Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 176

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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 176

“Heh heh heh…”

The Eminent Monk’s laughter echoed through the air. It was a magnificent sound, as if the mountains themselves were resonating.

“Would you care to sit? This is the ‘first time’ a guest has come to this place, so I would like to gaze upon the Cheonji Gaebyeokdo together.”

“I will not refuse.”

Woon-hwi sat beside the Eminent Monk. The two of them looked at the Cheonji Gaebyeokdo side by side.

“May I ask what you see?”

At the Eminent Monk’s question, Woon-hwi examined the Cheonji Gaebyeokdo once more.

Within it was contained indescribable information.

Woon-hwi interpreted it in his own way.

“I see order being born from chaos. However, at the same time… even within that order, the seeds of chaos are growing.”

The Eminent Monk nodded his head.

“You have seen well. The principle of heaven and earth is circulation. Order arises from chaos, and chaos grows within order – this endless circulation is the essence of heaven and earth… Could it not be called truly beautiful?”

“That’s right. This circulating movement of heaven and earth is also a value that must be upheld as a human being, and as a martial artist.”

For Woon-hwi, it was just a casual remark, but unexpectedly, the Eminent Monk seemed to take it very seriously.

He looked at Woon-hwi and laughed once more, but this laugh was different from the others.

It was a smile as if his curiosity had been maximized.

Perhaps feeling somewhat burdened, Woon-hwi changed the subject.

“So was my tearing of the Yeok Geun Gyeong the right choice?”

“Did you not tear it because you thought it was right?”

“That’s correct. But I don’t know whether it was real or fake.”

“Heh heh heh… Interesting. Then what do you think? Did that Yeok Geun Gyeong seem real?”

“I don’t know. But whether real or fake, it was clearly an object of desire.”

“An object of desire…”

“Yes. That desire would have given birth to yet another desire, creating an endless cycle. The second trial itself was testing desire, and if I hadn’t cut it off, all my people who were there might have died.”

Deep satisfaction appeared in the Eminent Monk’s eyes.

“You understand the principle of heaven and earth.”

“You flatter me.”

“It is not flattery. Your martial arts level cannot be considered very high, but… the level of martial learning you have reached is among the highest of the high.”

The Eminent Monk seemed truly delighted at this moment.

“The Yeok Geun Gyeong you tore was fake. As you suspected, it was merely material for the test. Also, what you said about martial arts being tools – this monk greatly agrees with that as well.”

“Is that so.”

“No matter how mighty martial arts may be, if the heart of the one who uses them is not righteous, they will become a disaster. In the end, true value lies in people.”

His gaze turned toward the Cheonji Gaebyeokdo again.

“Bodhidharma created the Yeok Geun Gyeong to express the principle of heaven and earth through martial arts. But those who desired it saw only the power and could not see the principle contained within.”

Woon-hwi looked at the Eminent Monk silently.

The Eminent Monk’s eyes deepened.

“The moment you cut off the cycle of desire, you had already touched the core of the Yeok Geun Gyeong.”

The Eminent Monk slowly extended his index finger and touched Woon-hwi’s forehead.

Woon-hwi remained still.

It wasn’t that he didn’t react – he couldn’t.

“I see unspeakable anguish and past in you… but I have gained confidence that you will walk the righteous path.”

“Why is that?”

“You said it with your own mouth. No matter how great martial arts may be, ultimately their value lies in people.”

Something flowing from the Eminent Monk’s hand began to penetrate into Woon-hwi’s mind.

At this moment.

Woon-hwi was feeling a massive wave of knowledge washing over him.

It was tremendous.

So this is how martial arts are transmitted?

He had never heard or seen anything like this.

Deep knowledge about the principle of heaven and earth, the providence of the universe, and the creation and transformation of all things flooded into his mind.

There was much content he already knew, and many parts that needed to be supplemented, but the most important thing wasn’t that.

The Yeok Geun Gyeong.

Its incantation formulas were making his mind dizzy.

Heaven and Earth Unity, Form and Spirit Both Wondrous .

Becoming one with heaven and earth, form and spirit become mysterious.

Change Muscles Transform Bones, All Methods Return to Origin .

Changing muscles and bones, all methods return to one.

Breathe Heaven and Earth, Expel Old Accept New .

Breathing heaven and earth, expelling the old and accepting the new.

Quietly Observe Freedom, Move Like Thunder .

Quietly observing brings freedom, moving is like lightning and thunder.

No Color No Form, No Thought No Action .

Without color or form, without thought or forced action.

Qi Flows Through All Meridians, Spirit Fills the Great Void .

Qi flows through all meridians, spirit fills the universe.

Not only the incantation formulas, but also the training stages and what effects they had.

All of it began to be established in his mind.

It was so painful that he clutched his head, but he didn’t stop thinking.

Until now, Woon-hwi had encountered quite many martial arts, but certainly, this kind of martial art was a first for him.

“Is this… the Yeok Geun Gyeong?”

“That’s right. This is not simply martial arts, but a key to understanding heaven and earth. If you truly understand this, you will transcend the realm of martial arts. Like me.”

The Eminent Monk’s voice began to grow distant.

“Remember. Martial arts are merely tools, and what’s important is the heart of the one who uses them. Understanding the principle of heaven and earth and cutting off the cycle of desire – that heart will become true power.”

