Chapter 29: Provocation

I saw Jang Deuk-soo’s hand trembling slightly.

“Y-You bastard.”

For a place like the Thousand-Day Pass to function properly, strict adherence to hierarchy and obedience to orders was essential.

No matter if the instructor had provoked me first, a mere trainee ramming into him like that should’ve been met with harsh punishment.

But his reaction defied my expectations.

At a distance close enough for our faces to almost touch, Jang Deuk-soo whispered softly.

“Were you serious?”

I blinked for a moment, then replied with a question of my own.

“Weren’t you trying to provoke me?”

“Well, I was, but… it was too much money to just ignore.”

“……”

I was momentarily at a loss for words.

Right.

Pride or whatever—money was king.

Sixty silver nyang was an amount equivalent not to a monthly but to an annual salary for most mid-level martial officers.

Even someone like Jang Deuk-soo, a high-ranking instructor, couldn’t help but be tempted.

I shrugged my shoulders.

“Well, we can talk more about that after I leave the Thousand-Day Pass.”

“Kh-Khem! Yes, let’s do that.”

The surrounding instructors and trainees gave Jang Deuk-soo sour looks.

But Jang Deuk-soo simply scowled back as if to say, “What? What are you looking at?”

I clicked my tongue inwardly at the sight.

‘I have no interest in pointless power struggles.’

What I was curious about now was how the Pavilion Master, who must have triggered this situation from behind the scenes, would respond.

***

A little while after the incident in the training ground—

“So, what was his reaction?”

“He’s a bold one. I didn’t expect him to counter with a proposal of his own on the spot.”

The Pavilion Master of the Thousand-Day Pass gave a bitter smile after hearing Jang Deuk-soo’s report.

“So in the end, can we assume his goal is the same as the Jin Clan’s second son?”

Recruiting talent to shift the power dynamics within a household.

But Jang Deuk-soo shook his head.

“I don’t think that’s it.”

“It’s not?”

“He figured out my intentions. Yet, despite knowing that, he responded in such a way that would only spark backlash from those around him. He wouldn’t have done that unless he had a different agenda. If he really wanted to recruit talent, he’d have taken the time to gauge the situation more carefully.”

“Hm!”

If it were just about gathering nobodies to follow him around, that’d be one thing, but if he truly wanted the real deal, that sort of reckless behavior wouldn’t help.

“Still, aside from that…”

“Aside from that?”

“The kid’s the real deal. Now I understand why the Six Great Demonic Clans sit atop the Heavenly Demonic Cult.”

Jang Deuk-soo had guided countless individuals up to this point.

And by his judgment, Jin Yeomyung possessed one of the rarest talents he had ever seen.

“There’s definitely another purpose behind his actions. If it were just self-aggrandizement, he would’ve tried to stand out during training.”

“Then in the end, there’s only one thing we can be sure of.”

The Pavilion Master’s eyes gleamed sharply.

“That something is unfolding behind the scenes—something we don’t yet understand.”

“Pardon? A c-conspiracy?”

“Who knows. But one thing is clear—this involves both the Cult Leader and the Asura King.”

Jang Deuk-soo was taken aback.

From his perspective, the Pavilion Master was making a huge leap in logic.

‘Is there really a need to blow this out of proportion over one brat’s reaction?’

But the Pavilion Master’s expression was dead serious, and he didn’t seem the least bit uncertain.

“Just recently, it was confirmed that the personnel records of the Thousand-Day Pass were leaked to the Jin Clan of the Demonic Heaven.”

“The personnel records?!”

“To be exact—records of all current instructors and enrolled trainees. Interestingly, graduates were not included.”

There wasn’t a place within the Heavenly Demonic Cult untouched by the influence of the Six Great Demonic Clans.

Given that some of the instructors were already connected to the Jin Clan, it wouldn’t have been too difficult for them to acquire the personnel records if they truly wanted them.

However—

“Why bother?”

The problem was, what use would the Jin Clan have for such records in the first place?

“That’s something we’ll have to figure out over time.”

Assuming this incident would resolve without causing harm to the Thousand-Day Pass was wishful thinking at best.

The Pavilion Master stared out the window and spoke.

“Instructor Jang.”

“Yes, Pavilion Master.”

