Leaving Heaven and Earth Severing Sect, Bu Eunseol arrived at Huang County.
As soon as he entered the city, he sought a place to rest comfortably. After much deliberation, he chose Silver Blossom Pavilion, the most luxurious inn in the area.
“I’d like to rent the entire annex,” he said.
Upon entering, Bu Eunseol handed a thousand tael banknote to the attendant.
The manager, who had been in a private room on the first floor, rushed out barefoot. “The entire annex, you say?”
“Yes,” Bu Eunseol confirmed.
“Please, follow me,” the manager said.
Walking along a small path behind the inn, they came upon a beautiful garden. Following a serene stone path up a small hill, a cozy building came into view.
“Our pavilion has two annexes. One is…” the manager began.
“I’ll take both,” Bu Eunseol interrupted.
“By yourself?” the manager asked, waving his hands in protest. “Young master, the annexes are side by side. If someone reserves one, we never rent out the other.”
“I don’t care. I’ll take them both,” Bu Eunseol said.
“No matter how much money you have, how could we charge double without reason?” the manager said, rubbing his hands together but maintaining a serious expression. “This pavilion has thrived in Huang County for over a century because we provide top-tier facilities and service to our guests, with honesty as our foremost principle…”
One thing Bu Eunseol detested was listening to meaningless chatter.
As the manager’s tongue wagged on, spitting with fervor, Bu Eunseol turned away. “I’ll go elsewhere.”
In an instant, the manager’s eyes widened, and he said, “Very well, I’ll have the maids escort you to both annexes immediately.”
“…”
“This pavilion has thrived for over a century because we faithfully meet our guests’ demands,” the manager continued, his lips twitching as he resumed his spiel. “For your information, the maids assigned to our annexes are all skilled in poetry, calligraphy, art, and music…”
“Don’t let anyone in until I call for them. That includes the maids,” Bu Eunseol cut in.
“Pardon?” the manager said.
“One more word, and I’m leaving,” Bu Eunseol warned.
“I’ll do as you—” The manager stopped mid-sentence, recalling Bu Eunseol’s words, and hurriedly pressed his lips shut.
Finally satisfied, Bu Eunseol nodded and turned to enter the inner annex.
“Phew.” Entering the lavishly decorated bedroom, he immediately lay down.
Though his business at Heaven and Earth Severing Sect had been resolved successfully, it had left him deeply fatigued.
Despite its neutrality, Heaven and Earth Severing Sect was one of the Ten Demonic Sects.
Entering alone was akin to stepping into a tiger’s den.
The Phantom Demon, Hyeok Gongbaek, was an unpredictable great demonic master. If anything had gone wrong, no amount of skill could have saved him from the Phantom Demon’s pursuit in the heart of a Ten Demonic Sect.
In truth, he had risked his life to visit Heaven and Earth Severing Sect.
‘But… the gains were worth it.’ The people of Peach Blossom Paradise may appear as gentle elders, but they were great demonic masters who once shook the martial world.
Over two months of crafting coffins, he had learned not only their supreme techniques but also obscure secrets of the martial world. Bu Eunseol had acquired knowledge and martial arts that years of wandering the martial world couldn’t have provided.
“I’ll have to master them slowly,” he murmured, sitting cross-legged on the bed.
Before heading to Affectionate Blossom Sect, he intended to digest the insights he had gained here.
Chirp, chirp, chirp.
After resting, Bu Eunseol rose slowly to the sound of chirping birds.
“Hm.” Looking up at the sunlight, he felt a rare pang of hunger.
While at Heaven and Earth Severing Sect, he had barely eaten, and for four days, he had used movement techniques to leave Lanzhou, where Heaven and Earth Severing Sect was located.
All he had consumed in that time was a sip of water the previous day, so it was no wonder hunger gnawed at him.
Creak.
Opening the door and stepping out of the annex, he felt pleasant sunlight and a breeze. As he passed through the beautifully manicured garden and a small pond…
“You’re finally up?” A young man, leaning against a large garden rock, sprang up and greeted him cheerfully. “Good morning.”
He was as tall as Bu Eunseol, with strikingly sharp, elongated eyes.
