Bu Eunseol, having left the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying, found himself in Huang County before he realized it. Upon entering the county seat, he sought a comfortable place to rest. After careful consideration, he selected the Silver Flower Pavilion, the most upscale restaurant and inn in the area.
“I wish to rent the entire annex here.”
As soon as he entered, Bu Eunseol handed a bill for a thousand taels to the servant.
Then the manager, who had been in a private room on the first floor, rushed out in his socks.
“The entire annex, you say?”
“Correct.”
“Please follow me first.”
Walking along the small path connected to the back of the inn, a beautiful flower garden unfolded.
Walking along the quietly laid stone path, a cozy building built on a small hill came into view.
“There are two annexes in our pavilion. One is…”
“I will rent both.”
“Alone?”
The manager waved his hands, strongly dissuading him.
“Young Master, the annexes of our pavilion are attached side by side anyway, so if someone reserves one, the other is never rented out.”
“It doesn’t matter. I will rent the whole thing.”
“No matter how good money is, how could we take double the money for no reason?” Rubbing his hands together, the manager spoke with a solemn expression. “The reason our pavilion has been able to operate prosperously for over a hundred years in this Huang County region is not only because we provide top-class facilities and high-quality service to our guests but also because we prioritize honesty…”
One of the things Bu Eunseol hated most was listening to others’ meaningless chatter. Seeing that the manager’s tongue, moving dazzlingly while spitting saliva, showed no sign of stopping, he turned immediately.
“I should go somewhere else.”
Then, as if nothing had happened, the manager widened his eyes and spoke, “I will consider both annexes rented by you and have maidservants attend to you immediately.”
“…”
“The reason our pavilion has been able to operate prosperously for over a hundred years is, above all, because we faithfully responded to our guests’ requests.”
The manager’s twitching lips began to pour out chatter again.
“For your reference, all maidservants deployed to the annexes of our pavilion are skilled in poetry, calligraphy, and painting…”
“Do not let anyone in until I call. That includes maidservants.”
“Pardon?”
“One more word, and I leave.”
“As you com…”
The manager, about to answer, remembered Bu Eunseol’s words and hastily pulled back his protruding lips.
Only then nodding with a satisfied expression, Bu Eunseol turned and went inside the annex.
“Phew.”
He entered the luxuriously decorated bedroom and immediately lay down. The matter at the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying had been resolved well, but terrible fatigue had accumulated in return. Although they claimed to maintain neutrality, the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying was one of the Ten Demonic Sects. Entering that place alone was akin to walking into a tiger’s den.
Especially the Illusion Demon Hyeok Gong-baek was a formidable demon whose emotions were unpredictable. If even a minor mishap occurred, the consequences could be dire. No matter how skilled one was, escaping the pursuit of the Illusion Demon in the midst of a Ten Demonic Sect was impossible.
In fact, he had risked his life to visit the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying.
But… what I gained is also certain.
Those in the Peach Blossom Spring, who appeared as gentle old men, were in reality great demons who had shaken the world. While crafting coffins for approximately two months, he had not only acquired their divine arts and supreme techniques but also delved into lesser-known secret histories in great detail. Bu Eunseol had gained knowledge and martial arts that could not be attained even by traveling the Gangho for years.
“I should practice them slowly. Those things.”
Muttering low, Bu Eunseol sat cross-legged on the bed.
Before going to the Momentless Fleet, he intended to digest the insights gained during that time slowly here.
Chirp, chirp, chirp.
Having rested comfortably, Bu Eunseol slowly rose at the sound of chirping birds.
“Mm.”
Looking up at the pouring sunlight, hunger surged for the first time in a while.
While in the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying, he hardly ate, and he had escaped Lanzhou, where the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying was located, by deploying lightness skills for four days straight.
All he had consumed during that time was a sip of water the day before, so it was natural for hunger to surge.
Creak.
Opening the door and stepping out of the annex, he felt the pleasant sunlight and breeze. Just as he passed the beautifully decorated flower garden and a small pond…
“Are you coming out now?”
A young man who had been crouching against a large garden stone jumped up and spoke cheekily.
“Good morning.”
He was tall enough to match Bu Eunseol, with very long eyes and gleaming pupils.
It was the successor of the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying, Hyeok So-jin.
“Do you have business with me?”
Bu Eunseol wasn’t particularly surprised. He had already noticed Hyeok So-jin crouching in the garden while he rested in the annex. Despite this, he had left him alone because Hyeok So-jin didn’t try to hide his presence.
