All trainees will participate in the position test, which will be held in 6 months.
In my previous life, I completed one year of training as a low-level warrior and then took the test. As a third-rate warrior with no skill, even among the other third-rates, my position was the least glamorous.
Of course, a few low-level warriors later turned into middle-rank warriors, but it was late.
“By then, you can be a leader.”
“Leader?”
I felt confused. When I was losing it, he clenched his teeth as if trying to express it.
“You can do it.”
He exhaled that as if pondering over his words.
It was clearly visible on his face what this man was up to by saying those words. That reaction showed that he was making fun of me.
“Do you think it will be that easy?”
The leader position is possible only for the high-ranking warriors, all of whom were first-rate warriors. That was the minimum condition.
Song Jwa-baek licked his lips and said,
“It isn’t easy, but we have a teacher to help us, so there is no need to worry… right?”
“Hyung… is right.”
I snorted at the twins’ words. Apparently, since they got kidnaped by Hae Ack-chun as soon as they entered the cult, they didn’t know how things work.
-Why? Aren’t his words right? This is where your background helps you.
Short Sword, too, agreed with them.
If the Blood Cult maintained the same workings as before and was stable, the words of a high person would work. But now, it was in the middle of being revived. Since they were in a position where they had to strengthen their force, they would value skills over personal connections.
-You mean that without skills, we can throw away the dream of being a leader?
‘There would also be the shame.’
On the contrary, the expectations of a disciple of Hae Ack-chun would be high, so failing would instead lead to disgrace.
If that happened, the crazy man would go mad. I didn’t need to go through it to know what he’d do.
“You speak because you don’t know. Teacher, no, elder treating you a disciple up here and the instructors evaluating you as a trainee down there are two different things. You’ll make a fool of yourself if you go down there with those thoughts.”
“How do you… phew, no, how does sahyung know that?”
Well, it’s because I had been through it before. This was my second life, after all.
“Hmm, it isn’t me, but that’s what the teacher said.”
Of course, he didn’t say it.
Hae Ack-chun only gave me the task of becoming a leader. But I had to speak about everything to ensure that these two also came to their senses.
“Ah, I almost forgot. He also told me to prepare myself if I don’t receive a major position after 6 months. You know what that means?”
Song Jwa-baek’s face went stiff at the word ‘prepare.’ Since he had been through Hae Ack-chun’s lessons, he knew better than anyone.
“Yah!”
“Uhh?”
“If you don’t want to be fucked up, get up!”
This was good.
The twins went to train right away as if they were motivated. They also passed the message to me that they would start to train in earnest.
Even for me, such a significant position was a wall I could never dream of overcoming in my previous life.
I went to the cave where the remains of the South Heavenly Swordsman were located.
There were no bones in the cave now. Still, he was the owner of Iron Sword, and he taught me swordsmanship, so I couldn’t leave the bones alone.
A tomb was built on the mountain’s peak, higher than any place Hae Ack-chun could easily see.
Later, if there is a chance, I should move them to a sunny place and also make sure to build a monument for him.
-But Wonhwi, where did that old man go in a hurry?
‘Well?’
Hae Ack-chun, who told me to tell the twins of his instructions, left in a hurry saying he had to go somewhere.
He said it would be done within a week, but I couldn’t figure out where he went. But, judging from Hae Ack-chun’s hasty temper, it had something to do with raising us three.
He was fast.
‘I don’t know what will happen next.’
The Ghastly Monster.
The Hae Ack-chun I knew didn’t have any force behind him.
-What do you know?
I had no details about Hae Ack-chun’s life. But there was some information that I knew.
Hae Ack-chun acted independently, contrary to what others of his level did. He was acquainted with one of the Eight Great Warriors and lost his right arm to someone.
That was six years from now.
-Then, it could be different?
It seemed like things had changed. By now, it has already changed a lot.
I was supposed to just be a low-level trainee. Still, this time I became a disciple of Hae Ack-chun and somehow made important connections within the cult.
‘… It is already changing.’
Looking back on it, things have changed.
Each change in my actions has changed the future. Come to think of it, if I hadn’t become the disciple of Hae Ack-chun, I wouldn’t have met Miss Ha Yeon.
‘… I am influencing it.’
It was a small change, but I don’t know what the future would be like. It could lead to more significant changes.
Then, I don’t know if I have to consider all these new variables before acting on them.
Only then will I be able to utilize the future I knew.
‘Right now, I have to develop my strength in the shadow of Hae Ack-chun.’
This was my chance now. Unable to escape, I was turned into a disciple. If Hae Ack-chun created a force behind himself, I could be on top of it as his disciple.
To do that, I need to become someone in a high position.
“Phew.”
The long-awaited time has arrived.
I sat cross-legged and prepared to cultivate my qi.
I was going to use a basic cultivation technique from my family, one I learned when I was a child.
Then Iron Sword said.
-Be careful, Wonhwi. It might not work well with the innate qi.
Don’t say such scary things right from the start.
I knew he was worried for me, but saying this right from the start was too much.
I inhaled and exhaled slowly and began to do what I was taught. I started by concentrating on the pit of my stomach, but it didn’t feel easy.
‘It is hard.’
