CHAPTER 4

Yuwolgok was a gentle valley dotted with small village shrines. Scattered throughout were a number of hamlets, and perhaps because the local farmers had formed some kind of militia, there hadn't been any sign of bandits. After spending a night camping near Yuwolgok, I continued steadily on my way toward Guanzhong.

Hopefully no bandits show up.

I continued climbing through the mountain trails with that thought in mind. I was just a day's journey away from Guanzhong when trouble suddenly struck.

Crash!

Two bandits emerged, parting the underbrush ahead of me on the mountain path. They wielded curved sabers and had bone ornaments hanging from their waists—clear signs they were part of the Noklim (Green Forest) bandit clans. I started to back away instinctively, but the thinner of the two gave me a toothy grin and said,

"Well, well, what do we have here? A mouse caught in the trap?"

The stockier bandit scratched his hairy chest and replied,

"Let's just take everything he's got and let him go. The Little Lord hasn't been too keen on blood lately."

"Yeah, no one sleeps well after seeing a mouse die."

The skinny bandit nodded as if he agreed and then barked,

"Drop your pack and strip! Stay quiet and you'll live."

"… Yes, sir…"

I had no choice.

Fighting two fully trained bandits from an official Noklim group just to protect the small amount of wealth I had left was too risky. It wasn't that I couldn't handle them with my martial arts, but the odds weren't good. Members of the Noklim clans were often trained as systematically as escort warriors, meaning they might even be stronger than I was in my past life.

Sure, if I fought to the death, I might win, but I wasn't about to take that gamble. Besides, I didn't even have a weapon on me—completely vulnerable. If I'd had even a single sword, I wouldn't have had to make such a humiliating choice.

The bandits rummaged through my pack and found the two silver coins I had. Their eyes widened in surprise.

"Whoa, this guy's loaded!"

"Let's just let him go. That's a nice haul."

"Consider yourself lucky, punk. Hah…"

The skinny one playfully smacked the back of my head, then tossed my shirt back to me. I hurriedly gathered up my tattered clothes and made my escape.

"Damn it… how humiliating."

Even if I had the body of someone in their late teens, I might have been able to escape somehow. But despite having internal energy within me, my bones and muscles hadn't yet fully matured, so I couldn't properly exert my strength. I had to consider myself lucky just to have escaped with my life.

Then, a sudden thought crossed my mind.

"How long do I have to live like this?"

I wanted power.

Maybe not enough to dominate the entire world—but enough to stand tall with pride.

I desperately wanted strength that would let me hold my head high.

Since I'd been stripped of all my belongings and money, I now had to reach Guanzhong on foot, starving, sleeping outdoors. The only silver lining was that I just needed to keep walking and I'd eventually get there. Once I passed through Guanzhong's city gates and entered the streets, I felt like I might finally survive.

I camped outdoors again.

I had done it before, but maybe because I was hungry, the early morning chill felt especially bitter. I crawled beneath a boulder, dug out a bit of earth, and lay down on it. The faint warmth from the soil helped me get through the night.

"I just have to get to Qinglong Martial Hall in Guanzhong, learn top-tier martial arts, train hard, gain strength, and eat the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng from Mount Huangshan. That's all there is to it. This suffering right now is nothing."

That naive plan helped ease the cold of the present moment.

***

3. Qinglong Martial Hall

The next day, step by step, I made my way to Qinglong Martial Hall in Guanzhong. As one of the most prestigious halls in the region, it was surrounded by a tall wall, and its name plaque was boldly inscribed in elegant calligraphy. Despite being just a martial hall, it even had gatekeepers stationed at the front.

More accurately, they were probably low-ranking disciples rather than official guards. They spotted me standing out front and said,

"Hey, kid, what are you doing loitering here? No begging allowed. Get lost."

Even I had to sigh when I caught sight of my own appearance. Dirty, ragged, and covered in dust—I looked no better than a beggar boy. No wonder they mistook me.

But I mustered up the courage to speak.

"I've come to take the entrance exam for Qinglong Martial Hall."

"The entrance exam? Hahaha, what a joker!"

They burst out laughing and mocked me. But when they realized I wasn't joking, they gave me a slightly more curious, even doubtful, look.

Then one of them asked,

"Hey, kid. You wouldn't happen to be from one of the Six Great Families of Guanzhong, would you?"

"No, I'm not."

"Then, have you been building the foundations of your internal energy since childhood?"

