Half an hour earlier.
Hyeok Ryeon-eung and Baek Jeoncheon stood atop the steep peak of the stone mountain. To observe the remaining participants at a glance, all areas except the vicinity of the stone mountain had been designated as restricted zones.
“Hm.” Hyeok Ryeon-eung let out a low groan upon spotting two shadows sprinting in the distance. “That guy… he’s still alive.” Seeing Bu Eunseol, covered in large and small wounds yet running at full speed, he furrowed his brow.
“A kid who hadn’t even properly learned martial arts before coming to the Hell Path has outlasted the prodigies of prestigious clans to survive this long?”
“He reportedly mastered the Beast Way as soon as he arrived at Hell Island,” Baek Jeoncheon said.
“That’s a strange joke.” Hyeok Ryeon-eung snorted, his expression indifferent. “He probably just got beaten to a pulp or learned it superficially. Can the Beast Way even be mastered in two months?”
“No. They say he mastered it in half a month.”
“What?”
“And he’s been training in swordsmanship at the Hwa Wu Sword Sect. What’s more, somehow he persuaded them to teach him the ultimate technique of Chief Instructor Cheon, the Heaven-Shattering Killing Sword—the Unmatched Thunderbolt Form.” Hyeok Ryeon-eung, listening quietly to Baek Jeoncheon’s explanation, doubted his own ears.
“Does that even make sense?”
“I didn’t believe it at first either, but upon investigation, it was true.”
“Why, though?”
Why, though? That single phrase carried countless implications. Baek Jeoncheon gave a bitter smile and continued his explanation.
“The instructors who taught him all said, ‘His physical foundation isn’t exceptional, but he possesses terrifying determination and tenacity.’”
“Determination and tenacity?”
“Yes. And… they say that once you start teaching him, he’s so passionate that you can’t help but pour out everything you know.” Baek Jeoncheon spoke playfully, as if trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere.
But Hyeok Ryeon-eung’s face grew even sterner.
“Then he must be a spy from the righteous factions. Someone with a clear goal.”
“No, he isn’t.”
“Then are you saying he’s a heaven-sent prodigy?”
“I don’t know if he’s a heaven-sent prodigy, but he’s definitely not a spy from the righteous factions.”
“How can you be so sure?” At Hyeok Ryeon-eung’s question, Baek Jeoncheon smiled awkwardly.
“Because he was an undertaker working for the coroner’s office, preparing the dead.”
“That guy… was really an undertaker?”
“Yes. Though young, his skills in preparing the dead were said to be the best in the region. He’s been learning the trade from his grandfather since childhood.” Hyeok Ryeon-eung’s eyes widened unevenly.
How could someone who wasn’t even a martial artist, an undertaker of all things, participate in the Ten Demon Successor Trial? How could someone without a single martial art survive in Hell Island, a gathering place for heaven-blessed prodigies? As countless questions flooded his mind, Baek Jeoncheon continued calmly.
“If he were being groomed as a spy, he wouldn’t have spent his childhood doing a job even beggars would shun.”
“True… being an undertaker is far too conspicuous.” Righteous faction spies meticulously craft flawless backgrounds to avoid suspicion. But Bu Eunseol’s origins and lack of martial arts made him a walking target for suspicion.
“Even if I don’t want to believe it, the situation forces me to.”
“What?” Hyeok Ryeon-eung, gazing down at the base of the stone mountain, let out a deep sigh.
“All that’s left for him now is death.” Seventeen boys had surrounded Bu Eunseol and Seo Jinha, who stood with the killing spirits at their backs, forming a semicircle.
“Such a pity. He held on so well until now.” Baek Jeoncheon, looking at Bu Eunseol, sighed. “He must have wandered alone like a lone wolf and only recently formed a group.” To survive in the martial world, one needs not only strong martial arts but also the ability to read situations and trends.
“Judgment is part of talent. In the end, his capacity was only this much.”
“Is that so?” As Baek Jeoncheon murmured, Hyeok Ryeon-eung nodded firmly.
“It’s over now.” His gaze was fixed on Bu Eunseol, fighting a bloody battle at the base of the stone mountain.
