Chapter 196: The First Gate
There were those who had devoted their entire lives to scholarship.
They spent their lifeti studying, sharing, advancing, and leaving behind their knowledge.
The world respected them, calling them scholars —and in the realm of martial arts, such people also existed.
They were Martial Scholars—those who dedicated their lives to martial arts in a way that differed from ordinary martial artists.
Tak— the Head of the Martial Studies Hall, Hyeon Baek, set down his teacup on the table and took a seat.
Jin Seong-un and Lee Seowon were already seated across from him.
“This tea is brewed with pine needles. It’ll help calm your mind, so drink it slowly.”
“...Yes, thank you.”
Jin Seong-un felt more pressure than he ever had before when facing any great master. It wasn’t that soone was releasing their aura to suppress him.
It was simply that the gloomy, damp atmosphere of the Martial Studies Hall—and Hyeon Baek’s kind yet gleaming gaze—created an odd sense of oppression.
As he poured the tea, Hyeon Baek looked at Jin Seong-un with a face full of curiosity.
He too had watched Jin Seong-un’s duel with the Wudang Sect Leader, the Wudang Sword Immortal.
“Did you truly learn your martial arts from the Quanzhen Sect?”
“Yes.”
“And your master has ascended to immortality?”
“Yes.”
It wasn’t a lie.
The Sword Immortal who had taught him the Fire Dragon Escape Sword had already beco an immortal centuries—perhaps even a millennium—ago.
Hyeon Baek nodded with a look of regret.
The Quanzhen Sect—the origin of all Daoist schools. Though he had heard rumors that so still carried on its lineage, he had half dismissed it as legend.
Yet now, one such inheritor sat before him. To a martial scholar, it was truly a pity that the master who had passed on such knowledge was already gone.
After a brief silence, Hyeon Baek spoke.
“Seowon is an excellent scholar. His mind is exceptionally brilliant, and even in the short ti he’s been here, he has greatly helped the Martial Studies Hall.”
“Is that so.”
Jin Seong-un nodded. Indeed, Lee Seowon possessed an extraordinary mind. His insight was so sharp that it actually made it harder for him to learn martial arts.
“Martial arts are advanced by only a few rare geniuses. As history shows, every era has had its prodigies who refined the arts and passed them down to later generations. That’s why the Five Great Clans and the Nine Sects One Gang have developed so far—they had the most geniuses throughout history. So then...”
Hyeon Baek paused for a mont.
Just as Jin Seong-un began to feel a sense of unease, Hyeon Baek continued in a calm voice.
“Have you no intention of contributing to the world? The Wudang Sect’s martial arts, in particular, are the most profound and intricate among the Nine Sects. Surely, they would make for fascinating study.”
He didn’t beat around the bush. He was asking Jin Seong-un whether he would join the Martial Studies Hall and conduct martial research together.
To that, Jin Seong-un replied,
“Well, that’s a bit...”
A quiet battle of wills unfolded between Jin Seong-un and Hyeon Baek. Both were stubborn by nature, and neither looked away or blinked first.
How much ti had passed? By the ti both their eyes were reddening, Lee Seowon hurriedly spoke up to rescue the situation.
“Hall Master, we actually ca for a matter of greater urgency.”
“What matter could be more urgent than martial study...”
“Is there a way to restore lost martial arts by gathering a large number of talented children?”
At that, Hyeon Baek’s gaze shifted to Lee Seowon. His eyes were already dry, so he blinked several tis under the guise of looking grave.
“And why do you ask that?”
“Recently, children have been disappearing across the Central Plains. According to what Jin Sohyeop witnessed, traces at the rescue site suggested that soone had been selecting children based on their innate martial talent.”
“Could it not simply be that soone intends to raise those talented children to strengthen their own forces? I fail to see how that leads to martial arts restoration.”
It was a sharp question.
Lee Seowon and Jin Seong-un could only make such a connection because they knew of the Black Wolf Saber Art.
After a mont’s thought, Lee Seowon decided not to ntion it and simply said,
“Yes, that could certainly be the case. I just wanted to keep every possibility open.”
“As expected.”
Hyeon Baek looked at Lee Seowon with deep approval.
He had always liked intelligent people—and Lee Seowon was easily the brightest scholar he had ever t.
“Wait here a mont.”
With that, Hyeon Baek busily moved through the vast library.
Jin Seong-un quietly observed. The Martial Studies Hall was unlike any place he had ever seen.
The enormous hall was entirely filled with bookshelves. It was impossible to guess how many thousands—perhaps tens of thousands—of volus it contained.
And yet, Hyeon Baek moved with certainty, as though he rembered the contents and locations of every single one.
Soon, he returned with several books in hand, flipped through them briefly, and said,
“There are two main thods.”
“What are they?”
“The first relies purely on the innate genius of martial artists—the hope that, through their experiences in life, they will naturally elevate martial study to the next stage. In truth, that’s how martial arts have historically developed.”
After taking a sip of tea, Hyeon Baek continued in a low voice,
“Of course, the problem is that such geniuses, those born with both insight and talent enough to advance martial arts, appear only a handful of tis in all generations combined.”
He cast a sidelong glance at Jin Seong-un as he spoke. After all, this was the young man who had blocked the Sect Leader’s Taiji Wisdom Sword. His curiosity was more than piqued.
But he was no fool—he knew when to hold back.
Jin Seong-un asked,
“What’s the second thod?”
“This one’s a bit grim. If one were to disregard all ethics and focus solely on advancing—or restoring—martial knowledge, there exists a way to forcibly create geniuses.”
