The Shadow of Kunlun
After the brutal battle in the Black Abyss Cave, the first thing that greeted us when we returned to the Jigeom Sect was the gaze of countless disciples.
"Eldest Brother is back!"
"Did he really go to a beast nest?"
Voices filled with excitement and concern poured over us. Among the younger disciples especially, there was nothing but awe and envy in their eyes. These days, because I and my two disciples were personally hunting the beasts that had become the talk of Murim, we had become objects of admiration to them.
"Thank you, everyone. We made it back safely, so don’t worry."
I lifted a hand in a casual greeting and headed inside with the others. That was when I felt a cold stare from a corner of the yard.
It was Jang Semin and Jang Sejun.
"Hmph. So noisy..."
I caught Jang Semin's mutter, but I ignored it. There were more important matters at hand.
Back in my quarters, I carefully took the special Illusion Stone from my robe. The stone, streaked with black and red, still gave off a faint glow.
This power is on a completely different level from an ordinary Illusion Stone.
I turned it over in my hands, lost in thought. Even when I searched through my memories from before my regression, I couldn’t find any precise information about a special stone like this. Or rather, there was information, but nothing someone at my rank could have ever touched.
If I absorb this recklessly...
Even with the Dragon Pearl, it could be dangerous. A special Illusion Stone was likely to contain the lingering will of a beast, or some other unusual ability.
"Eldest Brother, may I come in?"
It was Jinu's voice.
"Come in."
Jinu stepped inside, saw the special Illusion Stone, and his eyes lit up.
"Wow... this looks different from the others."
"It is. It's nothing like an ordinary Illusion Stone."
Jinu asked carefully, "May I take a look at it?"
"No. It’s still too dangerous for you to handle. When the time comes, I’ll ask you then."
When I refused firmly, Jinu looked disappointed, but he nodded as if he understood.
"Yes, Eldest Brother. And the production of Cheonghwandan is progressing smoothly. With the Illusion Stones we harvested yesterday, I think I can make ten more."
"Good. Keep making them."
After Jinu left, I looked back down at the special Illusion Stone and sank into thought.
How should I use this?
The same went for elixirs. Too much of a good thing could poison a martial artist instead of helping him. I placed the special Illusion Stone inside a pouch made from Yoryo skin and tucked it safely inside my robe.
That was when it happened.
"Eldest Brother! We have a visitor!"
A hasty voice called from outside.
"A visitor?"
I tilted my head.
Who would be coming to see me at the Jigeom Sect?
When I went out to the training ground, three unfamiliar martial artists were standing there. The moment I saw the robes they wore, I tensed.
Kunlun Sect...
The pale blue robes were embroidered with the unmistakable insignia of Kunlun. All three looked to be in their early to mid-twenties. One of the Kunlun martial artists stepped forward after spotting me.
"Are you Hyeonseong of the Jigeom Sect?"
The man standing in the center asked with a formal fist-and-palm salute.
"I am. What brings you to me from the Kunlun Sect?"
I answered as calmly as possible. Fortunately, they didn’t seem to recognize me. That made sense. Right now, I was someone with no connection to the Kunlun Sect whatsoever.
"We are outer-sect disciples of the Kunlun Sect. We came to investigate the beast movements in Hubei."
Just as I thought.
So Kunlun has started moving too.
"Then why did you come looking for me?"
"We heard rumors that beast hunting has become active in this region lately. We were told the Jigeom Sect, in particular, has been making substantial gains."
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
So the rumors had already spread.
I thought I’d been careful.
"That’s an exaggeration. We only hunt small beasts to make a living."
"You are modest. But according to our investigation, a considerable amount of beast materials are being traded in the local markets. And the person selling them is none other than you, Hyeonseong."
They’d investigated this pretty thoroughly.
At this point, I couldn’t keep pretending ignorance. Come to think of it, maybe because of my memories from my previous life, they hadn’t done anything to me yet.
"So what do you want?"
"We’d like to propose an exchange of information. We have systematic knowledge about beast hunting. And you, Hyeonseong, have extensive field experience."
I almost laughed aloud.
Systematic knowledge about beast hunting?
There was no way anyone at this point in time knew more about it than I did.
"Then tell me exactly what information you want."
