The Three Sacred Treasures
The dark, narrow passage and the three other rooms emanating light were nowhere to be seen.
Only the glow of the Holy Fire burning beyond the stone wall and a fairly spacious, circular cavern remained.
I stood there, blankly staring at the three chests that had suddenly appeared before my eyes.
Just then, Myeongjon's voice echoed in my mind once more.
-Hoho... I never would have thought you could actually pull it off.
Relieved to hear the voice, I quickly asked.
'Myeongjon? What happened? And what are the Three Great Sacred Treasures?'
-The Three Great Sacred Treasures are treasures forged long ago by the founding leader of the Ming Sect. They are sacred relics imbued with my own power—far too grand for mere mortals to possess, if I do say so myself.
'Then why were they buried down here in the dark?'
-The founding leader feared that the sheer, overwhelming power of the Three Great Sacred Treasures would tempt a mortal into making a foolish mistake, thereby shattering the balance of the world. Thus, he laid deadly traps to ensure that anyone who sought them without the proper qualifications would lose their life.
'Then why did they only appear before me now?'
-What do you mean "why"? Did you not just pass the trial left by the founding leader?
'Trial?'
As I tilted my head in confusion, Myeongjon spoke in an exasperated tone.
-Did the gold, the power, and the beautiful women not tempt you?
'Ah... so that was the trial? What would have happened if I had actually entered those rooms?'
-You would have lost your life, just like all the other fools before you.
A cold shiver ran down my spine as I realized just how perilous the area beyond the stone wall truly was.
Myeongjon continued.
-The trials beyond the stone wall are designed to directly stimulate the deepest desires of human nature. Even if a mortal knew the exact nature of the test beforehand, enduring it would be nigh impossible.
'Then the reason I passed this trial is...'
-It is entirely thanks to your innate disposition. That peculiar nature of yours that turns entirely inward, erecting a thick, impenetrable wall against any external stimuli.
'So my introversion saved me yet again.'
-Indeed. To be frank, even I cannot be certain if you possess the exact qualifications the founding leader desired. However, it is an undeniable fact that you overcame his trial through your own strength. Do the proofs of your triumph not lie right before your eyes?
The "proofs" Myeongjon spoke of were, of course, the treasures that had been hidden beyond the stone wall.
Feeling a strange swell of pride at Myeongjon's words, I stood up and slowly approached the three chests.
The chests were exquisitely crafted, made of wooden planks reinforced with metal and jade, and engraved with the sun and moon patterns symbolizing the ancient Ming Sect.
If they were made by the founding leader, they had to be over three hundred years old. Yet, despite their age, both the wood and the metal were in pristine condition.
But the chests themselves weren't what mattered; it was what lay inside them.
Just what could be inside?
I opened the leftmost of the three chests.
Inside was a single book, its cover gleaming with a brilliant golden light.
'This... looks like a martial arts manual.'
-Indeed. The Heavenly Demonic Heart Art created by the founding leader is a cultivation method that builds incredibly fierce demonic Qi, but it lacks the subtle refinement needed to control it perfectly. Once you master the basic internal arts and move on to the Sun and Moon Dual Polar Divine Art—which I personally created—you will rule over all under heaven.
Hmm... If this was a martial art to be trained after mastering the basic internal arts, it would be impossible for me to learn right now.
But the Cult Leader would absolutely lose his mind with joy if he saw this.
Inside the second chest was a three-legged metal cauldron.
In this world, it was a common vessel known as a ding, but to someone with the memories of a modern person, it was a rather unfamiliar object.
-This is the Holy Fire Spirit Cauldron. If placed near the Holy Fire, it absorbs its sacred essence to automatically refine spirit pills of incredibly pure spiritual energy. Consuming a five-year Holy Fire Spirit Pill will instantly grant you sixty years' worth of internal energy.
'Whoa...'
Hearing Myeongjon's explanation, it truly was an incredible treasure.
But this, too, wouldn't be of much immediate help to me.
I turned my gaze toward the third and final chest.
However... I had been sensing it for a moment now, but the area beyond the stone wall was gradually growing darker.
