“I heard you need the Spiritual Medicine with the Seven Elemental Attributes. While we at Jeomchang do not produce heavily unbalanced Spiritual Medicine… we can prepare Spiritual Medicine focused on the Yang Attributes. Preparing the elixir will take about a month, so how about soaking in the energy of Suman Mountain until then?”
“Thank you for your kindness.”
The reason I don’t learn techniques outside of gambling is precisely this. With gambling, you can practice quickly if you throw enough money into it, but for everything else, you truly have to invest sweat, time, and money.
You might ask why it takes a whole month to make just one elixir, but taking a month to make a single elixir is basically lightning-fast.
I was likely lucky to have all the necessary ingredients on hand, and it was quite possible that all the herbalists at the pharmacy would help me for my convenience.
Mastering a technique signifies dedicating your entire life outside of martial arts to perfecting that skill.
So, it would be correct to say that the implicit period I can stay with the Jeomchang Faction is a month. Sure, I could stay longer, but Hyeok Gi-rin is a talent needed even within the Jeomchang Faction. Just being supervised in training by myself and Black Cat for a whole month would be a significant investment for the faction. Asking to stay longer after receiving the elixir would indeed be overreaching.
And so, the duration of my stay at the Jeomchang Faction was decided, and three days passed.
“Hrrahg! Hrrahg…!”
I was sweating it out alongside the youthful disciples of the Jeomchang Faction, currently doing laps around the training hall on all fours.
Not just any all-fours, mind you, but in the Dragon Pose. It’s a training action called the ‘Growing Step’ at Jeomchang, and my youthful companions seemed to zoom through the training hall at a speed that would make a regular person look like they’re standing still, while I desperately chased their tails.
Hyeok Gi-rin had told me that I lacked performing ability and flexibility.
I wondered what he meant, but now, experiencing it firsthand, I understood.
In truth, my physical abilities are comparable to those of the Jeomchang disciples. I could roughly guess the levels of ability the disciples around my age possess. The disciples training with me are aged between 15 and 20, and all rank at the top level.
However, the gap in speed between the Jeomchang disciples and me is staggering.
This Growing Step uses muscles I didn’t typically engage. The strength in terms of attributes ultimately reflects the overall average of all body muscles. While I show similar capabilities in routine training activities like running, push-ups, jumping, and grappling, when it comes to specialized training like this, I’m often pushed back without mercy.
Being the overwhelming last in the group, I felt the stares of all as the next command came down.
The head of these youthful disciples was a guy named Chang-min. He would be recognized as the next Holy One once he became a Taoist.
“Alright, Direct Step!”
“Direct Step!”
What on earth is a Direct Step? It’s a position where you completely split your legs apart. From that position, using only leg strength, you raise your body and repeatedly split your legs in the opposite direction.
“Ugh!”
This is also my least favorite move. Seriously, how does tearing your legs apart and lifting your body with leg strength even make sense in martial arts?
But then again, I think I’ve seen scenes like that in movies.
“Oh, Outcast, don’t place your hands on the ground.”
“Aahh!”
While I had only split my legs about ten times, the other disciples had already run a lap around the training hall and were staring blankly at me and Chang-min.
“Alright, let’s move to the sword training room.”
Seeing the disciples march off, Chang-min sighed.
“Outcast, I know it’s tough, but you must perform each move accurately for it to be effective.”
By the time I lost feeling in my groin, the lap around the training hall was finally over. Honestly, this Direct Step had been an intermediate move in our training until yesterday, but I got pushed to the very end because of my performance.
“Ugh, let’s take just a half break.”
“Right.”
It’s not just physically challenging; the real agony of twisting between my legs and pelvis is beyond description. This is a category of pain that can’t be solved by willpower; only rest has the answer.
In the early morning, we check our martial arts as a whole, and in the morning, we refine the forms of swordsmanship while simultaneously enhancing our skill in intricacies. After lunch, we train evasive movements for about an hour. Then, we come back to the main hall for physical training and body torture with other Jeomchang disciples, eat dinner, and conclude the day with Qi management and rest.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
Chang-min twitched the corners of his mouth, following behind me. He wasn’t smiling at me…
“Oh, Senior. Did you finish your training well today?”
“Yeah.”
“Seems you’ve caused a lot of trouble again for the insufficient senior, Young Hero.”
“No need to say that. Miss Yeo Il-ye’s kindness is our Jeomchang’s kindness.”
Chang-min lowered his voice and tried to posture a bit.
It wasn’t hard to understand. No, I could understand it 200%. Chang-min is 18 this year. He’s at that boiling age, stuck in the mountains practicing martial arts tirelessly, and suddenly a beauty like Black Cat appears?
It’s no wonder he’s lost his senses.
If I had met a woman like Black Cat when I was eighteen, I’d have had double the confidence to play it cool than Chang-min does now.
“Hehe, I look forward to it, Senior. Please come in quickly too.”
After slapping Chang-min on the back of the head as he stared dazedly at Black Cat’s retreating figure, I threw myself onto the long bench in our lodging.
“Ugh, I’m dying… Is my training going well?”
“Hyeok Gi-rin the Great Hero isn’t the Great Brother for no reason. I’m feeling results fast.”
“Glad to hear that.”
I was struggling through the third day of agony without noticing any changes, while Black Cat was genuinely improving day by day. You could say the form of the Black Shadow Qi Technique was changing drastically.
