Chapter 19: Abyssal Resonance (4)
The Spirit Essence Mine was a land of death.
Each ti the wind blew, it carried the stench of bone dust. The sky was clear without a single cloud, but over the mine lood a shadow of black energy. It was as if even the heavens had turned their back on this place.
When the two arrived at the entrance of the mine, the sa thought ca to both of them.
Even being alive here felt like a sin.
“So that’s the Spirit Essence Mine.”
Gugwi muttered.
The entrance was half-blocked by a collapsed pile of rocks. Darkness oozed through the cracks, writhing as though it were alive. Between the stones, sothing white was visible. Bones. Human remains.
Three hundred miners were wiped out in a tunnel collapse fifty years ago. But the true disaster had only begun afterward.
The collapse had been a simple accident, but soon after, sinister energy began to emanate from the mine. The lingering resentnt of the dead miners wandered the land, radiating a chilling aura.
The authorities were thrown into dilemma.
Should they seal the mine? Or repurpose it?
In the end, they chose the latter — as an execution ground.
Since the place was already saturated with malevolence, it was the perfect location to execute criminals. Two birds with one stone. The condemned were killed, and their corpses were absorbed by the dark energy, erasing all trace of them.
Thousands had perished here over the past fifty years.
And then, sothing no one expected occurred.
As too many vengeful spirits and evil entities gathered, competition arose among them.
Stronger spirits devoured weaker ones.
Evil entities consud one another to beco stronger. A spiritual food chain ford.
At the apex of that chain, a select few underwent a qualitative transformation. They beca sothing neither re spirits nor typical malevolent entities — but pure crystallizations of rage and destruction. These were the Spirit Essence Entities.
Spirit Essence Entities were alive. They had consciousness.
They were neither spirit nor matter — they existed sowhere in between, strange and incomprehensible. They no longer clung to individual grudges or obsessions. They had beco power itself.
And that power was used for destruction.
They killed animals, humans, even plants.
Thus, the Spirit Essence Mine beca the most cursed land in the world.
Gugwi looked down at the entrance.
A flickering blue light glowed from within the tunnel. It was the light of the Spirit Essence Entities.
“I can’t breathe.”
He murmured.
Even the air felt heavy. The essence of death seeped into his lungs. The living were not welco here.
Yeon Sohye fidgeted with her dagger.
A silver glow surrounded her. The energy of her contracted spirit, So Ryeonghwa, repelled the deathly aura.
“Be careful. Spirits are much more sensitive here.”
Before she could even finish her warning, hoofbeats echoed in the distance. A mounted unit was approaching.
Martial artists clad in black armor.
At the front was a man carrying a long spear over his shoulder. A silvery light stread from the tip like moonlight. It was the Black Moon Spear.
Second of the Seven Cold Wolves — Black Moon Spear Shadow, Muk Sogwang.
He dismounted and sized up Gugwi and Yeon Sohye. His gaze was cold, evaluating.
“Yeon Sohye. And you must be the loudmouth, Gugwi.”
Muk Sogwang’s voice was low and heavy.
Behind him, two hundred soldiers stood in formation. Each wore a fierce expression.
“We’ve drawn a periter around the mine. We don’t know when the Heavenly Sound Cult bastards will show up.”
At his signal, ten martial artists stepped forward.
They emitted a presence distinctly different from the rest. Soul-Summoners.
“This is the Black Assassination Unit. They were originally from our sect, but now they belong to Changwol Pavilion.”
Yeon Sohye whispered quickly.
Changwol Pavilion — the residence of Muk Sogwang.
The Black Assassination Unit had entered the Cold Wolf Sect but beca Muk Sogwang’s personal Soul-Summoners.
Their gazes locked onto Gugwi and Yeon Sohye.
They radiated hostility. Especially toward Gugwi. Sharp stares filled with jealousy and envy.
Yeon Sohye muttered quietly.
“Disgusting looks.”
Muk Sogwang nodded toward Gugwi.
“Follow . It’s ti for you to see the Spirit Essence Entities for yourself.”
