The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Novel - Chapter 6

Chapter 6
Following the theft of the Snow Plum Pill from the Gyeryong Merchant Guild, every hint of the Soul-Chasing Guest disappeared entirely.

It was hardly unexpected for criminals to operate under multiple aliases. The true mystery lay in why no figure who appeared to have consumed the Snow Plum Pill ever came forward.

This was no ordinary prize; it was a legendary spiritual pill.

Even if its value surpassed what wealth could purchase, and even if it could have been bartered away, no rising martial artist showing the sudden growth of consuming the Snow Plum Pill ever surfaced.

Both the Snow Plum Pill and the Soul-Chasing Guest simply vanished from the face of the earth.

“This defies logic.”

As I combed through the archives of mission logs within the library, a pair of names caught my attention.

Gu Il-mu of the Diancang Five Swords.

Jang Han-gi of the Diancang Five Swords.

The Diancang Five Swords, who historically journeyed as a unified party of five, had recently begun dividing their assignments into smaller units of three and two. The success rate of the pair consisting of Gu Il-mu and Jang Han-gi was dramatically superior to that of their three companions.

“So this marks the precise moment the tragedy of the Diancang Twin Swords took root.”

This was the spark of the catastrophe that would eventually tear the Diancang Sect down the middle, leading to its internal annihilation.

‘The individual who authorized the assignment directing them toward Hefei was likewise a member of the Diancang Sect. It is safe to conclude this conspiracy was orchestrated long in advance.’

Regardless, now that the underlying reality of the situation was clear to me, the ultimate obstacle remained: how to extract the medicine.

Even with my familiarity with the martial disciplines of the Diancang Sect, including Jegal’s Three Forms, confronting two esteemed figures of the Diancang Five Swords by my own hand was impossible.

Thus, the strategy I devised relied entirely on traps.

No matter how accomplished a master might be, navigating a path while constantly monitoring one’s own footsteps is an incredibly difficult feat.

“Ignorant fool. Did you truly believe we would fall prey to your schemes so simply?”

Jang Han-gi’s feet detached from the earth, suspended in midair.

He was utilizing the Grass-Skimming Flight, a pinnacle technique among movement disciplines.

Admittedly, by employing the Grass-Skimming Flight, he might avoid triggering the concealed mechanisms altogether.

And yet.

“What Warrior under heaven can wage a battle while maintaining the Grass-Skimming Flight? Have you somehow already claimed a seat among the Hundred Greatest Masters under Heaven?”

Discarding any necessity for elaborate forms, I flooded the Three Powers Sword Art with my internal energy and launched an assault. Unable to plant his feet freely, Jang Han-gi contorted his frame awkwardly in a desperate bid to preserve his equilibrium.

“You recognize our identities.”

“Naturally.”

“Do you possess no dread of the retribution from our illustrious Diancang Sect and the grand Murim Alliance?”

“Would the Diancang Five Swords genuinely report an encounter with another thief while they themselves were in the middle of executing a robbery?”

“……”

Gu Il-mu, having narrowly demolished the mechanism threatening him, spoke aloud.

“He alone is aware of where the mechanisms are concealed. Han-gi, unleash your palm strikes and shatter the terrain.”

“Understood, Senior Brother.”

With those words, the two exchanged a sharp glance, gave a mutual nod, and sprang forward simultaneously.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM.

SNAP. CRACK. SNAP.

The Falling Petal Palm discharged with devastating intensity, violently tearing up the topsoil, which caused the hidden mechanisms designed to snare their ankles to fracture and lay exposed.

Under the onslaught of the Falling Petal Palm, foliage and severed branches intermingled in absolute disarray, stripping the clearing entirely of its original state.

“Now he is just as blind to the remaining traps as we are.”

Treading directly over the shattered machinery, the pair propelled themselves forward, the Sun-Shooting Sword Art raining down from their blades.

I did not dare attempt a direct confrontation against the Sun-Shooting Sword Art and sprang backward several paces.

“How can this be!”

