Reincarnation Sword God

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Dark Heaven Village

“What did you just say?”

I was taken aback by Jin So-cheong’s sudden declaration. I couldn’t help but ask, “What do you mean? Why do you want to become a disciple of the Master of the White Lotus Sect…?”

Jin So-cheong replied, “I read your memories and realized that in my ‘previous life,’ I owed you a debt. This debt, however, isn’t something that arose out of nowhere; I’ve received help from you and given help in return.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Still, we can’t account for every exchange down to the last bit. You and I are already comrades striving toward a common goal, aren’t we? After hearing your story, I felt moved and wanted to assist you, so don’t think too deeply about it.”

It seemed that Jin So-cheong was talking about his concept of ‘comradeship.’

‘Is he trying to lighten my burden?’

As I pondered his words, sensing something, I fell silent, and he continued, “The reason I want to become a disciple of the Master of the White Lotus Sect is simple—I want to steal his techniques and pass them on to you.”

“Hmm…!!”

He plans to steal techniques!

That was certainly a feasible plan. Didn’t I also enter as a disciple of the Master of the White Lotus Sect back in my past life when the opportunity arose? I could understand what he was thinking, but as I mulled it over, I said, “However… I will probably challenge Dark Heaven Village soon. I believe it’ll only take three months at most to prepare. The chance of surviving my first challenge against Dark Heaven Village is practically nonexistent, so your desire to become a disciple of the Master of the White Lotus Sect might be meaningless.”

“That’s exactly why I want to be his disciple.”

“Eh?”

“Your black card must be saved for emergencies, and using it this lifetime to save Lee Cheong-un would be a waste. The quickest way for me to grow is to enter under the Master of the White Lotus Sect, who possesses the best martial techniques.”

Indeed.

I caught onto the logic in Jin So-cheong’s words.

‘The Master of the Twelve Joules is an unknown entity and could very well use me, but the Master of the White Lotus Sect, who is obsessed with Thunder God techniques… is likely to accept Jin So-cheong as his disciple!’

Moreover, I had seen with my own eyes how the Master of the White Lotus Sect had marveled at Jin So-cheong’s talent. The Master was someone with pure passion for martial arts, making Jin So-cheong’s plan quite plausible. Nonetheless, I still had reservations and said to him, “But three months isn’t a long time… can you really achieve something in that short span?”

Jin So-cheong responded, “I’m not trying to boast, but I would say my talent is quite decent. If I challenge him with the mindset of risking my life, I believe I can learn something.”

“Hmm…”

Typically, one would dismiss learning techniques in just three months as nonsense, but I couldn’t dismiss that possibility entirely when it concerned Jin So-cheong.

“When I looked into your memories, the Master possesses considerable passion and purity concerning martial arts. If you earnestly seek instruction from him, he might very well grant you something.”

It seemed that Jin So-cheong was genuinely resolved to become a disciple of the Master of the White Lotus Sect. Sensing his sincere desire to help me, I felt renewed courage. After all, there was no reason to refuse the support of a genius like Jin So-cheong. I had solely focused on researching the Seven Great Techniques as a former disciple of the Master of the White Lotus Sect, yet if Jin So-cheong were to become his disciple, wouldn’t he gain something entirely different?

Not just the Seven Great Techniques but perhaps the techniques unique to the Master himself.

There could be clues regarding Hyun-gyeob and Heart of Heaven’s Abundance!

“… I see! Even if it means postponing my challenge to Dark Heaven Village, I will ensure you become a disciple of the Master of the White Lotus Sect.”

“Thank you.”

This wasn’t something that should be done half-heartedly. Moreover, since I aimed to settle things within a short time this lifetime, the aftermath of a growing Master of the White Lotus Sect wouldn’t be much to fret about. Until now, I had never considered Jin So-cheong becoming the disciple of the Master of the White Lotus Sect—now that he was willing to step forward, the situation had changed.

‘Even if I can’t achieve anything in such a short timeframe, maybe I should think of it as training and prolong the timeline a bit…’

Wasn’t there no need to rush? There was no guarantee that I could quickly finish investigating Seo Mun-hye’s maternal lineage at Shadowless Gate either. I had a hunch that the timing for challenging Dark Heaven Village would end up being further off than I initially thought.

“Let’s go.”

After joining forces with Jin So-cheong, I made my way directly to Geuk-ho, quickly convincing him with Jin So-cheong’s input and presenting him with the Obsidian.

