Chapter 193
Hyeok So-jin secretly followed Sang Hak toward the heart of the Demon Hall.
'So this is the Eight Demons' Institute.'
Places named with the suffix "hall" typically referred to locations where martial arts were practiced or where large groups of people gathered.
But the Eight Demons' Institute was only a hall in name—in reality, it was an enormous, meticulously constructed armory.
However, given how each weapon was displayed on dazzlingly ornate statues clad in full armor, the name seemed fitting.
'This is overwhelming.'
As Hyeok So-jin scanned the interior, his jaw slackened.
The Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying Sanctuary, where the Great Demons lived in seclusion, also housed numerous divine weapons and sharp blades.
But compared to the spectacle unfolding before him in the Eight Demons' Institute, even that armory felt like a mere village training ground's weapon shed.
Not only were there countless legendary weapons and ancient armaments—blades like the Fishgut Sword, the Gan Jiang Sword, the Mo Ye Sword, the Ju Que Sword, and the Zhanlu Sword, all of which had carved their names into murim history across generations—but also...
Protective gear such as the Golden Form Armor and the Iron Essence Armor, as well as statues adorned with peerless hidden weapon mechanisms like the Blue Poison Blood Hand and the Ice Ghost Blood Wheel Tube.
"Examine them carefully and take one weapon of your choice."
"Any one I want?"
"Indeed. If you don't need a weapon, you may choose protective gear or hidden weapons instead. Select whatever suits your preference."
Hyeok So-jin couldn't comprehend it.
He had merely followed Bu Eun-seol into the Demon Hall—why was he being granted such a reward?
"Are you perhaps mistaken about something? I'm not a successor candidate, just—"
"I'm aware. You're the attendant of a successor candidate."
"Attendant? Me?"
When Hyeok So-jin repeated the words skeptically, Sang Hak furrowed his brow and replied,
"The hall master has no time to spare. Make your choice quickly."
'An attendant to a successor candidate...'
The absurdity of it nearly made him laugh.
Simply because he accompanied Bu Eun-seol—one of the candidates to succeed the Demonic Heavenly Emperor—he could claim one of the treasures stored in the Eight Demons' Institute...
Only now did he truly grasp the weight of being a successor candidate of the Demon Hall.
"May I take a little more time to look around?"
"Hmm. You have but a quarter of an hour."
Once permission was granted, Hyeok So-jin scrutinized the armory with keen interest.
True to the Demon Hall's Great Weapon Storage, every single artifact on display was a demonic weapon of divine craftsmanship.
Moreover, beside the signature weapons of the Great Demons who had once roamed the world, there were even secret manuals detailing their origins and how to wield them.
"Hmm..."
After wandering through the Eight Demons' Institute for a long while, Hyeok So-jin hesitated.
At his waist hung the ancient treasure sword he had brought from the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying Sanctuary—the Snow Orchid.
Though it couldn't be called a divine blade, in terms of sharpness alone, it was comparable to Bu Eun-seol's Ink Sword.
'No matter how I think about it, I don't need another weapon.'
The supreme martial art of the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying Sanctuary—the Divine-Rending Demonic Qi—was not a weapon-based discipline.
It was a martial art that intricately manipulated powerful, formless true qi, to the point where carrying a sword could sometimes feel cumbersome.
'Then should I take protective gear?'
Hyeok So-jin immediately shook his head.
Wearing protective gear could lead to overconfidence in its utility or neglecting proper evasion techniques.
Not to mention, it would be useless against techniques like the Internal Heavy Hand Technique—making it effectively pointless against masters who had reached the Transcendence Realm or higher.
'It's better to pass.'
Rather than forcing himself to take a weapon or armor that didn't suit him, it would be wiser to leave empty-handed.
Just as Hyeok So-jin turned away without hesitation—
Thud.
Something abruptly snagged at his feet.
"This..."
Looking down, he broke into a bright smile.
'With this, I could truly make full use of the Divine-Rending Demonic Qi.'
Without a second thought, he picked up the object lying at his feet.
"Then I'll take this."
"Hmm?"
Sang Hak stared at the item in Hyeok So-jin's hand with a baffled expression.
"You want to take that?"
"Yes. I've taken a liking to it."
"Are you serious?"
"I am."
As Hyeok So-jin nodded cheerfully, Sang Hak let out a sigh and reluctantly agreed.
"If that's what you want, so be it. Take it."
"Thank you."
Clasping his hands together, Hyeok So-jin promptly tucked the object into his robes.
