Multiverse , Leveling Up in the World I Created

Chapter 430: 430 Return to the Volcano 16

"Even so, it doesn’t change the fact that you are a prime suspect! And being out at this hour is also inexcusable!"

Baekcheon persisted, trying to assert his authority.

"Well, I’m sorry for being out at this hour."

"Yes, so now..."

Cheonmyeong suddenly apologized meekly, which was out of character.

Baekcheon, seeming relieved that it was over, tried to let him off nicely, but Cheongmyeong cut him off and continued.

"But let’s stop accusing people without evidence. The gratitude I held for the senior disciples, who have worked hard to elevate Mount Hua’s name in the martial arts world, is starting to cool off."

"Wha, what did you say??!!"

At that, Baekcheon stood up angrily, grabbed his sword, and spoke.

"You said you were out at this hour for training, right? Then I’ll give you that training. Draw your sword right now!"

"I don’t want to. Tsk tsk... They say even a dog won’t bother you while you’re eating. Why are you like this?"

Baekcheon, judging that he couldn’t win against Cheongmyeong with words, tried to use a sparring session as an excuse to assert his dominance.

But Cheongmyeong, while tearing into a pig’s trotter, annoyingly refused.

With no other choice, Baekcheon clenched his fists, swallowed his rising anger, and decided to wait for now.

"Fine! I’ll wait until you finish your late-night snack. But don’t think about sneaking away!"

Cheonmyeong looked incredulous at that but simply continued eating his pig’s trotter.

"Phew... that was good. But are you really going through with this? You’ll regret it."

"Wha, what did you say?? Regret?? You bastard!! Enough talk, draw your sword!!"

Shing!

Baekcheon noisily drew his sword to express his anger.

Cheongmyeong also slowly rose from his seat, picked up his sword, and spoke.

"Fine, let’s do it! But promise me one thing. This match will have no consequences."

"That’s what I should be asking you. I don’t want to be misunderstood as oppressing a junior disciple."

"My, after oppressing the 3rd-generation disciples all this time, now you say that... Anyway, Master Jin, you heard that, right? Senior disciple requested the sparring first and even promised there would be no consequences."

Cheongmyeong said that as if trying to make me a witness.

I thought for a moment and then gave my permission.

"Hmm... Well, I suppose it’s fine. But if I judge it to be dangerous, I’ll stop it, so keep that in mind."

"That’s enough."

With my permission, Cheongmyeong stood before Baekcheon with a sinister smile.

It seemed this was exactly the situation he had wanted.

"I’ll make sure you clearly understand just how harsh training and countless real battles the senior disciples have gone through to reach this position. So that you can develop respect for your seniors. I didn’t want to act this way toward a 3rd-generation disciple, but with you, I have no choice."

"You talk too much. Just attack!"

"You bastard, to the very end!"

When Cheongmyeong, with his sword resting on his shoulder, taunted him by wiggling his fingers, Baekcheon raised his sword and began attacking Cheongmyeong.

Baekcheon, thinking Cheongmyeong was at a 3rd-generation disciple’s level, attacked accordingly.

But Cheongmyeong, with a relaxed expression as if it were laughable, dodged lightly.

Swoosh! Whizz! Whoosh!

"You’re going to have a hard time if you don’t show your true skill."

At that, Baekcheon said with a surprised look.

"So that’s why you were so arrogant. You do have the skill to back it up."

Baekcheon began to increase his attack speed.

He seemed to be trying to avoid causing a major incident, but Cheongmyeong, not wanting to waste time, began to block, deflect, and counterattack faster than the attacks coming at him.

Clang! Clash! Cling!

"Ugh! Th, this can’t be!"

Caught off guard by the counterattacks, Baekcheon hurriedly blocked and stepped back, creating distance from Cheongmyeong.

"This is impossible. He’s definitely a 3rd-generation disciple..."

Baekcheon began to sweat coldly, nervous about Cheongmyeong’s skill.

He now realized that Cheongmyeong was no ordinary disciple.

But Baekcheon wasn’t the only one surprised.

"I was going to end it this time... It seems he learned well from Master Jin."

It was true that Cheongmyeong was ahead in terms of sword technique.

However, Baekcheon had also received my teachings, so his sword technique was highly refined, and with his age, his internal energy was far ahead.

