Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 448

Chapter 448
The fractured Bukshin—the Northern Star.
As the carved Polaris at the heart of the constellation shattered, the stone barrier gradually lowered into the ground.
Once the wall had fully descended, exposing its inner layers, the reason for everyone’s earlier failure became obvious.
The engraved portion was nearly a foot thick—close to thirty centimeters—and almost half of that consisted of Azure Steel Stone.
With that kind of density?
It was no surprise no one had succeeded.
Striking it required a specialized palm or fist technique—brute force alone was useless. And from my perspective as a palm-art practitioner, I could sense that without a deep well of internal energy, breaking it was impossible.
But it wasn’t just about raw power. You had to channel your energy into the stone upon impact and trigger an internal burst. Given the stone’s toughness and thickness, that was a formidable challenge.
Absurdly thick, honestly.
In any case, with the wall fully down, a sizable entryway was now exposed.
Before us stretched a perfectly square corridor made of Azure Steel Stone, roughly two meters in both height and width.
It was the kind of impeccably crafted passage that would have taken a team of masons weeks to complete.
“How in the world was this built?”
Gazing at the flawless surface of the Azure Steel Stone, I considered whether it was constructed like the tomb pits of the Terracotta Army.
In ancient times, wasn’t it standard to silence all the artisans after sealing a tomb to avoid theft?
But then an answer came that I hadn’t expected.
[It was personally carved by Hwamu-gyeol himself, Benefactor.]
“This entire passage?”
[Yes.]
I had presumed stonemasons were involved, but it turned out no chisels or hammers were used. He had sculpted it alone, employing only a blade.
I glanced at the group with a look of disbelief, but they were still recovering from the earlier shock.
None had heard my exchange with Senior Yeoncheon.
The men were simply staring at the opened gate, muttering in astonishment.
“It… it actually opened…”
“It really did…”
Even though they now understood the gate’s thickness, the fact that none of them had made a dent—while Bini shattered it using only her teeth—had clearly wounded their pride. They hadn’t yet bounced back emotionally.
I chose to overlook it and gestured for everyone to enter.
“Shall we go in?”
“…Yes, young warrior.”
“Ahem.”
As we stepped across the threshold, the tomb—though sealed for three hundred years—had little dust, yet the men continued to clear their throats.
I knew why.
Men, whether young or old, always desire to appear strong.
Among themselves, that instinct naturally forms a hierarchy.
Even among companions, the unspoken question lingers—could I defeat this guy? It’s a point of pride.
That’s the same mindset behind sports like boxing or mixed martial arts.
So when they had all been attempting to demolish Polaris to prove themselves… and Bini had done it instead?
The muffled laughter from the women behind us was almost uncomfortable to hear.
“Pfft…”
“Hush, Eumbong.”
“I couldn’t help it… So does that make Bini the strongest one here?”
At her teasing remark, all the uncles turned to look at Bini.
And Bini, relishing the attention, lifted her head with a proud “ahem.”
I quickly reached over, patting her head as if dusting something off, and softly guided her head back down.
“She only helped because she didn’t want her uncles to strain themselves. Ahaha.”
Their pride needed safeguarding.
“Ahem…”
“Indeed.”
Just as the uncles awkwardly cleared their throats, another sound emerged from the entrance.
—Rumble…
The same noise as before—the gate was closing again.
“Hey! It’s shutting!”
I hurried toward it, concerned we might be sealed inside, but Senior Yeoncheon spoke once more.
[Do not worry, Benefactor. It can be opened again from within.]
“Is that true?”
[Yes. My memory is incomplete, but I do recall an internal mechanism for opening it.]
I looked back toward the entrance and, sure enough, noticed a faintly glowing blue switch near where the gate had retracted.
When I pressed it, the gate began to rise again.
—Grind…
A good thing, too. Being locked inside during the final trial would have been a catastrophe.
Once it closed again, voices murmured around me.
“It’s dark in here now.”
