Chapter v13c6

**The Second Trial**

– The Scarred Wall of Tribulation

To everyone’s surprise, the old man with the silver beard successfully crossed the rope bridge, despite Yeomdo’s worries. Not only that, but he also displayed a speed that rivaled the younger men, astonishing everyone. He was definitely no ordinary old man.

Although his true identity remained a mystery, shrouded in fog like a maze, they couldn’t leave him unattended, considering he knew about the “talent worthy of Taiji”.

The mountain grew steeper and more treacherous. Tall, majestic trees lined the path, their refreshing scent invigorating their steps. The dense forest provided a cool shade from the scorching sun. Sunlight peeked through the lush green leaves, casting white streaks of light in the shadows.

There was no clear path. The terrain rose and fell, their footsteps creating the path. In some areas, the grass was so tall and thick that it reached their knees. In others, there were only barren rocks, devoid of any vegetation. It was still autumn, so the dazzling red plum blossoms, the pride of Mount Hua, were nowhere to be seen.

They didn’t have to search for the second trial. Jong Kwae had simply smiled and said they would know when they reached it. And as he had said, they naturally found it.

It was a clearing.

It was flat and spacious, an unexpected sight in the middle of the steep Heavenly Martial Peak. They had just traversed a treacherous path fit for wild animals, so they instinctively knew this was the second trial.

“Is anyone there? This silence is unsettling.”

Yeomdo looked around.

It was only natural for the second trial to have a gatekeeper, like the first one, but there was no sign of anyone.

Then Bi Ryu-yeon pointed ahead. He didn’t waste words. Yeomdo’s gaze followed his finger.

It was a wall. A jet-black wall, as dark as the night.

Their footsteps, as if drawn by a magnet, led them towards the black wall.

As they approached the wall, close enough to touch it, they realized it was polished like a mirror.

“This… This can’t be!”

A gasp of shock escaped Bi Ryu-yeon’s lips, a rare occurrence for someone who rarely lost his composure.

He was trying to suppress it, but the slight tremor in his hand, reaching out to touch the wall, was undeniable.

“Why is this here…?”

Bi Ryu-yeon’s eyes sank into the depths of the abyss as he felt the cold touch of the black, ice-like rock.

The wall seemed indestructible, its form and appearance unyielding to the forces of nature. It was imposing, awe-inspiring, and solid. It seemed impossible to even scratch it.

But the dark, sturdy rock was marred by countless scars, its pride shattered. The once-pristine black surface, which must have exuded a noble aura, was now defiled by countless wounds.

Fine lines, like spiderwebs, crisscrossed the smooth, black wall, radiating outwards from Bi Ryu-yeon’s hand.

It resembled a mosaic of hundreds of turtle shells, or perhaps a spiderweb cast upon a smooth, black mirror.

‘What’s making him so agitated?’

Bi Ryu-yeon was always lighthearted, almost excessively cheerful. Na Yerin had never seen him so serious. Agitation and Bi Ryu-yeon, it was an incongruous pairing.

Even with her unwanted dragon eyes, she couldn’t usually read his mind. But now, she could see a crack in his facade, a ripple of agitation spreading like calamus water. The more her suspicions grew, the more agitated he became. It was almost frightening.

Bi Ryu-yeon, oblivious to her gaze, continued to stare intently at the black wall.

‘This is impossible!’

He refused to accept it.

The lines were thin and sharp, but they carried an invisible sword energy that defied the ravages of time. It was either a masterpiece of the gods, or the work of a demon, designed to instill despair in the hearts of men.

Binggeom found himself drawn towards the wall, his gaze fixated on the patterns etched on its surface.

“Father?”

His daughter, Gwan Seol-ji, called out to him from behind, but he didn’t respond. His attention was solely on the black wall.

Namgung Sang, Yong Cheon-myeong, Cheong Heun, Jang Hong, Maha Ryeong, and Shin Yu-seong, as if drawn by an invisible force, joined him. A few others followed suit.

Two groups formed. Those who approached the wall, their gazes fixated on the patterns, and those who stood back, watching them with puzzled expressions.

The group that had approached the wall, led by Bi Ryu-yeon, stared intently at the black rock, as if trying to solve a hidden puzzle. But the wall, with its own sense of pride, remained intact, refusing to be pierced by their intense, almost obsessive gazes.

They stood there for a long time, silent, their eyes fixed on the scars.

“Hmm…”

A heavy sigh escaped their lips in unison.

The silence was broken by a voice.

