Lee Sung Min stared back at Namgoong Heewon, who had asked him who he was. It wasnât a hard question to answer. It was just that Namgoong Heewon was the young master of the Namgoong bloodline and the successor to be the next head of his household. Sung-Min was surprised that the name of Wijihoyeon, the âSon of the Heavenly Demonâ, had come out of his mouth.
â⊠My name is Lee Sung-Min.â
âLee Sung Min? Never heard of that name. Ah, sorry. I lack experience. Iâm the type who hears what I want to hear and donât listen to the things I donât want to. In a way, Iâm pretty rude.â Namgoong Heewon replied. He shrugged his shoulders.
âBy any chance, do you have a nickname they call you by?â
âI do not. Iâm not of the martial arts. Iâm a mercenary.â
âA mercenary⊠meaning.. you are not a martial arts master? Are you saying you were never part of the martial arts?â
âIâm a No-Class.â Lee Sung-Min replied.
Namgoong Heewonâs expression slightly hardened. After a short moment of silence, he started to chuckle.
âA greater being than I thought you would be. You already seem to be on the verge of mastering your level. Am I right?â
âIâm not a martial arts master.â
âBut you have familiarized yourself with the arts, have you not?â
âI did, but unlike the ârealâ masters like yourselfâŠâ
âA ârealâ master â what a laughable term.â Namgoong Heewon said.
He laughed loudly.
âI have mastered the arts and have the surname of âNamgoong.â However, that does not mean I know the arts of Zhongyuan. It was my great-great-grandfather who was summoned to Eria from another world. He gathered all the masters with the surname of âNamgoongâ to start our household in this world. That is how I came to be. I have never been to the Temple of Zhongyuan, nor is it my birthplace. My hometown is Eria.â Namgoong said. He crossed his arms.
âShould I then be called a martial arts master? I learned my accent from my family, and itâs the same with my martial arts skills. Does that make me a martial arts master? I wasnât even born in Zhongyuan and summoned to this world.â
âBut you are closer to being real than I am.â Lee Sung-Min replied.
Namgoong Heewon laughed aloud once more.
âPerhaps. Are you able to use âDisciplined Strengthâ?â
âI am capable of doing so, yes.â
âBut you havenât perfected your cycle of qi yet. You havenât even Mastered your level. Have you reached the highest Peak of your level yet?â
âIÂ have not.â
âDoes that mean your âQi Vesselâ on your back has not been penetrated yet?â
(t/n  wuxia term â the energy flow of qi from your tailbone to your neck, similar to a blood vessel. This âqi vesselâ helps the qi flow more effectively. Once this flow is penetrated, it is a new step to reaching another level.)
Namgoong Heewon looked confused. At this, Sung Min blushed and nodded lightly.
âIt has not been penetrated.â Sung-Min replied.
â âŠ. That doesnât make sense.â Namgoong Heewon murmured at Sung-Minâs reply. and frowned.
âAre you saying you are at the level of using Sword Strength, but the âQi Vesselâ on your back has not even burst? Howâs that even possible?â
âIs one not capable of using âSword Strengthâ if the flow of the Qi Vessel is not penetrated?â
âNormally, yes. The blood flow in your body needs to withstand the flow of your inner strength and the circulation has to be at top speed. Having the Qi Vessel penetrated means the fastest path for your inner strength to flow has opened up.â
âDoes it really matter?â
âOf course it matters. Using Sword Strength is very impressive, but without the Qui Vessel in your back penetrated, using those powers wonât be efficient at all. It would just be a waste of inner strength.â
Sung Min then realized he didnât have to go through the process of âconcentrationâ when he was using his Sword Strength. He had simply thought he wasnât using his powers efficiently, but it had turned out his Qi Vessel in his back hadnât been penetrated at all, which was why his powers were not as effective.
âBut even so⊠I suppose there are cases like you. I havenât experienced it myself, but Iâve heard stories of cases like this. I heard that the physical body isnât able to keep up with the martial arts techniques if the physical body is incapable of completely accepting the powers.â
âAre you saying thatâs the case with me?â
âIâm saying itâs a possibility. You should hope thatâs not the case, however. Most of those cases⊠they donât end well. The imbalance of the heart, body and energy result in a disability in the body.â
Sung Minâs face hardened at Namgoongâs words. Although it was unclear whether there was an imbalance of his heart, body and energy, it was clear that his condition was dangerous in the long run.
âWhen are you going to stop talking about all of this stuff thatâs hard to understand?â Scarlett piped up abruptly.
She had been listening in to the conversation looking deadpan. Scarlett was a magician and wasnât able to understand most of the conversation the two men were having.
At this, Namgoong Heewon let out a laugh and bowed his head slightly.
âHaha.. I apologize. It was disturbing me, so I couldnât help it..â
âBy the way, about the Son of the Heavenly Demon..â Sung Min said cautiously. Sung Min felt apologetic towards Scarlett, but he couldnât help mentioning her.
âWhat is she like?â
âAre you interested in her?â
âIâm not a martial arts master, but I know how serious it is to have âHeavenly Demonâ as a nickname. She may be a âMinor Heavenly Demonâ, but a demon is a demon. I am only asking out of curiosity.â
âHaha.. how many people do you know of who is called a âHeavenly Demon?ââ
âIn Eria, there are currently three figures with the nickname of âHeavenly Demonâ in Eria.â
Their orders had come out. Scarlett had given up trying to interrupt their conversation. She picked at her dish of seasoned shells and vegetables with her chopsticks, her lips pressed in disapproval.