Wooooong.

As soon as Cheol Ji-seon sensed the presence of someone nearby, he felt a barrier being raised around him.

He stopped his trembling and turned around.

The person he had been waiting for on this late night had arrived.

"Have you been waiting long?"
"No, not at all..."

At the sound of the voice behind him, Cheol Ji-seon turned around.

A man with a handsome face and a gentle smile stood there.

It was none other than the Holy Star, Jang Seon-yeon.

He had come to see Cheol Ji-seon, who now silently gazed at him.

And from a little further away…

Gu Yangcheon was watching the two of them in their secret meeting.

___________

 

Hmmm...

Though he was observing them, the barrier prevented him from hearing anything.

I could listen if I wanted to, he thought.

But to do that, he would need to move closer, and if he carelessly used his skills to pierce through the barrier…

Jang Seon-yeon would surely notice.

The guy's a piece of crap, but he’s got skills.

Though he was a man less valuable than a pile of filth, his talent was undeniable.

Sitting on a tree branch, Gu Yangcheon continued watching Cheol Ji-seon and Jang Seon-yeon from a distance.

Just earlier, when Cheol Ji-seon had made what was almost a confession to him…

Right when the conversation was about to wrap up…

Cheol Ji-seon had mentioned that he would be meeting Jang Seon-yeon afterwards.

Hmmm…

He remembered Cheol Ji-seon's expression at that moment.

For some reason, the guy had looked utterly terrified when facing him.

Why though? I said I’d let him live.

There had been no lie in his words at that time.

When he told Cheol Ji-seon that he wouldn’t kill him…

He had genuinely meant it.

So why’s he so scared?

If that wasn’t the issue…

Maybe it was because he had told Cheol Ji-seon to do as Jang Seon-yeon instructed?

That could be it.

Even if Cheol Ji-seon was somewhat clever, he probably hadn’t understood the full meaning of those words.

Maybe he had interpreted it as: Just listen to the Jang family guy. I don’t plan on sparing you anyway.

That might have been how he took it.

But even if that’s the case, that’s his problem.

It wasn’t something Gu Yangcheon needed to concern himself with.

Truthfully, he wanted Cheol Ji-seon to follow Jang Seon-yeon’s orders.

And if Cheol Ji-seon truly wanted to side with him…

There’s a way I could use his power, but...

It was still something he needed to think about.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t considered it.

If Cheol Ji-seon was the same tactician of the Martial Alliance he remembered from his future knowledge…

Then the ability Cheol Ji-seon displayed was stronger than expected.

Whether the current Cheol Ji-seon had the same power remained uncertain.

But the important thing was…

The power was strong enough to be dangerous.

While it was certainly a power worth utilizing…

Whether it was valuable enough to risk keeping him close, despite knowing the danger, was still a matter for consideration.

What if I turned him into a demon and shackled him?

That had been his first thought when considering keeping Cheol Ji-seon under his command.

If Gu Yangcheon gained the ability to corrupt others into demons, he could simply turn Cheol Ji-seon into a demon and use him as he pleased.

But…

Not yet… not now.

He didn’t want to do that.

It wasn’t because of any guilt toward Cheol Ji-seon.

It was because he didn’t want to become like the Heavenly Demon from his past life.

It wasn’t about some lingering guilt over Cheol Ji-seon.

He simply didn’t want to repeat the same actions as the Heavenly Demon.

“…”

There wasn’t much time to dwell on this.

After all, there wasn’t really much to deliberate—power is power, and all of it needed to be used.

The feelings swirling within him were little more than useless sentimentality.

And this was the final line.

The line between turning into a demon like in his past life and continuing to live as an ordinary martial artist.

Once he crossed it, there would be no return.

He knew this instinctively.

Feeling increasingly uneasy, Gu Yangcheon rubbed his left arm.

The part wrapped in bandages.

Please, wake up again.

He called out to the old man who had appeared at critical moments to help him, only to return to sleep again.

But, as usual, there was no answer.

Perhaps that’s why the words the old man had left him kept echoing in his mind.

Have faith in yourself.

Having faith in himself—such a difficult thing to do.

If he could do that easily…

He wouldn’t have lived the way he had in his past life.

“This is a pointless thought.”

It was a hollow regret that surfaced from time to time.

Even now, it wasn’t any different.

Just focus on the future. That’s all that matters right now.

He condensed the information he had gathered from Bigo.

In addition, he needed to figure out what this bandage wrapped around his arm was.

Aside from the knowledge he had gained from Bigo, there wasn’t much else.

He needed to quickly find a way to reach the Hwagyeong stage.

It has to be Baekmaseok.

He thought about explosively increasing his Inner Qi to reach Hwagyeong.

If he could obtain the Baekmaseok, which was submerged deep in the sea…

He might be able to reach Hwagyeong right away.

If not…

I’d need something at least as strong as the Great Elixir of Shaolin.

Though it wasn’t as good as Baekmaseok, the Great Elixir of Shaolin might still be enough.

Crap.

He couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it.

As if the Great Elixir were some household name.

Where in the world could he possibly find such a top-tier elixir?

