Chapter 321: Master
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 321: Master
Certain formations can be maintained semi-permanently, depending on the conditions.
However, those conditions are incredibly strict, as they require natural objects or iron machinery to serve as an axis.
Natural objects shift slightly over time due to the elements, and iron machinery rusts.
Of course, it was common practice to take various measures to account for such variables, but it was difficult for them to endure hundreds of years without anyone to maintain them.
And the same was true for the ‘Formation of Myriad Illusions and Heavenly Creation’ that surrounded this place.
According to Vajra Divine Monk, the formation would be permanently sealed in an hour.
‘Did he say it was because the spiritual power maintaining the formation had been depleted?’
I was lost in thought as I stared blankly at the sky, which was split in two.
It went without saying, but once the formation closed, I would never be able to return here.
At first, I didn’t think much of it.
I figured that besides Wuhan, Vajra Divine Monk had left arrangements scattered throughout the Central Plains, so if anything happened, I could just go to one of those places.
But that was merely my own delusion.
-Do I look like I had the leisure to wander the Central Plains digging caves? The other locations are merely axes to maintain the Formation of Myriad Illusions and Heavenly Creation, as well as additional entrances.
In other words, even if I went to those other places, there were no hidden fortuitous encounters, nor was there a formation where I could meet Vajra Divine Monk.
From the moment I learned that fact, I felt a strange sense of unease.
“Excuse me, can I ask you something?”
I spoke to Vajra Divine Monk, who was drinking the Baekhyangokroju I had given him.
With a flushed face, he stated firmly, “No.”
“I’ve been curious for a while, but why would a man like you, a monk, create the Formless Sword Art? All the warrior monks at Shaolin Temple use palm or fist techniques.”
One of the Ten Precepts of Shaolin, the precept against killing, forbids the taking of life.
Because of this, the warrior monks of Shaolin were not supposed to carelessly kill not only people but even a single beast or insect.
Naturally, they came to avoid using bladed weapons, and even within Shaolin Temple, from which it is said all martial arts under heaven originate, martial arts like sword and saber techniques gradually faded into obscurity.
“Huuu... This brat doesn't listen to a word his master says.”
Thwack!
“Ah!”
Vajra Divine Monk flicked my forehead with his fingertip and rose from his seat.
My head rang as if the flick contained the profound principles of the Air-Splitting Palm.
“...The precept against killing is the first of the Ten Precepts, and the one held in the highest regard. However, it is also the precept that has been most frequently broken throughout Shaolin’s thousand-year history. What do you think is the reason?”
Vajra Divine Monk’s back, as he suddenly looked up at the sky, seemed somewhat bitter.
“The Orthodox, the Evil, and the Demonic. The conflicts and wars between these three factions have been repeated countless times throughout history. Thanks to them, the rivers overflowed with blood and corpses, and many had to writhe in agony. In such an era of war, the logic of ‘kill or be killed’ was only natural, and Shaolin was no exception.”
The Hundred Steps Divine Fist, the Arhat Divine Fist, and the Great Strength Vajra Palm. Each one was a peerless divine art that represented Shaolin.
But not everyone could learn such divine arts.
“The ones who die the most in war are the second and third-generation disciples. But their fists were far too weak to face the followers of the Evil Path who charged at them with bladed weapons.”
Vajra Divine Monk’s voice was somewhat impassioned.
As he said, even if a war broke out, the second and third-generation disciples couldn't learn the sect's divine arts.
The rules of a sect were that strict.
Only then did I realize what Vajra Divine Monk was trying to say.
“Is that why you created a sword art? Because if the Abbot of Shaolin used a sword, the disciples would naturally become interested in sword and saber techniques?”
Vajra Divine Monk didn’t answer.
But sometimes, a moment of silence could be a more definitive answer than a hundred words.
I searched my memory and recalled the Shaolin warrior monks I had met in Jinheung Village.
Not a single one of them had been carrying a bladed weapon.
‘...So the story about quitting his post as abbot because he wanted to eat meat was just an excuse. Was he actually kicked out because the abbot was using a sword art?’
Of course, given his personality, it was unlikely he was kicked out so meekly.
He probably faced so much opposition that he quit and left on his own accord. That seemed more likely.
I thought I understood why he hadn't passed down the Formless Vajra Art to Shaolin.
But there was one thing I just couldn't understand, no matter how much I thought about it.
“...Wouldn't it have been better to just charge into the Demonic Cult or the Evil Alliance yourself and end the war?”
