Chapter 11: One Day is Enough

TL: FoodieMonster007

I was stunned when I saw the pill that came out of the severed iron ball.

The Demonic Essence Pill !

The Demonic Essence Pill was a miracle herb refined by our Cult only once every ten years. It was a divine pill that allowed a demonic arts practitioner to gain significant power upon consumption. The amount of inner arts gained depended on the user's constitution and cultivation technique.

I was truly impressed. The Demonic Essence Pill was one thing, but the sphere's ingenuity astonished me even more.

It was designed so that cutting the sphere with enhanced sword qi would generate heat and seal the hidden passage. This prevented the Demonic Essence Pill from coming out. The reward was only for someone who cut it with a sword, not with enhanced sword qi.

In my current situation, where I lacked inner arts most, the Demonic Essence Pill was a gift from the heavens.

"Welcome, Demonic Essence Pill! Thank you, Father!"

Without hesitation, I sat down and immediately consumed the Demonic Essence Pill.

The pill released a sharp fragrance as it melted in my mouth and spread through my body. A powerful energy coursed through my meridians. I focused on my cultivation technique and began absorbing all of it.

I had consumed miracle herbs several times before regressing, so dissolving and absorbing them was not difficult. The unique traits of the Heavenly Martial Body also allowed me to absorb more energy than an ordinary person.

I fell into a trance, circulating my qi and regulating my breath. I only opened my eyes after four hours had passed.

The spiritual energy of the Demonic Essence Pill soaked into my body's meridians like rain after a drought. Through several careful cycles, I refined it into pure inner arts and stored it in my qi center.

I stood up and drew out my true qi.

SHWAAAAK! BOOM!

Even the sound of my fist was different. It sliced through the air with a sharper sound, and the explosive impact felt powerful enough to burst my eardrums. I felt ecstatic joy from this incomparably greater power.

"Hahahahaha!"

An irrepressible laugh echoed thunderously throughout the stone cave.

Ah, could it be?

Did Father teach me how to emit qi during the hunt so I could find the cutting line on this iron ball? Did Father succeed the same way?

However, I soon shook my head. No matter how special Father was, he couldn't have predicted I would enter the Little Heaven Cave because of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

No, wait. Perhaps he thought I might go later on…

Whether he wanted me to get the Demonic Essence Pill or was trying to save the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's face, I had gained a great miraculous encounter thanks to my father.

Father, thank you.

I calmed my body and mind by circulating my true qi for one cycle, then walked toward the next stage.

I arrived at the third gate.

One, distinguish between life and death.

Two, if you do not succeed, another chance will be given after five days.

Three, those who are prepared, stand on the red circle.

Distinguish between life and death? What kind of gate could this be?

The retry period had been reduced to five days. For some reason, I felt this wasn't a good thing.

As I stood on the red circle, a table rose from the floor.

A smile spread across my face when I saw what was on the table.

Ten herbs were laid out there. This gate was a test of distinguishing medicinal herbs from poisonous ones.

There's a saying in the murim to be wary of the elderly, children, and women, but the thing to be most cautious of is poison. You should never carelessly consume food or drink from others, and if you must, you should always check for poison with a silver needle.

So, while everyone was wary of poison, how many would have actually studied how to identify poisonous herbs? Those who had would have rejoiced, while other challengers would have been at a loss.

I belonged to the former group. I once told the Ghostly Sage something before I regressed.

I can proudly say that when it comes to mountain climbing, swimming, diving, and camping, I am an absolute master. I could draw a map of the Central Plains with my eyes closed.

I was the man who had wandered every corner of the Central Plains searching for the 10000 Year Fire Carp. Was I only skilled at swimming and diving? I also knew how to distinguish all sorts of medicinal and poisonous herbs and was well-versed in their effects. I knew enough to tell a decent herbalist to go dig for bellflowers instead of challenging me.

Because of that, I had no need to look at the message my father left.

I confidently picked one of them up. It was the only medicinal herb among the ten poisonous ones.

The table then descended, and another table with new herbs rose in its place.