“Well? What do you think?”

They looked around, searching for the source of the voice.

“Over here! Over here!”

At first, they thought it was just a black rock next to the wall. But to their surprise, the rock moved and spoke. And upon closer inspection, they realized it had eyes, a nose, and a mouth, although they were obscured by a thick beard. Some might have exclaimed, “Oh! It’s the legendary talking rock!” But there was something about it that made them suspect it was human.

“What? A rock is talking?”

Yeomdo said, his voice filled with wonder. A reply came back immediately.

“Are your eyes just for show? I’m a human, a human!”

It certainly seemed that way.

The old man, his age impossible to guess, was clad in black, his hair and beard as wild and unkempt as weeds in a graveyard. It was hard to believe he was human at first glance. He looked like he hadn’t groomed himself in a hundred years.

He was covered in moss and weeds, so it was understandable that they had mistaken him for a rock.

“Senior, who are you?”

Yeomdo asked cautiously. He was thinking of Jong Kwae. This old man’s identity couldn’t be ordinary either.

“Nice to meet you, Redhead! I’m the examiner for the second trial!”

‘As expected!’

His guess was correct.

“Let’s see what you’re made of!”

The old man, who had been sitting motionless like a rock rooted in the earth, suddenly stood up. He was tall and imposing, seemingly even taller than Yeomdo.

‘Gulp!’

Yeomdo instinctively stepped back, feeling as if hundreds of invisible blades were piercing his body. He was so flustered that he stumbled, struggling to regain his balance. The wild-haired old man looked at him with renewed interest.

“Oh? Not bad, Redhead! You’re quite skilled, despite that blood-soaked hair! You sensed my killing intent and tried to escape my range.”

The old man seemed amused. But Yeomdo couldn’t accept the compliment.

The old man’s gaze shifted to Yeomdo’s waist. Of course, he wasn’t interested in Yeomdo’s thick waist. He was interested in Yeomdo’s treasured saber, the Crimson Flame, which emanated a unique aura.

“That’s a fine saber!”

“It’s my soulmate.”

“It looks familiar…”

The old man’s grimy face lit up. He seemed to have overcome his senility and remembered something.

“Of course! Redhead, you were his disciple!”

Yeomdo was going crazy. Why were so many people recognizing him these days? Binggeom, watching from the side, was also feeling uncomfortable. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was betraying his master’s orders.

‘Who is this old man?’

“Senior, may I ask your name?”

Yeomdo asked politely. Even his saber energy, honed through years of training, felt inadequate compared to this old man’s.

‘That fiery bastard is being suppressed!’

It was true that age brought wisdom.

Yeomdo was troubled.

He couldn’t guarantee victory within a hundred moves. He had been trying to break through the old man’s invisible saber energy, but it was futile.

“What?”

Everyone, including Yeomdo, was stunned. The old man’s name sounded familiar.

Yeomdo stammered,

“C-Could you be… the One-Slash Cliff, the Saber Emperor, Yong Gyeong-ui?”

The Saber Emperor, Yong Gyeong-ui! His nickname, “One-Slash Cliff,” which implied the ability to cleave a cliff in two with a single stroke, was a testament to his terrifying skill.

“This… This can’t be…”

If it hadn’t been for the shock of the first trial and Sky-Soaring Cloud-Treader Jong Kwae, he would have accused the old man of lying and attacked him. His vow to remain calm, no matter who appeared, had already been broken.

The Saber Emperor, Yong Gyeong-ui! He was one of the few people Yeomdo respected.

“I heard he disappeared after the Heavenly Tribulation Blood God incident…”

Disappearance during that time meant death, although the body was never found. The situation back then had been too chaotic to believe that someone who had disappeared during that era was still alive and well.

The Saber Emperor, as if he had expected their reaction, smiled wryly.

“What’s wrong? Can’t believe I’m in such a sorry state?”

His right sleeve flapped limply in the wind, revealing an empty arm. The fastest man in the world’s legs, the greatest swordsman’s right arm. The delegation knew what it meant.

Gulp!

They swallowed nervously, but it only made their throats drier.

But the Saber Emperor, misinterpreting their tension, seemed to think they still didn’t believe him.

“I guess I have to prove it.”

Thud!

His left hand suddenly plunged into the ground beside him. He pulled out something that looked like a long, mud-covered stick. Withered weeds and unknown plants clung to it, and dirt and sand rained down.

‘What is that?’

They couldn’t guess. They just stared blankly at the old man’s unpredictable actions.

