A grand hall. Despite the numerous lanterns hung at regular intervals along the left and right walls, the darkness was so overwhelming that it seemed to dominate the entire hall. Thud, thud. Someone walked across the center of the hall. The footsteps carried both confidence and caution. The man stopped and slowly knelt down.

"Divine Sect, undefeated. Ten thousand demons bow in submission. The Great Protector of the Divine Sect pays his respects to the Sect Leader," a soft voice pierced through the darkness.

After a moment, a low hum echoed from the darkest corner of the hall. A pair of eerie blue lights flickered there. The gaze was so bizarre that it could easily induce a seizure in someone with a weak constitution.

"What is it?" the voice asked.

The man's neck was drenched in cold sweat. Just hearing the voice made his body tense up. The presence emanating from the owner of those blue eyes was overwhelmingly powerful. The man bowed his head even lower.

"I have a report to make," he said.

A faint mist began to rise from the floor of the hall. Even without words, it was clear that the Sect Leader was displeased. The man understood—no, he couldn't possibly comprehend a god, but he understood the situation. The Sect Leader, undoubtedly the strongest martial god of the Divine Sect, was attempting to ascend to the next level. Being disturbed at such a critical moment would naturally put him in a foul mood.

"Speak," the Sect Leader commanded.

The man inwardly sighed in relief. "The Third Young Master has awakened."

"The third one?"

"Yes, but..."

"...?"

"He has lost all his martial arts due to reckless cultivation."

The silence that followed was brief.

"Great Protector."

"Yes, Sect Leader?"

"Do not bring me any more reports until my seclusion ends in three months."

"...Understood."

"You may leave."

"Yes. Before I go, what should we do about the Third Young Master?"

The blue lights vanished. There was no response.

The man bowed his head. "I sincerely wish you great success in your endeavor."

After the man left, some time passed.

Flash!

The extinguished blue lights suddenly flared up like a bolt of lightning.

Now, let's think about this.

Three knife wounds to the stomach, four spear wounds to the back, seven arrows in the thighs and buttocks. My left arm was torn off by the nails of an all-weather social misfit, and my right leg was severed by the sword of the late-arriving leader of the Righteous Heaven Alliance.

The number of hidden weapons embedded all over my body was too many to count, and my spine was broken by a mace swung by someone unknown.

Injuries like these would be fatal even for the Primordial Heavenly Lord. Even the Great Immortal would pronounce me dead on sight.

And I'm just a human. So, it's only natural that I died.

And I did die. I remember that crazy woman Biyo Wang ripping my neck out like she was tearing a chicken leg.

Yeah, I died.

But here's the thing.

"Young Master, is the temperature to your liking?"

Click, click.

"Young Master, it's time for your medicine."

Gulp, gulp.

"Young Master, it's time for your massage."

Ah, this feels good.

"Young Master, it's time for your acupuncture."

...

"Young Master... Young Master..."

"...Enough."

"Huh?"

"That's enough."

"Huh?"

"Leave me alone."

"Huh?"

"Ugh."

"Young Master?"

"...Please, just leave me alone!"

The startled maid quickly prostrated herself.

"I-I'm sorry! Please kill me!"

"Why would I kill you?! Just...!"

"Please kill me!"

"Ugh, I'm not going to kill you, so stop being so annoying and get out! Get out!"

"I'm sorry, Young Master! I'll serve you with all my heart, please...!"

"Ahhh!"

"Sniff, sob..."

"..."

"Uh... I need some time to think. Could you leave me alone for a bit?"

"Yes, yes!"

The maid quickly left the room.

Even in her haste, she didn't make a sound and even bowed before leaving, showing just how terrified she was of him.

But Cheon Hajin didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt.

He was too mentally exhausted and sensitive to care about the feelings of some maid whose name he didn't even know.

"Damn it, what the hell is going on?"

After waking up in this new body, he had been too confused to do anything but lie there and be taken care of. Well, his muscles and joints were so stiff that he couldn't even get up anyway.

But that wasn't the important part.

"Did I really come back to life?"

Cheon Hajin looked at the large mirror placed in one corner of the room.

In it, a thin young man in his early twenties sat on the bed.

'...Not bad-looking.'

Overall, he had a delicate yet sharply defined face. His features carried both strength and softness.

Cheon Hajin contorted his facial muscles, trying to smile and frown.

'Hmm.'

Even when completely scrunched up, his face still looked better than mine. I like that... Wait, no!

"Damn it, is now the time to be admiring my face?!"

Calm down and think, you idiot.

