“This passage was connected to a mechanism that secretly leads to the Scripture Pavilion,” Tang Cheong said, her mouth still open in shock.
The Pagoda Forest was accessible to Shaolin’s disciples and even to outsiders with some familiarity.
To think they had built a passage leading to the Scripture Pavilion in such a place?
This meant that anyone who knew of this passage could easily access the Scripture Pavilion.
“We need to turn back,” Bu Eunseol said with a grave expression. “No matter where else, the Scripture Pavilion is an absolute forbidden area for outsiders.”
If their presence here were discovered?
Even with Tang Cheong’s extensive connections to Shaolin, it wouldn’t be overlooked. If things went wrong, it could escalate into a conflict between Shaolin and the Tang Clan.
“Moreover, the Scripture Pavilion surely has mechanisms in place,” he added.
“It’s fine,” Tang Cheong said unexpectedly, her expression calm. “There aren’t any mechanisms here.”
“How do you know that?”
Shaolin had faced countless intrusions from outsiders over generations.
Yet, not once had the scriptures or manuals in the Scripture Pavilion been exposed to the outside world.
This meant that, in addition to mechanisms, the pavilion was heavily guarded by personnel.
“If there were mechanisms, bells would be ringing, and chaos would have erupted by now,” Tang Cheong said with a faint, reminiscent look. “According to Master Gongji, the head of the Tathagata Institute, special mechanisms and arrays are installed beneath the Scripture Pavilion’s floor.”
“Mechanisms?”
“Yes. If you don’t know how to stand properly in this place, bells will immediately ring.”
The reason Shaolin’s scriptures and manuals had never been leaked was because of a special mechanism that triggered bells if one didn’t know how to stand correctly.
“You knew that and still stood here?” Bu Eunseol asked, incredulous.
If her words were true, the Scripture Pavilion Master and Shaolin’s warrior monks would already be rushing toward them.
“But it seems it was a lie. Look, no bells are ringing,” Tang Cheong said firmly, scanning the floor and surroundings. “And there’s no trace of any mechanisms on the floor or anywhere else.”
She had claimed to have an eye for detecting mechanisms and arrays.
Since she couldn’t find any trace of them, she concluded that the Tathagata Institute Master had lied.
“There is a mechanism,” Bu Eunseol said with a heavy expression. “As you said, there’s a mechanism in this floor.”
“A mechanism in the floor? That can’t be.”
“To be precise, it’s not in the floor but deep underground,” Bu Eunseol said seriously. “I can feel faint vibrations from a mechanism about ten zhang below.”
As Tang Cheong had said, there was no mechanism directly in the floor. But with his mastery of the Beastly Insight, Bu Eunseol could sense the vibrations of a mechanism deep underground, around ten zhang below.
“Ten zhang below?” Tang Cheong’s expression was one of disbelief.
No matter how sharp one’s senses were, could they detect vibrations and sounds ten zhang underground? And even if Shaolin’s mechanisms were exceptional, could they install a hidden mechanism that far below?
Zing.
At that moment, Bu Eunseol’s heightened senses sounded an alarm.
He felt an extraordinary master approaching.
“Someone’s coming. Let’s go back,” he said.
Bu Eunseol and Tang Cheong immediately turned back toward the passage they had entered through.
But there was no mechanism to open the door from this side.
“There’s no device to open the door,” Tang Cheong said, her face filled with despair. “Even if an intruder gets in, they can’t get out. They didn’t build a mechanism to open the door from the other side.”
Another reason Shaolin’s scriptures and manuals had never been leaked was that, in addition to the hidden underground mechanisms, they hadn’t built a door to exit the passage.
‘There’s no time!’
Hum!
Dark energy flowed from Bu Eunseol’s body as he raised his inner power.
The energy transformed into thin, paper-like strands.
Crack.
The thin strands of energy began to slowly pry open the unyielding iron door on the opposite side.
Creak.
As he forced it open, the sound of metal bending came from the mechanism holding the heavy iron door in place.
“Lady Tang, go first,” Bu Eunseol said.
“What?”
“If I force it open any further, the door will break. That’ll immediately reveal an intruder was here.”
Hum.
Carefully, Bu Eunseol widened the gap in the iron door using the Wishful True Binding. But the gap was barely wide enough for even the slender Tang Cheong to pass through.
