The cold embrace of the night.

Inside a room, there lay Soo-yeon who was sleeping soundly on her bed. Recently, due to a madman's interference, she had to house a filthy man in her room.

Of course, she made the filth sleep on the ground like how she saw fit.

Creak.

A door opened.

She was oblivious to it. And the steps crept closer. Soon, a dark shadow loomed over her.

This shadow belonged to Yeong-jeon.

"I'll mold you all to something better... Hehehe."

He couldn't erase the smirk off his face.

-Please don't do anything brash, Yeong-jeon.

"Not my fault, that In-su always keeps an eye on us on the day."

Initially, he wanted to teach these brats about martial arts on the day. But he couldn't. In-su was like an eye from the heavens, always keeping a check on everyone.

So, why not use this chance when that eye is sleeping?

Perfect plan...

For the asura at least...

"Hm..?"

Soo-yeon's eyes opened slightly.

She stirred, her eyes fluttering open as she sensed something off. The faint glow of moonlight from the window barely illuminated the figure standing above her.

Her heart leaped in her chest.

"Eeek!"

A few moments later, the many disciples who were sleeping soundly in the boarding house were gathered on the training grounds. All of them were groggy and confused, rubbing their eyes as they stood in a haphazard line on the cold training grounds. The night was still, with only the soft rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of insects filling the silence.

Soo-yeon stood at the front, her face flushed with both embarrassment and fury. She clenched her fists, glaring at Yeong-jeon, who stood in the center of the gathered group with a look of pure amusement on his face.

"Why in the world did you drag us out here?!" one of the disciples grumbled, stifling a yawn.

Another muttered, "It's the middle of the night! Are you crazy?"

Yeong-jeon clapped his hands together, cutting through the murmur of complaints. His voice was calm but carried an unmistakable authority, as though he were in control of every single person standing there.

"Listen up," he began, his smirk returning. "I've been watching all of you. Your training… your progress… it's lacking. You're wasting your time. But I'm here to change that."

'The madman went even more crazier.'

Dong-are was lying on the ground. He was sleeping and was woken up by a dog. No surprise that he was fighting the urge to sleep. As he lay, he listened to the dog's voice.

But the voice was covered in between the murmurs. He groaned and slowly stood up, dusting himself as he walked forward. But instead of hearing Yeong-jeon, what he heard was a large complaint.

"Have you got no shame! You, a newcomer, dare step into our boundaries?"

Yeong-jeon placed a hand on his ear, nodding as he listened to the complaints as if genuinely considering them. But the glint in his eyes showed otherwise—he was amused, not swayed.

The disciple who had spoken stepped forward, clearly frustrated. He pointed a finger at Yeong-jeon, his voice rising with indignation. "We don't even know who you really are! You think you can just show up and boss us around like this?"

Yeong-jeon's smile faded, his expression turning cold. He lowered his hand and took a step toward the outspoken disciple, the weight of his presence suddenly making the air feel heavier.

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To everyone's surprise, the dog's expression changed to one of a grateful man.

"Ah, really? I see. I see."

Thwack!

The disciple was launched forward as a punch from Yeong-jeon landed on his face.

"You! Disgusting rats! If nobody will teach you discipline, I will! From here on out, we will train midnight 'till noon!"

The madman banged his chest as he spoke, resounding a commanding tone as if sounding like an army general.

The disciples exchanged uneasy glances. Even Dong-rae, half-asleep and still rubbing his eyes, could feel the intense shift in the atmosphere. This wasn't the eccentric but harmless man they thought they could ignore. Yeong-jeon was showing them exactly what kind of force he could be.

"You heard me," Yeong-jeon continued, pacing in front of the group like a mad general. "Training starts now. We go until noon, with no breaks. You'll either come out stronger… or not at all."

From the crowd, one disciple raised their hand. Yeong-jeon, who saw this, gestured for them to step forward.

"Your name?"

"Ryu Yongsun."

"Speak your word, Ryu Yongsun."

Ryu Yongsun nodded and bowed in front of the madman.

"You said that we will train from morning to noon, is that correct?"

"Absolutely."

Yeong-jeon spoke without letting the man take a breath.

"Then, what if one of us, or worse, all of us, suffer because of that regimen? Will you take all responsibility? Or, will you even be able to take responsibility?"

This question sparked an interest in Yeong-jeon's mind. This was someone who was an intellectual man would ask before diving headfirst. Will everyone survive?

At first, Yeong-jeon thought nothing of it. He was focused so much on the sect that he forgot the disciples.

Without disciples, a sect would crumble. One man won't be able to carry a sect to the heavens.

Yeong-jeon contemplated the implications of Ryu Yongsun's challenge, realizing it wasn't merely a question of discipline or strength; it was about the welfare of those he aimed to train. This was the first time he had encountered such resistance among the disciples, and it intrigued him.

"Responsibility, you say?" Yeong-jeon replied, his voice steady but laced with amusement. "You think I'm some fool who doesn't understand the weight of that word? Every one of you is here because you've chosen this path. The path of a warrior is fraught with pain and sacrifice. If you can't handle that, then maybe you should reconsider your place here."

'Many died on the path to power. Many died defending others.'

This was no surprise. After all, he experienced it all firsthand in the war against the demons. If he could, he would wish to fix all the mistakes he made in the past. But now, as he was given another chance, he will nurture these children no matter what.

