From that day on, I decided to take it a bit easy. Why? Because Sagong Lin’s advice hit home.

“If you have no peace of mind, you’ll end up rushing and messing things up, right?”

Sure, practicing repeatedly without much thought isn’t a huge issue, but as my mental calm waned, my ability to think straight faded too, leading to mistakes later on. So, after enjoying a fun outing, I made it a point to set aside two hours each day just for napping. Not that I had to sleep, but it felt crucial to consciously take a break.

‘Well… I could practice meditation for those two hours.’

As I got used to this laid-back lifestyle over the next few days, I suddenly realized something.

“Ah…? Wait a minute… I forgot something important.”

Wasn’t there a significant life challenge looming over me, aside from the disasters right in front of me? I had so much to do that I’d completely spaced it out. I stressed over this flickering thought, trying to concentrate, but oddly enough, nothing came to mind.

Gag!

“Cough!”

Then, out of the blue, while I was hitting the solar plexus of the Assassination Squad Leader under the pretext of teaching him martial arts, a sudden realization struck.

“Ah! Howol!!”

That’s right!

[Baek Woong… If there’s a next life, I must find Howol. That guy holds the key to my fate.]

In the final moments of my 28th life, standing before the [Throne], I was the Guardian of the Master of the White Lotus Sect!

He had passed on the secret techniques of the sword to counter Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen, and the parting words were precisely to find Howol!

I was flustered, my fists clenching in confusion.

“Why have I not thought about this until now…?”

This task might have been more urgent than anything else, yet I had completely forgotten it until now. I was not just flustered but eventually pieced together why I hadn’t recalled it earlier.

The memories from my 28th life, clashing with the emperor, were so intense that they overshadowed everything else. My 29th life saw me tossed about due to a sudden backlash of magical power, and my 30th life was full of torment, leading me to feel utterly drained. While the task lingered in the back of my mind, I lacked the mental space to pursue it.

It dawned on me just how crucial mental clarity was. Taking time to calm my thoughts gave me the impression of retrieving something I’d forgotten.

I looked at the Assassination Squad Leader, still reeling on the floor after taking a hit to the solar plexus.

“Alright. I’ve remembered what I need to do, so that’s all for today!”

He was the one who had killed me twice, and for 10 years, I’d savaged him daily. Maybe it was time to take it a bit easier!

“Cough… W-wait…”

“Huh?”

“Please… give me a real chance to learn genuine martial arts… In this state… I won’t improve at all…”

The Assassination Squad Leader, staggering to his feet, continued with a venomous voice.

“If I could do that, I’d be a proper practice partner…”

“……”

I looked at him with a peculiar glare. I was about to shoot back at him.

“Who the hell do you think you are, begging for a chance after all the beatings?!”

Hey, buddy! I’ve died at your hands twice!

I hadn’t fully settled that score yet!

Just as I was about to pounce again and land another hit on his solar plexus,

Stall.

I remembered how Kim Manje had jumped me not long ago. His surprise attack wasn’t exactly a threat, but what stuck with me was the feeling I had right after letting him go.

Once the anger had faded, all my fury and resentment toward Kim Manje washed away like it never existed.

Rather than feeling great about it, it left me feeling hollow, and for some reason, that emptiness scared me.

Scared?

“……”

I couldn’t afford to be anything less than honest when it came to my own problems, so accepting this fact made me uneasy. Though I had a firm belief that I needed to repay my grievances to those who wronged me, just thinking about that made me hesitate.

Why was that?

What was I afraid of?

And after some inner turmoil, I finally retracted my killing intent.

‘Tch… beating around the bush isn’t my style.’

Let’s just lay it all out here!

I loosened my fists and calmly addressed the Assassination Squad Leader.

“To be honest, do you know what I really want to do?”

“I… don’t know.”

“I want to kill you in a humiliating way in front of everyone. That way, it’ll all balance out.”

That’s how it had gone down both times.

Even though I ended up in a situation like this, it wasn’t the physical pain of dying that hurt more; rather, as a warrior, that humiliation stung far worse. My pride was what felt truly injured. That’s why I couldn’t easily forgive the Assassination Squad Leader.

“……!!”

He looked at me, slightly shocked. I kept staring him down with an impassive face.

“You’re confused, huh? How could someone you don’t even know harbor such resentment for you? But I’m serious.”

