A strange silence stretched between Master Jeong Hyeon and .
To be honest, I felt a little wronged. I an, who wouldn't instinctively block a sudden strike with a monk’s ceremonial staff, especially when he didn’t explain anything beforehand?
Still, I couldn’t very well lash out at soone trying to help , so I held my tongue.
At the end of the awkward silence, it was Master Jeong Hyeon who spoke first.
“Ahem, It seems I was too hasty. Allow to explain things briefly before we begin.”
“Yes, please do.”
Wearing a half-apologetic, half-awkward expression, Master Jeong Hyeon continued.
“As I ntioned before, this is a ritual to identify the nature of the restriction seal placed on you, White Moon Sword Lord. It doesn’t appear to be an ordinary seal, so it would be best to clearly understand what it is.”
“Then why did you suddenly strike with your staff? I thought the ritual would primarily involve chanting mantras, like when Master Gakjeong perford his ceremony.”
“Of course, the mantra is important, but in this case, the ritual begins by striking your head with the staff and rebuking the impure forces.”
“That’s... rather unique.”
“My skills are limited, so it can’t be helped. After that, I will proceed based on the Diamond Heart Sutra…”
He had said he would keep it brief, but the explanation dragged on.
Still, I was able to get a better idea of what he was trying to do.
Apparently, it was a ritual that fused elents of Buddhist mantras ant to sever attachnts and worldly desires with the tale of how the Buddha repelled demons beneath the Bodhi tree — all stitched together sohow into a single process.
I don’t know much about Buddhist teachings, so I couldn’t fully grasp it, but one thing was clear:
It’s forced.
It felt like he had cobbled the ritual together to make it seem plausible, but if soone looked closely, all the seams and patches would be obvious.
“That is the essence of esoteric Buddhism — and also its limitation. Enlightennt must be attained on one’s own. Even if soone helps from the side, they can’t achieve it for you.”
“But in order to exercise direct power, esoteric Buddhism has distorted those teachings, hasn’t it?”
“Exactly. It allows you to accomplish things that would otherwise be impossible, but the mont your mind strays, everything collapses. You end up consud by your own delusions.”
I recall hearing that any technique intended to harm others, regardless of its purpose, leads the user into qi deviation.
Even if your enemy is a vicious demon and killing him would save thousands of lives — in the end, killing is still killing. Once you decide to attack, murderous intent is bound to arise.
If there’s one thing I’m confident in, it’s my ability to sense killing intent.
You can hide it, but no one can commit murder without harboring it.
Except for soone like Heaven-Slaughter Star.
When I fought him, even without ill intent, every path still led to death — a truly strange existence.
I nodded to myself as I recalled it, and at that mont, Master Jeong Hyeon paused to catch his breath, then asked,
“Any further questions?”
“None.”
“Then let’s begin again. This ti, do not block it.”
He emphasized the point as he raised the ceremonial staff once more, then brought it down toward my head.
Now that I looked closely, the strike was imbued with internal energy, but it wasn’t focused outward to amplify its power — it simply lingered inside the staff.
Its descent wasn’t very fast either. No wonder I had deflected it easily before.
I closed my eyes with mild tension, and the mont the staff touched my head—
THOOM!
The impact was entirely different from what I had expected. A shockwave reverberated from my head through my entire body.
It didn’t feel like being struck with a staff — more like getting hit by a massive bell.
Yet, there was no pain. Just pure shock that spread to the far ends of my body.
Strange. Uncanny.
But my body — that of a Flowering Stage martial artist, one who had unified their Soul, Qi, and Body and harmonized all three dantians — whispered to .
That impact hadn’t struck my body, but my mind. My soul, perhaps.
It was swift and powerful, like a bolt of lightning — but it bore no hostility.
It rely swirled through my inner self, searching for sothing.
I had a good idea of what.
Just as Master Jeong Hyeon had said, it was looking for the Restriction Seal embedded within .
The chants I’d heard since the staff struck began to fade. It felt as though the sound was growing distant, and then, it vanished completely.
As if confirming my suspicions, the energy that had wandered through now focused on my head. And then—
“…Ah.”
A short breath escaped involuntarily, overwheld by an unknown but all-encompassing sense of comfort.
I recognized this sensation.
It was the sa comfort I had felt after failing to control my anger, charging at the Heavenly Demon, and collapsing. My body had grown cold, my breath faint, and yet in that mont, a strange tranquility had blood.
I had thought it was the sensation of death.
After all, many people in their final monts show peace, even if they had been in agony just seconds before.
It could be the inner peace one gains from letting go at the end… or simply a dulling of pain from excessive blood loss.
At least, that’s how I interpreted it shortly after my regression.
But I was wrong.
Right now, my senses were completely focused inward. I had sealed off the world and concentrated solely on myself.
That’s how I could be sure.
My heartbeat was steady, just like always, and my mind was astonishingly clear.
In other words, my body and mind were in perfect condition.
Which ant this sensation — this comfort — wasn’t the feeling of death.
It was… the Restriction Seal.
The noose driven into my mind after regression. The blade that had cut off from past and present. The thing that forced to keep others at a distance.
And possibly, the force that might cause to endlessly regress even after defeating the Heavenly Demon — just as he had.
