Chapter 26

“Ugh.”

Sitting in the carriage, I kneaded my legs.

Maybe it was because I had overused my footwork yesterday trying to dodge that pile of rocks.

The muscle pain in my lower body was no joke.

If I had stopped by Inked-Needle Hall, I wouldn’t have felt this pain, but there was no helping it.

I had spent too much time in Demon Valley.

Still, thanks to that, I obtained Perfect Demonic Qi, so I should call myself fortunate.

‘I must go to Inked-Needle Hall today.’

While I was inwardly resolving this, Im Yeon climbed into the carriage.

She sat across from me wearing the face of a dying person.

As soon as I saw her face, I nearly burst into laughter.

The scream she had let out earlier still seemed to ring in my ears.

It was the kind of scream one could only give when the memory of last night resurfaced vividly.

Pretending to know nothing, I asked:

“Why the face? Did something happen?”

“Sigh.”

Instead of answering, Im Yeon let out a deep sigh.

I asked again.

“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you got drunk in front of the Supreme of the Heavenly Demon Cult? And made mistakes? Recited the Guard Code out loud or something.”

“Young Masteer…”

“Puhahaha!”

“Why are you laughinggg…”

“No, yesterday was really something to see.”

I cleared my throat and shouted brightly:

“Guardian Hall Guard Regulations, Article 1, Clause 1! A guard must ensure the safety of the protected—”

“Pleeease stooop thaaaat……”

Im Yeon clenched her teeth hard.

Her glare was murderous, so I coughed to force the laughter back down.

“It’s fine. Things were lively yesterday.”

“You should have killed me to shut my mouth instead…”

“You looked way too happy for that.”

“Please kill me now. The Cult Leader corrected me thirteen times. Each time, I cheerfully began reciting again. Remembering it is torture.”

Im Yeon looked about ready to tear her own hair out.

To calm her, I said something I didn’t even mean.

“Everyone makes mistakes.”

“In front of the Cult Leader as well?”

“Well, that’s a bit different, but he probably just thought you really loved the Guard Code.”

“Who in the world has affection for the Guard Code?”

“You, obviously.”

I pointed at her.

She let out a sigh deep enough to collapse the carriage floor.

I chuckled and said:

“Don’t worry too much. Master isn’t as scary and cold as people think.”

“That is… true. The Cult Leader was unexpectedly kind.”

“That’s taking it too far.”

“No. When he created that vortex of Demonic Qi, I was terrified, but afterward he showed none of that. Especially with you, Young Master, you two seemed… like you shared a long, special bond.”

I almost snorted at how absurd that was.

A long, special bond? Me and the Heavenly Demon?

If anything, it’s closer to love, and hate. We killed each other, after all.

Though of course, only I remember that.

“We have arrived.”

After traveling for about forty-five minutes, the carriage stopped halfway up Demon Awakening Peak.

It is said the peak was named because past Cult Leaders gained great realizations here.

This place had long been a training ground for Cult Leaders alone, but the current Heavenly Demon used it to train his disciples.

‘Wow. It feels stifling the moment we arrive.’

The Demon Awakening Peak training ground was a wide open area.

Seeing the various training devices placed around the field brought back memories one by one.

—Not enough. Lift it higher.

—Bend your arms as if pushing your body closer to the ground.

—Three hundred more. I shall count.

—Lastly, two hundred more.

—Truly lastly, one hundred more…

It had truly been hellish days.

To the point where I wondered if I would die not from True Blood Severed Meridians, but from overwork.

Strangely, this place wasn’t as terrible as I expected.

It felt a bit suffocating, but oddly nostalgic.

‘Am I insane?’

In my past life, I hated the Heavenly Demon intensely.

Not just his brutal training methods, but his very existence.

But now was different.

My experiences in the Central Plains had taught me how extraordinary his training methods were.

So I also knew that the sweat I shed here would never be wasted.

That must be why I didn’t feel the same aversion toward this training ground anymore.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, I spotted the Heavenly Demon.

He stood at the end of the training ground, gazing down at the lakeside spread below the mountain slope, lost in deep thought.

I approached him and asked:

“What are you doing?”

“Thinking.”

The Heavenly Demon spoke without turning his gaze.

“What kind of thoughts? About my training, perhaps?”

