The Martial Master - 26 Martial Condensation

‘Bodily strength huh?’

Su Min pondered as he looked at the man who seems to excel in strength; although he didn’t have much time to do so as the burly man turned to look at everyone.

The light smile on his face was nowhere to be seen where a cold indifference overtook it. He seemed to hold an immense power as he glared at everyone, making people step back and even wet themselves.

“Follow me, rookies!”

He grinned at them as he spoke, and without caring about those who are still unconscious, he sped off into the distance. He still seemed like a blur, although his speed was substantially slower compared to before. It seemed that he was going towards a group of thatch houses a couple of kilometres away; numbering at fifty.

Numerous disciples grumbled as they set off to run after him, leaving behind the people still face first in the mud.

Su Min frowned as he looked at how Yi Zan was still unconscious, but it seemed that the sword youth noticed this as he picked her up with a smug face.

“I’ll leave you alone, eh?”

He hopped off as he started to walk towards the direction the burly man went into, seemingly laughing at himself. Su Min scratched his head as he went and shifted the girl by his side onto his shoulder, looking rather confused.

“Why is he looking at me like that?”

The girl who sat on his shoulder seemed to laugh as she waved her arms beside him like an aeroplane. Su Min knew that she becomes more of a child whenever he picks her up; although he has no idea why exactly.

‘Kids are strange…’

…

…

“How peaceful…”

A gasp resounded as the sword youth looked at the numerous huts that were scattered around a couple sloped hills. He could now see the forest more clearly, where the normal looking trees now looked massive; although they were still at least ten kilometres away from himself.

Similar compounds surrounded theirs as they smoked a woody scent; they were close enough to walk to in a few minutes, although some had larger thatch houses compared to theirs.

The number of them was uncountable, like an endless stream of thatch compounds separated by the hills.

Su Min, arriving with a casual walk, also paused as he saw the separated tranquil huts. He plopped the girl on his back onto the lush ground before looking into the air, waiting for the burly man. Although, his eyes seemed to contain a trace of uncertainty as he stood there. However, he didn’t get a chance to ponder as a cute call spoke next to him.

“Min, Min! Is this where we’re going to stay?”

A girl jumped up and down as she grabbed his black jacket, confusing Su Min greatly.

‘Huh? She’s gotten so lively… Uh.’

It wasn’t like Su Min thought that her recovering was bad, but he knew a lot more about trauma than most. And unless she’s a talent, nobody can just brush off such a thing…

“Mhm. Probably, we just have to wait a bit to see! Look.”

Speaking in a calming voice, Su Min pointed at the sky as his eyes glowed an ancient flicker, seeing through the world and pinpointing an existence. He already knew someone was here, even if he didn’t want to; for the symbol on his chest wouldn’t care.

“Hm?”

A shocked voice rang out in the void as a man appeared out thin air, looking at Su Min with a strange expression. Su Min seemed to ignore him, though, as he rubbed the girls head.

“Quite cool, eh?”

“You can make people invisible?!”

The girl gasped with a shocked gaze as she looked at him with a zealous light, skipping around with a laugh.The man’s expression became even stranger as he looked at the person, the person who had somehow seen through his technique.

‘That’s Su Min? I guess what the elder said was correct…’

More and more people arrived over time as the compound became packed with spent disciples.They looked more like zombies than humans as they staggered around with half-closed eyes, making Su Min stand out with his playful companion.

“Be careful and don’t be fooled by that monster’s appearance…”

“I don’t feel safe…”

“Can you two shut up! I haven’t slept for two days, TWO DAYS!!”

“SHHH!”

The burly man just silently stood in the air as he waited for everyone to arrive, and without notice, he grinned.

“Make sure to get a good nights sleep today. Hehehe!”

Shivering, the whole crowd dulled into silence as they saw a diabolic light cast itself around that grin of his; like it was ready to ravage them all. However, as they all glanced at the man with shock; the man was nowhere to be seen.

Su Min sighed as he went to walk up to a hut. The sword youth saw this, hesitating to follow him. Nobody obstructed Su Min’s path, though, and in no time at all Su Min found an inconspicuous hut.

