Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 337

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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 337
Seol Woon-hwi adjusted his robes and smiled faintly.
“Wasn’t the world growing tedious for you?”
“….”
“I don’t believe the time has come yet, but since circumstances have brought us here and we’ve met, I wanted to speak of this at least once.”
Gun Mu-gyeol’s expression became as serene as Seol Woon-hwi’s.
“You know a great deal about me.”
“As I mentioned, Snow Mountain is Sae-oe, yet it remains part of the Murim. Would you think we wouldn’t investigate one of the most important figures in the Murim?”
“An interesting assertion. Even with Snow Mountain’s keen ears, understanding me would be far from simple.”
“Difficult does not mean impossible.”
“When I say difficult, it is merely flattery toward Snow Mountain—nothing more, nothing less.”
“….”
“Perceiving my true nature is impossible.”
“Why do you believe it impossible? You’ve been discovered multiple times and eliminated them—more than once or twice.”
“….”
“Those who became hunting dogs, hunted, and were boiled alive—do you remember them all?”
Gun Mu-gyeol’s brow furrowed.
“You likely don’t. There were too many.”
“….”
“Then perhaps you should consider this: isn’t it possible that one or two of them survived?”
Gun Mu-gyeol offered no response.
Silence.
That was his answer.
“A reasonable question, surely. Whether you’re deliberately ignoring that fact or simply refusing to believe it, I cannot say—but rest assured. I have little interest in your true nature.”
“Little interest?”
“Yes. However one lives, it is ultimately the path a martial artist walks as an individual. Who am I to presume to judge such a path?”
“The path I walk is the Righteous Path.”
“Whether it be the Righteous Path, the Path of Supremacy, or even the Demonic Path—I respect them all. What matters is one thing.”
“What is that?”
“When conflict arises in pursuing that path, how steadfastly can one uphold it?”
“You speak of whether one retreats or stands firm in a battle where lives hang in the balance?”
“Something like that.”
“In your eyes, do I appear as one who would retreat in upholding my path?”
“Your question is slightly flawed.”
“Flawed?”
“I believe my assessment would be meaningless.”
“…I see. Then tell me—are you one who would retreat in upholding your path?”
Seol Woon-hwi laughed.
“I may break, but I will never bend. That is the path I walk.”
“Is that so.”
“Someone once told me that the path I walk leans toward the Path of Supremacy. I won’t deny it, but unfortunately it’s clearly distant from the Righteous Path.”
“Then, in the future, you and I might collide.”
“We might not. If our tastes align.”
“Like now?”
“Yes. Like now.”
Gun Mu-gyeol fell silent, and so did I.
Silence settled between us for a long moment.
Though I hadn’t cracked open Gun Mu-gyeol’s mind to peer inside, I could roughly discern his thoughts.
Which conclusion he would reach.
I intended to guide him toward it.
I asked briefly.
“Then our transaction is concluded, Senior?”
“…It is concluded.”
“Fortunate. Then I shall see you again in six months.”
As I moved to pass Gun Mu-gyeol, he spoke.
“The martial art I learned is the Northern Darkness Divine Art. Combined with the Carefree Wandering Steps and the Heavenly Mountain Six Yang Palm, I intended to achieve enlightenment toward Primordial Sole Existence.”
My footsteps halted abruptly.
Gun Mu-gyeol was certainly no easy opponent.
If I failed to properly interpret what he’d just said, I would lose my head in this very place.
I turned my head.
Gun Mu-gyeol stood with a grave expression.
Gun Mu-gyeol was a cautious man. He needed to confirm whether I could truly grant enlightenment to ascend to Primordial Sole Existence.
That was what he needed to verify.
After all, Seol Jung-cheon is my own father. If I lied, he would be someone fully capable of matching that deception, so from Gun Mu-gyeol’s perspective, he couldn’t believe everything I said.
This conversation was that very process.
The test itself.
