The Fortunate Sword God of the Zhuge Clan - Chapter 30

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 30.
Dok Go Hyeon did not betray surprise.
He had heard Mugwoon’s ingenious schemes before, and seen every one of them succeed.
Yet he could not suppress the doubt that rose in him.
“That stone compresses seven formation patterns into just two?”
Mugwoon gazed at the Earth-Qi Stone before answering.
“Indeed. Though it divides into seven, the first three formation patterns tested the heart as you saw, while the remaining gates shall divide into formation patterns that test energy and body.”
“Ah, so you mean two when classified that way.”
Dok Go Hyeon nodded in understanding.
“Then why not do it that way from the start? Compress the heart-testing patterns too, so only three need to pass through. That would be simpler, wouldn’t it?”
Mugwoon smiled with a hint of regret.
“There are two reasons for that. First, since these were formation patterns I had never seen before, I needed time to grasp their structure.”
Mugwoon spread his fingers as he continued his explanation.
“Second, unlike energy and body—which have standards of strength set to some degree—the heart has different criteria for each person. How much more so with formation patterns created by nature itself, not by humans? There is no way to know what standard to set.”
A flicker of worry crossed Dok Go Hyeon’s face as he listened.
“But still—will it be all right?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
Dok Go Hyeon asked without the slightest doubt that Mugwoon would fail in his compression.
“Whether something manageable will come out. Those three just now passed easily, but if they merge together, I don’t know about me, but you’re going to have a hard time of it, by the look of things.”
At such concern for himself, Mugwoon burst into laughter.
“My protector worries so for me—what problem could there possibly be?”
Dok Go Hyeon answered Mugwoon’s jest with earnest gravity.
“I’m not joking. If something happens to you, the contract becomes a problem, but the Heavenly Response Elixir also goes up in smoke. Are you really fine with that?”
Though it was a rational concern, Mugwoon replied as though it were nothing.
“I shall be fine. I am not simply compressing them, after all.”
Mugwoon held up the stone in his hand.
Dok Go Hyeon frowned, as if asking what that was.
“I received this stone from Jang Chaeju. He said it came from inside after he captured a great tiger.”
“Ah, I think I’ve heard of it. Could that possibly be a Spirit Stone?”
“Oh, you know of Spirit Stones?”
“Hmm, I think some peddler told me once—that they’re incredible things that come out sometimes when you catch a mystical creature or something.”
Mugwoon smiled with satisfaction as though confirming the answer.
“Quite so. However, this is not a Spirit Stone. It is merely a stone in the process of becoming one.”
“A stone in the process of becoming a Spirit Stone? Then isn’t it essentially useless?”
“It is of no aid in cultivating inner strength, but when it comes to formation techniques, it has excellent utility.”
Mugwoon walked about before setting the stone on flat, soft earth.
“Such a stone is imbued with Earth-Qi. And earth—the element of soil in the Five Elements—is the most crucial energy in establishing formation patterns.”
Then Mugwoon withdrew the Palgwan Brush and began drawing a formation in the shape of Taiji, with the stone at its center.
“A formation pattern binds the flow of energy, fixes space, and stabilizes structure. Thus, with such an Earth-Qi Stone present, those who have reached a certain height need not draw formations to design formation patterns.”
Dok Go Hyeon tilted his head, raising one eyebrow.
“But you’re drawing a formation right now. I don’t think you’ve failed to reach that height, so you must be aiming for something else.”
Mugwoon let out a small sound of admiration at the keen observation.
“Indeed. If my goal were merely to create a formation pattern, it would not be difficult. But what I desire is something different.”
“Something different being…?”
“I shall overlay a new formation pattern on top of the one already established on Cheongseong Mountain.”
“…And what happens then?”
Having finished drawing the Taiji formation, Mugwoon proceeded to trace the eight Bagua symbols around it with perfect precision.
“This formation pattern is itself something near miraculous in its creation.”
Mugwoon swept the Palgwan Brush through the air in a circle as he continued his explanation.
