0029 : Golden Eagle Guards
My fifth life had begun.
This time, there were no screams.
“……”
As if it were natural, I opened my eyes in the barn, staring blankly at the ceiling. It would have been preferable to see a strange ceiling instead—it was too familiar, making me feel nauseous. Fortunately, in this recent death, I had died in such an instant that all I experienced was an aching sensation throughout my body, and surprisingly, the pain wasn’t overwhelming. When consciousness fades too quickly, there’s no time to feel pain.
As always, I checked my internal energy.
Indeed, the breathing techniques of the Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique and Hyun Cheon Divine Art coexisted within me, with a vast and powerful internal force writhing inside like a great river. However, I couldn’t feel joy this time, and I lay there limply.
“… I couldn’t last even a year…”
When leaving the barn, I usually planned for my grand life; however, I often died unexpectedly. Of course, this time, it was my fault for giving in to curiosity, but even so, the circumstances had twisted so easily that death felt too close. Even though I had reached a level of martial prowess that didn’t lag behind much in the martial world, I still faced a great deal of worry about dying.
I secretly thought to myself that perhaps I had a strong mind.
I had already died four times yet hadn’t lost my sanity. Even now, I was dismissing death with a casual, “Well, it can’t be helped.” As long as I could breathe and move, there was no need to lament. Perhaps the densely packed internal energy was continuously invigorating my body, influencing my mind.
This time, I calmly reflected on the reasons for my death. I had died suddenly after colliding with a massive demon creature. The martial artists who had attacked me had not been a significant threat, but the demon was truly insurmountable.
‘What exactly was that demon? And what of the men in black?’
The reason I wasn’t mired in despair at this moment was my curiosity about the identities of those bizarre beings. To be honest, I was so curious that I hardly had time to fall into despair. It was one thing for a heretical sect to be rampant and engage in human sacrifice, but why was there a Flute Phantom controlling zealots, and why were the men in black protecting such a being?
The answer I could surmise was singular.
‘The men in black are controlling the Heretical Sect. There exists a powerful organization capable of mobilizing a group of experts who can contend with a peak expert like Hyun Cheon Do-in.’
They were secretly plotting something in that village, and it just so happened that they were discovered by Hyun Cheon Do-in, who had been nearby. Hyun Cheon Do-in, caught off guard, failed to kill the Flute Phantom, but it must have been a shocking situation for the men in black as well. If Hyun Cheon Do-in’s martial prowess had been a bit stronger and calmer, the Flute Phantom at the core of the matter would have been slain.
So, while Hyun Cheon Do-in was circling the village searching for peak experts, he had called upon the men in black from elsewhere to protect the brown-clad Flute Phantom. The men in black must have been summoned from the beginning to “stop Hyun Cheon Do-in from launching another attack.” Otherwise, it would have been impossible to fend off Hyun Cheon Do-in’s surprise assault as if they were anticipating it.
But it didn’t make sense.
Among the men in black were peak experts and first-rate masters. Frankly speaking, the three who faced Hyun Cheon Do-in were no ordinary fighters. In particular, the man in black who wielded sword energy was such that I couldn’t gauge whether I could win against him. Undoubtedly, there was a force behind the men in black comparable to the Nine Great Sects.
If such forces nurtured those experts, they must possess wealth and fame to stride confidently in the martial world. So why resort to such wicked acts as human sacrifice, bringing about bloodshed in the village? What on earth could they gain from such deeds?
After pondering for a while, I reached a single conclusion.
‘Demon creature. It’s a demon creature. They were trying to summon a demon!’
A terrifying, colossal demon with hundreds of eyes and tentacles!
That demon could not be a being that could naturally conceive and be born in the world. I didn’t particularly like the methods of the Left Path Sect, but there was a strong likelihood that it was an entity summoned from the so-called [other world]. They were attempting to summon a demon or perhaps even a being beyond that using the wicked arts of human sacrifice.
In reality, the power of the demon was formidable. Even Hyun Cheon Do-in, who had briefly clashed with its sword energy, felt it to be monstrous; the physical capabilities of the demon were beyond what could be considered within the realm of living beings. It possessed an abnormal physical strength capable of smashing a six-story building merely by charging like a battering ram.
Perhaps the men in black intended to use the demon’s strength to achieve something.
What should I do now?
I had already dived into this matter once before and had died.
No, I had just died moments ago.
Yet despite this, I couldn’t help but feel curious.
The wicked religion, the Nine Sect, which would rise decades later!
Why were they active alongside the men in black at this very moment?
