Every battle has its winner and loser. And every battle gives both sides the opportunity to learn.
Both sides learn what their enemy's strengths and tactics are, both sides learn what their enemy's shortcomings are.
The losers, however, learn to strive for revenge, they learn to grow stronger while keeping their growing strength a secret, they also learn what they could have done to beat their enemy.
The winners learn to be wary about their new enemy, but more importantly, if the winner is not arrogant or conceited, they learn what must happen if they wish to get stronger.
This rule applies to everyone, including me.
What had I learned, you ask? I learned that the Mount Song Sect wasn't enough to complete whatever task the Other Side had sent me here to complete.
Sure, the Mount Song Sect's core wasn't martial arts, but striving to reach the Other Side. But that didn't mean the Golden Dragon arts of the Mount Song Sect were weak. Things were different now, if I wanted to complete the Other Side's task, I had to move beyond the Mount Song Sect.
And to be honest, I don't believe my Silver Breath arts, which I consider to be my strongest group of martial arts, will be enough to complete the task either.
The answer to my problems was crystal clear, broken into two parts equally visible.
First, comrades willing to follow me to the end of the Earth. I have Pyo Kang and Pyo Yong for now, and in the future I'm sure I could gather the Mount Song Sect with the help of Master Un-Ju and the sect leader. There was also the Dragon Cult that I could manipulate into helping me against the Namgung clan.
Second was a new martial arts group, something beyond even the Silver Breath arts that I created in the future. But even for me, with my millennia of experience in making martial arts techniques, it would take years to create a new martial arts technique more powerful than the Silver Breath arts.
Every battle also has a downside, the winners have to deal with their injured warriors. And while the losers have to do the same, they have much more to mourn than the winners.
Thankfully, the injuries we received from the first battle with the Namgung clan were easily treatable. In fact, the next day both Pyo Kang and Pyo Yong's injuries had completely healed. The only part of their body that showed signs of a wound being there was the scarred skin cells that encircled their shoulders.
In a battle, there is one more thing that the winners get that the losers don't; the spoils of war.
In this case, the spoils of war was Namgung Jiwoo's dantian, as just by absorbing the remaining qi his dantian held after our battle, I had jumped from the end stage of the Master Realm, straight to the Supreme Realm.
There was a small reason why I had jumped so many stages just by absorbing one dantian, and it was simple. My body didn't require realizations or any other fancy martial art secrets to grow, as I already knew what to do and how to reach the later stages.
But now that the Namgung clan knew that I was in this forest, it was due time to move. I had already climbed so far in strength thanks to this forest, but it's just as the sect leader said. Why would a shark choose to live in a puddle when it could live in a vast ocean?
A full two days would pass before me, Pyo Kang and Pyo Yong were ready to depart from the forest we called home for a year and a half. It was tedious, but quite enjoyable within this forest, maybe I'd return someday to relive these memories.
"Pyo Kang, Pyo Yong, are you ready to depart?"
"Yes, where shall we go first, Master?"
"Just follow me, I'll explain everything as we walk there." I replied, taking a step forward.
"Yes sir." The twins replied in unison, following two steps behind me as I walked.
As we walked back to the Demon Dragon Cult headquarters, I explained everything that had happened before I entered the forest. Literally everything, from my transmigration to Namgung Jiwoo's murder of Jinlong all the way down to my confrontation and control over the Demon Dragon Cult.
They were skeptical about the beginning parts, but once they heard what had happened to Jinlong, their faces filled with grief. They had not known the dragon, but they knew that his death meant a lot to me.
Soon after I had explained my past to them, the three of us sped up our pace as to reach the Demon Dragon Cult's headquarters to begin the first stage of my plan to eliminate the Namgung clan for good.
The three of us would arrive at the gates of the Demon Dragon Cult an hour later. However, when we tried to enter the base, our arrival was anything but welcome.
"You three! State your identity now. Uninvited guests aren't welcome currently."
In the span of a year and half, these fuckers forgot about me, huh? Well then, it's about time to put the dog back on its leash.
"Pyo Kang, Pyo Yong, follow me." I said softly, leaping over the gates and onto the nearest building.
I used the buildings as a path to avoid the other members of the Demon Dragon Cult and reach the leader's building. The best way to put a vicious dog on a leash is to show it who's really in charge after all.
A few seconds after I landed outside the cult leader's building, Pyo Kang and Pyo Yong landed behind me.
I took no time for granted and quickly kicked in the door to the cult leader's room, sending splinters flying throughout the entire room. Leaving the three people inside the room dumbfounded as to what just happened.
Steam erupted from my mouth as I placed my foot back on the ground, and a furious gleam emerged from my eyes as I made eye contact with Baek Il, the man I had left in charge of the cult whilst I trained.
"Vice-leader Baek Il, no, just Baek Il now. You dare reclaim this cult as your own when you forfeited it to me yourself! I'll see to it that you pay dearly for your mistakes!"