---

“I headed straight back to Jinrang Valley.”

Originally, the Nameless Ritual Book had a tracking spell on it, so bringing it to Jinrang Valley would have been a hassle, but now that it’s with the Prophet of Astana, it didn’t matter. Zhuge Bu couldn’t do much with the Prophet, so I could relax about that.

“Mangnyang, I’ve found a solution.”

I explained to Mangnyang how we could locate the God of Silence in the Arctic Continent. I also shared what kind of deal I made with the Prophet of Astana after obtaining the Nameless Ritual Book and what had transpired. Mangnyang listened with interest.

“So, you mean you can now put your memories into the obsidian?”

“That’s right. I’ve completely mastered that spell.”

“How about testing it by putting a memory into the obsidian?”

“Sounds good.”

Before I knew it, Miho had joined us, listening with curious eyes. I glanced at her and thought, ‘Right. I should sift through my memories and show them to Mangnyang and Miho.’

They only knew about my experiences from what I told them, so their understanding was somewhat superficial. But if I could show them the memories I actually lived through, maybe it would change things.

With that in mind, I grabbed two pieces of obsidian, rubbed my palms on them, and concentrated.

‘The mind and matter… they relate through processes that occur in time, influencing the present through memory, habit, and choice… organization… will… curvature path… form resonance…’

They say memories have a tendency to sink in space-time, much like being distorted by a powerful force. There are also laws and forms that are necessary for that shape to occur, known as form resonance. Therefore, memories don’t merely exist as simple things; they can exert causal influence and can be free from the bonds of the law of cause and effect, the biggest restrictive force in spells.

‘But that’s all just indoctrinated knowledge.’

I chuckled wryly while using the spell. This memory storage spell with obsidian was something I couldn’t have mastered even in over thirty years of study. Having received it as a price for the grimoire, I understood I had to make good use of it.

In an instant, I could see my memories being sucked into each piece of obsidian. Once the spell procedure was complete, I handed the obsidian to Mangnyang and Miho.

“Here.”

“……”

Mangnyang and Miho exchanged glances. Then, almost simultaneously, they picked up the obsidian.

It felt like a flow of blue energy enveloped them both. The power that seeped in silently was the flow of memory, connecting to their memories and digging deep into their unconsciousness. I was well aware of this process from the knowledge I had received, knowing it to be the method with the least side effects.

For a moment, Mangnyang and Miho had dazed expressions on their faces.

Miho was the first to respond.

“So it was real. You truly…”

Then her face turned completely red.

“Ah!!”

Suddenly, Miho disappeared using a transformation technique. It seemed she was quite flustered, demonstrating what could be considered the unique technique of demons called Shinhyeongbaekbyeon.

‘Why is she acting like that?’

As I was puzzled about Miho’s reaction, Mangnyang sighed and smiled bitterly.

“She must have remembered the time you fought against the Dharma Guardian of the Wind Spirit Sect during your tenth rebirth when she sacrificed herself in your place. I saw that memory too.”

“Ah…”

“As a pure child of the Celestial Realm and a great fox demon from the earthly realm, she must have felt quite flustered, feeling righteousness towards you.”

So she ran away out of embarrassment.

As I accepted Mangnyang’s words, he sat back in the Great Hall and muttered in disbelief.

“Now I understand. Baek Woong, just how incredible your willpower is…”

“What prompted this remark all of a sudden?”

Mangnyang looked straight at me and said, “A typical person would have broken down after dying four or five times, living in despair. No, they would probably go insane. That would be normal.”

“Hmm…”

“However, you have been persevering all this time, keeping your will unwavering and even resisted suicide against the temptation of Ancient Gods or corruption. You’ve faced it all without faltering.”

“……”

“I don’t believe there’s anyone with stronger willpower than you in this world.”

I felt my cheeks redden at Mangnyang’s unexpected praise. He wasn’t just saying it lightly; he was genuinely impressed. As I tried to brush it off, Mangnyang chuckled and took my hand.

“You’ve done very well so far, Baek Woong. You will continue to do well.”

“Ugh, that’s so cheesy! Did you ever think I wouldn’t do well? Of course, I will!”

I suspected my face was probably as red as a tomato. I couldn’t handle this heat any longer. As I scratched the back of my head, Mangnyang subtly released my hand and said, “Now that I’ve seen your memories, my purpose has become clearer. It’s a fortunate development.”

“What do you need to do?” I suddenly recalled. “Speaking of which, how is everything going with the Imperial Palace?”

“I haven’t explained that part to you in detail.” Mangnyang nodded and continued. “What was our primary strategy before politically countering the Imperial Palace?”

“That would be… the White Lotus Sect…”

Oh! I paused mid-answer as Mangnyang’s intention hit me, and my eyes widened.

“That’s right. We agreed to give the White Lotus Sect dominion over the world. That plan has been in motion for some time, and now we are seeing results.”