“If that happens, the temple will go on high alert, and we’ll both be caught. So, hurry and get out.”
“But what about you?”
“I can suppress my energy’s vibrations. If you’re not here, I can hide well enough.”
In truth, that was a lie.
If the approaching Shaolin figure sealed the entrance and ordered the disciples to search the pavilion thoroughly, even Bu Eunseol would be caught immediately.
‘She must not be caught.’
If Tang Cheong were discovered here, it would cause problems between Shaolin and the Tang Clan, and Bu Eunseol would lose face before Tang Gon in the future.
“If I apply more force, the mechanism will break completely. Hurry!”
“Alright, I’m sorry,” Tang Cheong said, biting her lip as if she understood his intentions, and slipped back into the passage.
Grind.
Once she was gone, Bu Eunseol carefully closed the passage’s door.
He then moved stealthily and hid behind a bookshelf.
Having reached the state of Return to Simplicity, no energy vibrations emanated from Bu Eunseol’s body. Moreover, by using the Breath Concealment Technique to slow his heartbeat, even a skilled master would struggle to detect him. But this was a sealed space. If Shaolin’s disciples searched thoroughly, he would inevitably be found.
‘If I can prevent the alarm from sounding in the first place, won’t they stop the investigation?’
‘According to Master Gongji of the Tathagata Institute, special mechanisms and arrays are installed beneath the Scripture Pavilion’s floor.’
As Tang Cheong had said, there was a hidden mechanism beneath the pavilion’s floor.
If he could disable it, they might not conduct a search.
‘If you don’t know how to stand properly in this place, bells will immediately ring at the Scripture Pavilion Master’s quarters.’
Recalling Tang Cheong’s words, a flash of insight struck Bu Eunseol.
‘How to stand?’
The Tathagata Institute Master had said that if one didn’t know how to stand properly, bells would ring.
In other words, the key to disabling the mechanism was how one stood.
Step, step.
As the sound of footsteps grew closer, Bu Eunseol’s heart raced.
Though silent to the ear, the bells were likely still ringing. If they suspected someone was inside, there would be no escape.
‘How to stand… how to stand… Divine Sage.’
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Bu Eunseol’s mind.
He recalled the characters etched on the coin swapped by the fake Divine Sage.
‘That’s it.’ Realizing something, Bu Eunseol immediately pulled out the Boeun coin.
Two hundred fifty.
At last, he understood the meaning of the characters engraved on the coin.
‘This is the key to standing inside the Scripture Pavilion.’ Astonishingly, the Divine Sage had predicted Bu Eunseol would be trapped in the Scripture Pavilion and had inscribed the number as a solution.
‘There’s no time.’
Bu Eunseol immediately suppressed his presence and directed his energy to the Yongquan acupoint. At the same time, he used the Thousand-Jin Weight technique to gradually increase the pressure on the floor.
When the pressure reached approximately two hundred fifty jin…
Click.
A clear sound came from the floor.
Step, step.
Shortly after, he sensed someone approaching from the opposite entrance.
Clank.
The sound of a door opening was followed by slow, steady footsteps.
The pace was unhurried but stable, maintaining a consistent rhythm.
From the footsteps alone, it was clear this was a master with unimaginable martial prowess.
Swish.
The figure that entered the Scripture Pavilion was an old monk with piercing eyes.
It was none other than Master Gonggong, the Scripture Pavilion Master, responsible for all of Shaolin’s scriptures and manuals.
“Hmm.” Gonggong scanned the interior of the Scripture Pavilion with sharp eyes.
As he was about to inspect the surroundings after a thorough scan…
“Pavilion Master,” a middle-aged warrior monk quickly approached through the open door, clasping his hands in salute.
“The bells have stopped ringing.”
“Hmm?”
“It seems another rat got in.”
The Scripture Pavilion was equipped with intricate mechanisms, and unless one stood with exactly two hundred fifty jin of pressure, the alarm would sound.
Even small animals like rats could trigger the bells if they entered.
“I see,” Gonggong nodded, picking up the Lankavatara Sutra from the top shelf on the left side of the bookshelf.
He carefully placed it back.
That sutra was the mechanism to reset the pavilion’s internal devices to their original state.
“Go ahead,” Gonggong said, lightly gesturing to the warrior monk. “I’ll look around a bit more.”
