“Status Window.”
————————
Name: Ho Cheon-an
Age: 23
Level: First-class
Personality: Ordinary
Strength: 18 Agility: 20
Stamina: 21 Inner Power: 23
Luck: 9 Earth: 14
Muscle: 8 Spirit: 9
Concentration: 11 Vitality: 9
Five Stars: 10
Traits:
[Outcast] – You are not welcomed anywhere. (Relationship with others -5)
[Tendon Severed] – The tendon in your left wrist has been severed. (Strength -1)
[Stunted Growth] – Your growth was hindered during childhood, but has been slightly supplemented by future efforts. (Muscle -1)
[Resilience] – The effects of injuries are reduced, and your survival probability at the crossroads of life and death increases.
[Bullheaded] – Your mental strength is exceptional, regardless of your physical condition. (Concentration +1)
[Common Blood] – Your origins are still lowly. However, the future is uncertain. (Final Level – ?)
[Fortune] – The technique that touches the heavens sometimes deceives even the scales of heaven.
Final Level: Peak
Realization: None
————————————
As I finished my duties with the Golden Guards and left Nangyang, my destination was Jeomchang Faction. After retrieving the fiery spiritual medicine, all I had to do was disappear from the Martial World.
It would be more credible to feel shame and go into hiding than to shamelessly roam the Martial World like an outcast who had done everything to become a Golden Guard.
Besides, it was also the time I needed to go into seclusion.
Martial arts ultimately come down to training.
Back when I was training in Jeomchang Faction, as long as I didn’t need the beginnings of the Peak, I wanted to train quietly without stepping into the Martial World. I was planning to leave appropriately and train somewhere else when my stay at Jeomchang Faction got too long…
But suddenly, I was called to Nangyang and met the Emperor, and out of nowhere, became an external consultant for the Golden Guards and an instructor for the trainees.
I finally understood why martial artists in novels go into seclusion.
Ultimately, I realized that even if I want to keep to myself, I will inevitably be swept away by the waves of the mundane world.
Even if I want to keep quiet, the world won’t let me, Ho Cheon-an.
I have to put an end to the rumors and train in martial arts, so I decided to go into seclusion in a quiet place.
That’s why, even when I visited Jeomchang Faction, I only retrieved the spiritual medicine.
The teachers tried to keep me there for training, but if I stayed at Jeomchang Faction, any potential that I invested a month into would be met with suspicion again, so I had no choice.
So, I settled in this remote area called Pal-dun County and threw myself into training as if a mouse had died.
“Ah…”
One day in Pal-dun County, I took a deep breath as I inhaled the cold winter wind.
First Swing of the Azure Cloud Sword. First Technique. First Three Swords.
With one swing, I unfolded a technique that contained one mystery. If First Three Swords are clearly separated into individual mysteries, then this First Swing of the Azure Cloud Sword is a continuous flow of each mystery, linked like waves in a seamless flow of triumph, strength, transformation, and ease.
Even with the intense variations of the mysteries, my inner power flowed without tangling.
After consuming all the Seven Essentials Spiritual Medicines, I absorbed that potential tirelessly throughout the winter. The result is evident in the smooth operation of my inner power now.
The inner power circulating through my body, organized and purged of impurities in my Qi Meridians, moves more freely than ever.
The flow of techniques remains uninterrupted.
Moonblood Transmission. Peak Technique. Rising Cloud Beginnings…
The fast and powerful techniques painting the air were something I never could have imagined a year ago. Now, I could probably handle three people before facing Miss Yeo Il-ye.
Whoosh!
With a powerful slicing sound, I unleashed the Ten Slices of Wind, immediately leading to the final peak technique, Hundred Transformations.
Hundred Transformations.
When I clashed with Chang-min in the thousand-mile illusion, the Hundred Transformations I unleashed changed four times to overcome his spear.
That’s why I had many misconceptions about Hundred Transformations.
Hundred Transformations was not a technique that changed multiple times in an instant.
When I fought with Chang-min, the reason it appeared to change four times at once was not because that was the true essence of Hundred Transformations.
It was because my inner power flow was chaotic.
Due to my body’s state not being able to maintain any one mystery at that instant, it manifested in that way.
I mistook that moment when the weapon faced mine, believing the mystery changed as I intended.
But was that reasonable? If it were possible, it wouldn’t be the First Swing of the Azure Cloud Sword but the First Swing of the Azure Cloud Divine Sword.
The reason for this misconception was simple.
I hoped that the dramatic victory I achieved in that illusion would turn out to be greater and mighty rather than just a figment of my imagination.
In the intersection of life and death, the sudden spark I found was clouded by my desire for it to be that extraordinary.
The very Hundred Transformations that rescued me from that forest of misconceptions was, ironically, named Hundred Transformations of the First Swing of the Azure Cloud Sword.
Not having a Thousand Transformations or Ten Thousand Transformations, just a mere Hundred Transformations.
How much had I been expecting from a technique that the creator of martial arts himself called Hundred Transformations?
Clang!
The powerful sword merged with the quick blade stretched forth endlessly.
This was the real Hundred Transformations.
A technique where I freely unfolded the ten techniques and four mysteries to assemble the most optimal sword each time.
I melted myself into Hundred Transformations.
How am I today? How am I now?