“You don’t mean…”

“We succeeded in using the Black and White Lotus to establish the White Lotus Sect’s lower forces, and I’ve also managed to acquire some of their secret martial arts techniques. Thanks to that, I’ve quickly become an expert. Of course, my efforts in diligently training my martial arts played a part, but fundamentally, it was due to receiving the peerless martial skills of the White Lotus Sect.”

“……!!”

I took a moment to grasp what Mangnyang was saying. So far, I had merely sensed his power, but now I intended to find out about his state of martial arts directly. As a result, it took mere seconds for me to learn about Mangnyang’s current condition.

“Your internal power level has already surpassed a critical peak level, and you’ve mastered the techniques of the Fire Spirit Sect.”

“You recognized it immediately. Truly fitting for a Peak Expert of the Thunder God Lineage.”

“That’s because each sect in the Four Great Families has very distinct characteristics…”

Mangnyang possessed the power of the Fire Spirit residing within him. Just as the Thunder God Lineage used the Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique to achieve the realm of Thunder Spirit, the Fire Spirit Sect cultivated their Secret Internal Energy to control Fire Spirit Energy. Furthermore, since Mangnyang could likely use the Black and White Lotus as he pleased, he had rapidly learned the peerless internal technique.

Mangnyang said, “Immediately after sending the Black and White Lotus to heal the Young Master, the Master of the White Lotus Sect told me that I could learn any martial technique from the sect. So, I intentionally chose the Fire Spirit Sect’s techniques and have been studying them since.”

It seemed that just like with Dongbang Mu-gyeol, the Master of the White Lotus Sect had offered a reward for curing his son’s strange disease.

“Why the Fire Spirit Sect?”

“There are two reasons. One, I will likely have much to do with the Dharma Guardian of the Fire Spirit Sect residing in Luoyang, so the more aligned our sects are, the easier it will be to work together. Even if it’s only nominally, she and I are considered sectmates right now.”

“That makes sense.”

“The second reason is that I thought it would be helpful for you to grasp the vision of a sect that you aren’t familiar with in the future.”

“……!!”

“If you understand the techniques, secrets, internal characteristics, and weaknesses of the Fire Spirit Sect, you’ll have a great advantage when facing them in the future. I’m certain that as you pursue your goals in upcoming rebirths, you’ll eventually face off against the Fire Spirit Sect.”

What Mangnyang said struck me as entirely accurate. The difference between someone who directly learned from the Fire Spirit Sect and what I could gather by keeping tabs on them as a rival in the Thunder God Lineage was monumental. The more techniques Mangnyang learned and perfected, the deeper his understanding of the Fire Spirit Sect would be. If he passed that knowledge directly to me, I couldn’t help but think how much easier it would be for me when dealing with them later on.

Mangnyang continued, “I considered learning from the Wind Spirit Sect too, but since it’s inherently at odds with the Thunder God Lineage, I dismissed that idea. To be honest, I did want to learn the Water Spirit Sect’s techniques, which are renowned as the mightiest among the Four Great Families, but it seems one must participate in a special ritual for that, so I let it go.”

“A special ritual?”

“That’s right. The Master said I could learn the Water Spirit techniques, but for that, I would need to receive a special method in the forbidden area of the White Lotus Sect for a year. With your matters currently taking precedence and all the suspicious elements involved, I couldn’t choose the Water Spirit techniques.”

“……”

So, one would have to participate in a special ritual to learn the mightiest peerless technique of the White Lotus Sect. While that might sound trivial in the grand scheme, given the closed-off nature and many secrets of the Water Spirit Sect, who could know how it might backfire?

Mangnyang chuckled mischievously. “But I’m quite satisfied with the Fire Spirit techniques. The Fire Spirit Sect is also a powerful faction that doesn’t fall behind the Thunder God Lineage, maintaining their own legacy… I believe with just my current martial power, I can handle most experts.”

“That’s impressive.”

I genuinely complimented him. Mangnyang’s martial arts level must be that of a first-class master, but considering that the Fire Spirit techniques are formidable and stunningly powerful in attack capability, alongside the fact that his internal energy can match a Peak Expert’s, it was reasonable to say he could take down a few of them in actual combat.

This was an extraordinary feat. Mangnyang hadn’t even been training for a year yet. Typically, prodigies from major sects needed to invest over a decade to reach first-class levels, making Mangnyang’s rapid growth something utterly inconceivable for a standard martial artist.

Feeling a bit disheartened, Mangnyang remarked, “I expected it, but since I’ve consumed the spiritual pills that should have helped raise the Bancheon Alliance, I feel that it’s somewhat smaller than what it originally was. It should have been about twice this size by now…”

“Is that so…”

“But that’s not something to worry about. This lifetime, strengthening the Bancheon Alliance isn’t as critical as reviving the White Lotus Sect to counter the Imperial Palace.”

Mangnyang answered this while his eyes gleamed brightly. “Baek Woong, let’s postpone releasing the second seal of the Water Element Divine Sword in the Arctic.”

“Why?”

“Don’t you think there’s a high chance you might die if you go there? Rather than suffering great losses due to a sudden death, I think it’s better to try handling a few things here first, and only go when we really need the power of the Water Element Divine Sword.”

