Volcanic Age - Chapter 9

Editor: Summerstood, Imagine

Ju Seo Cheon doubted his ears at that moment.

Mount Hua was called the Five Peaks of the Midlands and was praised as a spiritual mountain.

Its appearance was so impressive that anyone looking at it up close would lose their souls.

But all beautiful roses tend to have thorns.

Mount Hua was a spiritual mountain that was also famous for being steep, so people wouldn’t even attempt to climb it if they weren’t martial artists.

The Lotus Peak, where Hua Sect was located, was comparatively easier to climb because a path was already made on it.

But it wasn’t the same for the other regions. It was hard to even endure on these peaks if you weren’t at least a second-rated martial artist.

And Ju Seo Cheon was currently climbing the steep cliff that he couldn’t even see the shape or peak of.

“Hang in there a little bit more. You feel like this because it’s your first time but believe me, it’s not that big of a deal!”

The voice of his master was heard from above.

‘It’s not a big deal?’

Ju Seo Cheon stuck close to the cliff and gulped.

Tremble.

All ten of his fingers got cut while climbing. Bloodstains were left everywhere and the wounds only increased every time he moved his hands.

A wound like this wasn’t that important. All his body ached so he couldn’t even speak.

Strength entered his core along with nervousness.

But he couldn’t release the strength as it wouldn’t be a smart move. If he did that and accidentally broke a handhold , he would fall down and his body…SPLAT.

If he had stimulated his internal energy while climbing, he would have endured it. But he couldn’t as he was supposed to climb the peak without using it. He was about to go crazy.

It was hard, exhausting and every part of his body hurt. There was no part in his body that wasn’t in pain. This training was harsh.

No, in the first place it was weird to push a nine-year-old kid to the limits like this.

Even if he had more internal energy than others, he didn’t think that his master would make him climb a cliff. This whole thing was completely wrong.

‘I didn’t think properly!’

Ju Seo Cheon regretted having thought of the enhancement gymnastics lightly.

He had thought that it would only be warming up because it was gymnastics created by a weak person to get healthier.

But his way of thinking itself was wrong.

Smiling gentle sword, Yu Jong Mok

He had to realize what kind of person his master was.

Yu Jong Mok was a person that became a candidate for the Plum Blossom Sword Examiner even though he had a body that was several times weaker than the others.

He didn’t climb to that place solely through talent.

He needed to exert many times more effort than others.

He couldn’t fix his constitution, so he still worked hard more than anyone else to compensate for that.

Looking at the results, he had to give up on the seat of the Plum Blossom Sword Examiner but that didn’t mean that his efforts and skills disappeared.

In reality, the evaluation the Mount Hua Sect had on Yu Jong Mok was quite high and they were all the more disappointed because of that.

Whatever the case, would a person with that kind of constitution be able to compensate for it with an easy solution? Obviously not.

“Grrr!”

He let out a superhuman roar and started to climb up again.

His body and mind was screaming at him to stop immediately.

‘What an absurd level of intensity…!’

The respect he had towards his master surged up.

Climbing up a cliff with no internal energy.

The effects were certainly good.

In the case of martial artists, they used internal energy to lessen the burden and pain on their body. It was because using internal energy would protect the functions of their bodies. But if that happened, the training wouldn’t progress properly.

For reference, the body would only get a step stronger after it got broken, torn apart, and then pieced back together.

Its endurance would evolve the more it was hit, just like steel.

That meant that climbing the steep cliff was the most optimal environment to train your body.

If he let go of the tension or lost strength even by a little he would die because he had spent all his internal energy so he could only keep putting strength. His muscles would naturally get trained because of the burden and he had to use strength constantly. This was the perfect training regime.

Ju Seo Cheon had made three excuses.

“Master, I will really die like this.”

The first is that he only had one life.

“I’m only nine years old. I’m at a phase where I should be growing lots so I think that this is too much.”

The second one was that his body was still that of a kid. There may be a problem in his growth if he overdid it.

“Oh, you asked a really good question. It’s fine. Your body has internal energy beyond imagination hiding inside so that part you asked about will be solved when you circulate your energy. That’s because internal energy is life itself.”

‘Did I get busted…’

Ju Seo Cheon also knew that much. There was no way his master didn’t know about it.

No, contrary to that what he was thinking about was beyond Yu Jong Mok’s thoughts.

The growth stimulation and regenerative abilities he absorbed from the Plum Blossom was perfect.

And the third one.

“Master, help me once. It’s really difficult. I feel like crying for real.”

That it was terribly hard.

Pain that would even make the toughest person give up. The second point wasn’t that important but this one was as important as the first one.

