His eyes felt as if they were controlled by some evil being, he was unable to open them at all.

Gathering all his strength, he managed to open them halfway but could not open them anymore no matter how much strength he applied.

“Ah…”

His mouth was as dry as desert sand. He tried to speak but what came out was only a sound that seemed more like a moan than words.

“Elder….if you go….like this…”

He couldn’t see anything in front of him, it was as if his vision was covered by fog.

It seemed like someone was calling out to him but he couldn’t clearly hear what they were saying, as if their words fell upon deaf ears.

‘I…’

Ju Seo-Cheon mumbled his name to himself and started reminiscing back on his life. The first memory that surfaced was of himself wandering around as an orphan and being lucky enough to enter his master’s sight, which allowed him to join the Volcano sect.

It was indeed a great fortune that befell upon him.

The Volcano sect was a prestigious ancient faction, famous for its sword styles.

From his perspective as an orphan who had lost both his parents, entering the sect was an almost impossible task , a task akin to reaching and grabbing the stars.

And so, since then, he lived, grateful to his master and as a disciple of the Volcano sect. As it was a place where nothing was normal, he was able to rise to the top of the sect as a Volcano Elder.

‘I was lucky.’

The name ‘Volcano’s Elder’ was never a light one. It was a position of great authority.

As the name carried sufficient weight, it was not a position one could easily climb to and he received a lot of respect from other disciples because of that.

Needless to say, to reach that position it required achievements in Martial arts, intellect, as well as having a reputation in society was important.

It meant one had to have a great reputation and ability. One could never climb up the ranks by just experiencing what everyone else experiences… but there were always exceptions to the rules.

‘I didn’t expect a man like me to become an elder.’

He was luckily inducted into the Volcano sect but that luck wasn’t because he had remarkable talent or achievements.

He wasn’t incompetent nor could anyone say he was losing a few screws. He lived inconspicuously, being like everyone else.

Of course he had never made a desperate effort to become more or have more.

He didn’t have such a desire in the first place. But in order not to let down his master that allowed an orphan like him into the sect, he did not loaf around.

It was really just a life of ‘winging it’, a very ordinary one.

So, how did someone like him become an elder?

The answer lay in the era that knew no peace. For decades, there had been numerous deadly wars. There were so many that the future generation named the era, the Warring Age.

It was impossible to count how many outbreaks of war and truces there had been in the past decade.

The Volcano sect was also caught in the whirlpool of war and many disciples lost their lives.

The disciples of the junior elders, the senior elders, and of course his seniors in the sect, the third generation disciples also suffered damage from it.

As the Volcano sect was embroiled in this conflict, their members had to be replaced many times and when the conflict was over, they realized they didn’t have any more talents to serve as elders.

Although he wasn’t dull-witted, he was average at best but he was able to climb up and become an elder.

The seat of a Volcano elder was not one that could be attained just by having connections in the sect, but that didn’t mean one did not need to be connected to the sect.

Even if one had great achievements in martial arts but barely had any relationships with people in the sect, it would be problematic as they would face opposition.

Therefore, the ones at the top decided to look for a trustworthy person and as such he was forced to serve as an elder but the lucky one here was still him. However, even after he became an elder, nothing really changed.

This was around the time when the Warring Age was coming to an end and so there weren’t many threats to their lives.

From time to time, he helped with sect matters or helped other elders but otherwise he just stayed inside of Volcano.

The other elders decided to train the younger generation but he didn’t. He didn’t receive any disciples.

He didn’t think he knew enough to teach someone else.

‘And I only advanced just recently…’

He began to find pleasure in Martial arts during the latter parts of his life. After he became an elder, he was able to access and read numerous Martial arts books in the sect.

And that was why he was somehow able to advance in his position but it was too late.

Perhaps it was because he instinctively felt his death and so he was able to gain enlightenment.

‘It has not been a meaningful life…’

When he looked back on it, it was a really dull life. He never fell in love like others, prominence in martial arts was beyond his ability and he had never held a woman’s hand.

He had also wanted to make a reputation for himself in the Murim world but he wasn’t capable of it. It was one of the most chaotic times in Murim history. There were many stories around heroes and villains.

But he was neither of them.

“Ahh…”

He was slowly getting weaker. He didn’t want to die like this. The people watching him were people he didn’t know, people that didn’t even know his name.

They were watching an elder of the sect enter his eternal sleep. Nothing more than that.

He wished he had a family. He’d lived alone for a long time. He began to remember his thoughtful master that had departed early from the world.

He could once again see the trustworthy back of the Age of War’s hero. He saw those beautiful people he could never reach.

‘…Yes…I…’

His consciousness was sinking into a bottomless abyss.