It was a bundle of Steel-Cord Blood Threads—razor-sharp steel wires that had been coiled around a hidden mechanism in the Eight Demons' Institute, meant to ensnare intruders.
The Ten Thousand Demonic Secret Archive, Second Floor.
The scenery here was entirely different from the first floor of the Ten Thousand Demonic Secret Archive that Bu Eun-seol had entered before.
The first floor was so densely packed with martial arts manuals that it resembled a cavernous library, with towering bookshelves installed in a space where no light could penetrate, and salt and charcoal placed to preserve the texts.
But the second floor was constructed like a vast labyrinth, with transparent glass cases placed throughout, each containing a martial arts manual.
Given its immense scale, a large guidebook had been placed near the entrance of the Ten Thousand Demonic Secret Archive, detailing the approximate locations of the manuals and the internal structure of the floor.
Beside it was a storage room containing Fasting Pills and clear water.
"Hmm."
After briefly surveying the disorienting maze-like interior of the pavilion, Bu Eun-seol eventually returned to the entrance and unfolded the guidebook.
'It's better to first understand the complex labyrinth structure and explore systematically.'
Now that he had realized all of this was part of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's test, he needed to move as quickly and efficiently as possible.
"Hmm."
The guidebook was unnecessarily thick.
Not only did it detail the internal structure, but it also contained descriptions of the roughly seven thousand martial arts manuals on display.
After familiarizing himself with the layout and positions written at the front of the guidebook, Bu Eun-seol began his exploration in earnest.
Iron Emperor Non-Killing Sword Manual.
Saber Soul Black Wheel Sword.
Death Emperor Blood Yin Bullet Sword.
Fierce Bind Blood Phosphor Sword.
The first passageway contained glass cases holding advanced sword studies—each one capable of shaking the world if mastered.
'There's no need to even look at sword techniques.'
Bu Eun-seol shook his head as he examined the manuals.
The Formless Heavenly Flow, created based on Dan Cheong's teachings, had already surpassed all limitations of sword techniques.
The more he fought, the stronger he became. Discovering an enemy's weakness and shattering their techniques was its ultimate principle—the sword study of enlightenment itself.
Thus, there was no longer any need to learn new sword techniques.
'Let's look for martial arts I'm lacking in.'
As he swiftly passed through the passageway, he came upon martial arts manuals containing fist techniques, finger arts, and seizing and grasping techniques—collectively known as the Fist and Palm Learning.
'These are unnecessary too.'
The Seven Forms of the Fist Demon that Bu Eun-seol had learned already encompassed all variations of fist, palm, and finger techniques.
In other words, even if he learned a new manual, it would only serve as a variation to refine the Seven Forms of the Fist Demon.
"Besides, martial arts manuals..."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes darkened momentarily as he recalled the manual for the Seven Forms of the Fist Demon.
No matter how detailed the practical instructions in a manual might be, it was difficult to immediately apply them in real combat.
If one could truly master martial arts through manuals alone, every faction in the martial world would have stacked their libraries with manuals instead of personally instructing disciples.
'Even the Seven Forms of the Fist Demon, which I naturally honed through real combat, is only at fifty percent mastery.'
Bu Eun-seol couldn't understand it.
Rather than deeply refining a single martial art through manuals, it would be far more beneficial to study numerous manuals and absorb a variety of techniques.
'Why did he tell me to learn just one?'
According to the guidebook, there were seven thousand three hundred and eighty-seven advanced demonic martial arts on display here.
To make proper use of the ten days he had been given, the best approach would be to carefully select manuals and digest them slowly.
Yet the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had explicitly instructed him to learn one—and as if to confirm this, he had told Bu Eun-seol to return to the Holy Demon Pavilion afterward.
'One. Just one...'
Lost in deep thought, Bu Eun-seol began swiftly scanning the manuals displayed in the Ten Thousand Demonic Secret Archive.
Every single one was an outstanding demonic martial art, and the thickness of the manuals was nearly uniform.
"One. Just one."
Repeating the words to himself as he flipped through the guidebook, Bu Eun-seol suddenly recalled his first audience with the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
The appearance of an old man—though not particularly aged—despite being one of the two strongest figures who divided the martial world.
"Right. That's it."
Most of the manuals displayed here were ancient supreme arts passed down through the Demonic Path.
But the Demonic Heavenly Emperor was not a man of the past. Nor was he a disciple of the Demonic Path Ten Gates, which had upheld the demonic martial world for generations.
From the perspective of martial world history, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor was an unprecedented figure—someone entirely new.
Rustle.
