Reincarnation Sword God

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Then, the Leader of the White Lotus Sect said to me,

[We need to evaluate your martial arts skills, so follow me. Let’s spar.]

“Understood.”

I was relieved that the Sect Leader didn’t know the secrets of my past life yet. He only believed that I had guts, completely unaware that I was feeling uneasy without the Heavenly Secret by my side. As I resolved to withstand the Leader’s mind techniques, I felt a lump in my throat.

On our way to the sparring arena, I saw the martial artists from earlier kneeling down. The Leader paused for a moment to look at them and said,

[From today, you are to join the White Lotus Sect and pledge your loyalty.]

“W-What?!”

[The enrollment process will be carried out by our envoy soon.]

Murmurs…

The martial artists looked completely bewildered. Seeing their panicked expressions, it was clear they had no idea they were in a situation where they were joining the White Lotus Sect. One of the mid-level martial artists stood up and shouted,

“Lord of Jangryeong Valley! What do you mean? I know of your incredible martial arts, but surely you aren’t saying you belong to the White Lotus Sect?”

[And why would that be?]

“W-Well… If you’d at least given us a hint, we could have mentally prepared ourselves…”

Seeing his voice falter, it appeared he hesitated but couldn’t ignore the stark difference in martial prowess. They all understood that the Leader could wipe them out in an instant if he wanted to.

With a chuckle, the Leader replied,

[Is there shame in being part of the White Lotus Sect? If you wish to speak of honor, step forward, and I will show you some respect.]

Silence fell. No one dared to move, not even to lift their heads. They all knew stepping forward would mean instant death. The Leader continued in a somewhat benevolent tone,

[Do not worry. You will find today’s occurrence to be a fortune in disguise. Since I brought you in myself, you’ll be under special care.]

“Th-Thank you!”

“Thank you!”

“Hail to the Lord of Jangryeong Valley!!”

Cheers erupted. The Leader seemed completely uninterested as he walked away, ignoring their cheers. Following quietly behind him, he remarked,

[What a useless bunch of people I’ve gathered just for fun.]

I felt a chill run down my spine at those words. It implied that the Leader could eradicate them at any moment. I cautiously asked,

“Are you planning to kill them?”

[Did I not say I would take care of them? If they lack ability, they will face some penalties.]

“……”

[Only the capable survive in our sect, let alone among the Central Plains people.]

There was no hint of emotion in the Leader’s firm voice. It seemed he viewed ordinary martial artists as little more than bugs, so great was the gap in their strengths. Moments later, we arrived at a spacious training ground, and the Leader crossed his arms.

[Try to attack me. I need to see what level of Thunder God martial arts you have achieved.]

“Please teach me a move.”

I couldn’t help but feel lucky.

Sparring one-on-one with the Leader of the White Lotus Sect!

If I could gain something here, it would truly be my fortune. I drew my sword and took a deep breath, entering a state of concentration before swiftly drawing my blade.

Shhhwip

The Bowing Sky Slash compressed the space in an instant, cutting through the Leader’s front. Unlike the reckless blows from my last encounter, this time I focused on the nuances of my martial arts. Rather than pouring everything into a single attack, I aimed to set the stage for the next move.

Noticing the momentum of my strike, the Leader casually commented,

[An interesting martial arts technique.]

Fwish

The Bowing Sky Slash was originally difficult to dodge or block due to its spatial adjustments. However, it was as if the Leader was playing around; he flattened the distortion from my attack with ease and released a slight force from his right palm. Although it was a slow, probing strike, I realized the latent power contained within it was immense.

The moment I acknowledged that I couldn’t block it head-on with my current strength, I activated the Obliteration Barrier. With remarkable speed, I escaped the influence of his power just as the Leader launched ten intangible forces into the air before firing them at me again.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

I unleashed a series of strikes using the Thunder God Sword Dance, executing fifty slashes in rapid succession. Swinging my sword in place felt suffocating, but I managed to endure for now. Just as I persisted through the powerful energy attacks, the Leader said,

[You’re not using pure Thunder God martial arts, are you? It seems you’ve learned some additional techniques. Can you tell me of your martial arts origins?]