I looked at the sword marks left within the formation.
I had been proud of how much stronger I’d become, but the moment I faced the pinnacle of swordsmanship that Vajra Divine Monk had displayed, that pride vanished in an instant.
Even if the Heavenly Demonic Cult and the Evil Alliance joined forces, it seemed like Vajra Divine Monk could kill them all by himself.
“...Stop with the useless chatter and get lost.”
“Let me just ask a few more things before I go.”
“Tsk, why is a man so talkative?”
“Don’t you feel any regret?”
Vajra Divine Monk, whose eyes met mine, sat down on a rock without a word.
I took that as a form of permission.
“Did you create this formation yourself?”
Vajra Divine Monk shook his head.
True, no matter how strong he was, it didn't make sense that a former Abbot of Shaolin could also master formations so freely.
“I shall impart one good piece of wisdom to you. Listen well.”
I knelt respectfully before Vajra Divine Monk.
“I am listening with utmost attention.”
“It's that when you're the strongest under heaven, you can drag someone over and force them to work for you, and no one can say a thing.”
“...?”
Is that really a good thing...?
“He was a fellow called Gimungaek. His martial arts were worse than third-rate, but he was a genius known to surpass even the Jegal Family when it came to formations and mechanical traps.”
“Then the one who made this place was...?”
“Right. I worked him hard, and he built it in half a year.”
“...”
A monk used forced labor?
‘Is he really a monk?’
“For the record, he was from the Evil Faction. A despicable bastard who enjoyed capturing people, trapping them in his formations or mechanical traps, and watching them suffer.”
“Ah.”
I nodded.
A guy like that deserved to die.
‘Still, it’s a bit of a shame.’
If possible, I had wanted to learn the structure and arrangement of the Formation of Myriad Illusions and Heavenly Creation to install it at my home later, but it seemed that would be difficult.
“Are you done now?”
“Can I ask one last thing?”
“If I said no, you'd listen, would you?”
He was right.
Perhaps because we had spent some time together, he knew me quite well.
“Could you take a look at this book?”
I took a book out of my inventory.
It was the manual for the Great Mind-Spirit Art.
“I happened to find this martial arts manual in a bookstore, but the last part was missing. It doesn't seem to have any problems from what I can see, but I'm not sure if it's okay for someone else to learn it.”
I could verify it myself, but since this was a martial art my women would be learning, I wanted to be absolutely sure.
“Bring it here.”
Vajra Divine Monk took the manual and, with an indifferent expression, flipped through the pages. He closed the book in just ten seconds.
“...Where did you get this book?”
“From a bookstore in the Black Market.”
“Hmm...”
Vajra Divine Monk, who had been staring intently at the manual, seemed to ponder for a moment before tossing the book back to me.
“This is the Great Mind-Spirit Art, one of the mind techniques passed down in the Emei Sect.”
“The Emei Sect?”
“It’s a divine art that only the elders can learn. It’s treated as preciously as the Mount Hua Sect’s Plum Blossom Sword Art. And you found this in a bookstore?”
Vajra Divine Monk looked at me with a meaningful expression. A strange light flickered in his eyes.
“Did you steal it?”
“Me?”
I just blinked my eyes without a word.
At that, Vajra Divine Monk chuckled and took a gourd bottle from his robes.
“Then again, a brat like you wouldn't steal a martial arts manual. You'd be stealing the nuns' undergarments.”
“...I’m not that much of a scumbag.”
Seriously, he’s treating me like some kind of underwear thief.
“You only say that because you haven't seen the Emei Sect nuns for yourself. From the first-generation disciples onward, they all learn the Immortal Maiden Art, so you won't find a single plain woman among them. And as for the elders, they might be a bit older, but in terms of looks alone, they are peerless beauties.”
Vajra Divine Monk chortled as he chugged from the miraculous gourd bottle that produced an endless supply of alcohol.
Dumbfounded, I retorted, “Hey, is that something a monk should be saying?”
“So, aren't you interested?”
I could only let out a dry laugh at the sight of Vajra Divine Monk raising the corners of his mouth in a sly grin.
Honestly, after hearing that, I wanted to visit the Emei Sect myself.
The only problem was that the Emei Sect was a sect forbidden to men.
‘Hmm, I think I could manage it if I use the Ghost Divine Art and invisibility magic...’
Of course, I had no intention of doing anything strange.
