Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Thunder Dragon's Debut
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I grew suspicious at Master Mangnyang's words. It was certainly a plausible reason why even he, a former astronomical observatory scholar, couldn't decipher the strange script. The problem was that I couldn't fully trust his abilities. For all I knew, he might just be spouting plausible nonsense even now.
As if reading the doubt on my face, Master Mangnyang scowled.
"I can guess what you're thinking right now... But everything I've said is true."
"I want to believe you."
"Would you lose anything by believing me? You still have no clues at all for deciphering the strange script yourself."
"Hmm..."
He had a point. He hadn't claimed he could decipher the strange script right now—he'd only explained in detail why it couldn't be done. There was nothing to gain by doubting him at this stage. So I decided to ask what had been on my mind.
"Then why are you telling me all this, staking your life on it? You and I only met today, we know almost nothing about each other, and you don't even know what I plan to do with the Heavenly Dark Secret Book."
"Because this encounter itself is a fortuitous encounter for me."
Huh?
Me, a fortuitous encounter?
As I looked at him in slight bewilderment, Master Mangnyang's eyes gleamed as he spoke.
"I'm just a fool scraping by now, telling fortunes for idiots. But once, I was filled with the pride of serving in the continent's greatest astronomical observatory. For someone like me to encounter again this strange script whose origins I could never identify... Even if it means breaking my duty to guard imperial secrets, a scholar must know. That's the nature of a scholar."
"A scholar... Aren't you a Daoist who calls himself an immortal master?"
"Hahaha. You don't know much about the mystic gates transformation arts, do you?"
Master Mangnyang gave a bitter laugh and elaborated.
"The mystic gates transformation arts aren't superstition. They're a formula: Arrange the essence of the stems according to fixed principles, and you get fixed results. You could call it the realm of mathematics and physics.
The Nether Fortune Formation I laid out on this mountain is the same. It's not that I have some special divine power to deploy formations—it's just built according to set principles. The mystic gates transformation arts are merely one domain a scholar can reach. Formations are a kind of self-defense technique, you could say."
"Ho... I see."
It felt like I was hearing something quite valuable.
So the mystic gates transformation arts weren't like internal energy, cultivated to wield mystical powers. They were something even an ordinary person could create just by thinking smartly? It was knowledge I'd never heard of, let alone understood, during my days as an escort warrior. My curiosity piqued, I decided to dig deeper while I was at it.
"Then what about talisman spirit arts or exorcism spells? Do those not require divine power either?"
"Those require a special talent, but it's not divine power—it's the power of the upper dantian."
"Upper dantian?"
"Haha. I suppose I should explain more to my esteemed guest."
Master Mangnyang chuckled gleefully and continued.
"Baek Woong, the internal energy you've cultivated and accumulated resides in the lower dantian. It spreads that power through the eight extraordinary meridians and the four limbs and hundred vessels, elevating the body to superhuman levels. As the lower dantian's power grows, you reach the middle dantian stage—but unlike the lower one, it doesn't exist in a specific part of the body."
"Then where is the middle dantian?"
"It's known as the heart, but that's not accurate. When the lower dantian's power reaches an immense level, it undergoes a unification process, at which point all power converges in the heart—or so it's understood. In other words, the ultimate realm for martial artists is essentially the middle dantian."
I was considerably surprised and said,
"Then is the upper dantian perhaps the brain?"
"Exactly."
Master Mangnyang seemed thirsty from all the explaining and poured himself another cup of water. After wetting his throat, he went on.
"But don't misunderstand this: The middle dantian is an evolution of the lower, but the upper dantian is entirely unrelated. It's about developing, in one's own way, the unique innate abilities hidden in the human brain to interfere with another dimension. That's the function of the upper dantian. It's a power you either have innately or you don't—those born with it have always operated on that basis."
Isn't that the same thing?
"Hmm... If it's such an innate ability, it doesn't seem necessary to distinguish it from divine power."
"No. I don't know the details myself, but the sorcerers of the unorthodox sects insist on clearly distinguishing upper dantian powers from divine powers. It must hold some definite meaning for them."
"I see..."
I'd gained quite a bit of knowledge here.
The distinctions between upper, middle, and lower dantian, and an understanding of mystic gates transformation arts and spells!
This was knowledge that would be hard to hear even if you offered a fortune. Master Mangnyang offered me some water.
"Care for a drink?"
"No thanks."
"Anyway, the story veered a bit, but I have one demand."
Thwack!
Master Mangnyang slammed his palm down on a wooden plank carved like a desk. Naked greed shone in his eyes.
"Whoever you are, let me decipher this Heavenly Dark Secret Book."
"......"
So that's why he'd been rambling on all this time.
I crossed my arms and sank into thought. I'd roughly guessed his aim, but hearing it straight from his mouth felt fresh. Looking at his face, I said,
"Master Mangnyang. What if I'd resorted to violence and torture against you? What would you have done?"
"That's why I told you everything before it came to that."
"There are people in this world who'll beat first and ask questions later, whether you cooperate or not."
"To me, you didn't seem like that kind of person. If you were, I'd have been a dead man the moment you broke through the Nether Fortune Formation. You seemed reasonable, so I tried talking."
Master Mangnyang's eloquence was remarkably smooth. There was scarcely any doubt he was a man of vast learning.
I realized I stood at a crucial crossroads.
Should I hand over the Heavenly Dark Secret Book and let him decipher it as he wished?
Or should I just confirm he couldn't decipher it and leave?
