[Chapter 11]
When I checked what kind of elixir had come out of the severed iron sphere, I was startled.
Demon Essence Elixir!
Demon Essence Elixir was a miraculous elixir refined by the Cult only once every ten years. It was a divine pill that could grant a significant amount of internal energy to a demon cultivator. The amount of internal energy one could gain varied depending on the constitution of the user and the mental cultivation method they practiced.
I was genuinely impressed. Demon Essence Elixir itself was extraordinary, but what astonished me even more was the exquisite design of the sphere.
If the sphere were cut with sword energy, the heat would block the hidden pathway to the elixir, preventing the Demon Essence Elixir from emerging.
It was a reward given only to those who cut it with a sword, not with sword energy.
In a situation where internal energy was what I lacked the most, Demon Essence Elixir was truly a gift from the heavens.
"Nice to meet you, Demon Essence Elixir! Thank you, Father!"
Without hesitation, I sat down and immediately consumed the Demon Essence Elixir.
The elixir melted in my mouth, spreading a tingling aroma throughout my body.
A powerful energy coursed through all my blood vessels. I began to absorb all the energy while focusing on my mental cultivation method.
Having taken several miraculous elixirs in my previous life, it wasn't difficult for me to dissolve and absorb the elixir. Thanks to the unique physical characteristics of the heavenly martial body, I could absorb more energy than ordinary people.
Immersed in this state, I performed energy circulation and breathing exercises, and after two shichen, I finally opened my eyes.
The spiritual energy of Demon Essence Elixir was absorbed into my blood vessels like rain after a drought, and through several rounds of diligent energy circulation and breathing exercises, it was stored in my danjeon as pure internal energy.
I stood up and gathered my energy.
Swaaeaeak! Bang!
The sound of my punch was different from before. The sound of cutting through the air was more refreshing, and the impact was so powerful it felt like it could burst my eardrums. I felt an exhilarating joy from this power that was incomparable to before.
"Hahahahaha!"
My uncontrollable laughter echoed loudly through the stone cave.
'Ah, could it be?'
Was the lesson about releasing energy during the hunt meant to help me understand how to identify the cutting line on the iron sphere? Maybe my father also succeeded in cutting it the same way?
But then I shook my head. No matter how special my father was, he couldn't have predicted that I would enter Socheondong because of the Heavenly Blood Blade Demon. Or perhaps he anticipated I would come here eventually…
Whether he wanted me to obtain Demon Essence Elixir or to uphold the prestige of the Heavenly Blood Blade Demon, thanks to my father, I had gained a great opportunity.
'Father, thank you.'
I circulated my energy through my body to regulate my mind and body, then proceeded to the next stage.
Thus, I arrived at the third gate.
1. Distinguish between life and death.
2. If unsuccessful, another opportunity will be given in five days.
3. Those prepared, step onto the red circle.
Distinguish between life and death? What kind of gate is this?
Moreover, the retry period was reduced to five days. Somehow, I had a feeling this wasn't something to be pleased about.
As soon as I stepped onto the red circle, a table rose from the floor.
The moment I saw what was placed on the table, a smile spread across my face.
There were ten herbs laid out. This gate was about distinguishing between medicinal herbs and poisonous plants.
In the martial world, it is often said to be wary of old men, children, and women, but in reality, the most dangerous thing is poison. You must never recklessly consume food or drink given by others, and if you have no choice but to eat, you must always use a silver needle to check for poison.
So, while everyone was aware of the dangers of poison, how many had actually studied how to distinguish poisonous plants? Those who had studied would rejoice, but those who hadn't would be in a difficult situation.
I fell into the former category. Before my regression, I had told Gui Ryeongja:
―I pride myself on being an expert in mountain climbing, swimming, diving, and camping. I could draw a map of the Central Plains with my eyes closed.
I had traveled every corner of the Central Plains in search of the Millennial Fire Plum. Could I only be skilled in swimming and diving? I could distinguish all kinds of medicinal and poisonous plants and knew their effects in detail. If an ordinary herb collector showed me a plant, I could easily tell them to go pick some bellflowers instead.
Therefore, there was no need to look at the notes my father had left behind.
Confidently, I picked up one of the plants. Among the ten poisonous plants, it was the only one that wasn't poisonous.
