Chapter 197
Chapter 197
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 197
Chapter Title: The Elixir's True Effect
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Heavenly Martial Hall.
It had stood empty and desolate for a while after Hyeok Mulin departed for the Southern Frontier, but upon his return, the situation flipped entirely.
Day and night, it brimmed with the presence of people.
All because Hyeok Mulin was there, honing his martial arts with intense focus.
And the techniques he practiced were none other than those of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace.
Whoosh—
As he unleashed the Palace Lord's fist technique, the image of a tiger materialized behind Hyeok Mulin's back.
Then, striking the air repeatedly like a tiger swiping with its forepaw, he seamlessly transitioned into the Little Palace Lord's technique.
Just as before, those beast-like hand motions sliced through the empty air as if razor-sharp claws were snatching prey. Soon after halting his movements, Hyeok Mulin spoke.
"As expected, this one's no good."
Hyeok Mulin had never formally learned any martial arts from the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace.
But simply observing their techniques sidelong had been enough.
Over the past few days, alone in the Heavenly Martial Hall, he had analyzed the Beast Palace arts he had memorized by sight. In the end, he successfully deciphered their movements and elevated them to an acceptable level of power.
Represented by the Palace Lord and Little Palace Lord—their tiger and wolf forms—Hyeok Mulin could only reach a regrettable conclusion after demonstrating them.
'The Southern Barbarian Beast Palace arts aren't suited for outsiders to learn.'
Their techniques embodied the forms of fierce beasts.
Learning and practicing them posed no major issues, but surpassing a certain level required a profound understanding of those beasts.
The warriors of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace spent their entire lives alongside the jungle predators, instinctively comprehending them. And now, with the Eldest Princess's ideology sweeping through the South, that process would accelerate, their insights deepening further.
It was practically a technique only those born and raised in the Southern Frontier could master.
Of course, Hyeok Mulin could deepen his understanding by living among the beasts as well.
'But it's not very efficient.'
Hyeok Mulin's simple criterion for deciding whether to fully master a technique was this:
Could it stand up to his Soaring Heaven Nine Unions Sword?
In a life-or-death crisis, when drawing his final card, could he pull out this technique?
Having dissected the Beast Palace arts once, the answer was clear in Hyeok Mulin's eyes.
They were impressive enough, yet they paled against the might of the Soaring Heaven Nine Unions Sword paired with the Heaven-Splitting Demon Sword.
Moreover, the return on the considerable time and mental energy invested was too low.
"Guess I'll have to let this one go."
Hyeok Mulin abandoned learning it without a second thought.
There was no reason to cling to something he wasn't pursuing.
That said, he didn't regret the days spent researching it.
Thanks to that, he had gained a deeper grasp of the Beast Palace's essence.
"It's been a while since I delved into a technique like this."
Stretching languidly, Hyeok Mulin reminisced briefly about the past.
Memories surfaced of his previous life, holed up in the Heavenly Demon Secret Vault, blindly devouring martial manuals.
Among the tomes left by past Heavenly Demons, many were frustratingly vague. When faced with incomprehensible explanations or formulas, Hyeok Mulin had to dissect and analyze them meticulously.
Back then, he had fixated on the arts like a demon, researching obsessively.
Recalling that era for a moment, Hyeok Mulin soon shook his head.
"That side of me won't return."
He knew it now.
This was a time for composure, not desperation.
That desperation had let him master many arts, but it had also narrowed his vision, causing oversights.
Which was right or wrong?
It wasn't a value that could be judged so simply.
The Hyeok Mulin of back then had given his all, just as the current one was doing.
That was all there was to it.
Thud.
'Alright, enough with the martial arts.'
Sitting cross-legged, Hyeok Mulin drew a palm-sized wooden box from his bosom.
The final gift from the Palace Lord before departing the Southern Frontier.
It was time to open it.
"Wonder what she gave me."
She had insisted he open it alone.
The Palace Lord wasn't one for empty words, so it had to be something truly precious.
Well, better to see for himself than speculate.
Without further ado, Hyeok Mulin opened the box.
A fragrance burst forth, assaulting his nostrils.
"...!"
The scent from the box swam freely through the air, as if finally liberated.
Like an ancient jungle awakening, the concentrated aroma poured out like a waterfall, vibrating the atmosphere.
Closing his eyes and savoring it deeply, Hyeok Mulin soon peered into the box.
There lay a single elixir shimmering with subtle silver and green hues, alongside a small folded letter.
Grasping the letter first, he unfolded it to read the Palace Lord's message.
—This elixir is the Beast Palace's token of gratitude to the Cult Leader who saved the Southern Frontier. Please accept it without burden.
From the first line, Hyeok Mulin gauged its value.
It wasn't merely the Palace Lord's gift, but the Beast Palace's recompense.
This was something even she couldn't offer alone—it required unanimous consent from all the tribal chiefs.
