Chapter 11 – Ten Thousand Flows Reverting to the Source Divine Art

Chapter 11 – Ten Thousand Flows Reverting to the Source Divine Art

“…So.”

What did I just hear?

Without realizing it, I slightly raised my low voice and asked again.

“Did I… understand this correctly just now?”

In the center of the Family Head's Hall. Opposite the long table sat Family Head Tang Hwa-seon, and on his either side sat the leaders of each hall.

However, since no answer returned from anyone, I also curled up the corners of my mouth and continued my question.

“Are you saying that from the beginning, it wasn't an exam with a set answer…?”

The exam that was said to have an atrocious difficulty with a 1-in-300 chance, and if failed, closed-door training for who knows how many years awaited.

The one that made me memorize every single book in the library, and because even that didn't give me certainty, made me tear up the library to find the mechanical array, and hold onto that chest for three whole days solving the puzzle until my eyes almost popped out…

That very exam.

There was a reason why, despite doing all that crazy stuff, I still couldn't pick the correct answer. Apparently, it was an exam without a correct answer in the first place.

That's right. I had been completely scammed.

The original purpose of this exam was none other than a survey of future career goals. Choosing one book meant letting me select which hall's martial arts I had more talent in and which one I wanted to learn more.

‘Why did no one think to ask me normally what I wanted to be when I grew up? Instead of putting innocent me through trials and tribulations with threats and blackmail…’

The closed-door training that had terrified me was also just blackmail—no, they said it was just a joke.

Suddenly becoming the frog hit by a stone thrown by Tang Hwa-seon, I had no way to hide my absurdity. Shouldn't someone ban making such jokes with a face so solemn and imposing? It was truly enough to drive one crazy.

‘I don't know whether to laugh or cry.’

Obtaining a treasure-like internal energy by finding a miraculous encounter was, of course, a happy thing, but my voice naturally shook when I recalled the anxiety I had felt for ten whole days inside the library. I was experiencing confusion between extremely ambivalent emotions.

“……Excuse me.”

However, my absurdity did not end here.

“My goodness, how can such a thing happen?”

“To think it's the Ten Thousand Flows Reverting to the Source Divine Art. Isn't that a supreme divine art that was lost long ago! It has been nearly a hundred years since it disappeared from the records…”

“Ha, to think that what we searched so desperately for was in the library. It truly is darkest under the lamp.”

“It is a great blessing for the family. The founder has watched over the Tang Clan, so what could be more joyful than this?”

Because everyone here was pouring out their amazement while peering into the chest, as if I didn't even exist.

“……Are you listening to me?”

I spoke up once more, but as expected, there was no response. Feeling isolation in a crowd, I let out a deep sigh and tilted my stiff neck back.

‘How did it end up like this…?’

I quietly closed my eyes and recalled the situation from a moment ago.

***

So… when I opened the door of the library to end the long ten-day exam.

The servant who saw me coming out of the door brought over the leader of the Craftsmanship Hall, who happened to be nearby. But the moment the hall leader saw me, he gaped his mouth wide open and let out a deflating sound out of nowhere.

“Huuuuh…”

“……?”

Then, before I could say anything, others who rushed over with pale faces joined in making that deflating sound. No one answered my questions. Only sounds of what might be laments or gasps continued. Having no way of knowing whether the exam had ended properly and thus whether I passed, I just stood blankly in front of the library.

“Huuuh…”

“Ha, ha… My!”

“Huuuh, huuuuh.”

What were they even doing…?

With all the powerful figures of the Tang Clan gathered in one place and staring at me as if they were looking at a ghost, I felt like my soul was going to leave my body. Was I dead right now… If so, was this necromancy…?

Their expressions showed they wondered what on earth was going to happen, but I was the one who was most curious. Seriously, what are you doing with me?

‘Anyway, if I hand it over, they can verify it, right?’

I held out the chest to Tang Hwa-seon, who was still gaping and unable to speak.

At that, Tang Hwa-seon, startled, threw out unrefined questions in a rough voice.

“How did you… No, where? What on earth is going on?”

“…Pardon?”

“Wh-Where did you find this? Do you even know what this is?”

I was about to answer “From the floor…” but seeing his pupils shaking wildly, I felt that something was wrong.

