As a dilapidated hut came into view, Bu Eunseol halted his sprint. Upon arriving near the Nangyang martial hall, the shadows that had persistently tailed him had already vanished.
“Wasn’t he a trainee of the Hwa Wu Sword Sect?” The fact that he had mastered the Beast Way of Nangyang was known only to the trainees gathered at the intermediate hall of the Hwa Wu Sword Sect.
When he suddenly rushed toward the Nangyang martial hall, the pursuers felt something unsettling and immediately abandoned their chase.
‘As expected, he’s not here.’ The hut was empty, and the spot where Sa Woo had buried himself in the ground had been flattened again. Judging by its condition, it seemed he had left this place long ago.
“I need to recover my stamina first.” Having relentlessly trained and explored the island without a single day’s rest, his stamina and mind were slightly exhausted.
Bu Eunseol gazed intently at the area where Sa Woo had buried himself.
“What’s this?” As he brushed away the surface dirt with his hand, he saw a cloth covered in soil.
Rustle.
Lifting the cloth revealed a space wide enough for a person to lie down comfortably. Sa Woo, who knew the Earth Escape Technique, had created an empty space underground, covered it with cloth, and made a hiding place.
“Could it be… for me?” Bu Eunseol’s eyes wavered like ripples on water.
On Hell Island, Bu Eunseol was the only one who had come to learn the martial arts of Nangyang. Could someone who found even teaching martial arts bothersome have shown such consideration?
Swish.
As he entered the underground space, a deep, vast area, like a grave before a coffin is buried, was revealed.
“Mmm.” Lying on the ground, he felt an unprecedented warmth and comfort.
“…!” Bu Eunseol, who had been relaxing with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them wide.
‘My senses…’ Upon entering the ground, the senses of the Beast Way expanded. The sound of stomping on the earth, the sound of heavy footsteps performing sword techniques… Through vibrations, it was as if he could vividly see the surrounding situation with his eyes.
‘It wasn’t just a hiding place. He was teaching me an application of the Beast Way.’ The Beast Way, a mysterious art that could even sense the flow of air, was a realm of heightened perception. This profound technique could expand that sensory realm by using the earth as a medium.
Clang.
At that moment, he felt a vibration as if the ground was shaking. Someone dozens of jang (about 100 meters) away had struck a large boulder with something.
Bu Eunseol’s heart raced. The vibrations and waves caused by impacting something also expanded the realm of heightened perception.
“I see.” Realizing this, Bu Eunseol felt as if his vision brightened.
The Beast Way could extend senses not only through the earth but through all surrounding objects.
Hum. Thud.
The vibrations continued in the meantime. Through the vibrations transmitted through the ground, Bu Eunseol could clearly perceive the situation within thirty jang (about 90 meters) around him. As his mastery of the Beast Way deepened, that range would expand further.
“But…” As Bu Eunseol continued to sense the vibrations coming from underground, his eyes grew dim.
Continuously perceiving the situation through the incoming vibrations rapidly drained his stamina, and fatigue rolled in like clouds.
“The drawback is clear.” Expanding the sensory realm through vibrations and waves consumed stamina and mental strength rapidly.
“Hmm.” Bu Eunseol, gradually shutting off his heightened senses, closed his eyes. He didn’t know when he’d get another chance to rest once he left this place.
How much time had passed?
Rustle.
Bu Eunseol opened his eyes and slowly emerged from the ground.
“Phew.” Standing tall and gazing at the distant sky, his eyes gleamed with resolve.
Having rested comfortably deep underground, he had fully recovered his stamina and mental strength.
“I thought it was only a resting place for the dead… but the underground has become the safest and most comfortable place for me too.” Bu Eunseol, who had mastered the Beast Way.
For him, the deep underground was not only a place to expand his senses but also a place to quickly recover his weary body and mind.
Flutter.
At that moment, he heard something flapping in the wind.
‘The sound of someone performing top-tier qinggong skills.’ Bu Eunseol’s eyes flashed as he gripped the hilt of his iron sword.
