In the end, Pyo-wol left the Hao clan empty-handed. With both Hong Yushin gone and the Hao clan system collapsed, it was impossible to get anything useful from the Hao clan.
He had already wasted two days waiting for Hong Yushin. Now, there was no point in searching for Um Soso, So Gyeoksan and the others.
It would be better for him to conserve his energy by moving on alone, instead of chasing after them.
If he still had a connection with them, then they would surely meet again someday.
After stopping at the market to buy some supplies for his upcoming journey, Pyo-wol mounted his horse.
He didn’t have a specific destination in mind. He just wanted to leave Runan.
He rode towards Tianzhongshan and headed east, passing by the foot of the mountain.
He didn’t have any particular destination in mind.
As much as he wanted to track down the Kowloon Assassin Guild, he couldn’t, because he had no information about them at the moment.
So rather than wasting his mental energy on something he had no information about, it would be better for him to follow his heart and move as he pleased for the time being.
And as of now, his heart was drawn to the sea.
He had never seen the sea in his life.
Even during his orphan days when he roamed the world, he had never been to the sea. And during the time he was kidnapped and raised as an assassin by the Blood Shadow Group, he only stayed in Sichuan, which was surrounded by high plateaus.
He did, however, encounter a large river on his way here, but he had never been near the sea.
He felt that if not now, then when would he ever find the time to go and catch sight of the sea?
That was why Pyo-wol’s steps were now headed towards the sea.
He didn’t know much about the exact direction, but he knew that if he kept going east, he would eventually come across a sea.
In order to go east from Runan, he had to pass by the foot of Tianzhongshan.
Tianzhongshan was by no means a small mountain.
It was as high and vast as its grand name suggested, spanning over a wide area. It was for this reason why many people chose to take a detour by taking the river to the south when traveling east from Runan.
However, Pyo-wol chose to cross Tianzhongshan.
He believed that doing so was worth the journey, despite having to traverse the rough mountain path.
There was a path that people used to traverse Tianzhongshan, but it was rarely used due to its difficulty.
Pyo-wol rode his horse as he ascended the mountain path.
Even though the horse couldn’t run freely unlike on a flat land, it seemed pleased to walk, since it could finally relieve its boredom and be out of the stifling stable.
The mountain path twisted and turned like a snake, passing through the side of Tianzhongshan.
Pyo-wol was not in a hurry.
He knew that he could not cross the mountain within a day even if he rode his horse as fast as he could. Plus there’s the danger of falling over a cliff if he recklessly rushed his way.
Sure, Pyo-wol could survive such an accident, but his horse could not.
As he travelled carefully like this, it was expected that Pyo-wol couldn’t get far.
Darkness slowly descended on Tianzhongshan.
Traveling at night was even more dangerous, since it was near impossible to see the mountain path.
Knowing this, Pyo-wol found a place to sleep before nightfall.
He chose a small clearing just off the mountain trail.
Pyo-wol took and tied his horse to a place where the grass was abundant. Afterwards, he started preparing to stay the night.
He built a campfire and picked a place to sleep. For his dinner, he would be eating the beef jerky he had prepared in advance.
Pyo-wol quickly built a fire, flattened the ground, and sat down near the fire, chewing on the beef jerky.
It was then.
Gwiya, who had been hanging gently from Pyo-wol’s arm, suddenly squirmed and crawled down.
Once on the ground, the small snake glanced at Pyo-wol before disappearing into the forest.
Even though Gwiya had completely disappeared into the forest, Pyo-wol wasn’t particularly worried. He had faith that his small snake would definitely come back.
So Pyo-wol put aside his worry for the snake.
Although it was small in size, Gwiya was extremely agile and had poison to defend itself.
It was safe to say that it would not be harmed by the other animals.
After finishing his beef jerky, Pyo-wol did what he always did.
He meditated.
Using the Thunder-Splitting Snake Spirit Technique, Pyo-wol cultivated his internal energy.
As he practiced this technique, he realized that his internal energy had become much larger and deeper than before. Perhaps due to the experiences and realizations he had gained during the battles, his internal energy had unconsciously increased.
This was good news for Pyo-wol.
The Soul-Reaping Thread that Pyo-wol frequently used, was a technique that could not last long without strong internal energy. In order to keep it going for a long time, strong internal energy was necessary.
The Snake Qi Thread, which was a step above the Soul-Reaping Thread, was even more demanding.
With how the said technique consumes an immense amount of internal energy in a short period of time, Pyo-wol couldn’t even afford using it frequently.
While there might be elixirs that could significantly enhance internal energy, in the absence of such a device, the only solution was to steadily accumulate internal energy through consistent meditation.
Pyo-wol focused solely on meditating and circulating his energy.
It was nearly impossible for someone with no background or power to obtain renowned elixirs in Jianghu. And Pyo-wol wasn’t the type to cling to and obsess over impossible endeavours.
He was more inclined to focus on what he could do, on what was possible. That’s why he concentrated on meditating.
However, today, he found himself strangely more focused than usual.
Perhaps it was because he was in the depths of Tianzhongshan.
Tianzhongshan has been known as a famous mountain since ancient times.
Its name Tianzhongshan literally means, center of the sky.
And true to its name, Pyo-wol indeed felt a unique energy lingering around Tianzhongshan.
Pyo-wol immersed himself in the mountain’s energy, as he cultivated using the Thunder-Splitting Snake Spirit Technique.
Crackle!
It was as if lightning was striking within his body.
Although there was no actual lightning, Pyo-wol felt a sensation similar to it. This was because the nerves in his body were being constantly stimulated.
The more he cultivated, the more intense the stimulation became.
Eventually, the stimulation was so intense that Pyo-wol’s body trembled uncontrollably.
But he didn’t dare to stop.
Even if no one had formally taught him how to cultivate, he instinctively realized that he couldn’t stop cultivating at this moment.
He practiced harder and harder.
He eventually lost track of time.
He even forgot that he was cultivating.
In the end, even when Pyo-wol was no longer cultivating, his internal energy was still moving on its own.
Even without Pyo-wol’s guidance, his internal energy was moving fiercely, following a predetermined path.
Thud, thud, thud!
Tiny vibrations continue to explode from within Pyo-wol’s body.
As his internal energy flowed like a tidal wave, his blood vessels naturally expanded.
Afterwards, the internal energy that had widened Pyo-wol’s blood vessels began to deviate from its set path.
From going through the main blood vessels, the internal energy then spread out into the minor veins.
Unlike the major blood vessels, the minor blood vessels were much more difficult to train.
They are so cramped and countless that it is impossible to distinguish each and everyone. That was why most martial artists only cultivated the major meridians and didn’t even pay attention to the minor ones.
Pyo-wol was no different.
He had created and cultivated the Thunder-Splitting Snake Spirit Technique on his own, without a master As a result, his knowledge was so vastly inadequate that he didn’t even think about expanding his minor meridians.
But now, he was sure.
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