Guqil pondered seriously about what absurdity truly meant.
The strange sounds that Cheongmyeong had made while rushing out of the hut were now replaced by his heavy breathing as he returned, starting to spout nonsense.
"I am going to the volcano." "……."
"It might sound a bit ridiculous, but listen carefully to what I say."
Guqil wanted to give him some credit for at least realizing how absurd it was.
However, that thought vanished the moment he heard the next words.
"You could just leave, but I came back to say this because I feel I owe you something."
"You know that."
There was no reason to listen to the ramblings of a madman, but Guqil had no choice but to go along with this nonsense because of the seriousness etched on Cheongmyeong's face.
"I repay kindness double and repay enmity tenfold. One day, I will repay this kindness, so remember the name Cheongmyeong of the volcano. When we meet again, I will surely repay you."
It was a very cool statement.
If it had come from a well-groomed person instead of a scruffy-looking child with bruised eyelids and cracked lips, it would have sounded impressive.
Unfortunately, Guqil's impression of Cheongmyeong's grand words was quite simple. "……What a load of crap."
Cheongmyeong's face twisted slightly.
"Of course, my words may sound strange to you now, but remember them well. One day, they will change your fate……."
"The boss is looking for you. He said he would beat you to death."
"Really?" Their eyes met. "……." "……."
"Cough cough."
There are all kinds of fools in the world.
It is not particularly surprising or extraordinary when someone you know joins that group.
Of course, it is very strange when a person suddenly changes overnight.
"Anyway, I’m leaving!" "……Go beg for food. Otherwise, I really might beat you to death."
"I said I'm going! Anyway, remember this! Cheongmyeong of the volcano. Keep that name in mind!" Cheongmyeong turned sharply and strode out of the hut.
Watching this scene, Guqil shook his head without realizing it.
Life is full of unexpected events.
Perhaps that choice might not be so bad after all.
If he gets caught by the boss, he would truly be beaten to the brink of death this time.
"What should I say to the boss……."
At that moment, the rag covering the entrance of the hut was suddenly pulled aside, and Cheongmyeong walked back in with heavy steps. "……."
"Why are you back again?" Before Guqil could ask, Cheongmyeong boldly inquired.
"Hey!" "What?" "What was that beggar's name earlier?" "Who?" "The one who hit me."
"Ah…… The boss? His name is probably Jongpal."
"Jongpal? What a beggar-like name. Tell him this: next time we meet, I won’t let him off easy." ……He probably won’t let you off easy either.
"Then I’m really going."
Cheongmyeong swayed and walked out again.
Just as Guqil was thinking about how fiery this day was, Cheongmyeong came back in once more.
"Ah, why again!" "Hey."
"What? Why? What now!" "Which way do I go to get to the volcano in Shaanxi?" "……." "……."
No matter how much he thought about it…….
This kid is definitely crazy.
Cheongmyeong ran and ran.
There was no one in the world who would take a filthy little beggar all the way to Shaanxi.
The only things he could rely on were his sturdy…… or at least what used to be sturdy legs and his tired…… heart.
When had Cheongmyeong ever ridden a horse or taken a carriage? In the past, he had never ridden a horse even once.
He was not the type to be so leisurely as to ride a slow horse.
If he combined all the distances he had run in his previous life, he could circle the Central Plains ten times.
So, without a hint of doubt, he kicked the ground and ran.
And before long, he collapsed onto the ground.
"Huff! Hah! Hah! Hiiiii! Oh no, I’m going to die."
He had forgotten that he was still a child.
His once steel-like legs had turned into mere sticks, and his heart, which seemed like it would never tire, was protesting violently against the unexpected overexertion.
What do I mean? I mean that it felt like his heart was about to leap out of his throat.
"What kind of body is this!" Just from running for a moment, and this is the result! Did I run for a shichen, or two shichen? It was only a moment, and I’m already gasping for breath! How poor must my body be to yield such results? "Ugh."
As he carefully examined his body, it made sense.
Before discussing innate talent, his nutritional state was far from good.
He literally had not eaten properly.
To travel to Shaanxi with this body? That was a dreamlike story.
The great Plum Blossom Sword Master dying from exhaustion on the road? If he went to the afterlife and met someone he knew, he would be laughed at for three or four days.
"If I want to go to Shaanxi, I need to fix this rotten body first!" The best way to make his body healthy? He already had that in mind.
"Hehehe."
A meaningful laugh escaped Cheongmyeong's lips.
No matter how much he tried to hold it in, he couldn’t.
"Hehehehe."
His martial arts had all flown away, his body was in the worst condition, and he had no idea whether the volcano was ruined or turned upside down, and he felt like he was going to die from hunger.
The only comfort that made Cheongmyeong laugh in this miserable situation was this.
"So, from now on, I can learn martial arts!" He could start again.
Others could not even imagine how great this was.
Those who had not reached the peak regretted their lives? Of course, that was true.
