Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 97

Mok Gyeong-un couldn’t help but be inwardly astonished by the number of bookshelves surrounding the entire cavern and the abundance of secret manuals filling them.

Apart from martial arts, it seemed to be the first time he had seen such a vast quantity of books since his birth.

Moreover, all of these were secret manuals.

Which sword technique, which footwork method, which palm technique, which cultivation method…

The sheer number was so vast that he couldn’t even fathom where to start.

‘One shichen, huh.’

Before seeing this place, he had thought it was quite a generous amount of time.

However, upon witnessing the immense collection of martial arts books, he realized that the time might not be as ample as he had initially thought.

Just then, Cheong-ryeong’s voice rang in his ears.

-They’re all useless.

“What?”

Mok Gyeong-un replied in a whisper.

She then said,

-The ones placed around the perimeter are all secret manuals that would only be coveted by those aiming for third-rate or at most first-rate martial arts.

“Is that so?”

-Can’t you tell at a glance?

“I can’t tell at a glance.”

-…Well, it’s impossible for a mortal like you who has just entered the path to have discerning eyes.

Cheong-ryeong clicked her tongue and said.

However, this wasn’t Mok Gyeong-un’s fault.

Thanks to various fortuitous encounters, his transcendent memory, and a body that could manifest it, he was growing at an incomparable speed compared to ordinary geniuses, but considering the short time since his initiation, his insight couldn’t be that broad.

-You should be grateful to this venerable one, mortal.

“Is that so?”

-With your insignificant insight, you wouldn’t be able to discern the martial arts that are somewhat useful, would you?

“Well, that’s true.”

Mok Gyeong-un readily agreed.

At his response, Cheong-ryeong felt deflated.

In fact, from Mok Gyeong-un’s perspective, there was no reason to assert his pride in such matters.

“Will you choose for me?”

-Didn’t I tell you? With your insight, you would only waste time, so this venerable one will select the useful ones for you.

“That’s something to be grateful for.”

-First, go to the upper floor.

“Upper floor?”

Was there an upper floor here?

As he wondered, Cheong-ryeong said,

-Can’t you see that the bookshelves reach the ceiling?

“Ah.”

Upon closer inspection, there were supports placed between the bookshelves at intervals, allowing one to walk up to about two or three floors high.

However, judging from her tone, it seemed as if she was well-acquainted with the structure of this place.

So, as Mok Gyeong-un moved, he asked,

“Have you been here before?”

-Impossible.

“But you seem to know quite a lot. Telling me to go upstairs without properly examining the secret manuals.”

Did she know what was up there and tell him to go up?

At this, Cheong-ryeong chuckled and said,

-Judging from the structure here, they have replicated the treasure vault from the main headquarters.

“The main headquarters?”

-Yes. There is also a treasure vault in the main headquarters. It seems they have brought copies of the secret manuals from there and placed them here.

“Ah, is that so? It seems like a hassle when only a few people would properly see them.”

They could have just brought the good secret manuals.

Then, Cheong-ryeong snorted and said,

-Ha! If you don’t know, just stay quiet.

“What?”

-The fact that they created a treasure vault filled with copies deep in the mountains and cliffs, rather than in the main headquarters, is probably a precautionary measure.

“Precautionary measure?”

-Perhaps in case of an unexpected invasion?

“Invasion? You mean in case the main headquarters is attacked?”

-Yes. Think about it. No matter how powerful a martial arts sect is, as time passes and generations change, it’s common for them to weaken and collapse, like the natural order of things.

“Ah, so they made copies in advance?”

-Probably. If the main headquarters were to be attacked, it would be natural to burn or destroy the treasure vault to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.

“While destroying it is easy, moving or protecting it is difficult, so they prepared in advance.”

-Indeed. I don’t know whose idea this was, but it’s a good strategy.

“I agree.”

Mok Gyeong-un nodded in agreement.

Having learned to some extent how much martial artists cherished and coveted martial arts secret manuals, he recognized that they were a significant asset to them.

Considering that it would be impossible to move this vast treasure vault all at once, it was the right choice.

-Creak!

“…It seems they don’t maintain it as much as I thought.”

The wooden frame leading to the upper level creaked and swayed.

Unlike the main headquarters, the treasure vault within Corpse Blood Valley was not frequently used, so perhaps that was the reason.

-What are you going to do?

“What do you think I’ll do?”

-Knowing your personality, you won’t be satisfied with just one or two necessary items.

“Since we’re here, it would be nice to look for useful things all around.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Cheong-ryeong chuckled.

Mok Gyeong-un’s transcendent memory was helpful wherever he went, but in situations like this, it could be considered the best.