I opened my mouth quietly.
“The combination you just mentioned is incorrect.”
“Incorrect?”
“Yes. The Northern Darkness Divine Art, the Carefree Wandering Steps, and the Heavenly Mountain Six Yang Palm are among the ultimate techniques widely known throughout the Murim. Combining their respective incantations would certainly be a novel attempt, but unfortunately those three lack balance. If executed as is, rather than ascending from Great Void Formless to Primordial Sole Existence, your meridians would reverse and you would become crippled.”
Gun Mu-gyeol’s eyes shifted subtly.
“Then what is the answer?”
I spoke with certainty.
“You must remove the Heavenly Mountain Six Yang Palm.”
“…Remove the Heavenly Mountain Six Yang Palm?”
“The essence of the Northern Darkness Divine Art lies in the principle of the Absolute, and the quintessence of the Carefree Wandering Steps is the realm of non-action and natural spontaneity. These two alone are sufficient.”
“Explain in detail.”
“To ascend from Great Void Formless to Primordial Sole Existence requires a transition from non-being to being.”
“From non-being to being?”
“The chi of the Northern Darkness Divine Art creates a vessel capable of containing all things, while the natural geography inherent in the Carefree Wandering Steps provides the contents to fill that vessel.”
“Continue.”
“I refuse.”
Gun Mu-gyeol’s eyes widened, but I remained composed.
“It seems you set out to test me, and I have now passed that test, have I not?”
“…That’s true.”
“A promise is a promise. In six months, come directly to the Martial Alliance Main Headquarters so we may have a profound discussion.”
An exclamation of admiration burst forth from within Gun Mu-gyeol’s heart.
‘He was genuine….’
This was not merely about whether he possessed the qualifications to grant enlightenment for ascending to Primordial Sole Existence.
The person himself.
No—Seol Woon-hwi as a person was genuine.
Everything I had explained thus far aligned precisely with the theories he had researched for decades.
Particularly the matter of excluding the Heavenly Mountain Six Yang Technique—he had only recently grasped this himself, yet I had seen through it from the very beginning.
“…Remarkable.”
Gun Mu-gyeol uttered genuine admiration and continued.
“You did not create this new realm in vain. It is not merely knowledge, but the intuition to connect all threads…truly, you are more than sufficient to be considered for the position of Supreme One of the Murim in the future.”
“I appreciate the praise, but I wish to clarify that realm and knowledge are separate matters.”
“Is this humility?”
“It is fact. I have simply read many ancient texts.”
Gun Mu-gyeol shook his head.
“Ancient texts alone cannot yield such profound understanding. Surely you have directly experienced or witnessed something.”
I smiled but offered no further response.
Gun Mu-gyeol finally reached his conclusion.
“Very well. Let us end today’s matter here. And come to the Murim Alliance Main Headquarters in six months.”
“Understood.”
“Until then, I shall not lay a hand on the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance. I promise you this.”
The terms of the agreement had subtly shifted.
“I believe you mentioned five years earlier.”
“First six months, and then the remaining period can be filled afterward, can it not?”
“This is problematic, Senior.”
“Heh, then what would be best?”
“In truth, nothing is more certain than evidence.”
“…Evidence?”
I withdrew two sheets of paper from my Storage Bag and wrote something upon them before placing them on the ground.
Both contained identical text.
Seol Woon-hwi shall grant Gun Mu-gyeol enlightenment to ascend to Primordial Sole Existence, and Gun Mu-gyeol shall refrain from intervening in any affairs of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance for the next five years.
I drew blood from the index finger of my right hand and signed both documents with my name.
“…You would go this far?”
“Is it not better for everything to be certain?”
“…Very well.”
Gun Mu-gyeol pricked his finger and drew blood, then signed both documents with his name.
Afterward, the two of them each took one document, and I smiled faintly as I spoke.
“Then I shall take my leave now.”
