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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Bobt
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Joo Seo-cheon’s soul was that of an old man who had experienced all sorts of trials and tribulations, nearing a hundred years old, but his body was not.
He was now just an eight-year-old child.
And like most children, freedom did not exist for him.
Especially as a fourth-generation disciple of a major sect, it was even more so.
The sect had set rules and routines, and he had to follow them. Joo Seo-cheon was no exception.
Waking up around dawn, he first paid his respects to his master, then went to the Cultivation Cave with the other fourth-generation disciples for morning training.
“Huff… Puff…”
The Cultivation Cave was located near Rakan Peak of Mount Hwa. As it was near one of the peaks of Mount Hwa, climbing up was extremely difficult.
It was challenging even for an adult male who had not learned martial arts, let alone for a child’s body.
It was a taste of death.
Going to the Cultivation Cave for training, the journey itself was training.
“Damn it…”
Curses naturally slipped out in his mind.
It was good to start again. But starting over also meant that everything he had built up until now had disappeared.
If it were his previous life, he would have climbed it like a stroll, but not now. He could already taste the sweetness in his mouth.
Tears welled up, his lungs felt like they were tearing apart, and his soles and thigh muscles were strained.
“Come to think of it, the training at Mount Hwa was notorious!”
One of the forgotten memories resurfaced.
The Mount Hua Sect was not one of the major sects for nothing.
Not only was their martial arts outstanding, but their training of disciples was also incredibly effective. But their training methods were quite severe.
Regardless of whether they were children or youths, they would be pushed to the brink of their physical limits.
But they were incredibly skilled at knowing that boundary and assigning supervisors to regulate it during normal times.
If they were about to truly reach their limit, they would be made to rest or have internal energy infused into them.
Thanks to that, whenever the body was about to be exhausted, it would recover, allowing even a child’s body to climb Rakan Peak.
That was why this section and training were given the name “Rakan Hell”.
After completing Rakan Hell and arriving at the Cultivation Cave, they would be further divided based on their level of training.
In his case, it ended just by arriving at Rakan Peak.
The slightly older fourth-generation disciples would perform simple sword techniques. Going further up, there were even fourth-generation disciples who engaged in sparring.
“Well done. Go eat your morning meal at the Birch Valley Pill table over there and come down.”
The supervisor pointed to a table stacked with Birch Valley Pills with his chin.
Joo Seo-cheon bowed to the supervisor with his remaining strength and then stuffed the Birch Valley Pills into his mouth.
Most children would frown and say it tasted bad as soon as they chewed the Birch Valley Pills.
Birch Valley Pills were packed with nutrients but had no taste. It wasn’t a taste that children would enjoy.
However, that didn’t apply to Joo Seo-cheon. He had eaten it so much in his previous life that he swallowed it without any issue.
And after taking about fifteen minutes of rest, he went back down.
It wasn’t difficult as it was downhill.
“Master, I’m back.”
“You worked hard today as well. It must have been tiring, right?”
Yu Jeong-mok gave a wry smile.
Whether a genius or not, every disciple of the Mount Hua Sect knew the pain of Rakan Hell.
“If I could, I would like to let you rest more, but that’s not possible. Please forgive this master.”
Yu Jeong-mok showed a genuinely apologetic expression.
The morning training, also known as Rakan Hell, was merely a foundation for developing muscles and stamina.
After returning from the Cultivation Cave, each disciple would seek out their respective masters for morning instruction.
“It’s alright, Master!”
Joo Seo-cheon was quite moved by the consideration of his master, who was kinder and had a more beautiful heart than anyone else.
Just like in his previous life, his master was still as kind in this life. Perhaps it was because of Yu Jeong-mok that he didn’t feel the absence of his parents.
“Good, then let’s start practicing Qi circulation. The Plum Blossom Qi Technique is still unfamiliar to you, so I’ll help you out.”
Yu Jeong-mok sat in his place and tapped the ground in front of him, indicating for Joo Seo-cheon to sit there. Joo Seo-cheon, as if he had been waiting, went to the spot he pointed and sat cross-legged with his back facing him.
“Now, first, follow the mnemonics I recite…”
Yu Jeong-mok recited the mnemonics of the Plum Blossom Qi Technique to Joo Seo-cheon and kindly explained the meaning of each one in detail.
The Plum Blossom Qi Technique consisted of twelve levels, and until reaching the fifth level, there was a risk of Qi deviation, so the Qi circulation practice was supervised like this.
For reference, the Plum Blossom Qi Technique was the first basic internal cultivation technique learned upon entering the Mount Hua Sect.
It was one of the representative basic orthodox techniques of the Mount Hua Sect, easily forming the dantian and strengthening the Qi meridians.
However, as was common with orthodox techniques, the amount of internal energy accumulated was small, and the speed was quite slow.
The internal cultivation technique itself was not difficult to master, so it didn’t take long to succeed, but the accumulated internal energy was really minimal.
“Well, to begin with, it’s an internal cultivation technique that lays the foundation, and learning the Plum Blossom Qi Technique doesn’t prevent you from learning other things, so there’s nothing to particularly worry about.”
Moreover, although it was not considered very impressive within the Mount Hua Sect, it was classified as a first-rate technique in the murim.
It was not a martial art of the Nine Great Sects or major sects for nothing.
“Yes!”
Joo Seo-cheon answered vigorously.
“Hmph, I already know all this…”
It was truly apologetic to say to his master who was enthusiastically lecturing for the sake of his disciple, but honestly, it was utterly boring.