Uwooong!

“Ugh… ughh.”

Geuk-ho wore a bewildered expression after recovering a memory. He then said, “So, I avenged myself on Wind Spirit Sect’s Yongbi-cheon in my last life?”

“I’ve heard that’s the case.”

“Hearing that like it’s just a casual matter….”

Geuk-ho sighed deeply.

“That’s not the deal we made. I’ve been dreaming of beheading Yongbi-cheon, and now you casually mention it like nothing happened? It feels like my entire life’s ambitions have been disclosed!”

“Ugh, I’m sorry…”

Geuk-ho chuckled.

“Ha ha! I’m actually relieved to hear that!”

“Eh?”

“If you had shown me a vivid memory of my successful revenge, I might have momentarily enjoyed it, but I would’ve felt empty afterward. How could I have motivation to live on knowing I’d already achieved my lifelong goal? Not to mention, I haven’t avenged myself yet.”

“……”

That made sense.

‘Wait a second. Does this mean fulfilling Geuk-ho’s revenge could become a poison for him in the present life?’

Then what should I do?

As I hesitated, feeling a sudden contradiction, Geuk-ho continued talking.

“Well… I have plenty of things I want to do aside from killing Yongbi-cheon, so I don’t think I’ll feel that empty, to be honest. The problem right now is that it’s too difficult.”

“If I help, it shouldn’t be that hard.”

“I’m feeling optimistic!”

He stretched his arms wide and cheerfully declared, “So how about we drink to celebrate the three of us being together? Today’s on me!”

“Drink? Now isn’t exactly the time for that…”

I questioned in disbelief as he chuckled mischievously.

“You’re just going to puff yourself up doing some pointless training, aren’t you? From what I can see, you’ve already completed most of your tasks, so who cares if you take a day off for some drinks?”

“……”

“Honestly, you start acting all serious as if you’re going to achieve something big~”

Why do I feel like he hit the nail on the head?!

As I rubbed my temples, Jin So-cheong cracked a wry smile beside me.

“Well then, let’s drink five bottles of liquor to celebrate.”

“Ugh, five bottles? Who’s going to down that?”

“Just making a mood, my older brother.”

“Tch…”

“……”

Jin So-cheong casually suggested five bottles of light liquor, but that was not a trivial amount. Normally, even two or three bottles would turn an ordinary person’s face bright red and send them sprawling! Jin So-cheong also seemed to have an incredible tolerance for alcohol.

‘Damn it. Why do the Thunder God Lineage folks love alcohol this much…’

In the end, I ended up drinking excessively with the two of them, consuming some chicken afterwards before returning to Jangryeong Valley. Upon my return, Zhuge Sa spotted me and frowned.

“Where did that alcohol smell come from?”

“… They told me not to use internal energy to sober up from the last bottle…”

Is that just an elite way of enjoying alcohol?

Both Jin So-cheong and Geuk-ho were capable fighters who could use their internal energy to purge the effects of alcohol, but it seemed there was an unspoken agreement to keep that final bottle pure and let the effects hit them. Given how martial artists have a knack for staying sober when they focus, it was indeed an inevitable agreement.

I then explained everything that had happened to Zhuge Sa and showed him the Obsidian. He seemed intrigued as he stroked his chin and said thoughtfully, “Hmm. The biggest problem isn’t the memory leak, is it?”

“Yeah. Cheon Woo-jin also seems to be unable to solve it with sorcery.”

“That’s natural. The brain is part of the body’s organs, and once it hits a certain capacity, memory can’t help but wane. This is an issue that even sorcery can’t fundamentally address.”

Naturally replying, Zhuge Sa fell silent, deep in thought. He then said, “This is a problem I need to think over as well.”

“What should I do now?”

“What do you mean what? You haven’t even obtained the Fire Dragon Sword yet…”

Zhuge Sa, who had been replying dismissively, suddenly held his breath.

Then he slapped his knee and shouted, “That’s it!”

“What… what?”

“Baek Woong! Move immediately! You’ve already half found the answer to your current situation, haven’t you?”

“……?!”

“First, lift the seal on the Fire Dragon Sword, then follow my instructions.”

Upon hearing Zhuge Sa’s words, I instantly realized that it could unlock the clues to our current predicament. Why hadn’t I thought of that until now? I said to Zhuge Sa, “When negotiating with him, I will have to pay a price. Would platinum be enough?”

“That would be more than sufficient. Now get moving!”

Pa-at!

