When Pyo-wol opened his eyes, the first thing he came into was the ceiling of a shabby house.

Sunlight was seeping in through a crack in the ceiling.

Pyo-wol raised his body and frowned.

It was because of the dirt on his clothes.

A yellow liquid had dried on his clothes.

What happened?

He had no memory of last night.

He only remembered talking to Il-gum, but he couldnt remember what happened after that.

I let my guard down.

Pyo-wol blamed himself for being careless.

If the person was an enemy who had been aiming for his life, he would have already died.

He had never once been careless since coming to Jianghu.

But, he didnt feel as bad as he thought.

Pyo-wol found the reason in his physical condition.

His body felt strangely light.

He was lighter than usual and full of energy.

What?

It was the first time he felt this way since coming to Jianghu.

He was in such a good condition that he felt as if he was not in his own body.

Is it because of the alcohol?

If there was any deviation from what Pyo-wol usually does, it is that he had drank alcohol last night. It was clear that the alcohol had caused something to change in his body.

Pyo-wol meditated on the spot.

Shuaa!

As soon as he did, he felt a rough flow of energy.

His circulation of energy was incomparably faster than before, and there was no obstruction at all.

He has used the Thunder-Splitting Cultivation Technique thousands and tens of thousands of times, but he had never felt this way in his life.

He felt a sense of exhilaration as if he could do anything he set his mind to.

In an instant, Pyo-wol finished meditating.

He finished faster than ever before.

This is crazy!

It was Pyo-wols honest feelings.

He only realized that he had come across a great opportunity.

The one who gave him the drink was Il-gum. It was clear that there was some secret in the alcohol he drank last night.

He didnt know why Il-gum did such a favor to him, but it was clear that he was in debt.

Pyo-wol looked around the room.

Soma, who should have been on the bed, was nowhere to be seen.

Pyo-wol picked up the Black Dragon Robe and went outside.

Are you finally awake?

Il-gum dressed up and greeted him.

But his face looked a decade older.

Pyo-wol asked,

Why did you do me this favor?

What do you mean?

That drink.

Why? Didnt the alcohol taste good? Damn you! Youve drank it

Thats not what I meant

If you enjoy the drink, then you could do the person who gave it to you by staying silent.

I know.

Keep your mouth shut.

Pyo-wol shut his mouth. Then, Il-gum smiled once again.

Its a little better now that its quiet. What kind of guy sleeps for so long?

What? Are you rebelling? Why arent you answering?

Didnt you tell me to keep my mouth shut?

You jerk! Oh well. Seeing you talk back to me like this just means that I have nothing to worry about anymore.

I will never forget this favor.

Oh this is nothing! What kind of grace is it giving a person who doesnt drink alcohol Forget it, lets eat.

A table was set on a shabby flat table in front of the house

When it comes to the food, the only side dishes were vegetables made by Il-gum himself.

However, there was only one rice bowl.

Taoist, are you not going to eat?

Its been a while since I ate. I just need this.

What Il-gum took out of his bosom was a walnut-sized Byeokgokdan.

He put the Byeokgokdan1 in his mouth.

Thank you for the meal.

Dont leave a single grain of rice behind, scrape it off and eat it. If you leave food behind, you will be punished by heaven.

Really?

The farmer has sweated and worked hard all year to produce just one grain of rice that you carelessly eat. You can kill a person in just a moment but raising a person often takes so much time and effort.

Always remember that fact, and youll be fine.

Il-gum looked at Pyo-wol and smiled kindly.

In an instant, something surged up from the depths of Pyo-wols heart.

Pyo-wol lowered his head to hide his shaken expression and concentrated only on his meal.

The vegetables that Il-gum made himself were bland since they were hardly seasoned. However, to Pyo-wol, it tasted more delicious than any delicacy made by any chef.

Pyo-wol ate all the rice and side dishes without leaving a single grain of rice, just as Il-gum said.

Il-gum pointed to the back of the house.

You can wash the dishes there.

A small stream flowed behind the house.

Yes!

Pyo-wol stood up after answering.

He picked up the dishes and went to the stream.

The little stream was very clear. Pyo-wol drank some water and washed the dishes.

He has been swayed by Il-gum ever since he met him.

It was the first time for Pyo-wol to have been constantly swayed by another person like this since he became an assassin by the Blood Shadow Group. But he didnt feel bad about it.

After Pyo-wol rolled up his sleeves and washed the dishes, he left to wash his body and clothes.

Hoo!

When Pyo-wol came out of the stream and used his internal energy, the water on his body and clothes flew away.

What came into Pyo-wols eyes, after returning to the front of the house, was the back of the Il-gum. He was looking down on the world.

The stooped old warrior was looking down the mountain with his hands behind his back.

Pyo-wol unwittingly approached Il-gums side. And he looked at the place where the taoist gaze was heading.

A wide sea of clouds came into view.

The sea of clouds that flowed around the towering peaks of Wudang Mountain was so vast that it was impossible to see the end.

When the wind blew, the sea of clouds swayed like waves.

As if it didnt want to be blocked by the peak and scattered, the clouds would turn around and come together again. Whenever it seemed to be shaken by the wind, it would become calm.

The appearance of a thousand changes but not changing its essence caused a strange stir in Pyo-wols heart.

Ripples caused changes in thought, and changes in thought induced changes in the body.

Tingling! Tingling!

It felt like a lightning bolt was rushing through his veins.

His whole body was tingling.

It was not an illusion.

The core of the Thunder-Splitting Cultivation Method, which is the basis of Aguido, was lightning.

By using lightning to dramatically increase neural responses, it is possible to perform skills that others could not even imagine.

Lightning which was out of control was frantically stimulating his nerves.

