A long time ago, fighters of Jianghu learned martial arts in order to protect themselves from enemies. Over time, martial arts evolved from using it as a method of self-defence into a tool to kill enemies. It grew more sophisticated and complex as simple forms evolved into a series of movements, and breathing techniques came to represent the basics of internal energy. The martial artists passed on their teachings and heirlooms to future generations, allowing martial arts to continue to evolve. The people who had mastered martial arts were more powerful than ordinary humans, and they were soon called the Moorim (or Murim) people, also known as the Wulin.
Fighters who wanted to be disciples of the Moorin people gathered to form clans, and those clans were divided into the Forces of Justice and the Forces of Evil. And between the tight balance of those two forces, there was another group that pursued an entirely different route, seeking only strength...
The world called them the Demonic Cult.
The unwanted and looked-down-upon child of the highest-ranking family in the Demonic Cult, who has the right to the throne, Cheon Yu-Jong. This is his story.
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Although the Demonic Cult was made up of many clans and families, only six among them were 'Main Clans'. These included the Dark Clan, Sword Clan, Spring Clan, Poison Clan, Blade Clan, and the Sound Clan. The Lord was bound by an oath to marry a woman from each of the Six Clans to give birth to his descendants.
The descendants who were born in each clan were raised in their respective clans, and when they reached a certain age, they were admitted to the Demonic Academy. The Demonic Academy, which opened every 10 years, was headed by the magistrate's leading experts. It was founded to train the best warriors of each generation.
There was a period of unusually intense competition. Whenever several princes joined the Academy, the magistrates referred to it as the period of the Battle of the Heirs.
Into this world was born Cheon Yu-Jong. Cheon Yu-Jong was supposed to become the 23rd Lord of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and father of the story 'Nano Machine' future hero, Cheon Yeo-Woon. He was supposed to have a hard and tragic life, filled with bad choices and unfortunate accidents. But this was different. Something happened that changed Cheon Yu-Jong's life as it was supposed to go.
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Cheon Yu-Jong's mother, Kyung Ha Eun, was the adopted daughter of Kyung Bon Gang, the Leader of the Sword Clan. In case the biological daughter of Kyung Bon Gang, Kyung Yoo Eun, failed to have a child with the Cult Leader, Lord Cheon Inji, Yu-Jong's mother was meant to give birth to the young Lord's candidate for the Sword Clan on Kyung Yoo Eun's behalf.
However, when Kyung Ha Eun became pregnant with Yu-Jong, Kyung Yoo Eun also became pregnant with a son. The young Lord Inji decreed that since both of them were his sons, he would give both of them a chance for the position of Lord. Thus, both of his sons were born to the Sword Clan: Cheon Yu-Jing and his half-brother, Cheon Yu-Jong, the main character of this story.
Shortly after the birth of both boys, Yu-Jong's mother, who was merely adopted, started to be despised by Kyung Yoo Eun and other wives of the Lord. They looked down on her and made fun of her, talking behind her back, but loud enough for her to hear. She was bullied, without it being 'official', and shortly afterwards, Kyung Ha Eun became sick and died not long after that. Cheon Yu-Jong was tired and cried for days, without anyone being allowed to see it, since he was just as ostracised and bullied by everyone as his mother was, probably even more so.
"WHO IS YOUR AUNT?! Call me Madam Kyung!! All you have to do in this clan is to help Yu-Jing become the Lord. Keep that in mind!!" Kyung Yoo Eun shouted at the 10-year-old Yu-Jong.
"... yes, ma'am. I understand," he said respectfully and then left.
He left with his head bowed and went to the training ground, where he liked to spend his time. Not long after that, his half-brother Yu-Jing arrived with an apologetic expression.
"Hyung-nim... I want to apologise for what my mother said earlier. I'll definitely become the Young Lord and make sure these things will never happen again," he said.
"Thank you for saying that," Yu-Jong said, with a neutral expression.
"I'm serious! you know how much I care about you!"
The only joy of Cheon Yu-Jong, who was raised in contempt, was that Cheon Yu-Jing, regarded himself as his older brother. Or so he thought in the beginning years of his life. Now, he knew better.
It happened the day he found out that his mother had died. Yu-Jong was devastated and in great pain. No amount of bullying and contempt could compare to what he felt at that moment. His mother had been the only person in the world who showed him love and accepted him for who he was, a child and nothing more. Whether it was good or bad, whether it was equivalent exchange or merely fate, something awakened in Yu-Jong that day. He gained an incredible power, the Essence of skill and power creation.
Upon gaining the essence, Yu-Jong was pushed down a path of constant growth and self-improvement, though he did not realise it at the time, as he was very young. From that moment onward, he gained one Skill Point (SP) every second simply by existing. Beyond this passive gain, SP was further accumulated through actions and experiences, like engaging in combat or training, eating and satisfying basic needs, indulging in lust, or experiencing strong emotions of any kind.
For Yu-Jong, this was the moment he first sparred with his half-brother, Yu-Jing, barely 6 months ago. That was also when he noticed he had an extraordinary power: he gained SPs.
Skill Points were awarded like in the world of Danmachi: the greater the danger faced or the deeper the emotion felt, the greater the SP gained. Risk, intensity, and genuine feelings directly translate into faster growth.
Skills and powers were divided into ranks, progressing from D to C, then B, then A, and finally S.
D-rank skills were situationally useful but fundamentally weak, while S-rank skills were comparable to isekai-level cheats or essence-grade abilities. Accordingly, the cost to create skills rises sharply with each rank. All newly created skills or powers always begin at D-rank, regardless of their future potential.
