Chapter 71
Mount Hua, where red plum blossoms harmonized.
Among its peaks, the Training Cave is located halfway up a sheer cliff.
Originally, the Training Cave was a cave for young disciples to undergo Closed-door Cultivation. Older individuals, such as first-generation disciples or elders and above, were provided with a Private Room where they could perform their Closed-door Cultivation.
Therefore, the high-ranking figures of the Mount Hua Sect, at the level of elder or above, rarely had any reason to set foot in the Training Cave.
However, today…, exceptionally, the Sect Leader of the Mount Hua Sect and all the available elders had gathered, waiting only for the entrance of the Training Cave to open.
Rumble…
Soon, a faint tremor was detected from the boulder blocking the Training Cave…
“It seems it is done.”
Following the words of the Mount Hua Sect Leader Myeonghwa, which were filled with a transcendent Aura, the boulder began to move.
The door to the Training Cave was opening.
Rumble, scrape - .
The house-sized boulder slid aside, revealing the figure of the person inside.
The second-generation Disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, Ha Jinseong.
He had entered Closed-door Cultivation with the permission of the great elders of Mount Hua to assimilate a newly acquired fortuitous encounter into his body.
And…, now that the promised time of one year had passed, he finally stepped out of the Training Cave.
Shuffle - .
Seeing that sight, Sect Leader Myeonghwa personally took a step toward the front of the Training Cave.
Because the Sect Leader moved personally, the elders behind him had to follow his steps.
In a way, it could have been seen as ridiculous for everyone to come out to greet a mere second-generation Disciple finishing his Closed-door Cultivation, but no one said so.
Looking at them, Ha Jinseong bowed his head deeply and paid his respects.
“Second-generation Disciple Ha Jinseong greets the Sect Leader and the elders.”
“Jin-ah.”
Ha Jinseong was an orphan who had grown up in Mount Hua.
He smiled at the Sect Leader, who still called him by his childhood nickname even though he was now well past the age of twenty.
Looking at that smile, Sect Leader Myeonghwa continued softly.
“Have you gained enlightenment?”
“I gained a meager enlightenment.”
“If you call it a meager enlightenment…, ah…”
At that moment, Sect Leader Myeonghwa felt that something about Ha Jinseong was subtly different from usual.
And he was quickly able to realize it.
The fact that his Disciple… was looking at the world with the same eyes as he.
“…This can’t be. Jin-ah, could you possibly…”
“Yes, I have stepped into a new realm.”
“…Amitābha.”
The new realm meant only one thing.
The Realm of Transformation.
A realm that even martial artists renowned as geniuses and prodigies could only reach after aging, gaining enlightenment, and cultivating their Internal Strength beyond a certain level.
At the mere age of twenty-five, Ha Jinseong had reached that realm, which an ordinary person would not glimpse for even a single moment before they died.
Even looking at the history of Mount Hua, he was the youngest. There was likely no one who had reached the Realm of Transformation faster than him, even considering the entire world.
As the Sect Leader exclaimed a Buddhist invocation in astonishment at this unbelievable fact, cheers erupted from behind him.
“Sect Leader…! This is a great blessing for Mount Hua, a great blessing for Mount Hua!”
“I dare say that even Grandmaster Hadaetong would not have reached the Realm of Transformation at that age…!”
“The future of Mount Hua is so very bright…!”
A child who was almost guaranteed to become the future Strongest Under Heaven had emerged from Mount Hua, so they couldn’t help but be overjoyed.
Sect Leader Myeonghwa, who had been bewildered and only chanting, quickly came to his senses and placed a hand on Ha Jinseong’s shoulder.
“You are magnificent, Jin-ah. I am so incredibly proud of you being a Disciple of the Great Mount Hua Sect…”
“Sect Leader…”
“However…, I hope you do not become too arrogant because of this. Always take humility as a virtue and devote yourself to your Training.”
“Yes, Sect Leader…”
“Arrogance is out of the question…”
Ha Jinseong knew. That he had reached the Realm of Transformation meant nothing now.
In a few years, monsters whose levels he wouldn’t even dare to fathom, despite being younger than him, would appear.
Ha Jinseong slowly looked around at the scenery of Mount Hua that filled his surroundings.
In a few years, Mount Hua would burn. The world would fall into misery and ruin.
“But this time, without fail…”
Ha Jinseong clenched his fists tightly. There was still a margin of a few years left.
In the meantime, he would raise his martial prowess even higher than it was now and gather comrades. He would rally the corrupt Murim Alliance and stand proudly against the cruel Demonic Cultists.
It was a task he could not do alone.
However…
“Let us go quickly, Jin-ah. The second-generation disciples and third-generation disciples… are waiting for you.”
“…Yes, Sect Leader.”
…The Mount Hua Sect was by his side.
If the comrades and elders of his Sect were with him, no matter how great a trial came, he would be able to overcome it.
Thinking so, Ha Jinseong took a step forward.
“Nothing major has happened in the world while I was away, right?”
In truth, this was merely a superficial remark. Living his second life, he knew exactly what would happen over the next few years.
Until the Demonic Cult rises up in a few years, there would be no major news in the world. So Ha Jinseong waited for the words to come out of the Sect Leader’s mouth with a somewhat complacent mind.
However…
“Hmm…”
“…?”
…Instead of saying that everything was peaceful, an incomprehensible groan flowed from the Sect Leader’s mouth.
Just as Ha Jinseong was about to ask a question, sensing that something was unusual from the Sect Leader’s serious expression…
“For now…, let us go down and talk. This is not something to be discussed lightly here.”
“…Yes.”
