The bathhouse was empty at this early hour, steam rising from the heated water in ghostly wisps.
Seo-Cheon sat submerged to his neck, watching the last traces of black impurity dissolve into the water.
Master Yu had left him to clean himself thoroughly, promising to return with fresh robes and breakfast.
Alone with his thoughts for the first time since his regression, Seo-Cheon felt the weight of it all crash down upon him.
Seventy-seven years.
Seventy-seven years of life, reduced to nothing. Starting over as a powerless child.
In his previous life, by the age of seventy-seven, he had been an Unrestrained Realm Elder.
Not the strongest, not a legend, but still a figure of considerable power and respect.
His word carried weight in Mount Hua's councils.
Junior disciples bowed when he passed.
He could travel freely, make his own decisions, live as he pleased within the sect's framework.
And now?
Now he was eight years old.
A child who would have to ask permission to leave the training grounds.
A disciple who would be punished for the smallest infractions.
A weakling who would have to endure years—years—of the hellish training that Mount Hua demanded of its fourth-generation disciples.
The despair threatened to choke him.
"What's the point?" he whispered to the empty bathhouse. "Even if I change everything, even if I save everyone... I still have to live through this hell again."
[QUERY: PERMISSION TO INITIATE FULL CAPABILITY TRANSFER?]
Seo-Cheon almost laughed bitterly.
"Do whatever you want. It's not like I have any control over my life anyway."
[ACKNOWLEDGED. BEGINNING COMPREHENSIVE DATA TRANSFER.]
[WARNING: PROCESS WILL BE INTENSIVE. RECOMMEND HOST REMAIN SEATED.]
The world exploded into light and knowledge.
Information flooded Seo-Cheon's mind like a dam breaking.
Not gradually, not gently, but in a torrential cascade that threatened to drown his consciousness entirely.
Functions.
Capabilities.
Limitations.
Protocols.
Analysis algorithms and medical databases.
Energy circulation patterns and combat optimization systems.
Training enhancement protocols and recovery acceleration methods.
It poured into his brain faster than conscious thought could process, installing itself like water filling every crack and crevice of a vessel.
The sheer volume of information was overwhelming.
Seo-Cheon's hands gripped the edge of the bath, knuckles white, as his mind struggled to contain the flood.
And then, as suddenly as it began, it stopped.
[TRANSFER COMPLETE. COMPREHENSIVE CAPABILITY DATABASE NOW ACCESSIBLE.]
[HOST SHOULD NOW POSSESS COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF SYSTEM FUNCTIONS.]
Seo-Cheon sat in the cooling bathwater, breathing heavily.
He understood now.
Everything.
What the Nano Machine could do.
What it couldn't do.
And most importantly, what he would have to do himself.
"You're not a shortcut," he said quietly. "You're a tool. An incredibly powerful tool, but still just a tool."
[AFFIRMATIVE. THIS UNIT PROVIDES OPTIMIZATION AND SUPPORT. HOST PROVIDES WILL, INSIGHT, AND DECISION-MAKING.]
[TOGETHER, OPTIMAL GROWTH TRAJECTORY BECOMES POSSIBLE.]
Seo-Cheon closed his eyes, sorting through the newly acquired knowledge.
Among all the information, one particular protocol stood out.
The Genius Development Protocol.
Four pillars, based on the growth of someone called Cheon Ma—a martial artist from another world entirely, whose talent had apparently been so monstrous it defied conventional understanding.
Tranquil Heart.
Acute Senses.
Singular Focus.
Physical Liberation.
Seo-Cheon pondered these carefully.
Two of them, at least, felt familiar.
Tranquil Heart and Singular Focus.
In his previous life, as an Unrestrained Realm Elder, he had naturally developed these qualities to some degree.
Mental composure in battle was essential for survival at that level.
The ability to focus on a single technique, to break it down and understand its components—that too was a skill any serious martial artist cultivated over decades.
He had these already, didn't he?
So why would the Nano Machine emphasize them as foundational pillars of genius?
[QUERY DETECTED. CLARIFICATION PROVIDED:]
[HOST POSSESSES SURFACE-LEVEL PROFICIENCY IN TRANQUIL HEART AND SINGULAR FOCUS.]
[TRUE MASTERY OPERATES ON ENTIRELY DIFFERENT SCALE.]
[EXAMPLE: HOST'S PREVIOUS TRANQUIL HEART - MAINTAINING COMPOSURE DURING COMBAT.]
[CHEON MA'S TRANQUIL HEART - ABSOLUTE MENTAL CLARITY EVEN WHILE DYING, ALLOWING TECHNIQUE CREATION IN FINAL MOMENTS OF LIFE.]
[EXAMPLE: HOST'S PREVIOUS SINGULAR FOCUS - ISOLATING SPECIFIC TECHNIQUE FOR STUDY OVER WEEKS.]