“…Have any of my targets had a relation with the village chief?”

“No. This isn’t about avenging someone else. It’s about revenge for myself.”

“I can’t believe this… I’ve never seen someone like the village chief with such extraordinary skills in my life…”

“……”

I fell silent for a moment before saying,

“I still think you’re scum who kills for money. But the excuse of being just a hired gun means I can cut you some slack. So, according to your words, I’ll give you a chance.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

I crossed my arms, giving him a disapproving look.

“From now on, I’ll properly train you. And in return, if you take and succeed at two kills I command, I’ll forgive you. It means, for the sake of Soeul Village, I’ll wipe the slate clean for you.”

At this point, it felt petty to just kill the Assassination Squad Leader despite giving him a piece of obsidian. It’d be better to settle things with him this way.

“……!!”

“But I warn you, those kills will be very difficult.”

The light in the Assassination Squad Leader’s eyes sparkled. He surely realized this was his last chance. He quickly bowed and shouted,

“I’ll do it! Just give me the orders!”

“No matter how impossible it seems, will you still do it?”

“Of course!!”

“Good. Starting today, come to the training hall. You’ll learn together with the other Thunder God experts.”

“Thank you!”

I grinned mischievously.

‘If that guy ends up dead while trying to carry out my commands, well, that’d still count as revenge…’

I planned to give him targets he’d never be able to take down, given his current ability. After all, there would only be more and more foes harboring resentment toward Soeul Village in the future. I could just pick one of the particularly powerful ones from among them. There were plenty of foes throughout Jianghu that he wouldn’t be able to take out with his current level.

That day, after putting the Assassination Squad Leader through proper martial arts sparring, I sighed.

‘…Huh. I don’t know why I’m pulling back.’

My usual personality wouldn’t allow me to be this lenient.

Of course, I had intended to beat him down for ten years and ultimately kill him, but who would’ve thought I’d end up teaching him martial arts?

Why was I feeling ‘fear’ when all I wanted was justifiable revenge? Something about this felt significant, but I couldn’t quite figure out what was causing my change of heart. It really hit me how much I still had to work on my emotional self-regulation.

The next day, I decided to share the information about Howol that I had with Mangnyang in hopes of tracking him down. Mangnyang, who listened intently to everything from my tales of the White Lotus Sect’s secret histories, the Four Great Spirit Deities, and Howol, looked astonished.

“Incredible! I had a hunch the White Lotus Sect was older than Shaolin Temple, but to think it has such a massive secret history!”

“Anyway, because of that, I have to find Howol, the founder of the Four Great Families of the White Lotus Sect. As I said, he vanished at some point.”

“Hmm…”

“Originally, I wanted to take it easy, but I’ve got some ambitions now, and I plan to search for clues about Howol while on my journey into Jianghu.”

“Wait a moment.”

After a brief moment of thought, Mangnyang spoke up.

“If Howol is still alive, he’s over a thousand years old. No matter how skilled he is in martial arts, can anyone live to a thousand?”

“Honestly, even with Half-Transition Master, a thousand years might be pushing it, but Howol was a special existence capable of facing the combined might of the Demon King-class Eight Parts of the Divine. Plus, he could transform like a Dragon Person; for someone that strong, I think age wouldn’t matter much.”

“Ohh…”

“He might be stronger than I am now.”

“Hoh, if someone like you, a transcendent, says so, then it must be true. Hmph… The martial arts world becomes extraordinary when it steps into the realm of the transcendent.”

Feeling as if a chill ran down his spine, Mangnyang shivered briefly before clapping his palm with a fan, saying,

“If that’s the case, it’s better to form an alliance with Seong Jin before searching for Howol.”

“Huh? Seong Jin?”

“Yes. I don’t know about Princess Ayuta, but if you’re right, then Seong Jin should still be alive through the magic arts. He is Howol’s disciple, so he should definitely cooperate with you.”

“Well…”

I explained Seong Jin’s background to Mangnyang. He then wore an expression that suggested it sounded intriguing.

“Anyway, now Soeul Village is unknowingly under the watchful eyes of the White Lotus Sect. If the Sect isn’t foolish, they will definitely keep tabs on Soeul Village, which has expanded dozens of times in recognition over the years. Sooner or later, we will clash with the White Lotus Sect.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“Seong Jin seems to be hiding his true identity from the Master of the White Lotus Sect, but if done right, he could be used to weaken the Sect’s influence. He could be seen as a long-standing opposition force within the White Lotus.”

