“Let me answer,” Baek Woon-ji said. “Most of the members of the unit have promoted themselves into the rank of Demonic General.” 

“Demonic Generals…”

Back when the  Cave of Latent Demons ended, there had only been three Demonic Generals: Chun A-young, Gwan Tae-ryang, and Woon-seong himself. 

Technically, it had been four, but Dal Mu-ji had almost immediately met his demise under Woon-seong’s hand so he didn’t count. 

Now, a little more than a year later, most of those from the Cave had become Demonic Generals. 

“Not bad. Has anyone become a Great Demon?”

Woon-seong turned towards Gwan Tae-ryang as he asked, looking forward to the answer. Since the first time he came out of the Cave, his lieutenant was already a Demonic General. Given his abnormal growth rate, there was nothing unusual about becoming a Great Demon. 

Gwan Tae-ryang nodded, smiling brightly, simultaneously happy and embarrassed. “That would be me. Even though I’m only part of the lower ranks…”

Woon-seong nodded. “Good job. It couldn’t have been easy.”

It was clear that the Great Demons would have desperately defended their positions, so Gwan Tae-ryang’s rise in status reflected his own efforts. 

As Woon-seong praised him, Gwan Tae-ryang beamed. 

However, his laughter disappeared as soon as it came due to his captain’s next words. 

“But don’t feel satisfied. Remember my words when we first dueled and keep trying.”

Thinking back to how he was called a ‘frog in a well’, Gwan Tae-ryang smiled wryly and nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Anyways, we’ll leave you alone, Captain. The doctor said that you need absolute rest for at least three months! We’ll leave some spare clothes for you.”

After the two had left and he had changed his clothes, Woon-seong sat in a lotus position. 

I can’t just stay in bed for three months. Heavenward Soul Earthen Body… There’s one thing I learned through all these battles. This Buddhist art doesn’t simply complete the body, but also heals it. My body is slowly, but surely rejuvenating. I guess it makes sense that an injured body isn’t considered a complete one… 

As he sat there, Woon-seong felt the energy cycling throughout his body.

What’s this force?

There was something new.

It was like his original energy, but purer and clearer. As this new energy touched his wounds, it resolved his internal injuries and got rid of any trauma. 

Innate essence qi? 

Innate essence qi, like its name, was the energy of life that all creatures were born with. It revived all things and benefitted all nature.

However, it seemed to be moving according to his control right now. 

So Heavenward Soul Earthen Body is an art that controls innate essence qi. 

This has never happened before… Maybe it touched the roots of my life force because I’ve been practicing it for so long? It’s such an incredible art!

Woon-seong’s eyebrows could not help but twitch. There were very few martial arts that dealt with innate essence qi. A martial artist could even go his whole life without having the ability to control, or even feel, his innate essence qi. 

Woon-seong remembered what his master had told him all those years ago about innate essence qi. 

“Do you understand what innate essence qi is? A martial art that can control innate essence qi is thought to break through the limits of a human and allow enlightenment into the realm of gods.”

Woon-seong hadn’t believed that it was possible for a martial art to enlighten a human into a god then; he still wasn’t sure about it now. 

Who would’ve thought that some lost Buddhist Art had such powers! 

No… It’s too early to judge if it actually does that or if my innate essence has simply been stimulated by my injuries.

Woon-seong shook his head. As long as he continued doing what he was doing, everything would eventually be understood. 

Let’s not be too hasty.

Sitting on his bed, Woon-seong slowly sank into a trance. Unknown to him, his spirit seemed to be showing a change. Very small sounds echoed through his body and this new energy flowed through his system. 

With clean clothes and a wash bowl in hand, Baek Woon-ji tilted her head questioningly in the hallway. What is this smell?

A sweet smell that I can’t exactly describe…I think it’s coming from Captain’s room. 

To her, it was refreshing. She was attracted by the smell and unwittingly visited him. 

It was still dark outside and Woon-seong had not opened his eyes yet. However, the view inside was certainly a sight Baek Woon-ji had never seen before. 

A shimmering light flowed out from his body and formed a shape. 

Moreover, the shape was… 

A dragon?

It was the appearance of a single dragon. The shape was not yet complete, but it was writhing in the air. 