“………”

I was wrong. Then did all this suffering go to waste? How difficult was a surprise exam that even this wasn't the answer? Feeling extremely despondent, I resented the blue sky that remained indifferent to my feelings.

This meant that until Tang Hwa-seon grabbed my arm holding the chest and shouted, I had not anticipated this situation at all.

“You… the Te-Te-Ten Thousand Flows Reverting to the Source Divine Art…!”

I swore it was the first time I had seen Tang Hwa-seon this flustered since I came here. Seeing him, who was always serious, raise his voice unconsciously and even stutter, I couldn't help but ask back.

“Is it… that much of a wrong answer?”

Tang Hwa-seon shook his head quickly while gripping my shoulder.

“It is a secret manual that was lost long ago. I thought the lineage was cut off forever…”

‘What?’

No sooner had he finished speaking than the hall leaders, who had been standing a step away, swarmed over. I blinked my eyes, trying to understand Tang Hwa-seon's words, and looked at the crowding hall leaders.

“Ah, genuine! It is definitely genuine!”

The first to speak was the leader of the Craftsmanship Hall, Tang Mu-seon. After turning the chest I brought out this way and that, he nodded and said:

“It is clear without looking further. This chest is definitely made of meteoric iron. Such detailed patterns… Isn't it exactly as described in the records!”

“Wait, let me see it for a moment!”

At that moment, the leader of the Ten Thousand Poisons Hall, Tang Yi-seon, who was behind, suddenly reached out and snatched the chest from Tang Mu-seon's arms. Seeing the small glass bottle wrapped in silk along with the Ten Thousand Flows Reverting to the Source Divine Art, his eyes twitched.

Tang Yi-seon, his hands trembling, very carefully picked up the glass bottle and began to examine it.

“It-It is the Mixed Curse Blood. The very poison that the Poison Sovereign made himself in the past!”

Along with a gasp filled with emotion, he took out the silk and wrapped it around the glass bottle in case it might get damaged.

“…….”

The leader of the Martial Hidden Hall, Tang Tae-seon, who had been quietly watching the scene from one side, spoke in a trembling voice.

“Hand it over, hand it here. Quickly.”

Though he was always blunt and fast, when the chest was actually presented in front of him, he could not readily snatch it and hesitated, even stuttering.

“C-cough!”

As if that wasn't enough, he retracted his extended hand, wiped it on his trousers, and pulled out the book with a solemn expression.

The paper touched by his hand shook minutely, representing his turbulent feelings. To him, who was responsible for the martial arts of the Tang Clan, nothing seemed more precious than this.

“………!!”

Before long, his eyes, which had tried to remain calm, opened so wide they looked as if they would pop out.

Tang Tae-seon nodded his head several times, proving that it was genuine without any wicked prank or a shred of falsehood.

“………Ugh.”

It was then that a strange sound was heard.

As the leaders of the Craftsmanship Hall, the Ten Thousand Poisons Hall, and the Martial Hidden Hall all finished their verification, my body began to shake as if an earthquake had occurred. The source of the vibration was Family Head Tang Hwa-seon, who held my shoulders, and his body was shaking even more than mine.

“…Groooan.”

When a strange groan-like sound escaped Tang Hwa-seon's mouth again, the three hall leaders were startled and supported him.

“Family Head!”

“You must not lose consciousness!”

Amidst the chaotic situation where Tang Hwa-seon stiffened up and collapsed with a scream-like shout, causing everyone to go into a frenzy.

I was still…

Just standing blankly.

‘Someone… please send me home…’

After that, it was the situation you see now.

Only the place of the chaos had changed from in front of the library to the Family Head's Hall.

I pressed my throbbing temples and looked at the chest placed in the center.

‘I knew something was strange… Of course. There was no way such a crazy martial art would appear as a mere qualification exam.’

To state the conclusion, I succeeded in gaining Tang Hwa-seon's recognition. Why wouldn't I? In an exam without an answer—no, in a future career survey—I had found the secret manual of a supreme divine art that was lost a hundred years ago.

It was just that… it was a bit too much.

‘It's like telling a newbie to choose a character class, and they suddenly walk into a dungeon, defeat the boss monster, and come out.’

