Book 14 Chapter 9
The Divine Might of the Grand Heir
While An Myeong-hu, an inspector from the Seomseo branch, was clicking his tongue, with his rear end planted on the ashes, a man was walking along a secluded path on Cheonmu Peak.
A handsome face carved from ice, sharp, emotionless eyes of unfathomable depth, broad shoulders, and a confident stride brimming with youthful vigor. This man, overflowing with an extraordinary aura, was none other than the Grand Heir, Bi. The path he was walking alone was the same one that Bi Ryu-yeon and the other representatives of Cheonmu Academy had walked not long ago – the path leading to the three gates.
“Young man, what brings you to such a desolate and rugged place?”
An old man, his two crutches prominently visible, stopped Bi and asked. This was Bi Gong-da Woon, Jong Gye, the gatekeeper guarding the first gate.
“Of course, I have come to take the test.”
Grand Heir Bi replied in a dry voice, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
Jong Gye tilted his head at Bi's unwavering answer. He felt like a shop owner looking at a customer knocking on the front door after business hours. However, he did not heartlessly exclaim, ‘Business is over, go back immediately!’
“A test… where are you from?”
“Macheon Pavilion.”
Did he lose his way? Or did he fall behind on the way? It wouldn't be unreasonable to have such thoughts flash through his mind. However, Jong Gye, who had endured the winds and dust of the martial world for a considerable time, had a discerning eye.
The spirit emanating from him at first glance, and the controlled yet diligently concealed power. No matter how arduous the path to participate in the Hwasan branch was, this was not a person who would fall behind midway.
“I don't know what the situation is, but don't you know that people from both other places have already passed through the gate and ascended?”
“Of course, I know.”
An extremely compliant answer returned.
“And yet, you came here alone?!”
Jong Gye countered with a voice full of lingering doubt.
“Because I want something.”
“Want something?”
“There's only one reason to come here. Is there any other reason?”
“So, you mean…?”
Grand Heir Bi nodded, as if he had guessed it correctly.
“I want to take the test.”
“You want to take the test?”
Jong Gye asked, his eyes wide open.
“Yes!”
Grand Heir Bi replied in a quiet voice. Jong Gye immediately shook his head.
“Do you think that's possible? The disciples of Macheon Pavilion have already passed through here before. Although your affiliation is with Macheon Pavilion, we cannot acknowledge your participation in the Hwasan branch if you were not present with them.”
He believed that exceptions could not be made in such a place. Then Bi said,
“You misunderstood. I said I wanted to take the test, not participate in the Hwasan branch.”
Jong Gye glared at him, his eyes clearly flashing as if to say, ‘What kind of nonsensical talk is this?’
“Aren't they the same thing?”
The old man grumbled, saying that young people these days converse in overly complicated ways.
“They are completely different. I intend to take the test with legitimate qualifications.”
“Wh-what!”
“I am aware that the deadline for participants to enter is tomorrow. Isn't the original rule that anyone recommended by the academy can take the test within the designated period? I believe there is no need for accompaniment. The fact that people are gathering like this now seems to be a last resort due to the mysterious attacks that have occurred. It wasn't like this originally.”
Jong Gye stared at the man with surprised eyes.
“You know a lot.”
As someone entrusted with the important mission of being a gatekeeper, he was well aware of the rules. Indeed, the rules as they remained in writing were as he said.
“Do you know what your words mean? It means you have to pass all three gates by yourself. Those gates that even about fifty people barely managed to pass.”
Judging by the old man's words, the Macheon Pavilion delegation must have struggled greatly in front of these three gates. Of course, it was unlikely that he would have come to this place without knowing such basic information.
“From this year, the gates have changed. They are no longer trivial gates like before. Did you know about that fact?”
“I didn't know about that.”
Despite his answer, his tone showed no sign of agitation.
“They are called the Three Gates of Eradication of Calamity. You have to fight the shadows of the past left by the Heavenly Calamity God, who plunged the world into terror a hundred years ago.”
Then, Jong Gye told him the ancient hidden stories related to the Three Gates of Eradication of Calamity, just as he had told others. He quietly listened to the old man.
