Chapter 66: Upper Dantian
Pa Cheon was right.
I'd only been to this place once as Mu Jin.
And here I was, heading down to the Punishment Cave for the third time already.
It's like a total honey pot for farming, just for me.
The Punishment Cave's internal formation weakens one's internal energy circulation. That's why most martial artists hate going in there.
But thanks to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, I'm completely unaffected. It's like having a personal "debuff immunity."
Which means all the treasures inside are basically mine.
Of course, I don't remember any truly valuable treasure artifacts down there. Still, as they say, many hands make light work—or in this case, many scraps add up. Better to collect what I can.
"How's your body holding up?"
"Yes, Young Master!"
Cho Ryang stood ramrod straight, like a fresh recruit on his first day. He flinched at my slightest movement, but his awkward execution was straight out of basic training too.
In his hand was something like a small birdcage.
As we descended the spiraling cliff stairs, I asked him,
"How's life at Sado Ga treating you?"
"Yes, sir! I heard you personally looked out for us!"
He seemed to be thriving, alright. Before, he'd been skin and bones with fierce eyes; now, baby fat was filling out his cheeks in a healthy way befitting his age. Looked much better.
"And your siblings?"
"They're doing great!"
He must have felt a pang from that "cradle" incident. Up until arriving at the main branch, he'd been a mumbling mess, but after experiencing the might of the main cult and the Six Demonic Families, I probably seemed like some distant giant to him now.
[Stick to the wall.]
"Stick to the wall, Cho Ryang."
At Pa Cheon's words, I pressed myself against the rock.
From the dizzying heights above, something came rushing down at high speed. A massive basket, suspended by ropes, lowering toward us.
It was food supplies.
Not the scraps and garbage like before, but proper rations—salt-rubbed rice balls and jerky on the verge of spoiling. Actual sustenance.
The result of my little intervention.
Not out of pity for the Punishment Cave prisoners, mind you.
It's my final stronghold.
Frequenting the place made it clear: this was the perfect last bastion. If everything went south and I had to flee, it'd be ideal. Everyone else weakens here, but I get stronger.
So I was sprucing it up in advance. Call it the "Punishment Cave Environmental Improvement Project."
Anyway.
Before long, we'd reached the cave's entrance.
[So, where exactly is this spirit beast snake?]
We'll find out starting now.
[...I regret trusting a fool like you. Do you have any idea how vast the Punishment Cave is?]
No clue.
Exactly. No one does. That's the problem—it's insanely huge.
Relax. Don't trust me—trust Cho Ryang.
I turned to him.
"Think you can find it?"
"Yes, Young Master!"
Cho Ryang stood still, closing one eye. After scanning the cave like that for a while, he pointed in one direction.
"That way."
[...What the hell?]
I shot Pa Cheon a smug look, just for him to see.
One-Eyed Beast Master.
The terrifying figure who'd single-handedly crushed the Tang Clan of Sichuan with an army of spirit beasts—that was Cho Ryang's future.
Spirit beasts varied by individual, but they were essentially animals that had gained spiritual nature, making them profoundly mysterious and powerful.
Cho Ryang could perfectly tame them, forming a legion. Sure, they lacked true egos due to sorcery and great laws. But controlling them despite that...
Means his senses for spirit beasts are off the charts.
I hadn't realized he was this good. I figured it'd be tracking traces at best.
Probably in the same league as Un Yeop Ja, Sword Saint, or Heavenly Demon—folks with special gifts.
This world is so damn unfair.
Some get heaven-touching genius talents or abilities outside normal martial arts.
Others wind up with blocked meridians, barely able to cultivate.
Still, you've got to struggle.
If I'd just given up, I'd have been slaughtered in that first cave on day one.
Shaking off stray thoughts, I followed Cho Ryang—and realized we were on a familiar path.
This direction... leads to Do Il Gwang's plaza.
I brought booze, but... it might be risky for Cho Ryang.
Do Il Gwang was too unpredictable.
Is the kid even on the right track to begin with?]
No sooner had Pa Cheon spoken than—
"Found it!"
Cho Ryang triumphantly lifted something with tongs. A snake shedding, by the looks of it.
"...Well done. How'd you spot it?"
"Hehe, I don't really know. I just focus with my left eye, and... animal traces kinda pop out? Like that."
Was that why the Murim Returner's One-Eyed Beast Master only had one eye?
"Where do the traces lead?"
"That direction."
Straight toward Do Il Gwang, no doubt.
[Spirit beasts are born in places brimming with energy... so near the formation sustaining itself on Do Il Gwang's qi makes sense.]
Could be.
I said to Cho Ryang,
"If that's the way, we go—but we need to be careful. You know about Do Il Gwang?"
