"I'd rather die than suffer like this! I'd rather die!"
Chung Myung's face was completely twisted in frustration as he walked back to Baekmaegwan.
Nothing was going right.
They say it takes three years for a wealthy family to fall, but apparently, a hundred years was too much. Judging the current situation coldly, if you took away the name "Hwasan," there was nothing left to distinguish it from a third-rate sect.
'No, it's not just indistinguishable—it's the epitome of a third-rate sect.'
No money, poorly trained disciples, and a bunch of nonsensical philosophies no one else understands.
This is what a third-rate sect looks like! What else could it be?
Everything else is fine. Yes, everything else is fine!
But!
"Where the hell did you sell off the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Art, you bastards!"
It's possible for teachings to go wrong. Learning martial arts solely from secret manuals is incredibly difficult.
It's not uncommon in the martial world for people to go astray or even regress in their skills due to misinterpretations of the manuals.
But for an entire martial art to disappear? How is that possible?
Even if the previous generation was wiped out! The manuals and history are still there! Unless they sold them off, how could this happen?
"Ugh!"
Chung Myung scratched his head furiously.
"Where do I even start fixing this?"
The phrase "total disaster" was made for situations like this.
"Senior Brother. Do I really have to save Hwasan in this state?"
He looked up at the sky, imagining his senior brother grinning back at him.
'If you have to do it, just do it, you fool.'
"Damn it!"
Chung Myung grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground and threw it into the air, grumbling as he headed back to Baekmaegwan.
"Ah, my back."
His back ached from all the horse stances he'd been forced into.
Damn it. Just because he'd chatted a little, they made him hold a horse stance until training ended. If he still had his past life's body, he would've made them run from the base of Hwasan to the peak and back!
Well, it's better than being too soft.
'I'm starting to feel a bit impatient.'
Chung Myung clicked his tongue.
He'd planned to first understand how Hwasan operated and then figure out where to start fixing it. But the more he learned about Hwasan, the more he realized the road ahead was like a maze of endless mountains.
If he'd returned to this era with his past body and status, things would've been much easier. He could've just stormed in, knocked the sect leader's head off, and taken over.
But now, Chung Myung was at the bottom of the third-generation disciples. A beggar, no less. And his martial arts were pitiful.
Could he really change Hwasan from this position?
"Sigh..."
Just thinking about it made him sigh.
Of course, if he took his time, it might be possible. But the problem was that Chung Myung wasn't the patient type. If he had to keep watching this mess, he'd collapse from frustration before Hwasan could be fixed.
'Meanwhile, Mount Wudang and Qingcheng are probably improving as we speak.'
Most martial sects focused on replicating the martial arts of their founders, known as "ancestral masters."
But Chung Myung thought differently.
The world inevitably progresses. Even if the founders were geniuses among geniuses, countless ordinary people would eventually surpass their achievements through continuous study and refinement.
In other words, martial arts were bound to improve over time.
Take Shaolin's legendary Yijin Jing, for example. It wasn't the same as when the Sixth Patriarch, Huineng, first created it. Countless successors had added new interpretations and improvements, and it was still evolving to this day.
Yes, evolving...
"While others are improving, Hwasan is not only failing to progress but even forgetting what it already had."
How could he not be furious?
Chung Myung let out a deep sigh.
First things first...
Growl.
"..."
Chung Myung looked down at his stomach.
"Tsk."
Having lived as a beggar for so long, this body was always hungry.
'Come to think of it, I haven't eaten dinner.'
While the others had finished training and gone to eat, Chung Myung had been punished and missed the meal.
Back then and now, punishments always involved fasting. There's nothing more annoying than being unable to eat after exhausting yourself in training.
Chung Myung clutched his growling stomach and entered Baekmaegwan. He needed to sort out today's events...
"Here he comes."
As Chung Myung stepped inside, he raised an eyebrow at the enthusiastic "welcome" awaiting him. Dozens of third-generation disciples were gathered in the large hall, sitting in a circle.
"Hey, newbie!"
Chung Myung's gaze shifted listlessly toward them.
"We've met before, right?"
It was the guy called Agal. Judging by the smug look on his face, he wasn't waiting with good intentions.
Chung Myung sighed deeply and spoke to Agal.
"What is it, Agal?"
Agal's face instantly turned red.
"Are you crazy? Call me Senior Brother Jo Geol!"
"Senior Brother..."
Chung Myung's head tilted upward. Looking at the old wooden ceiling, he felt like crying.
Ah, now I have to call these brats "senior brothers."
But what can I do? If you're upset, you should've come earlier.
