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And then the Master of the White Lotus Sect spoke to me.

“I need to assess your martial arts, so follow me. Let’s have a spar.”

“Understood.”

It was a relief that the sect leader was unaware of my past life’s secrets. He thought I simply had guts, but he had no clue that I was feeling uneasy without the Heavenly Secret artifact. As I decided to endure the pressure of the sect leader’s heart technique, I felt a sudden tightness in my chest.

While we were heading to the sparring arena, I caught a glimpse of some martial artists kneeling awkwardly. The sect leader paused for a moment and looked at them, then said, “From today on, you all shall join the White Lotus Sect and pledge your loyalty.”

“What?!”

“The initiation process will be handled by an envoy from our sect soon.”

A murmur spread among the martial artists as they exchanged bewildered glances. The surprise on their faces made it clear that they had no idea they were walking into a recruitment scenario for the White Lotus Sect. One of the mid-ranking martial artists stood up and shouted, “Lord of Jangryeong Valley! What do you mean? We know of your immense prowess, but surely you can’t be saying you belong to the White Lotus Sect?”

“And if I am?”

“Well… if only we had been warned, we could have mentally prepared…”

His voice trailed off, indicating that while there was resistance, he couldn’t deny the overwhelming gap in our powers. They all knew that the sect leader could wipe them out in a heartbeat if he truly wanted to.

In a tone that seemed amused, the Master of the White Lotus Sect replied, “Is it shameful to belong to the White Lotus Sect? If you wish to speak of a martial artist’s honor, then step forward, and I shall respect you.”

It fell silent. No one dared to move, not even lift their heads. They were all acutely aware that stepping forward would mean instant annihilation. The sect leader continued softly, “Worry not. You will soon see today as a stroke of luck. Since I personally brought you in, you will receive special care.”

“Th-Thank you!”

“Thank you! Long live Lord of Jangryeong Valley!!”

Cheers erupted. Paying no heed to their enthusiasm, the Master of the White Lotus Sect walked on, seemingly uninterested. As I followed silently, he remarked, “I collected them for fun, but they seem utterly useless.”

That sent chills down my spine. It meant he could wipe them out at any time. Carefully, I asked, “Are you going to kill them?”

“I said I would take care of them. Why would I do that? If they lack ability, they’ll just have to suffer the consequences.”

“……”

“At our sect, only capable talents survive, even more so in the Central Plains.”

From the Master of the White Lotus Sect, there was no trace of emotion. To him, the ordinary martial artists were nothing more than insects.

After a while, we reached a rather spacious sparring arena, and the Master of the White Lotus Sect crossed his arms.

“Go ahead and attack. I need to see how far you’ve come with the Thunder God techniques.”

“I beg for your guidance.”

I thought to myself, this is my luck. A one-on-one spar with the Master of the White Lotus Sect! If I could gain something here, it would truly be my fortune. I took a deep breath, held my sword, and slowly entered a concentrated state, then swiftly drew my blade.

Swoosh!

As the Bowing Sky Slash condensed the space and slashed at the leader, it was a far different blow than the crude strike from before; it was a meticulous attack that fully utilized my martial art’s intricacies. Instead of flooding everything at once, it was akin to laying a foundation for an assault.

Seemingly perceiving the shift in my energy, the sect leader said blandly, “Interesting martial arts.”

Whoosh

The Bowing Sky Slash was hard to dodge or block, being a manipulation of space. Yet the sect leader, almost playfully, flattened the distortion of my attack with a firm push from his right palm. It was a slow attack, seemingly testing me, but I realized the potential it contained was extraordinary.

Knowing I couldn’t withstand it head-on with my current strength, I activated the Soul Removal Technique. Evading the tremendous force at breakneck speed, the sect leader summoned ten intangible Qi strikes into the air and launched them at me again.

“Boom boom boom!”