“Go. And….”
Gun Mu-gyeol continued, his gaze fixed upon me.
“When we meet again, I hope you’ll bring me a more entertaining tale.”
“You may look forward to it.”
With that, I began my descent down the mountain.
Left alone, Gun Mu-gyeol gazed up at the sky and murmured to himself.
“…He truly is someone who must be killed.”
He meant it sincerely.
Gun Mu-gyeol had never encountered anyone so perilous in all his years.
Though his instinct screamed to kill him immediately, his own nature—
And the trajectory of his life thus far—prevented him from doing so now.
Because a path had revealed itself.
He must ascend to Primordial Sole Existence by utilizing Seol Woon-hwi.
Since the Palace Lord of Snow Palace had achieved Primordial Sole Existence, only by reaching that same height could he make true choices.
For now, walking alongside Seol Woon-hwi was the only correct path forward.
Whether it be a bargain or anything else.
Gun Mu-gyeol stared at the spot where I had vanished, then released a heavy sigh.
* * *
As I made my way down, I came to a halt at the midpoint of Yeom-ma Mountain.
A figure’s shadow emerged between the pine trees.
It was Zhuge Yeong-hyeon, Vice Alliance Leader of the Martial Alliance.
He held a folded fan in his hand, and his face bore a cold smile.
“Is there more you wish to say?”
“There is. What conversation did you have with the Alliance Leader?”
Zhuge Yeong-hyeon’s voice was courteous, yet beneath it lay a sharp edge of hostility. I let out a soft laugh.
“How transparent of you.”
“I’m not foolish enough to engage in obvious gambits when my hand is already exposed.”
“Then ask the Alliance Leader directly.”
Both he and I knew the truth.
This wasn’t the real purpose of this encounter.
“The secret agreement with Shin Ju-eon will be rendered void.”
Zhuge Yeong-hyeon did not answer with words. His eyes answered instead.
They glared at me as though they would tear me to shreds.
“…The fact that Cheon Ui Jung-jeong descended ‘safely’ means your conversation with the Alliance Leader concluded favorably, so let us speak plainly about——”
“There seems little reason to discuss it. Instead, I have several announcements to make.”
Zhuge Yeong-hyeon’s brow furrowed sharply, and he blinked as though hearing something he wished he hadn’t.
His emotional shift was so sudden and severe that it betrayed genuine shock.
“What… What are you…? A notification?”
“Yes. A notification. Starting with the Divine Slaughter Sword Sect, you keep scheming from the shadows, but none of it will ever reach me.”
“…That’s what one calls arrogance.”
“If you view it as arrogance, then that’s your freedom of interpretation, but do you truly believe it to be arrogance?”
Zhuge Yeong-hyeon’s grip tightened around his fan.
In Zhuge Yeong-hyeon’s world, ‘rank’ was absolute.
When divided by rank, anyone could see that Zhuge Yeong-hyeon was not Seol Woon-hwi’s equal.
It wasn’t just one defeat—there was also the Divine Slaughter Sword Sect incident and the Mixed Path Demon Flame Palace incident.
Three defeats in total.
In all three, I couldn’t accomplish anything properly and simply suffered defeat.
This could no longer be considered the same rank.
Whatever I attempt will only repeat itself.
In this moment, fury boiled up from within.
The humiliation suffered at Yang-ryeong half a year ago resurfaced. Back then too, Seol Woon-hwi had cornered me in this exact manner.
We had no prior acquaintance.
This was our first meeting.
I couldn’t fathom how my thoughts were laid bare so completely. Then Seol Woon-hwi’s calm voice pierced through my ears.
“Do you know what matters most when playing baduk?”
“…Is that a question? Obviously, the baduk stones.”
Seol Woon-hwi shook his head.
“Whether they’re baduk stones as a metaphor for people or a baduk board as a metaphor for the stage, none of that matters. What truly matters is the baduk player.”

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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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