Note: This is today's second chapter. Once I reach the 50th chapter (not counting the prologue) I think I will release a few bonus chapter... Though I'm getting 0 stones or comments from this which feels demotivating, but then again, I get to listen to this story using the tts function. Still, I hope those who are actually reading this do give some comments at least, so I know people are reading this. Still, we are almost 50 chapters in, and only 71 collections proves nobody is reading this...
Anyway, here is the chapter, hope you enjoy...
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What is the talent of a Shaman?
There would be several qualifications. Among those qualifications, a sense of spiritual energy is naturally included. As a simple example, everyone has probably experienced the sudden appearance of goosebumps or chills at least once.
It could be a natural bodily phenomenon, but that is the basis of spiritual sensation. When in contact with something spiritual, the soul within the body reacts, affecting the five senses.
However, ordinary people find it difficult to discern this. This is because the boundary between the living and the dead is clear. This could only be developed through innate spiritual talent or training.
However, among these talent requirements, there existed the ultimate talent that only a select few were born with.
'You possess the eyes.'
That is none other than vision The eyes that can accurately see beyond the boundary, unlike other senses. Shamans regarded possessing the eyes that could distinguish this as the highest.
The middle-aged man with the eye patch, Shaman Jo, saw Mok Gyeongwoon precisely looking at the evil spirit before catching the walking stick he had thrown after attaching the Imperial Command Spell and infusing it with incantations.
'It's certain.'
The kid possessed the highest qualifications as a Shaman. Even he, who could barely perceive the form with the naked eye after training under the best master, didn't possess the talent that this child from a martial arts family had.
"You… can see vengeful spirits."
*Murmur*
*Murmur*
At his words, the surroundings stirred. He can see vengeful spirits? What does that mean?
'Vengeful spirits, does that refer to ghosts or evil spirits?'
Manor Master Mok In-dan and the Mok family brothers frowned and looked at Mok Gyeongwoon. In fact, most of their reactions were similar.
'This has become troublesome,' Mok Gyeongwoon clicked his tongue inwardly.
He had acted on impulse, not wanting to lose the Demonic Monk, but it seemed to have complicated matters. Should he have given up even if it was a waste? However, it was too late for that now.
'A Shaman?'
It seemed to be the case. Some of the spells he had chanted earlier were seen in books related to magical techniques left behind by Fang Assassin Sak. They were typical techniques for exorcising evil spirits or the Two Demons and Two Spirits.
However, a part of the incantation was different. If that was the case…
'He's from a different group than that woman Sak.'
He seemed to belong to this organization called the Heaven and Earth Society.
At that moment, the middle-aged man with the eye patch, Shaman Jo, said, "Since when were you able to see vengeful spirits?"
"Pardon?"
"You can see vengeful spirits, can't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Seeing Mok Gyeongwoon's feigned ignorance, the middle-aged man with the eye patch, Shaman Jo, raised one eyebrow in puzzlement. Does that child want to hide his eyes?
However, if that were the case, he shouldn't have intervened in the first place.
Shaman Jo scoffed and changed his question, "Interesting. Fine, I'll change the question. Why did you prevent the exorcism of the vengeful spirit?"
"Hmm. I have no idea what you've been talking about since earlier," Mok Gyeongwoon feigned ignorance nonchalantly.
Shaman Jo chuckled and then formed a hand seal, saying, "You don't know? Then I suppose it's fine if I exorcise that evil thing again."
*Pak*
*Pak*
*Pak*
Bīng (兵)! Dòu (鬪)! Liè (裂)! Zhèn (陳)!
It was the hand seals of the Nine Character Activating Method.
'Different.'
Mok Gyeongwoon's eyes narrowed. He had memorized all the books possessed by Shamans Myo-sin, Sak, and others.
However, the hand seals he was forming were new to him. Moreover, he was only forming hand seals without incantations, yet the spiritual energy in the surroundings was becoming strangely abundant.
*Tremble*
*Tremble*
However, it was not visible to others. They only saw him bringing his hands together, bending and extending his fingers, overlapping them.
At that moment, Shaman Jo formed a square by aiming with his index and middle fingers.
*Whoosh*
Four invisible pillars shot up from the surroundings. The pillars precisely enclosed Mok Gyeongwoon and the Demonic Monk, gradually thickening.