One of them stepped forward.
"Have you recently seen any beasts of Human Class or higher in this region?"
My heart dropped. But I kept my expression unchanged.
"Human Class? You’re saying there are beasts that dangerous in this area?"
"We’re not certain. But there were reports that an unusual energy was detected a few days ago."
He seemed to be talking about the battle in the Black Abyss Cave. I couldn’t hide my surprise inwardly. Kunlun’s intelligence network was far more advanced than I had expected.
So this is what it means to be one of the great sects.
Keeping my thoughts hidden, I said, "We only deal with Livestock Class beasts. Human Class is beyond our level..."
"I see. If you discover anything unusual, would you let us know? Of course, we’ll compensate you."
I pretended to think it over for a moment, then nodded.
"Very well. In that case, may I ask you one thing as well?"
"Go ahead."
"Is there some special reason you’re looking for Human Class beasts?"
The Kunlun martial artists exchanged glances with the man standing in the middle. He looked at me for a long moment before speaking.
"Are you familiar with something called an Illusion Stone?"
"Huh? You mean those stones that drop when you kill beasts?"
At my answer, the Kunlun martial artists looked even more relieved. They clearly decided I only had the most basic understanding of Illusion Stones.
"Yes. In any case, we need them for a certain purpose. Ah, if you happen to possess any Illusion Stones, we’ll buy them all."
I put on a look of deep regret.
"What a shame. If I’d known they were useful, I would have collected them all."
"Is that so? That is unfortunate. From now on, make sure you keep the Illusion Stones that drop from your hunts. We’ll buy every one of them."
"Yes, I will."
But I had no intention of selling them to these people.
Soon, the proper use of Illusion Stones would become public knowledge.
After seeing the Kunlun disciples off, I immediately began preparing.
They’re moving faster than I expected.
Originally, the great sects would not have entered the beast-hunting business this seriously until much later. But the changes I had set in motion must have created a ripple effect.
"Duseong, Hwaung. For the next week, you’ll be entering special training."
"Huh? All of a sudden?"
Duseong looked baffled.
"Kunlun has started moving. Before long, the other sects will begin acting in earnest too. We need to grow stronger before that happens."
At my words, the expressions of my two disciples turned solemn.
"We can't afford to fall behind the great sects."
That night, Jinu brought me the finished Cheonghwandan. The instant I saw it, the Dragon Pearl in my dantian reacted.
"Jinu, this batch of Cheonghwandan is different somehow."
"Ah, yes. This one is a little special. While refining the Illusion Stones, I removed the toxins much more thoroughly, and I adjusted the ratio of the herbs as well."
Jinu explained with pride.
"In particular, I added a small amount of powdered century-old ginseng instead of Cheongsim grass. Although the stones were only Livestock Class, I concentrated several of them together to raise the purity. The rate of internal energy absorption should be about twenty percent higher."
I was impressed by Jinu's words.
This kind of concentration technique was something that would only be developed much later.
"So even Livestock Class stones can be used like this... impressive."
"It’s about quality over quantity. I concentrated ten earth-fox stones into one."
"Good. Then let’s all take it tonight."
Gathered on the training ground, we each put a Cheonghwandan into our mouths.
"Ugh..."
Duseong grimaced. The medicinal force of the concentrated Cheonghwandan was stronger than he had expected.
"Endure it. The greater the pain, the greater the effect."
I immediately sat down and began circulating my energy.
Wuuuung—
The Dragon Pearl in my dantian started to react. As the energy of the Cheonghwandan spread through my body, the Dragon Pearl greedily absorbed it.
So this is what concentrated Illusion Stone energy feels like.
Unlike before, the Dragon Pearl responded even more actively. Though it was made from Livestock Class stones, the fact that they had been compressed from ten into one meant the energy inside was substantial.
Crackle—
Heat rose from my body. But this time, it didn’t hurt. On the contrary, it felt as soothing as sinking into a hot spring.
My meridians are widening.
The medicinal properties of the Cheonghwandan expanded my meridians, and the energy of the Dragon Pearl stabilized them. The two forces harmonized perfectly, lifting my martial cultivation to the next level.
One shichen later.
"Hoo..."
