Episode 10

Translation: Godtl

Cheon Yu-rin of the Sword Demon Clan.

She was the very embodiment of the phrase "pure and fragile beauty."

Moreover, if one were to name the most powerful family in the current Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Sword Demon Clan would undoubtedly top the list.

The reason was simple.

It was because of the Sword Demon Clan Leader, one of the elders of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

As a man, he had earned the title of Best Sword of the Demonic Cult and was the father of Cheon Yu-rin.

Naturally, their influence was undeniable.

Of course, there was something else that caught his eye far more than such trivial prestige.

'Truly, what a voluptuous figure.'

The same went for Ju-rin, Cheon Yu-rin's attendant, but all those from the Sword Demon Clan shared one common trait—their ample bosoms. It was impossible not to appreciate the sight.

In his heart, he wanted to rush over and embrace the woman right then and there. But reality made that nearly impossible.

Above all, considering his current ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠level and status, even exchanging words with Cheon Yu-rin would undoubtedly be difficult.

So there was only one solution—to quickly raise his cultivation and standing.

"Cheon Mu-jin."

A voice called out.

He had no real desire to turn around, but Cheon Mu-jin shifted his gaze slightly.

"Who are you?"

It was an unfamiliar face. His tone carried a hint of arrogance.

"Ah, I suppose I haven't introduced myself. My name is Gu Il-myeong, a man who aspires to become the Fourth Elder of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."

To speak of becoming the Fourth Elder of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was no small claim.

Currently, the cult was dominated by Four Great Clans—the Sword Demon Clan, the Blade Demon Clan, the Fist Demon Clan, and the Poison Demon Clan—who firmly held the elder positions.

Of course, there were other elders besides them, but they were little more than figureheads.

Most couldn't maintain their elder status beyond their own generation. The Fourth Elder, however, was an exception.

They were the so-called prestigious families who had never once relinquished their elder positions since the founding of the cult. To declare one's ambition to become the Fourth Elder meant vowing to seize that seat from them.

It was somewhat laughable.

In the end, Cheon Mu-jin couldn't hold back his laughter.

"You find it amusing?"

"Of course it's amusing. A nobody whose origins I don't even know dares to speak of taking the seat of the Fourth Elder? It's less ambition and more sheer arrogance—less confidence and more idiocy."

Gu Il-myeong's eyebrows twitched. Had he struck a nerve?

"I understand. But surely you too can sense that the current state of the cult is flawed? Unless one is from the Four Great Clans, even dreaming of the position of Young Cult Leader is impossible."

"That's because they lack the bloodline of the Cheon Family."

"But this time is different. You exist, don't you?"

"Me? What about me?"

"A descendant of the Cheon Family who doesn't belong to the Four Great Clans—your very existence is akin to defying the heavens. What do you say? Why not join me in changing the cult?"

One thing was certain.

This man was insane. The fact that a mere disciple would speak of changing the cult made that clear.

But on the other hand, it was precisely because of men like him that he might prove useful in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠future.

There were hardly any who held goodwill toward him. In fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say there were none at all.

In such a situation, there was no reason to refuse someone who approached him first with an offer.

"Fine, it's an interesting proposal, but we're just disciples, aren't we? Let's at least complete the Demon Path Pavilion safely before we discuss this further."

He had given a somewhat positive response, so unless the man was a complete fool, he would surely understand.

Fortunately, Gu Il-myeong was no fool.

With a smile, he disappeared. The sight of that bastard's grin made anger simmer in his chest, but he forced himself to ignore it.

Just as he was about to turn his gaze back to Cheon Yu-rin, she had already vanished.

'Damn it!'

He had wanted to observe Cheon Yu-rin a little longer, but that plan had failed.

In the end, Cheon Mu-jin also stepped into the training grounds. For now, he needed to build his strength.

***

The training grounds within the Demon Path Pavilion lived up to the reputation of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult—vast and enormous in scale, equipped with all manner of facilities.

Six floors above ground, one below.

It was almost miraculous that a structure of this size could be built in this era.

"Under normal circumstances, I'd be training in martial arts here."

His top priority was, of course, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. But that was something he couldn't obtain right now.

So he had no choice but to settle for second best.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Art he could currently learn was slightly different. No—it wasn't just slightly different; it was fundamentally not the same thing at all.

The Lust Demonic Art.

A technique that left opponents gasping for breath, evoking the image of a lustful demon—though its purpose wasn't limited to that alone.

