Book 16 Chapter 14

空底物事 (空底物事)

-Binary fraction (理一分殊)-.

Wei Zichen glanced at the eerily named Blood Explosion Pill in his hand. Wrapped in red paper, its contents had a strange red aura, as if it had been made by coagulating human blood.

'Attacks from the outside are strong, but attacks from within are weak, and you'll see the use of this medicine for yourself.

The masked man handed him the pill, clearly saying so. And he clearly knew how to use it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have volunteered to follow the hated Bi Ryuyeon.

"The effects of this medicine are divided into three stages over time, and in the last stage, you will feel a tremendous amount of chi swirling through your body. It is said to feel as if your life is being extinguished, and if you do not release it properly, you may die.

The masked man's voice was still echoing in my ears.

"What are we waiting for? I have a job to do!

There was no turning back. He overcame his fear through self-suggestion and illusion: he was the Chosen One, charged with the enormous task of inflicting heavenly punishment on behalf of the heavens.

"Great!

He squeezed his eyes shut and popped the blood-red pill into his mouth. In an instant, he was struck with a shock that felt like a fireball exploding inside him. At the same time, he felt a tremendous surge of killing intent. The explosive, uncontrollable killing intent was probably part of the medicine's effect, but it was good. The lava-boiling power in his body was flowing into his body. He had the strange illusion that he was an invincible god. He felt like he could do anything.

"Hahahaha, that's a lot for a one-step potency!"

As it was, I felt like I could defeat Bi Ryuyeon as it was.

"Bi Ryuyeon, you bastard, wait! Today, this body will inflict a heavenly punishment on you in the name of justice on behalf of the heavens!"

"Okay, let's get to work, shall we?"

"Oh!"

She responded with an enthusiastic reply.

They were Bi Ryuyeon, Wei Jichen, Obi-Wan, Jang Hong, Hyo Ryong, Yun Junho, Na Yerin, Kyo Ok, and Lee Jin Seol. The women took up the rear because the risk decreases as you go further back. There were no objections to this.

"Watch out for him, Ryuyeon!"

Hyo-ryong whispered, still looking worried. Bi Ryuyeon nodded and said.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine!"

Over there was Wei Zichen, who was supposed to go to the bathroom. His already bad face looked even worse because of the strange smile and eyes that floated above him.

"Okay, final group of seven, please begin!"

The test began with a four-line chant from the master of ceremonies.

The key to passing the jutsu was how long they could collect the chi they received from people and then release it at a moment's notice, so being able to hold and control chi of different qualities in one place for a long time was a priority. This is why the role of the first person, who had to fulfill the dual roles of "house" and "foot" at the same time, was of utmost importance.

In this case, the sum total of people's abilities didn't necessarily translate into proportional performance. The ability of the leader could make all the difference.

In that sense, Bi Ryuyeon had been gathering qi for longer than average. It wasn't as if he hadn't been receiving qi from behind, which was no small feat. The person who was most surprised by this was Wei Zichen. He had been pouring an enormous amount of qi into Bi Ryuyeon's saber earlier, and when combined with the vast amount of qi coming from behind, it was an enormous amount. However, Bi Ryuyeon had accepted it without much difficulty.

"This is ridiculous!

Wei Zichen couldn't deny that Bi Ryuyeon's control of the Qin Qi might be much higher than his own.

"Okay, then!

The medicinal effects of the blood explosion were about to enter this phase. Suddenly, he felt a surge of Qi. His face and entire body turned red, as if it was constantly being generated from his short circuit.

'No matter how big your bowl is, as long as it's a bowl, it's going to get kicked at some point, so let's see who wins!

He forced the enormous amount of qi generated by his own body into Bi Ryuyeon's body, and he didn't forget to transform its nature into something a little more violent. Just like a river, the more voluminous and turbulent the flow, the more difficult it is to measure, so was the qi flowing through a person's body.

"Uh, that's weird.

Obi-Wan, who was positioned behind Wei Zichen's back, quickly realized what had happened. The aura he could sense through his heart was off. Moreover, his entire body was now turning red!

The amount of chi he could feel through the repulsion was enough, but he couldn't imagine the amount of chi flowing into Bi Ryuyeon's body.

"It's dangerous to leave it like this! It's going to explode! It's already more than halfway there! It's time to release the chi! It's impossible for a human body to hold on any longer! It will definitely break down!

Sweat beaded on my forehead and trickled down my cheeks. The nape of my neck and armpits were already damp. His mind was racing with impatience, and his control of the chi was suddenly difficult. Suddenly, a river of energy surged through Obi-Wan's body.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

If he got it wrong, he could endanger himself and everyone else.

'We just have to trust him!

There was nothing he could do about it now. It was impossible to stop it now. To do so would have risked all nine of them falling into the coinage, and they couldn't risk that.

"Persistent bastard!

Wei Zichen was getting impatient in his own way. He could still feel the slightest tremor in Bi Ryuyeon's body through his palm.

