Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Aftermath and Awakening
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Go Gun-pyeong’s pupils dilated as countless points of light erupted from them.
He had drawn upon his internal energy with all his might.
“The fifth technique…”
As a fierce light shot from his eyes, the White Devil Whip in his hand began to writhe like a living snake.
“White Devil Spirit Snake!”
*Flash!*
The White Devil Whip slithered through the air toward Bu Eun-seol like a living creature.
This was the ultimate technique of the White Devil Whip, one that would never stop until it drew blood.
*'I can't dodge this!'*
Bu Eun-seol knew it instinctively.
The technique of the White Devil Whip, flying slowly toward him, could not be dodged. He had to face it head-on and block it.
And if he failed, his head would be torn from his shoulders.
*Shing.*
Finally, the iron sword was drawn from Bu Eun-seol's waist.
There were two supreme sword arts he could use now.
The practical swordsmanship he had learned through his time with Sa-woo, and the Peerless Lightning Style he had been taught by Cheon Un-gwang.
*Woong!*
A piercing blue light erupted from Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
“Peerless Lightning…”
Sa-woo's practical swordsmanship, specialized in defense and counterattacks, could never block that killing move.
He was about to unleash Cheon Un-gwang's killing sword, the Peerless Lightning Style.
*Flutter.*
As he drew upon his internal energy, the hem of Bu Eun-seol's clothes began to flutter.
At the same time, the drawn iron sword reacted to his true energy, twitching and thrashing like a freshly caught fish.
“Unrivaled!”
With a thunderous shout, Bu Eun-seol swung with all his might at the White Devil Spirit Snake that was tearing through the air.
*Boom!*
An explosion roared,
“Pfft!”
Bu Eun-seol coughed up a spray of blood and was sent flying dozens of yards away.
He had blocked the White Devil Spirit Snake with all his strength, but the gap in their power was too great, and he couldn't handle the impact.
*Thud.*
Bu Eun-seol's body, sent flying to the edge of the training ground, hit the floor with a dull thud.
“Gack.”
Go Gun-pyeong's internal energy had thrown his qi and blood into chaos, and his organs were all displaced.
The wrist that held the sword was dislocated and dangled loosely, and he continuously spat out clots of blood.
*Stagger.*
Even as he spat blood, Bu Eun-seol used the broken iron sword as a cane to pull himself up.
His fighting spirit had not diminished in the slightest.
*'That brat…'*
Watching him, the hair on Go Gun-pyeong's arms stood on end.
*'If I fail to eliminate him today, I will regret it for the rest of my life.'*
Instinctively realizing that this boy would become a great enemy of the White Devil Temple, he gritted his teeth and was about to unleash another technique when,
“The test is over!”
Neung-gak, who had been sitting calmly at the table, was now standing in front of Go Gun-pyeong with a faint smile.
“Isn't that right, Great Warrior Go?”
Go Gun-pyeong couldn't say a word.
Because a storm of killing intent was pouring from Neung-gak's body.
*'This bastard…'*
“If you do not abide by our agreement, then our Hall will see no need to honor the promises made with the Demonic Sanctum either.”
At Neung-gak's words, Gok Gyo-bong nodded and said,
“The agreement was for five techniques, and that is now complete…”
“Wait.”
Just then, Yu Un-seong, who had been quiet, interjected.
“That boy used our sect's sword art again.”
As he pointed at Bu Eun-seol with a very displeased expression, Neung-gak smiled faintly.
“Was there an agreement that he could not use the Peerless Lightning Style in this test?”
“Hmph.”
As Neung-gak spoke with a smile, Yu Un-seong, seemingly at a loss for words, started a different argument.
“Is that boy a disciple of Nang-ya-gak? Or a disciple of our sect?”
“A disciple of Nang-ya-gak, of course. One who happened to inherit Great Warrior Cheon's insights.”
Anticipating Yu Un-seong's protest, Neung-gak responded as slyly as a fox.