“Hmm!”

“Plus, if we ask him to search for Howol together, Seong Jin wouldn’t have any reason to oppose the alliance. Additionally, the Ghostly Spirit Sect and Green Moon under his control would become your subordinates, making it killing two birds with one stone.”

“That makes sense…!! I agree.”

I immediately flew to Seong Jin’s secluded place, which I had been directed to by Green Moon before.

‘It was over there.’

Standing before the cave shrouded in fog, I sensed the barrier using the Fire Eye Golden Spirit and struck it down with a Thunder Sword.

Swish!

Just as I tried to enter through the cut barrier, a hazy clone of fog appeared to block my path, speaking through magic.

“A Thunder Sword… You’ve got some strong spirit abilities there. Who are you?”

I replied to the figure.

“I’m Seong Jin, a disciple of the Great Master Dalma! I’m Baek Woong of the Thunder God lineage, here to ask you to search for Howol together.”

“……!!”

Seong Jin froze, clearly taken aback. He then, in disbelief, asked,

“Who are you…? Why do you want to find Master Howol?”

I calmly continued,

“I know you were present during the founding of the White Lotus Sect’s Four Great Families and aided Howol. After that, you got crushed while trying to take over the Thunder God lineage and ended up in your current position as the leader of the Ghostly Spirit Sect.”

Seong Jin’s clone showed a look of deep surprise.

“……”

“You and I are still strangers. But basically, I know nearly everything about you. So how do you see me?”

Upon realizing something, Seong Jin appeared shocked.

“D-Don’t tell me… You’re a Reborn Person?!

I chuckled lightly.

“No need to hand over the obsidian; I’m the disciple of the previous reincarnator.”

“This is… Unbelievable. I never thought a new reborn person would emerge in this era.”

“My goal now is to find Howol. Since our objectives align, will you help me?”

“No… I can’t accept that without proof. You might be a disciple of the [Old Ruler] trying to deceive me.”

“Tch… You’re quite the skeptic.”

“If you truly are a reborn person, tell me one more thing. What is the ultimate foundation that supports our White Lotus Sect against the [Old Ruler]?”

Understanding what he meant, I promptly closed my eyes and summoned the Four Great Spirit Deity, Varuna.

“You mean the Four Great Spirit Deities?”

“……!!!”

In that moment, Seong Jin transported himself in his clone form to stand in front of me, then shouted with excitement.

“M-M-Mounting! That’s the Spirit of Water, Varuna! Have you really brought the Four Great Spirit Deities to this world?”

“Yep! I fetched it from the outer dimension. Not believing still?”

“No… I believe. You truly are the rightful heir of the White Lotus Sect reincarnated!”

Suddenly, Seong Jin knelt, and I was caught off guard.

“No need to kneel!”

“I won’t hold back any help. Just tell me what you need.”

I helped him back up and said,

“I already know most of your situation, so there’s no need to lament about it. Just help me find Howol, like you said.”

“That’s something I’ve been at for a thousand years. But even while searching all over Central Plains, I haven’t found Master Howol anywhere.”

“That’s expected. The Great Bear Empire couldn’t find him even after giving their all for 500 years.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“……”

Details from the Great Bear Empire’s documents through the Reborn Person’s input show that my reincarnated comrades, including Seong Jin, had spent all their efforts seeking Howol’s whereabouts through the power of the super-empire, yet couldn’t find him.

When I told Seong Jin this, his expression darkened.

“Hmm… Are you saying that your elite companions looked everywhere with the super-empire’s help for 500 years and couldn’t track down Master Howol? How insane…”

“Right? So, honestly, I don’t expect to find him right away. This will likely be one of the toughest hurdles in my journey of reincarnation. Still, we have to give it a shot.”

“……”

After a moment, Seong Jin said,

“If he wasn’t found by looking at the present and future, we’ll have to look into the past.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

At last, Seong Jin spoke again, albeit in an uncertain voice.

“Eulji Mundeok of Goguryeo. I found the only clue while searching for Huang Wu’s whereabouts, but… don’t get your hopes up.”