"Grandfather… was the second-in-command of Majeon," he said.
Bu Eunseol’s body trembled slightly. He had long suspected that Bu Zhanyang was no ordinary mortician. But to think he was the second-in-command of the Demon Sect, which rules the demonic martial world.
“No, that can’t be true." It had been over thirty years since Bu Zhanyang worked as a mortician under the Pyeongan banner.
No matter what unspeakable past he might have had, there was no way someone who managed the demonic world would be washing the corpses of the dead as a mortician.
"Hmm." Blood Vajra was equally confused.
‘Was the Seven-Finger Demon a master of Shaolin? That’s impossible.’ There was no way the Seven-Finger Demon, said to rival Majeon's Sect Leader, would have mastered Shaolin’s Muscle-Changing Sutra. Yet, Blood Vajra was certain that what Bu Eunseol had learned was the breathing technique of the Muscle-Changing Cleansing Sutra. He had read the original text of the Muscle-Changing Cleansing Sutra, known as the foremost orthodox martial technique.
"I don’t know whether to teach you or bring someone else."
"I don’t understand what you mean," Bu Eunseol replied.
Blood Vajra looked at him intently and said, "The breathing technique you’ve been practicing is actually a secret of the Shaolin School." Bu Eunseol’s face turned ashen at the shocking revelation.
"Does that mean Grandfather was originally an orthodox martial artist?" If Bu Zhanyang was an orthodox master and this fact were revealed to Majeon, Bu Eunseol would not only lose his chance to become one of the Ten Demon Successors but might also lose his life.
"Are you doubting me?" he asked.
"I’m not," Blood Vajra replied, surprisingly nonchalant. "The Demon Sect has already thoroughly investigated the backgrounds of the candidates for the Ten Demon Sect Elites. If there were any doubts about your origins, you would never have been chosen."
"But… isn’t that because the Demon Sect didn’t know about the breathing technique I’ve learned?" Bu Eunseol pointed out sharply.
Blood Vajra gave a subtle smile. "Exactly. If they knew you had mastered an orthodox cultivation technique, they would investigate again."
Bu Eunseol fell silent. Whether he could become an disciple of Nangyang Pavilion or face Majeon’s scrutiny now rested entirely in Blood Vajra’s hands.
"This monk…" After a long silence, Blood Vajra spoke. "Whether you’ve mastered orthodox or demonic inner energy, I don’t care."
"Why… is that?" Bu Eunseol asked.
"Why, you ask?" Blood Vajra let out a low chuckle, gazing at the distant sky as he spoke in a soft voice. "Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that question."
A fleeting shadow of unresolved longing passed through Blood Vajra’s eyes. It was clear he was recalling a distant past, not the present. As if to prove that every martial artist who lives with a blade bears their own story.
"Thank you," Bu Eunseol said, bowing his head.
Blood Vajra shook his head. "No need to thank me. If I teach you the Ban-Geuk Technique, I can leave this place as well."
"Leave… you say?" Bu Eunseol asked.
"Yes. That was the original deal with the Nangyang Pavilion," Blood Vajra replied.
Hearing this, Bu Eunseol realized how Blood Vajra, whose dantian had been destroyed, had regained his inner energy and reappeared in the martial world. And why he was staying at the peak of Iron Staff Mountain, where the Nangyang Pavilion was located.
‘He must owe a debt to the Nangyang Pavilion,’ he thought. The Nangyang Pavilion must have helped Blood Vajra, whose dantian was destroyed, in exchange for his inner energy technique.Otherwise, there was no way a martial artist would teach a secret inner energy technique—meant only for direct disciples—to a complete stranger.
"Hmph," Blood Vajra said, as if seeing through Bu Eunseol’s thoughts, his voice turning menacing. "If you expose the technique I teach you to anyone from the Nangyang Pavilion or anyone else…" He paused, his eyes glinting as if hundreds of blades were pouring out.
