"Step back!" My father pushed me aside and thrust his sword toward the shadow that lunged at us like lightning.
Kaaang!
Sparks flew as the sword clashed with claws.
"Ugh!"
My father was pushed back but quickly regained his stance, glaring at the enemy that had ambushed us.
Grrrrrr...
The shadow turned out to be a massive tiger, as big as a house.
The tiger slowly circled us, baring its sharp teeth.
"... The merchant said there might not be any traps, but there could be wild beasts."
"Son, don’t you think you’re a bit late with that warning?"
My father kept his eyes on the tiger but glanced at me sideways, glaring.
I scratched my head.
"I didn’t think there’d actually be one."
I recalled what the Green Forest King had told me back in the prison.
"Ah, there was a small tiger living near the cabin."
"A tiger?"
"I gave it a good beating when it dared to attack me. I thought about eating it, but I was full, so I left it there to keep other beasts away."
"Is that tiger still alive?"
"Who knows? Tigers don’t usually live that long, but with the hot spring and the spiritual energy in the area... Huh. If it’s still alive, it must’ve grown quite a bit. I’ll have to catch and eat it when I get out. It’d be great for my health."
"Tsk. Even at your age, you can’t control your appetite."
"What? You little brat! You want to die?!"
That conversation was decades ago now.
If this massive tiger was the "small" one the Green Forest King had mentioned...
"... It’s practically a spirit beast now."
"Are you mocking your father?"
"Not at all."
I avoided my father’s sharp gaze and looked at the enormous tiger, which was as big as two or three regular tigers combined.
Grrrr...
The tiger, clearly displeased by our intrusion, scratched the ground with its claws, digging deep furrows as if plowing a field.
The fact that it didn’t immediately attack after its first failed attempt showed that it was far more intelligent than an ordinary beast.
"Son, if we retreat now, it probably won’t chase us."
"Father, just selling its pelt would get us through the winter."
"... Poverty is a sin."
I slowly stepped back, watching the heavy burden of a family’s livelihood weigh on my father’s shoulders.
Grrrr...
The tiger’s gaze remained fixed on my father.
It clearly didn’t see me as a threat.
Which was mostly true.
But no matter how smart a tiger is, it wouldn’t think to take me hostage.
‘In other words, I can safely watch from here.’
I retreated to a safe distance and called out to my father in a voice loud enough to be heard but not provoke the tiger.
"Father! I’ll cheer for your victory from afar!"
"You little rascal. Just you wait until this is over."
My father shot me a glance before charging at the tiger with swift steps.
Khaaaah!
The tiger roared and leaped at my father.
I watched quietly, marveling at the sight of a top-tier swordsman and a beast locked in combat.
‘Not bad.
Both of them.’
The tiger, having lived for nearly a century, was agile and powerful.
Its speed could catch even a skilled martial artist off guard, and its strength was enough to snap thick trees with a single swipe.
Kwadduk!
‘With that kind of strength, it could easily crush steel armor.’
Even ten skilled tiger hunters wouldn’t be able to take down this beast.
And even a first-rate martial artist would struggle against it.
But fortunately, my father was a seasoned expert.
"Tahaaat!"
This was the first time I saw my father fight with all his might.
The fake Namgung Wook from the Jinmu Pavilion incident hadn’t been a worthy opponent.
His decades of training showed in his fluid movements.
His footwork was solid, and the sharpness of his sword intent was palpable.
‘Just by his movements, he’s almost at the peak level.’
Even when I was a Blood Sect instructor, I could hardly find fault with my father’s techniques and footwork.
It was clear he hadn’t slacked off even after retiring to the countryside.
"But why..."
I narrowed my eyes as I watched my father fight.
"...does it feel so frustrating?"
"If you’re so frustrated, why don’t you come and fight?!"
My father shouted back, clearly hearing me even while fighting the tiger.
...
His hearing is impressive, even in the middle of a battle.
Anyway, it was hard to pinpoint exactly what was off about my father’s fighting.
‘One thing’s for sure...’
He was stuck at the wall between the first-rate and peak levels.
I’d seen this before in the past.
