As Jake regained consciousness, he found himself in a traditional house. He looked around a bit before a system window popped up in front of him.
[Host is currently inside the body of Heavenly Demon's 3rd disciple]
[The previous owner of this body went into Qi deviation and died mysteriously]
[Current Mission: Find out who tried to kill 3rd Prince Mujin
Difficulty: A+
Reward: Capability to harness Qi
Penalty: You will never be married]
Jake closely checked the mission window and muttered to himself, "So I have to find out who tried to kill me? The reward is quite generous too. Being able to perform Qi-based moves can really come in handy later."
Before Jake could take it all in, his eyes landed on the mission failure penalty.
"Wha- What the... was that even necessary?"
[New System features are unlocked. Would you like to know about them?
Button: Yes/No]
Jake instantly pressed "Yes."
[World origin and Translator]
[These features will be automatically used once you enter your next world]
[World Origin: The Murim world is currently divided into three factions: Great Sects, Noble Houses, and Demon Cult. The strongest faction is the Demon Cult, currently ruled by the Heavenly Demon Cheonma. To maintain balance, the Noble Houses and Great Sects formed an alliance against the Demon Cult called the Murim Alliance]
[In this world, only strong people live a good life while weak people get exploited. Martial Arts can decide everything in this world]
[The power system of this world is purely based on Qi. By harnessing Qi, a person can become a Martial Artist]
[Current Martial Artist Levels: 3rd-rate Martial Practitioners to First Rate Grand Masters]
"So, how strong am I?" Jake asked.
[Host's current hunter rank is B, which is comparable to a 3rd-rate Grandmaster]
Jake grinned, "So I'm decently strong in this world. Kukuku!"
Suddenly, the doors to the room opened and an old man walked in.
"You finally woke up, young master. I can finally take a breath of relief after seeing you well," the physician said.
At that moment, all of Mujin's memories came rushing into Jake's head. He stumbled a bit before recomposing himself. The physician quickly ran towards Jake and pulled him towards the bed, muttering, "You should rest well, young master, for some time before you attend the gathering."
Jake looked up at the physician and muttered, "No, it's fine. I'm okay now."
The physician sighed and left the room after thoroughly checking Jake's condition. Jake then walked out of his courtyard.
"This Mujin was unbelievably a good person, unlike the rest of the Demon Cult. The Demon Cult is about survival of the fittest, and only the truly strong remain," Jake thought as he searched his memories for any useful information.
"Interesting indeed! Five geniuses of the Demon Cult fighting to become the successor of the Heavenly Demon. Mujin and the 4th disciple had a bittersweet rivalry, but it's nothing compared to the hatred of the 5th disciple. The 5th disciple, Sooyoung of the Pure Jade faction, is quite a headache. Also, she was the last person Mujin met after falling into Qi deviation."
Three hours passed, and the gathering started. Only the most important people of the Demon Cult were permitted to participate. Jake was a little late to the gathering, so he sprinted with all his might to reach the Demonic Palace, barely making it on time.
Everyone gathered at the center of the room, and Cheonma sat on his throne, eating grapes. The Supreme Elder stepped forward and ordered the five True Demonic Disciples to come in front of Cheonma. One by one, the disciples came forward and knelt before Cheonma.
Cheonma waved his hand and lifted a wine bottle using Qi before giving it to the Supreme Elder. The Supreme Elder Woji poured wine into five glasses and handed them to the disciples.
Cheonma spoke in a calm manner, "This is my gift for all of your hard work—100 years old wine."
Cheonma stood up from his throne and walked towards his disciples. Every step shook the whole palace. He stood in front of his five disciples with an indifferent face and asked them about their training.
The first disciple, Sujin, came forward and knelt before Cheonma. "I'm currently a 3rd-rate master, but I'm unable to gain the insight to progress any further," Sujin said.
Cheonma, still with an indifferent expression, looked at Sujin. "Reaching the master stage at the tender age of 20 is quite an achievement. As for the insight you need, try to push yourself to the absolute limit. Find your true style; don't try to imitate someone. I know about how you're trying to copy Murong."
Sujin bowed his head and shouted, "Thanks for the insight, master!"
One by one, everyone bowed and talked about various things before it was Jake's turn. Jake stood in front of the Heavenly Demon, the strongest martial artist in the Murim World. Suddenly, a quest window popped up in front of Jake.
[Sub Quest: Fight with Cheonma and gain his respect
Difficulty: A+
Reward: Access to a new system feature
Penalty: Cancellation of all sub-quests in this world]
Jake panicked, and many thoughts crossed his mind.
"So I just have to fight; winning isn't a necessary condition," he thought, biting his lip as sweat covered his face. "What if the Demon Cult takes offense to my request? What if they capture or kill me?"
Jake gulped before finally composing himself. Cheonma looked at Jake's weird facial expression with a hint of curiosity. Jake finally focused his eyes only to see Cheonma staring at him intensely. Jake knelt in front of Cheonma and requested, "Master, please fight me so I can learn about my shortcomings."
The Supreme Elder stepped in front of him and eyed Jake carefully. "3rd disciple Mujin, you are courting death right now. Asking to fight our Lord in the middle of a gathering is a disrespect towards the Heavenly Demon."
Cheonma stopped the Supreme Elder and muttered, "I can sense extreme power from him. You might not even be his match, Supreme Elder."
"But my Lord, can that be the case? Is he already a Grandmaster? Has he finally begun to see the path to enlightenment? That can't be the case, my Lord. He's not even in his 30s," the Supreme Elder said.
Cheonma frowned and glared at the Supreme Elder. "Are you doubting my words? Do you think I'm incapable of understanding what I'm saying?"
Cheonma's face finally showed an expression as he looked towards Jake. "Very well, I shall honor your request. Tomorrow, come near the Red Rock Mountain. We will fight there."