“...Is such a thing possible?”
If talent could be artificially created, why wouldn’t martial artists obsessed with power have done so already?
At his question, Hyeon Baek nodded slowly.
“Those things that make you wonder ‘Is that even possible?’—they are generally demonic arts. And as always, demonic arts bring severe side effects.”
“Please, explain in detail.”
“You know there are various sects within the Demonic Cult, yes?”
“Yes. They’re called the Seven Demon Heavens.”
The man he had fought in the Qinghai Iron Workshop had been an elder of the Sword Demon Heaven.
When Jin Seong-un nodded, Hyeon Baek continued, looking satisfied.
“One of them—the Cold Demon Heaven—possesses a great art called the Emotion-Severing Cold Energy Art. It forcibly heightens one’s insight. No, calling it a ‘great art’ is wrong—it’s sorcery. If soone is kidnapping children after selecting them for their potential, then we must suspect the movents of the Demonic Cult.”
Both Jin Seong-un and Lee Seowon’s faces darkened.
If the Demonic Cult was truly involved, the situation was far more serious than they had thought.
Hyeon Baek went on.
“Talent is sothing bestowed by heaven. When one aspect excels, another must fall short. A martial artist with strong bones and muscles tends to have duller insight, while one with great perception often has a frailer constitution. It is the balance decreed by heaven—sothing not to be violated carelessly.”
“...”
“The technique involves injecting cold energy into the brainstem, freezing a person’s seven emotions and six desires. When the heart turns cold, emotion dies and only reason remains. The mind of one who has lost emotion becos free from worldly distractions, seeking only logic and calculation.”
Thus, one’s insight was forcibly heightened.
They would gain the discernnt and intelligence worthy of being called a genius.
But the price was horrific.
“As emotion freezes, the blood vessels also harden, and life itself is shortened in return. Even if one reaches great mastery by burning through all their inner strength, they will not live beyond three years at most.”
“...A genius without emotion.”
“Exactly. In the end, this demonic art does not create a virtuous and wise sage, but a monster who moves solely by reason, devoid of emotion. It rely produces cold-blooded beings with a set lifespan—a sorcery of the demonic path.”
Jin Seong-un’s expression hardened.
He recalled the young faces of the children they had rescued from Gamri Prefecture and the Baek Li Clan.
“If that were truly possible, wouldn’t the Cold Demon Heaven of the Demonic Cult have already achieved trendous results by now?”
“The requirents are difficult. One must gather precisely one thousand people and attempt the ritual all at once. Even then, the success rate is abysmally low—perhaps only one or two might succeed out of a thousand. It’s an inefficient thod. After all, what is a genius if not a gift from heaven? Forcibly creating one is to defy the natural order—how could such a process be easy? Moreover, even those few who succeed live no more than two or three years, so the cost far outweighs the gain.”
“What happens to those who fail?”
“They die. Their brainstem, as well as all their organs, freeze solid. They die in excruciating agony.”
“...”
Jin Seong-un and Lee Seowon exchanged grave looks. This was no ordinary matter.
Hyeon Baek spoke again, his tone heavy with a sigh.
“No matter how depraved the Demonic Cult is, they wouldn’t permit the deaths of a thousand people in such a manner. The Demonic Cult is still an organization, after all. Even if the Cold Demon Heaven were to attempt sothing like this in secret, the other Six Demon Heavens wouldn’t remain idle—they compete with one another to produce the next Cult Leader.”
At that mont, Lee Seowon’s eyes glead.
From Hyeon Baek’s long explanation, he had caught onto one crucial point.
“If—just if—soone really is kidnapping children to perform that art, then doesn’t that an we still have ti?”
As he spoke, his gaze shifted toward the small window to the side. Outside, Hyeon-un was walking while being pestered by a group of children.
The number of children Jin Seong-un had rescued already neared one hundred. If the demonic art required one thousand, it ant they hadn’t yet begun the ritual.
Hyeon Baek nodded.
“You’re perceptive, Seowon. By this point, I must ask—who exactly are these people trying to do such a thing? You said you were keeping your options open, but I can tell you hold no small amount of certainty.”
Lee Seowon hesitated for a mont.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Hyeon Baek or the Wudang Sect. But in an age where even the Murim Alliance—the so-called embodint of justice—couldn’t be trusted, caution was necessary.
Until they found solid proof, it was best to keep things as quiet as possible.
If the culprits realized soone was onto them, they would surely cut off their trail in an instant.
Hyeon Baek, whose insight was as sharp as his intellect, read Lee Seowon’s thoughts from his expression and deanor. Then he said,
“When you are certain, you may tell . But know this one thing.”
He fixed both Lee Seowon and Jin Seong-un with a clear, firm gaze, his tone now carrying a commanding strength unlike before.
“When the mont cos that you require the strength of the Wudang Sect, seek our aid without hesitation. The Sect Leader is one of the greatest swordsn of this era. Senior Brother Hyeon-un is also among the finest sword masters. The Wudang Sect possesses great power—and it is a power gathered by those who strive to use it righteously. That is why a hundred martial scholars like myself devote our lives to studying and advancing martial knowledge day and night.”
“...”
“The Wudang Sect is willing to beco your sword. Do not keep the sharpest blade in the world sheathed forever.”
Every word that ca from Hyeon Baek’s mouth carried deep conviction and confidence.
It was the air of a man who had lived his life with pride, driven by a passion bordering on madness.
As Jin Seong-un t Hyeon Baek’s steadfast eyes, he nodded slowly. He was beginning to understand why, among all sects in the martial world, the Wudang Sect was called the First Gate.
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