Thinking about it that way, the reaction of the Family Head and the hall leaders wasn't incomprehensible. Moreover, when I replied that I had learned the precious secret manual and attained a minor realization, Tang Hwa-seon grabbed the back of his neck with a gentle smile. It seemed to be an expression of being tickled to death…

‘……?’

While I was lost in thought for a moment, I raised my head at a gaze I felt all of a sudden. The atmosphere, which had been noisy as if I weren't there until just now, had calmed down.

“Ahem…”

“Cough…”

What did I miss?

Not only that, but the hall leaders, who had each been heatedly discussing, all cleared their throats, coughed, and stared intently at me.

Their gazes were so hot that it was embarrassing. I couldn't follow what topic they had moved onto while I wasn't paying attention.

Feeling slightly nervous, I needlessly curled up my lips and put on a smile. Although I was too tired to laugh, it was a sad habit of working professionals that naturally came out when the atmosphere grew heavy.

‘What is it? Why is the atmosphere like this?’

Even though I tried my best to smile, the hall leaders still had stiff expressions… but why did they keep flinching? Even exchanging glances as if checking each other's reactions?

My question didn't last long.

Among the flinching hall leaders, the first to stand up from his seat was the leader of the Ten Thousand Poisons Hall, Tang Yi-seon. He was someone I had met a few times when I caught rare venomous insects or went to the Poison Depository with Tang Hae-soo.

“So, what is your opinion? Since you're interested in poison, it's correct that you've been visiting the Ten Thousand Poisons Hall, right?”

“……?”

When I hesitated for a moment at the completely unexpected question, the leader of the Craftsmanship Hall, Tang Mu-seon, quickly slammed the table with a thud! and said:

“Did you truly solve this chest made of meteoric iron? Without even looking at the solution manual? You are indeed a talent absolutely necessary for the Craftsmanship Hall, so how could we not recognize you until now? It is not too late! I shall bloom your talent!”

“……….”

Ah, could this be.

At that moment, the leader of the Martial Hidden Hall, Tang Tae-seon, jumped up from his seat and strode over to me.

“Nonsense. I was the first to hear about your constitution from the Family Head. The fact that you found this secret manual in addition to your constitution changing cannot possibly be a coincidence. Let us start training in earnest at the Martial Hidden Hall.”

Ah, they were sizing each other up.

The chest I found contained everything that the three halls had been searching for.

First, the chest.

It was refined and crafted from meteoric iron that emitted a dark blue light. Meteoric iron, which is said to be found where shooting stars fall, is extremely precious on its own, but with the secret technique of the Craftsmanship Hall added to it, it truly possessed the value of a priceless treasure.

Second was the Mixed Curse Blood contained in the small glass bottle.

It was an extreme poison that the former leader of the Ten Thousand Poisons Hall, who was called the Poison Sovereign in the past, described as containing “all resentment and curses.” It is said that even less than a single drop can inflict the most heinous pain a human can experience.

Finally, the Ten Thousand Flows Reverting to the Source Divine Art.

The Ten Thousand Flows Reverting to the Source Divine Art, a supreme divine art passed down through generations in the family, was, as I expected, a martial art that only the current Family Head could practice. However, when the former Family Head died in an unexpected accident, the location of the secret vault was also buried forever.

Many people had passed through that place in the meantime, but no one had done the crazy thing of learning all the secret manuals at once. Only I, who was faintly crazy from cramming education, grasped the hidden meaning in the structure of the library.

Having found not one, but three treasures of the clan in this way.

“Wait, didn't I ask first?”

“Uh-huh. Do you think I'm doing this because I didn't hear the leader of the Ten Thousand Poisons Hall? It's because that talent would go to waste!”

“Everyone, stop it. I tell you, it is fate that this child comes to the Martial Hidden Hall.”

The leaders of each hall were curious about my future path, which was their original goal.

The hall leaders, who seemed to be having a battle of nerves over me, and Tang Hae-soo, who looked at me with eyes filled with subtle expectation, came into my sight. For some reason, I felt like I understood the feeling of the last remaining item on a display shelf.

“I…”

As I, who had kept my mouth tightly shut, finally spoke up, five pairs of eyes turned toward me at the same time.