Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 404

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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 404
Seol Woon-hwi’s voice dropped low.
“Only when Snow Palace faces crisis should you step forward and sacrifice your lives.”
“….”
“Otherwise, there would be no reason for the Elder Council to exist.”
Seol Woon-hwi spoke slowly.
“By choosing not to live in seclusion and becoming an elder, it means you can still draw your swords for Snow Palace. Is that not so?”
Silence.
The elders exchanged glances with one another.
An old man stepped forward.
An elder with white hair and a long beard.
Yet his eyes remained sharp and clear.
“Lord Hyeon Seol-rin speaks the truth.”
Seol Woon-hwi’s gaze turned toward the old man.
“I am Jang Han-min, the pavilion master from two generations ago of Baek-ryeon-gak.”
The old man performed the Embracing Fist salute.
“Just as Lord Hyeon Seol-rin said, the Elder Council has been walking down a wrong path.”
“….”
“And Seol Cheon-hwa, the leader, was even worse.”
Jang Han-min gazed upon Seol Cheon-hwa’s corpse.
“He sought to use the Elder Council to expand his own power. We… knew this, yet we remained silent.”
“Why did you do so?”
“….”
Jang Han-min let out a heavy sigh.
“Because we were afraid.”
“Afraid?”
“Yes. Seol Cheon-hwa had reached Heaven-Human Unity and was the Palace Lord’s first cousin. We could not stand against him.”
“So you remained silent.”
Jang Han-min lowered his head.
“I am ashamed.”
Seol Woon-hwi, observing him, spoke in a quiet voice.
“Senior Jang Han-min.”
“Yes.”
“Will you become the new leader of the Elder Council?”
Jang Han-min’s eyes widened.
The other elders also wore expressions of surprise.
“Me… as leader?”
“Yes.”
“But….”
“As the pavilion master from two generations ago of Baek-ryeon-gak, you surely have standing within Snow Palace.”
Seol Woon-hwi spoke slowly.
“And as a martial artist of the Heaven-Human Realm, you are more than capable of leading the elders.”
“….”
“Most importantly.”
Seol Woon-hwi looked directly at Jang Han-min.
“You were the first to acknowledge your mistake in this place.”
“Lord Hyeon Seol-rin….”
“Senior Jang, I have a request to make of you.”
“…I am listening.”
“Rebuild the Elder Council. Rebuild it properly.”
“….”
“An Elder Council that does not meddle in the great and small affairs of the Murim, nor interferes in the matters of Snow Palace. One that exists solely for the martial artists of Snow Palace.”
“….”
“And when Snow Palace faces crisis, an Elder Council that steps forward with their lives on the line.”
After a long silence, Jang Han-min performed a deep Embracing Fist salute toward Seol Woon-hwi once more.
“…I shall do so.”
Seol Woon-hwi nodded.
And he looked toward the other elders.
“Do you seniors agree?”
“Yes!”
“We agree!”
The elders all performed the Embracing Fist salute in unison.
Seol Woon-hwi spoke slowly.
“Good. Then I have one more thing to tell you.”
“…Please speak.”
“Rebuild the Elder Council, but reduce its size to half.”
“….”
“If it becomes too large, other problems will arise. Maintain an appropriate scale.”
“Understood.”
Jang Han-min replied.
Seol Woon-hwi sheathed his sword.
“This is your only chance. There will be no next time.”
“…I will keep it in mind.”
Seol Woon-hwi turned his body.
He walked toward Ju So-ah, Namgung Won Yang, and Manager Seong.
Jang Han-min watched his departing figure.
‘Seol Woon-hwi….’
Today’s events suggested something new once again.
A man already renowned throughout the Murim.
Such a man had stained Snow Mountain with blood.
I had even killed dozens of elders in the heart of the Main Palace, including Seol Cheon-hwa, the leader of the Elder Council. Seol Cheon-hwa was even the Palace Lord’s first cousin.
Indeed, what kind of stance would Seol Jung-cheon take on this matter?
Regardless of other things, Jang Han-min could be certain of one thing precisely.
