The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Novel - Chapter 36

Chapter 36
## Chapter 36. A Second-Rate Warrior Facing a Legend

“Everyone, halt!”

Namgung Seon-hwa’s command thundered throughout the massive cavern.

Those engaged in brutal combat slowly turned their heads, causing the violence to grind to a sudden halt.

“Has someone claimed the Mita Sacred Water?”

I assumed such vicious bloodshed meant the Mita Sacred Water had been claimed by someone, but the reply we received was entirely unanticipated.

“No, that’s not it. They attempted to plunder our rations.”

The relatively neat-looking martial artists on the right side gestured toward the grimy, ragged crowd gathered on the left.

“Rations?”

“Precisely.”

“If starvation is the issue, depart from this cavern. Is there truly a reason to slaughter one another over mere sustenance?”

“We would depart if it were possible!”

The retort echoed from the left.

A raggedly dressed man stepped forward, looking as though he might collapse at any second.

“We have subsisted on nothing but cave moss for an entire week!”

“What nonsense is this? The river channel was only unlocked this morning.”

“Why would we wait for the river channel to be opened? That would only cause a greater multitude to assemble.”

In other words, they had braved the treacherous currents and infiltrated this cavern prior to Hao Gate clearing the river channel.

“Then why have you not retreated?”

“I just informed you. We would have departed if it were possible. We are trapped in this place due to this wretched formation.”

“So, in truth, no one has actually located the Mita Sacred Water?”

“If you desire to step into that formation on the far side, be our guest! Though I doubt you will emerge from it alive.”

He claimed that several hundred individuals had already ventured within, yet not a single soul had returned.

Namgung Seon-hwa recalled the warning Yu Ji-ryang had uttered the moment we set foot inside.

“We must conduct a thorough examination to comprehend the nature of this formation.”

Hearing Yu Ji-ryang’s assessment, Namgung Seon-hwa addressed the gathered crowd once more.

“We shall commence our investigation immediately.”

“To hell with your investigations. I am on the verge of starving to death!”

“…….”

Namgung Seon-hwa glanced toward the people on the right. However, they remained deeply suspicious, showing absolutely no desire to split their rations.

“The Namgung Clan shall provide food. In return, I will show no leniency to anyone who instigates chaos from this moment forward.”

“My lady!”

“You cannot do this! If we find ourselves unable to escape this place…”

“Silence! If we fail to decipher this formation, we will be unable to escape in the end regardless.”

Following Namgung Seon-hwa’s sharp reprimand, the clan members ceased their complaints.

Each person began retrieving dried provisions or Fasting Pills from their luggage to distribute them.

Nonetheless, while the Namgung Clan consisted of only thirty individuals, the ravenous crowd on the left numbered nearly two hundred.

Ultimately, the martial artists of the Iron Sword Sect also reached into their packs to surrender their dried meat and Fasting Pills.

Even though the Namgung Clan and the Iron Sword Sect had depleted their own provisions, many remained disgruntled by the meager portions, yet no one dared to cause a further scene.

After all, if the formation itself could be dismantled, that would be far more beneficial than the food currently before them.

Yu Ji-ryang offered a detailed breakdown of the array.

“To be exact, a portion of the original array crumbled naturally over centuries, and its remaining fragments shifted to form this Natural Formation.”

Neither Namgung Seon-hwa nor I, who were listening intently, could fully grasp it.

A formation was an intricate mechanism where misplacing a single pebble disrupted the harmony of the entire structure, rendering it entirely useless.

It was already a miracle that any array had survived for this long, but could a collapsed segment truly reconstruct itself into a separate Natural Formation?

“……It ought to be impossible, but… we are verifying the reality of it this very moment.”

Yu Ji-ryang observed the spell practitioners analyzing the array under the protection of the Namgung Clan warriors on the opposite side.

The expressions of the spell practitioners examining the formation grew utterly pale with dread.

“I prayed it was an error…… but it is exactly as I feared.”

“What are you implying?”

Hearing our exchange, the martial artists on both the left and right strained to listen.

