‘It’s better than I thought.’

I realized as I walked a few steps ahead of Wol Young.

This body has become quite healthy in just 1 year.

‘Is it thanks to the mental cultivation method?’

Come to think of it, I didn’t notice much since I always trained in the same place, but now I could even walk up those stairs that made me wonder ‘Were these really made for walking up?’

‘It’s not bad to get some fresh air like this occasionally.’

Learning martial arts, cultivating mental techniques, eating spirit pills, and even drinking spirit medicine tea – I guess I couldn’t properly feel the changes when repeating the same daily routine.

‘Is it okay to feel like I’m out for a stroll when I came to take a test?’

I couldn’t help but chuckle. But it really did feel quite manageable so far.

When we left Cheongmae Hall, it was still dark before sunrise, but in less than half a double-hour, the surroundings gradually brightened and now it was completely light.

Moreover, Mount Hwa is basically a rocky mountain, so except for a few coniferous trees swaying in the cold morning air, there wasn’t much dense vegetation, giving a relatively open view.

‘Still, I should pace myself.’

I glanced back. The prospective disciple was following behind me.

Yeonhwa Peak isn’t the highest of Mount Hwa’s five peaks, but it had many uniquely sharp cliffs. We were still at the foot of the mountain, but it was natural that the path would get tougher as we climbed.

‘Even if I’m fine, I can’t let them collapse on the road.’

Reminding myself of this, I asked to check:

“Are you still okay?”

“…Yes.”

The answer was a beat late, but it didn’t seem to be a lie.

So we continued climbing the mountain silently without much conversation. We took short breaks along the way, but even though I was fine, Wol Young endured for quite a while, so the pace was better than expected.

But that probably won’t be possible now.

I looked around a bit, figured out our position, then turned completely to face Wol Young.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s take a longer break now. I don’t think we can just walk like before from here on.”

From now on, there’s only the path that will show the true taste of the Five Sacred Mountains.

“It’s about the fourth or fifth double-hour now, so we won’t be late even if we rest a bit before going up. If we don’t rest here, we’ll get tired up there, and there really aren’t any places to rest from there on.”

Wol Young stared at me silently for a moment, then nodded deeply with a sigh.

“Alright… Master.”

The breathing sound was a bit loud.

‘Hmm, they’re struggling.’

I thought they were fine since they weren’t showing it, but I guess not.

Feeling a bit awkward, I guided them to a nearby rock suitable for sitting. After emptying the water flask while perched on the rock, Wol Young turned to look at me with somewhat shocked eyes.

“Master… aren’t you tired?”

I couldn’t help but smile a little.

From Wol Young’s perspective, it must have been quite bewildering to see a girl half a head shorter and 2 years younger leading the way up the mountain path for several double-hours without any apparent difficulty.

But wouldn’t it be strange in its own way if someone who had learned martial arts for even a year was the same as an ordinary civilian? In fact, when the path got a bit rough, I secretly used my inner energy to step with martial techniques. I wasn’t told not to do that, after all.

“I think I’m still okay for now, but I’m not sure about later. But we have to do it even if it’s tough. I heard this is a test that all three senior disciples take when they join too.”

“I see…”

“Even if it’s hard, try to keep your breathing steady, your stride consistent, and your mind calm as you climb.”

At those words, Wol Young suddenly turned to look at me.

“…Is that teaching you’re giving me as my master?”

“It’s not that grand, it’s just what my master told me to do. If you walk carelessly because you’re tired, you might get hurt later.”

After saying that, I fell into thought for a moment. Because I felt something like an impulse just then.

I remembered what Third Senior Brother Nam had said to me a few double-hours ago, when we were still at Cheongmae Hall.

In fact, there’s nothing to accept or not accept, if we go by the original work, Wol Young becoming ‘Ha Heun’s’ disciple is already as good as decided. Since things have come this far, surely this person must be that ‘Ha Hyun’ from the original work.

Right. Since it’s already a decided fact anyway.

I smiled faintly and said quietly.

“…I’ll probably have to make my disciple do the same thing anyway. It’s good to get used to it in advance.”

I felt Wol Young hesitate. After a moment of silence, they let out something like a hollow laugh. I asked with a smiling face:

“Why, don’t you like the idea of speaking respectfully and calling a young girl ‘master’?”

“I don’t dislike it. If that is the way of Mount Hwa, I will gladly follow it.”

“Hmm.”

That’s a boring answer.

‘I wonder if adults felt this way when they looked at me.’

That conversation ended, and silence continued for a while longer. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. After what felt like about two quarters of a double-hour had passed, I got up again, feeling we had rested enough.

Wol Young was following my movements with their eyes. I held out my hand to them.

“Get up now. We need to start climbing again.”

“Aren’t you going back to informal speech?”

“Huh? That should start from when we reach the mountain gate.”

Wol Young laughed deflated, then took my hand and stood up.

