Wudang Sacred Scriptures

A trace of regret flickered across Daoist Hyehae’s eyes.

“Do you know the origins of the Immortal’s Room, Daoist Hyeonmu?”

“I understand it was where Patriarch Jang Sam-bong trained.”

Daoist Hyehae nodded.

“Patriarch Jang Sam-bong’s secular name was Gunbo. He once spent a period in Shaolin Temple and encountered martial arts there. After that, he traveled across the famous mountains of the world in cultivation, and upon seeing the three peaks of Three Spirits Peak overflowing with spiritual energy, he named the path of Dao here ‘Three Peaks Dao.’ He settled in this palace, devoted himself to Daoist studies, and then, in the Immortal’s Room, came to a breakthrough in martial theory—and founded the Wudang Sect.”

As Daoist Hyehae began recounting the history of the Immortal’s Room, Kwak Yeon listened with rapt attention. He had long harbored questions about the Immortal’s Room.

“But the Immortal’s Room was a sacred place even before that.”

“I heard that the Great Emperor Zhenwu subdued the twin spirits of the turtle and snake here and ascended to the heavens.”

“That’s merely legend. But no legend arises without cause. One cannot simply call them baseless.”

Kwak Yeon, deeply absorbed, even forgot his usual breathing techniques.

“Long ago, a sage of Three Spirits Palace was training in the Immortal’s Room when a priest from the Western regions came to visit. That priest harbored impure intentions—he wanted to claim the Immortal’s Room for himself. But he was so overwhelmed by the sage’s spiritual power that he withdrew.”

“...”

“That tale was distorted over time and became the legend of the ‘Dark Heaven Sovereign’—another name for the Great Emperor Zhenwu. In any case, since that time, the Immortal’s Room became a sacred site of our palace. But strangely, from then on, the yin and yang energies grew intense, and it became a place where not just anyone could enter and train.”

Which meant Kwak Yeon was the only person since Jang Sam-bong to enter that room.

As the long tale came to its end—and pointed directly at him—Kwak Yeon flinched in surprise and spoke.

“You speak of me so highly—I’m not sure how to respond...”

Daoist Hyehae shook his head.

“You have no need, and no reason, to be humble.”

“...?”

“You are the only one to enter the Immortal’s Room since Patriarch Jang Sam-bong.”

Kwak Yeon couldn’t find the words to respond. He simply walked, dazed. Eventually, the residential quarters came into view before them.

“Go in and rest.”

“Thank you... for waking me from a deluded dream.”

Daoist Hyehae returned Kwak Yeon’s respectful bow and said:

“The reason I came to Three Spirits Palace was because one day, our master told me, ‘There is a path here.’”

Kwak Yeon turned to him quietly. It was a rare moment—Daoist Hyehae speaking of his own past.

“And I saw that path.”

****

Kwak Yeon could hardly focus on circulating his energy.

“And I saw that path.”

Daoist Hyehae’s final words kept echoing in his ears.

Why did he say that?

And why at the very last moment?

Was it a sudden feeling of shared suffering?

Kwak Yeon shook his head immediately.

Daoist Hyehae wasn’t the type to lament his own fate. He was the kind of man who would part with his limbs before showing sympathy.

Then could it be... that was the real message he wanted to leave me with?

As soon as the question arose, Kwak Yeon frowned.

If he had something to say, why not say it directly?

Suddenly, he remembered what Instructor Hyeonmun of Yeongmudang had once told him:

“‘Don’t transmit to the unworthy’ doesn’t just mean not teaching those who are unfit. Its true meaning is that unless the connection is right, it can’t be received at all.”

Then...

“Our master said there was a path here. And there was.”

Kwak Yeon fully grasped the meaning of Daoist Hyehae’s words.

The Palace Lord said she would entrust me with Three Spirits Palace’s martial lineage.

The martial lineage of Three Spirits Palace!

That meant there truly was martial knowledge hidden within Three Spirits Palace.

Is that why Daoist Hyehae explained the legend and history of the Immortal’s Room in such detail?

Kwak Yeon looked toward the inner cave.

He had long wondered where the storm of yin and yang energy originated.

From the way the vortex roared, it was clearly coming from deep within the cave.

But he had never dared to explore it.

Because he could only withstand the yin-yang storms for a brief period of time.

And up until now, he had devoted all that time solely to training his internal energy.

Though the cave tunnel seemed open, it had always felt like a towering wall.

But now, thanks to his steady training, he could endure the yin-yang storms for about one full cycle.

Let’s just go as far as I can.

Resolved, Kwak Yeon stepped into the deeper cave.

He walked for quite a while, and yet he could still see his surroundings.

Small, scattered flecks of fluorescent rock emitted dim light. They didn’t seem to be luminous pearls, but they did give off a faint glow.

From the entrance, the cave had appeared pitch-black—this was unexpected and strange.

How far had he walked?

Eventually, Kwak Yeon stepped into a rectangular chamber.

The smoothness of the walls told him immediately that it was manmade—clearly carved stone.

Ah! This must be the true Immortal’s Room.

The very chamber said to be where the ancient sages of Three Spirits Palace once trained!

In the dim light, Kwak Yeon saw that on either side of the chamber, there was a small tunnel—one on each wall.

Neither was wide enough for a person to enter.

So this is the end of the chamber.

From those two tunnels, he could sense that one emitted icy yin energy, the other scorching yang energy.

And he realized why the mingling of these opposing forces created a deep, draconic rumble.

Two powerful currents of opposing nature—yin-cold and yang-heat—were crashing into each other in this very chamber, forming a violent vortex. No wonder it had sounded like two dragons clashing.

In fact, it was a battle.

It was as if two dragons were fighting to overpower one another’s aura.