By spending SP, Yu-Jong can create, modify, upgrade, or merge skills and powers. There were virtually no limits to what could be created; any skill or power was possible as long as it could be clearly described, including adaptations or recreations of abilities from other worlds, provided they started at an appropriate D-rank baseline.
While SP can be directly invested to strengthen abilities, skills may also be improved through training and use, allowing for growth through effort rather than points alone.
Finally, it was possible to create meta-skills, abilities that increased SP gain or reduced the cost of skill creation and modification. However, such skills were inherently more expensive, costing two to three times the SP of a normal skill of the same rank, reflecting their profound and far-reaching impact.
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Yu-Jong didn't know what to do with the Essence when he first became aware of it. He knew instinctively what it was that he now possessed, but couldn't fully comprehend it.
[165'753'600 SP]
That's how many Skill Points Yu-Jong had when he became aware of the Essence. At first, he wanted to fulfil his wish and become someone who could be respected, but the Essence wasn't a wish-fulfilment tool. Not directly anyway. All it did was give him the possibility to create any and all skills and powers he wished, as long as he had enough points to do so. That day, he wished not to be so pathetic anymore. To not cry and feel so much desperation and sadness all the time. To not give others the satisfaction of their words affecting him. And the Essence reacted accordingly.
[Indifference - Rank D: 250 SP]
[Indomitable Will - Rank D: 100'000 SP]
As a result, Yu-Jong stopped crying and being affected by them as much as he had been previously. He was usually seen with a neutral expression, not revealing anything on his face. It naturally helped him to have developed those skills, but only after a few weeks did he truly come to terms with his situation. And he thought about what else to get himself. And he came up with something useful.
[Observe: Rank D - 1'000'000 SP]
Yu-Jong didn't understand why this skill had been so expensive, but after using it on his aunt, he did.
|Kyung Yoo Eun - Lvl 52
| HP: 500 Qi: 35 Years - Intermediate Prowess
| The mother of Cheon Yu-Jing and aunt of Cheon Yu-Jong. She is one of the wives of the Lord and wishes for nothing more than her son to | inherit the title. Hates Cheon Yu-Jong.
This was merely D-rank, so the skill had incredible potential. And Yu-Jong understood that he didn't even need to spend skill points to improve it, since it would improve on its own as he used it. And that's what he did. Yu-Jong used it on stones, trees, birds in the sky, and fish in the ponds. He used it on the servants, the martial artists and finally his half-brother.
It was through constant use of the skill that, after months, he finally advanced in rank. And the best thing was that he didn't use any skill points.
[Observe: Rank C]
[Advanced Skill: Observe to C-Rank.]
[Awarded with 100'000 SP]
The new rank in the Observe skill allowed Yu-Jong to see more than he did previously. He could see weaknesses and the remaining health, whereas before he could only see the maximum amount of health and Qi. He also saw more in terms of people's character. When he used this on his half-brother, Yu-Jing, he understood that his brother was glad to be seen as the legitimate heir instead of him. Yu-Jong realised that his half-brother had been hiding his true feelings quite well and did care for him, but only as a subordinate, not as an equal.
So, here he was, thinking about his life and what he wanted to do. He knew no one in the Cult truly cared about him. He was all alone. But that didn't sit right with him. Thanks to his Indifference and Indomitable Will skills, he could handle it, but it didn't make him happy.
Yu-Jong thought about his plans and chose in that very moment that everyone could kill themselves, for all he cared. He didn't need anyone. If they wanted to ostracise him, then he would walk his path alone—his path... to the top. But how would he do that?
While he was in the Sword Clan, he was constantly under everyone's gaze. So how could he train in secret, before entering the Demonic Academy? The only solution he could think of was his Essence. He might be able to create a skill that will help him. He had quite a lot of skill points right now, and depending on which skill he created, he would surely benefit from it.
He went over it in his mind. He wanted to leave here but be back in time for the Demonic Academy to start. But he most likely wouldn't be allowed to leave like that. But his aunt would most definitely accept if he asked to be out of her sight. That was something he could use. But then, how to hide his training? After thinking about it, he came up with the skill.
[Interdimensional Hidden Home: Rank D - 100'000'000 SP]
[One-time interdimensional travel-training jump skill: Rank D - 60'000'000 SP]
[Basic Food Source Restock: Rank D - 1'750'000 SP]
[Endless Water Source: Rank D - 3'000'000 SP]
This was a lot. A lot, a lot, costing him all of the skill points he had available. And what's more, one skill was only a one-time-use skill. But still, Yu-Jong felt that it was an excellent set of skills and powers that would benefit him. He didn't know what those words meant, at least not initially, but the names of the skills he had in mind came automatically. The Essence created skills, following his wishes and then gave them the names he saw.
With these specific skills, Yu-Jong went and asked his aunt, Kyung Yoo Eun, if he could go into isolation at the edge of the Sword Clan and train there. He told her that he wanted to be strong enough to be of use to his 'brother' Yu-Jing when he entered the Demonic Academy and eventually became the Lord. The lies had the effects he hoped for, and his aunt accepted with glee. She was delighted to have him out of her sight.
No one cared much about Yu-Jong, not even his brother protested that long after it was announced. Yu-Jong was given food pills to survive, and he had a nearby water source. Without further thought, he used his skills. After he was alone, Yu-Jong entered his Interdimensional Hidden Home. It was a tiny home, with a sleeping quarter, a kitchen and a toilet. Then he used his Interdimensional Navigation Skill to find a place to train, as he had thought when creating the skill.
Finally, he opened the door again, stepping out into a new place.