Chapter 38

Hyeok Ryeon-eung, who had twice commanded them to kill each other.

He had taught that the only way to survive in the Murim was to step over the corpses of others and rise. Why, then, had such a man accepted heavy punishment to save Bu Eunseol, a boy he had never even met?

“Well…” Baek Jeon-cheon let out a long sigh and shook his head lightly. “I asked him the reason several times myself, but each time, the Head Instructor only said, ‘You will know the reason before long.'”

“You will know the reason before long?”

“That is correct.”

The Gangho is heartless, yet the hearts of martial artists wandering it are endlessly hot.

However, for Bu Eunseol, who was training in martial arts with all his might for the sake of revenge, understanding Hyeok Ryeon-eung’s heart was currently impossible.

After a moment of silence, Baek Jeon-cheon clapped his hands lightly.

“I wish to speak longer with Young Hero Bu, but time is pressing, so let us get straight to the point.” Moving to the table, he looked at Bu Eunseol and spoke, ”Because of this incident, the Flower Rain Sword Sect and the White Demon Monastery have granted Young Hero Bu a special privilege.”

“Privilege…”

“They requested the Demonic Palace to allow Young Hero Bu entry into the Pavilion of Truth-Preserving of the Ten Thousand Demons for twelve shichen, that is, one full day.”

He placed a gleaming red command token from his bosom onto the table.

“This is the Golden Ape Token that allows entry into the Pavilion of Truth-Preserving of the Ten Thousand Demons.”

“What is the Pavilion of Truth-Preserving of the Ten Thousand Demons?”

“It is the martial arts library established within the headquarters. It consists of three floors in total, and the Golden Ape Token allows entry to the first floor.”

“If it’s the first floor out of three, it must be the lowest grade.”

“That is true, but from Young Hero Bu’s perspective right now, grades will have little meaning.”

Looking at the Golden Ape Token on the table, Baek Jeon-cheon continued.

“Even on the first floor alone, over twenty-five thousand types of excellent Demonic Path Auxiliary Arts are stored.”

“Twenty-five thousand manuals?”

“Correct. Because of this, only masters of the headquarters who have established distinguished merits can enter the Pavilion of Truth-Preserving of the Ten Thousand Demons.”

“I see.”

“In other words, it also means there is almost no chance that Young Hero Bu will pass this test safely.”

Baek Jeon-cheon spoke with a grave expression.

“That is why they are being generous. So that there can be no complaints later.”

Only then did Bu Eunseol realize they hadn’t discussed the most important thing.

“What exactly is the test they are demanding?”

“Ah, goodness. I was distracted. To think I kept omitting the most crucial detail…” Baek Jeon-cheon groaned, then spoke with an unprecedentedly serious expression. “You must block five moves.”

“Five… moves?”

“That is correct.”

Baek Jeon-cheon’s eyes flashed.

“Withstanding five attacks from a master selected by the White Demon Monastery. That is the test they have demanded.”

***

The Pavilion of Truth-Preserving of the Ten Thousand Demons.

It was the library of the Demonic Palace, said to store every manual scattered throughout the Demonic Path. From the start, Bu Eunseol had imagined it would boast a majestic appearance, like a skyscraper piercing the heavens.

“This is the Pavilion of Truth-Preserving of the Ten Thousand Demons…”

However, following Baek Jeon-cheon’s guidance, the place they arrived at was a massive stone mountain carved artificially.

“Since it is a Secret Storehouse where martial arts manuals are kept, complex formation mechanisms are necessary.” Glancing at Bu Eunseol’s expression, Baek Jeon-cheon whispered, ”I can only come this far. If you present the token at the front, you will be able to enter.”

“I am grateful for your kindness.”

Bu Eunseol bowed deeply again.

But Baek Jeon-cheon, staring blankly at that sight, let out a deep sigh.

“Young Hero Bu. May I offer a word of advice?”

“Of course.”

“The Gangho is very harsh. And good people are rare.”

“I do not understand what you mean.”

