Chapter 330
"My close friend has had his dantian destroyed and lost all his internal power."
Bu Eun-seol calmly explained while pointing at Seo Jin-ha.
"He cultivated a unique form of internal power, making conventional treatment impossible. Therefore, the only method to fully restore his power is to open his upper dantian through the Myriad Transformations Dharma Wheel."
Splendid Beauty Palace Master nodded in understanding as she grasped Bu Eun-seol's intent.
For a martial artist who has honed their internal energy method centered on the lower dantian to open their upper dantian, they must completely dismantle their existing internal power.
But Seo Jin-ha has already lost his internal power due to his destroyed dantian—meaning he has nothing left to lose.
Moreover, since he previously possessed formidable internal power... mastering the Myriad Transformations Dharma Wheel would allow him to easily recover his former strength.
Not only that, but with the newly opened upper dantian, he could swiftly surpass his previous level of power and reach even greater heights.
It would be like a skilled cook effortlessly learning a new recipe.
"Countless factions beyond the frontier open their upper dantians to cultivate internal energy. So why do you seek our palace's secret method?"
In response to Splendid Beauty Palace Master's question, Bu Eun-seol answered again.
"I've heard that the fundamental secret to reaching the Three Origins Three Harmonies and Primordial Spirit Emergence lies within the Blue Sea Palace's method."
That was a story told to him by Blood Vajra, who had imparted internal energy techniques to him.
"To not only restore his former power but also advance to a higher realm, the Myriad Transformations Dharma Wheel is his only option."
"I see."
Splendid Beauty Palace Master nodded before sighing and speaking.
"It's remarkable that you've found our palace, severed from the world as it is. But even so, we cannot transmit our internal energy secrets to outsiders."
Yet Bu Eun-seol's expression remained unchanged.
She frowned slightly before continuing.
"The only reason we allowed you into our palace was curiosity about why you went so far as to retrieve Guangyang Temple's Great Vow Mirror to find us."
Despite Splendid Beauty Palace Master's firm refusal, Bu Eun-seol stood unmoved.
As if waiting for what would come next.
As silence lingered, the Retired Palace Master, A-min, who had been quietly seated until now, spoke as if recalling something.
"Palace Master, isn't there a way to impart martial knowledge to them?"
At this, Splendid Beauty Palace Master furrowed her brow.
"How could they possibly break through that gate?"
"Giving them a chance wouldn't be such a bad idea."
Bu Eun-seol then clasped his hands together and said:
"If you grant us this opportunity, no matter what it entails, we will surely succeed."
With a resigned expression, Splendid Beauty Palace Master finally spoke.
"Our palace has been bound by an ancestral restrictive seal, which is why we've remained hidden from the world."
"A restrictive seal...?"
"You must shatter the Wall of the Heart Sect, installed by our Founder, to leave this place."
After taking a deep breath, she continued.
"You must endure at the gate for four days, then break the Wall of the Heart Sect. But no matter how you look at it... that's an impossible task."
Her gaze darkened profoundly.
"If you can break it, you will become our palace's benefactors, and we can transmit the Myriad Transformations Dharma Wheel to you."
"Oh, breaking things is my specialty."
So Ok-rim, who had been listening quietly, flashed a confident smile.
Then, turning to Bu Eun-seol and Seo Jin-ha, she declared:
"I'll handle this one."
Flexing her thick arms, she grinned boldly.
"I'll smash anything in one go! Hahaha!"
"Let me be frank."
Splendid Beauty Palace Master shook her head with a sigh.
"The Wall of the Heart Sect's gate can only be broken by those who have entered the Martial Extreme Realm."
In an instant, not only So Ok-rim's but even Bu Eun-seol's expression stiffened.
Martial Extreme Realm.
That signified a state at the very limits of human martial attainment.
Even Bu Eun-seol, who was said to transcend age and seniority, had only just stepped into the Extreme Heaven Realm, hadn't he?
If the Wall of the Heart Sect required the Martial Extreme Realm to break, then in their current state, they couldn't possibly pass even if they died and came back to life.
"Moreover, most who fail to break through the gate end up as cripples or imbeciles. The reason our palace has not ceaselessly attempted this challenge... is because we've witnessed such outcomes repeatedly."
Her expression and gaze left no room for doubt—this was no joke.
At this, So Ok-rim's bright smile, still flexing her arms, abruptly darkened.