Or could it be that the men in black were themselves high-ranking members of the Nine Sect?
For a moment, excitement surged within me, and I began to pace restlessly. It took a while for me to calm my heart and sit comfortably to think it over. Leaning against the wall seemed to soothe me and help clarify my thoughts.
I muttered to myself,
“No. No way.”
I made a cool, rational judgment.
“This doesn’t add up. Let’s give up.”
Of course, there was a way to dismantle the Nine Sect’s conspiracy.
If I gather only the Cheonam Biseo now and refrain from taking the Spiritual Pill, then rush straight towards the tragic village without resting, I would still have time. I would likely arrive at least seven days faster than when I originally did, at a time when Hyun Cheon Do-in had yet to notice anything unusual in the village. Furthermore, the men in black presumably wouldn’t have been able to summon the demon yet.
After that, I’d convince Hyun Cheon Do-in to verify the tragedy of the village and then simply assassinate the Flute Phantom with him. I thought that this could successfully thwart the conspiracy of the men in black.
But why would I?
If I were to dismantle the men in black’s conspiracy, justice in the world would be upheld. The villagers who had been innocently sacrificed would also have a chance at survival. However, as a consequence of dismantling the men in black’s conspiracy, I would likely have to spend my entire life on the run from them. The thought of being targeted by an organization capable of mobilizing peak or first-rate experts was a nightmare in itself.
If I were to brace myself for death, I could perhaps make a deal to stop the conspiracy and learn the Wudang Sect’s Zhenjian Technique from Hyun Cheon Do-in. However, there was no guarantee that I would obtain the teachings from Hyun Cheon Do-in again. The only reason the previous arrangement with him worked was that he had verified the tragedy himself, as he was deeply involved at that time.
Would I approach Hyun Cheon Do-in and say, “I’ll help solve the tragedy; now give me your Wudang Sect’s technique”? The odds of being beaten and expelled by him would be extremely high. There was even the possibility of losing an arm as punishment for his wrath.
Then again, applying the same timeframe as before would also be unwise. To thwart the conspiracy of the men in black, I needed to act swiftly to assassinate the phantom; granting them time would significantly increase the chance of them receiving reinforcements, just as it had happened this time.
‘Well, I could learn some techniques from Hyun Cheon Do-in and then flee, but even so, that feels wrong…’
The time spent learning from Hyun Cheon Do-in wouldn’t be long. It wasn’t worthwhile to make an enemy of him over just that. If Hyun Cheon Do-in were to abandon the tragedy in the village and plan for the future, I would undoubtedly become his enemy. It would be better to stay completely out of this matter from the start.
I reached a conclusion.
“Let’s just move on. This time, I need to focus on my training.”
I reflected on the reasons behind my continual failures that had led to my death. While curiosity and foolish judgment played significant roles, the biggest reason was that I was [weak].
What if I had already attained a martial skill level akin to Hyun Cheon Do-in for this incident?
I could have wiped out the men in black and taken the Flute Phantom hostage to escape safely. The demons didn’t appear until after the Flute Phantom began playing the flute. It seemed almost certain that the demons were under the Flute Phantom’s control, so as long as I secured him, I could have survived somehow even in that desperate situation.
My current problem is that while I possess an unmatched inner strength, my martial skill level is so low that I cannot properly utilize it. Thanks to several days of earnest guidance from Hyun Cheon Do-in, my abilities have improved, but the peak realm still feels distant. In terms of basic martial skill proficiency, I was still significantly lacking compared to Jin So-cheong.
I need to become stronger.
To do that, I must train in martial arts. I bit my lip.
‘From now on… I have to live with the awareness of death.’
The moment I resolved to train properly in martial arts, my mindset shifted slightly. Until now, I had been inclined towards learning only the martial skills necessary for survival, but now I would learn martial arts “even if it meant dying.”
This is a significant change. It means I would utilize even the most outrageous methods I had previously feared, in order to become stronger.
I decided to let go of the fact that I didn’t know the contents of the Cheonam Biseo. I had already gone back in time four times. I had also grown accustomed to the pain of death. Even if I couldn’t go back next time, I had come to accept that death itself could be a release.
If all else fails, I could simply die.
After adjusting my mindset, I charted my initial course.
“I’ve been going in circles for too long.”
My eyes sparkled with a determined will.
About a month later.
I was sitting cross-legged after just consuming the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng in the mystical realms of Huangshan. I had succeeded in obtaining the Cheonam Biseo and the Spiritual Pill. This time, I arrived without too much hardship, having stolen some money from a nearby village instead of living off of hunting during my journey to Huangshan.
