Chapter 174

The three who had emerged from the Hall of Dharma Clouds walked along the iridescent bridge toward the Vajra Hall.

As he crossed the bridge, Unhwi thought about the Yijinjing he had tucked inside his robes.

To be honest, since he had no idea what might happen next, he was planning to memorize the entire contents of the text in advance.

Even without using inner energy, memorizing a single book was easily within his capabilities. Especially if it was a martial arts manual—not memorizing it would be stranger.

He had already committed countless manuals to memory.

But unfortunately, he couldn’t memorize this one.

He couldn’t even open it—how could he possibly memorize it?

Unhwi turned his head.

He saw Seo Hyo. Their eyes met, and Seo Hyo gave him a sheepish grin.

“You tempted?”

“...I don’t want to lie... so to be honest—yes, I am. I mean, it’s the Yijinjing, isn’t it? The legendary manual created by Bodhidharma himself. A Pre-Heaven grade technique that eclipses every existing martial art. If someone isn’t tempted by that, are they even human?”

“You want to take it?”

“If you gave it to me, I’d take it in a heartbeat. But you won’t, will you?”

Unhwi gave a short laugh.

“If I manage to memorize everything inside it, then maybe I’ll give it to you.”

Seo Hyo’s eyes widened.

“...You’re joking, right?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

“...Anyone in their right mind would want to keep the Yijinjing for themselves. That’s how valuable it is.”

Unhwi knew exactly how valuable a Pre-Heaven grade martial art truly was.

Possibly more than anyone else here.

But as he had said countless times—what matters is the person who wields it. And more than the technique’s value, what mattered was that from the moment they entered this secret realm, both Seol Horyeong and Seo Hyo had become Unhwi’s comrades.

They had passed through the secret realm together, and even now, they walked beside him.

True, Unhwi had done most of the work to obtain the Yijinjing, but still—karma.

As a martial artist, Unhwi lived by karma—and would die by it.

The people who had walked with him were more than qualified to read and learn the contents.

Leakage? That was a concern for after that.

“...You’re a strange one. Truly.”

Unhwi didn’t bother responding to the comment—he’d heard it too many times to care anymore. He simply kept walking.

Seol Horyeong, walking ahead, remained unshaken.

Even though someone close to him had betrayed him, and even though the people who entered this realm with him had planned his death, Seol Horyeong still knew exactly what mattered in this moment.

That was weight.

Unhwi, even now, remained convinced: Seol Horyeong must become So-Gungju.

From afar, the massive golden hall came into view.

The Vajra Hall (Geumgangjeon).

True to its name, the entire structure looked to be built from some golden material that appeared even harder than steel.

Beneath the inscription Vajra Hall, a smaller line of text was carved.

It read:

—Only those whose hearts are firm as steel may enter.

As they approached the doors, a sudden flash of light descended from the clouds above. The light took form—and the figure of Jiun emerged.

“Welcome to the Vajra Hall.”

Jiun’s voice echoed in the air.

“You have passed the test of the Hall of Dharma Clouds. But the second trial will be even more difficult. This place holds Shaolin’s treasured manuals and weapons. However, to obtain them, you must pass the trial of the heart.”

Unhwi asked, “What kind of trial is it?”

A deep light flickered in Jiun’s eyes.

“The Vajra Heart Seal—a trial in which you must confront the darkness within yourselves.”

As he pointed into the air, the doors of the Vajra Hall began to slowly open. Inside was nothing but endless darkness.

“Enter—and put your hearts to the test.”

Unhwi stepped into the darkness without hesitation. Seol Horyeong and Seo Hyo followed behind him.

Once they had all entered, the doors shut on their own.

They barely had time to wonder what was happening when lightning split the darkness—a sudden flash illuminating the void. The light hovered in midair, and slowly, the interior became visible.

It was a vast hall.

At the center stood a massive stone statue.

A Vajra Guardian (Geumgang Yeoja).

And surrounding it—dozens, no, hundreds of weapons and martial manuals. Even a glance was enough to know that these were no ordinary items. More than that, the very atmosphere of the place was extraordinary.

Then, the air within the hall began to warp.

Rumble—

It was as though the space itself were twisting. A great roar echoed as the air inside the Vajra Hall distorted, light and darkness churning together in a vortex. From within the twisted space, something began to take form.

“What is...”

Seol Horyeong’s eyes widened.

From within the distortion appeared three figures.

But they weren’t just any figures—they were warped reflections, steeped in darkness... of the three # Nоvеlight # of them.

Seol Horyeong was the first to furrow his brow.

Standing in front of him was a duplicate of himself, shrouded in a shadowy aura and wearing a smirk. It looked like him—but not quite.

Its face was burdened, as if crushed under a heavy weight—and yet, at the same time, filled with the desire to throw all that weight away.

It was a truly grotesque sight.

But Seol Horyeong could clearly sense every emotion contained in that double of his.

A duality: torn between responsibility and freedom, yet with a profound sense of duty at his core.

It was revolting.

To have one’s inner self laid bare like this—that was what it meant to be exposed.

Another man furrowed his brow as well.

Seo Hyo.

Seo Hyo looked silently at his own double—eyes glinting with madness.