It had been a long time since I had done this, so I couldn’t recreate the same feeling.
In addition, I was too used to the innate qi, so this felt different. So I then focused on my dantian.
A little time had passed?
My heart was calming down, and the area under my stomach gradually turned warmer. Then my dantian reacted.
‘I feel it.’
For a moment, I became so happy that I lost my concentration. However, I made up my mind and challenged myself to cultivate once again.
From here, this was the vital timing.
If I do the So family’s cultivation, the qi in my dantian will pass through the middle of my chest.
-Don’t be so nervous.
If the two qi weren’t compatible, I would have to stop. Otherwise, I would have more to do.
I moved the qi slowly.
‘Be careful… careful…’
The weak qi in my dantian went up little by little and moved to the center of my chest. I was trembling due to being nervous.
Please! Please do it!
Srr!
‘Ah!’
-What is it?
-Did the qi collide?
Short Sword and Iron Sword asked in a worried tone. At their question, I smiled.
The internal qi had passed my dantian to the center of my chest. It was now in the middle part, and there were no problems.
There was no bumping or backflow of qi. After finishing it slowly, I stopped the cultivation.
“Hahahahaha!”
As soon as I stopped, I laughed out loud.
-Stop laughing and tell me, was it good?
At Short Sword’s question, I nodded my head without a word. What we feared didn’t happen.
-Ohh!
This result showed one thing.
Unlike the other warriors, I have two types of qi. It may only be the first time, but being able to use the middle and lower abdomen at the same time was something even the South Heavenly Swordsman couldn’t achieve.
-Haa…
The South Heavenly Iron Sword, the most anxious one, sighed. Today was a lucky day.
It felt like my life, which had been stuck since my return, was slowly unraveling and moving.
‘It has been a while, dantian.’
The one that left home had come back.
Three days passed like that.
During my three days of cultivating internal qi, I learned two things. Fortunately, I was able to handle innate qi and internal qi. Still, it was impossible to use both at the same time.
The innate qi cannot be mixed with the internal qi. And the opposite was also true.
If I tried to make it happen, I felt like both qi had different feelings and paths they took.
It would be nice to use them both simultaneously, but for now, I had no choice but to be satisfied with this.
Even if my internal qi is exhausted, I still have the innate qi left to use. Depending on the situation, I could use it like a hidden card.
And the second lesson was that I needed a different internal qi cultivation method, not the one learned from my family.
‘It is lacking.’
For basic learners, the cultivation method wasn’t bad. Still, even if I used it for an entire day, I could not absorb the yang energy and ice qi in my veins.
For this reason, the internal qi’s growth was slower than the innate qi’s. The most necessary thing right now was to get a technique that worked efficiently with my body.
-How about learning the old man’s method?
‘What?’
-That old man’s technique that makes the blood circulate faster or something!
Ha! Look at this one.
Well, it did make sense. In the beginning, meridians are just a path through which the blood and qi flow.
If Hae Ack-chun’s cultivation method can be learned, it should push the blood faster into the body. The paths played the same role in cultivation, so it might be possible to absorb the qi in my veins.
‘You are smart.’
-Hehehe. Right? Right?
Short Sword replied excitedly. Sometimes this one could think of things I had never considered before.
This was definitely a possibility. However, Hae Ack-chun had made sure to let me know that the cultivation method required a specific body condition for it to work, like the twins.
Although I am a disciple, I wasn’t sure he would teach me. And he might not teach me, considering that it could harm me.
-Still, there is nothing wrong with asking. Or if you let him know about the qi in your veins…
‘Not that. It is better to hide it.’
Hae Ack-chun had indeed changed from before. However, hiding my condition was still the right choice unless I had a more intimate relationship.
-Then how about asking the twins?
Iron Sword asked.
-Ho. Right. They learned it, too, right?
The twins came to know it after they officially became his disciples. They were properly taught the methods, but would they do what I asked?
-Yah. You are so naïve. Throw the bait.
‘Bait?’
-They hated it to the point of death that they had to call you sahyung, right? Try using that. We never know. Right?
Hmm, would that work?
There was nothing wrong with trying. Anyway, there seemed to be a long time before Hae Ack-chun came back, so it would be a waste of time to train using a lacking method.
I got up early the following day, went to Song Jwa-baek, and asked him to teach me the True Blood Gold Body Cultivation technique. As expected, he rejected it.
“Never ever…~ Anyway, the teacher told me not to tell anyone.”
And he laid down and began to sleep again. He cannot tell me the method.
I don’t know if the short sword’s technique will work, but I decided to try.
“Eh? Really? My dantian is restored, but I don’t know when the teacher will return, so I asked in advance. Since we are of the same level, it should work, right? At this point, if I learn the teacher’s technique from my sajae, I was planning to live like disciples of the same level…”
-You are clever.
‘Well, I can do this much.’
But I wasn’t too sure.
This wasn’t a simple method, so I didn’t think he would fall, but he looked like he was considering it…?
He had a weird expression on his face.
What? Was he actually being swayed by the concept of being equals?
He hesitated for a moment by lying down and looking at me as he squinted his eyes and said.
“Equals?”
-Ah. He took the bait.
Short Sword said proudly.
