[The first detection of a Martial Fate-bearer. System auto-activation successful. Attribute panel matched. View now?]
I… I actually have a cheat?
Baek Kang-Hyun stared wide-eyed at the glowing text floating before him in the dim hut. His breath caught in his chest. The golden letters hung midair like divine script written by a heavenly being.
What the hell? There's an attribute panel too?
His heart pounded, both excited and overwhelmed.
I want to see what this thing really is!
As soon as the thought formed, his surroundings twisted, and a panel of data poured out before him like spreading ink on parchment, forming words line by line:
---
[Name]: Baek Kang-Hyun
[Lifespan]: 78/78 (Approaching the Final Gate)
[Ki Realm]: 6th Layer of the Mortal Body Stage
[Martial Arts]:
Upper Mortal Tier · Everlasting Pulse Art – 6th Layer
Middle Mortal Tier · Blue Sun Palm – Minor Mastery
Middle Mortal Tier · Nine-Step Cloud Walker – Minor Mastery
[Innate Talent]: Daily Reflection
[Available Martial Luck ]: 200
You may infuse Martial Luck into martial techniques to increase their proficiency.
System activated for the first time: All current negative effects removed. 200 Muun granted.
The final gate is near?
Kang-Hyun's body turned cold.
His past life hadn't even lasted long enough to taste true happiness. After grinding away for over twenty years, he hadn't so much as held a girl's hand. Then one day, an overloaded transport truck ended it all. Now he was thrust into this new world… and ended up in the shell of a decrepit old man moments from death?
Locked in a musty woodshed with enemies ready to pounce. A joke of a second life.
He gritted his teeth, pushing back the bitterness, and forced himself to keep reading.
Sixth Layer of the Mortal Body Stage.
That was no small feat, especially in a backwater province like Sangha County. From what he could recall, Han Ri's cultivation hovered around the third layer at best—unless he'd learned some way to mask his true stage.
But if Han really was stronger, he wouldn't have needed to rely on poison and betrayal.
Which meant…
Now that the system had cleansed all toxins and internal damage, Kang-Hyun's strength had likely been restored to its peak.
In other words—Han Ri was no longer a threat.
A faint light returned to Baek Kang-Hyun's eyes.
The Everlasting Pulse Art was the true legacy of his former sect—an internal cultivation method emphasizing vitality, resilience, and longevity. The flow of Ki from this method was thick, durable, and refined. It nourished the meridians, strengthened tendons and bones, stabilized the five organs, and slowly extended life.
That was why so many had coveted it.
After all, an upper mortal-tier manual was considered a peak-level martial art in this region.
The Blue Sun Palm and Nine-Step Cloud Walker, though obtained from the Black River Clan's martial pavilion, were also of high caliber among mortal-tier techniques. But due to his predecessor's declining body and waning spirit, little effort had been devoted to pushing them further.
In truth, Kang-Hyun's predecessor had already mentally accepted death. He had no drive to break through, and had long stopped progressing.
So this system panel is real? Not an illusion or trick?
Baek Kang-Hyun stared at the glowing interface hovering silently in the air. His heart thudded with a mix of disbelief and awe. Behind the general attribute panel, a new window emerged—marked with a unique golden symbol.
He focused his attention on Han Ri, who stood just a few steps away.
[Subject: Han Ri]
- Background: Born into poverty, sold to the Black River Clan as a child. Currently assigned to Cheonghae Valley as a medicinal Ki servant.
- Martial Fate Classification: Son of Destiny
- Martial Luck Grade: Gold Level
- Ki Realm: 5th Layer, Mortal Body Stage
- Personality Traits: Highly cunning, harbors a strong killing intent toward you.
- Mission: Acting under secret orders from a superior. His goal is to seize the Everlasting Pulse Art from you. Once he succeeds, your death is guaranteed.
Fifth layer? He's already at the fifth layer?!
Baek Kang-Hyun's eyes narrowed dangerously. He had believed Han Ri to be sitting safely at the third layer, perhaps out of caution or fear.
This bastard's been hiding his strength?
He cursed silently, a cold chill creeping up his back. Han Ri… was far more dangerous than he appeared.
Only a few years old, and already so deeply skilled in deceit? A textbook case of the snake playing pig.
And worse—he wasn't acting alone. Someone from the clan, or perhaps outside it, had secretly ordered Han Ri to act. Several faces flickered through Kang-Hyun's mind—some smiling kindly, others filled with greed and ambition.
But no matter who the mastermind was—Han Ri was the knife pointed at his throat.
This knife had to be broken first.
Kang-Hyun's killing intent surged like a tide crashing against cliffs.
---
"Old man, are you deaf or just senile?" Han Ri's voice cut through the stillness like a whip. His earlier pretended kindness had completely vanished, replaced by thinly veiled irritation.
To Han Ri, if it weren't for the Everlasting Pulse Art, he would have long since disposed of Baek Kang-Hyun. How could he bear to remain under this withered relic, forced to bow and scrape for years?
Han Ri had always known he was blessed by fate. A golden-tier Martial Fate—the heavens had clearly marked him for greatness. And the proof?
That mysterious green gourd he'd stumbled upon in the medicinal caves two years ago. Since then, his martial progress had exploded. He had already reached the 5th Layer, a height few servants could even dream of.
And it was all because of one thing—
He had changed martial paths.
The old man had only passed down the first three layers of the Everlasting Pulse Art. It was just enough to build his foundation. But to prevent provoking suspicion, Han Ri had carefully hidden his strength, maintaining the illusion of being stuck at the third layer, while secretly cultivating another internal Ki method sourced from the green gourd.
If not for the need to stay hidden, he might already have broken through to the sixth layer by now.
Because in the structure of the Black River Clan, the 6th Layer of the Mortal Body Stage represented a threshold. Crossing it meant eligibility to compete for the position of Vice Commander.
In Sangha County, a region of hundreds of thousands, such strength marked a true high-level martial figure—worthy of both fear and reverence. Experts at that level were central to every major clan, family, and school's strategic power.