I gave my arm to the fox that approached me that morning, cutting it off myself. It was a symbolic act of cutting off any future hesitation.
After eating my arm, the fox allowed us to stay and then left. Without paying attention to the others, I went to a quiet part of the forest and continued to swing my sword, striving to regain that enlightenment!
But a day passed, then two, and on the third day, when the cultivators came and kidnapped my colleagues, even though I swung my sword relentlessly without eating, sleeping, or resting, the enlightenment did not return.
I stopped only on the fourth day, right after Sea Dragon King Seo Hweol kidnapped Deputy Manager Oh. I prepared a feast for Manager Kim and Kim Young-hoon, who were sitting in despair, adding spices to the grilled mushrooms.
The three of us ate the feast and shared our last conversation. Soon after, Manager Kim awakened her abilities and from afar, an old man riding a giant puppet appeared.
The old man, after a brief struggle with Manager Kim, pushed me and Kim Young-hoon into a spatial rift and we were thrown away.
I closed my eyes for the last time seeing Manager Kim reaching out to us.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself on a tree.
'Hmm...'
I used my agility to descend and found that Kim Young-hoon was also tangled in another tree. After helping him down, I surveyed the area.'This is the southwestern part of Yanguo.'
In my past life, wandering through the country, managing the Palace of Heavenly Demons and Gwiyeonggak, I gained confidence in roughly determining my location anywhere within Yanguo.
'After about 100 years of wandering around Yanguo.'
Of course, I didn't know every nook and cranny of the country, but I could generally figure out where I was.
‘'Wake up, Director.'’
I woke up Kim Young-hoon and explained the situation to him. He seemed panicked but accepted it reasonably after all that had happened. Together, we headed to the nearest city, while I taught him letters and the language along the way.
After a few days, we reached the nearest city, Hobeok city. We sold medicinal herbs and bought a manor. I taught him literacy, language, and the Severing Vein Saber Technique, a saber technique he created in his past life by modifying my Severing Mountain Swordsmanship. After following my teachings, he became a peak master in just three months.
'It feels a bit empty.'
Some spend their entire lives barely reaching the top of first-rate, while others reach the peak in just three months.
'And to think he's achieved Three Flowers Gather at the Summit...'
I watched him eating a yellow bamboo root and the floating Three Flowers above his head.
'Sigh...'
After he finished his cultivation, he stood up with a relaxed expression.
"Ha ha, I think I could even beat you now, Deputy Manager Seo."
'...'
I watched him, energetic, and felt bittersweet inside.
He was is the 'Young-hoon Hyung-nim' I knew from my past life. Now, mentally, he was much younger than me.
'If we go by the time we lived, I'm old enough to be Director Kim Young-hoon’s great grandfather.'
Watching his excitement, I thought about not accompanying him in this life.
‘'...Director, I have something to tell you.'’
"Something? Oh, sure. Don't worry. I'll teach you this martial art well..."
"Starting today, I will go my separate ways from you, Director."
‘'What?'’
He looked at me, bewildered.
‘'Why, Deputy Manager Seo. No, Seo Eun-hyun.'’
"Exactly as I said. I plan to travel separately from you, Director."
‘'Why?'’
"Because..."
Memories of Young-hoon Hyung-nim from my past lives flashed through my mind.
The first life, where he rose to prominence as the leader of the Wulin Alliance but eventually learned about the world of cultivators, fought them, despaired, and collapsed. The second life, where he established the world's best faction, rebelled against the cultivators, massacred them, but eventually gave up the path of martial arts and chose to become a cultivator himself.
Probably, it would be the same in this life. This life too, he would rise to prominence, learn martial arts, fight cultivators, despair in front of them, and choose to become a cultivator.
I no longer wanted to see him despair.
‘'...I am.'’
But I couldn't say that.
‘'I want to travel the world and elevate my realm.'’
‘'But I can teach you that too...'’
‘'I want to do it alone.'’
‘'No, you can't. How can I live without you?'’
‘'You'll be fine, Director. I've taught you writing, language, and martial arts. You've become a peak master on your own. You don't have to worry anymore.'’
‘'But...'’
