The Wizard Who Endured the World of Murim - Chapter 98

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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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Surviving in the Martial Realm as a Mage: Episode 98
“Let me see… You were born from stone, yet your appearance resembles that of a monkey. Thus, I shall take your surname from the character for monkey (猻), but remove the radical denoting beasts (犭), leaving you with the character Sun (孫), meaning grandson. After all, Sun (孫) is composed of the characters for child (子) and inheritance (系). Is this not a fitting surname for one who walks a new path of cultivation?”
I cared little for such matters.
After all, I had never possessed a Master before.
Though he was a different sort of human than most, I knew well that he cared for me and thought of me more than anyone else could.
That alone was sufficient for me.
“Hmm, your name shall be Wukong (悟空)—meaning to awaken to the emptiness that lies at the heart of all things. Could there be a better name for you than this?”
My Master was already satisfied, wearing an expression of contentment.
I merely bowed my head and accepted my new name.
Thus did I meet my Master, Subodhi Patriarch.
Abandoning the path of beasts, I was reborn as Sun Wukong, a Celestial Watcher advancing toward enlightenment through emptiness.
From the perspective of Disciple Sun Wukong,
my Master was far from an ordinary human.
In the Ancient Era, when boundaries between the Upper Realm and Lower Realm did not exist,
even in those distant ages, my Master had walked among people in youthful form, bestowing teachings.
For decades and centuries, he had imparted his wisdom among mortals without the slightest sign of aging or decay, his appearance unchanging.
When I asked the other disciples, none of them knew my Master’s true age.
Even the renowned Immortal Sages across and beyond the Continent knew not his exact years.
He had simply always existed, and exists now as he always has.
And shall exist far into the distant future.
Such was my Master—a truly great Immortal Sage.
I found my Master so mysterious and awe-inspiring that one day I suddenly posed a question to him.
“Master, you have lived for such an eternity. Why do you dwell among mere mortals rather than among the exalted Immortal Sages?”
I had asked this hoping he would remain in a lofty position, but Subodhi Patriarch listened to my question with an expression of intrigue, then smiled and answered.
“Do you see that newborn child outside?”
“Yes, I do.”
“That child has lived only one hundred days since birth, as of today.”
It was an unexpected exchange, but
since my Master was always like this, I nodded and replied.
“Indeed. The child has lived but one hundred days since birth.”
“That child has lived only one hundred days thus far, yet to a mayfly—which lives but a single day—would not those one hundred days feel like eternity?”
A mayfly lives only for a day, after all.
“Surely that is so.”
“Then consider this: when that child, having lived but one hundred days, beholds you, who has already lived more than a century, would not that span of time also feel like eternity to him?”
“It would indeed.”
Only then did I understand what my Master was trying to convey.
“Wukong, the lifespan of ordinary mortals is but a fleeting instant compared to the time granted to us. To them, Immortal Sages such as we are beings who live forever.”
“I see. Your words are truly wise, Master.”
“Unlike Immortal Sages, mortals who live but a fleeting instant possess a fierce brilliance like flames. And I find such flames beautiful to behold up close.”
I pondered my Master’s words again and again.
Subodhi Patriarch, who had been sitting loosely atop the Stone Wall looking down at such a Disciple, opened his mouth with a subtle smile.
“Sun Wukong, when you live for a very long time, there comes a moment when it becomes difficult to distinguish between time from a hundred years ago and time from a thousand years ago.”
“That’s strange. I cannot agree with that. Isn’t the problem in that regard simply that Master’s memory is not very good?”
At Sun Wukong’s earnest rebuttal, Subodhi Patriarch swiftly flicked a chestnut at his head.
“You cheeky brat! Of course that’s part of it. But what I’m saying is this: if one truly walks the path of eternal time, would there even be meaning in distinguishing between a hundred years ago and a thousand years ago for such a being?”
“Hmm, I suppose that could indeed be the case.”
“Good. Since you’ve come to understand that much, let me ask you something else.”
“Your Disciple is always prepared, so please ask away.”
Sun Wukong, forever thirsting for teachings, turned his gaze and looked up at his Master.
Then Subodhi Patriarch gazed toward the distant Sky with eyes that seemed to drift into some far-off place, and slowly opened his mouth.
“If a being living in eternity has no distinction between a hundred years and a thousand years, then for that being, there would be no distinction between yesterday and today either, would there?”
“That would be so.”
Sun Wukong felt his own consciousness gradually expanding, and with an increasingly serious expression, he gazed at his Master.
“…Then for that being, the very concept of time would completely disappear, and wouldn’t past and future coexist together?”
“If such a being truly existed, that could indeed be the case.”
