Chapter 282
To Bu Eun-seol, who had reached the Extreme Heaven Realm, formless qi was no more significant than a passing breeze.
Yet when the middle-aged man abruptly unleashed his formless qi, Bu Eun-seol was reminded of the Sword Demon, Wi Hyeok-gun, who had attacked him long ago on Hell Island.
"Hmm."
But such sentiment lasted only a fleeting moment.
Deliberately staggering as if overwhelmed by the energy, Bu Eun-seol took several steps back.
If his true martial prowess were exposed now, the entire plan would shatter like a broken jar.
"Do you understand what I mean?"
At the middle-aged man's question, Bu Eun-seol bowed his head with a pained expression.
"I understand."
Satisfied by his wretched appearance, the middle-aged man nodded.
"And... if you ever grow weary of playing the rogue, seek out this Hall Master."
After casting one last glance at Bu Eun-seol's face, the man turned away without hesitation.
"What in the world just happened?"
At that moment, Jongjeong Yak approached and asked.
"The Seven Sages Gate? Were you really a successor of that sect, Young Hero Seol?"
Feigning severe shock from the formless qi, Bu Eun-seol staggered once more before shaking his head.
"But who was that man?"
Jongjeong Yak blinked her large eyes and whispered in a hushed voice.
"You truly don't know?"
"What do you mean?"
"That man is Yuk Jang-cheon, the overseer of our alliance's Hall of Ascending Martial. Hall Master Yuk himself."
"The Palm King, Yuk Jang-cheon?"
Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened.
That towering middle-aged man was the supreme commander of the Martial Alliance's martial instructors—one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings. The Palm King, Yuk Jang-cheon?
"I had no idea."
Bu Eun-seol shuddered slightly, as if frightened, and Jongjeong Yak laughed.
"It's alright. Since he acknowledged you, Young Hero Seol, there shouldn't be any trouble from now on."
Acknowledged, you say... Good.
Hearing those words, Bu Eun-seol inwardly smiled in satisfaction.
Truly, the Martial Alliance was the Martial Alliance.
Outwardly, it might seem lax, but in reality, it was even more terrifying than the Demon Hall.
The moment an outsider rogue entered their ranks, they must have mobilized their entire information network to scrutinize every detail of his background.
And once they found no issues, they undoubtedly sent a monstrous master like Yuk Jang-cheon to verify Bu Eun-seol's identity once more.
Entering the Martial Emperor's Secret Vault was a stroke of fortune.
Had Bu Eun-seol still been at the level of merely mimicking orthodox martial arts, as in the past?
His deception would have been exposed in an instant.
But having entered the Martial Emperor's Secret Vault and deeply studied various martial disciplines, Bu Eun-seol could now execute orthodox techniques more authentically than anyone else.
That was why even the discerning eyes of a master like the Palm King, Yuk Jang-cheon, had been perfectly deceived.
The Martial Alliance... Nothing here is easy.
The influence of the orthodox Murim surpassed that of the Demonic Path, and the Martial Alliance's might exceeded even the combat power of the Demon Hall.
A single misstep here, and even Bu Eun-seol would meet instant death.
"You seem quite shaken."
At Jongjeong Yak's words, Bu Eun-seol forced a smile.
"I'll be fine after a short rest."
Then, feigning severe shock, he staggered toward his quarters.
Night had fallen before he knew it.
To ensure the success of the Ten Righteous Assembly, Jongjeong Yak met daily with the head of the Nectar Bureau, exchanging countless discussions.
With the bureau head's help, she had begun gathering evidence to expose Danri Muk's misdeeds.
Neung Jo-un, having seemingly dropped all wariness toward Bu Eun-seol, no longer guarded him and instead went to assist Jongjeong Yak.
"If you feel stifled, you may take a stroll. The guards will stop you if you try to enter restricted areas."
Moreover, after learning of Bu Eun-seol's sect origins, Neung Jo-un's attitude had grown noticeably friendly.
Most rogues hailed from the Demonic Path or the Black Path.
But upon discovering that Bu Eun-seol was a successor of the once-renowned orthodox sect, the Seven Sages Gate, Neung Jo-un had shown considerable goodwill.
Click.
