gung did.

Instead, a golden aura enveloped his fist.

Thud!!

With a dull thud, a hole the size of Mu-gyeong’s fist was drilled into the center of the large boulder.

This was a technique that required delicate manipulation of qi. It was actually more difficult than simply shattering the boulder.

Lastly, it was Mu-yul’s turn.

“Heh heh!”

Perhaps excited by the permission to use internal energy, Mu-yul didn’t finish with just one attack but went berserk, wildly striking the boulder in various places.

After a while...

“A, a wolf?”

The boulder was now carved into the shape of a wolf, resembling the design etched on Mu-yul’s head.

‘Has he been hiding his true skills all this time?’

‘Why would he do that?’

While it is a common saying in martial arts to hide one’s true strength, this seemed less like hiding three-tenths of their ability and more like only showing three-tenths.

‘If they were going to hide it, why reveal it now?’

This was the main question on everyone’s mind. The passing criteria were merely to leave a noticeable mark on the boulder. There was no need to shatter it or display such impressive skills.

Naturally, everyone’s gaze turned to the last Shaolin disciple, Mu-jin.

“Hoo.”

Mu-jin took a deep breath and delivered a single punch with all his strength.

Crash!

Mu-jin’s punch barely broke the front of the boulder.

No matter how much he had strengthened his skin with the Jade Vajra Technique and trained his muscles, it was impossible for a purely human punch to shatter a massive boulder without internal energy.

Yet, even creating a dent in a massive boulder with just human strength was already surpassing the limits of a normal human.

“Pfft.”

Those unaware of this mocked Mu-jin’s results.

‘Hmm. Perhaps he purposely limited his strength to just enough to pass.’

Some were trying to deduce the intentions of the Shaolin disciples.

There was only one person who truly understood what Mu-jin had done.

‘To leave such a mark on a boulder without internal energy!’

Jegal Jin-hee was the only one who realized the significance of Mu-jin’s feat.

She observed the reactions of the other prodigies watching the Shaolin disciples.

Some were mocking, others were watching with suspicion. As Jegal Jin-hee took this in, she realized an important fact.

Only she understood Mu-jin’s true value.

“Fufufu.”

Knowing a secret that the world didn’t, she felt a strange thrill.