He looked dejected.
‘'Am I going to be separated from my fellow countrymen again?'’
It seemed the shock of being transported to another world and losing all his colleagues in a short time had not yet fully subsided.
‘'Then let's meet once every two years at this house. How about that?'’
‘'...Hmm.'’
After persuading the gloomy Kim Young-hoon, I parted ways with him and left the city.
Staying by his side, guided by the world's greatest martial expert, I could reach the Pinnacle Realm faster. However, I no longer wanted to see him despair.
After leaving the city, I looked around the landscape.
'First, I should go to Seokyung city.'
I thought of visiting the 4 Stars 3 Demons of the capital of Yanguo.
With many excellent peal cultivators in Seokyung city’s seven sects, I thought I might receive their teachings.
'I'll try some martial arts duels.'
But off course, I had no intention of messing with big sects like the 4 Stars 3 Demons. It's better not to touch such places until I become a peak master, as it would bring trouble.
I went to a small sect on the outskirts of Seokyung city, Hall of Eight Respects.
Hall of Eight Respects was a medium-sized sect in Seokyung city, and its leader was a top-notch first-rate expert.
When I arrived at the Hall of Eight Respects, two gatekeepers blocked my way.
‘'What brings you to the Hall of Eight Respects?'’
Dressed in fancy martial robes bought with money from selling herbs, the gatekeepers were polite to me. I returned their greeting and stated my purpose.
‘'I've come to request a martial arts duel at the Hall of Eight Respects.'’
At my words, the gatekeepers' eyebrows twitched.
"Our hall isn't a place where just anyone can come..."
Whoosh!
I swiftly unsheathed my sword and sliced through the gatekeeper's clothes without touching him. The sword energy cut through his front garment. Realizing I had used sword energy, the gatekeepers' faces turned pale.
"Sword energy...!"
"A first-rate master!"
"Do I still look like 'just anyone' to you?"
The two gatekeepers asked me to wait and went inside the Hall of Eight Respects. After a while, one of the guards, sweating profusely, returned to the gate.
"Please, come inside. The master awaits you."
I followed the gatekeeper into the Hall of Eight Respects and towards the sparring ground inside the main building. There, a middle-aged man with a long beard was waiting with a nine-section whip in hand.
"Well, I wondered who the first-rate master was, but I didn't expect such a young hero."
"I am Seo Eun-hyun, a humble and unknown warrior. I am honored to meet the master of the Hall of Eight Respects."
"Ha, such a young hero, and yet your martial arts spirit is not ordinary."
"Your martial arts spirit is also extraordinary, master. Please bestow your teachings upon this humble warrior."
After brief courtesies, we began our sparring match.
Clang!
The master of the Hall of Eight Respects initiated the first move. His nine-section whip struck like a serpent, movements full of discipline. It felt as if his martial arts had become one with him. I countered his attacks using the moves of the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
Simultaneously, the master of the Hall of Eight Respects launched a kick from behind his whip.
Whoosh!
I ducked his kick and attacked with a lower stance, breaking through his guard.
Clang!
His whip fell towards me, but I quickly stepped back and assumed a defensive stance.
"...Your sword form and momentum are completely unified. Sword-body Unity... Late first-rate"
"You too have completely melded your martial arts into your being, master. I am learning a lot from this."
"Ha...ha..."
He sighed while looking at me.
"To reach such a stage at such a young age. You truly are a genius."
"Genius..."
I let out a bitter smile.
Surely, to outsiders, I am an immense genius. Being in the late stage of first-rate mastery in my late twenties is indeed a miracle.
If you consider that even first-rate mastery takes decades for ordinary people to reach, I must seem like a divine prodigy from the outside.
"A heaven-sent talent..."
But I knew the truth. I was not a genius bestowed by heaven. I was not a genius at all.
"...Thank you for praising my inadequate talent."
To me, being called a genius was not a compliment.
While geniuses are rare in the world, mediocrity abounds. Being compared to a genius, despite being a mediocre who couldn't even reach the first-rate in a lifetime without the advantage of regression, would be nothing short of deception.
Thus, I decided to embrace the title of genius.