That made sense. I also caught the meaning behind Mangnyang’s words.

“You want to teach me the techniques of the Fire Spirit Sect!”

“Exactly. If you can’t be sure when or how you may die, it’s best to learn about the techniques, secrets, and weaknesses of the Fire Spirit techniques from me beforehand. Fortunately, right now, no one, including the White Lotus Sect, knows much about your existence, so they won’t be suspicious when I pass their techniques on to you.”

I hesitated for a moment and then asked, “Is that possible, considering the different bases of internal energy?”

“Haha… that’s something you ought to know better than I do. Hasn’t Lee Kwang ever explained that to you?”

I shook my head. “No. Lee Kwang takes enormous pride in the Thunder God techniques, so he almost never wants to talk about such matters. He even suggested that when it comes to the four great families, one shouldn’t even think about mastering their applications.”

“So does that mean mixing all the sects’ martial arts is impossible?”

“That seems to be the case. One must specialize in a single element of internal energy; otherwise, it’s nearly impossible to see even a glimpse of each sect’s peak technique. How could someone abandon everything they learned up to that point and start learning a completely new element?”

This was likely an undeniable fact. Though I could use Natural Spirit Energy and Fire Spirit Energy with some training from Lee Kwang, I had nearly zero practical application. My attempts to forcibly switch energies with my tremendous internal power ended in disaster because the efficiency was just awful. Once someone is used to one sect’s element, they’re unlikely to learn a different one.

However, I was taken aback by Mangnyang’s next words.

“That’s strange. The Master of the White Lotus Sect I met was able to use all the martial arts from the four great families freely. So naturally, I thought that would be possible.”

“……!!”

What on earth did I just hear?!

I half-expected Mangnyang to be teasing me. But this was no time for jokes, given the matter he just discussed; my heart calmed, accepting the reality. Yet I couldn’t believe it and asked, “Is that… really true?”

My voice trembled slightly, but Mangnyang nodded as if understanding.

“Yes. A few days after I presented the Black and White Lotus, masters from the Elder Council of the White Lotus Sect came and took me there. I met the Master one-on-one, and he thanked me for healing the Young Master, asking me to tell him what I wanted as a reward. I requested to learn a martial technique from among the four great families and asked him to summon an important figure from each sect to see their martial arts in order.”

“And then?”

“The Master dismissed it, displaying the secret techniques and lethal blows of the Thunder God, Wind Spirit, Fire Spirit, and Water Spirit sects right there in front of me. There seemed to be techniques even linked together. That’s when I thought the techniques from the four great families could be combined.”

“……!!”

A chill ran down my spine, both from horror and awe.

Mangnyang might still be a novice on martial arts, and while he told me all this calmly, for someone who had delved into martial arts for nearly a century and achieved mastery like me, that revelation was nothing short of terrifying. A being capable of deploying martial arts from all four great families? If that were true, I couldn’t even come close to the Master of the White Lotus Sect’s level. Just a simple flick of his finger might kill a Peak Expert in an instant. Every lethal technique from the four great families is formidable, so the combined effects of them are beyond my imagination.

‘Is it really possible for a being like that to be called human?’

A Peak Expert alone could confront a thousand soldiers with the right use of terrain and still stand a chance. No matter how advanced firearms or cannons might get, capturing a Peak Expert is incredibly challenging. In the eyes of a typical martial artist, a Peak Expert is seen as something akin to an unstoppable calamity. Moreover, among Peak Experts, many possess enough prowess to at least hold their ground against Dharma Guardians.

What on earth is the Master of the White Lotus Sect if he can instantly kill such beings?

As I was seriously troubled by the implications of all this, Mangnyang spoke.

“Hmm… Even if I can’t master the techniques, I’ll at least explain to you what the Fire Spirit Sect’s martial arts involve. You should be able to gather some secrets within a month.”

“I will definitely learn.”

“After that, I believe the Imperial Palace will collapse without us having to lift a finger. Why? Because the White Lotus Sect has already started the process of taking down the Imperial Palace.”

“Already? Isn’t that a bit too quick?”

“The White Lotus Sect has been coiled up until now due to their lack of power. Moreover, by presenting the Black and White Lotus, I’ve relayed to the Master everything I learned about the Imperial Palace’s essence, its actions, and its dangers. The Master of the White Lotus Sect currently considers the Imperial Palace to be the number one enemy that needs to be eliminated.”

It seemed Mangnyang had efficiently taken care of what needed to be done in under a year. He then smiled triumphantly and said, “In a short while… probably within six months at the latest, they will act.”

“They?”

From Mangnyang’s following words, I perceived that this lifetime, the Imperial Palace would certainly not remain intact.

“The three Dharma Guardians of the White Lotus Sect and the Peak Experts associated with the Elder Council are planning to directly assault the Imperial Palace. It’s a superlative martial force that eclipses the overall power of the Martial World, ready to annihilate the Imperial Palace.”

 

---