What signals the arrival of winter past autumn.
Is the cold air.
Around the time the gradually chilling wind and beautifully dyed leaves begin to hold their breath.
Only then could one tell that winter had arrived.
Of course, it was still too early to call it winter.
But there wouldn't be much time left before the shaggy forest turned cold.
The Gu family's training ground.
Crackle.
Sparks were flying wildly inside the training ground.
Unlike the cold air outside.
The spacious room was filled with heat.
A massive flame swirled through the air, filling the surroundings,
and the Internal Qi simmered as if it would explode at any moment, yet...
'Don't let it scatter.'
While also being careful not to let it burst.
Enduring the vibration that felt like it could explode at any moment, I compressed and moved it.
The Dantian was filled with a sensation of tightening from the recoil,
and the body maintaining the pressure was exceedingly delicate.
'Gather.'
As if issuing a command, I whispered inwardly.
The flames that had spread out in all directions instantly surged and gathered into my palm.
Whoooosh-! A gale blew.
My hair fluttered in the wind created by the Internal Qi, but
I paid it no mind.
Right now, I just had to focus solely on increasing the degree of completion.
"Pheeew..."
Around the time the flame gradually stopped vibrating.
Only then could I open my closed eyes.
The pale and soft hands I saw when I first returned were gone,
and rough, enlarged hands caught my eye.
And on top of them.
A small, red sphere had formed.
It was the size of a fingernail, but its brilliant luster was profound.
Looking at it, I spat out words like a sigh.
"...I succeeded."
I couldn't even imagine how much Internal Qi was contained in this tiny bead.
At the very least, I had to use well over half of my Internal Qi reserves,
and I had poured in compression upon compression.
There was a hidden power that, if I let my concentration slip for even a moment, would go 'Poof!' and explode, blowing away the surroundings.
'The cost-efficiency is absolute garbage, though.'
Just creating this tiny bead right now took over half of my Internal Qi.
Meaning, at my current level, I could only use it once.
'In my past life, I used it quite well, though.'
Back then, if I only considered the amount of Internal Qi, I was at the highest level in the Central Plains, excluding the Heavenly Demon.
So I could use it as much as I wanted without applying such compression or control.
'Now... I shouldn't do things that way, after all.'
Snatch.
I grabbed the small sphere with my fist and extinguished it.
Even though I detonated it for the purpose of recovery, the momentary wind pressure made the training ground tremble slightly.
Yan Yu (Flame Jade).
It was one of the Gu family's ultimate techniques that could only be used once the Gu Yan Hua Lun Gong reached a certain level.
Which meant.
'I've reached it.'
It meant that my Gu Yan Hua Lun Gong had finally reached the Fucheng realm.
Furthermore.
'Only one step left until the Huajing realm.'
Until I stepped into a new world beyond the Absolute Peak, only one step remained.
'...It came much faster than I thought.'
A realm I thought I wouldn't reach until at least the age of twenty.
Had approached much faster than my expectations.
Not only were the Maseok and energies I had consumed during that time not insignificant,
but perhaps it was because I reached the Absolute Peak level at a young age.
I wasn't sure if it was because the speed at which Internal Qi assimilated with my body was fast.
'...Even so, that one step is the hardest.'
The wall blocking the Upper Dantian was so wide, grand, and thick.
I couldn't find a gap to dig into like I did at the Absolute Peak.
And I was far too lacking to break it.
I had reached it, but crossing over would take a little while.
Even so.
'Reaching Fucheng is a huge harvest.'
There was a result from training like my life depended on it all this time.
I went through all sorts of crazy shit just to make a single bead, that's what.
"...Can I take it a bit easier now?"
Rather than necessarily wanting to use this martial art,
it was because the fastest and best training to reach the Fucheng realm was the training to construct the Yan Yu.
I had to delicately control the Internal Qi,
and for that, an absurd amount of pressure was applied to the body.
Enduring this and moving Internal Qi?
'That's what training is.'
Even though summer had passed and autumn had arrived.
Let alone cool weather, it felt like rolling around under the scorching sun all day.
Anyway, since I achieved what I wanted...
"I can rest a bit more from now on..."
-Young Master.
"...Hm?"
As I was dusting myself off, a servant's voice came from outside.
"What is it."
-The Chief Steward sends word. The Family Head is looking for you, Young Master.
"..."
At the servant's words, I immediately intuited.
That resting as I pleased was probably ruined.
After entering the Family Head's quarters through the Chief Steward, I found the room.
It was a place that felt somewhat familiar now, having visited it several times.
"I heard you called for me."
