Chapter 61
Chapter 61
Translator: Penny
Chapter 61
Where Does a Fortuitous Encounter Come From? (4)
The cave was dark.
I didn't rush, allowing my eyes to adjust to the gloom.
Every nerve was on high alert, focused intently, as if something might leap out at any moment. My fear wasn't of wild beasts or humans.
Even in complete darkness, I could handle them with my eyes closed. Surely no master beyond my capabilities would be guarding this desolate cave.
My real fear lay in the possibility of poisonous creatures or mechanical traps. I dreaded encountering venomous insects as small as ants, or mechanical devices capable of launching unexpected attacks.
At least a mechanism that fired hidden weapons would be manageable.
But what if the ceiling opened, releasing a torrent of poison? Or the floor collapsed, sending you plummeting down a cliff?
Such mechanisms were installed in the Martial Arts Alliance's key buildings. Dozens of hidden weapons would fly at you as a matter of course, poison would spray from all directions, and the room would seal shut in an instant, releasing toxic smoke.
Fortunately, this cave had no such traps.
How far had I walked?
Suddenly, the cave widened into a vast chamber.
"Ah!"
An involuntary exclamation escaped my lips. My first thought was:
How could such a place exist within a cave?
My gaze was drawn to the pond at the center.
I slowly approached it. The water was crystal clear, though I couldn't tell where it came from. Sunlight streamed in through small holes in the walls, illuminating the chamber.
Looking through the arrow-slit-like openings, I saw the sky. These were likely holes leading to the cliff face.
Moss grew on the cave walls, interspersed with patches of unknown grasses and flowers.
It was a scene straight out of a dream, a veritable paradise within the cave.
Then, my gaze was drawn to a single flower. Just as Song Hwarin stood out among a crowd, radiating her own unique light, this flower possessed a similar presence. It stood apart from the other blooms, utterly unique.
A gasp escaped my lips, even more astonished than when I first beheld this place.
"Ah!"
I knew exactly what this sun-red flower was.
"Solar Sedge Herb!"
The Solar Sedge Herb was a rare and highly sought-after elixir. It was said to grant a Martial Artist a full One Cycle of internal energy in a single Pellet—a true elixir among elixirs.
"If the Solar Sedge Herb is here, that means..."
I leaped backward, my body flying through the air.
I quickly scanned my surroundings. Legend had it that the Dark King Snake guarded the Solar Sedge Herb.
The Dark King Snake was completely black from head to tail, not just an ordinary venomous snake, but a spiritual beast tasked with protecting the herb.
Just as light and darkness coexist, the Dark King Snake was said to thrive by consuming the Solar Sedge Herb's essence. If the herb died, the snake would perish with it.
The Dark King Snake's venom was known to be so potent that unless one possessed Invulnerability to All Poisons, a single bite meant instant death. As this rare snake was nearly impossible to spot, no antidote existed.
Sure enough, a pitch-black snake lay coiled in the nearby undergrowth.
Sensing my presence, the Dark King Snake raised its head. Our eyes met, and it flicked its tongue.
The venomous aura radiating from the creature was so intense that I felt dizzy even from a considerable distance.
I slowly drew my sword.
I nearly unleashed a burst of Sword Aura to kill it instantly, but my hand froze.
An unsettling feeling washed over me, a conviction that I mustn't kill it.
I retreated abruptly. As I moved farther from the Solar Sedge Herb, the Dark King Snake lowered its head back into its coil.
A sudden question arose in my mind.
Why had the dollmaker killed the Dark King Snake but not consumed the Solar Sedge Herb? Why had they gone to the trouble of creating a special mechanism in the box to lure whoever solved the doll's secret to this place?
I felt like I was missing something crucial.
I reentered the chamber.
Keeping my distance to avoid provoking the Dark King Snake, I carefully scanned the inner space.
In a corner of one wall, I spotted a narrow, almost imperceptible passage.
It was so well hidden that it would have been easily overlooked. Moreover, anyone preoccupied with the Solar Sedge Herb and the Dark King Snake would never have noticed it.
There!
My immediate thought was that I needed to get there first.
But I couldn't be sure if I could enter the passage without provoking the Dark King Snake.
It seemed possible because we were a bit away from the Dark King Snake's lair, but it also felt like it might pounce at any moment.
Killing it would have been easy. The real challenge was reaching the cave without killing it.
Was it truly worth risking everything?
I answered that question by trusting my instincts.
I pressed myself against the wall and moved slowly, very slowly, with unwavering patience. Whenever the Dark King Snake showed the slightest reaction, I froze completely.