“Are you familiar with the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Destroying Formation?”

Gulp.

Rather than speaking, the crowd swallowed hard. Merely hearing the title cast a bleak shadow over their thoughts.

“It is a catastrophic array that faded from existence three centuries ago and has no business remaining in this world.”

dishonesty.
“…….”

Namgung Seon-hwa’s face drained of color. Instead of her, I stepped forward to probe further.

“What makes it so terrifying?”

“Once an individual steps inside the array, escape becomes impossible.”

“Can such a mechanism truly exist?”

Fundamentally, a formation established an isolated realm utilizing the Gate of Life and the Gate of Death as its primary pillars.

Just as a building required a central framework to stand, an array could not function without a Gate of Life and a Gate of Death.

“Naturally, this array possesses a Gate of Life and a Gate of Death, but it is structured in a manner that prevents you from locating them, even if you are certain they exist.”

Concealing the Gate of Life and the Gate of Death within an array was considered elementary formation theory, yet Yu Ji-ryang’s evaluation remained entirely grim.

“It utilizes the Eight Trigrams as its foundational framework, plots coordinates via the Twelve Branches, and outlines a path for each of the Sixty Jiazi. Furthermore, influenced by the Day Stem, it generates three hundred sixty-five separate permutations. Because its variations appear nearly infinite, it earned the title of the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Destroying Formation.”

“…… shreds.”

Not just our allies, but the martial artists who had arrived prior and those who came after all looked utterly disheartened.

“Th-then, what about destroying it? What if we shatter it? Most of the individuals gathered here are high-level experts, including the Namgung Clan. Can we not simply smash our way out?”

Someone cried out in sheer desperation.

Yu Ji-ryang shook his head slowly.

“That is precisely why this specific array was eventually abandoned. An array is typically employed to safeguard someone or ensnare an adversary alive. Yet, once this particular one is established, it can neither be unraveled nor demolished.”

“……Th-that cannot be true.”

“Perhaps a smaller version could be broken through sheer, overwhelming physical might, but the scope of the Soul-Destroying Formation unfurled here spans over thirty jang by a conservative estimate. What is more, a segment of this array seems to have been shattered during a cavern collapse, yet it flawlessly preserves its structure.”

“Sigh……”

The desperate crowd on the left collapsed onto the stone floor one after the other.

I pointed toward a section of the cavern and inquired,

“Master Yu Ji-ryang, didn’t someone undeniably witness the Mita Sacred Water here and manage to flee? How was that achieved?”

“……I suspect that miraculous fortune must have aided his escape.”

“Miraculous fortune?”

“Indeed. It is an astronomical probability among nearly infinite variables, but the Gate of Life and the Gate of Death do exist within it, do they not?”

“Then if the matrix can be deciphered, shouldn’t we be capable of tracking the Gate of Life to escape?”

“However, we cannot calculate a trajectory that continuously shifts from one second to the next. If one loses their bearings during the calculation, they will immediately lose the central coordinate required to recalculate, leaving them hopelessly stranded within the array.”

“What if every single path is committed to memory?”

“Excuse me?”

“The trajectories forged by the Eight Trigrams, the Twelve Branches, the Sixty Jiazi, and the three hundred sixty-five permutations. What if someone memorizes every single one?”

“……Even by a rudimentary estimation, there will be upwards of two million paths.”

The symbols in the secret records I had reviewed within the Murim Alliance’s Mantongbu were easily five times greater than that number.

“It seems achievable. Run the calculations and relay them to me.”

“……Are you being earnest?”

“I enjoy a good jest, but this hardly seems like the appropriate venue for one.”

After pondering for a brief moment, Yu Ji-ryang closed his mouth tightly and offered a firm nod.

“It will require time.”

The people who overheard my exchange with Yu Ji-ryang looked entirely incredulous, yet a tiny glimmer of optimism began to kindle within them.

“Namgung Clan!!”

Right at that moment, a faction of martial artists erupted from the formation near the entryway.

