'First, let's check the surroundings.'
He couldn't afford to make a single mistake.
Chung Myung quickly turned his head, checking to see if there were any traps or mechanisms that might activate when the door was opened.
If it were Elder Brother Jangmun, he might have set up a signal to alert him if someone other than himself tried to open the vault. He was always a cautious man.
'Nothing seems out of place.'
After confirming there were no traps, Chung Myung's gaze fixed on the ceiling of the passageway.
There were holes big enough for a child's fist to fit through. Not just one, but about a dozen, spaced evenly apart.
"Tsk."
Originally, those holes must have held luminous pearls. The passageway wouldn't have been pitch dark like it was now, but brightly lit by the glow of those pearls.
But they must have been sold off one by one whenever money was tight. Each time, the passageway would have grown darker and darker.
What thoughts must have crossed the sect leader's mind every time he walked through this increasingly dim passageway? Did he think that as the passageway grew darker, so too did Mount Hua's future?
"Ugh…"
Chung Myung scratched his head vigorously.
"I shouldn't have looked."
It was heavy. So heavy.
He had known, of course. He wasn't a fool.
Even if the sect leader and the first-generation disciples didn't show it, he could still guess what they were feeling. They must have been under immense pressure, knowing that Mount Hua might fall during their generation, and that weight must have kept them awake at night.
They had been carrying that burden their entire lives.
'It's unfair.'
He wasn't the only one who had caused this. While it was true that he, as the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, had elevated Mount Hua's reputation, the major decisions of the sect were made by the sect leader and the elders, not him.
They had all contributed to the problem, but now he was the one left to clean up the mess. How unfair was that?
Chung Myung clicked his tongue and approached the door.
Enough complaining. Let's see if we can open this door.
"But… how do you open this thing?"
Chung Myung tilted his head in confusion.
There was no handle on the door. The only indication that it was a door was the long vertical line running down the middle. Without that line, it would have been indistinguishable from the wall.
"And what are these lines?"
The long vertical line in the center was clearly where the door met. But what about the crisscrossing lines scattered across the surface? It looked as if someone had been practicing their sword techniques on the wall.
"...Is this even a door?"
Chung Myung placed his hand on the wall—or what he thought was a door—and tried to channel his energy into it. But he quickly pulled his hand back.
"Crazy."
His energy couldn't penetrate it. If it were ordinary rock, this wouldn't happen. There was something terrifyingly solid behind this wall.
'Ten-Thousand-Year Black Iron.'
And it was at least a hand's breadth thick.
"...They must have had money to burn."
There was no doubt that the vault was made of this precious Ten-Thousand-Year Black Iron, surrounded by rock.
"No wonder the sect leader couldn't bring himself to open it."
What was Ten-Thousand-Year Black Iron?
It was the hardest metal in the world. If forged into a sword, it could create a peerless blade. If made into armor, it would be impenetrable.
It was also more valuable than gold by weight. And yet, they had used it to build this vault.
"Hahaha."
Some might think the sect leader was foolish for leaving such a valuable resource untouched.
But Chung Myung understood why the sect leader hadn't dared to touch it. Ten-Thousand-Year Black Iron was, as its name suggested, the hardest metal in the world. Even now, Chung Myung couldn't cut through it.
Only the Plum Blossom Sword Saint of the past could have managed to cut through a hand's breadth of this metal. To open this vault, they would need to call upon one of the greatest martial artists in the world.
But would such a person simply walk away after seeing this treasure?
'No way.'
If a weakened Mount Hua were found to possess such treasure, it would be a death sentence. Those with power wouldn't let the weak sell the treasure fairly. They would use any means necessary to seize it.
Carelessly bringing in outsiders could lead to Mount Hua's destruction.
'The sect leader's choice wasn't bad. Trying to solve the immediate crisis by calling in a master would be like inviting a tiger to escape a wolf.'
What was inside was important, but the Ten-Thousand-Year Black Iron itself was a treasure. This much of it was worth a fortune.
"The problem is, I can't cut through it either…"
Chung Myung's face twisted slightly.
If it were his past self, he could have cut through this Ten-Thousand-Year Black Iron with his bare hands. He was, after all, the Plum Blossom Sword Saint! A master of the sword…
"Enough!"
No point dwelling on the past.
Chung Myung focused his vision on the chaotic patterns carved into the wall. If this was the door and Elder Brother Jangmun had come and gone through it, there must be a way to open it.
Elder Brother Jangmun's martial arts weren't superior to his. So if he could figure out the method…
"Huh? This?"
The Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Techniques?
The patterns on the wall—no, the sword marks!
Some of the marks resembled the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Techniques. And as the pieces fell into place, he began to recognize the other patterns as well.
"This is the Falling Leaf Technique. This is the Plum Blossom Sword Art. And this is the Six Harmonies Fist."
From shallow marks to deep grooves.
The movements of martial arts that only a disciple of Mount Hua could know were carved into the wall.
'No wonder the sect leader couldn't open it.'