In the reflection’s gaze was but a single obsession: the revival of the Thousand-Year Demonic Sect.

Strangely, two shadowy figures orbited this copy of Seo Hyo—one cloaked in black, the other in white with ashen hair.

The first was unrecognizable. But the second—anyone could see—it was Unhwi.

The two shadows pointed blades at one another.

Seo Hyo immediately realized: this was a mirror of the conflict inside himself.

Seol Horyeong and Seo Hyo both turned their eyes toward Unhwi.

And they thought the same thing—those with extraordinary minds have extraordinary inner selves.

That was all there was to say.

Unhwi’s double was unlike the others. The difference was stark—it was pure, controlled perfection.

There was not a trace of emotion in its eyes.

Only cold, calculated reason.

Its clothing wasn’t the color of Seolgung—it was black tinged with blood-red, like something drenched in gore. In its right hand, it seemed to be holding something—but it wasn’t visible. The same was true for the left.

Only Unhwi knew what those two unseen things were.

In one hand—a scale.

In the other—sacrifice.

“The Vajra Heart Seal trial has begun.”

Jiun’s voice rang out once more.

“Confront your inner selves—and choose.”

The moment the words ended, the doubles began to move.

Seol Horyeong’s doppelgänger was the first to strike. Seol Horyeong twisted his body quickly to evade the attack. With no internal energy available, he had to rely on pure physical strength—every movement needed to be efficient.

He swung his elbow hard to the side—

CRACK—!!

But it was blocked by the double’s elbow.

A cracking sound echoed at the same time. It didn’t break—but there was no doubt a fracture had formed.

Fortunately, it was his left arm. If it had been the right, things would’ve been much worse.

He thrust his sword forward with his right hand. The double threw its head back to dodge.

Whoosh—!

The blade sliced through empty air.

“...That hurts...”

“The weight of responsibility hurts more, doesn’t it? So-Gungju? Why should you take that seat? Don’t you want to know why the thousand-year calamity happened? Don’t you want to wander freely through Murim again? Isn’t that it?”

Seol Horyeong scowled.

This wasn’t just unpleasant—it was intolerable. It was his darkest depths laid bare.

The things he usually never thought about—his negative impulses—amplified and dragged to the surface. A mass of inferiority and self-denial.

He shook his head.

“Tch.”

Clicking his tongue, Seol Horyeong launched into battle with his double. At the same time, Seo Hyo was fighting his own.

His reflection grinned maniacally and swung a fist.

“The revival of the Thousand-Year Demonic Sect... that is your only reason to exist!”

Seo Hyo’s eye twitched.

“Do you really think Yu Cheong will bring it back? No—more than that, do you think you have a place in it?”

He twisted his body to the side and dashed.

The double shouted as it followed.

“He’s dangling our dream in front of us! If not him, then who will rebuild the sect? Who else?! That gray-haired bastard beside you? That fake-mannered freak pretending to be clever? He’s going to rebuild the Thousand-Year Sect? No—he won’t even accept you! You and I—we’re just tools. That’s how we were born—and that’s how we’ll die!!”

Even if he tried to ignore it, the words wouldn’t let him.

It was clearly a copy—yet the urge to kill it on the spot surged in him.

Seo Hyo’s right hand tilted slightly to the side.

From an odd angle, he thrust out his palm.

Dark Ghost Soul-Seizing Palm (Amgwi Seobhonjang).

Even without inner energy, a martial art at the Martial God level had a technique that transcended ordinary logic.

He naturally slipped into the double’s blind spot. The doppelgänger didn’t even react—his palm struck it square in the face.

CRACK—!

No blood sprayed. It didn’t matter.

He would kill it.

Seo Hyo stomped the ground.

Chaos-Darkness Demon-Crushing Steps (Honam Pama Bo).

Just as he lunged, a shadow fell over his face.

Of course—it was a double, so it would know the same techniques.

He spun in desperation. The doppelgänger’s Soul-Seizing Palm grazed past his face.

A hair’s breadth.

Seo Hyo’s eyes flashed.

He dragged his foot across the ground, propelling himself forward.

Boom!

His shoulder slammed into the double’s solar plexus. It staggered. In that instant, Seo Hyo spun his body and kicked.

Chaos-Darkness Bone-Breaking Kick (Honam Talggok Gak).

SMACK—!

The double’s face was ripped apart.

Huff—

As Seo Hyo caught his breath and turned his head—

The double’s face, clearly torn off, was reattaching itself.

“...What the hell is this...?”

“You’re running away.”

“...What?”

“Will you rebuild the Thousand-Year Sect yourself? Or become a sacrifice to fuel someone else’s revival? Both are pathetic—utterly pathetic!”

This time, he was sure.

Those weren’t just insults—they struck at something deeper than pride.

Beyond effective—they were devastating.

Even Seo Hyo, who had grown resistant to most things through sheer experience, couldn’t brush off those words.

Grinding his teeth, he launched forward again.

While Seol Horyeong and Seo Hyo fought tooth and nail—

One man remained calm.

Unhwi.

Unhwi and his reflection did not rush at each other. Did not attack.

They simply stood, facing each other, at a fixed distance.