Chapter 11: One Day is Enough.
Chapter 11: One Day is Enough.
I stared, stunned, at the elixir that rolled out from the severed iron ball.
The Demon Essence Pill!
The Demon Essence Pill was a divine elixir that the Cult refined only once every decade. It was a miraculous medicine capable of granting a demonic practitioner a massive surge of internal power. The exact amount of energy gained depended entirely on the consumer’s constitution and the mental method they practiced.
I was truly impressed. The pill itself was incredible, but I was even more amazed by the exquisite craftsmanship of the sphere.
Had I used Sword Force to cut the sphere, the resulting heat would have fused the hidden compartment shut, sealing the Demon Essence Pill away forever. It was a reward reserved solely for the one who could cut it with a blade alone, relying on nothing but raw skill.
Since internal energy was what I lacked most at the moment, this Demon Essence Pill was nothing short of a godsend.
“Welcome, Demon Essence Pill! And thank you, Father!”
Without hesitation, I sat down on the spot and consumed the pill.
The Demon Essence Pill dissolved in my mouth with a sharp, pungent aroma before surging throughout my entire body. A powerful wave of energy raced through my blood vessels. I immediately immersed myself in my mental method, focused on absorbing every last drop of that power.
Having consumed various spiritual medicines multiple times in my life before the regression, refining and absorbing the elixir was not difficult. Furthermore, thanks to the unique traits of the Heavenly Martial Physique, I was able to absorb far more energy than any ordinary person could dream of.
I fell into a deep trance as I performed my breathing exercises, only opening my eyes after two shijin had passed.
The spiritual qi of the Demon Essence Pill had been absorbed into my vessels like sweet rain after a long drought. Through several cycles of meticulous meditation, it was refined into pure internal energy and stored safely within my dantian.
I stood up and circulated my true qi.
Swoosh! Boom!
The sound of my punch was different now. The whistle of it cutting through the air was crisper, and the sonic boom it produced felt like it would burst my eardrums. I felt a soaring sense of joy at the power—it was incomparable to before.
“Hahahaha!”
My irrepressible laughter echoed loudly throughout the stone grotto.
‘Wait, could it be?’
Perhaps the reason Father taught me Qi Emission during the hunt was so I could perceive the cut line on the iron ball here? Maybe it was because Father had succeeded in cutting it the same way?
But I soon shook my head. No matter how extraordinary Father was, he couldn't have predicted that the Blood Heaven Blade Demon would send me into the Small Heaven Cave. No, wait... perhaps he thought I might end up here eventually...
Whether he wanted me to obtain the Demon Essence Pill or simply wanted to save face for the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, I had gained a massive fated encounter thanks to my father.
‘Thank you, Father.’
After calming my mind and body by completing a full circulation of my true qi, I walked toward the next stage.
I soon arrived at the third gate.
Distinguish between life and death? What kind of gate was this?
And the time until a retry had been reduced to five days. For some reason, I felt this wasn't something to be happy about.
As I stood in the red circle, a table rose from the floor. A smile spread across my face the moment I saw what was on it.
There were ten herbs laid out. This gate was a test to distinguish between medicinal herbs and poisonous ones.
There is a saying in the Murim to be wary of old men, children, and women, but in reality, the thing one must be most wary of is poison. One must never recklessly consume wine or food given by others; if one must, they check for poison with a silver needle.
So, while everyone had a sense of vigilance regarding poison, how many had actually studied how to identify poisonous herbs? Those who had would have cheered, while those who hadn't would be at a total loss.
I belonged to the former. I remembered what I had said to Gwi Ryeongja before my regression.
— I pride myself on being an absolute master of mountain climbing, swimming, diving, and camping. I could draw a map of the Central Plains with my eyes closed.
I was a man who had scoured every corner of the Central Plains in search of the Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Carp. Was I only skilled at swimming and diving? I knew how to distinguish all kinds of medicinal and poisonous herbs, and I knew their effects in detail. If an average herbalist tried to show off in front of me, I’d tell them to go back to digging up bellflower roots.
Because of that, I didn't even need to look at the message Father had left.
I confidently picked up one of the plants. Out of the ten, it was the only medicinal herb that wasn't poisonous.
