Chapter 32

After finishing the meeting with Ju Ok-hwa, I left the garden.

Im Yeon was pacing back and forth, not knowing what to do.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, Young Lord!”

Im Yeon scurried over.

“Are you unharmed? The atmosphere between you and the Hall Lord seemed concerning.”

Her voice was quite serious.

As expected of a guard, she seemed worried.

“Nothing happened.”

“Whew, that’s a relief. I was worried something might have happened.”

“Thanks for worrying, but the most useless thing in the world is worrying about me. You know that.”

I said confidently.

Im Yeon tilted her head.

“You looked like a corpse just last night…”

“I don’t remember. Maybe I dropped by the underworld while I was unconscious.”

When I joked, Im Yeon smiled.

I smiled back.

“You look much better now.”

“I am ashamed, Young Lord. Even as a guard, I completely succumbed to the stench.”

Her shoulders drooped.

“It’s fine. Guards are human too.”

Some people have naturally sensitive senses. Im Yeon’s was her sense of smell.

And training martial arts would’ve sharpened her senses even more, making it even harder.

Normally, they would have to train to overcome such weaknesses.

But since we would visit Ink-Needle Hall often, she’d naturally adjust by following me around.

“And thank you, Young Lord.”

“For what?”

“When the Hall Lord told you to replace your guard, you sided with me.”

“No need to thank me. Even if I wanted to replace you, I couldn’t.”

“T-then does that mean… you ‘do’ want to replace me…?”

“Who wants to keep a spy next to them?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“I was joking.”

“Ah… I thought you meant it.”

Im Yeon sighed in relief.

“Although, I was half-joking.”

“…Excuse me?”

Her expressions changed so quickly, happy one moment, teary the next.

Holding back a laugh, I spoke.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes…”

After returning to Hidden Cloud Pavilion, I stood in the back garden.

I loosened up with simple movements, then performed fist techniques I learned in my previous life.

Pabat, pabababat.

My clothes flapped loudly, but the power was pathetic.

Because I wasn’t using Qi yet and my body wasn’t trained at all.

In about three months, it would be completely different.

Instead of fluttering cloth, it would be the sharp slicing sound of air.

‘So the treatment really worked.’

I felt it earlier in the morning, but moving my body made it even clearer.

Ju Ok-hwa might have personality issues, but she wasn’t Ink-Needle Hall’s Lord for nothing. Her skill was incredible.

After training, I circulated my Qi and regulated my breathing.

By the time I finished, the sun was already setting.

I asked Im Yeon:

“No message from Ink-Needle Hall?”

“None.”

Since I gave her the detailed method, it should’ve been finished long ago—so why hadn’t she sent it yet?

‘Don’t tell me she’s messing with me?’

I frowned without realizing it.

Ju Ok-hwa would absolutely do that.

Of course she would.

What I had been waiting for arrived late at night.

“The Hall Lord has sent the Demon-Gathering Pill.”

“Demon-Gathering Pill?”

A pellet made from Demon-Gathering Stone.

Ju Ok-hwa must have named it.

I accepted the medicine bottle offered by the Ink-Needle Hall warrior.

Inside were three pills.

Because it contained ore, its surface gleamed faintly.

‘Khh.’

I felt ready to soar.

All the hardship I endured just to obtain this was washed away.

More than five hundred pounds of Demon-Gathering Stone were consumed for only three pills, but that was fine.

Each pill’s effect lasted seven days, so I had more than enough until I replenished the stones.

I dismissed the warrior and put one pill into my mouth.

The bitterness made my face contort, but I nodded in satisfaction.

It tasted exactly as I remembered.

‘The effect should be the same too.’

The Demon-Gathering Pill had two effects.

It boosted metabolism and accelerated muscle recovery.

In simple terms, less fatigue, faster muscle growth.

Which meant extreme efficiency in physical training.

‘At most a month or two, and I can move to the next stage.’

Not body training, but martial arts.

True training with the Heavenly Demon would start then.

The next morning, I rode a carriage to the Demon Awakening Peak training grounds.

The Heavenly Demon had arrived first, as usual.

“Master, your disciple is here.”

“…”

He quietly stared at me.

“What is it? Is there something on my face?”

“You look well.”

“Seems the treatment worked well. But why did you send the Ink-Needle Hall Lord? You must’ve been worried about me?”

I asked with a sly grin.

The Heavenly Demon replied expressionlessly.

“Seeing you babble nonsense, you do seem to be healed. But that is not what I meant.”

“Then what?”

“What did you do to your body this time?”

“Ah.”

He meant the Demon-Gathering Pill.

As expected of the Heavenly Demon. He noticed the change as soon as he saw me.

It shouldn’t have been noticeable though.

“Y-you remember what I said before? The monk told me a medicine made from Demon-Gathering Stone would help. The Hall Lord made it for me. It’s called the Demon-Gathering Pill.”

“So that is why you visited Ink-Needle Hall yesterday morning.”

“Yes.”

There was a bigger reason, but I didn’t mention it.

He likely already had a rough idea.

“Training is built through pain and endurance. Results gained by relying on external things are like sandcastles, they will collapse before true danger.”

The nagging I expected.

As mentioned before, the Heavenly Demon was a severe hardliner.

He was especially strict about physical conditioning, for exactly the reason he just said.

“I’ll keep that in mind, Master.”

“…”

I answered sincerely on purpose, but the Heavenly Demon didn’t believe me in the slightest.

Had I really lost his trust this much?

Well, it ‘had’ only been two days since I practically staged a protest to reduce training time and collapsed.