"I will now use sword energy."
"Go ahead. I will give it my all too."
At the same time, we both lunged towards each other.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
First move.
Transcending Peaks(越岳).
I swung my sword from left to right at mid-level, creating a crescent moon-shaped sword energy that sliced towards the master of the Hall of Eight Respects.
He dodged my attack by bending his waist but countered with a low stance using his whip.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
Second move.
Entering Mountain (入山).
Swish!
I quickly switched to a low stance, countering his whip at the same height.
Our weapons clashed, sending off sparks.
Boom!
The master of the Hall of Eight Respects leaped into the air and struck down with his whip.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
Third move.
Ascending Vein (登脈).
I raised my sword from the low position, deflecting his whip and preparing to counterattack.
Fourth move (招).
Flowing Ridge (流陵).
I gently thrust my sword in a fluid motion. He tried to block with his whip, but my sword twisted and spiraled, piercing through his defenses.
He narrowly dodged my thrust, but the spiraling sword energy grazed his garment.
Seizing the opportunity, I continued with my next moves.
Fifth move, Bouldered Cliff (塊巖).
Sixth move, Strange Stone (奇石).
Twirling the sword like a dance, creating an impenetrable whirl of sword strokes, I gradually increased my sword speed.
Whirling, whirling, whirling!
Seventh move, Deep Mountain (深山).
Using the rotational force, I launched an attack.
The master of the Hall of Eight Respects tried to strike me down with his nine-section whip, but thanks to the strange variations developed from the sixth move, I managed to infiltrate his guard.
"Hmm...!"
After breaching his defense, I twisted my body from lower right to upper left and made my strike.
Whoosh!
The master of the Hall of Eight Respects managed to avoid my sword strike by turning a full circle, but my sword energy sliced through the front of his garment.
Simultaneously, he used his momentum from the turn to lash out his nine-section whip towards me.
Eighth move, Secluded Valley (幽谷).
I swung my sword again, deflecting the master's whip, effectively neutralizing the force within it.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The master stepped back and swung his whip three times in succession.
I countered by raising my sword to the upper left.
Ninth move, Landscape Painting (山水畵).
Striking down to the lower right, then again using my internal energy to strike to the upper right and again to the lower left three times in a row.
A total of six strikes successfully parried his whip.
I raised my sword in a high stance, pulling up my internal energy.
Tenth move, Dragon Vein (龍脈).
The internal energy from the Dragon Vein Qi Method surged explosively.
An enormous force filled my sword, slashing towards the master with a fierce momentum.
"Ugh!"
Boom!
The master countered with his whip, and our weapons collided, creating a sound like an exploding cannon.
"Ugh!"
The master grimaced from the shock transmitted through his fingertips and spun around, lashing his whip towards me.
'Four times!'
His whip attack came at me four times.
Eleventh move, Cliff Edge (斷崖).
Crack!
I applied the technique of a thousand-pound weight to my sword filled with internal energy.
The sword became incredibly heavy.
Simultaneously, the sword energy embedded in the sword pierced through the sparring ground floor.
I slashed upwards through the ground, striking the master.
"Argh!"
Swoosh!
Even though my sword was stuck in the ground, it moved swiftly. As soon as it was freed, the speed was incomparably faster than before.
The master, taken aback by the sudden increase in speed, was sliced by my sword across his garment again.
'It's time to finish this.'
Twelfth move, Seven Lights Emerging Peak (七光一出峰).
As the sun rises behind the mountains, illuminating the world with its light,
Seven streams of sword energy flowed beyond the eleventh move.
Clang!
Finally, the master's whip was cut by my sword energy and fell outside the sparring ground.
"Ah, I am defeated."
"It was a good opportunity."
I respectfully bowed to him and then left the Hall of Eight Respects.
'The Hall of Eight Respects, even in my past life, was known for its upright practices and not resorting to underhanded tactics.'
My plan was to challenge honorable factions like the Hall of Eight Respects in future sparrings, gaining some renown before facing the more dubious factions.
Continuing these duels, I was determined to...
'Reach the Pinnacle Realm in this lifetime!'
In this life, I will make it happen for sure!
***
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