The Introverted Heavenly Demon - Chapter 21

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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 021
The Second Trial
The Sect Leader regarded me with a rather satisfied expression.
“Minor Sect Leader. You will soon be turning twelve, yes?”
“That is correct.”
“I look forward to your contributions in the Divine Demon Assembly.”
With those words, the Sect Leader departed from the Training Grounds.
‘Ah… Is that really all there is to it?’
My energy had been completely drained from the tension of performing before so many people—I could barely stand.
Even now, my legs trembled uncontrollably…
But somehow, I managed to get through it again, didn’t I?

* * *
In one corner of the Back Garden at the Il-Wol Divine Sect Headquarters stood a staircase descending into the earth.
This staircase led to a natural cave formed beneath the Headquarters—the Spirit Saint Cave, one of the sect’s most sacred sites.
It was in this very cave that my second trial as Minor Sect Leader would take place.
‘Those old memories…’
The Divine Demon Assembly was the ceremony where I would receive recognition of my qualifications as Minor Sect Leader before Myeong Joon.
In practice, the Sect Leader himself would verify whether I was worthy to stand before the Sacred Fire.
In my first assembly, the Sect Leader had made me fight the Challenger Young Ho Bin before the Sacred Fire.
This time, at least I wouldn’t need to fight the Challenger, so I harbored hope that this trial might proceed somewhat more smoothly than last time.
“May the blessing of Myeong Joon be upon the Minor Sect Leader as you face this second trial.”
The Sect Leader and all those gathered for the Divine Demon Assembly offered prayers toward Myeong Joon, and then, as the Sect Leader operated a mechanical device positioned at one edge of the Back Garden, an artificial stone mountain split completely in two, its halves sliding apart.
Through the widening gap, the Spirit Saint Cave—which I had only heard of in stories—revealed itself, gaping like a dark maw.
Woo Sa approached me and spoke in a solemn voice.
“Minor Sect Leader. There is no light within. You must advance relying upon your five senses and your inner force.”
“I understand.”
Woo Sa then handed me several bundles made from bound branches.
“In the deepest part of the Spirit Saint Cave burns the flame of the Sacred Fire. Light these torches with that flame and emerge, and your trial will be complete.”
“Understood.”
“Along the way, there will be demons attempting to obstruct your trial as Minor Sect Leader. You must overcome them through your own wisdom.”
“….”
“And, as I have said, once you reach the place where the Sacred Fire burns, you must not venture any deeper.”
“Ah, I already understand—why do you keep repeating yourself? Do I still look like a child to you?”
“…!”
I felt sorry toward Woo Sa, but it had been quite some time since I had last displayed the dignity befitting a Minor Sect Leader.
As the young Minor Sect Leader scolded the elderly Woo Sa before so many people, the elders of the Demonic Cult wore expressions of both melancholy and admiration.
“Please do not concern yourself, Minor Sect Leader. This old one merely spoke from excessive caution.”
Woo Sa nodded with a warm smile.
“Father, I shall return shortly.”
“Yes.”
After offering my final respects to the Sect Leader, I stepped toward the depths of the Spirit Saint Cave.
As the secret passage door closed behind me, absolute darkness consumed everything—not a single inch of visibility remained.
‘Myeong Joon? Are you there?’
I called out to Myeong Joon mentally several times, but no response came.
Though there was no such thing as a “list of the old Myeong Cult’s sacred sites,” the Spirit Saint Cave was undoubtedly one of them.
I couldn’t fathom why Myeong Joon wouldn’t respond here, but perhaps it was for the best.
While I had relied on Myeong Joon’s assistance during the previous trial, this time I wanted to face the ordeal through my own strength alone.
‘Still, I truly cannot see anything.’
With the secret passage entrance sealed shut, no natural light penetrated whatsoever, and the cave contained nothing that emitted its own luminescence—a realm of absolute darkness.
Mere darkness would have been manageable.
The cave interior harbored treacherous obstacles: pits as deep as a man’s height, jagged stalactites and stalagmites, and even artificial structures that posed grave danger.