‘I was curious, so this is perfect.’

Cheong-ryeong had been wondering about the extent of Mok Gyeong-un’s memory, which could perfectly memorize something after seeing it once.

It seemed like a good opportunity to test how much he could memorize.

As they were contemplating, the guardian Unit Leader Yang Mu-won, who was about to light an incense stick and measure time at the entrance of the treasure vault below, gazed at Mok Gyeong-un with a puzzled expression.

‘That kid…’

How did he go up there so quickly?

In fact, the lowest shelves of the treasure vault contained basic techniques and secret manuals suitable for martial artists ranging from third-rate to first-rate.

The real deal started from the second-floor shelves, but as soon as he entered, he barely glanced at the lower section and went straight up.

‘Hmm.’

Anyone who saw him would think he had been here several times, given how natural his movements were.

After a moment of puzzlement, Unit Leader Yang Mu-won decided to ignore it.

In any case, his task was to be the guardian of the treasure vault, and all he had to do was ensure that the child didn’t secretly take out any unauthorized manuals.

Just then,

‘Did he find something useful?’

He noticed Mok Gyeong-un pulling out a secret manual from the bookshelf.

No matter how good one’s inner strength and eyesight were, it was impossible to know exactly what he had taken out from this distance.

However, from the second floor onwards, there were quite a few Ascending Martial Arts.

There were secret manuals aimed at the Peak Realm and above, so whatever he chose would be beneficial to him.

-Rustle rustle rustle!

Mok Gyeong-un was seen flipping through the secret manual as if skimming it.

He was flipping through it quite quickly, but could he properly read the contents written inside like that?

Just then, after going through the entire book, he placed it back on the shelf.

‘Huh?’

Did he even read it properly?

Why was he skimming through it like that?

Even if he only had one shichen, if he had the discernment to go straight to the second floor, he could have carefully selected from there…

-Tap!

Mok Gyeong-un was seen pulling out another secret manual.

Then, just like before, he started flipping through the pages at an incredible speed, rustling the pages.

‘…What is he doing?’

At that speed, he wasn’t skimming but merely turning the pages.

Could he even understand the contents by reading like that?

However, it wasn’t only Unit Leader Yang Mu-won who was thinking this way.

‘This brat?’

Was he really examining it properly?

He was flipping through the book too quickly, almost to the extent of simply opening and immediately turning the page rather than reading.

Cheong-ryeong asked, just in case.

-Mortal. Are you really memorizing it? If you flip through it so quickly…

-Rustle! Rustle! Rustle! Tap!

Mok Gyeong-un closed the last page of the secret manual and whispered,

“Yes. Of course, I’m memorizing it.”

-!?

Memorizing… it?

No matter how good one’s memory was, didn’t they need to read the text to some extent to memorize it?

In Cheong-ryeong’s eyes, Mok Gyeong-un wasn’t even skimming but merely opening the book and immediately turning to the next page.

However,

“If I’m not trying to understand it right away, I can memorize it just by looking at it.”

-What?

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Cheong-ryeong was momentarily at a loss for words.

He was reading the contents so quickly that it was almost like skimming, no, it was closer to just looking at it, yet he claimed to have memorized everything?

For a moment, she was dumbfounded.

Even as a spirit, her memory was different from humans, but it was still difficult to do that.

‘…An absurd memory.’

She had initially thought his memory was already at an unbelievable level, but this surpassed human limits.

Mok Gyeong-un asked her, who was stunned and speechless.

“What’s the next useful secret manual?”

-Next? You really…

“Really what?”

For a moment, she almost asked if he was truly human.

Not only his acceptance of the energy of death but also his memory was beyond extraordinary, surpassing the level of ordinary humans.

It might be strange for a spirit like her to say this, but he really didn’t seem human.

Cheong-ryeong, who had been staring intently at Mok Gyeong-un, finally came to her senses and said,

-The… next one is… Huh? Why is that there?

“What are you looking at?”

-Look at the third shelf from the bottom on the right, where you’re currently looking.

“Profound Mystic Foot Technique[1]?”

Judging from the characters “각법, Foot Technique”, it seemed to be a martial art that utilized the feet.

Cheong-ryeong said to Mok Gyeong-un,

-It’s the foot technique of the Myeongsun School[2]. It was offered by a school that joined the Heaven and Earth Society in its early days. It’s a foot technique that excels in agility and variation, and with a little modification, it can be classified as an Early Ascending Martial Art.

“Early Ascending?”

According to Cheong-ryeong, martial arts that aimed for the Peak Realm or early-stage of Transcendent Realm were classified as Ascending Martial Arts.

