Chapter 67 : Challenger of the Five Martial Passes (3)

Chapter 67: Challenger of the Five Martial Sects (3)

Namwook had been quietly impressed by the wisdom the Young Master had shown until now.

But seeing him like this—wasn’t this just the recklessness of someone his age?

“I came to see Chouhui. But not to catch a glimpse of her face—there’s something I need to gain from her.”

In Yong Hwarin’s eyes, there wasn’t even a shadow of desire for a beautiful woman.

Namwook had lived through the passions of his twenties, so he recognized that look instantly.

“What is it that you need to gain?”

“There’s a martial technique I must acquire from her. And to get it, I’ll have to challenge her.”

Nan Myeonggwak shook his head.

“It won’t be easy. I’ve heard many say they challenged Chouhui’s pass, but I’ve never heard of anyone who actually met her. To put it bluntly, I believe she created this series of trials to mock the world. Otherwise, there’s no reason to create a pass no one can clear.”

“Have you heard of the Five Martial Gates?”

In response to Yong Hwarin’s question, Nan Myeonggwak explained.

“Among the Five Martial Gates, not even the Third Martial Pass has been cleared, so we don’t even know what kind of trial it is. Only up to the Second Pass is known. The First requires defeating her guard Fan Yegok in a martial duel. The Second involves catching five eggs thrown with force from three zhang away, without breaking them, using only a sword. Over twenty warriors have passed the Second, but no one knows how many challenged the Third. The strange thing is, even though someone must have cleared it, no one knows what the trial is. I suspect those who passed it kept quiet.”

Yong Hwarin nodded as he listened.

He already knew all about the Five Martial Gates.

The Third Gate required holding a flame in one’s palm and keeping it from going out for two hours.

The Fourth was about the contents of the Seven Martial Classics. which he had already studied.

The Fifth Gate involved withstanding Mind-Seizing Technique.

But according to what he later heard, no one had ever passed the Fifth, which showed how terrifying the Mind-Seizing Technique must have been.

No matter how powerful the Mind-Seizing Technique was, if one had about a cycle's worth of inner strength, it was normally possible to endure Mind-Seizing or Illusion Techniques.

However, word had spread that even by the First Gate, challengers were already unknowingly sabotaged, making them unable to withstand the Fifth’s trial. That left many challengers in despair.

At the First Gate, the tea served was laced with Dreamcloud Powder, a mountain poison with effects similar to Junjasan.

Unlike Junjasan, Dreamcloud Powder had to be mixed with another substance for its effects to manifest.

That’s why those who drank the tea didn’t realize they were poisoned.

Then at the Third Gate, the fire was infused with Spirit-Drunken Incense. When mixed with Dreamcloud Powder, it became mountain poison.

That was why no one could withstand the Mind-Seizing Technique used at the Fifth Gate.

But since most failed at the Fourth Gate, there was no need to even deploy the Mind-Seizing Technique in the first place.

With trials this elaborate, Nan Myeonggwak didn’t believe that even someone as talented as Yong Hwarin could pass the Five Martial Gates.

‘Ah, could he be planning to rely on the power of the soul possessing his body? No… even the spirit of a master with exceptional internal strength wouldn’t be able to pass the Five Martial Gates.’

Seeing how many warriors with a cycle level of internal strength had failed, it was clear that the trials were no easy feat.

“Since Young Master Yong has his reasons, I won’t stop you. But I hope you won’t be too disheartened even if you fail. However, to challenge the Five Martial Gates, you’ll need the Gold Badge.”

At those words, Yong Hwarin pulled a golden badge from his robes.

“Oh! Is that the real Gold Badge?”

Nan Myeonggwak’s eyes sparkled with greed as he looked at it.

That was understandable—it was said that selling that badge alone could buy a fairly large estate.

“Ah, if you fail, there’ll be nothing to gain. How about we just drink with this instead?”

Nan Myeonggwak seemed convinced that Yong Hwarin would fail and appeared to regret the thought of him wasting the badge on the challenge.

Yong Hwarin smiled.

“There is something I must obtain with this. Once this is over, I shall buy Gold Prestige Hall, so please endure a little longer.”

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Nan Myeonggwak’s mind.

“Is this related to that?”

Yong Hwarin nodded.

“I see.”

Namwook, who had been listening to their conversation, asked,

“That? What do you mean by that?”

He had been strictly instructed not to speak of the Demonic Master’s spirit to others. And if pressed, he had been told to say the following.

“We came to Chouhui to find a secret method to expel the spirit attached to Young Master Yong.”

He had already heard from the Shangguan Clan that the Young Master was being haunted and that Nan Myeonggwak had been sought out to perform a ritual to drive it out.

Naïve Namwook believed their words.

There was no reason for the Young Master to lie to him.

“But didn’t Sir Nan already drive out the spirit at the Shangguan Clan?”

“My techniques were lacking—I couldn’t completely banish it. If we can’t exorcise the spirit, Young Master Yong may grow weak again, just like before.”

Rumors had already spread in the Shangguan Clan that Yong Hwarin had been frail in childhood because of a spirit. Namwook had believed them too.

“I’m sorry, Young Master. I spoke without knowing the full story.”

He blamed himself for thinking the Young Master had abandoned wounded disciples just to meet Chouhui.

