Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 175

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 175

Woon-hwi raised his right hand.

Then his clone also raised its right hand.

When Woon-hwi raised his left hand, the clone raised its left hand as well.

Soon after.

Ji-woon’s voice could be heard.

「Interesting. Why does your clone not attack?」

This was a voice that only Woon-hwi could hear, excluding all others.

He answered quietly.

“Because there is no need to attack.”

「What do you mean?」

“I already know. What my clone is, and what the darkness within me is.”

「….」

“Unfortunately, I have no inner enemy to speak of. If I had to name one, it would be myself.”

Ji-woon interpreted these simple words somewhat differently.

「…You lived your entire life without a single point of regret?」

“I had them, but now I don’t.”

Woon-hwi slowly took one step toward his clone. The clone likewise took one step forward.

“I have faced the other side of myself countless times. During meditation, during energy circulation. So many times I truly cannot count them. Now I have nothing left to fear, and nothing left to reject.”

At Woon-hwi’s words, his clone’s eyes trembled slightly. As if acknowledging that his words were true.

「Then why are you two just staring at each other?」

A lonely smile spread across Woon-hwi’s lips.

“Because there is no need to fight, and nothing to express.”

「No need to fight… and nothing to express? No, this is a fundamentally different matter. You and your clone… see each other as the most dangerous enemy in this world.」

The being called Ji-woon was extremely perceptive.

He instantly grasped clearly all the reasons why Woon-hwi and his clone were acting this way.

「Huh….」

Admiration came naturally.

Having lived without hiding anything, having lived proudly, there was nothing that could be called a dark side, yet if there was one thing to fear, it was only one thing.

Himself.

Seeing this confidence that transcended arrogance—that the only thing to fear in this world was oneself—anyone, not just Ji-woon, would have been amazed.

Woon-hwi extended his hand toward his clone. It looked as if he were asking for a handshake, and the clone likewise extended its hand.

The moment their hands touched, a brilliant light flashed and the clone scattered and disappeared on the spot.

「Amazing. You have already accepted the darkness within yourself.」

Ji-woon’s voice was filled with wonder.

「Ordinary martial artists try to fight their inner selves. Believing they can win. But that is a delusion. The inner darkness can never be defeated. It can only be accepted and understood.」

Seol Ho-ryeong and Seo Hyo were still fighting their clones. Sweat was streaming down their faces, their wounds were increasing, and above all, they were growing exhausted.

「It seems an ordinary clone won’t do for you.」

As soon as those words ended, the Geumgang Yeoksa statue embedded in the center began to move.

And at the aura flowing from that statue, Woon-hwi let out a hollow laugh.

It was Martial God grade aura.

Clear Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy.

He turned his head to stare at the empty void.

Though invisible to the eye, Ji-woon was surely there.

Woon-hwi spoke as if tossing the words aside.

“This is boring.”

「…What are you talking about?」

Without a word, Woon-hwi took out the Yi Jin Jing from his chest.

Seo Hyo and Seol Ho-ryeong were listening to Woon-hwi’s words even in the midst of their struggles, so they could see what Woon-hwi was doing now.

Yes.

Because they could see it.

“What… what are you doing!”

“Little brother…? What are you…?”

Such words burst out.

Woon-hwi was now holding the Yi Jin Jing with both hands. His right hand gripping the upper part, his left hand the lower part.

To anyone watching, it was clearly the posture of someone about to tear it apart.

It was a Transcendent grade martial art.

An ancient martial art created by Bodhidharma during his wall-gazing meditation.

This martial art was such a relic that every organization would covet it the moment it appeared outside.

Having seen Woon-hwi do countless crazy things, Seo Hyo could know for certain.

That Woon-hwi would tear it apart.

Though Seol Ho-ryeong hadn’t observed Woon-hwi for long, he had seen his behavior in the Secret Realm and heard stories about him. Seol Ho-ryeong had the same thought as Seo Hyo.

So they tried to push back their clones, but strangely, hadn’t the clones’ power grown stronger?

Instead, both men were pushed back.

“…It’s Shaolin’s… core martial art…! Please don’t do it.”

“…Little brother, you were born with genius that even I cannot surpass. Someone like you would surely master the Yi Jin Jing, so why are you suddenly doing this?”

Even the silent Ji-woon spoke as if he had been waiting.

「The Yi Jin Jing. You would tear apart something more powerful than any martial arts you use? The joke goes too far. How about stopping the pranks there.」

Woon-hwi found this situation truly amusing.

So then.

“How can you be certain this is the Yi Jin Jing?”

“…Huh…?”

Seo Hyo and Seol Ho-ryeong simultaneously made stupid sounds.

「Kekekekeke….」

Ji-woon began to burst into laughter.

This Secret Realm was never ordinary to begin with.

It’s certainly a Secret Realm of Shaolin Temple, but would they hand over the Yijin Jing, Shaolin’s greatest martial art, so easily?

Naturally, one should be suspicious.

There were already several clues.

Where is this place?

Shaolin Temple.

Where in Shaolin Temple?

Diamond Hall.

What is the name of the trial?

Diamond Heart Seal.

And who is the being that guards this place?

Geumgang Yeoksa.

Geumgang Yeoksa are the Deva Kings who protect the Buddhist law.

