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Chapter 578: The Miracle of Shaolin

There was a martial artist known as Gui Seung (鬼僧).

He was a demon affiliated with the direct unit of the Heavenly Demon, the Cheonra Heukmangdae, and was active even before the establishment of the Demon Sword Inspection Team.

He was known for his brutal actions, which contradicted his background, even though my paths had never crossed with him.

During the time Gui Seung was active as a demon, I was still trapped under the Heavenly Demon.

At that time, I hadn’t been part of any troop, so I had no encounters with him, nor had I even seen his face before he became a demon.

It made sense.

“I was a damn fool, and over there…”

In the generation of Yuseong, someone thought to be the best was Gui Seung… or should I call him now, “Shin Ryong” (神龍)?

Together with Jang Seonyeon, he was renowned as the rising hope of the righteous faction and a miracle of Shaolin; a figure of a different caliber compared to me, who was known as the disgrace of the Gu Clan and a good-for-nothing from Mount Shan.

He was none other than Gui Seung, the young man right in front of me.

I looked straight at him.

Perhaps due to the moonlight, his glimmering head stood out first.

Beneath it were gentle yellow eyes, a robust physique barely under seven feet tall, and a well-defined, trained body observable.

From examining his physique, I could infer:

“Martial Arts Category.”

He was an extraordinary martial artist specializing in external powers.

If he was a martial artist from Shaolin, naturally, he would belong to the external power category.

“How fascinating.”

I was filled with nostalgia.

I never expected to meet such a person this way, and the fact that we stood face to face was truly remarkable for me.

“Miracle of Shaolin.”

Or the last Shin Ryong, or an extraordinary genius.

Those were the titles associated with him.

Of those three statements, I did not deny any.

“All three are true.”

In a sense, more could be said.

Even though Shin Ryong wasn’t chosen through good means but rather through backhand deals, considering the time back then…

“That guy was certainly worthy of becoming Shin Ryong.”

He was by no means insufficient to ascend to Shin Ryong.

“As for age… I think he was said to be around my age.”

At most, he might be a year or two older.

If he ascended to the Transformation Realm at that age, it wouldn’t be surprising to call him an extraordinary genius.

I had ascended to the Transformation Realm at a younger age, but…

“Mine is an exception.”

It wouldn’t affect how he would be known as the youngest Transformation Realm martial artist; it wouldn’t make any difference.

In fact, if I had not been around, he surely would have received such titles.

Moreover, looking at it that way, it was rather strange.

“With that level of skill, he wouldn’t have needed such underhanded means.”

Looking at the current state of Shin Ryong, he could have reached the Shin Ryong position without any scheming within Shaolin or the clan.

He was more than enough.

If he rose to the Transformation Realm at that young age, he would surely have exceeded the qualifications.

Despite that, if he had to resort to such means…

I thought there had to be a reason for it.

And that was…

“Could it be included in the reason he abandoned Shaolin and fled?”

Was it related to Shin Ryong turning his back on his hometown and going astray?

I pondered on that thought.

Of course, it was impossible to know for sure.

By the time I came out into the world under the name of a demon, Gui Seung had already met his demise at the hands of other Shaolin martial artists.

“I heard that dozens from the clan and Shaolin’s masters came together to kill Gui Seung.”

They said when they finally killed him, half of his strength had vanished.

“I’m curious.”

I gazed at Shin Ryong with interest.

What could possibly have led him to become a demon?

Those questions bubbled up, but this wasn’t the time to ask such things, so I needed to dive into a different conversation.

“Do you like meat?”

“…”

Shin Ryong frowned at my sudden question.

He seemed displeased.

After all, asking this of someone from Shaolin, who condemns eating meat, was somewhat rude.

However, the situation was a bit different now.

“He ate it.”

I had seen it clearly.

In the previous inn, he was eating dumplings.

Actually… I didn’t see him eating them exactly.

“I saw the leftovers.”

That was enough evidence.

“The dumplings there were delicious, but I didn’t expect a monk to think they were that good!”

It was definitely a taste that tempted even those who refrain from meat.

I chuckled, and at that, Shin Ryong finally opened his lips.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about, Cult Leader…”

His expression from moments ago vanished, replaced by a warm and proper demeanor.

Seeing that made me nod.

Ah, I see.

“You’re going to play dumb, huh?”

Since there was no evidence, it seemed he intended to evade the topic.

