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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: The Demonic Sanctum
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For generations, the Orthodox Faction had systematically taught martial arts and nurtured disciples, producing a steady stream of outstanding figures.
But the sects of the Demonic Path, driven by profit and power, were always in disarray.
While masters capable of dominating the world would occasionally emerge from their ranks, their collective influence inevitably paled in comparison to the Orthodox Faction.
In response, the Ten Demonic Sects, known as the very sky of the Demonic Path, joined forces to create a coalition for the demonic martial world.
The Demonic Sanctum.
Known as the Demonic Martial Alliance, it was modeled after the Orthodox Faction's own alliance and became the central pillar for all demonic sects under the heavens.
Around noon.
A long line of people snaked before the entrance to the Demonic Sanctum.
The queue showed no signs of shortening, as every person had to sign the visitor's log before entering.
"Ah, they've gathered like clouds."
Mo-gwang, one of the guards at the entrance to the Demonic Sanctum, muttered with a deep sigh.
His companion, Jang-sam, shook his head.
"Of course they have. They say they'll teach demonic martial arts to anyone with talent, regardless of their faction. Who would be foolish enough to miss this chance?"
"Damn it. If only I were younger, I'd apply to be one of the Ten Demonic Successors myself."
The Ten Demonic Successors Plan.
With the recent rise of the Demonic Path, the Orthodox Martial Alliance had begun training eighteen joint successors under the title of the Great Righteous Masters.
Not to be outdone, the Demonic Sanctum announced its own Ten Demonic Successors Plan.
—We will select ten prodigies, regardless of faction, and impart to them the martial arts of the Ten Demonic Sects!
News of the Ten Demonic Successors Plan spread like wildfire, setting the demonic martial world ablaze.
—Let's go, to the Demonic Sanctum!
The Ten Demonic Sects were known as the ten pillars supporting the Demonic Path.
To think one could freely learn their world-shaking ultimate arts, which could tear the sky and make the earth tremble!
Disciples from demonic sects and scions of noble families who had previously looked down on the Demonic Sanctum all flocked to its gates.
As a result, the gate guards of the Demonic Sanctum were stuck at their posts until their shifts ended.
"Another day gone just like this."
Mo-gwang muttered as he watched the sun slowly set. His colleague, Jang-sam, nodded.
"It should be a bit quieter starting tomorrow."
But in the distance, a small figure walked toward them, silhouetted against the setting sun.
It was a scrawny boy carrying a bundle on his back.
"Huh?"
Mo-gwang rubbed his eyes as he stared at the boy.
The boy's hair was a tangled mess, and his clothes were torn to rags.
His shoes were nearly worn through, and his soles were caked with dried blood.
The clothes he wore were the ritual robes of an undertaker, and on his back was a bamboo box used for carrying funeral supplies, along with a sword.
"Did someone die?"
"Who died? Don't be ridiculous. The tournament for the Ten Demonic Successors hasn't even started yet."
Mo-gwang chided his partner before muttering to himself.
"Besides, who would hire such a young mortician in a place like our Demonic Sanctum?"
"R-Right?"
Jang-sam, standing beside him, also gaped in bewilderment.
"But what in the world is that getup? He looks like a living corpse."
The boy's disheveled hair all but covered his eyes, and his lips were so chapped that blood was dripping from them.
He looked as if he had been walking for three or four months without a single day of rest.
*Trudge, trudge.*
The boy, walking at a slow, deliberate pace, finally reached the main gate.
*Ssk.*
Looking up at the magnificent gates of the Demonic Sanctum, the boy, Bu Eun-seol, clenched his fists.
*Grandfather.*
His once-dull eyes were now burning with a blood-red light.
*This is where it begins.*
* * *
After burying his grandfather in a sunny spot, Bu Eun-seol had gone through the belongings inside the Pyeong-an Funeral Home.
Their possessions had been so meager that, apart from the ritual supplies, all that remained were Bu Jan-yang's ritual robes and sword.
