Chapter 41. You May Laugh to Your Heart's Content!

‘It would be great if I could spread the Post-Heaven Extreme Demonic True Qi.’

That, however, would be no easy task.

Heart arts were something that had to be approached with extreme caution and conservatism.

Rightfully so, because a slight deviation in a heart art could turn a person into a cripple or drive them mad.

I could say with certainty that a place like the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would never recklessly adopt an unverified heart art.

Moreover, since Jin Yeong-in had defected from the Righteous Faction, it was impossible for him to openly spread the Post-Heaven Extreme Demonic True Qi.

A single misstep could lead to him being unjustly framed.

Could he not be branded as a spy sent by the Righteous Heavenly Alliance to poison the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult with the Post-Heaven Extreme Demonic True Qi, or as a black-hearted fellow who had secretly learned demonic arts even before defecting?

‘Even if I said I created it myself, no one would believe me. Right now, I’m just a novice who has just defected from the Righteous Faction. Maybe in a few years, but not now.’

Given the circumstances, it was still premature to spread the Post-Heaven Extreme Demonic True Qi.

‘What should I do?’

In the end, Jin Yeong-in decided to think of a way to spread the Post-Heaven Extreme Demonic True Qi.

“Hoo, haa. Heup.”

Whether they knew of Jin Yeong-in's inner turmoil or not, the Blood Wolves were simply training diligently in the Breathing Technique of the Reverse Heaven Heart Art.

Without even knowing that they were practicing a heart art that was not suited for them…….

* * *

That night.

After finishing their Breathing Technique training, the Blood Wolves went to bed.

However, most of the Blood Wolves could not fall asleep easily.

Trying to sleep with only a single straw mat on the hard stone floor was incredibly uncomfortable.

And was that all?

Just as Jin Yeong-in had predicted, the night in the Extreme Land was nothing short of a living hell where a severe cold raged.

Hwiiii!

Seuuuu!

The fierce, blade-like wind that swirled through the gorge and the cold air emanating from the shaded land deep inside were harsher than anything they could have imagined.

Shiver shiver shiver!

“Ugh.”

“I-It’s cold.”

The Blood Wolves couldn't adapt to the cold and failed to fall asleep.

Considering the day they had, they should have been dead tired, but it was so cold that they simply could not bring themselves to sleep.

On the other hand, Jin Yeong-in slept soundly, as if he didn't feel the cold.

The Heavenly Demon’s Physique had the property of being impervious to water and fire, so this level of cold was nothing to him.

Of course, he was still a long way from achieving true imperviousness to water and fire, but it was practically impossible for him to suffer from environmental factors.

A few hours later.

“Get up, you bastards!”

“Get out here right now!”

“Assemble at the training grounds immediately!”

Despite having slept poorly all night due to the cold, the instructors woke the Blood Wolves up before the sun had even risen.

“We will now commence a mountain run! Anyone who falls behind will be considered to have no will to become a warrior of our cult and will be dismissed! Do you understand!”

“Sir!”

The Blood Wolves ran for about an hour starting from the crack of dawn, then had a meal of salted meat and grain pills.

After that, the official training began.

In the morning, they learned how to handle various weapons, and in the afternoon, they were taught various knowledge necessary for living as a martial artist.

The problem was the heat.

“Heok, heok.”

“Ugh.”

The day in the Extreme Land was nothing short of a steam bath.

The scorching sun beat down relentlessly, and with the hot wind also swirling within the gorge, steam rose hazily from the sweat shed by the Blood Wolves.

“Can’t you move faster?”

“You bastards! Everyone, get down!”

On top of that, having to endure punishments from the instructors who tried to enforce discipline in between, the Blood Wolves became completely worn out, tattered like rags, in just a few days.

“……I give up.”

“I, I can’t do this anymore.”

In the end, a few Blood Wolves who could no longer endure declared their withdrawal and left the Blood Wolf Corps.