Baek Woon-ji gazed at the dragon for a long time, as if in a trance herself. 

It was only a matter of time before Woon-seong woke up. 

“Phew.”

He stretched his limbs and did a thorough check of his body. As he found out, there were some successes.

I fixed my inside and outside, then combined them into one! [1] I finally formed a martial body. Maybe my body modification from earlier helped the completion of the Heavenward Soul Earthen Body too? My original plan was to form a martial body with the Heavenward Soul Earthen Body and then achieve body modification… There was a change in order, but things turned out pretty well. 

As he slowly opened his eyes, rolling his shoulders, he saw Baek Woon-ji standing in a faze by his bedside. 

The young woman was still immersed in her thoughts, unaware of the passage of time. It doesn’t look like he was experiencing deviation, or had a sudden understanding…

“What are you doing?”

Baek Woon-ji woke up from her stupor with his words. “Oh,” she frowned a little, then brought forth the clothes and water. “I thought you might need these…”

Woon-seong looked down at his body and nodded, “Thank you.”

During the process of forming his martial body, it seemed that he had sweat quite a bit. His garments were essentially soaked through. 

As he peeled his clothes off, Baek Woon-ji asked, “Are there any problems?”

“I don’t like how I can’t move around. But besides that, I’m fine.”

“But the doctor said you should rest for around three months.”

“That’s his opinion.”

Woon-seong swept his chest area lightly, where the wound was healing. So far, there was only a small difference, but it was a noticeable difference. That was some incredible healing power given that it had only been three days since the match. 

My body is slowly healing. At this rate, I should be able to get up within two weeks.

Now that the Banquet of the Heavenly Mountain and Divine Flame was over, there was silence inside the palace once again. 

There were currently only two people in the palace: Heavenly Demon Chun Hwi and Senior Strategist Sang Gwan-chuk. 

The one who spoke first was the Senior Strategist.

“It seems like they didn’t show themselves.”

“It only means that they are careful enough to not show themselves because of such taunts,” Chun Hwi replied coldly. 

The Cult Leader was right, of course. Sang Gwan-chuk had recommended provoking the Great Demons in order to catch some tails about the resistance but had gotten nothing. It was natural that he was a bit dejected. 

“I was hoping for us to catch something this time. It’s quite a shame.”

The Heavenly Demon nodded slowly.

This year, the Banquet had three distinct purposes.

The first objective was to stimulate the Great Demons and find the traitors. 

It seemed that the first objective had failed, but that didn’t mean the rest of their goals had too.

“But the attempt wasn’t in vain. We failed to provoke the Great Demons into doing questionable things, but we had about ten young ones become Demonic General-class martial artists.”

Of course, ten more Demonic Generals was not a big deal for the Cult. What was important was their age, as these were all youths who had come straight out of the Cave of Latent Demons — youth meant talent and time. A thirty-year-old Demonic General would probably stay a Demonic General for the rest of his life; a twenty-year-old one had the chance to reach higher. 

“And even though it’s just three, there are also people who have become Great Demons and a Demonic King. Gwan Tae-ryang, the Captain of the Charred Dragon Unit, and the Young Lady…”

The Charred Dragon Unit has a lot of talented individuals, Sang Gwan-chuk noted as he reported.

“They will bring caution within the Cult while working as the new, young blood of the Cult.”

The Great Demons, who had settled for their positions, should be aware. No, not only the Great Demons, but also the Demonic Kings. The Senior Strategist smiled faintly as he thought about Woon-seong. I thought he was going to aim for a high-ranked Great Demon at best, but he’s beyond my expectations. He’s even brought awareness to the Demonic Kings. 

And the final objective of the Banquet this time…

The Heavenly Demon spoke just as the Senior Strategist stopped smiling. 

“It seems like that child is the only choice.”

The Senior Strategist nodded at these words, “The matter has been decided then.”

The final goal of this year’s Banquet was the decision of the Young Leader. 

The answer was now obvious. 

“Summon the Captain of the Charred Dragon Unit into the Inner Garden of the Divine Palace as soon as he recovers completely.”

[1] He’s healed his external and internal injuries, thus also fixing his soul (spirit) allowing him to form his martial body and complete the ‘Heavenward Soul Earthen Body’.