Thump, thump, thump!

The old man, who had just declared himself to be the legendary Saber Emperor, swung the mud-covered stick with his left hand, striking a solid rock.

Crackle! Thud! Thud!

Dirt, moss, and grass fell from the brown stick and the gray rock with each impact.

“Hmm? Not yet?”

Thump! Thump!

The old man struck the stick a few more times, and finally, they could see its true form. Like a chick hatching from an egg, a saber emerged from the mud-covered stick.

Judging from its wide blade and distinctive dragon-shaped hilt, it was undoubtedly the Saber Emperor’s treasured saber, the Dragon Heaven Saber.

The legendary saber, said to be able to cut through iron like tofu, was now in a sorry state, so corroded that even a pawnbroker might hesitate to accept it.

It looked like it had been buried in the ground for years, perhaps decades. It was a miracle it was still intact.

‘It’s a wonder it hasn’t completely rotted away…’

The scabbard, completely corroded, should have crumbled to dust, but it had somehow withstood the impact. It couldn’t have been an ordinary wooden scabbard. It must have been made of iron, forged on an anvil.

“That’s better.”

But it was still covered in dirt and grime, a testament to its time spent as part of the earth.

“This will do for now!”

He grinned at the delegation.

“…”

They still didn’t understand his intentions.

Whoosh!

Thwack!

A sound like a small drum echoed through the air.

“Ugh!”

Yoon Jun-ho, as if on cue, clutched his stomach and doubled over.

“Tsk, tsk! You have to be able to dodge that!”

Whoosh!

The poorly maintained object in the Saber Emperor’s left hand moved again, too fast for the eye to follow.

Thwack!

Another sound!

This time, it was Baek Mu-yeong. He had been warned, but he still couldn’t dodge it. Tears welled up in his eyes.

“Oh dear, oh dear! It’s useless if you can’t dodge even after seeing it!”

The old man shook his head, his expression one of disappointment.

It seemed he wasn’t having fun yet.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk! You youngsters are so weak! What good are you? Entertain this old man a little more!”

Whoosh!

His saber, still in its scabbard, moved again, cutting through the air.

Clang!

This time, instead of a drum-like sound, there was a metallic clang.

Mo Yong-hwi had blocked the old man’s scabbard with his sword, using the momentum to step back.

“Oh?”

The old man seemed intrigued, perhaps because it was the first reaction he had received.

“Let’s see…”

Whoosh! The scabbard moved again, like a snake.

“Ah!”

Clang!

A stalemate! Both the attacker and the defender were frozen, locked in a clash.

Mo Yong-hwi had caught the old man’s scabbard with his left hand, using his own scabbard to pin it down. And he hadn’t been pushed back.

His feet, trembling slightly, had only moved half a step back from their original position.

“Ooh!”

The old man seemed to be enjoying himself now.

A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes, hidden beneath his bushy eyebrows and unkempt hair.

“Let’s see what you’ve got.”

He pushed his scabbard slightly, using only his wrist strength. It was a small movement, but it carried a lot of power.

Mo Yong-hwi, instead of resisting, yielded to the force, smoothly pulling back his scabbard and deflecting the attack. If he had resisted, he might have lost his sword or his advantageous position.

This time, the old man pulled back his scabbard slightly.

If he had just stood there, watching, he would have lost control, and the stalemate would have been broken, freeing his opponent’s sword. He wasn’t confident he could block the next attack if he lost control now.

He moved forward, following the flow of force, instead of resisting.

‘Twice!’

The Saber Emperor seemed amused.

‘Let’s see…’

This time, he rotated his saber to the left, using his wrist strength. Mo Yong-hwi’s sword was caught in the rotation, like a log caught in a whirlpool.

It was a lose-lose situation for Mo Yong-hwi, whether his sword was deflected outwards or pinned down. And he couldn’t resist with brute force because of the difference in their internal energy. And there was no way to block the downward force.

Clang!

Mo Yong-hwi’s scabbard was finally knocked away, leaving his chest completely exposed.

“Oh no!”

Mo Yong-hwi cried out, but the Saber Emperor’s saber, or rather, his scabbard, was already at his throat, as if mocking him. Mo Yong-hwi tensed up, his nerves on edge, as he felt the cold killing intent emanating from the tip of the saber.

The old man’s lips, hidden beneath his dirt-covered beard, twitched. It was a smile, but it was awkward, as if he hadn’t smiled in a hundred years.

“Not bad! You’re not all bad!”