The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

The goal of the first test was actually to reduce the number of participants.

With over a thousand people gathered, the first step was to filter out more than half.

The real test was the second test.

Until now, at the Dragon-Phoenix Conference and the Seven Stars Conference, most contests were settled through martial duels.

However, this time, due to the objective of exploring the Five Elements Tomb, and the intervention of the All-knowing Master, the second test had been substituted with deciphering the Qi Men Formation.

The problem was, few successors truly understood the Qi Men Formation.

Even Peng Gu-in, a scion of the prestigious Seven Great Clans, was no exception; the case was even more so for other minor sect’s successors.

“Really… It would be better to just settle it through martial duels.”

“Haha, I agree with what Brother Gu said, but there’s nothing we can do.”

“Still, having Henan’s Sage, a disciple of the Azure Forest, join us is a stroke of good luck. Isn’t it so, So Woon?”

“Yes, Young Master Cho is right.”

He seemed to have started speaking informally to So Woon, the youngest of the group, at some point. Yi-gang received expectant glances from the group.

Yi-gang shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s not like I know much about it.”

「Pretending to be humble.」

He ignored the words of the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon.

The examiner guarding the entrance to the All-knowing High Formation wrote something in the register.

“To traverse the All-knowing High Formation, it will typically take about an hour.”

“Is it just that area? It seems like we could just run through it.”

So Woon’s remark made the examiner look at him intently.

His gaze seemed to ask if he didn’t know about the Qi Men Formation, causing So Woon’s face to turn red.

“The famed Three Ghosts Bronze Cauldron was used to set up the formation, so it won’t be easy. It’s All-knowing Master’s ultimate formation.”

“Yes.”

“However, there’s no need to worry too much. It’s been set up to merely make one lose their way, not to kill.”

The Three Ghosts Bronze Cauldron of the All-knowing Master was a famous extraordinary object in Jianghu. It can instantly create a Qi Men Formation using the mist flowing from a bronze cauldron.

“It’s set to its weakest level…”

When one eye of Three Ghosts Bronze Cauldron opened, it made people lose their way; when the second eye opened, it would draw blood.

Opening the third eye would invariably result in death.

It’s said that the All-knowing Master alone annihilated an entire unorthodox sect using this extraordinary object.

‘It must certainly be a Treasure.’

「Seems like it, doesn’t it?」

Such an unusual object couldn’t be ordinary. Yi-gang guessed that the Three Ghosts Bronze Cauldron was a Treasure.

The examiner added one last remark.

“If you can’t come out within two hours, you’ll be disqualified. I look forward to a good result.”

Yi-gang and his party stepped into the tent in front of the examiner.

Then, they all let out exclamations in unison.

“Wow, this is really amazing.”

“It’s unbelievable even when seen.”

Since it was set up in the outer garden of the Murim Alliance, it had been noisy outside until just a moment ago. This was due to the crowds of people and onlookers gathered around the tent concealing the Qi Men Formation.

But inside the formation, you could hear a pin drop.

“It’s just like a foggy forest.”

Yi-gang’s assessment was spot on. A dense fog so thick that one couldn’t see even a zhang ahead enveloped the area.

The smell that hit their noses was undoubtedly that of a damp forest.

It was a mysterious thing, given that this place was not a forest.

As they carefully walked through the fog, huge dead trees appeared.

The long branches of what seemed to be dead trees had bright red ribbons hanging loosely from them.

“Were these trees always here?”

“That’s unlikely.”

Originally, it must have been an ordinary tree.

But when touched, the dried bark crumbled away. No matter how one looked at it, it was reality itself.

Shiiiiii—

An eerily chilling wind blew.

The sound of the wind made the party swallow their saliva in unison.

The tense group instinctively reached for their weapons.

“Wait.”

Yi-gang was the only one who remained calm.

The party stopped in their tracks at Yi-gang’s gesture.

“Wh-what is it?”

“It’s a fork in the road.”

As the wind blew, the fog on the path they were on slightly cleared.

And then, indeed, a fork in the road appeared.

The party was startled. No one except Yi-gang had anticipated the appearance of the fork.

“The left is a thorny path, and the right is a paved road.”

On the left was a path covered with thorny bushes, and on the right was a well-paved road.

They were uncertain which way to go.

“It seems obvious to take the paved road, but that’s a bit…”

“Wouldn’t it be too easy if that were the case?”

Those inexperienced with the Qi Men Formation didn’t know what to do.

Logically, the paved road seemed the right choice, but would the All-knowing Master’s formation be that straightforward?