Grrrrrrrr…
The pain was less than before.
No, now the only pressure I felt was a small jolt in my lower dantian.
My body had grown so accustomed to absorbing such immense energy that it began to rotate the energy vigorously, ready to break through all the meridians in my body without pause.
In fact, I had previously consulted Hyun Cheon Do-in about my physical condition. I had mentioned that I had consumed the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng but hadn’t disclosed that I had taken it twice.
[Hyun Cheon Do-in, what will happen if I consume the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng again?]
[Hmm. Let me take a look.]
In my recollection, Hyun Cheon Do-in calmly felt my pulse and then spoke.
[Your body has already pierced through the gates of life and death, and your entire meridian network is significantly opened. A massive amount of inner strength is swirling inside you, more than an ordinary person could contain. Even if you pour the inner strength of the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng into it again, nothing unusual will happen.]
[Really? I was worried that my inner strength might become saturated and burst…]
[Is that something you read in a martial arts novel?]
Hyun Cheon Do-in chuckled and said,
[You likely won’t have another chance to consume a Spiritual Pill like the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, but if you do, your body won’t rupture due to the pill! The inner strength accumulated in the human body is not a material substance; it’s merely a means of communication with all things. It continues to accumulate until, perhaps, you reach the legendary Central Dantian; until then, it simply keeps stacking up.]
[Do you think the Eight Extraordinary Vessels are real blood vessels? Absolutely not.]
[If I eat it three times, will the effects stack threefold?]
[Well, that might be the case. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll gain three times the inner strength. The increase in power will likely dull with each consumption. But that dulling would still be an evolution beyond the comprehension of an ordinary person. When you look up from the foot of a mountain toward its peak, can you really distinguish the height difference between the Chongshan and Taishan?]
The analogy was easy to understand, and I nodded as I absorbed those words.
Then Hyun Cheon Do-in burst into laughter.
[Hahaha!! But are you seriously considering eating the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng one more time while still alive? You really have some lofty dreams!]
But… I was eating the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng again.
Crunch, crunch.
I was chewing the root remnants thoroughly to absorb all the energy of the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng. I felt it was a shame to waste it.
‘Hyun Cheon Do-in, did you know? The Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng has a slight taste of carrot… and if you chew it well, it tastes like ginseng too.’
Hyun Cheon Do-in must have thought I was rambling, but that question was of great importance to me. If consuming the Spiritual Pill didn’t cause my body to rupture, then I could continue consuming it in the future.
Grrrrrrrr…
Once again, my inner strength surged immensely. Now, the meridians near my heart had completely opened, which would typically require over a hundred years of training for an ordinary person. With a significantly stronger inner strength than before, a slight change occurred due to the Hyun Cheon Divine Art.
Originally, when I practiced the Great Flow of Heavenly Circulation, the Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique would flash with lightning and rise. This phenomenon was an expression of the peak realm of the Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique, entirely beyond my control.
However, according to the principle of Earth Producing Metal, the two energies began to resonate internally. Though I had not formally mastered the Hyun Cheon Divine Art, I had learned the foundation of the Jin Gi Do-in Method, allowing me to start building the basics of the Hyun Cheon Divine Art. As the overwhelming energy began to move according to the principles of the Hyun Cheon Divine Art Jin Gi Do-in Method, I achieved almost similar results without having absorbed the main techniques.
This development was likely something even Hyun Cheon Do-in, who had imparted the Jin Gi Do-in Method to me, couldn’t have anticipated. He probably never imagined that such unprecedented inner strength would yield additional effects.
Thanks to this, I was able to train my inner strength without releasing the thunderous light each time, and instead, as I circulated the Great Flow of Heavenly Circulation, a soft, refined light emanated from my entire body. I presumed this was the process of the Hyun Cheon Divine Art merging with the Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique.
After finishing the absorption of the Spiritual Pill, I gradually stood up.
“Well then, shall we head to the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School?”
That’s right.
I’m going to the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School!
And I will learn martial arts again!
Whether Master Samjeol Lee Kwang, a peak expert among the crowd, tries to exploit or kill me, I no longer care. I’ve already died so many times; why should I fear that now? If I die, I simply die, and if I feel like I’ll be tortured, I can just commit suicide first. For now, I planned to charge in and learn all the martial arts at the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School.
‘Let’s give it a shot!’
I had no intention of going in circles any longer!
As I descended from Huangshan, my steps were light.
—————————= Author’s Note —————————=
Please leave a comment recommending my work~