Swish swish!
With sharp sounds cutting through the air, the white horse whip and a piercing strike from the Hwa Wu Sword stabbed toward Bu Eunseol’s sides at an unavoidable angle.
“Argh!” A piercing scream echoed into the sky.
At the same time, Hyeok Ryeon-eung, who had been watching the bloodbath with his hands behind his back, widened his eyes.
“That’s…” Unable to evade, Bu Eunseol had suddenly executed a bizarre sword technique, cutting down both attackers like lightning.
“It’s the Unmatched Thunderbolt Form.”
“That boy really mastered the Unmatched Thunderbolt Form.”
As Baek Jeoncheon exclaimed in awe, Hyeok Ryeon-eung shook his head. “But his internal energy is lacking, and his sword foundation is weak.”
“True.” Bu Eunseol, having performed the Unmatched Thunderbolt Form, was vomiting blood, suffering severe internal injuries. “He may have somehow learned the sword technique, but he lacks the ability to wield it properly.” Hyeok Ryeon-eung scoffed.
“Forcing himself to use a sword technique that embodies the pinnacle of killing has caused fatal internal injuries.”
“Now the groups will finish him off with a single strike.” As Baek Jeoncheon predicted, three members of the group approached the injured Bu Eunseol.
They were boys who had mastered the Hwa Wu Sword, Blood Flame Saber, and Evil Spirit Spear.
“To die by three of the Ten Demonic Sects’ martial arts—he should have no regrets.” The three beams of light aimed at Bu Eunseol erupted like dazzling fireworks.
As the three supreme martial arts of the Ten Demonic Sects enveloped Bu Eunseol’s body—
Whiiiik!
A whistle-like sound, as if tearing the eardrums, rang out from the tip of Bu Eunseol’s sword. At the same time, his sword began to precisely target the critical points of the light created by the three weapons.
Clang! Tang! Ting!
Blocking all incoming attacks, Bu Eunseol’s black sword unleashed a fan-like barrier of light.
Paaaa.
Tens of thousands of light rays lightly grazed the bodies of the three attackers.
“…” There wasn’t even a groan. The three boys, standing dazed, collapsed like straw, their hearts pierced through.
“That’s…” Hyeok Ryeon-eung’s eyes widened as if they would tear.
Having fought countless battles, he recognized that Bu Eunseol’s move was practical martial arts.
‘That guy… was the real deal!’ Hyeok Ryeon-eung let out a silent shout of awe. He had thought Bu Eunseol was just a strange boy who survived by sheer luck without martial arts. But now, despite severe internal injuries, wasn’t he predicting the trajectories of the techniques unleashed by three martial prodigies?
‘And he used their momentum to unleash ferocious killing moves. Instinctively, without anyone teaching him!’
“What’s going on, Chief Instructor?” Baek Jeoncheon exclaimed, watching the scene.
“No matter how I think about it, the Hwa Wu Sword Sect doesn’t have a sword technique like that…”
“It’s practical swordsmanship.”
“What?” Clenching his fist, Hyeok Ryeon-eung spoke in a low voice. “In a fleeting moment, he predicted the variations of three techniques and created killing moves to counter them.”
Thump thump.
Hyeok Ryeon-eung’s heart pounded.
For years, he had searched tirelessly for a prodigy to inherit his practical martial arts. But finding someone with beast-like reflexes, murderous intent that could tear the heavens, and an unshakable resolve in any situation was as rare as finding someone born with the Extreme Yin Severed Meridians.
‘Was it because he was destined to become a Ten Demon Successor candidate that I couldn’t find him?’
Hyeok Ryeon-eung gave a bitter smile. The prodigy he had sought so desperately was right before his eyes. But Bu Eunseol was not his disciple—he was destined to become a Ten Demon Successor candidate.
“Bu Eunseol! Run, now!” Seo Jinha’s shout echoed.
Caught off guard by a sneak attack, Bu Eunseol had been pushed back to the feet of the killing spirits.
Swish.
The killing spirit, eyes glinting like a hawk spotting prey, slowly raised its hand.
