It's Calling Me
"So this is what the final gate looks like."
Peng Jeokhon muttered it under his breath. The words were quiet, but they carried with perfect clarity. The successors all had sharp hearing, true — but more than that, the world around them had gone utterly still.
"I can't see an inch in front of my face."
Jegal Seoseo's voice had dropped low.
"But this doesn't feel like ordinary fog..."
"I don't like the feel of this."
Namgung Muyoung's words rumbled quietly. He raised a hand.
"Let's hold here and assess the situation first."
At Namgung Muyoung's word, the successors stopped. That in itself was remarkable. Agreeing to participate in the Changryong Chulgwan was one thing — it had never meant they would follow Namgung Muyoung's every command without question.
That was before we saw the young master's true colors.
Jegal Seoseo smiled wryly as she surveyed their surroundings. The Changryong Chulgwan had more than earned its reputation. Nine gates in all, and every last one of them had been a nightmare. She found herself wondering whether she could have escaped at all if she had come here alone. Mechanical traps and formations were only the beginning. At every gate, Namgung Clan elders appeared as examiners, and their martial arts were more than a match for any successor. The martial gates proceeded in order from the first, and the difficulty climbed sharply with each one they passed.
And yet, once we started following the young master's lead, it became comparatively easier.
At first they had been at odds, a scattered mess that only made things harder. Then Namgung Muyoung began to distinguish himself, and almost without realizing it they started moving to his direction. The middle gates, paradoxically, proved easier than the early ones.
Of course, Young Hero Hwangbo grumbled that the Namgung Clan had designed the whole thing, so of course their own successor would know it inside and out.
The traps and formations, perhaps. But what about the Namgung elders who appeared as examiners? The force they displayed was genuine. They tested Namgung Muyoung and Namgung Seowol without the slightest regard for their shared blood, conducting the trial with ruthless thoroughness. Namgung Muyoung made it abundantly clear why he was the successor.
I figured he had a card or two hidden up his sleeve, but this...
Jegal Seoseo clicked her tongue.
A dragon's child is a dragon after all.
Even Hwangbo Yong, for all his grumbling, and Peng Jeokhon, who had been quietly watching the situation unfold, eventually acknowledged Namgung Muyoung. Even the silent Tang siblings were impressed by Muyoung and Seowol's skill.
They weren't this far ahead before, though... Can someone really improve that much in such a short time through training alone?
Once their participation in the Changryong Chulgwan was confirmed, every successor had thrown themselves into training. Even Hwangbo Yong, who had been enjoying his drinking parties, had gritted his teeth and taken up his sword.
The Namgung elders and the clan lord wouldn't have been able to coach him during that time. They were busy preparing the Changryong Chulgwan, it wouldn't have been fair, and more than anything, they understand what this trial means.
Which meant...
It has to be Teacher Sun, doesn't it?
The only guest retainer among them who was actively involved — a true master.
Whether the young master improved so quickly because of that man, or whether he had a hidden reserve of skill all along... there's no way to know.
One thing was certain.
It's only natural that the Namgung Clan holds the foremost seat among the Five Great Clans. Just like the legend of the dragon's descendants — they're no one to take lightly.
That fact alone made Jegal Seoseo feel her participation in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering had been worthwhile.
"Lady Jegal."
Namgung Muyoung, who had been carefully examining their surroundings, called to her.
"Yes, Young Master Namgung."
"Does this look like some kind of illusion formation to you?"
"Hmm. I can't tell yet."
Jegal Seoseo answered honestly.
"I can't even get a sense of whether this is a Qimen formation at all."
"That's true..."
"If you circulate your internal energy roughly, there should be some kind of reaction — but there's nothing."
"And there's no visible structure forming the array, either..."
"Exactly. A tower, a pile of stones, an animal carcass — there should be something that lets you find the gate. There's nothing."
"And yet our field of vision keeps shrinking, and the fog keeps getting thicker. That's the problem."
Namgung Seowol, who had been moving diligently around the area, cut in quietly.