The middle-aged man with the eye patch, Shaman Jo, muttered softly, "Four Peaks Linking Technique."
As soon as he finished, walls formed from the four thickened pillars. The Demonic Monk, unable to escape anywhere, looked around in bewilderment.
"Shrink (縮)!"
Shaman Jo extended his palm towards the Demonic Monk and made a grasping gesture.
*Whoosh*
At that moment, the four walls enclosing the Demonic Monk began to compress and slowly shrink. If they were to shrink completely, the Demonic Monk might be crushed.
Mok Gyeongwoon's eyes turned sharp.
This man's level was clearly different from the Shamans he had encountered so far. He had never seen such a magical technique before.
'No choice.'
Since he didn't know what kind of technique it was, there was only one way to break it. Attack the caster, the Shaman.
*Tap*
"Take it back," Mok Gyeongwoon gripped the walking stick like a spear and threw it towards Shaman Jo, who was performing the magical technique.
*Swish*
If the caster is disrupted or killed midway, most magical techniques will unravel. However, the masked individuals wouldn't let this happen without interference.
*Clang*
One of the masked individuals near Shaman Jo swiftly leaped forward and struck down the flying walking stick with the blade of his sword, "You impudent brat!"
The masked individual tried to charge directly at Mok Gyeongwoon, who had targeted Shaman Jo.
However, Shaman Jo stopped him, "Enough!"
"Pardon?"
"No need for you to intervene."
"Understood."
The masked individual stopped the attack without any objection. It was a group with a clear hierarchy of command and obedience.
Shaman Jo said to Mok Gyeongwoon, "You don't seem to be possessed or bewitched, so if you explain why you're trying to protect the vengeful spirit, I can pause the technique for now."
'He'll have no choice but to surrender eventually.'
In any case, the situation was in his favour.
Even if he had the eyes, without training, it was of no use. Judging by that child's appearance, he hadn't received proper training as a Shaman. That much was evident at a glance.
Moreover, the Four Peaks Linking Technique was a high-level technique that required at least the Fang Yue level to perform, making it difficult to break with ordinary techniques.
'!?' Shaman Jo's expression hardened as he looked at Mok Gyeongwoon.
It was because…
*Pak*
*Pak*
*Pak*
Mok Gyeongwoon was forming the exact same hand seals that Shaman Jo had just formed, without a single discrepancy.
Bīng (兵)! Dòu (鬪)! Liè (裂)! Zhèn (陳)!
'What?'
It was the hand seals of the Nine Character Activating Method. Shaman Jo was dumbfounded by Mok Gyeongwoon's hand seals. No matter how he looked at it, this child seemed to be an ordinary person with no knowledge of magical techniques.
Yet, he imitated the hand seals so accurately?
'What an absurd child.'
Does he think he can stop it by imitating it? If it were that easy, everyone would have done it.
'Forming hand seals without incantations or talismans is only possible for those at the Shamans level-Moon or above…..'
*Whoosh*
At that moment, Shaman Jo doubted his own eyes. Four small pillars, invisible to ordinary people, were formed. The shape was blunt and quite crude, but it was unmistakable.
"Ha…"
A soft exclamation escaped Shaman Jo's mouth. It was a level of magical technique achieved through long years of practice. Yet, he imitated it after seeing it once and actually succeeded?
'…Could it be that this fellow has learned magical techniques?'
At that moment, Mok Gyeongwoon muttered, "Four Peaks Linking Technique (四峰聯鎖術)."
Then, walls connected the four pillars. It was an unbelievable sight to behold. However, what was even more surprising was the location where Mok Gyeongwoon had performed the Four Peaks Linking Technique.
*Pak*
*Pak*
*Pak*
*Pak*
*Pak*
*Pak*
He had used the Four Peaks Linking Technique inside the Four Peaks Linking Technique that was being compressed by the Shrink (縮) command.
As a result, the compression of the Four Peaks Linking Technique stopped as it collided with the newly formed Four Peaks Linking Technique from within.
'This fellow… would you look at that.'
Not only did he imitate the technique, but he also blocked it in this manner. It demonstrated remarkable adaptability. At this point, he couldn't help but have doubts.
"Who taught you magical techniques?"
"Why would I… need to learn such a thing?"