“There is rarely kindness without reason, and if there is, it usually means there is an ulterior motive.” Looking up at the Pavilion of Truth-Preserving of the Ten Thousand Demons, Baek Jeon-cheon spoke in a low voice, ”In fact, allowing entry into the Pavilion of Truth-Preserving of the Ten Thousand Demons is the same.”

He stared intently into Bu Eunseol’s eyes.

“But in my view, there is surely a way to turn crisis into opportunity within there.”

“Crisis into opportunity…”

“That is correct. Because a stem eventually comes from the root.”

It was a riddle-like statement.

Though he didn’t immediately understand the meaning contained in the words, he could feel the sincere concern embedded within them.

“Thank you for the advice.”

As Bu Eunseol bowed deeply once more, Baek Jeon-cheon held out a transparent porcelain bottle from his bosom.

“This is a Fasting Pill made by the Water and Fire Hall. Eating just one will prevent hunger for several days, so you will be able to read the manuals comfortably.”

As Bu Eunseol accepted the bottle, Baek Jeon-cheon smiled gently.

“I truly hope for a good result.”

***

The most crucial factors for preserving books are humidity and light. Moisture weakens paper’s stability and strength, so a dry environment is ideal for book storage. Additionally, prolonged exposure to light causes paper to discolor. Therefore, the Pavilion of Truth-Preserving of the Ten Thousand Demons had the perfect conditions for storing books.

This is no ordinary library.

Looking around, Bu Eunseol nodded.

The interior was very dark, with only small oil lamps placed here and there faintly pushing back the gloom. However, the air was remarkably clear and pleasant, and large piles of charcoal were stacked in various places to control humidity.

There are quite a few people.

Shadows reading manuals could be seen nestled between the densely packed bookshelves filled with texts. From young people to white-bearded elders, a diverse array of figures was present, yet not a single one spared Bu Eunseol a glance. Even masters like that were striving to improve their martial arts skills, even a fraction more. The aura emanating from those within the Pavilion was extraordinary, comparable to any master of the Murim.

Let’s have a look.

Bu Eunseol steeled his mind and scanned the bookshelves.

“……!”

How much time had passed?

Scanning the shelves, Bu Eunseol finally realized the meaning of the words Baek Jeon-cheon had left him.

“It really was a trap.”

A bitter laugh burst out involuntarily.

“Reading new manuals ahead of a life-and-death duel is no different from scattering one’s mental focus.”

The twenty-five thousand manuals here were all excellent texts; mastering just one could make a name in the Gangho. But what if he spent the day reading manuals with the greed of learning new martial arts?

Only the afterimages of those manuals would remain in Bu Eunseol’s mind, and in the end, he wouldn’t even be able to properly execute the martial arts he had already learned.

“The Flower Rain Sword Sect and White Demon Monastery tried to disrupt my concentration in a very clever way.”

Shaking his head, Bu Eunseol turned his body without lingering regret and walked toward the exit.

Just as he was about to leave, Baek Jeon-cheon’s words suddenly surfaced in his mind.

—Because a stem eventually comes from the root.

Pause.

Bu Eunseol’s steps halted abruptly.

Why did Hall Master Baek say that?

If someone else had said it, perhaps he wouldn’t have paid it any mind. But he felt that Baek Jeon-cheon genuinely wanted to help him. And those words were certainly not spoken lightly.

Stem from the root…

Chewing over the riddle-like words, Bu Eunseol’s eyes slowly widened.

Suddenly realizing something, he turned quickly and began to examine the bookshelves again.

There were over twenty-five thousand books here. Just taking books off the shelf and looking at them one by one could take a whole day.

It must be here.

But Bu Eunseol wasn’t taking books out to examine them; he was rapidly scanning only the characters written on the spines of the manuals.

Then, when he reached the innermost part of the bookshelf…

Flash.

Bu Eunseol’s eyes lit up.

There, a title was written: Unrestrained Wilderness Solitary Rotational Technique.

As expected, there were martial arts of our Pavilion here too.

Reading and memorizing a new martial arts manual consumes considerable mental energy. However, looking at a manual from the same lineage would only serve as a reference and would not scatter his concentration.

