Volcanic Age - Chapter 13

When the ice-cold wind finally stopped, the creatures that had been hibernating began to stir.

The white snow that covered the earth melted and vanished, and when the sun began to shine, flowers began to bloom.

The “early plum” was the name given to the Plum Flower that is currently blooming on Mount Hua. The reason for this was that it was the flower that opened up first.

Ju Seo Cheon had recently turned ten after a year had passed.

A few months had also elapsed since he began practising gymnastics for enlargement. the improvement of mountain climbing, not.

“I’m proud of you.”

Yu Jong Mok smiled while seeming tearful.

“Those last six months must have been incredibly difficult, yet you managed to succeed. The mountain’s ascent is completed today.

Ju Seo Cheon’s shoulders were briefly touched by Yu Jong Mok, who quickly moved away as if he couldn’t take it anymore.

He was so happy with his disciple for finishing his lessons all the way through and wiping his tears with his sleeves that he couldn’t stand it.

“I don’t like cliffs, I don’t like cliffs…I don’t like cliffs… Please stop. Stop telling me to cheer up. I don’t like it, this cliff…Stop…”

Ju Seo Cheon muttered as his eyes were hazy.

As lifeless as a frozen pollack, his eyes were.

Then, the enhancing gymnastics persisted for a while!

No, the torturous exercise that was covered up as enhancement gymnastics!

The Nakan hell was truly nothing in comparison to that.

Right before you passed out, the Nakan Hell pushed you to the brink, but at least it didn’t put your life in danger.

It was just marginally painful in the end.

But when it came to mountain climbing, even taking a brief break meant your life was in danger. He didn’t just stumble once or twice because he was sleepy and had lost his balance.

The hardest part was that he was forbidden from crying or grunting, no matter how difficult the situation was.

He couldn’t, for instance, tell his master to save him or that he was no longer able to.

“No worries, you can handle it!”

One could hear Yu Jong Mok’s voice saying it.

The issue was that his voice was exuberant and cheery, causing the shock to cause the pebbles and gravel to fall to the ground.

He felt cold just thinking about that.

He nearly passed away more than once as a result of that, so he stopped whining or pleading with his owner to save him.

The moments he considered giving up?

Thousands, not just hundreds, of times.

However, as soon as he succeeded in ascending the cliff, Yu Jong Mok sprang into action and apologized.

“I’m very sorry to be acting this way, but for you, it’s inescapable. You ought to dislike me instead.”

The only person he could ever refer to as his family. Ju Seo Cheon was unable to express his desire to give up when the person who had always adored his disciple profusely apologized on multiple occasions while wearing a guilty expression.

“I’d prefer a master who would rather beat me with a stick.”

If it were the truth, he would have been furious and reprimanded, but he was unable to do so since it wounded his feelings.

He eventually gave in to his need to scale the cliff and did what he was instructed, finishing the entire task.

The more he did it, the easier it became, but the danger had not vanished; he had simply grown accustomed to it.

He experienced a life-like flashing before his eyes whenever he made a mistake or when the granite bed fell.

However, the training’s results were just as obvious as the danger that followed.

Ju Seo Cheon’s body had developed so much during the previous few months that it was difficult to identify it.

When he wanted to rest after coming back from the training facility, his master took him outside to climb the cliff.

He first needed an entire day to ascend it.

He took a couple of short breaks while climbing at the beginning. It was due to how challenging it was. But after a while, he eventually came to regret that choice.

No matter how difficult it was, he continued since he recognized that it became more dangerous the darker it got.

He focused on scaling the cliff before dusk, taking only a minimal amount of rest.

He finished scaling the cliff, then dragged his worn-out body down and relaxed his muscles. He then began to circulate energy, which filled his dantian, and dozed off.

The methodical training approach allowed him to observe fantastic results.

The constant cliff-climbing improved his health and strength.

He focused on scaling the cliff before dusk, taking only a minimal amount of rest.

He finished scaling the cliff, then dragged his worn-out body down and relaxed his muscles. He then began to circulate energy, which filled his dantian and dozed off.

The methodical training approach allowed him to observe fantastic results.

The constant cliff-climbing improved his health and strength.

But it put a tremendous amount of strain on his body, particularly his muscles.

However, by transferring his internal energy throughout his entire body, the injuries in his muscles were healed.

Ju Seo Cheon’s body improved somewhat and became stronger as a result of daily exercising.

Ju Seo Cheon, who was just 10 years old, appeared to be a fourteen-year-old as a result.

Ju Seo Cheon was concerned that his rapid development may prevent him from becoming taller, yet he was successful in doing so.

He gained vigor and regenerating force from the Plum Blossom Art, as well as some of it, came from the interior energy of the Water Spirit Fruit.

On the second day.

When daylight finally arrived, he opened his eyes with a sense of relief. As soon as he didn’t have to consider scaling vilely perilous cliffs anymore, laughter just bubbled out on its own.

“He would have slapped someone if they had questioned him about why he had stopped.”

In the training facility, Ju Seo Cheon performed the Plum Blossom Fist Techniques as normal.

“Um?”

The instructor, Cheol Ung, looked at Ju Seo Cheon.

Because he is in his growth phase, “He is growing nicely.” Did he develop once more?

The fact that a ten-year-old appeared to be a fourteen-year-old child was outrageous, but there were precedents for it.

