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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“This is getting tiring.”
It wasn’t just from running for a day and a half. My internal energy consumption was significant. Was I running too inefficiently?
Or perhaps it was because Blood Wolf Steps was a basic movement technique.
As a technique learned by vagrants, it wasn’t particularly advanced.
It felt more like an introductory Qinggong technique, which was probably why Brother Kang had taught it to me so readily. If it had been a more sophisticated technique, I would have struggled to learn it in such a short time.
My body wasn’t suited for learning traditional Murim Qinggong techniques anyway.
“Mister, you’re just not used to it! When you learn Qinggong, you run constantly until it becomes second nature!”
“That’s right. I used to run up and down the mountain behind our sect when practicing our Qinggong.”
Running up and down a mountain using Qinggong.
That sounded like excellent training.
Improving stamina and mastering Qinggong. I would be spending a considerable amount of time at the Martial Alliance, so I should dedicate some time to practicing Qinggong.
Unless I planned to ride a horse everywhere, Qinggong was essential in this vast Murim. I was only able to keep up with Hye-ryeong and Mokgyeong because of my higher level, not because of my superior Qinggong.
In Murim terms, my overall skills were transcendent expert level, but my Qinggong was only second or third-rate.
Addressing this issue would require considerable time and effort, but…what choice did I have?
I had to do it.
Having chosen this path, I couldn’t neglect any aspect of my training.
“Let’s stop here. Wuhan is not far.”
There was no need for Qinggong when Wuhan was visible in the distance. Besides, Wuhan was a bustling city with heavy foot traffic.
Unless I wanted to cause a scene, I should enter like a normal citizen.
“Mister, I’m going to wash up as soon as we arrive.”
“Go ahead.”
“I’ll…”
“Wash up at the Haenam Sword Sect’s residence.”
“But-”
“I’ll let them know, so don’t worry.”
The Haenam Sword Sect wasn’t so poor that they couldn’t accommodate a guest. I wasn’t even a member, yet I interacted freely with their disciples.
“…I wonder how everyone at the Haenam Sword Sect is doing.”
“I bet they’re busy! Senior Brother Ha-jin looked so stressed!”
“Well, he’s going to be the sect leader. It’s bound to be stressful.”
Even though he joined later, as a member of one of the Nine Great Sects, he had a mountain of things to learn to maintain and develop the Haenam Sword Sect.
I thought of Ha-jin, who was probably burning the midnight oil, and realized how much I had altered fate.
…I was glad I had saved him.
“Mister…are you going to start training as soon as we arrive?”
“Perhaps.”
“Let’s explore Wuhan! We deserve a break!”
“…I’ve heard that excessive training can be detrimental. Perhaps we should take a day off.”
“Should we? I have some things I want to look into.”
I wanted to gather information about the Three-Step Sword King’s manuals, search for decent Qinggong techniques, and look for signs of the upcoming events I remembered from the original story.
Judging by the timeline, we were nearing the end of the original story’s early stages. I had ignored or resolved most of the early incidents, so things were calmer than they should be.
But there would still be repercussions.
Especially since the Yangtze River Waterway Bandits and the Green Forest would be making their moves around this time.
Things were about to get busy. Perhaps even busier than before. Our trip to Mount Wudang had been a relatively peaceful detour. Once we were back on track with the original story, I would have to face powerful opponents, and eventually…
…No.
I shouldn’t think about that now.
While the Heavenly Demon was the final boss, he wasn’t necessarily my final boss.
Perhaps someone else would defeat him.
The chances were slim, but not impossible.
After all, the odds of me, a medieval European peasant, transmigrating into this world, reaching the direct disciple level in two years, being captured, sold into slavery, and ending up in the Central Plains were astronomically low.
With me as a living testament to the unpredictable nature of fate, I couldn’t assume things would follow the original story.
Perhaps the Saracens would go crazy and conquer the Tian Shan Mountains, triggering a second Battle of Talas. While unlikely, who knew what the future held?
The geographical distance made such a scenario improbable, but if it did happen…
“I got carried away.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Just thinking about what I need to do. The line is quite long.”
It would probably take an hour.
“It seems to be the day merchants enter the city. Look at all those carts…”
“Merchants, huh.”
I hoped it was the Seongcheon Merchant Guild.
Though that was unlikely.
I crossed my arms and watched the procession of carts.
There was nothing else to do.
Finally, after a long journey, we arrived in Wuhan.
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“It’s good to see you, Hye-ryeong.”
“Elder! We’re back!”
Hye-ryeong’s cheerful greeting echoed through the Haenam Sword Sect’s residence. I bowed respectfully beside her.
“It’s good to see you, Elder.”
“Welcome back. But…you. Have you reached…the next level?”
“Yes.”
“Congratulations! I didn’t expect you to reach it so quickly! You truly are a once-in-a-millennium talent!”
Elder Baek beamed, clearly pleased by my breakthrough to the master level.
He was as happy as if it were his own achievement. As expected…
Was that going too far?
In the Murim, where connections were everything, a stronger ally was always welcome. We had a mutually beneficial relationship.
The master level, the transcendent expert realm, was worth celebrating.
A powerful ally was a valuable asset.
Having a transcendent expert as a friend opened up countless possibilities.
If a conflict arose, having a transcendent expert on your side could easily resolve it. Such connections were rare.
Even in this era, China had an enormous population.
Yet, there were less than a hundred transcendent experts.
Even as a newcomer to that level, it was a prestigious position.
If it weren’t for the original story, I could have lived a life of luxury. It was a bit of a shame.
“Elder, has anything happened at the Martial Alliance while we were gone?”
“There’s always something happening at the Martial Alliance. It’s filled with hot-blooded young martial artists from various sects. Conflicts are inevitable. Just the other day, there was a clash between the Azure Dragon and White Tiger units, and several people were injured.”
“Sounds peaceful.”
“Indeed. Peaceful. Though there are rumors that the Alliance Leader is so busy he’s surviving on elixirs instead of food…”
That was the burden of leadership.
Regardless of the actual power, the workload was immense.
The reports from the various Martial Alliance branches and the tasks that needed to be handled at headquarters must be overwhelming.
Especially since the Martial Alliance was primarily composed of warriors, not scholars. The Alliance Leader must be working tirelessly.
“Then that’s good. A busy Alliance Leader means a peaceful Martial Alliance.”
As long as the Alliance Leader wielded a brush instead of a sword, the Murim world was at peace.
“Then, we’ll go wash up. After traveling for days…”
“Get some rest. Both of you.”
“…Thank you, Elder Baek.”
“Don’t mention it. The Haenam Sword Sect doesn’t neglect its guests. I have some business to attend to, so I’ll see you later.”
Elder Baek left. I watched him go, then headed towards my room.
It was time to rest.
And wash off the grime of the journey.
Was there a cleansing technique or something?
With all the strange martial arts in this world, there had to be something like that.
Lost in frivolous thoughts, I entered my room. It was clean and tidy, as if someone had been cleaning it regularly. I sat on my bed and looked out the window.
“Now that I’m back, it’s time to start making my moves.”
My immediate goal was to get closer to the Martial Alliance Leader. I needed to find a way to meet him without becoming a member of the Martial Alliance.
“I wonder if it’s possible.”
I had to try.
I sighed, looking at the crescent moon in the sky.
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