Chapter 41
Translator: penny
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: 10 Years of Seclusion (4)
After the boisterous blue light finally subsided, there were no changes whatsoever to Yong Yoo's cave.
The moment Han Chun-oh unleashed his spell, Yong Yoo had enveloped him entirely in a Water Shield Box, sealing it tight so no magic could escape.
That was why Yong Yoo and his cave emerged unscathed—while Han Chun-oh alone was trapped inside, battered by the very spell he'd unleashed on himself.
Bearing the brunt of his own spiritual power wasn't physically difficult, since he'd cast the spell himself. But the psychological blow was another matter entirely.
"Impossible!"
Han Chun-oh, whose Dao Heart had always been shakier than most at Foundation Establishment Perfection, had botched multiple breakthroughs by fixating too much on the process.
Geum So-ryeo had specially refined a pill for him using the inner core of a spirit beast infused with thunder spiritual energy, and even then, he'd barely scraped into Core Formation.
Once there, though, he'd surged ahead unimpeded, reaching the 2nd layer of Core Formation in a mere five years—an astonishing feat, considering Core Formation cultivation took several times longer than Foundation Establishment.
Du Hye, who had teased him for entering Core Formation first, had quickly caught up. Now, he was racing her to see who could reach Nascent Soul first.
And Han Chun-oh's spiritual root was a thunder spiritual root, no less.
Thunder spiritual power was wilder, fiercer, and more domineering than any other kind. Combined with his talent, it made him a match for even late Core Formation cultivators.
'How could some Foundation Establishment Perfection pipsqueak block my spell? And that worthless fool, of all people!'
Yong Yoo's spiritual root was a Three Elements Spiritual Root. To Han Chun-oh, who'd mingled with direct disciples and seen plenty of single-element root holders, it looked like the dirtiest, most pathetic root imaginable.
He'd come here planning to crush this worm-like nobody—who only enjoyed their master's favoritism because he'd stumbled upon the hidden cave of Elder Jin Yang-pyeong—out of sheer spite...
"Senior Brother, wouldn't it be best if you behaved while I'm still treating you like one?"
Instead of kneeling and begging forgiveness, the bastard had the gall to spout that nonsense!
"Fine. I'll make sure no one else sees this."
"You insolent wretch! I've walked the path of cultivation since before you were even born into this world!"
With that, Han Chun-oh unleashed a mighty spell, channeling his thunder spiritual power into a single point and shattering the Water Shield Box.
Yong Yoo just snorted derisively at the sight.
"I'm only 61. At my age, most cultivators in the world could say the same."
As he spoke, Yong Yoo cast the Soul-Thread Binding. Not wanting to wreck his cave, he deliberately used a weakened spell to snare Han Chun-oh, hurling him outside before pursuing on his flying sword.
"But isn't that a bit too brazen, coming from a senior brother who's clearly weaker than me?"
Han Chun-oh shook off the Soul-Thread Binding and transformed his entire body into lightning, streaking away. Yong Yoo immediately swept out his divine sense in all directions.
Empowered by his dual spiritual roots and the Five Skandhas Enlightenment Art, Yong Yoo's divine sense surpassed that of most Core Formation cultivators. It effortlessly locked onto Han Chun-oh as he chained Thunder Escape Arts one after another.
'Impressive. Thunder Escape may lack the pure speed of Wind Escape, but chaining it like that risks tearing your body apart from the instability—and he's pulling it off seamlessly.'
Even a seemingly dim senior brother was still a talented disciple acknowledged by Geum So-ryeo.
So thinking, Yong Yoo gathered spiritual power in his palm and smashed it across the entire space Han Chun-oh was traversing.
It was brute force—no finesse, no spellcasting. But the instant Han Chun-oh's Thunder Escape faltered, the blow landed true, sending him plummeting downward.
Boom!