I asked, but inwardly I was certain that was the case.

It was the first day of training, of course the Heavenly Demon had much to consider.

The Heavenly Demon answered quietly:

“The Guard Code.”

“What?”

“I was thinking about the Guard Code.”

What?

Why is he suddenly thinking about the Guard Code?

“Your guard recited the Guard Code, did she not? It was excessively repetitive.”

“Oh, she must have slipped up because she was too drunk.”

“No. The problem is that it is arranged too meticulously, resulting in many overlapping clauses. I will order the Guardian Hall Head to revise it.”

I looked at the Heavenly Demon with fresh eyes.

In my past life, I had never seen him concern himself with such trivial matters for seven whole years.

And now he was being picky over this?

“Your eyes look impertinent.”

“Oh, it’s just surprising. I didn’t think you’d care about something like the Guard Code.”

“Until now, there was no need. Who in this world could harm me?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

It was an incredibly arrogant statement, but there was nothing to refute.

Because it was true.

“I sensed sincerity in your guard. Protecting someone is not easy. Especially when the one being protected is as weak as you.”

“Why attack me when I’m just standing here?”

The Heavenly Demon ignored me.

“Thus, I intended to lighten your guard’s burden. If the Guard Code becomes more organized, would it not be better in many ways?”

“Wow, Master is capable of human-like consideration?”

“How do you see me, exactly?”

“You want honesty?”

“…I’ll decline.”

I thought of the Heavenly Demon as something closer to… not quite human.

Whether in a good way or bad way.

It seemed the Heavenly Demon suspected as much.

Since he refused to hear my answer.

‘Then I should keep my mouth shut.’

Like I kept saying, training was about to begin.

There was no benefit to getting on his bad side now.

Not when I still had negotiations to make.

“Your training begins today. Eight hours a day. For as little as half a year, or as long as several years, you will train only your body.”

The Heavenly Demon spoke calmly, but the content was anything but calm.

In this life, the training time had been reduced to eight hours.

Because part of my plan to make him acknowledge my genius had succeeded.

But in my past life, I trained my body for twelve hours a day for two whole years.

It’s something that’s easier said than to go through. Go through that, and you’ll become stupid.

Your brain refuses to generate anything other than curses.

“Physical training is divided into five areas. First, strength. This includes brute strength, grip strength, core strength, lower body strength, and so on. Second, explosiveness.”

The Heavenly Demon continued explaining stamina, eye strength, and resilience.

I had heard all this in my past life, so I only pretended to listen while letting it flow out the other ear.

What mattered was what I needed to say now.

As I mentioned earlier, I needed to negotiate.

“…These are the Five Strengths. I will teach martial arts only once your Five Strengths reach a certain level. Do not be impatient. Devote yourself to physical training. Understood?”

“…”

“Do you understand?”

“Yes? Ah, yes.”

“You do not sound like you do.”

His chilling voice sent a shiver down my spine.

I must have been too absorbed in my negotiation plans, and he saw right through it.

“Your mind is wandering. As though you already knew all this.”

“N-no, that’s not it. Your explanation was so clear that even without focusing, it stuck in my ears. Strength, explosiveness, stamina, eye strength, resilience. Right?”

“So you did not listen carelessly.”

His tone softened slightly.

Watching for his mood, I carefully opened the subject.

“Master, I have a proposal.”

“A proposal? What absurd thing are you about to say now?”

“Well, you see, we train for eight hours. How about cutting two hours off?”

He narrowed his brows slightly. It was a sign of displeasure.

“Are you trying to walk an easy path before we even begin?”

“That’s not it…”

I chose my words carefully.

The Heavenly Demon was a peerless teacher, but his standards were just as strict.

That was why he pushed people to near-death every single day.

But in this life, I didn’t need to train so harshly.

That’s why I went to Demon Valley and planned to go to Inked-Needle Hall.

And I already knew the Heavenly Demon’s entire physical training method from my past life.

So I could afford to reduce the training time with him a bit.

‘I was originally going to be satisfied with eight hours…’

But after obtaining Perfect Demonic Qi, the situation had changed.

I needed extra time to study Perfect Demonic Qi.

“I know my body best.”

I answered briefly.

I wanted to tell him everything, but I couldn’t.

