Iryu’s stat limit is 9. After reaching 9, it took quite a while to accumulate.

He was often scolded for being lazy from all directions, but he still maintained his condition by doing simple exercises every day. Over the past five years, he must have developed just a little, so his actual stats should be around 9.99 when you think about it.

[Strength has increased to 10.]

[Agility has increased to 10.]

[Endurance has increased to 10.]

[Concentration has increased to 10.]

[Five Senses have increased to 10.]

So, just a bit of training immediately showed results. After all, in the Martial World, stats reflect even decimal places, so aside from the numbers changing, there probably aren’t any noticeable differences in combat power… But hey, there’s a joy in seeing the visible figures go up, right?

Aside from his bloodline, there are two characteristics negatively affecting his stats. One is [Tendon Rupture], and the other is [Underdeveloped Body]. This Ho Cheon-an always has the last joint of his left pinky bent.

Sure, this might be a problem when executing techniques or moves, but gripping objects isn’t an issue. It just looks a bit off, but what can you do about an injury he had before coming here?

It’s not like he’d die because the tendon at the end of his left pinky is cut or anything.

In terms of real effects, [Underdeveloped Body] would have a greater impact since bones and muscles are involved in the growth of all stats. He had tried his best right after becoming Ho Cheon-an, but it only eased the issue without eliminating it.

“Your body is really well-developed. I just had to ask, but you must have put in quite a bit of effort to get such a trained body, yet you don’t seem all that psychologically motivated, do you?”

The Black Cat, who had been training together, remarked with a tone of suspicion. I feel the same way. I’ve been a veteran for a decade in the Martial World, but hearing that Iryu is at a limit-breaking level was news I’ve never heard before.

As I said earlier, having a stat of 9 isn’t something anyone can easily have, so why would someone who barely made it to 9 dawdle around instead of focusing on breaking through to 10? If this keeps you from realizing you’re stuck at a limit level, then, of course, it’s going to seem bizarre.

After all, training is something you do your whole life. His stat foundations were already laid during his Iryu days, so now, it’s just about gradually building upon it. He’s already easily exceeding the average stats of the first-rate.

So, I guess there’s no time left to read martial arts novels.

If I have the time to read martial arts novels, I should at least practice some energy manipulation instead.

Now that his stats could be raised to 10, and with him feeling good as he’s sweating, he drew his sword.

I still feel like I’m not quite first-rate yet. Just using energy manipulation qualifies as first-rate, but I think one should be at a level where they can smoothly use it in real combat before confidently claiming they’re first-rate.

Swish swish swish!

He cast [Moonlit Night’s Ripple], which was used for theatrical purposes at Gyeongsu Market. Spreading sword techniques while simultaneously controlling Qi with his body wasn’t that easy of a task.

This is tough.

Unlike the Iryu days, where I just had to scatter Qi according to my movements, I now had to create a bottleneck at the right moment during the action. To create a bottleneck, I need to send Qi beforehand, managing the front Qi while pushing the back Qi.

“Senior. Trying to handle energy manipulation efficiently from the get-go might be too ambitious. You just started dealing with energy manipulation, so obviously, it’s going to be inefficient. Forget about efficiency and focus on achieving your goal first.”

“Got it.”

The Black Cat, no matter what anyone says, is a higher-level martial artist than me. She’s been through this exact situation I’m stumbling through now.

Swish swish swish swish swish!

In the span of just one step, I slashed my sword seven times. The actual power was probably minimal. Rather than saying I accurately caused energy manipulation according to the movement, it’s more apt to say I created it all beforehand and hurriedly executed the movement while losing a lot of Qi.

“Hmm. Now I understand what it’s like when first-rates exchange techniques.”

“Senior, when you enter real combat, you’ll be the same.”

It’s tough to stand still, and with blades that could chop through my body dancing before my eyes, controlling my Qi precisely wouldn’t be easy.

To put it metaphorically, it felt like trying to drink water while running? Even though I know I need to conserve water, I’m still going to spill it everywhere.

“The foundation of energy manipulation starts with strengthening your legs.”

When I turned around, Miss Yeo Il-ye stood there. Judging by the various bags she was packing, it seemed she had come to say goodbye.

“The movement of the arms is complex. Sometimes the wrist needs to be turned down, sometimes raised, and sometimes you need to add strength when pulling back and when extending. Those movements are highly variable, so even if you initiate energy manipulation, if you don’t do it accurately to match those changes, the efficiency will inevitably decline.”