‘I may have longed for that kind of life…’

“Seo-cheon… Seo-cheoon…wake up…”

His body was rocked back and forth like he was on a boat. His eyes fluttered open in response to the jerking movements.

The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was a woman who seemed to be in the late middle age.

“…?”

A boy, looking to be around six years old, saw the woman who woke him up and began to mutter in disbelief.

“Master…? How…?”

“It was just a few days ago when you were crying your eyes out when you thought I was dead, yet here you are, sleep talking again.”

She began to wonder if the boy could really represent her when he grew older.

He was adorned with silky, beautiful, and flowing pitch-black hair, bright kind eyes, including wrinkles that somehow seemed gentle and elegant. Ju Seo-Cheon rolled his eyes at his master Yu Jeong-Mok’s words and momentarily fell into deep thought.

‘Ah!’

He didn’t have to think for long. The things that had occurred in the past week raced through his brain at the speed of light.

In that short moment, Ju Seo-Cheon gathered his thoughts together on his current circumstances.

‘Ju Seo-Cheon. 8 years old. A fourth-generation disciple of the Volcanic Sect.’

The first thing that came to his mind was the information about himself.

‘Yu Jeong-Mok. 40 years old. A Third generation disciple of the Volcanic Sect.’

[E/N: Hwasan Sect \= Volcanic Sect]

Members of the Volcanic Sect were divided into multiple groups from the first generation to the fourth generation.

The first generation disciples were who no longer interfered with the sect’s decisions; they were the secluded Elders.

The second-generation disciples worked as Elders who were included in the sect’s matters. Outside of being Elders, they were usually appointed to or occupied the high positions in the sect.

In the case of the third generation disciples, they were the leading division.

Most of them ranged from young to middle-aged and were also the largest division. Disciples could also be selected from this generation.

And lastly, the fourth generation disciples were the troublesome children who were still untrained novices. They were expected to be future scholars.

Even if one was the oldest among the fourth generation disciples, they were told to perform well too.

It was around the time when powerful people began to emerge and Ju Seo-Cheon was a late bloomer amid the fourth generation disciples.

But what was the most important thing?

‘I have returned to the past.’

He couldn’t help but mutter to himself. Honestly, he still couldn’t believe it.

For the next few days, he was suspicious over a dozen times before he finally came to a conclusion.

The Ju Seo-Cheon that luckily rose to become an Elder of the Volcanic Sect during the Age of War was dead. That life truly did exist.

He had found enlightenment towards the end of his life and rose up even higher in the sect but he couldn’t overcome death.

And for some reason, after he closed his eyes and opened them again, something unbelievable had happened.

He had gone back to the past that was already a fading memory in his mind, he had returned back to his childhood.

At first, he thought he was dreaming. The second time, he woke up and wondered what kind of punishment this was.

The third time, he considered that maybe he had ascended to Heaven and was being rewarded for being on the front lines.

However, all of his speculations were off the point. None of them matched his current circumstances.

It wasn’t a dream or punishment from Hell or a front-line reward. He could hardly believe it but after seeing with his eyes, hearing with his ears and feeling it with his body, he finally accepted.

‘Before the flowers were soaked with blood. Before the world was full of warriors caught in a whirlpool of anger. I have returned to that time!’

The days were still peaceful… and he was back, to the only precious family to him, his master.

‘I can do this.’

Useless emotions and worldly thoughts in his head were thrown away and in their place, intense emotions welled up in his heart.

‘Once more!’

He didn’t know how he came back to the past or if someone sent him to the past but quite frankly, he didn’t care.

This was the decision he came to after thinking about it for a week.

He had lived a life without accomplishing anything special and had died a lonely death with no loved ones around him.

He didn’t know how, but he had returned to the past, that too with all his memories from his past life.

‘Just a little more time and I can live the way I want.’

It wasn’t perfect but if he had this memory, he could live a completely different life.

Due to this knowledge, his emotions were stirred up and something that had cooled down within him was once again ignited.

He knew all the incidents that would happen in the future. He knew of the numerous future warriors and the dark forces hiding behind the war.

In addition to that, thanks to his position as an Elder of the Volcanic sect, he was able to learn about many secrets of the Murim and the Volcanic sect. He had also learned about the biggest event in history.

‘Above all, I will be able to finally do those kinds of things with women!’

He felt regretful about dying as a ******. It wasn’t till later in his years that his sexual desire was reduced. However, before that it was painful.

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The Volcanic Sect belonged to the secular side so marriage wasn’t restricted.

In his case, as his status put him in charge of sect matters, even if he got married, he couldn’t have a child.

At any rate, he belonged to the sect, so he suppressed his sexual desire and was able to close his eyes in the end.

Nevertheless, undeniably he had not even held a woman’s hand and had continuously lived among men.

The grievances and foolishness of that time silently sparked the eyes of the merely eight-year-old, Ju Seo-Cheon.

