Ideal Noviciate (1)

The Green Dragon... This man looked more like a giant frog than a dragon.

"Ah, you came?"

As if sensing Baek Yisoo's arrival, the fat man suddenly opened his eyes and slowly sat up. This was the same man who had attacked Minji last night. Baek Yisoo had hired Green Dragon, one of Green Valley's men.

"Mr. Green Dragon, I'm here to give you the rest of the money."

Unlike him, this man was a real martial artist. Baek Yisoo had met him wandering the back alleys and hired him by chance. In exchange for two silver nyang - a very large sum - he had agreed to participate in last night's show.

He had come to hand over the rest of the two silver nyangs he had promised before the job.

"It was an easy job for me. You can find me here if you need anything," the Green Dragon said with unexpected kindness.

You must lose a fly to catch a trout. When Baek Yisoo had first spoken to him, Green Dragon had been impressed by the young man's intelligence. Otherwise, he would not have left alive someone wealthy enough to give him such a large sum of money.

He would have killed him on sight and looted him.

But Baek Yisoo knew this, so he never walked around with too much money. He only carried what he needed. So the Green Dragon would gain nothing by killing him. On the contrary, he would lose a valuable customer.

Baek Yisoo looked at Green Dragon again.

"Do you know where I can find quality martial arts?"

The Eternal Spring Mantra was more of a breathing technique than a martial art. Baek Yisoo felt that he needed to improve his range of skills.

"Unfortunately. Unlike armor and weapons, it is very difficult to find a martial art. You can join a martial school or a sect. Other than that, the martial arts you can find on the street are useless."

"I see."

Baek Yisoo was not disappointed. 

After giving a silver nyang to the Green Dragon, Baek Yisoo left the back alleys. After buying himself some durable clothes, he came to the inn where Minji was.

Minji was sleeping in a double bed, dressed in wine-red underwear. The underwear had a very nice design. After all, Baek Yisoo had bought them from the Market, giving only these two 10 Seduction Points. These colorful underwear were definitely a first in this land.

It was definitely different from the simple pieces of cloth used by women.

Baek Yisoo also bought a medicine called [Energy Bean] at the market. It was a medicine that only women could use, and it could quickly eliminate one's fatigue.

Baek Yisoo looked at the satisfied smile on the young woman's face for a while, then grinned and locked himself in the bathroom. After stretching his body slightly, he sat cross-legged on his knees and began to meditate.

She had learned a few things about meditation from Sung-hoon. Even though he was a beginner, he couldn't think of any other way to activate the Eternal Spring Mantra.

The amount of inner energy was the most important factor in determining one's strength. Baek Yisoo didn't know what 30 internal energies were made of. A 3rd class martial artist was the lowest-ranked person in Murim. But Baek Yisoo wasn't even in third grade.

He closed his eyes and began to focus on his breathing. Some time passed, but Baek Yisoo didn't feel anything. Martial artists practiced breathing techniques to channel their inner energy. Baek Yisoo did not know how to do this. He just focused on breathing in a certain pattern.

After about half an hour, when he was almost asleep, a series of phrases appeared in his mind.

"May water lilies always bloom,

Let spring bloom in every corner,

Immortality is perpetual in my soul,

Endless spring in my heart."

Even though it rhymed like a song, Baek Yisoo focused on these words without thinking about it. Without even realizing it, his breathing went into a strange pattern.

[The Endless Spring Mantra activates...]

[Unqualified Inner Energy undergoing transformation...]

As Baek Yisoo focused on these words, he began to feel a warmth around his heart. It was as if his heart was wrapped in a warm blanket. It was such a pleasant and soft feeling that Baek Yisoo felt his body relax.

[Unqualified Internal Energy --> Spring Qi]

[Transformation successfully achieved.]

Baek Yisoo opened his eyes and stood up.

[Initiating a series of missions related to the Eternal Spring Mantra.]

---

[Quest Series #3: Qualities of a Warrior]

[Ideal Noviciate]

[Before it's too late, you must learn the lessons and follow the paths of the masters of the past and present, and complete an ideal apprenticeship that applies to all martial artists. In the process, you will develop the necessary skills, discipline your mind, transform yourself into an independent thinker, and be ready for the wise obstacles on the path to mastery].

Quest 1: Advanced Training

Description: Improve yourself to finish the Baek Clan Guardian Course with the best grade. Utilize the Market and other factors for this.

Completion Condition: Complete the following trainings up to 100%, build a foundation by learning the Basic Spear and Martial Arts of the Baek Clan, and reach Third Class.

[Interval Training (0%)

[Plyometric Training (0%)]

[Spear Training (0%)]

[Martial Arts (0%)]

Quest Reward: Seduction Points x25, EXP 2500x, [Stormruler Spear]

Time Limit: 1 Month

---

Baek Yisoo couldn't control his excitement as he looked at the system messages. He was not a very disciplined person, he had never learned martial arts in his life. That was why he was currently lagging behind all the guard trainees. Even Instructor Mo wasn't paying attention to him.

He couldn't wait to train.

He came out of the bathroom and checked on Minji. Baek Yisoo still needed this woman, so he would continue to get along with her. After all, the Eternal Spring Mantra would take energy from the other person and transform them.

Until Baek Yisoo aimed for someone new, he would get his energy from Minji and slowly try to master the art.

He left the inn and made his way to Baek mansion. His short-term goals included finishing the Guardian Course and utilizing the Baek Clan as a guard. Shaanxi was huge and there were huge sects.

The Baek Clan was ordinary among them.

And Baek Yisoo was an ordinary frog in an ordinary well.

"How should I evaluate my statistic points?"

This was the most important thing he was thinking about right now. He needed to decide which form point he should invest in. He had three different investment strategies in mind: short, medium, and long-term. Of course, for this, he had to think about which area he should move in.

He had two options:

Martial arts.

Seduction.

If he wanted to go into martial arts, he had to focus on Breath, Strength and Health. This would make him stronger and increase his chances of survival against others. Murim was a dangerous place and he had to improve his martial arts if he wanted to survive there.

But if he wanted to advance in the field of Seduction, he had to prioritize Libido, Appearance and Charisma. If he wanted to increase his interest in the opposite sex and his skill in bed, he had to invest points in Libido. It was a form statistic that directly affected seduction. Appearance could improve first impressions and perception. Although not as effective as Libido in the seduction process, it was almost as important. It also influenced Charisma. This made Seduction easier.

His thoughts became clear when he arrived in front of the Baek Clan.

He got out of the vehicle, paid the fee and opened the profile.

"Transfer 11 points to Strength, 5 points to Health and 5 points to Breath."

 For his short-term goals, it made the most sense to focus on Strength. He had other ways to increase Breath. He could make love to Minji and take her energy and convert it into Spring Qi. Health was crucial for his endurance in training.

But Strength was the most important statistic for martial artists like them, who were not even third class.

At least that's what Baek Yisoo thought.