“I did it!”
I cheered. I was truly happy. So happy that I hopped up and down right there on the spot.
Finally, I had taken the first step in the Time-Differential Secret Art.
Though the difference in time was not yet significant, the fact that I had accomplished it held meaning.
If I continued to refine the Time-Differential Secret Art and could double the time difference? I would be able to have twice as much training time as others. Three times, four times… What would happen if the Time-Differential Secret Art reached its pinnacle?
The important thing was internal energy. The greater the time difference, the more internal energy it would require.
Gather more internal energy, and raise the realm of the Time-Differential Secret Art even higher.
It all depended on my effort alone.
* * *
The next day, I gathered all the money remaining on the battlefield.
I even sold all the remaining night-glow pearls.
The place I headed to with that money was the Thousand Poison Forest.
“Greetings, Young Cult Leader.”
Today, Sangseon personally came out to guide me. It seemed he had come out to greet me, now that I had become the Young Cult Leader.
“You may treat me as usual.”
“That would not be possible.”
And it wasn't just him. The poison folk I passed by also greeted me with polite bows, unlike before.
“It was truly a wise decision not to engage in fraternal strife with the Eldest Young Master.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
Arriving at the Poison King’s residence in such a manner, Sangseon withdrew.
The Poison King was not at home. Looking around, I found him refining his poison arts in the nearby forest.
The moment I saw that sight, a smile formed at my lips.
Two venomous snakes were coiled nearby, watching the Poison King train in his poison arts. They were the very snakes the Poison King had named long ago.
Black smoke puffed from the Poison King’s fingertips, forming a shape. Surprisingly, the shape the smoke formed was a rabbit.
As the rabbit-shaped smoke flew forward, the snakes chased after it. They looked just like excited puppies running after a ball their master had thrown.
When the snakes pounced on the rabbit, the black smoke vanished with a pop.
New smoke rose from the Poison King’s fingertips. This time, a butterfly fluttered by. Again, the snakes eagerly chased the butterfly, crawling with a speed and agility no ordinary serpents could compare to. Again, the smoke vanished.
The snakes raised their heads and flicked their tongues, as if wondering what he would send next.
Then, a massive burst of smoke flew from the Poison King’s hand. As the tiger-shaped smoke charged at the snakes, they fled into the forest in surprise.
I thought he had chased the snakes away because he knew I had come.
That was not the case. The Poison King paced around, deep in thought. Even when training, he existed in his own world.
Then he saw me and started in surprise.
“When did you get here?”
“Since the rabbit was hopping. Surely that wasn’t real poison?”
“If it were, the kids would all die.”
It meant that if he had used his extreme poison, even spiritual venomous snakes couldn’t endure it.
“It’s harmless, used only for practice. If I used real poison every time I trained, what would become of the forest?”
He wasn’t sparing the poison; he was sparing the Thousand Poison Forest.
“But the Poison King trains as well?”
“Didn’t you say the martial artists fear me the most?”
The Hyeolcheon Doma was the same, as was the Geukak Soma who trained facing a wall. The Demon Lords were each training in their own way. The swan’s legs beneath the water’s surface were this busy.
The Poison King sat perched on a rock and wiped his sweat as he asked,
“What brings you here?”
“I came because I missed you.”
“If you missed me, you would have come sooner.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“But you had time to drink with the Drunken Demon?”
“Has word already spread? What heavy lips people have.”
I sat down beside him.
“How does it feel to become the Young Cult Leader?”
“It’s exciting. A new martial art, a new house. People are respectful, and I don’t have to be on edge fighting with my older brother. Isn’t it only natural?”
“That is unexpected. I somehow thought you wouldn’t be excited.”
“I love being the center of attention. Do I usually talk so much otherwise?”
As we talked, the Poison King fell into his own thoughts again.
Whether he was thinking about me, the poison arts he had just displayed, or the snakes that had disappeared, I couldn’t tell. By now, such moments didn’t bother me at all. It seemed I, too, was beginning to understand his world.
After a moment, the Poison King’s gaze shifted to the small leather pouch I was holding.
“What’s that?”
I handed the leather pouch, filled with banknotes, to the Poison King.
The Poison King was startled when he checked the amount.
“That’s quite a large sum.”
“Please use this money to acquire highly toxic spirit medicines.”
The elixirs circulating on the market were too expensive. So expensive that the effects didn’t justify the price.
Instead, elixirs refined from toxic herbs and poisonous substances were relatively cheap. This was likely because they were mostly used for special circumstances or for treatment.
Thanks to that, it was an opportunity for me, with my immunity to all poisons, to acquire elixirs at a low price. I had sufficient internal energy, so I hadn’t intended to spend money on elixirs, but the Time-Differential Secret Art changed my mind.
“Why elixirs? You already have plenty of internal energy, don’t you?”
“I am greedy for internal energy.”
