The Martial Master - 43 Black Figure Returns

“Hm?”

…

…

“Uh…”

A boy, lazing with a sleepy daze in a dark room, grumbled as he stared at a glowing screen in front of him. Numerous dots of different magnitudes shone on the screen, pinpointing the location of what was assumed to be people.

Half-eaten meats were scattered around him and accompanied by numerous strange contraptions. A sweaty smell wafted out of this mess, blending right into the background.

“I knew that building that wall was stupid…”

He rubbed his eyes as he stared at a specific part of the screen with a half troubled half tired face. His forehead shimmered under the dark light, gleaming with an unknown number of circles.

“I really liked that 4th circle mage as well…”

As if he had realised it, the boy’s eyes opened for the first time and prompted the small room he was in to shudder with a collection of hard thuds. A divine white emerged, yet it was hidden just as quickly.

“Hm… I’ll send a couple of those creepy bastards.”

Lifting his hand that glistened like jade, the boy poked thin air with a simple finger. It provoked no reaction, but he nodded as he slouched down again and half closed his eyes once again.

The trembling room erupted into silence as it went to how it always was. Darkened, wizened, and that of a bored teenager.

…

…

*BANG*

“Sit.”

Su Min draped in black stared at a shakey boy who was in his teenage years. The boy scurried to the closest wooden chair inside of the unadorned hut; his expression was that of fear but also confusion.

*Creeeak*

Su Min, relaxing on another chair, stared at the boy with a questioning gaze. Why did he call him a martial artist? He doesn’t and couldn’t even cultivate the Martial energy…

‘Maybe because of my true race? But that doesn’t make sense…’

Su Min’s eyes shined with a glimmering gold as he stared at the boy with an intense gaze. He looked and looked as if he was looking for something that may answer his question.

‘Ah? What’s that?’

Staring at boy’s Dantian, Su Min’s eyes narrowed as he caught a wisp of something black. It felt familiar to him; like it was part of him.

‘Martial..!’

He gasped on instinct, yet just at this moment, his world turned black as everything that was real became unreal. His eyes shuddered as he noticed the room he was in and the boy who had a trembling face dissipate in front of his eyes.

An all-encompassing black shrouded him and the world as if it had come from nothing, making anyone feel like an ant in front of it.

“Hm?”

Su Min found himself within seconds standing in front of a simple wooden table, where a teapot wafted out refreshing steam atop it. A foggy and familiar world replaced his own, somehow.

“Su Min. Your book awoke me. Again.”

A black figure, materialising right in front of him, spoke with a serious voice as he sat down and sipped some tea.Su Min’s expression turned and his mind seethed with confusion, what on earth was happening?

“Su Min, it seems that you have died once again. ”

Still with a serious expression, the man nodded as he mumbled to himself and to Su Min. Su Min’s face returned to being emotionless as he sat down, feeling a headache coming.

“Su Min, how could you! I gave you an Ancient One’s body, yet you died in a villagers hut with an underage boy! I can teach you the ways of not dying, trust me. I have lived for an eternity after all.”

Swirling his tea like he was bored out of his mind, the figure grumbled with an even deeper seriousness. Though, Su Min felt that it was becoming stupid.

“Kidding, of course. Su Min.”

“Ok.”

Su Min replied without emotion as he awaited whatever the reason he was thrown back into this black world. Nevertheless, it didn’t really make sense of how reality just disappeared in his view.

“PFFFT!!”

The figure, holding his mouth and with watery eyes, suddenly gasped with a hoarse laughter that roared as if it were a stampede. He banged the table like a looney and gaped with derangement. Su Min just sat there with the same placid expression, just staring…

“Ah… Man, I really wished you had died again…”

Reminiscing on the not so long ago past, the figure looked at the sky. The sky in return shuddered as if it was growing impatient and billowed a cold wind onto him, so the figure grumbled and shifted his gaze back onto Su Min.

“Wahh! Whatever you old book. Su Min, I am here to tell you about your current situation. Courtesy of the Heaven’s making life difficult as always. PFFT!”

Su Min remained unfazed as he waited for the deranged figure to calm down, and so he did.