However, on the man’s handsome face, after hearing the entire story, there was an emotion far removed from fear or dread.
“I didn't know such a place still existed.”
“And yet, you intend to take this test alone, by yourself?”
“Since I'm alone, I have to do it alone.”
“Hoho. Just for that reason? Wouldn't it have been much more advantageous to come with others?”
“Everyone has their own circumstances. It doesn't matter which gate it is. Nothing can hold me back. Furthermore, after hearing that story just now, my desire to challenge it has only grown stronger.”
“Hoho, what an arrogant young man. However, I admit that you are an exceptional talent.”
“You are too kind.”
“Very well, as the examiner for the First Gate of Eradication of Calamity, I acknowledge your qualification to challenge the gate.”
However, even at this moment, Jong Gye had no idea that a solo breakthrough by an individual was possible.
His demeanor was overly polite and refined, unbecoming of his youthful age. Jong Gye had been unable to shake off a sense of unease that had been pricking at a corner of his mind for some time.
“Young man, this might be an old man’s excessive meddling, but may I offer you some advice?”
“Please do.”
“Young man! The blade you hold within your heart is mercilessly cold, and sharp enough to reject anyone's approach.”
“I don't like anyone approaching me.”
“Strange, strange!”
Jong Gye shook his head repeatedly, like a person burdened with a tangled ball of unanswered questions.
“What is strange?”
“It's your words that are strange.”
“Did I say something rude?”
Although there were no ups and downs in his intonation, his speech remained exceedingly polite. But the more polite he was, the more Jong Gye's face furrowed, as if he were lost in a labyrinth. The elder, who was vigorous even after surpassing a hundred years of age, raised his furrowed head and looked into Grand Heir Bi’s eyes.
“Your words, no matter how I think about it…”
Jong Gye hesitated for a moment, but the hesitation did not last long. Finally, he blurted out his inner thoughts.
“…are too polite!”
“Are you saying that makes you uncomfortable now?”
The old man shook his head.
“How could that be! Though I am an old man over a hundred years old, I am not that eccentric. However, even if it doesn't make me uncomfortable, there are still lingering points of doubt, like a fish bone stuck in my throat… a vague sense of unease.”
But his age was not for nothing. When one lives for a long time, to the point of becoming somewhat weary, a unique intuition develops from the accumulation of years. This intuition is highly accurate and should never be ignored.
“Is that strange? If I were impolite to the point of not knowing etiquette, perhaps. But polite words should not be problematic enough to arouse suspicion.”
Bi replied in a dry voice, still devoid of any emotional stain, without any sign of surprise. Then Jong Gye, with a serious and earnest expression, pointed out,
“That's exactly it! In your polite words, I sense the dignity of someone who has commanded countless people. What exactly are you?”
The old man's question was so sharp that it momentarily stirred the young man, who was enveloped in a seasoned coolness befitting his age. However, the disturbance, like ripples on a calm lake, was fleeting. Soon, the young man's mind became clear and pure again, like a mirror.
“I am merely one of the unremarkable and ordinary representatives of Macheon Pavilion.”
A reply that carried no credibility at all.
“You mean you don't want to say, right? Very well! This old man is merely a gatekeeper and does not have the right to inquire about your identity.”
Grand Heir Bi nodded briefly in acknowledgment of Jong Gye's words. It was as if he was saying, ‘Good judgment.’
“Then, shall we see your skills?”
Jong Gye said in a somewhat cheerful voice.
“The first gate, ‘Hall of Heavenly Calamity – Blood God’s Step,’ the method of passage is as I just said. Do you have the confidence to break through the shadows of this heavenly calamity alone?”
“Do you, Senior, need to answer questions like ‘Can you walk?’ or ‘Can you breathe?’?”
Confidence bordering on arrogance. But when he spoke, it didn't feel like conceit at all; rather, it felt extremely natural. However, Grand Heir Bi overlooked one fact.
“Of course! I will answer you definitively. I cannot walk with my legs.”
Jong Gye replied with a firm voice. He realized his mistake.
“I see! I made a mistake.”