“Yes, sir.” As the warrior monk left, a sudden silence fell over the Scripture Pavilion.
Step, step.
Master Gonggong slowly surveyed the interior, where a deathly silence prevailed.
Though he appeared to casually pass by the bookshelves, he was actually using the Thousand-Li Earth Listening Technique to meticulously check for any signs of presence.
“Strange,” he muttered.
Despite his immense power and senses, Gonggong couldn’t detect Bu Eunseol.
This was because Bu Eunseol had long surpassed the Return to Simplicity state, reaching the state of Tranquil Clarity. No matter how much Gonggong heightened his senses, he couldn’t find Bu Eunseol’s presence.
“Was it my imagination?” Shaking his head, Gonggong closed the Scripture Pavilion’s door and left.
“Phew.” As Gonggong departed, Bu Eunseol’s expression showed deep shock.
‘Is he a god?’
The Divine Sage.
He had foreseen that Bu Eunseol would be trapped in the Scripture Pavilion and had inscribed the mechanism’s solution on the coin.
This meant he had perfectly predicted everything up to this point.
If so, his foresight was so extraordinary that it could only be described as divine.
“Hmm.” Bu Eunseol swallowed hard.
Having never met the Divine Sage, he couldn’t even gauge the extent of his abilities. But this incident instilled a sense of awe in him.
‘Such thoughts can wait.’ Taking a deep breath, Bu Eunseol surveyed his surroundings again.
“A simple yet profound mechanism. To think it relies on maintaining a precise weight,” he mused.
But then, another chilling thought struck him.
The solution to the Scripture Pavilion’s mechanism, Shaolin’s greatest secret. How did the Divine Sage know it? This suggested he wasn’t just a seer with foresight but…
Could he be a figure within Shaolin?
“Let’s consider that a possibility,” Bu Eunseol said, shaking his head.
He felt both incredulous and excited.
If the Divine Sage’s foresight and intellect were this remarkable, Bu Eunseol was confident he could easily uncover the identity of his grandfather’s murderer.
“Good.” Bu Eunseol looked around to find a way out.
Then he realized another fact.
He, Bu Eunseol, had become the first person in the martial world to infiltrate the Scripture Pavilion without being caught.
Upright.
With that thought, he examined the books on the shelves.
Hundred-Fold Sword Manual.
South Heaven Divine Origin Technique.
Radiant Five Forces Finger.
Dual Lotus Suppressing Blade Scripture…
This place held not only Shaolin’s scriptures and martial arts but also legendary techniques of the righteous sects, passed down through the martial world.
“So, the Scripture Pavilion stores not only Buddhist martial arts but also the techniques of the righteous sects,” Bu Eunseol murmured.
It was known that the Scripture Pavilion housed only Buddhist scriptures and Shaolin’s supreme techniques.
Yet, in reality, it also preserved the supreme techniques of the righteous sects.
“Hmm.”
As he gazed at the shelves, a low murmur escaped Bu Eunseol’s lips.
These manuals contained techniques comparable to the Thirteen Guiding Energies of the Martial Emperor. Simply memorizing them would grant immense advantages in martial arts.
“No, no,” Bu Eunseol shook his head.
He hadn’t come to the Scripture Pavilion by choice, and these techniques were Shaolin’s treasured secrets.
Reading them without permission would be no different from stealing.
“I’ll just leave.” Bu Eunseol moved away from the shelves and scanned the surroundings.
If anyone had seen this, they would have been astounded.
To ignore manuals that could make one a supreme master and simply walk away? That was something an ordinary martial artist could scarcely imagine.
But how could he have known?
By doing so, Bu Eunseol had unknowingly passed the most dangerous test.
“Hmm.” As he searched for an exit, a peculiar thought struck him.
Was it necessary to install such an elaborate mechanism in the Scripture Pavilion?
No matter how valuable the manuals were, was there a need to dig underground and create such thorough mechanisms?
“If that’s the case…”
Zing.
Activating his Mind’s Eye again, Bu Eunseol carefully examined the floor.
The structure of the mechanisms beneath the pavilion was incredibly complex, far too elaborate for merely protecting manuals. After a thorough investigation, he noticed faint footprints near a corner of the bookshelf, invisible to the naked eye.
These weren’t footprints from movement but rather a diagram, as if illustrating the steps of an array’s operation.
Swish. Swish.
