Genius Martial Arts Trainer

Human Experimentation

While puzzled by Mu-jin’s sudden visit, Jegal Jin-hee cautiously asked,

“Ah… Um. Are you alright?”

The reason for asking was not just because of the sudden visit. Recently, Mu-jin had seemed a bit off. Every day, it felt as if his body was slowly wasting away, and the once always confident Mu-jin showed signs of anxiety for some reason.

“…I am not alright. But I believe I can be.”

Jegal Jin-hee looked worried at Mu-jin’s incoherent response.

‘…Could one fall into Qi Deviation or a similar state just by external training?’

Was Mu-jin’s training really that dangerous?

“How can you be alright?”

“My help?”

In response to Jegal Jin-hee’s question, Mu-jin handed her a letter instead of explaining further.

“Can you get the things written in this letter for me every day?”

As Mu-jin asked, Jegal Jin-hee read through the hastily scribbled phrases in the letter. After reading it all, she couldn’t hide her bewildered expression.

“If… If I get these things, you’ll be alright?”

The content of the letter was a list of various foods, mostly dishes using meat or fish. It was unusual for a Shaolin monk suffering from anxiety to request meat, making it suspicious whether the monk had gone mad. But Jegal Jin-hee wasn’t surprised for that reason.

She had been providing food for Mu-jin to help with his muscle development. What surprised her was the number of dishes and the request to obtain them ‘every day.’

“Are you saying you will eat these instead of what you currently eat?”

Mu-jin shook his head at her question.

“I plan to add these to what I originally eat.”

“…You will eat all of this? Every day?”

‘Can a person eat all this in one day?’

Jegal Jin-hee couldn’t help but wonder. The amount Mu-jin already ate was enormous, and the food listed in the letter was enough for at least two meals for an average person. Watching Jegal Jin-hee’s dumbfounded expression, Mu-jin began to explain his situation.

“In fact, I believe the reason I’ve been losing weight recently is because of my diet.”

“Oh. Isn’t it because you have achieved ahead in your Jade Vajra Technique?”

“It is because of the Jade Vajra Technique, but not because the achievement has increased.”

“??”

Seeing Jegal Jin-hee’s puzzled face, Mu-jin elaborated.

“As muscles grow and physical ability develops, the amount of food needed to maintain the muscles increases.”

Anyone who has done a bit of exercise knows that increased muscle leads to higher basal metabolic rate. Moreover, with the increased muscle, Mu-jin’s exercise intensity also increased, burning an immense amount of calories daily. If he ate only three meals a day like others, he would actually start losing weight.

Recently, his physical abilities and muscles increased even more, but,

‘Damn it. Because of the Jade Vajra Technique, I couldn’t accurately assess my condition.’

This was the biggest problem. Due to the Jade Vajra Technique compressing his muscles, he couldn’t gauge his condition by the size of his muscles. He could only estimate it by the weight of the metal he could lift during training.

So, despite a significant increase in muscle mass, maintaining the same diet due to the Jade Vajra Technique caused him to start losing weight. He had mistaken the muscle compression from the Jade Vajra Technique as the sole reason for the muscle’s density increase, unaware of the muscle loss.

‘I hope it’s just some weight loss. Hopefully, I haven’t lost muscle mass too.’

The thought of losing muscle after all that grueling training because of a poor diet was a terrifying idea.

* * *

Chewing and chewing.

Mu-jin was aggressively shoveling food into his mouth. Seeing this scene for the third time, Jegal Jin-hee was continually amazed.

‘He eats that much every two hours.’

Mu-jin ate once every two hours, nearly eight meals a day. Each meal consisted of the equivalent of one to two servings of a normal diet. This was a desperate measure to ensure continuous protein absorption, but Jegal Jin-hee, unaware of the circumstances, found it astonishing.

Even the wealthiest families or sects would struggle to afford Mu-jin’s food expenses. However, despite the seemingly happy act of eating, Mu-jin wasn’t enjoying it.

‘Ha. It feels like my stomach is about to burst.’

Eating every two hours meant the food from the previous meal hadn’t even digested before the next meal came in and piled up in his stomach. Even during his bulk-up phase in the modern era, he had never eaten this much. Since he was younger and more physically capable than in his previous life as Choi Kang-hyuk, the amount of food he needed was much greater.

