Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 330

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 330
Namgung Cheong-mo.
For nearly forty years, he had made his living through mechanism expertise.
After recognizing that his martial talent fell short compared to those from other great families,
he devoted himself entirely to the study of mechanisms.
The mechanisms he created were genuinely exceptional, so much so that a separate organization called Wahodan was established specifically to handle the Namgung Family’s mechanism construction projects.
Wahodan managed all of the Namgung Family’s architectural works and even took on external commissions, traveling to conduct construction projects.
It was only natural that Wahodan’s profits became one of the Namgung Family’s major revenue sources.
To Namgung Cheong-mo’s eyes, Jin Cheon-hee was nothing but a green youth.
Reaching the Hwagyeong realm was certainly a sign of genius, and from what he’d heard, Jin Cheon-hee had already achieved mastery in medicine as well, so his talent in that field was undeniable.
But could he have truly reached a mature level of expertise in mechanisms as well?
If that were possible, he wouldn’t be called a genius—he’d be a monster. That was Namgung Cheong-mo’s firm conclusion.
Moreover, the Jegalling Family had been destroyed quite some time ago.
He himself had extensive experience overseeing mechanism-related construction projects, while the other side was barely managing to keep up with medical work, so it was only natural to assume he lacked practical field experience.
So he had tried to stop him. And he had dismissed him.
But now, his eyes had to open wide.
‘Is that… truly human?’
Jin Cheon-hee was using sound-based martial arts.
Namgung Cheong-mo couldn’t understand how it was possible, but Jin Cheon-hee was using sound-based martial arts to perceive the mechanisms and destroy them with internal energy.
Simple and efficient!
And he wasn’t just destroying them carelessly.
He was destroying each trap using methods tailored to its specific design.
For traps that released poisonous smoke, he would swing his sword to excavate the poison sacs with sword energy.
For traps where the floor would collapse, he would grind away the floor itself.
Truly miraculous techniques!
‘Baek-ui Sinryong… Blood Wheel Slaughter has raised quite the monster.’
He watched Jin Cheon-hee’s retreating figure with astonished eyes.
* * *
“How is that even possible?”
“Is it a secret technique of the Jegalling Family?”
“At such a young age, how could…?”
Ignoring the shocked voices of the mechanism experts, Jin Cheon-hee strode forward with long, confident steps.
As I moved forward like this, the weight pressing down on my chest seemed to lift away, leaving me refreshed.
‘This is it. I need to move this fast. How much longer am I going to waste time here!’
With that thought, I walked forward, sword infused with sword energy in hand.
Various traps shattered one after another, and I advanced past them.
Using sound-based martial arts like an ultrasonic detection device, there was nothing to obstruct my progress.
After advancing for quite some time,
I came upon a fork in the path.
Three routes. And only upon seeing this did I feel a sense of wonder.
‘This is exactly like what happened in the previous Jicheon Cheonma novel.’
I had encountered this crossroads before in the story.
Three diverging paths.
Within each path lay peculiarly constructed traps.
The Path of Serpents. The Path of the Dead. The Path of Iron.
Compared to the traps I’d faced so far, these were on an entirely different level.
The Path of Serpents unleashes an overwhelming torrent of snakes.
It’s almost miraculous how they manage to contain such creatures.
Every single one is venomous, and they’re so swift that even high-level martial artists could be bitten if they let their guard down.
The Path of the Dead spawns corpse demons.
I wonder where Gwangmu-jon found the resources to construct such things, but when I read the novel, I simply dismissed it as a cliché and moved on.
The Path of Iron.
This one features various metallic traps, but unlike the corridors I’ve traversed so far, the moment you enter the entrance, arrows and throwing weapons rain down from the front.
The Path of Iron is comparatively the easiest.
Because once you withstand the barrage of arrows and projectiles long enough, the ammunition depletes and the mechanism stops.
It’s more manageable than the Path of Serpents or the Path of Corpses, and the strategy is straightforward.
Simply advance while blocking with something like a shield.
‘The problem is that I must activate the mechanisms at the end of all three paths to open the way to the final chamber.’
That’s certainly malicious, but it doesn’t end there either.
‘Moreover, each of the three paths is like a maze, and formations are deployed throughout, making it a treacherous place that kills intruders indiscriminately.’
What if I approached this differently?
‘Ignore the three paths entirely and forcibly open the passage. Pure strength should suffice.’
I made that decision internally and turned back.
I opened my mouth while observing the dumbfounded Mechanism Experts and the equally shocked Formation Masters behind them.
“From here onward, this is an extremely dangerous zone. I won’t be able to process it as quickly as before.”
“Baek-ui Sinryong, I understand you’re using sound-based martial arts, but what exactly is the principle?”
“It’s similar to the Thousand-League Listening Technique. When I emit sound through my martial arts, that sound bounces back when it strikes something.”
“The Thousand-League Listening Technique!”
The Thousand-League Listening Technique.
It was a form of martial art that allowed one to hear sounds from a thousand leagues away.
It was known to be one of the most enigmatic martial arts in the Gangho, with scarcely anyone having mastered it.
As a member of the Namgung Family, Namgung Cheong-mo was familiar with the Thousand-League Listening Technique, so he immediately understood my explanation.
“That’s how I’ve determined that the conditions inside those passages are worse than before…”
“Hmm. Then what would be the best course of action?”