And a bamboo box large enough to hold various ritual tools.
"Hm?"
As Bu Eun-seol was packing the box containing his grandfather's only keepsakes—the robes and sword—his eyes widened.
He spotted a small box placed neatly beside it.
"What's this?"
When he opened the box, he found a set of ritual robes that would fit him perfectly and a pair of small swords.
"..."
Bu Jan-yang had already bought the robes and swords. For Bu Eun-seol's upcoming birthday.
—Happy birthday.
Staring at the box, which contained a single, short note, Bu Eun-seol broke down in tears once more.
"Grandfather."
Clutching the box tightly, Bu Eun-seol sobbed quietly.
The kindest grandfather in the world.
The grandfather who had filled this cold world with warmth.
The grandfather he loved most in the world, Bu Jan-yang, was no longer in this world.
"Revenge… I will have my revenge!"
As Bu Eun-seol cried out while clutching the box, his eyes turned bloodshot.
He had once possessed the untainted purity of a child.
But after his grandfather's brutal murder, that transparent purity had twisted into a thirst for revenge and madness.
Once he had finished sorting everything, he put on the ritual robes his grandfather had left for him and shouldered the bamboo box.
"I have to learn martial arts."
The fiend who killed his grandfather was surely a master of the Demonic Path.
If so, he had to go where the followers of the Demonic Path gathered. And he had to learn a martial art capable of defeating theirs.
The answer was already clear.
"The Demonic Sanctum."
The repository of demonic martial arts and the gathering place of its masters.
Moreover, wasn't the Demonic Sanctum currently holding a tournament to select and train peerless prodigies under the age of eighteen?
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
* * *
"What brings you here?"
The low voice snapped Bu Eun-seol out of his reverie.
"I am here to participate in the tournament for the Ten Demonic Successors."
Mo-gwang looked down at the robe-clad Bu Eun-seol, sighed, and pointed to the visitor's log.
"Sign the log."
After Bu Eun-seol took the brush and wrote only his name, Mo-gwang spoke again.
"Write your sect as well."
*Sect…*
He had never formally learned martial arts, let alone belonged to a sect.
After a moment of thought, Bu Eun-seol picked up the brush again and wrote with a flourish.
—Janyang Sect, Bu Eun-seol.
Mo-gwang and Jang-sam glanced at the log, then at each other, sharing a bitter smile.
—Another disciple from some fly-by-night sect.
Since the announcement of the Ten Demonic Successors Plan, not only had the renowned sects of the Demonic Path sent their people, but disciples from third-rate sects in remote villages had also rushed to participate.
And yet, the reason the Demonic Sanctum was not overflowing was because of this next step.
"Now, read this and place your thumbprint on it."
Mo-gwang pushed forward a sheet of paper that lay beside the log.
Bu Eun-seol took the paper. It read:
—…(preamble omitted)…To prevent any future disputes, the entire body of any applicant for the Ten Demonic Successors shall be forfeit to this Sanctum.
Therefore, even if one were to lose their life…(conclusion omitted)…
In short, it was a body relinquishment form. Once you applied to be one of the Ten Demonic Successors, you could not raise any objections, whether you died during training or were beaten to death by the instructors.
*He'll never sign it.*
Mo-gwang smirked as he watched Bu Eun-seol.
Countless vagrants had come to the Demonic Sanctum so far, but every single one had turned away after reading the waiver.
Unless they were insane or obsessed with martial arts, no one would ever sign a form that relinquished their own body.
*Grit.*
But Bu Eun-seol, without a moment's hesitation, bit his finger, drew blood, and pressed his thumbprint onto the paper.
*He's… insane.*
Meeting Bu Eun-seol's cold, vacant eyes, Mo-gwang felt the hair on his head stand on end.
"May I go in now?"
"G-Go ahead."
