Chapter 1: I Prepared for Regression
I was going to regress.
I realized this fact all of a sudden when I was driven out of my clan with nothing to my na.
Which ant, I found out just yesterday.
I also knew the point in ti to which I would return.
I would regress to two years before now, back to a ti when I still harbored the romance of the jianghu.
Although my current situation was rather dire, my spirit was not broken and my mind remained clear, so there was no reason to believe I was suffering from delusions.
Therefore, my regression was the truth.
I did not know the reason, but I was able to accept this truth naturally.
Once I knew about the regression, a concern arose.
‘What should I do?’
Just because regression was in my future didn't an I could waste the rest of my current life.
If I did, then nothing would be different after I regressed.
I felt the need to prepare for the wealth and glory of my next life.
A powerful martial art was also indispensable.
“Hmm.”
As I sat pondering in the marketplace, I saw a stable’s dung-keeper pass by.
His appearance was so wretched and his stench so foul that people quickly moved away from him.
As if possessed by sothing, I approached him.
“Why do you do such work?”
Even though I had been cast out by my clan, the air of a noble family still lingered about , so instead of objecting to my rudeness, the stable's dung-keeper bowed his head and answered.
“Because I did this work during the day, I can avoid starving at night and rest my body in a comfortable place.”
“I see.”
A simple truth of daily life ca to .
“Thank you for your answer. Forgive my rudeness.”
“Not at all.”
“This is for your trouble.”
I handed him the one nyang of silver that was all the money I had left.
“Thank you.”
The stable’s dung-keeper accepted the silver nyang without any customary refusal and tucked it into his clothes.
I had decided what to do before regressing.
I would live the remainder of this life like the stable dung-keeper’s day.
I would invest this ruined life in its entirety to open the next one with greatness.
This was a privilege reserved only for one who was destined to regress.
***
For , who was destined to regress, ‘information’ could be said to determine the quality of my next life.
The world of the Jianghu Murim was a world rife with all sorts of miraculous encounters, and acquiring even one proper miraculous encounter could change one's fate.
‘Where would be good.’
Since I had already made up my mind, wouldn’t the best be good?
In that case, it was either the Beggar’s Gang or the Rogues' Guild.
‘Let’s go to the Beggar’s Gang.’
Having gained great enlightennt from the stable’s dung-keeper, the decision to beco a beggar was not difficult.
I could not deny the fact that I was more drawn to the righteous Beggar’s Gang than the unorthodox Rogues' Guild.
“I ca to join the Beggar’s Gang.”
Arriving at the main branch of the Beggar’s Gang, I stated the reason for my visit.
Swish.
A haggard old beggar scrutinized my face with an indifferent gaze.
Hidden by his wretched appearance, his brilliant, shining eyes were impressive.
This beggar was a beggar who had learned martial arts.
And quite powerful ones at that.
Pretending to be indifferent, I examined the knots tied around the old beggar’s waist.
Six knots were tied haphazardly.
‘A Six-Knot Beggar.’
As expected, he was no ordinary beggar.
“A direct descendant of the Dancheon Clan joining the Beggar’s Gang?”
Indeed, true to its reputation, the information network of the Beggar’s Gang was not to be underestimated.
He knew .
“I have already abandoned that surna.”
“I suppose. Has it beco aningless now?”
I did not answer the old beggar’s muttering, which was like a monologue.
“What is your na?”
I could not understand his intention in asking my na when he already knew my identity.
But I had to answer.
I was the one in need.
“It is Myeong.”
“Are you Dancheon Myeong, the second son of the Dancheon Clan?”
“I told you I have already abandoned that surna.”
“I see. My mory is fading as I get old.”
The old beggar replied with a mischievous smile.
“Alright, Dancheon Myeong. Follow .”
I thought it would be better for my ntal health to give up on correcting the old beggar.
***
Five years had passed since I beca a mber of the Beggar’s Gang.
My beggar na beca ‘Myeong-gae’.
It was the creation of the Six-Knot Beggar who had accepted , Chwipung-gae.
To summarize my life so far, I would say they were beggar-like but smooth days.
It could be called smooth as I beca a Three-Knot Beggar, equivalent to a branch leader, in just three years, but I could not deny the fact that the life itself was beggar-like.
‘Shibal, life…….’
It was an age of endurance that I could never have survived if I hadn’t learned from the stable dung-keeper.
In the swift flow of ti, I made many preparations.
As these were arrangents for the regression that would co in the future, I could not do them carelessly, could I?
