Stealing the Fortuitous Encounter (2)
The location where the Divine Transformation Heart Method lay dormant was an unnamed wild mountain in Shandong Province.
According to the original story, after Emperor Jincheon's ascension, unprecedented earthquakes and landslides occurred, revealing a certain cave by chance.
The first people to discover that cave—herb gatherers or shepherds—stumbled inside by accident and met a tragic end.
'Afterward, rumors spread that something extraordinary was hidden in that cave.'
In this world's setting, legendary swords or ancient inner cultivation methods sometimes appeared out of nowhere, drawing martial artists obsessed with such treasures. After fierce competition, it fell into the hands of Baek Muhon, the only son of the world's greatest martial artist, who would later be called the Heavenly Dragon Sovereign Sword.
"But this time, it'll be different."
My maternal uncle, the original author and creator, had deliberately given this fortuitous encounter not to the world's top martial artist himself, but to his son Baek Muhon—and there was a reason for that. It was a metaphor for how, not just in the Central Plains martial world but in our real lives too, children of wealthy families inherit their fathers' fortunes and family support.
'Wouldn't it be better if a rags-to-riches underdog snatched it and stirred up a storm instead of some golden spoon?'
I felt a twinge of sorry for Baek Muhon, who was meant to claim the Divine Transformation Heart Method in the original setup, but right now, it had no owner. With the knowledge I possessed, I planned to monopolize it entirely.
Moreover, this "cave" was more like a dungeon from a game. It had specific countermeasures for each trial, and without knowing them, you'd struggle endlessly and likely die.
'Even in the original story, Baek Muhon barely broke through with help from his father, the world's greatest martial artist, and his personal guards.'
This time, I'd conquer it not with the power of a born prodigy, but with the power of information. I'd prove it myself.
"Almost there."
The best part was that Shandong Province, home to the cave, wasn't too far from Hebei Province, where Cheonmu Academy stood. Even so, this ridiculously vast continent took a full three days to cross. That was only because I'd traveled by boat along the river rather than overland.
'Gotta hurry.'
Herb gatherers and shepherds would soon approach. I had to claim the Divine Transformation Heart Method and escape before rumors spread. That way, no one would know I'd learned it, and there'd be no backlash.
"Huh?"
Finding the cave while traversing that unnamed wild mountain was no challenge. In fact, it was ridiculously easy. Because...
'Uncle modeled it exactly after Waryong Mountain back home?'
My uncle, more unemployed bum than martial arts author, had gone to fetch spring water at Waryong Mountain with me almost every day. A writer draws from his surroundings, and he'd set the Divine Transformation Heart Method cave at the spring there.
"Thanks to that, I saved a ton of time!"
Exaggerating a bit, I could find it blindfolded. I quickly located the cave where the Divine Transformation Heart Method slept: beneath an enormous ancient tree whose roots had been ripped out, a small entrance yawned.
It matched the spring's position so perfectly I nearly burst out laughing.
'Alright, let's go.'
There was no fear. Knowing it from text was one thing, but since it copied our local spring's terrain exactly, my confidence soared.
Whoosh!
I boldly stepped inside. Surprisingly, the cave's interior was vast. I already knew that, of course.
Excluding the final chamber where the Divine Transformation Heart Method waited, the cave had four rooms in total. Each held massive trials and traps; only by overcoming them could one reach the prize.
'I can do this. I have to.'
No, for my uncle's sake, I had to. And for the protagonist Cheon Myeong, I had to challenge it.
"The cave's first trial: the chamber of mechanisms, formations, and illusions."
Mechanisms meant classic dungeon traps—one wrong step, and you'd face deadly attacks you couldn't withstand, or formations triggering mirages and illusions.
Seeing the mechanism and formation chamber in person, beyond mere text, felt fresh, but it fueled my confidence.
'Just as Uncle described.'
To the naked eye, it looked like a tangled maze of complexity, but it was actually simple.
'This chamber is structured as a giant circle.'
The solution was straightforward too. The circle symbolized a round clock; move in the direction of odd hours to dispel it.
Start at 1 o'clock to break the illusions and fake maze, revealing the entrance again. Don't panic—next go 3 o'clock, then 5, and finally 11 to clear it.
