Swoosh.
Danba stepped forward, respectfully clasping his hands in a Buddhist salute.
The Vajra Monks of esoteric Buddhism pursue enlightenment through asceticism, and unlike Central Plains Buddhism, they do not prioritize compassion. As if to prove this, the monks of Potala Palace in the Western Regions are notorious for their ruthless and ferocious techniques.
However, the lamas of Kwangyang Temple are notably moderate, pursuing the Mahayana path.
Thus, Danba bowed courteously and said, "Then, this humble monk will reluctantly…"
Whoosh!
At that moment, a gale-like force surged toward his face, accompanied by a tidal wave of power.
So Okrim had unleashed a devastating punch without warning.
"Ugh." Unprepared for the sudden onslaught of such immense power, Danba failed to activate his Mahayana Law Existence Technique in time.
Thud!
With a sound like bursting leather, Danba was struck in the face and collapsed like a felled log.
Boom.
As Danba sprawled on the ground, the lamas hurriedly carried him into the temple. Watching the scene in a daze, Dagil spoke with a dumbfounded expression.
"Striking before the match even begins? What kind of rule is that?"
"He saluted, didn’t he? That’s the starting signal."
"What starting signal? That was a gesture of courtesy!" So Okrim averted her gaze at Dagil’s protest, pursing her lips like a duck.
"There’s no such thing in a real fight." Though she muttered softly, Dagil, with his profound internal energy, couldn’t miss it.
Fuming with anger, he restrained himself, knowing it wasn’t his place or status to argue with this young woman. Suppressing his rage, he shouted loudly.
"Danzeng! You step forward!"
This time, a tall, lanky Vajra Monk stepped forward.
He had mastered the Swallow’s Morning Escape Technique, akin to the Mud Loach Technique, allowing him to move with slippery agility.
Recognizing that So Okrim primarily used fist techniques, Dagil sent out Danzeng, who could effortlessly deflect any attack.
Swoosh.
Having seen Danba get struck while showing courtesy, Danzeng stepped forward impassively. But So Okrim, instead of looking at him, stared past him with a shocked expression.
"…!" Her face was filled with astonishment, her eyes trembling.
Puzzled, Danzeng instinctively turned to look behind him.
Whoosh!
At that moment, So Okrim’s punch surged toward Danzeng.
"Hmph, a cheap trick." So Okrim had used a childish ploy, like one kids might use in play.
Danzeng’s Swallow’s Morning Escape Technique allowed him to deflect external forces effortlessly in any situation.
Confident, he had turned to look behind.
Whoosh!
But this time, two streams of force came at him.
The first traced a wide arc, striking from behind.
As Danzeng’s body naturally moved to deflect it, another force slammed into his lower abdomen.
"Ugh." Like Danba, Danzeng let out a gasp.
This was the subtle technique of Hundred Flowers Suppression, sealing an opponent’s movements before landing a critical strike.
Thud!
Danzeng’s eyes rolled back as he collapsed to his knees, a thick groan escaping him.
"Ughhh." So Okrim’s punch carried a powerful spiraling force, causing excruciating pain as if his organs were twisting and tangling.
Rumble.
In the end, Danzeng was carried away by several lamas.
"Using such despicable tricks!" Dagil roared in fury. "Is this the way of Central Plains martial arts?"
"It’s his fault for turning his back on an enemy…"
"What?!" Hearing So Okrim’s mumbled retort, Dagil shouted in outrage. "You use petty tricks and still say such things?!"
So Okrim casually rubbed her nose and muttered again.
"Then don’t fall for such petty tricks."
Dagil’s face turned beet red. So Okrim had an uncanny knack for infuriating people.
To make a high monk, who had spent years cultivating his mind, practically steam with rage with a single remark.
"Fine!" His composure shattered, Dagil stepped forward, his frail frame trembling. "This time, this old monk will face you himself!"
His disciples urgently tried to dissuade him.
"No, Master!"
"Do not stop me." Unmoved, Dagil was even stopped by his junior brother, Dayuan, the head of the disciplinary hall.
"You absolutely must not!"
"It’s fine. This young lady only excels at trickery." Dagil stepped forward confidently. "My disciples are too pure to counter her, so I must take the field myself."
"Even so, it’s too dangerous! Your safety is the temple’s safety!"
"If she uses another trick and I lose? Above all, we must reclaim the Kwan-Yin statue, mustn’t we?"
"…Understood." At Dagil’s resolute words, Dayuan reluctantly stepped aside.
"For the final round, this old monk will test you. Show me your tricks to your heart’s content." As Dagil stepped forward, So Okrim smacked her lips with an awkward expression.
"Why not send another disciple? How could I strike an old man?"
"Though this old monk’s body is frail, I have the strength to avoid your tricks."
Dagil emphasized the word "tricks."
So Okrim’s eyebrow twitched.