“I’ve already seen them…”
Yeon Sohye stepped in quickly, but Muk Sogwang looked at her with emotionless eyes. As if no matter what she said, it didn’t matter. No… more like, how dare you speak out of turn?
Yeon Sohye backed down.
They descended deeper into the mine.
The tunnel was deeper than expected. They walked through winding passages for over an ik (about fifteen minutes).
They kept going downward.
The air grew even heavier.
Gugwi felt short of breath. It wasn’t just the underground — it was the pressure of spirit energy pressing in from all directions.
‘So this is what the Spirit Essence Mine is….’
Finally, they arrived at a massive cavern.
The ceiling was so high it was out of sight. All around the cave, blue lights twinkled.
They were Spirit Essence Entities.
Crystals large and small were embedded in the walls of the cave. Each radiated the unique power of a Spirit Refiner. Faint, ghostly shapes drifted near them. Spirits that had not yet beco Refiners.
Gugwi’s legs trembled.
He had never felt the power of so many Spirit Essence Entities at once.
“Sit.”
Muk Sogwang ordered.
Gugwi sat on the ground.
“Perform the Soul Resonance Technique. Assess the condition of the Spirit Essence Entities.”
An order that could not be refused!
Gugwi closed his eyes.
The Soul Resonance Technique was a basic thod of communicating with spirits. It allowed one to sense a spirit’s presence without fully contacting it.
Of course, it couldn’t be used to form a spirit union or borrow their power. He couldn’t perform the Soul Fusion Technique. In the Initial Contact stage, only one spirit could be contacted.
A single vessel could hold only a single spirit.
However, Soul Resonance could assess conditions. Afterwards, one could decide whether to annihilate the spirit or guide it to eternal rest.
Paaaaht!
Gugwi activated the resonance technique.
He extended his consciousness. Tried to sense the Spirit Essence Entities’ energy around him. In that instant, an imnse pressure crushed down on him.
“Ughaaaa!”
Gugwi’s face turned pale.
The Spirit Essence Entities’ energies rushed at him all at once — like a surprise assault.
He couldn’t even step into the Realm of the Threshold. The mont he ca into contact with the spirits, an overwhelming pressure surged over him. It was a tidal wave no sane person could endure.
“Guhk!”
Blood burst from his mouth.
Hemoptysis. Gugwi collapsed forward.
It was in that mont.
The Spirit Essence Entities suddenly recoiled, as if startled — as though sothing they feared had appeared.
Tsssss!
A flash of blue light burst from Gugwi’s qi center.
The sa light Yeon Sohye had ntioned—was this the Spirit Flow Core?
Though Gugwi was on the verge of losing consciousness, he realized it instinctively. He must not let this light be seen. Absolutely not.
“Un Serim!”
He cried out desperately.
The Gate of the Realm of the Threshold opened. From within, an old man with white hair appeared in the light. It was Un Serim.
Pa-pang! Paaang!
Spirit Contact began.
White energy spread from Gugwi’s body like frost.
It was a phenonon known to all Soul-Summoners — proof that one was in contact with a spirit.
Muk Sogwang smiled.
“Very quick reaction. Isn’t this around the third level of Spiritual Sensitivity? I heard he was only at the first stage. No wonder the Sect Leader keeps ddling. Even I find it strange.”
There was mockery in his voice. But no suspicion. To him, Gugwi had simply made a desperate contact to survive. By instinct, as a Soul-Summoner.
‘Phew!’
Yeon Sohye let out a secret sigh of relief.
‘Thank goodness. The Spirit Flow Core wasn’t discovered.’
As ti passed, Gugwi slowly got back to his feet.
Un Serim’s energy supported him.
Muk Sogwang gave an order.
“Now you know. Just how strong the Spirit Essence Entities are. You two will take the western watch.”
“Do we go now?”
Yeon Sohye asked quickly.
“Hoho! You look desperate to get away from . Should I play with you a bit longer? Hoho! Just kidding… You’ve co a long way. Go get so rest. Or leave now, if you prefer.”
Yeon Sohye quickly grabbed Gugwi and moved to the western surveillance area.