Han Chun-oh used his dharma treasure to cushion the fall, then rose and extended his divine sense—only to startle at the crowd of onlookers.
A quick scan revealed he'd crashed into the spell training grounds reserved for Sea Severing Peak disciples.
As the disciples gawked in confusion at the sudden intruder, Yong Yoo descended slowly from the sky.
"I said I'd let it slide quietly if you knew your place. But now what? You've got a whole audience for getting thrashed by your junior brother—a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator. You, a Core Formation senior brother."
Han Chun-oh's composure cracked at Yong Yoo's leisurely taunt. Roaring in fury, he whipped out his dharma treasure and swung it wildly.
Whether it was the final use or just bad luck, the treasure shattered in a burst of intense thunder spiritual power that engulfed Yong Yoo.
But the assault was blocked by Yong Yoo's Water Mirror Shield. Confident in its defenses, he struck from both sides—one hand forming the Blazing Palm Seal, the other launching his Refined Flying Sword.
Krarararung!
Han Chun-oh dodged with another Thunder Escape. Yong Yoo sent his sword in pursuit while locking onto him with divine sense and unleashing a new spell he'd developed.
'Demonvine Grasp.'
Snap!
Yong Yoo clapped his hands, producing a dry crack. Green light erupted from his palms, spreading outward.
Han Chun-oh, evading the sword, was caught in the glow. In that instant, Yong Yoo's spell morphed into shimmering emerald vines that lashed out and coiled around him.
"Gaaah...!"
The vines constricted with terrifying force. Han Chun-oh's joints screamed in agony; fragile ribs snapped like twigs.
A vine around his throat choked off his air. Desperate, he channeled a body-fortification spell to resist.
Yong Yoo recalled his sword and sneered at Han Chun-oh's futile struggles.
"No use, Senior Brother. If you want to break free of my spell with Core Formation 2nd layer strength, you should've trained your physical body diligently—not wasted it on in-the-moment reinforcements."
The disciples in the training grounds could scarcely believe their eyes.
Judging by the handsome features stirring the junior sisters' Dao Hearts, the man in the pale pink robe must be the infamous Senior Brother Yong Yoo.
Despite passing the direct disciple exam properly, rumors had twisted the tale: Sea Severing Peak disciples believed he'd become a direct disciple solely due to finding Elder Jin Yang-pyeong's hidden cave.
His seclusion only fueled the gossip—they assumed his lacking talent shamed him into hiding.
Then, after the recent opening of the High Heaven Sect's sacred site, female disciples who'd seen Yong Yoo's statue suddenly defended him fiercely. Male disciples, in backlash, trashed him even harder...
But the scene before them shattered every rumor and fantasy they'd spun.
"How... How is a Foundation Establishment Perfection beating a Core Formation senior brother?!"
"No way! What kind of forbidden art is that?!"
"It's gotta be a dharma treasure!"
Talented cultivators often bridged minor realms. But crossing a major realm? That was the stuff of legends—reserved for heavenly spiritual roots!
Yong Yoo chuckled amid the commotion.
"Looks like you'll have to settle for a Core Formation weaker than Foundation Establishment from now on, Senior Brother. Actually, shouldn't I be the senior brother now? Care to try calling me that?"
Yong Yoo had no intention of forgiving Han Chun-oh.
High Heaven Sect enforced strict rules against sect brothers killing or maiming each other after the Wei Hong-taek incident, so death was off the table. But shattering his Dao Heart completely? That he could do.
A cultivator with a broken Dao Heart fell easy prey to heart demons, their cultivation stagnating. Prolonged, it led to realm regression or total lockdown—no further progress, no matter the effort.
With Han Chun-oh's temperament, he'd never recover. A shattered Dao Heart could end his path as a cultivator right there.
Yong Yoo knew this full well and planned to snuff out Han Chun-oh's future entirely.
