The Introverted Heavenly Demon - Chapter 19

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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 019
Cultivation
Shortly after the Namgung Family departed the Divine Sect, leaving Namgung Eon behind, the Sect Leader summoned me to his hall.
Seated upon his elevated throne, gazing down at me, the Sect Leader’s thoughts remained inscrutable.
After I completed my bow, the Sect Leader remained silent for some time before finally speaking.
“I distinctly ordered you to eliminate the young master.”
“Father, I apologize for defying your command.”
Though the Sect Leader appeared to be reproaching me on the surface, his tone revealed the truth.
He was not angry that I had converted Namgung Eon into a believer of the Divine Sect—he was simply curious.
What had I been thinking, and how did I plan to utilize Namgung Eon, who had transformed from the Namgung Family’s young master into a follower of the Divine Sect?
“Explain yourself.”
“Yes, Father.”
Yet I possessed confidence in my ability to persuade the Sect Leader.
“While eliminating Namgung Eon would have been simple, I believed that accepting him as a believer of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect would prove far more advantageous in the long term.”
“Why is that?”
“First, by studying the martial techniques of the Namgung Family that Namgung Eon has mastered, we can gain advantages not only against the Namgung but also in future conflicts with the Orthodox Martial Sects.”
“And?”
“Most importantly, it will aid us in establishing justification for the Divine Sect in our future conflicts with the Orthodox Martial Sects.”
The struggle between the Sun and Moon Divine Sect and the Martial Alliance was not merely a contest of strength against strength.
It was a battle to secure legitimacy—to gain more allies and win the support of the common people.
The Sun and Moon Divine Sect exposed the Orthodox Martial Sects’ tradition of collusion as “hypocrisy.”
The Orthodox Martial Sects rejected the Sun and Moon Divine Sect, which proclaimed the doctrine of liberating and enriching the people, as the “Demonic Cult.”
The fact that Namgung Eon, the young master of the Namgung Family—a pillar of the Orthodox Martial Sects—had become a believer would serve as irrefutable evidence to expose the falsity of the doctrine the Orthodox Sects proclaimed and to substantiate the legitimacy of the Divine Sect’s teachings.
“Indeed. Your reasoning is sound.”
The Sect Leader responded with satisfaction upon hearing my explanation.
“However, to achieve this, we must place that boy in an important position and utilize him. This means there can be no room for doubt regarding his loyalty.”
“Yes, Father. I shall take full responsibility for monitoring him.”
“Do so. You have accomplished something unexpectedly significant this time. However….”
As I began to relax at the Sect Leader’s response, unease crept over me once more.
If I had accomplished something significant, then it was accomplished—so what does “however” mean?
“In any case, the fact remains that you defied my command, and I cannot simply overlook this.”
“I shall accept whatever punishment you deem appropriate.”
Though I acquiesced outwardly, resistance churned within me.
The results were favorable, yet because I had defied the Sect Leader’s order, I must be punished?
Would it be concerning if we simply let it pass—as if we weren’t truly the Demonic Cult?
It was absurd.
“What punishment will you accept?”
Yet unexpectedly, the Sect Leader granted me the choice of my own punishment.
I pretended to deliberate for a moment before speaking.
“I shall undergo wall-facing meditation in the Hall of No Mind for two months—or rather, one month.”
“Wall Confinement? Two months?”
The Sect Leader narrowed his brow as he asked.
His tone suggested he was questioning whether the punishment was excessive for the offense committed.
“Even as Minor Sect Leader, I dared to defy a direct order from you, Sect Leader. Such punishment cannot be deemed excessive.”
“Hah… That’s very much like you. So be it. Besides, my progress in the Hyeon Ma Gyeong has been accelerating lately, so the timing is quite opportune.”
“Yes, Father.”
Given the gravity of the moment, I lowered my head with a solemn expression.
But truthfully, I was so delighted I thought my face might split from grinning.
‘Of course—if the Demonic Cult is to be the Demonic Cult, rewards and punishments must be clearly defined, mustn’t they?’
To receive such a honeyed reprieve unexpectedly was nothing but cause for gratitude.
For the first time since my rebirth, I silently cheered, ‘Long live the Demonic Cult.’

