Chapter 11 - One Day Is Enough

I was astonished when I identified the medicinal pill that had emerged from the severed iron sphere.

A Demon Essence Pill!

The Cult refined exactly one of these miraculous elixirs every ten years. A demonic martial artist who took one could gain a considerable amount of power. How much internal energy they gained depended on their constitution and the mental cultivation method they practiced.

I was genuinely impressed. The Demon Essence Pill was remarkable enough, but the sphere’s ingenious design amazed me even more.

If someone cut it with sword force, the heat would seal the passage concealing the pill, preventing it from emerging.

It was a reward reserved for those who cut the sphere with a sword rather than sword force.

With internal energy being what I lacked most at present, the Demon Essence Pill was truly a gift from Heaven.

“Good to see you, Demon Essence Pill! Thank you, Father!”

Without hesitation, I sat down right there and swallowed it.

The pill released a sharp fragrance as it dissolved in my mouth, then spread throughout my body.

Powerful energy coursed through my blood vessels. Concentrating on my mental cultivation method, I began absorbing it all.

Having taken elixirs several times in my previous life, I had no difficulty breaking one down and absorbing it. My Heavenly Martial Physique also allowed me to absorb more energy than ordinary people could.

I lost myself in qi-circulation meditation, opening my eyes only after two double-hours had passed.

Like welcome rain after a drought, the pill’s spiritual energy seeped into the blood vessels throughout my body. Through repeated, painstaking cycles of meditation, it was refined into pure internal energy and stored in my dantian.

I rose and drew up my true qi.

WHOOSH! BOOM!

Even the sound of my punch was different. It sliced through the air with a crisper whistle, and the explosive report threatened to burst my eardrums. Its power was incomparable to before, and I felt so happy I could fly.

“Hahahahaha!”

My uncontainable laughter rang through the stone cavern.

‘Ah, could it be?’

Had Father taught me qi emission during our hunting trip so I could detect the cutting line on the iron sphere here? Perhaps he had succeeded in cutting it the same way?

But I soon shook my head. Extraordinary as Father was, he could hardly have predicted that the Blood Heaven Saber Demon would cause me to enter Lesser Heaven Cave. No, perhaps he had anticipated that I would come here eventually...

Whether he had hoped I would obtain the Demon Essence Pill or merely wanted to preserve the Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s dignity, I had gained a tremendous boon thanks to him.

‘Thank you, Father.’

After circulating my true qi through one full circuit to settle my body and mind, I walked toward the next stage.

And so I reached the third trial.

1. Distinguish life from death.

2. If you fail, you will be given another chance after five days.

3. Those who are ready, stand in the red circle.

Distinguish life from death? What kind of trial could this be?

The wait between attempts had also dropped to five days. Somehow, that did not feel like cause for celebration.

When I stood in the red circle, a table rose from the floor.

A smile spread across my face the moment I saw what lay on it.

There were ten herbs. This trial required distinguishing medicinal herbs from poisonous ones.

They say that in Murim, one must beware of old people, children, and women, but what one truly needed to beware of most was poison. You should never casually accept food or drink from others, and if you had no choice, you had to check it for poison with a silver needle.

Everyone was wary of poison, then, but how many had studied how to identify poisonous herbs? Those who had would have rejoiced; the other challengers would have been at a loss.

I belonged to the former group. Before my regression, I had told the Ghost Adept:

[“I can proudly say I’m an absolute master of mountain climbing, swimming, diving, and camping. I could draw a map of the Central Plains with my eyes closed.”]

I had traveled to every corner of the Central Plains searching for the ten-thousand-year fire carp. How could swimming and diving be my only skills? I could identify all manner of medicinal and poisonous herbs, and knew their effects in detail. If an ordinary herb gatherer tried to make a name for himself before me, I could tell him to go dig up some bellflower roots instead.

That was why I had no need to read Father’s inscription yet.

Confidently, I picked up one of the herbs. Among the ten poisonous herbs, it was the only medicinal herb that was not poisonous.

The table sank, then rose again bearing a fresh selection of herbs.

There were ten this time as well, all different from the previous set.

“Ah!”

To prevent challengers from passing with a lucky guess, the trial required two correct choices in succession.

I could imagine how difficult this trial must have been.