For Joo Seo-cheon, the Plum Blossom Qi Technique was a basic martial art he had already mastered long ago, and his understanding and enlightenment of martial arts were higher than his master’s due to his attainment of the Pinnacle Realm in his previous life.
He even knew the secrets of the Plum Blossom Qi Technique that had not been revealed yet but would be disclosed in the future.
However, he couldn’t show a bored and distracted attitude in front of his master, who was like the sky to him.
Even though he was tired, he had no choice but to focus on the lecture while showing enthusiasm.
“I wish I could master it right away.”
With the memories and experience of his previous life, mastering it would not be difficult.
But if he did that, he would naturally stand out.
He would be known as a genius or something in the murim.
That bothered him, so he couldn’t do as he pleased.
“It’s still too early.”
Although he had longed for the life of a hero, he had no intention of attracting attention from a young age. On the contrary, he declined it.
If he received unnecessary attention, not only would it limit his actions, but he would also become a target for the turbulent forces that would emerge in the future.
“I have to be careful.”
Although he had somehow found peace in his previous life, it was not something he had obtained easily.
The forces that would be active in the upcoming age of war were no ordinary ones. They were all monsters beyond his ability to handle.
Among them, there were even those who would nip potential obstacles in the bud, so it would be troublesome to stand out. Therefore, it was better to stay as low-key as possible until he had gained more strength.
So, on the surface, he had to live an ordinary life, just like in his previous life, without drawing attention.
“Of course, that doesn’t mean I actually intend to do that.”
It would be too much of a waste to let his enlightenment and knowledge of martial arts rot away. Moreover, if he spent his childhood like in his previous life, it would be meaningless in its own way.
Joo Seo-cheon was well aware of his place.
Although he was special compared to others, it wasn’t referring to talent. It was only in terms of memory and knowledge.
To confront the real monsters, he had to start earlier. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to handle it later on.
It had taken him a lifetime to reach the Awakening Realm, and even that was only achieved with the power of a momentary flash of brilliance before the end.
Once he reached the Awakening Realm, he was already daunted by what would happen afterward. Perhaps he would never be able to ascend further.
Therefore, he had to move faster… No, he had to make many attempts and stay ahead.
Only then could he fight with room to breathe.
“So, I’ll maintain the Plum Blossom Qi Technique to deceive the eyes of the world, and cultivate another internal technique.”
The safety of the Plum Blossom Qi Technique was one of the best in the martial arts world. If a comparison had to be made, it was on par with the techniques of the Wudang Sect or Shaolin Monastery.
It was so safe that it was possible to learn another internal cultivation technique while practicing the Plum Blossom Qi Technique.
Of course, practicing the Plum Blossom Qi Technique meant one was a beginner, so it was unlikely to properly learn another internal cultivation technique.
Even if learned, it would only be confusing and require more effort, making it meaningless rather than helpful.
It was only allowed for Joo Seo-cheon, who could master the Plum Blossom Qi Technique at any time.
“The Purple Haze Divine Technique!”
If the Wudang Sect, known as the “Sect of Men”, had the Three Generation Divine Techniques, the Mount Hua Sect had the Purple Haze Divine Technique.
The Purple Haze Divine Technique had the characteristic of producing a purple Qi flow when utilizing internal energy upon reaching a certain realm.
Moreover, it wasn’t just impressive on the surface; its power was also astonishing enough to shake the heavens and earth.
However, this Purple Haze Divine Technique was only passed down to the sect leader of Mount Hwa. Even the Fifth Elder of Mount Hua would not know of it.
Nevertheless, the reason Joo Seo-cheon knew its mnemonics was that the situation back then was somewhat exceptional.
In the age of war, people died very easily, and that was no exception even for high-level experts like the sect leader.
“I never thought the sect leader would pass away like that.”
In the distant past, the sect leader of Mount Hwa lost his life. Afterward, his disciple succeeded him, but unease remained.
The disciple who became the sect leader at a relatively young age did not yet have a disciple to succeed him.
So, out of concern that he might suddenly die like the previous sect leader, he revealed the mnemonics of the Purple Haze Divine Technique only to the Five Elders. Just in case.
Originally, it should never have happened, but the world was so full of chaos and turmoil that it couldn’t be helped.
Anyway, thanks to these circumstances, Joo Seo-cheon was able to know the Purple Haze Divine Technique despite not being a disciple of the sect leader.
“Above all, the Purple Haze Divine Technique has the characteristic of being really difficult to notice before reaching a certain realm.”
If the purple Qi flow were to be revealed, even a novice would know its identity. That was how distinctive the Purple Haze Divine Technique was.
But conversely, until reaching that realm, the Purple Haze Divine Technique was a nuisance.
It didn’t display much impressive power before the purple Qi emerged, and it was difficult to notice.
In any case, the Purple Haze Divine Technique was already quite abstruse, and in his previous life, he only knew the mnemonics, so he could practice it leisurely.
Then, at least he could start from a slightly more advanced starting point compared to his previous life.
“By the time someone notices and interrogates me, it will already be the age of war. By then, there will be a suitable excuse.”
His Qi sense hadn’t been greatly activated yet, and his dantian and Qi meridians weren’t properly developed, so he couldn’t learn it right away.
But the thought of being able to learn a divine technique of the Mount Hua Sect, which was only permitted to the sect leader, made him excited already.
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Boa