Rebirth of the Thunder God

"What... It's empty?"

He almost collapsed in despair, but he soon regained his will and his eyes widened.

For now, it was just that the spirit medicines were not in sight, and there might be other spirit medicines inside.

Hadn't Chichi also told him that there was a more amazing treasure on the upper floor?

As expected, as he walked a little further inside, he could see spirit medicines here and there.

Still, he couldn't help but be concerned that there were so many empty spirit medicines.

'Did the emperor take them? Or did another third intruder steal them? But for that, there were no traces of tampering on the first floor. If so, they must have been taken from within the Imperial Palace.'

He suddenly remembered that the Second General had become incredibly strong in an instant.

Perhaps the spirit medicines that were here had been given to the Second General.

Besides that, it could have been used to strengthen the imperial family's power.

It seemed there were originally about 200 spirit medicines. Because it seemed about 150 had disappeared.

'Still, I should at least get the remaining 50.'

"Chichi. Where is the amazing energy you felt earlier?"

[Over there.]

This time too, Chichi pointed to a corner.

As expected, the more important the item, the more it is placed in the deepest place.

But what Chichi pointed at was located in a slightly unusual place even in such a deep place.

"Chichi. Is this right?"

[Yeah. It's certain. It's still emitting a fervent energy.]

The reason Namgung Hui had doubts.

It was because the storage condition of the spirit medicine was not good.

Originally, spirit medicines were wrapped in medicinal paper and stored in a wooden box so that the fragrance would not escape.

If it wasn't a wooden box, it should at least be wrapped in medicinal paper, but.

The spirit medicine that Chichi pointed at was just lying alone on the shelf.

The storage condition was so rough that he was worried it might roll off.

But what was a little strange was that there was not a single speck of dust on it.

As he watched the spirit medicine quietly.

-Tik.

The moment a speck of dust touched the spirit medicine, the dust burst into flames and disappeared.

If so, it meant that the spirit medicine was intentionally stored like that.

Perhaps because they couldn't handle that energy rashly.

Still, the shelf and the stand seemed to be made of black iron, so it seemed to be able to handle the energy of the spirit medicine.

'A spirit medicine of extreme yang. I don't know if it's okay for me to eat it.'

Namgung Hui's current total amount of internal energy was about five and a half gapja.

From the original five gapja, the residual energy of the Hwaryeong Divine Pill had melted in, and an internal energy of slightly less than six gapja was sleeping in his dantian.

If he ate that unidentified spirit medicine here, he could aim for eight gapja in an instant, but not only did he not know the identity of the spirit medicine, but he was also hesitant because there could be danger.

At that moment, the Sword Spirit, who had entrusted its soul to the Thunder God Sword, suddenly poked its head out and swallowed the spirit medicine.

[Nyam nyam. Jjeop jjeop. Oh! This is really delicious.]

"..."

Namgung Hui was so flustered by the sudden unexpected situation that he couldn't even speak.

The spirit medicine, which had looked so precious and contained the most intense energy, had disappeared in an instant.

He was so dumbfounded that he wasn't even angry.

"Do you even know what you've just done?"

[Let me guess. Hmm... I snatched and ate what you were going to eat? Why were you just standing there? You should have eaten it quickly. I thought it was a food you disliked.]

"Sigh... From now on, never eat without permission. If you eat one more time, I might send you to nirvana."

[Sorry. Please spare me from nirvana...]

Originally, he should have scolded him more strongly, but the moment the Sword Spirit ate the unidentified spirit medicine, the Thunder God Sword began to change strangely, so he suppressed his anger while watching it.

'It's not just the Sword Spirit that's accumulating energy, but the Thunder God Sword is also changing...!'

He didn't know what that change was, but there was definitely an energy dwelling in the body of the Thunder God Sword besides the Sword Spirit.

It would be good if the energy of the spirit medicine helped the Thunder God Sword. It wouldn't be bad.

"Chichi. You saw it just now, so I'd appreciate it if you could guide me to the next spirit medicine."

[Tch. What a troublesome guy. That one. Alright. Follow me.]

This time, Chichi crossed over to the display stand on the other side.