It was clearly aware of my movements, but because they were so gradual, it didn't perceive them as a threat.
After nearly two hours, I finally reached the gap. As expected, there was a passage just wide enough for an adult to squeeze through.
Stepping inside, I found another small chamber. Sunlight streamed through, nourishing patches of grass.
Leaning against one wall was a skeletal corpse.
A single book lay open before it.
I approached cautiously and picked it up.
Immortal Crane Secret Art
The first page of the secret manual bore these words:
In my twilight years, I stumbled upon this place. After joyful wanderings, I gained new insights and leave these words behind.
The manual detailed the martial arts of puppetry, meticulously explaining how to circulate True Qi and unleash Internal Force through the five Forms. It seemed likely that the manual was named after Immortal Crane Peak.
On the final page, another inscription remained:
I had intended to claim the Solar Sedge Herb and the Dark King Snake, but I discovered the Ten Thousand Poison Antidote Herb growing here. Since it will take several decades for it to bear fruit, I leave everything for the Destined Inheritor who will inherit my martial arts. Even if my enlightenment is not passed on, that too must be the will of Heaven and the natural order.
Indeed, the Ten Thousand Poison Antidote Herb was growing nearby.
This flower blooms only once every hundred years, bearing fruit said to neutralize every poison in the world.
"Ah!"
Now I understood everything.
When the deceased first discovered this place, the Ten Thousand Poison Antidote Herb had not yet borne fruit.
Someone from a later generation had left this herb here, instructing the Destined Inheritor to consume even the Dark King Snake's Inner Core.
This was a choice no ordinary person would ever make. In a typical scenario, one would kill the Dark King Snake and consume the Solar Sedge Herb.
But the deceased had left everything—the herb, the martial arts, and this entire legacy—to a successor who would inherit their skills.
The inscription ended there. There was no mention of the author's identity, nor even a single word of the common advice to live righteously using the elixir and martial arts.
"Ah!"
I had exclaimed in awe many times since arriving here, but the emotion I felt at this moment was the most profound.
I finally understood what it truly meant to empty one's mind and follow the natural order.
"Thank you so much," I said, bowing formally to the Skeleton.
I was curious about this person's identity. If they had lived within the past century, I might even know them.
Who could they be?
If I could properly master the martial arts he left behind, I might be able to grasp some clues.
In any case, that was for later. Now, I needed to deal with this precious opportunity before me.
By killing the Dark King Snake, consuming its Inner Core, and immediately eating the fruit of the Ten Thousand Poison Antidote Herb, I could absorb the Inner Core's energy into my internal energy. At the very least, I should gain about half a cycle's worth of internal energy, plus a full cycle's worth from the Solar Sedge Herb.
Yet I hesitated.
I had just realized a unique opportunity had presented itself:
The Invulnerability to All Poisons Constitution.
With the Dark King Snake and the Ten Thousand Poison Antidote Herb, I could attempt to achieve Invulnerability to all poisons.
First, I would consume the Inner Core and wait for its energy to fully circulate through my body. Then, using the Cheonmu Hoshim Gyeol and several essential incantations to control my Internal Force, I would eat the fruit of the Ten Thousand Poison Antidote Herb when I was on the verge of death.
If I could pull this off, I'd never have to worry about poison again.
But failure meant death.
Given that I didn't know how potent the Dark King Snake's poison was, should I even attempt it?
If I failed, my corpse would never be found. My disappearance would devastate my father, mother, and Gwangdu.
Yet I hesitated because while internal energy could always be cultivated, the chance to achieve Invulnerability to All Poisons might only come once in a lifetime.
My deliberation didn't last long.
I had found the doll in the Black Market, discovered the map hidden inside it, and now, after coming all this way, I had found these items.
Everything had unfolded as if guided by fate. And I had always chosen to confront such situations head-on.
Once I made up my mind, I immediately put my plan into action.
First, I carefully plucked the fruit of the Ten Thousand Poison Antidote Herb.
Drawing my sword, I swiftly exited the passage and strode toward the Dark King Snake.
Hiss!
The Dark King Snake reared its head menacingly.
"I'm sorry. You'll be doing something better with me now."
Swoosh!
My sword severed the Dark King Snake's head in a single stroke.
I quickly split open its torso and extracted the Inner Core.
Even before swallowing it, I felt nauseous and my head began to spin.
"Please, I beg you."
I placed the Inner Core in my mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
The poison spread through my body with terrifying speed. It felt as if my mouth and throat were burning away.