“I, you see… don’t believe in the word ‘coincidence’.”

The reason Jin Yeomyung had entered the Thousand-Day Pass mentioning the Main Flow. The reason the personnel records had been leaked to the Jin Clan.

The Pavilion Master was convinced that somewhere beyond his grasp, all of these threads were connected.

“From this moment on, increase surveillance on all trainees and instructors. I authorize the deployment of the Gatekeeping Unit.”

“U-Understood.”

“There’s a chance the Shadow Division is already in motion. If they’ve hidden it even from me, it means they’re taking it seriously. Be thorough.”

“I’ll contact the commander of the Gatekeeping Unit immediately. Leave it to me.”

Jang Deuk-soo formed a fist and bowed with determination.

Though there were some errors in the Pavilion Master’s deductions, his instincts were getting dangerously close to the truth.

“I’m counting on you, Instructor Jang.”

The Pavilion Master nodded with satisfaction.

Just as Jang Deuk-soo turned to leave the office—

“Oh, by the way.”

“Yes?”

The Pavilion Master, resting his chin on his hand, asked with a pout.

“So, are you going to switch over to the Jin Clan?”

“N-No, that’s…”

“I heard the Jin Clan’s gatekeepers make three times what a Senior instructor earns in a month. You seemed pretty tempted when you heard that.”

“……”

“Am I wrong?”

All Jang Deuk-soo could do was break out in a cold sweat.

***

Once my day was over, I rented out a separate training room and settled in.

On the surface, it was to learn the Smoldering Demon Art provided by the Thousand-Day Pass, but in truth, I needed time to train in martial arts unrelated to the daily curriculum.

‘There’s no real need for me to learn Smoldering Demon Art.’

The Smoldering Demon Art recommended by the Thousand-Day Pass could easily be substituted with the Heaven-Flying Boundless Divine Art.

‘According to Master, once the Heaven-Flying Boundless Divine Art reaches a certain level, it produces a similar effect to the concept of “fire cannot wet water.”’

In my previous life, I had been at such a pitifully low level that I couldn’t experience that effect, but I certainly didn’t intend for that to happen again in this life.

Besides, even if I didn’t use the Heaven-Flying Boundless Divine Art, the martial arts of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan were all supreme-level demonic techniques based on strength and yang energy. There was no need for me to cling to the Smoldering Demon Art.

‘The training program at the Thousand-Day Pass has no major flaws. It’ll sufficiently fill the gaps in my current abilities.’

But that didn’t mean I had to follow only that path.

An ordinary person would struggle just to keep up with this curriculum, but as someone of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan bloodline, I still had much to fill in.

Shhk!

I drew my sword and unfolded the sword technique.

Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword.

A sword art centered on transformation, illusion, and speed. To be honest, it felt far too foreign to be considered a traditional demonic sword technique.

‘Most demonic sword arts focus heavily on speed and power. The Blood Stream Demonic Spirit Sword Art of the Jin Clan at least emphasizes transformation, but even that shifts toward raw power at higher levels.’

The true secret technique of the Jin Clan, the Blood Dragon Heaven-Slaying Sword Art, was a textbook example of a power-based sword style.

‘If I look only at the characteristics of the sword forms, this sword art is more like those from the orthodox factions… perhaps even similar to ones from Mount Hua or the Shaolin.’

Then suddenly, something struck me.

‘No, wait—’

There was something even more similar than orthodox sword arts.

I had only encountered it a few times, but not long ago, I had even coordinated strikes with it.

Heaven-Slaying Demonic Sword Art.

Ultimate strength. Ultimate speed. Ultimate transformation.

Aside from its immense internal energy consumption, it was an overwhelmingly perfect sword technique—one of the strongest of the Heavenly Demonic Cult.

At its peak, it was said to allow free control of twelve strands of Sword Qi. No matter how I looked at it, it had clear connections with the Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword.

‘What is this feeling?’

The more I unfolded the forms, the more a strange sense of dissonance surged through my body.

‘Come to think of it, we had no trouble syncing or coordinating our attacks.’

In joint attacks, using sword arts with differing natures usually does more harm than good.

If the flow doesn’t match, the power collapses entirely.

Yet Cheon Yura and I had launched a seamless assault, as if wielding the same sword art. That was the only reason we had survived an encounter with Jeokun, a master of the highest level.

