Chapter 362
Clack, clack.
Before he knew it, the Eight Horse Carriage carrying Bu Eun-seol had entered the Hunan region.
Won Se-mun stopped the carriage in front of an inn to take a brief rest.
But the moment Bu Eun-seol stepped out, a young man in yellow robes sent him a voice transmission.
"A message from Master Cheol. Before heading to the Demon Hall, you are ordered to stop by the main pavilion."
He was a young member of the Wind Cloud Brigade.
'Master Cheol?'
Bu Eun-seol felt a flicker of unease but nodded.
Then he turned to Won Se-mun.
"Return ahead of me. Inform them that I'll be stopping by Sword Brow Mountain briefly."
Thanks to Bu Eun-seol's guidance, Won Se-mun had not only strengthened his internal power but also sharpened his senses to an extraordinary degree.
Thus, he instinctively sensed that Bu Eun-seol had exchanged words with someone and clasped his hands together.
"Understood. Take care on your way."
Bu Eun-seol immediately activated his Lightness Art and ascended Sword Brow Mountain.
The path from the entrance had been well-maintained, sparing him the need to exert himself navigating treacherous mountain trails as he had in the past.
When he finally entered Langya Pavilion, the thunderous shouts of training echoed around him, revealing the grand halls within.
"You've arrived."
Master Cheol Wang Geol, who had been standing at the entrance, nodded upon spotting Bu Eun-seol.
It was clear he had been waiting for him after hearing of his approach.
"What's the matter?"
"Follow me, and you'll see."
Wang Geol's expression was grave.
The two walked side by side toward the outskirts of the West Gate within Langya Pavilion.
As they proceeded along the path paved with blue stones, a massive building surrounded by whitewashed walls came into view.
Upon nearing the area, the pungent scent of medicine stung their noses.
"This place is..."
"Among the disciples of the main pavilion, you might be the only one who hasn't set foot here until now."
Wang Geol spoke matter-of-factly.
"It's the Recovery Room of the main pavilion."
At Langya Pavilion, where martial arts were mastered through real combat, injuries were inevitable.
Thus, a large building had been constructed on the outskirts of the West Gate, housing a Recovery Room where injured disciples could rest and receive treatment.
But Bu Eun-seol, who had effortlessly mastered every martial art, had never had reason to visit.
Inside, the spacious interior held several doorless chambers.
In one of them—a wide room lined with multiple beds—a boy lay in deep slumber.
And standing before him, arms clasped behind his back, was a middle-aged man in blue robes.
Deputy Pavilion Master Dan Cheong.
"Deputy Pavilion Master."
"You've come."
Dan Cheong nodded as Bu Eun-seol clasped his hands in greeting.
"I've been hearing reports daily through the Wind Cloud Brigade... but you've changed beyond recognition."
A faint smile touched his lips as he continued.
"Baek Yeon and So-jeon are out in the martial world. They've been longing to see you, but the timing didn't align."
"They're busy. It can't be helped."
"Hahaha. Well, they can't possibly be busier than you."
Though he smiled, a slight furrow creased Dan Cheong's brow.
Seeing this, Bu Eun-seol felt a weight settle in his chest.
'Something's wrong.'
Dan Cheong always smiled, no matter the circumstances. The only time he couldn't was when he stood before Langya Pavilion's lord, Ak Mu-ryeong.
"What happened?"
"Jeong Hyeon. Examine his condition closely."
Bu Eun-seol had once rescued thirty children abducted from Wicked Incense's underground cavern.
Of those saved, fifteen with nowhere to go had been sent to Langya Pavilion, and ten of them had become formal disciples.
Among those ten, the one with the most outstanding talent—the boy once called Hungry Ghost—had been given the name Jeong Hyeon.
And the boy lying on the bed was him.
'Why?'
Bu Eun-seol frowned.
He had heard that Jeong Hyeon not only mastered martial arts the fastest but had also naturally become the leader among the younger disciples.
Yet now, he lay here with such severe injuries?
"Hmm."
Bu Eun-seol stared intently at Jeong Hyeon's face.
Unbeknownst to him, the boy had grown into a handsome youth with sharp brows and a prominent nose bridge.
The grubby appearance from his past had vanished, replaced by the bearing of a young hero.
'This is—'
As Bu Eun-seol scrutinized Jeong Hyeon's condition, a flash of realization crossed his eyes.
Every scar left on his body... weren't they all wounds inflicted by Langya Pavilion's martial arts?
"What happened here?"
The answer came from Master Cheol.
"The ten disciples you brought in have always trained together in martial arts. But one day during sparring, they suddenly turned ferocious and attacked each other as if trying to kill."