Then, the table lowered again, and a new table with different herbs rose.
This time, there were ten different herbs from the previous set.
"Ah!"
To prevent anyone from passing by luck, the test required correctly identifying two in a row.
I could imagine how difficult this test must have been.
Think about it.
You have to get it right twice, and there are ten options each time. How likely is it to get them right consecutively?
If you just guessed randomly, you might end up choosing poisonous plants for the rest of your life if you're unlucky.
'Ultimately, you have to taste them to know for sure.'
It seemed as if that was the correct answer; the amount of toxic herbs was set just enough so that I wouldn't die. Of course, if I were poisoned, I would have suffered for days.
Even so, this method was the best. If I was lucky and found the medicinal herb quickly, I would have gotten out faster; if unlucky, it would have taken longer.
I picked a non-toxic herb from the second batch. I was slightly expecting a third batch of herbs to appear, but it wasn't that cruel.
As soon as I correctly selected the medicinal herb from the second batch, the door to the next stage opened.
Had anyone else managed to find the non-toxic herb consecutively like I did? A challenger who was fond of poisons might have found it at once, but most would have suffered here for a long time.
Curious about what my father had left behind, I went to the wall where previous challengers had left their writings.
―Damn it! At this rate, I'll turn into a poison man.
―Which idiot came up with this test? How often do we encounter these toxic herbs in our daily lives?
―There must be a clue to identify the medicinal herb. We need to study it.
―I've lost count of how many times I've failed. Should I just eat all the poison and die? Even the bikwokdan feels like a toxic herb now.
―I should have calculated properly from the start. I regret trusting my instincts.
―Success on the ninety-sixth attempt. Tears are blinding me!
―I've consumed so much poison that I've lost a lot of hair.
At the very bottom was my father's writing.
―Fools! Don't trust luck.
I could tell. My father had tried the toxic herbs one by one from the very first attempt, remembering each. He understood right away that relying on luck was ultimately a waste of time.
He said he had come out after two months.
Even though he advised not to trust luck, it seemed my father was quite lucky in this trial. Or he might have had some knowledge about toxic herbs and excluded a few medicinal herbs from the start.
"Luckily, father and I saved our hair."
* * *
The fourth trial was the final one. The stone tablet had "Final Trial" inscribed on it.
1. Survive the Illusionary Formation of Life and Death.
2. If you die in the formation, you die in reality.
3. Those prepared, step into the red circle.
Surprisingly, a trial appeared where failure meant death.
Illusionary Formation of Life and Death.
A formation where dying inside means truly dying.
This time, the writings left by the ancestors were the words of those who had survived.
―It was truly an incredibly tough fight. One day, when I become a Heavenly Demon, I will find and kill the one who created the Illusionary Formation of Life and Death.
―It was so terrifying and exhausting.
―Damn it! Who the hell created this kind of formation?
―In my entire life, I will never step into the Illusionary Formation of Life and Death again.
Among these, there was also my father's writing. This time, there were no curses, just a single piece of advice.
―Do not rest.
Naturally, it was left as a clue for this trial, but it felt like advice he was giving me for my entire life. Probably because this was the final trial.
'Yes, I will keep going without resting.'
After calmly circulating my Qi to fill my inner strength, I walked towards the red circle.
As I stood inside the circle, the Illusionary Formation of Life and Death activated, and the surroundings began to change.
Soon, I found myself standing in a wasteland.
The sand flowing between my fingers, the bare trees with dry leaves, and even the insects clinging to the rocks, all seemed real. No, they felt real.
"The top-tier formation is truly amazing."
I felt a sense of wonder beyond mere mystery. How could it create such a realistic illusion? It made me realize that there truly are geniuses in this world.
Then it happened.
With the wind carrying sand, warriors began to appear. They were illusions created by the formation, with no eyes, nose, or mouth on their faces.
There were thirty of them.
They were illusions, but they had substance. Like the rock I had touched earlier, their swords would be real too.
The illusions surrounded me, exuding a murderous aura. Even someone trained in advanced martial arts would shrink back if they lacked real combat experience. The fear of getting stabbed in the back and the pressure from many enemies were greater than one might think.
Of course, I had fought against more opponents before. Moreover, since they weren't human, I felt more at ease.
I swiftly lunged, moving quickly between them.
