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Chapter 3
“Son, what books would you like to see?”
“All of them.”
At those words, Sowol smiled.
He liked the look in his son’s eyes—not wanting just one book, but wanting to see them all.
The library was about the size of a manor belonging to a sect.
And just the number of books it contained easily ran into tens of thousands.
Could he really be only five years old?
Sowol didn’t dwell on that thought.
If he was her child with Cheongjin, of course he would be like that.
“Then shall we look at them together?”
“Yes. I’d like that.”
Cheongun didn’t say much.
Even before his death, he had been this way, and now, being reborn completely anew, it seemed even more pronounced.
Words, after all, cannot be taken back once spoken, and often it is far more beneficial to listen than to speak.
Cheongun began picking out books he wanted to see, one by one.
There was truly nothing that wasn’t here.
The unique martial arts of major sects or families weren’t obtainable, of course, but even the martial arts that the direct heirs of each sect could learn were all here.
But these weren’t what interested Cheongun.
He had already experienced and seen most of them in his past life.
He had gone through almost everything to create new martial arts for his previously weak body.
What Cheongun was searching for was one thing:
A way to counteract the side effects of the Cheonyeo Mind Skill.
“…Is there nothing?”
The side effects of the Cheonyeo Mind Skill weren’t particularly severe.
At least, not for Cheongun.
The only drawback was the relatively slow accumulation of internal energy.
At five years old, having already formed a dantian, Cheongun had an advantage of at least ten years over others, yet that was still not enough for him.
Then again, if it weren’t for the Cheonyeo Mind Skill, Cheongun might not have even bothered learning it.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah! You startled me!”
“Oh? Now our son seems more like a five-year-old?”
“…You startled me, Mother.”
“Ha ha, you’ve returned to your usual self. What are you looking for?”
“Just… something that looks interesting.”
Something that “looks interesting.”
Could all the countless books here not solve that problem?
“Hmm… Shall I show you something else?”
“Something else?”
“Yes. There are extremely rare books.”
“Alright. I’d like that.”
“But only if you promise to study diligently.”
“Yes.”
Study, huh. He wondered if it was really necessary.
The pursuit of knowledge doesn’t always lead to positive outcomes.
Inquiry often turns into greed, and greed is the greatest thing that blinds you to your true potential.
He hadn’t looked through everything yet, but there was plenty of time to do so slowly.
“But doesn’t our son want anything for himself?”
“Want something?”
“Yes. Usually, at this age, children want this and that, don’t they?”
“Hmm…”
Many things came to mind, but right now, one thing was essential.
“…A sword.”
“Huh?”
“A sword.”
“…A sword?”
Sowol, who had briefly looked surprised, quickly smiled and replied:
“I’ll have one prepared immediately.”
“Thank you.”
Her son had no charm in his appearance that suited his age.
But Sowol preferred a competent, not necessarily cute, son over a cute but incompetent one.
“Please tell them to make a sword for Cheongun.”
At that moment, the sword instantly appeared before him, brought by Inyeong.
“Understood.”
After giving the reply, Inyeong vanished as quickly as he had appeared.
Sowol observed her son’s reaction even so.
Being specialized in stealth and assassination, these people were nearly impossible to detect unless one was highly skilled.
Yet, her son showed no surprise. Had he already known?
In truth, it didn’t matter.
Whether he knew or not, it wasn’t important.
What mattered was that Cheongun’s reaction remained unchanged.
“Our son isn’t startled?”
“A bodyguard, perhaps?”
“You knew?”
“No. Not at all.”
Cheongun’s emotionless eyes only scanned the bookshelves.
Ah, what a pleasing talent. For Sowol, it was an immensely happy moment.
She was proud that the Cheonggeumjang had left such an excellent son behind.
“Well, let’s read.”
“Yes.”
Thus, Cheongun’s daily routine was established: read books by day, practice energy cultivation at night.
Though the accumulation of energy was slow due to the Cheonyeo Mind Skill, he could feel his pure and clear internal energy growing.
A few days later, when the sword for Cheongun was completed, there was a slight change in his routine.
‘Hah, to think the sword for a child would be of this level.’
He couldn’t even speak, stunned.
A five-year-old using a black iron sword?
Indeed, at the level of Cheonggeumjang, it was not surprising even to give such a sword to an ordinary martial artist.
“It’s only made of black iron for now. Is that okay?”
Cheongun, who had been reading alongside her, nodded.
“Yes. It’s suitable.”
“Ha ha, suitable, indeed. Truly like no other son.”
What would he do with the sword? According to the previous sect leader, he had talent. Would he swing and thrust skillfully?
“Will you go and test it now?”
“No. I must finish reading first.”
“Very well.”
Even while cultivating energy, Cheongun thought constantly.
With the muscles of a child’s body, he couldn’t swing like he did before death.
But what was the problem? He still retained all the sensations and experience from that time.
Suppressing the urge to swing immediately, he stepped onto the training grounds, sword in hand.