The core principle of this art was none other than stealing and absorbing the opponent's stamina, making it a martial art akin to the Absorption Art.

In this process, the opponent would inevitably feel themselves gasping for breath.

So what did that mean?

'It means I can absorb the strength of those stronger than me.'

Just the thought sent a thrilling shiver down his spine. There couldn't have been a more perfect martial art for him at this very moment.

He quietly crossed his legs into the lotus position. Honestly, he would have preferred learning something destructive like swordsmanship or blade techniques, but there was nothing available to him right now.

'I'll have to look into that next time I visit the Secret Manual Library in the Demon Path Pavilion.'

Last time, he had been too short on information. The regret of that realization weighed on him.

Cheon Mu-jin silently gazed at the taser in his inventory.

He didn't expect it to work against martial artists of supreme mastery, but at the very least, it should be effective against students at his level.

Still, just in case, he figured it wouldn't hurt to look into acquiring a gun the next time he returned to reality.

For now, that was the only thing that could truly protect him.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, he quietly began his Qi Circulation Breathing. Fortunately, thanks to his general knowledge of the game, it wasn't too difficult.

He wasn't a prodigy by any means, but he seemed to be at least moderately talented.

That alone was enough to satisfy him. After all, in reality, he had been nothing more than a talentless, bottom-tier nobody.

Naturally, achieving progress this quickly was more than enough to turn Cheon Mu-jin into an optimist.

Steeled in his resolve, he continued his Qi Circulation Breathing until dawn. Though he did feel somewhat fatigued midway, he didn't forget to briefly return to reality to get some sleep before coming back.

When morning broke, Cheon Mu-jin and the other students gathered at the training ground. The martial arts instructors, assigned to teach the students, were already present.

Each one of them was a formidable expert, their strength bordering on the Transcendent Peak Realm.

'They look pretty powerful...'

Though he couldn't pinpoint their exact level, he could at least recognize that they were incredibly strong.

It was proof that he had grown somewhat.

While Cheon Mu-jin was lost in thought, the martial arts instructors were already exchanging silent glances among themselves.

'So that's the infamous Young Lord I've heard about.'

'He seems to have learned some martial arts, but I can't tell what kind.'

'Please, just don't let him end up in my group.'

Even though external interference was impossible within the Demon Path Pavilion, the instructors couldn't help but be wary.

Naturally, none of them wanted to be stuck with the despised bloodline in their own group.

"First, we'll divide you into groups. Does anyone have a preferred method?"

No one answered—meaning they would leave it to the instructors' discretion.

In truth, that was the right call. Within the Demon Path Pavilion, the hierarchy among students naturally established itself through competition.

Since they were all gearing up for a battle of ranks, the groupings didn't matter much anyway—they would inevitably fall apart sooner or later.

So no matter what happened, there was no need to overthink it.

"Then we'll proceed with the group assignments."

There were four instructors, so there would be four groups. And given the current situation, there was only one way to divide them.

Four Young Cult Leader candidates... and one despised bloodline.

The groups were formed, but the atmosphere was starkly different. The groups led by Young Cult Leader candidates were relatively stable.

Though there were minor differences in mood, none were overwhelmingly worse than the others. But Cheon Mu-jin's group was dysfunctional from the start.

'Why the hell is that bastard the Group Leader?'

'No, wait—if I crush him, our group won't have a Young Cult Leader candidate anymore. This might actually be an opportunity...?'

Immediately, many turned their gazes toward Cheon Mu-jin, steeling their resolve to trample him underfoot.

Then, the voice of Hall Master Flame Emperor cut through the murmurs.

"That's enough idle chatter."

With his words, the training officially began. All the students swiftly separated into their assigned groups and took their places in the training ground.

"Today, we will train in the Finger Art. The method is simple—gather energy at your fingertips and release it. Each group has been assigned a target. Give it a try."

The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's training was nothing like a friendly lecture.

Here, success made you a predator, and failure turned you into prey.

If someone were to ask, they might call it an extremely unfair place—but few places in the world adhered to the law of the jungle as thoroughly as this one.

And Cheon Mu-jin inwardly groaned.

'The Finger Art...?'

Of course, it was impossible for him, barely at the entry-level of the First-rate realm. Controlling energy like that was something only achievable from the late First-rate stage at the earliest.

But did that mean there was no way?

Not necessarily.

[Exiting the game.]

If it was impossible inside the game, then he just had to find a solution outside of it.

Besides, the answer he had been searching for had arrived not long ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ago. All he had to do was return, find it, and come back. That was all.