Returning Immortal

Chapter 3 : Primordial Chaos Art

After the physician left, Gwi Seongjin rose from the bed and slowly walked around the room.

Out of habit, the entire structure of the room was imprinted in his mind.

The length and height, the placement of the furniture and the door, and even the materials of the floor, walls, and ceiling were all perfectly memorized in his head.

Having practiced the Spirit Energy Art, the Primordial Chaos Art, from a young age, Gwi Seongjin's five senses had already surpassed those of an ordinary person.

His sight, smell, hearing, and taste were excellent, and even his sense of touch was remarkable.

His memory was truly outstanding.

He could even tell how many steps he had just taken.

Thud, thud.

Climbing back onto the bed, Gwi Seongjin sat in a cross-legged position.

He wasn't trying to practice the Primordial Chaos Art.

It was to devise a plan to survive in this place.

From what he had gathered so far, it seemed they wouldn't kill him right away.

The formation these people must have discovered...

An ancient formation that even the Luminous Cult, with its numerous talented individuals, couldn't break, and in the end, had no choice but to drag in a disciple of the Ghost Valley Sect.

They wouldn't kill him before that was resolved.

This was especially true now that he had passed the first hurdle.

'But I can't be complacent. These are lawless and ferocious people. They are people who would do anything under the pretext of eliminating future trouble.'

This wasn't just an idle worry.

They were people who had not only poisoned him with a chronic poison but had also made him ingest a poison Gu.

It wouldn't be strange at all if they added his hands and feet to the list.

In the end, the conclusion was that he had to obey their words to be safe.

Revenge would come after that.

Fortunately, Gwi Seongjin possessed a genius brain that even his late father had acknowledged, and he had learned the immortal arts secretly passed down in the Ghost Valley Sect.

Of course, his ability with formations was not low either.

Although his ability to set up and sense formations was a bit lacking, his skill in breaking them was almost on par with his late father's.

But his limitations were also clear, and the biggest problem was the fact that he was a prisoner.

And not just an ordinary prisoner, but one who was dragged here after they annihilated his sect and murdered his parents.

So they would not be lax in their surveillance of him.

Another weakness was his low martial prowess.

As the young master of the Ghost Valley Sect, he knew most of the martial arts passed down in the sect.

But there were only a few that he had practiced deeply.

Moreover, this was the Luminous Cult, filled with fiends and devils.

It was a place where he couldn't even breathe properly with his early-stage first-rate internal energy.

Nor could he use the spirit energy that was just beginning to form.

Frankly, before reaching the second stage of Qi Refinement, the Spirit and Body Unity realm, there was almost no way to use the spirit energy in his upper dantian.

Re-evaluating his own capabilities and limitations, Gwi Seongjin decided on his future course of action.

He had to thoroughly hide the fact that he was practicing immortal arts.

While doing so, he had to increase his spiritual power by any means necessary.

Also, it was better to raise his presence by instilling the perception that he was an omnipotent genius when it came to formations.

He was reasonably quick-witted.

But being evaluated as impulsive would be advantageous in many ways.

* * *

The next morning.

The guard who came to find Gwi Seongjin took him down to the basement.

The third basement floor.

Even so, the guard did not stop.

Gwi Seongjin asked in an anxious voice.

"How far are we going?"

"We're not going to die, so shut up and follow me!"

The guard, who spat out his words nervously, went down to the fourth basement floor and stopped in front of a thick iron door.

"You have only half a quarter-hour."

"Half a quarter-hour?"

As Gwi Seongjin made a questioning expression, the sound of a whip came from the door next to them.

A tearing scream followed.

The guard, who had frowned as if annoyed by the noise, opened a small sliding window in the center of the iron door.

"Remember! Half a quarter-hour."

After finishing his words, the guard stepped to one side.

"D-don't tell me..."

Gwi Seongjin approached the door with a trembling heart.

Inside the sliding window were iron bars.