The table then descended, only for another table with new herbs to rise. There were ten herbs this time as well, but they were different from the ones before.
“Ah!”
To prevent someone from passing the gate through sheer luck, one had to get it right twice in a row. I could imagine how difficult this test must have been for others.
Think about it. You have to get it right twice, and there are ten choices each time. What were the odds of getting it right twice in a row? If someone tried to guess based on gut feeling, they might end up picking poisonous herbs for the rest of their life if they were unlucky.
‘In the end, this test forces you to find out by eating them.’
As if confirming that was the intended solution, the amount of poison in the herbs was just enough to be non-lethal. Of course, if you were poisoned, you’d be groaning in pain for days.
Still, that was the best method. If you were lucky and found the medicinal herb early, you’d get out quickly; if you were unlucky, it would take a long time.
I picked the non-poisonous one from the second set. I half-expected a third set to appear, but it wasn't that cruel. When I correctly identified the second herb, the door to the next stage opened.
I wondered if anyone else had ever picked the correct herbs on their first try like I did. A challenger who enjoyed poison arts might have, but most would have suffered here for a long time.
Curious about what Father had written, I went to the wall where the challengers had left their marks.
— Damn it! I’m going to turn into a Poison Human at this rate.
— What idiot thought of this test? How often do we even encounter these kinds of poisonous herbs?
— There must be a clue to find the medicinal herb. I need to study it.
— I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve failed. Should I just eat all this poison and die? Now even the Fasting Pills taste like poisonous herbs.
— I should have calculated carefully from the start. I regret trusting my gut.
— Success after ninety-six tries. Tears are blurring my vision!
— I ate so much poison that a lot of my hair fell out.
At the very bottom was the message left by my father.
— Idiots! Don't trust in luck.
I could tell. Father had consumed the poisonous herbs one by one, memorizing them from his very first attempt. He had realized immediately that leaving it to luck was a waste of time.
Father said he had made it out in two months. Even though he said not to trust in luck, it seemed Father had been quite lucky in this gate. Or perhaps he already had some knowledge of poisonous herbs and was able to rule a few out.
“Fortunately, both of us kept our hair, Father.”
*
The fourth gate was the final one. The stone monument labeled it as the "Final Gate."
Surprisingly, a gate where failure meant death had appeared.
The Life and Death Illusion Formation. A formation where dying inside the illusion meant actual death.
This time, the inscriptions left by the ancestors were from those who had survived.
— It was a truly grueling battle. If I ever become the Heavenly Demon, I will find the person who created this formation and kill them.
— It was so terrifying and difficult.
— Damn it! Who on earth made a formation like this?
— I will never set foot in a Life and Death Illusion Formation again for as long as I live.
Father’s writing was here as well. This time, there were no insults, only a single piece of advice.
— Do not rest.
Naturally, it was meant as a clue for this gate, but it felt like advice for my entire life ahead. Perhaps because it was the final gate.
‘Yes, I will keep moving forward without resting.’
After calmly meditating to fill my internal energy to the brim, I walked toward the red circle. As I stood inside, the Life and Death Illusion Formation activated, and the surrounding scenery began to change.
A moment later, I was standing in a wasteland. The sand slipping through my fingers, the withered trees with bare branches, and even the insects crawling on the rocks—everything was real. Or rather, it felt real.
“A high-level formation is truly something else.”
Beyond mystery, I felt a sense of awe. How could such a vivid reality be manifested? It made me realize that true geniuses really do exist in this world.
It was then. Along with a wind carrying sand, martial artists began to appear. They were illusions created by the formation, their faces devoid of eyes, noses, or mouths.
There were thirty of them in total.
They were illusions, but illusions with physical form. Just like the rock I had touched earlier, their swords would be real as well.
The illusions surrounded me, radiating killing intent. Even someone who had mastered high-level martial arts would shrink back in this moment if they lacked combat experience. The anxiety of being stabbed in the back and the pressure of facing multiple enemies is greater than one might think.
Of course, I had experience fighting far more opponents than this. Moreover, since the opponents weren't human, I actually felt more at ease.
I lunged forward, descending rapidly among them.
Thud! Thud!