If punishment were to be handed down, it would not be severe.
‘Now in the Snow Palace, there is no one who can stop that person….’
Jang Han-min shook his head.
‘No one.’
There truly was no one.
This was no jest.
Seol Woon-hwi’s current presence made even the Young Palace Lord Seol Ho-ryeong appear shabby.
Did he realize it himself?
That his very existence was crumbling the identity of Snow Mountain.
* * *
Manager Seong fell into step beside Seol Woon-hwi as he walked in silence.
“…Are you well, Young Master?”
Seol Woon-hwi said nothing. He simply walked toward the carriage. Ju So-ah and Namgung Won Yang exchanged glances and nodded. Ju So-ah took her seat on the coachman’s bench while Namgung Won Yang draped a canopy over the cart.
Seol Woon-hwi opened the carriage door and stepped inside. Manager Seong followed him in.
The door closed.
In that same moment, Seol Woon-hwi collapsed.
“Haa… haa….”
Without the slightest hesitation, Manager Seong began channeling his qi into Seol Woon-hwi, who was breathing heavily.
This was natural—when qi entered, one could naturally sense what lay within. Manager Seong’s expression grew grave.
This was…
A body condition where it was almost strange that he was still alive.
His blood vessels, along with every vessel in his body, were writhing as if possessed.
Tears were scattered throughout, and his internal organs were far from intact. No matter how extraordinary Seol Woon-hwi’s recovery was, these were wounds that would clearly require him to remain bedridden for an extended period.
This time as well.
Manager Seong did not hesitate.
He immediately drew forth his qi. Not the previous kind. ‘Innate True Energy’.
The purest qi in this world.
That qi which determined one’s lifespan—he began breathing it into Seol Woon-hwi’s body.
It was in that moment.
Seol Woon-hwi’s other arm seized Manager Seong’s wrist.
“…Stop.”
“…Young Master.”
Manager Seong let out a small laugh.
“You know how much I cherish you, don’t you?”
“….”
“I wish to express that affection. So please, do not stop me.”
Though Manager Seong spoke thus, regrettably, the arm of Seol Woon-hwi that gripped his wrist tightened with force.
“Haven’t I expressed myself sufficiently?”
“….”
“Do you think I don’t understand Manager Seong’s heart?”
My voice carried no hesitation. An unsettling thought crept in. Could this be my final moment of clarity?
Manager Seong, having sensed my thoughts, shook his head.
“It’s not like that, so don’t entertain such worries.”
I slowly rose from my seat and settled into the chair instead.
Then I closed my eyes.
“Manager Seong.”
“…Yes.”
“No matter what happens to my body from this moment forward, you must not touch me under any circumstances.”
Manager Seong’s eyes widened.
“Young Master, what do you mean by…?”
“That’s an order.”
My voice was resolute.
“And move the carriage to a place where few people venture.”
“…Understood.”
Manager Seong immediately transmitted his voice to Ju So-ah, who sat in the coachman’s seat.
Soon the carriage began to move.
Manager Seong turned his head.
I remained motionless in the chair, eyes closed and body sunk deep into the seat.
Then.
A surge.
Blood erupted from my mouth, and the blood vessels of my physical body began to protrude violently.
He desperately wanted to check my pulse and channel his energy into me, but he could not.
Because he trusted me.
There had to be a reason for what I had said.
He was certain of it.
Manager Seong clenched his fists tightly.
If.
If I truly approached the brink of death, then he would pour all of his Innate True Energy into me.
Even if the odds were low and I failed, that much energy would allow me to survive.
A martial artist of the Heaven-Human Realm could achieve it if they risked their life.
* * *
I drew a deep breath.
In the Cheong Heo Secret Realm, I had encountered the lingering consciousness of Cheong Heo Jinperson, the last Sect Master of the Cheongseong Sect.
And from him, I had received the transmission of all the martial arts of the Cheongseong Sect.
Among them, one technique.
That ‘mental technique’ was what I needed in this moment.
The Cheong Heo Rebirth Mental Technique.
The state of Final Moment of Clarity is when the physical body accepts death.