Subodhi Patriarch’s expression became complicated for a moment as he looked down at his demon Disciple and spoke.
“In the future, you will encounter someone and feel both an instant and eternity together.”
A prophecy.
Sun Wukong did not let his Master’s words pass through unheeded.
“Then that person must be one who lives in eternity, like Master.”
His Master was someone close to eternity, after all.
What he was saying now would surely become flesh and blood in the future—counsel of true value.
So as Sun Wukong spoke while firmly etching his Master’s words into his mind, Subodhi Patriarch shook his head and spoke with an ambiguous expression.
“That person does not live in eternity, but in this very ‘moment’ right now. And so, when viewed from a distance, they are so small that they cannot be seen properly. Thus, they are a blemish overlooked by those in high places—a mutation, one might say.”
“In other words, an interesting person. I understand. I look forward to meeting that person.”
“Haha, yes, you two would indeed get along quite well. So when you do meet that person, remember well everything I have taught you and put it to good use.”
“Unlike Master, your Disciple has a rather good memory, so I shall remember every word without error.”
“Good. See that you do.”
* * *
Sun Wukong opened his eyes in his own realm, and traced the face of his Master from memories long past.
His Master was one who lived in eternity.
But because he was a being who dwelled in past and future,
he did not exist in the present moment.
Yet Sun Wukong lifted his head as if to reach out to him, gazed up at the Sky, and opened his mouth.
“It seems this Disciple has indeed met that person Master mentioned long ago. But as you warned before, an unwelcome visitor has also come seeking me.”
Naturally, no answer came to those words.
And from the start, it was not a question asked in expectation of a reply.
Jecheon Daeseong Sun Wukong gazed at the Sky with a slightly more relaxed expression than usual and smiled.
“Master once said that when you live for a long time, the distinction between a hundred years and a thousand years disappears. It seems that time has now come for this accomplished Disciple as well.”
Sun Wukong, who had certainly been sitting,
At some point, I found myself trudging forward.
Or rather, lying down.
Drifting through the void, I encountered someone at the edge of my domain.
The figure wore a hood of mysterious material, revealing only the corners of their mouth as they smiled and spoke.
“Greetings, esteemed customer! I am the General Merchant, here to sell you whatever you desire, whenever and wherever you need it.”
Sun Wukong’s smile, which had been present moments before, vanished.
An eerie, taut aura radiated from me like a drawn bowstring as I regarded the figure standing beyond the boundary of my domain.
This was undoubtedly the one my Master had warned me about.
A being who had lived for an immeasurably long time, whose existence defied location.
An entity that gazed upon all things from an incomprehensibly lofty height.
A creature from the Origin—that which has neither beginning nor end.
“Welcome, General Merchant. What business brings you to find me here?”
The first absolute rule.
One must never conduct any transaction with that creature from the Origin.
The second absolute rule.
One must never accept any sweet proposal it offers.
Every word from that creature must be disregarded, met only with vague indifference and evasion.
This was wisdom that only those who could not distinguish between a hundred years and a thousand years could possess.
The wisdom of those who had lived for eons.
“I have brought the very items you desire most. Whatever they may be, I can provide them—please do not hesitate to place your order.”
I regarded the General Merchant before me with quiet intensity.
The Celestial Great Sage Sun Wukong—known throughout both the Upper and Lower Realms as having no equal left to oppose.
Yet this General Merchant stirred something primal within me that I had not felt in ages—a fundamental curiosity.
But I forcibly suppressed the burning questions and wonder rising within my chest and smiled.
“There is nothing I need at present. I would appreciate it if you returned another time.”
“How unfortunate. But you are one who qualifies, customer. I shall await your order at any moment.”
The third and final rule.
Do not harbor deep curiosity about that entity calling itself the General Merchant.
I watched the General Merchant fade like smoke into the clear sky, then crouched quietly in place and murmured to myself.
“Are they beginning to construct a new world?”
The lofty ones.
Those who stood even above the True Immortals and True Spirits—beings I could only speculate about.
I could sense those entities in the heavens observing from far beyond the boundaries of this world, weaving their own grand designs.
“Tch. It was better when I knew nothing at all.”
As I gradually approached the edge,
the web of causality that permeated this world became visible to my eyes, and I felt its oppressive weight bearing down from all directions.
Nevertheless, I lifted my gaze toward the heavens, my lips curling slightly.
“I shall observe closely how formidable the Stain my Master spoke of truly is. It seems I shall not lack for entertainment in the time ahead.”
Yes.
Entertainment indeed—far from boredom.
A sudden mutation in an instant that even the net of heaven itself had missed.
That creature had ascended once more to the Upper Realm,
to the Demon Immortal Realm—I could sense it.

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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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