“Does the food suit your taste?”

Jegal Jin-hee cautiously asked Mu-jin, who was devouring the food. Mu-jin nodded.

“I’m just grateful you’re accommodating my unreasonable request.”

Thankfully, Mu-jin wasn’t just mindlessly consuming protein. Given the need for calories to support his exercise, it was impossible to consume only protein. Moreover, there was a limit to how much protein the human body could absorb at once, making excessive protein intake pointless. Additionally, being in a martial arts world and a skilled master allowed him to push out toxins with internal energy, enabling him to eat spicy food that would be difficult to consume otherwise.

Despite Mu-jin’s seemingly gluttonous diet, the food laid out in front of him was nothing short of a feast. However, no matter how delicious the food, it’s tough to eat when you’re full.

“Thank you for securing such good food. Ugh.”

As he expressed his gratitude, Mu-jin quickly covered his mouth as the food threatened to come back up.

‘Damn it. I just need to endure until my stomach stretches. Humans are creatures of adaptation!’

Despite feeling on the verge of vomiting, he knew that if he didn’t eat all this, he might lose muscle. Battling this fear, Mu-jin felt a sudden clarity in his mind and looked at Hyun-gwang, who was quietly eating beside him.

“Grandfather!”

“Hahaha. What’s the matter, Mu-jin?”

“Is there any martial art that can increase the size of the stomach?”

Mu-jin treated Hyun-gwang like a multi-functional martial arts pouch from Doraemon. However, Hyun-gwang, even in the face of such an absurd request, provided an answer.

“Hahaha. There’s no martial art for that, but there is a technique that might help you.”

At Hyun-gwang’s gentle reply, Mu-jin, who was devouring food, looked at him with pleading eyes. He feared that if he kept eating this much every day, his stomach might burst.

“What is it?”

“There is no martial art to enlarge the stomach, but we do have a technique in Shaolin that strengthens the stomach. It was originally created to maintain the health of monks who often fast during their meditation. It’s more of a medical technique than a martial art.”

“…So, you are saying to learn this technique to protect my internal organs while eating?”

“Hahaha. Seeing how you eat, I’m worried you might damage your stomach.”

As Hyun-gwang stroked his beard and spoke, Mu-jin bowed his head deeply. It seemed there was no way to avoid this torturous eating regimen.

‘Well, at least if I learn that technique, I won’t risk tearing my stomach or dying from overeating.’

Trying to console himself, Mu-jin asked Hyun-gwang about the technique.

“Then, I’ll learn that technique first.”

“Hahaha. I will teach it to you. The technique is called Hwal-seung-gong (Active Monk Technique).”

With that, Hyun-gwang began to explain the essentials of the technique. Given that it was designed for the health of those devoted to Buddhism, the essentials were not particularly complicated. After understanding the technique, Mu-jin picked up his chopsticks again and resumed eating the food remaining on the table.

Watching him, Hyun-gwang murmured to himself with a light laugh.

“I thought fasting was the only form of asceticism, but it seems that overeating can also be a form of self-imposed hardship. Indeed, all things in the world are interconnected. Amitabha.”

Hyun-gwang was having an epiphany in an unusual place.

* * *

One day, while Mu-jin was struggling with the pain of overeating, visitors arrived at Shaolin.

“It’s been a while, Mu-jin Sunim.”

“Sorry for visiting so late, Mu-jin Sunim.”

“Ryu Seol-hwa Shiju-nim, Baek Ga-hwan Gongja, Baek Ga-ryeong Sojeo. It’s been a while. Hahaha.”

The three people who had parted ways with Mu-jin in Jiangxi Province had come to see him after several months. After warmly greeting Mu-jin, Ryu Seol-hwa glanced at the person seated next to him.

“As expected, you were here.”

“Did you know?”

With only a smile on their lips, Ryu Seol-hwa and Jegal Jin-hee exchanged sharp glances. For some reason, the two had never gotten along well, something Mu-jin knew. So, he stepped forward.