'Then so be it! His body must be nearing its limits, but can he control the wild horses of qi rampaging within him? Why don't you release them quickly? This is your last moment.

The moment of releasing the collected Qi out of the body was the most dangerous and the most vulnerable. It was also the moment that could cause the most damage if it went wrong. Wei Zichen saw the opportunity. The moment Bi Ryuyeon was about to release her concentrated Qi, he would block his Qi veins, and the mass of Qi that couldn't find an outlet would flail about, unable to find a place to go, and then, boom, it would all be over. But even if it doesn't, the turbulent air currents, like torrents in the rainy season, will wreak havoc on his insides.

"It's over either way, Bi Ryuyeon, there's nowhere to run!

Wei Zichen gritted his teeth and forced a river of qi into Bi Ryuyeon's body. Bi Ryuyeon's body trembled violently, and cold sweat began to trickle down his forehead.

"Uh, that's weird."

There was a murmur among those watching Group 7.

"What the heck are they doing that's giving them this much momentum?

The pressure from the seventh group casting the Shattering Force was immense compared to the previous group. Currently, only a trillion or so could match this energy.

"Not good, as it is……."

Qinghui, who was watching with a serious expression, muttered to himself.

"Do you think so too?"

It's been a long time coming, Baek asked.

"Yeah, and that Chun-Ah looks weird!"

"Yeah… I'm like that too… Mmm!"

At that moment, Qing Shui and Baek Muyoung's eyes widened.

Tuduk!

A thick, wormlike blue line of blood shot out of Wei Zichen's temple. But that was only the beginning. They started near his temples on both sides of his face, and then began to spill out everywhere, spreading across his face like a spider's web. It was a horrifying sight to behold. The veins were pulsating ferociously, as if they were about to burst at any moment.

"What the hell is going on here, Moo-young?"

"I don't know, I may have to return the Star of the Dragon as of today, but I have a ridiculously bad feeling about it!"

Boom!

Finally, an enormous power exploded within Wei Zichen, and it was just as the masked man had said: it was like burning away all life. It was as if he had taken out all of his Hutian Qi, as well as all of the Yuan Qi within his Dan Zhen.

"Kaaaaaaaaaah!"

Unable to endure the pain any longer, a tremendous scream erupted from Yu Zichen's mouth. It was almost taboo to open one's mouth during a Qin Qi cultivation, but apparently he couldn't hold it in.

An enormous amount of life-scorching True Qi rushed into the finite human body. Bi Ryuyeon's body shook violently, and his mind was becoming hazy.

"Ryuyeon, what do you think is the best state of receiving qi?"

"I don't know……."

At her master's question, she trailed off.

"Then let me change the question! A vessel has limits, no matter how great the atmosphere. Do you want to be a vessel with limits?"

"No, I don't want to do that."

"Not only is it unpleasant, but it is not possible to cultivate one's kung fu to polarity while confining oneself to such a self-created mold. You don't learn martial arts to be confined by limitations, so you must train yourself to become a 'weapon'."

It was a matter of pride to say he didn't know again, so he desperately tried to come up with an answer.

"To be a weapon is to break the mold, and that means breaking the mold of the vessel, so does that mean you have to make yourself formless?"

"You're half right. But how will you become intangible? Aren't your hands, feet, eyes, nose, and mouth also part of what makes you human? Will you get rid of them?"

"No, that's not it, I don't want to go that far. Hmmm… So, clearing the mind?"

"That's only half right, too!"

"I'm half right, so I'm all right, right?"

Voila!

Bi Ryuyeon clutched her forehead.

"Woosh! Hit me again!"

His lips stuck out a foot.

"If you take two cut trays and put them together, you get a whole tray. What are you going to put together that's divided? You're going to need another point of connection to bring the two divided principles together."

"A connection point?"

Rubbing the lump on her forehead, Bi Ryuyeon said.

"Yes, a connection! That is the thread that holds the beads of the Book of Words together. It is the one thread that can bind the scattered truths of the world."

"Just tell me the bottom line."

Bi Ryuyeon said, slightly annoyed.

"You have to make yourself a co-creator."

"A ball… what?"

"Emptiness, empty things, empty objects. It means to make yourself empty."

"Isn't that what we were talking about earlier?"

"Wrong!"

"By an eyeball?"

"That's a world of difference in truth!"

'Emptiness is not the same as nothingness, nor is a ball nothingness. Because it is empty, it can be transformed into anything. Whatever it is, whatever its nature, all matter comes from the One… and so does qi!

"I'm sure he said that!

No matter how different their qualities may seem, they are all derived from the same Reason. Therefore, by realizing that Reason, all things can be unified. The furnace of emptiness accepts all things and melts all things into one.

Public domain…….

It is infinite because it is empty. Because it is empty, it is impermanent. He emptied himself and made his inner universe a state of void. The universe was originally a ball from the beginning, but man had forgotten that fact and defined himself in a box. Only by realizing that fact could he return to the state of 'ball'.