She immediately took a step back and coughed awkwardly.
"Ahem."
Then, slumping her shoulders, she gave Bu Eun-seol and Seo Jin-ha a weak look.
"But after that fight with Guangyang Temple's Vajrayana practitioners, I'm completely drained. Can't do it."
"I'll go."
Bu Eun-seol spoke without hesitation, but Seo Jin-ha shook his head.
"No need."
With an utterly solemn expression, he sent a voice transmission:
「Restoring my internal power is a trivial matter. But if something happens to you, that's absolutely unacceptable. What would become of the subordinates in Death Shadow War Unit who rely solely on you?」
Bu Eun-seol was the leader of Death Shadow War Unit and the Heir of the Demon Hall.
He was no wandering swordsman responsible only for his own life.
「It's fine.」
Bu Eun-seol replied via voice transmission as well.
「The Martial Extreme Realm isn't something that can be expressed as a martial boundary. It's impossible to manifest as a gate.」
Bu Eun-seol had personally witnessed the might of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, who stood at the pinnacle of the Martial Extreme Realm.
As well as those slightly below him—Ak Mu-ryeong, Jeok Bung, and others.
The Martial Extreme Realm was merely the varied manifestations of martial prowess—it could never be materialized as a gate or boundary.
「Besides, if the Founder of Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace had truly reached the Martial Extreme Realm, they would have left a significant mark in the Murim.」
Bu Eun-seol's voice transmission carried absolute conviction.
「They must be mislabeling some other phenomenon as the Martial Extreme Realm.」
「Bu Eun-seol.」
「Trust me.」
At Bu Eun-seol's resolute words, Seo Jin-ha let out a sigh.
Even if every word of that were true, it remained an exceedingly perilous gate.
Because the Splendid Beauty Palace Master—who appeared as a young girl—possessed momentum no less formidable than Bu Eun-seol's.
If even they dared not attempt to breach it, then saying one must stake their life was no exaggeration at all.
"Are you truly serious about this?"
"I am."
At the Palace Master's words, Bu Eun-seol clasped his hands together with unwavering resolve.
"I will challenge it immediately."
While Bu Eun-seol attempted to pass through the gate, the Blue Spirit Palace assigned living quarters to Seo Jin-ha and So Ok-rim so they could rest comfortably.
Seo Jin-ha wanted to help Bu Eun-seol, but in his current state—bereft of internal power—he would only be a burden.
And so, gripping Bu Eun-seol's shoulder, he offered a reassuring smile.
"Break it quickly and come back."
Boundless trust.
In this situation, the only thing he could give was his absolute faith.
Bu Eun-seol nodded, then followed the Splendid Beauty Palace Master deep beneath the Blue Spirit Palace.
After walking endlessly down an artificially constructed passageway, a metallic gate gleaming with an eerie luster came into view.
Whooom.
As the Palace Master pressed something against the wall, the massive iron gate slowly creaked open.
Beyond it lay a vast stone chamber. The moment they stepped inside, lanterns embedded in the walls flared to life on their own.
Simultaneously, the far wall of the chamber emitted a translucent glow.
The wall was made of a material so clear it reflected one's face—though it wasn't glass, but rather a stone with a faint, opaque sheen.
The Wall of the Heart Sect.
This was the very Restrictive Seal that had erased the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace from the world.
"This is the Wall of the Heart Sect."
As Bu Eun-seol approached, light spilled from its surface, and transparent characters began to materialize—revealing the Heart-Seal Method.
"This is our palace's Clear Spirit Mind Art. Once the trial begins, you would do well to focus your will upon it."
When Bu Eun-seol turned his head, the Palace Master's crescent-moon eyes narrowed as she spoke.
"Assuming you wish to survive here for four days without losing your mind, that is."
Bu Eun-seol couldn't comprehend it.
If this was the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace's mind art, it should have been an exceptional method.
Yet the teachings inscribed upon the Wall were anything but deserving of the name "Clear Spirit."
They gave something like this the name 'Clear Spirit'?
Every single technique carved into the wall amplified killing intent—so much so that merely reciting them made the metallic scent of blood rise in the air.
How could such a sinister method be called "Clear Spirit"?
"There are two kinds of mind arts that purify the heart."
As if sensing his doubts, the Palace Master spoke.
