The task Seo-jun had left behind may have been called "homework," but it was far from simple.
For Chun-bong, Namgung Su-a, and Namgung Myeong, the task was to consolidate their realms before utilizing the Saengsa Tatonggong.
While the process itself wasn’t particularly arduous as long as they continued as they had been, anyone who understood the difficulty of taking that final step beyond the peak would never dismiss it as simple.
Hwangbo Hye-ji's case was slightly different.
For her, regaining her confidence was of utmost importance. To do so, she needed the sense of accomplishment that came from achieving something tangible.
With that in mind, Seo-jun had prepared a specific task just for her.
“Alright, while I’m gone, hit this as much as you can.”
What Seo-jun had prepared was a massive boulder.
At the level of a peak martial artist, breaking a single rock wouldn’t pose any challenge. In Hwangbo Hye-ji’s case, she could easily shatter it into pieces with a single punch.
Thus, this wasn’t an ordinary boulder.
“This is…”
Hwangbo Hye-ji looked at Seo-jun, her eyes hinting at some realization. Seo-jun nodded knowingly.
“You see the talisman here?”
It was a talisman imbued with Seo-jun’s unique spellcraft.
Chun-bong’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Wait, you know how to do stuff like this?”
“Turns out, I can.”
“What kind of nonsense…”
“I’m serious.”
It was similar to a mudra. After all, it was merely a supplementary tool for using spellcraft.
By applying earth-based spellcraft to harden the boulder, Seo-jun had infused the talisman with energy-driven scribbles on paper, making it functional.
This talisman was tasked with maintaining the spell in Seo-jun’s absence.
Chun-bong, now understanding the explanation, clapped and laughed.
“You lunatic. Nothing you do surprises me anymore.”
“That’s a bit disappointing.”
Someday, he’d have to show her his demonic transformation. Maybe if he added three heads and six arms to become something like "Three-Headed, Six-Armed Seo-jun," she’d react with some surprise.
“Alright, anyway, Sister-in-law, just keep hitting this, okay?”
“Yes.”
Though her eyes still showed a hint of doubt, Seo-jun was confident. This task was bound to be effective.
Of course, the condition was that she had to work diligently. From what Seo-jun had observed in his brief time with her, Hwangbo Hye-ji was surprisingly dedicated—perhaps overly so.
Even Seo-jun, who often liked to push others to their limits, found little need to meddle further with her.
“Alright, I’m off now. Don’t cause any trouble while I’m gone, okay?”
As Seo-jun tugged playfully at Chun-bong’s cheeks while giving his final words of advice, she scoffed.
“Nyah yah shay.”
“I’m always careful.”
“Sure you are.”
“Oh, come on…!”
With a playful smack smack , Seo-jun, who had been smacked, chuckled heartily.
“I’ll be back in no time!”
The self-proclaimed "smart guy who never repeats past mistakes," Seo-jun, began by crafting a meticulous plan before heading to Shanxi. The goal was simple: avoid crash-landing in some bizarre location like last time.
Sure, Shanxi wasn’t far—it was right next to Henan.
But there was no guarantee he wouldn’t veer off course again this time.
What was his solution?
“Just set up a few waypoints.”
By choosing several relatively close destinations and progressing step by step, the journey would be foolproof.
Seo-jun promptly executed his plan.
BOOM!!
Without restraint, Seo-jun unleashed his Mixed-Origin Steps as he traveled through the orthodox sect territories. Within less than an hour, he reached the borderlands of Shanxi, Ningxia, and Gansu.
Taking a deep breath, he grinned.
“Ah—this nostalgic air.”
Shanxi, the birthplace of his martial arts journey, wasn’t it?
Relishing the memories of his rookie days, Seo-jun sprang off the ground.
“Now, let’s see…”
He climbed the tallest nearby building and spread out his sense of qi, scanning for his target—a giryu (tea house), particularly one frequented by martial artists.
As soon as he found his target, Seo-jun leapt from rooftop to rooftop, landing on the highest floor of the giryu.
The moment he touched down, subtle presences encircled him.
Seo-jun raised a hand in a gesture of peace and produced a metal token from his pocket—proof of his rank as a branch leader, courtesy of Hyunwol.
“I’m Jin Gi-jae-cheon. I’d like to buy some information.”
A brief silence ensued before a woman emerged from the shadows.
“…What brings someone of your stature to such a shabby place?”
“I’m here to buy information.”
“You could’ve gone to the Beggar’s Sect.”
