Genius Martial Arts Trainer

Human Experiment

To become the Grand Disciple of a prestigious sect, then the next in line to be the Master, and eventually the Grand Master itself.

In a martial arts novel, this would be someone’s life goal, but not for Mu-jin.

It wasn’t because he had an aversion to being a leader.

If he had such an aversion, he wouldn’t have become the owner of a large health club.

The reason why Mu-jin was reluctant to take on the role of Shaolin’s Grand Disciple.

“Live as a monk for the rest of my life? That’s insane!”

It was because of his aversion to a monk’s life.

He couldn’t get married. He had to abstain from meat. He couldn’t drink alcohol.

Of course, in modern times, Mu-jin avoided alcohol for the sake of his muscles, but that was different in this world. He could expel the intoxication with his internal energy.

“No, I could just change the rules once I become the Abbot, right?”

That thought crossed his mind briefly, but Mu-jin soon shook his head.

From what he had observed, the Abbot couldn’t unilaterally decide the major affairs of Shaolin.

No, it went beyond that.

“Even if I became the Abbot, it would take at least thirty years. There’s no guarantee I’ll be here that long.”

In the plot of the novel, the story of the Ga-gyeong Trilogy would conclude within ten years at the latest.

And after that, he might return to the modern world.

If he stayed in this world after resolving all the incidents?

“…Then I’d get married and live happily. Not as a monk.”

It was bad enough to be trapped in a medieval martial arts world, but to live as a monk? That was unacceptable.

In short, he couldn’t take on the role of the Abbot.

Of course, he could accept the position of Grand Disciple temporarily and see through the end of the story.

If he returned to the modern world, he would disappear anyway. If not, he could just escape from Shaolin.

“…By then, Grandfather Hyun-gwang wouldn’t be around either.”

Furthermore, the shadowy forces he needed to confront with Shaolin’s help would no longer be a threat, so he could escape without hesitation.

However, the reason Mu-jin couldn’t accept the position of Grand Disciple was clear.

“If I become the Grand Disciple, it would be difficult to leave Shaolin.”

He still had some tasks to complete.

Some of these tasks could be done as the Grand Disciple of Shaolin, but others could not.

“After finishing my training with Grandfather Hyun-gwang, I have to meet that person.”

Especially since Mu-jin had to contact the current Heavenly Demon’s illegitimate child and the future Heavenly Demon, he couldn’t take on the position of Grand Disciple. Ř

However, he couldn’t tell the Abbot that he needed to meet the Heavenly Demon’s illegitimate child.

Mu-jin decided to decline indirectly.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think the position of Grand Disciple suits me.”

“Ha ha ha. Well thought… What did you say?”

The Abbot’s smile froze at Mu-jin’s unexpected refusal.

“I said I don’t think I can take on the position of Grand Disciple.”

“Why do you think that way? Is it because of your rank in the Muja Group?”

Mu-jin’s rank in the Muja Group was about average.

He was the youngest in his intake, but there were seniors who joined before him and juniors who came after.

However, Mu-jin’s answer was different from what the Abbot expected.

“The position of Grand Disciple itself doesn’t suit me. I would rather handle external affairs than internal matters of Shaolin. I hope to join either the External Affairs Department or the Demon Extermination Squad as a disciple.”

Seeing the Abbot’s expression, Mu-jin quickly added more.

The Abbot seemed determined to force him into the position, so he decided to divert the conversation.

“Ah. By the way, Jegal Jin-hee Shiju-nim asked me to teach her my external energy training method.”

“From the Jegal Family?”

“Yes. I accepted her request as I had promised to receive something from her. Why not use this opportunity to leave a record of my training method in Shaolin as well?”

The Abbot’s interest naturally shifted to that topic.

There was no doubt about the effectiveness of Mu-jin’s external energy training method. Many Shaolin disciples, including Mu-jin, had experienced its benefits.

However, like everything passed down orally, there was always a risk of it being lost or altered.

“It would be good to leave a manual of your training method. I’ll instruct the martial monks in the Sutra Repository to research it with the Jegal Family.”

“Yes. Then I’ll take my leave.”

Mu-jin tried to leave quickly before the Abbot could change his mind, but just before he reached the door, the Abbot spoke again.

“Alright. Think carefully about the position of Grand Disciple once more.”

“…I understand.”

Mu-jin gave a vague reply and left the Abbot’s office.

* * *

The next day, after rejecting the Abbot’s unproductive proposal.

“This feels like I’m a zoo monkey.”

Mu-jin thought as he stood in front of a pile of weights.

“Ready, Mu-jin?”

“We’re ready too, so start whenever you’re comfortable.”

There were about a dozen people watching him closely.

Half of them were from the Jegal Family, following Jegal Jin-hee, and the other half were Shaolin martial monks.

They had come to study Mu-jin’s external energy training method—weightlifting.

However, Mu-jin wasn’t teaching a class.

If he were, they would be holding weights instead of brushes and paper.

Mu-jin had promised to explain the theory of weightlifting after his workout.

But it was problematic to demonstrate exercises after exhausting his muscles, so an alternative method was devised.

