In an undisclosed location, hundreds of children, all roughly 10 years old, were seen standing, performing punching motions one after the other. All of the children looked terrible, in rags, drenched in sweat. They were dead tired, wounded and felt their bodies hurt everywhere. Around them, large, powerful men observed them and made sure their instructions were followed.
Suddenly, one of the children couldn't go on any longer. His eyes rolled up, and he fainted on the spot, falling to the ground. Seeing another one succumb to he inhumane training made some stop their movements.
"Number 702... Do you think this is really the time to be worried about someone else?" one of the instructors asked.
This was the reality they were in. The instructors had absolute authority, and the children would do it and hope to survive. Because if they didn't...
"Y-yes, sir!" 702 answered.
"Never forget, this is the Cave of Latent Demons. Three 'NOTs' and you meet death. Worrying about others can cost you your own life," the instructor said.
He turned to another instructor.
"You may take care of him," he said.
"Yes, sir."
The lower-ranked instructor walked forward, grabbed the boy who had fallen unconscious by the leg, and pulled him away. The other children held back their tears as they once again saw someone being dragged along and then dumped into a stream of water. Thrown away like trash. This was what they would face if they weren't strong enough, if they didn't listen and cried or showed any weakness.
"How many does that make?"
"About 250? I'm not sure," the supervisor said.
"Hmm... There's quite a lot this month."
"It's not like this place even keeps count..."
"Yeah... well, good luck to you."
Cave of Latent Demons. A training facility of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon that raises students. As expected from the Cult, it was no ordinary training facility, where only one-tenth of those who came in could ever leave alive. The training process was gruesome and deadly. Those who survived, however, were sure to become the cult's elite.
Yu-Jong had, unknowingly, arrived in an ancient world where martial artists reigned supreme. That was the problem with not specifying his skills as well as he could have. But while he was initially worried, his skills 'Indifference' and 'Indomitable Will' helped him tremendously. After arriving, Yu-Jong wanted to leave again, but couldn't. After all the skills he created, his SP had dropped to [3'350]. So he was more or less stuck in this world and had to wait for a long time. But thankfully, he wasn't an idiot, and after going through his Essence once more, he had an epiphany.
[SP Point Generator: Rank D - 1'000 SP]
This skill doubled his SP generation per second. So instead of gaining 1 per second, he gained 2 per second. This would halve the time he had to remain in this new world, which he knew nothing about. And it proved helpful, since he managed to create another skill he wanted barely over one hour later.
[Calm Mind: Rank D - 10'000 SP]
At first, it was strange to Yu-Jong that the SP Point generator was 10 times less expensive for the same rank, but after looking at the higher-ranked versions of the same skills, he understood.
[SP Point Generator: Rank C - 1'000'000 SP]
For the C-rank, it was 1'000 times more expensive, and it doubled the SP he generated per second. Now, this might have seemed like much, but Yu-Jong understood that after reaching B-rank, the skill was no longer worth paying for. To reach C-rank, he would have to wait a bit less than 6 days and to reach B-rank after that, at 4 SP per second, he would have to wait almost 8 years. And to reach A-rank... well... that was ~only~ a few years shy of 4'000!!!
So, after being taken in by the Instructors to enter the Cave of Latent Demons, to undergo hellish training, Yu-Jong created the skill on the 6th day. From then on, he generated 4 SP per second and could focus on his training and other valuable skills to ensure his survival and eventual return.
.
[Healthy Body: Rank D - 25'000 SP]
The first skill Yu-Jong created was this one. The effects were rather interesting. +5–10% increase to most physical aspects, improved coordination and balance, a slight increase in physical learning talent, a very minor passive healing and lightly faster stamina recovery. All in all, it was nothing groundbreaking, since everything was truly minor. However, what Yu-Jong found out after he had created the skill was that the Essence never took his body or surroundings into account when making a price. How did he come to that conclusion?
