Chapter 45 : Closed-Door Training
"Huh? Cheongmu, what brings you here at this hour?"
"Does a disciple need a reason to visit his master?"
"…What are you talking about? Have you ever come to see your master without any business?"
"…I haven't."
"…"
After the two junior and senior brothers exchanged a foolish question and answer, a brief silence fell in the main hall.
Breaking the brief silence, the Sect Leader, who had told Cheongmu to sit down, spoke first.
"Aigoo, seeing you talk to me while putting on such a lame show of saving face, you must have another favor to ask."
"…How did you know?"
"What do you mean? Have we known each other for only a year or two?"
Ju Yulgok looked at Cheongmu with strange eyes, saying, 'Of course.'
Cheongmu had been a natural martial artist since he was young.
Unlike Cheong Yeonah and other disciples who, although a bit annoying, would visit their master from time to time, Cheongmu was someone who would never come to see him first unless he had business or he was called first.
Of course, Ju Yulgok also knew well that it was not because Cheongmu looked down on his master or anything like that, but that his innate personality was just like that.
Cheongmu, who had exchanged a question and answer with his master similar to the one he had exchanged with his disciple, cleared his throat once and carefully brought up the main point.
"I would like to use the closed-door training ground."
"You?"
The Sect Leader asked, looking at Cheongmu with a gaze full of anticipation.
Cheongmu was a genius with a dazzling achievement of reaching the transcendent realm in his mid-twenties. For him to suddenly ask for permission to use the closed-door training ground, the Sect Leader's heart fluttered, wondering if he had perhaps gained some enlightenment in the meantime.
"No, not me. Baekseo will be using it."
Upon hearing those words, the Sect Leader's expression instantly contorted.
"…Cheongmu."
"Yes, Master."
"You shouldn't do that…"
"Yes?"
When the Sect Leader brought up something completely unexpected, Cheongmu also showed a bewildered reaction.
Whether that was the case or not, the Sect Leader continued with a contorted expression.
"You brat, last time you were telling me that we should make sure Baekseo doesn't feel any more pressure, and now you're going one step further and trying to push a kid who hasn't even passed the age of learning (15) into the closed-door training ground!"
Cheongmu, who had completely misunderstood his intention, tried to refute, but the Sect Leader, who was better with words than the tongue-tied Cheongmu, was much faster with his follow-up.
"Think about it! Cheongmu! Think! Why do you think the sect rules stipulate that the permission of the Sect Leader is required for closed-door training!? It's called closed-door training for a reason, but how much would it exhaust a person's mind to be cooped up in a dark room with no windows, chewing on grain pills and training!? Closed-door training is something that puts a lot of strain on the mind and body even for an adult!"
At the Sect Leader's lecture, which continued like a machine gun, Cheongmu could not even find a gap to say a simple word like 'That's not it…' and had no choice but to continue listening to the Sect Leader's lecture.
"But this brat, just because his disciple seems to have some talent, his eyes have gone crazy and he's trying to push that young kid into the closed-door training ground! You brat!! Did I teach you that way! Learn from this master!"
After that, the Sect Leader's long speech, which began with 'When I was raising you…', continued for a long time.
"…Can the disciple say something now?"
"Aww, you brat! Even after your master has said this much…"
As another machine gun of a lecture seemed about to pour out, this time Cheongmu quickly took the initiative.
"Baekseo has received the Qingha Divine Pill."
At that one word, the Sect Leader, who was about to start with 'When I was raising you…!', froze like a rock.
"Q-q-q-q…"
"Yes, it's that q-q-q-q-Qingha Divine Pill."
"Qingha Divine Pill!?"
Without caring in the slightest that his disciple was making fun of his stuttering, the Sect Leader demanded an explanation of the situation with eyes that had grown as big as lanterns.
"You must have heard the story from Senior Uncle Ju Yeongchan."
"Yes, he said that Baekseo had helped catch the traitors of Qingcheng with his wit…"
"There's that, and didn't Grandmaster Gwangha show a lot of interest in Baekseo from the first time he came?"