“Let’s get the firesticks and light the lanterns.”
“On it.”
“Understood.”
With the entrance sealed behind us, the blue flame from Hwayang’s body cast a faint glow, mingling strangely with the Azure Steel Stone hallway.
But Hwayang’s flame wasn’t sufficient to properly light the area.
Following Ji-ryong’s example, several people began opening containers and blowing gently.
—Pop.
“Phew…”
“Fuuh…”
They carefully revived the embers stored within bamboo firesticks by breathing onto them.
Then they used them to light the lanterns they had brought along.
Soon, the corridor was filled with a soft, warm radiance, and we could see clearly again.
—Fsss… WHUUMPH.
It was time to seriously engage with the Nine-Gate Trial.
“Alright, everyone! Let’s concentrate and advance!”
“Understood, young warrior.”
“We’re with you, So-ryong.”
After a few rallying cries, we raised our lanterns and proceeded forward.
A short distance ahead, we entered a spacious chamber.
The ceiling arched high above—at least ten meters overhead, though the room itself was only a few meters across.
A few individuals moved toward the walls with their lanterns, and soon, carvings on the smooth stone were revealed.
Characters engraved into the rock, recessed into its surface.
As we read them, exclamations of surprise broke out around me.
“Wow! What is this?!”
“This must be the handiwork of Master Hwamu-gyeol himself!”
“This brushwork! He carved this with a blade, didn’t he?!”
“An incredible hand. It’s like witnessing a dragon taking flight.”
Evidently, some had caught parts of my earlier discussion. They pressed near the wall, admiring the script.
As others murmured in confusion, Hwa-eun smiled and quietly explained in my mind:
『When one masters sword or blade arts, the essence of their technique can be felt even in their handwriting. That is why they are so affected.』
“Ah, I understand.”
She likely used mental speech to avoid interrupting the others.
Among martial artists—especially those who practice sword, blade, or similar arts—it’s believed that one can discern their level of skill through their calligraphy.
While my brother, sister-in-law, Chang-ryong, and Geombong examined the wall in reverence, I quietly read the text myself.
Everyone else was so engrossed they seemed ready to carve the writing off the wall. I made sure to keep my distance.
“To those who have discovered the secret of the Blade Map and come in search—welcome. You have reached the hidden tomb of myself, Hwamu-gyeol, who was once granted the lofty title of Blade Sovereign. And you have passed the First Gate…”
We had arrived under Senior Yeoncheon’s direction, but it seemed there was also a separate treasure map known as Jangbo-do.
And it appeared that opening the door itself constituted the first trial.
「…Up to the sixth gate, your foundational abilities will be tested, and the final three will judge your worthiness to inherit my martial legacy…」
The rest, we already knew.
Once more, Hwa-eun’s voice resonated in my thoughts.
『“It seems this is the second gate.”』
Reading further, I confirmed that this was indeed the second challenge.
「You have broken the Star. Now face the Sky. Gate of Shattering the Heavens. Break through the sky and proceed to the next gate!」
Shatter the sky? I looked upward and saw clouds painted across the ceiling.
Assuming we needed to break through it, I ascended with Cho.
『“Cho, let’s go.”』
– Tsrururu. (Understood, Dad.)
To avoid disrupting the others, I rose near the ceiling and tapped it.
– Thump, thump.
The center felt hollow.
It seemed designed to emphasize the height challenge—intentionally made thin.
I promptly called for Yeondu.
『“Yeondu, over here. Can you break this section?”』
– Shaaa. (Got it, So-ryong.)
Yeondu floated up beside me and tested the ceiling.
She evidently deemed it feasible, because she dropped down slightly, then suddenly shot upward toward it.
Just then, voices called out from below.
“Oh, is the next test to break the ceiling?”
“This time, let me be the first to try.”
“No, I’ll be the one who—”
– CRASH!
Clearly, the rivalry from before remained unresolved, and they were eager to settle it here. But at that moment, the ceiling fractured, and a new passage was unveiled.
