The first thing I had to do was gather my grandfather’s remains.

I collected the remains and built a new grave next to my parents’ tombs. I also tidied up the overgrown weeds in the cemetery and offered a deep bow.

“Mother, Father, and Grandfather. I’ve finally come to see you.”

I closed my eyes on the spot and reminisced about my memories with my mother, father, and grandfather. The sorrow that had been pushed aside amidst all the incidents and accidents finally found its place.

Hyeok Gi-rin asked.

“Can we also pay our respects?”

“Of course.”

The more people who offer their greetings, the happier the three of them will be.

To my companions, my actions might seem sudden, but they silently followed my lead.

“Could you give me some time?”

“Of course. I’ll wait until you’re ready, Senior.”

I spent time cleaning the house, organizing the vegetable garden, or sitting by the grave, reminiscing about the three of them.

I wiped the altar clean and moved it back to its original position, erasing all traces of the previous great law drawn in the yard.

I wasn’t sure what clues these might turn into in the future, but I didn’t want to leave them behind.

After spending some time in front of the mound, I suddenly shouted.

“Status window.”

Of course, there was no response. It was given that the Martial World wasn’t a game; the status window I had seen was likely a courtesy from the Rebirth Truck to help me adjust to this world.

It might have been a hint from the one who hoped I would overcome the mixed blood.

Although I was curious about the true nature of the Rebirth Truck, it felt like a curiosity that came too late.

Day by day, the space within the formation was being neatly organized. The mound was covered with grass, all the weeds disappeared, and the dilapidated house was repaired and transformed into a neat state.

Once the internal organization of the formation was complete, my companions stepped aside to allow me to organize my thoughts alone.

I was left inside the formation, sorting out my feelings for the three people.

It was a process to ensure that I wouldn’t be consumed by anger or regret.

About a week passed, and my mind settled down a bit.

After offering a deep bow towards the three mounds, I headed towards the house.

On the desk in the house lay a book.

I had initially discovered it along with a muddy waterproof tarp.

Rustle.

There was nothing written on the cover, but as I turned the pages, I found words scrawled inside.

[This book was written for my child, Ho Cheon-an.]

[If the Great Law I set out for Cheon-an is completed, his spirit will be extinguished.]

[As a parent, it pains my heart to stifle my child’s potential, but it is a necessary measure for his safety.]

[However, I cannot stifle his potential as a martial artist, so after everything is over, I have prepared a way to restore his potential.]

[I hope the Great Law successfully completes and that this secret text is never used.]

[In case of unforeseen circumstances, I leave this record at a point where the Great Law cannot be undone.]

[To you, Challenger, if by any chance this secret text ends up in your hands.]

[I hope you will pass it on to my son, Ho Cheon-an.]

“….”

I thought I had organized my emotions, but somehow, the grip on the book tightened.

Taking a deep breath, I flipped through the pages. What I needed most at that moment was densely written content, and yet my gaze was drawn more to the handwriting.

Was this my father’s handwriting, or my mother’s?

Could I find out if I asked the Black Cat?

Whether it worked or not, it was worth a try.

The content of the Great Law itself wasn’t difficult, but it took quite a bit of time for me to grasp all the thoughts and understand the book.

If I were outside, I would have wasted a lot of time just meeting the conditions that comprised most of this book; however, the space inside the formation where I lived as a child already satisfied all the conditions mentioned in this book.

Following the book’s instructions, I established the position of the altar and sat cross-legged on it.

Rumble.

The impurities that once controlled the flow of my internal energy, like a breakwater in my Iryu days, slowly diminished, and now they were like pebbles floating in a river of internal energy.

There were no problems at a normal operational level, but each time I activated Ilroe, it added pressure on my Qi Meridians, indicating that removing the remaining impurities was essential to reach a higher state.

“Phew.”

I began to operate my internal energy on the altar slowly, as described in the text.

As time passed, I could feel energy gradually seeping into my body from the altar.

As I felt that energy, the content of the secret text left by my parents came to mind.

The impurities in my body were a collection of countless energies found in the world, finely divided and fused into one.

Mixed blood.

Indeed, the phenomenon of having impurities in my body warranted the name mixed blood.

My body was filled with clumps of every energy in existence; could there be any blood more mixed than this?

To block my spirit, I had sealed the channels of my Qi, which might have made me the most disconnected and lowly person in the world.

I had always thought that the Heavenly Decree stating that the heavens guarantee my lowly status affirmed that I was of low status, but now it seemed like a trivial matter.

Well, that’s all in the past.

I likely wouldn’t need to see the status window again, nor would I have issues with my realm being blocked due to mixed blood.

I cleared all distractions and focused on my Qi.

The energy rising from the altar felt special.

Qi has properties. Even if it wasn’t a special energy like the Black Cat’s Nine Yin, I could still feel the energies of the earth or wind depending on the place of Qi.

However, the energy rising from the altar was of so many kinds that I couldn’t even count them.

These diverse energies were striking the impurities in my Qi Meridians. At first, it felt like there was no change, but gradually, the size of the impurities began to shrink.

I had been observing the process of the impurities disappearing all this time, but this time felt different.

When the impurities were being reduced by the energies of the Jade Pillar Form or the Seven Luminaries Spiritual Medicine, it felt like they were being chipped away, but now it felt as if they were dissolving in water.

It truly felt like I was finding a fundamental solution.

Following the instructions, I moved my Qi until not a single impurity could be felt in my body.

Once I was certain that all impurities had completely vanished, I finally opened my eyes.

“Haa.”

It’s a pity that the status window is gone. It would carry some significance to have seen the last remnants of my mixed blood disappear.

I gazed for a moment in the direction of the graves.

In the end, my spirit had closed off, and I had fully blossomed my potential as a martial artist… so could it be said that the Great Law my parents had set out for me succeeded?

“I will come again.”

After offering one last deep bow, I closed the gate of the formation.

With the Unknown Elder’s homework behind me, the reasons to learn the formation had increased once more.

The formation had endured quite a while without a caretaker, but it would not function forever, so I would need to learn it for maintenance.

As I descended from Hyeongwi Mountain, I lost myself in thought.

The first thing that came to mind was my future plans.

Various opportunities and positions of martial arts filled my head, but as I pondered over my thoughts, the conclusion that came out was rather unexpected.

“Should I consult the Poison Doctor?”

I needed to have my physical condition checked out. It wouldn’t hurt to verify if the mixed blood had truly vanished and if there were any side effects that needed addressing.

My body could hardly be considered ordinary.

So, wouldn’t it be beneficial in the long term to thoroughly assess everything with the Elder and eliminate my hesitations?

To climb higher, one must have a sturdy foundation beneath them.

Even if it wasn’t about the mixed blood, discussing my physical state with the Poison Doctor and planning how I would grow stronger and what opportunities I would pursue was of utmost importance.

So, for now, I should head to the Tang Clan.

As I reached this conclusion and made my way down, someone greeted me.

“Are you Ho Cheon-an?”

It was Heavenly Demon Wi Seoryeon, with her crimson eyes staring intently at me.