"No, if you reveal even a single word of the technique, I will kill not only you but everyone connected to you." An ordinary martial artist might have sworn an oath with a solemn expression.
But Bu Eunseol simply bowed deeply. His gesture carried more weight than a hundred solemn oaths.
"…" A deathly silence fell over the iron staff.
"Good. Then let’s not waste time and begin," Blood Vajra said, breaking the long silence. "The technique I will teach you is called the Ban-Geuk Technique. This technique is an inner energy method that transitions from the orthodox to the demonic…"
He paused, frowning. "Do you know the difference between orthodox and demonic inner energy techniques?"
"I don’t," Bu Eunseol replied.
Inner energy techniques are the most profound aspect of martial arts. Bu Eunseol, who had only learned the basics of swordsmanship, wouldn’t know. Blood Vajra began explaining, as if it couldn’t be helped.
"Orthodox inner energy techniques build strength through breathing methods and accumulate it in the dantian. It’s like the sun rising in the morning and the moon at night—natural to the human body and a righteous path."
"Natural…" Bu Eunseol murmured.
"Exactly," Blood Vajra continued, pausing briefly before asking, "Can you guess what demonic techniques are like?" After a moment of thought, Bu Eunseol replied, "As long as it builds energy, any method is used, right?"
"Precisely," Blood Vajra nodded. "Demonic inner energy techniques use any means to build energy quickly. That’s why most of them involve methods to accumulate vast amounts of energy from the start."
His eyes narrowed as he continued.
"But such methods go against the body and nature, a path of reversal. Do you understand the difference?"
When Bu Eunseol shook his head, Blood Vajra explained, "After ten years of training, there’s little difference between orthodox and demonic techniques. But after twenty years, the purity of energy creates a gap, and after thirty years, the difference in inner energy levels becomes incomparable." Bu Eunseol took a deep breath.
"So, to properly master martial arts, one must learn orthodox inner energy techniques," he said.
"Not at all," Blood Vajra replied, his eyes gleaming with pride.
"The Ban-Geuk Technique I will teach you is the most mysterious and exceptional among all inner energy techniques in the world. It completely transcends the limitations of demonic martial arts." Despite its remarkable capabilities, Bu Eunseol didn’t seem pleased.
The more Blood Vajra praised the Ban-Geuk Technique, the darker his expression grew.
‘Anything exceptional comes with a price,’ he thought. As expected, Blood Vajra’s expression darkened as he continued.
"However, the Ban-Geuk Technique is extremely difficult to master. You must create a body capable of harmonizing with the flow of energy and blood under any circumstances." He extended his left hand, which had no fingers left.
"The process was so agonizing that I opened my mouth and chewed off my own fingers." For a master like Blood Vajra to chew off his own fingers.
The pain must have been not only excruciating but also prolonged.
"The Ban-Geuk Technique is divided into eight stages. I reached only the fifth stage, yet I gained the greatest inner energy in the world," Blood Vajra said, his expression bitter despite claiming to be the best.
"But martial arts cannot be mastered by inner energy alone. It’s merely a tool."
"I’ll do my best," Bu Eunseol said.
"It’s too early to say that. I haven’t decided to teach you the technique yet," Blood Vajra said unexpectedly.
What had all this talk been about then?
"The Ban-Geuk Technique isn’t something you can learn just because it’s taught," he said, his eyes glowing with a profound light as he looked at Bu Eunseol. "If you can’t master it, I won’t have fulfilled my promise to teach it… and I won’t be able to leave."
Looking at the distant sky, he said in a low voice, "Dan Cheong promised to send me someone capable of mastering the Ban-Geuk Technique. Ten years have passed since then."
Ten years. Blood Vajra had waited ten years to find someone capable of inheriting the Ban-Geuk Technique.
"I will definitely master the Ban-Geuk Technique," Bu Eunseol declared.
Blood Vajra nodded. "To do that, you must first pass a test to see if you’re capable of learning it."