They were unable to conceal their astonishment that, despite leaping backward multiple times, I had managed to avoid triggering a single hidden device.

“Match his footsteps exactly!”

“Yes!”

Having successfully disrupted the battlefield, they chose to advance exclusively by planting their feet into the exact depressions left by their adversary.

They truly possessed formidable intellects, proving exactly why their names were counted among the Diancang Five Swords.

“Aaargh!”

Suddenly, Jang Han-gi shrieked as he violently wrenched his leg free from a mechanism that had clamped down onto his ankle.

“Did it never cross your mind that a hidden mechanism might be triggered by the slight variance of a duplicate footprint?”

Even if we utilized identical pathways, I was a solitary traveler, whereas they were a pair. Inevitably, one of them was bound to compromise a trap.

“You wretched dog! I shall uncover your true face and slaughter every soul tied to your bloodline!”

“Only if you manage to depart from these woods alive.”

Gu Il-mu began unleashing the absolute limits of the Sun-Shooting Sword Art.

He had clearly resolved that the hidden mechanisms were no longer a concern, prompting me to execute the Shattering Form of the Sun-Shooting Sword Art at the exact same instant.

CLASH CLASH CLASH CLASH.

The moment our blades collided through six rapid exchanges, Gu Il-mu’s expression contorted in disbelief as he stared down at his weapon.

“What madness is this……”

The Shattering Form was far more than a mere defensive posture intended to parry a rival’s strike.

It was a precise method designed to intercept the trajectory of an incoming technique and disrupt its energetic flow, leaving the opponent incapable of properly channeling their might.

Naturally, anyone subjected to the Shattering Form would experience their inner energy fracturing, finding their own flesh refusing to obey their commands.

Under normal circumstances, he might have overwhelmed the disruption through pure aggression, stubborn defiance, and raw internal energy; however, his current predicament left him exposed to an environment littered with lethal, hidden devices.

“Do you truly possess the luxury to lose yourself in bewilderment?”

Driven backward by the impact of the Shattering Form, Gu Il-mu’s trailing foot came down directly upon another hidden mechanism.

“Aaargh!”

“Senior Brother Gu!”

Without a moment’s delay, Jang Han-gi lunged forward while executing the Platinum Sword Art. I hurled a pebble directly at a concealed device positioned precisely where his foot was set to descend, triggering it early and causing his stance to falter erratically.

“Ugh!”

“You should never permit your focus to wander.”

Seizing the precise moment I had anticipated, I drove my blade forward.

The Ascendant Form of the Minor Heaven Sword Art.

While it lacked the absolute power of the Sun-Shooting Sword Art, the sheer velocity of the Minor Heaven Sword Art—the very foundation of rapid swordsmanship—was not an attack an individual could easily deflect while trapped in a state of panic.

SWISH.

THUD.

“Gah.”

Crimson blood erupted from Jang Han-gi’s lips as he collapsed heavily onto the earth, his bloodshot eyes staring blankly.

“Han-gi!”

As though paralyzed by the sudden demise of Jang Han-gi, Gu Il-mu’s entire frame shook uncontrollably.

After a tense interlude, Gu Il-mu mastered his panic, retrieved the wooden container and the esoteric scroll nestled within his garments, flung them onto the soil, and spoke.

“Grant me passage out of these woods, and I shall erase every memory of what transpired here.”

“Very well. You may depart.”

I gave an immediate nod of agreement and bent down as if to collect the wooden container. In that exact instant, Gu Il-mu unleashed the Formless Fist alongside the Seven Severing Hands.

Simultaneously, as if anticipating his treachery, my blade cut cleanly through the trajectories of his fist and palm strikes, carving a fatal gash straight across Gu Il-mu’s throat.

“How……?”

“I survived long enough in my past existence to realize precisely how worthless the pledges of men like you truly are.”

Gu Il-mu slumped onto the freezing earth, bearing an expression of utter incomprehension regarding my words.

“Haa, haa.”

My ragged breathing slowly turned steady as I stood silently, gazing down at the figures of Jang Han-gi and Gu Il-mu for a long duration.

