Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 391

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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 391
“How could one attach courtesy to the expression of sincere feelings? It is the brave who claim the beauty, and though Gongsun Myeong-wol is fair, she is not to my taste. So step aside, if you would.”
“…We were bound together as one of the Five Great Families, yet I did not know. That the Path of Supremacy harbors no courtesy.”
“Heh…”
“But unfortunately, the Gongsun Family does possess such courtesy.”
Gongsun Myeong-wol placed her hand upon the hilt of the sword at her waist.
“So perhaps you should exercise restraint?”
Seok Cheon-han, who scoffed once more at the sight, gazed silently at Seol Yeon-hwa.
There was something he could not yield on, something he had to say.
“Lady Seol. After the examination concludes, how about a drink? If we spent time coming to know one another better…”
Seol Yeon-hwa’s voice became sharp as a blade.
“No.”
“Heh, why treat me with such coldness? Surely you don’t already have a man on your mind…?”
A subtle yet unmistakable killing intent emanated from Seol Yeon-hwa’s form.
Seok Cheon-han’s expression hardened.
“…Mm…”
He stepped back. Yet a strange light lingered in his eyes.
“A pity, Lady Seol.”
Seok Cheon-han turned away, muttering to himself.
“Truly a pity.”
With a shrug of his shoulders, he made for a corner of the chamber.
Gongsun Myeong-wol looked toward Seol Yeon-hwa.
“Are you well?”
“…Yes.”
As Seol Yeon-hwa drew a deep breath,
Clang—!
The bell tolled.
“We shall now commence the second examination!”
The proctor’s voice echoed through the waiting room.
“All examinees, proceed to the plaza!”
The Later Generation Prodigies rose as one from their seats.
The plaza was vast.
At its center lay an enormous Formation Technique, its intricate patterns carved into the ground, with eight stone statues positioned around its perimeter.
“The second examination is simple in nature.”
The proctor spoke.
“Enter that formation. It shall test you. The passing criterion is…”
“Wait.”
Gongsun Myeong-wol raised her hand.
“What is the matter?”
“Lady Seol is nowhere to be seen.”
The supervisor’s brow furrowed.
“Miss Seol?”
“Miss Seol Yeon-hwa of the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace. She was definitely here just moments ago….”
Gongsun Myeong-wol’s gaze swept across the surroundings.
She was gone.
Seol Yeon-hwa had vanished.
“This is strange. Surely….”
“There is nothing strange about it.”
The supervisor spoke coldly.
“Perhaps she withdrew due to personal circumstances, would you not agree?”
“But….”
“Miss Gongsun.”
The supervisor’s eyes grew sharp.
“This is now examination time. I will not entertain further objections. Everyone, proceed into the Formation Technique.”
“….”
Gongsun Myeong-wol bit her lip.
She could not accept this.
But what could be done?
‘Miss Seol….’
She walked slowly toward the Formation Technique.
The other examinees also entered the Formation Technique one by one.
Seok Cheon-han was among them.
He gazed at the Formation Technique with a peculiar expression, then his eyes met the supervisor’s.
Subtly.
Seok Cheon-han nodded slightly.
The supervisor also nodded imperceptibly.
And Seok Cheon-han disappeared into the Formation Technique.
* * *
This was truly a bizarre phenomenon.
I had done nothing.
I had merely taken steps toward the plaza.
Precisely at the fifth step, I sensed something beneath my feet. That was all.
After that, the surroundings changed in an instant.
Darkness.
Everything around me was darkness.
My heart raced rapidly. Was this the second examination?
No, absolutely not.
This was not the second examination.
Seol Yeon-hwa realized it immediately. This was a trap.
Her eyes grew sharp.
I examined the patterns carved into the floor, sensing the flow of qi that enveloped the space.
The Six Directions Labyrinth Formation.
A Formation Technique of the Jegal Family.
That Martial God Grade Formation Technique from which, once trapped, there is no escape.
Seol Yeon-hwa’s eyes pierced through the darkness.
Among the Polar Descendants, Seol Ho-ryeong, the Young Palace Lord of Snow Palace, and his second brother Seol Mu-ryun were called geniuses until Seol Woon-hwi began to shine.
In truth, both are geniuses.
The eldest approaching the Divine Transformation Realm and the second son who has reached the Body Establishment Boundary.
And though Seol Yeon-hwa was still at the Five Energy Harmonizing Origin, this did not mean she had been idle.
As Gongsun Myeong-wol mentioned, Seol Yeon-hwa possesses vast knowledge.
She knows remarkably much, and especially regarding Formation Techniques, she surpasses both her elder and second brothers.
Her eyes grew sharp.
‘So they wove the Six Directions based on Heaven, Earth, and Man—the Three Talents.’
After grasping the surface of the Formation Technique, I examined its interior.
The flow of true energy filled the space like a spider’s web.
East, West, South, North, Heaven, Earth.
Six directions formed one perfect sphere.
‘The celestial arrangement follows the Big Dipper, and the terrestrial foundation is supported by the Eight Trigrams.’
I clenched my teeth.
Vice Alliance Leader Zhuge Yeong-hyeon.
He undoubtedly orchestrated this.
The reason was clear to me.
To shackle Seol Woon-hwi.
I wiped my face.