Though I didn’t yet know their exact nature, the “Demons” that Woo Sa had mentioned would surely appear once I ventured deeper.
Blindly charging forward wouldn’t solve anything.
Yet I possessed a method.
Standing still, I drew upon the inner force of the Hyeon Ma Gyeong—no, the Hyeon Ma Inner Heart Technique.
A subtle vibration resonated.
Inner force flowed through my entire body in harmony with that tremor.
This alone sharpened my five senses far beyond any ordinary person’s capability, allowing me to perceive the cave’s topography through nothing but the faint currents of air and the sensitivity of my fingertips and toes.
What if I pushed further?
I directed the inner force outward in vibrating waves rather than keeping it contained within.
Suddenly, the terrain around me—invisible to the eye and untouchable by hand—became palpable, as if grasped within my palm.
‘A pit three steps ahead.’
All previous Minor Sect Leaders had undergone inner force cultivation through the Hyeon Ma Gyeong before facing the Spirit Saint Cave’s trial.
Of course, entering the Spirit Saint Cave merely a year after beginning the Hyeon Ma Gyeong made me an extraordinarily unusual case.
Typically, Minor Sect Leaders who began the Hyeong Ma Gyeong around the same time would be approximately fifteen years old before facing the Spirit Saint Cave’s ordeal.
Among masters of internal martial arts, it is said that victory in combat is determined not by the five senses, but by the sixth sense cultivated through inner force.
Some call it energy perception or the five perceptions.
Training to navigate danger through inner force in complete darkness would prove invaluable for mastering the operation and application of inner energy.
The Spirit Saint Cave’s trial was designed not merely to verify a Minor Sect Leader’s qualifications, but to elevate them toward higher realms of inner force cultivation.
The passages within the Spirit Saint Cave were narrow, and at times, sheer cliffs appeared mere steps ahead.
As I advanced relying on my inner force, obstacles continuously obstructed my path.
Yet even in the impenetrable darkness, my steps never faltered.
I scaled sharp barriers, sometimes rolled, sometimes leaped, and pressed ever forward.
For the Spirit Saint Cave trial, I had been given only a water pouch containing drinking water and two portions of fasting pills as provisions.
Thus, conserving physical and inner strength throughout the trial was crucial to success.
A year of cultivating the Hyeon Ma Inner Heart Technique proved invaluable.
Because I could now control the raging inner force effortlessly, I could sustain prolonged inner force application without fear of energy depletion or runaway power.
‘This should be easier to pass than I expected.’
With each step forward, my confidence grew.
Most of all, I appreciated that this was a trial I had to face alone.
Compared to tests that required fighting or cooperating with others, a challenge I could overcome by myself—no matter how difficult—suited me far better.
Perhaps three hours had passed?
I was making steady progress, my spirits high, when it happened.
‘Is that firelight?’
A faint glow seeped around the corner ahead of me.
The flickering light cast several shadows, suggesting multiple torches burned beyond that turn in the passage.
As I advanced cautiously, I heard something even more surprising—human voices.
“…didn’t I tell you? This time it’s certain!”
Several men were conversing in rough, gravelly tones.
“The Demonic Cult’s Lair is right above us. So it has to be somewhere in this cave. Their hidden treasures. Hehehehe.”
“So where exactly is the treasure? We need to be careful. If we’re not, we might break through into the Demonic Cult’s Lair itself.”
The light and shadows cast by the torches grew brighter, and the voices grew louder.
From the sound of their footsteps, it was clear they were approaching my location.
Most troubling was the content of their conversation.
I couldn’t move forward, nor could I bring myself to retreat. I simply stood frozen in place.
And then.
“Getting scared already? All we have to do is proceed carefully… tsk.”
Three figures rounded the corner and came face-to-face with me.
“Huh?”
They were burly men dressed in dark clothing, each holding a torch in their right hand.
Ah, could this be…?
I recalled Woo Sa’s words about encountering demons that would obstruct the trial if one ventured deep enough.
I tilted my head and asked.
“Pardon me, but… are you demons?”
Bewilderment flashed across their faces as they looked at me.
Hmm, looking again, they were unmistakably human.
