Beopgong once again stood atop the main hall, gazing out over the distant ridgeline of Sungsan.

It had been half a month since he’d sent Namgoong Seolhwa to his master.

From the start, it should never have taken this long.

All he had asked of his master was to confirm the presence—or absence—of the Energy of Blood, and if that was all, to send her back down.

Do I need to send the boys to check?

It was truly strange.

Since Gwangcheon had gone into seclusion at the hermitage, he had not once descended to the main temple in ten years.

Yet, a month ago, he had suddenly come down, inspected the disciples, and uncovered infiltrators hiding within Shaolin itself.

After that, he had gone straight back to the hermitage.

He even looked surprised himself after unmasking them.

Beopgong’s later investigation revealed that behind the infiltrators was a brothel called Hwaoru.

Those who had served in the main temple for a long time confessed, driven by guilt.

But he never did uncover the crucial information.

They had been bound by a restriction.

How in the world did Master know they existed in the first place?

And why had he not sent Namgoong Seolhwa back?

Sitting here, I still can’t fathom Master’s true intent.

Just then—

Someone knocked at the door of the Abbot’s chamber.

In that instant, Beopgong vanished from the rooftop without a trace.

A moment later, from inside the Abbot’s chamber came his voice, telling them to enter.

Tch— tatak— tch!

Seolhwa’s figure raced up the steep cliff.

Her eyes were covered with a thick cloth, bound tight.

Yet her movements were far from those of someone blinded.

I understand now.

When sight is taken away, the other senses sharpen. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

When hearing is taken away as well, the sharpness reaches its peak.

At first, even spreading her energy to map the terrain around her took time, but as her senses honed, her energy perception grew keener.

Her sensitivity to the flow of energy had developed.

Now, when she circulated her qi, she could store far more internal energy than before.

She had been fast before, but now she could grow even faster.

“You’ve grown quite accustomed to it.”

Tak.

Seolhwa landed atop the peak.

Removing the cloth from her eyes, she saw Guyangdo already there, waiting.

“I’m still lacking, but I feel I’ve become a little more capable.”

“Stop with that ‘lacking’ talk. How much more must you do before you’ll be satisfied with yourself?”

“Didn’t the elders say so yourselves? That the Imugi isn’t trapped within me, but in a relationship of coexistence?”

“I did say that.”

“I’ve given that a lot of thought.”

“Don’t.”

In these past few days of teaching the Namgoong child, Guyangdo had come to fear one thing—

That sharp three-inch tongue.

This Namgoong child, who seemed to know no satisfaction, wielded her tongue so well she inevitably got what she wanted.

Even the normally composed Gwangcheon ended up groaning and clutching his head because of it.

“Did you not say it was coexistence?”

“...I did, didn’t I.”

“Doesn’t that mean the Imugi, like me, can act on its own will and use its strength?”

“Of course.”

The expression of discomfort on Guyangdo’s face instantly turned serious at her words.

“The Imugi isn’t there just to lend you power.”

“Then...?”

“The Imugi is an Imugi.”

“...!”

The Imugi is an Imugi. Which meant—

“You’re saying... the Imugi can fight?”

Not just lend her strength as before, but take the field itself?

But in its serpent form, it won’t be easy for it to exert full power.

It was small, and not in its true form. Maintaining that form alone meant it was already using energy.

So what she truly wanted to know was this—

“Can it manifest its true body?”

The corners of Guyangdo’s mouth curved in satisfaction.

The answer came from behind her.

“It cannot.”

Seolhwa turned and offered a respectful fist-and-palm salute to Gwangcheon.

Guyangdo, robbed of the chance to answer by Gwangcheon’s sudden appearance, tilted his head slightly and asked:

“Where’s my disciple?”

“Meditating beneath the waterfall.”

“You left him alone while training? My disciple may be sturdy, but still—”

Gwangcheon shook his head with a weary look.

“Youngsters these days... why are they so full of stubborn fire? I told him to stop, but he insisted on going another two hours. He told me to go ahead.”

“...I see.”

A tenacious brat.

“Time to head down. We have a guest.”

