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Even though I had become the Immortal Body of the Ten Thousand Poisons, I felt no particular thrill.

‘Have I ever had trouble because of poison…?’

All I’d heard was a warning about the Poison Demon among the Eight Demons of Martial Daos being fearsome, but that was about it. So, it didn’t really register with me. Mangnyang chuckled lightly.

“In the Jianghu, apart from the Four Talents Sect, there are plenty of sects that utilize poisons. Officially, using poison is considered a cowardly act, but, put simply, few methods are as effective as overpowering your opponent like poison.”

“Hmm…”

“Having consumed the essence of the Great Demon, I’ve developed a resistance, so now most poisons won’t affect me. You can rightfully call me Immortal Body of the Ten Thousand Poisons.”

Mangnyang looked genuinely pleased, which meant my current achievement was substantial. I nodded in agreement.

“Now, I’m sure I can beat Lee Kwang.”

Originally, when sparring with Lee Kwang, I barely managed to assert a slight dominance. This was because my pressure due to internal power didn’t work against his intent, and my realization of the formless wasn’t distinctly superior to his. However, since I had enhanced my internal power’s availability through Sacred Lotus and Poison Sealing, my attack strength had surely changed. If I faced him directly, Lee Kwang would be hard-pressed just to defend against my attack.

Looking at me, Mangnyang said, “Even so, the Jianghu still has many prodigies. Especially, you’re not yet at the level of the Dharma Guardian, so please be cautious.”

“I know.”

The Heavenly Spirit Pill of the Dharma Guardian!

That was a force that made the Dharma Guardian seem more like a god of destruction than just another martial artist. Being able to unleash infinite internal power infinitely meant that even if you spent your internal power like water, your recovery rate would be far superior. To confront the owner of the Heavenly Spirit Pill, one needed either to have an exceptionally high understanding of the formless or have a Heavenly Spirit Pill of their own.

‘I must obtain the Heavenly Spirit Pill in this reincarnation.’

If the master awarded us the task and the three of us procured the Heavenly Spirit Pill, many things would change from there. Moreover, wouldn’t simply learning the secret of the Heavenly Spirit Pill mean we wouldn’t have to rely on the White Lotus Sect from the next reincarnation on?

As I pondered all of this, Mangnyang said, “Let’s head out then.”

“Got it. So, to Jinrang Valley…”

“No. Let’s go to the Southern Continent where Huayo is.”

“Huh? Got it.”

Choosing the Southern Continent out of the blue like that didn’t quite make sense to me, but I decided to go along with Mangnyang’s words anyway.

Pa-at!

Once we reached the Southern Continent, Mangnyang said, “Find a native and overpower one to bring back.”

“Hmm… All right. I’ll go look.”

I heightened my Qi Sense to search for areas in the vast land where natives might be present. Luckily, it wasn’t long before I arrived near a native village I’d been to before. After finding a straggler and overpowering him with Bloodline Control, I brought him before Mangnyang, who was wide-eyed with fear.

Fwoooo…

Mangnyang slowly placed his hand on the native’s forehead and concentrated. A moment later, a faint, grayish aura began to seep from the native’s forehead. The aura oozed out slowly, and Mangnyang was also dripping with sweat as he focused intently.

After about a quarter of an hour or so, the grayish aura completely escaped from the native’s forehead and was absorbed into Mangnyang’s palm. Mangnyang sighed and said, “Now release him.”

I followed Mangnyang’s instruction, knocking the native out again and placing him back where I found him. Mangnyang then addressed me.

“What I just did was extract the soul essence following the principles of the Soul Exchange Technique.”

“Hmm!”

I was taken aback.

“Already at the application stage?”

Mangnyang and I had started practicing the Soul Exchange Technique at the same time. However, while I was still only training through simple methods, he had already grasped the secret and was using advanced techniques. Mangnyang, as if it were obvious, remarked, “With my skills and experience, this much is simple.”

“……”

I had that too, so why was I struggling to grasp it?

While I was pondering this, Mangnyang continued, “The reason we repeatedly train in the beginner stages of the Soul Exchange Technique by extracting the soul essence is because that’s both the beginning and the end of the Soul Exchange Technique. Knowing the principles and training allows for quicker mastery, which is why I came here to explain it to you, Baek Woong.”

