As they left the arena, the Sect Leader asked Hae-Hyuk how long he would like to stay in the sect, emphasizing that they welcomed him to remain here as long as he wished. Hae-Hyuk had other plans though. He told them he would stay until his two disciples finished breaking through the spiritual warrior realm and had stabilized their capabilities before departing.

The Sect Leader was overjoyed. It generally took quite some time for such things to be done. Adapting to spiritual energy and its use was a very important step that could not be rushed. As such, he predicted that Hae-Hyuk would remain here for a time.

As Hae-Hyuk brought his two disciples back to the mansion after they had diner in the grand hall, he told them: "Time for my two disciples to become spiritual warriors. You guys break through while I keep watch. Don't worry, nothing will happen and nothing will distract you"

Min-Su excitedly nodded and proceeded to sit in a lotus position. Jin went to the couch and laid down upon it. Only after having lit a candle and gobbled a few dots of energies under the incredule eyes of the other two. Min-Su looked at him as if at a strange beast. Did the kid just 'eat' the spiritual energy physically? However, he wasn't spared a single glance from Jin as he went to close his eyes and focus.

Both the way he ate energy and the way he went on to sprawl himself on the couch were weird.

But did sitting in the lotus position add any benefits? The truth was it did not. It was no more than an old tradition and formality of old that had been passed down from the ancestors. It was also comfortable to most. Jin was more at ease as he was now. That's what mattered. Hae-Hyuk didn't tell him otherwise either.

Soon, he began to immerse himself in his soul sea and began his breakthrough. It wasn't too difficult compared to the previous hurdles he faced. He just needed to push the last bit of spiritual energy inside the pyramid to overwhelm the structure and force the breakthrough. Which he did.

The entire world seemed to spin as it revolved around him, forcing him to become dizzy like never before. After a moment, everything went dark and then he found himself sitting in a dilapidated dojo. He looked down to see that he was wearing his old ragged kimono. Also, his body was...It was his body from before he came to the new world. It was the 'original' Jin version of himself. Looking at the calluses on his hands, likely during his thirties.

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As he turned to look around, he noticed a man sitting opposite him. He smiled as he recognized him and began to remember past memories. This was Tashiro Hiroji, a master of Dakentaijutsu and Taihenjutsu, respectively blocking and movement techniques. He was one of the strongest men Jin fought and one of his best rivals. He was also his greatest friend. They had exchanged pointers hundreds of times back in the days.

The dojo they were in right now belonged to Hiroji. It was in a bad state not because of a lack of care but due to the numerous fights that took place here. Hiroji never once repaired it yet made sure to keep it clean. A single reason was behind this act: he believed that leaving the marks of previous battle will enable one to always remember and learn from them.

Whether that was true was tough to prove or deny. One thing was certain though, Hiroji never stagnated and always grew stronger until he died. Jin looked at his old friend who died long before him back then. He knew that this was the inner demon spoken of in numerous books in the sect. He couldn't quite understand why though. He had no regrets nor any fear towards Hiroji.

Jin decided to try speaking to his friend: "Old pal, are you my inner demon?" and he was surprisingly answered: "Indeed, it seems to be so, are you surprised?" As he saw the smile on his old rival's face, he smiled back and answered honestly: "Yeah, you don't feel like a demon at all"

Hiroji, or the inner demon, laughed: "It is not Hiroji himself that is your demon but what he represents in your consciousness. The inner demon, I, does not show solely negative emotions. I represent all emotions"

Jin had read about it and, indeed, it was true. It did come from the mouth of the demon itself anyways. But all emotions, eh? That was unexpected. Jin looked at Hiroji and wondered. What was this emotion? Before he could even start pondering, Hiroji got up and said: "No use thinking about it, come, let's have a good fight. You do miss those, don't you?"

Jin chuckled as he got up. He was no longer used to the body he was in now. But he had fought so many times in it, would he have lost his touch? No. Not at all. As he got up and took a stance, he told the demon: "Come then, old pal, don't expect me to be lenient" The inner demon grinned back as he retorted: "You never did, Tomodachi"

Then, they fought. One round, two rounds, three rounds, ..., a hundred rounds, ... , a thousand rounds.

They never tired. After some time, they both distanced themselves once again. However, neither of them moved back in. Jin looked at his friend: "So, that's what it was, eh? My desire for battle?" To which the inner demon shook his head sideways. He told him his answer: "Your longing for true fights against masters, battles like those in your past"

Jin laughed wholeheartedly as he walked toward the broken door of the dojo. As he opened the door, he took one last glance at his old rival, who was smiling at him, and said: "Such fights...There are many awaiting me outside"

Then, he exited the dojo and was once more overcome by the sense of dizziness.