Woon-hwi’s vision began to blur. The Cheonji Gaebyeokdo and the Eminent Monk gradually disappeared.

Enduring the pain, he asked with difficulty.

“…Eminent Monk… are you yourself?”

“I am a thought-remnant.”

The Eminent Monk’s pleasant voice pierced into Woon-hwi’s mind.

“I don’t know if you are the ‘one who has been awaited,’ but becoming a ‘reincarnator’ using ‘that’ must be fate. Even so, you must surely master the Yeok Geun Gyeong and achieve the great cause…”

The Eminent Monk’s final words could be heard faintly, but Woon-hwi couldn’t hear the content completely. His consciousness was rapidly fading.

Once again, blinding light enveloped Woon-hwi.

* * *

He opened his eyes.

All those concepts that had been making his mind dizzy just moments before were now quickly organized, and pain like that had completely disappeared.

No.

It had settled.

Everything was peaceful.

「…That person’s thought-remnant has accepted you.」

“You seem flustered.”

「You are not the one who waits, yet giving you the gift meant for the one who waits… means that person’s thought-remnant was certain about you, but I don’t understand.」

“Do I need to make you understand?”

「That’s not it.」

“Then is there anything more to discuss?”

「There is. Since you’ve passed the trial, you should take proper rewards with you. This is still a ‘Secret Realm’ after all.」

It seemed like his tone had strangely changed.

No, that’s not right.

His tone had completely changed.

If earlier it was a tone heavy with gravity, now it seemed much more relaxed, as if he was relieved.

I had a rough idea why he was acting this way.

「Before going to the next trial, take these.」

Ji-woon waved his hand toward the void.

Then space rippled, and exactly ‘three boxes of different sizes’ fell from there.

The largest box went to Elder Brother, the medium-sized box went to Seo Hyo, and a box the size of a human palm fell to me.

I opened it as soon as I caught it.

What was inside was a glove.

Honestly, it was made of a material I’d never seen before, and the aura contained within felt somehow alien.

「It’s called the Buddha Hand Seal Glove.」

Buddha Hand Seal Glove.

“Is this the glove that Bodhidharma used?”

Then Ji-woon burst into laughter.

「I don’t know where such false rumors spread from, but no. It’s a glove I used.」

There was only one glove. Of the two sides of that one glove, there was a side with hand seals carved and a side without, and it seemed to be for the left hand.

「Since you’re not someone who belongs to the Buddhist Sect, you won’t be able to perform the 72 hand seals, but let me tell you for certain. If you channel aura into it, it boasts invincible defensive power.」

“Invincible defensive power, you say.”

「Even without any aura infusion, it will easily block attacks from warriors who have reached the Four Stages of Heaven and Earth level, and except for those at the highest stage among warriors who have reached the Five Realms of Martial God level, it can block at least three times.」

My current level was weak, so being able to block attacks from beings who had reached the Five Realms of Martial God level was truly of great value.

“Thank you. I will use it well.”

「You will use it well. I gave the Shadowless Hammer to the Demon Cult’s minion, and the Bright King Prayer Beads to the descendant of ‘Bing Gung’… Figure out how to use it yourself.」

As soon as those words ended, one wall of the Diamond Hall opened, revealing another path.

「You have passed the second test. Now the Seonjeong Hall awaits you. You will take the final test there, but I’m not sure if the test has any meaning. You’ve already taken everything.」

I asked Ji-woon as he was about to turn away.

“You won’t reveal yourself in the Seonjeong Hall, am I right?”

「Correct.」

“Then will you now take your rest?”

「Rest… I suppose so.」

I silently performed the Embracing Fist.

“You’ve worked hard. Senior.”

「…I still don’t understand.」

“What do you mean?”

「You’re clearly not the one our predecessor was waiting for, yet I gave you what should have been given to the one he was waiting for. I cannot dare to fathom our predecessor’s intentions, but it’s still complicated.」

“Then, may I dare ask one thing?”

「Go ahead.」

“It seems like you have something you must do, and you probably won’t answer even if I ask about it, so if I master this Muscle-Tendon Change Classic, will that resolve it?”

At my question, Ji-woon flinched on the spot.

「…Yes. If you master the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic, our great undertaking will be completed. Mastering it means all purposes have been achieved. No, at least it means we’ve come very close to that purpose.」

“Then, do you think I’ll die an unnatural death?”

「The way you speak and the way you think, you’ll probably live longer than me.」

“Then you can rest assured.”

I raised my left hand wearing the Buddha Hand Seal Glove.

“I will use it well. Senior.”

「…If I were alive, it would have been fun to watch… What a pity. Such a pity.」

Ji-woon soon crumbled into dust and scattered.

I turned my head and asked the two people.

“Will you rest before going? Or shall we pass through immediately?”

Actually, there was no need to ask.

“Let’s pass through immediately.”

“…Let’s move on to the next.”

The two people’s words clearly reflected their respective characteristics.

In Elder Brother’s case, he even had a smile on his lips, clearly trying to think of the most positive aspects, and in Seo Hyo’s case.

There was a slight displeasure, as if his weaknesses had been exposed through the countless conversations with that alter ego.

They were two people who were clearly different in many ways.

Thus, we moved our steps toward the final trial.

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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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