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“So this is life number five…”

It began without any dramatic screams this time.

As usual, I woke up in the barn, staring blankly at the familiar ceiling, wishing it was something new for a change. But nope, just same old, same old. Honestly, I almost threw up from the boredom of it all. At least this time, I died so quickly that the only pain I felt was that dull ache throughout my body. Normally, when you die, you get some real drama, but I guess that wasn’t in the cards for me today.

I decided to do a quick check-up on my internal power.

Sure enough, my Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique and Hyun Cheon Divine Art were coexisting nicely, a massive wave of internal energy rolling around inside me like a mighty river. But instead of feeling ecstatic, I just flopped down on the spot.

“Can’t even last a year, huh…”

Every time I left this barn, I thought about grand plans for my life, but I always seemed to die in the most unexpected ways. Sure, this time it was my curiosity that killed the cat, but honestly, it feels way too easy to meet my end. Even with my skills having hit a respectable level, there’s still plenty to worry about.

Deep down, I thought I had some strong mental fortitude.

Here I was, having died four times now, and I wasn’t even fazed! I mean, even now, I just thought, “Oh well, death happens, right?” As long as I could breathe and move, why wallow in despair? Maybe the overwhelming energy was keeping me perky.

I calmly went over the reason for my demise this time. I got squished by a giant demon beast out of nowhere. The martial artists attacking me weren’t really that scary, but that monster? Total nightmare material.

What even was that beast, and who were those people in black?

The only reason I wasn’t drowning in despair was my burning curiosity about those strange beings. Honestly, it was so distracting I barely had time to feel hopeless. Sure, a heretical sect was spreading chaos left and right, but why did it have a sorcerer flute phantom controlling fanatic cultists while those in black were playing bodyguard for it?

I could only guess one thing.

“The ones controlling the cult are those guys in black. There’s a big organization behind them capable of rallying powerful enough fighters to face Master Hyun Cheon.”

They were plotting something sinister in that village, when they got tangled up with Master Hyun Cheon. He stumbled upon the sorcerer flute phantom and failed to chop it down since he was unprepared, but it must’ve been a surprise for everyone involved, including those in black. Had Master Hyun Cheon been just a tad stronger and calmer, he could’ve taken the flute phantom out right there.

As he scoured the village for those peak experts, he called for more black-clad folks to protect the brown-clad flute phantom. They must’ve initially summoned them to block Master Hyun Cheon’s return. Otherwise, how could they have prepped so perfectly to counterattack?

But it didn’t add up.

Among those in black were some peak and first-class experts. To be real, the three dealing with Master Hyun Cheon were no pushovers. Especially the one casting sword qi; I didn’t have a clue if I could even take that one on. Behind those black-clad guys had to be some serious power, like a whole sect worth of resources.

If they’re that capable, why engage in such nefarious acts like human sacrifice while stirring bloody chaos in the village? What kind of gain were they hoping for?

After a long bout of pondering, my thoughts hit a conclusion.

“Demon beasts. They were probably trying to summon one!”

A terrifying monster with hundreds of eyes and tentacles!

That kind of creature wasn’t the sort that should naturally exist in this world. I wasn’t a fan of the Eastern style sorcery, but it made a lot of sense to think it was something brought over from another world. They must’ve used that evil human sacrifice technique to summon that beast, or something even worse.

And sure enough, the power of that demon was insane. For a brief moment of sparring with it, Master Hyun Cheon felt like a total weakling next to that monstrosity; it’s not even reasonable to think it belonged to the domain of regular life. Just a simple body slam could smash through a six-story building, it was downright abnormal.

Those guys in black were likely trying to leverage that beast’s power for their own ends.

What now?

I had already tangled myself in this mess once before, and yes, I did die again just moments ago.

Yet, even with that dark turn of events, my curiosity couldn’t help but pull me deeper.

A heretical religion, Nine Lotus Sect, that would rise in a few decades!

Why were they suddenly active alongside those guys in black right now? Were the black-clad folks really part of the Nine Lotus leadership?

