Those at the level of Hall Leader or above are allowed to select outstanding subordinates under their command.
Once a year, they have the authority to grant access to the first floor of the Solitary Enlightenment Hall.
But Bu Eunseol could confidently assert one thing.
A miser like Yuk Jangcheon would never easily bestow such a privilege.
“The first floor of the Solitary Enlightenment Hall?”
Sitting in his office, Yuk Jangcheon tilted his head as he listened to Bu Eunseol’s request.
“With your martial arts, even the second floor would leave you wanting. Why bother with the first?”
Finding his own words odd, he asked again.
“Is it to train your subordinates?”
“No, sir.” Bu Eunseol calmly delivered the response he had prepared. “Lately, while traveling the martial world, I’ve deeply felt that my foundation in martial studies is lacking.”
“Foundation?”
“Yes. To advance further, it seems I need to study basic martial arts rather than advanced ones.”
“Hmm.”
“Will that not be possible?”
From Yuk Jangcheon’s perspective, sending one subordinate to the first floor of the Solitary Enlightenment Hall was no trouble at all. And a figure like Seon Woojin was undeniably a core asset even in the Ascendant Martial Hall. Granting such a request would be simple.
Yet, despite that, he did not give a straightforward answer and deliberately dragged out the moment.
‘He wants me to beg more desperately.’
Bu Eunseol suppressed the rising disgust within him.
As a superior, Yuk Jangcheon possessed the worst possible disposition.
First, he treated his subordinates like disposable tools.
Second, if they did not show absolute loyalty, he would discard them like worn-out shoes.
‘For now, he wants a desperate plea.’
“I beg you, Hall Leader.”
Bu Eunseol put on an earnest expression.
Only then did Yuk Jangcheon stroke his chin, as if unable to ignore such a heartfelt request.
“I would love to grant it myself.” He made a troubled face. “But there’s the issue of fairness.”
In terms of fairness, Bu Eunseol had undeniably earned great merits. He deserved entry to the Solitary Enlightenment Hall, and the other Hall Leaders would likely raise no objections.
Knowing this fully well, Yuk Jangcheon was deliberately raising unnecessary excuses.
‘The second step will be provocation.’
“It’s not merely to assess my own martial prowess.” Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice. “When I previously entered the Solitary Enlightenment Hall, the Hidden Forest Pavilion Lord asked me something.”
“What was it?”
“What martial art I had obtained.”
“He was trying to gauge the level of your achievements.”
“Exactly.” Bu Eunseol continued in an even quieter voice. “At the time, the Pavilion Lord’s intentions seemed highly suspicious. It was also strange that he sought out a mere second-rank captain like me to probe for details.”
Everything he had said so far was true.
But from Yuk Jangcheon’s viewpoint, it would be impossible to take it at face value.
Mok Do-in belonged to the Elders’ Hall and was close to Yuk Cheongah.
“Well, it was unusual for the Pavilion Lord to seek out a second-rank captain. But… wasn’t it because you had accomplished so much?”
“If this time, Pavilion Lord Mok asks again what I’ve learned… it would surely mean he has ulterior motives.”
“Hmm.” Yuk Jangcheon swallowed a low groan. “Indeed. For someone like Mok Do-in to be curious about what you’re studying—that in itself is strange.”
He himself had to become the Martial Heaven Division Commander. Any potential threat needed to be eliminated quickly.
“Very well.”
In the end, Yuk Jangcheon nodded readily.
“However, with my authority, I can only permit one day.”
“One day is enough. Thank you.”
“Thank me? No need.”
Yuk Jangcheon smiled faintly.
“The better you do, the better it is for me.”
Having made a grand show of his generosity, he added with a laugh,
“I’ll submit the request, so go immediately.”
***
The first floor of the Solitary Enlightenment Hall.
As a place filled not only with martial arts texts but foundational books in all fields, countless volumes lined the shelves.
And since there were no strict conditions, it was a floor that leaders of each organization could send their subordinates to for improving their martial arts. Many martial artists were diligently reading.
Bu Eunseol, newly granted permission this time, freely roamed the first floor.
‘Fortunately, Mok Do-in must be upstairs.’
Mok Do-in, who managed the Solitary Enlightenment Hall, primarily oversaw the third floor.
Unless something special occurred, he rarely came down to the lower levels.
‘If there’s a passage to the basement, they wouldn’t have installed it openly… there must be a hidden mechanism somewhere.’
