Chapter 11 - Act 3. Daemudo Entrance Examination (4)

Murmurs spread like a wave. Yet what astonished everyone present most was neither the Crane Bird’s ability to speak with a human voice nor Kang Itae’s movement, too swift for the eye to follow. It was Yise’s reaction.

Incredibly, he was practicing energy circulation (*circulating energy through regulated breathing) through all the commotion. The handful of spiritual energy that had entered through the Crane Bird flowed through the boy’s body, growing increasingly lively. As though he had taken an elixir in the past, hidden energies with nowhere to settle were revealing their presence now that a catalyst had arrived.

'He’s lost himself in a trance, at a time like this?'

Kang Itae could only give a disbelieving laugh.

Even if the boy was gaining enlightenment, he should still be able to hear Kang Itae’s voice. He was suspected of being a demonic-path sect’s spy, and the cold edge of a blade hovered at his throat, poised to cut his artery. It might sound like self-praise, but Kang Itae could crush a mere Qi Refining Cultivator like a bug with his sheer presence. The energy he was releasing now should have been unbearably oppressive. Even the examiners were struggling to withstand it, while the applicants staggered away one after another.

Yet the boy seemed wholly unconcerned, doing nothing but hungrily pursuing his enlightenment as though snatching up mouthfuls of food. This was more than having guts. The single-minded brat acted as though his guts were hanging out of his belly, pulsing in the open.

One of the examiners urged Kang Itae, “Hall Master, you must dispose of him. Daemudo’s policy is to execute spies from demonic-path sects the moment they are discovered.”

“Wait.”

Kang Itae withdrew his sword and oppressive presence, raising a palm. The examiner was not wrong, of course. But another principle weighed against it.

“One of our cardinal principles is also to protect a Daemudo disciple undergoing enlightenment, even at the cost of our lives.”

“But this boy—”

“Isn’t a disciple yet. Nor has he been confirmed to be a spy. The Demonic Energy inside him is extremely suspicious, but no demonic-path sect would be foolish enough to send in a spy openly reeking of it.”

Kang Itae’s oppressive presence gradually receded and vanished. He had decided where his priorities lay.

“If this is a special constitution, then the enlightenment of a future disciple takes precedence. Clear everyone out and continue the examination elsewhere. You three examiners will stand guard with me. You, go summon every Hall Master in the vicinity.”

At his decisive conclusion, the examiners immediately bowed low. The one he had singled out sped away at once. The examination was temporarily suspended. The applicants clustered to one side, murmuring and whispering among themselves, while Kang Itae and the examiners formed a circle around Yise and watched him.

Meanwhile, a desperate battle was raging inside Yise’s body. The instant the Crane Bird’s beak pierced his heart, it had felt as though a single drop had fallen onto still water. A crown-shaped splash formed on the surface, and the ripples awakened every corner of his body like vibrations.

Two reactions followed. One came from the ominous energy that had long been swaggering about in a corner of his body, making him uneasy. The other came from energy he had never even known existed. The moment that drop of spiritual energy entered, it joined with it and swelled like a snowball rolling down a slope.

Like oil and water, the two energies refused to mix, pushing against each other before erupting in spasms of heat. His insides felt as though they were burning away. As nausea rose and cold sweat trickled down him, Yise knew instinctively: if he failed to endure this and gave in, half his body would be left paralyzed.

The two energies rampaged regardless of his will. Strangely, each time they battered a part of his body, his bones and muscles felt as though they were breaking apart and knitting back together, growing stronger. He thought he had distinctly heard voices discussing what to do with him, but at some point the sounds around him had faded entirely.

How much time passed like that?

A cracking sound burst from somewhere inside his body.

CRACK

Hot yet cold. Turbulent yet still. At some point, the two energies that had flowed through him trading blows began to drift through his body a little apart. An uneasy coexistence.

Though his eyes were closed, his body’s interior seemed transparent to him. The blood flowing through his pressure points. The spiritual energy drifting leisurely beside it. And a little farther away, the thick, sluggish flow of Demonic Energy. He could sense them all with perfect clarity.

When he opened his eyes, Yise grasped the literal meaning of “opening one’s eyes.” An entirely different world from the one he had known unfolded before him. His vision shone a brilliant gold, and the spiritual energy and Demonic Energy that made up the world were distinguishable by their colors.

“You really are something, brat. Your spirit sight may have awakened, but does that mean you can’t see your seniors standing right here? Mind where you’re looking!”

Only then did Yise look at the four men and women surrounding him. Chief Examiner Kang Itae. A woman with vivid red hair that seemed to blaze like fire. An enormous, muscular man dressed in tiger skin. And... a female Dokkaebi whose appearance was familiar.

Spiritual energy filled every part of the world, yet he sensed nothing around the spaces those four occupied. No, more precisely, he must have been unable to sense it. It was as though invisible barriers surrounded them, forbidding him to pry.

“Forgive my rudeness.”

Yise straightened his posture and bowed his head.

Now that he was aware of them, the crushing pressure was immense. Was this how it felt to sink into the deep sea? It was as though a thousand-catty boulder pinned him down. Their presence alone made it clear they were senior figures in Daemudo. He had been absorbed in his own affairs with people so far above him standing there. He was certainly in the wrong.

“Enough of that. Explain the Demonic Energy inside you. You will also need some means of proving you are not a demonic-path sect’s spy.”