Once Neung Jo-un left, Bu Eun-seol stealthily slipped out of his quarters.
Today, I should investigate elsewhere.
Though the mechanism in the abandoned warehouse was the most suspicious, Danri Muk had rearranged the bluestone slabs yesterday.
The chances of leaving traces today were slim, so Bu Eun-seol planned to explore other areas in the meantime.
Perhaps I'll venture a little deeper.
Step. Step.
Moving cautiously, Bu Eun-seol headed toward the East Gate of the Martial Alliance—a place he had avoided yesterday.
That area housed the quarters of the alliance leader, the Four Gods and Seven Kings, and other masters of comparable stature.
Five hundred feet should suffice.
Bu Eun-seol intended to use his Empty Mind Spirit Perception from a distance of about five hundred feet without approaching further.
Getting any closer might arouse suspicion, and if a direct confrontation erupted?
Countless masters, against whom he stood no chance, would pour out like an endless tide.
The sound of a mechanism.
As he neared the East Gate, Bu Eun-seol's ears perked up, and his gaze fixed on a particular structure.
It resembled a massive pagoda, and from within its walls came the faint grinding of hidden machinery.
A concealed space.
After discreetly surveying the pagoda's surroundings, Bu Eun-seol covered his face with a cloth from his sleeve.
Carefully slipping inside, he followed a dimly lit passageway.
At its end, a vast grand hall unfolded before him, dotted with small sarcophagus-like objects.
These are...
Upon closer inspection, the sarcophagi bore the dharma names of monks engraved upon them.
I've come to the wrong place.
This was likely a stupa housing the relics of esteemed monks who had ties to the Martial Alliance.
Since these are also precious treasures... there must be a mechanism.
Nodding faintly, Bu Eun-seol turned to leave—but in that instant—
"Amitabha."
A low Buddhist chant echoed from behind him.
"What brings a night visitor to this old monk's solitary training hall at such a late hour?"
Bu Eun-seol was deeply startled.
Not only had someone approached this close within his domain, bypassing the senses of the Beast Path entirely...
But even though the voice came from behind, it rang clearly in his ears as if spoken right beside him.
'An opponent beyond my capabilities.'
Tensing, Bu Eun-seol turned his body very slowly.
There stood an elderly monk in monastic robes, wearing a faint smile.
His eyes held the clear light of a young boy, while his willow-branch-long eyebrows were white as snowflowers.
Undoubtedly, this was a Shaolin senior monk of considerable rank.
"I bear no ill intent in coming here,"
Bu Eun-seol said respectfully, clasping his hands together.
"If the venerable master would show mercy, I shall withdraw quietly."
"Hohoho. This is the sacred sanctuary of the Buddhist Order—a place no outsider may enter."
The old monk maintained a childlike, innocent smile.
"Shouldn't this old monk at least know your sect and name to explain to the Buddha?"
"Had I intended to reveal that, I wouldn't be wearing a mask."
"Well, that's true enough."
The monk shook his head regretfully.
"Then I suppose I'll have to ask your body directly."
Swish!
The monk flicked his hands lightly as if shooing away a fly.
Simultaneously, a gale-force wind tore at Bu Eun-seol's face as if to flay his skin.
'Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm?'
What the old monk executed was the opening move of the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm—the same technique displayed by Gwang-yeon, known as Shaolin's Greatest Prodigy.
But whereas Gwang-yeon's palm energy had been gentle, spreading at a measured pace...
When this old monk unleashed it, palm energy poured forth alongside the gale.
His internal power was so profound that even the characteristic softness of Buddhist martial arts had vanished.
'Kuh—'
Bu Eun-seol immediately activated Swift Shadowless to evade the palm energy.
Yet in that brief moment, the energy multiplied to thirty-two streams, coiling around his body.
'No escape.'
Bu Eun-seol panicked.
To seal all retreating paths in just two moves?
'Analyze later.'
He attempted to disperse the energy instantly using Thousand-Hand Empty Wave.
Then a thought flashed through his mind:
'Must not use Demonic Path techniques.'
This old monk's eyes held no hostility, only a faint smile lingering at his lips.
Clearly, he had no inkling Bu Eun-seol belonged to the Demonic Path—likely assuming him merely a junior from the Martial Alliance.