Gwi Seongjin's face, which looked inside through them, instantly turned pale.

Inside, a woman was tied up, stained with blood.

Although he couldn't see her face, Gwi Seongjin knew at once who she was.

The lover he had yearned for even in his dreams...

It was Baek Gayeong.

"Bae-Baekmae!"

Gwi Seongjin called out, but Baek Gayeong didn't move.

She was hanging limply, as if dead, bound by iron chains.

The startled Gwi Seongjin's voice grew louder without him realizing it.

"Baekmae! It's me, Gwi Seongjin."

"..."

Baek Gayeong's head lifted slightly.

That too was brief; after looking left and right, Baek Gayeong's head dropped powerlessly.

"Here, here."

Gwi Seongjin, becoming urgent, called out again.

"E-Elder Brother?"

As if realizing that the voice she was hearing was not a delusion...

Baek Gayeong raised her head and looked around.

Sob!

At her dirty and haggard appearance, Gwi Seongjin's eyes reddened.

Her jade-like face, which had been as clear and radiant as a flower under the moon, had become gaunt in just a few days.

The intelligence in her eyes also looked dim...

"Baekmae! It's me. Me! Gwi Seongjin."

When Baek Gayeong couldn't find him, Gwi Seongjin loudly announced his position.

"E-Elder Brother! Is it really you, Elder Brother?"

Baek Gayeong, who had turned her head toward Gwi Seongjin, asked in a tearful voice.

Gwi Seongjin, who had practiced Spirit Energy Art, had excellent eyesight, whereas she had ordinary senses.

In the dark room.

She couldn't immediately recognize who it was from the face slightly revealed through the gap in the bars.

"That's right. I am your foolish Elder Brother. Yeonga! You are..."

"Y-Yeonga!"

At the word Yeonga, Baek Gayeong's eyes widened.

Yeonga was a pet name Gwi Seongjin had given Baek Gayeong, a secret known only to the two of them.

"Yeonga! I missed you."

"Me too. I missed you to death, Elder Brother."

Baek Gayeong shook her head from side to side.

She wanted to wipe her tears, but she couldn't move her hands.

"Yeonga, don't cry..."

Gwi Seongjin couldn't bring himself to finish his words.

Thinking of his own situation, he couldn't comfort her.

"Elder Brother!"

"What is it?"

"I'm not dreaming right now, am I?"

"It's not a dream. But right now we..."

Gwi Seongjin shook the bars he was gripping as if to break them.

But the iron bars didn't budge.

"Gods of heaven and earth! Thank you. I wanted to see Elder Brother just once before I die... Now I have no regrets even if I die."

At Baek Gayeong's words, Gwi Seongjin was startled and shouted.

"Yeonga! What do you mean, die?"

Baek Gayeong didn't answer Gwi Seongjin's question.

She just wore a sorrowful smile on her lips.

"Yeonga! I have something I want to say to you."

"..."

"No matter how hard it is, endure it. Then I will definitely save you."

"..."

When Baek Gayeong remained silent, Gwi Seongjin's voice grew louder.

"Why don't you answer? Don't tell me you don't believe this Elder Brother?"

"How could I not believe you, Elder Brother?"

"Then promise me. That you will never, ever do anything foolish..."

"I understand. Then you too, Elder Brother..."

"What is it you want to say? Although I am a captive, I will grant you anything you wish."

"Thank you, Elder Brother! The only thing I wish for is..."

"This is frustrating. Hurry up and say it."

"I hope you will also take care of your precious self, Elder Brother. So that when we meet again..."

Just then.

"That's enough! Half a quarter-hour has passed."

With a cold voice, the sliding window was shut with a rattle.

"W-wait a moment..."

"No."

"Just one more word..."

Gwi Seongjin pleaded in a pitiful voice, but the guard was as firm as could be.

Grabbing the back of Gwi Seongjin's neck, he began to drag him away without rhyme or reason.