‘Most of the time, it’s not a physical issue but a mental one.’
And I’d helped a few people overcome it.
Maybe I should...
"Need some help?"
"Shut it, brat! You’ll just get in the way!"
My father barked at me and pressed the attack even harder.
His sword strikes grew faster, and his assault more ferocious.
Khaaaah!
But the tiger was no pushover.
Its agility and tough muscles meant that even when my father landed a hit, his sword only grazed the surface.
My father’s expression grew more anxious.
"Damn beast... Haaap!"
A bluish sword energy began to emanate from the tip of his sword.
But when I saw it, my expression twisted.
"Father! Don’t rush!"
The biggest difference between first-rate and peak-level martial artists is the ability to freely wield sword energy.
Sword energy is one of the most sought-after achievements for martial artists.
It’s the ability to channel internal energy into the sword and release it externally.
The difference between a sword with sword energy and one without is like heaven and earth.
Unless it’s a top-tier sword, a blade imbued with sword energy can’t be blocked more than a few times.
Moreover, wielding sword energy means being able to manipulate energy externally in various ways, allowing a peak-level expert to take on ten first-rate experts if necessary.
It’s the gateway to becoming a true transcendent.
‘But that...’
Sometimes, in the pursuit of greater power, martial artists lose their footing or their breathing becomes erratic, making their techniques sloppy.
I don’t consider such martial artists to be at the peak level.
Like right now.
—Swaaaah!
The sword, imbued with sword energy, slashed across the tiger’s side.
Blood gushed from the tiger’s waist as it let out a deafening roar.
Khaaaah!
But my father also paid the price for his sloppy attack.
Thud!
The tiger, writhing in pain, instinctively lashed out with its front paw.
My father hastily raised his sword to block, but the force sent him flying over ten feet.
And right where he landed was a large rock.
"Ugh!"
"Father!"
My father screamed in agony as his back hit the rock.
Blood gushed from his mouth, staining his chest.
Both were seriously injured.
But the tiger recovered first.
Khaaaah!
It roared and pounced on my father, its speed like lightning.
"Ugh..."
My father, still dazed, would have a hard time dodging that attack.
At that moment, I threw a large stone with all my might.
—Thud!
The stone hit the tiger squarely in the side, causing it to leap in pain.
I quickly ran to my father and helped him up.
"Are you okay?"
Even though the stone hit the tiger, my father was the one who got angry.
He wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve and glared at me.
"Don’t get involved. I’ll handle this..."
"Hard to believe you when you’re bleeding like that. And if you die, I die too."
"Then you should run..."
"Stop talking nonsense."
Khaaaah!
The enraged tiger, bleeding from its side, was approaching.
Its large eyes were bloodshot.
I quickly hid behind my father and pushed his back.
"Go fight. I’ll cover you from behind."
"You...?"
I tossed another stone up and caught it.
"This way, we both have a better chance of surviving."
"... You little brat."
My father sighed and charged at the tiger again.
I shouted after him.
"Don’t use sword energy now! Just aim for its side!"
"I know, you brat!"
"If you knew, why did you do that earlier?!"
"... We’ll talk at home."
Now that he had nothing to say, it was "we’ll talk at home."
My father and the tiger clashed again.
Both were slower due to their injuries, but the fight was even more intense, fueled by the smell of blood.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
I kept my shoulders loose, ready to throw stones at any moment.
I could feel the tiger glancing at me, wary.
I smirked and met its gaze.
Thud!
A stone hit the tiger in the eye, and it tried to charge at me.
But I had a reliable bodyguard.
"You beast! Your opponent is me!"
My father relentlessly pressed the attack, and I used the opportunity to throw stones, leaving several bruises on the tiger’s body.
‘A spirit beast like this must have an inner core, right?’
My mouth was already watering.
Kooong!
The sound of the massive beast collapsing was deafening.
My father confirmed its death by piercing its neck, then leaned against its huge body.
"Ugh... Hah... If I climb this mountain two more times, I’ll close the Baekmu Pavilion."
"Why close it? I’ll take over."
"Just go home... Hah... I don’t even have the strength to talk."
"Rest for a bit."
