The meridians are the pathways through which qi flows, covering the entire body like a vast network.

They have no physical form—dissecting a human body won’t reveal them—but the overwhelming evidence of their existence is undeniable, and no martial artist doubts their reality.

Martial artists circulate internal energy through their meridians, and in some cases, they can stimulate them to trigger various physical effects.

For example, they can block their own bleeding, temporarily suppress pain, or even paralyze an opponent by striking their numbing acupoints. Some can even knock someone unconscious by targeting their vital acupoints.

Certain basic acupoint techniques are considered essential knowledge for any martial artist, even if they haven’t studied meridians in depth.

Naturally, Seol Lihyang had learned the basic concepts from the Blood Venom Unit leader.

She still hadn’t memorized the names and locations of the acupoints properly, but she understood their effects.

…Or so she thought.

A light press of Cheon Hwi-da’s finger landed on the acupoint at her shoulder.

She only had a vague memory that "there was something important around here."

However, her body responded before her mind could process it.

Press.

His fingers pressed down with a firm, unwavering touch.

It wasn’t painful, but the pressure was just right—enough to feel it but not enough to hurt.

That much was fine.

She flinched instinctively but actually found the sensation a bit refreshing.

However—

The moment Cheon Hwi-da's internal energy flowed through her acupoint—

"Hiyaak?!"

Seol Lihyang’s back arched like a bow.

A flood of thoughts raced through her mind as she struggled to comprehend what had just happened.

'W-What was that?!'

She understood the process.

The moment Cheon Hwi-da’s internal energy entered her body, it carried a faint, foreign sensation, which instantly transformed into a wave of heat at her shoulder.

Her meridian, stimulated by his internal energy, absorbed it, causing an explosive surge of vitality in her body.

The fact that she was able to grasp this process so quickly was proof of her innate talent—but that didn’t matter to her at all right now.

The real issue was how overwhelmingly intense this surge of vitality was.

And the moment this massive energy spread through her body, which had been exhausted from rigorous training—

Her body reacted in a way she couldn’t control.

Like dry soil drinking in rainwater, her fatigued muscles immediately absorbed the newfound energy.

Her body tensed for a moment, then—

Relaxed.

The sensation was so unexpected that she involuntarily jerked.

A wave of warmth and satisfaction followed, and she quickly became alarmed.

"Wait! Hold on! Stop for a second!"

"Didn’t I tell you not to move? Meridian Acupressure requires a significant amount of internal energy and precise control. I’m doing this for your benefit, so cooperate."**

"That’s the problem! It—It feels too good! I-It’s weird! Stop it right now!"

She desperately cried out, but her inability to fully describe what was happening made it impossible for Cheon Hwi-da to take her words seriously.

"Enough talking. Lie back down. We’re just getting started."

"H-Huh? Uh…?"

He gently but firmly pushed her back down.

Helpless, Seol Lihyang obediently lay flat again before she even understood why she wasn’t resisting.

And before she could process it—

Cheon Hwi-da continued.

Press. Press. Press.

"Hnn! Hic! Aah?!"

His fingers traced her meridians without hesitation, precisely targeting her acupoints.

Though he was sitting lightly on top of her, his weight felt immense, and waves of heat bloomed throughout her body.

His Raging Wave Death-Stealing Art radiated its raw, untamed power, but—

Even so, it never once broke free from his control.

To Seol Lihyang, however, it felt like a foreign energy was freely rampaging through her body.

It was invasive—almost violating, in a way.

The problem was that it felt ridiculously good.

"Hyaaaak?!"

Her voice cracked as she let out a strange, high-pitched sound.

Her body continued to heal and recover, but her mind was starting to break down.

She struggled to hold on to her sanity and forced herself to think rationally.

"How the hell is he so good at this?!"

After experiencing Meridian Acupressure firsthand, she realized—

Forget the person receiving it—for the one performing it, this technique required extreme concentration, precise internal energy control, and deep knowledge of the human body.

For every touch to elicit such a raw reaction from her body, just how skilled did he have to be?

But… she was mistaken.

Certainly, Cheon Hwi-da’s martial understanding was extraordinary, and his deep comprehension of martial arts and human anatomy was far beyond normal—

However, his Meridian Acupressure wouldn’t have worked this well on anyone else.

And for good reason.

Because he had tailored it exclusively for Seol Lihyang.

Across both his past and present lives, she was the only person who had ever asked him for this.

He knew exactly how much internal energy to use.

He knew exactly which acupoints to press first for maximum effect.

He knew exactly where she felt the most discomfort.

Whether by choice or circumstance, he had no choice but to learn her body inside and out.

After all, in their past life, their relationship had become… intimate.

That’s right.

Cheon Hwi-da was a monster that she herself had created.

Of course, Seol Lihyang had no knowledge of the consequences of her past life’s actions.

Right now, she was struggling just to hold on to her sanity.

"T-This… this is dangerous…!"

Her body burned with heat, her muscles tensed and relaxed uncontrollably, and her misaligned bones snapped back into place.

Her nerves, forcibly realigned, sent waves of pleasure and relief through her body.