* * *

Thud!

The guard pushed Gwi Seongjin, who had trouble with his feet, into the room as if throwing him, and went down to the floor below.

This time, there were no threats.

He just glared coldly for a moment.

The guard, who had shown such an angry expression, opened Gwi Seongjin's door again in less than half a shichen.

This time, he was with Academician Yu.

Discovering the two entering, Gwi Seongjin leisurely rose from the bed.

Academician Yu said to Gwi Seongjin.

"You seem to be doing well?"

"For letting me meet her... thank you very much."

At Gwi Seongjin's answer, Academician Yu's eyes sparkled.

It was because it wasn't informal speech.

Academician Yu, who had inferred the meaning, smirked and asked another question.

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course."

"Really? In that case, try solving this."

Academician Yu threw a thin booklet at Gwi Seongjin.

Reaching out and snatching the booklet, Gwi Seongjin glanced at the title.

'Cloud and Mist Ghost Confusion Formation.'

It was a formation manual.

And a rather high-level one at that.

But this was something Gwi Seongjin had mastered before he was even nine years old.

But there was no need to say that...

"Are you telling me to find the path of life?"

"That's right. Assume you are passing through this formation and find and connect the path of life."

While Academician Yu was speaking, the guard placed a brush and inkstone on the desk.

"Time?"

"When you've solved it all, call for Adjutant Cheok."

When Academician Yu looked at the guard, Gwi Seongjin nodded as if he understood.

Gwi Seongjin also memorized that the guard's surname was Cheok and his rank was Adjutant.

Flip, flip, flip.

After the two left the room, Gwi Seongjin, who was flipping through the pages, suddenly stopped his hand.

It was because he had found a part that was different from the original formation.

'For the mist to rise like clouds and cover the eight directions, a Wind Stone should be placed in the Gen direction, but what is installed here is Metal Wood. If this is the case, although the killing intent may thicken, the momentum will stagnate and the mist will condense, significantly reducing its power. Yet, to have installed Metal Wood here means...'

Needless to say, it was to test him.

It was out of concern that Gwi Seongjin might know this formation and might have even memorized the solution...

Letting out a dry laugh, Gwi Seongjin looked at the formation manual again from the beginning.

Looking closely, another part was also twisted.

It wasn't a very big change.

It was just that the Life Gate had changed to the Rest Gate.

But the path of life was subtly twisted... and the exit ultimately led to a completely different place.

Flip.

Flipping the last page, Gwi Seongjin began to scan the booklet again from the beginning.

Even after checking several times and being convinced that there were no more problems, Gwi Seongjin flipped through the pages one more time.

Thud.

Closing the booklet and climbing onto the bed, Gwi Seongjin quietly fell into meditation.

* * *

After eating lunch, Gwi Seongjin looked at the formation manual once more.

Then, he finally marked the path of life on the book.

There wasn't just one way to break the formation.

One could learn the Earth Escape Art and pass underneath, or a master who had reached the Fire Realm could force their way through with power.

But this was not the solution Academician Yu wanted.

The answer Academician Yu wanted was to find a way for a martial arts master of Gwi Seongjin's level to pass through the formation.

In that case, the line Gwi Seongjin had marked was the best method.

Even after completing the breaking method, Gwi Seongjin did not call for the guard right away.

He waited for about another shichen and a half before calling Adjutant Cheok and handing him the booklet.

Gwi Seongjin had two purposes for dragging out the time.

One was to hide his own skills.

'To survive in the martial world, you must hide five-tenths of your skills.'

Gwi Seongjin decided to hide a full three-tenths.

The other purpose was to take control of the situation himself.

Only by handing over the breaking method at this time could they bring the second booklet within the day.

A time when his abilities would be recognized, and they would no longer bother him for the rest of the day.

The time he had just handed over the booklet was calculated that way.

Of course, they would think that they were the ones in control of the situation.

(End of Chapter)