Chapter 328 |
Chapter 328
Who is the Fool?
There is a saying, "Injagang," which means inherently strong. It's a term used to describe those who possess great natural strength without any special training.
In Mu-jin's eyes, the people of the Hwangbo family were the perfect embodiment of this term.
Despite never having engaged in weight training, they were tenaciously following his exercise regimen, which was impressive in many ways.
Of course, they were also warriors from a prestigious family, so they must have had basic external training.
However, compared to other warriors from similarly esteemed families like Zhongnan Sect, Tang Clan, or the Jegal family, their natural strength was evident.
"Well, just looking at their physiques, it makes sense," Mu-jin thought.
It wasn't just about their large size. They had well-developed side muscles, prominent latissimus dorsi, and sturdy, muscular calves.
But no matter how naturally strong they were, or how much they embodied "Injagang,"
"If you keep doing it that way, your shoulder muscles might tear,"
Mu-jin, who had been training his body for over twenty years, saw them as mere novices.
The biggest problem was their poor posture.
"It's not just about lifting weights. This is external training, not a strength competition," Mu-jin explained.
In weight training, posture was everything.
The posture he referred to was not one for lifting heavier weights but one that stimulated the muscles accurately.
Unless you were participating in powerlifting or weightlifting competitions, the fundamental goal was to develop muscle strength and enhance athletic performance, not just lift heavy weights.
However, the young members of the Hwangbo family were using every muscle in their bodies, not just their arms or shoulder muscles, to lift the heavy weights.
They bent their backs slightly, or used the momentum of bending and straightening their knees, utilizing their entire body's elasticity to lift the weights.
Throughout, Mu-jin corrected their posture and taught them various exercises while constantly pushing the Hwangbo family warriors.
"If you keep working your arms like that, your shoulders will get injured," Mu-jin warned.
"I can lift it," one insisted.
"Are you doing shoulder exercises or back exercises?"
"I managed to lift it, didn't I?"
"If you do full-body workouts every day, when will your body recover? Muscles need rest after intense training to recover stronger. That's why you split your workouts by muscle group," Mu-jin explained.
At first, they followed Mu-jin's training methods with pale, exhausted faces and responded to his reprimands.
However, as time went on, all that could be heard was their labored breathing.
With blood rushing excessively to their heads, the Hwangbo family warriors lifting the weights could no longer hear Mu-jin's words.
Whether due to anger or overexertion, their faces, initially flushed red, had now turned pale.
"Hmm..."
Seeing their near-death expressions, Mu-jin thought it might be enough to have vented his frustration.
"If I push them any further, they might end up peeing blood tonight," he mused.
The reason it would be blood in their urine rather than in their stool was simple: brown urine is a primary symptom of rhabdomyolysis.
These men were likely gullible fools who had been tricked by Shin-chun.
In a place like this, almost like an age of barbarism, being foolish was a sin.
"But still, making them all cripples is a bit too much," he thought.
He was doubtful that acupuncture or decoctions could cure rhabdomyolysis. Once afflicted, they were certain to be crippled.
Turning all the young men of a family into cripples because they were fools seemed excessive.
"That's enough. Hwangbo family, take a break and rest," Mu-jin said mercifully.
Panting heavily, Hwang Bo-tae, the young master of the Hwangbo family, barely managed to speak.
"I... can do... more," he insisted.
Seeing his pale, almost dying face still burning with determination, Mu-jin clicked his tongue.
"They'll likely take my warning as a provocation," he thought.
Pondering for a moment, Mu-jin came up with a good idea.
"Competitiveness only arises when you think you can do it," he mused.
Showing them an insurmountable gap should do the trick.
With his thoughts organized, Mu-jin walked over and picked up a massive weight.
It was the weight he used during his main workouts.
Until now, Mu-jin had been adjusting the weights to train the young men of the Hwangbo family.
But now, he began lifting and lowering the excessively heavy weight in the same posture repeatedly.
Soon, a strange silence fell over the training ground.
The young men of the Hwangbo family, who had been grumbling under Mu-jin's instruction, were now staring blankly at Mu-jin's workout.
The disciples from Zhongnan Sect, Jegal family, and other martial sects had similar reactions.
They had finally realized that Mu-jin's level of external training was beyond their understanding.
The silence was broken by those who had grown accustomed to Mu-jin's monstrous training.
"Wow, look at that monster. His arm veins are bulging," Mu-gung remarked with a click of his tongue.
"It's honestly a bit disgusting. If his skin, which has reached the level of being impervious to swords, is bulging like that, his veins must be impervious too," Mu-gyeong replied.
At that moment, as if hearing their conversation, Mu-jin set the weight down.
Thud.
Startled by the heavy sound, the two fell silent and tried to avoid Mu-jin's gaze.
"Master, may I try lifting that weight?"
After catching his breath, Hwang Bo-tae asked Mu-jin cautiously, unlike before. Sighing at his foolish competitiveness, Mu-jin replied.
"That weight is still too much for you."
"I just want to see how heavy it is. I know I can't do the movements," Hwang Bo-tae admitted.
