Chapter 417
## Chapter 417. The Price of Connection (5)
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An absolute, pitch-black void stretched out, where a person could not discern a single thing ahead. Immersed in that deep obscurity, I threw a heavy fist straight before me.
*Kkung!*
Huh…… I assumed that strike would suffice. Exactly how securely did that unhinged old bastard seal up this exit?
*‘He truly lives up to his reputation as a lunatic.’*
Gaining my bearings, I once more channeled internal force down into my knuckles and struck with greater intensity.
*Rumble.*
Through the massive boulder sealing the cavern, I sensed the entire mountain ridge shuddering violently.
“Argh! Come on now!”
Ultimately, I unleashed a final, desperate strike charged with all my pent-up irritation.
*Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwang!*
Accompanied by a cataclysmic roar that sounded like the very heavens and earth were tearing apart, a sudden wave of brilliant daylight flooded my vision.
“Ah, my eyes!!!”
Having completely acclimated to the pitch darkness, the sudden glare caused a piercing, throbbing agony across my sight. As the stone barricade shattered into fragments, a massive plume of dust and thick smoke erupted into the open air, yet the sensation of drawing in a fresh breeze felt sweeter than anything I had ever known.
“*Cough! Cough!*”
Soaking in the radiant warmth with my entire body, I bellowed out my raw emotions to the open sky.
“Wow!!! I actually made it out alive!!!”
I had no way of knowing if that mad old man truly anticipated that I would successfully endure and conquer the *Sura-swae-geum-tan-pa-ok-gyeol*. But without a doubt, the individual who felt the absolute greatest shock at the fact that I had broken through the *Sura-swae-geum-tan-pa-ok-gyeol* and survived was none other than myself.
“How did I manage that! Seriously!”
Reflecting on the ordeal even now made my head spin with vertigo. It was a terrifying, agonizing torment where my very consciousness would have shattered into oblivion had I faltered for a mere heartbeat. On top of that, it forced me into an esoteric, unknown territory of cultivation I had never even heard of before. To think I actually forged a path through that boundary relying solely on raw guesswork and instinct. If any desperate gambler who routinely staked his entire livelihood and his own limbs at a casino had witnessed my reckless attempt, they would have recoiled in horror and labeled me an absolute maniac.
There was a specific juncture right in the middle where I genuinely came within a hair’s breadth of falling victim to Qi Deviation. As I was somehow unraveling the intricate knots of the *Sura-swae-geum-tan-pa-ok-gyeol* to force my way through, that wretched old lunatic’s lingering intent simply refused to dissolve. Fearing I had taken a catastrophic misstep, I attempted to retrace my path back to the starting point, only to discover that there was absolutely no alternative route available.
In the end, the ultimate obstacle proved to be that old man’s stubborn residual force. It was incredibly unyielding and persistent; even after the core technique itself had been dismantled, that lingering energy remained firmly entrenched, its roots dug deep into my system. To be perfectly candid, I was entirely convinced that this cave would become my tomb. The internal force, adhering to my vessels as tenaciously as the old man’s own stubborn temperament, showed zero signs of releasing its grip, and I possessed no remaining strength to violently tear it away.
*‘One truly can never anticipate the strange turns of fate.’*
Right at that critical precipice, a change occurred. The latent energy of the Sun Empress (Tae-yang-hu), which I had previously absorbed within the depths of the Silent Forest, suddenly flared to life. That blistering, scorching heat, which caused my complexion to turn a stark, ghostly white, began to systematically incinerate the old man’s stubborn force that remained lodged deep within my meridians. I experienced an agonizing sensation as though my very pathways were being melted away by the immense temperature, but almost immediately, the cooling essence of the Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Bear surged right behind it, soothing and stabilizing the burning blood vessels.
At any rate, after surviving countless life-threatening complications, I emerged victorious. And I remained among the living. As a direct consequence of that ordeal, despite having previously consumed the priceless Taiji Elixir, my total reservoir of internal force had diminished by roughly one and a half full cycles. My hard-earned, precious energy had visibly depleted, yet I did not experience any inner emptiness or exhaustion. Instead, it felt as though all the bloated, unrefined volume had been purged, leaving behind a significantly higher level of pure density.
“The quality is night and day.”
