Chapter 836: Ilcheonkyo.

The mountain behind the Tang Gate.

It’s a place called Uirangsan (Mountain of the Ceremonial Wolf), named so because wolves used to gather and live there in the past.

It was just about the time when the sun was barely starting to rise.

It was around the time when the morning dew was enveloping the mountain, bringing it to life.

In other words, it was when everyone else was still fast asleep.

In that quiet time, I stood still in the mountains, eyes closed.

Swaaaaah-!

The wind blew, brushing against my hair. Feeling it, I calmly settled my breathing.

I observed my body, as if concentrating all my focus.

The energy, starting from my heart, flowed along the acupoints, slowly spreading out. There were no issues with the process.

‘Hoo.’

I exhaled deeply. My breath carried warmth. It was proof that my internal energy had sufficiently permeated my body.

‘…Good.’

Deeper and deeper.

I circulated the energy with much greater focus than usual. Normally, a brief rest would have been enough, but I circulated it much more meticulously, as if refusing to allow even the slightest waver. That’s how I controlled my internal energy.

At the same time, I recalled.

Fwoosh-!

The sensation from yesterday, when my body and the flames became one…

A peculiar sensation that made me think I myself was a flame.

It made me anxious that I might lose it if I wavered even slightly, and impatient that I might fizzle out, but also filled me with a sense of exhilaration, as if I could do anything within it.

‘Indeed…’

Could I reach that place again?

Could I feel that sensation once more?

I tried desperately to recall the sensation, calming myself down profoundly. Come forth.

‘Please.’

Please, come forth. If I can’t recall it, I must at least grasp a clue.

Swoooooo-!!

The internal energy flowing through my acupoints increased its speed.

I wouldn’t allow even the slightest mistake. I executed it with perfect calculation and complete control.

I continued to increase the speed, intending to create friction within my body.

If I continued like this, flames would ignite within my body before long.

The problem was.

‘Whether it would truly be the same as yesterday.’

I was pouring all sorts of effort into finding the sensation, but I had no certainty. Frankly, I didn’t even know how what I felt yesterday manifested in the first place.

It was merely a struggle. A struggle to try anything, anything at all.

Giiiiing-!!

The endlessly rotating rings of the Nine Flame Wheel Technique. I was trying desperately to become flames somehow, but…

‘Damn it….’

Feeling the frustration, I finally scowled. Even though it seemed to be maintained well, the problems showing within were evident.

Feeling that, I couldn’t help but knit my brows.

From last night until dawn. I’d been holed up in the mountains, not sleeping, and yet, rather than improving, the situation seemed to be worsening.

“Hmph.”

I put pressure on my breathing, maximizing the output.

Giiiiiiiiii—-!!!!

The intertwined rings spun at an immense speed from my heart. It was the maximum firepower I could unleash.

It was the maximum amount of internal energy I could burst out at once. If I were to unleash it using my body as a vessel…

‘I could probably erase half this mountain.’

In terms of firepower alone, it would have been enough.

Under normal circumstances, that is.

“Hoo!”

I extended my hand forward and exerted force. It was to unleash flames.

But.

Giiiiing-!!!

Tuk-!

The rings, spinning as if about to explode any second, stopped operating the moment I decided to ignite the flames.

Chiiiiii….

“…”

As a result, instead of flames, only smoke rose from my palm.

What’s more.

“Cough-!”

Feeling the backlash, blood spurted from my mouth. Feeling intense pain, my knees buckled.

“Gack….”

Blood stained the grass, my eyes reddened with pain as I clutched my chest.

“Damn…it…”

This was the backlash from the maximized firepower, which couldn’t be released and instead exploded within my body.

I had gone through the trouble of making the energy violent, only for it to be released back at me since I didn’t let it out.

“Hoo… huff… goddamn it.”

It hurts like hell. It was pain I hadn’t felt in a long time.

I don’t think it hurt this much even when my chest was pierced.

“Ptooey.”

Spitting out the pooled blood, I barely managed to stand up.

My body still swayed, perhaps from the remaining backlash.

“Sss…”

Frowning deeply, I looked at my palm. It was still radiating heat.

