After completing his training at Nangyang, Bu Eunseol returned to the cave.
As he stepped inside, a strange expression appeared on his face. Unlike the first time he entered, he could now sense countless things. The insects crawling along the cave floor, the damp and musty flow of air… All this information—once completely undetectable to him—was now vividly clearly as if seen with his own eyes.
‘I need to recover quickly.’ Bu Eunseol was extremely exhausted and worn out. He had walked nonstop for a month to enter Majeon, and the moment he arrived, he had thrown himself into a life-or-death battle. More than anything, the reason Bu Eunseol felt such extreme fatigue was because he had mastered the Beast Way.
‘There’s just too much I’m sensing.’
Sensing and detecting countless things meant having to process just as much information in his mind. Having only just learned the Beast Way, Bu Eunseol was constantly analyzing the sensory information pouring into him, even on a subconscious level. Just staying still felt as exhausting as writing with one hand while reading a book with the other.
‘I need to get at least a little sleep.’
Bu Eunseol did his best to suppress the flood of sensations overwhelming his body and closed his eyes. But even if he slept, the sensory perception granted by the Beast Way would not disappear. For a warrior, it was an exceptional advantage—but when it came to resting, it became a hindrance.
Drip.
At that moment, a single drop of water fell from the cave ceiling.
Plop. Drip, drip.
‘I see!’
As he counted the droplets falling at a steady pace, Bu Eunseol suddenly came to a realization.
‘I need to block out this flood of sensations, letting them drip away, one drop at a time.’
Taking a deep breath, Bu Eunseol slowly closed his eyes. He began to practice dulling the razor-sharp sensory perception of the Beast Way, softening it little by little. In truth, what Bu Eunseol was attempting was a practical method that even seasoned masters of Nangyang—long familiar with the Beast Way—struggled to perform.
To recover more quickly, Bu Eunseol focused all his strength on this task. Without realizing it, he was mastering a technique to subtly control the Beast Way’s sensory flow on his own.
Drip.
Finally, after counting exactly 3,142 falling drops, Bu Eunseol felt his fatigue melt away as if he had slept deeply—thanks to lowering the Beast Way’s perception. He slowly rose to his feet and stepped out of the cave. The day had already broken.
“Now where should I go?”
Standing in the clearing before the rocky hill, Bu Eunseol looked once again at the parchment showing the positions of the martial clans. As he frowned in contemplation, a remark from Sa Woo suddenly came to mind:
—Do you think the time to learn martial arts in Hell Island is limitless?
If that was true, then the time remaining to train wasn’t as generous as he had assumed. That meant he had to grow stronger—faster and more efficiently.
“Then I have no choice.” Staring at one particular spot on the parchment, Bu Eunseol nodded.
That spot was where the Hwa Wu Sword Sect was located—known as the strongest among the Ten Demon Clans.
In orthodox sects, masters wield swords.
In the demonic path, masters wield sabers.
This was an unwritten rule in the martial world—a near-absolute choice. Unlike sword techniques, saber arts are domineering, unconstrained by forms or rigid principles. They are also considerably more powerful. For that reason, practitioners of the demonic path, who revered domineering force, all chose the saber.
That is, until the founding of the Hwa Wu Sword Sect.
Seven hundred years ago, a figure named Jeok Hwa-un appeared in the demon realm like a comet. He was a grandmaster of martial arts, second only to the Heavenly Demon Emperor, the founder of the demonic path. Jeok Hwa-un brought together all the fragmented and disorganized sword techniques within the demonic world and created a single, complete martial art. That martial art was the Hwa Wu Sword. As if fire rain were falling from the sky, this sword technique became the most revered sword art in the demon realm and eventually led the Hwa Wu Sword Sect to become the most prestigious among the Ten Demon Clans.
“This must be the place…” Following the map, Bu Eunseol had arrived deep within the rocky mountains of the Hell Realm.
There, he saw a martial hall composed of five buildings, including a training ground.
“The training hall of the Hwa Wu Sword Sect…” Though the buildings were made of old wood, compared to Sa Woo’s humble hut, they looked like royal palaces.
