Chapter 337
Chapter 337
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 337
Chapter Title: The Ice River Heavenly Flow Art
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“This can’t be.”
Bing Han-pung exclaimed in utter shock.
“You… you’ve learned our palace’s martial arts.”
The martial arts of the Northern Sea Ice Palace could not be performed even if one knew the methods.
That was because one had to master an internal art of the extreme yin attribute to generate extreme yin energy within the body, such as Icy Soul Qi or Profound Yin Qi.
Furthermore, to unleash the palm’s power, one had to separately learn the practical applications passed down orally, did they not?
“How could that be possible?”
As Bu Eun-seol shook his head, Bing Han-pung’s expression hardened.
“Even if you’ve mastered an extreme yin art, you performed our palace’s palm technique, which is impossible without knowing the precise methods. And you claim you haven’t learned our arts?”
“The Northern Sea Ice Palace has been too isolated from the outside world.”
Bu Eun-seol said with a sigh.
“In the martial world, there are internal arts that allow one to use an energy containing both yin and yang.”
Bing Han-pung paused.
Such arts did exist in the martial world.
But almost no one had actually mastered them.
One needed to have undergone marrow cleansing from birth, leaving almost no impurities in the body, and above all, it was incredibly difficult to learn.
Moreover, a minor mistake could lead to qi deviation, and in the worst case, death. Even if it were a secret method to attain immortality, few would dare to learn it.
“Are you saying you’ve mastered an internal art that can manifest both yin and yang energy?”
“That is correct.”
“Even so, how did you learn the practical methods and form variations of the Icy Soul Five Thunder Palm?”
“I inferred the practical methods from the principles the Palace Lord explained, and I merely guessed the variations of the Icy Soul Five Thunder Palm from the traces left on the young master of the Han family.”
Then, Bu Eun-seol once again extended his palm into the air.
“Look closely.”
*Fwoosh!*
Once again, the Icy Soul Five Thunder Palm erupted with a frigid blast of cold air.
But upon closer inspection, only the traces of its discharge were identical.
The most crucial principles of the Icy Soul Five Thunder Palm—*Jangjeok-naengeum* (Accumulating Cold Yin in the Palm) and *Hwagi-eosim* (Transforming Qi to Command the Mind)—were completely absent.
“You couldn’t use the precise principles, but you used yin-yang energy to generate True Yin and imitated the variations in form to outwardly perform a perfect Icy Soul Five Thunder Palm.”
“Exactly.”
“That such a thing… is even possible.”
The ability to deduce the entire framework from a few principles, or to grasp the variations of a technique from the traces it left behind.
Weren’t these feats only achievable by a great martial arts master who had reached the pinnacle of the martial world?
“Truly unbelievable.”
Swallowing his astonishment, Bing Han-pung shook his head.
The Northern Sea Ice Palace had many with outstanding martial talent, and in his youth, he himself had been called the greatest prodigy of the Northern Sea.
But compared to the talent of the man before him, the difference was like that between the moon and a firefly.
“In any case, it is now certain.”
Bu Eun-seol said calmly.
“The one who assassinated the Han family head’s son did not master the proper Icy Soul Five Thunder Palm. Like me, they mastered an internal art containing both yin and yang and merely imitated its variations and form.”
At Bu Eun-seol’s words, Bing Han-pung’s expression grew grim.
“Then… it was the work of an insider.”
Even Bu Eun-seol, who could wield yin-yang energy and had deduced the technique's variations from the wounds, was only able to imitate it after hearing the principles of the Icy Soul Five Thunder Palm from Bing Han-pung.
This meant the culprit who assassinated Han Ja-un was someone from the Northern Sea Ice Palace. And they had to be a master skilled enough to vaguely grasp the principles of the Icy Soul Five Thunder Palm.
“Who on earth would do such a thing?”
A stark white killing intent shot from the enraged Bing Han-pung’s eyes.
At the same time, an intense cold began to rise around his body.
“The sickness of my heart was born from the guilt and self-reproach of failing to catch the assassin.”
As the leader of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, he had failed to even catch the culprit who had harmed Han Ja-uk, a candidate for the next Palace Lord.