And in that instant, the final surge of life force explodes outward. The reason one can speak with perfect clarity, forgetting all pain, is precisely because of this.
And the mental technique that reverses and harnesses this erupting life force is the Cheong Heo Rebirth Mental Technique.
The problem is that using it renders one unable to draw upon internal energy for nearly a fortnight or more.
And it also shortens one’s lifespan.
I intended to eliminate the former side effect.
A sect that manipulates the very foundation of life force.
The Original Blood Sect deals with an energy called Original Blood Qi.
And using that Original Blood Qi, there exists a martial art that directly combusts life force to restore wounds—the Blood Source Regeneration Art is precisely that.
If one employs these two appropriately.
Only the lifespan diminishes, while internal energy can be used immediately.
I began to recite the incantation formula.
“Clarity pervades all phenomena, return to origin and restore essence…”
The incantation of the Cheong Heo Rebirth Mental Technique.
Pure, crystalline energy rose from my dantian.
Very gradually.
Slowly.
Like the mist of dawn.
My breathing slowed.
My heartbeat slowed as well.
The final life force that had erupted from the Final Moment of Clarity.
I grasped it.
Soon after, pure energy flowed forth from my dantian.
Clear and crystalline.
And warm.
Like the sunlight of spring.
That energy enveloped my entire body.
It caressed my torn blood vessels.
It wrapped around my damaged organs.
It moistened my shattered meridians.
Slowly.
Naturally.
Recovery began.
But this alone was insufficient.
The Cheong Heo Rebirth Mental Technique is natural recovery. It takes time.
And my condition was grave.
‘Here, I blend in the Blood Source Regeneration Art.’
It was certainly dangerous.
The Cheong Heo Rebirth Mental Technique and the Blood Source Regeneration Art were fundamentally opposed; if I miscalculated, both could detonate and shatter my body into fragments.
But I could do it. This was certainty.
Seol Woon-hwi drew upon his energy. The utterly pure Void Manifestation Qi was instantly converted into Origin Blood Qi.
Whoooosh—!
Crimson energy erupted.
Violently.
Destructively.
Like a volcano exploding.
Origin Blood Qi, the complete opposite of the serene Void Manifestation Qi, poured into his blood vessels.
It forcibly sealed the torn blood vessels.
It violently regenerated the damaged organs.
It brutally reconnected the shattered meridians.
Rapidly.
Violently.
Seol Woon-hwi’s body trembled.
“Ugh….”
Agony.
The two energies collided.
The serene Void Manifestation Qi pushed back the Origin Blood Qi.
The Origin Blood Qi tried to devour the serene Void Manifestation Qi.
Crack! Crack!
His blood vessels bulged visibly.
He recited the incantation again.
Blood Source Returns to One, Life and Death Reversed….
The incantation of the Blood Source Regeneration Technique.
Simultaneously, he also chanted the incantation of the Void Manifestation Rebirth Mental Technique.
Void Manifestation Myriad Forms, Return to Origin….
Soon after, the serene Void Manifestation Qi enveloped the Origin Blood Qi.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like a parent cradling a child.
It soothed it.
Whoosh—
The explosive force of the Origin Blood Qi diminished.
The natural restorative power of the Void Manifestation Qi.
The forceful regenerative power of the Origin Blood Qi.
The two merged and achieved harmony.
The torn blood vessels reconnected. The Void Manifestation Qi carved the path first. The Origin Blood Qi followed that path to regenerate the vessels.
Swiftly, yet naturally.
The damaged organs recovered.
The Void Manifestation Qi enveloped the organs.
The Origin Blood Qi regenerated the damaged portions.
Forced, yet stable.
The shattered blood vessels reconnected, and the ethereal Void Manifestation Qi saturated them. Then the Original Blood Qi sealed the severed sections.
Violent, yet effective.
Two currents of energy circulated through my entire body.
One revolution.
Two revolutions.
Three revolutions.
The Minor Circulation.
No—the Major Circulation.
It continued to spiral.
Recovery accelerated.
But there was a price.

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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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