Moreover, because most of the candidates for the Ten Demon Disciples had gathered here, he could hear a buzz of activity even from outside.
“What is it?” Standing in front of the martial hall was a gatekeeper, whose sharp eyes and intense aura suggested he was a skilled martial artist.
“I’ve come to learn the sword art of the Hwa Wu Sword Sect.” Bu Eunseol answered politely, and the gatekeeper pointed toward the martial hall.
“The training hall is divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Each level has its own instructor.” With a cold expression, the gatekeeper gestured to a small building on the left. “Go to the beginner hall.”
Bu Eunseol slowly walked into the small martial hall the gatekeeper had pointed to. Unlike its outer appearance, the interior was quite simple. It resembled the modest training halls commonly found in provincial towns. At the far end of the hall, where various weapons were neatly arranged, there was a small office. Inside, a man dressed in black sat calmly and upright.
‘That man…’
Bu Eunseol’s expression shifted to one of slight surprise. The man seated in the office was none other than the same black-clad figure who had escorted the children aboard the ship.
“So he was a master of the Hwa Wu Sword Sect.”
“You…” Noticing Bu Eunseol, the man in black raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“What brings you here?”
“I’ve come to learn the martial arts of the Hwa Wu Sword Sect.”
“You’ve come to learn this sect’s sword techniques?”
The man found it strange.
The swordsmanship of the Hwa Wu Sword Sect, which had compiled all the sword arts of the demonic path, was as profound and extensive as the martial arts of Shaolin. It was not something easily mastered. That’s why those who intended to learn swordsmanship—or hoped to study the top sword art of the demonic path—had entered the martial hall early on.
“And yet you come after fifteen days asking to learn the sword of this sect?”
“Yes, that is correct.” Bu Eunseol answered with confidence, prompting the man in black to frown with visible displeasure.
‘So the rumors of his talent were just an illusion after all?’
Clearing his throat, the man said in a low voice:
“Most of those who entered earlier have already finished their training and moved on to the intermediate hall. A few of them even arrived already having a deep grasp of sword techniques—but they still haven’t been able to advance to the advanced hall.”
Looking Bu Eunseol over, the man continued:
“The sword techniques of this sect are the most extensive among all demonic martial arts. And they consume a great deal of time to master.”
Bu Eunseol asked,
“Are you saying…”
“To learn the sword arts of this sect—fifteen days is nowhere near enough to even begin closing the gap.”
“…meaning that the gap in skill could grow to be as vast as heaven and earth.”
“I understand.” Even as the man in black explained, Bu Eunseol’s gaze didn’t waver.
The man looked puzzled and asked, “What in the world were you doing during those fifteen days?”
“I studied martial arts at Nangyang.”
“Nangyang?” The man in black responded as though he didn’t quite believe what he’d heard. “You’re telling me you were at Nangyang for fifteen days?”
“Yes.” The man went quiet, seemingly deep in thought, before asking again,
“Don’t tell me… you learned the Beast Way?”
“That’s correct.” The man in black frowned.
The Beast Way, Nangyang’s foundational martial art, was not only extremely difficult to master—nine out of ten people who attempted it ended up dead. And yet this boy was standing here perfectly fine after spending fifteen days there?
‘He must’ve given up midway and walked away.’ With just fifteen days, there was no way he could’ve even grasped the basics of the Beast Way. The man in black looked at Bu Eunseol with thinly veiled contempt.
“It’s not too late. You should consider choosing a different martial hall. If you go elsewhere, based on your current ability, you’ll likely catch up within fifteen days.” The look in his eyes—like someone dealing with an annoying burden—was eerily similar to someone Bu Eunseol had met before.
It was the same look Sa Woo had worn when Bu Eunseol was half-buried in the ground in front of his hut.
“Thank you for your concern and advice.” Bu Eunseol replied calmly, with his hands clasped respectfully.
“But I will learn the Hwa Wu Sword.” The man in black gave a resigned nod. “…What is your name?”