* * *
Gazing upon the towering rocky cliffs that encircled this place, I felt as though I had returned home.
It had been roughly a month since I last completed wall confinement and entered the Hall of No Mind.
“Regarding the war with the Orthodox Martial Sects, you need not concern yourself. For now, devote yourself entirely to martial cultivation.”
These were the Sect Leader’s words when I began my confinement.
Recently I had faced death threats, endured the chaos of the Namgung Family and their banquets—so his instruction was surely to cast aside distractions and elevate my mastery of the Hyeon Ma Gyeong.
And yet…
‘First, let me rest.’
I sprawled out flat upon a wide, smooth rock.
The tension drained from my entire body, and my mind emptied itself.
I gazed vacantly at the sky, savoring the slow passage of time as it flowed.
From the blue heavens where the sunset painted its hues, until the stars emerged in the darkened night.
No one sought me out, and I could seek no one—I had yearned for such solitude.
As Minor Sect Leader of the Demonic Cult, such time alone was rarely within my grasp.
‘Now… shall I begin?’
Feeling that I had sufficiently recovered my energy, I suddenly rose to my feet.
‘The Hyeon Ma Gyeong.’
I settled into a meditative posture and opened the scripture of the Hyeon Ma Gyeong, beginning a careful study from the very beginning once more.
Even after my previous confinement, whenever time permitted I practiced the Hyeon Ma Gyeong, yet I found it difficult to make progress outside the Hall of No Mind.
The Hall of No Mind was one of the ancient sanctuaries of the Myeong Cult, so the power of Ben Joon emanating from the Sacred Fire may have influenced my cultivation.
But more than anything, the environment where I could focus entirely on inner cultivation without disturbance from anyone proved to be the greater factor.
‘Outside, it simply doesn’t feel the same.’
As an introvert, I expend energy when meeting people and gain energy when alone….
The mere fact of being able to exist in solitude without encountering anyone constituted the finest environment for cultivation.
Then.
—So, have you rested sufficiently?
‘Oh…!’
After a long while, Ben Joon spoke to me once more.
I found it strange that Myeong Joon hadn’t appeared, even though I had entered the Hall of No Mind, the sacred sanctuary of the Myeong Cult.
It seemed he had chosen not to disturb me, seeing how pleased I was to be here.
‘Myeong Joon. I hope you have been in good health and spirits all this time.’
-Ben Joon has no physical form, so what does health matter? I have come to impart some teachings about the Hyeon Ma Gyeong.
‘I was just about to begin training in the Hyeon Ma Gyeong. I look forward to your guidance once again!’
Knowing that Myeong Joon was watching made me slightly nervous.
I channeled the internal energy I had cultivated through the Hyeon Ma Gyeong.
A deep resonance echoed through me.
Drawing up the inner force from my dantian and inducing the fluctuations of inner energy through my blood vessels and meridians had become as natural as breathing.
Thump! Thump!
Controlling these fluctuations of inner energy so they wouldn’t run wild was no longer difficult either.
I had achieved this through my first period of wall-facing meditation, then refined my mastery over the past month of training.
The problem came next.
When I tried to amplify the fluctuations, they escaped my control; when I tried to control them, I couldn’t amplify them.
I couldn’t quite grasp what I needed to do to advance to the next stage.
No matter how many times I studied the Hyeon Ma Gyeong scriptures, I couldn’t find the answer to this problem.
-Hmm….
After observing silently for a while, Myeong Joon spoke again.
-Minor Sect Leader, by your nature you can control the violent oscillations of demonic energy that would normally rage and rampage uncontrollably. This stems from an innate talent born from your introverted nature—you should be grateful that you were blessed with such a gift.
‘Yes, Myeong Joon.’
I paused my cultivation and listened intently to his words.
-What level do you think your current inner energy has reached?
I recalled my training at the Dojo Training Ground, where I had succeeded in destroying the third wooden dummy out of ten, only to be stopped at the fourth.
‘I believe I have surpassed the third-rate level and entered the early stages of second-rate.’
-By human classification standards, that assessment is accurate. Most humans require over thirty years of training to reach such a realm, so your achievement at your age is truly remarkable. So then, what should you do going forward?