Stepping inside, Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
*So this is the Demonic Sanctum.*
He had imagined a den of demons, a pandemonium, hearing it was a gathering place for masters of the Demonic Path.
But the interior was grand and dignified, exuding an atmosphere as solemn as a remote temple.
*Murmur, murmur.*
After walking for some time, he heard the sound of a large crowd talking.
Following the noise, he arrived at a large training ground.
There, a sea of people stood in formation, and at the far end of the grounds, a high platform had been erected.
"..."
On the platform stood a muscular old man with a mane of hair like a lion's. Behind him stood a middle-aged man with refined features.
*Gong.*
Just then, a low sound resonated from a gong set up on the stage.
As the boisterous noise that had filled the training ground died down, the muscular old man standing tall on the platform spoke in a placid tone.
"I am the Head Instructor, Hyeok-ryeon-eung."
At that moment, a stir went through the training ground.
Hyeok-ryeon-eung of the Golden Arm and Blood-Red Eye.
The Hall Master of the Demonic Sanctum's Law Enforcement Hall had lowered his station to become the Head Instructor for the sake of the successful operation of the Ten Demonic Successors.
This alone showed how much importance the Demonic Sanctum placed on the plan.
"This is a place to select the greatest prodigies of the Demonic Path."
Hyeok-ryeon-eung's voice was not loud, but it was imbued with profound internal energy, allowing every participant to hear him clearly.
"In other words, only those who pass all the trials prepared by this Sanctum can officially become candidates for the Ten Demonic Successors."
He swept his gaze over the participants packing the training ground before speaking again.
"The masters of the Medicine King Hall will now examine your bone structures."
As soon as he finished, dozens of physicians appeared from behind the platform.
"And only those chosen by them can become one of the Ten Demonic Successors."
At his words, the training ground buzzed with commotion once more.
The scions of famous demonic families, in particular, began to protest openly.
—What do you mean the trial is an examination of our bone structure? That makes no sense!
—You should hold a martial tournament instead!
Regardless of the growing murmurs, the physicians from the Medicine King Hall began to weed out the children with good bone structures.
Before long, a gaunt physician approached Bu Eun-seol.
"...!"
The physician started in surprise upon seeing Bu Eun-seol in his ritual robes.
"Are you a disciple of the Jangsang Sect?"
The physician frowned, then scanned Bu Eun-seol's body with sharp eyes, briefly touching his shoulders, back, and legs.
"Unsuitable."
The physician muttered under his breath and walked right past him.
*As I thought.*
Bu Eun-seol narrowed his eyes.
The only thing he had ever learned was how to tend to corpses. It would have been more surprising if his bone structure had been deemed suitable for martial arts.
*But this can't be the end.*
Bu Eun-seol was certain.
The entrance procedure wouldn't end with the physicians examining their bones.
If that were the case, there would have been no need to make them sign the visitor's log and the waiver, or to gather all the participants here.
"The first trial is over!"
As all those chosen by the physicians moved to the side, a deathly silence fell over the training ground.
From the vast training ground, a mere two hundred or so children had been chosen.
"How can this be!"
Just then, a boy standing at the front of the training ground cried out in frustration.
"If you're going to select the Ten Demonic Successors based on bone structure alone, you should have just sent the physicians from the Medicine King Hall to each sect! Why bother holding a tournament?"
The boy's words were logical.
"There are two reasons."
Hyeok-ryeon-eung looked down at the boy and spoke calmly.
"First and foremost, bone structure is the most important factor in learning martial arts. This Sanctum held a tournament not only to find disciples and successors from the major sects, but also to discover prodigies who do not belong to any sect, all at once."
"But…"
"The second reason is to select peerless prodigies who can master martial arts well, even if their bone structure is not ideal."
At that moment, the faces of the boys and girls on the training ground brightened.
So there was a second chance after all.
"We will now begin the second trial."
Hyeok-ryeon-eung grinned at the participants below.
"From this moment on, you will fight. And you will survive."