‘A perfect chance to gauge the skills of the participants in the Third Trial.’ Judging by the sound and presence, there was only one enemy. Moreover, this was the Nangyang martial hall, a place familiar to Bu Eunseol. It was an ideal location for a fight.
‘Hmm.’ Bu Eunseol narrowed his eyes. The shadow rushing toward him, stirring a fierce wind, was a strikingly handsome boy whose features were clear even from a distance.
“Ahh!” The boy, who had been rushing forward with qinggong skills, spotted Bu Eunseol. Instead of drawing a weapon, he showed a look of relief. “Please save me!”
Trickle.
The boy’s thigh seemed to have been slashed, as blood flowed from the torn martial robe. As Bu Eunseol stood silently with an indifferent gaze, the boy pointed behind him and shouted urgently.
“There’s a group of people trying to kill me!” In that instant, Bu Eunseol’s eyes glinted.
It was clear that the boy was being pursued by a group.
‘A one-against-many fight.’ Bu Eunseol, deep in thought, shook his head. At this moment, he knew neither the skills of the participants nor the extent of his own martial prowess.
It was too early to engage in a chaotic battle.
‘This has nothing to do with me.’ Bu Eunseol turned in the opposite direction. He had no intention of killing an injured person, but he also didn’t want to get entangled in a situation where others were being chased.
“Wait!” Suddenly, the boy grabbed his sleeve. “Take me with you!” The boy’s sweat-soaked eyes were filled with desperation.
With disheveled hair clinging to his face, he looked so pure and beautiful that he could be mistaken for a woman. Was it that captivating appearance?
Bu Eunseol suddenly stared at the boy’s face and waist.
“W-What?” As the boy stared back silently, Bu Eunseol abruptly walked to the hut and revealed the hidden underground space covered by the cloth. “There’s a place like this!” The boy, exclaiming with joy, entered the underground space.
As Bu Eunseol covered the space with the dirt-covered cloth, the two of them vanished as if they had never been there.
‘They’re coming.’ Raising the Beast Way to its maximum, Bu Eunseol’s pupils dilated, and the scene above ground appeared in his mind as if he could see it.
Thud. Flutter.
With the vibration of stomping on the ground, he sensed three sets of footsteps rapidly approaching.
“Damn it! He definitely came this way!” Someone shouted upon arriving at the hut. “Could he have already left the area?”
The sound of someone thoroughly searching the surroundings came, followed by another shout.
“No way! He couldn’t have escaped that fast. He’s definitely hiding somewhere nearby.”
“That bastard! I’ll kill him myself!”
Flutter.
Performing qingong again, they left the martial hall.
“…” As their presence faded, Bu Eunseol lifted the cloth and slowly emerged onto the ground.
“Phew.” The boy, climbing out of the ground, let out a long sigh and bowed to Bu Eunseol. “Thank you so much. You saved my life.”
When the boy smiled, it was as if the surroundings brightened.
“How did you create such a hiding place here? Could it be that you trained at the Nangyang martial hall?” When Bu Eunseol remained silent, the boy scratched his head and shook it.
“Sorry, that was a pointless question… Oh, I’m Geum Cheolyeong from the Blood Fortress Sect.” The boy, Geum Cheolyeong, with a smile as pure as morning sunlight, suddenly wore a gloomy expression. “As soon as the Third Trial began, I fled into the forest… but that group suddenly attacked me.” Geum Cheolyeong was not only exceptionally handsome but had a voice as clear and melodious as a bird’s song.
“I didn’t want to fight, so I ran… but they chased me relentlessly, as if I were their sworn enemy.” Letting out a deep sigh, Geum Cheolyeong lowered his head. “If I had known the Third Trial would be like this, I never would have come here.”
Geum Cheolyeong chattered incessantly. But Bu Eunseol remained as indifferent as an old man listening to someone boast about their grandson from a sickbed.
“Well, if even one person is eliminated… the chances of becoming a candidate for the Ten Demon Successors increase.” As Geum Cheolyeong’s endless chatter showed no sign of stopping, Bu Eunseol finally spoke.