—Its name is the Southern Frontier Universal Elixir, crafted from hundreds of herbs unique to the Southern Frontier. Made over a thousand years ago, the recipe has long been lost. Thus, this is the last one in existence.
An elixir with a millennium of history.
That explained why the fragrance had exploded outward upon opening, as if unshackling ancient chains.
And with the recipe gone, it could never be remade.
This sparked a slight doubt in Hyeok Mulin.
If it was that precious and only one remained, wouldn't it be better for the Palace Lord to consume it herself or disassemble it to revive the lost recipe?
But the next lines provided the answer.
—The Southern Frontier Universal Elixir was too precious to use, with only one left. The Palace Lord, mere conduit of history's flow, could not claim it, nor was there any alchemist bold enough to tamper with it. Thus, for a full millennium, no one dared approach it.
But the time has come at last. To whom better than the hero who saved the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace from ruin? This was unanimously agreed upon by all tribal chiefs.
May it be a gift worthy of the Cult Leader.
After reading, Hyeok Mulin incinerated the letter with Samadhi True Fire.
One corner of his mouth curled up in a smirk.
"That's why she told me to open it alone."
The Palace Lord had clearly added that to prevent him from refusing.
With delegations accompanying him back from the South to Divine Firmament, he couldn't check the contents until reaching the Heavenly Demon Palace.
A sole elixir from the Beast Palace, aged a thousand years.
Irremakeable now that the recipe was lost.
Knowing its nature, anyone would feel burdened accepting it.
But.
That was for ordinary folk.
"The Palace Lord worried needlessly."
Hyeok Mulin wasn't one to refuse.
An elixir meticulously preserved by the Beast Palace for a millennium?
Whether unique or irremakeable didn't matter.
On the contrary, its contents piqued his deep interest—he wanted to consume it right away.
"I can feel how much thought she put into this from the letter."
It didn't even mention usage or effects, leaving the crucial details out.
Gazing at it briefly, Hyeok Mulin soon popped it into his mouth without hesitation.
And swallowed.
There were various ways to ingest elixirs, but considering its age, he chose the simplest, safest method: swallowing it whole before it dissolved.
Then he waited.
One-quarter hour.
Two-quarters.
Three-quarters.
Half an hour.
Seated in meditation, he focused intently until it fully dissolved in his stomach and permeated his body.
After a full hour, Hyeok Mulin slowly opened his eyes, a low groan escaping his lips.
"...Hm."
Something was off.
He had waited a full hour after consuming it.
Shouldn't there be some difference by now?
Yet, introspecting his body, Hyeok Mulin found no changes.
Tilting his head, he rose to his feet.
Lightly moving, he checked again for anything altered.
But the conclusion remained the same.
His internal energy hadn't increased, nor had his eyesight or strength improved. No fatigue lifted either.
It felt like drinking plain, tepid water—no effect at all.
'The Palace Lord wouldn't lie.'
With the Beast Palace's reconstruction hinging on him, Su Ri-tae had no reason to deceive.
Her handwriting brimmed with sincere conviction.
'Then maybe I used it wrong.'
Considering that possibility briefly, he dismissed it.
Swallowing it just before dissolution was the most basic, safe method—he was sure it wasn't that.
No lies from the Palace Lord, and it had safely entered his dantian.
So there had to be some change...
Halting his movements, Hyeok Mulin spoke.
"Left Protector Jang."
"Yes."
Jang Wi appeared before him.
Hyeok Mulin addressed him flatly.
"Attack me."
"Understood."
Jang Wi accepted without hesitation.
As a guard attacking his lord was unusual, but he harbored no doubts about Hyeok Mulin's words.
He trusted there was purpose behind the Cult Leader's command.
And with the Cult Leader's realm far surpassing his own, even full force wouldn't harm him.
Extending one arm forward into stance, he unleashed his technique.
Three Calamities Heaven-Shattering Claw.
His sharp nails thrust in three prongs.
Hyeok Mulin watched.
Even as it closed in very close, he stood motionless.
'No...!'
Jang Wi couldn't help but panic.
The Cult Leader should have dodged leisurely by now.
At his level, he must have read the trajectory—yet he remained still.
Seeing this, Jang Wi tried to abort, but it was too late to retract.
The internal energy of the Three Calamities Heaven-Shattering Claw was already upon Hyeok Mulin.
'Cult Leader, what are you thinking?!'
As the claw neared his nose, Jang Wi's pupils dilated.
Dodging was now impossible.
His expression hardened the next instant.
Swish.
Jang Wi doubted his eyes.
Though un-dodgeable, Hyeok Mulin slipped away smoothly from his fingertips.
Clutching empty air, Jang Wi uttered in disbelief.
"What in the world...?"
Hyeok Mulin glanced down at his body, then slowly smiled.
"Finally, I get it."
The elixir's true nature.
Its effect.