Even though they had struggled to survive in the Hungry Ghost Hell Formation, they could not withstand the physical and mental torment of the Blood Wolf Corps.

“What are you all doing? Not clapping?”

The instructors said, pointing at the dropouts.

“Do you want to entrust your backs to such weak trash?”

“No, sir!”

“I’m asking if you can roll on the battlefield with guys who can’t even endure this little hardship!”

“No, sir!”

“Those guys are not qualified to be warriors of our cult! With that kind of mentality, they can’t become warriors of our cult!”

“Sir!”

“You may laugh to your heart's content! Only when such vermin disappear can even one more of you survive!”

Jin Yeong-in fully agreed with the instructors' words.

‘That’s right, that’s how a martial artist should be.’

The life of a martial artist was to live in an environment that was several times more harsh, dirty, and difficult than that of ordinary people.

Dressing up handsomely, enjoying the fine arts with a handsome man or a beautiful woman in a tavern with a good view, striking down enemies with a heroic swing of the sword, and drinking a glass of wine with the moon as a companion were nothing more than fantasies created by storytellers.

The reality was that they were always under the threat of death in harsh environments, sometimes starving for days, and there were more days when they couldn't even wash.

Living as a martial artist, they would face situations many times more difficult than this, so if they were to declare their withdrawal here, it was a better choice not to become a martial artist at all.

“Get lost quickly! Losers!”

“Weaklings!”

“Booooooooooooooooo!”

The Blood Wolves poured ridicule and jeers at the dropouts.

Perhaps the dropouts would never forget the humiliation of this day for the rest of their lives…….

* * *

In Jin Yeong-in's assessment, it was no exaggeration to say that the teachings of the Blood Wolf Corps were optimized for cultivating martial artists in a short period of time.

In the Blood Wolf Corps, they taught not only basic martial arts such as weaponry and fist and foot techniques but also essential basic knowledge for martial artists, such as medicine, stealth, military strategy, and diet.

They even went to the massive, sea-like Jade-Blood Lake to teach water techniques.

Due to lack of time, most of the education was superficial, like licking the surface of a watermelon, but Jin Yeong-in thought that was enough.

After all, the purpose of the Blood Wolf Corps was to cultivate martial artists in a short period, not to create peerless masters.

Of course, from Jin Yeong-in's perspective, it was all information he already knew, so it was incredibly boring…….

It was around the time exactly half a month had passed.

“Is everyone gathered?”

“Sir!”

The Blood Wolf Corps Commander, Yi Mu-baek, appeared.

“You all look quite the sight. It was worth working you like dogs for the past half-month. Very good.”

“…….”

The Blood Wolves flinched and trembled at Yi Mu-baek’s sadistic remark.

“Today, I, the Commander of the Blood Wolf Corps, will make you a very good offer. Do you see that over there?”

Yi Mu-baek pointed to a hill that was at least twenty jang high, though calling it a hill was an understatement; it was more like a cliff.

With a large net installed below and ropes piled up, it was clearly a training ground designed for climbing.

“I will give a prize to the one who climbs that first. Bring it.”

“Yes!”

An instructor handed Yi Mu-baek a reddish wooden box.

“Look.”

Yi Mu-baek opened the wooden box for all to see.

Inside the wooden box was a single dark red pill, which at a glance seemed to be no ordinary item.

“Does anyone know what this is?”

“Isn’t that a Soma Pill?”

When one of the Lead Blood Wolves answered, the gazes of the other Blood Wolves focused on her.

She was the only woman among the Lead Blood Wolves, and a glance was enough to tell she was a woman of outstanding beauty.

“Correct.”

Yi Mu-baek nodded his head.

“This pill is a spiritual medicine called the Soma Pill. Consuming it will grant you about a quarter of a half-cycle of internal energy.”

“……!”

At Yi Mu-baek's words, the eyes of the Blood Wolves, which had been like those of a rotten pollock, became bright and clear again.