I was bouncing on my feet in excitement until I calmed my heart down and sat still to think. Leaning against the wall helped me feel more relaxed and organized my frantic thoughts.

I muttered, “No. Can’t do that.”

Then I reached a cold conclusion.

“This isn’t making any sense. Time to give it up.”

Of course, there was a way to disrupt their plans.

If I packed the Heavenly Secret and skipped the spiritual pills to dash straight towards that tragic village, I’d still have time. I could probably get there at least a week ahead of when I originally arrived. At that point, Master Hyun Cheon wouldn’t have even caught onto the bizarre happenings in the village yet. Plus, there was a good chance those black-clad folks hadn’t summoned any beast yet.

Right after, I’d persuade Master Hyun Cheon to check out the situation and then strike down the flute phantom with him; easy peasy, right? I felt confident that could successfully thwart those guys in black and their schemes.

But why would I do that?

Thwarting their plans would be a win for justice. The innocent villagers would stand a better chance of surviving. Yet, if I did, I’d probably be hunted down by those black-clad folks for the rest of my life. We’re talking about a group that could mobilize peak and first-class experts against me; just thinking about it gave me the chills.

If I was ready to face death, I could call it even by just learning the Wudang Sec’s Vision Divine Techniques from Master Hyun Cheon. But there’s no guarantee I would get that chance again. Last time that deal went down, it was only because he was hotheaded after witnessing tragedy.

What if I went to him asking, “Help me solve the tragedy in exchange for your sect’s techniques?” There’s a high chance I’d get smacked down and sent flying. Maybe I’d end up losing an arm over his anger!

Then again, using the same old thought patterns wasn’t the solution either. If I wanted to break their plans, I needed to be swift and ready to kill that phantom, because if I gave them time, it was likely support would come rushing in like before.

“Well, I could just learn a technique from Master Hyun Cheon and run away, but that feels kinda lame…”

The time I’d have to learn from him wouldn’t even be that long. It’s not worth making him an enemy just for that. If he were to decide to abandon the village that day, you can bet he’d see me as an enemy for sure. Ignoring the whole situation from the start would be the safest bet.

I reached a conclusion.

“Let it go. I need to focus on training!”

My thoughts shifted to why I had died over and over before. It didn’t take a genius to see that my curiosity and dumb decision-making played a big role, but the biggest reason was actually being too weak.

If I had reached Master Hyun Cheon’s level of martial skills during this event, I could have easily wiped out the black-clad folks and taken the flute phantom hostage to sneak away safely! The beasts didn’t show up until the flute phantom blew its flute, so if I’d managed to snatch that phantom before then, I would’ve stood a fighting chance to survive through the chaos.

Right now, I had ridiculously strong internal power, but my martial skills were a joke—I couldn’t even put it to proper use. Sure, I’d improved a bit with the several days under Master Hyun Cheon’s tutelage, but I still had a long way to go to reach the peak level. My proficiency was surely lacking compared to Jin So-cheong!

I needed to get stronger.

And to do that, I had to train! I bit down hard on my lip.

“Death… from now on, I’ll just have to accept that!”

Once I resolved to commit to my training, my mindset shifted completely. Until now, I’d only focused on learning enough to survive. But now, I was committed to mastering martial arts—even if it meant dying in the attempt!

That’s a major difference! I’d been avoiding methods that seemed too risky, but now I felt ready to embrace failure and push my limits.

I decided to forego my worries about not knowing the secrets of the Heavenly Secret. I had already traveled back four times. I was pretty much used to the agony of death. Even if I didn’t manage to reverse time again, I accepted that death itself could be a form of freedom.

If it comes down to it, I could just die!

Once my mindset had shifted, I set my path anew.

“I’ve been tip-toeing around for way too long.”

My eyes gleamed with determination.

About a month later.