"Yes, yes. Senior Brother Jo Geol. What can I do for you?"
"Newcomers have to go through an initiation."
"Huh?"
"Don't worry. We won't go too hard on you. You look so scrawny, we're afraid you might die if we hit you too hard."
Laughter erupted from all sides. It seemed they'd done this many times before and enjoyed it.
Well, he understood.
Group life was like that. Initiations strengthened bonds and helped everyone get to know each other. Most of the guys laughing around him had probably gone through the same thing.
'Though the quality seems a bit low.'
It wasn't the initiation itself that bothered him, but their attitude. Disciples of a martial sect shouldn't be cackling like street thugs.
Of course, when Chung Myung first joined Hwasan, there was some levity, but they never acted like this.
Huh? Does that sound like something an old man would say?
So what! I'm eighty years old!
"An initiation, huh?"
Chung Myung nodded. It was important to go along with their demands and blend in.
It was annoying, but what could he do? This was all part of saving Hwasan.
"Alright. What do I need to do?"
Jo Geol smirked.
"Senior Brother."
"Yeah."
"Will you do the honors?"
Senior Brother?
Chung Myung turned to look at the one called "Senior Brother." He was a head taller than the others and clearly older.
So he's the leader of the third-generation disciples.
"You handle it."
"Yes, understood."
Chung Myung quickly figured out the hierarchy.
'He's the leader, but Jo Geol is the real power.'
It was the same in his past life. The sect leader had the title, but Chung Myung was the one who solved problems. The leader's position and real power weren't always the same.
If he could play this situation right...
"Strip."
"...What?"
Chung Myung's head tilted sideways.
Did he hear wrong?
"I said strip."
"..."
Chung Myung looked around. The hall was filled with disciples, all grinning and watching him.
His gaze finally settled on Jo Geol.
"...I think I misunderstood. No, I definitely did."
Chung Myung forced a smile.
Don't get angry.
Don't lose your temper.
If you get mad at these brats, you're no better than them.
"S-strip?"
"Yeah."
Jo Geol grinned wickedly.
"Guys bond by stripping down. Come on, take it all off. Dance a little, take a few hits, and you'll start feeling affection for your senior brothers."
Chung Myung's forced smile stretched to his ears.
"Mmm... mmm..."
"Huh?"
Ah, his words weren't coming out right.
He coughed to relax his facial muscles and spoke with difficulty.
"What about... Senior Brother Ungeom?"
"He's training in the evening. So don't expect him to help you. It's just us here."
"I see."
Chung Myung nodded slowly.
"And even if he were here, you'd only be safe for today. You'll be living here from now on. Do you think you can run away?"
That's right. I'll be living here from now on.
Thank you.
I was thinking about this all wrong.
"So there are no senior instructors here?"
"This brat keeps running his mouth. That's it. You're getting hit first. I didn't like you anyway."
Jo Geol stood up and strode over, grabbing Chung Myung by the collar.
"Once you take a few hits, you'll start respecting your senior brothers. I'm not doing this because I dislike you. It's tough love to set a wayward disciple straight. Got it?"
"Senior Brother."
"What? You have something to say?"
"Tighten your neck."
"Huh?"
In that instant, Chung Myung's fist shot upward, slamming into Jo Geol's jaw.
Bang!
With a cracking sound, Jo Geol's body soared upward.
Thud!
He crashed through the old ceiling.
Dangle, dangle.
Jo Geol's body hung limply, embedded in the ceiling.
The third-generation disciples stared in stunned silence.
"..."
"..."
After a quick glance at Jo Geol stuck in the ceiling, Chung Myung turned and walked toward the door.
"W-where are you going...?"
Clank!
Chung Myung locked the door with a bolt, then turned back with a bright smile.
"You know, in life..."
"..."
"There are times when you're faced with all sorts of worries. The most troublesome one is figuring out where to start. But..."
Crack, crack.
Chung Myung's neck twisted left and right.
"Thanks to you, my thoughts have become very clear. Yes, I should start by cleaning up my surroundings."
He kicked a nearby chair, shattering it into pieces. He picked up the sturdiest leg and gripped it tightly.
"Huuu."
Gnashing his teeth, he said,
"I may have grown up in a sect, but I still know how to respect my elders."
Hope flickered in the disciples' eyes.
Elders...
"If the senior instructors hear you screaming, they'll be upset. So don't scream. If you scream, I'll hit you twice as hard."
Ah...
So we're not the elders.
Of course not.
"Let's start with a beating, you little brats!"
Chung Myung charged at the third-generation disciples like a demon