“Hmm.”

Hyun Jong smiled at the scene unfolding before his eyes.

What should he say…

Hot passion.

Sweat flowing down.

Masters did their best to teach the disciples, who followed their teachings with all their might.

As he looked at the beautiful and heartwarming sight, there was only one thought that came to his mind.

‘Is this alright?’

Could this really continue like this?

As he watched the disciples shaking while holding a rock the size of a house and Hyun Young standing on the rock, giving a long speech, cold sweat kept rolling down his face.

“Are you stopping your foot?”

“Ughhh.”

“Ahhh….”

“I told you to step on that; what are you doing standing still? Uh? Was there a technique like that in Mount Hua? Will you not move now?”

Sweat ran down like rain from the bodies of the disciples holding the rock. The ground they stepped on was darker with the sweat falling there.

“I am telling you all to do it right. If you cannot even do this, where will you earn money to get food?”

It was right then.

“Ughhh.”

Jung Ho, who had been moving his feet while holding a rock, couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed on the spot. At the same time, the rock he was holding fell on his head.

“Ack!”

“No!”

Thud!

Jung Ho closed his eyes tightly. But strangely enough, he didn’t feel the pain he was getting ready for.

‘Am I already dead?’

No, it cannot be possible…

When he slowly opened his eyes, a person was standing tall in front of him with their back to the sun. The blood drained from Jung Ho’s face as he looked up.

‘Eh, it cannot be.’

I’d rather die.

Hyun Young’s face, holding the rock, looked closer to that of a devil than a human.

Holding a rock with one hand and the other…

Uh?

One hand?

Kuuak!

Hyun Young threw the rock the size of a house to the side and rolled his eyes in horror.

“I’ve been doing this for so long that I am already exhausted!”

“…!”

“Ehhh! You cannot do that! sahyung!”

“Huh.”

“This guy is out of place! Have a strong mind.”

“Yes.”

Hyung San grinned and walked over to them. He grabbed the back of Jong Hoe’s neck and lifted him up.

“Haha. Do you want to go somewhere nice with me?”

“…”

“Hehehe.”

Then he walked leisurely, entering the thicket of trees.

A moment later, a terrible scream began to emanate from there.

“ACKKKKK! Ack! Elder! Elder! I was wrong! Elderrrrrrr!”

The faces of the disciples who heard the scream turned pale for an instant.

‘W-what is happening?’

‘I am curious. But I don’t want to know.’

‘Even if I die, I cannot drop the rock!’

Hyun Young smiled as he looked at the disciples who were holding the rock.

“Right. Right. You are doing great. Great.”

Then, he looked at Chung Myung, gestured with his chin and said,

“Chung Myung.”

“Yes!”

“Put up one more rock.”

“… more?”

“Hurry up.”

“Yes.”

Baek Cheon closed his eyes tightly as he watched Chung Myung carrying a rock on his back.

‘Chung Myung.’

Why did he start with him!

That bastard.

Rattle.

“….”

Baek Cheon stared at the rice falling from his chopsticks with a sad look.

His sajaes had already given up on eating rice with chopsticks and were putting their faces down in their rice bowls.

“… guys.”

“Uh?”

“Are you skipping the meal?”

“… it feels like chewing on sand, but we need to eat to live.”

Baek Cheon lowered his eyes and sighed.

This was right.

‘I need to eat. I need to eat to survive.’

In the end, Baek Cheon, too, brought the rice bowl to his mouth and scooped up rice.

‘It feels like chewing on real sand….’

It was then.

Nomnomnomnom!

“…”

Nomnomnomnom!

Baek Cheon turned his head with a solemn look.

Chung Myung, sitting next to him, was literally inhaling the rice. After finishing his bowl, Chung Myung picked up the entire bowl of stir-fried pork in front of him and shoved it into his mouth.

“Ughh! The food you have after training is really good!”