I unleashed the Thunder God Sword Dance’s Absolute Slash, executing fifty slashes in a flurry. Swinging repeatedly in place was starting to suffocate me, but I managed to hold on. As I endured the onslaught of energy, the Master of the White Lotus Sect remarked, “You’re not using pure martial arts from the Thunder God Lineage there. You seem to have learned a few more techniques. Care to share your martial art origins?”

I sighed. “If I hide it, you’ll hear it anyway, right?”

“Even so, there’s a big difference between asking for permission and not.”

“I obtained the Seven Great Techniques of Vision from the supreme master, Jang Sam-bong of the Wudang Sect.”

“The Seven Great Techniques!”

Realizing hiding it was pointless, I elaborated on the Seven Great Techniques of Jang Sam-bong in detail. The sect leader, intrigued by my explanation, gasped with admiration, “Indeed, the true human, Jang Sam-bong… Such splendid knowledge. Your martial arts are by no means inferior. If only I had lived in the same era.”

As the sect leader pondered this, he spoke again, “But that’s not all. You possess something more, and I sense an exceptional depth in your footwork. Tell me about that as well.”

So he wanted me to lay everything bare. But I had no choice but to respond given the circumstances. “It’s the Three Treasure Technique.”

“Three Treasures?”

“It’s a brilliant tactic using the Seven Stars Shadow to suppress Heaven, Earth, and People. But I’ve only conceptualized it; I’m still in training.”

“Show me what it looks like.”

“Alright.”

Swoosh!

I unleashed the Three Treasure Technique with all my might. As I executed it, the sect leader had a slight smile on his face.

“Hahaha… Are you trying to make me laugh? It’s a complete mess.”

“……”

It felt utterly crushing, as if he saw through the truth of my heart. I mean, I’ve been in training for at least three months—what do you mean I’m still far off? The Master of the White Lotus Sect continued, “I get what you’re feeling. The concept was quite appropriate and extraordinary. Once completed, it will surely become the ultimate technique. But as it stands, it’s merely aimless flailing.”

“… I know I’m still lacking.”

“Hehe. You’ve developed an ultimate technique, yet you lack the genius to practice it…”

The Master of the White Lotus Sect laughed, but soon his expression turned serious. “Alright. Hand over the secrets of the Seven Great Techniques, and I will learn this Three Treasure Technique and teach it back to you.”

“…!! Are you serious?”

“I am. Honestly, if things continue this way, you’ll never grasp the Three Treasure Technique in your lifetime.”

“That’s a bit excessive…”

I felt wronged. I mean, someone only took a month to master it, right? But I couldn’t argue, especially coming from someone with the greatest martial arts skills under Heaven.

“Then I beg of you.”

Reluctantly nodding, the Master of the White Lotus Sect added, “One more thing.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“Among the items you possess, there’s something that serves no discernible purpose. This.”

With a swift motion, the sect leader pulled something from his pocket and tossed it to me. The moment I caught it, my eyes widened.

The Heavenly Secret!

I’d been worried about how to get it back, and here he was, just tossing it to me!

“I thought I knew quite a bit about this otherworldly language, but I have no clue what this is. What in the world is it, and where did you get it?”

I was shocked and looked at the sect leader with awe. “Wasn’t this a grimoire?”

“I have no idea. From your tone, it sounds like you’re as clueless as I am.”

“……”

Internally I sighed in relief but was simultaneously hit with confusion.

Indeed, the sect leader’s interpretation of the Non-Birth Mother’s teachings showed he had significant knowledge about otherworldly things or grimoires. However, it seemed even he couldn’t decipher the secrets of the Heavenly Secret. I remembered Zhuge Sa had also been unable to interpret it before, making this somewhat meaningful.

What is the Heavenly Secret? What could its true identity possibly be?

‘One thing’s for sure, I must not let the Master of the White Lotus Sect find out that I can use this for rebirth!’

This was an opportunity. If I let this chance slip, I might never get the Heavenly Secret back from the sect leader again! But if I fumbled, there was a chance the keen-eyed Master of the White Lotus Sect would recognize its value. I tried my best to hide my emotions and casually tossed the Heavenly Secret to the ground.