“Well, nothing much to call it a business,” Hyeok So-jin scratched his head and said. “I’m just trying to travel the Gangho. After all, martial arts improve only by gaining diverse experiences.”
Bu Eunseol grasped Hyeok So-jin’s intention at once.
Though a successor of the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying, from a different perspective, he was a novice just starting out in the Gangho. Rather than wandering the Murim aimlessly without purpose, his intention to build skills by traveling with an experienced person was clear.
“I refuse.”
“Are you serious? It would be very helpful if we traveled together.”
At Hyeok So-jin’s persistent attitude, Bu Eunseol wore a puzzled expression.
To think Hyeok So-jin, who always wore an annoyed expression, would come out this brazenly?
He has a goal.
A person with a goal changes.
In Hyeok So-jin’s eyes, glowing with faint purple light, an obsession with martial arts burned.
“Hmph.”
Giving a cold snort, Bu Eunseol passed him and headed for the inn entrance.
Hyeok So-jin, watching him blankly, bit his lip.
Living as the successor of the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying, had he ever been ignored like this?
“Can’t be helped. The moment I explode, the Gangho journey turns to bubbles.”
If he confronted Bu Eunseol in the current situation, he wouldn’t be able to have a proper Gangho journey.
Ultimately, the pride of a successor of the Ten Demonic Sects had to be folded away nicely for the time being.
***
Bu Eunseol’s meal was simple.
He only ordered a bowl of noodles and a plate of stir-fried vegetables.
In contrast, Hyeok So-jin ordered five dishes and Snow Red Wine, which cost over thirty taels a bottle.
Not satisfied with that, he even gave money to the servant to order some fruits and rice cakes separately.
“Ahem, they used good ingredients for everything.”
Hyeok So-jin sat next to Bu Eunseol with a nonchalant expression. Regardless of whether people around him stared, he was eating the food on the table in a relaxed posture.
Just one bite of each.
“In contrast, the chef’s skill is a bit regrettable. Didn’t properly bring out the taste of the ingredients.”
Looking down at the food filling the table, he put down his chopsticks with an expression as if he had lost his appetite. Others might think he was being extravagant, but from the perspective of the successor of the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying, it was just ordinary daily life.
“Hmm.”
Having nothing to do, Hyeok So-jin glanced at Bu Eunseol eating.
He eats well.
Bu Eunseol was moving his chopsticks slowly but ceaselessly. Though he picked up a small amount each time, he chewed thoroughly without leaving a single strand of noodle or a piece of vegetable. His appearance putting food into his mouth slowly was solemn, reminding one of a seeker undergoing asceticism.
He looks serious doing anything. Is it because of those eyes?
Feeling interested, he began to stare openly at Bu Eunseol before he knew it.
Wait?
Hyeok So-jin, staring piercingly at Bu Eunseol, felt something, and his pupils gradually dilated. Because Bu Eunseol’s hand movements using chopsticks were somewhat subtle. Somewhere concise, yet containing a strange discipline.
He’s practicing martial arts?
Bu Eunseol was embodying the principles of martial arts even in the chopsticks picking up noodles or vegetables.
Crazy, he’s crazy.
Hyeok So-jin, realizing that Bu Eunseol’s chopsticks were unraveling Continuous Ring Sword Moves, gaped.
Studying martial arts even while eating.
Just then, Bu Eunseol’s chopstick movement changed again. Seemingly repeating the same motion, yet precise. Picking up slippery noodles strand by strand, but they didn’t fall, like iron stuck to a magnet.
Now he’s training horizontal sense too?
This time, Bu Eunseol was training his horizontal sense by distributing exquisite force and angle to his chopsticks.
Was that it.
Hyeok So-jin, watching quietly, finally realized something.
Studying martial arts while eating, and fathoming the principles of martial arts even while sleeping. Everything he breathed and moved was an act solely to develop martial arts.
They say there are countless eccentricities in the Murim, but Hyeok So-jin had never imagined encountering someone so passionate about martial arts. Despite his skill not being inferior to other successors of the Ten Demonic Sects, he simply couldn’t comprehend it.
Why on earth is he so obsessed with martial arts?
Hyeok So-jin did not know.
That since meeting the Divine Demonic Emperor, a new goal had arisen for Bu Eunseol.
Untrodden by Predecessors.
He intended to reach a new realm that neither the Supreme Heavenly Realm nor the Limitless Realm… no one had ever reached.