"Yes."
Of course, my father's gaze was still as burdensome as ever.
Father, glancing over me, suddenly cast his eyes up and down, then...
"Hmm."
I felt a hint of intrigue in his eyes.
'He noticed.'
It seemed he noticed that I had reached the Fucheng realm.
Anyway, he was still a quick-witted person.
'In the meantime.'
Even though I had reached Fucheng.
Not a hint of my father's Internal Qi could be seen.
Either he had tightly hidden his Internal Qi to conceal his presence,
or the gap in our levels was as wide as the difference between heaven and earth, to the point where I couldn't dare perceive it. It was one of the two.
Whichever it was, it meant my father's power was still hard to grasp.
'...And a guy like this is merely at the level of the Central Plains' Top Hundred Masters?'
No way.
I had already seen it in my past life, too.
My father was definitely not someone who would remain at that level.
He was merely hiding his fangs.
Such a father looked at me and opened his mouth.
"Not bad."
"...Thank you."
It was a compliment in his own way, but it didn't really resonate with me.
How bland.
"Third."
"Yes."
"What do you think is the reason I called you?"
Well...?
'What, did I get caught causing an accident?'
What could it be.
Did they find out I was the one who blew up the training ground last time while training?
No, that hadn't happened just once or twice, so it was a bit much to call it an accident.
If not that, maybe it was about the time the First Elder attempted a sparring match under the guise of instruction,
and burned down the back mountain?
Honestly, the First Elder was mostly at fault for that.
He was throwing punches with all his might under the pretext of teaching, so how could I just keep running away?
"...I do not know."
No matter how much I thought about it, too many things came to mind, so I really didn't know.
At my question, my father nodded, took a letter from his bosom, and handed it to me.
"The reason I called you is no other."
I received the letter my father gave me and unfolded it.
"Ah."
Written there was information about something I had forgotten while being engrossed in training for a while.
-Shenlong Guan Entrance Exam Notice.
Along with that title.
The text was filled with lines and lines of writing, but
since it was just formal talk, I set it aside.
Summarizing it, it could be condensed into two lines.
-Descendants of the Gu family or disciples of the sect who receive this letter may take the Shenlong Guan entrance exam.
-If you are even a day late, you cannot take the exam.
'...It's here. It came.'
I knew winter was slowly approaching,
and I also knew the appointed day was drawing near,
but I had forgotten for a moment while engrossed in training.
'Shenlong Guan, huh.'
A place I didn't go to in my past life.
Ah, to be precise, it was a place I couldn't enter because I failed the entrance exam.
Fuck...
Thinking about it again, it was quite a shameful memory.
Honestly, it was a place I could have entered through backdoor connections,
but my damn pride got in the way, and I threw a fuss saying I could do it without using that, only to
'Splendidly fail.'
My father didn't say much at the time, but
he must have been embarrassed inwardly.
For reference.
My eldest sister, Gu Huibi, also graduated from Shenlong Guan,
and she was from the previous Shenlong Guan cohort that had now come to me.
She was probably the top or second-top graduate.
I heard Peng Wuzhen was also in the same cohort.
'It's just training and being sent out, why are they ranking us.'
Since it's a neighborhood that needlessly likes ranking things,
they even had to rank something like this.
"You're telling me to go, right?"
"Yes."
I asked casually in case he might say, 'If you don't want to go, don't!', but
My father's answer was firm.
'...Rotten.'
He usually let other things slide,
but he didn't let this kind of thing slide.
In my past life, since it looked like I'd fail anyway if I went, he didn't seem to care,
but
'Like I'd fail this.'
To swim among the playground of the Rising Stars,
my size had grown too big. Not out of arrogance.
But realistically, there was no way any of those called Rising Stars had reached my current level.
'At best, it's Peng Wuzhen... I'm not sure about Zhanlong.'
Peng Wuzhen's position was ambiguous enough to be called a Rising Star, so let's set him aside.
I didn't know about Zhanlong since I hadn't met him at this point in time.
As for someone like Gu Huibi.
I've never properly fought her, but
at this point, it didn't seem like I would lose to her.
If it came down to it, we could just fight it out, but
thinking about how happy Gu Huibi would be if I asked to spar, I didn't want to do it.
Of course, Shenlong Guan wasn't an institution solely for Rising Stars to mingle,
but it was like an implicit agreement.
It gave the feeling of an institution for talented young Rising Stars,
or should I say, a gathering place for geniuses.
'Although it's not martial arts on the surface, but swordsmanship training.'
In my eyes, it was nothing more than building connections and a small political arena.