“There must exist a place nearly flat within mountain ranges, peaks must stand at the north and south where Yin and Yang energies surge forth, and great natural objects must be positioned precisely at each of the eight Bagua locations.”
Mugwoon’s expression grew animated, as though discussing something of great fascination.
“This is rather like a work of art created by nature itself. If I were to make a comparison, a flower—no, that is too small. You might say it resembles a river, or perhaps the sea.”
“Yes, I understand this formation pattern is remarkable….”
Dok Go Hyeon watched Mugwoon with an expression of incomprehension as he spoke with such enthusiasm.
Mugwoon then waved the Palgwan Brush and traced the shape of a formation pattern in the empty air.
“Consider this: if you pour more wine into a cup already full of wine, what happens?”
“Of course it spills over… Ah. So that’s what you’re aiming for.”
Dok Go Hyeon finally grasped Mugwoon’s intent.
“Precisely. This formation pattern, like a work of art, has been crafted with such precision that even a single misalignment renders it incapable of functioning properly.”
Mugwoon then sketched the formation pattern he would create in the empty air before them.
“That’s why, normally, when a new formation pattern overlays one that’s formed naturally like this, the old pattern can’t sustain itself and vanishes. Of course, the formation here is so vast that it won’t collapse so easily. However—”
“You’re saying that a single formation overlaying it causes the design to collapse and compress.”
“Precisely. The delicate structure crumbles, and the difficulty drops significantly.”
Mugwoon nodded in agreement with Dok Go Hyeon’s words and drew a circular shape with the Palgwan Brush.
“With an Earth-Qi Stone like this, we can create such a situation. It’s a shame to damage this pure work of nature, but there it is.”
Dok Go Hyeon raised an eyebrow.
“A shame? It’s just a natural object, after all.”
“There are those who revere such natural artistry like a sacred thing. Though I’m not quite at that level myself.”
Thump.
Mugwoon, having finished the formation pattern, drove the Palgwan Brush into the very center of the Taiji symbol he’d drawn.
At the same moment, the earth of Cheongseong Mountain let out a wailing cry.
Groooooan….
“…That doesn’t sound right.”
Dok Go Hyeon’s face clouded with unease as he scanned their surroundings.
“Don’t worry. The formation pattern is skipping directly through the sequence of Liang Yi, Si Xiang, and San Cai in one stroke, so this is just a natural consequence.”
“To be honest, I don’t follow that kind of explanation.”
“What I mean is: it’s collapsing from the very foundation all at once, so the sound has to be loud. Things are working as they should.”
“Really? Then everything should be—”
In that instant, Dok Go Hyeon sensed something foreign invading his perception.
Simultaneously, darkness flooded in from all directions.
The speed was too overwhelming to counter, and within moments, Mugwoon and his companions’ vision was swallowed by shadow.
By the time even Mugwoon, standing close by, became difficult to see, Dok Go Hyeon cried out.
‘What the—?’
The sound didn’t carry far.
Despite producing a voice, it wouldn’t emerge from his mouth.
More precisely, the sound that left his lips scattered in all directions like fragments.
Finding this strange, Dok Go Hyeon looked toward Mugwoon.
Mugwoon met his gaze, and from that expression, both understood they faced the same predicament.
In alarm, Dok Go Hyeon tried to shout.
-Damn it, what’s happening?
But since no sound emerged, all that happened was his mouth worked soundlessly.
Mugwoon remained composed, covering his mouth and continuing their exchange through lip movements.
That they stood close was a blessing beyond measure.
-Calm yourself. This is likely a trial born from our alteration of the formation pattern.
Mugwoon steadied Dok Go Hyeon.
-Following the order of heart, qi, and body, this should be a trial of qi.
-Qi?
-Indeed. Formations that test qi usually scatter the internal strength of those who enter them. Don’t you feel that sensation?
At Mugwoon’s words, Dok Go Hyeon quickly cycled his qi through the Ilju Cheon and examined his condition.
Sure enough, as Mugwoon had said, the internal strength in his lower dantian was gradually dispersing.
-Hmm, so it is. I wasn’t paying attention since I figured it had to dissipate anyway.
