Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter 29

My fifth life has begun.

This time, there are no screams.

“……”

As if it was the most natural thing, I woke up in the barn, staring blankly at its ceiling. I almost wish it was a different ceiling; the familiarity of this one almost makes me want to throw up. The silver lining of my most recent death was that I died so quickly that the pain wasn’t unbearable. Consciousness faded too fast for me to even feel the pain.

As always, I checked my inner energy.

Sure enough, the two cultivation styles; Thunder Dragon Breath Technique Mysterious Heavenly Divine Technique coexisted within me, and a gigantic, river-like inner energy wriggled inside my body. But this time, I couldn’t be happy about it and just collapsed on the spot.

“… Couldn’t even last a year…”

Every time I left this barn, I used to set ambitious life plans. But often, my deaths were too unexpected. Even though my martial arts skills have reached a level where they’re not easily looked down upon in the martial world, the risk of dying remains high.

I inwardly felt that I am mentally strong.

I have already died four times, but I haven’t gone mad yet. Even now, I’m treating death quite lightly, as if to say, ‘Ah, well, it can’t be helped.’ As long as I can breathe and move, there’s no need for lament. Perhaps the ceaseless vitality my massive inner energy provides also positively influences my mental state.

I calmly reviewed the reason for my most recent death. I was abruptly attacked by a massive demonic being and killed. The martial artists who attacked me were not that threatening, but the demonic being was a different story.

‘What exactly is that demon? And who are those men in black?’

The reason I’m not sinking into despair is that I’m curious about the identity of those mysterious beings. Frankly, I’m so curious that I don’t even have time to despair. A heretical sect is conducting human sacrifices, fine, but why is there a flute-playing demon controller, and why were the men in black protecting him?

There was one answer I could roughly form.

‘The men in black are controlling the heretical sect. They’re part of a huge organization capable of deploying experts strong enough to handle the Taoist Hyuncheon.’

They were discreetly plotting something in that village and happened to get caught by the nearby Taoist Hyuncheon. Though the Daoist panicked and failed to kill the flute player, it must’ve been a shocking development for the men in black too. If the Daoist’s martial skills were a bit stronger and more composed, the crucial flute player would have been killed.

That’s why when the Taoist Hyuncheon roamed around the village searching for an expert-level martial artist, the men in black summoned reinforcements from elsewhere to protect the brown-clothed flute player. They brought them in to ‘ward off the Taoist Hyuncheon who would attack again.’ Otherwise, it would’ve been impossible to fend off the Taoist’s assault as if they were waiting for it.

“But I can’t understand.”

Among the black-clothed men, there were peak experts and first-rate experts mixed in. To be honest, the skills of the three who were fighting against Taoist Hyuncheon were far from mediocre. Especially the one casting the sword qi, I wasn’t sure if I could defeat him. Undoubtedly, there’s a power behind the black-clothed men that’s no less than that of the Nine Great Sects.

If a force that could nurture such experts exists, it would surely be rich and honored enough to make a racket in the martial world. So why did they bring calamity to the village by committing the heinous act of human sacrifice? What could they possibly gain from doing that?

After sitting and contemplating for a long time, a thought occurred to me.

‘It’s that demonic being. They were trying to summon the demonic being.’

A horrifying giant demon with hundreds of eyes and tentacles!

That demon was by no means a being that could be naturally conceived and born in this world. Although I don’t like the sorcery of the Left Path, the chances were high that it was summoned from [another world]. They probably used the evil sorcery of human sacrifice to summon the demon or perhaps an even greater being.

In reality, the power of the demon was tremendous. The physical ability of the demon, whoTaoist Hyuncheon had briefly fought against by sending out sword qi, was beyond the scope of any living creature. Just a body slam was enough to destroy a six-story tower, which was abnormal.

Those black-clothed men were likely trying to use the power of the demon for something.

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What should I do now?

I’ve already died once diving into this matter.

No, I died just now.

Yet, I couldn’t help but become curious.

The evil religion Nain Cult, that will become rampant decades later!

Why are they collaborating with the black-clothed men at this point?

Or are the black-clothed men themselves high-ranking members of Nain Cult?

For a brief moment, excitement bubbled within me, and my feet jittered restlessly. It took me quite a while to settle down, finally taking a seat to contemplate. Leaning my back against the wall while sitting seemed to bring mental clarity and ease.

I muttered to myself, “No, this can’t happen.”

I made a rational judgment, “The odds aren’t in my favor. Let’s give up.”