“Maybe it’s better to take the thorny path.”

“Hmm, what Brother Gu says might be right.”

“Right? Unless one’s a fool, who would fall for such an obvious trap? Haha!”

While the three were discussing, Yi-gang quietly approached the fork alone.

Then, he lifted a finger and pointed upwards, seemingly gauging the direction of the wind.

“Could it be that Brother Baek has some insight?”

Cho Myung-hwi asked with a hopeful expression.

“The most important thing after entering a formation is to figure out what kind of formation it is.”

Saying this, Yi-gang picked up a large stone and threw it towards the paved road.

There was a thud, and something could be heard.

Peep-peeep—

An arrow flew from somewhere and struck where the stone had fallen.

There must have been a mechanism hidden nearby.

“So it is!”

Just as Peng Gu-in excitedly started to walk towards the thorny path, Yi-gang stopped him.

“Wait a moment.”

“Huh…?”

Yi-gang picked up another stone of similar size and threw it towards the thorny path.

Shuruuuk-

Then, the thorny bushes, as if alive, began to wrap around the stone.

Pipipiping!

More arrows were shot towards the stone than before.

The party swallowed hard once again.

It seemed both paths were traps.

Peng Gu-in caught one of the arrows that had bounced off the rock.

“Even if it doesn’t kill, it would hurt quite a bit.”

Fortunately, the arrows did not have arrowheads.

“This is not a typical formation.”

Yi-gang pointed towards the sky.

Due to the fog, the bright sunlight was not visible.

“Not all Qi Men Formations are covered in fog like this. It’s rarer for them to block sunlight. It’s definitely a Yin Formation rather than a Yang Formation.”

“Yang… Yin. I see.”

“You can hear the wind, but you can’t feel it. It doesn’t seem to be a formation based on the principles of the Nine Palaces. It’s meant to deceive our senses.”

Peng Gu-in nodded in agreement, as did So Woon and Cho Myung-hwi, though their expressions suggested they didn’t quite understand.

Yi-gang suddenly looked up and asked, “Do you know the general methods for breaking a Qi Men Formation?”

“Roughly, yes.”

Anyone would generally know the responses when caught in a Qi Men Formation.

“By observing the flow of Qi and finding the weak points in the inner axis of the Qi Men Formation.”

It was a proper answer befitting a scion of a prestigious clan.

Yi-gang smiled and said, “Since Brother Gu’s internal energy is the most profound here, why don’t you stand here and try that?”

“Well, I guess I could.”

A master of Supreme Peak level or higher could use Refined Qi to crudely break the formation.

However, a martial artist who couldn’t do so had to use Intangible Qi to find the weak points of the formation.

Using Qi this way was exhausting, so it’s not an easy task.

Peng Gu-in boldly emitted his Intangible Qi.

Paruruk—

Peng Gu-in’s aura overwhelmed the surroundings.

His clothes fluttered, and the fog within a radius of two zhang dispersed on its own, revealing the original yellow-brown soil.

As soon as Peng Gu-in withdrew his energy, the soil darkened again as if nothing had happened.

“Indeed, both paths have a suspicious aura.”

“Besides that.”

Yi-gang’s eyes shone.

He didn’t know the true identity of the person named Gu In-nam, but he had long realized he was an extraordinary expert.

Then, he should have been able to tell.

“How many points of Qi concentration were there around the place you stood? Places where the Qi was particularly dense?”

“Hmm… Six. Definitely six.”

“…Impressive.”

Upon receiving Yi-gang’s praise, Peng Gu-in grinned ear to ear.

Thanks to Peng Gu-in, Yi-gang was able to quickly grasp the mechanism of the All-knowing High Formation.

Cho Myung-hwi, too, seemed to have a guess, clapping his hands once and saying, “Isn’t it the Six Harmonies Formation?”

He didn’t seem completely ignorant about formations.

However, Yi-gang shook his head.

“Precisely, it seems to follow the principles of Six Lines.”

“I haven’t heard of Six Lines before.”

“It’s not commonly used.”

Nine Palaces, Eight Trigrams, Six Harmonies, Five Elements, Four Symbols, Three Talents, Two Extremes, One Source.

Among them, a formation based on the principle of Six Harmonies was considered common.

However, the principle of Six Lines was rarely used.

‘…Such a peculiar taste.’

Yi-gang felt a sinister aura in the formation.

It seemed like the All-knowing Master was indeed indifferent to righteousness and evil.

“If it’s a formation made according to the principles of Six Lines, how should we break it, Brother Baek?”