For a moment as the distance closed, I could see their expression clearly. Though they were clearly suffering for the sake of joining the sect, unexpectedly, their face looked the most bright among all I had seen so far.

‘Seems like their mind has eased a bit.’

It’s fortunate if their mind is at ease, especially since we have to struggle even more now.

In winter, the days are short, so around the sixth double-hour, you can see the sun gradually setting in the west.

But thanks to good time management earlier, Wol Young and I were able to reach the ‘stairs that make you doubt if they were really made for climbing’ right in front of the mountain gate as we entered the early part of the sixth double-hour, just after the seventh double-hour. We had reached the summit a bit faster than expected.

“I can see it over there! Once we climb this, it’s over. It seems to be the early part of the sixth double-hour, so you’ve passed the test too. That’s great.”

“…I see.”

Wol Young replied, gasping for breath. Though their voice lacked strength, it was understandable. Even I could feel my stamina had dropped considerably by now.

Because it’s winter, there were dangerous moments due to snow and ice accumulated here and there, and in the middle, I had to struggle to save the prospective disciple who almost died falling off a cliff…

‘If they had climbed alone, they might have arrived but in tatters.’

But they would have made it anyway. I was impressed by their tenacity, continuing on even after nearly dying. An ordinary person would have given up trying to climb further after experiencing a near-death situation from a single misstep.

‘This person would come crawling up the stairs if they had to.’

But even so, Wol Young, who had experienced the harshness of the Five Sacred Mountains in winter firsthand, seemed to have found today quite memorable. Seeing them sigh deeply at the stairs right in front of the mountain gate, I asked with a smile:

“Are you sighing because you’re tired of climbing more stairs?”

“No, it’s fine. After all, I can’t complain when you, Master, who helped me so much, are still like this.”

“I’m glad I look fine to you.”

It’s worth it to have built up inner strength and learned martial arts, even if only for a year.

‘No, considering the inner strength of the Jade Plum Pill, it must be far more than a year’s worth.’

I’m not sure exactly how much, though.

I didn’t ask how many years of inner strength was contained in the spirit pill in the first place, and neither the Sect Leader nor my master told me that much.

‘Well, that’s not important right now.’

Putting aside random thoughts, I spoke again.

“Shall we go up then?”

“Yes.”

Walking a few steps ahead up the stairs, I opened my mouth again.

“Oh, be careful on these stairs. If you’re not careful, you might slip backwards and roll down, or fall headfirst and get hurt.”

“I understa–!”

No, they’re slipping right as I say it.

I quickly reached out and grabbed their arm.

“I thought you understood…”

“…Thank you.”

I suddenly felt a sense of how times have changed. Actually, slipping and rolling was my experience.

Just early last year, I almost overtook my master who was rolling down here… I had a close call with death, saved by my master grabbing the back of my neck, but now the day has come when I’m saving others.

“Master?”

“Ah, sorry.”

I let go of the arm I was holding and we started climbing the stairs again.

In case Wol Young fell backwards again like before, I followed a few steps behind this time, thinking I should at least prevent them from hitting their head.

‘In this era, if you hurt your head, it’s not easy to treat.’

What if they die after coming all this way?

As we climbed the stairs silently, the color of the sunset gradually changed from vermilion to purple.

But even if a complete purple haze spread across the sky, I wasn’t in a hurry, knowing that we wouldn’t pass the sixth double-hour no matter how slowly we climbed, since the sky was vermilion at the beginning of the stairs.

Wol Young, walking a few steps ahead, climbed the last step and let out a sigh that could have been joy or relief.

However, unexpectedly, they didn’t head straight for the mountain gate, but turned back and waited for me. Their cool face, with the sunset at their back, no longer looked as sharp as before, perhaps because I had become used to seeing it several times.

I looked up at them and asked:

“Isn’t this the moment you’ve been waiting for? Why aren’t you going quickly?”

“Didn’t you wait for me when we started, Master?”

“You’re still calling me Master even though we’ve arrived.”

“We haven’t entered the mountain gate yet.”

Hmm, I got the same treatment back. I laughed once and stepped onto the last stair.

Then, as we took a few steps towards the mountain gate together…

Before we could even touch the door, it suddenly opened roughly, as if in a hurry.

“Huh?”

It wasn’t surprising that the door opened, as there were always people guarding both sides inside the sect’s main gate. But even so, it felt a bit bewildering, as if they had been eagerly waiting for us to come and hastily opened the door upon hearing our presence.

However, the bewilderment didn’t last long.

Inside the fully opened large door, as if welcoming guests.

In the wide inner court visible immediately upon entering the mountain gate, I saw a familiar person.

“Ah.”

It was my master.

Moreover, with a face that suggested he had been pacing there for quite a while…

‘So that’s why the door opened in such a hurry.’

They were being considerate.

I understood immediately. Those guarding both sides of the mountain gate were my senior brothers, that is, the second-generation disciples.

