Chapter 37

Chapter 37. The True Education Absorption Technique of the Lord of the Black Cat Sect is, of course, a martial art derived from the Heavenly Jade.

If one only considers the force that attracts objects, it would be a type of Void Gathering.

However, if we take into account the process by which the elixir's energy is absorbed by the Heavenly Jade, it becomes a supernatural ability.

Having unexpectedly gained this power, and being in the unfamiliar bed of the Lord, I found it hard to fall asleep.

Moreover, the attendants were being bothersome.

"Lord? Who should we call to serve you?"

Though the Lord had changed, it seemed they could not skip the usual questions.

"What service?"

"Excuse me? That is..."

It seemed the dead rabbit had spent the night with the attendants.

Only then did I realize another reason why the Black Cat Lord had to die easily.

With so many women to share a bed with, it would have been difficult for him to progress without completing his martial arts.

Frequent encounters during the training process lead to muscle loss.

The term muscle loss is not commonly used in reputable sects, nor can it be found in most martial arts manuals.

In my previous life, the Hao Sect I had created fell apart without ever seeing the light, and during that process, I had a few men who were close to me.

The unique expression of muscle loss was often used by the Fist King among them.

There are a few fools in the martial world that I like, and the Fist King is one of them.

The madman is friendly with fools.

I do not clearly understand why.

If there is a common point, it might be that they do not calculate much in their way of living.

Only after thinking of muscle loss did I recall the Fist King, who had seemed like the biggest fool at the peak.

As I stared at the ceiling, a smile unconsciously appeared on my lips. 'That foolish man must be training somewhere.'

Gathering those I had connections with in my previous life was no easy task.

I did not know their pasts well, so I had to spend time and effort to find them.

Still, it was fortunate that my speed of becoming stronger was not lagging behind compared to competitors, regardless of whether they were friends or foes.

I spoke to the attendant waiting outside.

"Did the previous Lord make you do strange things at night?"

I asked this question because I felt something was off about the attendant speaking so freely.

"Yes, in summer, we would fan you all night. When it was cold, we would warm you. When you couldn't sleep, we would massage you all night."

A sigh escaped me.

"Listen, from now on, there will be no such things, so sleep well. Since the Lord has changed, your daily life will be a bit easier. Now go and rest."

"Yes, Lord."

The attendants, who had been tense due to the change of Lord, exchanged glances and could not hide their happy expressions.

I had jokingly said I would lead the front line of the martial world’s slave liberation front, but it turned out that slaves were already abundant here.

Not all of the Black Cat Sect were like this, but it seemed that both the Lord and his disciples were not normal.

In that case, I had no choice but to educate them properly in the name of the Black Cat Lord.

Only then did I finally manage to sleep in the Lord's quarters, located in the deepest part of the Black Cat Sect.

The long day was buried in darkness along with the Black Cat Sect.

Originally, the greatest threat to the Yiyang County was the Black Cat Sect.

Now that I had become the Lord of the Black Cat Sect, there was no immediate need to return to Yiyang County.

So, I had breakfast with the executives of the Black Cat Sect and finished a brief morning meeting.

Perhaps because all the executives were gathered here, one of my subordinates entered the main hall and announced that there was a visitor.

"A woman has come to inform the Lord about news from Yiyang County. If it were about something else, I would have chased her away, but since it concerns Yiyang County, I thought it would be best for the Lord to hear it... What should we do?"

The one reporting was a subordinate of the Deputy Commander.

"Just one?"

"Yes."

The Deputy Commander asked me, "Shall I let her in?"

I nodded, and the Deputy Commander also gave a slight nod to his subordinate.

I wondered what news from Yiyang County could be so important.

No matter how I thought about it, it seemed there wouldn't be anything significant, so I couldn't predict it.

After all, it was the location of the Hao Sect's main base and the birthplace of the Zaha Inn, so it was news I couldn't just ignore.

Perhaps the Black Dragon Guard had been causing trouble.

However, as soon as I saw the woman brought in by the martial artist from the Golden Dragon Pavilion, I realized the situation.

The hand lady of the Plum Blossom Tower, who had disappeared without a trace, approached with a slightly frightened expression.

'...

Is it you?'

