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Chapter 31
After hurling Yang-hwi and Jegal Seolha down to the entrance of Five Trials of Proper Sound at the base of the cliff, Eumhu casually made her way back to Inn.
The time it took her, in total, was barely even a quarter of the night.
Considering that the distance between the two locations would normally take half a day on foot for an average person, her movement technique was truly astonishing.
“Lady Eumhu, what about Yang-hwi and Seolha...?”
Jegal Seon, who still stood hesitantly nearby, finally asked.
“They’ve entered Five Trials of Proper Sound,” Eumhu replied with perfect composure. “Assuming they come out in one piece, it will take them at least a month. So you may return to your lodging.”
“I cannot do that. I will remain here at the Inn until the children return.”
But then…
With a stiff expression, Jegal Seon hesitated, trailing off.
“When you say ‘assuming they come out in one piece’... Is it really that dangerous?”
He had already been told their lives could be in danger due to the lack of safety measures. As a father, how could he not worry?
“Hm. There’s about a fifty percent chance they won’t even survive the first trial,” she said. “It’s the one that requires the most preparation, and they’re going in completely unprepared.”
Jegal Seon turned deathly pale. No—his face reddened with outrage.
He wanted to scream at her—You threw Seolha into a place like that?!—but the words stuck in his throat.
Seeing him like this, Eumhu gave a gentle smile.
“This is the path to becoming Heaven-Breaking Sound Queen’s disciple. Even if it’s steep and treacherous, the journey holds more than enough worth. Don’t you agree?”
“…You’re right.”
There would be countless people in the world who’d willingly risk their lives for a chance to become a disciple of one of the Ten Sovereigns of the Martial World.
Even with the looming threat of death, the opportunity that Jegal Seolha and Yang-hwi had received was undeniably a once-in-a-lifetime blessing.
It was just that—being a father—he couldn’t help but worry.
“You should cast aside that anxiety and fear,” she said. “Or is it that you don’t trust the two of them?”
“…”
Jegal Seon raised his head from his silence.
“No. I do believe in them. They’ll make it.”
What Jegal Seon truly believed in was Yang-hwi.
From the very first meeting, the boy had displayed remarkable intelligence. The son of his sworn brother, Yang-hwi had shown profound martial talent during the martial arts tournament—enough to earn his genuine admiration.
‘Yang-hwi, I’m counting on you. Please… protect our Seolha. Escape Five Trials of Proper Sound with her. If anyone can do it, it’s you.’
Watching the shift from fear to faith on Jegal Seon’s face, Eumhu found herself intrigued.
Right now, he was merely a father worried for his daughter. But he was also the head of the Jegal Clan—one of the most powerful noble houses in all the land.
To earn such unwavering trust from someone like him…
‘As I thought, this boy is far from ordinary.’
That was exactly why she had marked Yang-hwi as her unofficial disciple, like one licking their lips before savoring a delectable treat.
Besides… there was something about him that set him apart from the others.
‘A true harmony of essence. That aura I sensed within it… unmistakable.’
Sacred Sound Jade Spirit Sect was a sect that pursued the path of immortals.
And that was why Eumhu could perceive the unique quality within Yang-hwi.
How to describe it… He seemed born to be an immortal—lofty and noble, yet clear and deep as still water.
To live this long and witness something this interesting…
It had been over twenty years since she had ascended to the rank of one of the Ten Immortal Masters.
Not once in all those years had Eumhu ever felt such intense curiosity or excitement.
That alone spoke volumes of Yang-hwi’s extraordinary talent—and the unmistakable presence of something rare and exceptional within him.
However…
The incomplete Five Trials of Proper Sound was undeniably dangerous. Each of the five trials demanded that one risk their life.
‘The first trial—Gate of Endurance. Even if they pass it, it’ll likely take seven days and nights. I suppose I’ll check in around then.’
* * *
Heaven-Shrouding 108 Swor, Fifth Form.
Scattered Hawk Feathers, Fifth Variation.
Jegal Seolha stared in awe as Yang-hwi performed his sword dance out of nowhere.
His sword technique, which seemed to scatter hawk feathers in all directions, was too beautiful for words.
The dance of the sword evoked images of feathers caught in the wind—rising, floating, and then gently falling like snow.
’It’s as if he’s trained with the sword for decades… That level of sword comprehension, and we’re the same age? How…?
In that moment, Jegal Seolha realized she had been so captivated that she hadn’t noticed the world around her changing.
Thick snowflakes had been falling, piling up around them.
Winding mountain paths, blanketed in snow, had stretched on endlessly.
And now, all of it—just like melting snow—was vanishing.
The change extended over 10 meters, and then came to a stop.