While Mu-jin did his workout, the Jegal Family and Shaolin martial monks would draw illustrations of his movements.

After the workout, Mu-jin would explain each exercise, and they would annotate their drawings with his explanations.

They had come to draw Mu-jin’s workout.

“Thinking of it this way, I’m not a zoo monkey but a model.”

Feeling more comfortable with this thought, Mu-jin approached a much sturdier power rack than he used before and spread his legs shoulder-width apart.

Today, he planned to warm up with light weights for his lower body workout.

“Hoo.”

However, even warm-up exercises required serious effort.

From warm-ups to the main workout, he had to stay focused to control and observe his muscles’ movements.

The human body has durability limits, so the time and amount of exercise one can do in a day are fixed.

Exceeding that would turn exercise into self-harm.

To achieve goals quickly, one must maintain high efficiency within the set time and exercise volume.

As fitness enthusiasts often say, “Today, my workout isn’t working.” “I can’t get a pump today.”

To avoid wasting time, one must be sincere in every exercise, from stretching to warm-ups, to maintain high efficiency.

* * *

Immersed in his workout, Mu-jin seemed to forget the dozen people observing him.

He focused all his attention on his muscles and weights, lifting and lowering repeatedly with rhythmic breathing.

Therefore, in the courtyard of Hyun-gwang’s residence, only the sound of Mu-jin’s breathing and the faint noise of the Jegal Family and Shaolin martial monks drawing could be heard.

They had formed a large circle around Mu-jin, drawing from eight different angles.

This way, they could capture his posture and muscle movements from the front, diagonal, and back for each exercise.

“Hoo.”

As Mu-jin finished his last warm-up set and took a deep breath, a martial artist from the Jegal Family, standing behind him, raised his hand.

“Mu-jin, I have a request.”

“Yes. What is it?”

“Could you roll up your pants a bit? The movements of your quadriceps are obscured by your clothes.”

Following the brave man’s words, the Shaolin martial monks also spoke up.

“Hmm. Mu-jin, we were actually a bit uncomfortable with that too.”

“To see the exact muscle movements, the muscles need to be exposed, right?”

As the Shaolin martial monks agreed, Mu-jin willingly took off his shirt.

He couldn’t take off his pants, so he cut them to a short length, like shorts.

“Now it really feels like a body profile shoot.”

With a faint smile at the reminiscent thought, Mu-jin shook off his distractions and focused on his workout again.

Initially, he had worn clothes because others were present, but when he worked out alone or with the Muja Group kids, he often went shirtless, feeling more comfortable this way.

“Hoo.”

As Mu-jin immersed himself in his workout again, the same faint sounds echoed in the hall.

However, among those sounds, different noises occasionally mixed in.

“Wow.”

“How does he have such muscles…?”

Maybe because he had started his main workout shirtless, his ferocious muscles twitched violently with every lift, visible to everyone.

Some couldn’t hide their admiration as they watched Mu-jin’s muscles ripple with each lift.

Shaolin, already influenced by Mu-jin, was beyond words, and even the Jegal Family members who recently trained with him began to understand.

How long and consistently one must endure the pain and monotony of training to build such muscles.

“…How powerful must martial arts be with that body?”

“Truly a body made for martial arts! It’s beautiful beyond words!”

Amidst these admiring thoughts, occasional sounds of swallowing could be heard.

Gulp.

One of the Jegal Family members drawing Mu-jin’s figure turned his head

towards the source of the sound.

“…Young Master?”

There, Jegal Jin-hee had stopped drawing and was staring blankly, swallowing hard as if she had found water in a desert.

Noticing the curious gaze of the Jegal Family member, Jegal Jin-hee quickly regained her composure, blushing slightly.

She used her unique ability to turn her blushing face pale and spoke in her usual cold tone.

“Isn’t it amazing?”

“Ah, yes. It is.”

“We’re learning how to build a body like that. And through that, we’ll create divine techniques. It’s only natural to be impressed. Don’t you think?”

Feeling the intimidating aura that seemed to threaten him if he disagreed, the Jegal Family member quickly nodded.

“Yes, absolutely.”

As Jegal Jin-hee continued to stare coldly, the Jegal Family member finally figured out why.

Gulp.

As he swallowed hard, Jegal Jin-hee turned her head back with a satisfied expression.

* * *

Mu-jin was happy every day.

To be able to focus solely on building muscles was a joy.

He lifted the high-weight dumbbells Jegal Jin-hee gifted him every day, exhausting his muscles. He nourished his body with various foods provided by Jegal Jin-hee and Hyun-gwang.

And except for workout and meal times, he instructed the Shaolin martial monks and Jegal Family members on the effectiveness and caution of each exercise based on their drawings.

“When doing this exercise, it may look like you’re using your arms, but you shouldn’t. When pulling the weight, focus on your chest muscles, and when pushing, focus on the infraspinatus near the shoulder blades.”

As he solely focused on weightlifting and protein intake, his body grew stronger day by day.

Lost in the euphoria of working out, Mu-jin looked at his muscles in the mirror one day and realized something was off.

“What’s with this muscle-bound pig…?”

Mu-jin’s muscle development had outpaced the completion of the Jade Vajra Technique.