He continued with an expression of incomprehension.
"In the end, Jeong Hyeon knocked down all the other children and was about to slit their throats with a weapon. One of the instructors noticed this and immediately intervened to stop him."
"And you call this 'intervention'?"
Bu Eun-seol's face showed he couldn't comprehend it.
The marks on Jeong Hyeon's body clearly indicated that three or four masters from Langya Pavilion had simultaneously unleashed their martial arts upon him.
"That was our best option."
Master Cheol spoke with a bitter expression.
"Not only had Jeong Hyeon's personality suddenly turned violent, but his internal power had also surged severalfold. In the end, it took three instructors—all rushing in together—to finally subdue him."
"Three instructors, you say?"
In the past, Langya Pavilion had taught martial arts haphazardly, but now they had begun systematically selecting instructors and training disciples.
And those chosen as instructors were masters with abundant real combat experience even within Langya Pavilion.
These were masters who, if they ventured into the martial world, could dominate an entire region. Yet they had to join forces just to subdue a single boy who had only just begun his training?
Did this mean Jeong Hyeon was a Divine Being surpassing even Bu Eun-seol's talent?
"Are you saying Jeong Hyeon possessed such skill?"
At Bu Eun-seol's question, Master Cheol shook his head.
"It was because of this."
He pointed to a wooden box placed beside the bed.
When Bu Eun-seol opened it, he found a single red orb, stained with blood.
"This is...?"
Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened.
It was an Internal Core.
Internal Cores weren't exclusive to Spirit Beasts.
If one accumulated internal power surpassing five hundred years of cultivation, an Internal Core could gradually form within a human body.
But these boys had barely begun learning the Internal Energy Method—how could they possibly have formed an Internal Core?
"The power within this Internal Core forcibly infused them with internal energy and Evil Qi."
Hmm.
Bu Eun-seol used Void Object Retrieval to levitate the Internal Core before his eyes.
As the sinister crimson orb drew closer to his face, he detected a faint yet familiar scent—the metallic tang of blood.
It was the fragrance of a Human Blossom.
'So that's it.'
At last, Bu Eun-seol understood.
The reason that secret faction had cultivated Human Blossoms in the Sichuan Underground City.
They had used the essence blood of humans to forcibly create Human Blossoms—all for the purpose of artificially producing Internal Cores.
'This was their goal from the beginning.'
The Demon-Binding Jade Men and the Soulless Ones were likely byproducts of their attempts to create these Internal Cores.
The fact that successive variations of Demon-Binding Jade Men and Soulless Ones were not appearing only proved this further.
"I heard that while you wandered the martial world, you destroyed organizations producing Human Blossoms."
Dan Cheong spoke impassively.
"That's why we called you. Your affairs are the affairs of this pavilion."
Truthfully, Langya Pavilion paid no attention to martial world affairs—whether concerning Human Blossoms or Internal Cores.
Unless someone directly provoked Langya Pavilion, all disciples focused solely on pursuing the Martial Way.
But since Bu Eun-seol had shown determination to eliminate the organizations creating Human Blossoms, they had informed him of this.
To aid him in his mission.
"I had the Wind and Cloud Corps investigate those behind these artificial Internal Cores."
"Thank you. But this is my personal matter, unrelated to the pavilion's affairs."
Bu Eun-seol replied with a solemn expression.
"The Wind and Cloud Corps have enough to handle, don't they? I'll resolve this issue myself."
"Eun-seol."
Dan Cheong's voice was gentle yet stern.
"Every disciple is one with this pavilion. Thus, the affairs of a disciple become the affairs of us all."
Langya Pavilion had always been a shelter for Bu Eun-seol—first as a young disciple, and now as the Heir of the Demon Hall.
They would remain his refuge.
"Understood."
Suppressing the emotions rising in his chest, Bu Eun-seol replied respectfully.
"However, I do have my own intelligence network. Please allow the Wind and Cloud Corps to investigate only within safe limits."
"Very well."
"But—did the Deputy Pavilion Master extract this Internal Core?"
At Bu Eun-seol's question, Dan Cheong shook his head bitterly.
"It was expelled by accident during his battle with the instructors."
"If it was accidental—"
"Since it was an artificially created Internal Core, it wasn't stored in the dantian. This small core had been lodged in the Mute Gate Acupoint."
The Mute Gate Acupoint is the first acupoint of the Governing Vessel Meridian, located at the hollow spot where the head bows and the nape of the neck meets.
Densely packed with brain nerves, improper stimulation could lead to paralysis or muteness.
Dan Cheong spoke with a bitter expression.
