Chapter 111

Chapter 111: A Suspicious Arrangement

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...

[The ‘Flow’ that can be reproduced at the Awakened's current realm has been completed.]

[The remaining ‘Flow’ will reveal itself naturally once the Awakened reaches a higher realm.]

The reproduction of the second Flow had been completed perfectly within the unconscious realm.

Feeling myself return to reality...

I opened my eyes.

“Hooo....”

The moment I exhaled...

I knew.

Another tremendous change had taken place within me.

My dantian was calmer than ever...

yet the internal energy flowing through my body had never moved so smoothly.

I didn't need to forcibly draw it out.

It circulated on its own.

Empty places had been filled.

Blocked places had opened.

Pure, gentle internal energy flowed through me as naturally as water.

“...I've reached a higher level.”

I lifted the sword in my hand.

It felt light.

Almost as though I were holding a feather instead of a sword.

Swish...

I stepped forward and slowly began performing the Flowing Flower Kunlun Sword.

Whoooosh...

The graceful blade, reflecting the pale light of dawn, began drawing its own path through the air.

The sword path of the Flowing Flower Kunlun Sword continued before me.

There was softness in it.

And harmony.

It wasn't a path created by forcing the sword forward.

Rather...

it felt as though the sword path had already existed...

and my blade was simply settling naturally upon it.

My arm, waist, and feet moved together as one.

Before one movement even ended...

the next had already begun preparing itself.

At that moment, I realized it.

The energy of the second Flow I'd reproduced in the unconscious realm...

had faintly seeped into the tip of my sword.

“...Good.”

My chest stirred slightly as I confirmed how much more complete my martial arts had become.

I let even that excitement flow into the blade...

and continued performing the Flowing Flower Kunlun Sword.

As I felt my sword path connect smoothly without the slightest hesitation...

I imagined something.

Someday.

The realm of the Formless Sword that True Immortal Cheongun had reached.

The day my own sword path would touch that supreme realm.

And somehow...

I had a feeling that day would come sooner than I thought.

The next day.

The first thought that came to mind when I sat up from the bed was—

Strange.

I'd practiced with my sword until late at night.

I hadn't slept much either.

And yet...

my body felt light.

I didn't feel tired in the slightest.

If anything...

my whole body felt refreshed.

I instinctively knew why.

The second Flow had finally become truly mine.

I straightened my clothes and stepped outside.

Hyeongwon and Myeongjeon were already waiting in the guest residence courtyard.

Both were ready to head to the Martial Training Institute.

“Martial Uncle, you're out early today.”

Myeongjeon greeted me brightly.

Hyeongwon silently looked me over.

The suspicion he'd carried since yesterday was still visible in his eyes.

It wasn't particularly serious, though.

He was probably just curious and jealous about whatever Jin Gwangung and I had discussed privately.

We headed straight toward the Martial Training Institute.

We wanted to arrive as early as possible and shorten the time needed to finish the True Five-Step Sword Art.

We had taken the same route yesterday, so the path was already familiar.

But as we walked quickly...

we noticed strange scenes that hadn't been there before.

Groups of Taoists were gathered all along the road.

They whispered among themselves, their expressions unsettled.

“...What exactly happened...?”

“...I heard all the Hall Masters were summoned.”

“...They said outsiders aren't allowed in today....”

Fragments of conversation drifted toward us on the wind.

It bothered me...

but I kept walking.

Hyeongwon and Myeongjeon followed without saying anything either.

Soon...

we arrived at the Martial Training Institute.

The atmosphere there was even stranger.

The Mount Hua Taoists who should have been busy preparing the martial arts manual...

all seemed distracted today.

Even Jinwon, who normally kept a calm expression...

looked uneasy.

But the strangest thing of all was—

Why isn't Cheongbaek here?

The man who was almost frighteningly devoted to completing the True Five-Step Sword Art...

was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is Head Cheongbaek?”

At my question...

the Mount Hua Taoists hesitated and failed to answer.

Then Jinwon stepped forward.

“The Sect Leader urgently summoned him.”

I frowned.

“The Sect Leader?”

“Yes.”

Jinwon nodded.

“Not only Head Cheongbaek.”

“Taoist Wonho and every Hall Master in the sect were summoned as well.”