Had I misspoken?
The three men exchanged glances, their eyes communicating silently, before simultaneously drawing their swords from their belts.
“Just one brat. Kill him first and ask questions later!”
“Damn Demonic Cult bastard!”
“Hyaaah!”
And without hesitation, they rushed at me all at once.
Thump.
I couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
But I’d heard them speak of the Demonic Cult’s Lair, and besides,
there was no time to think while they were attacking me with murderous intent.
-Kill them!!!-
A life-or-death situation.
And then, without my conscious will, Cheon Ma activated.
My vision floods crimson, and my heartbeat accelerates.
As blood rushes to my extremities, the inner force of the Hyeon Ma Gyeong begins to vibrate throughout my meridians.
Whoosh!
The masked assailant at the front swings his blade diagonally with remarkable speed.
My five senses and energy perception had already been honed to their absolute peak while piercing through the darkness, and with Cheon Ma activated, my inner force and physical capabilities elevated even further—allowing me to perceive the assailant’s movements and sword trajectory with crystalline clarity.
Moreover, by this point, the qi meridians in all four limbs had been completely redistributed, enabling me to control the fluctuations of my energy waves stably without strain.
Without needing to retreat, I simply tilted my body diagonally, and the masked man’s blade whisked past my shoulder, slashing through empty air.
As the first assailant lost his balance and stumbled, a second masked man thrust his sword toward me in the next instant.
Clang!
Without hesitation, I seized the first assailant’s arm and yanked him directly into the path of the second man’s incoming blade.
Squelch!
The tip of the second assailant’s sword pierces through the first man’s back and emerges on the other side.
Cough!
The impaled assailant spews blood, and before it even hits the ground, I close the distance toward the second man.
I raise my elbow and strike the second assailant’s temple—the Taiyang pressure point—with devastating force.
Unable to even attempt evasion, the masked man’s vital point is struck by an attack infused with inner force, causing his legs to stiffen on the spot before he collapses forward, never to rise again.
Thud, thud!
The voice of Cheon Ma echoes ceaselessly in my mind, and my heartbeat grows so fierce that I can hear it with my own ears.
Having killed two men in an instant, Cheon Ma’s voice becomes incomparably louder than before, and its influence over my body intensifies equally.
-They’re already dead!?
‘Yes. It’s over now.’
-There must be more alive! Search for them…! Hurry!!
‘No, there are none left. Settle down.’
-There! Kill them! Raise your blade…!
‘This is sufficient for now.’
The inner force of the Hyeon Ma Gyeong circulates through my body with unbelievable intensity, while my five senses and energy perception have become mysteriously acute.
I can sense how many ants are passing behind my back.
This is not a pleasant sensation.
Yet what is certain is that even now, with Cheon Ma manifesting more powerfully than ever before, my sense of self remains unshackled by its murderous impulses.
‘That’s right, that’s right. Good, isn’t it?’
-Whimper…!
I had been secretly worried, but I’m relieved.
Even in this moment, my desire to avoid taking life remains unchanged.
I regard the third masked man, whose legs have frozen solid as he watches his two companions fall in an instant, and speak.
“Surrender. There’s no need to throw your life away, is there?”
Yet the third assailant seems to have decided otherwise upon hearing my words.
“Cursed demon! Die!”
Every motion—the masked man raising his blade, shifting his stance, and swinging his sword—becomes visible as if I could grasp it in my hand.
As if my body responds of its own accord, the diagonal trajectory traced by his blade forms clearly in my mind.
Without needing to think deeply, I retreat and evade the attack.
Thud!
Following the dull impact, my fist came to a halt, and so did the assailant’s.
However, unlike moments before, the situation allowed for restraint—I hadn’t needed to exert my full strength.
The third attacker crumpled with a heavy sound and lay motionless, though his breathing continued.
Searching through the fallen man’s garments, I found sturdy rope, which I used to bind both his arms and legs tightly, rendering him immobilized.
‘Is it over…?’
On the ground, the torches the men had dropped still burned with flickering flames.
Picking up one of them and taking several steps forward, I rounded the corner to discover an extraordinary sight.

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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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