The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 2

This was truly a situation to drive a man mad.

It seemed the grim reaper had made a mistake while trying to take my soul to the underworld.

First, to accurately grasp what point in time this was, I asked Un Gwang, who was walking ahead of me.

"Excuse me, Se... Senior Brother. How old did you say you were... again?"

"Did you hit your head when you fell in the water? You don't remember? I'm fifteen."

"Then... what about me?"

Dammit. Trying to use polite speech I wasn't used to felt like it was going to make my head explode.

"You're thirteen. I should ask the Martial Uncles to take a closer look at your condition. I'm worried."

"Ah, no, it's okay. I think I'm getting better little by little."

"Really?"

That Un Gwang fellow gave me a bright smile at my words and started walking again.

During the war with the Demonic Cult, Un Gwang had been thirty-five, which meant I had returned exactly twenty years into the past.

Looking over my body, it was nothing short of frail.

The internal energy and muscles I had built through life-or-death training were nowhere to be found.

"Hah... my precious internal energy."

"What did you say?"

"Ah, nothing."

A sigh escaped me before I knew it.

It had taken truly blood-spitting effort to be born into the utterly unknown Un Clan of Hanzhong in Shaanxi province and rise to be called a so-called master in the martial world.

My family's sword art was the uninspiredly named Un Family Sword Art, and the internal energy technique was also called the Un Family Internal Technique.

Seeing as they didn't tack on the grandiose 'Divine Art' to the end of the technique's name, it seemed they had a shred of conscience, but what good was that?

It was hardly different from the Three Talents Sword Art or the Three Talents Internal Technique that you could buy for a few pennies in the marketplace.

"Haha. Junior Brother, you must be tired since you haven't learned an internal energy technique yet, right? We're almost there. Let's just hang in there a little longer."

"Ah, yes. Senior Brother."

But I wondered what that Un Gwang fellow was so happy about, grinning like that.

Then again, Un Gwang was like that in his past life too.

A meddlesome guy who befriended everyone, a smile always on his face.

Thanks to that, he had many friends, but it also attracted a lot of scammers trying to leech off him.

'Unhwi, I don't think I've ever seen a genius like you before.'

Thinking of the past reminded me of what Un Gwang always used to say to me.

Born into a no-name family, learning a no-name martial art, I was always looked down upon, but Un Gwang was the only one who stayed close to me.

He said that reaching my level with such an unknown martial art was incredible in itself.

'Well... meeting again like this isn't so bad.'

The image of Un Gwang's dying eyes in his final moments came to mind, and I shook my head to clear the thoughts.

But now was not the time to be lost in old memories.

Grasping the situation was the top priority.

After following him for a while, I could see the entrance to Wudang in the distance.

It was the real Wudang. I had followed Un Gwang here a couple of times in my past life, so I could remember it clearly.

Thump- Thump- Thump-

But upon seeing Wudang, my heart suddenly began to pound.

'What is this? All of a sudden?'

My heart wasn't just pounding; the sky suddenly began to spin.

My body swayed on its own, and I clutched my head as a headache washed over me.

"Keuk—"

"Junior Brother, are you okay?!"

Un Gwang supported me just as I was about to collapse, saving me from a fall.

I tried to tense my body, but I couldn't muster any strength.

"Junior Brother! Wait here! I'll go get the Martial Uncles right away!"

Un Gwang laid me down and used his movement technique to dash through the mountain gate.

And just like that, I lost consciousness.

***

I had a dream.

It wasn't a particularly strange dream.

It was a dream that showed the life of an ordinary boy.

A boy who lost his parents at a young age was taken in by a Wudang Taoist as if by fate, and then underwent the training to become a Taoist at Wudang—a truly ordinary dream.

The dream ended with the boy, for some reason, jumping into a pond deep in the forest.

Wait. That pond looks familiar...

"Heok!"

I woke with a start, shooting upright.

What came into view was the scenery of an unfamiliar room.

"Martial Uncle! Unhwi is awake!"

"I see him."

A Taoist master approached me and took the pulse on my wrist.

Though he was much younger than I remembered, I knew this Taoist.

"Master Hyeon Cheong...?"

"It seems your memory is returning. Though your tone has become strangely impertinent."