“Look at that. The Peerless Lightning Style the boy unleashed! If Great Warrior Cheon himself had seen it, he would have slapped his knee in delight.”
“Are you mocking our entire sect?”
“Mocking you? Not at all.”
Neung-gak grinned and pointed at Go Gun-pyeong.
“Lord Go just used the White Devil Spirit Snake, the pinnacle of the White Devil Whip Arts. And did that boy not block it with Great Warrior Cheon's ultimate technique?”
“So?”
“What do you mean, 'so'? Does this not mean that a branch of the Fiery Rain Sword Arts has overwhelmed the true ultimate technique of the White Devil Temple?”
Neung-gak, ever the clever scholar, spoke smoothly.
“'The Fiery Rain Sword Sect overwhelmed the ultimate technique of the White Devil Temple with a mere branch of its arts.' If such a rumor were to spread, would the martial artists of the world praise the Fiery Rain Sword Sect? Or mock them?”
At that moment, the complexions of both Yu Un-seong and Go Gun-pyeong changed drastically.
The two sects were on very good terms and had intended to use this opportunity to eliminate Bu Eun-seol, who was a thorn in their side.
But in the end, the ultimate techniques of the White Devil Temple and the Fiery Rain Sword Sect had clashed, and a victor had even been decided.
This was by no means the outcome the two sects had wanted.
“This is…”
As Go Gun-pyeong stammered, Yu Un-seong said coldly,
“This was a secret test, known only to a select few within the Sanctum. This information must not be leaked to the outside.”
“I see.”
Neung-gak slowly approached the staggering but upright Bu Eun-seol and supported him.
Then he declared in a solemn voice,
“Then I will ask once more. Will the agreement be honored as it stands?”
Gok Gyo-bong glanced at Yu Un-seong and Go Gun-pyeong before nodding.
“Of course.”
“In that case, Elder Gok, please confirm it once more.”
“Hmph.”
Grumbling at Neung-gak's request, Gok Gyo-bong announced in a loud voice,
“As of today, the disciple of Nang-ya-gak, Bu Eun-seol, has once again been approved as a Sip-ma-jeon-in. The prohibition against using a sword is also lifted.”
“Thank you.”
Neung-gak cupped his hands in a show of respect, then looked at Bu Eun-seol.
“You've worked hard.”
And he said in an incredibly gentle voice,
“You have conducted yourself as a disciple of Nang-ya-gak should, without a hint of shame.”
“……”
Bu Eun-seol could only stare wide-eyed, unable to answer.
His internal organs were already displaced, his qi and blood ruptured and twisted.
But he had stood tall with every last ounce of his strength until the test was over.
Neung-gak, who had been smiling, spoke again with a proud expression.
“It's all over now. You can collapse.”
As soon as he finished speaking,
*Thud.*
Bu Eun-seol fainted right in Neung-gak's arms.
***
*Chirp, chirp, chirp.*
The chirping of birds made Bu Eun-seol's eyes snap open.
“……!”
He sat up in a hurry, finding himself lying on a bed with a soft blanket.
Looking around, he saw he was in a lavish room decorated with luxurious furniture.
*'Where am I?'*
As Bu Eun-seol slowly got out of bed, he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.
“Ugh.”
Bu Eun-seol groaned softly, clutching his temples.
He felt drained of all strength, as if all the blood had left his body, and his muscles screamed with every movement. It was as if he had been beaten with a club for three days and nights.
“I definitely…”
Huddled on the bed, Bu Eun-seol frowned.
No matter how he racked his brain, he could only remember unleashing the Peerless Lightning Style against Black Dragon Master Go Gun-pyeong's final technique.
*'I suffered a severe internal injury then.'*
Feeling his body's poor condition, Bu Eun-seol instinctively began to circulate his energy.
*Woong.*
As he began, Bu Eun-seol felt a strange tremor and sensed that something was different.