"A test?" he asked.
"From now on, I will use Ban-Geuk energy to open your blood vessels. To master the Ban-Geuk Technique, there must not be the slightest impurity in your energy and blood."
‘Is the test just about clearing the impurities in my body?’ Bu Eunseol thought.
"Opening blood vessels by injecting energy must be done slowly over time. Even the strongest can only open one blood vessel per day," Blood Vajra explained.
When Bu Eunseol looked puzzled, he bared his fangs and grinned.
"I will now open all 365 of your blood vessels at once. I guarantee the pain will be unbearable without biting off a finger or two." Staring into Bu Eunseol’s eyes, Blood Vajra said, "I warn you, if you’re not confident, you’d better give up."
He revealed his fingerless left hand with a smile.
"Without fingers, no matter how great the inner energy, you won’t be able to master the Nangyang Pavilion’s martial arts."
"I’ll do it," Bu Eunseol replied without hesitation.
Blood Vajra nodded. "Good. Don’t regret it!"
With a shout, hundreds of beams of light shot from his right hand. The ultimate technique of Tianlong Temple, the Beginningless and Endless Finger, was unleashed.
Swish!
The gales Blood Vajra released poured onto Bu Eunseol’s body like a burst of brilliant flames.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Bu Eunseol’s pupils dilated as the winds struck him.
Rip!
His muscles swelled, pushing against his worn-out robes. At the same time, sweat poured down his face like rain. 'Here it begins,’ Blood Vajra thought, narrowing his eyes.
Opening blood vessels to remove impurities is akin to torture. When energy is used to open blood vessels, it feels like bones are being forcibly pulled out and scraped with a knife. Even infamous martial world torture techniques like the Hell Yin Torture or the Blue Death Hand Torture involve forcibly injecting energy into blood vessels.
‘He’ll soon be screaming,’ Blood Vajra thought confidently. Having opened his blood vessels so quickly, Bu Eunseol would feel as if his veins were burning.
"Hmm." But Bu Eunseol only let out a short groan.
And with a very calm, almost indifferent expression.
"Huh?" Blood Vajra’s eyes flickered with surprise. He had expected him to writhe in agony, but he only let out a brief groan.
"Perhaps I haven’t fully cleared the impurities in his blood vessels," he thought, shaking his head. But Bu Eunseol’s body was already drenched in thick sweat, a sign that the injected energy was working, forcibly expelling impurities.
"Hmm." Bu Eunseol let out another groan.
This time, it was with a satisfied tone, as if he were relaxing at a comfortable retreat, receiving a massage. ‘Is this what opening blood vessels feels like?’ Bu Eunseol thought, quietly closing his eyes.
The energy flowing through his body felt like a mother’s gentle touch, softly caressing his blood vessels. At times, a fierce energy seemed to tear through his veins, but soon, a warm heat rising from his dantian alleviated the pain.
"Hmm." Warmth continuously rose from his dantian, enveloping his body, and with every drop of sweat, it felt as if the impurities were being washed away.
"What?" Blood Vajra’s eyes widened as he looked at the sweat dripping from Bu Eunseol.
His expression was like that of a fake shaman who, while writing talismans, suddenly saw a real ghost. ‘Was there no impurity in his blood vessels to begin with?!’ The sweat that pours out after opening blood vessels is usually dark and emits a foul odor.
But Bu Eunseol’s sweat was merely dark, with no smell at all. It was as if his energy and blood were as pure as a newborn baby’s.
"Hahaha!" Having understood everything, Blood Vajra burst into laughter.
The Ban-Geuk Technique, a deadly inner energy secret that no one could master due to its excruciating pain. Yet, sitting before him was someone who could perfect this technique.
"Hahahaha!" Blood Vajra roared with laughter. "Your name is Bu Eunseol, right?"
His eyes, gazing at Bu Eunseol, burned with a heat that could melt steel.
"From today, I will teach you the Ban-Geuk Technique."
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