When I regressed, I was a martial arts genius

[“Foolish child.”]

Lee Jun gave no response, seemingly unable to hear the voice.

The owner of the aged voice spoke again.

[“A newborn attempting to take their first steps. Stop now and open your eyes before it’s too late.”]

The old man wasn’t shouting. He simply spoke in a dignified tone.

It was only then that Lee Jun managed to halt the circulation of the Honyuan Divine Art.

“Phew… I-I survived.”

Lee Jun had felt it too while practicing the Honyuan Divine Art—if he didn’t stop, he was going to die.

But he hadn’t been able to stop. More accurately, he couldn’t stop.

He was supposed to be the one guiding the Honyuan Divine Art, but instead, he had been swept away by it, nearly ending up in the afterlife.

[“You were teetering on the edge of death.”]

“W-who’s there?”

Lee Jun looked around, his eyes darting.

The clearing had grown dark.

The sun had long since set.

He scanned his surroundings, wondering if someone was there, but there was no trace of anyone.

“Was that just my imagination? Or… a ghost?”

A chill ran down Lee Jun’s spine.

He had heard that strange things could happen when your body was weakened, and it seemed to be true.

Just as he was about to rise and return to the dormitory—

[“How dare you compare me to such trivial nonsense!”]

“Then… who are you?”

[“Hmph. I shall tell you, so listen well. I am the Ultimate One, the greatest being of all time.”]

“Ultimate One?”

Lee Jun tilted his head in confusion.

Was there ever an awakened individual in Korea who went by the title of Ultimate One?

No matter how hard he tried to recall, no such name came to mind.

Yet, for some reason, it felt familiar—like something he had just recently come across.

As he struggled to remember, a particular phrase suddenly surfaced in his mind.

—The Ultimate One, who achieved enlightenment in his later years, left behind this divine art.

The phrase was written in the description of the Honyuan Divine Art.

“Are you… the creator of the Honyuan Divine Art?”

[“Indeed. I am the one who created that extraordinary divine art.”]

The voice of the Ultimate One was tinged with undeniable pride.

“……!”

Lee Jun was rendered speechless.

The creator of the martial art existed, and now he was speaking directly to him.

Lee Jun felt utterly confused, unsure how to process this situation.

“H-how are you able to talk to me? Are you still alive?”

[“Of course not, fool. I stayed dormant within the Honyuan Divine Art because I couldn’t trust a half-wit like you to handle it properly.”]

“Excuse me?”

[“You dense little brat. I left a fragment of my soul behind because I feared my greatest creation, the pinnacle of martial arts, would be buried and forgotten thanks to someone like you. I couldn’t rest in peace otherwise.”]

The old man had been so paranoid about his creation being lost to time that he had bound his spirit to it.

And now, Lee Jun was the one to inherit that legendary art.

“I think I understand… somewhat.”

[“Somewhat? SOMEWHAT? What insolence! When an elder speaks, you should listen with reverence, not casually dismiss it as ‘somewhat.’ There were thousands, no, tens of thousands, who would have given anything to hear my wisdom even once. Do you understand how lucky you are to have this opportunity?”]

The once dignified and authoritative tone of the Ultimate One had morphed into that of a cranky old man.

“Yes, I see,” Lee Jun replied, nodding earnestly, though his voice was flat.

He closed his eyes again, focusing on the Honyuan Divine Art. Perhaps he was trying to banish unnecessary thoughts by concentrating on his training.

The Ultimate One chuckled mockingly.

[“Tsk, tsk. Go ahead and train for a hundred days straight. Let’s see if you even scratch the surface of the second stage. At this rate, you’ll end up in Qi Deviation long before gaining the power you seek.”]

The old man’s words were laced with irritating smugness, but they stuck in Lee Jun’s mind. Unable to focus, he eventually gave in and asked.

“How did you know I wanted power?”

[“Your desperate yearning for strength resonates with me. Of course, I know.”]

In this era of upheaval, power was a necessity.

The ability to avoid being disregarded.

The means to protect oneself.

That was what true mastery of martial arts provided.

The Ultimate One’s voice returned, this time with an enticing tone.

[“Do you truly wish to obtain strength?”]