But the martial arts of the Northern Sea Ice Palace were a secret art that had never been leaked to the outside.
Since a palm technique only the Palace Lord could learn had been used… Bing Han-pung could neither make excuses nor protest his innocence.
Because of this, he had been despondent for a long time, and a crack had formed in his once-solid spirit.
But now that a glimmer of hope to catch the culprit had appeared, a fierce will was igniting within him.
“You must have a way to catch the culprit, don’t you?”
“I do.”
Hearing the answer, Bing Han-pung clenched his fists and let out a deep sigh.
“Then I will soon be able to face the Han family head with my head held high.”
At that, Bu Eun-seol gave a faint smile.
“You can already face him with your head held high.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You may come out now, Family Head Han.”
At Bu Eun-seol’s words, a middle-aged man slowly walked out from behind the training chamber.
It was Han U-sang, who had come to the training chamber after listening to Bu Eun-seol.
He had already seen the Icy Soul Five Thunder Palm that Bu Eun-seol performed from beyond the chamber and realized he had been misunderstanding Bing Han-pung all this time.
And finally, he had heard Bing Han-pung’s deepest, truest feelings.
“Palace Lord.”
Han U-sang walked before Bing Han-pung and knelt.
“Why did you never offer a single excuse all this time? Why did you never say a single word denying it?”
“…”
“You should have just punished me from the start.”
As tears streamed down Han U-sang’s face, Bing Han-pung closed his eyes and muttered softly.
“As Palace Lord, am I not a sinner for failing to protect the next in line? Since I couldn't catch the culprit… I had to accept your resentment.”
“Palace Lord.”
“Besides, in our youth, were we not good friends? And I owe you my life from the battle with the Northern Heavenly Demon Palace.”
Bing Han-pung smiled faintly.
“How could I possibly punish you?”
Han U-sang lowered his head, his expression filled with sorrow.
Bing Han-pung had not forgotten the debt from the past, and even if he claimed innocence, the culprit couldn't be found…
For the sake of the grieving Han U-sang, he had silently endured the blame.
“I am sorry for misunderstanding you all this time, Palace Lord.”
Han U-sang shed tears of repentance.
For a long time, he had hated Bing Han-pung. And he had been the decisive cause of the fracturing of the five great families of the Northern Sea.
He had refused to acknowledge the Palace Lord’s authority, convinced that he was the one who had murdered his son.
“I am truly sorry, Palace Lord…”
As Han U-sang knelt and sobbed, Bing Han-pung shook his head.
“There is nothing to be sorry for. This all happened because of my own shortcomings.”
Heaving a deep sigh, he spoke calmly.
“It’s just that our palace has been cut off from the outside world for so long… I regret that I failed to grasp the subtleties of martial arts as well as this young man.”
There was no such thing as an internal art that could handle both yin and yang energy in the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
That was why none of the family heads, including himself, could have known the truth behind the Icy Soul Five Thunder Palm left on Han Ja-uk’s body.
Han U-sang wiped his tears and said, “From now on, I will do my utmost to unite our forces and serve you once more, Palace Lord.”
“Thank you.”
Bu Eun-seol, who had been listening to their conversation, spoke in a low voice.
“To do that, we must now find the traitor who assassinated the Han family’s young master and colluded with outsiders.”
“Is there a way?”
Han U-sang asked worriedly.
“That person has hidden their intentions for over a decade and caused the division of our palace.”
He paused for a moment, biting his lip.
“Even if my family’s misunderstanding is cleared, that person will never reveal their true colors.”
“That’s likely. Very likely.”
Nodding, Bu Eun-seol took a scroll from his robes.
“That is why I have devised this method.”
Bing Han-pung and Han U-sang stood shoulder to shoulder, reading the scroll.
“Will this be possible?”
At Han U-sang’s question, Bu Eun-seol nodded.
“Once the truth of the assassination is revealed, that person will not be able to endure it. They know full well that the attitudes of the other family heads, including yourself, will change.”
“Hmm.”
Just then, Bing Han-pung, who was reading the final part of the plan on the scroll, furrowed his brow.
“If this plan proceeds as written, we will surely be able to weed out the culprit. But even so, must we go this far at the end?”