Click.
Just then, having finished his meal, Bu Eunseol stood up and walked out of the inn.
Where is he going?
Hyeok So-jin, snapping out of his stupor, stepped out of the inn, but Bu Eunseol had already vanished. “There’s no need to search hard. He’ll return to the inn anyway.” Intending to leisurely return to the annex, he soon shook his head. “No. I must quickly discard this mindset.”
While separated, he might encounter formidable enemies or engage in battles against large groups of people. If they didn’t travel together throughout the day, Hyeok So-jin’s Gangho journey would be a failure.
“Shall I try to find him.”
Taking a deep breath, Hyeok So-jin lowered his body to the ground and listened.
He had deployed Void Sense Earth Hearing Art, one of the supreme arts of the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying.
Buzz, buzz.
As he deployed the Void Sense Earth Hearing Art, along with the vibrations transmitted to the ground, he felt the movements of everyone within fifty jang. Among them, he felt the movement of someone walking lightly with almost no footstep sound.
It was likely Bu Eunseol.
“That way.”
Having found the direction Bu Eunseol left, Hyeok So-jin moved his steps hastily.
***
In the remote outskirts, far from the bustling villages, a peculiar village emerged. These places often housed the Hao Sect, various information organizations of the Murim, or black market dealers peddling poisons and concealed weapons.
Bu Eunseol, as he surveyed the surroundings, noticed an elderly man sitting alone beneath a bridge. Without hesitation, he approached the man and, from his money pouch, offered a substantial piece of silver.
“Oh my, thank you!”
The old man accepted the silver with trembling hands.
Ssss.
In a fleeting moment, the old man’s hand moved swiftly, but no one noticed.
As he departed the vagrant village once more, Bu Eunseol clutched a small letter in his hand. Stepping into a secluded reed field, where no one was present, Bu Eunseol carefully unfolded the letter in his hand.
“I wonder what the Captain sent.”
Before departing the Demonic Palace, he dispatched a message to the Wolf Fang Pavilion via carrier pigeon. The message conveyed his encounter with the Divine Demonic Emperor and his intention to subsequently bring the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying and Momentless Fleet under his control. He strategically timed the message to coincide with the expected reply, which he promptly received as the Wind and Cloud Squad member hovered around him.
—Dwelling in Reverence to Fathom Principles.
Only four short characters were written on the unfolded letter.
Dwelling in Reverence to Fathom Principles.
Meaning to guide body and mind to the true path, and to do one’s best to research and fathom the principles of things.
“Indeed a reply befitting the Captain.”
Bu Eunseol wore a faint smile for the first time in a while.
This short letter conveyed more meaning than writing hundreds of words in detail.
—I believe you will do well. I will be watching, so devote yourself until the end.
To briefly summarize the myriad meanings contained in the letter, it would probably be these words.
Baek Yeon, the Wolf Fang Pavilion… always trusted and supported Bu Eunseol. Though he had been wandering the Gangho alone all along, thinking of the Wolf Fang Pavilion made his heart feel reassured.
Fwoosh.
As he generated Samadhi True Fire, the letter in his hand turned to ash and flew away in an instant.
Rustle.
But just then, a man in blue robes approached with quick steps from afar and stood in front of Bu Eunseol. It was Hyeok So-jin.
“You went far in that time.”
Although he spoke familiarly, Hyeok So-jin flinched. Because Bu Eunseol’s gaze grew increasingly cold.
“Do you intend to keep following me?”
“Of course.”
“I recall saying I refuse.”
Then Hyeok So-jin spoke with eyes that were blazing with a heat he hadn’t shown before. “I refuse your refusal. I will absolutely not give up.”
His eyes burned with a fierce intensity, unlike before. Before Bu Eunseol knew it, Hyeok So-jin had transformed into a martial artist dedicated to the Martial Way.
“Hmm.”
Realizing Hyeok So-jin’s resolve was unwavering, Bu Eunseol looked up at the distant sky for a moment. He knew he had to go to the Momentless Fleet soon. There, he would face hardships beyond imagination, far greater than the support of the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying. There was no time to spare for a clumsy novice.
Bu Eunseol, lost in thought with a frown between his brows, then, as if a thought struck him, a brief flash passed through his eyes.
“So you mean to follow me no matter what.”
“Thank you for recognizing it.”
“Then let’s make a bet.”
As Hyeok So-jin widened his eyes wondering what this was about, Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice.
“Can you strike my neck?”