Chapter 680
"Perhaps you thought deceiving this Family Head would be easy..."
Gongson Hwa-uk's eyes narrowed to an incomparably sharp edge.
"With age comes experience. And with that, wisdom is gained."
The air around the pavilion became a vacuum, suffocating in its oppressive weight.
Bu Eun-seol, who had remained silent until now, answered with calm and measured politeness.
"That goes without saying."
"What exactly goes without saying?"
"Because exceptional intellect and knowledge do not equate to wisdom."
Bu Eun-seol spoke composedly.
"To have lived long means to have experienced and felt many things. As people age, they grow wiser, more rational, and seek reasonable methods."
A long life bestows wisdom upon humans. And that is an unchanging truth.
"Then it seems we can have a frank conversation."
Gongson Hwa-uk withdrew his murderous aura and nodded.
"Speak, then. You don't like Gyeong-i, do you?"
"That's correct."
Bu Eun-seol answered honestly.
"I hold no affection for the Chief Strategist."
Gongson Hwa-uk's expression hardened.
Though he had anticipated it, hearing such a direct response still struck him like a blow.
"How candid of you."
Gongson Hwa-uk exhaled slowly before asking,
"Then why did you come here? Simply because she asked? Or because she's your direct superior?"
"Those factors certainly played a part, but they weren't the decisive reason."
Bu Eun-seol's expression was utterly serious as he continued.
"The Chief Strategist is colder and more rational than anyone. Yet, she shows unexpected vulnerability when it comes to family. And her brilliant intellect seems to falter when dealing with them."
"What are you implying?"
"She was confident she could deceive the Family Head. But I knew—just as you do—that she couldn't."
Gongson Hwa-uk's gaze turned icy.
He was well aware that his daughter, who pursued perfection in all things, had a particular weakness when it came to her parents and younger sister.
But for a complete stranger to have seen through that as well?
"So you accompanied someone you don't even like to their family home for such a trivial reason?"
"Because the Chief Strategist treasures her family so deeply, I wanted to help. I owed her that much."
"Owed her?"
"Yes."
"So you came to repay a debt."
Gongson Hwa-uk's eyes chilled further.
As a father, such an answer was nothing short of an insult.
"But the biggest reason was the Chief Strategist's fragility."
"Fragility?"
"Yes. No man in Murim would see that side of her and refuse to help."
Gongson Hwa-uk's expression grew peculiar.
Gongson Dan-gyeong was as cold as she was relentless in her pursuit of perfection.
But Gongson Hwa-uk and his wife knew the truth.
That beneath her aloof demeanor, Gongson Dan-gyeong concealed clumsy, tender emotions.
Yet until now, only they had ever discerned that.
So how had this ordinary-looking young man seen through it in an instant?
"At least it wasn't mere pity."
"No. To be precise, I'd say it was closer to romantic interest."
"Then what do you intend to do?"
"The same as the Family Head. I will do my utmost to ensure the Chief Strategist's heart isn't wounded. I'll play the part of a lover and strive to make a good impression on you and your wife."
Bu Eun-seol met his gaze with unwavering sincerity.
"And if this interest bears fruit, all the better."
'Not bad. Surprisingly, not bad at all.'
No one had ever noticed Gongson Dan-gyeong's clumsiness, her vulnerabilities, or the tenderness she kept hidden.
Which meant this man understood her heart as well as he did.
Moreover, his somewhat lethargic, unflappable demeanor was gradually growing on him.
'If he can perceive Gyeong-a's tender heart...'
He let out a slow breath.
'I should throw him into the Heavenly Star Retreat once.'
The Heavenly Star Retreat was where he had compiled his life's work on Formation Studies—a place meant to one day pass down the Essence of Formation Studies to Dan-gyeong and Dan-a.
And within it lay one new mechanism.
A gate designed to test the men who might one day become their husbands.
"Do you know how to play go?"
When Gongson Hwa-uk asked, Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"My apologies, but I've never learned."
"If you've never learned, all the better. This Family Head will teach you a move or two."
Gongson Hwa-uk rose from his seat.
"Over there is a private study I use. How about a game?"
"Very well."
As Bu Eun-seol agreed, a faint smile touched Gongson Hwa-uk's lips.
He led Bu Eun-seol toward a small cave near the back mountain of the manor.
At its entrance, the words Heavenly Star Retreat were carved in a flowing script resembling dragons and phoenixes in flight.
"Ah, I nearly forgot the wine."
Gongson Hwa-uk let out a sigh as he spoke.
"I have some plum blossom wine I brewed myself. It tastes particularly exquisite when sipped during a game of go."
"I'll go fetch it."
"You don't know where the main house's wine cellar is, do you? I'll be back shortly—go ahead inside and make yourself comfortable."