Their physical forms lay broken and lifeless.

“The victory is mine……”

It was a grim and unsettling image of death, and now that this vision had etched itself into my sight, it would remain forever. Even so, I forced myself not to look away.

For this marked the very first occasion I had witnessed elite martial artists like them perish, rather than common, third-rate Warriors like myself.

Neglecting even the thought of securing the Snow Plum Pill or the esoteric scroll immediately, I dedicated the passing moments to embedding this exact imagery even deeper into my consciousness.

“The Taeul Sect based in Hefei?”

Jegal So-myeong puzzled over whether a sect by that title truly existed, before reacting with an enlightened, “Ah.”

“Is it not counted among the One Hundred Eight Peaks?”

“Are there not numerous formidable martial factions operating within Hefei? It is high time it was succeeded by a fresh Peak.”

A martial faction currently broadening its dominion in Hefei would likely be…… the Iron Sword Sect. I recalled reports that Namgung Tae-won had recently been throwing his influence behind the Iron Sword Sect, which undoubtedly explained the underlying motive.

Jegal So-myeong fixed his gaze intently upon the Elder seated before him, who maintained an air of manufactured innocence and refinement while sipping his tea.

“Has the Taeul Sect committed some sort of transgression?”

By established decree, once a faction’s title was recorded among the One Hundred Eight Peaks, it was never stripped of its rank unless it committed a truly heinous violation.

Such was the solemn weight of their blood covenant.

“A transgression…… Is it not a profound failure, as a sworn ally of the Murim Alliance, to diminish in strength day after day without showing a single shred of advancement?”

Jegal So-myeong withheld his immediate reply, choosing instead to quietly drink from his cup.

An Elder of the Murim Alliance.

To command one of the thirty designated seats within the supreme governing body of the Alliance required not only exceptional personal capability, but also implied that the individual’s clan lineage was immensely influential.

It was not that Jegal So-myeong was lacking in martial prowess or lineage compared to anyone else, but to successfully dismiss such an unjust demand from a sitting Elder, he required an unassailable degree of leverage.

Having structured his thoughts completely, Jegal So-myeong spoke aloud.

“If the members of the One Hundred Eight Peaks are losing their strength, then the blame must ultimately rest upon the governance of the Murim Alliance. If that is the reality, then the contemporary Murim Alliance…… No, the fault must lie with my own shortcomings.”

Namgung Tae-won’s features hardened imperceptibly.

“That is a distortion of my words.”

Namgung Tae-won had exposed his underlying motives with startling speed.

Observing him, Jegal So-myeong could not suppress a rising sense of skepticism.

‘What could have possessed Tae-ha to relinquish an Elder’s seat to an individual of this caliber?’

In truth, that position rightfully belonged to Namgung Tae-ha, the true patriarch of the Namgung Clan.

Even though Namgung Tae-won shared the ancestral lineage of the Namgung Clan, he remained undeniably part of a secondary branch. It was a position he had no business claiming so easily.

“I am equally aware that the authority of several factions within the One Hundred Eight Peaks is steadily waning. Nonetheless, the One Hundred Eight Peaks were not established by the Murim Alliance to categorize sects by their current might. They were brought forth to preserve the legacy of those who stood shoulder-to-shoulder during the darkest and most perilous eras of our history.”

“Urgh……”

Namgung Tae-won realized his objective had slipped through his fingers. He gritted his teeth slightly before resuming his speech.

“Even if that holds true, if the One Hundred Eight Peaks are permitted to remain in unyielding positions without any threat of displacement, will they not grow complacent and decay from within?”

“Which is precisely why their affairs are systematically supervised, even if the timing remains variable.”

“Hmm…… Very well. On a separate note, I have received word that the Taeul Sect has been conducting transactions involving their privileges to the ‘special admission track.’”

“……”

This was a systemic issue that had persisted for an exceptionally long duration.

However, it had yet to produce any disastrous repercussions, and given the heavy burdens placed upon the One Hundred Eight Peaks, he had intentionally chosen to overlook it, reasoning that such administrative perks were a necessary compensation.