‘No!’ Originally, only twelve candidates were to be spared. But without a moment’s thought, Hyeok Ryeon-eung unleashed a thunderous shout.
“Stoooooop!” Descending the stone mountain like lightning with the Thunder Spirit Flip movement technique, Hyeok Ryeon-eung shouted again.
“Enough!” Examining the collapsed Bu Eunseol with tiger-like eyes, he roared once more.
“Call the Mad Doctor!” Baek Jeoncheon, who had followed him down the mountain, asked in shock, “The Mad Doctor?”
“Hurry.” Staring at Bu Eunseol’s pale face, Hyeok Ryeon-eung let out a lion-like roar.
“Before this guy dies!”
***
Fourteen.
That was the number of candidates who survived Hell Island for the Ten Demon Successors. Originally, ten prodigies were to join the Ten Demonic Sects, with two additional candidates chosen to serve as the ears and eyes of the Shadow Pavilion Master. But due to Hyeok Ryeon-eung’s sudden intervention, the Third Trial ended with fourteen survivors.
“Chief Instructor, what are you thinking? After all the effort to create the Third Trial, why leave two extra?” Hwa Wi-myeong, an elder of the Demon Trials, spoke, and Hyeok Ryeon-eung, seated across the table, responded calmly.
“They are prodigies we absolutely must secure.”
“We already have more than enough exceptional prodigies. To break the rules of this critical tournament just to keep two more?”
Hyeok Ryeon-eung said firmly, “They are top-tier prodigies we must secure for the main sect.”
“Hm.” Hwa Wi-myeong let out a reluctant sigh and continued. “The envoys of the Ten Demonic Sects will arrive soon. I don’t know how they’ll react to the rules being overturned.” Baek Jeoncheon, standing beside Hyeok Ryeon-eung, narrowed his long, slit-like eyes.
“No need to worry about that.”
“Why not?”
“Because the killing spirits sent by the Ten Demonic Sects surely have keener eyes than the Chief Instructor.”
“Hm.” Hwa Wi-myeong let out a long sigh and shook his head slightly. “If even you say so, I’ll trust you for now. But…” He stared at Hyeok Ryeon-eung with a grave expression.
“You broke the rules set by the Ten Demonic Sects’ leadership. There will be consequences.”
Hyeok Ryeon-eung, as if he had anticipated this, said calmly, “I’m already prepared.”
***
Inside a bedroom within a pavilion at the heart of Hell Island.
Sunlight streamed through the open window, accompanied by the chirping of birds. Bu Eunseol, lying on a hard wooden bed, felt the warm sunlight and slowly opened his eyes.
“…If this were the martial world, I’d be dead.” It was the first time since mastering the Beast Way that he had fallen completely unconscious. Sitting up calmly to check his condition, he felt something odd. His limbs seemed slightly thinner.
‘Is it because all I ate for ten days was a piece of jerky?’ Standing and looking at his reflection in the bronze mirror opposite, he nodded. ‘As expected, a skilled physician must be stationed here.’ At the time, Bu Eunseol was exhausted and injured. Yet he had performed the Unmatched Thunderbolt Form, which caused severe internal damage.
Not only that, but in the face of death, he had a sudden epiphany and mimicked practical swordsmanship. As a result of unleashing advanced sword techniques he wasn’t ready for, his qi and blood were completely tangled, and he was dying from fatal internal injuries. But now, as if nothing had happened, his body brimmed with vitality, and his skin overflowed with elasticity.
‘I really didn’t think I’d survive.’ The Ten Demonic Sects were meant to select only ten.
Bu Eunseol had thought that if he didn’t make it into the top ten, he wouldn’t survive. Yet, including himself, fourteen had survived, and the Third Trial had ended. This was truly unexpected.
‘To select fourteen… could there be a Fourth Trial?’
Creak.
Stepping out of the room, Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened. A long corridor lined with doors and a staircase leading downward—it resembled the hallway of an inn filled with guest rooms.
‘Was there a place like this on Hell Island?’ Descending the stairs, he found himself inside a two-story inn.
Neatly dressed servants were carrying food or taking orders, and some tables were laden with luxurious dishes.
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