In the end, the only realistic solution…

Was to stabilize his Mind, Body, and Qi even a little further.

If he wanted to reach Hwagyeong, he needed to examine himself more closely.

His Qi was overwhelming.

His Body was lacking but not terrible.

So, the problem was his Mind.

There are so many issues on that front that I don’t even know where to start.

Even just thinking about it, the list of problems was endless.

He had no idea where to begin fixing it.

But he had to.

Only by steadily building up from here…

Could he surpass Hwagyeong.

And ascend to a higher level.

Even if he used the Baekmaseok to boost himself to that level…

He would soon hit his limits.

At that point, no matter how many monsters he consumed or how many spirit stones he absorbed…

He wouldn’t be able to advance any further.

Because beyond that point, it was no longer a matter of Inner Qi.

There’s no way. There’s just no way.

Though he knew a shortcut, he also knew that taking it wouldn’t lead him to his destination.

In the end, he would circle back to square one.

That’s why martial arts are so damn frustrating.

There’s no such thing as a shortcut.

You have to relentlessly pursue the proper path, but there’s no time for that.

He didn’t have time to slowly cultivate his martial skills.

After contemplating for a while, Gu Yangcheon stood up.

In the end… this is the only way.

He had to raise his level the proper way, while also finding a method to save time.

Unless he was some heaven-sent genius, he couldn’t achieve both.

But he knew a way to resolve this.

The problem is that I need that guy for it.

He glanced at Cheol Ji-seon.

If it were any other situation, he would have killed Cheol Ji-seon without a second thought and discarded him.

He’s more useful than expected.

The things Cheol Ji-seon had said during their conversation…

His willingness to abandon Jang Seon-yeon and side with Gu Yangcheon…

That was reason enough.

Just a little longer.

It wasn’t quite certainty yet.

It was still a matter of observation… but he was beginning to feel a slight pull.

For Gu Yangcheon, Sinryong Hall was the final line.

Once he left this place…

He would kill those who needed to be killed.

Save those who could be saved.

He needed to prepare himself.

With no one to trust and having to act alone…

He would eliminate his future enemies.

It was the quickest and simplest solution.

While rubbing his left arm and looking straight ahead…

Gu Yangcheon noticed something change between Cheol Ji-seon and Jang Seon-yeon.

Jang Seon-yeon, with a smug smile, had left.

So, it seems there were no issues.

Even though Gu Yangcheon already knew everything, the reason he had come to observe Cheol Ji-seon and Jang Seon-yeon was simple.

If things had gone wrong between the two, and Jang Seon-yeon tried something stupid with Cheol Ji-seon…

He would have needed to stop it.

Though Jang Seon-yeon wasn’t the type to kill Cheol Ji-seon or anything rash…

There was always the possibility. So, Gu Yangcheon had followed them just in case.

In the end, it seemed like there was no immediate problem.

Once Jang Seon-yeon had left…

And Cheol Ji-seon had slowly disappeared as well…

Gu Yangcheon stood up.

“How much longer, I wonder?”

It wouldn’t be long before Jang Seon-yeon lost his patience and made a move.

Maybe just a few days more.

All Gu Yangcheon could do now was wait.

Finally, the time to eliminate that bastard was drawing near, and the anticipation welled up inside him.

He pressed it down.

Zap.

“…!”

Suddenly, Gu Yangcheon whipped his head around and surveyed his surroundings.

“…What was that?”

It felt like a faint trace of energy had just brushed past his back.

Raising his senses and spreading them out to scan the area…

He didn’t detect any notable presence.

“Was it just my imagination?”

Had the energy been any stronger, he might have searched the surroundings more thoroughly.

But it had been a very faint sensation.

Shaking his head slightly, Gu Yangcheon brushed himself off and began walking back to his room.

 
   
   ******************
   

And so, the next day dawned.

Sunlight streamed through the window, announcing the arrival of morning.

While the other disciples sharing the same room were shaking out their blankets and finishing their preparations for the day,

I, still half-asleep, sat there with a dazed expression, my hair a mess like a bird's nest.

"Hmm?"

I wiped the drool from the corner of my mouth as I murmured in confusion.

The others, who had been fixing their blankets, suddenly froze, their gazes locking onto me as if in shock.

At the spot where both mine and their eyes focused...

There was someone kneeling neatly, looking at me.

With her pure white hands gently folded,

She stared at me with piercing golden eyes, an aura that didn’t fit in with this place at all.

"What... did you just say?"

"I like you."

I was about to ask again, thinking I’d misheard, but a clear voice interrupted me.

The words were the same as the ones I thought I had misheard a moment ago.

"...Uh... what?"

Wondering if this was a dream, I pinched my arm.

It hurt. A lot. Does that mean this isn't a dream?

Although, shouldn’t dreams be capable of causing pain too?

This whole situation seemed more fitting for a dream, honestly.

While I sat there, bewildered and not knowing what to do,

The woman who had just spoken continued to stare at me with the same unwavering gaze.

The woman who had shown up at dawn and uttered incomprehensible words was none other than Wi Seol-ah.