I went down into the underground of the Zhuge clan where the Fire Dragon Sword was sealed. After reaching the location, I used my device to call Yeodong-bin, notifying him that the Fire Dragon Sword was here, and he immediately lent me his strength to save our master. Once the Fire Dragon Sword was revived, I promptly slipped it into my wooden armor and made my way to the Kingdom of Duke Du.

I immediately moved to the location where the Westerners were staying in the Kingdom of Duke Du and shouted loudly, “Is Matteo Ricci here?!”

As I infused my internal energy into my voice, the Westerners began appearing one by one. Eventually, Matteo Ricci stood before me alongside a handful of soldiers. He spoke to me fluently in Central Plains language.

“Who are you?”

“I am Baek Woong, and I’ve come to exchange treasures with you.”

“Treasures? But it seems you only have a sword with you…”

Before he could finish speaking, I quickly pulled out a platinum bar from my wooden armor and presented it to him. The dazzling light from the platinum bar illuminated the hall, drawing murmurs from the soldiers. Yet, Matteo Ricci appeared more intrigued by something beyond the value of the platinum.

“To bring such a large item from a small armor… is this… a demon artifact? Are you a Demon Sorcerer?”

“No.”

I then shifted my position and roughly outlined my situation to Matteo Ricci while expressing my desire to trade the Silver Phoenix Fragment for the platinum bar. After some deliberation, Matteo Ricci replied, “You seem to know the value of that item… Could it be that you are a descendant of a royal family?”

“Such things aren’t for you to know. I simply believe this exchange will be advantageous for you.”

“……”

After a moment of pondering, Matteo Ricci nodded and said, “I accept your offer.”

I then promptly handed over all the platinum bars collected from the cave in the southern part and received the Silver Phoenix Fragment in return. Upon matching it with the Silver Phoenix Fragment from the Hwa Clan’s residence in Taekyung Village, I found that I had a complete pair. Immediately after, I headed toward the old capital of Balhae.

Pa-at!

As I inserted the Phoenix Fragment into the door, it opened for me. Upon arriving at the royal tomb of the kings, I approached and explained to the spirits of the kings how I had obtained the Phoenix Fragment and was rightfully present.

“… So please grant me clarity regarding the cause of Balhae’s fall.”

By cleverly requesting to know the downfall of Balhae, the spirits seemed to acknowledge my intent. The Great Inherited Monarch then summoned a massive silver phoenix that entered my hands.

[May this be of help to you…]

“Of course.”

After emerging from the royal tomb of Balhae, I returned to Jangryeong Valley and presented the silver phoenix to Zhuge Sa.

“I’ve brought it.”

“… You really are something. For an ordinary person, to obtain the Silver Phoenix would take a lifetime of effort, yet you managed to get it so easily.”

“Eh? Well, some of this information was obtained during my previous life…”

“Ha ha ha.”

Zhuge Sa chuckled as he slowly lifted the silver phoenix with both hands. He regarded it with keen eyes and said, “This might very well hold the answer to your memory leak. While I can’t promise immediate results, it’s worth researching.”

Silver Phoenix!

This is a top-tier memory storage device, far more advanced than the Obsidian in my possession, which had been used by the past kings of Balhae to pass on their knowledge and experiences. Regarding memory inheritance, this treasure would undoubtedly surpass anything else I had in my possession, leading Zhuge Sa to believe it would be beneficial.

After voicing those words, Zhuge Sa shot a quick glance at me.

“Oh, and it seems necessary to check your current state through medical techniques as well. While you’re at it, go receive a medical examination from Hwa Seong-myeong.”

“Got it.”

I traveled to Goryeo and contacted Hwa Seong-myeong, offering financial support to potentially bring his family to Goryeo. Yet this time, since I required a checkup, I explained my condition rather honestly. I informed him that while I hadn’t undergone Half-Transition Master training, I was perhaps older than I seemed. I also disclosed that my memories were becoming increasingly hazy and requested a diagnosis. Hwa Seong-myeong readily agreed.

“Alright. It’ll take about three days to thoroughly check your body, so take the Demon Waste Potion to purify your internal energy.”

“Sure.”

I then wore nothing but a thin garment and underwent acupuncture and herbal treatments, which covered the full essence of the medical techniques from Hwa Seong-myeong’s clan for three days. On the last day of the examination, during the evening, Hwa Seong-myeong summoned me.

“Hmm… I’m not quite sure how to put this…”