A bad feeling suddenly rose in my chest.

“Do you know why?”

Jinwon lowered his voice.

“I don't know the details...”

He hesitated.

“but I heard it has something to do with the Seclusion Cave.”

The Seclusion Cave?!

The instant those words reached my ears...

my heart dropped.

I couldn't stay still any longer.

I immediately turned toward the others.

“Something urgent came up.”

“I don't think I'll be able to participate in the Martial Training Institute work today.”

Jinwon blinked.

“What?”

Myeongjeon's eyes widened.

“Martial Uncle Mujin?”

Hyeongwon stepped forward.

“Mujin.”

He frowned.

“What are you up to this time?”

I ignored him and immediately turned around.

Tap!

I kicked off the ground and activated Void Night Shadow Step.

I felt Hyeongwon and Myeongjeon trying to follow.

But it was already too late.

I opened up the distance in an instant.

Hyeongwon's shocked curse rang out behind me.

“W-What the hell... why is he so damn fast?!”

Leaving his voice behind...

I ran forward at full speed.

I followed the route Elder Hyeoneom and I had taken to the Seclusion Cave the day before.

Simply recalling it was enough for my feet to find the right direction.

Before long...

the Seclusion Cave appeared in the distance.

Figures stood around it.

Mount Hua Taoists.

As expected.

They're all gathered here.

Then a thought suddenly occurred to me.

Wait... was the Seclusion Cave always this close?

Yesterday, reaching it had taken quite a while.

But this time...

I'd arrived incredibly quickly.

It felt as though I hadn't even used half the time.

Did my movement technique get faster?

And that wasn't all.

Even though I'd used my movement technique at full power...

my body remained completely calm.

My breathing hadn't become disordered in the slightest.

As I marveled at the difference...

my feet reached the ground near the Seclusion Cave.

The first thing I saw upon arriving...

was a dense crowd of Mount Hua Taoists gathered around the entrance.

I pushed past them and made my way toward the front.

And when I finally broke through the crowd...

the sight before me was—

How could this happen...?

The place where the entrance to the Seclusion Cave had been.

It had completely collapsed into a pile of stone.

"..."

My mind went blank.

The Seclusion Cave wasn't simply a cave.

It was the place where Immortal Yeonha had left her final message.

A place where one of Mount Hua's deepest secrets had slept.

And now...

it had collapsed.

Without realizing it...

I took a step toward the entrance.

Then—

“Stop!”

Several Mount Hua Taoists moved immediately.

They surrounded me in an instant.

“Taoist Mujin.”

A low, firm voice.

“How did you get here?”

The Taoist standing in my way glared sharply.

“Go back.”

“This is not a place outsiders are allowed to approach.”

Their vigilance was clearly heightened.

An outsider had appeared at one of Mount Hua's secret locations, after all.

Then—

“What did you just say?”

A rough voice scraped across the mountain air.

“Who the hell are you to say Mujin can't come here?!”

Elder Hyeoneom.

The expressions of the surrounding Taoists stiffened the moment he appeared.

“E-Elder Hyeoneom.”

One of them bowed hurriedly.

“As you know, only direct disciples of Mount Hua are allowed to approach the Seclusion Cave.”

Another quickly added,

“And because of what happened today... the Sect Leader ordered us to block all outsiders from entering.”

Hyeoneom snorted.

“Outsider?”

He waved dismissively.

“That's not a problem.”

The Taoists looked confused.

“Not a problem?”

“What do you mean...?”

Before Hyeoneom could answer—

“Enough.”

A clear voice flowed through the crowd.

The nearby Taoists immediately bowed.

Sect Leader Wonmyeong.

He glanced at me once...

then looked around.

“I already granted Taoist Mujin separate permission to enter.”

Murmurs briefly spread among the Taoists.

Wonmyeong raised a hand and silenced them.

“I have something to discuss privately with Taoist Mujin.”

“Everyone else, withdraw.”

Only then did the Taoists step back.

Even so...

their gazes toward me remained unfriendly.

Soon...

only Sect Leader Wonmyeong, Elder Hyeoneom, and I remained.

Hyeoneom grumbled,

“Sect Leader.”

“Why bother explaining permissions and all that nonsense?”