Indeed. He had momentarily forgotten that Jong Gye's legs had been severed a hundred years ago and were still empty.
“But I will answer you this way instead. I cannot walk with my legs, but I can walk with my hands. Such is my situation, but I understand the meaning of your words well. Then, I wish you martial luck!”
At that moment, his figure moved. Grand Heir Bi decided to answer not with words, but with his body. A gust of wind like a storm blew and struck Jong Gye's body.
‘Th-this is impossible…’
Bi Gong-da Woon, Jong Gye, could not close his gaping mouth.
Had he developed presbyopia in his old age, having lived so long past a hundred? Frankly, he couldn't believe his eyes. This was not a level of skill a young man of his age could possess.
‘To leap that distance in a single bound without using birds as a foothold? Is this truly human capability?’
The First Gate, the Hall of Heavenly Calamity, was defeated with absurd ease by the steps of a single man. The goosebumps and prickling of cold dread that had risen like a phoenix when he cleaved the cliff were still lingering, not yet fully subsided.
To bounce his body three times in mid-air. It was the highest level of Qinggong, worthy of being called 'stepping on thin air.'
But he was not the only one who was stunned to the point of his eyes bulging.
‘Th-this is impossible…’
Yong Gyeong, the Sword Emperor guarding the Second Gate of Eradication of Calamity, was also staring with eyes as wide as saucers. What he was witnessing was a dense web of sword marks left by the unexpected visitor. They were incredibly deep and clear, and each trace contained a sharp energy.
‘A terrifying sword technique!’
It was extremely rare for him, who had pondered the Way of the Sword for over a hundred years, to admire another's sword technique. However, this time, he could not help but acknowledge the exception.
The sword intent that cut through obsidian, as hard as diamond, like tofu. No, it wasn't just sword intent. It was surely the essence of the sword itself.
Like a silkworm spinning silk, a sword essence extending in countless branches like unwound thread… Even for him, who had been called the Sword Emperor and pondered the Way of the Sword for a hundred years, it was a terrifying realm that sent shivers down his spine.
‘Could he possibly break through all three gates alone?’
If so, it would be an unprecedented event. And that 'possibly' became a reality.
‘Th-this is impossible…’
The last bastion guarding the Third Gate of Eradication of Calamity, Seop Un-myeong, the Sword Obsessed, was no exception. But even this man, famously stoic like a living corpse, was astonished with his eyes wide open like saucers, so the previous two would not feel too wronged.
‘A deadly sword….’
Sword Obsessed Seop Un-myeong looked with trembling eyes at the withered wild flower resting on his palm. It was a flower that showed no trace of life, having been detached from its roots and stem, which supplied nutrients from the earth, for at least three days. However, it was an unnamed flower that had been cleanly cut from its stem by a single sword strike that the man had wielded a moment ago to prove his skills.
Cutting a flower cleanly from its stem was something any swordsman could do with a little training. However, very few could cause the cut flower to instantly lose its life and wither.
The man's sword possessed an extreme killing intent that overwhelmed the life of nature.
‘A Asura’s sword….’
He could not forget the chilling killing intent that had stimulated his nerves the moment the sword was swung. It was fitting to call it the shadow of death.
And the killing intent contained in that single sword strike had a fearsome power enough to unconsciously make Seop Un-myeong, a master of the sword, retreat outside the swordsman's range. Seop Un-myeong, startled by the killing intent, instinctively moved out of the man's reach.
It was shameful for him, a senior in swordsmanship. But the killing intent imbued in that sword energy was so formidable that he didn't even have time to feel ashamed.
“He was the person with the strongest presence I have ever seen.”
The cold sweat clinging to his tightly clenched fist had not yet dried.
“Is it truly possible to achieve such transcendent mastery at such a young age?”
The Sword Obsessed stared intently in the direction the man had disappeared, his eyes blank.
The three men, having witnessed with their own eyes the solitary and profound abilities of Grand Heir Bi who had broken through the Three Gates of Eradication of Calamity, simultaneously harbored the same thought.
‘Unless there is a world-shattering anomaly in this Hwasan branch, it will be difficult to stop his progress!’
All three had already firmly decided that he was the winner.