The light of the Holy Fire filtering in from the outside was fading.
'Myeongjon. I feel like the Holy Fire is growing weaker.'
-Indeed. The Holy Fire deep within the Spirit Star Cave burned by drawing upon the power of the sealed sacred treasures. Now that the seal is broken, it will soon extinguish completely.
So there was a time limit on looting—no, appreciating these treasures.
Without wasting any more time, I opened the third chest.
'This is...'
The third treasure was none other than a saber.
Its gently curved blade was a pitch-black that reflected absolutely no light, and its edge remained razor-sharp despite being buried underground for centuries.
When I gripped the roughly fashioned hilt and lifted it, it felt even lighter than the wooden practice swords I had been using, fitting perfectly into my hand.
-That saber is the Heavenly Slayer Demonic Saber. When wielded by a practitioner of our sect's demonic arts, such as the Mystic Demon Scripture or the Heavenly Demonic Heart Art...
Even without Myeongjon's explanation, I could feel it instinctively.
The moment I gripped the hilt and raised the blade vertically, I felt the internal energy of my Dark Demonic Inward Heart Method naturally flow into it.
Then, something even more astonishing happened.
The blade of the Heavenly Slayer Demonic Saber vibrated with a faint hum, and then its length actually shrank.
It adjusted itself to the perfect length for my twelve-year-old body to wield.
-Among the Three Great Sacred Treasures, that saber is the only pristine one, never once wielded even by the founding leader himself. It was crafted so that no one other than its rightful master can ever use it. Even your father will not be able to take it from you...
'Of course.'
That went without saying!
It was strange, but the moment I held the Heavenly Slayer Demonic Saber, a sudden greed for treasure—something I had never felt before—welled up inside me.
I would leave the Sun and Moon Dual Polar Divine Art and the Holy Fire Spirit Cauldron in the sect's care until I was ready to train and gather the Holy Fire's power, but...
'I found this one. No matter what anyone says, it's mine.'
The chest also contained the scabbard for the Heavenly Slayer Demonic Saber, which seemed to adjust its size to match the blade as well.
I sheathed the Heavenly Slayer Demonic Saber and buckled it to my waist.
Right on cue, the Holy Fire was on the verge of dying out completely.
'Whew...'
Only then did it finally sink in that I had completed the trial set for the Young Sect Leader.
Come to think of it, the trial my father, the current Cult Leader, had set had completely fallen by the wayside, replaced entirely by the founding leader's trial.
Though I was completely drained of energy, I quite liked the dim, quiet atmosphere.
'Myeongjon. But why didn't you tell me any of this at first?'
-What do you mean? At first?
'When I first arrived outside the stone wall and you spoke to me.'
-I did no such thing.
'Eh...? You mean the voice that spoke to me earlier wasn't you, Myeongjon?'
-Indeed. While the depths of the Spirit Star Cave are indeed a sanctuary of the Ming Sect, it was a domain dominated by the power of the Three Great Sacred Treasures. I could not exert my influence or speak to you until you broke the seal.
This was shocking.
I had clearly heard Myeongjon's voice speaking to me the moment I entered the deepest part of the Spirit Star Cave. But that wasn't Myeongjon?
There was no way I had hallucinated it...
'Then who was the one talking to me?'
-Hmm... What did this spirit say to you?
'It just kept repeating for me to go inside the stone wall.'
-I see. In that case, the soul of the Three Great Sacred Treasures must have spoken to you directly. Most likely... the very fellow you now hold in your hand.
'This guy?'
I glanced down at the Heavenly Slayer Demonic Saber.
-It is not unusual for ancient treasures imbued with immense power to possess a will of their own. It seems the sacred treasures themselves were desperate to escape this suffocating place. Or perhaps...
And then, I recalled the words the Heavenly Slayer Demonic Saber—impersonating Myeongjon—had spoken to me.
-It was not you who found the Three Great Sacred Treasures, but the Three Great Sacred Treasures that chose you as their master.
The Cult Leader rushed out of the Cult Leader's Palace and began running toward a certain destination in a hurry.
Entering the council chamber of the Great Hall, he saw the high-ranking officials of the Demonic Cult discussing the Young Sect Leader's trial.