I collected information on the discovery locations, discovery tis, discoverers, and related individuals of various spiritual herbs found in the Jianghu Murim.
I also morized all the markings of the treasure map that had stirred up the Jianghu Murim.
Of course, I used the information network of the Beggar’s Gang to its fullest to determine their authenticity.
I also morized all one thousand nas in the Jianghu Who's Who.
This was because I knew well that the true miraculous encounters in the jianghu ca from personal connections.
Looking at it this way, it seed like all preparations were going smoothly, but one link was still missing from what I had planned when I joined the Beggar’s Gang.
That was martial arts.
What was the point of regressing to the past with information?
If I had no power, I would not be able to protect what I had gained.
I knew that the jianghu was ultimately a world governed by the logic of power.
After becoming a beggar, I lived each day as if it were three.
During that ti, I did not neglect my martial arts training, so I was barely able to set foot in the realm of the Peak.
This was an achievent made possible because I was born and raised in a prestigious martial family and had already reached the realm of a First-Rate Master at the age of seventeen.
However, the biggest problem I faced was that while so might call it ‘the mighty Peak’, from my perspective, it was ‘rely the Peak’.
This was because while in the Beggar’s Gang, I had learned just how many Transcendent masters there were in the jianghu.
“Sohow…….”
I had to obtain a martial art for my future self to learn after regressing.
I would be eighteen when I regressed, so there was still plenty of opportunity.
“The more the rrier…….”
If possible, it would be even better if it was a martial art that could reach the level of the World’s Best.
***
I had been a beggar for ten years.
Following the laws of nature, my age had reached thirty.
Didn't they say that utmost sincerity moves heaven?
After investing a long ti, finally.
“This is it!”
I was able to find a brilliant solution that matched what I wanted.
A book, darkened by the touch of countless beggars, caught my eye.
“Healing Sage’s Mind Cultivation Art.”
It was the martial art of Healing Sage, an eccentric of the previous generation, known to have been close to being the World’s Best at the ti.
I had found information that the martial art of Healing Sage, whose lineage was thought to have been broken as he disappeared without leaving a successor, was in the library of the Beggar’s Gang main branch.
The information was as old as the years contained in the book.
-If one masters Healing Sage’s Mind Cultivation Art, they will rise to beco the World’s Best.
This was not the empty talk of gossips.
It was the boast of the Murim Alliance's chief strategist, the Divine Strategist.
But even after a long ti had passed, still, no one had learned Healing Sage’s Mind Cultivation Art.
Because of political dynamics?
Because Healing Sage’s Mind Cultivation Art was abstruse?
Because the oral formulas were lost?
None of the above.
-However, to fully learn Healing Sage’s Mind Cultivation Art, one must either be born with the luck of a thousand years or have the wealth to buy a country.
It was for this reason.
Reading the following content, I understood.
-To begin Healing Sage’s Mind Cultivation Art, Immaculate Pogranate is required.
What was Immaculate Pogranate?
Wasn’t it the legendary spiritual dicine said to form one drop every hundred years in a blessed, hidden place?
It was a treasure so valuable it was difficult to even convert into money.
The outrageous story that this Immaculate Pogranate was a condition for entry, not even mastery, was written in a calm script.
It was hard to even imagine how much more would be needed after that.
My interest was piqued.
It was impossible now, but after regressing, I had a way to obtain Immaculate Pogranate.
I needed more information.
[Healing Sage’s Mind Cultivation Art - Security Level: High]
Perhaps because it had been neglected for a long ti, the security level for a supre martial art had co down quite a bit.
I thought I could find out the missing information by looking directly at Healing Sage’s Mind Cultivation Art.
“Tsk, I guess I have to let them know.”
Fortunately, I had one connection who could get high-level information.
“Is Dancheon Myeong here?”
The rough voice of the old beggar ca through.
It was the now-familiar voice of Chwipung-gae, who had risen to the seventh knot and beco an elder of the Beggar’s Gang.
“I told you I have abandoned that surna.”
“Right. You did, indeed.”
He replied nonchalantly and sat down in the branch’s hut.
“Have you already obtained it, sir?”
I knew there was no other reason for him to be looking for right now.
“Yes, you punk.”
Chwipung-gae took out a book from his bosom and tossed it over.
“It’s a handwritten copy of Healing Sage’s Mind Cultivation Art.”
“Thank you.”
“Ahem, it’s high-level information.”
High-level information was only permitted for Six-Knot Beggars and above.