“So…” Pausing briefly, Bu Eunseol, uncharacteristically, smiled. “How many people have you killed?”
“What?” As Geum Cheolyeong tilted his head with a puzzled expression, Bu Eunseol pointed to his waist.
“I’m asking how many people you’ve killed with the hidden weapon at your waist.”
Whoosh.
A faint, almost imperceptible sound of air being pierced. At the same time, hundreds of needles rained down on Bu Eunseol like a torrent.
“No way!” Geum Cheolyeong, who had fired the hidden weapon from his waist, let out a cry of disbelief.
Bu Eunseol had already shifted his body to the left, as if he had never been there in the first place.
“You…” Geum Cheolyeong, who had attempted a surprise attack with a vicious hidden weapon, couldn’t hide his shock.
Bu Eunseol’s evasion seemed as if he had perfectly predicted his technique from the start.
“Don’t make me laugh!” Geum Cheolyeong leaned back, placing both hands on his waist.
Whoosh!
As a swarm of black needles engulfed Bu Eunseol’s body,
Clang.
The sound of an iron sword being drawn rang out like the tolling of a death knell.
Slash.
The sharp sword tip fiercely cut through the air, simultaneously thrusting toward Geum Cheolyeong’s throat and chest.
“Ugh.”
Geum Cheolyeong, a prodigy trained in the martial hall of Hell Island, dodged the unexpected swift strike with tiger-like agility.
Swish.
In the meantime, Bu Eunseol’s sword technique shifted once more in midair. The blade, tilted sideways, spun like a whirlwind and swept toward the spot where Geum Cheolyeong had dodged with terrifying force.
Whoosh!
Unable to evade the fiercely spinning blade, Geum Cheolyeong drew a sharp dagger.
Clang! Clang! Ding!
The sharp dagger and the worn iron sword clashed rapidly in the air. Geum Cheolyeong swung his dagger with all his might, but he couldn’t predict the direction of the relentless iron sword.
Click.
As if the fierce exchange had never happened, Bu Eunseol sheathed his iron sword. Geum Cheolyeong, who had been holding his dagger in a reverse grip in a defensive stance, spoke calmly.
“…How did you know?” The once-innocent eyes of Geum Cheolyeong now gleamed like a venomous snake. “No one has ever noticed the Yin Punishment Needle Launcher until now.”
“If you’re wearing something around your waist, your spine’s movements become rigid.”
“Were you from the Medicine Hall?” Bu Eunseol shook his head and spoke in a flat tone.
“I was someone who sent the dead to their rest.”
“I see…”
Gush.
Geum Cheolyeong, muttering softly, suddenly spat out blood.
“If I were as strong as you… I wouldn’t have secretly brought such a hidden weapon.” His martial skills were weak, and no matter which martial hall he went to, he could never rise above the intermediate hall.
In the end, he had secretly brought the Yin Punishment Needle Launcher, a hidden weapon forbidden by his sect.
“No.” Bu Eunseol looked at Geum Cheolyeong with cold eyes. “It’s because you brought such a hidden weapon that you couldn’t become strong.”
“Because I brought the hidden weapon… I couldn’t become strong?” Discovering Bu Eunseol’s terrifyingly burning determination, Geum Cheolyeong nodded. “I see. Because I brought a hidden weapon capable of easily killing even top-tier masters.” Pausing to catch his breath, he gave a hollow smile.
“Because I carried a hidden weapon that could easily deal with others, I neglected my training…” Muttering regretfully, Geum Cheolyeong,
Thud.
Collapsed to the ground like a log and breathed his last.
Flutter!
In the meantime, the sound of another group approaching was heard. ‘Staying in one place too long is dangerous.’ With a flash of bloodlust in his eyes, Bu Eunseol quickly left Sa Woo’s martial hall.
To survive, to become one of the Ten Demon Successors… the battle of Hell Island, where they must kill or be killed, had begun.