If I were to relax even a little I would die. There is nothing to say about the mental oppression and there is also the physical pain.

It was a really harsh training that made his body and mind get completely exhausted.

Being able to achieve this wasn’t normal at all.

‘Fuck it.’

He felt like tears would fall down.

The original Ju Seo Cheon wasn’t someone desperate or someone that worked hard.

He somehow managed to stay alive by a stroke of luck and also became one of the Five Elders because of that luck.

His personality remained the same even after he returned in time.

In the first place, having been able to cultivate the Plum Blossom Life Arts was due to being able to keep his memories.

That was why he was able to get greater results than others with less effort and mental consumption in the first place.

He only struggled desperately in the case of the Water Spirit Fruit because that was the only way to save his master.

Ju Seo Cheon, the one that admired the heroes from the age of war was far from being able to be one.

“Right, it should really be hard…”

Yu Jong Mok looked down at his disciple and put on a sad expression.

His eyes got wet with tears and trembled.

“Master…!”

Ju Seo Cheon looked at Yu Jong Mok’s face and smiled brightly.

“But that is only a momentary pain, that pain shall also pass.”

“What?”

Ju Seo Cheon doubted his ears.

“I also thought about it several times while climbing that part. But I somehow managed to climb it while gritting my teeth. You will also be able to succeed safely.”

Yu Jong Mok clenched his fist like telling him to cheer up and smiled softly like usual.

“…Ah.”

Ju Seo Cheon despaired while looking at that smile.

‘Master, you…you were that kind of person…!’

There was a saying in Kang Ho that went like this.

Don’t say that what you are able to do, others will also be able to. Whether they are martial artists or not, everyone has a different limit.

I can do it so you can also do it. It was one of the teachings that can be considered to be bad.

But of course, in this case Ju Seo Cheon was better than Yu Jong Mok.

At that time, Yu Jong Mok didn’t have a more superior internal energy than his peers and also didn’t have the body or mentality thanks to that.

But his will was different.

He climbed the cliff without the help of others.

That by itself wasn’t something that could be done by anyone. It was a really impressive thing.

Not even Ju Seo Cheon would be able to act like that in his past life.

His efforts were outstanding even in the Mount Hua Sect. He was the complete opposite of Ju Seo Cheon.

“I can’t do it.”

“It’s fine! I will stay with you even if it becomes night or dawn! If you are hungry let us eat at the cliff together.

Eat together. Together….Gether….

“Huk!”

Ju Seo Cheon turned pale.

The echo of his master’s voice made some pebbles fall down his head.

‘I really don’t’ want to think this.’

Ju Seo Cheon put on a teary face.

‘But master is really bad at teaching!’

Yu Jong Mok’s personality was correct. It was really upright.

But speaking in other words, he had no know-how of teaching and was simple and honest.

That meant that he was someone that had the way of thinking of ‘you will somehow be able to do it with effort, passion, and willpower!’

‘Ahh, my master is so human!’

He was given talent and willpower but instead received a weak constitution.

He had an outstanding personality and nature but instead received a simple-minded brain.

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t want to give you pain like this. But if I left you alone, you will surely turn lazy because of that vast internal energy.”

Yu Jong Mok felt sincerely hurt while looking at his only disciple climb up the cliff.

Originally, he wanted to help his disciple immediately as he was someone with a lot of affection and wasn’t ruthless at all.

“It’s fine. Thinking about it, I think that I can be a bit lazy. Am I not already a step ahead, master?”

Ju Seo Cheon spoke in an anxious manner.

“No, that can’t happen for your future. Please, forgive this master of yours. No, rather you should hate me

“No, master. I’m really fine. I was the one in the wrong. I won’t live lazily so I hope we can find another method together. Help me once master.”

Strength started to leave his hands. He had rested for too long and he really hated to think that he would have to climb up again.

‘This is the punishment given to the disciple that didn’t even know about his master before returning in time!’

He could have never imagined that he had a side like this.

No, it was understandable that he didn’t know.

Before returning in time, Ju Seo Cheon was already fulfilled just by catching up with regular training while Yu Jong Mok wasn’t that healthy.

That’s why Yu Jong Mok wasn’t able to train Ju Seo Cheon like this.

“It, it’s really hard. I will die like this.”

Ju Seo Cheon’s voice became urgent.

“It’s fine if you resent me for not being to help you. That’s why the two of us should cheer up. I believe in you.”

Yu Jong Mok put on a teary face and smiled faintly.

His smile resembled that of Yuanshi Tianzun.

The mist in the surroundings disappeared, the clouds cleared up and it shone on him like a streak of light shining inside the darkness.

Ju Seo Cheon saw that smile and thought.

‘Fucked…I’m so fucked…’