“Ah!”

Mangnyang was focused on accelerating my progress. That’s why he had come to teach me after mastering the technique himself. Asking Zhuge Sa for detailed explanations would get me nowhere, considering he was unlikely to explain as kindly as Mangnyang did.

As I concentrated and listened carefully to Mangnyang, he elaborated, “Now, I’ve extracted that native’s soul essence and absorbed it into my body to control it. This means once I learn to manipulate this essence, I’ll be able to monitor that native’s spirit.”

“I see.”

“Extracting the essence is the beginner level, controlling it is the intermediate level, and the final stage is using the essence to move the soul.”

I tilted my head at that.

“Using the essence to move the soul? What do you mean by that?”

“Hmm… Have you heard this? In the Book of Rites, it states that the soul returns to heaven and the body returns to earth (魂氣歸于天, 形魄歸于地). It means when a person dies, the soul ascends since it’s the essence, while the essence is absorbed by the earth.”

Mangnyang’s eyes lit up. “The essence is the driving force that supports the soul.”

“Hmm…”

At that moment, I felt something strange and spoke up, “Wait a minute. If it’s a driving force, then you just extracted the native’s essence, right? Isn’t that dangerous to his life?”

“That’s the funny part. If you extract the soul, the being would incur great harm, but the same doesn’t hold for the essence. No matter how much you extract, there’s always a certain amount that regenerates as it envelops the soul.”

“……!!”

“It’s a different concept from life force.”

Mangnyang explained further.

“I absorbed the native’s essence but still lack the technique to control it, so I cannot overpower his spirit yet. However, Zhuge Sa would likely extract the essence swiftly and then use it to monitor the spirit.”

“That makes sense.”

“And at the advanced level, I’d move the essence to handle the soul…”

Mangnyang drew two circles on the ground with a stick, overlapping a big one with a smaller one. Pointing at the smaller circle, he explained, “In fact, if the opponent’s soul does not respond, there’s no earthly technique to move the soul itself.”

“What!”

“There are countless martial arts and sorceries in Taoism, but the same holds true. To attract the soul, you need an unreasonable amount of martial power. Even in spirit summoning, it’s merely about clearing a path and creating a slope to roll in; there’s no suction. It’s even more impossible without the other party’s consent.”

“Hmm…”

“That’s why, in the Soul Exchange Technique, the focus is not on moving the soul but on moving the essence surrounding it. Because when the driving force, the essence, moves, the soul follows.”

“I think I’m starting to get it.”

Mangnyang nodded and replied, “When Qi scatters, the soul and essence correspond. That’s the essence of the Soul Exchange Technique.”

“……?”

At that moment, a peculiar sense of déjà vu washed over me. Shortly after, I realized where I had felt it before.

[Baek Woong, what do you believe Qi is?]

[While striving for the utmost limit of martial arts, I came to realize one thing. My Primordial Spirit is not derived from the Divine Void, i.e., the Primordial Void. ]

[The Primordial Void refers to Qi. When we say ‘the Primordial Void is Qi’, we mean that Qi scattered is indeed the Primordial Void.]

“……!!”

I realized it.

‘It’s similar to what the Master of the White Lotus Sect said!’

Unbelievably, the principles and techniques of the Soul Exchange Technique Mangnyang taught me were remarkably aligned with those discussed by the Master of the White Lotus Sect! Especially the mention of the scattered Qi felt eerily synchronized.

How could this be? One side had reached an absolute level in martial arts, while the other was a heretical sorcerer. Yet somehow, there was a shared ground.

Baek Woong inquired curiously, “Baek Woong, why do you look like that?”

“Mangnyang! The Master of the White Lotus Sect said something similar.”

I relayed to him what I had spoken with the Master of the White Lotus Sect. More precisely, I retold the discourse he had on the martial principles. Upon hearing this, Mangnyang wore a serious expression and replied, “Interesting… The concept of the Primordial Void is one that was first introduced by the master of the Northern Song Learning School, Heng Qu. However, it has nothing to do with martial arts; it’s a part of Confucian doctrine. Moreover, this mention of the Primordial Void resembles something from the teachings of Wang Shouren, the leading figure criticizing Zhu Xi’s school.”

“Wang Shouren?”

“He’s now in his old age, a remarkable scholar.”