The hours passed like shadows stretching across the training grounds, filled with the murmurs of determination and the rustle of the wind. As dawn's first light began to filter through the trees, the disciples worked tirelessly under Yeong-jeon's relentless supervision. Each exercise was met with grueling intensity; every movement was dissected and critiqued.

The sun rose, and its rays hit the window of In-su's room. Groaning, In-su slowly stood up. He approached the window and inspected the skies. The sun has risen so high.

It seems he had overslept, missing the morning training session.

He hurriedly adorned his blue robe and rushed to the boarding house. There were barely any elders left, and there were no second-class disciples. So, there's only one place he could go.

As he neared the boarding house and reached the training grounds, his eyes went wide. There, every disciple lay flatly on the ground, their face and clothes dirty and dusty.

"Ack! What the hell happened here?!"

Panic overtook his mind and he rushed to the exhausted disciples. His heart raced as he took in the sight of his fellow disciples, sprawled out in disarray like fallen soldiers after a fierce battle.

"Eighteen thousand two hundred eight!"

The voice of someone counting caught his attention. There, Yeong-jeon was pushing himself up and down from the ground as many disciples were stacked on his back. The disciple was huffing but continuing on his exercise without a single delay in its interval.

'The newly accepted disciple?!'

"What happened here?"

In-su asked the madman, who was still focused on his workout, the glint of determination evident in his eyes.

Yeong-jeon looked up and met In-su's eyes. At that, he stood up, laying the disciples who had previously weighed him down.

"Oh, older brother."

In-su inspected Yeong-jeon, who was topless.

'His muscles are involuntarily shaking, and there are purple spots tattered across his body. Clearly, he is worn out... And yet, he is smiling?'

In-su was right. Yeong-jeon was worn out to the point that his whole body went numb.

"What did you all do?"

"My fellow brothers decided to train our bodies while you were asleep, senior brother!"

Yeong-jeon answered without hesitation. He observed that the eye was still sleeping for an unknown reason, so he had already created this excuse if this question popped up.

The madman's guess was right.

"You all did training while I was gone?"

A smile tugged on In-su's face. Previously, the disciples were lazy and never trained to the fullest even when he was observing them. However, the appearance of this child had completely flipped it all.

Unknown to him, the disciples behind him were shaking their heads, hoping that they would get noticed.

"You, child, what is your name?"

The dog smirked.

"It is Yeong-jeon, older brother."

In-su gave a nod, acknowledging the man in front of him. It seemed as though his determination was contagious, and it forced the other disciples to step out of their comfort zone.

He turned his head to the exhausted disciples. Their stature was nothing compared to Yeong-jeon in terms of being worn out, but they were still exhausted nonetheless.

"Follow me to the kitchen! I'll feed you all, my tired junior brothers!"

His voice was benevolent as he smiled brightly, opposite to the laying disciples before him. It was his first time seeing the disciples push themselves. Also, from the looks of it, they haven't yet eaten. So, why not feed the determined children?

'This madman just made us run laps and lift ridiculous stuff without stop and hesitation! And now, you're telling me I should walk to the kitchen?!'

Dong-rae was looking at In-su with fierce eyes. But he was tired to the point that he didn't even care anymore. He just wants to rest.

In the kitchen, many old tables were lined up, and the tired disciples were sitting with a gloomy expression. They're so exhausted to the point that they don't even have the strength to clench their hands, let alone grip their chopsticks.

As In-su placed bowls of food in front of each disciple, he noticed their eyes lighting up at the sight of the meal. For many, it had been too long since they had felt the warmth of a proper meal.

"Eat up, everyone," In-su encouraged, his voice filled with warmth. "You've earned it after that grueling session. Strength comes not just from training, but also from good food."

The disciples' eyes returned to their previous glint as they took a second look at the food plate in front of them. The porridge was almost crossing the line of being just water and rice. The vegetable was almost rotten, barely saved by being heated in the pan; there was no oil and they were forced to eat vegetables with burnt sides.

Well, the sect was declining, and resources were scarce. Still, hunger drove the disciples to dig in. They soon gave up trying to grip their chopsticks and started to eat the porridge with their mouths like wild beasts.

Even Soo-yeon ate with her mouth. Fortunately, the other disciples were so busy quenching their thirst and hunger that they didn't notice a lady eating like a boar.

Dong-are, unlike the others, pushed through his limits and gripped his chopsticks. He was a beggar; eating half-rotten food was nothing for him. He carefully lifted the food and placed it on his tongue.

He tried to savor this short moment of relief. A madman's words are a madman's words. He knew Yeong-jeon would waste no time and put them to work again.

Yeong-jeon, having taken a seat at the end of the long table, observed the disciples with a sense of satisfaction. He was pleased to see them pushing their limits, but he knew that a single grueling training session wouldn't be enough to prepare them for the challenges ahead.

Unknowingly, he looked up and whispered as if talking to someone.

"Father, are you seeing this? I've taken the first step to returning our sect to its former glory."

He hoped for an answer but he also knew that nothing would come. Instead, he just wished that the dead would be peaceful.

'Don't worry. Everything will be alright as long as I'm here. There must be a reason why I'm reborn. And I must find that reason.'

'For now, I will focus more on nurturing these brats.'