It contained only two rooms with mudded grounds. The entrance led to the largest room, although it was still pretty small, which contained a large table with a couple axes. Inside laid a narrow doorway which carried them to a smaller room with but two straw beds, not looking that comfortable…

Looking at the bare living quarters, Su Min nodded before sitting down on one of the beds. The two beds were against the left and right walls, creating a tight space between the two where the doorway stood.

The girl sat on the side with him as she swung her legs on the dusty floor, staring into space. Su Min sighed and picked her up, swinging her in the air until she got to the opposite bed.

“He~he!”

“Now, although I won’t let you do any work, you still need to sleep. Right? Mhm?”

…

…

Looking at the pitch black sky, Su Min stared at the fluttering stars that twinkled starlight onto the lush grass. In fact, he wasn’t inside the bedroom but standing in the main room, peering out of the doorway.

He wasn’t tired at all.

“Why does he seem so similar to that man~hm?”

Su Min mumbled as his eyes caught a dusted book by the side of the room. It seemed completely inconspicuous, but Su Min felt curious so he went and picked it up.

It was pretty thin, but its material didn’t seem of this world, carrying the weight of a chair.

‘Martial Condensation: Limitless.’

“Huh.”

Su Min’s interest peaked as he looked at the familiar word that went deep in his blood. The word ‘Martial’.

Opening up the book, Su Min was greeted with a peculiar drawing of a man sitting down. His hands were slouched and a complete cycle was drawn in his body. It started from the bottom of his belly button, flowing up the right side of his body until it ended up to his head. Resembling a roller-coaster summit, it curved before falling back down to the opposite side; ending back at where it started.

It formed a shape similar to an elongated circle, whirling and circling with a strange rule that seemed to be just right…

“Martial Energy?”

Su Min’s brows quivered as he spotted a passage below the drawing, striking his heart before he even read it.

‘Cultivate to the martial condensation stage, reach beyond mortality and step onto the path of immortality. For Martial Energy is the key to shattering the sky and breaking everything in your path!

Disciple, I, Master Limitless, hereby welcome you into the world of cultivation!’

Su Min couldn’t explain it, but the text seemed to thrum into his head and billow his mind into a cold sweat. He thought that he was facing a God when reading the passage, where each word resounded with an intense vigour.

It took a while for Su Min to collect his thoughts as he found himself drenched in perspiration, but within this came a distant memory, echoing into his soul.

It similar to when he started on this journey, but this time it sounded a lot graver. Like he was about to commit something horrific.

‘Cultivate, and wretched torment will be the only thing that accompanies you. Hell, it will blast you till death, blast you with misfortune that never ends. Submit! Submit yourself and be weak! For it isn’t worth it… ‘

It was a voice that sounded just like him, but it was someone else completely. Yet…

“Submit? Hah!”

Su Min’s mind blasted as he laughed at the voice that bellowed at him.

“After that shit-show, you’d expect me to submit? Submit to the world that will fuck me over till I live for no reason at all?!”

That bloody memory surfaced in his mind as his expression turned pitiful. He had questions, questions that nobody could answer.

“What is the reason for my existence? Why am I here? Why aren’t I normal?!”

Those hazy eyes of his churned with a darkness as the sky shined in his view, illuminating him. However, as his mind darkened, a light ruffle sounded behind him as he heard the light breathing of a girl. She was asleep, but she seemed on the verge of waking up.

She was having a nightmare.

‘The girl… It isn’t just about me anymore.’

Those skinking memories of his sprung up as he saw the corpse that protected her; he saw the agony it went through to shield her. He saw what SHE went through… Just to protect someone. What would happen if he became that corpse, what if he became Yu Yan, unable to fight back… At all.

His depressed eyes quivered, where he clenched his fists till they started to bleed. Now that he has a responsibility, how can he just disregard it? He wouldn’t forgive himself, even in death.

“I’m a monster! I don’t care what monster it is, but I’ll embrace it!”

Although he said this, he said it with a hoarseness that felt wrong.It was like he was about to disregard anything that he lives for. But he couldn’t just abandon life and go back to how it was. He is on a tiger, and jumping off isn’t that simple…

“I’ll cultivate!”

Gritting his teeth, he proceeded to read.