881 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

# Chapter 881 There were a few things I wanted to confirm. The first was the efficacy of a thing called Yeouiju. Was it solely consumed for the purpose of shedding skin? Or was there another effect it held? 'I did experience some changes in my body, after all.' Firstly, my abilities had significantly improved. Both my chi and my physical strength had increased noticeably. To quantify it numerically... 'About a twofold increase.' Considering it was just one pill, this was an overwhelming enhancement. My chi had reached a point where even consuming a Dae Hwan Dan or Dokcheon Dan wouldn't result in any notable increment, but this was different. The efficiency was unparalleled. So I tried another one. 'There was no effect after the second one.' While the increase was present, its efficiency was far inferior to Dokcheon Dan. This led me to think that perhaps only the first one was effective. 'But even this isn't certain.' There was a problem. I had already shed my skin to a certain extent. It was difficult to assert that my strength solely came from consuming Yeouiju, especially since reaching the apex in Gu Yeomhwa Lunkong had helped as well. Thus, it was challenging to definitively say it was all thanks to Yeouiju. Considering other uncertainties, I thought it vital to solve this puzzle first. For that purpose. “Kkaaaaa...!!” That was why I surreptitiously took the bead. More specifically, why I tested it on Seong Yul first. 'If it can be used, then why not?' If it was an elixir with special powers, wouldn't it be beneficial to utilize it effectively? 'What's the big deal about 'effectiveness'? As long as it's good for me, it's advantageous.' To verify that, there were several checks I needed to make. The first of which was. 'What happens when someone who isn't physically prepared consumes Yeouiju?' An individual who hasn't reached the state of transformation or molting. What would happen if that person swallowed Yeouiju? I needed to ascertain that. “Grrrr...Hrrr...!!” And I was confirming it through Seong Yul, who kept writhing in pain. I sat on the edge of the casket, observing him keenly. 'His chi is wildly fluctuating.' It looked as though he had properly swallowed the Yeouiju, for his chi was explosively rampaging from his danjeon. It seemed as though he could burst at any moment. Strangely enough, he was managing to hold it together without exploding. 'Is it Seong Yul holding it together, or is it the chi itself?' Was he somehow regulating to prevent it from bursting? I couldn't tell if his chi was just shaking violently enough not to explode. And amidst this chaotic chi. 'It couldn't permeate into the body.' It only revolved around, following the meridians, without affecting the body itself. This, in itself, was problematic. 'The turbulence is getting stronger.' As it followed the meridians around the body, it seemed to be gaining momentum. Left unchecked... 'It will indeed explode.' It wasn't long before the body would explode, unable to withstand the pressure. It seemed the inability of the energy to permeate the body was the main cause. 'Tsk.' Is this what happens when consumed without having undergone transformation? It makes the whole thing a bit troublesome to utilize. “Hrrr...Hff...” “Pity.” Any more of this, and Seong Yul would die. So, I stood up, moving closer to him. A white flame surged from my hand. I couldn't let him die, so I'd burn off the excess chi. While I wasn't certain if I could manage with the white flame, I had confidence. 'I can burn it.' I could tell after experimenting with my powers multiple times over the last few days. I instinctively knew. Whether or not I could burn it by sight. Looking at it now, the chi surrounding Seong Yul's body was certainly something I could burn. I'd remove it. With that thought, I approached Seong Yul, reaching out my hand. At that moment. "...Wait... wait..." Clutch! Seong Yul suddenly grabbed onto my pant leg. "What?" "Please... please... wait..." "What?" I frowned at Seong Yul's words. Was this madman serious? "What do you mean, wait? You'll die if you continue like this." "I... I can still... manage." "Is he insane?" I had forcibly fed it to him, so I had nothing much to say. I couldn't help but chuckle at Seong Yul's declaration. 'Does he think he can endure it?' How could he claim to endure when the chi wasn't seeping into his body at all? "Hey. Sorry for force-feeding you, but you've got to know when to be stubborn. You're risking your life here." "I can... manage...." "This is crazy." He wasn't in a state to listen to reason. Where was this stubbornness coming from? Could it be that he was acting out of spite because of being force-fed? 'He's not that kind of person.' Seong Yul wasn't the type to act spitefully; it seemed he genuinely wished to endure. I was bewildered. What could he possibly hope to achieve by enduring? 