All children, who numbered over 1'000, were given numbers that represented their talents. They were tested and then given a number. Yu-Jong got the number 1 among all others. He was, according to the instructors, the one child with the most talent and who they thought might go the furthest.
Now, despite Yu-Jong already having high talent, the skill 'Healthy Body' still cost only 25'000 SP, even though it increased his talent across all physical aspects. So, for an aspiring martial artist like him, who already was very talented, this was a bargain. The Essence made prices by averaging all existences across the omniverse. That's why this was a steal for Yu-Jong. The increase in talent wasn't a percentage, but a fixed value. Meaning he gained far more from it than those with lesser talent.
The children were placed into four groups, who didn't see one another. Yu-Jong was the best in his respective group, and after creating the skill, that only widened the gap between him and the others. He took this chance seriously, to train as hard as he could, steeling his nerves and improving the skills he had.
During the first year, all they did was physical conditioning. No martial arts were taught whatsoever. The Cave of Latent Demons first wanted to weed out the weak, similar to the Demonic Academy, back home. The irony wasn't lost on Yu-Jong that he had travelled to a world so similar to the one he had come from. But it only benefited him. The instructors were merciless, but fair. They didn't care about birth or clans. Only strength mattered, and everyone was treated equally. Yu-Jong enjoyed that.
"All students assemble! I repeat, assemble!"
Yu-Jong heard the gong and made his way out of his small room, walking along the narrow paths of the cave and reaching the assembly point.
"Looks like you're all here. I hope you've all had a nice rest. Because we will increase the intensity of your training starting from today," the leading instructor announced.
Another instructor arrived, carrying a large sack filled with metal bracers. He dropped them to the ground in front of them.
"Each one of these metal bracers weighs 7.5 kg. Each of you will come forward and take these! Four per person. Starting today, you will live and train with these bracers equipped on your arms and legs. I'll give you four hours, climb the mountain and retrieve a flag. Those who fail shall not have any breakfast."
This was typical. The training grew harder and harsher at times. This was simply a slightly bigger jump in difficulty. But a test was never just a test; there were different things meant to be observed. The Shiwan Mountain Range was located inside the Cult of Heaventy Demon, the place where the Cave of Latent Demons was located. The children had to run up this mountain every day and be back on time; otherwise, they wouldn't get food.
Yu-Jong put on all four metal bracers and then got going. He felt his body heavier than before, and it took a moment to adjust to the new way it moved. His balance was slightly off for a few minutes, but it settled very quickly. He ran up the mountain at a moderate pace, faster than any of the other children. He noticed a young girl, number 17, studying him as he passed her on his way down. She was the second most talented student in their group, right after him.
|Chun A-Yeong
| HP: 300 Qi: 5 Years - Beginner Prowess
| Cultivation Technique: Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon
| Daughter of the current Cult Leader, Chun Hwi. She was sent to the Cave of Latent Demons to draw out her true potential, so she would be able to rise to the position of the vice-leader in the future. Due to her bloodline, she can cultivate the cult's secret technique, the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon. This grants her power that exceeds that of her peers. Using the technique requires her to expend a large amount of Qi, which her body is not yet developed enough to handle, leaving her unable to use it to its full potential.
| She is interested in you and Hyuk Woon Sung because of your progress and rapid growth.
| She is an easygoing girl, due to her belief in being the best to become the vice-Lord. Feels that you are a bit too strong for your age and is not as confident around you.
This was thanks to his skill 'Observe' reaching C-rank. It gave him much more information, and the most interesting part was that it provided insight into the person's martial arts and cultivation techniques. But not only that, but Yu-Jong could also copy the techniques since he had gained a lot of information about them.
.
After he made it back down the mountain, he was given breakfast. Yu-Jong didn't leave, since usually that was when training started. However, today seemed to be different. Not only had their training difficulty increased, but another thing happened as well.
"Starting now, you will learn martial arts," the Senior Instructor announced.