They were warriors clad in crimson martial uniforms, accompanied by Seo Hyeon-jae’s trio.

The complement of warriors in crimson uniforms had been decimated by half, and Seo Hyeon-jae, Ma Go-san, and Sa Mu-in all appeared utterly exhausted.

“Where are you hiding, Namgung Clan?!”

Seo Hyeon-jae, scanning the area, locked eyes with me as I conversed with Yu Ji-ryang against the far wall, immediately vaulting forward using the Bow-Body Bullet Shadow technique.

“You wretched dog! How dare you deceive me!”

The moment his blade lunged toward Yu Ji-ryang and myself, warriors from the Namgung Clan surged forward to intercept the strike.

“Gah! Namgung Clan! You hypocrites are all identical!”

It wasn’t restricted to Seo Hyeon-jae. Ma Go-san and Sa Mu-in had clearly endured severe trials as well, given that they were radiating unbridled malice.

“Halt!”

The ones who stepped into the fray now were the very warriors from the left and right who had just been trying to slaughter each other.

“At this moment, they represent our sole chance of survival!”

“That is none of my concern! If you wish to live, step aside!”

“You mindless fool!”

Three or four warriors from the right flank assaulted Seo Hyeon-jae simultaneously.

Ma Go-san and Sa Mu-in immediately joined the clash, repelling the attackers instantly. This prompted the warriors on the right to swarm them en masse, igniting a fresh conflict.

CLANG—! CLANG—! CLANG—!

Finding themselves overwhelmed by sheer numbers, Seo Hyeon-jae’s trio hastily retrieved wooden containers from their garments and tossed pills into their mouths.

“Hoo, hoo, hoo.”

“Hah, hah!”

A staggering torrent of energy erupted from Seo Hyeon-jae’s group in an instant.

The surrounding crowd, which had been overwhelming them with numbers, suddenly hesitated.

Seo Hyeon-jae’s freezing palm strike and Sa Mu-in’s wolf-tooth club sent bodies flying in all directions, painting the area in arcs of blood.

“Who else?! Who dares to cross our path?!”

With bloodshot gazes, ragged breathing, and an internal energy that had suddenly multiplied, it was undeniably the consequences of consuming Blood-Explosion Pills.

Though the combined forces on the left and right numbered nearly fifteen hundred, they flinched and retreated before the raw malice of those three men.

When no one else dared to advance, the trio began marching toward us, prompting our faction, including Namgung Seon-hwa, to prepare to confront Seo Hyeon-jae.

At that exact instant, Namgung Seon-hwa glanced toward the rear and let out a sharp cry.

“Great Hero Yong So-ah!”

Seo Hyeon-jae’s trio, who had been advancing as though invincible, froze instantly and spun around.

In that direction, Yong So-ah’s entourage was steadily emerging from the formation.

“How can this be?”

He was bewildered because he was certain they had entered the array first, yet we had been the first to exit.

“Such is the terror of formations. Take a single incorrect turn within, and you may perish in a realm where time and space cannot be calculated for the rest of your days.”

As Yong So-ah’s group drew near, Seo Hyeon-jae blocked the path between them.

“Our grievances take precedence!”

“Step aside. I grant no leniency to the Black Path.”

“You miserable hound…….”

Seo Hyeon-jae never finished his sentence. His hand, which had been gathering a freezing palm strike, along with his head, dropped to the stone floor beneath Yong So-ah’s blinding sword strike, which no one had even managed to track, erupting in a geyser of blood.

“Aaaaaagh!”

Ma Go-san and Sa Mu-in pushed past Seo Hyeon-jae’s corpse, shrieking in terror.

“You bastards are likely no different.”

“Stand back! Do not take another step unless you wish for all of us to perish together!”

Ma Go-san snatched a Thunderbolt Bomb from Seo Hyeon-jae’s packs, using it to threaten the crowd, which caused even Yong So-ah to pause his advance momentarily.

“Do you truly believe you will remain breathing long enough to ignite that?”

“Damn it! Flinch even a single muscle, and everyone in this cavern dies today.”