"Not tricks, strategy. If I used my full strength, your monks would get hurt, wouldn’t they?"
"Hohoho. You resort to such strategies because your skills are shallow."
"Haa." So Okrim rubbed her fists and said. "What if something goes wrong? All the monks here will come at me, won’t they?"
Though smaller than Potala Palace, Kwangyang Temple housed at least three thousand lamas. If they attacked in earnest, even she wouldn’t escape unscathed.
"Hohoho, no need to worry." Dagil said confidently. "Even if this old monk is shattered, we will never hold you accountable."
"Really?"
"Of course."
"Hmm." So Okrim turned briefly, pondering, then nodded.
"Alright." Turning back, she raised her right hand toward the sky and lowered her left hand.
Hummm!
A fierce current of air swirled from her hands, and waves of energy began to spiral.
Roar!
The vortex formed a massive point of light, as if sucking in the air of the entire world.
That central point of light seemed to hold the power to annihilate the world, reducing the heavens and earth to nothingness.
"That… that’s…" Seeing the terrifying preparatory stance, Dagil’s eyes widened.
In that moment, he recalled the last words of Master Chohyo, a former head monk of Kwangyang Temple who was brutally defeated and killed by the Celestial Emperor four hundred years ago.
—"If you see a fist technique that divides the heavens and earth with both palms, creating a powerful current, flee immediately.
That is the Celestial Emperor’s Annihilation Fist, the Dual-Severed Galaxy Technique."
"The Celestial Emperor’s… Dual-Severed Galaxy Technique?"
Dagil had always wondered.
What kind of power warranted a name like "Dual-Severed Galaxy," splitting the galaxy in two?
And now, he finally understood.
Whoosh!
As the massive point of light surged, Dagil’s vision turned white.
And soon, the entire world seemed to bleach white.
***
Three figures hurriedly fled from Vivid Mountain, where Kwangyang Temple stood, toward Namugnim.
They were Bu Eunseol, Seo Jinha, and So Okrim.
In Bu Eunseol’s robes was a small, silver mirror.
It was none other than Kwangyang Temple’s treasure, the Great Wish Mirror. Kwangyang Temple, renowned for producing the Panchen Lama, the living Buddha of the Western Regions, had kept its promise after Dagil’s defeat.
—"This temple will never forget this humiliation!"
But recalling Dayuan’s anguished cry as he handed over the Great Wish Mirror, and the glaring eyes of the three thousand disciples, weighed heavily on their hearts.
Struck by So Okrim’s punch, Dagil survived thanks to his mastery of the Mahayana Law Existence Technique. But his clothes were reduced to dust, and he fainted, muttering deliriously from the shock to his head.
—"I’m dead! I’m dead!"
For the head monk of Kwangyang Temple to be reduced to babbling naked before his disciples with a single punch?
It was a disgrace the temple would never wash away for generations.
'She truly mastered the Celestial Emperor’s techniques.'
In his final moment, Dagil had shouted, "The Celestial Emperor’s Dual-Severed Galaxy Technique?"
This confirmed that So Okrim was indeed the Celestial Emperor’s descendant.
'And that fist technique…' Bu Eunseol glanced at So Okrim, running closely beside Seo Jinha.
Her fist techniques not only allowed her to freely manipulate force like the Seven Demon Fists but were three to four times more powerful.
'If I could obtain the lost final three forms, could I counter her?'
Bu Eunseol shook his head.
No fist technique he knew could match So Okrim’s.
To counter her, he’d need to use supreme techniques like the Wishful True Binding or the Thirteen Guiding Energies.
'She’s truly formidable.'
Among the rising stars Bu Eunseol had seen, the Heavenly Sword was the most skilled. But So Okrim’s martial prowess surpassed even the Heavenly Sword.
'Is she my rival?' Bu Eunseol could feel it.
Her martial arts were on par with his… and she had the potential to be his true rival.
The fated match the Divine Evaluator spoke of.
Perhaps it wasn’t a lover, but a destined rival?
Tap.
So Okrim, who had been running ahead, stopped her qinggong.
"This is Mount Golab." Bu Eunseol looked up at the towering mountain, its peak obscured.
They had finally reached Mount Golab, home of the Azure Cloud Sea Palace.
"I’ll take the lead now." Bu Eunseol immediately employed his qinggong.
Whoosh.
As they ascended, thick fog obscured their vision. The temperature plummeted, and snow was visible in patches.
How far had they climbed? A flat clearing appeared, revealing numerous branching paths.
"This is where we use it." At Seo Jinha’s words, Bu Eunseol stopped and took out the Great Wish Mirror.
Infusing it with internal energy—
Flash!
It emitted a brilliant light, dispersing the fog.
'This way.' Using his Mind’s Eye Technique, Bu Eunseol pinpointed a path with traces of human passage among the many forks.
After walking for a while, a small, white castle appeared. Perched on the high mountainside, the white castle resembled a majestic crane standing tall.
