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“Ugh… Damn it.”

The eighth life began. Honestly, because the last one ended too soon, it didn’t really hit me hard. Just the pain I felt when I chose to end it myself was etched in my body like a lousy muscle ache, making me groan for a bit while lying down.

Last time, I was so shocked and distressed that I barely realized not only was it a painful way to go, but the method of severing the Heart Channel wasn’t exactly the most comfortable way to die. It was less painful than beheading, but not by much. Most people wouldn’t choose it so easily.

“I need to figure this out.”

Despite my grumbling, I got up. The one upside of ending it myself was that I could choose my own death, which somehow made the mental shock a bit lighter to bear. I thought I needed to research faster, painless ways to kick the bucket.

“Anyway, let’s review. There’s likely a treasure at the bottom of the pond with the Black and White Lotus blooming. That glowing sword emanating spirit energy is something else. But to get it, I’ll need to take down the Guardian Giant Spider.”

As I mentally outlined the situation, it dawned on me that the real question was ‘how’ to get that treasure.

How on earth was I going to obtain that treasure?

I didn’t think I could avoid a fight with the Guardian. I could consider making a dash for the sword before the Guardian erupts, but that would be way too risky. Plus, with the spider’s reflexes, I might just end up getting squashed for my efforts. It seemed impossible to win the speed battle unless I could at least double my current light body technique speed.

“Doubling my speed, huh…? If only I could push my Thunder Spirit to the limit, maybe…”

I sighed. My current speed was already on the higher end; I was confident that among all martial artists, I was definitely in the top tier. For example, even the Golden Eagle Guards struggled to react when I used the Thunder Shadow Step to charge in, so it was safe to say that anyone below first-class would be slower than me.

And with my internal power boosting my physical abilities, I could still hold my ground even against peak-level experts. So further increasing my speed required a significant breakthrough in my martial arts level. Not to mention, facing off against the giant spider to secure that treasure was an entirely different beast.

After thinking long and hard, I reached a simple conclusion.

I needed to get stronger!

The clear and straightforward goal I had set last time hit me with even more urgency. I stepped out of the barn and took a horse stance to lessen my pain while channeling my inner power. This pose was quite demanding, but focusing on it seemed to help drown out the discomfort quickly.

“…”

Instead of mindlessly training at the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School, I realized it was time to dive deeper into the Muwak realm. Until now, I’d been too busy mastering what Samjeol Lee Kwang and Jin So-cheong taught me to pause for breath, but that was no longer enough.

After spending several years learning from them and accumulating plenty of real-world experience using the Thunder God lineage, I understood that I had to start asking about the higher stages of martial principles that remained a mystery to me.

While studying alongside geniuses, I noticed they don’t belittle or compare themselves to the dull or mediocre. Such petty behavior comes only from insecure fools. They stride forward, as the next step is already clear without looking back.

If I wanted to improve, I had to force them to look back and explain. That way, I could gain the most knowledge possible. And the two ingredients needed for that were effort and sincerity.

Training at the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School!

And getting strong enough to acquire the treasure from the Yu Seong relic!

“Let’s go!”

This would be my goal for this life, and after a brief moment, I set off from the barn. The journey to obtain the Heavenly Secret started smoothly, heading towards Mount Huang.

Reaching Huangshan didn’t take long, just like last time. Given that I had a rough idea of where the Huashan Sect Elder roamed, I didn’t need to hide to arrive at the spot where the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng grew.

I gazed at the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and the Black and White Lotus blooming in the cave on Seolwon’s icy surroundings.

“Should I eat it now?”

Truth be told, my entire body felt almost fully opened up. I didn’t even need to circulate my internal cultivation technique; just breathing seemed to create pathways. The energy channels inside me were stirring like a dragon’s vein.

If I consumed this, I was sure that there wouldn’t be anyone in the world with more internal power than me. Who else has eaten Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng six times other than me?

To put it simply, the small cup I had originally been using had expanded multiple times, and now I felt it slowly filling from the bottom up. However, since the capacity had grown exponentially, the surface would rise slowly, making it hard to feel the effects of more Snow Ginseng and Black and White Lotus.

“Hmm. What to do…?”