Although my master doesn’t treat them particularly arrogantly or oppressively, no matter what, they couldn’t help but be nervous with the Fourth Uncle or Fourth Elder Brother, who is also the First Sword of Mount Hwa, pacing in front of the door.

Moreover, the Sect Leader was with him, seemingly having come out to check as well.

As soon as I recognized him, I almost reflexively recalled what I should do.

Walking calmly, greeting the Sect Leader first, and then greeting my master would be the proper, respectful attitude as a disciple of the sect.

…However, at the moment I thought this, my eyes met my master’s.

Even though the distance was a bit far to confirm his expression or gaze, I could feel that he had just now put his mind at ease. At the same time, I had an intuition that it would be okay not to strictly follow etiquette right now.

Instead, I also knew how I should act.

So, unusually, I didn’t hesitate and put that momentary thought into action.

Instead of calmly walking over to greet the Sect Leader first, I first smiled brightly, ran through the gate and…

“Master!”

…Like this.

My master seemed a bit flustered, as he had never experienced me rushing to him like this before.

“Ha Heun.”

But even so, he instinctively lowered his body and stretched out his arms. Thanks to that, I could immediately jump into his embrace.

Warm body heat touched my cheeks, which had been cold from not being covered by clothes. Only after I wrapped my arms around his neck did my master laugh like a sigh, as if finally relieved.

“What’s this all of a sudden…”

I heard him mutter above my head.

It seemed my decision to act my body’s age for once, abandoning the adult self, was new to him.

“No, are you not hurt?”

“No, your disciple is fine.”

My master gently detached me from his embrace, then cupped my face with both hands and turned it this way and that to examine. After staying still for a moment, I added with a broad smile:

“And my disciple isn’t hurt either.”

I looked back. Unlike me who had run in, Wol Young, who was slowly walking into the mountain gate, could be seen hesitating.

My master laughed softly at my words, then nodded lightly while looking at Wol Young.

“Yes, it seems so. That’s a relief.”

My master patted my shoulder gently a few times. Only then did I step back a few steps, then turned to the Sect Leader and bowed my head.

“I apologize for the late greeting. I pay my respects to the Sect Leader.”

Even as I spoke, I knew the Sect Leader wouldn’t reproach me. He had been watching us with a pleased expression all along.

“There’s no need to apologize. You’ve worked hard.”

As expected, the Sect Leader waved his hand with a hearty laugh and gestured for me to come closer.

Except for when I received the Tao name, I had never met the Sect Leader separately since then, but from then till now, he still had the same ordinary and pleasant grandfather-like appearance.

Fitting that appearance very well, he stroked my head with a warm expression.

“I’ve confirmed that you volunteered to take a test you didn’t have to, and that you returned to the mountain gate safely within the time limit while taking care of another. But don’t forget that you have been a disciple of Mount Hwa since last year and have never not been one until now. No one will be able to deny that.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

He then turned to Wol Young.

“And… Wol Young. You’ve worked hard. Since you passed the test, I should keep my promise. First, wash up, change your clothes, then come to my hall. You must be tired, but let’s have a little talk for a while.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

“Yu Un, you come with me now.”

“Yes.”

With that, the Sect Leader, having spoken to all the concerned parties here, left first. My master glanced at the Sect Leader’s retreating figure, then approached me.

“Go and rest now. Make sure to eat dinner too. You can wake up a bit late tomorrow.”

I nodded and replied.

“Yes.”

Though I don’t really intend to wake up late.

As my master said, I should eat and then go to Senior Brother Ryu in the dormitory to boast about how I passed smoothly.

Although I had only slept elsewhere for a day, in the scenery of the mountain gate that somehow felt like I hadn’t seen it in a long time, I turned to look at Wol Young one last time before leaving for the second-generation disciples’ dormitory.

From tomorrow, I’ll be able to call him disciple.

And he’ll have to call me elder sister instead of master.

When I gave a light nod in greeting, Wol Young stared into my eyes, then slowly bowed his head slightly in the most polite greeting I’d seen from him yet.

“Thank you.”

“Hmm, see you tomorrow.”

As I replied somewhat awkwardly, a faint smile appeared on Wol Young’s face.

“Are you still speaking formally to me? We’ve entered the mountain gate now.”

“Oh…”

He’s mentioning the joke I made this morning again here.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed as my master watched with interest, as if thinking ‘They’ve really become close,’ I rolled my eyes for a moment before laughing helplessly.

‘But if he can joke back like this, we should be able to maintain a perfectly normal senior-junior relationship.’

I’ve taken a big step forward on the path to safely becoming an adult.

“Right. See you tomorrow.”

After greeting my now real, not prospective, disciple, I bowed once more to my master. Only then did I finally start walking towards the dormitory.

The sky, which had been purple and now turned indigo, began to cover the mountain gate.

It seems like it was snowing so heavily just two days ago, but today the sky was clear enough to see the stars distinctly.