Bu Eunseol bowed politely, hands clasped.
“My name is Bu Eunseol.”
“Bu Eunseol…” The man in black murmured the name quietly, then gestured to himself.
“I’m Jingak. I’m in charge of the Beginner Hall. You will address me as Instructor Jin.”
“Understood, Instructor Jin.”
“Have you ever practiced the sword before…” Jingak trailed off as he looked at Bu Eunseol’s posture—with a sword at his waist. Then, shaking his head, he said,
“You haven’t, have you?”
“How did you know?”
“Anyone who’s practiced swordsmanship, even a little, always keeps their hands loose, ready to draw their sword at any moment.” Jingak narrowed his eyes. “But I see no signs that you’ve ever practiced swordsmanship.”
“You’re right. I’ve never learned any sword techniques before.”
“Honesty is good… but this is a problem.” Jingak stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“The sword techniques of this sect are incredibly complex—so much so that even the most gifted talents with outstanding natural ability struggle to master them.”
“Is that so.”
“And since you’ve never even practiced swordsmanship, it will take you that much longer to learn.” Jingak looked at him with a regretful expression. “My final advice: it’s not too late. You can still choose another martial hall.”
“Thank you for your concern. But I will learn the sword techniques of the Hwa Wu Sword Sect.”
“…Very well.” Seeing Bu Eunseol’s unwavering resolve, Jingak gave a slow nod.
“Follow me.” Jingak led Bu Eunseol to the center of the martial hall and spoke.
“The sword technique I will teach you now is called the Thirteen Hwa Wu Forms. These thirteen basic sword forms contain the profound principles that form the foundation of the Hwa Wu Sword.”
As Jingak stomped his foot, a large parchment unfurled from the ceiling of the hall. Upon it were intricately drawn diagrams and characters.
“These are the stances and practical doctrines of the Thirteen Forms. For now, study these images and train with your sword accordingly.”
Bu Eunseol’s expression turned troubled. He had never learned martial arts—let alone seen a martial arts manual. And now he was expected to study one and teach himself?
‘There’s no other choice.’ Focusing his mind, Bu Eunseol unsheathed his iron sword and began mimicking the stances shown on the parchment.
Hmm…
Even though he was following the drawings exactly, something felt off. His sword path was uneven, like someone drunk staggering down a road. Jingak, watching this, looked dumbfounded.
“Don’t tell me… you can’t read sword diagrams?”
“Aren’t you just supposed to copy the stances?”
“Well, that’s not entirely wrong, but…” Jingak let out a long sigh and asked, “Then why aren’t you applying the doctrines written next to them?”
“The… doctrines, Instructor?”
“They’re written next to every form, aren’t they? Read them.” Bu Eunseol gave a helpless look.
“Relax the whole body. Let the flow follow as one…” The characters written beside each sword diagram weren’t ordinary prose—they were martial doctrines containing the inner principles of the techniques.
But to someone like Bu Eunseol, who had never studied martial arts, they were nothing more than incomprehensible gibberish.
“To be honest… I don’t really understand what they mean.”
“If you’d read even a basic martial theory book once, you’d recognize these as fundamental doctrines…” As Jingak looked at him with a strange expression, Bu Eunseol bit his lip.
‘It’s going to come out sooner or later anyway.’
Unlike the Beast Way, known as a mysterious and unconventional martial art, the sword techniques of the Hwa Wu Sword Sect were the orthodox martial arts of the central demon sects. If he kept hiding the fact that he had never learned martial arts, he wouldn’t be able to learn even the first stance.
“To be honest, I’ve never learned any martial arts at all.”
“You’ve never learned martial arts?”
“That’s right. My master… passed away suddenly, so I never got the chance to train.”
“You mean to say you’ve never received any martial instruction at all?”
“Yes.” Jingak’s face twisted in disbelief. “This is a place to teach beginner-level sword techniques, yes, but are you saying I now have to teach you the very basics of martial arts too?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Hm…” Jingak let out a stifled sigh, as if something were clogging his chest.