"We've been walking the same ground."
At Namgung Seowol's words, the successors' faces went rigid.
"We can't see because of the fog, but..."
"My sense of direction is off, too."
"This is worse than I expected, even for the final gate of the Changryong Chulgwan."
"..."
"It feels like it's telling us that anyone who enters here will never leave."
They all nodded slightly at Peng Jeokhon's quiet murmur.
"The previous gates were difficult, but there were always small clues."
Clues had been hidden everywhere — hard to find unless you concentrated. Now there was nothing to find at all. As if there had never been any to begin with.
"Because it's the final gate, perhaps."
"The difficulty has been climbing with every gate we cleared, and this is where it becomes a real wall."
"..."
Watching the successors talk among themselves, Namgung Muyoung swallowed a groan.
The final gate is...
Not this.
Father comes out, and we hold a rotating battle against him for one shichen — thirty minutes.
That was the one fact that had never changed throughout the trial's long history. The final gate was a rotating battle against the Namgung Clan's strongest martial artist.
Which meant...
Something is happening right now. Something that shouldn't be.
A fierce sense of crisis gripped Namgung Muyoung.
The atmosphere at the Namgung Clan Estate was in disarray. Ojeong hurried over.
"We've got a problem!"
"I can see that without you telling me."
Sun Wukong's flat reply made Ojeong shake his head as if that weren't the point.
"No — I mean this isn't an ordinary problem."
"What's going on?"
"Something's gone wrong at the final gate of the Changryong Chulgwan."
"Gone wrong?"
"Yes. Some kind of strange Qimen formation seems to have activated."
Sun Wukong didn't press further. The Namgung Clan had handled every aspect of the Changryong Chulgwan's preparations. There was no place for a guest retainer like him to insert himself.
"So a Qimen formation that the Namgung Clan didn't prepare has activated."
"That's right. But this one seems... stranger than expected."
"Stranger?"
"I saw the clan lord's face just now. That's the first time I've ever seen that man look that grave."
"Hmph."
Sun Wukong stroked his chin. Namgung Jinbaek was a true martial artist — Sun Wukong had honestly acknowledged as much. A genuine master, more than capable of facing down a great demon. If even Namgung Jinbaek looked that grave...
"Any sign of an intruder?"
"The Namgung warriors are searching everywhere, but it doesn't look like it."
Sun Wukong headed for where the Namgung martial artists had gathered. The moment he appeared, Namgung Cheonyeong — hall master of Myeong-i-dang, who had been rushing about with a grim expression — approached him.
"Teacher Sun..."
"What's going on?"
"A strange Qimen formation has activated at the final gate of the Changryong Chulgwan."
"Anyone tried to fix it?"
"We're going through every text in the archives to see if some mechanism we never identified — or one that's been forgotten — has been triggered."
"Where's the clan lord?"
"He brooded over it, then went inside with the Discipline Hall Master."
Sun Wukong's brow furrowed.
That's where Myodu-eung's nest is.
Waryong Mountain. Myodu-eung's domain.
Sun Wukong glanced at Myodu-eung on his shoulder. The little owl, who had been trembling as they approached the Namgung estate, now hung limp and lifeless.
That's not right.
An Earth Deity's power should grow stronger the closer they came to their territory. Myodu-eung couldn't even keep its eyes open.
"An entire mountain swallowed in fog."
Sun Wukong clicked his tongue. It felt severed from the world, as if it existed in an entirely different space. He looked at Myodu-eung.
"You all right?"
The Yeongryeok in there is too... too strong. I can barely breathe...
Sun Wukong's eyes sank deep.
Yeongryeok.
A power distinct from Yoryeok, or the internal energy derived from it. The power of the Heavenly Realm itself.
Sun Wukong let out a sigh. Under ordinary circumstances, he would stand as the Victorious Fighting Buddha with vast Yeongryeok filling both hands.
Having the Heavenly Realm's power sealed is a real pain at times like this.
Irritation welled up for no good reason.
Buddha, you old bastard.