*'What is this?'*
He was trying to spread the true energy accumulated in his dantian throughout his limbs using the Reverse Polarity Heart Law, but there were already several streams of true energy moving within his body.
*'So this is what was causing the pain.'*
The weakness and aching muscles were because a powerful true energy had been generated in his body while he was unconscious.
—*Right now, your dantian has accumulated internal energy that would take a martial artist over a decade of hard training to acquire.*
Suddenly, the words he had heard when he first met Hyeol-geum-gang at the Iron Cudgel Peak came to mind.
—*Moreover, it is in a state of pure true energy. If your hidden acupoints are activated, your power will increase in an instant.*
*'My hidden acupoints have been activated!'*
Bu Eun-seol's qi and blood had been shaken up several times by the White Devil Whip Arts.
Then, in the process of the Reverse Polarity Heart Law healing his qi and blood, the hidden acupoints had been activated.
*Whoosh.*
As his energy circulation reached its peak, white steam rose from Bu Eun-seol's forehead.
*Flash!*
Having spread the true energy that had been gathered from his Tiantu to his Zhongji acupoint throughout his limbs, Bu Eun-seol opened his eyes.
A sharp light glinted in his eyes, as if he had never been injured.
*Fwoosh.*
Simultaneously, millions of red light points surfaced within Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
Reverse Polarity Firelight.
This was the phenomenon that manifested upon reaching the third stage of the Reverse Polarity Heart Law.
*Creeak.*
Just then, the door opened, and a woman in green robes walked in, carrying a tray with a teacup.
“Ah?”
Her eyes widened when she saw Bu Eun-seol sitting on the bed.
“You're awake.”
The woman approached cautiously and said,
“How is your body feeling?”
“Where am I?”
The woman, setting the tray on the table, replied,
“This is the Jipmaheon.”
“Jipmaheon?”
“It is where the Elder Sanctum Lord resides.”
*'The Elder Sanctum Lord?'*
Bu Eun-seol knitted his brows.
If the purpose was to treat him, they could have just left him at the Medicine King Hall. Why bring him, an unconscious man, to the residence of the Elder Sanctum Lord?
“How long have I been here?”
“Today is the third day.”
A ripple went through Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
He thought he had only lost consciousness for a moment, but that much time had already passed?
After a moment of silence, Bu Eun-seol spoke.
“And you are…?”
“My name is Jin-seol. I serve the Elder Sanctum Lord.”
For a maidservant, her attitude and speech were sharp, and she carried herself with an air of nobility.
She even seemed to have practiced internal arts, as a keen light flowed from her eyes.
*'No matter how I look at her, she doesn't seem like a servant.'*
Those who serve the leadership of the Demonic Sanctum are all talented individuals who have learned martial arts.
Furthermore, someone who serves a figure as important as the Elder Sanctum Lord would hold a high position, far from that of a mere maidservant.
However, Bu Eun-seol, completely ignorant of the ways of the martial world, mistook her for an ordinary maidservant.
“Is there something you wish to say?”
As she bowed her head slightly, Bu Eun-seol asked,
“Why am I here?”
“I was only told to take good care of you, Young Master.”
*'Is that so.'*
Faintly grasping the situation, Bu Eun-seol narrowed his eyes.
*'This test was supposedly known only to a few people within the Demonic Sanctum.'*
Gok Gyo-bong, who presided over the test, was a figure from the Hall of Elders.
In other words, the test was clearly conducted under the leadership of the Hall of Elders. When Bu Eun-seol was injured, it seemed they had him secretly treated here.
“Lady Jin Sang-hwa.”
An elderly woman's voice echoed from outside the door.
“The Elder wishes for you to bring the young master to the inner chamber.”
At those words, Jin-seol replied in a low voice,
“Understood.”
Then she spoke politely to Bu Eun-seol.
“Please follow me.”
“Where are we going?”
Bu Eun-seol asked, and Jin-seol replied softly,
“To where the Elder Sanctum Lord is waiting.”