A quarter of a half-cycle.

It was the amount of internal energy that would normally take fifteen years of training to obtain.

“How about it? Is it worth a try?”

“Sir!!!”

“I will give the Soma Pill to the one who climbs up first, and the group with the most surviving members will be provided with a warm place to sleep from now on.”

“Sir!!!”

The Blood Wolves shouted at the top of their lungs.

They had been suffering from sleepless nights because of the cold, so the offer of a warm place to sleep was enough to make their eyes roll.

Jin Yeong-in was no exception.

‘A Soma Pill. I must have that.’

What Jin Yeong-in desperately needed right now was not anything else but internal energy.

Even with the Heavenly Demon’s Physique and the rapid increase in internal energy due to the spiritual energy of Sky Mountain, there was a limit.

If he could just take the Soma Pill, it seemed he could attain the same amount of internal energy he had in his days as the Heavenly Divine Dragon.

“Start climbing the cliff now! There is no giving up! Those who give up midway or fall will be considered dropouts!”

At Yi Mu-baek's declaration, the Blood Wolves began to scramble up the cliff, each one trying to get ahead of the others.

* * *

Jin Yeong-in picked up one of the ropes lying at the bottom of the cliff and immediately started climbing.

The rope was the kind used by plank road workers; it was knotted to be tied around the waist to secure the body, and had a hook at the end.

Moreover, thick stakes were driven into various spots on the cliff, so the climb itself was not that difficult.

Thanks to this, Jin Yeong-in climbed up to a height corresponding to one-third of the cliff in a single breath, maintaining the lead.

But that was only for a moment.

Swishhhhh!

Just as he heard a sharp sound of something cutting through the air, something flew in and struck right next to the back of Jin Yeong-in’s hand.

“An arrow?”

When he hastily looked back, he saw instructors on the opposite cliff aiming at him with bows.

And that was the beginning.

Swish, swishhhhh!

Arrows shot by the instructors flew in one after another, aiming for Jin Yeong-in.

They were arrows without arrowheads, so getting hit wouldn't kill him, but instead, they had small, blunt iron pieces attached, so it went without saying that a direct hit would cause considerable impact.

“If you thought the enemy would just stand by while you climb the cliff, you are gravely mistaken!”

Yi Mu-baek shouted, his voice imbued with internal energy.

“A warrior of our cult must know how to survive even in the worst of situations!”

The arrows rained down particularly on Jin Yeong-in.

Ninety percent of the arrows were aimed at Jin Yeong-in; the instructors' check was truly relentless.

It was clear that they were focusing their checks on him because he was leading alone.

‘As if I’d let you.’

Jin Yeong-in hooked his rope onto a stake driven into the wall and, taking two steps, hung diagonally on the cliff.

Then he drew his sword and responded to the checks by parrying and dodging all the incoming arrows.

“You slippery eel!”

“Alright! Let’s see how far you can dodge!”

The instructors, thoroughly annoyed, rained down even more arrows, but Jin Yeong-in was not hit even once.

However, it was certainly effective.

While Jin Yeong-in's feet were tied up, the Blood Wolves who had been lagging behind caught up, narrowing the gap.

And that situation resulted in a free-for-all brawl on the cliff.

“Dieeeeee!”

“Where do you think you’re going! Get lost!”

The Blood Wolves, clinging to the cliff, pushed and pulled each other in a physical struggle.

Since Yi Mu-baek had promised a warm place to sleep to the group with the most survivors, a fight broke out to push off those from other groups.

The sight of the members of seven groups clinging to the cliff and fighting was truly a scene of a dog-eat-dog struggle.

Swaaaaaa!

In the meantime, the concentrated check on Jin Yeong-in ended, and a volley of arrows was poured down on all the Blood Wolves clinging to the cliff.

‘Has it stopped now?’

Just as Jin Yeong-in was about to catch his breath.

Whoosh!

Something flew in and lunged at Jin Yeong-in.