Stepping toward the edge of the precipice where the cavern opening lay, I decided to test my current physical strength. I couldn’t speak for Blue Steel Stone, which was widely renowned as the most indestructible material in existence, but this mountain rock was certainly not something that would shatter from a commonplace strike.
“Let’s see how this goes……”
The exact instant I willed my internal force to rise, my Dantian surged with incredible vitality, unleashing the pristine energy of the *Tae-eul-jin-gyeong*. Without hesitation, I channeled that power directly into the Great Ocean Fist (*Dae-yang-gwon*), which was fundamentally a classic martial art originating from the Tae-eul Sect.
*Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang!*
*Cr-crack, cr-crack.*
Though I merely delivered the strikes with a relaxed, casual effort, the rocky cliffside fractured and crumbled disastrously, looking as if it had been struck by the devastating force of the Myriad Transformations Matchless Fist pushed all the way to its Eighth Realm.
“Was this particular style always this incredibly potent?”
The underlying cause for this immense transformation was undeniably the sheer difference in the quality of my internal force. The Great Ocean Fist was fundamentally nothing more than a rudimentary, entry-level external technique that didn’t even require sophisticated force-transmission principles. Yet, just like the old adage claiming that an exceptional artisan never finds fault with his instruments and a true grandmaster never criticizes his forms, the Great Ocean Fist I executed with this newly refined internal energy appeared every bit as formidable as a legendary, high-tier martial art.
“Furthermore, every single drop of internal energy I cultivate from this point forward will retain this exact tier of purity.”
This realization was precisely why I didn’t view the loss of one and a half cycles as a true detriment, even though my total reserves had dropped closer to three cycles of internal force. The primary reason was that my Dantian had vastly expanded its boundaries. Back when I maintained roughly five full cycles, I constantly battled a persistent sense of suffocating pressure. Much like the physical discomfort of being dangerously bloated after an excessively heavy feast, there were frequent occasions where I felt intense unease due to the sheer volume of energy perpetually jamming up my Dantian.
Now, however, it felt as though my Dantian had become a vast, cavernous void. It gave off a sensation that no matter how many miraculous elixirs or spiritual medicines I chose to cram into it, its overall capacity would never hit a ceiling. As I softly rested a hand against my torso, a quiet chuckle escaped my lips. I found myself filled with genuine anticipation, wondering exactly what heights I might reach as I ascended to an even loftier realm of cultivation in the days to come.
After sprinting down the craggy slopes and finally reaching the main imperial thoroughfare, I maintained a steady, rapid pace for a considerable distance. Upon activating the Solo Travel Under Heaven Godly Step, the profound shift in my capabilities became immediately apparent. In the past, there were numerous instances where my physical frame would experience a brief stiffness during the initial execution of the movement technique, but now, the art unfolded with absolute fluidity, as if I were simply taking a leisurely stroll without a single care. The consumption of my internal reserves was drastically reduced, and my strides felt incredibly seamless and unburdened.
While I hadn’t formally put it to the proof just yet, I had a distinct premonition that the Radiant Heaven Divine Palm would likewise no longer drain my internal reserves at the catastrophic rate it used to. Even so, I saw no pressing need to test it out right then. This was a heavily traveled public road where common merchants and travelers journeyed, and more importantly…
“Because I am no longer the same person.”
Sensing the surroundings through my expanded aura-detection radius, which now covered a significantly broader area, I chose to moderate the velocity of my Solo Travel Under Heaven Godly Step. Had I been my former self, I likely would have accelerated even further to ostentatiously display my movement technique, treating the mastery of high martial arts like a grand bureaucratic title to flash around, but after undergoing this fundamental internal shift, such vanity felt entirely hollow.
That was exactly it. I was not some cheap, superficial warrior who needed to flaunt his martial prowess in front of ordinary citizens just to satisfy his own ego.
*‘For I am now a true master of internal cultivation who has elevated his state of being by successfully breaking through the Sura-swae-geum-tan-pa-ok-gyeol.’*
I offered a warm, highly civilized grin to the travelers coming from the opposite direction, extending a polite nod. And yet,
“*Hieek*?!”
“Look away, child, look away.”
“Hur—hurry up, pick up the pace!”
For some bizarre reason, a traveling group that appeared to be an ordinary family accelerated their pace in sheer panic, fleeing as though they had just encountered a monster. What in the world was happening? Shortly after that encounter, I crossed paths with a large merchant caravan protected by an armed mercenary escort.