"Yes."

"Hmph…"

The chubby gatekeeper let out a twisted grin.

"Well then, how about I test the internal energy of this little junior of ours?"

"Go easy on him."

Boom.

With an air of bravado, the fat man stomped on the ground with a tremor step. Then he held out his hand, thick as a cauldron lid, and said,

"Kid, grab my hand."

When our hands met, he pressed our feet side-by-side, positioning us so that it resembled the setup for a balance test, where one side would be pushed off if their stance or internal energy wavered.

"If you can hold your ground against me, I'll take you straight to the Hall Master."

"What happens if I win?"

"Hahaha! You think you'll win? If you do, I'll bow and call you master."

"Alright."

Whooom…

"…!!"

The balance test began—and the fat man's face quickly turned strained.

As I channeled the internal energy of the Three Elemental Core Method , my power began to overwhelm his brute strength. I focused so hard that veins popped on my forehead—then, in one powerful push, I forced him sideways.

"W-wha…?"

Thud!

Staggering, the fat gatekeeper fell on his butt with a loud crash.

He let go of my hand and scrambled to his feet, his expression completely twisted in disbelief.

I was drenched in sweat, and my face was flushed red—it hadn't been easy—but I still managed to smile and said calmly,

"No need to bow. Just go tell the Hall Master."

Don't think I'll lose that easily.

Even though my internal energy method was the Three Elemental Core Method, I had practiced it for decades in my past life. There was no way a mere disciple of Qinglong Martial Hall could overpower me.

"W-wait here!"

Flustered, the chubby gatekeeper hurried inside, while the one next to him stood frozen, looking dazed. They clearly didn't know what to do with this unexpected situation. Thankfully, none of them tried to save face by attacking me out of spite.

A short while later, the chubby gatekeeper returned and said,

"Come with me."

"Are we going to see the Hall Master?"

"Still, before meeting the instructor, we need to do something about that filthy appearance of yours."

At first, I thought he was taking me somewhere secluded to beat me up. But instead, we headed into the city of Guanzhong, where he brought me to a modest inn and let me take a warm bath.

While I was still in a daze, the chubby gatekeeper showed up with some clothes and tossed them at me.

"Wash up properly. If you show up looking like a beggar, I'll get punished too."

The clothes fit me decently. Maybe because my body was so skinny, they hung a bit loose, but they were clean white garments—definitely good enough to wear.

Once I had dried off, I followed the chubby gatekeeper back to Qinglong Martial Hall. This time, I noticed disciples scattered throughout the courtyard. Their eyes were filled with undisguised curiosity. Some glanced at me sideways, others outright snickered.

The chubby gatekeeper gave me a sideways glance and muttered,

"You're going to have a meeting with the instructor now. If you say or do anything disrespectful, your head's coming off, so watch your mouth."

"Huh? I thought I was meeting the Hall Master?"

"The Hall Master is busy. The Chief Instructor will decide whether you're worthy of being accepted as a disciple."

That made sense.

A martial hall as large as Qinglong probably didn't have the Hall Master personally vet every new recruit. Most likely, they let the Chief Instructor sort through the potential candidates, and only those who showed real promise would be taken in as full disciples by the Hall Master later.

"Instructor, the boy is here."

"Let him in."

Creak—

I opened the door to a calm, wooden building filled with the faint scent of incense. Inside sat a man quietly sipping tea—his head shaved, a young man who looked to be in his mid-twenties. Still youthful, but clearly mature beyond his years.

I hadn't expected the so-called instructor to be so young. It caught me off guard.

The instructor looked at me, smiled faintly, and said,

"So, you knocked over Bang Ilmi with a balance test? That's impressive."

"Come, sit down. Let's just have a relaxed chat."

Once the chubby gatekeeper—apparently named Bang Ilmi—closed the door and left, I walked forward without hesitation and sat across from the instructor. For a moment, a flicker of interest passed through his eyes. Maybe he found it unusual that I showed no nervousness or hesitation.

Soon, the instructor spoke.

"I am Jin So-cheong , a martial instructor at Qinglong Martial Hall. Now then, what is your name?"

What…?!

The moment I heard his name, my body froze, as if all my composed demeanor had been a lie.

Out of nowhere, that name—!

The name stunned me so much, I couldn't help but be flustered.

"Wait… What? Jin So-cheong? Why is that name here?"

Stammering in disbelief, I managed to respond with a weak attempt at composure.