Understanding his intention, Mu-jin nodded.
"Go ahead and try."
As Mu-jin stepped aside, Hwang Bo-tae approached the weight Mu-jin had lifted with one hand.
Unlike Mu-jin, he hugged the weight with both arms and lifted it. He couldn't help but swallow hard.
"He lifted this effortlessly with one hand?" Hwang Bo-tae thought, realizing that even his father, Hwang Bo-ak, whom he deeply respected, couldn't do this.
Moments ago, Hwang Bo-tae had looked at Mu-jin with defiant eyes, but now, with a newfound respect, he asked.
"Master, if we follow your training methods, can we become as strong as you?"
Mu-jin felt a chill at Hwang Bo-tae's innocent question.
"He looks like Mu-gung, but his eyes remind me of Mu-yul," he thought.
Feeling an inexplicable sense of eeriness, Mu-jin forced himself to think of Mu-yul, who was tough but endearing.
"I wonder how he's doing," he thought.
He wasn't worried about Mu-yul. He was the kind of kid who would thrive anywhere.
In fact, he would probably do even better in remote areas.
It wasn't the Beast Palace he was worried about either. The warriors there were all similar to Mu-yul.
"I hope you're alive and well, Master Hye-geol," he thought.
What snapped Mu-jin out of his reverie about the southern region was the still sparkling eyes of Hwang Bo-tae.
Mu-jin, with a blank look on his face, finally snapped back to reality when Hwang Bo-tae called out again.
"Master...?"
Clearing his throat, Mu-jin replied.
"If you follow my training methods, you can build muscle. But I can't guarantee you'll reach my level."
Some people believe that if you keep working out, you'll eventually get the bulky muscles typical of hardcore lifters.
This is only half true.
Building muscle also requires talent.
Having muscles grow in the right places was a talent, and so was the ability to bulk up quickly. The limit of one's strength was also a matter of talent.
The young men of the Hwangbo family, with their innate strength, had the potential to become tremendous powerlifters if they consistently trained.
"Though, they'd end up as muscle-bound pigs rather than martial artists," he thought.
In his case, he maintained his physique thanks to the Jade Vajra Technique.
Those who hadn't mastered this technique would be foolish to try to build muscles like his.
In this medieval martial arts era, without modern supplements, achieving his level of muscle purely through exercise and diet was nearly impossible.
"Unless they use drugs," he mused.
Reaching near-human limits, lifting 1,200 kg through pure training and diet was nearly impossible.
"Wait a minute," Mu-jin thought.
"Then how did I do it?"
Until now, he had attributed his physique to his talent for muscle growth combined with the knowledge from his past life as Choi Kang-hyuk.
But now, he found something strange.
"Is it possible to reach this level just with talent in such a harsh environment?" he wondered.
"Did I unknowingly use some kind of doping?"
Mu-jin began recalling his past
.
"Did the Lesser Restoration Pill, Great Restoration Pill, or the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng contain steroids?"
He looked at his muscles with suspicion.
* * *
After finishing his external training, Mu-jin went to Mu-gyeong's quarters.
He decided to set aside his concerns about elixirs and muscles for now.
In this era, there was no way to test the ingredients, so worrying about it wouldn't help.
The reason Mu-jin sought out Mu-gyeong was simple.
"You want me to decipher the mysteries of the Invincible Divine Fist?"
Mu-jin nodded at Mu-gyeong's incredulous question.
"I need to adapt it to different movements or integrate it with other martial arts."
Ignoring Mu-gyeong's dumbfounded expression, Mu-jin explained in detail the principles and internal energy flow of the Invincible Divine Fist and all the martial arts he was practicing.
Initially, Mu-gyeong had a look of disbelief, but he soon became deeply absorbed in the discussion.
His innate talent couldn't be denied. Listening to the profound principles of the Invincible Divine Fist opened his mind.
After hearing the mysteries and internal energy flow, Mu-gyeong looked at Mu-jin with a mixture of wonder and astonishment.
"Master Hyun-gwang was truly amazing. How did he come up with a way to simplify such a complex martial art?" he marveled.
He quickly realized that the Invincible Divine Fist was a bizarre combination of complexity and simplicity created by Hyun-gwang specifically for Mu-jin.
"Did you just realize how amazing my grandfather is? Anyway, do you have any ideas?" Mu-jin asked again.
Mu-gyeong chuckled.
"I'll have to think about it. I'm not Master Hyun-gwang; I can't come up with an answer right away."
Though he didn't have an answer yet, Mu-jin seemed satisfied and stood up.
"That's a relief. I couldn't think of anything at all. I'll leave it to you, then!"
Mu-jin handed the task over as if it was the most natural thing in the world and left without waiting for a response.
Mu-gyeong watched him leave with a perplexed expression for a moment.
Then he naturally sat in a meditative posture and began contemplating.
Solving difficult problems was enjoyable for him, given his natural talent.
"You can create such a force this way. In that case, if I incorporate this part into the Golden Bull Divine Technique..."
Mu-gyeong began solving his own tasks as well.