Chapter 304
The Primordial Chaos Golden Needles wielded by the Needle King were renowned in name alone.
Their appearance—their size, their shape—remained widely unknown.
Yet now it appeared there existed Primordial Chaos Golden Needles as slender as strands of hair and shorter than the width of a finger.
'So there are multiple varieties.'
Bu Eun-seol suppressed a bitter smile.
The Primordial Chaos Golden Needle currently held by Jongri Sa-hyeon was thinner and shorter than even the Feather Rain Needles, known to be the smallest among concealed weapons.
No one could have imagined he'd hidden such a needle in his palm while patting shoulders.
"What are you suddenly talking about?"
As Bu Eun-seol feigned ignorance, Jongri Sa-hyeon spoke in a low voice.
"This Primordial Chaos Fine Rain Needle is so thin and fine it can be inserted into pores. It reacts to the True Qi flowing within the body."
The Needle King's hawk-like eyes narrowed as they fixed on Bu Eun-seol.
"And it won't even pierce the skin of a Master whose Internal Energy exceeds 120 years."
True to his title, Jongri Sa-hyeon had detected Bu Eun-seol's formidable Internal Energy through a single needle.
Though this was a situation no one could have predicted, Bu Eun-seol remained composed.
"What is your true identity?"
A Master young enough to possess Internal Energy surpassing 120 years would surely have widespread fame and a recognizable appearance.
There was no way such a person could exist with an unknown face and name.
"My apologies, Elder."
Bu Eun-seol clasped his hands respectfully with an apologetic expression.
"By my master's decree, I cannot disclose my sect. I beg your generous forgiveness."
"Is that so? Well, that's possible."
Jongri Sa-hyeon nodded regretfully.
"However, the main house has an iron rule against admitting those with unverified backgrounds. You should leave."
"Grandfather."
Unable to stay silent, Jongri Sa-yu stepped forward, only for him to fix her with a stern gaze.
"You brat. Are you trying to overturn the main house's policies now?"
"Understood. But I have one question for you, Elder."
"What is it?"
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath before speaking.
"I heard that forty years ago, you crossed blades with the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang in Hwangju Prefecture."
"And?"
With utmost solemnity, Bu Eun-seol continued.
"I wish to hear the details of that encounter."
Jongri Sa-hyeon's face twisted in incomprehension.
Why would this young man ask about a Great Demon of the Demonic Path who had vanished long ago?
"Forty years ago—you're curious about my dealings with the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade? Why?"
After a brief pause, Bu Eun-seol deliberately adopted a pained expression.
"I'm tracking his movements."
"Hmm."
The Needle King let out a thoughtful hum.
Countless Masters had fallen to Bu Jan-yang's blade in the past.
'His parents or master must have been killed by the Demon Blade.'
Assuming Bu Eun-seol's kin or teacher had been slain by the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, Jongri Sa-hyeon shook his head.
"That matter is my personal affair. I've no intention of sharing it with outsiders."
With a sigh, he waved his hand dismissively.
"Now, be on your way."
"Elder."
Bu Eun-seol pressed his palms together firmly and spoke with dignity.
"Then how about a wager between us?"
"A wager?"
"I've heard your Internal Energy is peerless—enough to execute Body-Striking Transmission Art through a single needle."
Bu Eun-seol met Jongri Sa-hyeon's gaze with unwavering confidence.
"If you can force me back even a single step using your Internal Energy, I'll leave quietly."
Then, with renewed vigor:
"But if you fail, you'll share that story with me. What do you say?"
"Have my ears grown so old they deceive me?"
Jongri Sa-hyeon nearly burst out laughing at the absurdity.
"Young man, learn to distinguish between audacity and recklessness."
The Needle King was renowned even among the Four Gods and Seven Kings for his profound Internal Energy and peerless martial prowess.
And yet, this youth who appeared barely past his coming-of-age dared challenge him to an Internal Energy contest?
Was this not sheer suicide?
"Young Hero Bu."
Even Jongri Sa-yu stepped closer, shaking her head at Bu Eun-seol.
"Grandfather never forgives such provocations."
Needle King Jongri Sa-hyeon.
He was a man who detested the younger generation's rising talents with particular intensity.