As Ma Go-san’s allies shielded him by forming defensive layers as though he were their final salvation, Yong So-ah averted his gaze, completely losing interest.

“Elucidate the situation.”

When Yong So-ah directed his words to Namgung Seon-hwa, she provided a comprehensive account of everything that had transpired.

Upon hearing the phrase Boundless Indestructible Soul-Destroying Formation, even a figure as renowned as Yong So-ah showed a subtle tremor.

“So there is a method to nullify this array?”

“It cannot be nullified. Great Hero Yu Ji-ryang and Young Master Jin are presently mapping out the paths to guide us safely to the internal Gate of Life.”

“Even by simple estimates, there are two million variables, and if a section of the matrix is compromised, entirely new paths will have developed. You are squandering your energy on an impossibility.”

“We possess no alternative options at present.”

“…… scraps.”

—

Two weeks later.

Oblivious to the passage of days or nights, I was relentlessly memorizing each path that Yu Ji-ryang and the spell practitioners mapped out and transferred to me.

During this interval, an additional two thousand people poured into the cavern. Out of those, two hundred perished in senseless brawls, and three hundred vanished into the opposite formation claiming they would discover an exit, never to return.

According to Yu Ji-ryang, the sole reason we had even managed to enter this cavern was due to a breach in the array. Once inside this matrix that spanned a full thirty jang, anyone lacking the precise coordinates would remain perpetually imprisoned within the Soul-Destroying Formation.

“Everyone is reaching their absolute breaking point.”

Seong Mo-ran and Namgung Seon-hwa were looking as withered as plants starved of water.

It was the direct result of sacrificing half their rations at the very beginning.

Even so, they had managed to survive until now only by consuming the absolute bare minimum.

“How much more time is required?”

“……An additional five days will be necessary.”

“…….”

The martial artists were suffering terribly from starvation, but the spell practitioners were in equally dismal shape.

Due to their severe malnutrition, running the calculations was requiring more and more time.

“……This is an exercise in futility.”

At that moment, Yong So-ah, who had been resting silently to one side, abruptly rose to his feet.

The most formidable combatant present in this cavern was undeniably Yong So-ah.

Among the Black Path factions, there were figures whose renown equaled Yong So-ah’s, but owing to the presence of the other Wudang Sect Daoists, they refrained from intentionally provoking him.

“Stand up.”

Yong So-ah strode directly toward Ma Go-san’s faction, who were grouped among the Black Path forces.

“Surrender the Thunderbolt Bomb.”

“What?!”

Realizing Yong So-ah’s ultimate intent, Yu Ji-ryang scrambled to his feet.

“You must not, Great Hero! This formation cannot be shattered by something like a Thunderbolt Bomb.”

“It cannot be shattered. But can it not force open a passage?”

dishonesty.
“…….”

At Yong So-ah’s declaration, both the Orthodox Path factions and the Black Path groups slowly began rising from the floor.

They were prepared to attempt anything if it meant escaping this confinement.

“However, if you detonate a Thunderbolt Bomb, there is no predicting how the trajectories will warp. Please, place your faith in us.”

Yong So-ah stared down at Yu Ji-ryang and myself with empty eyes.

“Do you honestly believe a mere mortal can commit two million paths to memory?”

In response to Yong So-ah’s skepticism, I spoke up.

“So you intend to escape entirely on your own?”

Only now did the reason behind the deaths of nearly five thousand people in this place become clear.

And how Yong So-ah had managed to endure this madness. And why no rumors had ever circulated afterward regarding Yong So-ah’s presence here.

“I shall navigate my way out and return with master spell practitioners from the Murim Alliance.”

“Did you fail to comprehend his words? This array cannot be dismantled in the first place.”

“The resources of the Murim Alliance cannot be equated to a solitary sect or minor faction.”

“Our singular prospect of survival is to memorize the trajectories right here and depart. If those trajectories are warped because of your actions, how do you intend to answer for the lives of everyone trapped here? Or does that simply not concern you?”