Having attained enlightenment, Bu Eun-seol began meticulously examining the covers of the seven thousand manuals in the Ten Thousand Demonic Secret Archive.
But there was nothing.
All the martial manuals displayed here were aged—meaning they were texts authored by Great Demons of the past.
"Every single one is an Ultimate Art from the past. There isn't a single martial manual authored by the Demonic Heavenly Emperor himself."
The most recently written manual was from two hundred years ago—a secret heart art manual by the Buddhist Demon, a Great Demon who originated from the Buddhist Order.
Moreover, it was a heart art focused on maximizing the fortitude of one's spirit and mind, hardly something that could be called a martial technique.
"And on top of that, there are far too many redundancies."
Unlike the Righteous Faction, which systematically organized its manuals, the Demonic Path Martial Arts lacked such structure, resulting in an inflated number of texts.
For example, the Eternal Demon Blood Hand and the Blood Jade Steel Hand—two famous hand techniques of the Demonic Path—shared the same fundamental principles and martial secrets.
From what Bu Eun-seol had observed, if properly categorized, the seven thousand martial manuals here would barely amount to three hundred distinct arts.
"Was I mistaken?"
He had been certain that a martial manual authored by the Demonic Heavenly Emperor would be here.
But no matter how thoroughly he searched, he couldn't find it.
"Tomorrow will be the sixth day."
Only four days remained.
Yet he hadn't even chosen a single martial art to learn.
Since he couldn't defy the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's command, he had no choice but to pick any manual and master at least one technique.
"Even though I've checked everything..."
At that moment, a flash of realization struck Bu Eun-seol.
He hadn't checked everything yet. He hadn't read the guidebook at the entrance of the Ten Thousand Demonic Secret Archive all the way to the end.
Rushing back to the entrance, Bu Eun-seol began meticulously reading the latter half of the thick guidebook.
To his astonishment, it contained explanations and summaries of all seven thousand manuals.
As he swiftly scanned the contents, his hand suddenly froze.
The guidebook was, as its name suggested, just a guide—detailing the structure of the Ten Thousand Demonic Secret Archive, the types of manuals on display, and condensed versions of their contents.
But hidden within its lengthy passages was the profound essence of martial arts.
The quintessence.
The back of the guidebook contained in-depth explanations of the core principles—the very marrow—of the manuals.
In other words, the author of this guidebook had thoroughly studied every martial manual on the second floor of the Ten Thousand Demonic Secret Archive and meticulously summarized them.
And that author could only be the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
'The Demonic Heavenly Emperor intended to pass down the secrets of his martial training to those who entered this place.'
Bu Eun-seol, who had synthesized the martial arts of Langya Pavilion, had created a sword art that transcended conventional forms.
But the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had done the opposite—condensing the principles embedded within existing martial arts to forge an entirely new discipline.
'With my current ability, I can't possibly synthesize over seven thousand demonic arts.'
That left only one path.
Over the next four days, he would absorb the distilled essence of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's summaries and select the manuals that could compensate for his current shortcomings.
Before he knew it, four days had passed.
Only after poring over the guidebook's summaries from dawn till dusk was Bu Eun-seol able to identify his deficiencies.
Powerful Internal Energy.
The level of Bu Eun-seol's internal energy was such that even the greatest masters of the world would not surpass him.
But he lacked martial techniques that could fully utilize that immense internal power.
The Formless Heavenly Flow and the Seven Forms of the Fist Demon unleashed tremendous might, but their strength lay more in the intricacy of their forms and martial principles rather than raw internal energy.
However, as Bu Eun-seol scrutinized the guidebook, he discovered a single secret art hidden within its pages.
Severing Emotion Secret Art.
An ordinary martial artist, unlike Bu Eun-seol, would never have even considered reading it.
On the surface, it merely described a method to fortify one's spirit and mind.
But Bu Eun-seol was certain the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had authored it, so he read on with meticulous attention.
"This is an unorthodox method."
The Severing Emotion Secret Art proposed a radical approach to strengthening the spirit—by completely carving away the emotions within one's heart.
—If you sharply carve away the emotions in your heart, what turbulence could possibly remain?
Every grandmaster of martial arts inevitably faced the trial of the Inner Demon.
This secret art advocated erasing not just emotions but even the heart itself—an ingenious, if extreme, method to overcome that obstacle.
"This feels less like a secret art and more like an explanation of True Qi Circulation."
Moreover, at the end of the Severing Emotion Secret Art was recorded an extraordinary method of manipulating True Qi.
Lightless True Knot.
It was an ancient doctrine, detailing how to freely transform and project the True Qi within one's body.