Cheongun was alone on the vast practice field.
Only direct heirs were allowed here.
“Huh? Isn’t that the sect leader’s son?”
“Oh? It seems so. I heard he has talent.”
“All of it must look like that in the father’s eyes.”
The former sect leader’s bodyguards, Gangro and Baekjin, were enjoying the view from the roof.
With the previous leader about to leave, they were enjoying their daily hobby when they noticed Cheongun.
“Haha, he’s carrying a sword.”
“A black iron sword. Quite a fine weapon.”
They didn’t expect much from a five-year-old, but they were still discerning eyes and ears, capable of perceiving much.
“Not bad, isn’t it?”
“Hahaha. Watching the father train, and he imitates well…”
Suddenly, their words stopped.
Though no one had silenced them, they couldn’t speak rashly.
Cheongun closed his eyes and began swinging the sword.
Extremely basic movements: horizontal slashes, vertical cuts, and thrusts.
All basic stances, yet to the eyes of these bodyguards, things invisible to others became apparent.
“W-what is this…?”
“Ha, is it really his first time using a sword today…?”
The trajectory was not that of a beginner.
Though Cheongun’s practice was brief, the impression left on the two bodyguards was profound.
“Heh…”
They exchanged wry smiles.
This was extraordinary.
A prodigy appeared in Cheonggeumjang, which controlled half the continent’s wealth.
“Dangerous…”
“I agree.”
Dangerous. Excluding Cheonggeumjang, of course.
Yet, unlike the bodyguards’ assessment, Cheongun was not entirely satisfied.
Though a child’s body, he had not trained his external martial skills, and his stamina was lacking.
“It’s time to begin training seriously.”
It wasn’t good to start too young.
But here, things were different.
This was Cheonggeumjang.
One could train external skills all day and still be in perfect condition to train again the next day.
“Cheongun.”
At that moment, his father’s voice reached him.
Judging by his reaction, he hadn’t seen the training.
“Yes, Father.”
“A guest has arrived. Go meet them.”
“Should I go with you?”
“Yes. Prepare and go with your mother.”
“Yes.”
A guest. Who could it be?
While the presence of a guest was important, what mattered more was that the guest would be greeted directly by the sect leader, Cheongjin.
“Don’t you want to know who it is?”
Cheongun paused as he was about to return to his mother.
Turning back, he replied to his father:
“It’s more important that you greet them directly than to know who they are.”
“…Right. That’s true.”
A satisfied smile.
Cheongjin, busy with his duties and unable to spend much time with Cheongun, always received the same reply during conversations like this.
As if the answer he wanted to hear had been anticipated.
Sometimes, it was even chilling.
“Then I’ll go with Mother to the main hall.”
“Yes. Ah, how’s the sword?”
“It’s fine. You made it black iron, right?”
“It should be a usable sword.”
“I’ll use it well.”
“Have you swung it yet?”
“Yes. I just tried it.”
Would he be told to swing it again? Cheongun had no intention of hiding anything.
He believed there was no greater foolishness than hiding one’s talent.
Especially in a place like Cheonggeumjang.
Competitors with the same blood? None.
Worried about outside threats? Not at all.
At Cheonggeumjang’s scale, its power rivaled the major families of the continent.
So if told to swing, he would give it his all.
“Yes. You must greet the guest. Once they leave, you may show me your sword again.”
“Yes, Father.”
Not long after Cheongun departed, the guest arrived.
Their gait gave the impression of walking on clouds, each step radiating dignity.
Even the wind seemed to suit them, and their long white beard gave a mystical aura.
“Hah, I’ve heard half the continent’s wealth is here. This place even surpasses the royal court.”
Yet the child near them, about Cheongun’s age, looked rather dissatisfied.
“Tch, after all, they’re just money-grubbers.”
“Mind your tongue. This is their territory you speak of.”
“…Understood, Father.”
The path from the entrance to the main hall was brief, yet it would take Hansi-jin some time to cross it if he walked normally.
“Welcome.”
“It’s been a while. I hear you have a son—congratulations.”
“Not at all. Just seeing the Taoist masters of Kunlun is enough of a celebration for me.”
“Haha, you’re too humble. This is my disciple. Greet them.”
“Greetings. I am Juhyeokjo.”
A rather cheeky greeting.
It wrinkled the teacher’s face, but Juhyeokjo didn’t care.
He still thought of them as money-grubbers deep in his mind.
Cheongjin’s expression didn’t change a bit.
He simply found the child near his own son endearing.
For Cheongun, there was nothing remotely cute to be found.
“Please, come inside. You must be hungry. Let’s start with a meal.”
“Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Thank you.”
Simultaneously, the massive doors of the main hall opened, revealing those welcoming today’s guest.
It was an imposing sight, as if a castle gate had opened.
Officially, they were guests, but as the sect leader needed to personally greet them, only family members were present.
Sowol, Cheongun, and Cheongjin—the hosts for the day—were the entirety of those present.