“Ah, well, I merely bring forward rumors that reached my ears. It is not as though I am attempting to force a specific faction into the ranks of the One Hundred Eight Peaks.”

“I see. Has our consultation concluded?”

“The Leader of the Iron Sword Sect in Hefei is hosting a grand celebration to commemorate his sixtieth year. Given the importance of his sixtieth birthday, he has forwarded a formal invitation, hoping to learn if the Grand Strategist might grace the event with his presence.”

“Ha ha. Ha.”

Since when had the role of the Grand Strategist of the Murim Alliance become an occupation with enough leisure for such trivialities?

“Naturally, I am well aware of the immense weight of your duties. However, Grand Strategist, you must allow yourself a period of recovery. At this pace, your health will break. What say you to traveling to the Iron Sword Sect alongside me, while simultaneously investigating the ‘special admission’ exploitation I brought to light just moments ago?”

Exactly what fortune had the Iron Sword Sect offered Namgung Tae-won to secure an audience with the Grand Strategist of the Murim Alliance?

This precise outcome had undoubtedly been Namgung Tae-won’s true objective from the very beginning.

Understandably, Jegal So-myeong could have generated a hundred distinct arguments to decline the invitation, yet he promptly checked his impulse.

No matter how rationally he debated this simpleton, the man would remain deaf to reason. To properly rectify this administrative mess, he needed to directly confront the architect who had installed such a puppet into this seat.

“Hmm. The proposition holds merit. Tell me, on what date does this sixtieth celebration occur?”

The Great Righteous-Demonic War was nothing short of an absolute purgatory.

The enemy ranks were comprised of demonic cultists, every single one a terrifying force of nature, while low-tier Warriors were thrown directly into their path to be pulverized without intermission.

There were no grand strategies or defensive maneuvers deployed.

The Murim Alliance exerted its ultimate authority over the martial landscape to conscript common Warriors, subsequently herding them onto the front lines of the conflict.

The low-tier Warriors, marched into the crucible of war fueled by romanticized visions of achieving battlefield glory and elevating their status within the Murim Alliance, discovered their own utter vulnerability only as they watched their blades shatter against the enemy. By that hour, however, retreat was an impossibility.

Was there any form of restitution granted to the Warriors who were systematically ground down in that manner?

There was absolutely none.

At the very least, those individuals who had successfully registered as formal combatants under the Murim Alliance might have casualties reported back to their ancestral homes.

Yet even that minor luxury was confined strictly to the opening chapters of the Great Righteous-Demonic War.

An unquantifiable number of souls had served under the banner of the Alliance, yet when the dust settled, no mechanism existed to track where their lives had been extinguished.

And by that dark period, the Murim Alliance, which should have borne the moral burden of their sacrifice, had already relocated its headquarters to Bukhae.

As active members of the Diancang Five Swords, their standing likely equated to a fifth or sixth grade rank within the hierarchy of the Murim Alliance.

Their sudden disappearance would trigger an immediate crisis within the organization, prompting Alliance investigators to blanket Hefei in search of clues regarding their whereabouts.

Consequently, a short distance from the clearing where the Soul-Chasing Guest lay entombed, I excavated a massive trench and interred the two fallen members of the Diancang Five Swords. Following this, I placed the carcass of a creature I had hunted in the wilderness directly above their resting place before thoroughly tamping down the earth.

At the bare minimum, their decomposing remains would avoid detection due to any rising scent.

To facilitate the healing of my physical vessel, which had been pushed to total exhaustion during the clash against the Diancang Five Swords, and to properly assimilate the properties of the Snow Plum Pill, I secured lodging at a local tavern and remained sequestered for a span of several days.

Each time I descended to the common room to take my meals, the local patrons were entirely preoccupied with debates concerning the Snow Plum Pill that the Gyeryong Merchant Guild had surrendered in this recent debacle.