‘My apologies, hyungs.’
As a man myself, I understood the urge to establish dominance, and I would have allowed them to handle it… but with the Azure Steel Immortal Ant awaiting us further on, I didn’t have time to spare.
***
The following challenge was the Gate of Shattering the Earth.
One had to break through the floor and descend below.
That was resolved when Orange stepped forward and smashed the ground open.
Next came the fourth trial—the Seven-Star Stone Bridge.
Inside a circular tunnel, participants had to use lightfoot techniques to leap along a path—beginning on the floor, then the wall, across the ceiling, down the opposite wall, and back to the floor—touching each point in turn.
The objective was to step on the seven stars of the Big Dipper in precise sequence.
– Beep!
“Would you like to try?”
Hwayang had volunteered first, but after managing only a few centimeters, she withdrew.
Instead, Changcheon took over and dominated the trial.
As a spiritual grasshopper, he executed a seven-step leap as effortlessly as if it were child’s play.
Hu-gae, who had been eagerly anticipating a lightfoot challenge, stood by, his enthusiasm utterly drained.
– Chrrr.
“What gives—if it’s lightfoot skill, then the Beggars’ Union really ought to—”
The fifth was the Bright Acupoint Gate.
Oddly, it was set in a darkened chamber. One had to strike a glowing point with light or wind energy as it appeared.
Hwa-eun showed some interest in this one, but Senior Yeoncheon, perched on her shoulder, acted far more quickly.
“Oh! Allow me to attempt this one, So-ryong.”
“Will you?”
– Pew! Pew pew pew pew!
– Rumble rumble rumble…
The door to the next trial swiftly opened.
“How did you—Senior?”
[Well, I couldn’t simply remain idle…]
This sparked some dissatisfaction.
“So-ryong?”
“Yes, hyung?”
“Well… This entire place was prepared by the great Hwamu-jin for his successors. Don’t you think we should each have a chance to try?”
“Yes, Young Hero So. Skipping them feels somewhat… how to say… like we’re missing out?”
Hearing this from the hyungs and the others, I realized they were correct.
Merely taking part in a three-hundred-year-old master’s trial was a once-in-a-lifetime honor. I had been too impatient.
I recalled how in my past life, I once journeyed to a remote island in Southeast Asia just to look for a newly discovered species. I never even found it, but the trip alone became a story I told for years.
So I understood their perspective.
“Hm… It seems I was being inconsiderate. My apologies.”
“Oh, no, So-ryong. There’s no need to apologize.”
“That’s right. We were just feeling a little let down, that’s all.”
“Then from the next gate on, let’s allow everyone to try first. If no one succeeds, the children can assist.”
“Agreed, Young Hero So.”
“That works!”
We reached a mutual understanding that pleased everyone and approached the sixth trial.
Everyone looked eager—until they read the inscription at the entrance and grew quiet.
Blind Darkness Gate.
A completely lightless space where nothing could be seen. One had to locate and activate a hidden mechanism to open the next passage, all while moving through dense fog.
There was no chance to display martial prowess—a letdown.
Still, we had an agreement, so everyone took a turn.
But no one could locate the trigger.
Finally, Ranghyang stepped forward. She tapped her antennae twice on the ground, then guided me to the device.
Being blind, she naturally navigated by sensing air currents, and she found it almost instantly.
“Well done, Ranghyang.”
– Kyuki.
– Rumble rumble rumble…
When I pressed the mechanism she had led me to, the fog began to dissipate, and the door to the next trial started to open.
But the instant I saw what lay beyond, I froze in stunned silence.
Unlike all the previous chambers, this one was illuminated, and the space was clear.
Strewn across the open room were scattered blue shapes—
What looked like the remains of nearly a hundred Azure Steel Immortal Ants.
“Gyaaah!”
This time, it was my turn to be dismayed—instead of the hyungs or the Dragon Fangs.