Unfortunately for him, I had the evidence.

“If that’s the case, why not wipe the grease from your mouth?”

At my words, Shin Ryong paused and began to wipe his mouth.

Seeing that, I continued.

“And there’s some food stuck in your teeth.”

“…!”

Again, he tried to move quickly, so I added,

“Oh, this is a lie.”

As I spoke in jest, he froze like a stone.

His expression changed.

He probably recognized that he no longer had an escape route.

I chuckled at this sight.

A brief silence passed, and Shin Ryong eventually coughed lightly.

“Ahem…”

He adjusted his posture, attempting to appear more dignified.

“Do you have business with me, Cult Leader?”

It seemed he intended to pretend our previous conversation never happened.

How amusing.

I couldn’t help but chuckle and took a step forward.

While the move was sudden, Shin Ryong didn’t show much of a reaction.

Was he not concerned?

It certainly appeared that way, but…

Suddenly, my heart responded involuntarily to his actions.

I could feel it.

Wuuu-!

The energy began to emanate from the tips of Shin Ryong’s toes.

The thick energy spread outwards, creating a domain around him.

In just a short time, the area was completely enveloped by Shin Ryong’s domain. I smiled at this sight.

“Nice.”

The way he wielded his energy was swift, precise, and meticulous.

The dense, fine awareness of energy was truly impressive.

It wasn’t bad.

Feeling that, I said,

“Is it acceptable for a Buddhist seeking reincarnation to be this violent?”

As I spoke while sensing his energy, Shin Ryong replied,

“Still, you have yet to answer my question, Cult Leader.”

“Well.”

I nodded at his statement.

If he was simply spreading out his energy to create a domain, that would be one thing.

“The energy feels quite hostile.”

I could feel my heart fluttering involuntarily.

That meant…

The energy he emitted was tainted with hostility.

“Did I upset him somehow?”

Was he particularly displeased with my jest?

That could be possible.

With that conclusion in mind, I immediate spoke again to him.

“I apologize if I upset you.”

“…?”

“I mean, a person can’t survive without eating meat.”

I chuckled while saying that, and to my surprise, his expression showed astonishment.

It appeared he didn’t expect an apology.

I then concentrated my heart to release my energy.

Wuuu-!

The energy flowing from my heart slightly pushed against Shin Ryong’s aura.

Only then did I start to breathe a bit easier.

Uh-oh-!

At the same time, I relaxed my body slightly.

However, I didn’t decrease the distance between us.

“I’m not exactly here to fight.”

At least not for today.

I looked into Shin Ryong’s eyes, possessing only curiosity.

“Isn’t it fascinating? I stopped by an inn, and there was a miracle of Shaolin eating dumplings!”

“…”

Upon hearing the words “miracle of Shaolin,” I could see his brow twitching.

Perhaps due to his bald head, it looked exceptionally pronounced.

“I know a Taoist who also eats some meat, but this is the first time I saw a monk indulging!”

That Taoist was a bit off his rocker despite his title.

Shaolin, on the other hand, had a different emphasis regarding recognition.

“…Wait, Huang A Bul-yeong also ate some meat in secret, so that’s a bit hard to criticize.”

According to the mysterious Shin Noya, the so-called hero of Shaolin, Huang A Bul-yeong secretly indulged in meat, making it hard to point fingers.

Yet, I brought it up to encourage conversation.

It seemed to be a rougher approach than expected.

“You seem to know who I am.”

“I know well. How could I not?”

If you asked who the most famous person in Hanam these days was, one would be the new clan leader, Wudang’s Sword Master, while the other would be the Shin Ryong standing right in front of me.

“The new Shin Ryong, right?”

“…”

Even if he denied it here, it wouldn’t matter.

With a face perhaps just past teenager age.

Beneath that youthful visage lay overwhelming physicality.

Additionally…

“It would be a lack of conscience to pretend not to know with that kind of energy.”

With the profound energy emanating from him, anyone would recognize it immediately.

“Truly impressive.”

In my previous life, I had merely stood from afar and, given my lacking skills at the time, hadn’t properly perceived Shin Ryong’s power.

But standing this close now made it clearer.

“It’s worthy of being called a monster.”

To have reached such a level at merely this age.

How could that even be?

Could it be…

“Are there perhaps more reincarnators like you?”

“Excuse me?”

“Forget it, it’s nothing.”