Rumble.
As Gongson Hwa-uk triggered a mechanism, the tightly sealed stone gate swung open on its own.
"There's a fork in the path inside—the study is to the left. Wait for me there."
Bu Eun-seol realized Gongson Hwa-uk was up to something.
But he figured the man wouldn't actually try to kill him, so he nodded.
"Understood."
Step, step.
As he stepped inside, a bright light poured down.
Gongson Hwa-uk was an adept of battle formations.
Despite the absence of night-shining pearls or lanterns on the ceiling, the interior was strangely illuminated as if it were broad daylight.
"Hah."
After walking for a while, Bu Eun-seol let out a sigh.
Just as he had suspected.
He could sense intricate layers of battle formations overlapping within.
'Parents with daughters are all the same.'
Divine Maiden Palace Lord Yeon Ja-mi had installed absurdly terrifying gates to screen potential sons-in-law.
And Gongson Hwa-uk was no different.
He had set up mechanisms to gauge various abilities—all to test a prospective son-in-law.
'I'll have to play along.'
Shhk—
The moment he took a step toward the left passage, the scenery around him shifted, revealing a towering wall.
It completely blocked the path—impossible to pass without breaking through.
"No sword, so he must want me to break it with Fist Palm Finger Art. This gate is meant to test martial prowess."
Bu Eun-seol flicked his fingers lightly, sending out a strand of Finger Wind.
But all it produced was a sharp thwip—the wall didn't even scratch.
"Hmm."
Though it was an ordinary Finger Wind, he had infused it with a hundred and twenty years worth of internal energy—enough to pierce solid steel in a single strike. Yet it left no mark.
"Divine Forbidden Heavenly Wall."
Bu Eun-seol let out a hollow laugh.
Only then did he realize—the wall blocking the path was the Divine Forbidden Heavenly Wall.
A barrier that couldn't even be touched without the inner power of six sixty-year cycle.
"If the first test is already at this level, there must be more trials ahead."
Gongson Hwa-uk was, without question, the foremost master of formation arts in the Central Plains.
If this was the standard he set for a son-in-law, the requirements would be unimaginably high.
He must have laid down unfathomably intricate formations—testing martial prowess, wisdom, and perhaps even character and temperament.
He wouldn't tolerate any shortcomings in a prospective son-in-law.
"This is troubling."
Bu Eun-seol hesitated.
His martial prowess had already transcended the Extreme Heaven Realm, drifting toward an unknown destination.
He was rowing toward a final goal he couldn't even see.
If he unleashed his full combat power here—
He couldn't predict what might happen.
'Should I just leave?'
Having reached the Supreme Origin Realm, Bu Eun-seol was unaffected by most formation arts—unless they were techniques of the Three Realms, Imperial Court Martial Arts, or the esoteric ritual arts of the Abyssal Forces.
If he wanted, he could turn around right now and walk out of the cave.
Creak.
But then, a faint sound came from behind.
When Bu Eun-seol turned and walked back—
Rumble.
With the sound of mechanisms, the Divine Forbidden Heavenly Wall that had blocked his path sank back into the ground.
'He left the choice to me.'
This gate was designed so that simply turning back would allow him to leave.
In other words, Gongson Hwa-uk had given Bu Eun-seol a choice.
Refusing the test meant refusing Gongson Dan-gyeong.
And if that were the case, there would be no need to undergo trials as a prospective son-in-law.
'Terrifying, this father and daughter.'
A tiger does not beget a dog.
No wonder Gongson Dan-gyeong was so sharp-witted and perceptive of others' hearts—
She took after her father entirely.
"But if he gave me a choice... then there's no need to break through the mechanisms."
Gongson Hwa-uk must have put great effort into crafting these trials for future sons-in-law.
Forcing his way through by revealing his abilities would be no different than mocking and deceiving him.
"I'll turn back."
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
Though he had made a promise to Gongson Dan-gyeong, he had no desire to deceive the honorable Gongson Hwa-uk just to pass the trials.
After all, Gongson Hwa-uk already half-knew this visit was a pretense.
—Wouldn't a sweet lie be better?
Just as Bu Eun-seol was about to turn, Gongson Dan-gyeong's words echoed in his mind.
—If life is but a fleeting dream, then it's better to dream a happy one, isn't it?
"So that's what she meant."
Only then did Bu Eun-seol realize.
Gongson Dan-gyeong—she too.
She had known all along that they couldn't deceive Gongson Hwa-uk and his wife.
That was precisely why she had said those words to him.
Even if it was a lie...
She had asked him to humor Gongson Hwa-uk's test. To tell a sweet lie.
'A lie...'
The word lie was utterly foreign to Bu Eun-seol.
His grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, had always kept his word, never once uttering a falsehood.
But Bu Jan-yang had played the roles of both father and mother to him.
So, perhaps, it couldn't be helped.
What if Bu Eun-seol had had parents? Would they, too, have told him sweet little lies from time to time?
"A life like a fleeting dream."
Bu Eun-seol sighed deeply.
The meaning behind Gongson Dan-gyeong's words had sunk deep into his heart.
If they all knew it was a lie anyway, if they could still find joy in it...
Then perhaps putting on an act wasn't such a bad thing.
"This household isn't simple either."
It might have been better if they were just a little more ordinary.
But with such extraordinary wisdom and insight, this family was constantly reading each other's unspoken thoughts.
Whoosh.
As Bu Eun-seol channeled his Internal Power, a crimson current began swirling around his fist.
Fwoosh!
With an outstretched hand, a storm of True Qi surged through the Divine Forbidden Heavenly Wall.
His movements were effortless, yet the technique he unleashed was the heaviest, most devastating Fist Technique in the world—one that surpassed even the Nine-Wall Divine Fist.
A single strike from the Transcendent Fist Demon Seven Forms: Heavenly Hand Empty Wave.
'Ah!'
Bu Eun-seol inwardly cursed himself.
Unlike in the past, he had forgotten just how exponentially his Internal Power had grown.
CRACKLE—BOOM!
The crimson Fist Energy transformed into a colossal fire dragon, obliterating not just the Divine Forbidden Heavenly Wall but the entire passageway and its branching paths.
RUMBLE—HISS...
As dust scattered, a massive corridor—easily about a hundred feet wide—was blasted open before Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
Not only had he shattered the supposedly unbreakable Divine Forbidden Heavenly Wall with a single fist, but he had also reduced the forked paths to dust in an instant.
'Have I already surpassed five hundred years' worth of cultivation?'
It was said that the human body could only contain up to ten cycles (sixty-year cycle) of Internal Power.
Yet Bu Eun-seol's power had already surged past eight cycles, now hovering around nine.
In the entire history of the Murim, no one his age had ever wielded such power.
'Well, now there's only one path left.'
The sheer might of his Fist Energy had erased the branching paths entirely.
"Well, I suppose anywhere will do."
After briefly surveying his surroundings, Bu Eun-seol strode forward.
Then, suddenly, a vast Grand Hall came into view.
Night Shining Pearls embedded in the ceiling cast light, dispelling the darkness, but the sheer enormity of the space created an eerie, desolate atmosphere.
Clank.
As Bu Eun-seol stepped into the center of the clearing, mirrors abruptly began forming around him.
Clank. Clank.
As the mirrors multiplied endlessly, it was as if countless reflections of Bu Eun-seol had materialized in every direction.
Zzzzt.
But then, something strange happened.
The countless reflections of himself within the mirrors began to darken, their forms twisting—
Eyes burning blood-red, fangs elongating like a ghost's, skin turning pitch-black.
Ssshhhk.
The evil spirits stepped out from the mirrors, crossing into reality.
'An illusion?'
Not only had his reflections transformed into evil spirits, but they were now breaking free from the mirrors?
SCREECH!
With a ghastly shriek, the spirits lunged at Bu Eun-seol.
BOOM!
Without hesitation, Bu Eun-seol unleashed a rapid barrage of the Fist Demon Seven Forms.
The Transcendent Fist Demon Seven Forms, now fused with the Azure Heaven Seven Forms, had more than doubled in power compared to before.
CRASH! CRASH!
The spirits struck by his Fist Strikes crumbled into dust and vanished.
"A fascinating Boundary Formation."
Bu Eun-seol's gaze swept over the mirrors surrounding him.
Strangely, despite the force of his Fist Demon Seven Forms, the mirrors remained intact.
In fact, it seemed the more he attacked, the more mirrors appeared.
Ssshhhk.
Once again, his reflections within the mirrors began morphing into evil spirits.
SCREECH!
And once again, they stepped out, launching another assault.
BOOM!
Bu Eun-seol struck out with the Fist Demon Seven Forms once more, attempting to shatter both the spirits and the mirrors in a single blow.
But this time, something odd occurred.
The spirits merely staggered from the impact—they no longer disintegrated into dust as before.
"Hmm."
Bu Eun-seol lowered his fist, examining it.
The power he had just unleashed was enough to obliterate an iron fortress in one strike.
But how could mere phantom-like evil ghosts emerging from mirrors withstand his Fist Energy?
'It must be because we're inside the Boundary Formation.'
One thing was certain—this was no illusion.
Which meant it was a function of the Boundary Formation laid over this place.
'Gongson Hwa-uk is the foremost master of Boundary Formations in the world.'