Thud! Thud!
Starting with stabbing the chests of the illusions on my left and right in succession, the fight began.
I attacked without mercy, stabbing their necks and abdomens, breaking their arms, and smashing their heads. Since they weren't human, I felt no guilt.
I dodged attacks and countered them. Sometimes I attacked without using inner strength, and other times I infused my attacks with inner strength. Since the opponents didn't tire, I could try various techniques.
When they died, they exploded with a 'bang', and every time I heard that sound, I felt a sense of relief.
After defeating the first thirty that appeared, I was given a brief moment of respite.
As I was about to quickly regulate my breathing, I recalled the words my father had left behind.
"Do not rest."
'Ah, so this is what he meant.'
My father's advice was to not replenish my internal energy during the breaks but to keep fighting. It was advice to utilize my internal energy well and fight as if it were a real battle.
In an actual battle, there wouldn't be time to replenish internal energy like this. This was a unique opportunity to practice controlling my internal energy in a combat scenario.
'Even so, this is the Illusionary Formation of Life and Death, where it's a matter of life and death. Not resting? Truly father-like advice.'
Following my father's intention, I waited without recovering my internal energy.
After the time needed for one cycle of circulating my energy had passed, the next illusions appeared.
This time, there were twenty of them. Although the number had decreased, they were much stronger than the previous ones. Their movements were faster, and the martial arts they used were of a higher level. Moreover, this time they used various weapons, including swords, bows from a distance, and even hidden weapons.
The fight was dangerously close to losing my life, but to be honest, I was excited. It was the first real battle-like experience since my regression.
'Too slow! Come at me faster!'
I stepped on their shoulders as I moved, deflecting dozens of flying hidden weapons in mid-air. I used the subdued illusions as shields to fight and even closed my eyes to confront them.
Even after the second fight ended, I didn't regulate my breathing. I didn't know how many stages were left, but I fought with the intention of using only half of my remaining internal energy.
The third set of illusions appeared.
This time, there were ten.
I was sure they would be the last. Judging by the momentum of the illusions that appeared this time, this was the limit that challengers could handle.
Many challengers must have died here.
Indeed, the enemies that appeared this time were far stronger and faster than the previous two sets.
On the contrary, I felt regretful.
'Is it already over?'
I wanted to fight more.
I practiced dodging the illusions' attacks as I weaved through them.
And when I decided it was time to end it, I finished it spectacularly.
Since I was convinced it was the final fight, I poured all my power into it.
My sword created a dazzling arc. Based on past experience, the Soaring Sword Art was evaluated differently depending on the opponent. In the end, martial arts were as good as the practitioner's understanding. The lower the opponent's skill, the more they dismissed it as merely a flashy sword technique. However, the higher the opponent's skill, the more they were astonished by the seven sword styles' infinite variations and depth that comprised the dazzling display.
As the ultimate techniques of the Soaring Sword Art unfolded consecutively, the ten illusions were swept away one by one. They were the strongest illusions in the formation but were extinguished the fastest and most spectacularly. The sight of the enemies exploding with 'bangs' looked like fireworks.
With the disappearance of the last illusion, the Illusionary Formation of Life and Death was broken.
My level was so high that the urgent situation my father had intended did not materialize. But it was a refreshing fight, and I felt the anger that had been pent up in my chest dissipate.
Yes, even this held enough meaning for me.
As the Illusionary Formation of Life and Death disappeared, a door leading outside opened, and a stele stood next to it.
1. Push this stele aside to exit.
2. Congratulations on safely passing the test. We hope you use your power for the development and revival of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Thus ended the test of Socheondong.
Surprisingly, I passed the test of Socheondong in just one day.
When this news spreads, the main Cult will probably be in an uproar. My father took two months, but I came out in just one day? There will be more distrust than praise.
Gu Pyungho, who sparred with me, would probably foam at the mouth, claiming I cheated. My father and the Eight Demon Supremes would also try to figure out how I could come out in just one day. There would be many troublesome issues.
In the end, I decided not to go out.
Yes, I would train.
I would train here. To preserve my father's dignity, I would stay exactly one hundred days before leaving.
Fortunately, there was plenty of training to do, and there were even more detestable bikwokdan piled up.
I would train! Enduring solitude and chewing on bikwokdan.