Of course, I was wearing the mask of the Black Cat Lord.

As I crossed my arms, the Deputy Commander asked in my place.

"Please tell the Lord in detail what has happened."

The hand lady opened her mouth in a trembling tone.

"Yes, I am Sun Soso from Yiyang County."

It was the first time I had heard the name of the hand lady.

"That's a pretty name."

At my words, the hand lady glanced at me and continued speaking.

Perhaps she was nervous, as her words were not very coherent.

In summary, it was good news that the Zaha Inn's owner had killed the owners of the Kilu one by one and completely taken over Yiyang County.

In professional terms, it was a late report.

There is a certain cunning aspect to the survival of those at the bottom of life.

But I was generous.

Listening objectively to what I had done, I nodded a few times while wearing the mask and replied briefly.

"I see. That's good news."

The executives who heard the story with me doubted their ears.

The Zaha Inn's owner was, of course, me.

In other words, I was in a situation where the Lord was being informed of what he had done.

The Deputy Commander also looked at me with a surprised expression.

But I asked the hand lady in a friendly tone as if I were meeting her for the first time.

"Does the brave lady have a place to go?"

"I do not."

"That's unfortunate. How about I give you a position managing the attendants?"

The hand lady asked back with a happy expression.

"Really?"

"If you are okay with it, you can work with us at the Black Cat Sect. You are of suitable age, and having worked at the Plum Blossom Tower, you should have enough experience. Perfect."

"Lord, if you just entrust it to me, I will do well."

"However, let us promise two things."

"Yes."

"Betrayal means death."

"Is there any doubt about that?"

I pointed at the hand lady's mouth with my finger and kindly informed her of the second warning.

"Be especially careful with that mouth. Understood?"

Though it was a request that seemed hard to understand, the hand lady nodded vigorously.

"Yes, Lord."

"Then it's settled. You pass."

The hand lady, who had successfully found a new job, clasped her hands together and replied with a joyful expression.

"Thank you so much, Lord. I will serve you wholeheartedly from now on."

"You should be grateful. I am giving you this opportunity again. Let’s do well from now on. Our Sun Soso, hand lady... What a pretty name. Haha."

As I spoke, I removed the mask of the Black Cat Lord.

In an instant, the hand lady, upon seeing my face, let out a strange short gasp and fainted.

Thanks to that, the atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

Is this a trend nowadays?

"Did she faint?" One of the executives placed a finger under the hand lady's nose.

"Lord, it seems she just fainted from surprise. Her breathing is normal."

"Good. Tell the attendants to take care of her. Fainting upon seeing me is disrespectful."

A moment later, the attendants rushed in and dragged the fainted hand lady away somewhere.

Still, seeing the living hand lady made me feel a bit glad.

She was also a woman without a place to go, and if I didn’t take her in, who would?

I am such a compassionate man.

Moreover, the Hao Sect was originally a place like this.

I gathered the subordinates of the Black Cat Sect, who had nothing to do, in the outer courtyard for a while.

The key to strengthening a group lies in group training, group conditioning, group exercises, and group mental education.

Only by enduring hardships together can camaraderie blossom.

And to cultivate them into elites will be advantageous when striking the Black Dragon Guard.

To be honest, since they were not my subordinates from the beginning, I intended to treat them even more harshly.

I would make the Black Cat Sect clash with the Black Dragon Sect... but as their leader, I wanted to minimize casualties.

Therefore, training was the answer.

Still, as the Lord, I thought a little about not letting them live such a shabby life.

I stood alone on the platform and looked at the ragtag group of the Black Cat Sect.

"Since it’s the first day, I will supervise the training today. Executives, apply my training method as it is. The Black Cat Sect will focus on training first, exercises second, and sparring third. Other than meal times, bathroom breaks, and sleep, we will concentrate solely on becoming stronger. Especially before lunch, everyone will do physical training without exception, so remember that."

Though it was called physical training, what I desired was hellish training.

They were originally people who only took from others and fought their whole lives, so there was no need to treat them gently.

At that moment, I noticed the oldest commander of the Black Cat Sect looking at me, and I extended a hand of salvation to him.

"The old commander is exempt from physical training."

A look of joy spread across the old commander’s face.

