Fight

"What does the black potion do, Deli?"

?

"Right, sorry. I forgot you don't talk."

Nod.

He held out the potion and pointed at it. "Does this increase something?"

Nod.

"Power?"

Shake.

"Defense?" The potion was resting on his lap.

Nod.

"Neat. Does it improve inner defense?"

Shake.

"Darn. That would've been useful." He went into his contemplative pose. "How about outer defense?"

Nod.

"Bones?"

Shake.

"Muscles?"

Shake.

"How about the skin?"

Nod.

"Oh cool!" He Lei exclaimed. "Will that mean that I will be impervious to blades and other weapons?"

Nod. Shake.

"Yes no? You mean yes and no?"

Nod.

"To a certain degree, will I be invincible against such weapons?"

Nod.

"Well, that's great. Thanks a lot." He rubbed Delibird's forehead and gained a happy chirp in return. "See ya later."

Nod.

"One step towards invincibility," muttered He Lei as he drank the potion.

The other times he consumed other potions, they were all tasteless. It was kind of like drinking water. This, however, was bitter. It wasn't awful as bitter melons, but it wasn't a comfortable experience.

Once that was done, he went out to retrieve water to fix his bad mood. Food was one of the few things that kept him happy and to have it turn on him filled him with a sense of betrayal. Even if it wasn't food at all.

"Hey, you! I heard that you've been spreading lies about how you beat Princess Nak! We'll expose you fraud!"

"Yeah!"

"Princess Nak is a Goddess! You must have cheated!"

"Trash!"

"Yellow-haired bastard!"

Every word that came out their mouths made him violently angry. Irritation was building up and he didn't let it show. Joo Seo-Cheon, who just came back from his morning routine, noticed this happening and cringed.

'Seriously?' He rubbed his forehead. 'They are all asking for it.'

"You people think I'm trash? A liar? A fraud? Fine then. I'll fight all nineteen of you. Right here, right now." 'Every punk always finds their way here these days. I need to trap the path here.'

"What?!"

"He's crazy!"

"Arrogant!"

He Lei took off his battle gear and threw away his sword. Since this was personal and he wanted to vent a little, there was no reason for mercy. Killed or not. It won't be his problem if they die.

Every person who saw this believed that they were being taunted and attacked together. There wasn't a direction that He Lei could find where he didn't see swords or fists coming at him but that didn't matter. This was going to be a massacre regardless.

Loud cries of pain filled the yard as no one was spared. Those who wanted to escape by using their comrade as a distraction had his hundred-pound bracers thrown at them. Among the boys were some girls that weren't spared either. Horrible injuries covered their bodies as a small amount of them were disfigured. In the end, none of them died.

"Should I?" he said to no one. After a second of thinking, he came to a decision. "I should." They got special butt-kicking treatment.

Keep in mind that He Lei's battle gear weighed a total of four hundred pounds just to keep him balanced in speed and power with the rest of the disciples. With no such equipment preventing him from using his full power, he shattered their butts. Unless they obtained some medicine to heal, they won't be able to sit properly ever again or regain their balance.

This scene further convinced Joo Seo-Cheon to never anger his junior brother. However, it also got him thinking. Having his junior brother on his side in the future will surely help progress his plans faster. His rate of cultivation is much quicker than his own and he was a super genius. No; a monster. He Lei was surely going to become the sixth dragon in the future. No doubt about it. Perhaps a title might be created just for him that surpasses dragons. He was smirking as he imagined the leader of the Dark Heavens faction shi*ting himself once he encountered He Lei.

Before he can go any further with future planning, he saw his furious junior brother run in his direction. Grabbing his sheath, he gulped as he waited for an assault that never came. Some part of him was relieved while another part of him that desired battle was disappointed. He was curious as to where he was going, so he followed him.

Arriving at the peak of Mount Hua where the fourth generation pupils were training, He Lei landed right in front of them.

"Listen up! Spread this news everywhere! I challenge every fourth generation pupil to a battle tomorrow. In this very spot, I will fight all of you! If you win, you get the glory of beating the person who beat the Nak So-Wol. If I win, none of you will ever bother me again. Are we clear?" Hearing no response, he used his internal energy to modify his volume. "I asked you if you all understand!!"

They frantically nodded. The instructors that were there looked at each other and shrugged. Some were curious about the wrathful, arrogant boy while others could care less. This matter reached the elders and the Sect Master allowed it to happen so that he could gauge his potential. Currently, at home, He Lei was in an argument with his master.

"Why would you do that He Lei?" He involuntarily tapped his fingers against his clothing. Joo Seo-Cheon perceived that small motion and groaned inwardly. "I know you are powerful but you have a limit as to how much you can handle! Why can't you see that?"

Not being one to back down, He Lei replied, "Master. You don't my limits because you are not me. I mean no disrespect when I say this but you don't know me. You do not understand my true capabilities and most likely you never will. Tomorrow, I'm going to fight and I will show what I can do. Perhaps you will stop underestimating me."