"But... even after ransacking the Inner Yellow Pavilion, you couldn't decipher the strange script, right? Doesn't that mean you lack the ability to decipher the Heavenly Dark Secret Book?"
"Er... well..."
He hesitated, hit where it hurt. Indeed, there was no evidence that he, who couldn't comprehend the mysterious strange script even while working at the astronomical observatory in the Inner Yellow Pavilion, could do so now. After a moment's pause, he said,
"I might be able to decipher it."
"How?"
"With the Nameless Sacrificial Scripture. No matter how mysterious a language, it has its own grammar. With enough samples, you can roughly figure out meanings. The Nameless Sacrificial Scripture alone was too short to tell, but cross-referencing it with the Heavenly Dark Secret Book, which contains the same strange script, might allow interpretation."
"I see..."
I nodded thoughtfully, then struck at the core.
"So if I bring you the Nameless Sacrificial Scripture, you can decipher it."
"Hmm... Yes, but..."
Even as he said it, Master Mangnyang seemed to realize how absurd it sounded and muttered softly.
"The Inner Yellow Pavilion is right next to the Great Dragon Hall, His Majesty's residence. It's the deepest part of the inner palace—do you think you can steal the Nameless Sacrificial Scripture from there?"
"Yes."
"Whoa..."
My immediate reply left Master Mangnyang stunned. Of course—my words amounted to infiltrating the innermost sanctum of the imperial palace, the most heavily guarded place under heaven, to steal a book. I must have sounded utterly mad.
But with the Heavenly Dark Secret Book, I had the possibility of regressing even if I died. If I thought it through carefully and planned properly this time too, I could probably get my hands on this Nameless Sacrificial Scripture.
"Wait a moment."
Master Mangnyang pondered something, then went inside the house.
He emerged with a few scrolls and three books, handing me the scrolls.
"Take these."
"What's this?"
"A map of the inner palace. The imperial palace consists of 99 halls in total, but including annexes, it's effectively 173. Without a map, you'll never reach the Inner Yellow Pavilion."
"......"
I stared at him in disbelief.
"Don't tell me you brought a map of the imperial palace with you when you left?"
"I made it myself."
"But still, this is..."
Possessing this alone was high treason. If a map of the imperial palace leaked to enemies, evacuating the emperor and imperial clan would be impossible. Getting caught meant instant beheading and extermination of nine generations—yet Master Mangnyang had done it nonchalantly. He declared proudly,
"Who cares if they find out. Anyway, let me continue the explanation."
"......"
This guy lives entirely by his own rules.
No wonder he left the palace to play fake Daoist.
"And these are three books you absolutely must read. The Supreme Ultimate Arcane Book covers basic formations and spells. Read the Book of Changes True Manual first to better understand the Supreme Ultimate Arcane Book. Finally, recite the Thunder Essence Scripture aloud for at least half a shichen every day. It will awaken vitality in your brain."
"Why do I need to read spellbooks?"
"Hmm... You really don't know, do you?"
Master Mangnyang clicked his tongue and said,
"The outer palace buildings are ordinary, but the 36 halls of the inner palace are constructed using Six Harmonies formations from the mystic gates transformation arts. If intruders enter, the astronomical observatory or imperial guards activate the formations, allowing the internal guards to hunt them down like rats in overwhelmingly favorable conditions. To avoid that, you must personally understand the mystic gates transformation arts and formations."
"Are formations that fearsome?"
Master Mangnyang replied in a somewhat deflated tone.
"Even you, who passed through my Nether Fortune Formation like water, cannot ignore the palace formations. They're made by the greatest mystic gates master— even with double your current internal energy, you'd be hunted."
"Hmm..."
"You'll understand once you experience them yourself."
With that, Master Mangnyang handed me the three books as if they were gifts.
"Once you've grasped the Supreme Ultimate Arcane Book and Book of Changes True Manual reasonably well, come back. I'll explain, based on those, how to breach the palace defenses."
I frowned.
"Isn't this... too complicated?"
"Infiltrating the Inner Yellow Pavilion means you can infiltrate the adjacent Great Dragon Hall too. Getting within throat-cutting distance of the emperor— of course it's going to be difficult."
"What if I fail and get caught?"
"Then that's a problem for then. I'm already dead to the world anyway—I can escape with my life."
Only after looking at the three books and scroll map in my arms did I truly grasp the insane difficulty of this task. If I'd known it was this level, I would've prepared my mind better before coming.
But I decided to overhaul my plans entirely.
"Then it might be better if I just learn the mystic gates transformation arts directly from you."
Master Mangnyang looked at me with a baffled expression this time.
"But this is basic basics—anyone who can read the Four Books and Three Classics can understand it..."
"I don't know the Four Books and Three Classics. I'm not illiterate, but all I have is an escort warrior's knowledge."
"......"
Master Mangnyang looked like he'd been struck. He'd apparently assumed I was a man of considerable learning. But realizing he had to teach foundational knowledge and all sorts of scholarship to an ignoramus, he soon rested his chin on his hand and whined.
"Eh... But I'm not that good at teaching either..."
"Who says anyone's good at learning? We have to cooperate to achieve our goals."
"... How much do you know about Chinese characters?"
A short while later, after simply testing my knowledge level, he despaired.
"Damn it all... It'll take at least three years for you to properly read the Supreme Ultimate Arcane Book."
"Who cares."
I replied curtly.
"Let's start tomorrow then."
I canceled my plans to go to Luoyang.
A new plan had emerged: study writing while learning the mystic gates transformation arts.
Three years? So what.
Time was the one thing I had plenty of. I'd just steadily charge toward my goal.