The most grueling training in the world was about to begin!

Or so Seo-jun thought until the previous day.

“Hooop…! Haaap…!”

He had planned to push Hwangbo Hye-ji to her limits, rolling her around until her mindset transformed.

“I… I can do more!”

However, something must have clicked when she shattered that boulder. Her training was now so intense that even Seo-jun began to wonder if he should stop her.

“Uh… maybe you should tone it down a little?”

Seo-jun handed her weighted iron spheres to wear on her arms.

These weren’t ordinary weights—they were enchanted with a spell, heavy enough to potentially tear off the arms of anyone untrained.

“I’m fine…!”

Despite the strain, Hye-ji kept punching, her arms loaded with the weights. Her flushed face looked like it might explode, and the veins bulging at her temples seemed ready to burst.

Alarmed, Seo-jun sent a telepathic message to Hwangbo Jun.

[Hey, hey! She’s going to kill herself! Say something to stop her!]
[She’s fine. Hye-a used to train like this sometimes. I did it too.]

Seo-jun’s eyebrows shot up.

[What if she ends up disabled? I mean, I can reattach limbs, but most people can’t…]
[What kind of nonsense is that? If her head gets chopped off, it’s not like she can reattach it.]

“What the hell, man?” Seo-jun muttered aloud.

“What? Why are you like this?!” protested Hwangbo Jun—right before Seo-jun smacked him.

“Damn… what terrifying training,” Seo-jun muttered, shaking his head.

In the end, while keeping an eye on Hwangbo Hye-ji, Seo-jun focused on helping Chun-bong and Namgung Su-a with their training.

Originally, he had planned to push Hye-ji to her limits, but honestly, he doubted he could push her harder than she was already pushing herself.

“For now, just keep doing what you’ve been doing,” Seo-jun told Namgung Su-a, placing his hand on her lower abdomen to examine her energy flow.

Su-a was rapidly integrating her enlightenment into her body and growing stronger by the day. At this rate, she could attempt to reach the Peak realm by the end of the Yongbong Gathering.

“Nothing else I need to do?”
“Yeah, just stabilize your current level, and you should be able to overpower most opponents.”
“Really?”

Su-a smiled softly and leaned closer.

“Thanks. It’s all thanks to you.”
“…No, it’s because you’ve been working hard.”
“I wouldn’t have come this far without you. By the way…”

Her light laughter tickled Seo-jun’s neck.

“When are you going to use your wish from that arm-wrestling match?”
“Oh, right.”

He had completely forgotten.

When Seo-jun widened his eyes, Su-a pouted.

“I’ve been waiting for you to bring it up. Did you forget?”
“…I’ve been busy lately.”

Su-a chuckled and poked his side.

“Well, I’ll be waiting, so make sure to tell me your wish, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am.”

Relieved to have escaped the moment unscathed, Seo-jun let out a small sigh and turned his attention to Chun-bong.

“Our Chun-bong…”

Noticing his gaze, Chun-bong hesitantly pushed her stomach out, imitating what Su-a had done.

“You don’t need to go that far,” Seo-jun said, laughing. “I already know everything without checking your dantian.”

“…That’s so annoying,” Chun-bong grumbled.

Compared to Su-a, Chun-bong was slightly behind. While Su-a had reached the threshold of the Peak realm and was stabilizing her energy, Chun-bong still had about half a step left to reach that level.

She was painfully aware of it. Training alongside Su-a in recent days had only emphasized how far behind she was.

‘Is it time to play my trump card…?’

Swallowing her humiliation, Chun-bong tugged on Seo-jun’s sleeve.

“Hey, come with me.”
“Huh? What for?”

Seo-jun followed her without suspicion as she led him to an empty room. Once inside, Chun-bong closed the door with a firm thud.

Seeing her take a deep breath, Seo-jun asked, “What’s going on?”

“O-Oppa…”

“What.”

It had been ages since he’d heard Chun-bong call him that. Seo-jun instinctively covered his mouth.

But Chun-bong wasn’t done. She clung to his sleeve, looking up at him with a pout.

“…I want to win the Yongbong Gathering.”

Chun-bong had steeled herself to shamelessly request special treatment.

Seo-jun, thrown off by her rare display of aegyo, was speechless.

“…Of course! Our Chun-bong has to win!”
“Then will you teach me how to beat Su-a?”
“Hmm… that seems a bit underhanded.”
“Pleeease…”

“Ah!” Seo-jun gasped, finally succumbing. He spilled the strategy for beating Su-a.

Chun-bong grinned victoriously.

“Piece of cake.”
“You tricked me, Chun-bong…!”
“Oh, please. When did you ever think you weren’t being tricked?”
“I won’t let this slide!”
“Try me. Think you can hit me?”

Chun-bong puffed out her chest confidently. Faced with her audacity, Seo-jun could only admit defeat.

“Ugh, fine. Kill me, then!”
“Alright, quit whining.”

Chun-bong’s tone turned serious as she asked, “So, with this, what are my chances? About fifty-fifty?”