I took care of extracting the tiger’s inner core.
Since my father had already done most of the work, it wasn’t too difficult.
"The inner core isn’t as big as I thought."
"It’s still big. To catch a proper spirit beast, we’d need way more skill."
The tiger’s inner core was slightly larger than my thumbnail.
‘This is just a bonus anyway.’
Every part of the tiger—its pelt, bones, meat, and organs—could be sold for money.
With a beast like this, the Baekmu Pavilion would have a warm winter.
"Let’s clean up and head to the cabin."
We made our way to the cabin, our real destination.
But no matter how much we searched, we couldn’t find the medicinal herbs.
"Where did he hide them...?"
"Son! Come here!"
At my father’s call, I went to the back of the cabin.
Between the cabin and the hot spring was a small field.
There, three roots of Polygonum multiflorum were planted.
My father examined them and sighed in admiration.
"These must be at least a few hundred years old."
Thanks to his efforts to find a cure for Baek Soo-ryong’s illness since childhood, my father was well-versed in medicinal herbs.
But his expression was complicated.
"They’re rare herbs, but..."
I knew what he was going to say.
Three roots of Polygonum multiflorum were far from enough to cure the Heavenly Yin Blocked Meridian.
The amount of medicinal herbs he’d fed his son over the years far exceeded these three roots.
‘But back then, we didn’t know the method.’
Curing the Heavenly Yin Blocked Meridian and transforming it into the Heavenly Yin Divine Meridian.
Without knowing the method, even the Great Recovery Pill from Shaolin Temple wouldn’t work.
But I knew the method.
The problem was the astronomical cost, far beyond what even hundreds of these roots could fetch.
I carefully dug up the roots and asked my father.
"Can I eat all of these?"
I expected him to scold me for being greedy (I was planning to give him one), but to my surprise, he nodded.
"At my age, there’s no use for medicinal herbs like these."
"Well, a lonely widower like you wouldn’t get much benefit from them anyway..."
Thwack!
I got a smack for my cheekiness.
‘Anyway, this should be enough to build a foundation.’
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
These three roots of Polygonum multiflorum would be the foundation for transforming my constitution.
I stood up from the field and said to my father.
"Since we’re here, why not take a dip in the hot spring?"
Next to the cabin was a small hot spring.
The steam rising from the spring added a mystical atmosphere to the place.
The Green Forest King had also mentioned this hot spring.
"And next to the cabin is an amazing hot spring. That’s why I built my retreat there."
"Does it have some special effect? Like speeding up internal energy cultivation or relieving muscle fatigue so you can train non-stop..."
"Tsk tsk. You should know better than to expect such things. Do you think opportunities are just lying around in the mountains? If they were, bandits would’ve taken over the martial world long ago!"
"... If not, then not. Why the lecture? No meat for you today, old man."
"Ah, you stingy brat!"
‘Now even that’s a memory.’
I chuckled as I recalled my conversation with the Green Forest King.
Then, without much thought, I walked toward the hot spring.
We’d finished our task, and I was quite tired, so I thought I’d relax in the hot spring before heading back.
Swoosh.
I dipped my finger in to test the temperature and peered into the water.
A moment later, I froze.
"What’s wrong with you?"
"... Green Forest King, you fool."
"Who’s the Green Forest King?"
"... No, I mean... that ungrateful old man."
"Son, are you okay?"
What? Did he think opportunities were just lying around in the mountains?
Then what’s this in front of me?
Who would’ve thought the Green Forest King, with his dull eyes, would miss such an opportunity right under his nose.
‘Well, he only ever relied on his own strength and never cared about weapons or such.’
I barely managed to turn my head and look at my father.
"Father, the Polygonum multiflorum isn’t the issue."
"What are you talking about?"
"Look at that."
My gaze was fixed on a bluish stone, about the size of two fists combined, glowing faintly at the bottom of the hot spring.
In my past life, I’d only seen metal that glowed like that once.
‘...
Even if it was just for a moment, how could I forget?’
It was the metal that had pierced my chest.
The legendary metal used to forge the Blood Demon Sect Leader’s sword.
‘It’s certain.
That’s meteoric iron.’