Think about it.

You had to choose correctly both times, with ten options in each set. What were the chances of getting it right twice in a row?

If you simply guessed this one or that one on instinct, bad luck might leave you picking poisonous herbs for the rest of your life.

‘In the end, you have to identify them by eating them.’

As if to confirm that this was the answer, each poisonous herb was provided in a nonlethal quantity. Of course, poisoning would still leave you groaning in pain for several days.

Even so, it was the best method. Those lucky enough to find the medicinal herbs quickly would leave sooner; the unlucky ones would take longer.

I picked the nonpoisonous herb from the second set. I half hoped a third set might appear, but the trial was not quite that cruel.

When I correctly selected the second medicinal herb, the door to the next stage opened.

Had anyone else identified the nonpoisonous herb twice in succession on their first attempt, as I had? A challenger fond of poison arts might have managed it, but most would have spent a long time suffering here.

Curious about Father’s inscription, I went over to the wall where the challengers had left their words.

—Damn it! At this rate, I’ll turn into a human poison vessel.

—What idiot dreamed up this trial? How often do we ever encounter poisonous herbs like these?

—There must be a clue to identifying the medicinal herbs. I need to investigate it.

—I can’t even remember how many times I’ve failed. Should I just eat all that poison and die? Even the fasting pills feel like poisonous herbs now.

—I should have kept proper track from the start. I hate myself for trusting my instincts.

—Success on my ninety-sixth attempt. Tears are blinding me!

—I’ve eaten so much poison that much of my hair has fallen out.

At the very bottom was Father’s inscription.

—Idiots! Don’t trust in luck.

I understood. From his very first attempt, Father had eaten the poisonous herbs one by one, committing each to memory. He had immediately realized that choosing at random was ultimately a waste of time.

He had said he emerged after two months.

Despite his warning not to trust luck, he seemed to have been quite lucky in this trial. Or perhaps his existing knowledge of poisonous herbs had allowed him to eliminate a few choices.

“Fortunately, both of us managed to keep our hair, Father.”

* * *

The fourth trial was the last. The stone tablet labeled it the final trial.

1. Survive the Life-and-Death Illusion Formation.

2. If you die within the formation, you die in reality.

2. Those who are ready, stand in the red circle.

Astonishingly, this trial meant death if you failed.

The Life-and-Death Illusion Formation.

A formation in which dying meant dying for real.

This time, the inscriptions my ancestors had left were the words of survivors.

—That fight was truly brutal. When I become the Heavenly Demon someday, I’ll find whoever created the Life-and-Death Illusion Formation and kill them.

—It was terrifying and exhausting.

—Damn it! Who the hell made this fucking formation?

—Never again in my life will I set foot in a Life-and-Death Illusion Formation.

Father had left an inscription here too. This time there was no swearing, only a brief piece of advice.

—Do not rest.

Naturally, he had left it as a clue for this trial, yet it felt like advice for the rest of my life. Perhaps that was because this was the final trial.

‘Yes, Father. I’ll keep moving forward without rest.’

I calmly circulated my qi until my internal energy was fully replenished, then walked toward the red circle.

As I stepped inside, the Life-and-Death Illusion Formation activated, and the scenery began to change.

A moment later, I stood in a wasteland.

The sand slipping between my fingers, the bare trees with their dry leaves, even the insects clinging to the rocks were all real. No, they felt real.

“The highest-order formations really are incredible.”

What I felt went beyond wonder to awe. How could anyone recreate reality so vividly? It brought home to me that true geniuses really did exist in this world.

Then it happened.

Martial artists appeared with a sand-laden wind. Their faces had no eyes, noses, or mouths. They were illusions created by the formation.

Thirty in all.

Illusions they might be, but they had physical substance. Like the rock I had touched earlier, their swords would be real.

The illusions surrounded me, radiating killing intent. Even someone trained in advanced martial arts would flinch at this moment if they lacked combat experience. The fear of being stabbed in the back and the pressure of facing numerous enemies were greater than one might expect.

Of course, I had fought larger groups before. And since my opponents were not human, I actually felt more at ease.

I launched myself forward and swiftly landed among them.

THUNK! THUNK!

The fight began with two successive thrusts into the chests of the illusions to my left and right.