"Right Guardian, Left Guardian! Follow me!"
The Left and Right Guardians of Light immediately followed behind the Cult Leader, though their minds were filled with bewilderment.
Neither of them had ever seen the Cult Leader look so flustered.
"Something inexplicable is happening in the Spirit Star Cave."
The Cult Leader spoke to the Left and Right Guardians as they dashed toward the garden.
The Right Guardian thought to himself.
'Based on the time, the Young Sect Leader shouldn't have reached the deepest depths yet. If things went normally, he should be struggling against the wooden puppet monsters I set up in the dark right about now... Did he run into the tomb raiders?'
However, the strange anomaly the Cult Leader had sensed had absolutely nothing to do with tomb raiders.
Just moments ago, the Cult Leader had felt the energy of the Holy Fire in the deepest depths of the Spirit Star Cave suddenly surge.
Ever since mastering the Heavenly Demonic Heart Art, he had been able to sense the energy of the Holy Fire at both the peak of Gwangmyeong Peak and the depths of the Spirit Star Cave. Yet, he had never once experienced a fluctuation in the Holy Fire's energy.
Immediately after focusing his attention on this unusual phenomenon, he felt the Holy Fire of the Spirit Star Cave rapidly dying out.
At this rate, the Holy Fire would be completely extinguished before long.
Since this was unprecedented, he couldn't even begin to guess what was happening.
However, there was no way this was unrelated to the Young Sect Leader undergoing his trial in the cave.
An ominous premonition and an inexplicable tension gripped the Cult Leader's heart.
Activating the mechanical device in the garden, they opened the entrance to the Spirit Star Cave once more.
Without a single torch in the pitch-black cave, the three grand masters of the Demonic Cult dashed through the narrow passage at lightning speed.
Before long, they spotted several figures collapsed on the ground.
The Right Guardian shouted.
"They are the tomb raiders."
Two of them were already dead, while the remaining one had his hands and feet tightly bound.
Judging by the lack of any significant signs of struggle, the Young Sect Leader had clearly subdued them in an instant.
The Right Guardian let out a sigh of relief, but the Cult Leader didn't even spare the tomb raiders a glance, continuing to press forward toward the deepest depths.
And then...
"Ah?"
They saw the Young Sect Leader walking out from the depths of the cave.
He held a torch left behind by the tomb raiders in one hand, and in the other, he carried a chest that looked far from ordinary...
"Father."
The Young Sect Leader set the chest down and bowed respectfully to the Cult Leader.
He didn't even offer a standard martial arts salute; instead, he bowed deeply at a perfect ninety-degree angle. There wasn't a single shred of urgency to be felt from him.
On the other hand, the Cult Leader stood frozen to the spot, his legs seemingly glued to the ground the moment his eyes landed on the chest.
The Young Sect Leader looked slightly embarrassed as he addressed the Left and Right Guardians.
"The Holy Fire extinguished, so I was unable to bring back its flame. I managed to secure this torch from the intruders who broke in. Will this suffice?"
"Ah, Young Sect Leader, of course..."
The Right Guardian started to reply but quickly shut his mouth.
One glance at the Cult Leader's state made it clear that the trial was the least of their concerns right now.
The Cult Leader's eyes were pinned to the chest the Young Sect Leader had brought, completely transfixed.
His jaw hung slack, and his lips trembled faintly.
"Ah, Father. I happened to discover a few things during the trial. Would you care to take a look?"
With an utterly nonchalant expression, the Young Sect Leader opened the chest and began pulling the items out one by one.
An ancient book.
A metal cauldron.
And a slightly short saber resting inside its scabbard...
"U-Uh..."
The Left and Right Guardians were utterly at a loss as to what they should be more shocked by.
"T-The Three... S-Sacred..."
Was it the sight of the supreme Cult Leader trembling from head to toe, stuttering in sheer disbelief?
"Ah, I see you are already familiar with them, Father."
Or was it the sight of the Young Sect Leader casually presenting the Three Great Sacred Treasures—relics that had existed only as legends within the Sun and Moon Sect for the past three hundred years?