“Back off! Get away from here!”
“We don’t have any spare coins to throw to beggars!”
“Beat it! Unless you want your legs broken right here and now!”
……For some inexplicable reason, I appeared to be receiving far more contempt and hostility than I ever did before my grand breakthrough. What was the meaning of this? Why on earth were they reacting this way? I quickly sprinted toward a nearby flowing stream and bent over to view my reflection in the clear water. The moment I looked down, the truth hit me. I looked like an absolute, total vagrant.
Without a second thought, I submerged myself completely into the running stream, causing the crust of dried, blackened blood and layers of accumulated cavern dust to dissolve into a dark, murky cloud that temporarily stained the clear water pitch black.
“First things first, I need to purchase a fresh set of robes before I make my appearance at the Murim Alliance……”
Though I had managed to roughly rinse away the filth and gore with river water, my martial garment remained shredded into countless tatters, looking no better than a pile of discarded rags.
“No matter how generously I view this situation, I don’t look like a patron coming to buy merchandise; I look precisely like a common bandit aiming to pillage the shop……”
As I trudged along the edge of the main road weighed down by these practical concerns, a remarkably opulent, decorated carriage came traveling toward me from the opposite direction. I stepped down off the main path to give the grand vehicle ample room to pass by, but inexplicably, the carriage began to decelerate significantly before grinding to a complete halt right in front of my position.
Before long, a gentleman attired in the elegant robes of a scholar and an imposing man who bore all the markings of a seasoned bodyguard stepped down from the cabin. To my surprise, they immediately brought their hands together in a formal, respectful martial salute.
“We have finally located you. Young Hero Jin.”
*Ho-oh*……. I narrowed my eyes, carefully evaluating the scholarly man who had disembarked from the carriage. Then, I offered the exact sort of puzzled expression that any regular person would show given the circumstances.
“Who exactly are you supposed to be?”
When I tilted my head in confusion, the scholarly gentleman offered a pleasant, reassuring smile and took a step closer to me.
“We have been formally dispatched from the Murim Alliance. Our purpose is to safely guide and escort Young Hero Jin.”
“Ah……. Is that so?”
Well, would you look at this?
“Judging by your current condition, it is evident that you have endured a tremendously grueling ordeal. From this moment onward, please allow us to look after your journey.”
What kind of magnificent fortune is this, dropping straight into my lap without any effort? Without wasting a single moment, I immediately voiced my most urgent requirements.
“In that case, are you capable of procuring some proper garments for me as well?”
Upon hearing my request, the scholarly individual beamed with a wide, accommodating expression.
“During the entirety of our journey to Wuhan, you will not have to expend a single thought regarding your meals, clothing, or lodgings.”
*Ho-oh*…… so that was the arrangement. Even so, maintaining a pragmatic mindset, I made sure to specify the precise standards I required.
“I happen to possess incredibly particular tastes, so I absolutely demand accommodations at the finest establishments and robes crafted only from premium materials…… furthermore, it is my strict policy to consume a bottle of the absolute highest-grade alcohol alongside every single meal.”
The scholar’s welcoming expression twitched momentarily, but I observed him quickly forcing his facial muscles back into a pleasant, accommodating smile.
“……Naturally, we shall ensure all your demands are met to the highest degree. There is absolutely no reason for you to worry.”
“Haha! Excellent! It seems the Murim Alliance is finally managing its affairs with proper competence.”
I wasted no time in leaping straight into the luxurious interior of the carriage. It offered a level of pure, unadulterated relaxation that I hadn’t gotten to enjoy in a very long time.
Jin So-un, who had personally provided the rear-guard escort for Dam Ak and enabled him to break free and escape entirely on his own. Jang Bo-geuk, the individual who had been explicitly ordered to track down and locate that very same Jin So-un, currently found himself caught in an immensely frustrating predicament.
“How can it be that you still haven’t uncovered a single trace of his whereabouts!”
“Th—that is to say……”
The stark reality was that Jin So-un’s recent movements had become an absolute enigma. Beginning their search from the perimeter of Eun-hyeon, they had relentlessly scoured the region for seven consecutive days and nights, but any physical evidence of his path leading from Eun-hyeon toward Wuhan completely vanished halfway through. Ultimately, out of sheer desperation, they contacted the nearest local outpost to enlist the services of a renowned master of wilderness tracking to decipher Jin So-un’s path.