She had felt something similar before.

The Blood Venom Unit leader, who had taken her in and cared for her, often helped massage her muscles after training, carefully working out the tension in her limbs.

He had been a true mentor.

However, right now—

The memory of his gentle care was being completely overwritten.

Replaced by something far more intense, far more effective… and far more dangerous.

"I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!"

She repeatedly apologized to her former teacher in her mind.

But no matter how much she pleaded, she couldn’t stop the memory from being rewritten.

In that moment, Seol Lihyang instinctively knew—

From now on, whenever her body felt sore or exhausted, she would instinctively recall this sensation.

“Gggaaahhh…”

In the end, she gave up resisting, melting onto the floor like a cat inside a warm box, letting out a helpless sigh.

The Meridian Acupressure continued for quite some time, but like all things, it eventually came to an end.

When Cheon Hwi-da finally released her, Seol Lihyang lay limp on the wooden floor, completely drained.

Her face was flushed red, and she was panting heavily, as if she had just finished a full sprint.

Yet, despite her exhaustion, her body felt lighter and more refreshed than if she had woken up from a deep, restful sleep.

The cool morning breeze washed over her, easing the warmth that still lingered in her body—reminding her of just how precious such relief could be.

But then—

A thunderous revelation reached her ears.

"For the next three years, I’ll give you Meridian Acupressure every day if possible. So focus entirely on your training, Seol Lihyang."

"...What? Every day?"

"Not unconditionally, of course. I have my own schedule, and things might come up. So it’s only ‘if possible.’"

"I-Isn’t that a bit much? You’re busy too, and this has to be exhausting for you as well!"

"You’ve finally built a solid foundation, and now that I’ve found you a proper internal energy technique, you’ll be starting your real martial training soon. It’s going to be much harder than before. I was the one who brought you to the Tang Clan, so at the very least, let me help you this much."

From Cheon Hwi-da’s perspective, he had already given Tang Sowol the Self-Purging Poison Grass, yet Seol Lihyang had received nothing from him.

So this was his way of making it up to her.

But to Seol Lihyang, this was not an easy decision.

‘Every single day…? Can I even endure that…?’

Just imagining it made her nervous.

She tried to ignore the tiny sense of anticipation creeping up inside her, struggling to find the right response—

Until, suddenly, a name popped into her head.

And she panicked.

“Sister Tang…!!!”

To Seol Lihyang, Tang Sowol was the very embodiment of the noble lady she had always admired.

She was also the daughter of the man who had saved Cheon Hwi-da’s life, and because of that, she had always treated Seol Lihyang kindly.

Having received so little kindness in her life, Tang Sowol was special to her in a way completely different from Cheon Hwi-da.

So it was only natural that she didn’t want to do anything that would make her upset.

"H-Hey! You can’t just waltz into another woman's room whenever you feel like it! Get Sister Tang’s permission first! Then it’s fine!"

"That... sounds kind of strange, but fine. I’ll do that."

Cheon Hwi-da shrugged indifferently.

His casual response irritated Seol Lihyang so much that she instinctively clenched her fists.

Then, as he nodded, she let out a sigh of relief and slowly unclenched her fingers.

“Haaah…”

At the same time, a strange sharp pain pricked at her heart, like a needle piercing deep inside her chest.

For a brief moment, her eyes burned, as if she might tear up—

…but Seol Lihyang didn’t understand why.

She simply assumed it was because she was finally relaxing after all the tension.

"Yeah… this is fine."

She reassured herself.

Tang Sowol knew just how dangerous (?) Meridian Acupressure was.

If she were in this situation, she would never allow it.

So this ridiculous "tyranny" from Cheon Hwi-da would end right here.

Seol Lihyang was still mistaken.

She didn’t realize that her case was unique—

That Meridian Acupressure wasn’t normally this overwhelming.

And the next morning, when Tang Sowol casually granted permission, Seol Lihyang shivered.

"H-Huaahh…."

Whether it was from excitement or fear, only she knew.

***

Three Years Later

Tang Sowol had entered secluded training under Tang Jincheon to master the Universal Return Divine Art.

Seol Lihyang had officially begun practicing Glacial True Qi, learning to control the Yin energy of her Pure Yin Physique.

And I—

I had spent these years integrating the martial arts I had observed in Wudang, incorporating them into my swordsmanship, while also refining my footwork with the Ghost Shadow Steps I had learned from the Ghost Shadow Thief.

And so, three years passed.

Tang Sowol, with the Tang Clan’s limitless support and a brilliant master like Tang Jincheon, had finally stepped into the Peak Stage.

Seol Lihyang, surpassing everyone’s expectations, had reached mid-first-rate.

And as for me—

"You’ve gotten taller."

…I had grown taller than Tang Sowol.

By two full finger joints.

"Cheon Hwi-da, is that really such an important achievement to you…?"

"Of course it is."

I no longer had to tilt my head up to look at her.

I no longer had to endure her teasing about being younger.

I was finally free from that humiliation.

Compared to that—

Even the fact that I was beginning to glimpse the path beyond the Peak Stage seemed insignificant.