Ever since it became known his Primordial Chaos Golden Needles could open the Ren Meridian—tens of thousands of youths had come crawling obsequiously or swaggering boldly.
Among them were those like Bu Eun-seol, who'd provoked him with wagers.
And Jongri Sa-hyeon had never once let such individuals leave unscathed.
"There was once someone who tried the same trick as you."
Jongri Sa-hyeon regarded Bu Eun-seol with contempt.
"He demanded an Internal Energy contest and deliberately sustained fatal Internal Injuries."
"..."
"All because of the shallow calculation that I'd treat him with my needles if his injuries became irreversible."
His expression turned grave.
"But I never healed him. Because deploying the Golden Needle Art consumes a decade's worth of Internal Energy. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Even if it costs me my life, that won't happen."
Bu Eun-seol's voice rang clear.
"Or rather—I ask that you tell me what happened back then."
"I suppose there's no helping it."
Jongri Sa-hyeon let out a sigh as he realized Bu Eun-seol's determination was unshakable.
"Don't blame this old man for being merciless."
With that, he immediately channeled his internal energy and pushed against Bu Eun-seol.
The sheer magnitude of that force was equivalent to a hundred and fifty years of cultivation.
Even if Bu Eun-seol possessed internal power surpassing two sixty-year cycles, this should have been enough to send him flying in an instant.
'What?'
Yet Bu Eun-seol stood firm as if rooted to the ground. There wasn't even the slightest indication that he had summoned his own internal energy to resist.
'His internal power exceeds two cycles.'
To reach such a level of cultivation before even turning twenty—this alone was proof that he was an exceptional disciple, either from one of the great orthodox or unorthodox sects or from a prestigious noble family.
'Which sect could have produced such a disciple?'
"As expected, you have every reason to be confident."
Jongri Sa-hyeon narrowed his eyes, studying Bu Eun-seol intently before letting out an impressed sigh and speaking solemnly.
"But you'll soon come to regret this."
Despite his icy tone, he deliberately and methodically doubled his internal energy output.
If he unleashed his full power all at once, in a sudden burst... Bu Eun-seol's meridians could rupture, or he might suffer irreversible internal injuries.
'The Kill-Seeking Unit's intelligence was accurate.'
The Needle King was known for his stern personality and ruthless methods.
But according to the Kill-Seeking Unit's reports, contrary to his reputation, he was actually a generous and compassionate man.
—He only acts strict on the surface, but in truth, he's a deeply caring person.
Jongri Sa-yu's words suddenly resurfaced in Bu Eun-seol's mind.
If Jongri Sa-hyeon had truly been a cold-blooded man, she would have fought tooth and nail to stop this confrontation.
She wouldn't have been able to stand by and watch the meridians of the man she cared for shatter before her eyes.
But she remained silent precisely because she knew Jongri Sa-hyeon wouldn't resort to truly cruel measures.
'Is this what it means to be one of the Four Gods Seven Kings?'
Until now, the orthodox martial artists Bu Eun-seol had encountered had been stubborn and selfish.
But the orthodox figures among the Four Gods Seven Kings—
Bukgung Ryeong, the Bullet King, whom he had met in the Martial Emperor Secret Repository; Yuk Jang-cheon, the Palm King, whom he had encountered in the Martial Alliance; and now Jongri Sa-hyeon, the Needle King before him—
Contrary to rumors, none of them were truly ill-natured.
'He probably did use the Primordial Golden Needle Art to save lives, even if it cost him dearly.'
Jongri Sa-hyeon must have been forcing himself to maintain a stern façade, hiding his inherently kind and merciful nature.
There was no way he could have stood by and watched people die or suffer without intervening.
As Bu Eun-seol lost himself in these thoughts, Jongri Sa-hyeon was inwardly astonished.
'I assumed his internal power barely surpassed two cycles at best.'
Before he knew it, the energy he was pouring out had exceeded three sixty-year cycles.
Yet Bu Eun-seol still hadn't budged an inch.
'Could it be... this boy's internal power surpasses three cycles?'
Three cycles of cultivation was near the upper limit of what even the most talented of the younger generation could achieve.