The sight of him jumping between the empty shelves where the spirit medicines had disappeared felt quite disappointing.

He could even see the spirit medicines that would have filled that space in his mind's eye.

Even though they were not originally Namgung Hui's.

[This is it.]

What Chichi pointed at this time was different from before, and its storage condition was extraordinary.

The wooden box was also huge and was shining brilliantly with a golden light.

Namgung Hui's eyes sparkled as he looked at the spirit medicine that Chichi had found.

'I found it! This is the Golden Turtle Divine Pill.'

The golden turtle spirit beast, the Ten-Thousand-Year Golden Turtle.

A being that was a symbol of longevity and also a symbol of wealth.

That was why it was a great spirit medicine that was believed to have an effect just by being enshrined in the Imperial Palace's secret repository, like a superstition.

Namgung Hui was going to provide such a Golden Turtle Divine Pill not to himself, but to the courtesan, Yewol.

Of course, it was a bit of a waste, but even if he ate it himself, it wouldn't get much better.

Although his muscles and bones would become stronger and his skin would become harder, it wouldn't be that effective in front of a strong ki.

Well, if it were a Shaolin monk who had learned external arts to the extreme, it would be a bit more effective.

Namgung Hui stored the Golden Turtle Divine Pill in his robes and immediately warned the Sword Spirit.

"Don't you dare eat this one. This is a spirit medicine that must be given to a truly critical patient."

[Anyone who hears that would think I'm a shameless guy who covets other people's things. Alright. I won't eat it. And it will take a few days to digest what I ate earlier, you know?]

He thought Chichi was the most shameless in the world, but to think he would meet another shameless guy today.

This was a guy who could do even worse things, not just being not evil like an evil spirit.

Namgung Hui shook his head and looked over the remaining spirit medicines.

Although there weren't many because the imperial family had swept them away, if he packed the useful ones among them, it would surely be helpful.

This time, it wasn't Chichi, but the Sword Spirit that poked its head out and pointed out various things.

[This looks delicious. That also looks delicious. It's not that I want to eat it. This time, Namgung Hui. I'm telling you to eat it. That one seems to have a good compatibility with you.]

At the Sword Spirit's words, Chichi nodded his head from the side.

It meant that it also looked good to Chichi.

Since he had made a bag with the White Snake's skin to pack such spirit medicines, there was no need to refuse.

On top of that, since there was no formation installed while he was sweeping away the spirit medicines before, it was much easier.

And so, Namgung Hui packed about 10 spirit medicines.

The rest didn't look that precious.

Of course, since they were in the Imperial Palace's secret repository, they would be superior to ordinary spirit medicines, but even with just 10, the bag was fully bloated.

'They're just for presenting to the emperor, so the wooden boxes are unnecessarily large.'

And so, after leaving some space in the bag, he went up to the third floor.

From here, the unique smell of paper was full.

Namgung Hui had secretly hoped there would be a secret manual, but unfortunately, the books stored on the third floor were not secret manuals.

'This is a record of the martial world.'

Not only a record of the martial world, but also the situation of the outer martial world and various other surrounding countries were recorded.

But what was a little disappointing was that there was no record of the imperial family.

No. There must have been.

Judging by the fact that the bookshelf in the corner was rather empty.

'If I'm going to deal with the Imperial Heaven, knowing about the imperial family would also be very useful, but I can't help it.'

Namgung Hui didn't dare to look at all the books because they were so vast.

Even if his memory had improved after his upper dantian was opened, he could only remember it if he read all the records.

But since there were so many, it might take several days just to read them.

And since he had to go up to the fourth floor, he decided to take only the important records.

[Trends in the Outer Martial World for 60 Years]

[Quantification of the Martial Power of the Nine Sects One Gang and the Five Great Families]

[Birth Dates of the Constellations]

'For now, let's just take these three volumes. The rest are things I can find out through the Hao Faction or the Beggars' Sect.'

Unless it was a secret history of the Imperial Palace, he could find out the secret history of the martial world at any time.

Of course, the view of the martial world from the Imperial Palace was somewhat different in interpretation and could be more objective.

But since there was no other core information, he couldn't help but be interested.