"Is there a disease that makes you forget polite speech? Earlier, he called me 'you' instead of Senior Brother."

"Perhaps his usual complaints are just surfacing."

"What?!"

Watching the surprised Un Gwang, Master Hyeon Cheong chuckled as if he found it hilarious.

"Your pulse and the flow of your energy are normal. You little rascal. Why on earth did you go to such a faraway place? That pond is over ten zhang [approx. 33 meters] deep. You're usually so quiet and well-behaved."

"......"

In truth, I couldn't answer because I didn't know the reason either.

Even in the dream, it didn't show why this body's owner had thrown himself in there.

"Never mind. If you cannot speak of it, you must have your reasons."

"Ah, it's not that..."

He gave me a grin, then stood up and said to Un Gwang, "Let him rest well for today, and if anything happens, inform me immediately."

"Thank you, Martial Uncle."

I blankly watched the back of Master Hyeon Cheong as he ruffled my hair and left.

Master Hyeon Cheong was one of Wudang's top masters, one of the few who had directly crossed hands with the Demonic Cult Leader.

Of course, the result of that was death.

'Wait. The Wudang generation names go Un, Hyeon, Ok, Cheong... so if the Un generation is the youngest... the Hyeon generation would be the second-generation disciples.'

A moment ago, while dreaming, the memories of this body's owner, Unhwi, had flowed into my mind.

Perhaps because of that, I wasn't as confused as before.

Putting all the circumstances together, this place seemed to be the Wudang of twenty years ago for certain.

'To think... I've become a snot-nosed Taoist of Wudang.'

I didn't know why this had happened.

However, one thing was certain: this was not a dream.

This was definitely reality.

"Hwi-ya. Rest well here today. And if you continue to feel unwell, tell me. I'll let them know you can't participate in tomorrow's competition."

"There's a competition tomorrow...?"

My eyes went wide.

A competition? What was that all about?

"Senior Brother. Who are we competing with?"

"That would be the Un-generation disciples who haven't learned martial arts yet, including you."

"What's the reward for winning that competition?"

"You get assigned a master and can be taught martial arts. You don't remember at all?"

Martial arts!

The moment I heard that word, my mind snapped to attention.

In an instant, a myriad of thoughts raced through my head, and I ended up with a dazed expression.

Un Gwang studied my expression carefully and said, "You really are in bad shape, aren't you? Seeing as you can't remember, I should probably tell them to postpone..."

"No! I can do it."

"Huh?"

I shot up from my seat and clenched my fists.

"My body feels great right now. The best. I can win all the competitions tomorrow."

"Hmm... really?"

"Yes. Talking with you, Senior Brother, seems to be bringing it all back. Thank you, Senior Brother!"

I even grabbed Un Gwang's hand with an intentionally exaggerated voice, and only then did Un Gwang nod.

"You don't have to push yourself too hard."

"I'm not pushing myself! You don't have to worry so much."

"Really?"

Un Gwang watched me intently and then said, "Alright. I understand. But if you feel sick anywhere, you have to tell me right away, okay?"

"Of course!"

Even with my energetic reply, Un Gwang seemed unconvinced and watched me for a while longer before telling me to rest well and leaving the room.

I waited until the sound of Un Gwang's footsteps had completely faded before shouting what I had been holding back.

"Martial arts! That's right. I'm a Wudang disciple, aren't I?"

Martial arts.

Those two words made my heart pound.

I had been thinking about what there was to do as a Wudang Taoist, but there were martial arts.

Martial artists are incredibly strict about their arts and would never teach them to anyone outside their own school.

Even that kind-hearted Un Gwang had never once taught me a martial arts incantation.

But here, they would teach me martial arts just for being a Wudang disciple.

I couldn't help but be excited.

"I don't know what we'll be doing tomorrow, but all I have to do is beat all the little Wudang Taoists, right?"

I tried not to laugh, but a chuckle escaped me.

"Senior Brothers... I'll devour you all."

If I make a good impression on the snot-nosed Taoists in tomorrow's competition, I can monopolize the advanced martial arts.

No, I must monopolize them.

I made a vow.

A vow that I could live as a Wudang Taoist, as long as I could learn advanced martial arts.

"Mok Hwashin... Cult Leader... I will kill you with my own hands."