I sighed.

“Why hide it? You’ll probably find out anyway.”

[Even so, there’s a considerable difference between requesting permission and not, you know.]

“I’ve learned the Seven Great Techniques from Zhang Sanfeng of the Wudang Sect.”

[The Seven Great Techniques!]

Knowing it was pointless to keep it hidden, I thoroughly detailed the Seven Great Techniques. The Leader listened with interest, nodding as he expressed admiration,

[Indeed, Earthly Immortal Zhang Sanfeng… impressive martial arts skills. Yours surely does not fall short of mine. If we had lived in the same era, it would have been a pleasure.]

After murmuring that, the Leader continued,

[But that’s not all, is it? You possess something more, especially a profound level within your body technique.]

He wants me to reveal all my cards.

But as I felt cornered by the situation, I reluctantly responded,

“It’s the Three Treasures Technique.”

[The Three Treasures?]

“It’s a clever method utilizing the essence of the Seven Stars Disc to suppress Heaven, Earth, and People, but I’ve only just begun training.”

[Show it to me.]

“Alright.”

Swish

I did my utmost to unfold the Three Treasures Technique. As I completed the demonstration with everything I understood, the Leader wore an amused expression.

Hahaha…

[Are you trying to make me laugh? What a total mess.]

“……”

His overly honest laughter made me feel utterly defeated. I’d thought I had trained adequately over the last few months, but apparently, I still had a long way to go. The Leader continued,

[I understand the feeling. The concept is quite sound and excellent; if perfected, it’ll surely become a great technique. However, this is merely a chaotic display and practically useless as it stands.]

“… I know it’s lacking.”

Snicker

[To have developed the one-and-only great technique yet still falter in training… how amusing.]

The Leader soon withheld his laughter and said,

[Very well. Hand over the essence of the Seven Great Techniques to me. I’ll teach you the Three Treasures Technique.]

“……!! Are you serious?”

[Yes. After all, I doubt you would ever manage to master even a single portion of it in your lifetime as you are now.]

“That’s a bit harsh…”

I felt unjustly treated. Couldn’t I at least learn it in my lifetime? Didn’t Jin So Cheong master it in a month? But I couldn’t rebut the Leader since he was probably someone who had spoken with the most powerful martial artists beneath the heavens.

“Then I’ll have to ask you.”

Nodding reluctantly, the Leader added,

[One more thing.]

“What is it?”

[Among the items you possess, there is one thing I cannot determine the purpose of. It is this.]

Fwish

The Leader took something out from within his robes and tossed it to me. Upon receiving it, my eyes widened in disbelief.

The Heavenly Secret!

I was just worrying about how to retrieve it, and the Leader just tossed it to me!

[I thought I knew quite a bit about the language of the Otherworldly Beings, but clearly, I was wrong. What exactly is this, and where did you acquire it?]

I was astonished and stared at the Leader.

“Isn’t this a book of demonic arts?”

[I have no idea. Based on your tone, it seems you do not know it either.]

“……”

I sighed in relief while feeling a hint of suspicion rise in me.

After all, the Leader, being one who interpreted the laws of life and death, seemed to have substantial knowledge about the Otherworldly Beings and demonic arts. But it appeared that even he couldn’t discern the nature of the Heavenly Secret. I recalled that Zhuge Sa couldn’t interpret it either, which made this matter quite significant.

What exactly is the Heavenly Secret?

What might its true identity be?

‘For sure, I must not let the Leader find out that I can reincarnate with this!’

This was an opportunity. If I missed this moment, I couldn’t be certain when I would have the chance to retrieve the Heavenly Secret from the Leader again! However, if I acted clumsily, the hyper-aware Leader might catch on to its value. I tried to conceal my emotions and casually tossed the Heavenly Secret to the ground.

“Pfft, so it turned out to be garbage after all.”