‘Should I not aim to advance to the mid-second-rate level?’
-Correct. Now that you have stepped into this realm, your inner energy cultivation must show substantial progress not only in quantity but also in quality. To obtain what the world calls ‘sword energy’ and advance to the first-rate level, that is.
Myeong Joon’s words continued.
-Most inner energy cultivators follow the sequence of first increasing their inner energy quantitatively, then raising their control over it. But you likely found that didn’t work, did you?
‘That’s correct.’
Myeong Joon was right.
Whenever I tried to increase my inner force according to the Hyeon Ma Gyeong scriptures, those fluctuations would invariably diminish and fade.
Then did Myeong Joon know the direction I should take?
‘Then what should I do?’
-Because of your introverted nature, you need not follow the scriptures as others do. Your control over inner energy far exceeds that of ordinary cultivators. So you should cultivate your inner energy to its maximum while maintaining thorough control.
‘What do you mean by thorough control?’
-Contain the raging inner energy completely within your meridians. First, attempt to open the six meridians one by one, excluding the Governing Vessel and Conception Vessel from the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. Begin with the Chung Meridian.
‘Yes, I understand.’
Hearing Myeong Joon’s guidance, my training suddenly had clear direction.
The Chung Meridian was a meridian that rose from the Huiyin Acupoint at the lower body, passed through the abdomen, and ascended to the chest.
After activating the Hyeon Ma Gyeong, I concentrated all my focus on controlling and stabilizing the fluctuations of my inner energy as they passed through each acupoint along the Chung Meridian.
Thump! Thump!
-Don’t rush into this so hastily. Such things cannot be accomplished in a single day….
The fluctuations of my inner energy were already being controlled stably.
To stabilize them even further….
Thump!
-It cannot be….
At some point, I seemed to grasp the technique.
Whoooosh.
-…done….
It was a miraculous sensation.
The fluctuations of my inner energy flowing through the eight extraordinary meridians of my entire body remained unchanged, yet the energy passing through the Chung Meridian was gradually weakening.
-No, why is this happening?
The change began at the Huiyin Acupoint.
It was difficult to explain simply, but if I were to visualize it….
The Huiyin Acupoint, originally open in all eight directions, twisted and shifted its position….
Whoooosh.
Before I knew it, the acupoint itself seemed to transform, now facing only inward along the meridian pathways.
It was extraordinary.
After the acupoint twisted and changed direction, I no longer felt even the slightest vibration as my inner energy circulated.
It was as quiet and serene as a calm sea surface, yet beneath it, the flow of inner energy through the meridians was as unstoppable and magnificent as a great ocean current.
-How is this even possible in a single attempt…?
‘Ben Joon?
-….
‘I am concentrating, so I would appreciate your silence for a moment.’
-Y-yes….
And I could feel the complete circulation of the Hyeon Ma Gyeong flowing through the twisted meridians of the Huiyin Acupoint—quiet, unwavering, yet fierce and powerful.
And after that, I no longer needed Ben Joon to explain it to me.
The introversion that allowed me to control the Hyeon Ma Gyeong did not originate from my body, but from my nature.
I, possessing extreme introversion, was transforming Baek Yeon’s body.
‘I thought I needed to change my introversion.’
I had believed that my introverted nature would be nothing but an obstacle in living within this world, especially in living as the Minor Sect Leader of Cheon Ma.
I had speculated that as I adapted to this world, my introversion would gradually transform into extroversion.
But the reality was the opposite.
Rather, by cultivating the Hyeon Ma Gyeong in a state of maximized introversion, my body itself was transforming to align with it.
-Minor Sect Leader, this is unbelievable. You truly….
‘Ben Joon, is this not sufficient for practical use?’
-Sufficient is not the word…. I, Ben Joon, have observed humans for more than three hundred years….
And in merely four days, a dozen acupoints along the Chung Meridian had found their new positions, and I had achieved perfect control over my inner energy, allowing me to say with absolute certainty:
-I have never heard of such talent!
My introversion is not a weakness.
Quite the opposite.
This introversion that sets me apart from others, this trait unique to me alone, is my greatest strength….
And it will become the ultimate weapon for surviving in this world.

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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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