And yet, Bu Eun-seol remained completely unfazed.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a gust of wind erupted from Jongri Sa-hyeon's body.
At the same time, a pure white shockwave of true qi surged forth, wrapping around Bu Eun-seol.
Finally, he was unleashing his full power.
Rumble—
The sheer force of the two masters' clashing internal energy turned the garden into a storm of true qi, the very earth upheaving beneath them.
Had Jongri Sa-hyeon's residence not been situated deep within the estate, the people inside the manor would have mistaken this for an earthquake and panicked.
'This can't be...'
Jongri Sa-yu, who had been pushed all the way to the Moon East Gate by the shockwave, gaped in disbelief.
'Young Hero Baek's internal power is on par with Grandfather's?'
Jongri Sa-hyeon had not only spent his entire life as a physician but had also consumed countless spirit medicines, studying their effects and absorption methods.
His internal energy was known to rival even the strongest among the Four Gods Seven Kings.
And yet, a young man only twenty was matching him in an internal power contest?
'Could he be...?'
A certain rumor circulating in the martial world flashed through Jongri Sa-hyeon's mind.
A prodigy of the demonic path who had joined the ranks of the Four Gods Seven Kings at twenty.
A man said to possess not only profound wisdom but also ruthless methods, sparing none who stood in his way—
The whispers about the next Demon Sovereign.
Though he was a grandmaster of the orthodox path, Jongri Sa-hyeon harbored no particular hatred or prejudice toward the demonic factions.
That said, he had no desire to forge ties with the Heir of the Demon Hall.
'But this energy... it doesn't belong to the demonic path.'
Jongri Sa-hyeon's gaze sharpened.
The internal energy methods of the demonic path grew sharper and more blade-like the more power was exerted.
Yet Bu Eun-seol's energy only became smoother and stickier.
'I need to confirm this.'
As Jongri Sa-hyeon's fingers, clasped behind his back, traced invisible lines in the air, an intangible force reached Bu Eun-seol's pulse gate.
True to his epithet as the Needle King, he refined his internal energy into something as fine as a needle, probing the origin of Bu Eun-seol's power.
'The Tendon Transformation Sutra?'
Jongri Sa-hyeon's eyes widened as he covertly observed the circulation of Bu Eun-seol's true qi.
Pure yet resilient, the energy wasn't just concentrated in his dantian—it was dispersed and stored throughout his Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
This was a characteristic unique to the Tendon Transformation Sutra, the foremost orthodox technique of Shaolin, hailed as the pinnacle of righteous martial arts!
'So that's it?'
Shaolin's ultimate arts were never taught to outsiders. It was unthinkable for anyone outside the temple to master them.
With that single move, Bu Eun-seol had effectively revealed his identity.
A faint smile played at the corners of Jongri Sa-hyeon's lips.
'A disciple of Shaolin, then.'
The Tendon Transformation Sutra was not something just anyone could learn. It was only transmitted under the abbot's permission, and only to those with a compelling reason to master it.
In other words, no matter how exceptional a disciple's talent, if they lacked the proper karmic connection, they would never receive its teachings.
'But...'
True to his reputation as a master of the Martial World, the Needle King remained cautious.
He sensed that the sword slung across Bu Eun-seol's back was an extraordinary divine blade, and an indescribably ruthless energy flowed from the young man's body.
'Shaolin has no martial arts that employ swords.'
Shaolin's martial disciplines did not include blade techniques.
There was an ultimate art called the Bodhidharma Three Swords, but despite its name, it was closer to a short staff technique than actual swordsmanship.
Of course, secular disciples were free to carry weapons, but the essence of Shaolin's martial arts lay in the Fist Palm Finger Art—where the hands themselves became the weapons.
'Now that I think of it, doesn't the Demonic Path have a mental cultivation method similar to the Tendon Transformation Sutra?'
Jongri Sa-hyeon recalled the fallen monk of Heavenly Dragon Temple, Blood Vajra, whom he had once crossed blades with long ago.
Not only was his internal energy immense, but his mental cultivation method was so profound and majestic that one could easily mistake it for Shaolin's own.
Hmm...
After a long moment of contemplation, Jongri Sa-hyeon withdrew his internal energy in a single breath and spoke plainly.