I endured the agony by channeling the Cheonmu Hoshim Gyeol to its limit. In conjunction with the Cheonmu Hoshim Gyeol, I circulated a specific set of Aura techniques to force the poison into every corner of my body.
The moment I lost consciousness, it was over.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
I screamed deliberately, focusing on my voice.
In an instant, my entire body began to turn pitch-black. It felt as if my internal organs were melting and my limbs were being severed.
No! Eat the Ten Thousand Poison Antidote Herb now!
Not yet! If you eat it now, you'll fail!
Emotion and reason clashed. In that moment, I couldn't tell which was which.
I endured, enduring, enduring.
I felt the poison spread thoroughly to the tips of my toes.
That's it. Now's the time.
I tried to reach for the Ten Thousand Poison Antidote Herb, but my arm wouldn't move. My body had already slipped beyond the control of my mind.
Ah, this is the end.
My consciousness gradually faded. In that final moment, the person who came to mind was my mother—my mother from my previous life.
I was eating with my mother.
The younger version of myself.
I remember that day. It was the day I returned home after defeating the Fist King, my first visit in a long time.
I was excitedly recounting the story.
My mother watched me, smiling. Only now do I see her snow-white hair, her hunched back, and the deep wrinkles etched on her face.
Back then, I hadn't noticed any of it.
I was too focused on myself.
My mother picked up her chopsticks and fed me a side dish.
"Well done, my son. Eat plenty. Eat well and stay strong."
Her words echoed in my ears: "Eat plenty." My heart swelled, and my clouded consciousness cleared. I felt tears streaming down my face.
Yes, I have to eat. I can't die like this.
I mustered my last reserves of strength. Though my body remained paralyzed, I gritted my teeth. I refused to die. There was still so much I had to do.
My mother's face flashed through my mind.
"You can do it, son, right?"
I remembered her warm embrace as she smiled and hugged me.
Gradually, my arm began to move.
My trembling hand slowly reached toward my mouth.
Mother...
With my final ounce of strength, I forced the fruit of the Ten Thousand Poison Antidote Herb into my mouth.
I bit down hard. The fruit burst in my mouth with a pop.
As I felt the Cheonmu Hoshim Gyeol activate, I lost consciousness.
How long had passed?
When I opened my eyes again, the pain had vanished completely.
I slowly sat up. My skin, which had turned pitch-black, had returned to its original color.
With a tense mind, I checked my internal energy.
If my internal energy had increased even slightly, this attempt would have been a failure.
But the internal energy in my dantian remained unchanged.
Success!
I had attained the Invulnerability to All Poisons Constitution. From now on, no poison could harm me.
This was all thanks to my two mothers.
I felt particularly sorry for my mother from my previous life. Lately, I had been trying to repay the filial piety I couldn't fulfill in my past life to my new parents.
Please understand, Mother.
In return, I will find happiness.
Now that I had endured the pain, it was time to claim my reward.
I walked over and dug up the Solar Sedge Herb. After washing the soil from its roots in the pond water, I chewed and swallowed it whole, devouring even the crimson petals without leaving a trace.
The Elixir's energy spread throughout my body.
Perhaps because I had endured such excruciating pain beforehand, I felt more euphoric than ever before when consuming any Elixir.
Sssssss!
The Elixir's energy surged through my body. Activating the Cheonmu Hoshim Gyeol, I absorbed every trace of it.
After circulating my True Qi through several cycles, I examined the internal energy in my dantian.
I had successfully absorbed all of One Cycle's worth of internal energy.
Now, the internal energy in my dantian had reached One Cycle plus fifty-two years, nearly approaching Two Cycles. At last, I could finally use the Fourth Form.
By this time next year, I would reach One Cycle, and then I could use the Fifth Form. The mere thought sent a thrill through my entire body.
When I first discovered this place using the doll box, I never dreamed I would stumble upon such a monumental Fortuitous Encounter.
The Immortal Crane Secret Art.
The Invulnerability to All Poisons Constitution.
One Cycle of internal energy.
But that wasn't all I gained.
I had also acquired this hidden cave, unknown to the world. Now, whenever I needed rest, I could come here to recuperate. In times of crisis, it would serve as a perfect refuge.
I buried the skeleton of the deceased in a sunny spot within the cave.
"May you attain Paradise."
Just as he had left behind so much without a word, I offered him few words in return. My life would speak for itself.
"Hahahaha!"
I walked out of the cave, my laughter light and buoyant, as if I could fly.