Chapter 175
Though the transparent waters had clearly revealed palace-like structures of dazzling splendor beyond,
the moment the gates opened, an entirely different landscape unfolded before them.
What spread before the two men was a narrow, dimly lit passage.
Clack, clack.
Simultaneously, from the opposite end, a slender shadow approached with the sound of footsteps.
As if torches were being lit with each step the shadow took, bright light poured down from the ceiling.
"Welcome to our pavilion."
Illuminated by the light, the figure of a beautiful woman clad in soft pink sutra robes came into view.
"I am Mi-ryeong, in charge of Wisdom Peak Pavilion within our pavilion."
Though her tone and demeanor were impeccably polite, her pupils were dilated, and a peculiar hostility lingered beneath.
Bu Eun-seol instantly discerned not only that she was highly tense but also that intricate mechanical devices were installed beneath her feet.
'If I make any reckless moves or if something happens to me... the mechanisms embedded throughout this passage will activate in an instant.'
"I am—"
Just as Hyeok So-jin clasped his hands together and opened his mouth to speak,
"We know."
Mi-ryeong answered with a smile.
"You are Hyeok So-jin, successor of the Heaven-Severing Earth-Destroying Sect, and Bu Eun-seol, the inheritor of Langya Pavilion."
Even though she had revealed their identities, Bu Eun-seol showed little surprise.
Just as the Beggars' Sect existed within the Righteous Faction, within the Demonic Path, the sect that controlled the flow of information across the martial world was none other than Fleeting Moment Boat.
"Do the two of you intend to enter our pavilion?"
At Mi-ryeong's question, Bu Eun-seol nodded.
"That is correct."
"To enter our pavilion, you must undergo a trial. There are no exceptions, even for successors of the Demonic Path Ten Gates."
"I am aware."
In truth, Bu Eun-seol wore the necklace given to him by Dan So-ok around his neck.
If he were to present it, he could enter Fleeting Moment Boat immediately.
Yet Bu Eun-seol didn't even consider taking it out and simply nodded.
"Then let us begin."
"I strongly advise you to reconsider."
Mi-ryeong, who had been intently studying Bu Eun-seol's composed expression, spoke cautiously.
"Though we call it a trial, in truth, it is a mechanism—a means to utterly repel intruders."
"So you're saying you'd prefer we didn't enter at all?"
At Hyeok So-jin's words, Mi-ryeong nodded.
"Precisely."
Then, exhaling deeply, she continued.
"For centuries, our pavilion has endured endless invasions from outsiders. Thus, only men with an unwavering Immovable Heart—unshaken under any circumstance—are deemed worthy of entry."
"I understand what you mean."
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
Fleeting Moment Boat held incalculable wealth and stunning beauties.
If someone without an Immovable Heart were to storm in? They would inevitably harbor dark intentions, seeking to overthrow or dominate the pavilion.
"If one passes the trial, can anyone enter Fleeting Moment Boat?"
Bu Eun-seol fired another sharp question.
"Or is it restricted only to those of the Demonic Path?"
Mi-ryeong's lips curled into an enigmatic smile.
"It matters not whether they belong to the Righteous or Demonic Path. So long as one clears our pavilion's trial... anyone may enter."
'So they have connections with the Righteous Faction as well.'
Understanding the implication behind her words, Bu Eun-seol gave a slight nod.
In a way, it made sense.
Fleeting Moment Boat had far too much to protect. If someone could lend their strength, it mattered little whether they hailed from the Demonic or Righteous Path.
"Even so, do you still wish to take the trial?"
"I do."
When Bu Eun-seol answered without hesitation, Hyeok So-jin also nodded with an arrogant expression.
"I may not be confident in much, but an Immovable Heart? I've got that in spades. Gambling is the only thing that truly holds my interest, after all."
"Very well."
Mi-ryeong spoke calmly.
"Then we shall now commence the tri—"
Rumble.
At that moment, the sound of mechanisms activating echoed, and from behind Mi-ryeong, a middle-aged woman of imposing stature strode forward.
She was Du Yak-rang, head of Silk Maze Cave, responsible for all mechanical formations within Fleeting Moment Boat.
"Lady Du."
Mi-ryeong bowed respectfully upon spotting Du Yak-rang.
Du Yak-rang, her face stern, studied Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin intently before speaking in a low voice.
"Mi-ryeong, you may withdraw."
"Pardon?"
"I shall oversee the trial myself."
Mi-ryeong's expression turned puzzled.
After all, Du Yak-rang's duties as head of Silk Maze Cave involved activating the mechanisms to repel powerful intruders.
"Lady Du, these gentlemen are—"
"I know. That they are successors of the Demonic Path Ten Gates."
"But—"
"This is the Pavilion Master's decision."
At those words, Mi-ryeong let out a soft ah before bowing and hastily retreating.
"Then I shall take my leave."