If what Yong Myeong, the former Hall Leader of the Dragon Coiling Hall, said was true, there had to be a secret passage leading below the Solitary Enlightenment Hall.
‘Then it’s most likely in a training room or tea chamber.’
The first floor of the Solitary Enlightenment Hall was designed to accommodate many martial artists at once, so it provided two convenience facilities.
First, training rooms for those wishing to meditate in silence or quietly cultivate internal energy.
Second, tea chambers that were equipped with fasting pills, clear water, or tea.
If there was a hidden mechanism leading downward, it would naturally be separated from the bookshelves—in a training room or tea chamber.
‘A training room, perhaps.’
Passing the shelves, Bu Eunseol turned the corner at the innermost end of the Solitary Enlightenment Hall.
A wide, long corridor appeared, lined on both sides with several rooms. These were the training rooms.
‘Good.’
All ten training rooms were tightly closed and empty inside.
Gathering his Void Heart Command, Bu Eunseol carefully examined each one.
But there was no trace of any mechanism.
‘Then…’
Emerging again, Bu Eunseol headed to the tea chambers at the opposite end.
There were five tea chambers in total.
He searched diligently, but again found no sign of a mechanism.
Could Yong Myeong have been delirious and spouting nonsense?
‘No, that’s not it.’
Even if Yong Myeong’s mind was unclear, he couldn’t have fabricated talk of the Heon Won Bright Sword secret manual.
He had definitely been in the Solitary Enlightenment Hall and experienced something.
‘Wait—Heon Won Bright Sword. If it’s Heon Won Bright Sword…’
Recalling the interior of the Solitary Enlightenment Hall, a strange thought struck Bu Eunseol.
Heon Won Bright Sword.
Even if one obtained the complete manual, this sword art, which produced three hundred and ninety-five variations in a single move, was practically impossible to execute in actual combat.
If someone tried to perform it in a single strike?
Even an arm forged to be indestructible would shatter or twist instantly.
‘If someone had secretly infiltrated the Solitary Enlightenment Hall to steal a secret manual…’
Bu Eunseol closed his eyes and fell into thought.
No matter how great the expert, the Solitary Enlightenment Hall stood beside the Heaven and Earth Pavilion, the most heavily guarded structure in the Martial Alliance, and Mok Do-in, that mysterious master, resided there permanently.
How could anyone infiltrate it undetected?
‘Then perhaps it wasn’t to steal a manual—but to hide one?’
Bu Eunseol’s mind began racing.
Heon Won Bright Sword was a sword art comparable to the Seven Blood Tear Forms. There was no way such a manual would be kept merely on the second-floor shelves.
Even if it were on the third floor, it was a terrifying sword art untouchable without entering the Supreme Heavenly Realm.
So perhaps the Heon Won Bright Sword style had never been stored in the Solitary Enlightenment Hall to begin with… but instead had been secretly brought in to be hidden there?
‘If so, the culprit entered the Solitary Enlightenment Hall openly.’
In the past, he might have thought a master capable of sneaking in existed.
But from Baekri Mujo, he had learned that Mok Do-in was a mysterious expert who taught demonic sword arts to great masters of the righteous faction.
That meant Mok Do-in himself was a master comparable to the Hall Leaders.
Few could deceive his eyes and enter.
Therefore, whoever brought the Heon Won Bright Sword style must have entered the Solitary Enlightenment Hall openly and legitimately.
‘Then…’
The person Yong Myeong claimed fought over the manual must either have earned immense merit in the Martial Alliance to gain access to the third floor, or be someone of sufficiently high status to enter the third floor at will.
‘There’s a possibility.’
Rubbing his forehead, Bu Eunseol took a deep breath.
His head throbbed from the flood of thoughts.
As his mind grew complicated, he looked up at the ceiling, which seemed at least three chang high.
“…”
A sudden strange thought occurred to him.
There was no need for the ceiling of a library to be this high.
Of course, a high ceiling felt open and less oppressive.
But for a three-story building, there was no reason to make each floor’s height so tall.
‘Moreover, the passage to the upper floors is separate, so one cannot look down over the first floor’s scenery, can they?’
Bu Eunseol suddenly wanted to view the high scenery of the first floor from above.
But if he used qinggong to leap up here, he would immediately draw attention.
‘Hmm.’