‘Let me take a closer look.’

I knew the flow of the Heaven-Slaying Demonic Sword Art well.

In my previous life, Cult Leader Cheon Yura had often performed the sword forms during ceremonial rites as the High Priestess.

Even outside those rituals, I had observed the flow closely while coordinating strikes with her.

As I swung my sword like a madman for a while, I finally realized something.

The Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword shares the same origin as the Heaven-Slaying Demonic Sword Art.

But how?

The Heaven-Slaying Demonic Sword Art was a secret technique passed down alongside the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art, an inherited sword form from the First Heavenly Demon of the Cheon Clan.

Even if someone could mimic the flow of the forms, without knowing the mantras of the sword, they would never be able to reproduce the hidden essence.

Yet, the Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword aligned even in its inner secrets with the Heaven-Slaying Demonic Sword Art.

And that raised a new question.

‘Master… just who are you?’

There’s no way Master didn’t know this.

He introduced himself as a retired elder from a past generation.

But he never once told me what faction he had served, or what his nickname had been—not even his real name.

He just said to call him “Old Han.”

But how could he know the true nature of this sword art?

No—before that, how did this sword art even end up inside the Martial Arts Repository of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan?

In my previous life, when I didn’t value life all that much, I had brushed it aside without care. But right now, I could feel clearly that the “karma” tied to this sword art was no small matter.

‘No! This isn’t the time to be thinking about that.’

Hoo!

I slashed the sword downward while taking a deep breath to drive out all distractions.

‘Whatever the case, I need to see this sword art through to the end.’

The reason I had learned martial arts from Master in the first place was because the martial arts of the Jin Clan didn’t suit me.

On the other hand, this Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword fit my hand so perfectly, just as Master had confidently said.

‘Incomplete mantras. Incomplete forms. A flimsy resolve. That was me back then. But now, everything is complete.’

The sword dance began.

Complete mantras. Complete forms. A resolve that longs for the highest peaks.

These elements resonated with me—Jin Yeomyung, the bloodline of the Jin Clan—and sparked a synergy.

And on top of that—

The “sense” awakened by dragging forth the realm of my past life now supported that synergy and began to ruthlessly break through the walls ahead.

This sense extended far beyond ordinary human perception, blending a martial artist’s sixth sense with the realm of synesthesia—where senses overlap.

Before I knew it, a phantom of Cheon Yura appeared before me.

The sword forms she had unleashed violently during the Exchange Ceremony.

Those forms reappeared now as illusions, pressing down on me once again.

‘This time—I can withstand it!’

Unlike before, when I barely parried and got wounded, this time was different.

Though it was only a phantom, my sword path lightly began to deflect Cheon Yura’s Heaven-Slaying Demonic Sword Art.

‘I’m breaking through.’

Not my defense.

The flow of Qi throughout my body was unlocking—my meridians, once blocked, were now opening one after another.

And over time, energy surged from my Dantian.

Crackle!

This growing power meant my sword strikes carried increasing weight.

‘I won’t be pushed back anymore.’

Normally, I would’ve been overwhelmed by Cheon Yura’s powerful sword—but now, my sword held power equal to, if not greater than, what she wielded at that time.

Fwoosh!

Was it because her strikes kept getting blocked?

The illusion of Cheon Yura began to unleash her full power, as if in frustration.

The Six-Spirit Demonic Path—six strands of Sword Qi that had once cornered me.

Back then, I had barely survived by flailing without form—but now, my sword, at its peak flow, softly redirected that Sword Qi with ease.

‘It’s coming.’

Then—

A chained strike from Cheon Yura that I couldn’t even respond to before.

A powerful burst of Qi shot toward my throat.

‘I can see it!’

I captured the strike with my eyes and focused all of my internal energy into my sword.

With desperate precision, I activated a single sword form to counter it.

Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword.

Sixth Record.

Boundless Realm Demon.

Beyond thrusts. Beyond Sword Qi.

I entered the realm of Sword Threads.

If only for a moment, I glimpsed the path that lay beyond the wall.

CRAAAAACK!

“Uwaaagh!”

“Wh-What happened?!”

A storm of Qi erupted from my sword, and a portion of the training chamber collapsed under the pressure.

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