He had secretly hoped there would be a list of recruited sects or their weaknesses, but there was no way they would leave such a thing here.

Namgung Hui now went up to the last floor, the fourth floor.

Perhaps because it was the top, the surrounding scenery was quite different.

Somehow, the air circulation seemed to be better, and it felt pleasant.

As if it wasn't an illusion, Chichi also sniffed and said.

[The atmosphere here is different from the lower floors. It seems the sun will shine well during the day.]

"As expected, it's not an illusion. It seems there's some kind of device... For now, let's take a look. Chichi. If there's a secret manual that looks important, bring it right away."

[Alright. Just in time, I think something is calling me over there, so I'll be back.]

As Chichi disappeared with a hop, this time the Sword Spirit poked its head out of the scabbard.

[Shall I find something too?]

"Did you detect something?"

[Yeah. There's a secret manual over there that's strangely bothersome. Of course, it's an ominous secret manual that no one should touch.]

"Are you deliberately provoking me? That kind of provocation, I'll fall for it."

What kind of realm was Namgung Hui's realm that he would be bewitched by a mere secret manual and lose his mind?

No matter how wicked a demonic art it was, there was no way Namgung Hui would fall into a demonic state.

Nodding, Namgung Hui walked briskly.

The place he headed to was the bookshelf where the Sword Spirit was shaking its body like a haze.

It was certainly more sturdily built than the bookshelf on the third floor, and the spacing was wide.

Perhaps because not many secret manuals were stored, this was the case.

[Here. This is it.]

Namgung Hui picked up the secret manual and read the title first.

[Secret Sect Great Hand Seal]

The moment he read the name of the secret manual, Namgung Hui's eyes widened as if they would pop out.

"!? Isn't this a martial art of the Secret Sect?"

The Secret Sect.

One of the Buddhist sects in the Western Regions.

As its name suggested, it was a sect that was extremely secretive.

Starting from its scale, its exact location, and its members were all veiled in secrecy.

But still, there was something most famous about the Secret Sect.

That was the Secret Sect Great Hand Seal that Namgung Hui was holding.

It was a palm technique commonly called the Great Hand Seal.

Of course, this would not be widely known.

Because in the era of the Thunder God, that is, 60 years ago, it was a martial art known only to a very small part.

Still, the Shaolin Temple and the Wudang Sect, which enjoyed using palm techniques, would remember them.

'It was said that the Tathagata Divine Palm and the Wudang Cotton Palm were pushed back. It was said that someone who had learned the Ten-Stage Brocade to the extreme barely managed to deal with it.'

Since there was no one who had learned the Tathagata Divine Palm to the extreme, he couldn't compare it properly, but it was said that all other palm techniques of the Central Plains were pushed back by the Great Hand Seal.

In particular, the defeat of the Beggars' Sect's Dragon-Subduing Eighteen Palms by the Great Hand Seal was a big incident that was considered a disgrace to the Central Plains martial world.

That was why the existence of the Great Hand Seal was hidden and not known.

It would be safe to say that there was no one in the current generation who remembered the Great Hand Seal.

'To think such a martial art is here...! What on earth is the underlying strength of the Imperial Palace?'

Anyway, since Namgung Hui had plundered it, he happily packed the secret manual.

Anyway, he would not meet the Secret Sect, and even if he used this, there would be no one to recognize it.

In other words, it meant that there would be no aftermath and he could use it without any trouble.

And so, as Namgung Hui was storing the secret manual, Chichi came running and handed him a secret manual.

[Here, take it. I'm thirsty because I ran around too much today.]

"Thanks. Chichi. When we get back, I'll give you all three remaining bottles of Thunder Liquor."

[Is that okay?]

"Anyway, I'm thinking of brewing it again when I get home. Drink as much as you want."

[Alright!]

Seeing Chichi jumping up and down, he chuckled and looked over the new secret manual in his hand.

But this time, unlike his expectation, the moment he read the title, a sense of disappointment rushed in.

[Three Talents Sword Art]

The number one third-rate martial art of the Central Plains was sleeping soundly in the Imperial Palace's secret repository.

(End of Chapter)