Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 256

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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 256
Pung Mu-hwi’s expression grew bewildered.
Manager Seong, who had been walking ahead, shared the same confusion.
In any other circumstance, it might have been different, but at the very least, Hondo Maryeom Palace was Seol Woon-hwi’s enemy.
As the enemy of Han Mu-rin, who belonged to Seol Woon-hwi, this was an undeniable fact.
Yet suddenly, he was joining hands with Hondo Maryeom Palace?
It defied Seol Woon-hwi’s nature, but not at this moment.
Manager Seong said nothing, and Pung Mu-hwi, whose eyes had been blinking at Seol Woon-hwi’s assertion that Hwa Mu-ryeong would stand with us, continued speaking.
“…Could it be that you have some prior connection with Hondo Maryeom Palace?”
Seol Woon-hwi chuckled softly and shook his head before posing a question.
“Do you truly believe Hwa Mu-ryeong is ‘loyal’ to Hondo Maryeom Palace?”
“…Of course I assumed she was loyal, but I fail to comprehend your meaning, Cheonsu-sa.”
Seol Woon-hwi did not elaborate extensively.
“I shall paint the grand picture. If you follow that design, much will come to you. If you trust me, then wait.”
“…Understood.”
Observing the confused Pung Mu-hwi, Seol Woon-hwi released a quiet sigh and spoke.
“To offer some context, Jang I-cheong likely harbors similar thoughts.”
Pung Mu-hwi swallowed hard.
“…Surely not…?”
“Something similar occurred in Yang Ling-ju. Before dominating a region, one must first expel the existing forces entrenched there.”
“…”
“The moment I enter the Secret Realm, Jang I-cheong’s forces will move. They will annihilate the Seongchak Alliance and seize all of Seongchakju. The forces stationed in Cheon Hae that you witnessed earlier—their purpose is not to restrain me. They are forces poised to strike the instant the ‘time’ arrives.”
It was staggering.
“…So that is why there were no fewer than three ‘Cheonsu-sa.'”
“You grasped it quickly. I shall provide you with operational directives before entering the Secret Realm. Until then, sharpen your blade so it may be drawn at any moment.”
Pung Mu-hwi bowed deeply.
“I shall do as you command, Great One.”
Seol Woon-hwi ascended the carriage prepared at the base of the mountain and spoke briefly.
“Do not act alone for the time being. Travel with a dozen or so members of the Cheon Rak Bu.”
“Understood.”
* * *
Seol Woon-hwi’s residence, nestled deep within Cheon Ryong Palace, was tranquil.
Moonlight filtered through the window, casting a soft glow across the chamber, and within that luminescence, faint wisps of smoke rose gently.
It was Divine Ginseng Smoke.
The Divine Ginseng Smoke, which he had taken to using almost constantly of late, had become so depleted that fresh supplies would need to be requisitioned from Ang-ryeong Province.
Seol Woon-hwi closed his eyes quietly.
No matter how greatly Seol Woon-hwi was lauded as a genius, the fact that he possessed wide blood vessels presented a fatal impediment.
The bottleneck phenomenon of cultivation realms.
This was an obstacle even Seol Woon-hwi could not circumvent—originally, he would need to remain in the Five Energy Harmonizing Origin for at least half a year before advancing to the Harmony Realm.
Only then would his blood vessels be able to endure.
But a fundamental question arose.
Did it truly have to be this way?
From the moment I recognized it as a problem, I had simply waited without any intention of solving it.
But as the situation grew more urgent, my thoughts began to drift in a different direction.
And that was how I discovered it.
A method that neither I nor anyone else in the Murim would have dared to even conceive.
My memories were truly vast.
I could not remember everything, yet certain things remained indelibly etched—particularly martial arts.
Every martial art I had witnessed and heard in my previous life, the secret techniques of masters called the Number One Under Heaven, and their enlightenments.
And even the enlightenments recorded in the Yeok Geun Gyeong that I had obtained from the Secret Realm of Shaolin Temple not long ago.
Everything began to weave together as a single thread.
No—it had already woven together.
In the Murim, the realms of martial artists are systematized.
Flame Qi Four Stages, Heaven Earth Four Realms, Martial God Five Realms.
But who first created this system?
No one knows.
It was likely formed naturally through the accumulated experiences of countless masters over countless ages.
Yet that did not make it absolute.
The differences between realms are clear.
Flame Qi Four Stages deals with internal energy, Heaven Earth Four Realms with natural energy, and Martial God Five Realms with Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy.
Particularly, to handle Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, one’s very cultivation level must ascend.
Not only must the unity of essence, energy, and spirit be achieved, but the upper dantian must be perfectly opened, and everything within the human body must transcend the state of ordinary people—something that is realistically insurmountable no matter what methods are employed.
But the realms of Heaven Earth Four Realms can be integrated.
The cultivation method for this was the Three Mysteries Ice Fire Seal.
Not merely elevating the realm, but compressing all the enlightenments contained within the Heaven Earth Four Realms into one, creating a new realm.
Following the existing system while pioneering an entirely new path within it.
Three Mysteries.
The upper dantian, the jindan field, and between them, a newly created ice-heart dantian.
I slowly withdrew the Divine Ginseng Smoke from my lips. Smoke drifted slowly between them.
The theory was perfect. The calculations were precise.
Entry into the Harmony Realm, the beginning of Heaven Earth Four Realms, is marked by the moment the upper dantian begins to open, and the Divine Transformation Realm, two stages above it, is marked by the moment the upper dantian and jindan field become unified.