After a moment’s thought, Bu Eunseol’s eyes gleamed.
There was a way to grasp the internal structure without jumping.
Walking toward the central shelves of the Solitary Enlightenment Hall,
thud.
He pulled out a book, then “accidentally” dropped a manual from the corner shelf onto the floor.
Whoosh! Thump.
Pretending to catch it swiftly, he lightly rolled across the floor.
Hummm.
A small vibration spread from the floor in concentric circles.
At the same time, the layout of the first floor’s shelves began forming in Bu Eunseol’s mind.
He had unleashed the Mind’s Eye.
‘This can’t be.’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
Heon Won Bright Sword was a sword art with three hundred and ninety-five variations. And the number of shelves inside—wasn’t it precisely three hundred and ninety-five?
‘This is no coincidence.’
Closing his eyes, Bu Eunseol carefully examined the structure obtained through Mind’s Eye.
The interior of the first floor was a square space filled with shelves at regular intervals, with various furnishings and large pillars in between.
‘If viewed from above…’
Bu Eunseol mentally connected the shelves, furnishings, and pillars into lines.
The result resembled the Heon Won Bright Sword style drawn in lines.
‘Someone deliberately arranged it to match the variations of the Heon Won Bright Sword style.’
Having gained enlightenment, Bu Eunseol quickly moved and examined the shelves.
‘If I follow the variations of the Heon Won Bright Sword style…’
Though he did not know the final form, thanks to forcibly memorizing the variations of the Heon Won Bright Sword style in his mind, Bu Eunseol was able to locate the spot presumed to be the ending point of the initial technique.
‘A formation?’
It was a shelf holding formation manuals that no martial artist visited.
‘So that’s how it was.’
Martial artists of the Martial Alliance generally mastered the formations taught by their own halls. Thus, few came to the Solitary Enlightenment Hall specifically to study formation manuals.
Moreover, the shelf holding formation texts was much larger than those holding martial arts manuals, with very wide side panels.
Since almost no one sought formation manuals, it appeared they had installed the largest possible shelf to store them all at once.
But to Bu Eunseol’s eyes, it looked like an intentional arrangement to conceal a secret passage.
Bzzz.
Bu Eunseol channeled Void Heart Command and closely examined the side of the shelf.
‘As expected, it’s here.’
At the very bottom of the shelf, he discovered a protruding convex part.
It looked like slightly warped wood used in construction, but it was actually the button to activate the mechanism.
Press. Slide.
When he pressed it firmly, a space large enough for one person opened on the side of the shelf.
The mechanism was so precise that even though a large space appeared, it produced no noise or vibration.
Slide.
The open door closed on its own after a moment.
‘I can’t just enter recklessly now.’
Bu Eunseol had already wandered around the Solitary Enlightenment Hall, so people inside had grown accustomed to his presence.
If he disappeared for too long, someone might notice something odd.
‘One incense stick’s time.’ (30 mins)
After calculating how people’s attention shifted while roaming the pavilion, Bu Eunseol concluded that was the limit.
The time until people realized he was completely gone and felt something was wrong was roughly the burning of one incense stick.
Any longer, and someone might report his disappearance to the pavilion manager.
Press.
Bu Eunseol pressed the secret mechanism button once more.
‘Wait.’
A sudden idea struck him. He quickly pulled out a thick formation manual from the shelf and tucked it into his robes.
It was the thickest among the formation manuals here—the Seven Stars Diagram Explanation.
Slide.
After entering the space on the side of the shelf and the door closed, Bu Eunseol felt dizziness.
The narrow space he stood in was descending rapidly.
Hummm.
With a low vibration, the side space opened again.
Stepping out, Bu Eunseol saw a narrow passage ahead, ending in a sturdy iron door.
As he cautiously walked toward it,
Clank. Hummm.
Suddenly, transparent light poured from the ceiling along with tremendous pressure.
It was a trap installed with hundreds of pressure stones.
‘Stronger than the one in the Martial Emperor’s Secret Vault.’
There were over five hundred pressure stones here.
At this level, anyone with less than three hundred years of internal energy would be crushed to death instantly.
‘Meaning small fry shouldn’t even enter.’
Hummm.
Looking up at the pressure stones, Bu Eunseol raised his internal energy to resist the pressure.
His internal energy exceeded five hundred years’ worth so he could walk unaffected under the pressure of hundreds of stones.
‘A key too?’