This bastard…

It was nice to eat a good meal, but was it necessary to eat like this next to someone like him right now?

In the end, Baek Cheon’s face contorted.

“Is it delicious?”

“Fucking sweet!”

“… Yes, eat a lot.”

What should he say? Tell him what to…

He didn’t even have the strength to say anything to Chung Myung. Baek Cheon shook his head and was about to try and eat when Jo Gul lifted his face from the bowl and weakly said,

“Yah, Chung Myung.”

“Uh?”

“I am saying this because I don’t get it… how did the elders suddenly end up that strong?”

Baek Cheon’s ears perked up. No one said anything, but even he was curious about this.

“Is the Purple Cloud Divine Arts that great? If we learn it, will we also be like them?”

“Such fantasy words.”

But Chung Myung put down his chopsticks like he pitied them.

“Do you know what kind of martial arts it is? If you learn it, it will surely make the learner stronger.”

“… N-no. The elders are strong.”

“Their case is different, you idiots.”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue as if he felt sorry for them.

“Of course, it is true that the Purple Cloud Divine Arts is the best cultivation art in Mount Hua.”

They could expect to rise to one level or more just by learning it. The Purple Cloud Divine Arts alone was a new technique that could not even be compared with the Plum Blossom Arts or the Seven Sages Arts.

So, if they learned how to do it themselves, it was clear that at least the usage of internal qi would increase dramatically.

But that didn’t mean it would have the same effect as it did for the elders.

“So, a cultivation skill is like a chef.”

“A chef? Like one who cooks?”

“Yes.”

“… what is that supposed to be?”

He had to explain it to them for them to understand. But did he have to explain? Chung Myung grumbled with an annoyed look and then spoke earnestly.

“If the chef’s skills are good, he or she can make the most delicious food with not-so-good ingredients. Isn’t that obvious?”

“True.”

“So, if you acquire divine arts, you can generate stronger force with the same internal qi and utilize it with pure force. The output gets stronger compared to the same level of internal qi.”

“Ah….”

Jo Gul nodded as if he understood. Yoon Jong, who was listening quietly, added something.

“Then what does it mean that our cases and the elders are different?”

“I just told you. Divine arts are like alcohol.”

“Uh?”

“How many years do you think the elders and sect leader have been training their internal qi?”

“… Uh, that…”

40? 50 years?

Although the exact number of years was unknown, they must have been training for a time incomparable to that of the disciples.

“There is no shortcut when it comes to internal qi. The difference is only in how long you have been training and how consistent you are.”

At that time, Yu Yiseol raised her hand.

“Okay, question.”

“Violet Cloud Pill.”

“Right. The pill is what allows you to overcome it all. But the pill and what it provides has a limit. No matter how well-made it is, it is bound to hold some impure qi in it when compared to the cultivation done within the body.”

“Violet Cloud Pill. Impure.”

No, it wasn’t that….

Well, there was nothing to say to her.

“Anyway.”

Chung Myung, who was flustered for a moment, cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

“Until now, the sect leader and the elders had entrusted the good ingredients they had cultivated for decades to useless servants to cook. But this time, the chef…”

“Changed to an imperial chef?”

“Yes, that can be summarized like that. Now that the best chef in Beijing has started cooking, isn’t it only natural for the taste to change?”

Baek Cheon nodded. Although the analogy was a bit strange, it was easy to understand.

“50 years….”

“Right, fifty years.”

For martial artists, training internal qi was like starting the day. Of course, Hyun Jong and Hyun Sang must have been training steadily for the last 50 years, and even if Hyun Young gave up on training, he didn’t give up on cultivation.

If that was the case, it meant that they built up a good amount of qi.

If they added the qi accumulated through the pill Chung Myung gave their strength alone was clearly at a level where they have surpassed the elders of the Nine Great Sects.

Until now, the method of using the internal qi was inferior, so it wasn’t noticed. But as Chung Myung changed the internal qi cultivation and adjusted the flow to suit their bodies, they began to demonstrate their strength.