My plan was simple.
First, forcibly open the upper dantian.
Second, create something called the ice-heart dantian between the upper dantian and jindan field.
Third, connect the upper dantian and jindan field with the ice-heart dantian as the center.
That was all.
If I circulated and compressed the qi in a triangular structure of jindan field-ice-heart dantian-upper dantian, then detonated it, I could achieve everything of Heaven Earth Four Realms in terms of realm alone.
This had never been done before.
Creating it was secondary; the question was whether it could actually be operated.
Something no one in the Murim had ever attempted.
This was, quite literally, the creation of a new realm.
The problem was singular.
How much could my wide blood vessels endure?
The Icy Heart Dantian would shield against the amplification of qi and the overload on my blood vessels, but even that had its limits.
The battles ahead would undoubtedly become fierce contests of technique, and when I had mentioned this cultivation method to Manager Seong, he had vehemently opposed it.
I still cannot forget his voice.
—Absolutely not, Young Master! That is not cultivation—it is suicide!
—No martial artist in this world would commit such madness!
—Simply summon someone from the Main Palace? No. Let me attempt an ambush instead. Whether it’s the Heaven-Human Realm or whatever, a blade through the neck brings death all the same. I will go assassinate him and return.
Unfortunately, though Manager Seong had ascended to the Divine Transformation Realm, he could not match Jang I-cheong.
Assassination was even more impossible. The moment he drew his blade, he would be discovered, and before he could even approach, Jang I-cheong’s drawn sword would claim his head.
Of course, I could not say Manager Seong was wrong.
Conceiving the Triple Profound Frozen Flower Technique was difficult enough, but to actually attempt it, I would need to temper my physical body as if possessed.
To create the Icy Heart Dantian, I had to completely restructure my existing dantian, and the suffering that came with it transcended imagination.
It went beyond mere pain—my very life itself would be in danger.
One misstep could plunge me into Qi Deviation, or I could lose all my internal energy.
No matter how extraordinary my talent, losing all my internal energy meant one thing: ‘the end.’
But.
I drew deeply on the Divine Ginseng Smoke once more. The fragrance seeping into my lungs solidified my resolve even further.
I had already reached the second stage.
My body had been sufficiently tempered, and the Icy Heart Dantian I had prepared beforehand would merge into one the moment I opened my Upper Dantian.
This was the final step, and I had confidence I would succeed.
All the experience from my previous life, and every realization I had accumulated through living.
All of it spoke to me. That I could do this. That I would succeed.
I gazed out the window. The waves of Cheon Hae sparkled far away in the moonlight.
That serene yet dynamic sight was truly beautiful to behold.
Then it came.
I sensed a human presence.
Manager Seong’s voice reached me from beyond the closed door.
“Young Master, Hwa Mu-ryeong has arrived.”
A subtle smile crossed my lips. It was as I had anticipated. No—beyond anticipation, it was exactly as I had planned.
“Show her in.”
The door opened, and Manager Seong poked only his head through cautiously.
“…Are you certain?”
“Do not worry. Show her in.”
“…But she is from the Hondo Maryeom Palace… What exactly are you scheming?”
“If you are concerned, remain present.”
“…I will hide where I cannot be seen.”
“Very well.”
Manager Seong, who had hesitated for a moment, sighed and disappeared.
After a moment, the door opened again, and Hwa Mu-ryeong appeared.
Dressed in a moonlit-white daopo, her figure seemed even more mysterious beneath the lunar glow. Unlike her earlier demeanor, the Hwa Mu-ryeong before me now carried a certain wariness—and with good reason.
She entered the room and sat across from me before speaking directly.
“What was that transmission just now?”
“You’re more impatient than I expected. Your tone has changed as well.”
“It’s ridiculous to exchange pleasantries between fellow Cheonsu-sa members. And didn’t you say I’m your senior? It’s only natural for a senior to speak casually, isn’t it?”
“I won’t deny that.”
Hwa Mu-ryeong leaned forward toward me, who was maintaining my composure.
“Listen, I didn’t come here to joke around. Dong Yu-seong’s youngest son is alive?”
From that cliff earlier, I had sent exactly two transmissions.
The second transmission had been an invitation to meet secretly at Cheon Ryong Palace if she desired a deeper conversation, while the first transmission I had sent was this:
-Blood Shadow Divine Lord Dong Yu-seong, former Vice Sect Leader of Hondo Maryeom Palace and falsely accused of treason, resulting in the execution of his nine clans—his youngest son is alive at this very moment.
As someone from Hondo Maryeom Palace, Hwa Mu-ryeong could not possibly have forgotten that incident from roughly ten years ago.
“You’re not answering my question? I asked if he’s alive.”
“He is alive.”
“Where is he?”
“I intend to reveal his location gradually.”
“…Look at this bastard. I’ve felt it since earlier—you’ve got some nerve. Aren’t you in a state of living death right now?”
“If I were in such a state, why didn’t you attack me back at the cliff?”
“…”
“Regardless of what you say, your instinct as a martial artist must have screamed at you. If you had attacked there, it would be you who would suffer injury.”
I paused briefly, then placed my hand on Hwa Mu-ryeong’s head and gently pushed her back.
“Step back. You’re too close.”
Hwa Mu-ryeong was experiencing again the sensation she had felt at that cliff.
It was strange.
Far too strange.
What was this atmosphere, and why couldn’t she resist it?
“I will now begin my account. If you have questions, save them for after I finish. Should you interrupt me, you will die. Do you understand?”

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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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