“In contrast, leg movements are much simpler compared to the arms. Unlike the arms, which perform countless actions by pulling, pushing, and twisting… The legs just need to kick the ground. It’s easier, and there’s no need for continuity.”

“And…”

Yeo Il-ye passed on various training tips to me. Where else could I receive lessons from a representative expert of the Nine Great Sects? The Black Cat, despite being an expert, was self-taught and self-made, while Yeo Il-ye learned martial arts systematically over hundreds of years.

While there are differences in mastery levels, the methods of teaching others and the knowledge gained from not studying can’t help but differ.

I felt a bit sorry for the Black Cat, who was kicking the ground in displeasure, but come on, it’s a training method given by a master of the Jeomchang Faction. Who cares about lucky breaks? This is what you call luck.

“Eun-in, if you train based on the methods I’ve shared, you should achieve at least a bit of success.”

“Thank you for the advice. I feel like I may have received too much.”

“It’s nothing compared to what you’ve bestowed upon me. Though late, congratulations on reaching first-rate.”

It felt a bit peculiar to be congratulated on reaching first-rate by someone who is a peak expert not much older than me. I could talk about my journey to become first-rate for two or three hours with Poison Doctor and the Black Cat, but with Yeo Il-ye, I couldn’t even find the words.

Just imagining it brought a wave of embarrassment.

“It’s still just an insufficient level.”

Yeo Il-ye stared at me for a moment before she made a gesture of farewell.

“This lady is thinking of returning for the main text now.”

“Hmm. Of course. Please take care.”

It’s certainly a topic that’s hard to give a good luck wish on.

“I hope you achieve great success as well.”

The cart loaded with gears from the mountain cottage must have belonged to Mo Yeobu. It seems they decided to save him after all. Yeo Il-ye climbed up to the driver’s seat, gave a short bow, and then whipped the reins.

“Let’s go.”

I watched her fade away before turning my head. Isn’t life all about meeting and parting like this? The things Yeo Il-ye would do from now on would likely be quite loud, so I guess I’ll be getting updates through rumors.

“Senior, do you know about Yeo Il-ye’s enemies?”

“Of course not. Do you?”

“I was the one who got Jeon Hu-dam to give Yeo Il-ye hints in the first place.”

My head snapped back around.

“…What?”

“The people suspected of being Yeo Il-ye’s enemies aren’t ordinary figures; I thought it was going to spill over to us. So, I guess you could say I’m the one who’s called Yeo Il-ye Hyeong Gwi-san.”

This was truly shocking information.

“So… Poison Doctor knew that Yeo Il-ye was here and called her here to tie her down?”

“Not exactly…”

As the Black Cat explained, I quickly understood. She had known that the Mo Yeobu had the treasure known as the Seven Treasure Jade and relayed that fact to Yeo Il-ye. However, when she arrived at Hyeong Gwi-san, Poison Doctor was already there, which resulted in Yeo Il-ye being restrained.

The Black Cat hadn’t known that Poison Doctor was in Hyeong Gwi-san either.

And after all of that had unfolded, I happened to be summoned to the Tang Clan and got the chance to receive a check-up from Poison Doctor, and since the Black Cat couldn’t separate from me or reveal her identity, she decided to just follow along, calling it fate.

“Phew. That was quite the surprise.”

I thought the Wolbok-dang’s intelligence network was tightly grasping the whereabouts of Poison Doctor and their enemies, and that’s why Yeo Il-ye was bound here.

It seemed like mere coincidences stacked on top of one another.

If this wasn’t just coincidence, but a well-planned situation, it would mean that the Wolbok-dang were an intelligence organization capable of manipulating peak experts at will, so of course, I’d be shocked.

Wolbok-dang.

Is this a group that ultimately follows the Black Cat? I’m not sure how safe it is to be close for extended periods. It doesn’t make sense that I wouldn’t know even a little about the Lord’s every move. I wonder if the Black Cat’s extreme fans are going to come after me.

I need to get stronger soon. I was already itching to grow stronger while following Yeo Il-ye’s training methods.

“Let’s train! Train!”

“Sure! Let’s train! No matter how great the training methods of the Nine Great Sects are, if passing on knowledge verbally is that great, what use would a master be for?”

It seems that Yeo Il-ye’s advice had provoked the Black Cat. If a peak expert is going to guide me, there’s no reason to refuse.

“Come! Temporary Master!”

“Prepare yourself! Temporary Disciple!”

Until the sun set, the courtyard of the inn echoed with my battle cries and the Black Cat’s shouts.