The man had sabotaged the cave's formations in Yong Yoo's absence, seized it unlawfully, and insulted Yong Yoo and his Dao Companion Do Mun-hyang—while besmirching their master Geum So-ryeo, who'd rewarded their faith with fortune. That was crime enough.
"You filthy mixed-root bastard!!!"
Han Chun-oh bellowed savagely, detonating his spell to shred the vines before hurtling straight at Yong Yoo.
At the same time, he scattered talismans, summoned a spear-shaped dharma treasure, and fused it all with Thunder Escape—becoming a colossal bolt of lightning crashing toward Yong Yoo.
A mortal wouldn't have reacted in time. But Yong Yoo boosted his reflexes with potent divine sense, sidestepped effortlessly, positioned his Refined Flying Sword at center, and formed hand seals.
"Harmony Burst."
Seals complete, he launched the sword. It shredded the glowing talismans around Han Chun-oh, who slowed—and Yong Yoo thrust another new spell at him.
"Jade Seal Strike."
A brilliant glow bloomed from Yong Yoo's outstretched palm, colliding with Han Chun-oh. Dazzling light blinded all, followed by a massive wave of heat and shockwave.
Kwaaaaaang!!!
When the horrific crash faded, disciples cracked their eyes open to the devastation.
"...Are we all sharing the same dream?!"
"That kind of power in Master's restricted training grounds! Just who is Senior Brother Yong?!"
Han Chun-oh lay embedded in the training ground's center amid his shattered dharma treasure, his body scorched red and reeking of roasted meat.
Yong Yoo descended near him and addressed the crowd.
"Thanks to Master's restrictions on the grounds, you survived, junior brothers."
Unlike Do Mun-hyang, who called even higher-realm veterans "senior brother" out of respect despite her own lofty cultivation, Yong Yoo called Han Chun-oh "junior brother" purely to crush and humiliate him.
And as Yong Yoo said, the restrictions Geum So-ryeo had set blunted the Jade Seal Strike enough for Han Chun-oh to lose only his treasure—and keep his life.
Without them, he'd have died on the spot.
Han Chun-oh knew it too. Terror gripped him; he could only stare at Yong Yoo.
"Junior brother, the skill gap was obvious from the first exchange."
Yong Yoo gazed at him pityingly.
"Why deny it? Why waste my precious time with your pathetic arrogance and flailing?"
Yong Yoo's goal: ascend beyond Mun Yoo within 10,000 years. He had no time for irrelevant fools like this.
Not when his past life, future, and distant reincarnation were all on the line.
As Yong Yoo took a step forward, Han Chun-oh recoiled in horror, scrambling backward on all fours.
No major injuries, but the shock of defeat at a Foundation Establishment cultivator's hands had shattered him.
Yong Yoo stared silently at his crushed expression before speaking.
"Good boy. That's right, our pathetic little junior brother. Now that you know your place, crawl in the dirt like you deserve from here on out. Got it?"
Whispering softly, Yong Yoo turned away as if bored, vanishing from the training grounds.
Han Chun-oh stared after him—until he noticed the encircling junior brothers. Panic surged.
He desperately wanted to flee, but the Jade Seal Strike's power exceeded imagination. Even blunted by the restrictions, it was still lethal.
In the end, he endured the disciples' stares until they carried him to the infirmary.
Some were dumbfounded that a Core Formation had lost to Foundation Establishment. Others disappointed in Han Chun-oh. Many scorned him or deemed him unworthy of direct disciple status.
A cultivator's keen senses picked up every whisper and glance, stabbing deeper into his heart.
"Aaaargh!"
At the infirmary, Han Chun-oh wailed and thrashed like a madman, disrupting other patients' treatments. The Enforcement Hall dragged him to solitary confinement.
Sea Severing Peak disciples forgot Han Chun-oh in an instant. In his place, tales spread of Yong Yoo toppling a Core Formation despite being Foundation Establishment—and Do Mun-hyang, who'd reached Core Formation in her forties.