The Plum Blossom Sword Art and the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Techniques hadn't been passed down to the current generation of Mount Hua. Someone who knew the martial arts could follow the movements, but recreating the techniques just from the marks was impossible.
"The depth of these…"
Chung Myung let out a sigh.
"It's the Flowing River Technique."
The method to open the door was to use the Flowing River Technique as the foundation, followed by the Six Harmonies Fist, the Falling Leaf Technique, and finally the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Techniques, culminating in the Plum Blossom Sword Art.
If the sword techniques were executed perfectly, the door would open on its own. How they had managed to create such a mechanism was beyond him.
But he had figured it out.
Now there was only one problem.
"...How am I supposed to perform this?"
If it were his past self, it would have been no problem. Even the elders of Mount Hua could have opened it without issue. But the current Chung Myung was just a novice who hadn't even fully mastered the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Techniques.
He could mimic the forms of the sword techniques. But infusing them with internal energy and executing them in one go was impossible for him in his current state.
"Sigh…"
Chung Myung took a deep breath.
'There's no such thing as impossible!'
If it couldn't be done, he would make it possible. There was no such thing as an impossible task in the world. It was just difficult.
Chung Myung gritted his teeth and focused his energy in his dantian.
"...I really don't want to do this."
If he were facing a life-or-death situation, it would be one thing. But he didn't want to push himself like this for something like this. Still, he couldn't think of any other way.
"I'll just consider it a month of recovery."
Chung Myung ground his teeth. Then, using his internal energy, he gently tapped into the innate energy deep within his dantian.
Innate energy.
The energy every human is born with.
It was different from internal energy.
Even if one lost all their internal energy, they wouldn't die. They would just feel a great sense of weakness, but it wouldn't affect their ability to live. After all, internal energy was something humans artificially cultivated.
But innate energy was different.
If one lost their innate energy, they could no longer sustain their life. In other words, innate energy was the life force that maintained a person's existence.
Those who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts could draw on their innate energy like internal energy. But innate energy was the force that sustained life. Using it came at a cost.
If one overused it, they would die.
Even moderate use would severely damage one's vitality, leaving them unable to live normally for months.
'I'll only use a little. Just a little.'
It would be meaningless if Chung Myung died trying to save Mount Hua. Right now, Chung Myung might be more important than the entire sect.
Tap. Tap.
He carefully stimulated his innate energy. He couldn't let too much come out. Just enough! Just the right amount!
The stimulated innate energy began to stir. The awakened energy surged into his dantian.
'It's a bit more than I thought.'
Chung Myung shook off his distracting thoughts and gripped his sword.
Could he do it?
He had to!
He mixed his innate energy with his internal energy, creating a powerful force, and circulated it through his body using the Flowing River Technique. The unfamiliar flow of energy shook his entire body.
"Guh!"
A scream escaped his lips.
Excruciating pain followed, but Chung Myung's eyes shone with determination.
'Only one chance! I have to do it in one go.'
A purple sword aura began to form at his fingertips.
This wasn't the result of properly trained martial arts. It was just his body clumsily recreating the techniques and movements his mind remembered.
So there was no second chance.
Chung Myung's hand moved like a streak of light through the air.
The purple trajectory dug into the wall.
Screech! Screech!
The sound of the wall being scraped echoed through the quiet passageway. He had to execute the technique in one go, but his body and energy limitations made it painfully slow.
"Huu… Ugh!"
His dantian felt like it was being torn apart.
But Chung Myung didn't stop. He continued to swing his sword. The excessive movements caused his muscles to scream in pain, and his face burned as if it might burst.
'I am the Plum Blossom Sword Saint!'
If his ability wasn't enough, he would make up for it with sheer willpower.
Biting his tongue to hold onto his fading consciousness, Chung Myung finally completed all the movements.
Thud.
His hand stopped in midair.
'Did it work?'
His legs trembled, and his chest heaved as he struggled to breathe, but he didn't have the energy to worry about his body now. If this didn't work, it would be a complete failure.
Just then.
Creak!
A strange metallic sound was heard, followed by a loud clank and the sound of something opening.
Soon, the massive door moved forward slightly.
"Ah!"
It opened!
He had thought the mechanism would cause the door to open on its own, but it seemed only the lock had been released.
But that was enough. Now, to go inside…
"Ugh!"
Suddenly, Chung Myung clutched his stomach and doubled over.
Blood, like that from a slaughtered animal, poured from his mouth. He couldn't even swallow it back as it gushed out of his throat.
"Tsk."
Chung Myung wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
It seemed he had drawn more innate energy than he had intended, severely damaging his body.
At this rate, he would need at least two months of recovery to heal his internal injuries.
"Ha… Saving Mount Hua is such a pain."
After spitting out the remaining blood in his mouth, Chung Myung clicked his tongue and pushed the vault door with all his might.
Creeeak!
The door, closed for so many years, swung open wide.
"Now, let's see what Elder Brother Jangmun has been hiding."
With a meaningful smile, Chung Myung stepped into the vault.