I had only bad mories of it. Yet the energy the seal emitted now was impossibly, blissfully peaceful.
What a contradiction.
The mont I realized that this comfort was the seal itself, my heart wavered, unable to find solid ground.
But it didn’t last long.
Not because I regained my composure on my own.
But because Master Jeong Hyeon struck again with the staff and woke up.
Thunk!
This ti, it was a normal, physical blow. The pain brought my awareness back to the surface.
It felt like I had only briefly closed my eyes, but when I opened them again, they were dry, as if I’d slept for a long ti.
No — it really had been a long ti. Faint sunlight now peeked in through the cracks in the door.
Master Jeong Hyeon looked visibly exhausted, and the faces of the others who had watched the ritual were filled with anxiety.
“How long was I out?”
“A day and half, give or take.”
“…What?”
“You look like you thought it had only been a single night.”
“Well, yes. It felt like I rely blinked.”
No wonder he looked so worn out, even though he was a Flowering Stage master. No wonder the others looked so worried.
If they had stayed up the entire ti, it made sense.
I didn’t know exactly what techniques he had used, but after gently pushing aside the scattered dharma instrunts, Master Jeong Hyeon let out a deep sigh and opened his mouth.
“Whew… please understand. I used a good deal of internal energy, and at this age, no matter your cultivation, the body wears down. I honestly don’t know how my master keeps moving the way he does, even without any inner energy.”
“They say Master Gakjeong was unmatched even in external martial arts. Maybe even if his dantian is gone, his body remains strong.”
“Then I suppose I should begin training my external arts more seriously.”
He chuckled softly, and his face looked visibly lighter.
“So, how are you feeling? This was the first ti I’ve perford such a ritual, and it took much longer than expected. Any discomfort?”
“None at all. Actually… I feel refreshed.”
Perhaps it was the lingering comfort of the seal’s energy, but my condition was exceptional — as if my body had been completely reset.
“That’s good. While it wasn’t a dangerous ritual, please let know if anything strange happens later.”
“And then you’ll fix it?”
“I’ll beg my master to handle it personally.”
He smiled wryly and shook his head. Then, he straightened his posture and said,
“Well then… now cos the most important part.”
“You discovered the true nature of the seal?”
“I don’t know exactly what kind of restriction it is. But I do have a guess as to who placed it.”
“…!”
Without aning to, my eyes widened. I leaned forward slightly to listen.
eting my gaze, Master Jeong Hyeon brought his palms together in prayer and smiled faintly.
“Amitabha. The seal upon you… bears the power of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva.”
“…Excuse ?”
Even I, who knew little about Buddhism, recognized the na. Kṣitigarbha was a famous bodhisattva.
Although I’d only heard the na — I didn’t actually know what kind of figure he was.
Sensing my ignorance, Master Jeong Hyeon explained further.
“You’ve heard of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, yes?”
“Oh, of course.”
Even commoners revered Avalokiteśvara. The Bodhisattva of Compassion who saves those in suffering.
Naturally, the masses would turn to such a being in their daily struggles.
Hearing my reply, Master Jeong Hyeon nodded.
“Exactly. If Avalokiteśvara saves the suffering in this life, and Maitreya Bodhisattva saves those in the next life, then Kṣitigarbha saves the beings of the past life—specifically, those in hell before their reincarnation.”
“Re...incarnation?”
In Buddhist belief, after death, people are judged in hell, pay the price for their sins, and are then reborn.
But I hadn’t been sent to hell after death — I had gone back in ti.
In other words, reincarnation was denied to .
...Or perhaps this life is my reincarnation.
Still, since I had long suspected that my regression was the work of transcendent beings — perhaps immortals or Buddhas — I wasn’t shaken by this.
“If it’s sothing left behind by Kṣitigarbha, it’s likely innate. As it has so far, the seal may restrict your actions, but it will never harm you.”
“I see…”
If this seal was the work of such a being, then maybe it shouldn’t be removed entirely.
Not that I knew how to remove it. Even if I did, I’d have to be extrely cautious.
That’s why it’s all the more important to find a way to work around it while keeping it intact.
As I organized my thoughts, Master Jeong Hyeon let out a deep sigh.
“But… I don’t think Kṣitigarbha was the only one involved.”
“…What do you an?”
“The core of the seal definitely carried Kṣitigarbha’s energy. One of the few dharma tools in Shaolin also resonated with it, so I couldn’t have been mistaken. But…”
“There’s sothing else?”
“The energy surrounding the seal wasn’t Buddhist — it was Daoist. Unfortunately, I lack the insight to determine whose power it was… but it was undoubtedly from soone of very high standing.”
“…Surely not…”
“I’ll look into how to unravel the central part of the seal, but… if both the Buddhist and Daoist elents must be addressed together, then Shaolin alone won’t be enough.”
I was too stunned to respond.
I never expected a Daoist influence here.
Master Jeong Hyeon let out a hollow laugh and shook his head.
“White Moon Sword Lord… just what did you do in your past life?”
…I did kill quite a few people.
But that was due to the war with the Demonic Cult. Before that, I was just an average mber of the orthodox sects.
No matter how much I think about it, I can’t recall anything that would explain this.
Then again, I couldn’t answer that even if I wanted to — the seal prevented it.
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