This time, there were also ten herbs, but they were different from the previous set.

"Ah!"

To prevent anyone from passing by sheer luck, one had to get it right twice in a row.

I could imagine just how difficult this test must have been.

Think about it.

You have to be correct both times, with ten choices each time. What were the chances of getting it right twice in a row? If you guessed based on a hunch, you could spend a lifetime picking poisonous herbs.

In the end, you have to eat them to find out.

As if to confirm my thought, the amount of each poisonous herb was just enough to not be lethal. Of course, being poisoned meant you would suffer for several days.

Still, this was the best method. If you were lucky and found the medicinal herb quickly, you would get out fast. If you were unlucky, it would take a long time.

I picked the non-poisonous herb from the second set. I half-expected a third set to appear, but the test wasn't that harsh.

When I correctly chose the medicinal herb the second time, the door to the next stage opened.

I wondered if anyone else had found the non-poisonous herb twice in a row on the first try like me. A challenger who favored poison arts might have found it at once, but most would have struggled here for a long time.

Curious about what my father had written, I went to the wall where challengers had left messages.

Damn it ! I'm going to become a poison man at this rate.

What kind of idiot thought up this test? How often do we even encounter these poisonous herbs?

There must be a clue to find the medicinal herb. I have to study it.

I can't even remember how many times I've failed. Should I just eat all this poison and die? Even the nutrient balls feel like poisonous herbs now.

I should have calculated properly from the start. I resent myself for trusting my gut.

Success on the ninety-sixth try. Tears are blurring my vision!

I ate so much poison that a lot of my hair fell out.

At the very bottom was the message my father had left.

Fools! Don't believe in things like luck.

I could tell. Father must have consumed the poisonous herbs one by one from his first attempt, memorizing each one. He must have realized instantly that leaving it to luck was a waste of time.

He did say he got out in two months.

Even though he said not to believe in luck, it seems my father was quite lucky at this gate. Or perhaps he had some prior knowledge of poisonous herbs and could rule out a few options.

"Fortunately, we father and son managed to keep our hair."

The fourth gate was the final gate. The stone tablet stated it was the final trial.

One, survive in the Illusion Formation of Life and Death.

Two, if you die in the formations, you die in reality.

Two, those who are prepared, stand on the red circle.

To my surprise, a gate where failure meant death had appeared.

The Illusion Formation of Life and Death.

A formation where dying inside meant dying for real.

This time, the messages were from those who had survived.

That was a really, really tough fight. Someday, when I become the Heavenly Demon, I'm going to find the person who created the Illusion Formation of Life and Death and kill them.

It was so scary and difficult.

Damn it! Who the hell made this kind of formation?

For the rest of my life, I will never set foot in the Illusion Formation of Life and Death again.

Father's message was here as well. This time, there was no profanity, just a single piece of advice.

Don't rest.

It was obviously a clue for this gate, but it also felt like advice for my life. It was probably because this was the final gate.

Yes, I will press on without rest.

I calmly circulated my qi to fill my reserves of inner arts, then walked toward the red circle.

As I stood inside the circle, the Illusion Formation of Life and Death activated, and the surrounding scenery began to change.

A moment later, I was standing in a wasteland.

The sand trickling through my fingers, the bare trees with their dry leaves, the insects on the rocks, everything was real. No, it felt real.

"The highest-level formations are truly incredible."

It went beyond mysterious and felt wondrous. How could it create such a realistic world? It made me realize that true geniuses really do exist.

It was then.

Martial artists appeared with the sand-laden wind. They had no eyes, noses, or mouths. They were illusions created by the formation.

There were thirty of them in total.

They were illusions, but illusions with substance. Like the rock I had just touched, their swordsmanship would be real.

The illusions surrounded me, radiating killing intent. Even a high-level martial artist would flinch if they lacked real combat experience. The anxiety of being stabbed in the back and the pressure from multiple enemies is greater than one might think.

Of course, I had fought against even more opponents. Besides, since my opponents weren't human, I felt more at ease.

I shot forward, landing swiftly among them.

STAB! STAB!