“A steady stream of people continues to flood in from the outside even as we speak. If we remain idle, the death toll will multiply indefinitely.”

Yong So-ah reached out his hand toward Ma Go-san.

In response, Ma Go-san and Sa Mu-in cast themselves flat onto the ground.

“We shall surrender it to you. In exchange, we beg of you to bring us along.”

“……Very well.”

“U-us as well……”

“Please allow us to accompany you too.”

CLANG—! SCRAAAAAPE—!

As desperate people began swarming from every quadrant, Yong So-ah unsheathed his blade and sliced a deep line across the cavern floor.

“Anyone who steps across this boundary will be executed without hesitation. I shall exit and return with assistance. Await my return here.”

“Damn it! How are we supposed to trust that?!”

“When have you sanctimonious bastards ever honored a pledge?!”

While some attempted to align themselves with Yong So-ah, a vast number harbored nothing but intense malice toward him.

Nearly seventy percent of the individuals trapped inside the cavern belonged to the Black Path.

They were thoroughly convinced that Yong So-ah, the premier young prodigy representing the Murim Alliance, would simply leave them to rot.

“Die!”

Eventually, sparked by a single individual, blades were unsheathed, and the cavern, which had enjoyed a brief respite, dissolved into a cacophony of agonizing wails and shrieks.

“Gurk!”

“Kagh!”

Scores of warriors assaulted Yong So-ah simultaneously, yet not a single one managed to endure past five exchanges.

In mere moments, a barrier constructed from severed corpses manifested around Yong So-ah and the Wudang Sect Daoists. Faced with such horrifying, insurmountable martial dominance, the crowd gradually began to freeze in place.

“Great Hero Yong So-ah. Cease this.”

The ones who ultimately stood in his way were Namgung Seon-hwa and her accompanying warriors.

“Only a handful of days remain. Please exercise patience just a bit longer.”

“Because of your faction, we have squandered precious time until now. I refuse to delay any longer.”

“Even so, we cannot gamble with three thousand innocent lives as stakes.”

“Do you truly possess the capability to obstruct me?”

“……Prepare the Firmament Sword Formation.”

“Form!”

“Form!”

The moment the Namgung Clan initiated the Firmament Sword Formation, the Daoists of the Wudang Sect countered by deploying the Taiji Sword Formation.

Namgung Seon-hwa and Yong So-ah detached themselves from their respective arrays to engage in a separate duel, but even someone of Namgung Seon-hwa’s caliber appeared completely outmatched before Yong So-ah.

‘Is this truly reality……?’

I couldn’t suppress a heavy sigh upon witnessing the massive concentration of force qi manifesting around Yong So-ah’s blade.

Before even reaching his thirtieth year, he was flawlessly demonstrating Sword Force.

Namgung Seon-hwa attempted to employ her supreme technique, the Emperor Sword Art, but she simply could not match Yong So-ah’s might.

In the end, the solitary individual within this cavern capable of halting Yong So-ah was myself, possessing the knowledge of the Shattering Form tailored specifically for Wudang sword arts.

“You mustn’t. Yong So-ah is entirely different from my elder brother.”

As I prepared to stride forward, Seong Mo-ran caught my arm to restrain me.

“If I remain idle now, we will all perish here without ever taking another step. Furthermore, I possess a strategy, so please do not distress yourself excessively.”

Leaving Seong Mo-ran behind, I launched the Flying Dragon Claw into the cavern wall and yanked the Heavenly Silkworm Thread.

Whoooosh.

A gear-like mechanism spun furiously inside the Flying Dragon Claw, catapulting my body forward like a crossbow bolt.

“Lady Namgung, hit the ground!”

Coinciding with my shout, Namgung Seon-hwa dropped her head flat to the earth, allowing me to swing the Black Dragon Sword downward right above her.

CLANG—!

Yong So-ah, forced back two paces by the sudden onslaught, instantly recovered his stance.

Without missing a beat, I unleashed the Shattering Form for the Taiji Divine Sword, the fundamental martial art of the Wudang Sect, and lunged at him.