I sat there pondering but ultimately decided to just eat it. I could probably sell it off in the outside world for instant riches and power, but that wasn’t the aim for this life. If I wasn’t sharing, it was way more beneficial for me to gobble it all up despite the small gain.

Whoosh!

Once I finished regulating my Qi, a satisfyingly explosive feeling erupted from within. It was no negative sensation, but rather the spirit energy I previously felt hindering me now surged through, clearing every pathway. I could feel my internal power accelerating.

“Whoa…!! It feels like a storm inside me!”

But this alone didn’t mean I had become stronger. It felt more like a prelude to reaching the ‘next stage.’ I was content with this beneficial gain and rose to my feet. My eyes landed on the pond adorned with the Black and White Lotus.

“There’s definitely a Yu Seong relic in there.”

“What if I took another look?”

Once I entered the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School again, I figured I wouldn’t be back out for decades. Since I didn’t know when I would be able to come out again, it seemed perfectly fine to check once more, even necessary. With determination, I dove back into the pond.

Splash!

I turned the pearl again to open the door and entered the relic through the underwater passage. I placed my foot in the chamber with the altar. This time, I made sure to search carefully around the altar, just in case I missed something previously.

“… Ah! What’s this?”

I discovered a box hidden further behind a pillar. Last time, I was so focused on the altar that I was completely oblivious to it, but it was tucked away in a really out-of-the-way spot. The box was a wooden one, tougher and heavier than a stone despite being wood.

I pondered how to open the wooden box but quickly grabbed a dagger and slashed it open.

Swish!

The sealed box cleanly sliced open in one strike. The dagger, infused with my inner power, was nothing less than a peerless divine sword, able to deliver such a clean cut. I cautiously opened the lid of the box.

Whoosh!

“Whoa…!!”

I let out a sound that mixed surprise with excitement.

Gold bars!

While I didn’t have a professional eye for appraisal, the pure and brilliant shine left little doubt about it. I’d seen the silver bars from the Village Chief’s house, but the usual value of gold bars went up to 20 times that of silver. Just selling one of the dozen gold bars could make me incredibly wealthy.

With this unexpected income, I felt both ecstatic and curious. I came back into the relic on a whim, and look where I ended up! It felt like I was reaping the rewards of my diligence.

“Wait a second, could it be?”

I picked up two or three gold bars and stood up.

Then I headed to the altar and dripped some blood onto it.

Rumble!

The stone wall opened up.

Again, a doorway leading to the divine sword appeared in the distance. Far into the darkness, I could vaguely see the narrow bridge. I thought about how long it would take to run to the end of the bridge, but quickly sensed that dashing back and forth before the Guardian appeared would be way too risky.

“…”

Instead, I walked over to the stone wall, holding the gold bars in front of the narrow bridge. Then I hurled them down into the abyss.

Ka-thump!

[GARGHHHHHH!!!]

Suddenly, a sound erupted from within the abyss, as if a demon from hell was wailing, and something began to rattle up quickly. It must have been the Guardian Giant Spider getting riled up after getting hit by one of those gold bars infused with my inner power. I hastily threw the torch I was holding beside me down as well and shouted.

“Eat this too!”

Flames erupted!

The flickering torch caught on the faint form down below, and it seemed the Guardian was tearing around in confusion, with the chamber vibrating heavily. Fortunately, the torch appeared to have struck its eyes.

“Slowed down? Then…”

Seizing the opportunity, I activated my Thunder Spirit and dashed across the narrow bridge. My light body technique surged for an instant.

Whoosh!

I quickly grabbed the primitive divine sword and checked the presence below, then began to leap back to my original position. Just after about ten jumps, an enormous shadow suddenly surged up from below.

Boom!

“…!!”

It was only one leg of the spider that erupted, but that alone was enough to obliterate the narrow bridge. The wooden shards fell below, and my body was flung up into the air. In what felt like a life or death moment, I gritted my teeth and tried to fall closer to the exit.

Clang!

“Gah!”