Seven-Knot Beggar Chwipung-gae could easily obtain it, but for , who was rely a Three-Knot, it was unobtainable.
Simply put, he was currently showing off.
“Thank you always.”
“Hmph, you’re always just full of empty words.”
He was a grumpy old man, but I knew he was a grateful person who looked out for and granted my difficult requests.
“Have you given any thought to the offer I made?”
If you receive sothing, you must give sothing.
That is human nature.
But.
“I have already refused that matter before.”
This ti, I had to be a shaless beggar.
“Tsk, why is a fellow with such keen insight and a solid foundation so stubborn.”
Chwipung-gae spoke again, as if frustrated.
“You know you can’t get the fourth knot unless you learn the Beggar’s Gang’s martial arts, so why are you so stubborn? Frankly, do you know how many beggar punks want to be my successor?”
Chwipung-gae was right.
Wasn’t he a man who had risen to beco an elder of the Beggar’s Gang with his own martial arts alone?
However, I had no intention of living the life of a beggar in my next life, so it was right not to learn the Beggar’s Gang’s martial arts.
“I’m sorry, Elder.”
That was why I had no choice but to refuse.
“Tsk, are you still unable to let go of your clan’s martial arts?”
“……”
Chwipung-gae interpreted it as he pleased, and I did not correct him.
“Do as you please, you damn beggar punk.”
Chwipung-gae, who knew well how stubborn I was, yielded once again this ti.
I was grateful for his consideration.
“Hmph.”
As if his business was finished, Chwipung-gae, who was getting up, threw out a word.
“I heard a rumor that the Dancheon Clan has fallen.”
“……!”
Chwipung-gae called it a rumor, but the probability of it being true was very high.
Wasn't he an elder of the Beggar’s Gang?
It was the fall of the Dancheon Clan, a prestigious martial family that dominated Anhui Province along with the Namgung Clan.
Even if it wasn't earth-shattering, it was news that would spread quite noisily in the jianghu.
The fact that it hadn't reached my ears yet ant it was information that had arrived urgently at the Beggar’s Gang main branch.
Information about a prestigious clan was treated importantly even in the Beggar’s Gang.
“Why are you silent?”
As if worried about my feelings, Chwipung-gae asked again.
“Thank you for letting know.”
I replied, feigning composure.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes. Isn't it a place I've already parted ways with? My ho is the Beggar’s Gang.”
“That’s a relief then.”
Chwipung-gae waved his hand.
“I’m really going now.”
“Take care.”
After Chwipung-gae left, my gaze turned to my fist.
The blood had drained from it.
It seed I had unknowingly clenched my fist tightly.
It’s alright.
It was a problem that would all be solved when I regressed.
Thinking so, I cald my heart.
***
Information that had already caused a stir in the jianghu was bound to have its value diminished.
This was because the value of information lay in its exclusivity.
Therefore, even for , who was only a Three-Knot Beggar, I was able to find out the details of the Dancheon Clan's annihilation with a little effort.
However, organizing the collected information felt strange.
‘This is strange?’
The annihilation of the Dancheon Clan proceeded too quietly, without any news.
All information focused on the aftermath of the Dancheon Clan’s fall, not the process.
This ant that for sothing so sensational, there was very little information.
The clan called Dancheon had disappeared as if evaporated.
Was it a conspiracy by a force large enough to evade the eyes of the Beggar’s Gang?
Unfortunately, it was difficult to identify who was behind it for now.
‘I’ll set this matter aside for now…….’
It was hard to deny that the Healing Sage’s Mind Cultivation Art before my eyes drew my interest more than a clan that had already been annihilated.
Therefore, my gaze turned to the handwritten copy of Healing Sage’s Mind Cultivation Art.
Rustle.
I turned the page.
I silently committed all the words written in the handwritten copy to my mory.
I couldn't take this book with when I regressed, so I read and morized it carefully and ticulously, fearing I might miss even a single letter.
***
“Myeong-gae! Myeong-gae! Sothing terrible has happened!”
“What is it?”
The fuss of a One-Knot Beggar was a common occurrence, so I asked casually.
“Sothing really terrible has happened!”
“Why are you making such a big fuss? Did a war break out or sothing?”
At my question, the One-Knot Beggar flinched.
“Did you know?”
“Know what?”
“About the war.”
“……?”
At my dumbfounded reaction, the One-Knot Beggar continued with a frustrated expression.
“They say the Great War of Righteousness and Evil has broken out.”
“The Great War of Righteousness and Evil?”
“Yes.”
“The Great War of Righteousness and Evil?”