He clicked his tongue.

“Just announce that Mujin is my junior brother and—”

Wonmyeong answered with an awkward expression.

“Given the current circumstances...”

“let's discuss that matter another time, Elder Hyeoneom.”

“Tch....”

Hyeoneom snorted unhappily.

Wonmyeong approached me and spoke quietly.

“I haven't told the rest of the sect yet that you and Elder Hyeoneom have become senior and junior brothers.”

I nodded.

I understood.

If it suddenly became known that I was Hyeoneom's junior brother...

all sorts of complications could arise.

Not merely because of seniority.

The story of True Immortal Cheongun, Immortal Yeonha...

and the two versions of the Flowing Flower Kunlun Sword might come out as well.

“You don't need to worry about it.”

Wonmyeong smiled faintly.

“Thank you for understanding.”

He sighed and looked toward the collapsed entrance.

“Taoist Mujin.”

“I can guess why you came rushing here, but....”

I steadied my breathing.

“What happened?”

“Why did the entrance to the Seclusion Cave collapse?”

Hyeoneom answered before Wonmyeong could.

“After meeting the Sect Leader with you yesterday...”

“it was already late, so I decided to sleep at the Sect Leader's Pavilion.”

His gaze moved toward the rubble.

“When I returned to the Seclusion Cave at dawn today...”

“I found the entrance collapsed exactly like this.”

He looked toward Wonmyeong.

“So I informed the Sect Leader immediately.”

Wonmyeong continued.

“Nothing like this has ever happened since the Seclusion Cave was established.”

“We sealed off the area and began investigating in case something suspicious had occurred.”

I asked,

“Did you determine why the entrance collapsed?”

“Could someone from outside have broken in?”

Wonmyeong sighed.

“That's the strange part....”

He looked toward the rubble again.

“It doesn't appear to have been caused by an outsider.”

I frowned.

He continued,

“Based on everything we've investigated so far...”

“it seems to have occurred naturally.”

I blinked.

“Naturally?”

Wonmyeong nodded.

“Yes.”

“We found no suspicious traces outside the cave.”

“The collapse appears to have started from within.”

Then he hesitated.

“Most likely...”

“it was caused by an earthquake.”

An earthquake?

That makes no sense.

I couldn't accept that explanation easily.

If an earthquake had been strong enough to collapse a cave as massive as the Seclusion Cave...

the tremors should have reached Mount Hua itself.

But between yesterday and today...

I hadn't felt even the slightest sign of an earthquake.

This is too strange.

And the timing was even more suspicious.

Why did it have to happen right after I discovered Immortal Yeonha's final message?

Then Hyeoneom spoke.

“Why are you making such a grim face?”

He tapped his staff against the ground.

“Don't overthink it.”

“It's just an old cave that hadn't been properly used for hundreds of years collapsing.”

Wonmyeong sighed.

“Elder Hyeoneom...”

“It still contains part of our sect's history.”

Hyeoneom snorted.

“History, my ass.”

He tapped his staff against the ground once.

Then his expression shifted slightly.

“Besides...”

“perhaps the collapse itself was something Immortal Yeonha arranged in advance.”

Wonmyeong frowned.

“Arranged?”

Hyeoneom glanced at me.

Then looked back toward the Sect Leader.

“Didn't Immortal Yeonha intend to leave her final message only to someone who possessed the proper qualifications?”

He continued,

“And now that the qualified one...”

His eyes moved toward me again.

“Junior Brother Mujin...”

“has inherited it...”

He pointed the end of his staff toward the collapsed entrance.

“what else would be left to do?”

His voice lowered.

“Hide it again.”

“That's all this old man can think of.”

Wonmyeong stroked his chin.

“Hmm....”

Hyeoneom continued,

“Sect Leader, think carefully.”

“Perhaps Immortal Yeonha never intended for her final message to become public in the first place.”

"..."

Listening to the two of them...

I stared at the collapsed entrance to the Seclusion Cave.

Only questions remained in my mind.

Was it truly an earthquake?

Or had Immortal Yeonha arranged this in advance?

I still couldn't find the answer.

But one thing was certain.

I would have to discover why this door had closed.

Whoooosh...

The mountain wind brushing across my face felt colder than usual.