Watching her depart, Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin narrowed their eyes in unison.
"I already know. That 'these people too' are successors of the Demonic Path Ten Gates."
With that single remark from Du Yak-rang, the entire situation became clear.
—So another successor of the Demonic Path Ten Gates had already come here.
Moreover, the fact that she said, "The Pavilion Master has already decided," meant that one of the successors had already visited Fleeting Moment Boat and proposed something—and the Pavilion Master had accepted it.
"I am Du Yak-rang, head of Silk Maze Cave."
Du Yak-rang looked at Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin with cold eyes as she spoke.
"The trial to enter this pavilion requires risking your life. Therefore, I advise you to turn back now."
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"I have no desire to hear that this pavilion has killed a successor of the Demonic Path Ten Gates."
Her meaning was clear.
She had no intention of letting them in from the start.
"That's fine."
"Most people say that before they die. But when death comes, they wail in regret."
"Is that so? Then I hope you, Cave Master, won't be the one doing the wailing."
When Bu Eun-seol responded with such ease, Du Yak-rang's arrogant smile vanished in an instant.
"Then let us begin."
She lightly raised her foot and stepped on the Silver Reflection Stone embedded in the floor.
With a thud, the ceiling split open, and transparent liquid began pouring into the corridor.
Gurgle—
But something astonishing happened.
The transparent liquid pouring from the ceiling only filled the passageway halfway.
Upon closer inspection, the translucent stones embedded in the walls—the same ones that had repelled the water earlier—were now emitting a dense, shimmering light.
Those mysterious stones were being used to confine the pouring water to only the middle of the corridor.
"Wait. Don't tell me this is..."
Hyeok So-jin, who had been staring at the transparent liquid filling the space, pointed at it with his finger.
Unlike ordinary water, its viscosity was visibly thick—almost like honey.
"Is this perhaps... Boundless Heavenly King Water?"
Boundless Heavenly King Water.
Commonly known as Heavy Water, this mysterious liquid had the property of being as heavy as hundreds of pounds of iron in just a single drop.
Because of this, a single bowlful of it weighed more than a boulder the size of a house.
"To gather this much of such an expensive substance..."
Boundless Heavenly King Water was as rare and costly as its unique properties suggested. And yet, they had filled an entire corridor with it?
"As expected, Fleeting Moment Boat's wealth is truly unmatched."
As Hyeok So-jin let out an impressed sigh, Du Yak-rang spoke.
"This gate is called the Immeasurable Heavenly Water Gate. All you have to do is pass through the corridor filled with that Boundless Heavenly King Water."
"You're telling us to go inside that?"
Hyeok So-jin's jaw dropped in disbelief.
With that much Boundless Heavenly King Water, even if one had mastered body-hardening techniques like Iron Shirt Skill or Arhat Qi Cultivation Art—
The moment they entered, their body would either be crushed or burst apart.
"This isn't a trial—it's a declaration that they'll kill any outsiders who dare enter."
At Hyeok So-jin's words, Du Yak-rang smiled coldly.
"If you don't like it, give up. I won't force you."
But then Bu Eun-seol, who had been standing silently, spoke.
"If we pass this trial, we can enter Fleeting Moment Boat?"
Du Yak-rang's thin lips twitched as she met Bu Eun-seol's unwavering gaze.
"Of course not."
"So there are more trials."
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
"Then do both of us need to pass? Or is it enough if just one succeeds?"
"Hmph. Why would both of you need to pass?"
Du Yak-rang's smile remained icy.
"If even one of you succeeds, that will be enough."
On the surface, it sounded like a concession—but in truth, it meant she had no intention of letting both successors of the Demonic Path Ten Gates die here.
"However, whether one passes or fails, no assistance is allowed. If either of you helps or receives help, the trial will be considered a failure, and you must leave immediately."
Bu Eun-seol gave a slight nod.
"Then I will take this trial."
"Do as you wish."
Just as Bu Eun-seol was about to step toward the pool of Boundless Heavenly King Water, Hyeok So-jin blocked his path.
"Wait."
Hyeok So-jin's expression was deadly serious.
"Brother Bu, no matter how high your internal energy is, this is reckless."
Bu Eun-seol's gaze remained cold.
"I never permitted you to address me so familiarly."
"Is that what's important right now?"
The usual arrogance in Hyeok So-jin's eyes had sunk into something heavy.
"That much Boundless Heavenly King Water—even with two sixty-year cycle of internal energy, it's impossible to withstand."
In truth, Bu Eun-seol's internal energy surpassed three sixty-year cycle.
But because he had been suppressing his energy level all along, Hyeok So-jin was mistaken about his true strength.
"You must realize it too, Brother Bu. Right now, another successor—just like us—has already come to Fleeting Moment Boat."
"So."
"So what? When they changed the exam after all that talk about the 'Immovable Mind' and whatnot, it was clear they'd made up their minds to drive us out."