Brimming with anticipation, Kwak Yeon examined the chamber.

Since this was the true Immortal’s Room, if Three Spirits Palace had a martial legacy, surely something would be left behind here.

But disappointingly, the chamber was completely empty.

Was I reading too much into what he said?

Still hoping to find some kind of clue, Kwak Yeon began thoroughly inspecting the room.

He paid special attention to the opposite wall.

Was there a hidden passage to another chamber? A concealed stone door?

He even ran his hands across it, checking every inch.

But the wall was just solid, pitch-black rock. Smooth and sealed. Not the slightest crack.

He couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

That’s when he suddenly realized how much time had passed.

When yin energy surges, it’s usually for one quarter of a rotation—and right after, the yang energy follows for just as long.

In other words, he’d have to endure at least half a sijin in total.

If he couldn’t withstand it, his mind and body would suffer damage.

I need to hurry back.

—Wooooooom!

The howl of the incoming yin-yang storm echoed.

Too late!

Kwak Yeon sat down in the center of the chamber and crossed his legs, immediately beginning energy circulation with the Tai Chi Internal Skill.

The first wave of the yin storm was bearable. It felt like his flesh was being torn and his bones frozen, but that was merely internal suffering—mental pain.

The real problem came when the yang storm erupted from the opposite tunnel.

At the entrance of the cave, he had only ever endured one storm at a time. Even that had been hard.

But here, in the chamber, both yin and yang storms poured out simultaneously.

Worse, they clashed in the middle of the room and formed a vortex that engulfed the entire space.

—KWA-RA-RA-RANG!

It felt like his energy channels were being torn apart, frozen, and then burned in turn.

“Urghhh!”

Kwak Yeon couldn’t bear the mental pain and opened his eyes.

You couldn’t circulate energy when your mind was destabilized. Pushing through in such a state was dangerous.

To keep from being swept away by the agony and losing consciousness entirely, he needed something—anything—to anchor himself.

Kwak Yeon fixed his gaze on the wall in front of him.

To be precise, it was the fluorescent stones embedded in the pitch-black wall.

They looked like stars scattered across the night sky.

During every moment of pain, Kwak Yeon had always stared at them, remembering the joy of the Celestial Meridian Map that had once comforted him. But now, he suddenly opened his eyes wide.

The fluorescent stones were flickering, forming specific lines.

He was certain—those lines had not been visible before.

Someone had intentionally arranged the stones to create them.

Ah... they were here all along.

—KWA-RRR-RANG!

Even in the heart of the violent clash between two demonic dragons, as his body trembled under the extreme pain, Kwak Yeon stared unblinkingly at the lines on the wall.

****

The first person Kwak Yeon saw upon waking was Daoist Hyehae.

“How long have I been unconscious?”

The sensation felt exactly like when he had first fainted inside the Immortal’s Room. Gripped by that déjà vu, Kwak Yeon asked.

“You were unconscious for three full days.”

All he could recall was dragging himself out of the Immortal’s Room like a worm the moment the yin-yang storm had passed.

Daoist Hyehae asked,

“Did you see it?”

Emotion welled up in Kwak Yeon’s chest.

Because he understood what the question meant—because it was clear Daoist Hyehae had done everything he could to help the encounter happen.

“I saw it.”

“You already know this, but you must never speak of it to anyone.”

Revealing the Immortal’s Room’s secret would place the very survival of Three Spirits Palace at risk.

“I understand.”

“The Palace Lord said you were one of the Chosen. I had my doubts... but you’ve proven that you are.”

The Chosen, the one with fate—Yeonja (緣者).

A person fated to inherit martial techniques across time and space—a destined encounter with a hidden legacy.

But Daoist Hyehae let /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ out a quiet sigh.

“...Huuuh.”

Kwak Yeon looked at him, not knowing what that meant.

With a heavy expression, Daoist Hyehae said,

“Now is when your true hardship begins. I can’t congratulate you.”

He took out a sealed case and opened it.

Inside was a black silk wrap containing a dark-hued elixir pill.

“This is a spirit pill that protects the mind. The Palace Lord gave it to you—there’s no need to refuse it.”

****

Palace Lord Unseon of Three Spirits Palace asked Daoist Hyehae,

“So he saw it?”

“Yes.”

“Oh! To think the connection would be made so quickly... he truly is one of the Chosen. Then, did you administer the Dream Pill?”

“I confirmed he had fallen into a deep sleep and came straight here.”

“Then why does your face look like that?”

“I’m worried whether Daoist Hyeonmu can endure it.”

“You impudent fool, are you still doubting your master’s judgment?”

“No, that’s not it. He proved himself at the Cheongmu Tournament. It’s just... the path ahead is so incredibly difficult...”

“He will manage. Don’t worry. And he’s not walking that path alone, is he?”

Daoist Hyehae’s face darkened.

“Master... are you truly going to do this?”

“What kind of wretched master would I be if I forced him to be my disciple, burdened him with such a cruel task, and then gave him nothing in return?”

“But Master, this disciple isn’t ready—at least not in heart.”

“You’ve already stripped away his last hesitation. He will be able to bear it.”

“But... I can’t bear to part with you.”

“Silence! What’s left to see in a human shell that’s already nothing but skin?”

“But Master, I grieve that you’re abandoning the sacred path you spent your whole life cultivating.”

“Haven’t they said that calamity is rising across the land? What good is one man’s personal enlightenment in such a time?”

“Then let us strengthen the sacred path. Make it flourish.”

“This calamity cannot be subdued with sacred teachings alone.”

“But still—”

“No more words. Prepare yourself. And you must never reveal this secret to anyone.”

“Master...”

Tears, long held back, finally rolled down Daoist Hyehae’s face.