Murim Login - Chapter 464

While Dongting Lake is undeniably a lake, its total area spans a thousand li, and even its shallowest points are easily over ten jang deep.

The location where I was swimming was one of the deepest parts of Dongting Lake, a place where the water depth was greater, and the currents surged fiercely like waves.

In such conditions, discovering a small underwater cave was nothing short of a stroke of incredible luck.

“There it is…”

Amidst the swarms of fish swimming in groups, I spotted a narrow opening just large enough for a grown man to pass through.

At the same time, a thrilling sensation coursed down my spine.

“I’ve found it.”

It’s a natural phenomenon for a cliff deeply rooted at the riverbed to erode and form gaps over long periods of deposition and erosion. I had seen similar cases at the previous four locations I investigated.

But this time was different.

Both logic and instinct were whispering to me in unison.

“This is Dongting Fisherman’s Hidden Sanctuary.”

Everything leaves traces.

Even though the difference was subtle and concealed, my accumulated experience and keen eyesight allowed me to discern that the entrance of this underwater cave had been touched by human hands.

“The edges around the entrance are smooth. Someone has tampered with it for sure.”

As for who that “someone” might be, there was no need to guess.

Heightening my senses to the extreme, I moved forward, cutting through the current slowly and cautiously.

Alerting the enemy before the inevitable life-or-death battle would be foolish.

If they were to prepare themselves, the odds would only turn against me.

“Thankfully, the effect of my title still has plenty of time left. There’s no need to rush.”

I’ve seen too many people try to move ten minutes faster, only to lose fifty years of their life.

The difference between life and death lies in one’s patience and determination. Without haste, I let myself drift along with the flow of the water.

Swish.

The colorful fish, noticing my presence, hesitated briefly before cautiously swimming past me.

I must have appeared harmless to them due to my lack of movement.

Good.

If the fish this close to me were deceived so easily, then I was doing well enough. I concealed my presence even further as I approached the cave.

Once in front of the entrance, just large enough for an adult man to squeeze through, I took a deep breath and slipped inside, revealing another hidden underwater passage.

“I don’t sense any immediate presence.”

The passage, as narrow as the entrance, was unexpectedly deep and long.

Sharpening my senses to their peak, I scanned the interior for any signs of life. Only after confirming it was clear did I resume my progress.

I passed a few bizarre-looking fish and aquatic plants, advancing steadily, until I noticed a faint light growing closer from afar.

“Wait, light?”

This was the underwater realm of Dongting Lake, yet also the interior of a cliff passage. Light in such a place was unexpected.

Even though the passage slanted upwards, it wasn’t a structure that would naturally allow light to seep through.

“If that’s the case…”

Swimming gently toward the light, I thoroughly surveyed the area before ascending toward a small opening in the passage ceiling.

Splash.

“Phew.”

I drew a deep breath of the damp air that filled my lungs.

At the same time, I felt the translucent gills on my throat vanish.

Then, as I emerged from the water, I finally identified the faint light’s source and widened my eyes.

“Nightglow Pearls…”

The area was a cave.

A narrow, dark path stretched far ahead, with a ceiling just high enough for someone to barely stand upright. Embedded at regular intervals in the ceiling were various-sized Nightglow Pearls that emitted faint light.

“An underwater passage and cave within a cliff, with Nightglow Pearls… Only an idiot wouldn’t realize what this means.”

The information from Hao Mun was correct. This was undoubtedly Dongting Fisherman’s Hidden Sanctuary.

My heart pounded, both from the exhilaration of finding the target and the anticipation of the upcoming battle.

But it wasn’t just those emotions.

“That…”

Following the strange scent that tickled my nose, I turned my head and saw it.

Lying on the waterlogged cave floor was a charred piece of wood, while a torch floated lightly on the surface of the water.

“A torch? Well, the Nightglow Pearls aren’t infinite, after all.”

Though the pearls embedded in the cave’s ceiling were clearly of lower quality, their value was still far from cheap.

Dongting Fisherman wasn’t known to be wealthy, so he must have relied on torches to illuminate this long cave.

That half-burnt torch revealed an important fact to me.

“It hasn’t been out for long.”

From the faint warmth lingering on the charred wood, it was easy to deduce that the torch had fallen for some reason no more than one or two shichen ago.

This pointed to one crucial fact.

“Dongting Fisherman is definitely here!”

In the end, what I sought wasn’t merely a place but the person himself. Even if I found the sanctuary, it would be meaningless without him.

But Dongting Fisherman had left a trace of his presence through that torch.

Even if I were in his position, I wouldn’t have imagined an intruder breaking into such a secretive hideout.

“That was your mistake.”

I rose to my feet and began walking down the path ahead.

Though my inventory was filled with excellent equipment, such as the White Flame Blade, Fire Dragon Armor, and the Poison Immunity Ring, now was not the time to take them out.