Ju Seo-Cheon had travelled back in time.

He had the mind of a 77 year old man, one who had faced many great hardships and passed a lot of hurdles inside the body of an eight year old.

And like most 8 year olds, he also did not have any freedom.

This was even more true for the disciples of the Volcanic Sect.

Every morning, he woke up and greeted his teacher. He then went to the training center for practicing with his fellow fourth generation disciples.

“Hah, hah….”

The training center was on the volcanic mountain of Nakan. It was really hard to reach the peak as it was located near the top of a volcano.

It was hard even for a healthy adult male who had not undergone training to reach the training center, let alone a child.

He felt like he could die out of exhaustion at any moment, it was torturous.

Reaching the training center was in and of itself a kind of training.

‘aaah, ****..’

He screamed and cursed inwardly.

He thought it would be good to start over. But he forgot that starting over would also mean that he would lose everything that he had gained in his previous life.

If it were him from his previous life, he would have climbed the peak like a casual walk, but not anymore.

Tears started welling up in his eyes, he could also feel his lungs tearing themselves apart trying to take in air. The muscles of his soles and thighs were hurting like hell.

‘I forgot that the training of the Volcano sect was this excruciating!’ The memories of his previous life came back to him.

The Volcanic sect wasn’t one of the best sects for no reason, their training methods were one of the best and thus was also one of the strictest.

It did not matter whether you were young or old, the only way was to train until your body had reached its limit.

This way, if one ever reached their limit, they could then be allowed to rest and recover. Through this way, not only was one able to recover from tiredness, but they also were able to slowly break their body’s limits and sooner or later, even a child would be able to climb the Nakan peak.

Hence this path was also dubbed as the ‘Hell of Nakan’. After one passed this stage and reached the training center, they were divided according to one’s respective abilities.

In his case, he only had to arrive at the peak of the volcano and reach the training center.

At the training center, you could see the older disciples of the fourth generation practicing the sword. A little further, and one could see the smaller disciples engaging in duels and bouts.

“Good work. You can have breakfast over there, after that you have to go down again.” The instructor pointed to the dining table that was stacked with round balls (Byoekgokdan).

Ju Seo-Cheon bowed before the instructor with whatever was left of his power. He then went over to the table and threw the Byoekgokdan in his mouth.

Most of the disciples also did the same and they went forward to eat the Byoekgokdan, but as soon as they started chewing it, everyone’s faces contorted.

Although there were a lot of nutrients in the Byoekgokdan, its taste was so bland that no one liked it. However, Ju Seo-Cheon had eaten the same for most of his previous life again and again and was pretty used to eating it, thus he kept taking big bites out of the Byoekgokdan.

After taking a small break of 15 minutes, Ju Seo-Cheon went down the mountain again. The trip downhill was not as difficult as the trip to the top of the mountain.

“Master, I’m home”

“You must have suffered a lot today, didn’t you?” Yu Jeong-Mok smiled bitterly.

If you were a disciple of the Volcanic sect, you would surely know the pain that is known as the Hell of Nakan, and it was irrespective of whether one was a genius or someone normal.

“If I could I would give you some time to rest, but sadly I can’t” Yoo Jeong-Mok looked genuinely sorry.

The morning training (also part of the Hell of Nakan) was just the basic training for building up muscle strength and endurance. After that, every student went to their respective teachers to receive guidance.

“It’s okay master!”

Ju Seo-Cheon was moved by just how much his master cared about him as well as how considerate he was to him. Perhaps this was the reason the absence of parents never really affected him, his teacher was enough to fill both his mother’s and father’s role.

“Okay then, let’s go sit. you are not yet familiar with Mae-Hwa Ki Gong, I will tell you about it”

Yoo Jeong-Mok went to his seat and sat down, his back facing Ju Seo-Cheon as if he wanted Ju Seo-Cheon to come to sit in front of him.

“Well, first of all, I’m going to…..

Yoo Jeong-Mok started telling Ju Seo-Cheon about the meaning of Plum Blossom Qi Art.

Mae-Hwa Ki Gong consists of a total of 12 stages, and until one achieves stage 5 of the art, there is a danger for it to go out of control, and thus, the speed of it till then is quite slow.

For reference, every Volcanic Sect disciple practiced the first stage of Plum Blossom Qi Art upon entering the sect.

This was the simple and basic art which helped them build a dantian and eventually a Qi circuit through which they could strengthen their veins.

However, just as it is a basic stage, the speed at which the Qi accumulates is quite slow and the capacity is also reduced.

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This stage of the form itself is not too bad, and is also quite easy to master, but the only drawback is that it takes a long time to advance.

“But, in the first place, it’s a method that helps you strengthen the basics, and as such, even though it will only be polishing the basics, you can still learn other stuff, so there’s nothing for you to be worried about.”