"Let's call this wager a draw."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"Then you admit you lost the bet."
"I cannot admit that."
Jongri Sa-hyeon's tone remained indifferent.
"Wasn't that your own one-sided wager?"
"But—"
"Which is why I said it's a draw."
The Needle King narrowed his eyes slightly.
"If you want to hear the story, why not make another wager with this old man?"
Bu Eun-seol fell into deep thought for a moment before nodding.
"Very well. Speak your terms."
"Defeat three of my disciples in a duel."
A faint smile touched Jongri Sa-hyeon's lips.
"If you do, I promise to recount the events of that day in detail."
The origin of one's internal energy could be misleading.
But martial arts? The distinction between the Righteous Faction and the Demonic Path was stark.
Their pursuits were fundamentally different, and no amount of deception could fool the eyes of a grandmaster like Jongri Sa-hyeon.
"Agreed."
As Bu Eun-seol readily nodded, Jongri Sa-hyeon extended his hand.
"Then let's not waste time. We'll begin immediately."
Within the manor, there was no designated training ground.
That was because the Needle King's disciples did not set aside time for sparring or martial practice.
Instead, they honed their composure and sharpness by treating patients every day.
And through administering high-level acupuncture, they refined their master's secret techniques.
With no proper arena for martial combat, Jongri Sa-hyeon led Bu Eun-seol to the front courtyard paved with blue stones.
There stood seven men with piercing gazes.
As disciples personally trained by the Needle King, their internal energy and acupuncture skills were extraordinary.
Despite having heard the full situation from their master, their expressions remained unshaken—proof of their confidence in their martial prowess.
"The youngest shall go first."
Jongri Sa-hyeon pointed to his youngest disciple, Im Gun-byeong.
Im Gun-byeong was agile and quick-witted, making him the ideal candidate to test Bu Eun-seol's martial abilities.
"Elder."
Just then, Bu Eun-seol spoke calmly.
"No need to waste time. I'll face all three at once."
In that instant, the expressions of all seven disciples darkened.
Jongri Sa-hyeon nodded slowly.
"Such confidence."
Then he addressed his disciples.
"Un-gyeok, Cheon-ung. You two will join as well."
At his command, the largest and oldest-looking man, along with a lean figure with sunken eyes, stepped forward.
Gong Un-gyeok, the first disciple, and Ma Cheon-ung, the third.
Both were prodigies who had mastered the Needle King's ultimate technique, Golden Stream Origin, to the Eighth-Star Attainment, and their internal energy neared three sixty-year cycles.
'If he resorts to Demonic Path martial arts or draws his sword... this duel will be over before it begins.'
Through this battle, Jongri Sa-hyeon intended to confirm whether Bu Eun-seol was truly a figure of the Demonic Path.
"Begin."
"Then."
Without hesitation, Bu Eun-seol unleashed a single fist.
It was the Mountain-Piercing Fist, resembling Shaolin's Hundred-Step Divine Fist, executed with the same starting stance used by Shaolin disciples.
BOOM!
As overwhelming fist energy surged forth, the three disciples, standing in a triangular formation, scattered in all directions—simultaneously launching twenty golden needles.
The Golden Stream Origin was a technique that fired fine golden needles from varying angles and timings.
What made it terrifying was its ability to imbue these minuscule needles with devastating force despite being too small to properly receive internal energy, and the fact that every needle targeted vital acupoints—a single hit could render an opponent incapacitated.
'Even a Shaolin grandmaster would struggle to block the Golden Stream Origin unleashed by three disciples at once.'
Just as a smile began to form on Jongri Sa-hyeon's lips—
Swish—!
Dozens of palm shadows suddenly materialized in the air, intercepting the golden needles one by one.
"That is...!"
Jongri Sa-hyeon's eyes widened as he observed Bu Eun-seol's palm technique.
"The Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm?"
One of Shaolin's Seventy-Two Supreme Arts, renowned for its intricate forms and extreme internal energy consumption—a Supreme-grade Absolute Art.
The essence of Shaolin's palm techniques, said to be as unpredictable as dozens of butterflies taking flight at once, was now unfolding brilliantly beneath Bu Eun-seol's hands.