Murim Login - Chapter 645

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 645
Who crossed the line first?
Me? Or Baek Sang?
And among the words we exchanged, what was truth and what was falsehood?
Several questions flashed through my mind in that brief moment, but such things no longer mattered.
From this point forward, we would settle matters not through words and thoughts, but through pure strength alone—the way of true martial artists.
Whoosh!
A sharp cutting sound pierced my ears.
Before the sound even registered, I twisted my head to evade the finger wind streaking toward me, then without hesitation pressed my palm against the stone table before me.
Boom!
The massive stone table carved from rock trembled.
Simultaneously, thirty-three wine cups launched skyward as if catapulted. I extended my hand smoothly and redirected several of them.
Ping.
All toward one man. Baek Sang.
Whistle whistle whistle whoosh!
They were merely crude wooden cups, roughly fashioned, but infused with my inner force, they transformed into terrifying weapons.
Faster than arrows. Destructive power capable of shattering stone.
Yet my opponent remained composed, and more importantly, he was formidable.
Whoosh, scrape!
As his straightened hand blade swept horizontally, an invisible, formless energy cleaved through the air and split the incoming cups asunder.
Before the shattered fragments even fell to the ground, his form erupted from his seat, becoming a blur.
Crack!
Beyond the darkness that descended upon the Great Hall, pure white robes fluttered like a phantom.
In the instant he closed the distance of five zhang across the stone table and drove a punch downward toward my crown—
“You’ve crossed the line again.”
I lowered my head slightly and thrust my palm upward to meet him.
Blaze.
Flame Divine Palm.
Flames roared upward, consuming the darkness, and collided with Baek Sang’s punch, which gleamed with brilliant inner force.
White and blue energies intertwined, and the resulting flash shook all directions.
Crash! Boom boom!
A descending punch and an ascending palm. Old Master and young man. A collision of primal, pure strength.
Violent tremors and thunder shook the Great Hall, and I could see it clearly.
Brilliant light erupted—
Beyond the radiance bursting forth from the point of contact, a pair of eyes wide with shock.
“…!”
In Baek Sang’s eyes, which always gleamed with a cool light, lay unmistakable astonishment.
How?
A familiar emotion. A familiar gaze.
Most of those I had faced thus far wore the same expression.
They had a habit of underestimating me, even before my name and reputation spread throughout the Murim, and occasionally they would forget this fact afterward as well.
Because I was young. Because my family’s standing was humble. Or because I was an inexperienced youth who had never experienced warfare.
And whenever such situations arose, I would kindly inform them.
Not with words, but with strength.
‘Just like right now.’
Accompanied by a sneer that never left my lips, I drew upon the qi that filled my entire body and pulled it even stronger.
Kwaaaaa!
A formidable internal force spanning three decades of cultivation stretched and awakened.
The terrifying heat radiating from the Blazing Yang Energy evaporated the moisture around us, and crimson heat waves shimmered into existence.
Tssssss!
The fist that had been blocked by my open palm began to slowly give way.
In Baek Sang’s trembling eyes, his snow-white robes charring away and my composed face reflected in succession.
Between Baek Sang’s lips, cracked from the intense heat, a cool voice flowed out.
“You….”
Remarkable composure. Most of what I’d heard in situations like this were curses and insults.
But was it honed through a hundred battles? Or was it because he was a great tribal leader commanding tens of thousands of clansmen?
Baek Sang’s emotions rippled but did not overflow, and his martial skill proved superior to what I had anticipated.
Swish!
His charred collar brushed against my forearm. His fist, which had been clenched tightly, suddenly unfurled like an eagle’s talons and seized my wrist with lightning speed.
Or rather, it would have certainly seized it.
Had my movements not been faster and stronger than his.
Crack!
A force that had long transcended human limits.
As I tightened my grip on his wrist with terrifying strength, Baek Sang’s eyebrows twitched in pain and a short gasp escaped him.
“Hah!”
And I did not miss that fleeting opening.
‘Now.’
I twisted Baek Sang’s wrist to the side, sealed his other hand, disrupted his center of balance, and then struck his ribs with a palm strike from my remaining hand.
Boom!
I released his wrist before the dull sound of the palm strike even reached my ears.
Before the eyes of dozens of onlookers, Baek Sang was sent flying by the force of my palm strike, twisted his body in mid-air, and landed lightly on a stone table.
