"First, I saved those two."

Cheongmyeong lay sprawled on the ground, looking down from the eaves.

Next to him was a rice ball. 'Huh.

I wasn't this merciful before.' If he entered the restaurant now, the brothers would be too nervous to eat properly.

At the very least, he should let them eat comfortably.

Isn't that the way of a person?

Cheongmyeong patted his belly and sighed. 'It started more noisily than I expected.' Originally, he planned to lay low for a while and observe.

But those guys weren't just pulling the whiskers of a sleeping tiger; they shoved a fire stick into its mouth.

So, what could he do? There are things in this world that can be endured and things that cannot.

"What has happened cannot be helped."

At least it was fortunate that Ungeom was someone who could understand him.

When he poked him lightly, Ungeom understood perfectly and pushed Cheongmyeong forward.

Thanks to that, things went more smoothly than expected.

Of course, he had prepared countermeasures for when Ungeom went in another direction, but it was a bit of a hassle. 'Smarter than I thought.' Smart.

"…Smart?" Ungeom was certainly a disciple to Cheongmyeong.

But he was also a bit of a nuisance.

Using the term 'smart' for a disciple was disrespectful, but using it for a nuisance could be seen as praise, right?

"Hmm. Complicated."

It seemed that he needed to spend more time to sort things out.

His position within the volcano still felt unclear.

By the way… "Those two are definitely smart."

Cheongmyeong's gaze shifted to Yoonjong and Jogol, who were entering the restaurant.

When so many people gather, there are always those who stand out.

In Cheongmyeong's eyes, those two were the ones who could become the core among the three great disciples.

"They have their thoughts in order."

Isn't that quite commendable? Normally, when someone rolls around this much, they should be crying out in despair, but they are not only free of complaints but also full of motivation? This was something that Cheongmyeong couldn't help but admire.

Especially Jogol.

For someone who had been beaten, to set aside his grievances and calmly assess the situation was remarkable.

Even in the midst of it all, he was convinced that following Cheongmyeong would make him stronger.

If he had some money left, he would want to entrust it to him.

"If raised well, he could be quite useful."

Cheongmyeong chuckled and took a bite of the rice ball.

Those guys were one thing, but what mattered more was Cheongmyeong himself. 'First, I need to build my body.'

He had roughly laid the foundation.

There was still a long way to go, but he had passed the most dangerous phase.

So now, he needed to seriously learn the martial arts.

At this point, what was most needed? A perfect body.

With all that knowledge and having returned to a young body, couldn't he become stronger through meditation or sparring? Not at all.

"Martial arts are honest."

Theory is one thing, and reality is another.

No matter how lofty the martial arts one knows, if they cannot embody it, they cannot unleash its power.

Training in internal energy and embodiment cannot be done with the mind alone.

It must be learned through sweat and physical effort.

For that, what is most needed is strength.

Is the volcano's sword swift and splendid? In other words, the sword of the volcano must be swung in all directions with just the wrist.

The sword is splendid, but the body is not.

To bloom beautiful and splendid plum blossoms, strong roots must exist.

In martial arts, the root is the body. 'One cannot only see what they want to see.'

People are captivated by the splendid sword of the volcano.

But because of that, they do not see that the person who blooms those splendid plum blossoms is tirelessly swinging the sword.

- Ah, damn swordsmanship! Why is it so complicated? Can't I just stab and kill?

- Why do I have to twist it three times when stabbing straight? My wrist is going to break!

The legs of a swan gliding gracefully over the water are flapping desperately.

If the splendid swordsmanship of the volcano is the body of the swan, then the body that must wield that sword is the swan's legs.

So, one must train and train again.

If those kids could digest even a quarter of his training, in about three years, they could be born as the strongest beings in the world.

By then, the volcano might not be the sect that wields the most splendid sword but could become a powerful sect that slaps the enemies like Shaolin.

Cheongmyeong chuckled and got up from his spot. 'The problem is not the chicks but the higher-ups.' The chicks would quickly establish a system if he guided them, but the higher-ups were beyond his control.

So, he needed to make them strong on their own…

Thinking of Ungeom made him sigh. 'His talent isn't bad.'

From the aura emanating from him, one could feel how hard Ungeom had worked.

For someone who had not received proper swordsmanship to reach that level is no easy feat.

If he could learn proper swordsmanship before it was too late, he would surely become a good swordsman.

'But how do I give this to him?' Cheongmyeong scratched his head.

This was tricky.

It would be nice if he could just throw it to him, but that would cause chaos.

He had no confidence in handling the aftermath.

So, he had to pass it on as naturally as possible without drawing attention.

This…

"Hmm."

Cheongmyeong scratched his head.

He didn't think he was particularly stupid, but having lived a life without thinking too much, it was hard to find answers in situations like this.

"Should I go back for now?" To find a solution, he first needed to accurately grasp the situation.

What exactly was the martial art that had been practiced? And whether the remaining martial arts were being properly passed down.

