Chapter 14 Leaving Mangdam Hall
Leaving Mangdam Hall
After a short day passed and Namgung Ryeong-ryeong left the Hall of the Serpent Pool, Mok Yeo-jin shut himself inside his chamber. There, he repeatedly practiced the Chang-Gung Great Heavenly Formation Technique he had newly mastered—over and over again.
And now, the result of that effort was showing.
“Huu…”
After sitting cross-legged for a long while, Mok Yeo-jin slowly exhaled.
>A faint blue gleam flickered in his eyes before fading back to their original color.
He smiled faintly.
“The Chang-Gung energy has reached the level of Threefold Completion.”
As expected of an energy with a nature of harmony, its blend with the power of the Hundred Beast Divine Pill and the Mountain King’s Martial Art exceeded even his own expectations.
The way they complemented each other was astonishing—their growth rate truly frightening.
>It seemed the title Supreme Ascension Method was no exaggeration.
“At this rate, I’ll be able to reclaim the level of my previous life within five years.”
Before his regression, Mok Yeo-jin had reached the state of Transcendence.
A martial artist’s journey begins by building and filling their internal energy, culminating at the Apex of Martiality—the ultimate limit of martial cultivation.
>But that apex is not the end—it is the wall of a new beginning.
Those who surpass that wall are said to have transcended even the essence of mastery.
>They are revered as Transcendents of Martiality.
Before reaching adulthood, no one in the history of the martial world had ever achieved Transcendence—yet Mok Yeo-jin was confident.
“I’ve walked that road before. And now I have far better conditions than last time. There’s no reason I can’t do it again. The real problem is what comes next.”
Beyond Transcendence lay the domain known as Divine Martiality.
>It was the realm that Cheon Hwa-rin and the leader of the Yuanum Cult, Heuk Myeong-jae, had reached in his previous life.
The Yuanum Cult would reveal its vile face to the world in about ten years.
“That means I have less than ten years to reach the Divine Realm.”
But even Cheon Hwa-rin, after attaining that level, could not prevent the Cult’s massacre.
>Perhaps Mok Yeo-jin needed to aim even higher—to a place beyond even the Divine Realm.
Could he possibly reach the height that even Cheon Hwa-rin could not?
He chuckled to himself.
“Well, first I should put out the fire at my feet.”
There was no greater foolishness than obsessing over an invisible, distant goal.
>One must take small steps before grasping the tail of the impossible.
“For now, my top priority is to master the core of my cultivation.”
With that resolve, Mok Yeo-jin resumed his breathing exercises, refining his energy once more.
A short while later, a voice called from outside his chamber.
“Young Lord Yeo-jin, it’s Gam Mo. It’s time for training.”
>“Understood, I’ll be right out.”
Gam Mo was one of the guards who had accompanied Namgung Ryeong-ryeong on Mok Yeo-jin’s birthday.
Children of the Heavenly Lord were each assigned an instructor while residing in the Hall of the Serpent Pool, but Mok Yeo-jin had previously shown no interest in martial arts. Now that things had changed, Namgung Ryeong-ryeong personally recommended Gam Mo to stay as his training instructor.
When Mok Yeo-jin stepped outside, a sharp-featured middle-aged man awaited him.
Gam Mo’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Well! Young Lord, your Chang-Gung energy feels even denser than a few days ago—have you advanced again already?”
Mok Yeo-jin was quietly impressed.
“It’s only been a few days, yet he can already sense a difference… his perception is remarkable.”
Although Mok Yeo-jin’s mastery wasn’t perfect—still short of the Return to Simplicity level—the fact that Gam Mo could detect such a subtle change at a glance showed the man was no ordinary warrior.
“It’s all thanks to your guidance, Senior Gam.”
“Hah! So humble, too… Truly, the son of the Mad Dragon Sword is extraordinary.”
Mok Yeo-jin’s expression turned slightly stiff.
Mad Dragon Sword.
That was the nickname of his mother—something he had learned from Gam Mo not long ago.
At first, he couldn’t believe it.
>But when Gam Mo described several of her exploits from her youth, Mok Yeo-jin had no choice but to accept it.
“To think Mother once had such a past…”
In a martial world crawling with eccentrics, earning the word “Mad” in one’s title required legendary achievements indeed.
As they walked toward the training grounds, Mok Yeo-jin asked curiously,
“How did you come to know my mother, Senior Gam?”
“I once owed her my life. During the suppression of the Mangchi River bandits, I fell into their ambush and was nearly wiped out—until your mother charged in alone, captured their leaders, and ended the battle in a single stroke.”
Gam Mo’s eyes gleamed with nostalgia as he recalled the memory.
“When I later heard that she had laid down her sword, I was truly saddened. But recently, hearing that she’s begun walking the martial path again—and preparing to soar once more—how could I stay idle? I came at once to offer my service in any way I could.”