The battle began as I consecutively pierced the chests of the illusions to my left and right. I showed no mercy, stabbing their necks and bellies, breaking their arms, and crushing their skulls. Since they weren't human anyway, there was no need to feel any guilt.
I dodged attacks and countered others. I performed techniques without using internal power, and then again with it. Since the opponents didn't tire, I was able to test various things. Whenever they died, they vanished with a pop, and every time I heard that sound, I felt a sense of catharsis.
After I struck down all thirty of the first wave, I was given a brief moment of respite. Just as I was about to quickly meditate, I remembered the words Father had left.
Do not rest.
‘Ah, so this was it.’
It was Father’s advice to fight without replenishing my internal energy, even though the formation provided time to do so. It was advice to learn how to fight like a real battle by managing the internal energy I had. In a real fight, one wouldn't have the luxury of replenishing internal energy like this. This was a peerless opportunity to practice internal energy control in a combat situation.
‘Still, this is a Life and Death Illusion Formation where it's literally do or die. And you say "don't rest"? That is such a Father-like piece of advice.’
I followed Father’s will and waited without recovering my internal energy.
Once the time it would have taken for a single circulation of true qi passed, the next wave of illusions appeared. This time there were twenty, and though their numbers had decreased, they were far stronger than the previous ones. Their movements were faster, and the martial arts they used were of a higher caliber. Furthermore, they used a variety of weapons this time—not just sabers and swords, but also bows from a distance and hidden weapons.
A dangerous battle where I could lose my life at any moment continued, but to be honest, I was having fun. It was the first time since my regression that I could experience a proper, real-life battle.
‘Too slow! Come at me faster!’
I leaped over their shoulders and swatted dozens of flying hidden weapons out of the air. I subdued an illusion to use as a shield and even fought them with my eyes closed.
Even after the second battle ended, I did not meditate. I didn't know how many stages there were, but I fought with the mindset of using only half of my remaining internal energy.
The third wave of illusions appeared. This time, there were ten.
I was certain they would be the last. Judging by the momentum of these illusions, this was the limit of what challengers could handle. Many challengers must have died here.
Indeed, the enemies that appeared this time were incomparably stronger and faster than the previous two waves. On the contrary, I felt a bit disappointed.
‘It’s already the end!’
I wanted to fight more. I wove through them, practicing my evasion. And when I decided it was time to end it, I finished it spectacularly.
Since I was sure it was the final battle, I poured in all my power. My sword traced dazzling lines in the air. In my past experience, the evaluation of the Flying Heaven Sword Art varied depending on the opponent. In the end, one only sees as much as they know; the more of a novice the opponent was, the more they dismissed it as a flashy, superficial style. But the more of a master they were, the more they realized with horror that the seven sword forms constituting that brilliance possessed infinite variations and depth.
As the secret techniques of the Flying Heaven Sword Art were unleashed one after another, the ten illusions were swept away in succession. They were the strongest illusions in the formation, yet they were annihilated the fastest and most explosively. The sight of the enemies popping out of existence looked almost like fireworks.
As the last illusion vanished, the Life and Death Illusion Formation broke.
Because my realm was too high, the desperate situation Father had intended never manifested. However, it was a refreshing fight, and it felt as if the pent-up frustration in my heart had been cleared away. Yes, this alone was meaningful enough for me.
As the formation disappeared, a door leading outside opened, and a stone monument stood beside it.
And so, the trials of the Small Heaven Cave came to an end.
Amazingly, I had passed the gates of the Small Heaven Cave in just a single day.
If this news got out, the Main Cult would likely be thrown into an uproar. Father took two months, but I came out in a single day? There would be more disbelief than praise.
Gu Pyeong-ho, who had sparred with me, would probably be foaming at the mouth, claiming I had used some trick to cheat. Father and the Eight Demon Lords would also try to uncover how I managed to get out in a day. There would be no end to the headaches.
In the end, I decided not to leave.
Right, let’s train. I’ll train here. I need to save Father’s face, so let’s just stay for exactly a hundred days before going out.
Fortunately, I had plenty of training to do, and there were even more of those dreadful Fasting Pills piled up.
Let’s train! While chewing on solitude and Fasting Pills.