If it's true that I've returned to the past, then in about seventeen years, the Demonic Cult bastards will invade the Central Plains again.

I must build up my strength for that time.

And with Wudang's martial arts, I could surely build that strength quickly.

"The Martial Alliance and the Orthodox Faction martial artists will only listen to me if I have power."

Right now, my head is filled with detailed information about when and how the Demonic Cult invaded the Central Plains, and what preparations they made to start this war.

If they just listen to me, victory in the war is certain.

And perhaps I could even prevent the war itself from ever happening.

'Because I can just take the Cult Leader's head myself first.'

Strength surged into my hands.

Perhaps I was reborn into this child's body to stop the war with the Demonic Cult.

"Good. You're all dead."

I lay back down on the bed with a satisfied smile.

Rest is also important before using great strength.

As I lay there for a moment, drowsiness quickly washed over me.

I fell asleep with a smile on my lips.

To conserve my strength for tomorrow's competition.

***

'And yet...'

The next day, the place Un Gwang took me to was a small training ground.

Just before entering the training ground, Un Gwang repeatedly urged me.

'Even though all the junior brothers haven't learned martial arts, you, Unhwi, are especially the weakest and have the least experience, so if you think it's dangerous, it's okay to give up right away. There will be more competitions like this in the future.'

Since Un Gwang had said that much, I entered the competition with heightened tension.

About twenty Un-generation disciples were lined up in the training ground.

'He said there were about a hundred in the Un generation, right? That means seventy of those little Taoists have already started learning martial arts.'

I went to the very end of the line of Senior... Brothers, and since I was the last one, Martial Uncle Hyeon Cheong, who had treated me yesterday, counted the numbers once and then opened his mouth.

"Alright, I am Hyeon Cheong, and I will be conducting this competition. Is everyone well prepared?"

"Yes, Martial Uncle!"

"We have prepared diligently!"

Hearing the replies, I almost burst out laughing.

The sight of the young Taoists scrambling to answer was even cute.

"Even if you fail this competition, do not be too discouraged. You can just build up your bodies and basic stamina until the next one."

After speaking, Hyeon Cheong glanced in my direction.

'What's this. Was he talking to me?'

Both Hyeon Cheong and Un Gwang, just how difficult was this test for them to be acting like this?

I gave him a slight nod.

Hyeon Cheong smiled faintly and then shouted.

"The first test. Horse Stance!"

Not immediately understanding what he meant, I looked around and saw the others starting to assume the familiar horse-riding stance one by one.

I followed their lead, immediately taking the horse stance myself, and thought.

'What are they trying to do here? I can't get a grasp of what kind of test this is.'

Doing the horse stance after such a long time brought back old memories.

In my past life, when I was learning martial arts, I had done this horse stance so much to build leg strength that I was sick of it.

The body is the foundation of all martial arts.

Since my internal energy technique was nothing special, I had relentlessly honed my physical body, determined not to fall behind the masters of other sects.

'By the way, this body is truly pathetic.'

My legs started trembling almost immediately, and sweat began to pour down like rain.

It was as if this body had never exercised a day in its life; my whole body began to scream.

But I closed my eyes automatically and smiled faintly.

'Yes. This pain. This pain is the proof that I am getting stronger!'

It's natural to be tired when you use your body.

It's natural for it to hurt when your muscles tear.

But tired, aching muscles always come back as greater strength and bigger muscles.

This pain was nothing less than news that a stronger body was on its way.

'But when does the competition actually start?'

Lost in old memories, I had forgotten, but I had been waiting for a very long time.

Wondering if something was wrong, I cautiously opened my eyes...

"Huh?"

All the senior brothers except me were sitting on the ground.

Some were even massaging their legs, as if they had gotten cramps.

Wondering what on earth was going on, I turned to look at Martial Uncle Hyeon Cheong.

Just then, Martial Uncle Hyeon Cheong looked at me and shouted.

"The first competition ends here. The last one standing is... Unhwi!"

Surprise was etched on the faces of everyone who turned to look at me.

And in that moment, I realized.

The horse stance was the competition.

Forgetting that everyone was watching me, a single phrase escaped my lips.

"Eh, that's it?”

(End of Chapter)