"Indeed…"
"In addition to that, there's this matter, so it seems that Grandmaster Gwangha has bestowed the Qingha Divine Pill at his own discretion."
"…Ho ho, what a great fortune! It's a great fortune for our Mysterious Profound Sect!!"
The Sect Leader now felt like he wanted to just move his affiliation to the Qingcheng branch right away. Who knew? If he moved his affiliation here, would they give him another Qingha Divine Pill?
"And Baekseo needs a place to digest it, so he has asked for permission to use the closed-door training ground."
"Huh?"
At Cheongmu's words, the Sect Leader changed his complexion and was lost in thought for a moment.
"…Isn't it a little early? Looking at Baekseo's recent appearance, that child is certainly a genius, but… it's still the Qingha Divine Pill, isn't it? It's not a Small Qing Pill, but a Qingha Divine Pill. He should at least reach the first-rate level before taking it…"
"Baekseo has already reached the first-rate level."
For a moment, at Cheongmu's remark, the Sect Leader, who had been continuing the story, froze as hard as a rock.
Cheongmu's remark was that shocking. More so than the story of receiving the Qingha Divine Pill!
"Wh-what did you just say…"
"I said that Baekseo has already reached the first-rate level. I have already confirmed it myself."
"First-rate? The one I know…"
"Yes, it is the first-rate level where the emission of energy is freely controlled by will."
"…The first-rate that I barely achieved just a year before I turned twenty?"
"…Didn't you say last time that you achieved it five years after you passed twenty?"
"…"
For a moment, the Sect Leader's face, whose past lie had been exposed, turned red.
But that was that, and this was this!
"So… Baekseo has already reached the first-rate level, and he's going to take the Qingha Divine Pill this time… is that what you're saying?"
"Yes, that's what I'm saying."
"…Peak possible?"
"Even if you ask me that…"
Although he said that, Cheongmu had also had the same thought as his master.
Peak!
The realm of a martial artist was divided into third-rate, second-rate, first-rate, peak, transcendent, and the transcendent realm above that. If you excluded the transcendent realm, which should be seen as an exception, the realms of third-rate, second-rate, and first-rate were actually realms that belonged to the lower ranks in the martial world.
And the peak and the transcendent!
Only by reaching this realm could one enter the ranks of a master that no one in the martial world could raise an objection to.
"You brat! If you, his master, don't know, who would!?"
Even if he said that, what he didn't know, he didn't know. That was because…
"It's my first time raising a real genius…"
"That's… true."
The words that were often heard in the martial world were who in which family was a genius or a prodigy.
Of course, the majority of them were just that their educational environment was good or that the child was just a little good at learning.
But there were definitely those among them who were worthy of the name 'genius'.
Such people showed their prominence from their childhood and soon bloomed their talents, leaving their names in the history of the martial world.
But.
Even the Sect Leader and Cheongmu, who knew the history of such a martial world, had never heard of a genius like Jang Baekseo.
In other words, looking at Jang Baekseo's achievements now, he was at the level of a hero in a legend or a myth, not history.
Where in the world would there be someone who had raised a real monster-like genius like this?
Moreover, since Jang Baekseo was Cheongmu's first disciple, it was even more so.
Thus, the conversation stopped for a moment, and the Sect Leader closed his eyes and was lost in deep thought.
"…Did that child, Baekseo, perhaps use a method he shouldn't have?"
The method he shouldn't have used meant a forbidden art or an unorthodox method.
At Jang Baekseo's unbelievably fast growth rate, the Sect Leader could not help but think of those two things, a forbidden art and an unorthodox method.
"At least from what I've seen, there was no such trace at all."
Cheongmu, who had firmly believed in his disciple, had also had such a suspicion for a moment, so he had anticipated that the Sect Leader would have such a question and had taken out the answer he had prepared in advance.
"Usually, if you learn a forbidden art, the trace is bound to be revealed, whether you like it or not. But there was no such trace in Baekseo at all. Not only his outward appearance, but also the qi he felt was very stable, so I think you don't have to worry about that."