SWISH-SWISH-SWISH—!

A faint flicker of astonishment visible across Yong So-ah’s visage, which had remained entirely stoic since setting foot in the cavern.

“What manner of technique is this?”

Yong So-ah glanced between his weapon and me in disbelief.

To deny him any opportunity to analyze it, I drove forward with the Shattering Form once more.

CRASH—! CRASH—! CRASH-CRASH-CRASH—!

Sensing the abnormal trajectory of the forms, Yong So-ah instantly channeled his maximum power.

A brilliant glow extending nearly two ja materialized along the edge of his blade.

‘That lunatic!’

Though condensed, it was unequivocally true Sword Force.

With every collision against that Sword Force, I desperately deflected the overwhelming force qi, but a bone-rattling shock, akin to a sledgehammer striking an anvil, surged through my palm and up my arm.

Mercifully, the Black Dragon Sword, forged from Diamond Indestructible Iron, neither dulled nor chipped as a standard weapon would have.

“Did the Taeul Sect possess such an intricate sword style?”

“…Perhaps that is why you ought to have studied beforehand precisely how profound the martial arts of the One Hundred Eight Peaks truly are, shouldn’t you?”

While maintaining the onslaught of the Shattering Form, I continuously repositioned myself utilizing the Flying Dragon Claw.

‘I cannot sustain this for long.’

Even though Jegal’s Three Forms had been conceptualized by Jegal Cheon-gi, Yong So-ah had ultimately refused to adopt the Shattering Form himself.

His absurd rationale was that it compromised the noble spirit of Wudang.

Despite that, he had never suffered a single defeat. Even when a fellow Daoist of the Wudang Sect deployed the Shattering Form against him, he had never been overwhelmed. Once his vision adjusted slightly more to this Shattering Form, he would undoubtedly orchestrate a counterstrike.

“A martial style designed specifically to dismantle an opponent’s technique……”

As expected, he was already beginning to decipher the core principles of my sword style.

Unlike Namgung San, who had rapidly transitioned to the Emperor Sword Art when the Firmament Great Swallow Sword Art proved ineffective, this bastard persisted in utilizing the Taiji Divine Sword so stubbornly it felt entirely deliberate.

His objective was to unmask the true nature of the sword style I was employing.

That strategy was yielding results, as the brief hesitations in his blade movements began to dwindle.

“You shall depart this place with me.”

“As I suspected, your true intention is to leave everyone here to die.”

“…….”

Right at the moment I realized I had exhausted all standard methods of defense.

I triggered the Flying Dragon Claw and vaulted toward the high ceiling.

Simultaneously, I gathered every shred of internal energy remaining within my qi center.

“Take this!”

A violent backlash rippled through me, as though my qi center had been entirely drained in a singular heartbeat.

A staggering torrent of true qi surged forth through my hand.

The Radiant Heaven Divine Palm erupted, targeting Yong So-ah with devastating force.

CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH—!

For the absolute first time, the symbol for ‘Heaven’ creased deeply between Yong So-ah’s brows, a rare display of exertion.

‘It connected.’

The instant a sense of relief washed over me.

Yong So-ah, who had diverted the brunt of the Radiant Heaven Divine Palm by desperately employing the Four Taels Deflecting a Thousand Jin technique, bounded off the stone floor and delivered a devastating kick that launched me backward.

THUD—!

The very second I gathered what microscopic energy remained to trigger the Flying Dragon Claw.

TWANG.

As though anticipating my exact movement, Yong So-ah discharged a piercing Finger Wind.

The Flying Dragon Claw collapsed limply to the cavern floor.

“Young Master Jin!!”

Seong Mo-ran let out a desperate shriek from the sidelines, sounding as though she might lose consciousness.

Only then did I turn my head, realizing to my horror that my body was already hurtling directly into the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Destroying Formation.

dishonesty.
“No!”

It transpired in an instant far too rapid for any salvation.

My surroundings dissolved into a blur, and I was violently pulled into an uncharted abyss.