Seo-jun dropped the playful banter and answered earnestly.

“Yeah, around that. The gap is pretty big, so there’s only so much you can do.”
“Ugh…”
“Hey, that’s enough. If Su-a finds out, she’ll be upset.”
“I know. I’m not asking for anything more.”

Chun-bong’s eyes burned with determination.

‘If I win…!’

Victory would bring honor to her family and earn her a gift from Seo-jun—no less than a legendary Grand Elixir.

With such a prize, perhaps…

‘Heh heh.’

Chun-bong’s grand ambitions had taken their first step.

 

Although Hwangbo Hye-ji was training intensely, Seo-jun wasn’t entirely neglecting her.

Training was training, but what she truly needed was mental discipline.

“You’ve probably heard it before—reaching a higher realm requires confidence in yourself.”
“Yes, that’s what everyone says….”
“You have two choices,” Seo-jun said, holding up two fingers.

“First, do things your own way. Second, follow your mother’s words without question, like a zealot.”

Though his words seemed to have a pointed intent, they weren’t entirely wrong.

When he used the Demonic Sect as an example, Hwangbo Hye-ji nodded reluctantly, her expression clouded.

“What do you mean by doing things my own way?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. I’m not telling you to commit atrocities.”

Though punching Hwangbo Seorin in the head might feel cathartic, if Hye-ji wasn’t inclined to do so, even that wouldn’t be the right answer.

“I’m not saying to abandon your mother, ignore everything she says, or become a ‘Mother Slayer.’”
“…What?”
“Just follow your heart. But to do that, you need to know what your heart is telling you.”

To help her figure that out, Seo-jun had planned to push Hwangbo Hye-ji to her limits, triggering her survival instincts. When that raw instinct emerged, her thoughts and feelings would align perfectly.

But the hellish training plan was scrapped before it even started. If he pushed her any harder, she might die before achieving enlightenment.

What other situation could awaken her survival instincts?

Seo-jun could only think of one.

‘If someone threatens her with a sword, her instincts will kick in.’

It was the most efficient method by far.

‘Now, who should play the part?’

Lee Seo-jun, Baek Seo-jun, Cheon Seo-jun, Jegal Seo-jun… Or should he create an entirely new identity just for training?

As Seo-jun mulled over his options, Chun-bong gave him a suspicious glance.

‘That guy’s scheming something weird again.’

She was right.

 

That night, Hwangbo Hye-ji was training alone again.

She practiced her modified version of Mountain-Thunder Fist, which she had named Mountain Fist, devoid of any lightning energy. As she trained, she suddenly noticed how unusually chilly the night breeze was.

‘It’s almost summer—why is it so cold?’

The thought passed quickly, and she resumed her training. If it was cold, she’d just keep moving.

Wearing the enchanted iron weights Senior Jin Ki-jae had crafted for her, she threw powerful punches.

Thud!

The sound wasn’t loud but carried a solid weight.

Then, a soft clapping noise echoed.

“Who’s there…?”

Hwangbo Hye-ji turned her head. A masked figure dressed in black stood behind her.

Under normal circumstances, she would have been startled. But having lived in the Namgung family villa, she had grown accustomed to strange occurrences and calmly asked,

“Are you with the Namgung family?”

The black-clad Seo-jun was momentarily taken aback.

‘Shouldn’t she assume I’m an assassin?’

It was true that an assassin appearing in Hanan at this time wasn’t entirely normal…

…But then again, hadn’t there already been several incidents? Blood Mist assassins, Baek Seo-jun….

‘Is she becoming desensitized to danger?’

Suppressing his surprise, Seo-jun bent his fingers. A murky internal energy enveloped his ten fingers, an amalgamation of demonic energy and his own power—crudely crafted to mimic the style of the Black Lotus Sect.

“No time for questions!”

Seo-jun’s hand shot forward, fast enough for Hwangbo Hye-ji to barely react.

Swish!

She dodged, turning her head just in time, her eyes widening.

“An assassin…?!”

The murky energy emanating from the masked figure was unfamiliar, but it had to be the so-called demonic energy (saqi). She had never seen a Black Lotus martial artist before, but this must be one.

‘I need to warn the others!’

If the masked figure had allies, the others could be in danger.

“Haaap—!”

With a loud shout, Hwangbo Hye-ji unleashed her Mountain-Thunder Fist.

BOOOOM──────────!!!

The thunderous noise shook the Namgung family villa, loud enough to wake even ordinary people with no martial training.

But the masked figure remained calm.

“I’ve already erected an energy barrier. Struggle all you want—it’s useless.”
“That’s ridiculous….”

There were several masters at the villa, some of whom had reached the Peak realm. How could such a barrier go unnoticed?

Unless…

‘Is this person even stronger than them?’

Hwangbo Hye-ji’s mind raced. She recalled the assassination of the Grand General—the Black Lotus Sect assassin who had struck down a Peak master in the heart of Hanan without leaving a trace.

Her face turned pale.

“Now, why don’t we play until my task is complete?”