"Those that guide one from the Demonic Path to the Righteous Path, restoring tranquility... and those that lead from the Righteous Path to the Demonic Path, seeking peace in turn."
Tranquility.
Though it meant calming the mind, in internal cultivation, it referred to the process of suppressing all disturbances to one's spirit and mind.
Thus, whether one used the Demonic Path or the Righteous Path, the method of suppression mattered little in theory.
But that was merely academic—mind arts that transitioned from the Demonic Path to the Righteous Path were unheard of in Murim.
"Then this must be a method that leads from the Demonic Path to the Righteous Path."
"Correct."
The Palace Master's voice was low.
"Once the gate closes, the trial of the Wall will begin. This door will not open again for four days... so steel your resolution."
"Understood."
"Then I wish you fortune."
The Palace Master slowly stepped outside. The massive iron gate began to grind shut behind her.
Something's off.
Bu Eun-seol sensed something strange in her expression.
Her face had remained dark throughout—not out of concern for his life, nor because she held no expectations for him.
Resentment.
It was clear she was displeased with the very fact that he was attempting this trial.
Does she dislike the idea of breaking the Restrictive Seal?
That couldn't be.
A life cut off from the world at the edge of these high mountains couldn't possibly satisfy anyone.
No—there was undoubtedly some hidden truth about the Blue Spirit Palace that Bu Eun-seol did not yet know.
—Oooooooom.
Just then, the stone chamber trembled as if shaken, and an incomprehensible sound began to echo in Bu Eun-seol's ears.
It was a deep, sinister noise emanating from within the Wall of the Heart Sect.
Like the curse of a demon trapped in darkness—or perhaps the chanting of Esoteric Buddhism's mystic verses.
Hearing it, Bu Eun-seol felt a surge of killing intent a hundred times thicker than when he had read the Clear Spirit Mind Art upon the wall.
—The trial of the Wall of the Heart Sect not only demands you stake your life... it can only be overcome by reaching the Martial Extreme Realm.
So that's what she meant.
Only now did Bu Eun-seol understand the true meaning behind the Palace Master's words.
The sound resonating through the chamber exerted a force similar to the Phantom Restoration unleashed by Langya Pavilion's Lord, Ak Mu-ryeong.
A direct strike upon the spirit and mind.
The trial of the Wall was to endure this assault for four full days.
This will be difficult.
Bu Eun-seol had no choice but to admit it.
The Wall's trial was an obstacle incomparable to any he had faced before.
Though not as overwhelming as the Pavilion Lord's Phantom Restoration...
Compared to Ak Mu-ryeong's Phantom Restoration, the sound from the Wall was a hundred times weaker.
The problem was enduring it for four days.
There's no other way.
If he simply endured passively, he would either be reduced to an imbecile or have his spirit and mind torn to shreds.
Reluctantly, Bu Eun-seol turned his gaze to the Clear Spirit Mind Art inscribed upon the translucent wall.
To survive four days, he had no choice but to recite it.
"Ugh..."
Before he knew it, a day had passed.
A groan escaped Bu Eun-seol's lips as he endlessly repeated the verses.
A person cannot endlessly sustain their killing intent.
Just as all things must end—a well will run dry if drawn from ceaselessly, and true qi will deplete if continuously expended.
Qi can always be replenished, but if endlessly consumed, its total capacity diminishes.
Yet Bu Eun-seol's killing intent had not waned in the slightest even after a full day.
In terms of sheer volume, it matched the level of wielding the Peerless Thunderbolt for the time it takes to eat a meal.
'Ugh...'
As extreme bloodlust erupted from his body, Bu Eun-seol struggled to maintain reason.
He wanted to draw his sword and slaughter someone—right now.
The scent of blood.
In the past, when he had annihilated Wicked Incense, his spirit and mind had plunged into the Demonic Path, and he had been ensnared by the sweetness of that metallic fragrance.
But now, the bloodlust he felt was even thicker than it had been back then.
'Then... I'll use this.'
Bu Eun-seol clenched his fists, his killing intent saturating even his thoughts in crimson.
He had no desire to become a demonkin drenched in blood.
But what if he poured out this killing intent for four full days?
Wouldn't that, in fact, serve as an opportunity to lower the inherent bloodlust within his spirit?
It was a mad thought.
'Let it spill.'
An ordinary person would have already lost their mind in this situation.
But even now, Bu Eun-seol ceaselessly contemplated and sought enlightenment.