It was Hyeok Sojin, the successor of Heaven and Earth Severing Sect.
“What’s your business?” Bu Eunseol asked, unsurprised.
He had already sensed Hyeok Sojin crouching in the garden while he rested. He had left him be because Hyeok Sojin made no effort to conceal his presence.
“Well, no real business,” Hyeok Sojin said, scratching his head. “I’m just planning to roam the martial world. You need experiences to improve your martial arts, right?”
Bu Eunseol instantly saw through his intentions.
Though the successor of Heaven and Earth Severing Sect, Hyeok Sojin was, in a sense, a novice just entering the martial world. Rather than wandering aimlessly, he clearly intended to travel with someone experienced to build his skills.
“I refuse,” Bu Eunseol said.
“Seriously? Traveling together would be helpful,” Hyeok Sojin persisted.
Bu Eunseol gave him a puzzled look at his tenacity. The usually indifferent Hyeok Sojin was being shamelessly persistent.
‘He’s found a goal,’ Bu Eunseol realized.
A person with a goal changes. Hyeok Sojin’s eyes, faintly glowing with purple light, burned with a newfound obsession for martial arts.
“Hmph,” Bu Eunseol snorted coldly, brushing past him toward the inn’s entrance.
Hyeok Sojin bit his lip, watching him go. As the successor of Heaven and Earth Severing Sect, had he ever been so blatantly ignored?
“No choice, then. If I lose my temper now, my martial journey will be over before it starts,” he muttered.
If he clashed with Bu Eunseol now, a proper martial journey would be impossible.
For now, he had to set aside the pride of being a Ten Demonic Sect successor. Bu Eunseol’s meal was simple: a bowl of thin noodles and a plate of stir-fried vegetables.
In contrast, Hyeok Sojin ordered five dishes and a bottle of Snow Red Wine, costing over thirty taels. Not satisfied, he even paid the attendant to fetch fruits and rice cakes.
“Hmm, they used fine ingredients,” Hyeok Sojin remarked, sitting beside Bu Eunseol with a carefree expression, eating leisurely despite the stares of others.
Just a single bite of each dish.
“But the chef’s skill is lacking. They didn’t bring out the ingredients’ full flavor,” he said, setting down his chopsticks with a disappointed look.
To others, it might seem extravagant, but for the successor of Heaven and Earth Severing Sect, it was ordinary.
“Hm,” Hyeok Sojin murmured, glancing at Bu Eunseol, who was eating.
‘He eats well.’ Bu Eunseol moved his chopsticks slowly but steadily.
Though he took small portions, he left not a single noodle or vegetable, chewing thoroughly. His deliberate eating resembled an ascetic performing a disciplined ritual.
‘Everything he does feels serious. Is it because of his eyes?’ Intrigued, Hyeok Sojin began openly staring at Bu Eunseol. ‘Wait a moment.’ As he watched intently, Hyeok Sojin’s pupils widened, sensing something.
Bu Eunseol’s chopstick movements were subtle, imbued with a refined precision.
‘He’s practicing martial arts?’ Even while lifting noodles or picking up vegetables, Bu Eunseol infused his movements with martial principles. ‘He’s insane.’
Realizing Bu Eunseol was performing Linked Sword Techniques with his chopsticks, Hyeok Sojin’s jaw dropped.
‘Studying martial arts while eating?’ Then Bu Eunseol’s chopstick movements changed again. Though repetitive, they were intricate. He picked up slippery noodles strand by strand, holding them as if magnetized.
‘Now he’s training his sense of balance?’ Bu Eunseol was now allocating precise force and angles to his chopsticks, honing his balance.
‘So that’s it.’ Watching closely, Hyeok Sojin had an epiphany. Eating, sleeping—every action was a means to advance his martial arts.
The martial world had countless eccentrics, but Hyeok Sojin had never imagined someone so obsessed with martial arts.
‘His skills aren’t inferior to other Ten Demonic Sect successors.’ He couldn’t comprehend it. ‘Why is he so devoted to martial arts?’
Hyeok Sojin didn’t know.
After meeting the Demon Heaven Emperor, Bu Eunseol had a new goal.
The Uncharted Realm.