And martial arts that had the potential and insight to go beyond the early stage of Transcendent Realm were supposed to be classified as Early Ascending Martial Arts.

In that case,

“Why is this here?”

She had said it should be on the third floor.

At this question, Cheong-ryeong also muttered as if she couldn’t understand.

-Who knows? This venerable one had originally classified the Profound Mystic Foot Technique as an Early Ascending Martial Art and placed it on the third floor.

But if it had been moved down,

‘…Could it be him?’

There was a possibility.

After all, he had denied and overturned everything about himself.

Clicking her tongue as if it was absurd, she said,

-Anyway, it would be good for you to learn the Profound Mystic Foot Technique. This venerable one guarantees that it’s hard to find a foot technique as good as this within the entire Heaven and Earth Society.

That’s how versatile and swift it was, making it the most suitable for attacking and seizing opportunities.

At her words, Mok Gyeong-un flipped through the Profound Mystic Foot Technique and memorized it.

She stuck out her tongue as if she couldn’t get used to it no matter how much she looked.

It was truly a crazy memory.

It took about fifteen counts to memorize an entire book.

-Rustle! Tap!

“Next?”

-Fifth from the bottom on the right.

“Yes.”

At this rate, it seemed like he could memorize dozens, no, even hundreds of books before leaving.

Although it was questionable whether there was a need to memorize that many, if he did, it would be an opportunity to greatly expand his insight into martial arts.

Wasn’t it said that in ancient times, an imperial official named Hwangsang became a peerless expert by simply reading thousands of Taoist secret manuals, opening his meridians and attaining enlightenment about qi?

Each secret manual contained its own insights, so if this mortal fellow truly had talent, he would gain something from it.

-Rustle! Rustle! Tap!

“Next.”

It was really hard to get used to.

It was instantaneous.

-The one next to it… Hmm.

“Why? Is there another martial art like the Profound Mystic Foot Technique?”

-No, that’s not it, but the Supreme Ultimate Soft Palm[3] over there is a palm technique of the Wudang Sect.

“Wudang Sect? Is that also a martial arts school?”

-…I’m constantly witnessing the limits of your knowledge.

He really knew nothing about the martial arts world, even to an excessive extent.

So, Cheong-ryeong said,

-The Wudang Sect can be considered the pinnacle of Taoist martial arts, and among the righteous factions, it is called the supreme martial arts school, surpassing even the famous schools.

“It must be an incredible place.”

-Indeed. It’s not one of the Nine Schools and One Sect for nothing.

“What are the Nine Schools and One Sect?”

-I don’t have time to explain every single thing, so to put it simply, there are nine martial arts schools and one sect that are regarded as the best even among the righteous factions. The Wudang Sect is one of them.

“Is that so? Then it would be better to learn this as well.”

-No. Actually, I was going to tell you not to learn it.

At those words, Mok Gyeong-un asked in puzzlement,

“Why? If it’s a martial art from such an incredible place…”

-Of course, it would be useful. However, for you, Taoist martial arts might actually be… Hmm.

“Why?”

-It’s because it could be poisonous to you.

“Poisonous?”

-Most of the energy occupying your body is the energy of death. However, Taoist martial arts are based on the principles of nourishing life. So, if you carelessly learn it, it might clash with the death energy, which is why I was hesitating.

“Ah, is that so?”

It made sense for Cheong-ryeong to be contemplating.

In that case, it might be better not to learn it, but,

“…Still, I’ll memorize it.”

-What? Why…

“No. How do you know if it might come in handy?”

-Come in handy?

“Didn’t you tell me before, Cheong-ryeong?”

-What did I say?

“That just by looking at the wounds or traces left by martial arts, you can identify which school it belongs to and what type it is.”

-I did say that.

“Couldn’t this be used in a similar way if utilized well?”

-You couldn’t possibly…

Mok Gyeong-un smiled.

Seeing this, Cheong-ryeong clicked her tongue inwardly.

Whenever this fellow learned something, the ways he thought of utilizing it were truly beyond what others could imagine.

He would be a really troublesome individual to have as an enemy.

As Mok Gyeong-un was about to pull out the secret manual of the Wudang Sect’s Supreme Ultimate Soft Palm,

“Uh… Hm?”

Mok Gyeong-un looked puzzled as he examined the book.

That’s because a part of the secret manual was dark red, as if it had been stained with blood.

Moreover, the secret manual seemed quite old.

So, Mok Gyeong-un asked,

“Didn’t you say they only collected copies?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s question, Cheong-ryeong also found it strange.

The book currently grasped in Mok Gyeong-un’s hand was probably,

-…It seems to be the original.