[What do you mean?]

“I thought it might be a book of demonic arts, but I found it in an unknown cave. Unlike other texts, it doesn’t seem to have any power, so I just left it there. If the Leader doesn’t know what it is… I guess it needs to be tossed away.”

[Hmmm…]

“Please burn it for me. That would make me feel better.”

The Leader tilted his head slightly. Then he said,

[That seems a bit wasteful. Just keep it for yourself.]

“I don’t really need it…”

[What I mean is, figure out its purpose and report back to me. Then I’ll grant you significant merit for it.]

Reluctantly, I replied,

“Understood. I’ll do my best.”

[Good.]

Hah…

While I felt like jumping for joy inside, I sighed on the outside.

‘With this, I’ve secured my chance for reincarnation!’

I won’t have to be dragged around helplessly by the Leader! The strategy of committing suicide to reincarnate is once again possible. Of course, suicide isn’t a pleasant thought, but ‘the ability to reincarnate’ versus ‘the inability to reincarnate’ is a huge difference. If an opportunity arises, I must seize it at any moment.

But for now, suicide isn’t an option. The Leader is monitoring me, plus it’s a chance to get my hands on the Heavenly Spirit Pill. Gathering as much as I can before assessing the situation is the best course of action.

Eventually, as I taught the essence of the Seven Great Techniques to the Leader, he seemed to be memorizing it in his head. Then he stated,

[Can you repeat that again? I’m not able to memorize it all at once.]

“Yes.”

As I recited it again, I found it peculiar.

‘Although the Seven Great Techniques is lengthy, geniuses usually memorize it in one go.’

The Leader might not possess a genius-level intellect. After finishing the transmission of the techniques, the Leader looked as if he was deep in thought, trying to memorize it. Then he said,

[You may go and rest for the night. I will assign you a mission starting tomorrow.]

“Yes.”

[If you want to see Hwang Yeon, ask Seobi where she resides.]

“I don’t have any particular ties with her.”

The Leader said in an irritated tone,

[You’re my pawn, so get acquainted.]

“… Understood.”

The Leader seemed to care for his subordinates, but it was merely a consideration based on their utility. In reality, he handled his subordinates with strictness and thoroughness, lacking any human warmth. I increasingly felt I was grasping the Leader’s true nature.

I slipped away from the Leader who was engrossed in studying the Seven Great Techniques and headed to Seobi. She was waiting outside the training ground, and I followed her to find General Hwang Yeon. As we walked behind her, I asked,

“Isn’t it surprising how suddenly the master has changed?”

“I was surprised, but… The Lord often mentioned it. Always be prepared for his possible demise.”

“I see.”

Zhuge Sa sensed his own short lifespan and anticipated his early demise, so he wasn’t particularly clinging to life. Having come to a sort of understanding, Seobi continued,

“And before meeting General Hwang Yeon, there’s someone you need to see.”

“What do you mean?”

“The direct subordinate of the Lord instructed me beforehand. Once there’s a chance, I’m to bring you to meet Baek Woong.”

“……?”

I would soon understand the meaning behind her words when led into a room.

“Are you Baek Woong?”

“Ugh…”

I nearly gasped.

Standing before me was a raven-haired beauty. With the grace of a doll, she rested her delicate hands on the table, casually holding a pipe. Normally, I would admire her breathtaking beauty, but I had seen her several times before and was well aware of her identity.

Moments later, her eyes lit up.

“I came to see you because the Lord has appointed the new Heavenly Spirit Pill’s owner.”

“I don’t know anything since it was the Sect Leader’s decision.”

“Does that even matter?”

She replied curtly, rapping her pipe on the table.

“You’re curious as to why the Leader is reintegrating the Fire Spirit Lineage.”

And there she was. Sitting directly in front of me was the guardian of the Fire Spirit Lineage, Han Baek Ryeong!

It was evident that she had unexpectedly traveled all the way to the Central Plains to find the Leader of the White Lotus Sect.