Reaching the iron door at the end of the passage, he saw a very unique star-shaped keyhole.
‘This is simple.’
Bu Eunseol placed his finger against the keyhole.
Channeling the Heavenly Glacial Secret along with Crystal Divine Energy, an ice key instantly formed in the hole.
Click.
Opening the door revealed a square stone chamber at least five chang wide in both directions.
Seven-colored luminous pearls were embedded above, casting light downward, yet strangely, the interior temperature was colder than the harshest midwinter day.
“That is…”
Bu Eunseol spotted a transparent coffin placed in the center of the chamber.
“The Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin?”
It was none other than the treasure of the Burial Sect, the priceless Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin.
The extreme cold in the chamber came from the immense chill emitted by this coffin.
“Why is the Ice Jade Coffin here?”
The Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin had only one purpose. It used the extreme yin energy generated inside to preserve a corpse without decay.
Why, then, was it installed in a secret underground chamber of the Solitary Enlightenment Hall?
“No way.”
Feeling an ominous chill, Bu Eunseol carefully examined the interior of the transparent coffin.
Thud.
For a moment, Bu Eunseol’s vision went dark, as if struck on the back of the head.
“This can’t be.”
The body placed inside the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin… It belonged to someone who had attended the recent Hero’s Monument erection ceremony for the Bullet King, Bukgung Ryeong…
The foremost righteous master—the Heavenly Emperor, Shin Domubi.
Bu Eunseol doubted his own eyes.
“How can this be…”
The shock was so great that the corners of his eyes trembled.
He immediately circulated internal energy to suppress the shaking and used the Ban-Geuk Method’s mental technique to calm his mind.
“Whew.”
Having regained composure, Bu Eunseol closely studied the face of the corpse in the coffin.
No matter how many times he checked, it was indeed the Martial Alliance Leader, Heavenly Emperor Shin Domubi.
“Then the current Martial Alliance Leader is a fake?”
Bu Eunseol stared blankly into the void.
If the body here was Shin Domubi… then who was the Martial Alliance Leader who had appeared before?
Did that mean the identity of the Divine Mountain Sage was not the Martial Alliance Leader?
“His martial prowess truly reached the Limitless Realm.”
The Divine Mountain Sage he had encountered in Shaolin’s secret passage. He had deliberately lowered his power, yet he had undeniably reached the Limitless Realm.
Moreover, the Martial Alliance Leader who appeared at Bukgung Ryeong’s Hero’s Monument ceremony displayed tremendous prowess and presence.
Who in the world could perfectly imitate the Martial Alliance Leader’s aura?
“Then the one the Pavilion Master clashed with wasn’t the real Shin Domubi?”
If so, even though he was not Shin Domubi, there existed someone with power equal to—or greater than—Shin Domubi, and that person had clashed with the Nangyang Pavilion Master?
‘No, the timing might be different.’
Shin Domubi was called the Heavenly Emperor because he was the sky of the righteous faction, possessing unparalleled, transcendent martial power that no one could match.
There could never be two such figures in the world.
Even if the corpse in this coffin was the Martial Alliance Leader, the time of death was unknown so during the clash with Nangyang Pavilion Master Ak Muryeong, it could have been the real one.
“Could it be an elaborate fake corpse?”
Bu Eunseol approached the coffin again and examined the body closely.
It matched the appearance of Shin Domubi from the Hero’s Monument ceremony, and it was no fake corpse.
“I’ll open it and check.”
Opening the lid wouldn’t cause the body to decay immediately.
Bu Eunseol intended to open the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin and confirm the cause of death.
“There’s no opening.”
But nowhere could he find a place to open the lid.
The coffin itself was like transparent ice, with no visible seams.
Yet a body had been placed inside.
There must be a mechanism somewhere to open the lid.
“…There’s nothing.”
No matter how he searched, he found no trace of a mechanism.
Feeling something strange, Bu Eunseol began running his hand over the coffin.
Then, on the side, he felt a very faint unevenness.
“Eternal…”
It was tiny lettering engraved so thinly it was like a strand of hair, nearly invisible to the eye.
Unconsciously tracing the character “Eternal (永)” carved on the coffin,
Rumble.
With a low mechanical sound, a small door appeared in the left wall.
“A secret stone chamber?”
Bu Eunseol entered with a puzzled expression.
The space was used to store various items, and it contained a variety of clothing.
Even robes that diviners might wear.