This news sent whispers through the crowd and made the children excited. Cheon Yu-Jong was also excited, since he had been waiting for this for a whole year.
"Silence!"
Seeing the talking, the Senior Instructor stomped on the ground, cracking it and sending a shockwave through the area, silencing everyone.
"Now that it has quieted down, I'll continue. Starting today, you will learn martial arts. However, you won't be able to practice high-level martial arts immediately. You cannot build a strong castle on top of sand. Your training for the past year was built upon that foundation. You must now learn how to cultivate."
He held up a booklet and showed it to the students.
"This is the 'Dark Flower and Red Spirit Method'. It is the fundamental cultivation method of our cult. Those who know how to read, to the right. Those who don't go to the left."
Yu-Jong knew how to read, and since the language was the same in this world as it was in his previous one, he didn't have to relearn it. He moved to the right, standing amongst those who knew how to read. The Senior Instructor approached them first.
"So these are the ones who know how to read?" he asked the instructor.
"Yes, sir."
"Before lunch, you will need to memorise 30 lines from the Dark Flower. If you fail to do so, there will be no lunch," the Senior Instructor told the students.
Yu-Jong took the small book, moved to the edge of the cave, and started reading. The Dark Flower and the Red Spirit fuse, completing the bloom. This bloom symbolises the Heavenly Demon of the Cult. Yu-Jong, thanks to his 'Observe' skill, had learned that the Demonic Cult's martial arts gathered Demonic Qi quite rapidly, but lacked safety. The Dark Flower, however, accumulated Demonic Qi with purity and stability. The Orthodox sects, on the other hand, steadily accumulated Qi. A thought came to Yu-Jong's mind. He looked at another student.
|Hyuk Woon Sung
| HP: 100 Qi: 3 Years - Beginner
| Cultivation Technique: The Heaven-Ward Soul Earthen Body; The Tempered Orthodox Qi (Complete Method)
| Hyuk Woon Sung is the sole disciple of Nok Yu On - the world's strongest spearman and the master of the Spear Master Sect. Under his mentorship, Hyuk Woon Sung reached Transcendence Level and attained great mastery of the spear.
However, he and his master are framed for possession and studying of a manual of Demonic arts - one of the heaviest crimes for a martial artist of the Orthodox Faction. This leads to a combined attack by several leaders of major Orthodox sects and the Martial Alliance leader himself, Jwa Do-Gyul. This attack results in the deaths of both the master and the disciple.
| Hyuk Woon Sung dies in the presence of the Spear Master Sect's divine treasure, a mysterious artefact of unknown power, and finds himself reborn as a disciple of the Cult of Heavenly Demon.
| Has no opinion of you as of yet.
This was a surprise for Yu-Jong. He didn't know that reincarnation was possible like this. But what he was most interested in was the amount of knowledge Woon Sung possessed. Since he was obviously part of an Orthodox Sect before, the Spear Sect, his cultivation technique was steady, in contrast to the demonic one.
After reading the 'Dark Flower and Red Spirit Method' and using his 'Observation' skill, he realised it was merely the beginner stage and an inferior method of the 'Divine Art Of The Heavenly Demon' cultivation technique. And ironically, there was someone who possessed this technique here among them: Chun A-Yeong, the daughter of the current Cult Leader.
Yu-Jong smiled.
What was better than having one technique? Two which complemented each other and removed their respective weaknesses. And Hyuk Woon Sung would help him with this. He checked his skill points for the first time in a full year.
[126'144'000 SP]
This was more than enough for him to get the skills he wanted.
[Photographic Memory: Rank D - 50'000 SP]
[Fast Understanding/Inspiration: Rank D - 200'000 SP]
Yu-Jong copied the 'The Tempered Orthodox Qi' (Complete Method) from Hyuk Woon Sung and the 'Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon' from Chun A-Yeong. And then, he went ahead to try to combine the two to create a new and more powerful cultivation method.