Replicating history precisely, the Patriarch of the Gyeryong Merchant Guild along with Gye Cheol-yeong wept open tears of despair, while the elite representatives of Mount Hua deflected the entirety of the blame onto Gye Yeon-seok prior to journeying back to the Mount Hua Sect.

The puzzle regarding the current location of the vanished Snow Plum Pill served as excellent entertainment over wine for the local population.

Even if they possessed no personal hope of laying claim to it, who could resist gossiping about the sudden evaporation of a legendary treasure left completely without a guardian?

They were utterly incapable of conceiving that an individual occupying a room directly above the floor where they drank was currently exerting every ounce of his concentration to master that very Snow Plum Pill.

“Hoo.”

As I slowly parted my eyelids, a profound shroud of night had enveloped the space.

My vision, completely acclimated to the absence of light, had sharpened to such a degree that I could identify individual specks of dust settled in the furthest corner of the cramped room, which was entirely devoid of any external illumination. When I flexed my arms and legs, not even the slighest whisper of muscle or tendon shifting could be detected.

On account of my continuous focus on energy circulation over the preceding days, my stomach was entirely devoid of sustenance, yet I experienced no sensation of starvation.

‘The measure is slightly greater than half a gapja.’

The reservoir of internal energy circulating within my dantian had expanded from the thickness of a single finger to the breadth of two fingers.

This represented the identical volume of internal energy I had spent an entire lifetime accumulating throughout my previous existence.

While I had amassed this power with incredible speed, every particle of it was derived from legendary spiritual medicines and spiritual pills. Furthermore, because it had been synthesized utilizing the unblemished Taeul Heart Method, the vast majority of the corrupt internal impurities had been successfully driven from my physical form.

“Ugh. The stench.”

As I scraped my flesh with the tip of a finger, a layer of dark, oily residue peeled away instantly. Reeling from the sight, I immediately made my way toward the washing quarters.

“You have finally emerged?”

The adolescent attendant tasked with managing the common room through the night hours had been drifting into slumber, but he quickly startled awake and cleared his head.

“You remained confined to your quarters for several suns, leading me to worry that some misfortune had befallen you.”

To prevent any outside interference while I was assimilating the spiritual pill, I had settled the entire rental balance in advance and provided a generous gratuity, ensuring the attendant’s manners were flawless.

“Is there any food prepared for consumption at this hour?”

“I can prepare basic wheat noodles and steamed dumplings immediately.”

“Bring me an order of those, then.”

A brief interval later, bowls of steaming wheat noodles and hot dumplings were placed on the table before me.

“On another note, is the common room typically this deserted during these hours?”

The interior of the dining space was completely devoid of sound.

“Far from it. Until a few days past, owing to the Gyeryong Merchant Guild abruptly aborting their scheduled festival, we were overwhelmed with a much larger crowd than usual.”

“Ah……”

“You are fully briefed on the events that occurred, correct?”

“I understand a valuable item was stolen.”

“Indeed. Whoever pulled it off must be an absolute legend. To siphon away a spiritual pill with such stealth in a venue packed with so many eyes. A detective force from the Murim Alliance arrived to investigate, and they pursued the thief’s path, but they reported the signs vanished completely and they were left empty-handed.”

“Is that the case? That is an absolute misfortune.”

“Is it not? Regardless, on account of that incident, I anticipated we might retain some of the patrons we historically lost. Yet now the Iron Sword Sect is launching an entirely separate celebration.”

“The Iron Sword Sect?”

“Yes. On this occasion, the Iron Sword Sect Leader is reaching his sixtieth year, so reports indicate he will throw an open celebration enduring for seven days and nights, featuring all manner of competitions. The revelers from the surrounding territories are all migrating toward Hefei.”

“Ah, has the calendar already brought us to that moment?”

“Were you truly unaware?”

It was fundamentally impossible for me to be oblivious to it.

The sixtieth milestone celebration of the Iron Sword Sect Leader.

In a square packed with an unquantifiable multitude of spectators, my sire and I had been forced to drop to our knees and beg for clemency from the Iron Sword Sect Leader.