I opened my eyes. The amount of internal energy gathered in my dantian had clearly increased. I felt as though I had advanced one step further from the middle stage of the Peak Realm to the upper stage.
Looking to the side, I saw that Duseong and Hwaung had also finished circulating their energy.
"Hah... hah..."
Both of them were drenched in sweat.
"How is it? What does it feel like?"
Duseong answered with a shocked expression.
"I can’t believe it. A pill made from Livestock Class stones, and yet... the effect is this good."
"Same here! I feel like my whole body is bursting with strength!"
Hwaung stood up and swung a fist through the air.
Fwoooom!
A piercing sound split the air, far sharper than before.
"At this point, you’re probably at the middle stage of First-Class Realm?"
I nodded.
"Congratulations. Starting tomorrow, we’ll begin learning how to properly control all that new internal energy."
From the next day on, I put Duseong and Hwaung through even harsher training. Having now experienced combat against Human Class beasts, I focused on teaching them exactly how to respond to that level of threat.
"Hwaung! Your stance is breaking!"
"Ugh..."
Hwaung was holding twenty-geun iron weights in both hands while maintaining his defensive posture. To withstand the heavy blows of a Human Class beast, his lower body had to become even more solid.
"Duseong! Your sword is too slow!"
Whoooosh—
Duseong kept swinging a specially made twenty-geun sword without pause. Against a Human Class beast, speed mattered, but so did power and precision.
On the third day of training, Duseong collapsed onto the ground.
"Eldest Brother, I really... can't do this anymore..."
But I pulled another Cheonghwandan from my robe.
"Take this. It's not concentrated, so you can eat it without worry."
"Huh? Can I really take it during training?"
"If you take it right after pushing your body to the limit, the absorption rate goes up. Hurry."
Duseong swallowed it with a skeptical expression, then his eyes widened.
"Huh? That's strange. My fatigue is gone, and strength is pouring back into me."
"Cheonghwandan also restores stamina. Keep going."
By the fifth day of repeating that cycle of training and Cheonghwandan, Duseong came running toward me with his sword in hand.
"Eldest Brother, look at this!"
Shick—
He drew his sword and began to perform the Jigeom Eighteen Sword forms.
Wuuuung—
A faint sword aura rose from the blade.
"Sword aura!"
It was a phenomenon usually possible only when one was just about to enter the latter half of First-Class Realm and approach the Peak Realm. And yet he had achieved it in just a few days.
Hwaung had shown no less growth.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Even while wielding thirty-geun iron hammers, he moved with ease. As his internal energy increased, his physical strength rose by leaps and bounds as well.
"I think I finally understand. How to let internal energy seep into my muscles!"
I nodded in satisfaction.
So the effect of concentrated Cheonghwandan is this strong.
But what surprised me most of all was Jinu.
"Eldest Brother, I prepared something even more special this time!"
What he had brought was a small wooden box.
"What is this?"
"I used the Cheonghwandan formula as a basis to make a wound salve. I specially processed Illusion Stone powder and turned it into an ointment."
"A wound salve?"
"Yes! If you apply it to muscles damaged by training, recovery becomes much faster. It also helps strengthen the muscles. Its recovery rate for external injuries is far better than Geumchang medicine, too."
I was stunned.
Geumchang medicine was a prized wound treatment even among martial artists. To hear that he had developed something better than that was astonishing.
"You’ve already developed something like this?"
Jinu smiled shyly.
"I had plenty of Livestock Class stones, so I experimented with all kinds of things."
I looked at Jinu in admiration. He seemed to possess far more genius than I had imagined. Bringing him into the fold had clearly been the right decision.
By the time the week of special training was drawing to a close...
"Hoo..."
Not only I, but Duseong and Hwaung as well, had made astonishing progress. Duseong had reached the latter half of First-Class Realm and could now control sword aura freely. Hwaung was still only in the middle stage of First-Class Realm, but his sturdy body had become durable enough to withstand the attacks of most Peak Realm martial artists.
"Good. The preparations are complete."
I looked at the three of them and said,
"Starting tomorrow, we head to Baekun Valley. We’ll be hunting near the Illusion Gate."
Their expressions grew tense, but I smiled at them.
"Don’t worry. You’re already strong enough."