At Cheongmu's words, which felt a firm conviction, the Sect Leader nodded his head without any further words and did not say anything more about that matter.
"Then is he just a natural genius?"
"…What do you mean, natural? It's not like he's a food ingredient…"
Although Cheongmu had reacted that way to the Sect Leader's strangely light words, the Sect Leader ignored Cheongmu's reaction and looked at Cheongmu with slanted eyes and said.
"You son of a b*tch, what good deed did you do in your past life that your first disciple is such a genius?"
"Didn't your first disciple also be a genius, Master?"
Of course, the first disciple here was Cheongmu himself.
"Aww~ that brat was quick with his wits, but a genius… not even close!"
"Isn't it that the disciple was too much for the master to handle properly?"
"…"
"…"
Since it would only be self-deprecating to continue, the two silently agreed to stop the argument at this point.
"…Anyway, I'll permit the use of the closed-door training ground."
"Thank you, Master."
"You guide him well. Don't make him suffer because you can't guide him properly like me!"
"Master, that was just a joke…"
"Ah, I just mean work hard!"
"…I understand, Master."
Looking at Cheongmu, who was bowing his head and leaving the main hall, the Sect Leader quietly said to himself so that Cheongmu could not hear.
"The student has surpassed the master. The student has surpassed the master."
Cheongmu was the pride of the Sect Leader, no, of Ju Yulgok. Who would have thought that such a fine disciple would come from him, who had not left a decent history as a martial artist?
And now, as if history were repeating itself, the disciple of his disciple, who had surpassed him, was repeating the surpassing.
Cheongmu, who had surpassed the lacking him, had become a transcendent master who was counted among the top ten in Sichuan.
Then Baekseo, who was surpassing that Cheongmu…
'I'm looking forward to it. How far that child can reach in this vast martial world…'
Ju Yulgok's smile did not leave his lips just by looking forward to that.
Peek.
"I almost forgot to say, but you have to keep this fact as secret as possible!"
"Ah, you brat, what do you take your master for…!"
"Then I'll trust you."
"Of course you should trust me, you brat!!"
Hurry.
Before the lecture could continue, Cheongmu hurriedly left the main hall.
"…"
Thus, Cheongmu disappeared, and the Sect Leader was left alone.
"…What should I do? I already want to boast to someone…"
After hearing such words, the Sect Leader wanted to grab someone and boast even more.
***
Jang Baekseo was surprised when the permission was granted more easily than he had thought and the preparations proceeded smoothly.
For Jang Baekseo, who had perceived all the people of the first generation of the Mysterious Profound Sect as indecisive people, both before and after his regression, this result was quite unexpected.
'What's with these indecisive people??'
Well, whatever the reason, wasn't it a good thing that it was prepared quickly?
Jang Baekseo felt a considerable curiosity at the appearance of the closed-door training ground he had entered for the first time.
Of course, it was not that Jang Baekseo had never done closed-door training before his regression.
But this was the first time he had used the closed-door training ground of the Mysterious Profound Sect.
Before his regression, Jang Baekseo had been madly engrossed in martial arts after sending Sohyun away, and as such, he had requested the use of the closed-door training ground.
But at that time, Jang Baekseo was in a state that was clearly unstable to anyone, and not only Cheongmu but also the Sect Leader had not allowed him to do closed-door training.
Jang Baekseo, who was using the sect's closed-door training ground for the first time, checked the basic composition of the closed-door training.
Thump, thump.
"Hmm, the walls are thick, so it should be soundproof."
Swish.
"There are three large jars of water, so there's enough drinking water."
Creak.
"Ugh~ this musty smell of grain pills!"
Jang Baekseo smiled with satisfaction at this faithful basic composition of the closed-door training.
"Well then, shall we begin?"
Jang Baekseo hardened his resolve and opened the wooden box.
The light blue pill revealed its brilliant appearance with its fragrant scent.