Swish.
His movements were so light they made no sound, but his expression told a different story.
And just as Baek Sang, his eyes now heavy with intensity, was about to move again.
“Enough.”
The voice was not loud, but it carried deep resonance and authority. Beast King Miao Wang, who had risen from his seat, spoke with a stern expression.
“Stand down. Both of you.”
Baek Sang’s body wavered, and I shrugged my shoulders.
“I wasn’t moving.”
It was undeniably true. Though I had pushed my chair back slightly, it was Baek Sang who had charged first, and I had merely exchanged moves while remaining seated.
And the result was, well.
The gleam in the other tribal leaders’ eyes as they stared at me with expressions like those possessed by spirits—that was the evidence and the result.
“Jin Tae-kyung.”
But I had to maintain at least a modicum of propriety. This was not my home ground but the Southern Wilderness, and my opponent was the Grand Tribal Leader of the White Tribe.
At Beast King Miao Wang’s reproachful call, I raised both hands in a gesture of apology.
“My apologies. The situation left me no choice but to act, and I couldn’t help myself.”
Of course, there was still something I needed to address.
Even if I stretched the argument a hundred times over and admitted that I had initiated the problem, the technique Baek Sang had deployed was a dangerous attack that could easily have proven fatal.
“…Sigh.”
Understanding my meaning, Beast King Miao Wang exhaled a quiet sigh, his gaze shifting toward another figure.
“Baek Sang, do not act rashly.”
Conflict flickered across his cold eyes.
Baek Sang, who had been staring at me without responding to Beast King Miao Wang’s call from behind, suddenly glanced around at those present.
More than thirty tribal leaders.
Their reactions split into three camps. Some shifted in their seats as if ready to rush at me that very instant, others twitched their lips as if suppressing laughter, and still others stood half-dazed after witnessing my martial prowess.
This was evidence that factions existed within the Southern Beast Palace.
And before everyone’s watchful eyes, an indelible blemish had been carved into Baek Sang’s prestige and reputation.
By none other than a young upstart from the Central Plains.
“….”
Baek Sang could not possibly be unaware of this fact. With his lips pressed tightly together, he bowed toward Beast King Miao Wang, his voice strained.
“I apologize for causing discord. I shall compose myself and return another time.”
Then he swiftly departed the Great Hall, his soot-darkened robes billowing behind him.
At the same time, Yo-hee rose naturally and followed in his wake, while Hyuk-ung, moving in flustered haste, and roughly half of the tribal leaders also rose from their seats, gauging the mood.
“Your Majesty, if I may be excused….”
“Y-yes, let us depart together.”
Those would be the ones classified as the pro-Baek Sang faction. Unlike the ordinary moderates, they were those who vehemently opposed entry into the Martial Alliance.
As roughly half of the thirty-two tribal leaders vacated their seats in this manner, Ya-ryul Mok’s brow furrowed with anger, and Beast King Miao Wang muttered in a weary voice.
“So this trouble has finally erupted.”
I opened my mouth cautiously.
“My apologies. It seems this situation arose because of me.”
“Sigh, this is not something you need apologize for. This problem was bound to surface eventually.”
“Ah, then I’m relieved. In fact, I thought the same thing.”
“….”
In that moment, not only the tribal leaders who remained but also Ya-ryul Mok and Beast King Miao Wang fixed me with cold, piercing stares.
– It was because of you, you bastard.
What was that? An auditory hallucination? It certainly wasn’t a telepathic transmission.
Tilting my head at this strange phenomenon, I opened my mouth once more.
“Surely the grand council hasn’t ended just like this?”
“The grand council proceeds for four days alongside the festival. You should have already heard this before attending?”
“I did hear it, but I thought I’d ask just in case.”
At my natural response, Beast King Miao Wang shook his head in disapproval.
“Did you really have to go that far?”
“It felt too unsettling to let it pass. I was curious about your genuine reaction.”
“Because of that curiosity, you’ve made over ten thousand members of the White Tribe your enemies. Yo-hee and Hyuk-ung who follow Baek Sang, along with the other two tribal leaders and their followers—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say you’ve turned half of the Southern Wilderness against you.”
Half of the Southern Wilderness, then.
“It’s not as bad as I expected.”