‘If it were Master Mo, he would’ve trusted the Young Master. Even the Young Master’s sworn brother, Jong Gongja, would’ve believed in him.’

He realized he still lacked faith in the Young Master.

At the same time, he recalled the scene at the Bamboo Forest Blood Battle, when Mo Biyoung and Jong Seok had rushed into danger, fully prepared to die for the Young Master.

He had felt with certainty that they were truly ready to die then. Yet he, the one who had been physically unharmed, had been frozen in place and failed to act.

The fear of death had gripped him.

That fear had left a bitter mark on his heart, continuing to torment him.

And now, lacking even faith, he wondered if he was truly fit to serve as the Young Master’s guard.

Seeing Namwook’s sudden gloom, Yong Hwarin spoke.

“Challenging the Five Martial Gates won’t take long. It’ll be over by this evening at the latest. Until then, please enjoy a drink at River Immortal Pavilion.”

He handed over some silver coins to Namwook.

“Until I return, do not leave River Immortal Pavilion under any circumstances.”

Yong Hwarin entered River Immortal Pavilion and discreetly showed the gold badge to Jeomsoi.

“Gasp!”

Jeomsoi bowed her head toward Yong Hwarin and led him toward the annex.

At the annex entrance, she spoke,

“Once you enter, a martial guard will be there. Show them the gold badge.”

As Yong Hwarin opened the door to the annex, two guards on either side turned their eyes toward him.

“What business brings you here?”

One of the guards asked, and Yong Hwarin held out the gold badge and replied,

“I’ve come to challenge the Five Martial Gates.”

“Mmm.”

These were the warriors who followed Chouhui.

Some were wandering swordsmen, others were heirs to martial families. Their backgrounds varied, but the group was estimated to consist of about twenty people.

Among them, Yong Hwarin knew that the most skilled was Fan Yegok.

“Follow me.”

Inside the annex, a large garden sat at the center, with spacious halls flanking it on both sides.

‘People believe Chouhui stays at the very top of River Immortal Pavilion, but in truth, they don’t know she actually resides here in the annex.’

He recalled the time in his previous life when he had challenged the Five Martial Gates.

“My Lady, someone has arrived with a Gold Badge.”

The place they took him to was a small pavilion in the rear garden.

A woman, who had been seated and playing a zither with golden strings, stopped at the sound.

Warriors were stationed throughout the annex and around the pavilion. Due to occasional intruders attempting to glimpse Chouhui, the security was tight.

“You’re the first guest in ten days.”

Though sheer curtains were drawn around the pavilion, Chouhui did not remove her face veil. Yong Hwarin could use his Vision Technique to see past the curtains, but even that couldn’t penetrate the veil.

‘Hmm, I didn’t realize before, but now I see—that veil is made of Heavenly Silkworm Thread. I’d heard that no matter how sharp your inner vision, it can’t see through Heavenly Silkworm Thread.’

Even so, just from her visible eyes, it was clear that Chouhui was a stunning beauty.

“Bring me the Gold Badge.”

At her words, one of the guards standing close stepped forward. Yong Hwarin looked at the man, radiating an intense presence, and thought,

‘So this is Fan Yegok. I couldn’t see him back then since I went straight into the trials, but now that I see him… he’s exceptional.’

When Yong Hwarin had first challenged the Five Martial Gates, he had been in his mid-thirties.

That meant Chouhui had spent over fifteen years accepting challengers like this.

People would later say that twenty years from now, Chouhui gave off the charm of a mature woman, so she was likely in her early twenties now.

But ten years from now, before she met Ha Cheolryeong, it was said she still looked exactly the same as she did ten years prior. That rumor suggested she had mastered some kind of youth-preserving technique.

Looking back now, Yong Hwarin realized that Chouhui issuing Gold Badges and selling challenge rights couldn’t have been without purpose. It was only recently that he’d come to understand this.

If she simply wanted money, she could’ve minted an endless number of badges. Yet, for some reason, Chouhui only made about twenty per year.

That rarity caused each badge to soar in value, now worth more than ten gold ingots.

The fact that Jeok Gwang managed to get one showed he had invested heavily.

Fan Yegok stared at Yong Hwarin and extended his hand.

“You’re the first in a year to challenge at such a young age.”

His expression showed surprise that a challenger was just barely past coming of age.

“Have there been others as young as me?”

Fan Yegok studied Yong Hwarin silently, then nodded.

“There have.”

“Can you tell me who?”

“My Lady’s rule is to never reveal a challenger’s identity to another. That’s a firm principle.”

“Ah, I didn’t know that.”

Seeing Yong Hwarin’s noble bearing, Fan Yegok assumed he was a son of a prestigious clan and maintained courtesy.

When Fan Yegok placed the badge beneath the pavilion curtains, Chouhui picked it up and examined it.

There were occasionally people who brought counterfeits, so verification was necessary.

“This is indeed a genuine badge. It is an unspoken rule of the trials that we do not ask the background of those who bring Gold Badges. No questions about origin or age. Which trial will you challenge?”

Her voice, by sound alone, was as pure and clear as that of a young woman in her late teens.

There wasn’t a single trace of murky energy in her voice—it seemed to cleanse the heart.