And so, he seized this trial as an opportunity—to unleash his killing intent without restraint, expending it with everything he had.
Oooooooon—!
His reason was melting away, his thirst for blood unbearable—but it didn't matter.
Hiiiiiii—!
The relentless, violent killing intent transformed into scorching heat, burning through his robes.
Yet he paid it no mind, curling in on himself as he continued to pour it out.
And so, time passed—until, before he knew it, three nights had gone by.
'...'
Suddenly, the entire world fell silent.
Sensing something strange, Bu Eun-seol slowly uncurled his body.
The sound that had endlessly reverberated through the stone chamber had vanished.
He could instinctively tell—today was the fourth day.
But the promised four days had not yet passed. Why had the sound stopped?
Frowning, he turned his head left and right, scanning the chamber.
"...!"
The moment he moved, his neck responded sluggishly—as though he were trapped in a dream.
The sound hadn't disappeared.
Time itself had slowed to an unbearable crawl.
Bu Eun-seol's gaze snapped toward the faintly glowing Wall of the Heart Sect.
And there, reflected upon the transparent barrier, was a bizarre sight.
'...Am I two people?'
On the left side of the wall—a figure clad in black, crimson eyes flashing, dark true qi billowing from his form.
On the right—a figure in white garments, the Ice Soul Sword strapped to his back, enveloped by the thirteen streams of the Thirteenfold Qi Induction.
Both were Bu Eun-seol.
One—the Grandmaster of the Demonic Path, inherently indifferent and cold.
The other—the Orthodox Grandmaster, steadfast and righteous.
'That wall... is reflecting my spirit and mind.'
The two shadows stood back-to-back, their auras sharp and hostile.
As if they would turn at any moment and engage in a fight to the death.
'This is...'
After four days of pouring out his killing intent, Bu Eun-seol was exhausted—but not so much that his mind had dulled.
'The Wall of the Heart Sect... So this is what it truly was.'
The Wall of the Heart Sect was a gate that destroyed the mind. That was why one had to reach the Martial Extreme Realm to surpass it.
To defend against an intangible force that directly assaulted the spirit, one had to attain that realm.
But Bu Eun-seol had endured Ak Mu-ryeong's Phantom Restoration without reaching such heights.
Moreover, when he had overturned Wicked Incense, he had forcibly adjusted his spirit from the Demonic Path back to the Middle Path.
At the time, he had assumed it was solely due to the Emotion Severing Secret Art...
But now, looking back, it had only been possible because his spirit had always been split in two.
'In the end... I must choose.'
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
Right now, he had fallen into a mild inner demon due to the Wall of the Heart Sect's influence.
To overcome this and shatter that wall, he would have to choose one of those two reflections.
And if he refused?
The divided halves of his spirit would fight endlessly—until Bu Eun-seol himself was reduced to a cripple.
'Hm.'
He studied the two reflections carefully.
The Man in Black was, without question, his true nature.
That cold, detached self had been his greatest strength in moments of crisis.
Had he lacked that temperament, he would have faltered and fallen long ago.
But the figure in white—that was the self shaped by his grandfather's teachings.
Through that abundance of emotion, he had learned to observe deeply, to seek enlightenment in all things, and to advance his martial prowess.
Without that aspect of himself, he would never have reached his current heights.
The innate frost of his temperament—and the warmth cultivated through Bu Jan-yang's guidance.
Both existed within his spirit.
'But these two cannot coexist.'
It was the same principle as trying to hold fire and water in the same vessel.
If he stubbornly refused to choose...
The blazing flames would die out, and the water would evaporate.
In other words—if he insisted on coexistence, his martial prowess would either regress, or he would suffer a mental fracture.
'What should I choose?'
Bu Eun-seol's ultimate goal was revenge against his grandfather. If so, he should choose the Demonic Path without hesitation.
But walking that path would bring misery to everyone around him.
And the probability of becoming a puppet for those who sought to manipulate him from the shadows would rise.
'...Is there no right answer in life?'
Life was an endless cycle of choices—and regrets.
No matter what he chose, regret would linger in the end.
'After all, wasn't this something I had to decide clearly at some point?'
Now that he had realized his heart was divided in two, maintaining the Middle Path was no longer possible.
If he didn't firmly choose a direction, this same dilemma would endlessly repeat itself.
'Very well.'
Without hesitation, Bu Eun-seol chose a single path.