“…”

I watched it calmly, then applied a little force again. It was a significantly smaller amount than before. Barely enough to produce a handful of flames, at best.

I tried exerting just that much force, but…

Throb-!

An aching pain immediately registered, and I gritted my teeth.

“Ha.”

A wry laugh escaped me. This was truly fucked up.

“…The sensation? What a load of crap.”

I had circulated my energy all night long. It started with trying to find yesterday’s sensation somehow, but…

“Ah.”

Now, I was facing a much bigger problem than that.

“Fuck…”

Suddenly, the flames wouldn’t come out. This seems to be…

“Shit.”

It seemed like a 심마 (Mind Demon).

---

심마 (Mind Demon).

It’s one of the conditions commonly referred to as a ‘sickness of the mind’.

It refers to cases where, due to confusing or shocking events, one cannot perform their usual tasks properly and acts as if something is broken.

While this indeed causes significant problems for ordinary people, for a martial artist (武人), it could be considered a truly fatal affliction.

For a martial artist to wield martial arts, physical strength is naturally necessary, but mental fortitude played an even more crucial role.

As one’s level rose higher and higher, mental enlightenment became the focus rather than the physical aspects.

The moment one surpasses the Hwagyeong (Flower Realm), physical strength becomes significantly less important.

The realm of 심상 (Mind State).

This was even more so when one could give form to their mind (心).

Just as the body is a vessel for a martial artist and the mind is like the roots, a Mind Demon is exceedingly fatal to them.

The moment the mind is tainted by a Mind Demon, almost everything collapses.

One loses their original self and becomes unable to do what they could before.

That could be martial arts, manipulating internal energy, or even the movements themselves.

Or perhaps…

‘All three.’

One could gain all the problems.

It’s truly a damn shame.

Furthermore, escaping a Mind Demon isn’t easy. Most people who get afflicted can never escape it until the day they die.

…To be afflicted by something so lousy.

‘I’m afflicted?’

I ran my hand down my face.

The more I thought about it, the shittier it felt.

From last night until dawn, I had started training to try and feel yesterday’s sensation. Not long after starting my training, I realized. That flames were no longer coming out of my body.

At first, I thought it was a mistake caused by fatigue. So I tried a few more times, but the result was the same.

No matter what I did, the flames wouldn’t appear.

All I felt was excruciating pain.

Why did this situation suddenly occur?

I wondered if other energies were the same, but fortunately or unfortunately, my demonic energy (魔氣) was moving.

Meaning, only the Nine Flame Wheel Technique was frozen.

‘…This is driving me crazy.’

How did it get like this? Why did it reach this point out of the blue?

If this really is a Mind Demon, what did I even do to get afflicted?

‘And why now, of all times.’

There were more than one or two things I needed to do in Sichuan, and being in this state right now would be problematic. Very problematic, indeed.

Therefore, I must resolve this.

Especially now that I had tasted that sensation yesterday.

‘That was definitely a piece that could lead to the next stage.’

Moving beyond Composition to Great Accomplishment.

It’s the most crucial condition for reaching Transcendence, as mentioned by Paejon.

Currently, I was at the Composition stage, and just one more step forward would lead to Great Accomplishment.

The problem was that I had remained at Composition even in my past life, so I didn’t know how to reach Great Accomplishment.

In such a situation, I felt a clue towards Great Accomplishment.

It could be a delusion, as no one else had taught me this, but I was certain.

That sensation was undoubtedly what I had been seeking.

So I had tried to grasp it by any means necessary.

“Seriously, nothing works out.”

Why now, of all times…

Grrr.

I grit my teeth and pondered. I was racking my brain to figure out the cause.

‘Perhaps.’

Could it be that feeling the sensation was the problem? Did what I thought was a clue actually become poison?

‘No.’

I shook my head. That doesn’t seem right.

It wasn’t the first time I had pursued something higher. I don’t think that would be the problem.

Then…

‘…Is it that after all?’

A scene that kept surfacing since I started trying to pinpoint the cause.

-“How are you alive?”

The voice and words my past self uttered while looking at me. That keeps coming back to me.

“…”

This wasn’t a certainty either, but somehow I felt it might be the cause. No, honestly, this is a certainty too.

My instincts are telling me.