After pondering for a moment, Mangnyang continued, “Wang Shouren is the founder of the Yangming School, emphasizing a subjective practical philosophy. He stands at the forefront of criticizing Zhu Xi’s doctrines, focusing primarily on the principle of Heart is Reason.”

“Heart is Reason?”

“It’s quite complicated, so I will explain it later. This is something only scholars who have studied Confucianism for years can comprehend.”

Mangnyang briefly paused, tilting his head as he added, “However, the theory of Qi discussed in Yangming School or Zhu Xi’s school is more about new national and social visions than the principles of martial arts. The Primordial Void, as mentioned by Heng Qu from the Northern Song period, isn’t very different either. The fact that the Master of the White Lotus Sect discussed it is quite strange.”

“Is the Qi in Confucianism different?”

“It’s somewhat different. If it were the same, all Confucian scholars would be martial arts experts.”

After thinking intently, Mangnyang mused, “I think the term ‘Primordial Void’ is perhaps more crucial than Qi.”

“Primordial Void?”

“The Primordial Void is said to be the scattered form of Qi. Perhaps the Master of the White Lotus Sect, while practicing profound martial arts, came to feel that the Primordial Void is not just an abstract concept but reality. Thus, he might have metaphorically shared that concept with you.”

“Hmm… But why?”

I couldn’t wrap my head around it and said, “Why would he tell me something of such high-level concepts, especially when I lack talent?”

“……”

Mangnyang looked at me intently and replied, “… The Master of the White Lotus Sect may have sensed something in you. Beyond that, I cannot say.”

“Hmm…”

Indeed, the Master of the White Lotus Sect is enigmatic. Every word out of his mouth feels like a riddle. Mangnyang shook his head and said, “Now, take what you just discussed regarding martial principles back to Jinrang Valley and share it with Jin So-cheong. He might just research it and yield results.”

“Understood.”

Pa-at!

We returned to Jinrang Valley and shared our findings with Jin So-cheong. As she mulled it over, Jin So-cheong remarked, “I’m concerned about something else.”

“Something else?”

“The Four Calamities.”

Jin So-cheong interlaced her fingers as she explained further. “In the Buddhist worldview, the Three Thousand Great Worlds undergo four periods: the Period of Arising, the Period of Continuance, the Period of Destruction, and the Period of Emptiness. Furthermore, calamity refers to an unimaginably vast time. During the cycle of the universe, I once heard that Buddha saves humanity.”

“Hmm, that’s somewhat akin to what the Heavenly Secret Technique talks about regarding the seasons of the universe…”

“I’m not sure, but in Buddhism or Taoism, the perspective that the world goes through cycles seems consistent.”

Continuing, Jin So-cheong pondered aloud, “I find it curious that understanding the Primordial Void is linked to the Four Calamities. His martial arts, no matter how you look at it, have a spiritual nature. Since the White Lotus Sect shares roots with Buddhism, his mention of the Four Calamities must hold significant meaning.”

“What kind of meaning?”

“That, I can’t say. What is certain is that only by understanding the Primordial Void can one grasp the Four Calamities.”

“……”

The Primordial Void! The sudden introduction of this concept left me feeling odd. A fleeting thought crossed my mind.

‘The Master said that by interpreting the Law of the Non-Birth Mother, one gains incomprehensible strength. Could it be that the Law mentions the Primordial Void?’

Feeling inspired, I asked Mangnyang, “Mangnyang, do you think the Law of the Non-Birth Mother is also a Grimoire?”

“Hmm… I don’t believe it’s a Grimoire.”

Mangnyang responded calmly. “Grimoires mostly contain forbidden knowledge related to the Old Ruler penned by otherworldly races. The true authors of significant Grimoires are often not the Old Ruler themselves, but their followers or priests. Hence, even if we find artifacts like the Nameless Ritual Book, they can still be managed by humans.”

“However, if the Non-Birth Mother is indeed ‘that’ existence of which I’m thinking, her Law would be too elevated to merely be a Grimoire. She’s a deity.”

“……”

“It would be a sorcery book one level above a Grimoire… that Law would be known as a Divine Book.”

Mangnyang sighed, “Let’s conclude this discussion here. It would be best to focus on training while we await Lee Kwang’s resurgence.”

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