Did you really have to draw the line between Heaven and Earth this clean?
Another sigh escaped him. Namgung Cheonyeong stepped closer.
"The final gate is there — the hidden cave where the Namgung Clan's founder attained enlightenment and completed the Sovereign Sword Form. That's where the problem seems to have originated."
"Find anything?"
Namgung Cheonyeong shook his head, his face dark.
"No. We've examined every record. There's no hidden mechanism or formation of any kind in that place."
"Any problems when you checked it before the preparations?"
"No. It's a sacred site, so access is rare, but it's always been well maintained. And while the composition of the Changryong Chulgwan changes every time, the final gate being in that location never has. We've never had a problem like this. Not once."
"So this is an anomaly that only happened this time."
What was different between then and now? Sun Wukong looked at the limp Myodu-eung on his shoulder and smiled bitterly.
The fact that I'm here, I suppose.
Then a commotion rose from one side.
"The clan lord!"
"The clan lord and the Discipline Hall Master are coming down the mountain!"
Voices rang out from every direction. Sun Wukong and Namgung Cheonyeong took off toward them at the same instant, without a word. The Namgung martial artists who had been gathering with eager faces at the news of Namgung Jinbaek's descent fell silent all at once.
Namgung Jinbaek and Muhwa descended with grave expressions. Just the two of them. Everyone understood what that meant.
Even the renowned Namgung Jinbaek let out a deep sigh, his face grave.
"I haven't the faintest idea what that thing is."
Namgung Jinbaek might not have been the wisest man in the world, but he was one of the Ten Great Masters — among the strongest in the Central Plains. At that level, any Qimen formation could be shattered by raw force. And yet Namgung Jinbaek shook his head as if it were beyond him.
"That thing has no form. It's as if it were a natural phenomenon."
"...You're saying it appeared naturally?"
It was Muhwa who answered Namgung Cheonyeong's question.
"None of the elements that make up a Qimen formation are visible. It's hard to even call it a formation."
"But..."
"If the clan lord hadn't been with me, I would have been lost in there myself. Getting out is hard enough — I can barely believe it's not a Qimen formation either. But..."
Even Muhwa couldn't finish the sentence. For a moment, the surroundings fell as silent as if the world itself had stopped.
"It feels primordial. As if it existed from the beginning of the world — before anyone ever refined internal energy."
Namgung Jinbaek laid out what he had felt. He pondered for a long while, then spoke to Namgung Cheonyeong.
"When is the Wulin Alliance delegation supposed to arrive?"
"...We received a letter three days ago saying they had departed from Hubei."
"Mm."
Namgung Jinbaek let out a low hum. Namgung Cheonyeong's expression grew even graver.
The Wulin Alliance delegation was coming with Wudang Sect Taoists at its core. Relations between the Wudang Sect and the Namgung Clan were poor. If not for the fence of the orthodox path, they would have drawn blades on each other long ago. And yet Namgung Jinbaek was seeking out the Wulin Alliance's envoys. Namgung Jinbaek, whose pride soared as high as the heavens.
"This is a matter for accomplished Taoists to examine. It's not something martial artists can handle. Hall Master of Myeong-i-dang — send a swift warrior at once to urge the Wudang envoys to hurry."
"...Yes."
Namgung Cheonyeong clasped his fists in salute. It was a humiliating order, but there was no choice. Namgung Muyoung and Seowol were inside that thing — along with the successors of the Five Great Clans. Pride had to be set aside when the moment demanded it.
Then a single voice cut through.
"Before you go asking people far away for help, shouldn't you try the one standing right here first?"
Every gaze in the gathering snapped toward him. Sun Wukong shrugged and pushed through the crowd.
"I'll go."
"Teacher Sun... this is not a martial artist's affair."
Namgung Jinbaek spoke with gravity. Sun Wukong nodded slowly.
"You're probably right about that."
This was not something a martial artist of Murim could resolve. No — it was not something a human being could handle at all. Sun Wukong smiled bitterly.
For the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven. For Sun Wukong.