It wasn't a lie. He hadn't learned it from someone, but had self-studied it from books related to magical techniques.
*Tremble*
*Tremble*
Mok Gyeongwoon shook his hands with the Nine Character Activating Method's hand seals in the Zhèn (陳) state. It was to block Shaman Jo's shrinking Four Peaks Linking Technique. Although he had somehow managed to block it with a quick response, the difference in mastery was undeniable.
Seeing this, Shaman Jo's eyes took on a peculiar expression, 'Did he really not learn it?'
The adaptability and the ability to immediately imitate and manifest the hand seals. All of this was nearly impossible without an exceptional master.
Shaman Jo stared intently at Mok Gyeongwoon, and then…
*Clap*
He released the hand seal and said, "Release (解)."
With those words, the Four Peaks Linking Technique that had been compressing disappeared. Mok Gyeongwoon looked at him with puzzled eyes.
Shaman Jo burst into laughter, "Hahahahaha!"
Why was he suddenly acting like this?
As he wondered, Shaman Jo turned his head and said to the Bright Blade King Son Yun, "Bright Blade King. You may kill everyone else, but leave this child to me."
'!?'
Everyone's eyes widened.
He seemed to be a Shaman of the Heaven and Earth Society, but he suddenly asked to hand over Mok Gyeongwoon. What did this mean?
As they pondered, Son Yun clicked his tongue and said, "You're doing something unnecessary again."
"I should have that much authority."
The Bright Blade King Son Yun shrugged his shoulders, indicating agreement.
He then raised his large Taoist sword, aimed it at the people of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor, and spoke in a menacing voice, "I was going to leave if you had obediently handed over that thing, but now it's over. You brought this upon yourselves, so regret it in the afterlife."
Son Yun thought so. There was no need to sort out who had taken the secret manual one by one. If he beat them all to death, someone would eventually speak up. In any case, the secret manual was within the clan residence.
Son Yun shouted, "Kill them all…"
At that moment, someone interrupted and shouted, "I have the secret manual that was wrapped in the prayer beads inside the wooden box."
It was none other than Mok Gyeongwoon, "Ha…"
A sigh of relief escaped from Manor Master Mok In-dan, who had been tense, thinking that Son Yun might not keep his promise. If they handed over the secret manual, they could overcome this situation.
At that moment, the Bright Blade King Son Yun approached Mok Gyeongwoon with a terrifying aura and said, "You have it?"
"Yes."
"If it's another lie, regardless of Shaman Jo's request, I will tear your limbs apart."
"Why would I deny having it?"
Son Yun's eyes gleamed at Mok Gyeongwoon's fearless demeanour.
However, it was short-lived, "Then hand it over. No, tell me where it is."
He asked for the location, as Mok Gyeongwoon might play another trick.
"I should probably apologize first."
"Apologize? You, right now…"
"You seem to desperately want it, but I burned that secret manual."
"What?"
At those words, the masked individuals erupted in anger instead. That secret manual was a treasure of the Heaven and Earth Society. Hearing that he had burned such a secret manual, it would have been stranger not to be angry.
However, Son Yun raised his hand slightly to restrain them and scoffed, "Ha!… For a renowned martial arts family, you've got nothing but scammers. Do you think that can be burned with fire?"
What does he mean? Both the masked individuals and the people of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor were puzzled. Does he not believe the fact that the secret manual was burned with fire?
At that moment, Son Yun aimed his Taoist sword directly at Mok Gyeongwoon's neck.
*Pak*
"You know nothing. You've never even seen the secret manual. You wasted my time, so as promised…"
"Does it sound like a lie?"
Son Yun frowned fiercely and raised his Taoist sword, "How dare you, in front of this elder…"
"Only the cover made of human skin doesn't burn, but the inner pages with the contents burn well."
'!?'
At those words, Son Yun's expression, which had been filled with anger just moments ago, changed. The fact that the cover was made of human skin was known only to a few executives within the Heaven and Earth Society.
"You…"
"Ah! By the way, the contents inside are here."
Mok Gyeongwoon tapped his head with his index finger.
Son Yun's expression hardened, '!?'
Was it because Mok Gyeongwoon had not only burned their treasure but also memorised it?
As he was thinking that, Son Yun spoke in disbelief, "You… saw it?"