“If we don’t go to this extent, they will never reveal their true colors.”
Bu Eun-seol continued.
“The part I’m more concerned about is something else. When we set the trap, we will have to persuade the other families.”
“You need not worry about that.”
Han U-sang said, thumping his chest.
“I, the head of my family, will stake my life to accomplish it.”
“Excellent.”
“Wait.”
Just then, Bing Han-pung, having finished reading the scroll, spoke to Bu Eun-seol.
“If this plan is to proceed as written, one more thing is needed.”
“What might that be?”
“Our palace’s martial arts.”
Bing Han-pung said with a slight smile.
“You will also have to learn our palace’s secret internal energy art. Only then will you be able to use Icy Soul Qi to its full potential.”
“Will that be alright?”
An internal energy art was, without exaggeration, the entirety of a clan’s martial arts.
Yet Bing Han-pung was offering to teach Bu Eun-seol the secret internal art of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
“Consider it payment for helping us eliminate the traitor and the forces trying to bring down our palace.”
The secret internal art of the Northern Sea Ice Palace was known to have reached the pinnacle of extreme yin studies.
If Bu Eun-seol could learn it, it would be an opportunity for him to take another great leap forward.
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath, his eyes flashing.
“Then it is time to weed out that person.”
At his words, Bing Han-pung and Han U-sang drew a deep breath.
If this plan succeeded…
They could finally identify the traitor who had fractured the Northern Sea Ice Palace for so long.
***
Bu Eun-seol and Bing Han-pung stood before an ice cave from which a chilling wind blew.
Carved above it were the characters for Bingha Cheonryu-gwan.
They had arrived here only after traversing a secret passage deep within the underground of the Northern Sea Ice Palace for a long time.
Inside, luminous pearls embedded in the ceiling cast a faint glow, and in the depths of the cave was a small pond that radiated a frigid chill.
It was the Cold Spirit Divine Water, of which a single drop was said to freeze an entire well.
“Originally, only the Palace Lords of each generation are permitted to enter this place.”
Bing Han-pung, who had led Bu Eun-seol into the ice cave, said in a low voice.
“And the secret art written over there is the extreme yin art I will impart to you.”
Bu Eun-seol looked at the wall Bing Han-pung was pointing to.
The wall was densely covered with the text of a secret art, carved with Profound Yin Finger Force.
“Ice River… Heavenly Flow Art?”
Bu Eun-seol murmured to himself as he looked at the text, and Bing Han-pung took a deep breath and spoke.
“That’s right. It is the secret art of our palace’s founder, the Ice River Great Emperor—the Ice River Heavenly Flow Art.”
Bu Eun-seol couldn’t hide his surprise.
Wasn’t the Ice River Heavenly Flow Art the true ultimate technique of the Ice River Great Emperor, known as the creator of extreme yin energy, and the supreme martial art of the Northern Sea Ice Palace?
“You are going to pass this on to me?”
“‘Pass on’ is not quite right. After all, it is a martial art that I, the Palace Lord, cannot learn.”
Bing Han-pung said with a bitter expression.
“To learn the Ice River Heavenly Flow Art, one needs three hundred years’ worth of Icy Soul Qi. Anyone who attempts to learn this art without it will instantly freeze to death.”
With a deep sigh, Bing Han-pung spoke in a low voice.
“For this reason, none of the successive Palace Lords of our palace have dared to learn this art.”
From the shockwave of the palm energy Bu Eun-seol had unleashed earlier, Bing Han-pung had been able to guess at once.
This young successor of the Demonic Cult possessed internal energy far exceeding three hundred years’ worth.
He paused for a moment before speaking again.
“I, too, have studied this secret art for a long time. But no matter how I looked at it, I concluded that learning it was an act of suicide.”
“…”
“However, upon seeing your art that handles both yin and yang, I can guess the solution.”
Bing Han-pung said, his eyes firm.
“This Ice River Heavenly Flow Art can only be mastered by one who possesses both yin and yang energy simultaneously.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
With the Anti-Polarity Divine Art, which could handle both yin and yang, even if his body froze, he could use Yang Heat Qi to instantly thaw himself.
