Struggling to catch my breath as I huffed and puffed, I used my weak knees to push me uphill, taking one slow and steady step at a time.
The mountain path ahead of me was steep, twisted, narrow, and cloaked in a blanket of knee-deep snow.
A single misstep and I would fall into the deep, dark valley below, lost in the chasm forever.
Chilly winds assailed, threatening to push climbers toward the precipice, but I held on to my dear life.
I was wearing a thick, black windbreaker to fight the cold and boots specialized for snow trekking.
Yet, each step I took was a dangerous gamble between life and death since the possibility of slipping from here into a fatal descent was very real.
...Okay, maybe the situation wasn't THAT dramatic. I knew my master would save me in the nick of time if I were to fall.
But still!
The narrow mountain path was undeniably scary especially since the snow had made it slippery.
"Why?! Just why must we always come to these treacherous mountains for training, master?" I couldn't help but complain, my legs sinking deep into the snow with every laborious step.
By this point, my legs were so cold that they had gone numb! I could hardly feel them!
"Dear disciple, If I remember correctly, I once took you to a desert,"
Leo countered with a casual shrug.
Resisting the urge to shake my head, not out of disrespect but out of sheer concern that even a slight fluctuation in my focus might send me tumbling, I continued to trek uphill cautiously.
"And besides, do you even know where we are right now?" Leo asked with an amused tone.
Wait, was he enjoying my misery?! Well, of course he was.
In fact, if I ever were to take in a disciple, which was highly unlikely, I too would likely relish in their misery.
With a resigned sigh, I slowly shook my head. "I don't know. So enlighten me, my wise master. Where in the world are we?"
"We are in the Northern Continent," Leo revealed with a knowing smile.
"....Huh?"
Leo's words echoed in my ears for a few moments, leaving me standing stunned in my position like a statue.
Gradually, I roused myself from my daze, and my trembling lips barely managed to stammer out a few words:
"N-North... North... what? Northern Continent? You mean the very continent that serves as the first line of defense against vampires?"
Leo chuckled and extended a finger, pointing straight ahead. "Just a bit over 243,290 square kilometers from here lies the first operational line of the Northern Defense Force."
His words drained the color from my face, making me shudder violently, not from the cold but from sheer panic.
"Master, what the hell?!" I finally burst out. "Did you bring me here to throw me into the border war under the guise of training?"
"You'd last less than five minutes there," Leo shook his head, a faint smile playing on his lips. "I brought you here to train in the best sect I've ever been a part of."
"...."
Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck! Fuck!
Suddenly, everything fell into place.
Something clicked in my head as I finally understood Leo's motive for bringing me here. He wanted me to train in arguably the best martial arts sect.
Nestled somewhere on this treacherous, snow-covered mountain range that guarded the flank of the Northern Continent stood one of the world's three major sects.
The Mount Hua sect.
Honestly, Mount Hua had been the name of a martial arts sect that had appeared in countless cultivation web novels over the years.
Yet, much like the Shaolin and Southern Edge Blade sects, Mount Hua was depicted quite differently in the novel "Legend of the Legendary Heroes."
"How much do you know about sects?" Leo inquired as he
continued to walk up with remarkable ease, as though he was walking on a plain road.
His voice snapped me out of my daze, and I resumed walking, trailing closely behind him.
"After fulfilling their mandatory military service, some people follow their passions, changing professions as they see fit. Some remain as soldiers and pledge allegiance to one of the four ruling families or continue serving the United Military. Then there are those who join a sect to continue growing stronger. A sect is a place for people who pursue strength."
But that's not all it is. In a sense, these sects are akin to private mercenary groups rather than martial art schools.
They work with the ruling families of their respective continents and undertake covert missions that regular soldiers couldn't â or shouldn't â take.
Of course, at their heart, they remained true to their core mission of imparting martial arts to those who sought their teachings.
Everything did seem rather nice up until this point, didn't it? Well, I wish life was that easy!
After trudging for a few more minutes beneath the warm, orange glow of the setting sun, I noticed the narrow mountain path gradually broadening, forming a vast plain.
In the distance, my eyes fixed upon two colossal wooden gates adorned with some kind of strange, glowing symbols-likely highelven enchantments engraved into their surface.
Above these gates, an arched signboard read, "Welcome to Mount Hua," its letters inscribed in vivid crimson ink.
Walking toward those giant wooden gates, Leo broke the silence and let out an affirmative sigh.
"Yes, you are mostly right about things. But above all, a sect is a wellspring of resources... and resources equal power."
I wanted to argue that power is simply equal to power, but I could see Leo's perspective. I guess he wasn't entirely wrong.
A sect could provide me with a diverse array of martial arts manuals, weaponry, and invaluable connections.
As we drew nearer to the colossal gates, amidst the cold gusts of icy wind, a gentle breeze wafted over me, carrying the scent of a fervent spring.
More precisely, it was the scent of blooming plum blossoms.
"You're going to love it here," Leo beamed with excitement. But my own expression remained grim and devoid of any humor.
Yes, under normal circumstances, I might have actually enjoyed coming to a real-life martial arts sect even though I don't like the murim genre...
However, there was a problem.
Inside this sect... inside Mount Hua... was someone who could be deemed the most wanted criminal in the history of the world.