Honestly, he wanted to shout, “Come back after learning the basics!” But when he saw the burning determination in Bu Eunseol’s eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
‘If he wants to learn, then I have to teach him.’ Jingak’s mouth twisted into a wry smile, forming small wrinkles around it, as he spoke in a resigned tone.
“Relax the whole body means you must release tension when executing sword techniques and move with fluidity. Especially, you have to make sure to release the strength from your abdomen and lower back.”
“I don’t really know how to release strength from my abdomen and back…”
“You need to calm your mind and let go of tension. When your body is tense, your stomach naturally tightens, and when your stomach is tense, your body stiffens. As for ‘Let the flow follow as one…’” Jingak began to slowly explain each of the doctrines as he taught the sword technique.
This was Bu Eunseol’s stroke of luck.
If he had entered the beginner’s hall from the start alongside the many other candidates for the Ten Demon Successors, he would never have received such detailed instruction. But now, with Bu Eunseol being the only one in the beginner’s hall, Jingak had no choice but to reluctantly give him detailed guidance.
“Yes, that’s how you do it.” Fortunately, Bu Eunseol was a quick learner.
Jingak, almost as if he had taken in a disciple of great potential, was teaching the sword techniques step by step, in great detail.
Four days later.
Bu Eunseol stood holding his iron sword, performing the sword forms. Thanks to Jingak’s thorough instruction, he had managed to learn and execute the entire Thirteen Hwa Wu Forms in just four days.
Whoosh, swish.
Bu Eunseol moved slowly but performed the forms with notable precision. As he watched, Jingak nodded again.
“Faster than I expected—you seem to have a natural talent for swordsmanship.”
“Thank you.”
“Hmm. You’ve mastered the forms and learned the sword formulas…” After thinking for a moment, Jingak nodded.
“Now, imagine an enemy in front of you and perform the Thirteen Hwa Wu Forms against them.”
“An enemy… you say.”
“Yes. That will be your test to move on to the intermediate hall.”
“A test.” It was an opportunity that had come sooner than expected.
Steeling himself, Bu Eunseol drew his sword and began to perform the sword technique. But as the first few forms unfolded slowly, Jingak shook his head.
“I told you already—imagine there’s an enemy before you. You have to wield the sword as if it’s a real fight.”
“As if it’s real combat… you mean?”
“Exactly.” Jingak spoke with a solemn expression.
“If you perform the sword dance without summoning an imaginary enemy, you will fail. Do you understand what I mean?”
“An imaginary enemy…?”
“It means you must perform as if there is a real enemy in front of you. Only then can I see the sword intent contained in your initial moves.”
“I understand.” Taking a deep breath, Bu Eunseol closed his eyes.
Imaginary enemy…
As he continued to focus, his vision blurred, and suddenly the tragic image of his grandfather appeared. Gradually, a dark shadow appeared directly ahead. That shadow was probably the master who had driven his grandfather to his death.
Swish!
Bu Eunseol drew his iron sword with all his strength and executed the first move of the Thirteen Forms, Flowing Wind Without Obstruction.
Slash!
Like a swift sword stroke, a streak of light cut through the air.
Hmm?
Jingak narrowed his eyes as he watched Bu Eunseol perform the first move.
Something’s strange.
Tilting his head in confusion, he then saw him twist his body and perform the third move, Flowing Clouds, Misty Smoke, and his eyes suddenly flashed.
What is this?
The move should’ve been soft and agile, like clouds drifting or mist spreading. But the move Bu Eunseol performed carried a sharp killing intent, as if unleashing a powerful martial art. Moreover, the tip of his sword trembled strangely, making it difficult to predict his sword path.
The sword moves are slightly different.
When someone performs sword techniques, there are only two possible outcomes. Either the sword intent and initial moves are accurately contained, producing proper power, or they don’t. However, Bu Eunseol’s sword technique was inaccurate in the moves, yet the power became stronger and sharper instead.
Could it be that he’s an unparalleled prodigy who can freely change sword techniques at will?