“However, you have already deeply mastered one internal art. To learn a new one now, you would truly have to risk your life.”
Learning another internal art after having already mastered one was more dangerous than climbing a tightrope strung over a thousand-foot cliff while doing a handstand.
What if, while learning the new art, one unconsciously used the familiar one?
At best, one’s qi and blood would be severely damaged; at worst, the probability of suffering qi deviation was high.
Especially with an ice art like the Ice River Heavenly Flow Art, which could freeze one’s blood vessels in an instant, it was truly a life-risking endeavor.
“Is it really alright for me to learn this?”
Bu Eun-seol asked with a look of doubt.
No matter how much he was helping the Northern Sea Ice Palace for the sake of an alliance, to offer up another clan’s supreme secret martial art was unheard of.
It was something that should never happen.
“Our palace…”
Bing Han-pung started to say something, then shook his head.
“No, it’s nothing. In any case, if you can learn it, then you may. Don’t worry about it.”
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
He had just stumbled upon an unexpectedly great opportunity. Of course, that was assuming he survived learning the Ice River Heavenly Flow Art.
“Thank you, Palace Lord.”
As Bu Eun-seol cupped his hands, Bing Han-pung offered a dry smile.
“You only have four days in this place.”
“I understand.”
“I wish you good fortune.”
He then slowly reached out and patted Bu Eun-seol’s shoulder.
“I’m counting on you to take care of our palace.”
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes widened.
He felt that those words were not simply about the alliance.
Before Bu Eun-seol could reply, Bing Han-pung was already walking out of the ice cave.
He slowly turned his attention back.
The Ice River Heavenly Flow Art consisted of about five thousand characters.
The brilliance of this art was not only its ability to generate the powerful Icy Soul Qi, the very essence of ice arts, but also its capacity to store cold energy absorbed from the outside.
“It will be faster if I absorb the cold energy from the pond.”
Bu Eun-seol lightly brought a finger toward the pond filled with Cold Spirit Divine Water.
*Crack.*
Before his finger even touched the water, a thin layer of ice formed on his fingertip.
“Just by absorbing the cold energy from this place, I could freeze everything.”
Taking a deep breath, Bu Eun-seol looked down at the pond with a tense expression.
“Is this the only way?”
He then began to shed his clothes.
The time given to him was four days. To grasp the essence of the art and generate Icy Soul Qi within that time was an impossible task.
Bu Eun-seol intended to immerse himself completely in the Cold Spirit Divine Water for four days while he learned the Ice River Heavenly Flow Art.
“One wrong move in my circulation, and I’ll die a frozen corpse.”
It was, in every sense, training with his life on the line.
If he failed to properly accumulate the cold energy in his dantian, he would instantly freeze to death.
*Splash.*
He stripped off his clothes and entered in one swift motion.
*Crrrack.*
Bu Eun-seol’s body turned into a block of ice.
‘Ugh.’
The cold, which instantly froze even his internal organs, almost made him lose consciousness.
If he had, Bu Eun-seol would be having a private meeting with King Yama by now. If he stopped circulating his energy for even a moment, his blood vessels would freeze, and he would lose his life.
‘I must absorb the cold energy before my body freezes completely.’
*Woooong!*
As he circulated the Ice River Heavenly Flow Art, a low vibration sounded, and the cold energy from all over his body began to seep into his dantian.
‘Uuugh.’
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol’s face contorted in agony.
The instant the cold energy was stored in his dantian, he felt a pain as if hundreds of long needles were churning through his lower abdomen.
If it were an ordinary martial artist, they would be filled with regret by now, or they would have immediately leaped out of the pond.
But Bu Eun-seol was different.
He had never once learned a martial art without putting his life on the line.
He had to be prepared for death to master the Anti-Polarity Divine Art, and he learned the Extreme Speed Shadowless Art with the resolve to give up his lower body.
He risked his life alongside Changsin-dae in real combat to create the Formless Heavenly Flow Style, and he had unleashed the Seven Forms of the Demonic Fist amidst life-and-death battles.
‘I will master this, no matter what.’
Enduring the mind-numbing agony, Bu Eun-seol continued to circulate the Ice River Heavenly Flow Art without pause.