When I'd asked Uncle why he'd designed such a trap, he'd replied:
—"We know modern clocks and game directions, so we can crack it easily. But they're Central Plains martial artists, right? They'll never figure it out and have to brute-force it. Still, I hid the solution as an Easter egg—like a game dev's secret cheat code. It was for chatting with you, my one true family, friend, and co-author."
'Who knew it'd help so much today.'
It was nothing short of miraculous.
"First, 1 o'clock."
I moved calmly, calling out clearly to avoid confusion.
"Finally, 11 o'clock."
Exiting at 11, everything unfolded as predicted.
Fwaaah!
The illusions and fake mazes vanished, and an entrance to the next chamber appeared. I'd cleared the first trial flawlessly.
"Heh, piece of cake."
I grinned in satisfaction. Knowing the author's solution made it trivial; in the original story, Central Plains martial artists suffered hundreds of casualties brute-forcing it. They basically collapsed the whole thing by force, and the entrance only opened after all traps and formations wore out.
'Talk about a hack job.'
Me? I solved it effortlessly without breaking a sweat. What a steal.
"Three chambers left."
Still, no room for complacency. Even with all the info and answers, this wasn't a game or simulation. One misstep here meant instant death.
'Focus. Focus.'
My brief glee faded as I refocused. I had to.
The second chamber was the boiling lava room.
Roaaar!
The moment I entered, it felt like a furnace pressed to my face. Boiling sulfur and lava heat drained my energy instantly.
'Uncle designed this one too.'
It looked like massive stepping stones crossed a lava sea, but they were all traps—leading opposite the true path.
So how to cross?
—"The real entrance to the next chamber is hidden under the lava, not at the stones' end."
Not to badmouth my own uncle, but he had a sadistic streak. The stones were a fake-out; the true door was a hidden passage from the third stone, enduring the lava's heat.
'That's how you reach the next room.'
Clear condition: ignore the stones and survive a brief plunge into the lava.
"I grinded Taeryeok Cheolgang Gong to the death for this."
Obviously, my current attainment was low; I couldn't survive indefinitely.
'Best case, 1 minute in the lava—maybe 2 or 3 at most.'
But that was cheat-level for clearing this room. Normally, you needed at least Peak realm inner energy to endure such heat. It blocked anyone below that outright, and in the original, countless experts died before finding the third stone's entrance.
"I know the exact spot—I'll enter the next chamber in under a minute."
Still, leaping into boiling lava took guts, so I hesitated briefly.
"Hooah!"
I exhaled sharply and unleashed Taeryeok Cheolgang Gong at full power.
—Taeryeok Cheolgang Gong!
Time was short; I dove right in.
Splash!
Immense heat assaulted me instantly. Without Taeryeok Cheolgang Gong, even basic external arts would've left me scarred horrifically.
'Entrance, entrance!'
I searched desperately amid the blaze. The good news: with the skill active, it wasn't hot at all. Like holding breath in a very hot hot spring.
'Found it!'
I broke through the second chamber effortlessly and advanced. Pure speedrun, showcasing the world's top external art's overpowered might.
"Huuu."
I caught my breath in the interim space before the next room. I'd need Taeryeok Cheolgang Gong again soon—stamina management was key.
Whiiiish!
After sufficient rest, I entered the third chamber. No heat this time—instead, biting northern winds chilled to the bone, agonizing for ordinary folk.
It was a frozen room of millennial ice, not lava and fire.
'Same structure as the lava room.'
Massive stepping stones in the exact positions. Uncle's creative limits, I suppose. The only visible difference: lava swapped for ice and cold.
'So the original martial artists, like before, dove from the third stone—thinking it the same—and all died.'
This time, the third stone was the trap; the true path was crossing the stones fully.
"Step on the third, and the ice cracks and collapses instantly."
In other words, like the lava room but reversed: trigger on the third stone.
The solution: cross without touching it. But not easy—blasting cold winds froze anyone midway.
"Uncle's got some twisted tastes."
Torturing characters under the guise of "setting"? I activated Taeryeok Cheolgang Gong again, enduring the killer cold as I dashed across the stones—skipping the third.
Tat-tat-tat!
I cleared the third chamber handily too, reaching the final, hardest trial. Far more complex than mechanisms, lava, or ice.
But no worries.
'I prepared this for this room.'
Whoosh!
I hurriedly drew the Ho Jeop Bi Pyo from my bosom. Time to use it.