The question felt like a honeyed whisper, drawing him in, almost like the temptation of a devil.

Without realizing it, Lee Jun answered, “What do I need to do to become stronger?”

The Ultimate One chuckled slyly.

[“The Honyuan Divine Art is not something to be cultivated while sitting idly. It is a method born of chaos itself. To unlock its true potential, you must push your body to its absolute limits.”]

Once again, the old man spoke with evident pride in his creation.

“What kind of training should I do?”

The moment Lee Jun asked, the Ultimate One responded as though he had been waiting for this question.

[“Roll. If you roll, you shall achieve what you desire.”]

***

“Seriously…”

Thud.

“This is…”

Thud.

“…how I’m supposed to train?”

Every time he moved, a heavy, resounding noise echoed.

Lee Jun was carrying a massive boulder.

It weighed at least 100 kilograms.

Though he was an Awakened individual, he was still just a high school student—a novice who had only just begun accumulating internal energy.

Even so, the Ultimate One showed no mercy.

[“No complaints. Just keep moving.”]

Lee Jun’s entire body was drenched in sweat.

While the thought of gaining strength compelled him to follow the old man’s orders, a small doubt lingered in his mind.

Would this kind of training make me stronger?

That doubt didn’t last long.

[“Look inside yourself. Even when you aren’t consciously trying to move, isn’t the Honyuan Divine Art circulating on its own?”]

Just as the Ultimate One said, he could feel it within.

The Honyuan Divine Art was truly coursing through his entire body without pause.

It was moving with even greater intensity than when he sat cross-legged to meditate.

“Huff… You’re right… Huff…”

[“Don’t stop moving. If you keep going, your internal energy will continue to accumulate.”]

Though he was gasping for air, he kept forcing his heavy body to move.

Carrying a 100-kilogram boulder was no small feat.

Climbing a mountain while carrying it made the task exponentially harder.

His legs felt like they were about to give out, begging him to sit down and rest. But he couldn’t afford to stop.

If I can’t even do this, how could I ever hope to gain power?

In his previous life, he had been treated as nothing more than a lowly bastard, denied even the inheritance of his bloodline.

But now, things were different.

He wanted to rise above his family, to stand at the very pinnacle.

And to achieve that, he had to endure and overcome this level of training.

Just then:

[“Stamina +1 has increased.”]
[“Strength +1 has increased.”]
[“Physical Body +1 has increased.”]

His stats steadily climbed.

[“Faster! Even a slug would move quicker than you. Do you call this training when you’re moving so sluggishly even with your internal energy circulating?”]

Gritting his teeth, Lee Jun pushed forward.

Step by step, he climbed the mountain with all his might.

“Haa… haa…”

Was basic training always this difficult?

His clothes were soaked completely in sweat, now feeling heavy as well.

When he finally reached the midpoint of the mountain:

[“Take five minutes to rest.”]

The Ultimate One’s voice, for once, sounded like a blessing.

The moment the words left the old man’s mouth, Lee Jun dropped the boulder to the ground.

Thud!

“Huff, huff…”

His legs gave out, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

[“Stop right there! Don’t sit—rest while standing. It’ll be less tiring that way.”]

At the Ultimate One’s command, Lee Jun had no choice but to remain standing as he rested.

He couldn’t afford to waste the precious five minutes arguing.

About a minute passed.

Then the Ultimate One’s voice rang out again.

[“Rest time’s over.”]

“Already?”

They say sweet moments pass quickly. He thought he’d only rested for a minute, but somehow, the full five minutes had flown by.

“Can’t I rest just a little longer?”

[“Hah! Do you not want to become stronger?”]

The Ultimate One’s scolding jolted him wide awake.

He remembered the time he saved a girl.

Back then, he had been so weak. He couldn’t even fight the monsters properly—he had only been able to save that one girl.

The memory of his helplessness burned in his mind.

Gripping the boulder once more, he resumed his climb.

Step by step.

Slow, but unwavering, he climbed to the summit.

The same training was repeated the next day and the day after that.

***

A month passed.