Gwangcheon spoke to Seolhwa.

“We’ll finish our earlier talk once we’re back down.”

“Yes, Master.”

For several days, Seolhwa learned from Guyangdo and Gwangcheon how to block the internal energy in her lower danjeon just as she did in her upper danjeon.

They taught her how to prevent the two types of energy from clashing.

It was still the same—that she could only use the Imugi’s power when it released it to her—but now, she could wield that power directly herself. It was a major change.

After returning to the hermitage and drinking a ladleful of water, Gwangcheon continued # Nоvеlight # where he had left off.

“For the Imugi to manifest, your upper danjeon must be open, but since you cannot open it, it is impossible.”

“Can’t the Imugi open the upper danjeon and use its power?”

Guyangdo replied:

“Simply drawing off a little internal energy is different from manifestation. If the Imugi manifests and uses its power, your upper danjeon would have to stay open.”

“Forcing your upper danjeon open would be unbearable. You could lose your life.”

Right then—shhk, shhk.

The Imugi was coiled on the veranda before anyone noticed.

Seolhwa looked at it—

At those small, black eyes fixed solely on her.

“...That’s disappointing.”

“If it disappoints you, get stronger. Once you open your upper danjeon, everything will be solved.”

Seolhwa turned her gaze to Guyangdo.

To open her upper danjeon meant to reach the Hyeongyeong realm, the same realm as these two elders.

She hadn’t even reached Hwagyeong yet, but at their words—spoken as if it were nothing—Seolhwa nodded without hesitation.

“Yes, understood.”

Why shouldn’t she reach Hyeongyeong?

It was still a far-off realm, but Seolhwa had no doubt she would attain it. It was only a matter of time.

At her bold, overflowing answer, Guyangdo let out a short laugh.

“Then get ready.”

Seolhwa looked to Gwangcheon.

“Get ready?”

“You have a guest.”

A guest of mine?

The guest he mentioned earlier... was for me?

Who could possibly come here?

Had Shaolin sent someone because she had been away too long?

Seolhwa tilted her head.

If it was a guest, it was probably Hyeon.

But that wasn’t the important part.

“I’m not planning on going down yet, Master.”

Guyangdo gave her a look of weary resignation.

We will be going.”

“Going? Where?”

“What, did you think old men always have free time?”

“That’s not what I meant...”

“We’ll be away from the hermitage for a few days. So, let the Abbot know.”

It seemed they had no intention of telling her where they were going.

Though she had grown closer to them in these days, she had no right to pry into the movements of such masters.

Seolhwa respectfully saluted.

“Yes, Master.”

The guest Beopgong had mentioned arrived just as Seolhwa was packing to leave.

“Uh...”

The guest was not at all who she had expected.

Wearing the full robes of Mount Hua, he looked far too immaculate for someone who had supposedly pushed through the undergrowth to get here.

The moment he stepped into the hermitage, he stood frozen in surprise, mouth half-open.

“Yu Pyo... Taoist?”

Only when Seolhwa called his name did Yu Pyo snap out of it and hurriedly bow to the two elders.

“I greet Elder Guyangdo and the Former Abbot.”

Seolhwa was a little surprised.

He knows both elders?

She hadn’t even known of their existence until recently, yet he was already acquainted with them. How?

“It’s been since Mount Hua, four years ago, Elder. Have you been well?”

“As you can see.”

Yu Pyo then bowed to Gwangcheon.

“I am Yu Pyo, who represented Mount Hua in the martial exchange with Shaolin twelve years ago. Do you recall me, Master?”

Gwangcheon nodded with a warm smile.

“Your skills stood out at the time, so I remembered you. And here we meet again. You’ve come for Seolhwa, I take it?”

“Yes. As there has been no word from Lady Namgoong for over half a month, I took the liberty of coming here myself. My apologies for arriving unannounced.”

“It’s fine.”

Gwangcheon turned to Seolhwa.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Then now—”

At that moment—

“Oh?! Everyone’s here?”

With a bright voice, Yugang strode into the hermitage, shirtless, waving the top in his hand.