“Phew, guess it was just garbage.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I thought it was a grimoire, but I found it in some nameless cave… Unlike other grimoires, it possesses no abilities, so I’ve just let it sit. If you don’t know what it is, I guess I’ll have to throw it away.”

“Hmm…”

“Please burn it for me. That would lighten my heart.”

The sect leader tilted his head. Then he said, “That seems a bit wasteful. Just keep it.”

“I don’t really need it…”

“No, figure out its purpose and report back to me. Then I’ll commend you for it.”

I had no choice but to respond as if surrendering, “Yes. I’ll do my best.”

“Good.”

“Hah…”

Internally, I was jumping for joy but acted as if I were sighing.

‘With this, I’ve secured my chance for rebirth!’

No longer would I have to be dragged around by the sect leader without a timeline! This strategy of suicide to achieve rebirth was once again feasible. Of course, the idea of dying wasn’t pleasant, but the difference between ‘I can rebirth’ and ‘I can’t rebirth’ was massive. If I get the chance, I must seize it at any moment.

However, for now, I couldn’t commit suicide. Not only was the leader watching, but this was also my chance to obtain the Heavenly Spirit Pill. It was best for me to gather what I could and assess the situation. Soon, as I began detailing the secrets of Jang Sam-bong’s Seven Great Techniques, the sect leader seemed to be memorizing it in his head. Then he said, “Can you repeat that? I can’t memorize it all at once.”

“Sure.”

I repeated it again, thinking it was weird.

‘The martial arts of the Seven Great Techniques are extensive, yet geniuses usually memorize them in one go.’

The sect leader’s brain might not be genius-level. Once the transfer of the secrets wrapped up, he seemed lost in thought, contemplating for quite a while. Finally, he said, “Rest for the day. I’ll assign you tasks starting tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

“If you want to see Hwang Yeon, ask Sibi where to find him.”

“I don’t have any particular ties with him.”

The sect leader snapped with irritation, “You’re all my pawns. Get to know each other.”

“… Alright.”

While it seemed the sect leader was trying to consider his subordinates, it was clearly a calculation of their usefulness. In reality, there was no human touch to his meticulous and strict way of managing his subordinates. I felt myself increasingly understanding the sect leader’s nature.

I slipped away from the absorbed Master of the White Lotus Sect and made my way to Sibi. Sibi was waiting outside the sparring arena, and together we headed to find General Hwang Yeon. While following her, I asked, “Isn’t it surprising that the master changed so suddenly?”

“I was shocked, but the Lord often said that he could die at any moment, so be prepared.”

“I see.”

Zhuge Clan had a premonition about their short lifespan, predicting they would die young. Thus, after death, they planned to use magic to traverse the world, so they weren’t keen on clinging to life. As I nodded in understanding, Sibi continued, “Before meeting General Hwang Yeon, there’s someone you need to see.”

“What do you mean?”

“The direct subordinate of the Lord sent word ahead to me. They asked me to bring you to them when there’s a chance.”

“……?”

It became clear what she meant as I was led into a room.

“Are you Baek Woong?”

“Ugh…”

I let out a low groan.

Standing in front of me was a beautiful woman with black hair. She had an almost doll-like aura, resting her delicate hands on the table while holding a pipe. Normally, I’d be struck by her peerless beauty, but I had seen her several times before and knew who she was.

A moment later, she gleamed with brightness in her eyes. “I came to see the new owner of the Heavenly Spirit Pill that the sect leader appointed.”

“I’m not exactly familiar with what the sect leader has decided.”

“Who said anything about that?”

She replied curtly, tapping her pipe on the table. “You’re curious about why the sect leader is accepting the Thunder God lineage back.”

Indeed. Sitting before me was none other than Han Baek-ryeong, the Dharma Guardian of the Fire Spirit Techniques! She must have unexpectedly traveled to this place after the sect leader abruptly moved to Jangryeong Valley in the Central Plains.

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