Since Hua Sect’s disciples spent most of their time using their bodies and had balanced, regular meals compared to the outside world, it would be strange if they didn’t mature.

“Ju Seo Cheon, huh? If he has even a smidgen of talent, he will develop to be quite fine because of how quickly he advances in the Plum Blossom Fist Techniques.”

That was Cheol Ung’s line of thought as he grinned contentedly.

“Whew, what do I do when I go back?”

Ju Seo Cheon went back to his house.

He had also finished the Plum Blossom Fist Techniques. It was because it wasn’t too challenging and since he still had recollections from his past.

He had to be ascending the cliff, therefore it was very embarrassing that he was at home. But the awkwardness was pleasant.

After waiting for a kettle of tea to brew, Yu Jong Mok entered through the door.

“Master.”

“You seem to be in good mood.”

Yu Jong Mok quietly grinned.

“Yes. I’m so relieved that I’m staying away from the cliff.”

He was on the verge of saying those words. He thought Yu Jong Mok may become depressed if he was asked, “You don’t like being with your master…?”

“You’re not moving, thus your body hurts, right?”

“No…yes, a little bit.”

He desired to lay still and motionless.

It was accurate.

“Haha, I had a feeling you’d say that. Come on, leave.”

Yu Jong Mok was followed outside by Ju Seo Cheon. The two walked into a personal drill hall that was close to where they lived.

Although it wasn’t very large, they could fit in there together.

Yu Jong Mok indicated a prepared wooden sword with his finger.

“Use this, please. I’ll start teaching you swordsmanship today.”

“Ah, is that time already here?”

Since all of recorded history, Mount Hua has been revered for its blade.

When one used the sword, the Mount Hua Sect’s genuine martial arts began

Others were made aware of the significance of these words.

These disciples’ teachers and others who had newly joined the Hua Sect shared this way of thinking.

One just engaged in physical preparation for their body before using the sword.

Ju Seo Cheon was overjoyed to learn that they would be teaching him swordsmanship.

“Now. I’ll demonstrate the swordsmanship you will be studying for you. This is the Plum Blossom Sword “

The Plum Blossom Sword, the foundational form of Hua Sect swordsmanship, was executed by Yu Jong Mok.

To make sure his disciple remember it, he spread it out gently.

“Mm.”

Ju Seo Cheon watched from a seat on the training room floor.

“I am aware of all of it.”

In his earlier years and previous lives, he had been one of the Five Elders. Swordsmanship-wise, Ju Seo Cheon was a step above Yu Jong Mok.

He didn’t need to practice the Plum Blossom Sword because he could easily reproduce it. Just like with the Plum Blossom Fist Techniques, he only needed to familiarize his body with it.

It wouldn’t take as long as the Fist Techniques, though.

If he discovered the secrets of the two systems, he would be able to use both with ease because their foundation and structure were nearly identical.

Not for naught did they first master the Plum Blossom Fist Techniques.

But he was unable to utter “master.” The Plum Blossom Sword is something I’m sure I know more about than you do.

He ultimately had to put up the best façade of interest possible.

“Was he a peak-level specialist, I wonder?”

The apex was what followed the third-rate, second-rate, and first-rate. Once you reached that threshold, only then could you claim to be an expert.

“In my recollections, master died just before becoming a top-level expert… “

It wasn’t a good idea to bring up his past experiences. Particularly if the matter involved his master, whom he regarded as his father.

Yu Jong Mok, the person who suffered and died in bed. He didn’t want to even consider that.

Whatever the case, Yu Jong Mok stood out among peak specialists as a very good one. He could see the top, but he was unable to approach it.

“….Huh?”

He followed a plum bloom with his eyes, a notion flashing in his eyes.

“Insight, not internal energy, is what master lacks. What if I could teach him that?”

Martial artists, and particularly humans facing a wall, were eager for assistance.

For untrained people, it was the same, but for experts, it was those who were a few levels above them.

It was because those who had already passed the wall and reached the pinnacle would be able to give them advice on how to do so.

Since those occurrences were uncommon, people sought the advice of specialists to gain this understanding.

Okay, this is it.

He realized who he was.

“I just have to help him cross the next boundary if he’s missing insight and can’t.”

Yu Jong Mok being at the peak barrier had to make him happy.

Even Ju Seo Cheon would not have been able to assist him if he had been at the Transcendent boundary and faced the wall to become an Unrestrained Realm Expert.

It was due to the wall’s height as well as the fact that each Transcendent’s perspective on reaching that boundary was as unique as heaven and earth.

“It’s unnecessary to try to teach him anything. I just need to offer him a hint and validate what he is wondering about.”

Additionally, merely responding to “martial arts” has no significance at all. Even if he offered him the solution, he wouldn’t be able to comprehend it, so if something went wrong, the wall would only grow stronger.

“Good, let’s do it.”

He didn’t give a damn about those unimportant details, even though it appeared that the roles of master and student had changed.

He had lost everything and was left an orphan in the world. His master was the one who intervened to save that type of individual.

His mentor was as real to Ju Seo Cheon as the sky and the earth itself. He was a person who was incomparable to the emperor or even the Murim commanders.

After coming back in time, he experienced the same respect and grace, and he was able to state with certainty that he could transform into an evil spirit for his lord.

“Master is not someone who will remain at that boundary.”