"We examined the Mute Gate Acupoints of the other children, but there were no traces of an internal core. Meaning, they forcibly injected it into a lethal acupoint."
Even someone like Dan Cheong couldn't recklessly probe for an internal core whose exact location was unknown.
"Couldn't you deduce it by analyzing their True Qi circulation?"
"The Internal Energy Methods these children learned were devised by the Pavilion Lord himself. No matter how closely I observed, their True Qi circulation was too complex to decipher."
"You mean the Pavilion Lord, who is in closed-door training?"
"He briefly emerged from seclusion when these children first arrived at Langya Pavilion. Upon hearing you had sent them, he personally examined their bone and muscle structures before imparting the Internal Energy Method."
Dan Cheong wore a peculiar smile.
"He said that without Blood Vajra, there was no one else qualified to teach these children such an Internal Energy Method."
Even Langya Pavilion's master, Ak Mu-ryeong, had recognized their extraordinary talent and transmitted to them an Internal Energy Method rivaling the Counter-Polar Internal Art in power.
"Then where are the other children?"
At Bu Eun-seol's question, Dan Cheong replied,
"Due to their demonic nature being triggered by the artificial internal cores, we've temporarily confined them in the Wall-Facing Cave. Since the Pavilion Lord is in seclusion, we're waiting for his guidance."
"I see."
Bu Eun-seol nodded briefly, lost in thought.
"There's no need to wait."
"Hm?"
"I will locate the internal cores and deal with them myself."
Dan Cheong and Master Cheol exchanged puzzled glances.
No matter how prodigious Bu Eun-seol's martial talent was, there was no way he could decipher an Internal Energy Method personally transmitted by Langya Pavilion's master, Ak Mu-ryeong.
"Well, fine."
Then, Dan Cheong readily nodded.
"You might just have some miraculous method up your sleeve."
Time and again, Bu Eun-seol had accomplished the impossible.
Knowing this well, Dan Cheong had, without realizing it, developed an unshakable faith in him.
Bu Eun-seol, Dan Cheong, and Master Cheol headed to the Wall-Facing Cave at the edge of Sword Tail Mountain.
Bu Eun-seol had initially assumed the nine children would be seated in meditation, reciting Mind-Training Formulas.
After all, to suppress the demonic nature unleashed by the Evil Qi, they would need to chant the formulas ceaselessly.
But to his surprise, the children were simply sitting with blank expressions, flipping through martial arts manuals.
"Unless the internal core is exposed to blood or extreme agitation, it doesn't emit any noticeable energy under normal circumstances."
At Wang Geol's words, Bu Eun-seol nodded.
"So their demonic nature was triggered during sparring, when the internal core's power flared."
"Exactly."
As Bu Eun-seol approached, the children set down their books and bowed their heads in unison.
Not just Jeong Hyeon, but all the children had shed their ragged appearances and now carried themselves with the dignified bearing of martial nobility.
'This might actually work.'
Bu Eun-seol approached the boy at the front and asked,
"What is your name?"
"Gang Un."
"A fine name."
Placing a hand on his Great Vertebra Acupoint, Bu Eun-seol said,
"No need to tense up. I'm just going to examine your body."
Slowly, he activated the Heavenly Robe Mind Art.
As he did, Gang Un's True Qi circulation patterns began replicating within Bu Eun-seol's own body.
'The Pavilion Lord has devised an Internal Energy Method strikingly similar to the Counter-Polar Art.'
Bu Eun-seol's expression flickered with surprise as he synchronized his True Qi circulation via the Heavenly Robe Mind Art.
The Internal Energy Method these children practiced, much like the Counter-Polar Internal Art, utilized both Yin and Yang Qi, exhibiting exceptional True Qi circulation.
Because of this, even while synchronized, Bu Eun-seol felt no discomfort whatsoever.
'It's so identical that it's ironically harder to distinguish.'
After a moment of contemplation, Bu Eun-seol addressed Gang Un and the others.
"All of you, stand up and attack me."
Instantly, the children's eyes widened in shock.
Bu Eun-seol looked at them and added,
"You may unleash your killing intent. Don't hold back—attack me with everything you have."
Wang Geol shook his head in protest.
"After all the effort to stabilize them, you want to trigger their demonic nature again?"
"They'll need to circulate their True Qi violently for me to pinpoint the internal cores."
"How?"
Bu Eun-seol answered plainly.
"Because I've devised a method to trace them by synchronizing their Internal Energy Method."
"What did you say? That's absurd—"
As Wang Geol's eyes widened in shock, Dan Cheong, who had been lost in deep thought until now, raised a hand to stop him.