Whoosh!
In the split-second these thoughts raced through his mind, the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm grazed his face.
The cloth masking his features was instantly snatched away by the monk's hand.
'Impossible.'
Shock flooded Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
However briefly distracted, having his mask seized so effortlessly...
Had the monk been malicious, those palms could have shattered his face instantly.
'This unassuming old monk possesses martial arts that shake the heavens?'
"Hoh."
The monk exhaled in amazement upon seeing Bu Eun-seol's revealed face.
Though Bu Eun-seol was currently using the Face-Changing Bone-Shifting Art at the cost of one-tenth his internal energy, the monk's gaze seemed to pierce through to his true features.
"Not only does your face shine brilliantly, but your eyes brim with vital energy. Filled with killing intent yet devoid of ill-omened nature..."
The monk chuckled with childlike delight.
"Which sect could have produced such an outstanding disciple...?"
He remained convinced Bu Eun-seol was a disciple of a Righteous Faction Renowned Hero, not Demonic Path.
"Well, judging by your eyes, you won't tell me."
The monk spread his small hands wide again.
"Shall I ask your body once more?"
Sshhk!
Though his speech was leisurely, his movements were lightning-fast.
Those small palms unleashed another viscous, overwhelming Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm.
'Unblockable.'
This old monk's version was a hundred times stronger than Gwang-yeon's.
No orthodox martial art Bu Eun-seol could mimic would suffice.
'No choice left.'
Even if the monk didn't intend to kill him, taking those palms head-on would mean either instant internal injury or unconsciousness.
And that would render his infiltration of the Martial Alliance completely pointless.
Sshhk! Sshhk!
At that moment, razor-sharp energy erupted from Bu Eun-seol's body.
His legs and arms simultaneously unleashed different orthodox martial arts fused into one—the Martial Emperor's Thirteenfold Qi Induction, the orthodox faction's supreme art from four centuries past.
"Ohho."
The monk gasped in surprise.
Bu Eun-seol's sharp energy streams began dismantling the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm one by one.
"Marvelous martial arts indeed..."
Exhaling in admiration, the monk lightly waved both palms.
Though the motion appeared casual, Bu Eun-seol's Thirteenfold Qi Induction dissolved like melting snow.
'Prajna Great Power?'
The monk hadn't blocked the technique with any special skill.
Using that immense, tenacious Prajna Great Power, he had instantly transformed the very principles underlying the Thirteenfold technique.
'A master of the Martial Extreme Realm?'
Bu Eun-seol's heart threatened to burst.
To extend formless power and alter the nature of an opponent's martial arts?
This old monk's ability—transcending even the Extreme Heaven Realm's Martial Arts True Scripture—proved he had reached the martial world's supreme pinnacle.
"Now then, let's see you receive this."
In that moment, the old monk retracted his twin palms back to his chest before spreading them wide once more.
Swish—shhhk!
This time, sixty-four hand shadows unfurled, enveloping Bu Eun-seol's body.
He had unleashed the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm again.
Swish—shhhk...
But then, something astonishing happened.
As if time itself had frozen, the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm descended not in a rapid barrage, but in an excruciatingly slow cascade.
"..."
Bu Eun-seol's pupils trembled uncontrollably.
The slowly unfolding Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm was not merely an extension of palm shadows.
Each strike was allocated a different angle and timing.
In other words, the old monk had taken a single martial art and birthed an entirely new one from it.
'This is...'
A brilliant light flashed in Bu Eun-seol's eyes as a profound realization struck him.
Simultaneously, his hands traced a gentle circle in the air—a movement reminiscent of the Taiji Fist of the Wudang Sect.
Swish!
In that instant, five streaks of force erupted around Bu Eun-seol's body.
And one by one, those streaks began erasing the sixty-four Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm shadows.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Unlike before, the force of the Thirteenfold Qi Induction had grown incredibly sharp, writhing through the air like a living dragon.
If he had previously forced multiple martial arts together to manifest the Thirteenfold Qi Induction,
now, with nothing but the most natural movements, an overwhelming and razor-sharp force poured forth.
Crack—crack—crack—CRACK!