The fight began as I stabbed the chests of the illusions to my left and right.

I showed no mercy. I stabbed their necks and bellies, broke their arms, and crushed their skulls. Since they weren't human, I felt no guilt.

I dodged attacks and counterattacked. I used a single technique both with and without qi. Since the opponents didn't tire, I could test various things.

When they died, they burst with a POP. Hearing that sound was incredibly satisfying.

After I defeated all thirty of the first wave, I was given a short break.

Just as I was about to quickly circulate my qi, I remembered my father's words.

Don't rest.

Ah, so this was it.

It was my father's advice to fight without replenishing my inner arts during the break. Advice to fight as if it were a real battle, making good use of the inner arts I had.

In a real fight, there would be no time to replenish inner arts like this. This was a rare opportunity to practice controlling my inner arts in a real combat situation.

Still, this is the Illusion Formation of Life and Death, a matter of life or death, and you tell me not to rest? That's advice truly worthy of you, Father.

Following my father's will, I waited without recovering my inner arts.

After enough time passed to circulate my true qi for one cycle, the next wave of illusions appeared.

This time there were twenty of them. The number had decreased, but they were much stronger. Their movements were faster, and their martial arts were of a higher level. Moreover, they now used a variety of weapons. They used not only swords and blades but also shot arrows and threw hidden weapons.

It was a dangerous fight where a single mistake could cost me my life, but I was thrilled. It was the first time since regressing that I could experience a real battle.

Too slow! Come at me faster!

I ran across their shoulders, batting away dozens of hidden weapons in mid-air. I subdued an illusion and used it as a shield. I even fought them with my eyes closed.

Even after the second fight ended, I didn't circulate my qi. I didn't know how many stages there were, but I fought intending to use only half of my remaining inner arts.

The third wave of illusions appeared.

Ten of them this time.

I was certain they would be the last. Judging by their aura, this was the limit of what a challenger could handle. Many challengers must have died here.

Indeed, these enemies were incomparably stronger and faster than the previous two waves.

On the contrary, I was disappointed.

It's already over!

I wanted to fight more.

I weaved between them, practicing dodging their attacks. When I decided it was time, I finished it with a flourish. Since I was sure it was the final battle, I poured all my power into it.

My sword created dazzling lines in the air. From my past experience, the evaluation of the Soaring Sky Sword Art varied depending on the opponent. After all, with martial arts, you can only see as much as you know. Weaker opponents judged it a flashy but superficial sword art. Stronger opponents were shocked to realize its seven sword forms held infinite variations and depth.

As the ultimate techniques of the Soaring Sky Sword Art unfolded, the ten illusions were swept away. They were the strongest illusions in the formation, yet they were annihilated in the fastest and most spectacular fashion. The sight of the enemies bursting, POP, POP, looked just like fireworks.

With the disappearance of the last illusion, the Illusion Formation of Life and Death was broken.

My level was so high that the urgent situation my father had intended never materialized. However, it was a refreshing fight. I felt as if the anger pent up in my chest had been completely released.

Yes, this alone was meaningful enough for me.

When the Illusion Formation of Life and Death vanished, a door leading outside opened, and a stone tablet was erected next to it.

One, to exit, push this tablet aside.

Two, congratulations on safely passing the gates. We hope you will use your strength for the development and revival of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

Thus, the trials of the Little Heaven Cave came to an end.

Amazingly, I had passed through the gates of the Little Heaven Cave in just a single day.

When this news gets out, our Cult will probably be in an uproar. Father took two months, but I got out in a single day? There would be more disbelief than praise.

Gu Pyeongho, who had a duel with me, would probably foam at the mouth, claiming I cheated and manipulated the results. Father and the Eight Demon Supremes would also try to find out how I could have possibly gotten out in one day. There would be more than one or two headaches.

In the end, I decided not to leave.

Right, let's train.

I'll train here. I have to save my father's face, so let's just fill a hundred days and then leave.

Fortunately, there was plenty of training to do, and an even bigger pile of those disgusting nutrient balls.

Let's train! While chewing on solitude and nutrient balls.