“… But it seems a bit too much.”

“Did you see him holding the rock the size of a house with one hand?”

“…it didn’t seem like he used any strength. I thought he was lifting a pebble?”

When the story about the strength of the elders came out, the helpless Mount Hua disciples clicked their tongues and said.

It was worth it. Wasn’t this a difficult sight to see in Mount Hua?

Even Chung Myung, who was recognized by many as the best in Mount Hua, didn’t have that high internal qi compared to other disciples.

So, they couldn’t help but be shocked at the sight of a rock being lifted up, sword qi flowing through chopsticks, and a pillar being lifted up like it was a stick.

“So the sect leader and elders have turned into skilled warriors?”

“Skilled warriors?”

Chung Myung chuckled at the question someone asked while gulping.

“If Sasuk and Sahyung had survived because they weren’t strong, would they have lasted until now? They would have been beaten to death by the Green Forest bastards long ago.”

“Ah… right.”

“Not yet, not yet. But…”

“Uh?”

Chung Myung, who continued speaking, grinned.

“Once you learn the Plum Blossom Sword Technique, things change a little, right? The moment you perfectly master the Seven Star Step, the Plum Blossom Step, and the Cultivation Arts, sword techniques…”

Then he lifted his chin and slit his neck with his thumb.

“…”

They understood the meaning of that gesture very well without him needing to continue.

Baek Cheon smiled and thought.

‘Don’t fool around.’

Of course, until now, they never thought of directly confronting the sect leader, but now, they couldn’t even dream of it anymore.

“But you know…”

Yoon Jong spoke as if he didn’t understand something.

“How does Elder Hyun Young know the torture methods so well?”

“…I have the same doubt too.”

They couldn’t even imagine it. Swinging a sword in water and standing on one foot while carrying a rock the size of a house on their back. Was this something a sane person could do?

Even that guy, Chung Myung, was determined to be superior and made people train. Still, he never tormented people in such an out-of-the-box manner.

“The scariest part…”

“Uh?”

“…is that it is effective.”

The disciples of Mount Hua nodded.

By swinging the sword in the water, they could see how much their internal qi was circulating. Every time they swung the sword, they had to apply more force, making the mistakes in their sword technique clear to them.

Moreover, since they were walking while carrying the rock, they were able to sense when their center of gravity was off, so they had no choice but to maintain their core strength more sensitively than usual.

“How on earth did they come up with this training method…”

Everyone was amazed despite their tired looks, but Yu Yiseol quietly spoke.

“… because they can.”

“Uh?”

Baek Cheon looked at Yu Yiseol and asked again.

“What did you say, samae?”

“Because I wouldn’t have been able to find the answer with ordinary training methods.”

For a moment, no one could say anything. Baek Cheon bit his lower lip and pictured young Hyun Young in his mind.

He, who had learned only low-level martial arts that couldn’t compare to the Southern Edge of the Nine Great Sects, was now swinging the water in the sword and stepping on the ground while carrying a rock on his back.

The desperation to somehow become stronger must have led him to such a training method. Although they wouldn’t recommend it to other disciples.

Baek Cheon, who was lost in thought for a moment, picked up the chopsticks he had put down again.

“Eat. We need to endure the afternoon training as well.”

“Yes!”

“I will not be removed from the training!”

Everyone started pushing the rice into their mouths with more force.

“One more bowl here!”

“Soso, that is the third bowl!”

“Then I will have two more bowls!”

Chung Myung secretly chuckled as he watched them stuffing rice into their stomachs.

‘This is nice.’

The previous generation led without saying a word, and the next generation trusted and followed without question.

Perhaps this was the Mount Hua that Chung Jin imagined.

‘Uh?’

Uh? It seemed a bit different from what he thought?

‘Whatever.’

If he felt wronged, he could always come back to life.

Heheheh.