I just wanted to confirm for myself how pretty the Emei Sect disciples were.
The sects of the Sichuan Murim had become reclusive after the Righteous-Demonic War and didn't even participate in martial arts tournaments, so I had no choice but to go there myself.
“If you plan on sneaking in, just don't get caught. I have no desire to see my one and only disciple branded a pervert and treated as a public enemy of Murim.”
“You think I’d get caught?”
Once my mastery of the Ghost Divine Art improved, I was confident I could infiltrate even the Emei Sect Leader’s chambers without being detected.
“You’re not even trying to deny you’d go.”
“I guess I take after my master.”
Smack!
“Guah...!!”
“This brat, I let him off a few times, and now he doesn't know his place.”
Sighing, Vajra Divine Monk got up and started walking somewhere.
I followed him, rubbing the small lump that had formed on my head.
When we reached the middle of the meadow, he drew characters in the air with a hand imbued with true qi.
Open Gate.
Whaaaaaa—
At that moment, the space began to tremble as if it were twisting.
Soon, a familiar scene appeared through the cracked fissure.
It was the scenery of East Lake, shining beautifully as it reflected the sunlight that had since risen.
“Hurry up and leave. The formation will close completely soon.”
“I’m going, you don’t have to rush me.”
I put on the black long robe I had taken off for a while and slowly walked toward the entrance.
My heart felt light.
Not only did I no longer have to be with the eccentric depraved monk who’d beat people with his wooden fish at the drop of a hat, but I would also be able to see Cheon Yeo-hwa again after two weeks.
Besides, I had become stronger just as I had wanted, so there was nothing more to wish for.
“...”
That should have been the case, yet strangely, I couldn't walk more than a few steps before I stopped in my tracks.
After a moment of hesitation, I finally turned to face Vajra Divine Monk.
“...Will I... be able to see you again?”
I already knew.
I would never be able to meet him again.
The living and the dead were not meant to exist under the same sky. In fact, meeting like this for even a short while was nothing short of a miracle.
So, it was right to be satisfied with this and go on my way.
But why was I like this?
It wasn't from being hit by the wooden fish, but for some reason, a corner of my chest seemed to ache.
Vajra Divine Monk, whose eyes met mine, let out a chuckle.
“What's the point of seeing a swarthy man like me again?”
He patted my shoulder a couple of times and smiled.
His face was still as rugged as a bandit’s.
But as I kept looking at him, I felt a strange lump forming in my throat.
“A master can open the door, but it is up to the disciple to walk through it. Go forth into the wider world, Hyun-woo.”
“...”
I nodded without a word.
Soon, the entrance was right in front of me.
But I couldn't take that final step. I turned around again to look at Vajra Divine Monk.
“...Could I really, truly ask one last thing?”
“Haa, do you not have a brain in your head?”
Sighing, he tilted his head with an annoyed look.
It was a gesture telling me to ask quickly and leave.
“How did you know my name?”
I had never told Vajra Divine Monk my name.
But he knew it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“You ask such a trivial thing. There are ways of knowing, so just hurry up and go. If the formation closes while you’re dawdling, no one can take responsibility.”
“...Since you’re not rushing me, I’ll go now.”
Truly, he was an eccentric man to the very end.
If he had grown up in the back alleys instead of a temple, he probably would have become the leader of the Evil Alliance and ruled the Central Plains.
But I had learned so much from him.
So, it was only natural to express my gratitude.
“Master.”
“What is it now! Stop bothering me and just get out alrea—”
Swoosh.
I brought my hands together and bowed respectfully to Vajra Divine Monk.
Honestly, you couldn't call it a long-standing bond.
At most, we had only been together for two weeks.
But despite that, he was my master.
“Your unworthy disciple finally pays his respects to his master.”
After respectfully paying my dues, I quietly rose, bowed my head, then turned and walked toward the entrance.
I had heard that my master didn't have a grave.
If I ever get the chance, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to visit Shaolin Temple and build one for him.
The thought suddenly occurred to me.
With one foot halfway through the entrance, I turned my head to look at my master and said, “Thank you for everything. Master, no.”
Great Master Beopjin.
At that moment, a familiar sensation enveloped my entire body.
The next thing I knew, I was standing alone by East Lake. My master was nowhere to be seen.
The events of the past two weeks felt distant, as if they had all been a dream.
I stood there for a long time, staring blankly at the lake.
Perhaps it was the dew falling from a leaf, but for some reason, the tip of my nose tingled.