…Sect Leader Myeonghwa frowned slightly and started walking, as if he didn’t want to bring it up during this pleasant moment.
Seeing the change in the gentle Sect Leader’s expression, Ha Jinseong couldn’t help but feel anxious as he followed behind him.
* * *
“…The Unorthodox Faction has risen in the South, and the Demonic Cult has invaded the Border in the North and cut off the right arm of the Kunlun Sect’s Sect Leader…?”
“Yes.”
“…Ah, no, how…”
Hearing about the events of the past year in the Sect Leader’s office, Ha Jinseong felt as if he had been struck.
“Just what in the world happened during the one year I was in Closed-door Cultivation…”
The future had changed, and drastically so, to an unacceptable degree.
“Why…”
He had returned to life in his childhood when he first picked up a Sword. Since then, the future had never changed so drastically even once.
Of course, things had changed a little because he had claimed fortuitous encounters that were not yet known to the world, but…
‘At the very least, I didn’t do anything that would affect the Unorthodox Faction and the Demonic Cult…’
Sect Leader Myeonghwa continued speaking to him, who remained in a dazed state out of confusion.
“Yes, you must be surprised. I will explain it to you in detail, one by one. First, the matter in the South has been concluded.”
“How…, did it turn out?”
“The Righteous Sword Knight-errant of the Shanxi Yu Family went down to the South and, after negotiations with the Green Forest, guaranteed Hunan Province as the Green Forest’s territory.”
“Excuse me…? The Righteous Sword Knight-errant did…?”
“I do not know the detailed circumstances either, but…, that is what happened.”
The Righteous Sword Knight-errant he knew was absolutely not someone who compromised with villains. Wasn’t he a tragic figure who had lost his life after struggling against the Demonic Cult in his previous life?
But that person had acknowledged the territorial rights of the Green Forest, which could be considered the Unorthodox Faction, or in other words, villains.
Above all, Hunan Province was barren and located in the South, so it was a place that had not suffered great disasters even during the Righteous-Demonic War.
For the Unorthodox Faction to suddenly rise up in such a place…
Perhaps…
“I might not be the only one who returned from the previous life…”
Ha Jinseong looked at Hunan Province on the map with slightly sunken eyes.
If his prediction was true, he might have to make an unscheduled visit to Hunan Province.
Joining forces with another Regressor… would definitely be helpful in stopping the Demonic Cult’s invasion.
‘It bothers me that there’s a high chance that person is from the Unorthodox Faction, but…, I’ll have to look into it someday.’
That was certainly an important matter. But right now, there is something even more important than that.
After Ha Jinseong braced himself to somehow maintain his composure, he carefully asked the Sect Leader.
“Then, Sect Leader… What happened with the Demonic Cult in Qinghai?”
“…”
The most important thing was the Demonic Cult.
Even if the Unorthodox Faction rose up and caused trouble, the Green Forest could be suppressed by the power of the Murim Alliance or its own power.
But the Demonic Cult was a different story.
If by any chance they changed their minds and invaded the Central Plains earlier than scheduled…, they would absolutely not stop them, given their current level.
Therefore, he could only wait nervously for the words to come out of the Sect Leader’s mouth.
“The matter in Qinghai is…”
With an indescribable expression, the Sect Leader slowly began to speak…
“…!”
Hearing that fact, Ha Jinseong widened his eyes in sheer astonishment.
* * *
“Have you arrived! Leader!!”
“Ah, you startled me…”
As I returned to the Mountain Stronghold after a long time, my Subordinates, led by Dongryong, were bowing at the waist to welcome me.
Goodness…, watching dozens of fierce-looking bastards greeting me so loudly really made me feel like a national-level gangster Leader.
“Ah, is the Green Forest General Stronghold Master worse than a national-level gangster Leader?”
Anyway, I could quickly figure out why these guys were welcoming me so formally.
“You punks…, did you want to learn the Saber Art that badly?”
“…”
…It was because they wanted to learn the Saber Art even a moment sooner.
Seeing how they couldn’t easily answer when I asked, it seemed I was right.
For martial artists, learning an Advanced Martial Art was truly something of immeasurable value.
As they thought about that, it seemed their bodies were burning with anticipation.
“Anyway, every single one of those behaviors is proof that they are gradually becoming martial artists.”
Feeling somewhat complicated, I shouted at them.
“Alright, the executives will… right now.”
It was then.
“General Stronghold Master!”
“Hmm?”
My Subordinates call me Leader, Grand Leader, or elder brother. But someone was calling me by the still-unfamiliar title of General Stronghold Master, so I looked to the side and saw some guy running toward us, panting heavily.
Judging by his appearance and Aura, he didn’t particularly feel like an enemy. In the first place, if he was someone who knew the location of our Mountain Stronghold, there was a high chance he was one of our people.
I asked about the guy who had already approached within a short distance without any guard.
“Who are you?”
“Huff…, huff…, I was sent by the Haomun Hunan Branch Leader.”
“Munseok did? Why?”
It’s only been a day since we parted ways?
“I don’t know the details either, but he told me to deliver this letter urgently…!”
“…Give it here.”
If he was sending a letter this urgently when it hadn’t even been a day since we parted, something must have definitely happened.
I took the letter from the messenger and unfolded it to read.
And then…
“Hmm…”
…I couldn’t help but fall deep into thought.
“What is written inside that…”
As I maintained a serious expression, Dongryong asked me out of curiosity.
Instead of answering, I handed the letter to Dongryong.
And Dongryong’s reaction after receiving and reading the letter was…
“…Huh?”
…A little lighter than mine.