-Good. Can you track the direction in which your qi scatters?
-Huh? Why bother?
-Hmm?
Ordinarily, a martial artist would stake their life on noticing where their internal strength scattered, and tracking that dispersal direction was commonplace.
But the Dokgo Geombeop grew more effective the less internal strength one accumulated.
Once Dok Go Hyeon had grasped this principle, he’d abandoned all concern for internal strength entirely—so much so that he barely noticed his own qi leaking away.
Looked at that way, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.
-It has to scatter anyway, so why bother tracking its direction? Let it go where it will.
Speaking at such length gave Mugwoon pause.
The Dok Go Hyeon he’d observed was not one who took his own time and effort lightly.
No matter that he might lose his qi eventually, would he really spout such enlightened-sounding words while his strength was actively scattering?
‘Something’s wrong here.’
Having reached this conclusion, Mugwoon made his decision.
Crack!
-Ow?
Mugwoon struck Dok Go Hyeon’s cheek with full force, and Dok Go Hyeon’s eyes snapped open as if he’d just woken from a trance.
-Hyeon. Can you track the direction in which your qi scatters?
Dok Go Hyeon’s eyes cleared, confusion giving way to lucidity as he nodded.
-…Yes. I felt like something had me entranced, but it’s that way.
Mugwoon nodded as he watched the direction Dok Go Hyeon pointed to with his raised hand.
“Very well. Let us go.”
Mugwoon seized Dok Go Hyeon’s sleeve and pulled him forward.
In Mugwoon’s eyes, the golden aura that had arrived alongside the scent tickling his nose was already pointing in the same direction that Dok Go Hyeon had indicated.
Asking Dok Go Hyeon had been merely a matter of cross-verification, but thanks to it, he had also come to understand the true nature of this formation pattern.
‘The deeper the accumulated inner force, the more readily one falls into an illusion technique. That is the design.’
For Mugwoon, who had not cultivated inner force, it was a rare advantage—though not the only one.
“Though now that I think of it, that direction seems right too. Or have I gotten it wrong? What do you think? Inner force, you see…”
Dok Go Hyeon had fallen back into the illusion and had begun spouting nonsense.
He was even struggling to maintain his own sense of direction.
Because of this, Mugwoon had to pull Dok Go Hyeon forward by sheer strength alone.
Drawing a man roughly six feet tall with a force that barely fell short of criminal was no simple feat.
Scrape—
“So Hyeon. How are you holding up?”
“The vision overlaps the sky, and what is given to mere monkeys like these is…”
“I see. Let us continue.”
Mugwoon labored to drag Dok Go Hyeon forward, pursuing the golden aura of the Qi Yeon-bi.
‘Here I am, pulling along the Dok Go Hyeon who came as my guard.’
Had it been anyone else, they would have taken offense, but Mugwoon felt an odd sense of gratification.
For it was exceedingly rare in his life to be of physical use to another.
How much time had passed in this manner?
Mugwoon arrived at a place where the golden aura no longer moved.
This meant he had reached the vicinity of the Gate of Life in the formation pattern.
A soft breath—
Though no sound escaped, Mugwoon drew in ragged breaths, feeling the satisfaction of having brought Dok Go Hyeon this far.
He then laid Dok Go Hyeon down for a moment and drew out the Palgwan Brush once more.
‘Well then, I have already completed the structural transformation of the formation pattern…’
All that remained was to input the formula and move directly to testing the formation pattern itself.
Once that was done, even the unconscious Dok Go Hyeon would regain his senses.
Based on the difficulty level thus far, the probability of something appearing capable of stopping Dok Go Hyeon was infinitesimally small—in essence, he had already broken through the formation.
‘Soon I will face the Gongcheong Seokyu.’
And he would finally be able to cure the Absolute Pulse Disorder that had tormented him his entire life.
Suppressing the anticipation that threatened to spill over at any moment, Mugwoon calmly drew the formula that would collapse the Gate of Life.
Click—
“Hmm?”
At that instant, a hand came to rest upon Mugwoon’s shoulder.