After a brief pause, the Poison King asked,
“Are you planning to conquer the martial world or something?”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
He must know well that I am not that kind of person.
“Give me the money. I’ll kill them all for you.”
A smile formed at my lips involuntarily.
“Just hearing that makes me feel secure.”
“Then I’ll take the money.”
“And the elixirs will make me even more secure.”
A dragon formed at the Poison King’s fingertips.
It let out a dragon’s roar in the air before flying toward me.
Pop!
Behind the smoke that vanished upon colliding with my face, the Poison King said,
“Come back in twenty days.”
The Poison King would spend the money far more economically and effectively than I could.
Of course, I didn’t forget to make sure.
“Don’t get lost in thought and forget to buy the elixirs. Look at me, look me straight in the eyes. If you forget, I won’t do poison experiments with you.”
The Poison King didn’t reply and resumed his training.
Looking back from afar, I saw crows flying away in all directions. Watching the black smoke bursting here and there, I wondered what would happen if it were real poison. It was only right that everyone feared the Poison King the most.
* * *
I divided my training time anew.
Five parts to the Time-Differential Secret Art, four parts to the Nine Transformations Demonic Art, and the remaining one part to alternating between the Heavenly Demon Guardian Art and the Fist Demon’s martial arts.
The central martial art was important, but the supplementary arts were crucial as well. The Wind God Four Steps would complement the Nine Transformations Demonic Art; in a desperate moment when my sword left my hand, the Thunderclap Asura Fist would save me; at the final moment, the Heavenly Demon Guardian Art would protect me. What mattered was the balance of these martial arts.
It had already been ten days since I began serious training in the Nine Transformations Demonic Art.
The mental cultivation method had become quite familiar to my body now. The amount of innate true qi accumulated through the mental cultivation of the Nine Transformations Demonic Art was incomparable to the previous method, and the speed at which my consumed internal energy recovered was much faster as well.
After finishing my training, I sat by the window drinking tea when a message arrived summoning me to the Heavenly Demon Hall.
* * *
When I arrived at the Heavenly Demon Hall, my father and Sima Ming were waiting together.
Whenever Sima Ming was present, a mission was always issued.
I slowly walked into that place where tension hung in the air.
After greeting my father and Sima Ming, I spoke with gusto,
“Has the time finally come to show the world this handsome face I inherited from my father?”
The corners of my father’s mouth rose slightly.
“Your banter never tires, does it?”
“I have to at least try to be funny. No matter how serious the world is, we must live laughing. Where is it? I’ll take care of everything.”
Then Sima Ming smiled and said,
“It seems the Young Cult Leader’s handsome face must be shown at the next opportunity. Today, you have been summoned for a different reason.”
The reason they called me was something I had not expected.
“Now that you have become the Young Cult Leader, you should step down from the position of Hwangcheon Pavilion Lord and select a new one.”
I had left most of the pavilion lord duties to Seo Daeryong lately. Partly because I was busy. And partly for another reason.
“Whom are you thinking of appointing as the new Hwangcheon Pavilion Lord?”
At my question, Sima Ming looked at my father.
Unexpected words flowed from my father.
“You decide.”
I was startled. I truly hadn’t expected him to tell me to decide the next Hwangcheon Pavilion Lord.
“Now that you are the Young Cult Leader, you ought to have that much authority.”
It was truly a moving statement. My father was not looking at me as his son right now. The Heavenly Demon was looking at his successor. The Cult Leader was looking at his Young Cult Leader.
And regarding the Hwangcheon Pavilion Lord, my thoughts were firm.
“I cannot speak for other positions, but the Hwangcheon Pavilion is the most important organization for maintaining the sect’s discipline. Therefore, the right person must sit in that seat.”
That is precisely why the person I recommend is—
“I wish to make Seo Daeryong, special investigator of the Hwangcheon Pavilion, the next Hwangcheon Pavilion Lord.”
My father and Sima Ming were not particularly surprised, perhaps having expected this to some degree.
“He is competent. He has a strong sense of responsibility. And even his background is excellent, as he is the chief disciple of the Hyeolcheon Doma. Ah, that’s right. He also entered the Hwangcheon Pavilion as a full member.”
Sima Ming interjected cautiously.
“As you said, Investigator Seo is a fine person. However, his experience seems somewhat insufficient to take on the role of pavilion lord.”
“That lack of experience should not be much of a problem within the Hwangcheon Pavilion itself. He has already demonstrated sufficient capability while taking on my duties.”
That was also why I had left my duties to him: to show that he was fully capable of serving as pavilion lord.
“What matters more than experience for the head of an organization is that person’s character. Look at the Demon Army of the past and the Demon Army now. Did it not become a completely different organization once Jangho became its leader?”
That was something neither my father nor Sima Ming could deny. I spoke to them with conviction, pouring my heart into my words.
“I recommend Seo Daeryong! I vouch for him.”
