Volcanic Age - Chapter 16

“Ugh. What happened previously again?”

When he was ten years old in his previous incarnation, he concentrated on honing his martial skills by traveling to and from the Nak An Hell.

He lacked the free time to focus on other things.

That was primarily a remnant of the pre-war era. Almost nothing about that was known to him.

The majority of the information Ju Seo Cheon was aware of about the time of conflict. Additionally, it began with the Hansem fight.

The events that occurred before that were incredibly unimportant, and he understood very little about them.

“I’m not sure how long it’s been since I got a mission, haha.”

Despite his disciple’s apprehension, Yu Jong Mok smiled with a genuine sense of happiness. Ju Seo Cheon was anxiously pounding his feet and wanted to say something, but he was unable to.

It was because he was the only one who truly understood Yu Jong Mok’s emotions.

He had the abilities, yet he had been passed over for missions. Even if he did get some missions, they were either brief or rather simple.

Missions lasting a long time required a lot of stamina. If his body temperature suddenly rose, he would be helpless to complete any important assignments.

Despite being powerful and regretting the position, Yu Jong Mok was frequently left behind on missions.

He became depressed at one time and said he couldn’t pay off his debt.

How then could he prevent his master?

Even if he was concerned, he had no power to stop the man.

“What kind of mission is it?”

With concern in his eyes, Ju Seo Cheon questioned Yu Jong Mok.

After that, Yu Jong Mok grinned contentedly and knelt to be at his disciple’s eye level.

“Don’t worry too much. Your master is not going out to die. I did fix this weak body of mine, but they didn’t entrust a great mission to me as they weren’t certain of it.”

His body had been repaired as he reached the pinnacle rank but they weren’t able to entrust him with important tasks.

Yu Jong Mok didn’t have any performances yet but still had the record of having a frail body so they weren’t able to them.

Yu Jong Mok also knew that fact so he didn’t feel bad.

The chief executives of Mount Hua Sect decided to entrust Yu Jong Mok with an intermediate difficulty to test him.

“I understand. I will pray for you to return safely.”

Ju Seo Cheon sent off Yu Jong Mok with a half-worried and half-happy heart.

A great change would come to Ju Seo Cheon when he turned ten.

“Ah, I already put up your name on the Lotus Peak examination so be prepared for it. If it’s you, you would probably be able to do it.”

“Cough, cough.”

He started to cough as soon as he heard the name Lotus Peak.

‘No, why?’

It would be good to spend his childhood without attracting too much attention. That would be the best way to spend the rest of his days as a child.

But why the Lotus Peak?

The Lotus Peak is a place where all the talents of Mount Hua gathered at. It is an institution that Mount Hua and even Murim pay attention to.

it was obvious to attract attention as most Plum Blossom Examiners came out from this place.

“I don’t know how long this mission will take, but there are not many people that would take care of you if you got out to Kang Ho. If you enter Lotus Peak you won’t have to worry about such things. No, they will be able to teach you better than this master of yours.”

“That’s not the case!”

“Hahaha, I always tell you this but you tend to praise me more than necessary. 

Whatever the case, I believe you will be able to plentily enter Lotus Peak. Ah, don’t feel too burdened by it. It’s fine if you fall out.”

He got crazily burdened by it.

Affectionate eyes. And the emotion that was felt in those eyes was ‘trust’.

If it was his disciple, he would be easily able to enter the Lotus Peak. He was sure that there was no reason at all for his disciple to fall on the examination.

It wasn’t excessive for Yu Jong Mok to think like that. Ju Seo Cheon had the skills to back it up.

“Okay, I will leave now.”

Ju Seo Cheon was about to put on a teary face but he didn’t want to worry Yu Jong Mok, that was too weak when it came to his disciple, so he smiled brightly and sent him off smiling.

Four days later.

“Ah, fuck it.”

Ju Seo Cheon pulled out his hair and screamed.

“Just what do I have to do?”

Ju Seo Cheon shed tears of blood at the problem his master left him. He wasn’t able to sleep properly these past four days due to the examination of the Lotus Peak.

Thinking about it rationally he had to fail the examination. If he passed the exam he would receive attention and it would become bothersome.

There was no need to worry about the Purple Haze Arts getting discovered but there were still other bothersome things.

But his emotions were headed in a completely different direction.

‘Are you planning to betray the trust of your master!’

His master, Yu Jong Mok, was a God. His God said that he believed in him so it was hard to ignore that expectation.

He wanted to fulfill his expectations by entering Lotus Peak.

‘Ha. I really wanted to enter that place in my past life but I’m now wondering whether to enter or not!’

The Lotus Peak. His chest trembled just by hearing that name.

The Lotus Peak was a sacred place for the inner disciples. Entering that place meant that they were evaluated as the hope of the Mount Hua Sect.

It also meant getting closer to becoming a Plum Blossom Examiner, which was the idol of the disciples of Mount Hua so it could only be a holy place for them.

Ju Seo Cheon also admired the Lotus Peak before he returned in time. It was an institution that all the disciples of Mount Hua Sect admired.

Ju Seo Cheon had dreamed of living a better life since having returned in time. It would be a lie if he said that he didn’t feel any emotions.

Ju Seo Cheon went to practice the Plum Blossom Sword Arts in a secluded area, this was to help in organizing his thoughts.