"Heard of him. The terrifying former Heavenly Demon, right?"
"Drop the honorific. Anyway, this leads to where he's sealed."
"Sealed away, so it should be safe, no?"
"...Maybe."
To me, it screamed danger.
With anyone else, I'd blow past it. But not Cho Ryang.
I was the one who'd pulled this kid from the cradle and given him a shot at life. His well-being was on me. No way I'd drag him into peril.
"I'm fine, Young Master!"
"You sure?"
"We were starving or getting beaten to death back in the cradle. You fed us, housed us, even taught us martial arts."
"Well..."
"Cliché as it sounds, you basically saved our lives."
Damn, now I felt guilty.
I'd brought him because he seemed useful, then basically abandoned him under the Sado Gwang excuse. If I'd truly cared, I'd have fetched him right after Sado Gwang died.
All that talk of 'my forces' feels shameful now.
Murim Returner was making me reflect more than any self-help world.
Anyway.
"Fine. I'll make sure he doesn't pull any tricks."
"I trust you."
I led Cho Ryang into Do Il Gwang's sealed plaza.
Tension prickled, but surprisingly, Do Il Gwang was quiet. His face was grave instead.
"Whelp... what's with the kid you brought?"
"None of your concern."
"Oh, but it is."
In that instant—
Do Il Gwang's presence crushed down.
It wasn't killing intent.
His shadow gained substance, swelling massively.
Shadows shouldn't escape their caster, yet this one grew, forming a shape.
[A mental image!]
I surged the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Someone at former Heavenly Demon level's mental image? Cho Ryang couldn't withstand it. I moved to shield him.
But—
"Whoa..."
Cho Ryang just gawked in awe, unfazed. And for good reason.
"A cat!"
"...It's a black tiger!"
"Ah, sorry!"
Do Il Gwang's mental image was indeed a black tiger, as he said. No ordinary one—its tail flickered like a demon's form.
That demon shape I'd glimpsed before? Just the tail of his image.
"Cho Ryang. You okay?"
"Huh? Yeah, totally."
Not just talk—he seemed genuinely fine. Even with my Heavenly Demon Divine Art up, my head tingled.
"Of course he is... Where do you find these freaks so casually?"
"What're you on about?"
"That kid."
Do Il Gwang grunted.
"His upper dantian is open."
"Upper dantian."
"Yeah. Someone like you must've heard of it."
I hadn't, actually.
Of course, I knew the concept from other wuxia tales, not just Murim Returner. But here too?
"As you know, when you reach Three Flowers Gather at the Summit, you feel briefly linked to the heavens."
I nodded calmly, playing dumb.
"That sensation reveals the upper dantian. It flickers briefly, then vanishes—like ancient texts describe. I felt mine clearly. Knew it was the key to the next realm. Super Peak martial artists wield mental images thanks to it."
"And?"
"Sometimes this world births oddballs with unique gifts. Ones ordinary folk lack. Like your kid there. His upper dantian is already active, so others' mental images don't faze him."
"...!"
Sounded like those special ability types.
"They all share this: upper dantian open without cultivation. Imagine if they trained properly."
"I see."
"Not 'I see.' That Yi Se-ryeong girl had it too. Train her right under the right master, and you'd birth an unprecedented monster!"
Do Il Gwang bellowed at Cho Ryang.
"Kid! I am Heavenly Demon Do Il Gwang. Learn my arts. I'll forge you into a powerhouse no one—not even the First Heavenly Demon—could rival."
Tempting offer.
The cult worshipped might above all. No backlash for learning demonic arts; it was the user, not the art. Any cultist would jump.
And so? Cho Ryang slowly approached Do Il Gwang's altar.
Do Il Gwang grinned smugly.
"Hahaha, good eye! Come, offer incense. I'll make you the stron—huh?"
Cho Ryang bent down and—
"Got it!"
"..."
—snagged a snake from the altar's base. A single horn protruded from its head.
One-Horned Fire Net.
A potent, dangerous spirit snake breed.
Normally needed multiple Peak experts to capture unscathed. Yet Cho Ryang nabbed it effortlessly.
Weirder still: it didn't resist. It nuzzled his arm affectionately.
He popped it into the cage and said,
"Sorry, but I won't learn from you, Do Il Gwang."
"...What? Are you mad?"
"Learning from you means staying in this prison forever, right?"
"That's the price!"
"But my siblings are outside. I have to protect them."
"You fool! You don't grasp how rare an open upper dantian is!"
"No, I do."
Cho Ryang said,
"I know I'm different. My instincts are sharp. But..."
He glanced at me.
"They point more to you, Young Master. Feels like you're the same type as me."
[...?]
"...?"
Me?