'First, where am I? It seems like a high-status family.'

Maybe the son of a decent family who had been seriously ill?

Cheon Hajin closed his eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them and let out a long sigh.

"A martial family, huh."

His meridians were all tangled, his blood vessels were in tatters, and his dantian was shriveled like a pig's bladder.

But all these elements proved that this body had cultivated internal energy.

Ordinary commoners wouldn't have access to martial arts, so it was clear that this was a family from the martial world.

'Still, damn, it's a miracle I'm even alive.'

In this state, he could be compared to an eighty-year-old woman. It wouldn't be strange if he dropped dead at any moment.

"I'd have been better off being reborn as the child of some farmer."

Cheon Hajin paused mid-complaint.

"No, being alive at all is already something to be grateful for. And at least I wasn't reborn as a woman."

If his soul had been male but his body female, it would have been incredibly awkward. He might have had to seriously consider his gender identity.

Cheon Hajin clenched his fist.

Right, be grateful for reality and accept the situation. They say the worst waste is wasting time.

"The important thing is that I can live again."

Even if this body is in such a state, even if I don't know where I am.

But I can still live. I can carve out my own future.

For the first time in my life, I have the chance to make a 'choice.'

Thump, thump.

His heart raced.

The air was cool, but his neck was damp with sweat. It felt like the blood in his body was flowing twice as fast.

'Now...'

The long-cherished wish that had kept him going through hell all these years.

'Can I really live freely now?'

Training I didn't want, killing I didn't want, control I didn't want.

I spent my entire life under the thumb of the Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader, that old bastard who wouldn't be satisfied even if I were chewed up and spit out.

But hey, at least he made me strong, right? Being born into the martial world and rising to the ranks of the top ten masters is an honor in itself, right?

What a load of crap.

Even when my limbs were broken, I never got any support.

Before I could even recover, I was sent on another assassination mission. I lost count of how many near-death experiences I had after ninety-nine.

When I tried to meet women, every one I laid eyes on turned out to be a crazy murderer, and the only thing I could find to drown my loneliness was cheap liquor.

Did they even pay me on time?

That miserly Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader said this:

- We provide everything for you, so why do you need money? Do you even know how to spend it?

Bastard. Evil bastard.

It was a truly miserable life. No matter how glorious the titles like 'Top Ten Master' or 'King of Assassins' sounded, in the end, I was just a tool.

"...Alright."

Cheon Hajin's face gradually flushed with excitement.

Now, it's time to say goodbye to that past. No matter where I am, no matter what this body's status is, whether I have family or not, none of that matters.

I'll find my freedom. I'll live like a human being.

The clenched fist revealed a man's unbridled desire.

It had been ten days since he was reborn in this new body.

"Hmm."

Cheon Hajin tapped the ground with his toes.

His balance was stable. His atrophied muscles were starting to regain strength, and his stiff joints had regained a minimal level of flexibility.

'Good.'

He inwardly cheered.

It wasn't like a few acupuncture sessions and massages would fix a body this ruined. With his insides completely rotted, proper treatment was out of the question.

Freedom or whatever, you need a decent body to enjoy it. So, he made a drastic decision.

To get rid of his dantian.

Even if it was shriveled and twisted, a dantian was still a dantian. But leaving it as it was would mean living like a cripple.

And before that, the foul energy rising from the rotten dantian would kill him soon enough.

If it's useless and even a hindrance, it's better to just remove it.

"Congratulations, Young Master!"

The maid, who had been watching him out of the corner of her eye, quickly prostrated herself.

"Since your condition has improved, I'll inform the physician right away..."

"Leave me alone for a bit."

"Yes!"

The maid quickly left the room.

Left alone, Cheon Hajin lay down on the bed. His joints weren't flexible enough to sit cross-legged yet.

But there was no need to worry. Even if his reputation—or infamy—as the King of Assassins wasn't worth much, it wasn't earned through gambling.

He closed his eyes and moved his lips slightly.

'Nine Smokes of Ultimate Intent, Burning Void Shattering Essence, Wave of Thought Suppressing Filth, Rain of the Auspicious Gate...'

Sssss.

A faint mist began to rise from his body.

In an instant, the temperature in the room rose. There wasn't any foul smell, but the air became incredibly stuffy.

It was foul energy.

A large amount of foul energy that had been corroding Cheon Hajin's body was being expelled.

'Good. Now it'll take care of itself.'

The technique he was using was called the Unhindered Technique.

A martial art he had created by referencing some techniques from the Nine Schools and Eight Sects, it was highly effective in removing foul energy from the body and stabilizing the internal system.