Of course, there was a way to thwart the conspiracy of the Nain Cult. 

Starting now, if I solely focus on taking Heavenly Tome of Dark Mysteries and forgo taking the healing potion, and rush straight to the said village without any breaks, I would arrive much earlier—possibly a week faster than initially planned. By then, the Taoist Hyuncheon probably wouldn’t have noticed the anomalies in the village. Moreover, there’s a high likelihood that the Black Path hadn’t yet unleashed their monsters.

All I had to do was immediately persuade the Taoist Hyuncheon to verify the scourge happening in the village. After that, assassinate the fluter sorcerer with him and make our escape. I thought that this would successfully crush the schemes of the Black Path.

But why should I?

Crushing the Black Path’s conspiracy would uphold justice in the world. The innocent villagers who had been victimized would also have a higher chance of survival. However, as a price for foiling the Black Path’s plot, I would likely spend the rest of my life being pursued by them. The thought of being targeted by an organization capable of mobilizing peak or first-rate class experts in droves was horrifying.

If I’m prepared to face death, I could just foil the plot and learn Wudang Sect’s martial arts from the Taoist Hyuncheon. However, there’s no guarantee that he would pass this art down to me. In the past, he agreed because he personally confirmed the scourge, and because he was personally involved.

Would I dare to propose, ‘I will help you resolve the scourge, so reveal your Wudang Sect’s martial arts?’ There’s a high chance I’d get smacked by the Taoist Hyuncheon and chased away. I might even lose an arm for the audacity.

And it’s not a good idea to use the same timeline as before. To foil the Black Path’s plan, I’d have to assassinate the sorcerer as quickly as possible; since giving them time would make it highly likely they’d send reinforcements, as happened last time.

‘Well, I could learn the secret techniques from Taoist Hyuncheon and run away, but that doesn’t sit well with me…’

Learning from the Taoist Hyuncheon wouldn’t take that long anyway. Becoming enemies with him just for that would be unwise. If the Taoist Hyuncheon decides to abandon the village and plan for another day, I’d undoubtedly become his enemy. It’s better to have no involvement with that matter from the start.

I came to a conclusion.

“Let’s just move on. It’s time to focus on my cultivation training.”

I’ve been pondering the reasons for my recurrent failures leading to death. My overall curiosity and pathetic judgment were certainly contributing factors, but the most significant reason was that I was [weak].

What if I had been at the same level of martial arts mastery as Taoist Hyuncheon during this incident?

I could have eliminated all the Black martial artists and held the Flute sorcerer hostage, thereby escaping the situation safely. The monsters appeared only after the Flute sorcerer played his flute, so it seemed almost certain that he controlled them. I could have survived if I’d secured just him, even in that desperate situation.

My current issue is that I possess unparalleled internal energy, yet my level of martial arts expertise is so low that I can’t fully harness it. My skills have improved thanks to several days of earnest guidance from Taoist Hyuncheon, but I’m still far from reaching the peak. If we talk about mere martial arts proficiency, I’m clearly nowhere near Jin So-cheong.

I must become stronger.

For that, I have to train in martial arts. I clenched my lips tightly.

‘I have to prepare myself for death from now on.’

My resolve shifted the moment I decided to properly train in martial arts. Previously, I was mainly focused on learning just the essential skills for survival. Now, I’m willing to learn martial arts, even if it means risking death.

This makes a huge difference. I can now employ drastic measures that I couldn’t attempt before because I feared dying.

I’ve decided to give up on knowing the contents of Heavenly Tome of Dark Mysteries. I’ve regressed four times so far and have become quite accustomed to the pain of dying. Even if I can’t regress again, I’ve come to accept that death can be a form of liberation.

If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just die.

With my new mindset, I set my first course of action.

“I’ve been running in circles for too long.”

A gleam of determination flashed in my eyes.

***

About a month later.

I was sitting cross-legged in the hidden realms of Huangshan, having just consumed the millennium ginseng. I’d successfully acquired Heavenly Tome of Dark Mysteries and the elixir. This time, I arrived without enduring hardships, as I had stolen some money from local households along the way.

Kugugugu…

The pain is less severe than before.

No, the only pressure I feel now is a slight pinching sensation.

My body had become so accustomed to absorbing this massive energy that I began to circulate it vigorously without pause.

In fact, I had consulted with Taoist Hyuncheon about my physical condition. I’d told him beforehand that I consumed the millennium ginseng, although I hadn’t mentioned that I’d taken it twice.