[CHEON MA'S SINGULAR FOCUS - WITNESSING TECHNIQUE ONCE AND IMMEDIATELY DECONSTRUCTING ALL PRINCIPLES, THEN RECONSTRUCTING IMPROVED VERSION WITHIN MINUTES.]
Seo-Cheon's eyes widened.
"That's... that's impossible. No human can—"
[CHEON MA WAS CLASSIFIED AS ANOMALOUS EVEN AMONG GENIUSES.]
[PROTOCOL DOES NOT EXPECT HOST TO MATCH HIS LEVEL.]
[PROTOCOL AIMS TO DEVELOP THESE QUALITIES TO HOST'S MAXIMUM POTENTIAL.]
[EVEN 30-40% OF CHEON MA'S CAPABILITY WOULD PLACE HOST AMONG GREATEST MARTIAL ARTISTS OF THIS WORLD.]
Seo-Cheon sat back, absorbing this.
So it wasn't that he already possessed these qualities.
It was that he had barely scratched the surface of what they could be.
A child learning to count thinking they understood mathematics.
[ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATION: MEMORY ORGANIZATION.]
[HOST POSSESSES 77 YEARS OF MEMORIES IN DISORGANIZED STATE.]
[PERMISSION TO RESTRUCTURE FOR OPTIMAL RECALL AND CROSS-REFERENCING?]
"You can do that?"
[AFFIRMATIVE. NEURAL PATHWAY OPTIMIZATION IS WITHIN STANDARD CAPABILITIES.]
"Then... yes. Do it."
[ACKNOWLEDGED. BEGINNING MEMORY REORGANIZATION.]
[ESTIMATED COMPLETION: 30 SECONDS.]
[HOST MAY EXPERIENCE MILD DISORIENTATION.]
The world seemed to tilt.
Not physically—the bathhouse remained perfectly still.
But in his mind, something shifted.
Seventy-seven years of memories, previously scattered and faded like old scrolls in a disorganized library, suddenly began arranging themselves.
Childhood memories filed away with perfect clarity.
Training sessions from decades ago, previously half-forgotten, now accessible as if they had happened yesterday.
Conversations with Master Yu, lectures from the elders, observations of techniques, battles witnessed, mistakes made—
All of it organized, categorized, cross-referenced.
[REORGANIZATION COMPLETE.]
[HOST MEMORY RECALL EFFICIENCY INCREASED BY ESTIMATED 890%.]
Seo-Cheon tested it immediately.
The battle at Guizhou. Third month. The Leaping Water Spearman's stance before his final attack.
The memory surfaced instantly, crisp and clear, as if he were witnessing it again for the first time.
Every detail preserved.
The angle of the spear.
The distribution of qi.
The minute shift in weight that telegraphed the strike.
"Incredible," he breathed.
"Seo-Cheon! Are you still in there?"
Master Yu's voice jolted him from his thoughts.
"Yes, Master! I'm coming!"
He climbed out of the bath, dried himself, and put on the fresh robes his master had left.
As he emerged from the bathhouse, Master Yu studied him with concerned eyes.
"You look exhausted. Perhaps you should rest today—"
"No!" Seo-Cheon said, perhaps too forcefully.
He softened his tone.
"I mean... I feel fine, Master. Better than fine, actually."
His master regarded him skeptically.
"The impurity expulsion should have drained you considerably. Are you certain—"
"Master," Seo-Cheon interrupted, an idea forming in his mind. "May I borrow one of your medical texts? I... I had some insights during my dream. About the body and qi circulation. I'd like to study."
Master Yu's eyebrows rose in surprise.
"You want to study medicine? At eight years old?"
"Just to understand my own body better, Master. Please?"
His master studied him for a long moment, then nodded slowly.
"Very well. Come to my quarters after breakfast. I have several introductory texts that might suit you."
An hour later, Seo-Cheon sat in Master Yu's study, a thick medical tome open before him.
Foundation of Internal Medicine and Qi Circulation, the title read.
In his previous life, he'd attempted to read this same book when he was around fifteen.
He'd found it dense, confusing, full of terminology he didn't understand.
He'd given up after a few pages.
Now, with seventy-seven years of experience and the Nano Machine's support, he opened it with curiosity.
The first page discussed the twelve primary meridians and their relationship to internal organs.
Seo-Cheon began reading.
And reading.
And reading.
The words seemed to flow directly into his understanding, each concept clicking into place with unusual clarity.
Technical terms that should have been gibberish made perfect sense.
Diagrams of meridian pathways aligned with his own internal awareness of his restructured body.
He turned pages faster, absorbing information at an impossible rate.
[ALERT: ACCELERATED LEARNING PROTOCOL ACTIVE.]
[NEURAL PATHWAY OPTIMIZATION ALLOWING RAPID INFORMATION PROCESSING.]
[WARNING: INITIAL USE MAY CAUSE MILD CEREBRAL STRAIN.]