"This is the Azure Cloud Sea Palace."
Bu Eunseol took a deep breath. After a long journey, they had reached the destination to restore Seo Jinha’s energy.
'It was quite a journey.'
Had Bu Eunseol chosen an easier path, he could have asked the Hell's Blood Fortress Lord to restore Seo Jinha’s energy. After the Hell's Blood Fortress’s audit, Gong Yageuk had nominally pledged support to him.
But Bu Eunseol didn’t want Seo Jinha to practice poison techniques anymore. No matter how harmless they seemed, poison techniques were still poison techniques, fraught with obstacles unlike ordinary internal energy methods.
—"I can let it go without regret."
That was Bu Eunseol’s response to Gyo Junghak, the Medicine Hall Lord, who said restoring his energy would be difficult.
If the Hell's Blood Fortress’s poison techniques couldn’t be restored, Bu Eunseol wanted to impart a superior internal energy method. And he aimed to restore Seo Jinha’s energy without delay.
Creak.
As they stood before the gate, it opened naturally.
A small girl in snow-white robes stepped out.
She stared at the Great Wish Mirror in Bu Eunseol’s hand and nodded.
"Follow me." Her voice rang out without her lips moving.
Bu Eunseol nodded faintly.
'She’s opened her upper dantian.' For such a young girl to have opened her upper dantian, controlling her body’s functions freely…
As the Blood Vajra had said, the Azure Cloud Sea Palace was indeed the most exceptional outer sect for cultivating internal energy through the upper dantian.
"Places like this usually bar outsiders, don’t they? This is interesting." Even the reckless So Okrim looked surprised as she followed.
The beautiful Cloud Sea Palace, perched on the towering snowy mountain, evoked a palace from a fairy tale. It seemed not humans but ice-crafted spirits lived within.
Curiously, despite entering the palace’s heart, the cold was no different from outside. Inside the great hall, a high staircase led to two grand chairs, with a small door visible behind.
This must be where the palace lord received guests.
While Bu Eunseol and So Okrim stood unfazed, Seo Jinha, having lost his energy, shivered in the cold. As Bu Eunseol prepared to infuse him with energy—
"Pretty cold, huh? Hold my hand." So Okrim grabbed Seo Jinha’s wrist.
"No, I’m fine." Seo Jinha tried to pull away, but warm energy was already flowing into him.
'Such immense internal energy.' To send such powerful energy through his meridians so swiftly.
Seo Jinha now understood why Bu Eunseol called her strong.
'Hmm?' But So Okrim’s expression grew subtle as she infused energy. 'Holding his hand was supposed to give me a feeling.'
—"No way to distinguish your fated match besides appearance?"
To So Okrim’s question, the Divine Evaluator had replied:
—"You’ll know through physical contact."
So Okrim tilted her head. Despite holding Seo Jinha’s wrist, she felt nothing.
'Did he mean more intimate contact?'
As she entertained wild thoughts—
Creak.
The door behind the altar opened, and a young boy and girl emerged. With solemn expressions, they looked down at Bu Eunseol and the others before sitting on the grand chairs.
"It’s rare for guests to visit our palace." The girl spoke, her lips moving this time.
Both the boy and girl had strikingly clear features and jade-blue eyes. Their gazes were clear, but lacked the youthful recklessness typical of their age. Instead, they exuded the calm dignity of high-ranking figures.
'Reverse aging?'
Reaching the pinnacle of internal energy could lead to reverse aging. But that was an expression of mastery, not literally becoming a child.
"Seolso, a mercenary, greets the two of you." While Seo Jinha and So Okrim hesitated, Bu Eunseol stepped forward respectfully, clasping his hands.
"Are you the palace lords?" At his courteous question, the seated girl gave a small laugh.
"You’re truly free of prejudice." In a gentle voice, she continued. "No matter how much we sit here with dignity, no one ever thinks we’re the palace lords."
Flashing her white teeth in a slight smile, she added.
"I am Palace Lord Hwa Mi, and this is my husband, the Supreme Palace Lord A-Min."
There was no surname "A" in the world.
But Bu Eunseol clasped his hands again.
"I see. Seolso greets the Palace Lord and Supreme Palace Lord." Catching on, Seo Jinha followed suit, clasping his hands.
"Seo Jinha."
"So Okrim…" So Okrim answered reluctantly, still doubting they were the palace lords.
"Hmm." But Hwa Mi and Amin’s gazes fixed on Bu Eunseol.
His lack of surprise at their appearance and consistent courtesy seemed to earn their favor.
"Our palace avoids the secular world. How did you find us?" At Hwa Mi’s question, Bu Eunseol replied.
"I seek the teachings of the Ten Thousand Transformations Wheel."
"The Ten Thousand Transformations Wheel?" Hwa Mi’s expression turned incredulous.
To find an obscure sect and immediately ask for their core internal energy method?
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