Most fortunately, due to the complete lack of rainfall over the preceding week, his physical prints were eventually identified before too long. The precise location where Jin So-un’s presence was detected was a secluded cave nestled deep within an anonymous, incredibly treacherous mountain range. However…….
“The entire area is completely drenched in blood……”
The interior of the cavern was devastated to such a horrific, shocking degree that it defied ordinary imagination, and virtually every patch of stone they stepped upon was coated in crimson fluid.
“Are you certain this isn’t merely the blood of wild beasts?”
In response to Jang Bo-geuk’s skeptical inquiry, the veteran tracking specialist who accompanied him slowly shook his head in disagreement.
“Is it not entirely devoid of the pungent, musky odor that always accompanies wild animals? This is indisputably human blood, violently coughed up or expelled due to severe internal trauma.”
“…….”
The assertions made by this tracker—who had successfully uncovered Jin So-un’s trail when both the formidable Red Dragon Pavilion and the pervasive information network of the Gaebang had completely failed—were delivered with absolute certainty. Emitting a low groan, Jang Bo-geuk’s brow knit into deep, anxious lines.
“Are you suggesting that during the chaos of securing Dam Ak’s escape…… he retreated to this isolated spot to recuperate while suffering from critical internal injuries?”
“I do not believe that captures the true nature of what transpired here.”
“Then what exactly could it mean……”
The tracking specialist lowered his face directly toward the cavern floor, scanning the stone meticulously before speaking in an incredibly grave tone.
“It appears that Young Hero Jin was ambushed and cornered by a master of extraordinary caliber.”
“What did you say?!”
“The distinct marks left by individuals within this cave indicate there were three people in total.”
“Three individuals, you say?”
The specialist nodded slowly as his gaze swept across the entire expanse of the stone chamber.
“Correct. It is highly probable that Young Hero Jin was left incapacitated here after being overwhelmed by a profound martial master.”
“But did you not just explicitly state that there were three distinct sets of traces?”
“Indeed. And it appears that another individual—someone far more powerful than Young Hero Jin but distinctly below the level of that supreme master—arrived precisely seven days and nights later to tend to Young Hero Jin.”
“…….”
Jang Bo-geuk, who stood listening in absolute silence, found himself harboring a degree of skepticism regarding the elaborate tale spun by this mercenary tracker. Could such incredibly intricate details genuinely be deciphered from nothing more than a handful of faded imprints pressed into the dirt and stone, regardless of how profoundly one had mastered the art of tracking?
“Your expression indicates that you harbor deep reservations about my conclusions.”
The mercenary tracker began to break down the evidence in simple terms, his face perfectly relaxed as though dealing with such disbelief was a daily routine.
“While it might elude the trained eyes of the Great Hall Master, the unique residual vibrations of internal energy remain distinctly embedded within these particular footprints. Notice how the prints left by the supreme master exhibit absolutely no distortion or sliding, looking as clean as if they were carved directly into the stone with a sharp blade. Conversely, this footprint, which we deduce belongs to Young Hero Jin, is completely riddled with signs of instability and erratic force distribution.”
As Jang Bo-geuk listened closely to the explanation and re-examined the indentations on the floor, the theory began to sound remarkably plausible. The tracker then extended a finger, pointing toward a completely separate imprint.
“Now take a close look at this specific footprint, which appears to be far more recent than the others. Do you see how the subtle distortion of energy here sits perfectly balanced right in the middle, somewhere between the flawless execution of the supreme master and the chaotic force of Young Hero Jin?”
True enough, while it lacked the absolute, razor-sharp perfection of the master’s stride, it was nowhere near as disorganized or desperate as Jin So-un’s initial prints. He had no choice but to concede the point. Jang Bo-geuk gave a respectful nod of agreement.
“Please accept my apologies. I harbored uncalled-for skepticism. It never crossed my mind that one could analyze the lingering remnants of internal cultivation in such a manner.”
“Think nothing of it. This specialized craft is precisely how I earn my bread.”
A dark cloud of anxiety quickly settled over Jang Bo-geuk’s features as he gave the tracker a gentle, appreciative pat on the shoulder. This entire crisis, which had originally erupted due to the malicious schemes of the Jeongdo-hoe, had escalated into a direct confrontation between the Wudang Sect and Jin So-un. They had personally intervened in this matter out of a profound fear that the Wudang Sect might secretly assassinate Jin So-un. Did this mean the forces of Wudang had managed to outmaneuver them by a step yet again?