Mok Yeo-jin nodded.
“So that’s how it was.”
To remember and repay a favor from decades ago—Mok Yeo-jin could tell that Gam Mo was a man of integrity.
While they talked, they arrived at the practice field.
Gam Mo retrieved two wooden swords from a rack.
“Shall we proceed as usual?”
“Please do.”
Their training sessions were sparring matches using wooden swords, excluding internal energy—focused purely on swordplay.
The two took their stances on the sparring stage.
Oddly enough, the higher-ranked warrior, Gam Mo, seemed the more tense of the two.
At first, when Mok Yeo-jin suggested replacing formal lessons with sparring, Gam Mo hadn’t thought much of it. In fact, having little experience teaching others, he thought this approach might even suit him better.
That notion shattered in their very first match.
“If I let my guard down even for a breath, I’ll lose.”
Mok Yeo-jin’s swordsmanship was not fancy. He simply struck, thrust, and parried in sixteen directions—
>the most fundamental basics of swordplay.
But his every motion was flawless, without a trace of waste. His blade always appeared at the perfect moment, meeting Gam Mo’s attacks as though the two were performing a choreographed dance.
It was the result of Mok Yeo-jin’s careful study of the sword marks left behind by Sado Heavenly Lord Mok Woo-myeong in Byeon-Yeon Cave—a foundation laid upon bedrock, unshakable.
Gam Mo could sense it instinctively—
>the roots of a martial tree that would one day bear dazzling fruit.
He nearly shivered.
Of course, if he used the lethal sword techniques he’d honed as a mercenary, the outcome might change—
>but this was a friendly match with the son of his benefactor. He couldn’t bring himself to go that far.
Besides, there was another reason.
“Young Lord Yeo-jin hasn’t shown all his cards either.”
His instincts told him so.
>His opponent wasn’t fighting seriously.
And so, how could he bring out his full strength?
Gam Mo swallowed dryly.
“Then—here I come, Young Lord.”
“Yes.”
The two sparred relentlessly until exhaustion finally drove them to stop and return to their quarters.
“Things seem lively today,” Mok Yeo-jin remarked as they drank tea together.
Gam Mo nodded. “Indeed. The servants are bustling more than usual.”
The entire residence was in motion, carrying luggage and preparing for departure. Even amid their busyness, excitement gleamed on their faces.
“Of course,” Mok Yeo-jin said. “They’re finally leaving this confined Hall of the Serpent Pool. Who wouldn’t be happy?”
Over a year had passed since Gam Mo came to reside here, and Mok Yeo-jin had now turned fifteen.
>In just three days, he would be allowed to step into the world beyond.
He reflected quietly on all he had gained here.
“Soon, your name will echo throughout the world, Young Lord,” Gam Mo said with a smile.
It wasn’t mere flattery.
Mok Yeo-jin had not wasted a single day.
>He had reached the Fivefold Chang-Gung Energy and Sixfold Mountain King Martial Art.
“And finally, I managed to raise my win rate against Senior Gam to fifty percent.”
Even by his own judgment, no one in the history of the Central Plains had achieved such progress at such a young age.
But Mok Yeo-jin felt no complacency.
“I’ve only just begun. The real journey starts now.”
In three days, with the Departure Ceremony of the Hall of the Serpent Pool, he would officially enter the martial world.
The ceremony, named after the “lake where serpents dwell,” was sometimes called the Ascension Ceremony.
>It was the day the hidden children of Sado Heaven were revealed to the world.
It was an event that drew the eyes of the entire martial realm.
At the ceremony, Sado Heavenly Lord Mok Woo-myeong would assign each child a mission—classified as upper, middle, or lower level—reflecting both its danger and his evaluation of them.
A year earlier, Mok Byeong-ho had been given a lower mission, while his sister Mok I-yeon had received an upper one.
Only three of Mok Woo-myeong’s children had ever received the highest evaluation: his eldest son Mok Ju-jin, his third son Mok Hyun-am, and his fourth daughter Mok I-yeon.
>Those three remained among the most influential figures in all of Sado Heaven.
But receiving an upper-class mission was not necessarily a blessing.
Mok I-yeon’s assignment was to defeat twenty-five disciples of the Nine Great Sects and return victorious.
She had set out at fifteen and returned at eighteen—
>a cruel ordeal for someone so young.
Mok Yeo-jin knew that no matter how he tried to hide it, his father would see his true strength.
“That means I’ll almost certainly be given an upper mission as well.”
If he wasn’t careful, he could face grave consequences.
He steeled his resolve once more.
Yet, as it turned out, his prediction was slightly off.
Three days later, on the day of the Ascension Ceremony—
With barely a glance, Sado Heavenly Lord Mok Woo-myeong spoke only one short sentence before vanishing like the wind.
“Mok Yeo-jin—Special Rank.”