"Thank you, Lord."

I issued training orders to the troops lined up in formation.

"Except for the martial artist from the Golden Dragon Pavilion, everyone will do basic push-up positions. The Golden Dragon Pavilion will now move to the back garden, make sandbags, and place them on the backs of those who have started doing push-ups. Deputy Commander, take them and prepare."

The Deputy Commander replied, "Understood."

It is a big mistake to think that a martial artist becomes strong just by accumulating inner strength.

External strength is an essential element of fighting.

And there is no special way to learn the basics of external strength.

The only way is to push the body to its limits and repeat.

The way to quickly break through that limit is simple: increase the weight to an uncomfortable level, which was the usual theory of the foolish Fist King.

In other words, the training I was imposing on the Black Cat Sect was the ignorant training method systematically created by the Fist King.

While the Golden Dragon Pavilion was off making sandbags, the martial artists of the Black Cat Sect began push-ups with expressions of disbelief.

Those who started doing push-ups were not serious at all, but I was serious.

"From now on, we will do five hundred repetitions quickly."

"......!"

"Only those who complete five hundred can rest in a horse stance. Executives will first complete one hundred and then get up to fetch their wooden swords. Those who do it half-heartedly will be beaten."

I gave the old commander, who was enjoying the scene, something to do.

"Commander."

"Yes, Lord."

"You go in and write a report. Don’t just stand here."

"Ah, understood."

I looked at the lower-ranking martial artists, who were gradually slowing down, and said, "The first five to complete five hundred will receive a monetary reward."

Money is always the strongest motivator.

Since it wasn’t my money anyway, I planned to sprinkle it like flower petals for my diligent subordinates.

No matter how much of a Black Dragon they were, everyone was doing this to make a living.

"Faster, faster, more accurately, faster. Executives, remember today’s training method. From now on, you will take on the role of instructors."

The speed of the executives’ push-ups was indeed incredibly fast.

As soon as the executives completed one hundred, they got up, and I immediately commanded, "Executives, take your wooden swords and hit those who are slacking off. You can hit them until they are on the verge of death, but I will allow you to stop before breaking their bones."

The executives seemed suddenly excited at the thought of hitting their subordinates and rushed off to fetch their wooden swords using lightness skill.

Anyway, the Black Dragon Sect is a strange bunch.

In the meantime, I did not lessen the intensity of my threats.

"It would be better to complete five hundred quickly. The sandbags made by the Golden Dragon Pavilion will be arriving soon. Naturally, the remaining repetitions will have to be completed with the sandbags on your backs, right? What would be more comfortable? Now is the time to be comfortable? Faster, faster, faster!"

At that moment, someone let out a scream resembling an animal's cry.

"Ahhhhh!"

I nodded.

"Good. Good. Just now... you expressed the rising pain very well with your voice. I will allow the screams of pain. The important thing is to quickly and accurately complete five hundred. The Black Dragon Sect is struggling with five hundred push-ups. Ah, this is too pathetic."

As soon as I finished speaking, I chuckled.

In the meantime, the executives who had come back with wooden swords suddenly rushed in and began to hit the backsides of their subordinates.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

After watching for a moment, I issued another command.

"Executives."

"Yes, Lord."

"Only hit your direct subordinates with the wooden swords. Don’t hit the martial artists from other organizations whom you usually dislike."

I am such a fair person.

"Ah, understood."

Only then did the beatings begin to subside a bit.

It seemed these fellows had only been hitting others' subordinates.

But the real pain was just beginning.

I spoke to the martial artists who had already surpassed three hundred repetitions.

"Soon, the Deputy Commander will present the sandbags as a gift. Ah, I’m looking forward to it. My heart is racing. Hurry up."

As the Deputy Commander appeared with the sandbags, I briefly raised my hand to signal him to wait.

'Wait.'

While the Deputy Commander quietly waited with his subordinates, the sounds of push-ups, screams, and wooden sword beatings beautifully mixed with the drops of sweat.

I had busy days ahead, nurturing the Hao Sect, growing the Black Dragon forces, meeting connections from my previous life, and soon dealing with the Twelve Divine Generals and the Black Dragon Guard.

Yet, in my heart, all of this felt peaceful.