Besides that, he also trained in the Fourteen Stances of the Plum Blossom Sword, the Withered Flower Sword Art, and the Universe Sword Art which not even Yu Jong Mok was able to learn.

He also wanted to train in the Purple Haze Sword Wave but that was something he could only do after he reached the fourth star in the Purple Haze Arts.

‘Actually, I’m already receiving attention…’

Not everyone could become pinnacle experts.

Most of all Yu Jong Mok had become a candidate for the Plum Blossom Sword Examiner. That alone was enough to get recognized.

Because of this Yu Jong Mok was quite well known inside the Hua Sect, although he wasn’t that known outside of Kang Ho.

Some of his prestige disappeared after Ju Seo Cheon became his disciple but that appeared once again after he became a pinnacle expert.

After Yu Jong Mok became a famous person, stories about his disciple also spread.

It even spread to the visitors or disciples that wanted to form a connection with Yu Jong Mok.

He couldn’t easily conclude because he couldn’t choose between following his mind or heart.

“My head already hurts because of the Three-Eyed Immoral God….huh?”

The Lotus Peak, avoiding attention, and the treasury of the 

Three-Eyed Immoral God. These three factors lined up and arranged a new list of information.

After sweating a bit by practicing swordsmanship, he put his feet in the waters of the ravine and organized the thoughts that appeared in his head.

The day the treasury of the Three-Eyed Immoral God would open was five years later. He would have to go out to Kang Ho a year or two later anyways.

He didn’t know exactly how many treasures there were in the treasury but he did know that it wasn’t few.

He would need at least a year to move and hide all of that. He may have to receive the help of another person but he also needed at least two years to get someone he could trust.

It would at least take one year or two. So, he would have to go out to Kang Ho when he was thirteen.

He felt troubled because he didn’t know how he should act next but the thought had entered his head 

“You stupid bastard!”

Ju Seo Cheon blamed his dull head and got angry. He felt that the time he spent thinking until now was for nothing.

“If I want to go out to Kang Ho when I’m thirteen, normal methods aren’t going to work anyways.”

Even if I request that from my master, not even he would be able to receive permission if it wasn’t reasoned enough.

No, in the first place he didn’t even know what he should ask his master to receive help.

But there was a way that could solve this painstaking matter. It was a really simple method.

The reason the disciples of Mount Hua were sent off after they became twenty years old was simple. It was because they didn’t want the disciples they raised to die. After all, they didn’t have enough skills.

But of course, they didn’t only send off the fourth-generation disciples to Kang Ho. They put skilled third-generation disciples as their protectors.

But you couldn’t know what could happen to one person. No, what could happen in Kangho? They didn’t know what variable was there.

That’s why they evaluate your martial prowess to make sure it’s enough to survive that variable.

‘The treasury of the Three-Eyed Immoral God and attracting attention. There’s nothing to speak about if we put these two on a scale. The treasury comes first.’

The worth of the treasury was astronomical and the uses for the treasures in that treasury were endless.

The first would be miraculous medicine. What Ju Seo Cheon lacked was internal energy so if he solved that, achieving the same prowess he had in his past life would only be a matter of time.

The manuals and weaponry came in second. These two would be employed to assemble his army of allies for the coming conflict.

In addition, it would be wise to seize them since he could use them as bait.

Let’s maintain a proper line to avoid drawing too much attention. Since I’m still young, people won’t be as wary of me. I will just demonstrate what is necessary to climb Lotus Peak.

His mind was racing.

He’d considered the larger picture. Although it’s only a small portion, he had created a sizable frame.

“Whew. Even though I started a new life, I still feel like I haven’t advanced at all.”

Ju Seo Cheon automatically let out a sigh.

“The knowledge you possess is useless. Even your correct use of them is beyond your knowledge. Think about that, Ju Seo Cheon.”

Ju Seo Cheon struck his head and managed to get himself together.

He had an advantage over others, but that was all. He was unsure about his ability to react appropriately to variables.

The person known as Ju Seo Cheon wasn’t particularly competent, to begin with. He had only adhered to the Mount Hua Sect’s doctrines

He was used to merely getting orders. He wouldn’t know how to respond if someone inquired as to whether he was wise.

By staying alive and having luck on his side when he was about to pass away, he managed to attain the highest level and become an Unrestrained Realm Expert.

That was all there was. He was nothing at all.

He was simply a regular guy. He wasn’t particularly good, but he also didn’t lag. Only that was there. Ju Seo Cheon was reminded of this.

First of all, he would have been acknowledged by everyone in his previous life and elevated to the position of a legitimate elder if he had the wisdom to be able to achieve wonderful results with a little amount of thought.

If we were to discuss Ju Seo Cheon’s positive traits, one of them was that he was discreet.

Because of that, he managed to survive the time of war.

“I only have three years left. At the Lotus Peak admission exam, which will be held this year, I will perform very well. Then I’ll find a way to hound my master into letting me go to Kang Ho. I don’t like working hard, but there is nothing I can do about it.

3-year years.

The deadline was when he turned thirteen.

Ju Seo Cheon decided to stake it all. Getting into Lotus Peak! showing up in Kang Ho! Additionally, the bank account of the three-eyed immoral god!

These three items were in his memory.