Oh? Backtalk? Seo-jun swallowed the words rising in his throat.
Lately, he’d been too immersed in acting like a martial arts master. He didn’t want to become a grumpy old man before his time.“Yeah, but beggars tend to do a sloppy job. Isn’t the Hao Clan better?”
Though he felt a little guilty toward Hong An-gae of the Beggar’s Sect, Seo-jun truly believed it.
The woman hesitated, unable to refute. Seo-jun tossed her the token he’d been holding.
“This is…”
As she inspected it, her expression shifted.
“How peculiar—a righteous sect expert with a Hao Clan token…”
“Anyway, I’m in a hurry. Do you know where I can find any demons nearby?”
“They’ve probably moved, but I do know a few places they recently stayed.”
With a gesture, the woman summoned an assistant who brought a scroll. She quickly scribbled something onto the scroll with a strange brush.
“What’s that? It’s not even inked.”
The woman smiled faintly.
“It’s a Self-Inking Brush recently developed by the Jegal Family. A device that produces its own ink.”
She fanned the scroll a few times to dry the ink, then handed it to Seo-jun.
“It’s a simple map and description. Will this suffice?”
Examining the scroll, Seo-jun found it clear and easy to read despite his lack of cartographic skills.
“Perfect. Thanks for the smooth transaction.”
“Uh… smooth what?”
“Oh dear, you need to study more.”
Chuckling, Seo-jun paid for the information and departed.
Leaving the Hao Clan, Seo-jun activated his Mixed-Origin Steps and headed to the nearest location.
It was close enough that the journey took less than a minute.
“This should be the area.”
Tucking the scroll into his robes, Seo-jun spread his qi senses. He wasn’t expecting much but figured he could scour the surroundings with his senses active.
“Hmm?”
Something caught his attention. It wasn’t a demon but demonic energy.
“Good ol’ demonic energy.”
Despite its faintness, it was surprisingly coherent—perhaps one-eighth as effective as Chun-bong.
Following the trail, Seo-jun moved effortlessly. The traces, initially weak, seemed to guide him as if realizing their purpose, allowing him to track the demon with ease.
Before long, he arrived at a small city where a thin column of black smoke rose from the center.
Sensing trouble, Seo-jun accelerated.
As he neared his destination, screams echoed:
“Ah, no…! Please! Please…!”
The corpses of several Black Path members lay scattered. Among them, a single demon stood, demonic energy radiating from his figure. The demon held a lifeless body, his hand plunged into the corpse’s chest.
Crunch.
The demon yanked out a still-warm heart, about to devour it—until his eyes met Seo-jun’s.
“And who might you be?”
The demon’s gaze darted between Seo-jun and the surviving Black Path members before curling into a grin.
“Lucky me.”
As the demon prepared to bite into the heart, Seo-jun furrowed his brow.
“Stop.”
The demon froze mid-motion. His eyes trembled in confusion.
‘Oh?’
Seo-jun felt an odd certainty. His words carried power.
This demon was nothing more than a peak-level minnow—hardly a threat.
Seeing no reason to suppress his curiosity, Seo-jun began experimenting.
BOOM!
Pure demonic energy surged from Seo-jun’s body, causing the surrounding Black Path martial artists to faint. Even the demon began to sweat profusely, unable to move a muscle.
“Impressive. You’ve got guts.”
Despite his fear, the demon’s gaze burned with murderous intent, itching to kill Seo-jun.
“Kneel.”
Thud! The demon dropped to his knees, his trembling eyes glaring upward. Seo-jun smirked.
“Put it down.”
The demon released the cold, lifeless heart onto the ground.
“What martial arts do you practice?”
“…Heart-Eating Technique… and some nameless methods…”
Heart-Eating Technique—an art that absorbed qi from devoured hearts.
Nameless methods? Pathetic.
Seo-jun clicked his tongue.
“Recite the formula.”
“…The heart, close to the middle dantian, absorbs qi, which…”
Seo-jun dissected the technique on the spot. Its principle was simple: reverse the flow of qi, akin to reversing the natural flow of blood.
Most practitioners likely died or went mad trying to master it.
“Interesting. Reverse flow…”
Understanding its mechanics, Seo-jun glanced at the now-useless demon.
As the city’s martial artists approached, Seo-jun decided to test one last thing.
“Kill yourself.”
Boom! Blood sprayed as the demon detonated his own qi, ending his life.
“Fascinating.”