He had seen through Baek Jeon-cheon’s advice: it meant to find a manual of Wolf Fang Pavilion, not a new martial art.

“Unrestrained Wilderness Solitary Rotational Technique.”

Bu Eunseol picked up the book without hesitation.

Sitting down in front of the bookshelf and reading the manual earnestly, his eyes grew wider and wider.

What on earth is this…

Even though he wasn’t easily surprised, Bu Eunseol couldn’t hide his shock. That was because, from the very first page, this manual was filled with curses and insults toward Wolf Fang Pavilion.

—Those morons at Wolf Fang Pavilion make you risk your life from the start under the pretext of ‘Practical Combat Martial Arts’. This is no different from telling someone crawling to run. Save your life first, no matter what… (omitted).

Who wrote this that they attached the name of Wolf Fang Pavilion to such a manual?

Unable to hide his bewilderment, Bu Eunseol continued reading.

—Like they have ten lives, the idiots of Wolf Fang Pavilion teach martial arts without regard for life or death from the basics. Especially the ‘Way of the Beast’ they insist is a basic martial art. This dog-shit secret art of the Way of the Beast originally started as an ascetic practice of the Diamond Sect, called the Shaolin of the West…

Surprisingly, after the profanity, the manual detailed the origins of the Way of the Beast, the secret technique of Wolf Fang Pavilion, in great detail.

Strange. Judging by the content, it’s definitely written by a disciple of Wolf Fang Pavilion.

The contents written in the manual were full of information that no one but a disciple of Wolf Fang Pavilion could know.

There must be a reason.

Solely because a senior of Wolf Fang Pavilion had written it, Bu Eunseol read the manual with patience.

—Let’s say you get lucky and learn the Way of the Beast. Because this grotesque martial art needlessly amplifies human senses, it eats away at stamina and mental energy even when standing still. Not only that, it blocks the path to higher martial arts. Senses are…

As he read down the text, Bu Eunseol’s eyes grew increasingly peculiar.

Surprisingly, wasn’t the content of the manual accurately pinpointing the flaws of the Way of the Beast that Bu Eunseol hadn’t known?

—Maintaining these beast-like senses continuously is not right. Like cultivating internal energy, place the gaze of the mind inward—Inner Observation—and sense the external with feeling. When you reach this state, you arrive at the realm of ‘Coming Without Trace‘, where traces of coming and going disappear…

Bu Eunseol’s face as he read the manual was filled with wonder, like a country boy who had just arrived in the capital.

In this Unrestrained Wilderness Solitary Rotational Technique, a method was written to control the senses of the Way of the Beast more minutely and powerfully using internal cultivation.

If I learn this method deeply, I can grasp the enemy’s movements even without knowing the profound principles of martial arts.

Only then did Bu Eunseol realize why all sorts of curses were written in this manual.

They probably wanted only disciples of Wolf Fang Pavilion to see it.

Because it described the pros and cons of the Way of the Beast, they likely hoped only disciples of Wolf Fang Pavilion would read it.

Flip.

Bu Eunseol continued to read the book, leaning against the bookshelf like a statue.

How much time had passed?

“Phew.”

Just as Bu Eunseol let out a long sigh after reading the entire manual, a dong sound echoed in his ears.

It was the bell signaling that a day had passed.

Rumble.

As he stood in front of the exit, the heavy metal door of the Pavilion of Truth-Preserving of the Ten Thousand Demons began to open slowly.

“Mmm.”

As intense sunlight shone in, Bu Eunseol shielded his eyes slightly.

Thud. Thud.

At that moment, a young man was slowly approaching Bu Eunseol.

It was Sim Wol, who had guided Bu Eunseol to the Hall of Ten Thousand Knowledge.

“Young Hero Bu.”

Sim Wol approached with an expression graver than ever.

“It is time.”

Realizing the meaning of those words, Bu Eunseol nodded.

Finally, the test of five moves proposed by the White Demon Monastery and the Flower Rain Sword Sect had begun.