I was sitting cross-legged, just after consuming my Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, in a secret realm of Mount Huang. I had successfully obtained the Heavenly Secret and the spiritual pill. This time, I managed to arrive without going through the hassle of hunting, instead just snagging some cash from the townsfolk along the way.

Crunch crunch…

It was less painful this time.

Nope, now it was just the light pressure in the Dantian.

I was so used to absorbing colossal qi that I began to circulate it fiercely without even trying, breaking through all my energy channels!

In fact, I’d once consulted Master Hyun Cheon about my condition. I had actually told him I’d consumed the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng before but didn’t mention two times.

“Master Hyun Cheon, what will happen if I eat another Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng?”

“Hmm, let me check.”

In the memory, he calmly pressed on my pulse and said,

“Your body has already pierced through the Life and Death Meridian, and your energy channels are largely opened. The internal energy coursing through you is already more than a regular human could handle—if you eat another Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, nothing bad will happen!”

“Really? I was worried I’d pop from the pressure…”

“Is that something you read in a martial arts novel?”

Master Hyun Cheon chuckled and said,

“You won’t ever consume another Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng at this point, but if you do, your body won’t explode! The internal energy isn’t a physical substance; it’s merely a medium to connect with all living things. It just keeps piling up until it eventually reaches your legendary Middle Dantian.”

“So if I eat three more, do I get three times the energy?”

“Sort of. But it doesn’t mean you’ll stack three times the internal energy; each time will slow down the rate of increase.”

“But even that slowdown is still an incredible boost for a regular person!”

“Looking from the foot of a mountain, you can’t see the height difference between Songshan and Mount Tai, can you?”

That analogy clicked with me, and I nodded in agreement.

Then Master Hyun Cheon burst into laughter.

“Ha ha ha!! But you can’t be serious about thinking about eating another Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng in your lifetime! You really dream big, kid!”

Yet here I was, feasting on another Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.

Crunch crunch…

I was diligently gnawing on the root bits to absorb the last bit of its qi. I couldn’t let it go to waste, could I?

“Master Hyun Cheon, did you know? The Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng kind of tastes like carrots… but when you chew it well, it also has that ginseng flavor!”

I figured he’d think I was losing my mind, but that was a critical question for me. If consuming this pill wouldn’t blow up my body, then there was no reason to stop!

Crunch crunch crunch…

Once again, my internal power surged. Now every channel near my heart was cleared up. A regular person would have to train for over a hundred years to achieve that! I had built a far greater internal energy than last time and noticed a slight change thanks to my Hyun Cheon Divine Art.

Previously, when I performed the Greater Circulation with my energy, my Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique would burst with lightning. This was a manifestation of the peak level of my Thunder Dragon technique, beyond my control.

However, following the principles of Earth accommodating Metal, the two energies started to resonate within me. I hadn’t thoroughly learned the Hyun Cheon Divine Art, but since I had grasped the True Qi Manipulation Technique, the foundation for the divine art was gradually forming. With this overwhelming energy responding to the True Qi, my internal energy started accumulating at rapid speed like a pro, without even having to master the main techniques!

This outcome was likely beyond even Master Hyun Cheon’s expectations. Who would’ve thought such monstrous internal energy could generate this synergy?

Because of that, while I practiced my internal energy techniques, I no longer had to unleash lightning every single time. Instead, when I performed the Greater Circulation, a soft, radiant light emitted from my whole body. It had to be a process where the Hyun Cheon Divine Art was harmonizing with my Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique.

Once I finished absorbing the medicinal energy, I stood up from my spot.

“Now, on to the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School!”

Right, it’s time to head there!

And I’m gonna learn martial arts all over again!

Whether Peak Expert Samjeol Lee Kwang wants to use me or take me out, I honestly don’t care anymore. I’ve died multiple times already; why should I be scared now? Death is just part of the deal! And if things turn dicey, I can always bail out beforehand! For now, I’m just going to dive straight into learning all the martial arts I can from the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School.

“Let’s give this a shot!”

No more tiptoeing around!

With a lighter step, I headed down from Mount Huang.

 

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