I jumped back in surprise.
A man with a short beard was standing to the right of the entrance, bowing to us. I hadn't sensed his presence, so he caught me off guard.
"Welcome to the 'Temple of the Spirit.' Please follow me."
He led Taehyun and me to the side of the training grounds and had us sit next to others who were waiting.
Positioned all around the training grounds, we had a good view of the students practicing swordsmanship.
The sun was high in the sky, and the stone tiles were scorching hot.
Everyone remained silent, except for a few whispers — only the sound of the wind and clashing swords could be heard.
We stayed like that for a good hour, watching the training without anyone moving. New people gradually arrived — surely following the Path as well.
Then an old man with a thin, greying beard and long eyebrows stepped onto the training field. Unlike the others, he looked like a mere servant.
But as he passed by them, all the students bowed as low as they could.
His simple azure-blue kimono was held by a yellow sash. He walked to the center of the training grounds, and the students came to sit among us.
A powerful voice came from the old man.
"Hello, everyone! I am Munjoong, Grand Master of the Spirit Sect."
People all around whispered, exchanging incredulous glances. A faint smile formed on the Grand Master's face.
"It's always the same reactions at the beginning of each 'Path', so allow me to explain."
In his mouth, the word 'Path' stirred a whole range of emotions. The word carried weight when he said it.
He raised his right hand to the sky and brushed the horizon with his fingertips.
Like ink dissolving into water, the scenery changed colors and we soon found ourselves in complete darkness.
"A long, long time ago. At the edges of myths and legends lies a truth you all believe in."
The sky appeared beneath our feet. A magnificent traditional palace sat there, in the clouds, on top of a massive cumulonimbus.
"'The Sky' or the Cheon Sect symbolized celestial order and worked among the gods to maintain it."
The sky turned black again, and we were illuminated by a powerful light — the glow of a flame in a massive cave at the center of which another palace stood.
"'The Earth' or the Ji Sect created the material world as you know it, allowing the terrestrial world to exist."
The scenery shifted once more, and we found ourselves atop a high mountain, the cry of an eagle echoing in the peaceful silence.
"'The Spirit' or the In Sect, which you are now in, allowed mankind and the human world to exist, protecting it from monsters and fantastical creatures."
The landscape turned black again, and the familiar setting of the In Sect returned, along with the warmth of its sun.
Someone sitting among us raised a hand. The Grand Master nodded, granting them permission to speak.
"If everything is as you say, how come we've never heard of you before?"
The Grand Master didn't need to prove his legitimacy. He already had — only a supernatural being could alter the scenery like that. But the question was valid.
"That is exactly the answer you'll need to find before leaving here." He pointed at us all. "Until one of you finds that answer, you will remain here, training and preparing for the next part of the Path."
The Grand Master's reply caused a wave of indignation, but no one dared defy such a powerful being. Especially since leaving the Sect grounds might mean facing things even more terrifying.
The memory of the Administrator was still fresh in our minds.
***
The Grand Master sat behind his desk. The arrival of new members was always a burden for him.
He had to do everything he could to help them before sending them to that place. The In Sect was the weakest of the three, and he rarely saw new faces return after they left.
Over the years, it had begun to weigh on him. He looked at a portrait of a man resting absurdly on a simple piece of furniture and murmured,
"I'm sorry, Cheongseong, but I'm starting to lose hope."
Footsteps echoed, and a man burst into the Grand Master's office. A man wearing the Sect's colors entered.
"Grand Master, it was you, wasn't it?"
The Grand Master raised an eyebrow at the question.
"How did they get the idea that one of them could obtain 'Eon-geom' if they managed to defeat an elder of the Sect?"
"They needed something to motivate them..."
The Grand Master chuckled into his beard and ran his hand over it to try to hide it.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you? If that 'Sword of Wisdom and Spirit' falls into the hands of someone incompetent, it'll be the end of the In Sect. And you and I both know we are the last of the three sects to still hold the secrets of '■■■■■■■'."
The old man regained his composure.
"Seongho… Don't you think that if one of these newcomers defeats one of our elders in a duel, they would be worthy of receiving it?"
"Y-Yes, but..."
"In any case, you and I both know that's not going to happen."
"Yes, excuse me. I got carried away. I should be used to your teaching methods by now."
"It's fine, we both know the power of that sword."
Seongho bowed and left the room.
The Grand Master got up and walked to the window of his office, which overlooked the training grounds. He watched the new arrivals doing push-ups.
The In Sect wasn't as wealthy as the Cheon or Ji Sects, but most of its wealth lay in its teachings.
The reflection of a mirror was a fake world that perfectly copied the real one. But if the copy was identical, it had just as much value — meaning the original lost all value.
It was one of the many paradoxes of the Path. Whenever Cheongseong tried to explain it, Munjoong always made a strange face.
To him, those words had no deep meaning, but Cheongseong believed in them deeply, so he believed in them too.
If by some miracle this new generation could understand even a fragment of Cheongseong's words, then maybe they would be worthy of 'Eon-geom'.
***
The sun was still blazing. Seongho, our instructor, had lined us up and made us do push-ups. If we collapsed, he would effortlessly grab us under the arms and toss us into the nearby pond.
The fittest among us had taken off their shirts or t-shirts and tied them around their arms or heads.
Taehyun, next to me, was performing the exercise alongside me. He had already ended up in the pond four times. By the third time, he had stopped complaining and struggling, and just let himself be carried there.
The task wasn't easy, but a window opening at regular intervals motivated me to keep going.
[Your physical strength increases by 1 pt.]
[Your physical strength is now 7.]
The exercise continued until nightfall, then we were led to a cafeteria where we were served a thin soup.
After that, Seongho led us all to an old building that seemed to be standing only by the will of the heavens. Inside, many narrow rooms were lined up.
Taehyun stopped in front of one of the rooms at the end and opened the door. He paused and looked at me with his empty eyes.
"...See you tomorrow."
Then he entered his room. Tch, that kid.
I opened the door to the room to the left of his and stepped in. A strong smell of wood and old varnish filled my nostrils.
The room was fairly narrow and contained a wooden desk and a rudimentary bed. Old Sect-colored clothes were laid out on it.
On the desk was a small book that looked like a journal.
The title "History of the In Sect" left no doubt about its content, but I was too tired to read it.
I let myself fall onto the bed and immediately regretted it. A sharp pain made me grit my teeth. The bed was just wooden planks with no real mattress on top.
My already aching back was now completely numb to pain — because it was dead...
Damn you, Munjoong. Say what you will, but providing a bed with no mattress should be a crime against humanity.
I had a hard time falling asleep — not because of the lack of a mattress, though it was uncomfortable — but because of the system message that kept repeating in my ears.
[Class unknown (calculating…)]
[Class unknown (calculating…)]
[Class unknown (calculating…)]
[Class unknown (calculating…)]
[Class unknown (calculating…)]
[Class unknown (calculating…)]
[Class unknown (calculating…)]
[Class unknown (calculating…)]