Beyond the Supreme Heaven Realm or the Infinite Realm, he aimed to reach a new plane no one had ever touched.
Clink.
Finishing his meal, Bu Eunseol stood and walked out of the inn.
‘Where’s he going?’ Snapping out of his thoughts, Hyeok Sojin followed, but Bu Eunseol was already gone.
“No need to search. He’ll return to the inn eventually,” Hyeok Sojin muttered, turning toward the annex, then shaking his head. “No. I need to ditch this mindset.”
If he fell behind, Bu Eunseol might encounter powerful foes or large-scale battles. If he couldn’t stay by his side around the clock, his martial journey would fail.
“Let’s track him down,” Hyeok Sojin said, taking a deep breath and crouching to listen to the ground.
He employed the Earth-Sensing Technique, one of Heaven and Earth Severing Sect’s supreme arts.
Buzz, buzz.
As he activated the technique, vibrations from the ground revealed the movements of everyone within fifty jang (about 150 meters).
Among them, he sensed someone walking lightly, almost soundlessly, with a lively gait—likely Bu Eunseol.
“That way,” Hyeok Sojin said, hurrying in that direction.
***
On the outskirts of most towns, slums formed where vagrants gathered.
These places often housed members of the Hao Clan, martial world intelligence networks, or black-market dealers trading in poisons or hidden weapons.
Scanning the area, Bu Eunseol spotted an old man sitting alone under a bridge and approached without hesitation. He pulled out a pouch and handed over a large silver coin.
“Thank you!” the old man exclaimed, his trembling hands accepting the coin.
Swish.
In a fleeting moment, the old man’s hands moved swiftly, unnoticed by anyone. Leaving the slum, Bu Eunseol held a small letter in his hand.
In a quiet reed field, he slowly opened it.
“I wonder what the Corps Leader sent,” he murmured.
Before leaving Majeon, he had sent a message via carrier pigeon to Nangyang Pavilion, informing them of his meeting with the Demon Heaven Emperor and his plans to secure Heaven and Earth Severing Sect and Affectionate Blossom Sect as allies.
In response, he had sought out a Peongan Corps member lingering nearby to receive the reply.
“Reside in reverence, exhaust reason.” The letter bore only four characters.
Reside in reverence, exhaust reason.
It meant to guide body and mind on a true path and to diligently study and comprehend the principles of all things.
“A reply befitting the Corps Leader” Bu Eunseol said, a rare faint smile crossing his lips.
This brief letter conveyed more meaning than hundreds of verbose words.
“I believe you’ll do well. I’ll be watching, so strive to the end.”
Summarized, that was likely the message.
Baek Yeon, Nangyang Pavilion—always believed in and supported Bu Eunseol. Even while wandering the martial world alone, thinking of Nangyang Pavilion gave him strength.
Whoosh.
With a spark of Threefold True Flame, the letter in his hand turned to ash and scattered.
Rustle.
At that moment, a man in blue robes approached swiftly and stood before him—Hyeok Sojin.
“You’ve gone quite far in such a short time,” Hyeok Sojin said cheerfully.
Despite his friendly tone, he flinched as Bu Eunseol’s gaze grew colder.
“Are you going to keep following me?” Bu Eunseol asked.
“Of course,” Hyeok Sojin replied.
“I said I refuse,” Bu Eunseol said.
Hyeok Sojin’s eyes blazed with an unprecedented fervor. “I reject your refusal. I won’t give up.”
His eyes burned with a passion never seen before. In that moment, Hyeok Sojin had transformed into a true warrior pursuing the martial path.
“Hm,” Bu Eunseol murmured, realizing the firmness of Hyeok Sojin’s resolve. He gazed at the distant sky for a moment.
He would soon head to Affectionate Blossom Sect. There, challenges far more perilous than gaining Heaven and Earth Severing Sect’s support awaited. He had no time to babysit a naive novice. Frowning in thought, a brief glint flashed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes as an idea struck him.
“You’re determined to follow me, then,” he said.
“Glad you understand,” Hyeok Sojin replied.
“Then let’s make a bet,” Bu Eunseol said.
Hyeok Sojin’s eyes widened, wondering what this was about, as Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice.
“Can you take my head?”
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