Maintaining the Thousand-Jin Weight technique, Bu Eunseol instinctively followed the footprints carefully.
Grind.
A section of the wall in the corner opened, revealing a staircase leading downward.
“As expected,” Bu Eunseol’s prediction was correct.
There was another hidden space beneath the Scripture Pavilion.
“If the goal was to protect the manuals from intruders, such an elaborate mechanism wouldn’t be necessary.”
Shaolin, teeming with exceptional warrior monks, was already an impregnable fortress.
Yet, they had dug deep underground to create this mechanism. This meant they had built a secret space that no one could predict or access.
Step, step.
Descending the staircase, Bu Eunseol found a vast library.
This space was even larger than the Scripture Pavilion above, with even more books on its shelves.
“Another Scripture Pavilion?” he wondered.
Approaching the shelves, he closely examined the books.
Radiant World-Severing Blade.
Jade Flower Flowing True Technique.
Iron Snake Black Curtain Demon Wall.
Blood Hand Demon Spirit…
Astonishingly, the books densely packed on these shelves were none other than the secret manuals of the demonic techniques that once dominated the demonic path.
“To think Shaolin is storing such demonic techniques?” Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
To have another Scripture Pavilion beneath Shaolin’s, filled with demonic manuals?
“Could this be where the Martial Alliance keeps the original copies of its manuals?”
Just as the Demonic Sect had the Ten Thousand Demons True Pavilion, the Martial Alliance had the Hall of Enlightened Path for storing its manuals.
However, rumors suggested that the manuals in the Martial Alliance were copies, with the originals stored elsewhere.
Could the true Hall of Enlightened Path be Shaolin’s Scripture Pavilion?
“No, that can’t be,” Bu Eunseol muttered.
The manuals here were far too numerous and predominantly demonic to be the originals of the Martial Alliance’s collection.
“Besides, this underground space is too vast.”
This underground library was filled with countless shelves and had passages leading in various directions. This meant it wasn’t just a space for storing books.
“If that’s the case…”
A long-forgotten word flashed through Bu Eunseol’s mind.
Thud. Thud.
At that moment, a low vibration echoed, and a large shadow slowly emerged from one of the passages.
It was a massive warrior monk, his physique like a mountain. His monk robes were torn, exposing his shoulders, and his eyes were sewn shut with thread.
Even the boldest person would tremble in fear at the sight of such a terrifying figure.
“Ugh,” the massive monk with sewn eyes opened his mouth.
His half-cut tongue glowed with a bluish hue.
It seemed he had deliberately cut his tongue and sewn his eyes shut.
Hum.
Suddenly, waves of energy emanated from the massive monk’s body.
Bu Eunseol couldn’t hide his surprise.
The energy waves were as powerful and chaotic as if dozens of warriors were unleashing them together.
Moreover, a sharp, viscous killing intent was mixed within those waves.
‘A Shaolin monk exuding killing intent…’
In that moment, two words flashed through Bu Eunseol’s mind. The name of the secret organization that would use any means necessary to protect Shaolin.
“Blood Shaolin.”
Bu Eunseol nodded, as if everything had become clear.
“As expected, this is the stronghold of Shaolin’s secret organization, Blood Shaolin.”
The word that had flashed through his mind moments ago.
It was none other than Blood Shaolin, Shaolin’s clandestine group.
“Ugh,” the monk, whose ears were not impaired, seemed to hear Bu Eunseol’s words, and a white killing intent surged from his body.
“Ughhh!” With a roar, the massive monk’s large palm struck toward Bu Eunseol.
Hundreds of palm shadows bloomed chaotically in the air, enveloping Bu Eunseol’s entire body.
‘Thousand Hands Tathagata Palm? No.’
The Thousand Hands Tathagata Palm created dozens of palm shadows to block an enemy’s retreat and counterattacks. But the dozens of palm shadows unleashed by this giant monk were all targeting Bu Eunseol’s vital points.
Boom!
A massive explosion echoed through the underground space.
Bu Eunseol hadn’t dodged the monk’s palm strike but instead countered it by unleashing the Seven Fist Demon Forms.
Hiss.
Then, an astonishing thing happened.
As their palm and fist collided, Bu Eunseol was pushed back two steps.
He had never been pushed back in a contest of inner power before. Yet, with a single strike, this monk had forced Bu Eunseol back two steps?