A wave of dizziness hit him.
Seo-Cheon gripped the edge of the desk, the room spinning slightly.
"Ugh..."
[DISCOMFORT IS TEMPORARY. HOST NEURAL STRUCTURE ADAPTING TO ENHANCED PROCESSING SPEED.]
[SYMPTOM WILL DIMINISH WITH REPEATED USE.]
The dizziness faded after a few moments.
Seo-Cheon took a deep breath and continued reading.
Page after page.
Chapter after chapter.
The knowledge poured into his mind like water into a vessel, and somehow, impossibly, his mind seemed to expand to contain it.
By the time Master Yu returned to check on him two hours later, Seo-Cheon had read nearly a third of the five-hundred-page tome.
"Seo-Cheon, how are you—"
His master stopped, staring at the book.
"You've been turning pages quite rapidly. Are you actually reading, or just looking at the pictures?"
Seo-Cheon looked up, an idea occurring to him.
"Master, may I try something?"
"What do you mean?"
Seo-Cheon closed his eyes and began to recite.
"'The Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin originates in the middle jiao, descends to connect with the large intestine, returns and follows the upper opening of the stomach, crosses the diaphragm and belongs to the lungs. From the lung system, it travels horizontally to emerge at Zhongfu point, then descends along the medial aspect of the upper arm...'"
He continued, reciting the entire passage from Chapter Three word for word, not missing a single character.
Master Yu's eyes widened in shock.
"That's... that's perfect memorization. But Seo-Cheon, that's not the same as—"
"'The clinical significance lies in understanding that lung qi deficiency manifests not merely as respiratory weakness, but as a fundamental breakdown in the body's defensive qi circulation,'" Seo-Cheon continued, now explaining rather than reciting.
"'This is why patients with chronic lung conditions often catch colds easily—their wei qi cannot properly guard the exterior. The treatment principle therefore must address both the root deficiency in lung qi and the branch manifestation of weakened defense.'"
He opened his eyes.
"Master, I don't just remember the words. I... I understand them. The concepts make sense. I can see how they connect to what I learned earlier about the twelve meridians, and how that relates to the defensive qi circulation we studied in Chapter One."
Master Yu stood frozen, staring at him with an expression somewhere between astonishment and disbelief.
"Seo-Cheon... what happened to you?"
Seo-Cheon looked down at the book, then back at his master.
What could he say?
A stranger from another dimension injected me with alien technology that's restructuring my brain and body?
Instead, he said quietly, "I don't fully understand it myself, Master. But something changed. During the impurity expulsion, it felt like... like barriers in my mind and body were breaking down. Like I can finally think and learn the way I was always meant to."
It wasn't entirely a lie.
Master Yu moved closer, placing a hand on Seo-Cheon's forehead to check for fever.
"No unusual heat," he murmured. "Pulse is strong and steady. Qi circulation appears normal, even enhanced..."
He pulled back, studying Seo-Cheon with concerned but wondering eyes.
"Perhaps the impurity expulsion truly did unlock your potential. There are records of such things—rare cases where a young disciple's talent suddenly blooms after a breakthrough event."
He shook his head slowly.
"But I've never seen it manifest quite like this. Such rapid learning and comprehension... Seo-Cheon, this is extraordinary."
"Should I... should I stop studying, Master?" Seo-Cheon asked, uncertain.
"Stop? No, no!" Master Yu said quickly. "If anything, you should continue. But pace yourself. Don't push too hard too fast, or you might damage your foundation."
He paused, then smiled—a real smile, warm and proud.
"My student... perhaps you have more potential than either of us realized."
As Master Yu left to attend to other duties, Seo-Cheon sat alone with the medical text and his swirling thoughts.
In his previous life, he had been painfully ordinary.
No special talent.
No miraculous breakthroughs.
Just decades of grinding effort to reach a respectable but unremarkable level.
Now, in a single morning, he'd demonstrated abilities that would shock even talented disciples.
Perfect memorization.
Rapid comprehension.
Accelerated learning that bordered on the supernatural.
But was it real?
Or was it just the Nano Machine doing the work for him?
[CLARIFICATION: THIS UNIT OPTIMIZES NEURAL PATHWAYS AND REMOVES PROCESSING BARRIERS.]
[UNDERSTANDING MUST STILL COME FROM HOST.]
[ANALOGY: PROVIDING CLEAR PATH THROUGH FOREST DOES NOT MEAN WALKING THE PATH FOR YOU.]
Seo-Cheon nodded slowly.
The Nano Machine made learning easier, faster, more efficient.
But he still had to put in the effort.
Still had to engage with the material.
Still had to think.
It was a tool.
An incredibly powerful tool.
But not a replacement for his own will and insight.
"Then let's see how far this tool can take me," he murmured, opening the book again.
He had decades of lost time to make up for.
And now, finally, he had the means to do it.