'Should I just ignore him and burn it?' Ignoring his stubbornness and dealing with it would be enough. I reached out again to proceed. "I... can... manage this!" Seong Yul, realizing my intentions, grabbed on even more tightly. His entire body was straining, eyes bloodshot. "Sigh. You..." "...Just a moment more... just a moment..." I had no idea what he hoped to accomplish. He clearly should be stopped immediately, yet upon observing Seong Yul's eyes, I found myself hesitating. "The guy who usually lacks energy is showing resilience in the strangest of places." Tsk. Clicking my tongue, I laid a hand on his body. Though I refrained from summoning the flame. Carefully placing my hand on his back, I pushed my energy into his body. Woooosh!! My chi surged inward without delay. Then. Creak!! 'Wow, this is intense.' I got caught up in the maelstrom of energy, revolving with it. I almost lost my grip; it felt as though I was about to be overwhelmed. "Kh!" "Shut your mouth. Don't even breathe." At my warning, Seong Yul immediately clamped his mouth shut. If mishandled, the chi could spill out. '...Should have not fed it to him if this was going to happen.' I had planned to assess the situation briefly and then wrap things up, but I hadn’t anticipated this stubborn streak from him. ‘Well, I have to take responsibility now.’ I was the one who forced it on him, so if he had made a choice, I would have to own up to it. "I'm not sure how this will turn out, so you could end up dead, you know?" "Nngh... Ngh." Sounded like a tentative agreement. Wooooosh---!!! I plunged into the turbulent storm of energy. The speed increased steadily. This was the first thing that needed to be addressed. 'What about the backlash if I forcibly slow it down?' The extreme backlash could instantly kill Seong Yul. So, what should I do? I didn't have to ponder too long. Kuuuuuuu---!!! I applied pressure with my chi to slow down the current. The resulting backlash... Kuaaah---!!! 'Ugh.' I took it upon myself to endure. The veins in my arm stood out, but relying on chi was not viable for enduring this. So bearing it physically was the best I could do. I squinted one eye instinctively. It was visceral pain I hadn't felt in a while. ‘A bit painful, isn't it?’ Thanks to the "Heavenly Moon Sword Form," I usually didn’t feel much pain, but this was intense. The silver lining was that I could maintain my sanity. ‘I managed to slow the speed, but now what?’ Pain could be endured but not indefinitely. I had only managed to decelerate the speed; the rampant energy hadn't been tamed. ‘Can't I force it to permeate the body?’ If the problem was the energy not permeating, perhaps I could force it through. I decided to give it a try. Crackle-! “Ugh.” ‘It's not working...’ It was too late; even at the reduced speed, controlling it was difficult, and it was too harsh to force into the body. Seong Yul's talent was outstanding, but it seemed his body wasn't naturally suited for accommodating energy well. ‘I guess that's why they go for forced transformation.’ Yeouiju’s energy was potent and wild. This meant the vessel needed to be equally extraordinary. I fully understood why they immersed them in that pond for five years. ‘Hmm...’ So this is what happens when you're unprepared. I felt guilty for Seong Yul, suddenly. ‘Burning it would’ve been easier.’ This process turned out to be more exhaustive than expected. Sweat began to trickle down my forehead and back. Besides the pain, managing the energy flow was exhausting. Not only was I mixing my chi with an external energy, but controlling it was not straightforward. Simply put. ‘I don’t have much time.’ There was a limit to how long I could endure. ‘Hmm….’ What should I do? I pondered while something inside his system started to wiggle. Crackle-crackle. ‘What is that?’ I felt something unexpected stirring from within him, causing me to frown. Boom. 'Oh, damn.' An unsettling entity surged in, destabilizing the energy flow. A spine-chilling presence indicated a killing intent. ‘What’s this...?’ Though surprised, I maintained my focus. I had already tampered with the energy; any distraction would mean the end. Crackle-crackle-crackle---!!! Observing it now, it appeared to be targeting the invading energy in Seong Yul’s body. Finally, I realized. ‘He’s the Heavenly Destruction Star.’ A latent instinct within him had emerged. It seemed the Heavenly Destruction Star had come forth. ‘Damn brat.’ Oblivious to the fact it's trying to protect its host. Maddeningly, I infused my chi with more force. I forcibly encased the Heavenly Destruction Star with more energy. Crackle--!!! The being seemed startled and began to writhe and recoil. Though enveloping it in chi felt uncomfortable. ‘It’s cold.’ Could energy be this cold? Could it also be this pure? When I saw Seong Yul consumed by Cheon-sal-seong and Black Demon in the past, I hadn't realized. But his energy was pure. Perhaps it was this pure because it was singularly fixated on killing intent? Nonetheless, it made handling him a bit easier. ‘It just means it's easier to manipulate.’ I exerted my presence, pressing down on him more forcefully. Rumble---!!! Crackle-crack…! As my presence intensified, the Heavenly Destruction Star recoiled further. Brave, yet timid. Or perhaps, my draconic power was dominant. Irrelevant. What mattered was dealing with this brat and Yeouiju’s energy, eventually. ‘I can’t insert it into the body. And I can't let it circulate as is. In that case.’ Only one option remained. “Hey.” “…!” At my call, Seong Yul flinched just slightly. “Don’t answer, just listen.” “...” “I'm going to condense all the energy and put it in your danjeon.” “…!” Seong Yul quivered at my words. He seemed to grasp the implications. Condensing this vast amount of energy and forcing it into the danjeon was akin to trying to cramp a storm inside it. “Can you endure it? If not, even a small movement will do for now, since you can’t speak.” If it came to the worst, I would absorb all the energy and release it myself. Both Seong Yul and I would bear some burden, but it was nothing we couldn't recover from. Better than dying, surely. Besides. “If you endure, you’ll grow much stronger. Even if enduring seems impossible.” “…!” “What will you do?” “...” Seong Yul showed no movement at my words. I told him to make some gesture if he didn’t want to... and yet he remained still. “…Tsk.” It was as if he was expressing his resolve to try, even if it killed him. Seeing that, I immediately mustered the energy. Haaaah---!!! “Ugh…!!” With my touch, the energy flocked to the center. The rapidly rotating energy began to compress. ‘..Tsk.’ The energy was so strong that compressing it was challenging, but not impossible. ‘Excluding waste, only compress as much as can be utilized.’ I moderated it as such, compressing the chi. I then embedded it directly into Seong Yul’s danjeon. Following that, I withdrew my hand from his body. In that moment. Boomuuu---!!! “Kuhuhu…!!!” Bang-! Bang-bang-! A series of popping noises echoed from Seong Yul’s body. “Endure it. If you can't, you’ll die.” Bang-! Bang-bang-bang--!!! “…!!” “Don’t open your mouth. Keep your chi from leaking. Even a small leak and it’ll blow, alright?” Drip. Blood trickled from Seong Yul’s lips. The backlash was indeed considerable. “Huff.” As I watched, I crossed my arms. I noticed my palms felt clammy, so I glanced at them. They were covered in sweat. It wasn't just my palms; my whole body was drenched in sweat. "...Damn." I thought it was tough, but I didn't realize to this extent. I wiped the sweat off onto my robes and looked over at Seong Yul. Thud-! Thud-thud-! "Let's see." Could he really withstand that level of pressure? I had my doubts, but I pushed them aside. 'He has to.' He had to, and he would. If he was that resolute, he'd manage somehow. A normal person would've burst open by now, but he held on this long. Setting aside why he became so stubborn all of a sudden... 'Show me what you've got if you can.' I realized Seong Yul was trying to show me something. Whether it was his stubbornness or his determination. 'In that case, you can't just die here meaninglessly.' He was too promising to simply discard in a place like this. With that in mind, I continued to focus on him. Thud-! Thud... thud-thud.... The vibrations subsided, and soon there was no sound at all. Then. Thump-! Seong Yul's body slumped to the ground. I narrowed my eyes at the sight. Did he fail? Feeling uneasy, I approached him. But then. "Dammit, you scared me." Upon checking on him, I immediately spat out an expletive. "Are you going to get up or not?" Despite my harsh words, a smile crept onto my face. "..." Seong Yul responded to my words. Propping himself up with his hands, he slowly rose from the ground. Crack-!! Something flaked off his body. It looked like dead skin, maybe even shedding remnants like a snake. Rebirth through transformation. He had expanded his physical capacity with the overwhelming energy. "Ah..." Seong Yul let out a soft exclamation as he stood. As soon as he opened his mouth, breath and energy flowed out. His murky brown eyes now held a peculiar glow. He seemed to be experiencing something, judging by his reflective gaze. The energy was dense and radiant. Confirming that, I was certain. "You've broken through." Seong Yul had ascended to the Dahn level. "Ahhh..." "Does it feel good?" He couldn't even respond to my question, just staring at me. It was rare to see such vivid emotion. His eyes were filled with awe and a profound sense of gratitude. "…Thank you... Thank you so much." Could breaking through the wall feel that great? Seong Yul continuously expressed his gratitude towards me. "...Oh, uh, okay." I felt a bit awkward fully accepting his thanks. ‘…Technically, it all happened because I forced it down him, right?’ He could have died from it. Trying to verify any side effects backfired, and I had to recover the situation. This wasn’t my intention. 'Still, if the result is good, it’s all good.' That's all that mattered. Plus. ‘Now, with this….’ Now that Seong Yul turned out well with the Yeouiju. ‘Does that mean I can have the others take it too...?’ I was getting a sense of how to utilize it now.