"Let's observe first."
With Dan Cheong's permission granted, Bu Eun-seol spoke to the children once more.
"Attack without hesitation. Even if your Demonic Nature erupts, I'll handle it immediately."
Bu Eun-seol's voice carried an undeniable authority, laced with reassurance.
Seeing the children still hesitating, he added:
"That artificial inner core will slowly dissolve within your bodies, erasing your humanity anyway."
Then, slowly, he extended his hand.
"You can unleash it. No—you must unleash it. Only then can we confirm it quickly."
Shhhk—
A sharp surge of energy shot toward Bu Eun-seol's face.
A boy at his flank had instantly lashed out with a bizarre Claw Art, aiming to slit his carotid artery.
The attack was not only impossibly fast but also brimming with astonishing Internal Power.
So this is its extent...
Bu Eun-seol's expression flickered with surprise.
That an Artificial Inner Core alone could produce such power—?
Tchk—
In one swift motion, Bu Eun-seol activated the Grappling Hand Technique, seizing the boy's Pulse Gate.
Simultaneously, he unfolded the Heavenly Robe Mind Art, synchronizing their True Qi circulations—and immediately, the area near the Supreme Yang Acupoint burned hot.
For an instant, he felt an overwhelming surge of energy erupting from that point.
Every single one is positioned at a lethal acupoint...
The locations where those tiny Artificial Inner Cores resided—
Each was either a spot difficult for enemies to strike, constantly defended, or a Death Point where even a graze could prove fatal.
Zzziiing—
Bu Eun-seol manifested the Willful True Binding, shaping it into an exquisitely sharp blade.
Thup! The razor-edged construct plunged into the boy's temple, deftly avoiding critical blood vessels before morphing into pincers.
—Skkt!
When he withdrew the materialized True Qi, a single tiny crimson orb tumbled to the ground.
The Artificial Inner Core.
—Haaahk!
The sight of blood sent the children into a frenzy, and they all lunged at Bu Eun-seol.
Thud! Whizz!
The moment their attacks connected, Bu Eun-seol activated the Heavenly Robe Mind Art again, synchronizing their Qi circulations—and instantly deployed the Willful True Binding.
The Soyo Acupoint, Phoenix Tail Acupoint, Cycle Gate Acupoint, Brain Sea Acupoint...
Every hiding place of the cores was either difficult to assault or a fatal Death Point.
Yet even while evading, Bu Eun-seol meticulously wielded the Willful True Binding, carefully extracting the cores without damaging critical nerves and vessels.
"That's nothing short of a Divine Technique."
Dan Cheong, watching, couldn't help but exhale in awe.
To maneuver True Qi with such precision while dodging attacks—
Wasn't this proof that Bu Eun-seol had quietly reached the realms of Empty Breath Calm Mind and An Empty Room Gives Birth to Light?
Thud-thud-thud.
More than nine crimson cores now rolled across the floor.
The boys trembled, blood trickling from their acupoints as the Qi they'd accumulated drained away with the extracted cores.
"Master Cheol."
Bu Eun-seol retrieved a porcelain vial containing five magic pills from his robes and handed it over.
"Split these pills in half and administer them. Their exhausted minds and bodies will recover swiftly."
Master Cheol sniffed the vial's aroma and nodded.
"Mount Hua Sect's Violet Essence Pills."
"Correct. I happened to acquire them during my travels."
Just then, Dan Cheong approached, exhaling in amazement.
"Remarkable."
His voice trembled with barely contained astonishment.
"That technique of materializing True Qi... I've only seen it once before, from Seok Gwang-pyeong when he fought the Heaven Sword. How on earth did you pinpoint those acupoints hiding the cores?"
Bu Eun-seol answered plainly:
"As I mentioned earlier, I learned a method to temporarily synchronize with another's Qi circulation."
"You've a talent for jesting."
Dan Cheong chuckled dryly.
"Don't tell me you met that man during your travels and inherited his martial arts."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed at the unexpected remark.
Had Dan Cheong met his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, and known he had learned this secret?
"What do you mean?"
"There's only one person in this world who could steal the method of another's Qi circulation."
So it's the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade after all...
His grandfather was a Shaolin master, yet an unknown figure in the martial world.
If Dan Cheong could identify this power, it could only belong to the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade—meaning the two were one and the same.
But then, Dan Cheong uttered something wholly unforeseen.
"Jeong Cheon-je."
His gaze steady, Dan Cheong spoke calmly.
"In all of martial history, only one man has ever wielded such a technique—Jeong Cheon-je, Shin Do-mu-bi (Divine Layer Without Sorrow). Him, and no other."