“Remember that familiar black thing you saw in that boy? Yeah, uh that’s actually part of you. You’re quite LITERALLY inside of him if you know what I’m saying, eh? Naughty.”

“What?”

Su Min felt even more confused as he rubbed his brow and felt troubled on what to believe. A part of him is inside of that kid?

“Ah, well, I’m guessing you have realised that you can’t sense that nice black stuff that covers everything like the fucking plague. Well, that’s because reincarnating comes with a few complications that I… Well, it’d be annoying to fix them if you know what I’m saying.”

Starting to feel dread, Su Min paid close attention to what the figure was about to reveal.

“I just had to, well, uh… To put it lightly, scatter your Martial Bloodline onto the lower Heaven’s Realm. All of it to be exact. So… Hm.”

“?!”

Su Min scowled as he continued to give a stare at the figure. His Martial Bloodline? What?

“Aye! Don’t give me that look, it’s not my fault that I had to do that! Blame the heaven’s instead, they’re the shitty fuckers who hate your existence anyway!”

The figure grumbled as he received the half confused and half frowning stare from Su Min, grimacing at his fate as the guy who had to spread ‘Su Min’ onto the world.

“All I’m saying is that you just have to go and well, find it. The more you find the more complete your bloodline becomes, allowing snazzy and cool functions to bide into your hands! Though dying in the process won’t help. So don’t die; I recommend not killing races for starters.”

The figure explained the situation vaguely, making Su Min even more confused.

“So why do I have an Ancient One’s body?”

The figure lifted into a smile as he heard the question, revelling at himself and his greatness.

“Compensation of course! I gave you a low ranking body of the fifth highest bloodline of the Ancient Race, how isn’t that cool? It’s not like your NOT used to it, as that stupi-awesome book allowed you to transform into part of that race in your previous life!”

“Fifth highest?”

Su Min shivered as he thought about what he could do, yet he was only ranked fifth in the Ancient Race’s bloodline?

“Don’t be greedy, as you can’t steal the real Ancient bloodline just yet, because that’s rude and you are an ant. Ants don’t steal from kings, though you stole from nobles instead… Well! You need to unlock your martial bloodline… And find it. Just make sure that you cultivate as much as you can with both the Ancient energy and the Martial energy because you can become SUPER strong. Ain’t even joking, those people are scary in the higher realm.”

Shivering as the he remembered something , the figure paused as his eyes shined with a mysterious glint. Su Min had an enlightened expression as he thought about it.

“Oh! I also need to say that you should REALLY surpass the Stage 1 Ancient Energy Realm because you’d basically become undefeatable below the Martial Condensation Stage. You just need to completely cultivate your first symbol, though that might take a while…”

“Hm? I still only have the battle power of someone at the Martial Condensation stage?”

Su Min gasped whilst also feeling troubled. He’s still weak?

“Pfft! You’d make those human cultivators cough out blood if you dare say that again! There are 9 known cultivation stages in the Martial, and you’re at the peak of the first one! Humanity only has a couple at that realm, so you’re pretty damn strong when compared to them. Although…”

The figure put on a pondering expression as he paused, making Su Min feel anxious, though he continued after he felt that it was enough.

“Human’s can only be considered a mid-range lower race, so you’re strong, but not THAT strong, you understand, eh?”

Half understanding, Su Min felt the need to question further.

“Then wh-”

“Oi, Shh! I don’t have that much time considering I have suspended time. Uh… Ah! One final FINAL thing you Martial bastard! Heheh.”

Deciding that its best not to argue, Su Min nodded with hesitation and listened on.

“I made it so that you would stare at the kid for ten minutes straight in the real world, so enjoy!”

“Huh?”

*PSSSSHHH*

Not even getting a chance to hinder the figure’s actions, Su Min watched as the world dispersed in front of him as the familiar hut re-entered his view. Though, something was different…

“I-I’M SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!”

A kid, drenched in sweat to the point that he looked like he pissed himself, bowed and bowed in front of Su Min as if he was going mad. Su Min frowned while he returned to reality, remembering what the figure said.

“Uh…”