Without mercy, I stabbed their throats and bellies, broke their arms, and smashed their skulls. They were not human, so there was no need to feel guilty.

I dodged some attacks and countered others. I tried executing a move without internal energy, then with it. Since my opponents never tired, I could conduct all sorts of experiments.

Whenever one died, it burst with a bang, and each report left me feeling refreshed.

After I defeated all thirty of the first wave, I was given a brief interval.

I was about to begin qi-circulation meditation when I recalled Father’s inscription.

Do not rest.

‘Ah, so this was what you meant.’

The formation gave me time to circulate my qi between fights, but Father was advising me to fight without replenishing my internal energy. To make good use of what I had and fight as I would in a real battle.

In actual combat, I would not have the leisure to replenish my reserves like this. It was an unparalleled opportunity to practice managing my internal energy in battle.

‘Even so, Father, this is the Life-and-Death Illusion Formation. My life is on the line, and you tell me not to rest? That advice is so very like you.’

As Father intended, I waited without recovering my internal energy.

Once enough time had passed to circulate my true qi through one full circuit, the next illusions appeared.

This time there were twenty. Fewer in number, but far stronger than the first group. They moved faster and used higher-level martial arts. They also wielded a variety of weapons, from sabers and swords to bows fired from a distance and concealed weapons.

The dangerous fighting continued, with the slightest mistake potentially costing me my life, but honestly, I was exhilarated. For the first time since my regression, I was experiencing a battle worthy of the name.

‘Too slow! Come at me faster!’

I stepped on their shoulders as I vaulted among them and knocked dozens of incoming concealed weapons out of the air. I seized an illusion and fought with it as a shield. I even faced them with my eyes closed.

After the second fight ended, I again refrained from qi-circulation meditation. I did not know how many stages there would be, so I fought with the intention of using only half my remaining internal energy.

The third wave of illusions appeared.

Ten this time.

I was certain they would be the last. Judging by their imposing presence, this was the limit of what the challengers could handle.

Many challengers must have died here.

Sure enough, these enemies were incomparably stronger and faster than either of the previous groups.

I, however, felt disappointed.

‘It’s over already!’

I had wanted to fight more.

I wove among the illusions, practicing evading their attacks.

Then, when I decided it was time to finish, I ended it spectacularly.

Certain this was the last fight, I poured out all my power.

My sword traced dazzling paths. In my past experience, opinions of the Heaven-Soaring Sword Art varied with the opponent. After all, one could only recognize as much of a martial art as one understood. Lesser fighters dismissed it harshly as flashy swordsmanship with no substance, while masters were astounded to recognize the boundless variation and depth in the seven sword forms that composed its dazzling display.

As I unleashed the Heaven-Soaring Sword Art’s ultimate techniques in succession, the ten illusions were swept away one after another. They were the formation’s strongest illusions, yet they vanished the fastest and most spectacularly. Bursting apart with successive bangs, the enemies looked like fireworks.

With the disappearance of the final illusion, the Life-and-Death Illusion Formation broke.

My mastery was too high for the desperate situation Father had intended to materialize. Still, the fight had been cathartic. It felt as though the anger lodged in my chest had been blown clear.

Yes, that alone made it worthwhile.

When the Life-and-Death Illusion Formation vanished, the exit opened. A stone tablet stood beside it.

1. To leave, push this tablet to the side.

2. Congratulations on safely completing the trials. May you use your strength for the advancement and prosperity of the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon.

That concluded the trials of Lesser Heaven Cave.

Astonishingly, I had passed them all in a single day.

If word of this spread, the Cult would probably be thrown into an uproar. Father had taken two months, yet I had emerged in just one day? There would be more disbelief than praise.

Gu Pyeongho, whom I had fought in the duel, would froth at the mouth, insisting I had rigged things with some trick. Father and the Eight Demon Supremes would likewise try every means to discover how I had emerged in a single day. The resulting headaches would be endless.

In the end, I decided not to leave.

Yes, I would train.

I would train here. I ought to preserve Father’s dignity too, so I would leave after exactly one hundred days.

Fortunately, I had plenty of training to do, and an even greater stockpile of those damned fasting pills.

Time to train! Chewing through loneliness as well as fasting pills.