“It appears there’s a hidden passage concealed within these three paths. Likely, one must traverse all three paths and accomplish something to open the true passage, but…”
Everyone waited for me to continue.
“There’s no need for that. We’ll simply excavate the hidden passage.”
“What?”
“It’s possible with sword force.”
As I displayed brilliant sword force with the blade I held, everyone nodded in agreement.
‘It’s Gwangryong. The real Gwangryong!’
I didn’t know they were thinking such things.
* * *
Sword energy.
The stage where qi takes physical form and produces material phenomena.
From my perspective, sword energy was something akin to laser cutting.
Then what about sword force?
I had once thought of sword force—created when sword energy condensed far more powerfully—as a high-energy fusion entity comparable to the plasma cutters often mentioned in science fiction novels.
Of course, that was merely a metaphorical expression, and reality was surely different.
But one fact remained undeniable: virtually everything fell before sword force.
Thousand-year cold iron was famous precisely because it could withstand sword energy, yet even thousand-year cold iron could not withstand sword force.
This was a divine technique possible only for the absolute few martial artists who had reached Hwagyeong.
And when such sword force froze upon the Frostpeak Blade, naturally the cold energy flowed, forming frozen sword force.
Holding it, I thrust the blade into the wall.
Thwup.
The stone wall split as easily as tofu being sliced.
I rotated it in a full circle, carving out the stone wall as though scooping ice cream.
Divine technique!
“Is… is such a thing possible with sword force?!”
“I’m seeing sword force for the first time…”
“I saw it in the last battle, but… I never imagined it could do something like this…”
The ability to use sword force itself was extraordinarily rare in the martial world.
Naturally, even witnessing it was difficult.
Some had seen sword force in this tournament, but many had not.
Naturally, they had no idea what sword force could accomplish.
‘High-level martial artists of Hwagyeong caliber wouldn’t come here and carve up walls. It’s only natural they’re amazed.’
Typically, witnessing a Hwagyeong master’s sword force in a hidden chamber where secret techniques were concealed meant death.
I listened to their exclamations while thinking this, and continued splitting the wall to find the path leading to the true stone chamber.
Soon, a section that resisted the sword force appeared.
Screeeeeech!
The sound of metal grinding echoed.
‘Here it is! This feels like cutting thousand-year cold iron!’
The settings varied slightly across martial arts novels, but in Jicheon Cheonma, thousand-year cold iron could withstand sword energy but not sword force.
That didn’t mean thousand-year cold iron was sliced like tofu by sword force.
It usually cut while offering resistance, like now. So I instinctively knew this was the right spot.
‘Then, straight ahead it is!’
* * *
Exploring the hidden chamber ultimately consumed three days.
The chamber’s vast size was problematic, but hidden passages contained mechanism traps, formation barriers, and even corpse soldiers deployed to repel intruders.
‘Corpse soldiers are used in the Path of Corpses, and they’re used here too?’ I grumbled, but steadily pushed through, diligently collecting data for my next thesis and frequently gathering samples.
‘Why exactly has this corpse remained preserved and mobile for such an extended period? Is it due to that creature’s qi? If I could identify the power source enabling such movement, I might be able to eliminate it far more effectively.’
Professor Jin found himself genuinely curious at this point.
And finally, at last.
The end of Bidong.
When only the stone coffin containing Gwangmu Jeonja remained in the tomb.
Jin Cheon-hee did not enter, instead ordering others to be called from the entrance.
Because he believed this entrance should be approached together with the leaders of the other factions.
In the end, the sluggish Elders of the Martial Arts Alliance and Elders of the Demon Sect, along with all the Sect Leaders, entered the tomb chamber together.
“This is the tomb of Gwangmu Jeonja.”
Jin Cheon-hee spoke to the assembled crowd.
The stone chamber of Gwangmu Jeonja’s tomb.
It was a massive square stone chamber with sides reaching fifty jang—fifty jang being a full 150 meters.
Thus it was truly a colossal stone chamber vast enough to accommodate an entire small athletic field.
“Since its discovery, nothing has been touched. I cannot say whether secret manuals exist here… but from this point forward, to ensure fairness, you must all personally retrieve any secret manuals and transcribe them yourselves.”
Even as Jin Cheon-hee spoke these words, his mind harbored different thoughts.
‘In the novel, this was the Final Boss room. When that stone coffin opens, the Asura Blood River Monster bursts out. That creature is Hyeongyeong-level, and while it lacks rationality so it’s weaker than an actual Hyeongyeong expert, it would be dreadfully difficult for anyone here to deal with it alone.’
That’s right. Jin Cheon-hee knew the novel’s contents.
He deliberately left these light-footed martial world elders to face the Asura Blood River Monster, allowing the Gangho experts to gain experience.
This was something he had already discussed with his master Jegalling. After exchanging meaningful glances with his master, Jin Cheon-hee stepped back.
“Hope, you’ve truly found it well.”
“You’re too kind.”
[So. Will you participate in this battle as well?]
Only Jin Cheon-hee and his master Jegalling knew the Asura Blood River Monster lay within the stone coffin. Jegalling asked through sound transmission since revealing this fact would be problematic in many ways.
[No. The others should experience some hardship too. Even though it’s Hyeongyeong-level, since it lacks rationality, they should manage if they coordinate their attacks.]
Inserting overly powerful warriors would only increase casualties.
Leaving the High-Level Martial Artists to coordinate their assault naturally was the best way to minimize damage.
[I see.]

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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