“Tch. So this is my limit for now,” muttered Yang-hwi, clicking his tongue as he lowered his sword.
Jegal Seolha quickly asked, “Sahyung… What did you just do?”
Moments ago, Yang-hwi had disrupted a segment of the formation using only his sword.
Even as a direct descendant of the prestigious Jegal Clan—known across the world for their mechanical arrays—Jegal Seolha couldn’t begin to understand what he had done.
And yet, Yang-hwi’s answer was astonishingly simple.
“I severed the artificial flow of energy to temporarily create a living gate.”
The most common method of escaping a formation is to locate and exit through a living gate.
But if that were easy, formation techniques would’ve gone extinct long ago.
Finding a living gate requires not only an incredibly sensitive perception of energy but also the ability to mentally calculate distortions in natural harmony caused by formation mechanisms.
And he didn’t just find one—he created one… temporarily?
By modern martial world standards, it should’ve been an impossible feat.
So Jegal Seolha could only ask the obvious.
“…That’s even possible?”
“Yep.”
“How?”
Still looking stunned, Jegal Seolha pressed him for answers.
Yang-hwi just gave a playful smile.
“With exceptional talent. I’m just that good.”
“…If you weren’t planning to tell me, you could’ve just said so.”
Pouting with a soft hmph, Jegal Seolha turned her head away. But what could she do?
“That really is all there is to it, Samae,” Yang-hwi said with a shrug.
He had been born with a sensitivity to energy that could only be described as the best in the world—perhaps in all of history.
So keen was his perception of heaven and earth’s natural flow that he could even detect the innate qi deeply buried within another person.
Detecting and severing distorted flows? That’s child’s play.
Though his current inner strength and cultivation were still lacking, Yang-hwi—in his previous life—was nothing short of a nightmare to array masters and formation engineers alike.
“Anyway, let’s keep going,” he said.
After walking another ten jang toward the temporary safe zone he’d carved out, Yang-hwi once again began tracing the formation with his sword, probing here and there.
The snowy mountain scenery melted away like an illusion. He continued on—another 10 meters, then repeated the process.
In just about a day…
Jegal Seolha stood dumbfounded.
“I thought this would take at least a few days… Honestly, I thought we might die before clearing even the first trial…”
The difficulty of the trial had been high enough to make such fears feel realistic.
And yet, it had taken them barely a day to pass through it.
Was this really happening?
“Well? Are you starting to respect your Sahyung now, Samae?”
“….”
Truthfully, she was overflowing with admiration…
But all she could do was puff up her cheeks and glare at him.
The teasing in his voice wasn’t just mischievous—it practically shouted, “I’m going to keep messing with you.”
Hearing it made any hint of respect evaporate, replaced by sheer irritation.
He had clearly saved her life, so why was her gratitude disappearing by the second?
‘Eumhu… No, Master… I really hope you included a trial where I get to shine too.’
* * *
Yang-hwi and Jegal Seolha had finally arrived at the third trial of the Five Trials of Proper Sound—the Sound Trial.
Why the third, and not the second?
Simple. The second trial, Trial of Kindness, wasn’t just incomplete—it had barely even been constructed. They only needed to read the character “Kindness” above the gate and walk past it. That was all.
“Getting thrown in today might’ve actually been a good thing,” Yang-hwi mused. “If not, this would’ve been way more annoying.”
“Don’t forget, it was this Samae who said we should charge straight in,” Jegal Seolha reminded him proudly.
“Well, if Samae hadn’t been so eager, this Sahyung wouldn’t have been dragged into this mess to begin with.”
“….”
Jegal Seolha puffed her cheeks again in protest and changed the subject.
“It seems like the trials in the Five Trials of Proper Sound are arranged in order of what Master values most.”
The first had tested the Gate of Endurance. The second… well, even though it was just a plaque with a name, it clearly implied a test of moral character.
“For a sect known for its sound arts, it’s odd that they’d place sound aptitude as the third.”
“This sect—our sect is pretty impressive,” she added.
Despite not having been officially accepted as a disciple yet, the way she used—“our sect”—was just plain adorable.
“That said… sound aptitude, huh… this might be tricky.”
Yang-hwi had absolutely no background in music.
More accurately, among the traditional Four Arts—calligraphy, painting, music, and strategy—he had only ever paid attention to calligraphy. And even that wasn’t out of personal interest. It was thanks to his mother, the daughter of a scholar, who had instilled in their household a respect for academic refinement.
“Heh. You helped us breeze through the first trial, so I guess it’s my turn now,” said Jegal Seolha as she strode forward confidently, casting a slightly smug glance back at him.
