The Jegal Clan's Golden Jewel

The Heaven-Earth Body.

It refers to a miraculous physical constitution capable of learning both orthodox and unorthodox martial arts without restriction.

Inherently, orthodox disciplines and unorthodox arts possess fundamentally opposing natures, making it impossible to cultivate both together. Unorthodox arts grant terrifyingly rapid progress in their early stages compared to orthodox disciplines, but breaking through past a certain realm proves exponentially harder. Moreover, because that power is not forged through patient, step-by-step diligence, its volatile nature leaves the practitioner prone to qi deviation, or even the catastrophic collapse of their internal energy under specific circumstances.

Conversely, orthodox martial arts progress at a crawl. Yet because they are cultivated systematically, the upper ceiling for internal energy accumulation is far higher; the power will not vanish at the slightest disturbance, and it inflicts no harm upon the body.

So, why am I bringing this up all of a sudden?

Because that Heaven-Earth Body I just described? That's me.

Sure, at first glance, it sounds amazing. It's the kind of once-in-an-era talent that could conquer the martial world. But think about it for a second. Imagine spending nineteen grueling years trapped on a mountain, living with a bunch of eccentric old geezers, forced to absorb every misbegotten martial technique under the sun while getting beaten half to death every single day.

They beat me morning, noon, and night. Beat me again for good measure. Beat me when they were bored. And if I screwed up a stance? Oh, you'd better believe they beat me even harder...

That was why I chose the life of a wandering martial artist. A vagrant. You don't have to accomplish anything great; all you have to do is make enough coin to put food in your belly.

Now, if you're wondering why someone blessed with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠such absurd innate talent is ranked as a meager third-rate nobody instead of a Transcendent Master or above, the answer is frustratingly simple.

Those lunatic bastards sealed away all my internal energy when I was so young I can't even remember it. Claimed it was "just in case" to prevent qi deviation, or some such nonsense. Thank the heavens they at least left me with a rat's tail of qi. If not for that tiny sliver, I would have kicked the bucket within fifteen minutes of walking down that damn mountain.

Anyway, back to the present. Right now, I was standing in the main estate of the Jegal Clan in Hubei Province.

All because of that notice I had read the other day: A weekly salary of two silver ingots.

Those intoxicating words had dragged me all the way across the province.

"Ah, but there's a slight problem here..."

Apparently, I wasn't the only greedy bastard with that bright idea. At least several hundred applicants were gathered around me. Every single one of them was neatly groomed, radiating an air of refined scholarship that practically screamed, "Look at me, I'm a brilliant academic!"

Meanwhile, there I stood, draped in a few worn rags, looking like a pitiful vagrant at best. Perhaps because of that stark contrast, I could feel dozens of judgmental side-eyes drifting in my direction.

Whatever. Doesn't matter to me. All I care about is the silver.

A steward stepped out through the courtyard gate and called out in a loud, carrying voice:

"Entrance will commence at the Hour of the Horse!"

"Hmm, about fifteen minutes left, then?"

As I waited, strange murmurs caught my ear from the crowd nearby.

"Say, do you know why they're hiring a tutor from outside like this when they could easily pick one from within the clan?"

"Hmm, no clue. What's the reason?"

"...Keep this quiet, but word is that Young Miss Jegal is an absolute terror inside the family."

"Come on, the Young Miss Jegal famed as Hubei's Number One Beauty is a troublemaker? No way, that can't be..."

The man's tone was thick with disbelief. Now that was news to me too. Guess I should eavesdrop a little more.

"The Clan Head had her late in life after much difficulty, so she's showered with endless doting. They say even the Clan Head himself, a man who lives and breathes strict principles, is completely powerless whenever Young Miss Jegal speaks up."

"Then this whole tutor recruitment thing..."

"Is probably just finding a human punching bag who can tolerate her antics."

They probably thought they were whispering in secret, completely oblivious to the fact that they were the very ones spreading the rumor like wildfire.

Fifteen minutes slipped by, and we were finally ushered into the clan estate. Fitting for a lineage renowned for producing generations of brilliant scholars, every pavilion and courtyard possessed an antique, stately grandeur.

Seeing the estate stirred up old memories of Master Jegal.

Just thinking about that time brought tears to my eyes, even now. You might wonder, "Surely he must have treated you well at least once?"

I'm not even exaggerating: not once. Not even a single damn time. A person needs at least one decent memory for nostalgia to kick in. All I had were fond recollections of getting threatened with an iron fan on a daily basis.

Lost in these musings, I soon arrived at the martial training grounds. The courtyard was packed to the brim with an overwhelming sea of applicants. I thought the rumors might have scared a few people off, but clearly that wasn't the case.

These were all scions of respectable families, yet they were eager to jump into this fire pit for one reason and one reason alone: to forge a connection with the Jegal Clan by any means necessary. With the current Jegal Clan Head serving as the Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance, everyone wanted to curry favor and secure a lucrative position.