Jogol swallowed hard as he watched Cheongmyeong sitting cross-legged in front of him. 'I think I misjudged a bit?' Getting stronger? Training?

All good.

But for that, he had to keep living like this with this guy. 'Can I endure this?'

The more he thought about it, the stronger the feeling that something was wrong became.

"So…"

"Yes."

"Speak informally, brother."

"…Okay."

"So this is all there is?"

"Yes."

"I said to speak informally."

"Okay."

Cheongmyeong frowned as he looked at what Jogol had written down.

"Is this really all there is?"

"That's what I'm saying…"

"Informally… No, do as you please."

Once he got used to it, he would naturally speak informally.

What mattered now was not that.

Cheongmyeong held his head as he looked at the paper that still had wet ink.

"So, this means that the martial arts in the Musogwan (無書館) are all of this?"

Jogol nodded silently.

"Hah, I'm going crazy."

"…" Cheongmyeong slumped in his chair.

As always, Jogol couldn't even guess why he was acting like this. 'What on earth is wrong with him?'

Suddenly, he had asked him to write down all the titles of the books in the Musogwan, and now he was snorting at the list he had brought.

"This is all there is?" Then he repeated the same words like a parrot. 'No matter how I look at it, he seems out of his mind.'

His master had said that to become strong, one must give up many things.

But hasn't this guy given up too much? Shouldn't he at least maintain a minimum level of humanity?

"Brother."

"Huh?"

"Is there nothing else? There must be limits to where a brother can go, right?"

"Reading is not allowed, but looking is fine. That's all there is."

"…No." Cheongmyeong's gaze swept over the list again.

When he heard that they were learning the Taeeulmirigyeom (太乙未理劍) instead of the 24 Water Plum Blossom Sword Technique, he could somewhat guess the situation.

But this was too much.

"No, what do you mean half of it is gone?" And only the important sword techniques were picked out.

Who would deliberately try to ruin the volcano?

"So, the top disciples are focusing on learning the Taeeulmirigyeom and the Bukhocheongyanggyeom (伏虎靑陽劍)?"

"That's what I understand."

"…Oh, come on."

Cheongmyeong scratched his head. 'This situation is more serious than I thought.' This wouldn't do.

Of course, it's true that people are more important than martial arts.

But there should be a limit to that, right? If the enemy charges with a well-sharpened sword, and you are given a twig to fight with, you will get slapped before you can even hand over the twig.

At the very least, something must be done.

At the very least.

But in Cheongmyeong's view, the Taeeulmirigyeom and the Bukhocheongyanggyeom did not meet that minimum standard.

'If only the Chilmaegyeom (七枚劍) were available.' The volcano wouldn't be in this state.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

Cheongmyeong struggled to suppress his boiling anger when suddenly Jogol spoke up.

"I heard that…"

"Yeah?"

He hadn't even asked, but something was spilling out.

"When the Demon Sect invaded before, there was a fire in the western library."

"…A fire in the western library? Oh, no, more than that, the Demon Sect invaded?" Why would the Demon Sect invade the volcano? Didn't the Heavenly Demon die and leave them in disarray?

Before answering, Jogol threw another question.

"Do you know the Plum Blossom Sword Master?"

"I do."

Very well.

No one knows me better than I know myself.

I know it very well.

"My masters said that the Plum Blossom Sword Master played a part in killing the Heavenly Demon."

"…Played a part?" I beheaded that guy, what? Played a part?

Cheongmyeong's face flushed slightly.

To belittle the achievement made by risking his life like that!

"But who knows?"

"What do you mean who knows, you fool! The Plum Blossom Sword Master beheaded the Heavenly Demon!"

"Huh? Who says that?"

"Who says that! It's all…"

Oh? Cheongmyeong tilted his head slightly. 'Wait a minute.'

"I can't say for sure, but everyone who went up to the Dae Mountain at that time is dead. So no one knows how the Heavenly Demon died."

"…."

That's right.

They all died.

Cheongmyeong was the last one left to behead the Heavenly Demon.

So, no one saw it… right? No one saw it.

Cheongmyeong realized. 'No, then…'

He had risked his life to bring down the Heavenly Demon for the honor of the volcano, and that meant no one acknowledged it? What kind of ridiculous situation is this?

"Anyway, when the Heavenly Demon fell at Dae Mountain, the remaining remnants of the Demon Sect went crazy and pushed down to the Central Plains. Even after suffering tremendous losses, they finally made it to the volcano and set everything on fire, causing chaos."

"…."

Cold sweat began to flow from Cheongmyeong's entire body.

But Jogol, who did not notice Cheongmyeong's change, continued to speak calmly.

"They said they didn't know why it happened. They probably didn't have any particular grudge against the volcano."

"Oh… um, that…."

They don't know why it happened.

But I think I do.

"Haha."

So, if you put this all together, it means that the destruction of the volcano was 'my fault?' Huh? My fault?

"Hahahahahaha."

"Why are you laughing all of a sudden?"

"Hahahahahahahaha."

Ah, life is truly…

Hahaha.