[“The Honyuan Divine Art has reached Level 2.”]
[“Main Quest 1 – Honyuan Sect Initiation Training is complete.”]
[“You have been rewarded with the Honyuan Ring.”]
[“You have been granted 100,000 Tech Tree Points as a reward.”]
[“Due to your extraordinary progress, an additional 150,000 Tech Tree Points have been awarded.”]
[“The next route has been unlocked.”]

“Ah.”

A burst of light flashed before Lee Jun, and a ring fell from the air.

He quickly caught it.

“Wow, it’s beautiful.”

[“Ahem. That is one of the treasures of our Honyuan Sect. Try it on.”]

Even without the Ultimate One’s words, he had already intended to wear it.

He slipped the ring onto the ring finger of his left hand.

It seemed too large at first, but as soon as he put it on, it adjusted itself to fit perfectly.

“The design is so sleek.”

[“My sense of aesthetics was thousands of years ahead of its time.”]

Ignoring the Ultimate One’s constant self-praise, Lee Jun focused on examining the ring’s information.

[Honyuan Ring]
Grade: S

Description: A treasure of the Honyuan Sect. Not only does it accelerate internal energy accumulation, but it also helps the wearer escape states of Qi Deviation.

Effect:

Qi circulation efficiency +50%

Conceals the wearer’s internal energy

Reduces Qi Deviation risk by 70%

“Th-this is an S-grade item?”

Lee Jun’s voice trembled as he addressed the Ultimate One.

[“Naturally. A treasure of the Honyuan Sect must be of at least this caliber.”]

What kind of sect possessed treasures of such quality?

He had never encountered or even heard of the Honyuan Sect in martial arts stories.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Lee Jun directly asked the Ultimate One.

“What kind of sect was yours, sir?”

During a month of training, many things had changed.

One of them was the way he addressed his master.

[“Gah! How many times have I told you to call me ‘Master’? Referring to me, the greatest under the heavens, as ‘old man’ is outrageous!”]
“It just doesn’t feel natural….”

[“Quickly now, call me Master.”]
“Ma… Master.”

[“Ahem. It’s been so long since I heard that, it feels wonderful.”]

Could a single word bring him so much joy?

Lee Jun could feel the Ultimate One’s delight resonating in his heart.

“So, Master, what kind of person were you?”

[“Your master was someone who sinned greatly and chose to live in seclusion.”]
“Were you an evildoer?”

[“Gaaah! No one dares to call me a criminal!”]

Fwoosh—

The Ultimate One existed only as a soul.

Even so, his aura was overwhelming.

The trees swayed violently, as though caught in a storm.

The ground cracked like a spiderweb as if an earthquake had struck.

“Ah!”

Lee Jun gasped in shock.

For someone with no physical body to release such immense energy—could even the strongest warrior of the modern era, Ilje Ohwang, measure up to this?

Perhaps only the demons from the dimensional portal seven years from now would exude a comparable sense of oppression.

[“Ahem. I got a little too worked up.”]

The shaking trees and cracked ground suddenly returned to complete stillness, as if nothing had happened.

This must be the mastery of controlling one’s energy at will that he had heard about.

Lee Jun couldn’t help but admire the Ultimate One all over again.

“If you’d gotten any more excited, you might have sent buildings flying.”

[“That wasn’t even a tenth of my strength.”]

Taking it as praise, the Ultimate One’s chest swelled with pride.

What a simple-minded master.

Shaking his head, Lee Jun moved on to the last thing he needed to do.

“Unlock the route.”

[“The route is unlocking.”]
[“Path of the Martial God Upholding Order (Difficulty: High)”]
[“Path of the Reclusive Ultimate Master (Difficulty: High)”]
[“Path of the Heaven-Devouring Overlord (Difficulty: High)”]

Lee Jun froze.

As soon as the options appeared, he found himself deep in thought.

After much deliberation, he finally spoke.

“The second option—is it related to you, Master?”

It explicitly mentioned the term “Ultimate.”

Still, the word “Heaven-Devouring” drew him even more.

To overturn the heavens—what a bold proclamation.

Before making his choice, Lee Jun called out to the Ultimate One once more.

“Master?”

There was no reply.

He called out once more, but the Ultimate One’s voice still didn’t respond.

“I feel like I need to choose carefully….”

After a long moment of deliberation, he finally shut his eyes tight and made his choice.