"They say the rich are the greediest of all, and damn if it isn't true."

All I wanted was my steady weekly wage, which made me practically a saint compared to these scheming snakes. Hang in there, sweet silver ingots. Don't go anywhere. Big Brother is coming to collect you soon.

While we waited, a young woman strode gracefully into the training grounds. The moment she appeared, the applicants gasped in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠unison, expressions of pure bewilderment on their faces.

"Whoa..."

With white-silver hair falling to her shoulders in a chic bob and breathtaking features, she was an undeniable beauty. This was the very person everyone had traveled to Hubei to see: Jegal So-yeong.

Living up to her title as Hubei's Number One Beauty, her stunning visage made it impossible for any man to tear his eyes away. She swept a haughty gaze across the gathered applicants, and practically every man stared back as if under a spell. Except me, of course.

Not that I lacked appreciation for aesthetics—she was objectively gorgeous. It was just that my eyes were firmly fixed on the prize: cold, hard silver. I had zero bandwidth to gawk at women.

Yet for some reason, her gaze drifted straight toward me. Probably because my ragged attire stuck out like a sore thumb among the sea of polished silk robes. Hmm. Maybe I should've splurged on some decent clothes after all, even if it cost a pretty penny.

She whipped her head away, her voice ringing out with sharp, unmistakable annoyance:

"Seriously? What is a filthy beggar doing here?!"

The second the word "beggar" left her lips, every single set of eyes snapped toward me as if on cue.

Well, well. Looks like I've already figured out the curriculum for this one... Just you wait, brat. I'm going to work you to the bone.

Moments later, an examiner stepped forward to deliver the briefing.

"Attention, everyone! The examination will begin shortly, so listen closely. In the span of a single meal, an array formation will be unfurled across this courtyard. Your task is to break free and step forward to where I am standing. Only the single individual who emerges first will be selected, so keep that in mind."

Seeing how confident everyone looked, they must have studied formations thoroughly. Judging by their smug grins, half of them already thought they had this in the bag.

True to the examiner's words, after the brief wait, I blinked—and the scenery around me completely transformed. In the span of a heartbeat, I was perched atop a precipitous cliff barely a handspan wide. Below, violent waves crashed against the rocks with a roar that threatened to tear the sheer rock face apart at any second. One misstep, and you'd plummet straight into the churning abyss.

"...How boring. They're calling this an array formation nowadays? Back in my day, the old man dropped me onto an actual cliff."

I had learned an assorted mishmash of arts from the six masters, but Master Jegal was the only one who hadn't taught me martial techniques. He taught me formations. Claiming that his own martial arts were somewhat lackluster compared to the others and thus useless to teach me, he shoved formations down my throat instead.

The problem was that unlike physical martial arts, arrays required studying the harmonies of heaven and earth, celestial movements, engineering, and mathematics. It was an utter pain in the neck. So the moment he brought it up, I bolted—only to end up trapped in one of his arrays for months of pure hell. Cliffs like this were child's play; he had once dropped me into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an illusion where dozens of phantom assassins tried to decapitate me on repeat.

Compared to that nightmare, this little setup was practically an amusement park ride.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"W-What?! How are you already—?!"

Both the examiner and Jegal So-yeong stared at me, their faces painted with utter disbelief.

"That beggar... he actually broke the formation? In the span of a single breath?! H-How is that even possible?!"

I turned to the shell-shocked examiner.

"I passed, right? Since I came out first."

"...Y-Yes... You have passed..."

I turned toward the young lady, offering a radiant, polite smile as I clasped my hands in greeting.

"Allow me to introduce myself in advance, Young Miss. I am Jeong Ho-yeon, your future master."

"I-I refuse to accept this! Unless you used some dirty trick, there's no way—!"

"My, did my ears deceive ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me? Are you implying that your noble clan's grand formation can be dismantled by the cheap tricks of a mere beggar? Pray tell, Young Miss."

I looked at her with a face of innocent confusion.

"Y-You... Urgh...!"

Bereft of a comeback, she could only grit her teeth, chest heaving with furious huffs. That's why you should check who you're picking a fight with first, kid.

"Just you wait! I'm going to have you fired if it's the last thing I do!"

Throwing a tantrum, she spun on her heel and fled the training grounds as if running for her life.

Right on cue, the examiner hurried over, bowing repeatedly in apology.

"My deepest apologies, sir... Our Young Miss is still rather immature..."

"Haha, think nothing of it. Correcting such shortcomings is precisely the duty of a master, after all."

"Truly, you are a man of profound magnanimity!"

"Magnanimity? Goodness, no, it's hardly worth mentioning."

Deeply moved by my humble response, the examiner grabbed my hands with both of his.

Grasp!

"The Clan Head has requested an audience immediately! Please, follow me inside! Haha!"

I had no idea why this grown man was clasping my hands like a long-lost lover, but... hey, I was in high spirits. Might as well play along.