“Ah. Ryu Seol-hwa Shiju-nim, Jegal Jin-hee Shiju-nim, you haven’t met each other, right? This is Jegal Jin-hee Shiju-nim, the young master of the Jegal family. And these are Baek Ga-hwan Gongja and Baek Ga-ryeong Sojeo, whom I met in Guangxi Province.”

“Greetings to the young master of the Jegal family.”

“Greetings to the young master of the Jegal family.”

As Baek Ga-hwan and Baek Ga-ryeong politely greeted Jegal Jin-hee, she responded in her typically indifferent but courteous manner.

“I’ve heard a lot about you two. There’s no need to be formal; please speak comfortably.”

“Did you know about us?”

“I heard from the head of our family. We’ve had frequent meetings with the Cheonryu Sangdan regarding the alliance, and I heard there were siblings in the Cheonryu Sangdan who were like the reincarnation of the great Kongming.”

For someone from the Jegal family, who claimed descent from Zhuge Liang, this was the highest compliment they could give.

“Hahaha. I didn’t do anything. It was all thanks to my sister, Ga-ryeong.”

Indeed, Baek Ga-hwan, who was always proud of his sister, laughed brightly and praised Baek Ga-ryeong. Blushing slightly at the compliment, Baek Ga-ryeong responded.

“It’s an overpraise. It was only possible because of the intelligence from the various sects and the Cheonryu Sangdan. In fact, I felt quite humbled by the head of the Jegal family’s strategy.”

The young people, responsible for the future of the allied forces, were fostering camaraderie and praising each other, creating a warm scene. Watching them, Mu-jin soon noticed something odd.

‘Baek Ga-ryeong is blushing? And speaking so long-windedly?’

“Baek Sojeo. Is it alright for you to speak that long?”

Startled, Mu-jin asked, and Baek Ga-ryeong smiled faintly as she replied.

“Thanks to the technique taught by Mu-gung Sunim, I can manage this much now.”

“Oh… So, it wasn’t that you always spoke in proverbs?”

“…I had to speak that way because I would get short of breath if I spoke too long. Didn’t my brother explain that to you back then?”

At her answer, Mu-jin laughed awkwardly.

‘I thought it was just her style.’

Mu-jin, who had misunderstood her condition, tried to hide his embarrassment.

“Ahem. It was thanks to Mu-gung.”

“Yes. And since we came to Shaolin today, I plan to meet Mu-gung Sunim.”

Baek Ga-ryeong blushed again as she smiled.

Knowing the reason for Baek Ga-ryeong’s visit, Mu-jin turned to Ryu Seol-hwa.

“By the way, Ryu Seol-hwa Shiju-nim, what brings you here? Is there a problem with the Cheonryu Sangdan?”

“No. I just wanted to inform you about the events outside and see how you were doing, so I came.”

“As you can see, I’m doing well. How is the alliance going?”

“The tension continues. Sometimes we see movements from the shadowy forces coming up from Dongting Lake, and we, along with Wudang, are blocking them. Occasionally, there are disturbances in Sichuan or Shaanxi.”

“…Is the damage severe?”

“It’s still minor skirmishes, so there are occasional injuries, but nothing serious. You don’t need to worry.”

Mu-jin sighed lightly at her answer.

“It’s a relief that there haven’t been any major issues.”

“It’s all thanks to the Jegal family and these two here, Baek Ga-hwan Gongja and Baek Ga-ryeong Sojeo. Oh, and thanks to them, our forces might increase.”

“Do you mean the alliance has new members?”

“It’s still uncertain, but we are having positive talks with the Beggar Sect.”

“The Beggar Sect, huh. That sounds like a good choice.”

The Beggar Sect is a group of beggars, known for having the largest network. Naturally, due to their simple conditions, many of Shinchun’s spies must have infiltrated. However, fortunately, most key figures in the Beggar Sect, including the Eight Elder and the Chief, were righteous people who wouldn’t easily fall for Shinchun’s tricks.

Being beggars, they had little desire for power or money.

‘Come to think of it, Shinchun seems to have a hard time recruiting people with no greed.’

This applied not only to Shaolin but also to Wudang and the Beggar Sect. Those who couldn’t be tempted by bribes were tough targets for Shinchun to penetrate deeply.