Bu Eun-seol replied impassively.
"Without risking your life, how could you ever gain the support of the Demonic Path Ten Gates?"
"Brother Bu..."
"If I intended to stop here, I wouldn't have left the Demon Hall in the first place."
Having said that, Bu Eun-seol stepped beyond the transparent wall where the Heavenly King Water lay.
The Martial World was always like this.
Whether for fame or power... to obtain what you desired, you had to stake your life on it.
If there were any other way, the martial world would never have been called the Rivers and Lakes.
Thud. Thud.
Bu Eun-seol, who had been walking slowly, strode decisively into the space where the Heavenly King Water was concentrated.
Zzzzing.
The moment Du Yak-rang adjusted the mechanism, the transparent stones rotated in a circular motion, and the Heavenly King Water that had filled the air began flooding the passageway.
Groooan.
At that instant, a low vibration resonated, and Bu Eun-seol's waist, trapped within the Heavenly King Water, bent inward.
At the same time, even the Ink Sword strapped to his back began to curve like a drawn bow.
Shudder.
The pressure was immense.
As if the heavens and earth had flipped upside down, pressing the weight of the entire world upon his head.
Huuuum.
Bu Eun-seol immediately summoned the Counter-Polar Internal Art.
A faint light surged around his body in response to the low vibration.
"That...!"
Du Yak-rang's eyes widened as she watched.
A dim radiance began to shimmer around Bu Eun-seol's body, gradually pushing back against the transparent Heavenly King Water.
Groooan.
When Bu Eun-seol straightened his posture and took a step forward, the entire cavern trembled.
The faint glow emanating from his body gradually took shape, forming a perfect circle.
"Don't tell me his internal energy exceeds three sixty-year cycles...?"
Du Yak-rang wore an expression as if she had seen a ghost.
The circular radiance enveloping Bu Eun-seol's body—it was the materialization of immense True Qi.
To cloak one's entire body in tangible internal energy required, at the very least, a cultivation level of three cycles.
"Impossible..."
Du Yak-rang's lips parted in disbelief.
The sight of someone manifesting tangible True Qi under the full pressure of the Heavenly King Water was a majesty that could never be displayed by someone merely at the threshold of the Transcendence Realm.
'At his age, has his internal energy already surpassed the Transcendence Realm?'
Groan. Groan.
Meanwhile, Bu Eun-seol continued forward, step by deliberate step.
"Not two cycles, but three?"
Hyeok So-jin, watching from the sidelines, also felt his eyes bulge like saucers.
"Then that means... he was holding back in all our internal energy clashes?"
During their previous confrontations, the power Bu Eun-seol had exerted, when calculated as Counterforce, had clearly been around one hundred twenty years...
But in truth, he had been wielding internal energy surpassing one hundred eighty years.
"No matter how I think about it, accumulating that level of internal energy at his age is impossible. Unless... Rejuvenation?"
Hyeok So-jin shook his head as soon as the thought crossed his mind.
"No. That can't be. Brother Bu is one of the Ten Demonic Heirs."
If he had undergone Rejuvenation, the Great Demons lurking in the Demon Hall would have sensed it immediately.
"But to possess such internal energy, three conditions must align perfectly."
To wield earth-shaking internal energy at such a young age, the first requirement was—
Marrow Cleansing, received before the Conception and Governing Vessels closed.
Second, one must master a pure, superior Internal Energy Method ideally suited to their physique, keeping their qi and blood in the same condition as in the womb.
And third, once a certain amount of True Qi had accumulated, a peerless master with at least four cycles of internal energy had to forcibly open the Heaven-Earth Interchange for them.
As the heir of the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying Sect, Hyeok So-jin had also undergone all three.
Yet the reason he still couldn't possess such overwhelming internal energy was simple—
He was still too young.
Internal energy didn't infinitely increase just because one trained relentlessly.
Only by harmonizing True Yin and True Yang over long years of cultivation could one's internal energy deepen.
Even with all three conditions—exceptional talent, Marrow Cleansing, and a supreme Internal Energy Method—reaching three cycles of internal energy typically took until around thirty years of age.
Yet Bu Eun-seol, who appeared barely past twenty, already wielded internal energy of three cycles.
Groan. Groan.
By now, Bu Eun-seol had traversed about two-thirds of the passageway filled with Boundless Heavenly King Hand.
Unlike before, his footsteps were no longer heavy—instead, they gradually lightened, as if he were taking a leisurely stroll.
'Strange.'
Bu Eun-seol himself felt the oddity.
At first, even exerting his full power had barely allowed him to take a single step.
But then, something astonishing happened.
Huuuum.
Crimson specks of light began surfacing on his skin, taking on a faint golden hue.
Simultaneously, the crushing pressure weighing down his entire body started to weaken.
Crackle.
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol's skin split like dried bark, revealing transparent skin underneath.