It was a small hill, about one li from the mine. Their task was to monitor the Heavenly Sound Cult’s approach from there.
Two days passed.
Gugwi hadn’t wasted that ti.
He had reached an important realization — physical training alone was aningless.
Training within the Realm of the Threshold, directly fusing with spirits. Martial arts passed from body to body. That was the true thod of cultivation, possible only for those with the Gatekeeper’s bloodline.
The problem was the location.
He couldn’t enter the Realm in front of others. He needed a secluded space.
Yeon Sohye noticed his intent.
“Gugwi.”
She pointed to a small cave — a hidden spot below the hill.
“Train there. I’ll keep watch.”
A generous offer.
Yeon Sohye covered the cave entrance with branches. It beca a perfect hideout.
Inside the cave, Gugwi closed his eyes.
“Un Serim.”
The Gate of the Realm of the Threshold opened, and Un Serim appeared.
This ti it wasn’t simple Spirit Contact. It was complete fusion. Flesh rged, blood blended, bones fused. Un Serim’s soul rged with Gugwi’s.
Pa-pat! Pa-pa-pat!
The ultimate technique of Cloud Flow Tracking began.
Gugwi’s body moved. But it was Un Serim moving it. The Cloud Flow Sect’s leader, a man with thousands of battle experiences, unleashed his martial arts precisely.
Cloud Star Slash. The spear pierced the sky. Starlight-like energy exploded.
Radiant Cot Sweep. The spear danced. Dazzling arcs filled the cave.
Cloud Flow Starburst. The spear spun, releasing explosive power.
Heavenly Cloud Serpent Chase. The spear slithered like a snake, pursuing its foe.
One contact ended.
Gugwi exited the Realm. His body trembled. But he felt it clearly. His martial skills had improved.
One session inside the Realm equaled a year of training in the real world. The energy flows, the fluency of techniques etched into Un Serim’s body were now engraved in Gugwi’s.
He re-entered the Realm… and fused again.
Every martial art of Un Serim was passed down without the slightest flaw.
It wasn’t just Spirit Union Martial Arts that had grown stronger. In reality… the spirit energy passed to him by the Naless Martial Artist had perfectly solidified into inner strength. On top of that, Un Serim’s inner strength was adding to it.
After each contact, his body felt lighter, like it could fly.
In two days, he repeated Spirit Contact more than twenty tis.
Gugwi had already beco a high master of Cloud Flow Tracking.
Outside the cave, Yeon Sohye stood still, holding her breath.
A faint light leaked through the branches covering the entrance, casting a glow on her face.
Inside, Gugwi was practicing Cloud Flow Tracking.
She narrowed her eyes, listening to the sound of a spear slicing through the air from within. The sound was as soft as clouds and as sharp as starlight.
“Frightening speed,”
she whispered.
Gugwi’s pace of training was unbelievable. In just two days, his mastery of Cloud Flow Tracking had completely changed. Each technique deepened, refined like those of a master who had trained for decades.
A trace of awe crossed her eyes.
“So this is what being the Gatekeeper’s bloodline ans.”
Yeon Sohye lightly twirled the dagger in her hand, lost in thought.
Gugwi’s growth surpassed her expectations. She’d heard the Gatekeeper’s bloodline learned martial arts through spirit contact in the Realm, but seeing it firsthand was astonishing.
But she didn’t know.
Deep within Gugwi’s qi center, the Spirit Flow Core pulsed quietly. That blue light was accelerating his training, elevating Cloud Flow Tracking to its peak.
The Spirit Flow Core amplified the power of the Realm, enhancing every martial art flowing through Gugwi’s bloodline. The energy at his spear’s tip wasn’t just from a spirit. It was the power that held the key to becoming the King of Spirits — the key to the Manifest Spirit Sovereign.
The Spirit Essence Mine remained a cursed land.
The wails of the vengeful dead still echoed faintly in the wind. The sinister energy leaking from the collapsed tunnel entrance still stung the skin. But now, a new power had begun to take root. Gugwi’s power.
The Spirit Flow Core pulsing within his qi center glowed quietly, even in the darkness of the mine.
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