Why would they specifically test one’s inner self?

Why not just call it Heart Seal, but specifically attach Diamond to the front?

Ji-woon had already given all the clues from the very beginning.

He had definitely said this:

-Face your inner selves. And choose.

The inner self was expressing desires, so what was he telling them to choose?

This shell called the Yijin Jing, which couldn’t even be unfolded or verified in the previous trials, required passing all trials to confirm.

In that brief moment, the goal had changed.

Not survival, but to the legendary treasure called the Yijin Jing.

Above all, no one knows whether this is the real Yijin Jing or not.

Only Ji-woon alone said this was the Yijin Jing, and no one had verified its contents.

What basis was there to trust his words?

They were simply bewitched by the grade called Innate-level, bewitched by the name Bodhidharma and something called Cheonji Gaebyeokdo, and came to believe this as truth.

It was simple psychological warfare, and most martial artists get swept up in it.

This second trial ultimately tests one thing.

Whether one is swayed by desire or not.

Woon-hwi had no doubt in his own judgment and was not swayed by things like desire.

Without hesitation.

He tore up the Yijin Jing.

Riiip-!

The clones that had been rushing at Seo Hyo and Seol Ho-ryeong began to crumble into dust and scatter.

The Geumgang Yeoksa that had begun to move started to collapse.

The thick bolt of lightning that had been illuminating the interior became light and began to completely cover all directions.

Only then did Ji-woon, who had been floating in the sky, become visible.

He was smiling as he watched ‘Woon-hwi disappearing wrapped in light.’

Though he had no mouth.

* * *

The moment the dazzling light covered all directions, Woon-hwi realized he had moved to a different space.

The surroundings were completely different from the previous Diamond Hall.

The place where he stood was inside a massive hermitage.

The space was wide and the ceiling was high, but there was no furniture or decorations at all.

There was only one person and one massive painting.

In front of Woon-hwi, a monk sat with his back turned. He was looking at a massive painting drawn on the wall, and Woon-hwi also forgot the situation for a moment and looked at that painting.

A massive painting large enough to occupy the entire wall of the hermitage.

Its size alone was overwhelming, but what was more surprising was its content.

Should it be described as containing the process of the universe’s creation and transformation?

At the top, the moment when heaven and earth separated from a state of chaos was drawn, and the moment when primordial energies swirled to become the source of all things was depicted in detail.

In the center was the harmony of yin and yang, and at the bottom was the process of all things being created within that harmony.

The lines in the painting that formed all these things seemed to move as if alive, and the colors flickered as if breathing.

It was amazing.

Though Woon-hwi had seen all kinds of paintings in his life, this was his first time seeing something like this. Looking at it, he could even feel a deep resonance within himself.

It was difficult to explain with the simple word ‘masterpiece.’

Overwhelming, and overwhelming again.

It was certain.

That painting which had only been passed down through literature and whose existence wasn’t even certain.

Cheonji Gaebyeokdo.

Woon-hwi slowly steadied his breathing.

His heart naturally became reverent.

Soon he shifted his gaze to the side.

One man, no, a monk sat with his back turned, his gaze directed toward the Cheonji Gaebyeokdo.

There wasn’t a single gap in his posture.

Perfection itself.

He even felt a stability as if he had been sitting in that spot for years, decades, no, hundreds of years or more.

Eventually, the monk’s voice reached Woon-hwi’s ears.

“You tore up the Yijin Jing.”

Though it was just one sentence, deep insight was contained in those words. It was neither criticism nor praise, but a simple statement of fact.

Pondering his voice that resonated deep and heavy, Woon-hwi quietly opened his mouth.

“I could not be certain that it was the Yijin Jing.”

“So you tore it up?”

“Yes.”

“What if it had been the Yijin Jing?”

“I would have torn it up anyway.”

“Is there a reason?”

“Because it’s merely a martial art.”

“…Merely a martial art…”

The monk who had trailed off slowly turned his head.

His face was revealed. It was a face deeply marked by the traces of time, but only his eyes were clear. They were deep and clear eyes as if they contained the stars of the universe.

A smile hung on the monk’s lips.

“Impressive.”

Woon-hwi, who had been quietly looking at the monk, clasped his hands together and spoke.

“This humble junior pays respects to the Eminent Monk.”

The monk’s eyes trembled slightly.

“Not even a portrait should remain, so how do you know?”

“I could guess.”

“A guess… Could I hear a bit more?”

“Yes. The era doesn’t match for it to be Bodhidharma, and looking at the Cheonji Gaebyeokdo means you are one who has understood Bodhidharma’s will. Though I don’t know more about Shaolin Temple than anyone else, I know that only one person mastered the Yijin Jing left by Bodhidharma. The Eminent Monk who was the Alliance Leader of the Martial Alliance and Abbot of Shaolin Temple who stood against Won Geuk-cheon of the Thousand Year Demon Cult during Cheon Nyeon Ji Ran.”

A gentle smile appeared on Woon-hwi’s lips.

“Yes. There is no one else but you, senior.”

The Eminent Monk examined Woon-hwi with deep eyes.

“Who are you?”

“I am called Seol Woon-hwi.”

“No, that is merely your name. This monk is asking ‘who’ you are.”

“I wish I could know that myself.”

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