But even those who had reached the peak had regrets.
If only I had done that back then! If only I had laid a better foundation when I was a bit younger! If only I had pretended to train when my master dragged me by the ear to practice! If only I hadn’t been caught stealing the alcohol my senior hid away…….
Ah, let’s leave that last one out.
Anyway! "I can do it again."
In the past, Cheongmyeong was known as the supreme swordsman of the Three Great Swords of the World.
But that did not mean he was satisfied with his martial arts.
Rather, as he grew stronger and his understanding of martial arts deepened, he realized more than anyone else how inefficiently he had trained and how wrongly he had grown.
The foundation.
The master, the senior, the secret manuals, that damned foundation that they all shouted about! When he was training, those damn foundationalists repeating the importance of the foundation had bored him to death, but now that he had become a master, he understood desperately why the foundation was important.
The foundation is ultimately the base.
To build a tall tower, a solid ground and a firm foundation are essential.
How much effort you put into building the foundation determines how high you can rise.
But as a child, you cannot understand that.
No matter how much you hear, you cannot comprehend it.
And even if you understand, you cannot act on it.
Why? "Because I’m human."
While I’m digging in the dirt to lay my foundation, if my seniors have already built a three-story tower next to me? Wouldn’t anyone feel impatient? Moreover! "They only say to lay the foundation, but when I’m actually laying it, they only praise those who are ahead!" Damn the meritocracy! Of course, I understand.
In the end, the master is human, and the seniors are human too.
Everyone knows that you must lay the foundation to achieve great success, but when my disciple is struggling to lay the foundation while the disciple of my senior shows off an amazing sword technique or wins a friendly martial arts competition, the importance of the foundation goes out the window.
Up to that point, it’s fine.
Up to that point, the master can somehow endure.
The volcano is a place where immortals live, and immortals are known for their deep patience.
But the moment they share a drink that evening, the foundation training is half ruined.
And if someone starts bragging about their disciple at the drinking table? Everything is over.
Those intoxicated with bragging tend to package their disciples as unparalleled talents in the world, while those with nothing to brag about must endure, clutching their thighs.
And that irritation and anger are all poured out onto their own disciples the next morning. - My disciple has already made two plum blossoms! - That damned disciple has entered the Zihua technique! I’ve never lost to him! If the disciple farming is going this way, whose fault is it? - Lack of effort! Lack of effort! In such a situation, who has time to lay the foundation? They are too busy learning one more practical technique.
This was a chronic problem in the major sects where martial arts were passed down through master-disciple relationships.
"But!" The current Cheongmyeong is different! Cheongmyeong has no need to be impatient.
There is no master to rush him.
Having already seen which path leads to greater heights, he just needs to steadily follow the path he knows.
The foundation? While others are leveling the ground and digging, Cheongmyeong plans to tear down mountains and fill in valleys to create plains.
He will build a massive tower on that vast and enormous plain that no one has ever built before! "The beginning is important."
The martial arts of the volcano are Daoist skills and Zhengong.
Zhengong starts slow and weak, but grows stronger at a rapid pace with repeated training.
While the skills of the Shao and Ma sects provide immediate power, Zhengong starts weak but ultimately offers a depth that surpasses other martial arts.
So, to put it simply, "It’s like rolling a snowball down a snowy mountain."
Try rolling a small snowball from the peak of a snow-covered mountain.
At first, it’s the size of a fingernail, but soon it grows to the size of a fist, and the more it rolls, the more it grows exponentially.
A small pebble can become an enormous avalanche that cannot be stopped by human strength.
What Cheongmyeong needs to do now is to create a solid stone that can be the center of the snowball.
And he must find a slope where the stone will never stop rolling.
"Alright then."
Just as Cheongmyeong was about to sit cross-legged, he suddenly looked around.
Something could happen if he performed a ceremony in the middle of the forest.
Cheongmyeong, who had staggered to his feet, moved deeper into the woods.
The first time creating a dantian is a very dangerous task.
He must avoid external stimuli as much as possible.
It’s unlikely, but stories of masters getting stung by bees while practicing and falling into a trance are not just jokes. 'This should be fine.' Finding the shade of a large tree, Cheongmyeong tidied up the ground and sat cross-legged in that spot.
"Now, what should I practice?" His mind was filled with numerous secret techniques.
All the martial arts of the volcano and its history were with him.
He knew more than a dozen internal cultivation methods alone.
The Zihua technique, which traverses the world.
The Plum Blossom Heart Method, optimized for the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.
The Seven Star True Qi, boasting the sharpest energy.
The Taiyi Mili Qi, containing everything needed for ascension.
In addition to these, countless other techniques that could only be described as outstanding filled his mind.
If he did not limit himself to those of the volcano, the number of techniques he could learn would increase exponentially.
But Cheongmyeong did not hesitate.
It was too clear what technique he needed to learn now.
"Six Harmonies."
Cheongmyeong's voice rang out, clear as a bell.