I added:

“Don’t look at me too badly. I don’t plan on slacking until I become the strongest under heaven.”

“Do you even know what it means to be the strongest under heaven?”

“Of course. That’s you, Master.”

“And knowing that, you still claim you will become it.”

“Yes.”

At my bold reply, a faint wrinkle formed on his nose.

He ‘was’ sneering, wasn’t he?

“We shall see.”

“Let’s start with training today. You’ll be impressed. I’m completely different from two days ago.”

“Stand over there.”

He pointed toward one side of the training grounds.

There were dozens of short iron rods topped with spherical weights on both ends.

The Yin-Yang Hammer.

A tool for arm training, each hand holding one, balancing Yin and Yang.

“We’re doing this today?”

“Yes.”

“It looks similar to the iron pole we used before.”

I asked while pretending to know nothing.

“You observe correctly. The iron pole is lifted with both hands using strength in a single direction. But this can be held separately and moved in varied motions. Its name is—”

“The Yin-Yang Hammer?”

“…How did you know?”

His eyes twitched slightly.

I answered calmly.

“It just seemed like it. Since you use two weights in a Yin-Yang pair.”

“These two are separate, yet one. They must move not independently but in symmetrical harmony. Thus its name, Yin-Yang Hammer. Your guess was accurate.”

He seemed impressed.

A perfect act of momentary genius.

“You use the Yin-Yang Hammer like this.”

The Heavenly Demon personally demonstrated.

He explained how it could train more areas, shoulders, biceps, triceps than the iron pillar.

“This seems much easier than last time.”

“The body must be trained delicately. Overdoing it in the initial stage brings bad results like last time.”

“And someone who knows that still made me do it?”

“…Begin. Thirty repetitions. If your speed falters or form breaks, start over.”

“That won’t happen.”

I completed all thirty perfectly.

To exaggerate slightly, it wasn’t tiring at all.

All thanks to the Demon-Gathering Pill.

After that, I repeatedly trained with the hammers.

I trained shoulders, and with the hammers held, even trained my lower body.

Six hours passed like that.

Wiping my sweat, I said:

“How is it? Much better than last time, right?”

“You relied on external means, yet could only manage this much?”

He answered coldly.

That man was stingy with praise to the bitter end.

“Do not grow complacent. External means should remain only supplementary.”

“Oh? That’s still better praise than before. You told me not to use them at all.”

“If I ever feel your resolve has dulled, I will forbid you from taking it.”

“Yes, I understand.”

I answered with a smile.

That would never happen.

“You go on ahead, Master.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m saying I’ll continue training a bit more.”

“…?”

A faint doubt appeared in his eyes.

He must be wondering why I was suddenly like this.

“As you can see, I still have energy left.”

“Even so, weren’t you the one who begged to reduce eight hours of training to six?”

“That was so I could use the extra two hours freely. Today, I’ll use it on additional training. I want to grow stronger quickly.”

“To become the strongest under heaven?”

Another wrinkle formed on the Heavenly Demon’s nose.

It was certain now.

He ‘was’ sneering.

‘Don’t be shocked later when I surpass you.’

Since the regression, one thought had never left my mind.

That that tragedy may already be predetermined.

And therefore, I must prepare no matter what.

As I always said, the best is stopping the Heavenly Demon’s demonic transformation, but if I fail, I need to be strong enough.

Stronger than the Heavenly Demon.

If he becomes a demonic fiend before that, this second life would be as good as failed.

“Ambition is good, but knowing your limits is important.”

That was the Heavenly Demon’s way of saying ‘don’t overdo it.’

“I’m fine for now. I’ll stop if it gets too hard.”

He nodded faintly without answering.

Then he turned and said:

“I look forward to it.”

Leaving those words behind, he walked away.

What was he expecting?

‘Me becoming the strongest under heaven?’

Somehow, that felt right.

In this short time, he had gone from ‘we shall see’ to ‘I look forward to it.’

I answered silently to the Heavenly Demon, who had already disappeared.

That I would live up to that expectation.

And that I would save his life.

A few days passed.

Training progressed smoothly.

Every day I trained beyond what the Heavenly Demon demanded, and I achieved more than I expected.

In just a few days, muscles began to form.

‘All thanks to the Demon-Gathering Pill.’

I knew because I experienced it myself.

The Myriad Poison Immortal’s Demon-Gathering Pill was different from the ones I used in my past life.

The appearance and taste were the same, but its effect was far stronger.

She must have improved the method I gave her.

‘She isn’t called the Myriad Poison Immortal for nothing.’

I had even suspected she might intentionally make something strange.

But that was unnecessary worry.

Perhaps she genuinely found the Demon-Gathering Stone refinement process interesting.

‘Hoo… this is nice.’

In the afternoon, after the Heavenly Demon’s training.

I lay comfortably on my bed for the first time in a while.

Even with the Demon-Gathering Pill, my body had limits.

I needed my muscles to fully recover to endure even harsher training later, so I planned to rest quietly.

Then I heard hurried footsteps outside the room.

“Young Lord, an urgent message has arrived.”

It was one of the guards.

Im Yeon asked what the matter was.

The guard relayed the situation.

“What?”

I doubted my ears.

The guard repeated himself:

“The Fourth Young Lord has ordered the Fifth Young Lord, the Sixth Young Lady, and you to gather immediately!”

The Fourth Young Lord.

The Heavenly Demon’s fourth disciple, whom I had never met in this life, had called for a gathering.

What could that bastard want?