My mind and body grew calm.
Only one thing mattered.
Escaping this place.
Seol Yeon-hwa moved forward slowly.
Even in darkness, my senses remained keen.
‘First, the Earthly Branches.’
I felt the floor with my toes.
Tap.
A faint vibration transmitted through me.
‘Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake… the Twelve Earthly Branches bind the earth’s energy.’
Seol Yeon-hwa drew her sword and swung it.
Light to cleave the darkness.
The Rat direction, true north.
Seol Yeon-hwa’s sword energy carved into the floor, and one section of the Formation Technique trembled.
Crack.
A hairline fracture.
‘Good.’
Next came the Earthly Branch of Chou.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Three consecutive sword strikes.
Seol Yeon-hwa did not pause.
Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake….
She severed the bonds of the Twelve Earthly Branches one by one.
‘The Earthly Branches are unraveled. Next comes the Heavenly Stems.’
Her gaze lifted skyward.
Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water—the ten celestial stems.
The heavens’ qi was woven together in the Ten Heavenly Stems.
‘Heaven is more intricate than earth.’
Seol Yeon-hwa drew upon her internal energy.
A chill swept through.
Cold energy rose from her body like mist.
Her eyes turned a pristine white.
Heavenly Snow Domain.
Crack!
The Wood stem’s qi froze solid.
She thrust her sword toward it.
Clang!
Wood shattered.
Then Fire, Earth, Metal.
Seol Yeon-hwa’s blade never rested.
The bonds of the Ten Heavenly Stems unraveled one by one.
Rumble!
The entire Formation Method trembled.
‘The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches are undone. What remains is the Three Fundamentals.’
Heaven, Earth, and Man.
Three primordial principles.
Seol Yeon-hwa’s eyes deepened with focus.
She reversed her grip on the sword, spun her body, and targeted a precise location.
The empty air—exactly three inches before her—she slashed.
Swish!
Something severed with a sound, and the Formation Method vibrated once more.
What she had just broken was Heaven and Earth.
She narrowed her eyes, her mind never ceasing its calculations.
Something felt wrong.
What remained was Man, yet it eluded her grasp.
What is this.
Was something wrong?
In that moment, Seol Yeon-hwa understood.
‘…The person (人) is myself.’
The trapped one becomes the axis of the Formation Technique—such was its structure.
As long as I exist, the Formation Technique is complete.
As long as I resist, the Formation Technique grows stronger.
‘Heavens….’
She forgot the situation entirely, and admiration spilled forth unbidden.
The Jegal Family’s Formation Technique was indeed profound.
It was unmistakably the Six Harmonies Labyrinth Formation, yet they had woven several layers of meaning into it.
This was a transformed Six Harmonies Labyrinth Formation.
But.
A smile bloomed at the corner of Seol Yeon-hwa’s lips.
Now that I understand it, I can unravel it.
She sheathed her sword at her waist and brought both hands together.
Very slowly, she formed the seal (印).
‘I redirect the energy of the person (人) outward.’
Her internal energy reversed its flow.
No, it was not a reversal.
‘Circulation.’
Energy from within flowing outward, energy from without flowing inward.
The principle of Heaven and person. And the principle of Unity.
Shhhhh—
Seol Yeon-hwa’s body glowed faintly.
The Formation Technique wavered.
‘Just a little more….’
One final thread.
If I sever the ring of the person (人), it will break.
It was the instant she drew her sword from her waist to strike.
KRAAAAAASH—!!
The Formation Technique convulsed violently, and energy surged rampantly.
No, it was not a rampage.
‘A reversal (逆轉)?’
The Formation Technique was tightening even more forcefully.
Seol Yeon-hwa’s eyes widened.
‘This is….’
She realized it.
This Formation Technique cannot be dismantled from within.
Rather, the more one attempts to dismantle it, the stronger it becomes.
‘Internal dissolution only strengthens the Formation Technique.’
By releasing the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, the axis of Man had only grown stronger.
The more the captive within resisted, the more powerfully the Formation Method confined them.
The principle of Reversal.
This had to be broken from the outside.
To break it from within required at least the power of Heaven-Human Unity or beyond.
The Jegal Family….
Truly, there was reason Jegal was no ordinary name.
Crack—! Crack—!
The pressure of the Formation Method crushed down from all sides.
Seol Yeon-hwa fell to her knees.
She tried to endure with her Internal Energy, but it was useless. The more she resisted, the stronger the pressure became.
Her consciousness grew hazy.
If she lost awareness like this, what would happen?
She would surely become a burden.
She had to endure.
Clenching her teeth, her lips split and blood spilled forth.
It was then, as her vision darkened further.
Crack—!
The Formation Method fractured.
Boom—! Boom—!!
Someone from outside was shattering the Formation Method.
Soon enough.
Crash—!!
With a tremendous explosion, the Formation Method shattered into fragments.
Light poured in.
Seol Yeon-hwa lifted her head.
A man stood there.
Black daopo, a blade at his waist.
Eyes cold as ice.
Ha Baek-hyeon.
“Bing Seol-ryeong.”
Ha Baek-hyeon spoke in a low voice.
“I have come by Lord Hyeon Seol-rin’s command to rescue you.”
He extended his hand.
Seol Yeon-hwa grasped it.

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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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