“Even though this art belongs to the basic martial arts category not only is it the best in the Volcano sect, it could also be said to be one of the best in the Martial world.

‘No.’

“Yes!

Ju Seo-Cheon said with all his might.

‘I know it all’ Even though he knew his master was giving it his all to help Ju Seo-Cheon he couldn’t help but feel bored.

Ju Seo-Cheon had already mastered the Plum Blossom Qi Art in his earlier life, and it could also be said that his achievements and understanding in it were even greater than that of his master.

He also knew the secret to the Plum Blossom Qi Art, which had yet to be revealed at this point in time.

‘I want to get stronger!’ Having memories of his previous life, of course it was not hard for him to become strong very quickly.

But then, of course, the people who show this great growth always stand out. A rumour might start about him being a genius.

He needed to control himself, he needed to go at a slow pace. But he also really longed to be a hero.

He didn’t intend to start getting attention from the people around him.

Being in the limelight not only creates restrictions on the behaviour, but also leads to the person’s future becoming a target of instability.

‘I have to be careful’

In his previous life, he was somehow able to find peace, but it was never easy to get it.

The forces that would be taking part in the upcoming war were not ordinary at all, they were just too powerful.

These forces also might endanger these talented sprouts, so it was better to stay down as long as he could to build up his strength.

Therefore, he had to live in the same ordinary way as his previous life, a life in which he couldn’t be distinguished in any way.

‘Of course, I don’t really mean to do that.’

Anyways, it was too early to be talking about his performance and military achievements that he could get in the future. And if he really did live his life just like he lived his previous one, it would be a waste of a second chance.

Ju Seo-Cheon knew his place well.

He was more special than others, but he knew that it was not because of his talents but because of the knowledge and memories of his previous life.

He had to start getting stronger fast, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to face the factions that would rise in the coming war.

It took him a lifetime to get to the Unrestrained Realm Elder of the Volcano sect, and he had only touched upon the Realm as well.

He didn’t even know what Realm came after the Unrestrained Realm, he had no idea whatsoever.

That’s why he had to be faster than anyone else, and do everything he could to get ahead. Only then would he be able to fight while having breathing space.

‘So, by practicing the Plum Blossoms Qi Art, I could pretend to be like the other cultivators, but I could still study other qi techniques.’

The stability acquired by practising plum blossoms qi art was said to be best in martial arts. It could also be said to be better than the martial arts in the Shaolin Temple.

No matter how stable it may be, he needed to study another qi art while practicing Plum Blossoms Qi Art.

Of course, studying Plum Blossoms Qi Art meant that you were a beginner, so you couldn’t learn other arts.

Only in Ju Seo-Cheon’s case was it different because he could reach the peak of Plum Blossoms Qi Art easily.

The Volcanic sect also had a technique of its own, called the Violet Mist Sword Art.

The Violet Mist Sword Art had the characteristic of creating a purple stream of air around the user when he/she was about to attack, though only after reaching a certain level of proficiency in it.

It was not only for show, but it also packed quite a punch and was very powerful.

But the problem was that this technique was passed down only to the Sect Masters of the Volcano Sect. Even the Elders were prohibited from learning it.

Nevertheless, Ju Seo-Cheon knew about the technique because the situation of that time in his previous life was an anomaly.

In times of war, people die as easily as ants being crushed under feet, and this was also the case with the Old Sect Master of the Volcano Sect.

‘I didn’t expect that the old Master would pass away like that.’

In Ju Seon-Cheon’s previous life, the old Sect Master of the Volcano sect was killed in war. After he died, his position was given to his disciple, but even then, anxiety remained throughout the sect.

Having become a Sect Master at a very young age, the new Sect Master had no disciple of his own. He was worried that he might die suddenly like his master, so he informed the Elders of the Violet Mist Sword Art technique.

Even though it was very unlikely for him to die, nothing was certain in a world filled with chaos and war.

And thanks to these circumstances, Ju Seo-Cheon was able to learn this technique.

‘The Violet Mist Sword Art doesn’t show any special characteristic until one reaches a certain point in cultivation.’

Only when the violet air currents appear, does it become noticeable. But, on the contrary, until one reached that point, Violet Mist Sword Art was weak.

He knew mastering these techniques would be difficult but as he had the experience and memories of his previous life, he could be relaxed at doing these. This also gave Ju Seo-Cheon a more advanced path than the others.

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‘I just need to hide my powers until the Age of Wars starts, after that I can just come up with a good reason.’

He still had not mastered the Plum Blossom Qi Art and thus his Dantian had still not been formed, and due to that he couldn’t yet learn the Violet Mist Sword Art technique. However as he was the only one who could practice the Violet Mist Sword Art except the Sect Master, he was already looking forward to the results.