In his past life, Cheon Hajin had invested a tremendous amount of time in the Unhindered Technique.

It was only natural, as he had no support whatsoever.

No one to detoxify him, no one to heal him, not even someone to hand him a piece of jerky.

For someone who had to handle everything on his own, the Unhindered Technique was his lifeline. His understanding of it was unparalleled.

That's why he could perform the Lying Technique.

'You little rascal. I owe my life to you.'

His body tingled all over. The damaged blood vessels were slowly, very slowly, returning to normal.

Pssss.

At some point, his skin turned pale. The foul energy that hadn't completely left his body began to circulate wildly.

'This is as far as I can go.'

Cheon Hajin smacked his lips and opened his eyes.

"My level is still too low. Can't be helped."

Well, at least the main goal has been achieved.

Cheon Hajin stretched luxuriously and sat up.

"I can move around somewhat now..."

As he tilted his head left and right, his expression suddenly twisted.

"By the way, where the hell am I?"

There's at least one maid, and she called me 'Young Master.' That suggests a high status, but in the past ten days, no one except the physician has visited.

I could have asked the maid something, but I ignored it. After all, if I couldn't fix my body, it wouldn't matter even if this place were paradise.

But now, I need to find out where I am.

"Are you there?"

No response came from outside the door.

"Not there? Where did you go?"

Still no response.

"Tch, where did she go?"

Well, given the state of my body, the time needed to circulate the Unhindered Technique was quite long.

The maid is human too; she probably needed to take breaks, drink water, or something.

...Damn, I could have at least asked about my background. I really am only seeing what's right in front of me.

Cheon Hajin clicked his tongue inwardly and closed his eyes to observe his internal state.

'No. I'm not in a state to activate my senses yet.'

A master who had blended the strengths of assassins and martial artists to create his own unique martial art.

What set him apart from other masters was his super senses.

While top-tier masters could read the energy of ten zhang away, he could read thirty zhang.

When they could sense the presence of dozens of people, he could sense hundreds.

This was also the decisive reason he could break through the Heaven's Net of the Righteous Heaven Alliance and the Iron Blood Fortress.

By targeting only the weakest points, he drove them to the brink of madness.

But now, he couldn't manifest that remarkable martial art.

"But I can't just recklessly go out either."

There's a time to be bold and a time to be cautious. I'll wait until that kid comes back.

Cheon Hajin glanced around the room.

'It's incredibly luxurious.'

The room was adorned with paintings, porcelain, and all sorts of artworks. The bedding was also made of the finest silk, high-end items.

'This must be a really powerful family... Huh?'

He pinched the blanket between his thumb and forefinger.

'This isn't ordinary silk.'

The texture was much softer, and the patterns embroidered on it were different from those in the central or northern regions of the continent. He had been too out of it to notice before.

'The dye is also a very vivid red.'

He had seen red silk countless times, but never such a deep shade...

Wait?

'Hmm. I think I've seen this somewhere before.'

Ah! That's right.

"One of the Seven Demon Families, right?"

Yeah, when I killed that high-ranking member of theirs, his bedding looked like this.

Cheon Hajin nodded.

"The Red Snake Family, right? Yeah, the Red Snake Family. I remember. That bastard, I beat him up good after rolling him up in his blanket."

Ugh, that was so exhausting. Those snake-headed brats chased me all over the mountains just to catch me...

"Huh?"

Cheon Hajin flinched.

No way?

"...It can't be, right?"

He forced his stiff face to relax.

"Ah, there's no way it's that place. Yeah, definitely not."

The southern region of the Central Plains is where the worst demons in the continent gather.

So, in the martial world, 'Southern Central Plains' is synonymous with 'Hell's Gate.'

I don't want to think that such an impurity was mixed into the incredible luck of reincarnation.

No, that's not just an impurity—it's misfortune itself. It's like being thrown into a living hell instead of just dying.

"It can't be. It's not."

The creeping unease and ominous feeling.

Unable to bear the anxiety, Cheon Hajin finally pushed the door open.

Clang!

"Huh?"

As Cheon Hajin stepped outside, he saw three people approaching.

The maid he had seen every day for the past ten days, the physician he had seen occasionally, and a man in his thirties he had never seen before.

"..."

An awkward silence.

The man in his thirties knelt down and broke the silence with a gruff voice.

"Divine Sect, undefeated. Ten thousand demons bow in submission. I congratulate the Third Young Master on his recovery."

Cheon Hajin blinked.

Divine what?