Yoo Jeong-Mok sighed. "That's not what this is about. I'm worried about you. You don't talk to others, you talk back to elders, and you are making an enemy out of everyone. Your future is going to be a lonely one if you keep acting like this."

He Lei frowned. "Acting like this? What? Being me? Is there something wrong with being who I am? So what if I'm not as wise as you or I don't have manners according to society. I'm doing the best that I can to live every day. You're telling me to bow down and take a loss but why should I? I'm the one being provoked. I'm the one being judged for no reason! I'm the one who wanted to be left alone in the first place!" he shouted. "Why am I getting a lecture when they are in the wrong?! Are you their master or are you mine!"

Slap!

Joo Seo-Cheon winced and prepared himself for what was to come.

"How dare you doubt who I am to you!"

He Lei's words were offensive to Yoo Jeong-Mok. He saw his disciples as his children and to hear one of them question his love for them. It hurt. It hurt a lot. However, no matter how he felt, he shouldn't have laid his hands on his students. Almost immediately did he regret his actions and pulled his hand back slowly.

"He Lei. I-"

"Whatever." He left the house, leaving behind his sad, conflicted master and his concerned eldest brother.

Running to where Nak So-Wol lived, he knocked on her door and waited. Light steps got closer and closer as the door opened and an awkward silence surrounded the air as she wasn't very welcoming.

"What business do you have with me?" Her tone was cold. He Lei recognized the same words that were thrown back at him. 'Okay. I did not sound like that...maybe I did. Oh well. Too late to redo that conversation. I might as well get this over with.'

"Can I sleep here tonight?" he asked, going straight to the point.

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I'm guessing that's a no. I'll leave."

"W-wait." He stopped. "Why?"

"...no reason."

"Then you are not welcome here. Have a good day." She proceeded to close the door until a hand stopped it.

Letting out a deep exhale, he said, "I got into an argument with my master."

"Oh." While there wasn't any change of expression, she could tell that he was upset with the way his body was slightly drooping. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He scratched his temple. "I apologize for asking such an improper request. I don't talk to anyone else and I had nowhere else to go to cool off."

She rolled her eyes. "We don't talk to each other either."

He Lei gave her a smile. "We don't, but after our battle, I'm sure a small bit of friendship sprouted between the two of us. After all, when two individuals fight, they get along better once it's finished."

Nak So-Wol instantly retorted, "First of all, that only applies to men. Second, it wasn't a battle. It was more like an adult playing with a child."

"Hm. Good comparison." He Lei praised her analogy albeit it came out as an insult. He couldn't help it. Casually being mean was the way he was. It was this very reason that he kept to himself on Earth. Here, he was doing much better, but there was still progress to be made.

A light punch to the shoulder and an indignant "Hey!" effectively made his mood better.

"So? What is your decision?"

They blankly stared at each other, none giving away what was going through their head. After a small amount of time, she shook her head.

"Don't make me regret this." She signaled him to come inside. "You can stay. My Grandmother is not going to be home today so you can take the guest room."

He wasn't dumb enough to simply accept it. "In return..."

With her ruse exposed, Nak So-Wol revealed her true intentions. "In exchange, I want you to help me get stronger." 'What better way to defeat the person who won against in you a fight than have that same person as your teacher to make you more powerful?'

He nodded, understanding her goal. 'Fair enough; equivalent exchange at its finest.'

As she guided him to his room, she started some small talk.

"May I ask what happened? I can predict what might've occurred but I just want to be sure."

"Take a guess."

She pondered it. "If I understand anything about you so far, your innate defiant nature and your master's caring personality clashed when he heard of the challenge you put forth today."

He Lei gaped at her answer. "You figured all that out from meeting me one time?" 'What kind of freak are you? Was she this smart in the manhwa?'

"That and the fact that I met almost every person in this sect. Coincidentally, your master and chat once a month due to our shared like of tea." Noticing the sudden silence, she turned around. "What?"

"You might be the coolest little kid I have met in my entire life."

She snorted. "This is coming from someone who is older than me by a few months. I thank you for the compliment though."

"Wait. How do you know my age?"

"I asked grandma."

"And she has this information for what reason exactly?"

Nak So-Wol shrugged. "All I know is that every disciple's information is stored in the sect. Yours happened to be the one she memorized conveniently."

He looked at weirdly. "Right...conveniently." 'Like hell, I believe that! Did I piss her off that much? Am I going to be murdered in my sleep or something?'

"We're here." Her voice broke him out of his thoughts. "Everything is already there. If you need anything, just call me over. I'll be in my room. I assume you didn't eat yet so you can join me. Dinner will be ready in an hour at most."

He nodded. "Got it. Anything else?"

"Yes. When will begin training me?"

"Hmm. Will tomorrow morning be fine with you?"

"Indeed it will. Enjoy your stay here."