Today, I overflow with confidence. My body has been trained through continuous training, and the isolation from the outside world has made my mind calm and solid.
How am I now? My morning training, which completely loosened my body. My energy control practice, which was satisfying as usual. My current state is perfect in every way. I want to fight. I want to unleash my martial arts somewhere without restraint.
That’s why my Hundred Transformations are bold. Dynamic and intense.
With grand movements that press my opponent, I sometimes attack quickly and sometimes strongly.
Boom!
“Ahh…”
I returned the sword to its sheath.
It hasn’t even been a week since I made Hundred Transformations my own. Even before I could savor the achievement of mastering one sword technique…
I felt the serious moment to face the wall of the Peak was coming soon.
I don’t think I can reach the Peak immediately. It’s just that having accomplished the task of Hundred Transformations with the First Swing of the Azure Cloud Sword, I’ve attained one level of first-class swordsmanship, so the next stage I aim for is merely the wall of the Peak.
Though I say it’s a goal, it feels incredibly far away.
I’ve just gathered all the Seven Essentials Spiritual Medicines and have only unlocked my potential. I still have not met the martial principles that will lead me to the Peak.
Now, I too, just like any other martial artist in this Central Plains Martial World, need to wait with longing for that moment of realization or the principle that might one day sparkle.
“Sigh.”
Even in the Martial World within the game, this is something I cannot avoid. Even for a protagonist character, the principles of martial arts that will lead to the next level beyond the Peak are essential.
I wanted to poke around here and there, seeking some breakthrough, but now it was winter.
Should I call it seasonal feelings? Even martial artists are people; they tend to live like normal people. Just like ordinary people hibernate, martial artists wait for spring in silence during the winter.
Well, if we want to talk about secular reasons, winter is peak season for schools or sects.
Winter is a season when no extra hands are needed, and since they still have the earnings from autumn, it’s when many youths and children knock on the doors of the sects.
So, when spring arrives, that’s when young apprentices swarm into the Martial World.
I need some kind of breakthrough, but being blocked by seasonal factors, I decided to just continue training through this winter.
Just then…
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Senior!!!”
With someone’s visit, the event of entering Wolbok-dang opened up.
* *
Puhihihihing!!!
Swish!
Recognizing the fact that I had to dash out of the warm stable into the cold day, the horses began to act up, rearing and kicking.
Filling my winter gear and soothing the animals, a long sigh escaped me, and my warm breath turned to mist, drifting in the wind.
Sacheon is still milder than Korea, but it’s not tropical enough to dismiss winter as a joke. It can get cold enough to freeze ice.
In my mind, I know it’s less cold than Korea, but the intensity of the cold hitting my skin feels just as piercing.
“Brrr~ it’s cold.”
A plump Black Cat waddled over, its waistline disappearing under layers of clothing, making it look just like a snowman. I couldn’t help but smile. How many layers must one wear to look like that?
Instead of a scarf, it tightly wrapped a cloth around its face.
“Isn’t it time to tell me the destination?”
“Gui County, Jin-sa.”
Pal-dun County is relatively close to both Gui County and Yunnan in Sichuan. If it’s Jin-sa, it might take about 3 to 4 days by horseback. That sounds manageable.
“Alright!”
The snowman-like Black Cat made a comfy sound as it hopped onto the saddle. I too organized my winter gear and got on the horse.
“Go!”
After three days of galloping with the plump Black Cat, we arrived at Jin-sa. Jin-sa was a bustling city, more lively than I had expected.
The Black Cat confidently guided the horse to a nondescript textile shop. The name ‘Jang Family Textile Shop’ was as plain as it gets.
“Welcome…”
The man who looked to be in his early 30s might have been both the shop owner and a clerk. He looked at the Black Cat, his tail hanging low.
“So the rumors were true.”
“Indeed. This person is my guest.”
“…Is this person also related to the rumors…”
The man, who was staring at me and the Black Cat with a puzzled expression, bowed to us and then began to guide us.
Flap!
“Whoa.”
With adept hands, he cleared away the fabrics, revealing a wooden door beneath. As he opened it, stairs leading downwards came into view.
“Come in, Senior.”
As the Black Cat stepped down first, I steadied my pounding heart.
What kind of organization is Wolbok-dang?
I recalled the capabilities of Wolbok-dang.
When I had given the realization to Miss Yeo Il-ye, they were the first to act. They were also the organization that grasped the truth about Yeo-ga Mountain Villa, which everyone else had forgotten.
Was that all? They demonstrated incredible power by taking control of Sichuan Province’s information in just one day.
Now I was heading to confront the very entity of Wolbok-dang.
This place was a completely unknown space. Even after playing the Martial World for over 10 years, there were areas I absolutely couldn’t know… not exactly, but without a doubt, I was about to set foot in the main hall of Wolbok-dang as a player for the first time!
As I walked down the long corridor following the Black Cat, my anticipation grew with each step. What kind of events would I encounter in Wolbok-dang, and what kind of information would I gain? No, the expectation of such gains was a secondary matter.
Simply experiencing and witnessing the organization called Wolbok-dang was exhilarating.
And with that thrill, I entered the main hall of Wolbok-dang.
What welcomed me in that hall were dozens of eyes filled with curiosity, as if they were about to dissect me at any moment.
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