If it’s the cause, it’s only that. What else could it possibly be?

The space and setting I headed towards after consuming the freshly made Dokcheondan (Poison Heaven Pill).

If I’ve fallen prey to a Mind Demon, the cause must surely be that.

‘So what should I do?’

If that’s the cause, what’s the solution? If ‘that thing’ is the problem, how should I deal with it?

“Young Master.”

‘What on earth should I do….’

“Gong Master-!”

‘…!’

I snapped my eyes open at the piercing voice.

Quickly regaining my senses, I looked ahead.

There stood Dokwang (Poison King), glaring at me with a frown.

“Are you alright? You seem quite out of it.”

‘…Ah. My apologies.’

I gave an awkward smile.

‘I guess I’m a bit dazed from lack of sleep.’

“I see. I understand.”

At my words, Dokwang nodded as if truly understanding.

“I too, didn’t get a wink of sleep after completing the Dokcheondan yesterday.”

“Oh… is that so.”

Does that mean he was that happy?

It seems quite different from how I feel… but anyway.

After descending the mountain, I immediately sought out Dokwang. There were many things I needed to discuss.

“First, thank you once again. Thanks to you, I’ve achieved one of my long-held aspirations…”

Dokwang bowed his head as he looked at me. Seeing that, I had to wave my hands dismissively.

“Why are you doing this? Please lift your head.”

“No, it’s rather that the gratitude I can express is limited, which makes me feel even more sorry…”

“I did it for my own benefit too. You know that.”

“Even so, it doesn’t change the fact that you are my benefactor. It was the same a few years ago, and it’s the same now.”

“Mmm…”

Dokwang, who had bowed his head heavily.

Watching him, I felt awkward before also carefully offering my respects.

After bowing deeply, a short while later…

I lifted my head as I sensed Dokwang rising.

“Thank you.”

‘…I appreciate your kind words, but… It’s not entirely over yet, is it?’

“That’s true.”

Dokwang’s reaction made it seem like everything was finished, but that wasn’t the case.

“Ultimately, if the manufacturing method is limited to that… it seems it will take longer than expected.”

“I agree, from what I can see.”

Setting aside the other ingredients, the process of manufacturing the magic stones (魔石) is the problem.

Finding the red magic stones is one thing. Even if we obtain them, we need to absorb the energy from the magic stones before we can infuse other energies.

This was the biggest issue.

This means…

‘That it’s impossible without me.’

Since I couldn’t be stuck in Sichuan indefinitely because of the Dokcheondan, I had to devise some method.

‘…It’s also problematic to absorb all the energy beforehand and then leave.’

Usually, magic stones lose their color and turn to powder within a day. Even if they retain their color, it’s not permanent.

It would last much longer than green or blue ones, but even that wasn’t infinite.

‘Hmm.’

The Dokcheondan, the Mind Demon…

Nothing is going my way.

As I was thinking that, chewing on my tongue…

“…Say, Gong Master.”

Dokwang called me cautiously.

“I have one question.”

“…”

From his expression and tone, I had a hunch. It was clear. He was trying to ask how I extracted the energy from the magic stones.

‘…Yesterday’s magic stones…’

“Before that.”

So I beat him to it.

“As I mentioned yesterday, I said I had something to ask the Family Head today. Do you remember?”

I had laid the groundwork in advance. I had done it anticipating that Dokwang would ask about this.

“…”

Dokwang’s eyes widened. It seemed he too had figured out what I was going to ask. However, the difference between us was… He seemed half resigned.

‘…Go ahead.’

“What happened between you and Miss Tang?”

“…”

The reason why Tang Soyeol harbored such unusual animosity towards Dokwang. I asked about it. And as expected, Dokwang wore a troubled expression upon hearing the question.

It was the expression I had been hoping for.

I thought to myself, ‘What a relief.’

This way, it would be easier to steer things in the direction I wanted.

“Ah, if it’s difficult, you don’t have to answer. But in return… the question you were about to ask-“

“It’s because of you.”

‘…If you’ll let it slide… Huh?’

I was taken aback by his words. I didn’t expect him to actually say it, but Dokwang did speak, and…

‘…Me?’

It was more because of the reason he spat out.