Countless people knew this,
so they tried even harder to send them.
Because the direction the world was flowing had already changed long ago, making it meaningless to argue over Murim and the righteous path.
"Departure is in three days."
"...Understood."
Even knowing all that.
The reason I didn't throw a tantrum at my father's words was
not only because there were things I needed to take care of at Shenlong Guan this time,
but also because there were a few people I needed to see and find.
'I also need to go to the underground.'
I had to drop by the Bigo that would be hiding underground in Shenlong Guan, since I was going anyway.
If I was going, I had to take everything I needed to.
Before the Heavenly Demon appeared and found the Bigo.
I had to go first and take it all.
'Still, I didn't expect I'd actually end up going.'
Of course, even my inner thoughts weren't at ease.
"As soon as I return to my quarters, I will prepare right away."
It was already an impending matter,
and at this point, there were more reasons to go than to run away.
I decided to accept it without complaint.
"Alright. Make sure you take good care of the people going with you."
"Yes... I will take good care... What?"
I frowned for a moment at my father's words.
"...Who am I supposed to take care of...? Who else is going besides me?"
I asked my father, filled with bewilderment.
At this, my father took out another letter and handed it to me, as if answering in my stead.
After receiving the letter and checking the names.
My face crumpled endlessly.
Three days passed.
It was still autumn,
but by the time we reached Henan, where Shenlong Guan was located, winter would probably have arrived.
Even the Yongbong Jihoe was held in winter.
Since it was the time Shenlong Guan opened, the likelihood of the Alliance not hosting it was higher.
"There's not much luggage, is there?"
It was a remark that slipped out as I inspected the piling luggage.
There was far less luggage compared to when we headed to Anhui last time.
"I heard that the place we're going will provide everything, so we don't need to pack it."
"What if I can't get admitted there?"
"You, Young Master?"
Hongwa spat out as if I had said something strange.
The trust was quite heavy.
In the past, I would have been treated like a delinquent, and they would have thought I obviously wouldn't be able to get in,
but lately, the change in the servants' gaze was really burdensome.
'This is all since I got that damn nickname.'
Ever since I went and wreaked havoc at the Yongbong Jihoe.
Somehow, whenever I said I was going to do something, the attendants and the Gu family members
who used to think, 'Ah, our delinquent is acting up again,'
since the point I joined the ranks of the Yukryongsambong and the group of snakes and sparrows,
have been looking at me with the gaze of, 'Our young master must have a reason for doing that!'
There's no such thing, you bastards.
"...Whatever. Finish preparing."
"Understood."
After Hongwa bowed and disappeared to go back to work,
I looked to the side with a perplexed gaze.
"You said you're going too, right?"
At my question, someone flinched and trembled.
The voice that followed.
"Yes... It has been decided so."
The one avoiding my gaze was Gu Jeolyeop.
I heard last time that this guy was going too.
'It's obvious the First Elder took care of it.'
Going together wasn't a big problem.
Having a guy I could use for errands following along was convenient for me,
and
'With this guy's level, he won't fail.'
With Gu Jeolyeop's level, he wouldn't fail to be admitted.
He hadn't crossed the wall to reach the Absolute Peak, but he was still at the tail end of the first-class.
Should I say there was a reward for rolling him around all this time?
'If he still goes around getting beaten up like that, I'll really have to wreck him.'
If he goes somewhere and comes back beaten,
that means he jumped in with only passion without knowing his place, so I'd have to destroy him.
However, the problem wasn't Gu Jeolyeop.
Nor was it the other familiar kids.
'Nangong Bi'ah was an unexpected case, but.'
I thought Murong Hui would obviously go.
Since she had occasionally told me that we would go together if I went.
I knew, but
regarding Nangong Bi'ah, honestly, I remembered that she didn't go in my past life,
so I was a bit surprised when she told me she would go with me this life.
'I think it will be necessary for living in the future.'
Did she say that?
Anyway.
That wasn't the important thing.
"...So."
Behind Gu Jeolyeop.
I saw a figure keeping their distance as if they didn't want to come near this way.
She was the source of my headache, wondering what I should do now.
"You're going too, Sister?"
At my call, the girl—no, the woman she had now become—turned her head.
Resembling Gu Huibi.
No, the woman who resembled the Madam more than her, finally met my eyes.
"...Yeah."
I didn't know how long it had been since I last heard her voice.
She had been avoiding me like death, and only now did she face me properly.
She was my second older sister,
and the direct bloodline of the Gu family who would later be called the Hongyan Jian.
It was Gu Yeonseo.