The Introverted Heavenly Demon - Chapter 10

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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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The Introverted Heavenly Demon Episode 010
Fruits of Cultivation
Baek Yeon had been diligently training during this time, but in the Sect Leader’s eyes, his efforts fell short.
He was still a child lacking mental maturity, and his psychological state remained withdrawn, which imposed inherent limitations.
Measured against the rigorous standards held by Sect Leader Baek Mu Myeong, he could not be said to possess the qualifications of a Minor Sect Leader.
There was no reason to fully acknowledge him based merely on a few days of conduct before entering seclusion.
The month of wall-facing seclusion was the Sect Leader’s final opportunity granted to Minor Sect Leader Baek Yeon.
If, continuing as before, he produced no significant results during this period of seclusion….
The Sect Leader had already resolved to seal the Minor Sect Leader’s dantian once more and cast him out from this position.
“I greet you, Father.”
The Sect Leader sat upon a massive meditation platform positioned at the chamber’s center.
He regarded the Minor Sect Leader with an expressionless gaze.
Unaware of the Sect Leader’s inner thoughts, the Minor Sect Leader knelt and offered his respects.
“What have you done with that fellow bearing the surname Young Ho?”
“I have made him a servant, sending him to the mountain to gather firewood, draw water, and heat bathing water.”
“Does Jeokwol Palace not use coal for heating? Surely water from the well and bathing water are brought through pipes.”
“That is correct. I instructed the servants to prepare only my meals and heat my chamber, while having him gather firewood directly. He also draws water separately for my use.”
The Sect Leader nodded, observing how the Minor Sect Leader spoke without the slightest change in expression.
A Minor Sect Leader of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect must possess at least that degree of cruelty and ruthlessness.
Indeed, in matters of character, he passes.
“Do you not think this excessive?”
“This is to verify whether his pledge of loyalty to me is sincere. However, it would be wasteful to the Main Sect to allow his martial talents to rot away in mere servitude. Once his loyalty is confirmed, I intend to assign him other duties.”
“Do so. Since you spared his life, I entrust his disposition to you.”
Though spoken favorably, the Sect Leader continued to evaluate the Minor Sect Leader with cold precision even at this moment.
His pragmatic and rational way of thinking is not without merit.
Yet the true test lay ahead.
Baek Mu Myeong resumed his impassive expression and shifted the subject.
“You trained in the Hyeon Ma Gyeong during your seclusion. Have you made progress?”
“I have seen some advancement.”
The Minor Sect Leader’s expression seemed to brighten slightly at the mention of the Hyeon Ma Gyeong.
The Sect Leader, however, narrowed his brow and displayed clear displeasure.
How much progress could an eleven-year-old child possibly achieve through merely a month of wall-facing seclusion?
Yet he speaks of having “seen advancement”?
Inner cultivation is something even a martial artist who has devoted years to training finds difficult to claim progress upon.
The Sect Leader perceived only recklessness in those words.
‘Nothing has changed at all…. And this comes after my direct warning.’
At this point, the Sect Leader had already abandoned nearly all expectations for Baek Yeon.
The Sect Leader’s subsequent tone made no attempt to conceal his disappointment.
“That is for me to judge. Demonstrate the Hyeon Ma Gyeong.”
“Yes, Father.”
I held no great expectations.
What were the chances that an eleven-year-old child, despite a month of grueling effort, could suddenly sense the true qi flowing through his meridians?
From what the Sect Leader knew, even among past Sect Leaders—including himself—those with exceptional talent had rarely manifested true qi within a month. Such cases could be counted on one hand.
It would be fortunate if the boy simply didn’t abandon the scriptures after a few breaths of meditation.
Rather, I was curious what sort of embarrassment my son might display before me.
Unaware of the Sect Leader’s thoughts, the Minor Sect Leader began breathing slowly from his seated position.
And yet…
“Hmm?”
The Minor Sect Leader, still seated, began to regulate his breathing.
With each inhalation, a faint energy began to flow through his body.
Remarkably, he had already grasped the fundamentals of inner cultivation technique.
Along the meridians of that small frame, his inner qi began the Heavenly Circulation.
His meridian pathways were clear and unobstructed—no blockages whatsoever.
‘This is rather impressive….’
Up to this point, the Sect Leader felt merely surprised.
So the boy had learned the value of effort after nearly dying?
To achieve this much progress in a month of closed meditation—yes, one could indeed claim to have made ‘real advancement.’
But then.
‘What… what is happening now?’
It was immediately after the Minor Sect Leader completed a normal Heavenly Circulation.
A sudden, striking variation began in the flow of his inner qi.
Ku-gu-gu….
A subtle undulation, beginning faintly, moved along the path of his inner qi, creating wondrous transformations.
The unstructured amplitude gradually formed regular intervals, then exploded outward, expanding exponentially.
Resonance of inner qi!
Like a small ripple born in the middle of the sea, overlapping and merging into ever-larger waves, finally becoming a tsunami that swallows everything.
The flow of inner qi originating from that small body had already become a wave far too massive to control.
A true runaway of demonic energy!
‘Dangerous. I must stop him at once!’
No matter how innate the Sect Leader Family’s talent for controlling demonic energy, no matter how gifted one might be, this phenomenon was extremely perilous.
Beyond dangerous—it was utterly inexplicable.
The Hyeon Ma Gyeong contained basic cultivation methods regarding the amplification and control of demonic energy, but these were merely theory.
Even a practitioner accustomed to wielding demonic energy—not an eleven-year-old child—could never produce such vibrant oscillations and resonance of inner qi.
No, how he had accomplished this was not the crucial matter.
There was no possibility that the Minor Sect Leader’s vessel—body and spirit alike, not yet properly awakened—could withstand such a runaway of demonic energy.
I wanted to shout at him to stop, to cry out immediately, but I could not.
Now that the demonic wave had reached its peak, any slight external interference would only accelerate the runaway and plunge him into deviation sickness.
Like walking barefoot across a razor-sharp blade suspended above a pit of fire.
And yet.
‘Good heavens. He’s controlling the oscillation of inner qi… the surge of demonic energy?’
The tidal wave that had been crashing against the coast was beginning to subside.
No—I was absorbing the rampage of demonic energy that flowed through my blood vessels with my entire body.
Just as the amplitude had been increasing sharply before, now following the exact reverse order, the resonance of the Minor Sect Leader’s internal energy diminished, finding stability.
The Minor Sect Leader was controlling the demonic energy.
He was perfectly controlling the violent and unpredictable flow of demonic energy with absolute precision.
As proof, just look at that serene expression on the Minor Sect Leader’s face!
‘Heavenly Demon Physique!’
The Sect Leader recalled these four characters upon witnessing this phenomenon before his eyes.
In the Kangho Murim, those born with innate talent in martial arts—capable of mastering any technique by merely observing it once and growing into a Tianxia master—possessed what was called a Heavenly Martial Physique.
Within the Sun and Moon Divine Sect, it was somewhat different.
The martial artists of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect trained in demonic arts that defied the natural order of heaven and challenged the limits of humanity.
Because demonic arts, by their very nature, inverted and defied human’s natural disposition, they achieved faster and greater strength compared to the orthodox sects’ internal cultivation methods, but ultimately harmed the human body.
The Heavenly Demon Physique was a body born naturally deviating from the natural order, capable of learning demonic arts as naturally as breathing.
Even when training demonic arts to the extreme, it suffered no bodily harm, and instead possessed the innate talent to independently perfect the principles of defying heaven and challenge the heavens themselves.
Throughout the long history of the Kangho Murim, even within the Sun and Moon Divine Sect, it existed only as legend.
The moment that term came to mind, Baek Mu Myeong’s heart, which rarely experienced emotional turbulence, began to shake violently.
The disappointment in the Minor Sect Leader, the thoughts of seizing his position—all had vanished without a trace.
After completing one full cycle of the internal energy circulation, the Minor Sect Leader opened his eyes peacefully with a satisfied expression, and I questioned him.
“Minor Sect Leader, how did you accomplish this?”
“Pardon?”
I had already anticipated what answer would come.
“I simply… reversed the internal energy circulation as written in the Hyeon Ma Gyeong.”
“Hah… hahahaha!”
The Sect Leader burst into laughter.
It was astonishing.
I had thought he possessed considerable talent, but he far exceeded my expectations and predictions.
The footsteps of a genius who had transcended human comprehension and was already peering into the realm of heaven itself.
‘It’s the Heavenly Demon Physique. The Minor Sect Leader was born with the Heavenly Demon Physique!’
No matter how much I thought about it, there was no other way to express this talent.
A violent talent that transcended even my own understanding, defying any category that human ability could dare to judge!
The Minor Sect Leader was born with the legendary Heavenly Demon Physique!
‘What’s wrong with him? Why is he looking at me like that? It’s frightening.’
After a long moment, the Sect Leader ceased his laughter and spoke to the bewildered Minor Sect Leader before him.
“Originally, I intended to formally initiate you into the Hyeon Ma Gyeong after this wall-facing cultivation ended. I planned to select the finest instructor within the sect to guide you. But that won’t be necessary.”
“…?”
“You have no need for anyone’s instruction. Rather, unnecessary interference risks leading your cultivation astray. Simply train as your heart desires, in the direction you believe to be right.”
“I understand, Father.”
The Minor Sect Leader didn’t fully comprehend what was being said….
But it seemed to mean he would be allowed to train alone without anyone’s interference, so he quickly agreed.