Black Cat’s talent is certainly no ordinary one. In martial arts stories, whenever a character is said to have unique qualities, it’s practically a universal rule that they are extraordinarily gifted. Plus, reaching the edge of mastery through self-teaching…
Ah, comparing ourselves only makes me bitter.
After all, I am Ho Cheon-an. One day I will become the strongest in this martial world. Let’s think big.
“Senior, it’s almost time.”
“Hrrahg… let’s go. What about Hyeok Gi-rin the Great Hero?”
“Today, he said he had some business and went back early.”
As I was having dinner, children swarmed over.
“Outcast! Outcast! Are you going to pray today?!”
“I was the earliest one to wake up and even made the bed!”
“Um…”
Surrounded by the sparkling and eager eyes of the children, I pondered. I wonder if it would be alright for me to put on a magic show alone since Hyeok Gi-rin isn’t around.
Well, it wouldn’t be a problem to show magic to the kids. The real issue is the Tang Clan items to hand out to them. Technically, the Tang Clan goods stored in the cart belong to Hyeok Gi-rin.
Even if I gave them to the kids, he would appreciate it, but…
“…I guess I won’t be doing any prayers today…”
“Aww… we practiced hard on swordsmanship too…”
Feeling an immense guilt while the children stared glumly down at the ground, I couldn’t help but speak.
“I’ll do it! Gather in front of the visitor’s hall after meal time!”
“Waaah!”
“The ones leaving leftovers at dinner won’t receive any Tang Clan goodies from the Holy One!”
“Hurry and eat!”
“Finish it!”
Seeing the kids start their meals with a combat-like intensity, I sighed, realizing I had no choice but to head to the cart and fetch the Tang Clan goodies.
“Ugh… there’s not much left now.”
Even if I gave the kids one each day, would it be enough for the next two days?
I really need to discuss this with Hyeok Gi-rin.
I can’t just toss them one Tang Clan item and call it a day, so I mentally organized the content for the magic show. Truth be told, the card tricks don’t require much preparation. But to the kids, it might not be intuitive.
But what’s the answer then? My magic is, after all, an application of gambling techniques. Without connections to card tricks or dice games, it could easily pass for just a regular circus performance.
The past two days, I’ve skimped through by making the Tang Clan goodies appear with my bare hands, but I guess I have no choice but to go with the gambling trick today. Thankfully, the Tang Clan goodies have a round shape.
“Black Cat! Could you bring me a table to set up?”
“Sure!”
Once I finished organizing the magic show in my head and went out to the visitor’s hall…
“Waaah, Outcast is here!”
“Haha.”
Among the kids, there stood a certain Sage along with Hyeok Gi-rin.
“Uh… what about the Master?”
“Haha. I’m Sa Gong-hyeon, a Taoist. Though lacking, I manage this Vitality Hall where these children stay.”
“Ah…”
Emergency signals started ringing in my head. The content of my magic performance over the past two days flashed through my mind. Mentioning the Holy One and saying the Holy One gives Tang Clan goodies…
That content could easily be picked up on.
“U-um, Master… Haha. You see, the thing about mentioning the Holy One…”
Sa Gong-hyeon raised an eyebrow as if he had heard something unexpected.
“Master! The Outcast claims to have some miraculous powers linked to the Holy One!”
“Magically! The Tang Clan goodies appear just like that, out of thin air!”
Kids, come on. If you’re not careful, today’s magic performance might just get wrecked.
As I watched my inner turmoil unfold entirely differently, the kids blurted out my charade to Sa Gong-hyeon. Hyeok Gi-rin was chuckling in the back, and my back was damp with cold sweat.
“Infinite Life Buddha… it seems there’s a misunderstanding that I need to clarify first.”
“I’m all ears, Master!”
“Haha, Jeomchang is based on Daoism, but there’s no doctrine enforcing Taoists and disciples. The Confucian thought is fundamentally polytheistic. Even in cases of revering a person who isn’t actually a deity, it still fits within the scope of Daoism.”
As I blinked in confusion, Hyeok Gi-rin summarized it for me.
“In short, it means that even if you claim to have miraculous powers, the Jeomchang Faction won’t stop you. However, if you use those claimed powers to deceive people, that’s a different story.”
“Infinite Life Buddha…”
“I understand. Thank you for your explanation.”
“Hehe, I didn’t come here to blame the Daoist. I simply wanted to know why these kids are acting so wonderfully. They’re going to bed early, waking up early, and focusing on training… I wanted to find out the reason behind this sudden change in behavior.”
Hmm. It seems there’s no real problem after all. Maybe I’ve been worrying too much. If I were causing a real issue, Hyeok Gi-rin would have given me a heads up.
“Um… I’ve only spurred their curiosity. I don’t have any secrets you might want to expect…”
“Haha, you really don’t need to worry. I, too, am just a guest here to witness your miraculous powers.”
Hearing the word “miraculous powers” from a true Taoist made my face redden uncontrollably.
Is this… embarrassment? I suddenly wanted to burrow into a mouse hole.
So, today I’m supposed to show the kids, right in front of this dignified Master, how ‘Hehe, look at the power I share with the Holy One! This is Ho Cheon-an’s miraculous power! Ta-da! Tinkerbell!’
Oh, the horror.