As I nearly blurted that out, I quickly retracted my words.

No way, that would be too much of a headache.

I knew it was absurd, but seeing Shin Ryong made me unable to suppress my doubts.

He truly was that impressive.

Though I had gone through a lot, that was different; reaching his current state without any luck was indeed…

“Clearly a once-in-a-lifetime genius!”

A heavenly bestowed talent.

Other than that, there could be no other description.

As I admired his figure, I continued talking.

I still had yet to introduce myself.

“Ah, I am…”

“I know.”

“Eh?”

Just as I was about to introduce myself, Shin Ryong interrupted.

Hearing that made me slightly surprised.

“You know who I am?”

“Yes, I do indeed know.”

Shin Ryong said while maintaining his serious expression.

My expression shifted slightly in astonishment.

“How did you know?”

It was a genuine surprise.

How could he know about me?

As that question echoed through my mind…

“I believed.”

Shin Ryong’s hardened face faced me once more.

“I believed someone like you, who possessed such power, would surely be him.”

“Oh.”

Upon hearing his words, I couldn’t help but admire the intelligence behind it.

This meant my conviction of being Shin Ryong mirrored his of me.

The issue was, if something else was hidden within that belief…

“But why do you dislike me?”

The feeling of hostility emanating from Shin Ryong intensified.

The moment I firmly recognized myself, the aura he emitted bore increasing hostility.

I inquired into it.

“…”

Shin Ryong offered no definitive response.

Usually, if one were asked point-blank, they might deny feelings of dislike.

But his silence screamed affirmation.

“What gives?”

Did my teasing really irk him?

Or was it my straightforwardness upon our first meeting?

Hmm.

“Both of these would be quite irritable.”

Upon pondering that, I certainly couldn’t deny it. It made a good amount of sense.

But I wouldn’t change my ways.

“However, I feel like there is something more to it.”

His first impression might not have been the best, yet Shin Ryong felt like there was an underlying issue.

Something beyond just disliking me.

I stared into his eyes, waiting in silence for a few seconds.

“Have you come to participate in the Martial Arts Tournament?”

His question was not an answer to mine but was rather intended to draw me into another question.

It seemed he meant not to respond to my earlier inquiries.

So, I decided to respect that.

“Since it’s happening, I do think I want to give it a shot.”

“I see.”

Shin Ryong nodded at my statement.

“That’s a relief.”

“Eh?”

A relief? What did he mean?

“I’m glad to hear that. Today has been enjoyable. Cult Leader. Next time… I will see you in three months.”

Without warning, he offered a formal bow and turned to walk away.

Watching him leave, I tilted my head.

The first part seemed like an obvious lie.

As for the latter…

“Is he also participating in the Martial Arts Tournament?”

If so, this was basically a declaration of intention.

As these thoughts struck me, I couldn’t help but silently cheer.

It sparked a refreshing sensation within me.

“This feels like a first.”

Perhaps this was my first since returning.

If you’re displeased with me, then come to the Martial Arts Tournament.

I’ll teach you a lesson.

It sounded like that’s what he had meant.

I hadn’t experienced anything quite like that for ages.

And it was happening with someone I just met today.

Thinking back on it all, I called out to him,

“Hey!”

He stopped in his tracks.

Right after I called him, I noticed.

His shoulders slightly tensed, as if he felt threatened.

Was he thinking of picking a fight?

Though it seemed like he was prepared, I certainly didn’t want that.

“I’ll keep the secret about you eating dumplings from Shaolin.”

“…”

After my words, he stood there blankly for a moment.

Then he turned back to face me.

Immediately, Shin Ryong said,

“Thank you for… that part.”

He clasped his hands together in appreciation before turning again and continuing on his way.

His footsteps seemed to have hastened somewhat.

He probably felt embarrassed.

“…Haha.”

I chuckled as I watched him leave.

Something seemed off about him too.

Be it Wudang, Shaolin, or Hwasan, the ones supposed to be the most put-together were all a bit off.

Clearly, the world was in chaos.

I thought that as I stroked my chin.

“In three months…”

Shin Ryong’s words lingered in my mind.

Though I didn’t genuinely plan on taking part in the Martial Arts Tournament, hearing that was a bit concerning.

“Now it feels like I’ve developed some feelings about it.”

The stake might unintentionally become more personal.

And then it might become difficult to control my power.

That would be a troublesome matter from my perspective.

 

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