"I… I'm Baek Woong-mi. I live in a small village near the Maehwa Escort Agency… Um, Instructor Jin So-cheong, is your specialty the spear by any chance?"

Jin So-cheong tilted his head slightly, surprised by the question.

"That's right. My master was one of the Three Masters and mastered all three major weapons, but I only managed to learn the spear. I'm not that talented."

But I knew better than to take that false humility at face value.

That man—he might appear modest now, but he was destined to become one of the top martial masters in the world. There was no question about it.

My shock wasn't just from meeting a powerful person.

Jin So-cheong.

That name would, 30 years from now, become legendary as one of the Ten Grandmasters of the Martial World. The unrivaled authority of spear techniques . People called him the Greatest Spearman in the Central Plains, and he had slain over a hundred infamous martial outlaws with his own hands.

He wasn't just respected—he was revered. Among the Ten Grandmasters, he was considered top-tier, a supreme martial hero who could contend for the title of the strongest man in the world.

And now, that very man was sitting across from me—face to face.

Jin So-cheong looked curious and asked,

"But tell me, Baek Woong-mi, how did you guess that my main weapon is the spear? As you can see, this training hall has a variety of weapons, not just spears."

What do I say to that?

I hesitated for a moment, then came up with a plausible excuse.

"From the calluses on your hands."

"Oh?"

He looked at his hands briefly—then burst into hearty laughter.

"Hahaha! A rare talent indeed! Bang Ilmi's brought me quite the catch."

Apparently, my bluff had worked. While it's true that one can tell a lot from the condition of someone's hands, I actually had no real idea whether those calluses were from sword practice, spear drills, or something else. I had simply thrown out a line based on knowledge picked up from years working as a low-level escort warrior.

As I let out a quiet sigh of relief, Jin So-cheong asked,

"Then let's hear a bit about your background. You seem to have substantial internal energy—how did that come about? And what brings you to Qinglong Martial Hall?"

I had expected that question.

Taking a deep breath, I calmly replied,

"When I was young, I lost my parents and lived under the care of the village head. One day, a wandering escort warrior passed through and took a liking to me. He taught me the Six Harmonies Sword Technique and the Three Elemental Core Method. I've been diligently training in them for several years now. But I want to walk a deeper path in martial arts… So I came to Guanzhong, hoping…"

"…and that's why I came seeking guidance at Qinglong Martial Hall, the biggest and most renowned martial hall in Guanzhong."

This was the answer I had prepared during my entire journey. There was nothing suspicious or inconsistent about it. After listening quietly, Jin So-cheong thought for a moment and then said:

"Hold out your arm."

"Yes, sir."

I extended my arm. Jin So-cheong pressed his fingers gently against my forearm, feeling around carefully. After a long moment of focused concentration, he spoke.

"You've built up quite a bit of internal energy. How long have you been training?"

"Around four years."

"Four years!! Hmm… You must have trained relentlessly day and night. Impressive."

At that moment, I felt a strange wave of emptiness.

"He bought it…"

Deep down, I'd been worried that my internal energy might seem too developed for someone my age and would draw suspicion. I'd even allowed him to test me thinking, Well, if he finds it strange, I'll just play it off. But now, hearing him accept my claim without hesitation just left me… deflated.

My martial arts skills weren't all that remarkable, but even so, they were built on the foundation of forty years of life as a bodyguard escort in my past life. For someone like Jin So-cheong to truly believe that this level of internal strength could be achieved in four short years of training…

It stung, in a weird way.

As a low-ranking escort, I had never been able to devote much time to martial training. I was always on the road, preoccupied with survival, and constantly worn down from long missions. I was lucky to get even one hour of proper training a day. So in hindsight, my slow progress wasn't surprising—it had been inevitable.

Jin So-cheong continued,

"Fortunately, the Three Elemental Core Method is one of the basic internal techniques, so even if you learn other methods in the future, there's no risk of internal deviation . Starting today, you'll join us as a First Line disciple, and be allowed to learn the martial arts of Qinglong Hall."

"What does 'First Line' mean?"

"At Qinglong Martial Hall, under the Hall Master's authority, I oversee all disciples. Beneath me, there are two assistant instructors. The most senior disciples are called Third Line, followed by Second Line, and finally, First Line—which is where you'll begin. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

Jin So-cheong's explanation gave me a clear, simple outline of the hierarchy within Qinglong Martial Hall.