Instead, showing up unarmed could lower the opponent’s guard, allowing me to take advantage of my inventory later.

Drip. Drop.

The irregular sound of water dripping from the ceiling echoed as I carefully treaded forward, suppressing every trace of my presence.

The path that initially started as a straight line soon twisted and turned, sometimes sloping up or down. But I didn’t let my guard down.

“Still… What are these traces?”

It didn’t take long for me to sense something unusual.

Though my sharp observation skills played a role, the passage itself was in an extraordinary state.

The walls were cracked and broken in places, with protruding rocks interrupting the flow.

Unlike the areas covered with green moss, the newly fractured sections of the wall were starkly noticeable.

When I touched a part of the wall, a fragment immediately crumbled away.

“This couldn’t happen unless deliberate force was applied.”

This entire cave was composed of solid rock that had been compacted over hundreds of years, at the very least.

Significant martial power would have been needed to damage it, but why would Dongting Fisherman destroy his cherished refuge himself?

“Could a battle have taken place here? No, no. This is clearly the work of one person.”

Though I lacked the ability to fully decipher the martial technique or its origins, piecing together the traces left here was not difficult for someone who had reached the pinnacle of deduction through martial insight.

Frowning momentarily in deep thought, I shook my head.

“I need to focus on Dongting Fisherman. Carelessness or overanxiety is dangerous right now.”

As I repeated this mantra internally, keeping my steps steady, an unexpected sound broke through my concentration.

‘Splash! Swish!’

The sudden noise jolted me like a splash of cold water.

My heightened senses processed the sound immediately, delivering new information to my mind.

“Fifty jang ahead. Closer than I expected.”

Moreover, the sound reverberated deeply and loudly. This meant it wasn’t coming from the narrow cave passage I was in but from a much larger space.

Step by step, I advanced cautiously, focusing all my nerves on the damp cave floor beneath my feet.

Fortunately, I had already used Scorching Yang Energy to dry my water-soaked clothing. If any water dripping from me had hit the ground, the enemy might have detected my presence.

“I need to end this inside the cave. Fighting underwater would be much more difficult.”

Dongting Fisherman was among the world’s foremost masters of aquatic martial arts.

Although I was confident in my own martial skills, fighting Dongting Fisherman underwater would force me to deal with the 20% power reduction the system had warned about.

Here, on solid ground, no such debuffs applied.

“I can’t waste this chance.”

The distance of fifty jang quickly narrowed.

‘Splash. Swish.’

The mysterious sound continued, serving as a clear guide to its source. As I reached a bend in the passage, I relaxed my muscles in preparation.

I was ready. Countless scenarios of how to move and end this confrontation flashed through my mind.

If Dongting Fisherman proved too formidable, I would kill him with all my might. If not, I would capture him to uncover even bigger secrets.

“Swiftly and decisively, like a lightning strike.”

Taking a brief breath, I awakened the Fire Dragon sleeping deep within my dantian.

The Scorching Yang Energy I had cultivated flowed into every meridian and acupuncture point in my body, enhancing all my physical abilities to their utmost.

And then…

‘Fwoosh!’

One step was all it took.

Using the slanted cave wall as a foothold, I launched myself forward.

Into a thirty-jang-wide space that I presumed to be the cave’s center. There, crouched with his back to me, was a white-haired old man.

“Dongting Fisherman!”

A soundless roar echoed within me.

The sight of this small, frail figure who had harmed so many people made my buried anger surge as cold flames within me.

“Open Inventory. Summon!”

In the slowed perception of time, the mysterious system enveloped my charging body with its power.

‘Swish. Clink.’

The Fire Dragon Armor wrapped my previously bare torso in a red gleam.

Simultaneously, as my fingers brushed an intangible light visible only to me, it transformed into the Poison Immunity Ring, while a translucent spear with a sharp blade materialized in my grip.

The Scorching Yang Energy I had stored within me surged into these items.

‘Whoosh!’

The damp air, the stagnant water pooled on the cave floor, and the droplets falling from above all evaporated in an instant.

The translucent spear, White Flame, ignited with a blue-white aura that scorched everything in its path.

At the end of its destructive trajectory stood a single person.

“Die.”

The arrow had been loosed. The bird that had been resting comfortably in its nest would not escape.

To me, Dongting Fisherman was that very bird.

A bird that believed its nest was secure.

Even if it realized the danger too late, the loosed arrow could not be stopped.

Even if it flapped its wings in panic, death or injury was inevitable.

And now, Dongting Fisherman was slowly turning his body, far too late.

“It’s already over.”

But in the next moment, I realized my mistake.

Overconfidence was a grave error.

‘Boom!’

A beam of white light shot out from nowhere, striking White Flame’s spearhead.