Hae-Hyuk solemnly looked at Jin and answered: "What's the point of a potential future if you die in the present?"

All had been said with this sentence and the meaning was clear. If they didn't learn it, they would die. This was the true reality. Jin had no idea what danger Hae-Hyuk wanted them to brave but if it required to give up on their future to even have a chance... He had to know.

He told Hae-Hyuk: "Master, we need to know the whole thing"

Hae-Hyuk smiled sadly as he turned back to gaze at the horizon and answered: "I can't speak of it right now. An oath to the heaven was given. I can only tell you what I said. When the time comes, if you aren't far stronger than right now, you will die"

Jin asked back: "Will you be the one to kill us?"

Hae-Hyuk looked at him with surprise before bursting in laughter. After a few seconds, he stopped laughing little by little and spoke: "Of course not. But I will have you try your luck there, you and Min-Su. Your survival...It will be in your hands"

Jin nodded. He got up and left. Neither Master nor disciple spoke any further. Everything that needed to be said had been said.

Jin was familiar with the principle of the oath to the heavens. It was some kind of sacred promise made by cultivators. All words said with the heavens as witness had to be upheld. If they weren't, the heavens fury would descend. And even someone as strong as Hae-Hyuk was nothing in front of the heaven's wrath. This meant that he really couldn't speak of it at the moment. So, Jin gave up on finding more about it. For now.

He thought of other revelations. They were the priority. Hae-Hyk had been very honest and forward during their short exchange. He would force them to go there and do something for him. It was dangerous. To the point that their lives would be at stake. And with their current capabilities, they would die.

They were going to be sent to their deaths...

No wonder Hae-Hyuk asked him whether a potential future had any importance in front of looming death. If they were going to face this unknown life-threatening event, who cared about the future after that? They needed the strength now, not later. Otherwise, there might not even be a 'later'...

With a grave expression on his face and a deep frown, Jin went to seek Min-Su. He had to talk with him.

...

Hae-Hyuk kept looking forward with a smile upon his face. He did not lie. He made an oath and was forbidden from speaking of it. And it was true that they would die if they didn't make any progress. But he was happy. He knew Sophia would go blabber to the two youths and one of them would come here to ask questions.

He had expected Sophia to go to Min-Su first since she was closer to him but she went to Jin. It was fine too. The results would be the same.

Due to being made aware of the threat of approaching death, the youngsters would double their efforts. As for that technique, they would not only learn it but master it.

Hae-Hyuk never once doubted this.

...

Jin found Min-Su lazily laying in the grass, bathing in the sunlight along with the two wurms. Those two ugly things were now as long as Min-Su, around 1.90m. Green skin covered in grey minerals here and there. They looked really ugly. And they made weird unappealing noises too.

As Jin approached, he casually asked: "Where's the third one?"

Min-Su didn't even open his eyes as he answered: "With my big sis. So, what's up?"

Jin sat down and explained everything to his comrade. Min-Su looked pensive all throughout. Then, he gave up and looked at the clouds floating away. He said: "Then, we don't really have a choice, I guess"

Jin nodded.

Sadly, they really had no other option. This technique was a way to help them survive the soon-to-arrive crisis. They couldn't give up on that because of a further-away future.

...

The next day, at the arena, an elder walked up to jin before he could walk on the stage and brought him to a place close to the healing quarters. Inside it, there were hundreds of flasks of a single white-blue color. The elder spoke: "These are flasks containing extreme-cold water. In its liquid form as you can guess. Senior Hae-Hyuk asked us to deliver you those first and to pass on a message"

Jin asked: "What's the message?"

The elder cleared his throat as he said: "These are the first ones, try them and come talk to me after your first impressions"

Jin nodded and dismissed the elder. It was quite peculiar to see someone from the younger generation treat this old powerful elder cultivator like a subordinate. But neither of the two concerned found it so. The elder bowed as he left the tent.

Jin picked up a flask and shook it lightly. The liquid inside moved a little. Water, uh... It was indeed the easiest to find in a liquid form. The bottle didn't contain much though. It had probably a quarter of a liter inside itself? Not much. He opened the cap and instantly had to activate some defensive protection with his spiritual energy. The sheer coldness of the liquid could nearly freeze the air.

Jin muttered in shock: "Extreme cold indeed..."

As he put the cap back on, he realized that the bottles themselves had to be treasures to be help to contain the temperature. His hand holding the flask didn't feel any coldness... And he realized now why Sophia said this technique could inflict harm upon its user.

This was no joke. If he messed up, this liquid could freeze his own body. He looked at the flask, then the many flasks around and sighed.

His path had been decided. He could only grind his teeth and prepare himself from the sufferings that would come.