Since this was a formation he had poured his heart and soul into crafting, breaking through it wouldn't be easy.
'Meaning brute force alone won't work.'
Bu Eun-seol pondered for a moment.
No matter how formidable the Boundary Formation was, triggering Harmonization would allow him to pierce through it in an instant.
But what Gongson Hwa-uk sought from this formation wasn't a test of martial prowess.
After all, his Martial Prowess had already been proven sufficiently by the Divine Forbidden Heavenly Wall.
'Then what was the purpose of creating such a mechanism?'
The evil ghosts had emerged from the mirrors,
yet they could leap out and attack Bu Eun-seol directly, as if they were tangible living beings.
Not only that, no matter how much martial energy he poured into knocking them down or dispersing them, they would soon reappear.
Immortality.
The evil ghosts that emerged from the mirrors possessed the attribute of indestructibility.
'Things that shouldn't exist, exist. Things that shouldn't be able to attack, attack...'
In that fleeting moment, Bu Eun-seol's mind spun like lightning.
He needed to eliminate these immortal beings endlessly pouring from the mirrors—
and find a way to dismantle the Boundary Formation.
'Could they be mere illusions?'
Kaaat!
This time, Bu Eun-seol deliberately did not evade the ghosts' attacks.
Sssk—
Every time their razor-sharp claws grazed his body, pale smoke rose as his flesh was torn away.
'No, they're not illusions.'
The evil ghosts existed in reality, and they wielded a unique power
he had never encountered before.
'Since they leaped out from the mirrors... logically, they should be illusions, not real entities.'
Yet, the ghosts attacked him as if figments of imagination had materialized into physical form.
'Is it... time?'
If an unbreakable Boundary Formation had been set up here,
perhaps this formation was designed to dissipate on its own after a certain duration.
Sssk! Sssk!
No matter what martial techniques he unleashed, the ghosts kept reviving and lunging at him relentlessly, leaving more and more scratches on his body.
In fact, their numbers seemed to be increasing—as if the more he destroyed them, the more they multiplied.
'Does the Family Head intend to kill me?'
But even after a considerable time had passed, the ghosts only grew in number.
He had assumed that if he endured long enough, the formation would end and Gongson Hwa-uk would appear—
yet instead, the ghosts continued multiplying endlessly.
Sssk! Schwaak!
Every time their sharp claws slashed past, chunks of flesh were torn away, and it felt as though he was sustaining internal injuries—
an eerie phenomenon where his strength drained repeated itself.
'This isn't normal.'
If he failed to block the ghosts' attacks like this,
he would eventually suffer irreversible internal damage.
'The mirrors.'
Then, a strange thought struck him.
The mirrors before him were essentially gates summoning the evil ghosts.
But by nature, mirrors were meant to reflect objects.
Meaning, if he looked into a mirror, he should see his own reflection—
yet all he saw were those ghosts.
"I see."
A flash of insight lit up Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
"No matter how many things appear, in the end, only one true existence remains."
Having grasped the truth, he leaped into the air in an instant.
Then, his figure vanished completely—he had pressed himself flat against the ceiling using the Gecko Wall-Clinging Palm.
The ghosts followed, leaping up toward the ceiling as well.
And with their razor-sharp claws, they slashed at his face and body.
Sssk!
Dozens of claws raked across his body.
But Bu Eun-seol didn't evade—he remained silently pressed against the ceiling.
Crackle—
Then, the ghosts' bodies began to split apart—
Fwoosh!
Suddenly, a light as radiant as the sun burst from the fissures, and the airborne ghosts began vanishing.
Since Bu Eun-seol's reflection had completely disappeared from the mirrors, the ghosts vanished as well.
"So it wasn't martial arts, but wisdom he sought to test."
Most martial artists would have exhausted themselves fighting the relentless ghosts and perished.
But Bu Eun-seol, with his keen observation, had discerned the weakness of the mirror-based Boundary Formation and shattered it flawlessly.
"How absurd."
If Gongson Hwa-uk had set up these gates—linking the Divine Forbidden Heavenly Wall and the mirror Boundary Formation—
to select a worthy match for Gongson Dan-gyeong...
Then most candidates would have either turned back, unable to pass the formation at all,
or fought the ghosts until their internal energy was depleted and they met their end.
"Just what kind of son-in-law was he trying to find?"
This Boundary Formation was set at a level where only those of Grandmaster-level Martial Prowess could survive.
Just how high were Gongson Hwa-uk's standards for a prospective son-in-law that he would install such a ruthless formation?
At this moment, Bu Eun-seol still didn't know.
That because of these gates—
he would meet Seo Jang-seung in the lost memories he had long been curious about...
and that because of it, an irreversible event would unfold.