* * *
In the early morning, the Training Grounds of the Divine Sect stood empty, and before me stood a man in his thirties with a robust build, dressed in martial robes.
Today was the day I would undergo external cultivation and physical conditioning training with the instructor assigned by the Sect Leader.
I had been pleased to receive permission to practice alone, but it seemed that only applied to inner cultivation techniques like the Hyeon Ma Gyeong.
“Your body must be stiff from a month of wall-facing meditation. As usual, we’ll start with twenty laps around the grounds.”
The man speaking was Do Yul, the most skilled among the martial instructors belonging to the Blood Cloud Palace.
Perhaps for that reason, he had been responsible for my physical training since I was young as the Minor Sect Leader.
Of course, this was my first time training with Do Yul.
‘I’m not confident about running….’
The Demonic Cult’s grand Training Grounds were quite expansive—one lap seemed to be at least five hundred meters.
The wind that blew in the early morning didn’t feel unpleasant as it struck my cheeks.
As I ran one lap, then two, then three in succession, I didn’t feel particularly exhausted.
“Minor Sect Leader, are you well? Your running pace is faster than usual.”
“I seem to be managing fine.”
Yet Do Yul’s expression, which I caught in passing, seemed strange.
By the time I had completed fifteen laps.
“M-Minor Sect Leader…!”
His expression was as if he were witnessing something he had never seen before in his life.
He had told me to do twenty laps as usual, so what was so strange about that?

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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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