Is this the same girl who clung to her father yesterday and wouldn’t say a word?
Well… it’s not a bad change, but why does she shift so fast?
Maybe it was because of the Harmony energy sealing her internal force, preventing her Peach Blossom qi from seeping out.
Or maybe it was just that age when every day brings a new transformation.
Either way, she was kind of cute, so Yang-hwi decided to let it slide.
“Alright then. Let’s see what kind of talent our Samae has to show.”
“Leave it to me.”
The Sound Trial was structured like a circular cavern, with dozens of iron rods embedded into its walls.
Jegal Seolha approached one of the rods and gently flicked it with her finger.
Tong… dong… dong, dong… dododong…
The vibration from the first rod resonated outward, triggering the others to join in, forming a ripple of harmonic echoes.
But rather than a harmonious melody, the sounds layered together into a discordant tangle.
So that’s how it works.
As a direct descendant of the Jegal Clan, known for its mechanical brilliance, her sharp intuition helped her quickly deduce the trial’s mechanics.
“Sahyung, I’d like to use the Hyunwon Jeondan Divine Technique. But I’ll need to unlock my upper dantian.”
Her upper dantian was currently sealed off by Harmony energy.
Once she began circulating her internal energy, the seal would inevitably break.
“Do what you need. Your Peach Blossom qi’s going to start leaking out, but I’ll deal with it.”
“Got it.”
With that, Jegal Seolha activated her internal technique.
From her upper dantian, Peach Blossom qi flowed outward—carried through her voice.
A maiden in love holds her jade zither close, waiting—
From the western ridgeline of Mount Emei, he descends toward her—
For her, he plucks a single note from its strings—
Like the wind rushing through ten thousand pine-covered valleys—
Its rhythm washes her heart clean, like a stream flowing gently by.
Yang-hwi couldn’t help but be sincerely impressed.
To think “Listening to Monk Jun of Shu Play the Guqin” could be transformed into something this beautiful…
Listening to Monk Jun of Shu Play the Guqin—
A poem said to have been written by the greatest poet of the Tang Dynasty, Li Taibai, upon hearing the guqin played by a Zen monk from Shu.
Jegal Seolha had taken that very poem, reimagined it in her own words, and turned it into a lyrical song with a structured melody.
‘So that’s why Uncle tried to ask Master Eumhu to accept Seolha as a disciple…’
Her musical talent was truly unparalleled.
Especially considering her young age—one could only wonder how far she might go once she received formal training in music theory and rhythm.
With this kind of innate ability, if she became the rightful successor of Sacred Sound Jade Spirit Sect…
In the near future, instead of “Soul-Enchanting Demon Queen,” the world might see the rise of a “Little Queen of Sound.”
Dong. Doodoong. Dong. Doodoodoong.
La, lalala, lalala, lala, lalalala…
Jegal Seolha’s voice danced through the air, vibrating the iron rods embedded in the chamber.
The resonance spread outward, triggering the other rods one by one in perfect harmony.
The collective resonance filled the entire cavern, and, in response, the hidden mechanism activated.
Clack!
A metal door in the corner creaked open.
Finishing her song, Jegal Seolha turned and approached Yang-hwi, her shoulders practically lifted with pride.
“Hehe. With this, I’d say I’ve repaid at least a tenth of the favor I owe you from the first trial, wouldn’t you agree?”
“You’ve sung a song that reached the realm of poetry itself. I’d say you’ve repaid the whole thing—ten out of ten.”
“Fufu, I humbly accept the praise, Sahyung. Shall we move on to the next trial now? The door’s closing!”
“…Hold on.”
The heavy metal door was already beginning to close fast. Yet Yang-hwi didn’t budge.
Soon, it slammed shut.
They could just reopen it with another song—there was no danger of being trapped.
But Jegal Seolha looked puzzled. She didn’t understand why he was just standing there.
“What is it, Sahyung?”
“I want to try passing this one too.”
Her song. The resonating rods.
This trial operated through the harmony between sound and qi.
Watching it all unfold, something inside Yang-hwi stirred—an odd curiosity, or perhaps a faint flicker of understanding.
It wasn’t a full epiphany, not yet, but he felt that if he just walked away now, he’d be leaving something important behind.
And so, Yang-hwi followed his instincts.
“They say music and dance are two halves of a whole. Since I’ve been gifted such a beautiful song, allow this Sahyung to offer a dance in return.”
Dance (무, ‘mu’)—and martial arts (무, ‘mu’)—shared the same root.
With a practiced motion, he drew his wooden training sword and stepped into a graceful sword dance.
Then, striking the first iron rod with pinpoint precision—
Chararang!
---The End Of The Chapter---
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