“[Master Taoist Hyuncheon, what would happen if I consumed millennium ginseng again?]”

“[Hmm. Let me see.]”

In my recollection, Taoist Hyuncheon calmly took my pulse. Then he told me.

[Your body’s ‘Life and Death Gates’ are already wide open, and your entire ‘meridian system’ is more or less unblocked. An enormous amount of ‘inner energy’ circulates ceaselessly within you, so vast that an ordinary human couldn’t contain it. Even if you were to add the power from a ‘Millennium Snow Ginseng’, there would be no problem whatsoever.]”

[Eh? I was worried that my inner energy might become saturated and explode…]

[Did you read that in some martial arts novel?]”

Taoist Hyuncheon chuckled and then spoke.

[Even if you were to consume something like ‘Millennium Snow Ginseng’ again, there would be no risk of your body exploding due to the medicine. The Inner energy that accumulates in the human body is not a material substance. It merely serves as a medium for communication with all things. Unless the inner energy reaches the ‘Central Energy Field’ (Middle dantian), the inner energy within you will just keep accumulating. Do you think your ‘Eight Extraordinary Meridians’ are actual, physical veins? Absolutely not.]

[So if I consume it three times, would I get three times the inner energy?]

[Well, something like that. Hthat doesn’t mean you’ll get three times the internal energy. The rate of increase in your internal energy will probably decline each time you consume it. But even that decline would be an evolution that a normal person couldn’t fathom. Can you distinguish the difference in height between the smaller mountains  and ‘Mount Tai’ just by looking from the base of the mountain?]”

The metaphor was easy to understand. I nodded as I took in his words.

Then Taoist Hyuncheon burst into laughter.

[Hahaha!! But don’t tell me you’re planning on consuming ‘Millennium Snow Ginseng’ again in your lifetime? You are quite ambitious!]

However… I am indeed eating thousand-year-old ginseng again.

Gulp Gulp

I was carefully chewing the root residues of the ‘Millennium Snow Ginseng’ to absorb all of its energy. Even this part was too precious to waste.

“Taoist Hyuncheon, do you know? ‘Millennium Snow Ginseng’ tastes a bit like carrot… If you chew it well, you can also taste the ginseng.”

Taoist Hyuncheon probably thought I was fantasizing, but that question was very important to me. If consuming the elixir wouldn’t make my body explode, then there was no reason not to continue consuming it in the future.

‘Kugugugugu…’ 

My inner energy surged once again. Now, all the vital meridians near my heart have been unblocked; ordinarily, it would take someone a hundred years of training to achieve this. With much more powerful inner energy than before, some changes have occurred, and that was because of the Mysterious Heavenly Divine Technique.

Originally, when I raised my energy through the Life and Death Gate channel, the lightning aura from Thunder Dragon Breath Technique would flash and surge. This was an unavoidable manifestation of Thunder Dragon Breath Technique’s ultimate state, beyond my control.

However, following the principle of Earth Generates Metal, the two mutually generating energies within me began to resonate. Although I had not formally learned Mysterious Heavenly Divine Technique, I had learned the fundamentals, laying a foundation. This overwhelming energy now moved according to the essence of Mysterious Heavenly Divine Technique, allowing me to almost similarly increase my inner energy quickly and efficiently, even without mastering its core techniques.

This was something even Taoist Hyuncheon, who imparted the Mysterious Heavenly Divine Technique to me, probably didn’t anticipate. He could not have known that my unparalleled inner energy would bring about such an additional effect.

As a result, I no longer emitted lightning aura when training my inner energy; instead, a very faint essence of lightning flowed throughout my body when rotating the microcosmic orbit. I thought this was probably a fusion process between the Mysterious Heavenly Divine Technique and Thunder Dragon Breath Technique.

I slowly rose from my seat after absorbing the elixir.

“Now, shall we head to Azure Dragon Martial Hall?”

That’s right.

I am going to Azure Dragon Martial Hall!

And I will learn martial arts anew!

Whether the top-notch expert Threefold Expert Lee Gwang in the audience wants to exploit or kill me, I couldn’t care less now. How many times have I died already? Why should I be afraid of such things now? If I die, I die. If I feel like I’ll be tortured, I’ll just commit suicide beforehand. My intention was to learn all the martial arts of Azure Dragon Martial Hall, no questions asked.

“Let’s give this a try!”

No more beating around the bush!

My steps were light as I descended Huangshan.