The nerves were getting thicker to cope up with the lightning. However, there was a limit to the lightning that humans could handle.

The moment Pyo-wols nerves couldnt stand it any longer and were about to burn out, a strange heat arose from his lower abdomen and gently wrapped around his nerves.

It was an energy that hadnt been there before.

The miraculous aura contained in the sake he drank last night reacted to the stimulus inside his body.

Tingling! Tingling!

The lightning stimulated his nerves even more severely. In response, the sakes energy made his nerves bigger and stronger.

A war was literally taking place in Pyo-wols body. But just by looking at his external appearance, no one would be able to tell what was going on.

At that moment, Il-gum who was beside him turned his head and looked at him.

A satisfied smile appeared on Il-gums wrinkled face.

Some people spend their entire lives trying to learn this but end up not realizing it, but some people open the door just by looking at it once. Keke! This is why the world is unfair.

Il-gum sat down on the bench and patted his back. And he looked at Pyo-wol.

Pyo-wol stood like a stone statue for a long time, looking at the sea of clouds.

It was unclear what exactly had happened to him.

However, it was certain that the realization, or change he gained here would take him to the next level.

It took a while for Pyo-wol to get out of his own world.

Hoo!

Pyo-wol sighed softly and blinked his eyes.

After a while, he came to his senses and said to Il-gum,

Thank you for the grace you bestowed upon me. How can I ever

Grace is a piece of shit! Why do you talk about grace to me once you receive it? If youve come back to your senses, go down. This old man also needs his rest.

Yes!

By the way, leave that little devil alone.

What?

Pyo-wols eyes widened at the unexpected words.

He had learned the Demonic Art of Guanyin from the Xiaoleiyin Temple. Its amazing that hes still alive. But while he may be holding on right now, as time goes by, Im sure hell go mad and destroy himself. That guy needs to learn how to control himself.

If I leave him, will he become a taoist?

Haha! Do you think anyone can be a taoist? They have to be pure. For now, he will sit down and study how to control his mind. About being a taoist, its up to him to decide for himself after that.

Why do you care so much about us?

Im not doing it because of you.

Then?

You too will understand when you live to be my age. Even if you dont want to see it, you see something that others cant see, and then you get worried. Thats why I get nosy.

You dont have to try to understand. You just have to accept it. So what will you do?

Pyo-wol looked straight at the wrinkled face of Il-gum.

Contrary to his wrinkled face, his eyes were as bright as a childs.

In front of those eyes, Pyo-wol could not be stubborn.

Alright.

Keke! Youve thought it through.

Cant we go see each other one last time before going down?

Why do you have such lingering feelings? You two will meet again when the time comes, so just go down now.

Alright.

Pyo-wol nodded.

He believed the words of the Il-gum.

Pyo-wol never easily trusted others, but he trusted the words of the taoist, Il-gum.

Il-gum turned around.

His dwarf-like back figure looked bigger than Wudang Mountain in Pyo-wols eyes.

Pyo-wol went down the rock peak after saying his farewell to Il-gum.

Even after Pyo-wol disappeared, Il-gum did not move for a while.

He only moved again when someone emerged from the bushes.

With a rustling sound, another old man approached him with Soma in his arms.

The old man, who had a sacred atmosphere like a god, was Chongjin, the sect leader of the Wudang sect.

Chongjin looked around the rock peak and opened his mouth.

Is he gone?

Im alone so of course he already left.

I asked a useless question.

How can you become more sly as you get older?

Isnt that what you learned from you, senior brother?

This guy!

Oh, Im disappointed.

What do you mean?

Il-gum glared at Chongjin. Despite being the target of those ferocious eyes, Chongin only replied calmly,

That sake. Why did you give him everything even though I begged for just one sip?

Tsk! You wont feel the effect even if you drink it, so why would I give it to you? I gave it to him because it was worth giving. A treasure has its own owner. You werent it, while he deserves it. Thats all.

Is he worth that much?

Hes more great than I thought. Hes a guy who knows how to create something out of nothing.

Why couldnt our sect recruit such a person earlier?

Hong! What can we expect from Jianghu? Maybe even if he came to the Wudang sect on his own, he wouldnt be who he was today just for the reason that he didnt live a hard life.

Phew! Thats right. The Wudang sect had become soft.

Hmpft! You talk as if youre not yourself.

Despite the sarcastic words of Il-gum, Chongjin did not change his complexion.

I would have been the same. Still, as I get older, I have an eye for seeing things, so I dont make mistakes as I used to.

Thats fortunate.

By the way, is this child going to be my disciple?

Chongjin looked at Soma in his arms.

Il-gum snorted.

Hong! What do you mean disciple? If you do that, therell be a big fuss because of the unusual recruitment. Regardless of the Wudang sect, youre just teaching him a few tricks, so dont be greedy.

Chongjin smiled bitterly.

One of the problems of a sect with a long history like the Wudang sect is that it is difficult to expect a big change.

Numerous customs and traditions have solidified and built a resilience in itself.

Because of that, it was difficult even for a sect leader such as Chongjin to make unconventional decisions.

Il-gum looked at Soma and continued,

That child is a rare monster in the world. He shouldnt have even existed in this world. Still, his existence means that the flow of electricity has been twisted.

Then, is he a monster, too?

He is something beyond a monster.

Pardon?

Wahhh~ Its amazing having someone help Pyo-wol with no ulterior motives. <3 And his abilities are really being recognized by these grandpas. Our Pyo-wol is really a genius *smug* *proud*

Byeokgokdan. a fasting food taken to cleanse and strengthen the body for training, usually composed of grain powder, pine needle powder and pine nut powder which is combined into a ball with honey.