“It has a yin-like nature but is tricky, so it likely corresponds to Lesser Yin in Six Lines. There should be points constituting the inner axis of the formation.”

As people did not understand the explanation, Yi-gang simplified it.

“Objects that embody Yang Qi. Probably torches. Those are what we need to break to destroy the inner axis of the formation.”

“In this All-knowing High Formation, there are likely six torches placed around to maintain the formation. Following those torches should lead us to the formation’s Life Gate.”

It was the safest and most efficient method. Not the fastest, though.

“It might take some time, but let’s search slowly.”

“Um… Maybe. Could it be over there?”

The one who suddenly spoke up was So Woon.

He pointed in a direction with a timid expression.

“That way?”

“Yes, the torches might be over there.”

The fog was so thick that they couldn’t see even a short distance ahead.

Even Yi-gang, with his keen senses, couldn’t pinpoint the exact location of the torches.

They had to find them by following the flow of Qi and deciphering the formation.

Peng Gu-in laughed heartily.

“You seem quite sure.”

“Actually…” So Woon spoke cautiously, “I have a good sense of smell. I can smell pine resin burning from that direction.”

“Smell?”

Peng Gu-in reacted with disbelief, causing So Woon to falter.

It was hard to believe someone could smell pine resin burning amidst the damp odors, as if he were a dog.

“Let’s go check it out.”

The one to decide was Yi-gang.

Even if they didn’t know the exact location of the torches, the other directions didn’t seem promising.

Based on this location, the southwest had the least sinister aura. Yi-gang put So Woon in the lead.

Sure enough, they hadn’t walked far before a torch appeared.

“Amazing!”

“You’re like a dog. Hahaha!”

So Woon scratched his head, pleased.

His claim of having a keen sense of smell wasn’t a lie.

“It’s thanks to the martial art I’ve practiced.”

“What kind of martial art makes the sense of smell so sharp?”

“Haha…”

He was awkward but didn’t disclose the martial art he practiced.

Asking about undisclosed martial arts was taboo in the martial world. The party didn’t probe further.

「A martial art that enhances the sense of smell like a dog’s? I feel like I’ve heard of it somewhere…」

Only the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon was whispering to Yi-gang like this.

She had emerged from her ring, feeling comfort in the All-knowing High Formation.

Yi-gang’s eyes sharpened keenly.

‘…A desirable person.’

His sense of smell was literally beyond human.

Even Yi-gang’s acute senses couldn’t see through the fog, but the seemingly frail So Woon had managed it.

Perhaps So Woon could have traversed the All-knowing High Formation alone, even without Yi-gang.

‘He would excel in the Five Elements Tomb too.’

「That’s what I’m saying.」

The interior of the Five Elements Tomb would likely not be simpler than this All-knowing High Formation.

This shy-looking young man might stand out in the Five Elements Tomb.

“So, where is the next torch?”

“J-just a moment…”

So Woon closed his eyes and concentrated.

Yi-gang crossed his arms and waited for So Woon to pinpoint the direction.

The first to notice the change was the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon.

Was it because she was born with the blood of a yokai? She reacted more sensitively to the sinister power than Yi-gang.

「Uh.」

“…”

Almost simultaneously, Yi-gang also looked up at the sky.

He too felt that something had changed.

The fog that filled the sky began to swirl ominously.

“…This isn’t the smell of a torch. It’s…”

The third to realize was probably So Woon.

Opening his eyes, he shivered uneasily.

“Blood… and a fishy smell.”

“What?”

Then, the sound of mechanisms engaging echoed from all directions.

Click- Creeeak—

A sinister, grating noise.

The sounds from all around hinted at how many mechanisms were hidden nearby.

Peng Gu-in and Cho Myung-hwi were also taken aback.

The control of their Qi became difficult, as if they were poisoned with Qi-dispersing poison.

“Everyone, cover your nose and mouth!”

“It’s like Qi-dispersing poison!”

Then, the sound of something being launched echoed from all directions.

Peep-peep-peep-peep-peep—

Bright blue flashing arrows, iron coins, and feathered darts.

All were sharply honed for lethality.

To any observer, these were clearly intended for killing.

“Dodge!”

With Peng Gu-in’s shout, the party scattered in all directions.

Blocking, dodging, parrying.

The sound of beans popping rang out as metal clashed against metal, sparking in the process.

However, the true power of the All-knowing High Formation was greater than the party had anticipated.

Pwook—

Blood inevitably splattered.

“Aaaah!”

Someone screamed in pain.

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