By the time Bu Eun-seol finally dispelled all sixty-four Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm shadows, the old monk's hands gradually stilled.
"Haa, haa..."
Bu Eun-seol gasped for breath.
Not from exhaustion—
But because he had grasped an immense and overwhelming martial principle, executing the Thirteenfold Qi Induction in a state of No-Self.
"Why...?"
After barely steadying his internal breathing, Bu Eun-seol clasped his hands together and looked at the old monk.
"Did you bestow this teaching upon me?"
The old monk had not attacked him.
By unfolding the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm at such a deliberate pace, he had imparted the highest principles of martial arts to Bu Eun-seol.
"To have mastered the orthodox martial arts to such depth that you can unleash them as one unified force... and to possess internal energy as pure and profound as this old monk's..."
The old monk stared intently into Bu Eun-seol's eyes as he spoke.
"How could I not impart a lesson?"
'Could he have mistaken me for one of the Great Righteous Experts?'
The Great Righteous Experts were personally trained in the Ultimate Arts of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, tailored to their abilities.
The old monk must have assumed Bu Eun-seol was one of the eighteen Great Righteous Experts raised by the Martial Alliance.
"However... promise this old monk one thing."
But with those words, Bu Eun-seol immediately realized—this was no misunderstanding.
"When a great crisis comes in the future... become an unshakable pillar of the murim."
The old monk smiled faintly.
"No matter where you stand, no matter what comes... remain unshaken."
A mysterious glimmer shone in the old monk's eyes—filled with trust.
'He didn't mistake me.'
Judging by his tone and demeanor, the old monk had not confused Bu Eun-seol for a Master of Great Righteousness.
Then why had he imparted this enlightenment?
Could he have recognized the Martial Emperor's techniques?
Or did he simply see Bu Eun-seol as a late-stage orthodox martial artist who had deeply mastered the righteous path?
If not... had he unlocked the Karmic Technique, allowing him to glimpse the future?
"I understand."
Though his thoughts were long, his actions were swift.
Seeing the compassionate light in the old monk's eyes, Bu Eun-seol instinctively clasped his hands and bowed deeply.
"I will do so."
"Then, it is settled."
With that, the old monk turned with a faint smile.
"If fate allows, we shall meet again."
And then, he slowly vanished into the darkness beyond the sarcophagus.
Bu Eun-seol stood dazed for a long while, staring at the passage where the old monk had disappeared.
Even after stepping outside the pagoda, he still felt as though he were under a spell.
Though the moonlight still shone brightly, it was as if he were still wandering through a dream.
The next day, Jongjeong Yak and Neung Jo-un were still frantically organizing documents.
When mealtime arrived, Bu Eun-seol accompanied them to the nearby dining hall once more.
Perhaps because it was too late for breakfast, hardly anyone was inside.
"Last night, while taking a walk, I saw something unusual."
Clearing his throat, Bu Eun-seol spoke in a low voice.
"Far to the east gate, there was a small pagoda."
Jongjeong Yak blinked before nodding.
"Ah, the Golden Radiance Pagoda. Why?"
"Does anyone live there?"
"Huh? No, it's not a place where people live."
According to her explanation, the Golden Radiance Pagoda enshrined the remains of renowned figures who had protected the orthodox murim.
Naturally, no one resided there—only caretakers (Sochungsa) occasionally visited to clean and maintain it.
Then did that mean the old monk Bu Eun-seol saw was a ghost?
'No, not a ghost.'
The sleeves of his robes had been sharply torn by the aftermath of the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm.
Even if that old monk were a ghost, it made no sense.
Why would a high monk of Shaolin appear as a spirit, modify the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm, and impart teachings about the Thirteenfold Qi Induction?
"Has there been any recent Buddhist ceremony held there?"
When Bu Eun-seol changed the question, Jongjeong Yak nodded.
"How did you know? Once a year, the Shaolin Temple holds a memorial service there."
Scratching her forehead, she added,
"Not long ago, Great Master Hong-hyeon—the one they call the Divine Monk—personally presided over the ceremony."
"Hong-hyeon...?"
A spark seemed to leap through Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
"That Great Master Hong-hyeon—the Buddhist Venerable of the Three Venerables, said to be over two hundred years old...?"