In response to Kang Itae, Yise addressed the woman who appeared to be a Dokkaebi. With a Dokkaebi among Daemudo’s senior figures, surely telling the truth would cause no trouble. Still, he wanted to remain cautious to the last.

“May I speak openly about the Dokkaebi?”

The Dokkaebi tilted her head at his question.

“Why are you asking me? The Dokkaebi and Daemudo are firm allies. You don’t need to explain that to us, you know?”

He had heard as much but had still harbored doubts. Now that he had seen a Dokkaebi serving in Daemudo with his own eyes, further caution seemed unnecessary. He then recounted everything he had experienced, leaving nothing out and embellishing nothing.

“Oh! You’re the boy Mongryeon took in recently...! Yes, I’ve heard about you. Your name was... Yisip-se! Right?”

“It’s Yise.”

“Right! Right! That was it. Nice to meet you. I’m Gong Wol-ah. I’m practically Mongryeon’s younger sister. But why doesn’t Itae know? You put that on the application, don’t you...?”

Gong Wol-ah. Her name was similar to Gong-ah’s. What was their relationship? Yise kept to himself the thought that all the Dokkaebi had such similar names that it must get confusing.

Kang Itae shrugged and showed her Yise’s application. The space for his affiliation was blank.

“If you are a disciple of Mongryeon, Head of Gwisu Temple, that alone would establish your identity. Why didn’t you disclose it?”

“I wasn’t certain I was allowed to speak about the Dokkaebi. I also worried that I might bring dishonor or harm to our people. I don’t understand the Demonic Energy inside me myself... but I think it may be because I lived in Dokkaebi territory for so long.”

The red-haired woman, who had been listening to Yise, broke in with a peal of laughter.

“Ahaha! Look at him! A human calling the Dokkaebi ‘our people’!”

“Well, it’s impudent, but not incomprehensible. Personally, I rather like that sort of character.”

The man in tiger skin, who had been listening quietly, also nodded in apparent agreement. Kang Itae pondered for a while, then exchanged glances with the other Hall Masters.

“Then... with three or more Hall Masters having verified his identity, we shall consider that matter settled for now. Hall Master Hong Mihui, can you explain the Demonic Energy?”

“One moment. Let me take a closer look. Hold still, child.”

The red-haired woman, Hong Mihui, placed a hand against Yise’s chest. Spiritual energy carrying a fierce heat swept through his body once.

“I can’t be certain, but, hmm. It seems to be a ‘Heavenly-Demonic Dual-Meridian Constitution.’”

At Hong Mihui’s words, an unusual light crossed the other three Hall Masters’ faces. Yise was burning to ask what she meant, but merely listened rather than rudely interrupting his seniors. Noticing this, she smiled and continued her explanation.

“Simply put, it’s a constitution that lets you freely wield both spiritual energy and Demonic Energy. Without heavenly tribulation as the price of using Demonic Energy, or any need to fear accumulating karma.”

“Surely not the Lord of Daemudo’s...”

“Yes. Exactly the same constitution as our Lord’s. The first in three hundred years.”

At that moment, Yise sensed an emotion that appeared simultaneously in all four pairs of eyes. Too pure to be greed, too impure to be curiosity. Perhaps, he thought, it was the desire to secure a talented recruit.

“His talent is clearly exceptional, too, given that he awakened his spirit sight and reached Meridian Awakening in Qi Refining all in one sitting...”

“You there. Join Earth Guardian Hall, and I’ll give you all the backing you need.”

“Hall Master Banho, bribing and enticing Qi Refining Cultivators is against the rules. Moreover, he has not even passed the examination yet.”

Banho scowled at Kang Itae’s words.

“Bribing and enticing? I’m merely persuading him. You seem to want him quite badly yourself.”

“Not to that extent.”

“Really? Your eyes are positively gleaming with greed.”

“... Hall Master.”

“Then let’s do this. We keep him a secret from the other Hall Masters.”

“That violates our principles. Not that we could conceal him even if we tried.”

“You stubborn, rule-bound...”

“Um, forgive me for interrupting.”

Yise, who had quietly listened to the Hall Masters’ conversation until now, raised a tentative hand.

Given his position, he had intended to remain as quiet as possible, but their conversation showed no sign of ending. With no one else around, the examination seemed to be over already, and he had a daily routine and rules he was bound to follow. Fortunately, the Hall Masters seemed to think well of him, so he felt he could be a little more assertive about his requests.

“What is it?”

“I think I’ve awakened my spiritual energy, but is it normal that it won’t move as I will it?”

“Yes. That is the next stage you must attain.”

“Ah. I understand. The spiritual energy and Demonic Energy are flowing through different places now... but they snarl at each other whenever they get close. Is it safe to leave them like that?”

This question left all four Hall Masters utterly speechless. Hong Mihui must have been the most knowledgeable among them on this subject, for every gaze turned to her.

“We don’t know either.”

“Pardon?”

“No one but the Lord of Daemudo has ever possessed that constitution. And Daemudo itself... No, the entire cultivation world as it exists today was newly systematized around three hundred years ago. You can assume there’s almost no information on a special constitution like that.”

“In that case, if I’m admitted to Daemudo, would I be able to meet the Lord?”

The Hall Masters exchanged looks at Yise’s question, then burst into laughter.

“How do you intend to meet someone who ascended to the heavenly realm three hundred years ago? What, shall we try a spirit-invocation ritual?”

He could not understand what they meant.