“Tell me, are you capable of following the trail of this individual who arrived later and subsequently departed the area?”
“Yes. Because the residual marks are exceptionally fresh and well-defined, I can track them with a high degree of certainty.”
“Excellent! I shall double your originally promised compensation. I need you to locate him with the utmost urgency.”
“Consider it done!”
The mercenary tracker resumed his task with renewed vigor, his face filled with determination. Jang Bo-geuk followed closely behind him, his heart heavy with worry over the well-being of that incredibly arrogant, reckless young man.
The grand carriage transporting Jin So-un continued its steady journey toward Wuhan. The drivers took great care to incorporate regular intervals of rest so as not to push the horses beyond their limits, ensuring that they secured lodging at highly reputable inns every single night. Throughout all of this, Jin So-un, who remained the sole occupant of the vehicle’s interior, did absolutely nothing but sleep continuously while the carriage was in motion. His capacity for slumber was so absolute that it left both the scholar and the warrior, who observed his behavior from the closest proximity, utterly dumbfounded.
[The sheer nerve on this boy is unbelievable. Even if we overlook the first day, how can a person sleep so soundly without a care throughout the entire trip to Wuhan?]
When the man dressed in scholarly robes posed the question utilizing an advanced sound-transmission technique, the warrior gave a subtle, low nod of agreement.
[Given that he dragged himself up from the absolute gutter, I imagine he lacks the refinement to care about the quality of his sleeping arrangements.]
No matter how impeccably crafted a carriage might be, it is an unavoidable reality that it will jar and shake when traversing unpaved imperial roads. At times, the bumps were severe enough to nearly launch a passenger off their seat, yet seeing him merely flutter his eyes open for a split second before instantly sinking back into a deep slumber made it impossible for them to suppress their internal astonishment.
[Is that the extent of it? To think he would drop his defenses entirely and trust us without a single shred of suspicion the moment he heard we were sent by the Murim Alliance. It is genuinely baffling how the elite Maengho Unit could have suffered such a crushing defeat at the hands of such an oblivious simpleton.]
In response to the scholar’s silent transmission, the warrior let out a quiet, mocking snort.
[Do you truly believe that disaster was a result of this brat’s personal capability? It was undoubtedly because our forces were blindsided by the underhanded schemes of Dam Ak and the wicked sorcery deployed by the Saheuk-ryeon.]
[Be that as it may, his personal culpability in this disaster remains absolute.]
[I am well aware.]
At present, every major faction within the Murim Alliance was pointing an accusing finger directly at Wudang, and even their revered spiritual leader, Cheong-su-jin-in, had been forcibly detained and brought before the Inspection Pavilion for questioning. Allowing the prime instigator of this profoundly humiliating predicament to go unpunished was an outcome that no loyal disciple of Wudang could ever abide. Was that not the exact reason they had traveled all this way, swallowing their pride to masquerade as a common scholar and a simple hired guard despite such roles being entirely beneath their station?
[We will absolutely ensure he answers for the disgrace he has brought upon us.]
The precise moment the scholar and the warrior exchanged a intense glance and nodded in grim consensus.
*Drrr— thud.*
“*Yawn*……”
Jin So-un let out a massive, unhurried stretch and slid open the wooden carriage window.
“Ah, I’m wiped out……. Seriously, it doesn’t matter how many hours of sleep I get, I still feel completely exhausted.”
Jin So-un, sitting upright with bloodshot, unfocused eyes, leaned his weight against the window frame and casually surveyed the landscape outside. And then—
“Oh?”
He turned his gaze toward the scholar and the warrior, his eyes widening with a look of genuine astonishment.
“Well, look at that, we’ve already arrived in Wuhan?”
“Yes, naturally, this is indeed Wuhan……”
“Why on earth didn’t you steer the carriage toward Mt. Wudang?”
“*Eup*!”
“*Heup*!”
The eyelids of both the scholar and the warrior snapped wide open in sheer horror. Exactly when had he managed to discern—. No, more importantly, how in the world could he possibly know??
Jin So-un stared back at them, a freezing, mocking smirk curling the edges of his lips.
“What’s with those expressions? Did you genuinely believe I climbed into this carriage without knowing exactly who you were?”