So even I couldn’t predict how it would end, and I watched with great interest.

"I can see you’re no ordinary guy. I don’t know why you’ve been hiding your skill, but I’ll subdue you and find out slowly."

"I’ve never hidden anything. And you say you’ll subdue me? That’s hilarious."

With that brief exchange, this time Cheongmyeong made the first move.

Since Baekcheon’s skill was no joke and he was disadvantaged in internal energy, he seemed intent on a quick decision rather than a prolonged fight.

Clang! Cling!

"Ugh, this bastard!"

But Baekcheon also began to take it seriously, raising his internal energy, so things didn’t go as Cheongmyeong intended.

"Maehwa Cham!!"

Swoosh!

Baekcheon finally began to unfold his best ultimate technique, the Chilmae Sword.

Pink plum blossom petals began to scatter along with his sword energy.

’This guy can even bloom plum blossoms. That means he’s a difficult opponent.’

Cheongmyeong, knowing this, received the sword with a more serious expression than ever.

But due to the difference in internal energy, he began to be pushed back little by little.

Krakoom!!!

Baekcheon didn’t miss the opening created by Cheongmyeong being pushed back.

He immediately leaped toward Cheongmyeong and thrust his sword repeatedly in the air.

"Maehwa U!!"

Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab—!!!

"Ugh! Maehwa Byeok!!!"

Cheongmyeong swung Maehwa Cham repeatedly to create a plum blossom wall, blocking Baekcheon’s Maehwa U.

Seeing that, Yui-seol asked me with wide eyes.

"Since when has Cheongmyeong, a 3rd-generation disciple, been able to use the Chilmae Sword... and even bloom plum blossoms? Did you teach him separately?"

"No. I never did."

"Then how..."

"I wonder..."

While Yui-seol was puzzled, the battle continued.

Judging that he couldn’t keep being pushed back, Cheongmyeong added countless Maehwa Cham to the plum blossom wall.

Then, the sword energies merged together like a whirlwind, forming a massive vortex that swept toward Baekcheon.

"Maehwa Ryu!!!"

Kugugugugu—!!!

Cheongmyeong’s attack came precisely at the moment Baekcheon was about to land from the air, so it seemed too late to dodge.

Baekcheon, knowing this, quickly spun his body while focusing his internal energy on his sword, attempting to cut through Cheongmyeong’s Maehwa Ryu head-on.

"Damn it! Maehwa Pok!!!"

Krakaaaang!!!

"Grrrgh!!!"

But lacking the power to block Cheongmyeong’s Maehwa Ryu, Baekcheon was ultimately sent flying, crashing into a tree behind him and rolling on the ground with a loud noise.

Crash!!!

"Keok!!!"

I jumped up from my seat and hurriedly went to Cheongmyeong, not Baekcheon, and there was a good reason for that.

"Cough, damn it..."

"You reckless fool! Using even your prenatal energy!"

Cheonmyeong coughed up blood and fell to his knees on the spot.

With his level of internal energy, he couldn’t unleash Maehwa Ryu with such power.

But he had forcibly supplemented his lacking internal energy by drawing from his prenatal energy (Seoncheonjigi).

Prenatal energy was the source of life that humans are born with—life force itself.

Therefore, for a martial artist to use prenatal energy was no different from staking one’s life on the fight.

It was a last resort, a final gamble that could lead to mutual destruction.

So I had no choice but to check on Cheongmyeong’s condition before Baekcheon’s.

At worst, Baekcheon would end up with a few broken bones, but Cheongmyeong was different.

If he had recklessly drawn upon his prenatal energy, he could have lost his life.

"I can’t afford to lose. Especially not to a junior who’s way behind..."

"Huh? Junior?"

"No, I mean senior..."

I pretended to search my pocket and took out a single pill from my inventory, tossing it to Cheongmyeong.

"What’s this..."

"It’s a life-saving pill made at our manor. Take this first and perform breathing exercises. Originally, I carry it in case I or Yiseol are in a critical situation... but in this state, I can’t face the Sect Leader, so I can’t be stingy with it."

"Oh~ I see. What a blessing. Anyway, I’ll take it gladly."

It was actually one of the elixirs made at the manor.

Perhaps the lowest-grade elixirs made during Mount Hua’s prosperous era were similar to the Maehwa Dan.