“Are you holding back because of your True Blood Severed Meridians? All the more reason to strengthen your body, to make up for the limitation.”

“That’s not it either. I’m not trying to slack off, so please believe me. The training time may decrease, but my progress won’t slow down. And I’ll learn everything you teach me wholeheartedly.”

It was true.

There was so much to learn from the Heavenly Demon.

In my past life, I hadn’t understood even one-tenth of his martial comprehension.

Even that little, I couldn’t fully absorb while actually being taught.

It was only after I left the Demon Cult and wandered the Central Plains that I realized, ‘Ah, so that’s what he meant back then.’

“…”

The Heavenly Demon stared at me for a moment, as if trying to penetrate my inner thoughts.

I met his gaze confidently.

I had nothing to hide because everything I said was true.

Even if it had been a lie, the same applied—acting naive is a rookie’s mistake.

Soon, the corner of the Heavenly Demon’s lips twitched slightly.

“You always try to run ahead of my expectations.”

“Have I?”

I feigned innocence.

“Before you met me, you had not opened your dantian, nor had you trained your body at all. Yet you defeated masters of higher realms one after another. Seeing you, I sense the vastness of this world.”

The Heavenly Demon spoke at length which was unusual for him.

I didn’t know what to say and remained silent.

“I will seriously consider your request. But first, pass a test.”

“A test?”

“You asked me to trust you. For trust, proof must come first. I shall ask you. What is ‘Martial’?”

The moment I heard the first question, I felt a strange sensation.

Because I had been asked the exact same question in my past life.

Back then, I had answered:

—Strength…?

The Heavenly Demon said it was a half-answer.

And the correct answer he gave me was:

“A means that leads to strength.”

It was extremely simple.

The Heavenly Demon nodded and asked the second question.

“What is ‘Martial Talent’?”

“A different means that allows one to gain the means to strength more easily.”

“So both ‘Martial’ and ‘Martial Talent’ are nothing but means?”

“Yes…?”

My voice trailed off.

It was the correct answer from my past life, yet he didn’t look satisfied.

‘It’s not wrong, but is there a more fitting answer for now?’

After thinking for a moment, I continued:

“They’re means, yes, but that’s what makes them important. Martial Talent is divided into innate perception and physical conditions, right?”

Perception refers to overall comprehension and memory, and physical conditions refer to the ability to execute what one understands.

“So although both are innate, the body can be strengthened afterward, so we should devote ourselves to physical training… is that it?”

Only then did the Heavenly Demon nod.

It seemed he had been worried I might overlook the importance of physical training.

‘So far so good.’

In martial terms, my answer was 10 out of 10.

But if I went a step further now, I could make it a 12 out of 10.

During first training, there was always something the Heavenly Demon wanted to tell me.

“I understand ‘Martial’ and ‘Martial Talent’, but what is ‘Demon’?”

This was about the essence of the demonic path.

The Heavenly Demon looked at me with slightly surprised eyes.

“…Why do you ask that?”

“‘Martial’ is the means to strength, and ‘Martial Talent’ is another means to gain that means more easily. Both seem like tools for forming ‘Demon’ in the end.”

“…”

The Heavenly Demon said nothing for a moment.

With hands clasped behind his back, he turned away.

His eyes were fixed on the lake.

“Those who do not walk the demonic path fear ‘Demon’. They define it as evil, corruption, and chaos. But that describes only a fragment of the demonic nature. ‘Demon’ is freedom. It is unshackled. It is existence as oneself.”

This was as far as I had heard in my past life.

After this point, he had hesitated uncharacteristically, then changed the topic.

“And.”

‘And?’

Just as I thought he would do the same now, the Heavenly Demon turned toward me and met my eyes.

“‘Demon’ is overcoming. Even if the object to overcome is a severed meridian.”

“…!”

I went blank.

So this was the line I never heard in my past life.

I never imagined I would hear such a thing from the Heavenly Demon.

“We will begin the training.”

“…Yes.”

I answered, hiding the inexplicable heaviness in my chest.

Looking at the Heavenly Demon’s usual emotionless face, I wanted to ask.

Whether ‘he’ also had something he wanted to overcome.

Whether he eventually failed to overcome it, and fell onto the wrong path.

But that question never left my mouth.