My father, who had been looking down at me quietly, said,
“Do not offer your guarantee so lightly.”
Even the Heavenly Demon was still a father.
* * *
That afternoon, while I was in the middle of training, Seo Daeryong came to find me.
Seo Daeryong was greatly excited.
“I am coming from the Heavenly Demon Hall.”
It seemed my father and Sima Ming had thought it necessary to speak with Seo Daeryong personally.
“I thought I would faint. Even now, I can barely breathe.”
Staggering, Seo Daeryong walked over and leaned against a wooden dummy standing in the corner.
“I heard from the Chief Strategist. That the Young Cult Leader recommended me for the position of next Hwangcheon Pavilion Lord.”
Seo Daeryong clutched his head.
“Me, a pavilion lord? And of the Hwangcheon Pavilion at that! Ah, just thinking about it again makes it hard to breathe.”
Anyone watching would have thought he had just escaped a heavenly net of snares, the way Seo Daeryong gasped for breath.
“If it’s that hard for you, you don’t have to do it. You can do it next time.”
“Right? That’s right. No. No! When would an opportunity like this come again! Ah! Me, a pavilion lord.”
Seo Daeryong paced around the training grounds like a madman.
He tripped over a weapon rack that had been set up, then sat down on the floor and hung his head low.
“So did you come to tell me you couldn’t do it?”
Then Seo Daeryong took something out from within his robe. He had his back turned, so I couldn’t clearly see what it was.
“What is that?”
“The new Number Two.”
“What do you mean?”
“Until now, the Number Two in the Hwangcheon Pavilion duty room was the flower pot gifted by the Yihua Jianzun. Now this is the new Number Two.”
He rose from where he was sitting, walked over to me, and held out what was in his hand. It was an identity plaque. On the ornate plaque engraved with the symbol of the Heavenly Demon Hall, four characters were written in bold calligraphy.
Hwangcheon Pavilion Lord (黃泉閣主).
“The formal appointment ceremony will be held later.”
The position of Hwangcheon Pavilion Lord had been bestowed upon Seo Daeryong. My father and Sima Ming had acknowledged my first decision as Young Cult Leader.
Seo Daeryong’s pupils trembled as he looked at me.
“How could I refuse? You pushed for me and even vouched for me. How could someone like me decline? I shouted that I would work hard with my life on the line. I don’t really remember what happened after I shouted. I don’t even know how I got out of the Heavenly Demon Hall. Ah! I wonder if I properly greeted the Cult Leader. When I came to my senses, this identity plaque was in my hand.”
I embraced Seo Daeryong firmly and said,
“Congratulations, my right hand. Congratulations, Lord of the Hwangcheon Pavilion.”
Seo Daeryong’s face was filled with intense emotion as he looked at me. A mere investigator had become the chief disciple of the Hyeolcheon Doma and was now even the Hwangcheon Pavilion Lord. It was difficult to even imagine what he must be feeling.
“Later, you might resent me when you’re trembling before a formidable foe. You might say, ‘Why didn’t you just let me live as a plain investigator!’”
“Will you accept that resentment?”
“As much as you want.”
“Then I’ll give it a try.”
“It will be even harder to learn martial arts while serving as the Hwangcheon Pavilion Lord. Still, work yourself to the bone. When you get older, you’ll want to work yourself to death but your body won’t keep up, and that will be even harder.”
“You speak as if you’ve experienced it yourself.”
“I’m the Young Cult Leader who knows everything, aren’t I?”
We looked at each other and laughed pleasantly.
“That’s another thing I can tell my grandchildren.”
“I didn’t recommend you for your sake, or for mine.”
“Then for whose?”
“It’s for the people that the Hwangcheon Pavilion you lead will protect. For those who must endure injustice simply because they have no strength.”
Seo Daeryong’s eyes sparkled. The dark and gloomy man of the past was no more. Now there was only a man who seemed capable of handling anything entrusted to him.
Seo Daeryong, who had been gazing at me with fervent eyes, broke into a grin and said,
“Did you know? The Number Two—no, Number Three—I raised, that flower pot, has even borne fruit.”
That’s right, Daeryong. Raise the Hwangcheon Pavilion well, just like that flower pot.
* * *
On the day promised with the Poison King, I headed to the Thousand Poison Forest with an eager heart.
I had immersed myself in martial arts training. I trained after eating. I slept and trained, ate and trained. I slept soundly in the new bed, woke up, and cooked one meal a day myself. Occasionally, I would bring guards and eat with them.
And I trained all day long. I trained as hard as if this were my final training session. At the very least, my failure must not be due to a lack of effort.
“How has the Poison King been?”
Sangseon answered my question,
“He has been busy. This is the first time he has gone out for such a long time.”
I felt sorry and emotional for no reason. I knew too well how much he hated going outside.
Thus, I arrived at the Poison King’s residence.
As I opened the door and entered, a scent unlike the usual one tickled my nose.