Eight strands of qi, each with a different nature, flowed into his body. Already in the state of a ball, Bi Ryuyeon's body didn't need to reject anything. The energy flowed like a river into the empty space. Like a soul being sucked into the abyss, the eight absorbed Qi harmonized into one within him. Suddenly, one of them went on a mad rampage, seeking to destroy his insides. The ferocious dragon rampaged madly to break his insides, but it was impossible to break where there was no mold to break. Finally, even the fierce dragon was united within him.

Finally, the nine powers within him harmonized into one, and he flew outward.

At that moment, a dazzling light emanated from Bi Ryuyeon's body. It was as dazzling as the brilliance of the Great Buddha, but no sound resounded from it. Only a great silence took its place.

"What? What was that?"

The Iron Jade Sleeping Maharishi muttered through clenched teeth.

"I don't know…am I dreaming?"

Long Tianming, who was sitting next to him, was equally dumbfounded.

Suddenly, the warm, cozy glow that had enveloped the room faded, and people rubbed their eyes. It was like waking up from a dream. It had become so quiet for a moment that it didn't seem real. What was so ecstatic about lingering in the silence? Still in a dazed, half-awake state, they wondered, savorying their food… and wanting to do it all over again if they could.

"Oh, and by the way, what's the result?"

Her gaze snapped back to reality as she remembered something she had forgotten. Group 7 included a man she disliked very much. But Group 7 was not much different from the way she had been watching them; they were still dazed, as if they had just woken up from a dream, and their hands had fallen away from each other's backs.

She quickly turned to see the result. Suddenly, her eyes widened.

"Poohahahahahaha!"

The Maharishi laughed out loud for the first time in a long, long time. She didn't care about her dignity, she laughed hysterically. She laughed so maniacally that the whole mountain seemed to move away. Long Tianming, who was with her, felt despair at his situation, unable to do this and unable to do that.

"Poohahahaha! What's that, what's that, what's that, what's that, what's that!"

She was bent in half at the waist, holding her belly button and laughing. She was laughing so hard that tears threatened to fall. Dumbfounded, so were the other 7 trillion people. How could this have happened? The rock wall was flawless. Not a single hole in it.

"Ho-ho-ho, this is what you get for a last-place decision! Last place decision! No matter how incompetent you are, you're flawless!"

The Mach force was exhilarating, and the shoveling seemed to release some of the pent-up frustration.

But Bi Ryuyeon continued to stand in a daze, unable to hear Maha Ling's words. He still looked as if he had just woken up. What was it? That feeling as if the inner and outer worlds were reversed in an instant…….

The feeling wasn't false; it was real.

Bi Ryuyeon glanced at her hands, then back at the black, glossy wall. A few feet away, the Maharishi was still laughing merrily, and others began to join in. The laughter spread toward the masses like watery ink on a painting brush, but none of it reached Bi Ryuyeon's ears. All he cared about now was what had happened to him and the world.

Poof!

Her fingers grazed the rock wall as she got closer.

At that moment, the laughter washed away and silence returned. No one opened their mouths to speak. Bi Ryuyeon stared at it with slightly dazed eyes, and everyone else stared at it as well.

Squeak!

The rock walls that stood in his way turned to dust, scattered by the wind as if they had never been there in the first place, and some crumbled like sandcastles. Like a mirage…….

A huge cavern appeared before them, at least five stories in diameter.

No one spoke up.

Grrrr!

The first person to break the silence was Mach.

Maha, who had been laughing hysterically just a few moments earlier, fell to the floor, his legs weak.

Wei Zichen didn't have the strength to stand anymore either, so he slumped down.

To my surprise, his hair was as white as burnt ash. His skin was also as dry as the bark of an old tree. It was a miracle that he was alive now, and that miracle might have something to do with the mysterious phenomenon that Bi Ryuyeon had shown him earlier, but it was of no value to him now.

"Not again… not again!

It was the only thing on his mind now. There was no strength left in him to rise again. Only the remains of a life that had burned senselessly remained there. What remained was no longer Wei Zichen. It was only the dregs of the life that had been called Wei Zichen. No one approached him and tried to help him up. Bi Ryuyeon stared at the ashes of what had once been Wei Zichen, and finally approached him.

Placing her hand on Yu Zichen's shoulder, who was caught off guard, Bi Ryuyeon brought her mouth to his ear and spoke softly in a gentle voice.

"It's a shame, a little more and you could have had your wish granted. So what did you pay for your wish, your own soul?"

Wei Zichen stiffened like a statue. His face was pale and rigid, as if he had been plastered. Bi Ryuyeon spoke again.

"I don't know if there will be a price worth paying next time, so you'd better be careful, or you'll have nothing left for yourself. Remember, if you give everything away, you won't get everything back."

Wei Zichen bit his lip and swallowed a groan. He shook his body to relieve his anger.

And that's the end of the water pipe.

And this time, the top spot at the gateway went to 7th.