Mugwoon assumed it was Dok Go Hyeon.
“So Hyeon. I understand you must be disoriented, but please bear with me a moment longer. Drawing in this formula will not take much time…”
Though his words would not reach, Mugwoon spoke reflexively and continued drawing the formation pattern.
But an unexpected situation unfolded.
[Your skill in handling formation patterns is considerable. No—you have already surpassed that level.]
—?!
A clear voice, impossible to hear, resonated at his ear, and Mugwoon turned his head to look in the direction where something was resting its hand upon his shoulder.
There stood a figure.
Or could it even be called a person?
Eyes as piercing as a hawk’s, a gaunt neck like a wolf’s. A withered, skeletal frame.
Most of all, the faint purple radiance emanating from its entire form marked it as something other than human.
Mugwoon swiftly analyzed the figure.
‘…It is not using its vocal cords but rather resonating the space within the formation pattern to speak. A lingering spirit? No—it has inscribed its will within the formation pattern itself.’
Mugwoon was certain that this figure was not the one who had created the formation pattern.
For the craftsmanship of the formation was far too vast to have been made by human hands.
However, there was a being that had laid hands upon the internal structure of this formation.
It would be possible with sufficient understanding of formation techniques.
Mugwoon himself had done precisely that.
[Considerable, yes—but perhaps too bold. It is not the old one’s preferred method.]
The Purple-Hued Spirit, either unaware of or indifferent to Mugwoon’s analysis, continued its assessment of the formation Mugwoon had overlaid, its expressionless face unchanging.
“…Who, if I may ask, are you?”
[Hmm.]
At Mugwoon’s question, the figure’s eyes grew sharper.
Those eyes were filled with a slate-gray light, yet they were not turbid.
Yet that brilliance revealed a purity that the spirit possessed.
[Isn’t it proper to introduce yourself first when meeting someone of higher station?]
“Ah, forgive me. I am….”
[Don’t just mouth the words. Ah—come to think of it, communication through a physical body would be difficult in this place. My apologies.]
Snap!
The spirit flicked a finger lightly, and the surroundings transformed in an instant.
Where everything had been shrouded in darkness moments before, now all around was covered in brilliant white.
[Here we can speak properly.]
“…Ah.”
Indeed, Mugwoon could now produce sound, his voice carrying clearly.
‘To reverse the placement of a formation pattern with a mere gesture….’
Mugwoon marveled at the wondrous technique.
Of course, if he inscribed his own will into the formation pattern as this spirit did, Mugwoon could accomplish the same, but how many other formation masters possessed such skill?
At the very least, in his past life, he had never encountered another.
‘…So Dok Go Hyeon did not come with me.’
Within the white expanse existed only the Purple-Hued Spirit and Mugwoon.
It might have seemed dangerous to be left alone with an unknown spirit, yet Mugwoon remained composed.
‘In my past life, the master who obtained the Gongcheong Seokyu said nothing of such a spirit. Then it must have appeared only to me.’
And discerning the reason was not difficult.
‘It likely sensed the overlaid formation pattern and was drawn by curiosity.’
Which meant this spirit, too, had manifested as a formation master.
Mugwoon, honoring the other’s skill as a fellow practitioner, raised his fists in salute.
“This humble one is Jegal Mugwoon, a young master of the Jegal Clan. Might I ask the name of the master who commands this vast formation pattern?”
The spirit lifted its head with evident interest.
[Jegal?]
This was not mere interest in having understood his intent.
[Jegal, I see. So that’s it.]
What drew the spirit’s fascination was none other than Mugwoon’s surname.
[Then that bold nature of yours makes perfect sense. Quite fitting.]
The spirit, muttering words whose meaning eluded him, turned a question back to Mugwoon.
[How old are you?]
“I have turned eighteen this year.”
[No, not that.]
“Pardon?”
[Don’t play innocent.]
The spirit spoke as if the matter were trivial.
[Don’t try to deceive an old one. Count all the years, including those times when you wielded the Seven Stars Circle. How many are you?]
Mugwoon’s expression shifted to a level of shock he had not yet displayed.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————