As Cheongmyeong began his breathing exercises, Baekcheon seemed to have come to his senses and limped over.

Fortunately, Baekcheon didn’t seem to be seriously injured.

"I, I lost... Where is he?"

I pointed behind me.

"He’s doing breathing exercises, so don’t disturb him. This guy used his prenatal energy just to beat you."

"Th, that’s..."

Baekcheon was also dumbfounded at the mention of prenatal energy.

We waited until Cheongmyeong finished his breathing exercises.

Since it wasn’t a very good elixir, it didn’t take long.

It would probably only replenish a small amount of the prenatal energy he had expended.

"Hah... it’s a tease. Don’t you have any more?"

"No."

Cheongmyeong said with regret.

"Still, thanks to you, the two months of recuperation I needed has been reduced to one."

Then Baekcheon spoke.

"I don’t know why you went so far as to use your prenatal energy, but I lost this match. So tell me. Why did you make such a reckless choice?"

Cheongmyeong sighed and spoke.

"The senior disciples may not know this, but the major sects are raising their disciples by feeding them elixirs like rice. Jongnam especially, given their history, will be even more so. I think the situation at the Hwajong Meeting will be similar to this sparring match."

"So you’re saying that if you’re Mount Hua, I’m Jongnam."

"You got it. So I’m saying it’s not the time to be bullying the 3rd-generation disciples."

In the original, Cheongmyeong beats some sense into Baekcheon, but here, having acknowledged his skill to some extent, he didn’t do that and even spoke respectfully.

How long that would last was another matter.

Baekcheon thought for a moment and then admitted it.

"You’re right. I think I’ve been looking down on Jongnam too much since the last Hwajong Meeting. Unlike Mount Hua’s disciples, Jongnam’s disciples must be receiving a lot of support."

"Good, you understand."

"But that doesn’t mean you had to act so recklessly. You could have just persuaded me with words..."

"Persuasion only works if the other person can listen!"

"..."

Cheongmyeong’s tone was rough, but Baekcheon didn’t retort because his words were true.

"Let’s go back. It’s late."

"Understood, Master Jin."

At that, Cheongmyeong lifted his heavy body and quietly grumbled.

"Hah... saving Mount Hua is this hard... I’d love a drink... Oh... right, I have the elixirs!"

Cheongmyeong, as if something suddenly came to mind, clapped his hands and his face brightened.

Then, as he tried to go somewhere alone, Baekcheon asked.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"Ahaha, just to the restroom... I’ve been constipated lately, so it’ll take a while. You can go ahead."

"I, I see. Understood."

Finally, Cheongmyeong seemed to have remembered the elixirs he had hidden in his hideout from his days as the Plum Blossom Sword Master long ago.

So he was going to retrieve them now.

During his time as the Plum Blossom Sword Master, Cheongmyeong had created a secret hideout in the middle of Danjangae, the highest and most dangerous cliff on Mount Hua, hidden from the Sect Leader’s eyes.

There, he drank, ate meat, even napped, and spent his leisure time.

But the real problem was something else.

Not only had this insane guy hidden Maehwa Dan, Mount Hua’s elixir, to cure his hangovers, but he had also smuggled and stashed a much rarer elixir, the Seolmae Dan, there.

And a considerable amount at that.

Although it was something a Mount Hua disciple should never do, at the time, Mount Hua was a major sect in its prime.

The sect’s financial power was so immense that Maehwa Dan could be produced without much burden.

Moreover, considering Cheongmyeong’s thuggish personality, sneaking and hiding a few elixirs was more than plausible.

’Is it really okay for a disciple to behave like that? I wonder why the Sect Leader at the time didn’t expel Cheongmyeong. No matter how much affection there was, that’s going too far, isn’t it?’

With such questions in mind, I returned to my quarters and rested.

From the next day, the 2nd-generation disciples stopped tormenting the 3rd-generation disciples and resumed their training.

After yesterday’s incident, Baekcheon seemed to have changed his mind and was preparing for the Hwajong Meeting.

And Cheongmyeong, having apparently found the elixirs he had hidden, was not only healthier but had also significantly increased his internal energy.

’Now, even without using prenatal energy, Baekcheon wouldn’t stand a chance.’

Moreover, some of the 3rd-generation disciples had also increased their internal energy, probably because Cheongmyeong was giving them the Maehwa Dan he had found.