“What?”
“Just a couple of days ago, the entire Southern Wilderness was my enemy. The Great Conference was on the verge of expelling me before it even began.”
“…Ha. Indeed.”
Beast King Miao Wang let out a hollow laugh and shifted his gaze to the remaining tribal leaders.
“Jang Tribal Leader. And Ko Tribal Leader.”
“Yes.”
“This time, I’ll need your assistance. First, organize a scout unit with your fastest warriors and have them monitor the direction of Gwiju.”
“Is this because of the one called Blood Monk?”
Beast King Miao Wang nodded and spoke again.
“Both Baek Sang and Jin Tae-kyung make valid points. There’s no particular reason for him to head toward the Southern Wilderness, but if he’s a member of Dark Heaven, we should prepare accordingly.”
“We shall obey your command, Palace Lord.”
“Very well.”
If the tribal leaders who departed earlier belonged to Baek Sang, then most of those remaining either pledged loyalty to Beast King Miao Wang or were moderate neutrals favorably inclined toward him.
As the two mid-tier tribal leaders silently obeyed his orders, Beast King Miao Wang’s expression brightened somewhat.
“Tonight, we shall erect a memorial stone for those who fell and hold a banquet in their honor. The Great Conference will resume afterward, so for now, you are dismissed.”
* * *
“What happened?”
The moment I returned to my quarters, Nam Ho came rushing over eagerly.
“Please tell me you didn’t cause another incident?”
His voice dripped with suspicion. Just as I was about to respond, Hyuk Moo-jin flared up indignantly.
“Listen here, Old Master Nam! How dare you speak of our commander that way!”
“How do I speak of him? Like a madman.”
“Tsk! Even if our commander is a madman, that’s not it! You think it makes sense to cause trouble at such a critical moment, of all places!”
“I think it makes perfect sense. Entirely.”
If I had a conscience, would I feel guilty right now?
I hesitated and opened my mouth. Or rather, I tried to.
At least, I did until Ju Hwa-ran stepped in.
“Old Master Nam, that’s too harsh. Calling our commander a madman?”
If rapid aging was Nam Ho’s weakness caused by Tae-san, then Ju Hwa-ran was his only true vulnerability.
At her appearance, Nam Ho, who had been confident just moments before, began scratching his thinning crown.
“Well, that is…”
“Our commander came here representing the Martial Alliance. Of course, he may have rough edges, but he’s not the sort to cause discord at such an important gathering as the Great Conference, especially when he’s already accomplished so much.”
“….”
Please, just kill me.
At this point, it’s not just pricking—it’s downright painful.
In the meantime, Ju Hwa-ran was soliciting approval votes from the others like an enthusiastic campaign supporter.
“What does everyone think? Why aren’t you answering?”
Song Il-seom, who was always quiet as usual, smacked his lips.
“Hmm. Young Lord. Perhaps we should hear the answer from the person in question first….”
“Special allowance increase.”
“Now that I think about it, that seems right. There’s no way the Lord would do such a thing.”
Money-obsessed bastard. Cut.
“Why are the other two silent?”
“Tae-san is hungry….”
“There’s supposed to be a banquet this evening.”
“Tae-san agrees very much with what Miss Ju said.”
“…I also agree.”
Insect-eating bastard. Cut. My former fiancé whom I wouldn’t mind devouring. Cut.
The signature campaign proceeded like a flash of lightning, and Ju Hwa-ran gazed at me with eyes sparkling like the Milky Way.
“Lord, why don’t you say something too? So, have you decided to join the pact?”
One second felt like an hour.
After a long silence, I opened my mouth.
“Well. Everyone. Um. That is. There… was a minor issue.”
Ju Hwa-ran froze, and Nam Ho nodded as if he’d expected this all along.
“See? That crazy Lord.”
“….”
“Did you kill someone?”
“No.”
“Then you hit someone.”
“….”
“Who is it? Some tribal leader who foolishly picked a fight? Or someone else who said something irritating? Don’t tell me it’s the Great Tribal Leader of the White Tribe.”
“Ah.”
“Lord?”
“….”
“…Lord?”
As Ju Hwa-ran’s voice grew increasingly faint, I kept my mouth firmly shut and gazed toward the distant mountains, while Nam Ho let out a laugh and spoke.
“See? He really is crazy.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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