“Yes.”
“……The Great War of Righteousness and Evil?”
“Did you eat sothing strange?”
Smack!
“This punk.”
I admitted I had been slow on the uptake, but I smacked the One-Knot Beggar on his alms bowl for his insolence.
“Anyway, I’ve delivered the ssage.”
The One-Knot Beggar said sullenly, rubbing the spot where he had been hit.
Then, as if in a hurry, he quickly left.
“The Great War of Righteousness and Evil.”
A piece of information that had been tickling my mind clicked into place.
“So that was it.”
The annihilation of the Dancheon Clan was a precursor to the Great War of Righteousness and Evil.
***
When the Great War of Righteousness and Evil broke out, I decided on my course of action.
“I will go to the Secret Pavilion. I will work myself to the bone to be of help to the righteous Murim.”
I created a pretext with words I did not an.
“You punk. That place is a place of death. Why do you insist on throwing yourself into a fire pit.”
Chwipung-gae tried to dissuade , but.
“I will go.”
“……Do as you please.”
In the end, he could not stop .
With Chwipung-gae's recomndation, I beca a mber of the Murim Alliance's intelligence organization, the Secret Pavilion.
Even if I were to regress and enjoy wealth and glory, the Great War of Righteousness and Evil would still break out, wouldn't it?
In order to protect my life after regression, I decided to watch the Great War of Righteousness and Evil from up close.
And there, I was able to witness the horrors of the Great War of Righteousness and Evil with my own two eyes.
-The Azure Heaven Squad under the Murim Alliance encountered the Ghastly Spirit Demonic Devil, and after a fierce battle, were annihilated.
I took in the information, contained in a single sentence, with my own eyes.
“How horrible…….”
The prodigies who dread of a bright future were torn apart by the clutches of the old demon.
-The Black Tortoise Squad, on a mission to rescue civilians, was ambushed by hidden mbers of the Demonic Cult. Annihilation presud.
A single sentence also contained great sorrow.
“……You have worked hard.”
The mbers of the Black Tortoise Squad, who had fought with the common people behind them until the end, lay fallen on the ground alongside the common people.
-The Azure Dragon Squad defeated the unit of the Great Strength Demonic Devil.
The Murim Alliance did not just suffer helplessly; a victory report also ca in.
But.
“How futile.”
Within that victory report, the corpses of the righteous martial artists who had raised their banners and stood up were piled layer upon layer.
“Is this…… war?”
As I witnessed the horrors of war with my own two eyes, a concern arose.
The Great War of Righteousness and Evil, what should I do to prevent this hell on earth from being recreated after I regress?
Unfortunately, the concern did not last long.
This was because even I could not escape the horrors of war.
Stab!
“Keoheok.”
A sharp blade pierced through the book in my bosom and tore through my body.
“Is that the last one?”
“Yes.”
The demonic practitioner who had stabbed pulled out his blade and answered his superior politely.
“Keoheuheu…….”
I looked around.
The mbers of the Secret Pavilion who were with had long since passed away.
We had been taken down by a strike team from the Demonic Cult whose purpose was to annihilate intelligence agents.
I fumbled for what was in my bosom and took it out.
The book, which had lost its function after being soaked in my blood, was the handwritten copy of Healing Sage’s Mind Cultivation Art.
The rciless gaze of the Demonic Cult's strike team leader fell upon .
“Do you have any last words? You're the last one standing, so I'll give you a chance to leave so.”
For a demonic practitioner, he was a rciful fellow.
Last words.
I will die, but I will regress.
In that case, what should be the last words of this life?
As I pondered my last words, I realized.
‘……Was that it.’
The resentful corpses of the common people who had been sacrificed innocently ca to mind.
The bodies of the martial artists who had raised their banners but ultimately lay on the cold ground also ca to mind.
The sacrifice of these innocent lives should be undone.
The hell that was recreated on earth in the form of the Great War of Righteousness and Evil was never what heaven desired.
I now understood that the regression arranged for had that aning.
Thanks to that, the answer ca more easily than I thought.
“Yes. I must beco the Murim Alliance Leader.”
I will beco the World’s Best.
And I will beco the Murim Alliance Leader.
With that power, I will stop the Great War of Righteousness and Evil.
So that in the future after my regression, this horrific thing called the Great War of Righteousness and Evil will not exist.
Regression and Healing Sage’s Mind Cultivation Art.
I thought it would be possible if I combined these two.
“You crazy bastard.”
Slice.
With a grueso sound of a blade, my vision went dark.
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