Just as I was about to be smashed by a coil thundering up from below, I managed to slash it away with my dagger. Unlike last time, it didn’t spring back in the right direction, so I was forced to veer slightly sideways. I rotated midair like a cat, finding a brief moment to plant my feet on the ceiling. At that instant, I locked eyes with the madly climbing Guardian Giant Spider that was frantically scurrying up.

It was terrifying, with dozens of eyes and a gold bar embedded in its eye, the torch burning furiously against it. By sheer luck, that gold bar packed with my inner power had struck its eye, and even luckier, the torch landed right there, accentuating the pain. An icy chill crept through me seeing it release a rampaging energy.

Such a gigantic spider!

The thought that it could sustain my sword attacks was quickly fading. I realized it was absurd to think I could directly face off against something that could withstand an assault from siege weapons without a scratch.

“Ugh… I can’t afford to be eaten!”

If I’m gonna die, I want it to be on my own terms! That fierce hope propelled my inner power into hyperspeed. In that instant, a streak of lightning ignited through my legs and muscles as I executed the Thunder Spirit, launching myself toward the exit.

Bang!

Rumbling…

As I leaped for the exit, clouds were kicked up from the spider’s massive frame shooting up from below. I realized I narrowly escaped with my life, not daring to look back.

Soon enough, the spider behind the stone wall began spewing out coils with destructive power capable of crushing human flesh.

Crash!

Bang!

“Aaahh…”

I fought against the coils, feeling my body twirl through the air. While I successfully deflected them, the sheer force propelled me off-balance. My inner power couldn’t counteract the strength; it’d definitely be impossible for an average martial artist to defend against such an offensive.

Bang!

Spinning three times in the air, I tumbled and scrambled up the stairs with all my might. After climbing for a while, the sound of crumbling or chasing faded behind me. However, I continued running until I finally made it back out through the underwater passage.

Whoosh!

As I pulled myself out of the pond, water streaming off me, I gasped deeply.

“Hah! Hah! Hah…”

I realized I had done something insane this time.

“Phew… That was lucky.”

It had only been a test to see if throwing a gold bar would actually affect the Guardian, and somehow, it worked! But luck played a huge role, since the gold bar just happened to land in its critical eye, aided by the additional torch. If I tried it again, I’d probably fail 99 times out of 100. If the gold bar had struck anywhere else, the spider would have felt zero pain.

Plus, I understood that just grabbing the gold bars and getting out without a fight was out of the question. The giant spider was far quicker and stronger than I’d imagined. Even with the fortune of that last throw, I had almost been caught; there was no way I could escape. I was obligated to face it eventually.

Sprawled outside on the Seolwon, I let out a hearty laugh.

“Still, I got the divine sword!! Haha!”

Looking at the sword in my left hand made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

A primitive divine sword!

This was likely one of the treasures of the Yu Seong relic.

In this life, I was determined to train rigorously while also discovering the origin and value of this divine sword.

“Sad though, I didn’t have the luxury of taking out the wooden box filled with gold bars, but it’s all good.”

It was clear that the value of that gold was hardly on par with what I had just snagged. According to Master Mangnyang, the treasures of the Yu Seong were undoubtedly artifacts from the ancient times.

I decided to try channeling Qi into the divine sword.

Vrooom…

“… Writing?”

Suddenly, strange, incomprehensible text appeared on the sword’s surface. However, unlike the strange language of the Heavenly Secrets or the altar’s text, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible. After staring closely for a while, I realized what it was.

“Oracle Bone Script, huh? Ancient script.”

Back when I was studying the Ten Thousand Character Text and the Qimen Dunjia, I learned about many archaic or obsolete terms. Among them was the fundamental oracle bone script that was said to have been used during the Silver Age. Although the form was a bit different, I recognized it as similar to that oracle bone script.

This sword was likely crafted by ancient people thousands of years ago. Thankfully, interpreting the oracle bone script from the Silver Age wasn’t impossible like the strange language. If I just accumulated a bit more knowledge, I could probably make sense of it.

“Hmm… what to do? Should I interpret this before heading to the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School?”

I pondered for a moment before coming to a decision.

“Let’s find Mangnyang.”

If anyone could help me identify whether this was a treasure from the Yu Seong, it’d be him, and he could also assist me with decoding the oracle bone script.

 

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