Myth of Martial Arts - Chapter 2

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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 2
‘So this older brother’s name is Jang Wook!’

Jang Wook, having laid his threads as carefully as one reads the heavens, sensed that the moment had finally ripened.

He drew a single admission application from his sleeve and offered it to the girl, gently coaxing her like a Sword Immortal bestowing a light of salvation.

“Trust this Jang Wook. Once you set foot in Changung Academy, your fate will change! Come, leave your precious name right here!”

Dazed, as if walking on clouds and spinning with dizziness, the girl scrawled her name across the application form.

‘Mu Heon Heon (舞欣欣)’

North of the Imperial City, Sinwang Academy. The admissions hall was splendid and grand.

Mu Muk, clad in a fur coat, shot to his feet, drawing in a breath thick with sword-edged intent. Eyes gleaming like a tiger’s, he fixed his stare on the middle-aged instructor before him.

“My younger sister never came to Sinwang Academy? Are you certain this isn’t a joke?”

The middle-aged instructor was Mo Cheongu (莫天仇), the teacher in charge of this year’s admissions.

Under Mu Muk’s blade-like aura, a chill crept down Mo Cheongu’s spine.

“Young Master Mu, we have already mobilized every eye and ear within the academy. Your sister has not so much as set foot in Sinwang Academy’s shadow.”

If anything truly befell Mu Heon Heon, the entire Imperial City would be swept into a storm.

Though Sinwang Academy bore no direct blame, it could not help being struck by some of the flying debris.
* * *
Meanwhile, at Changung Academy.

The moment Mu Heon Heon wrote her name, a mechanical voice rang out inside Jang Wook’s head.

“Quest complete. Would you like to claim your reward?”

‘Of course!’

“Reward ‘Insight’ has been granted. Host, please confirm.”

Along with the mechanical voice, Jang Wook felt his eyes tingle and burn. Soon after, a heat like lightning striking spread through him.

The sensation lasted for two or three breaths before slowly fading away.

Before he could even register the change in his eyes, Jang Wook hurriedly snatched up the admission form Mu Heon Heon had signed. Then he smiled faintly.

“Congratulations, Mu Heon Heon. From this moment on, you belong to Changung Academy!”

At last, he had pulled this girl into Changung Academy.

He had not even had time to savor the joy of it.

“Hm?”

Before Mu Heon Heon could say another word, Jang Wook froze. The instant his gaze settled on her, information surfaced in his mind on its own.

【Mu Heon Heon】

【Gender: Female】

【Age: Fifteen】

[Constitution Aptitude: Ordinary Bloodline, Two-Star Upper Grade]

[Five-Star Aptitude: Two-Star Lower Grade]

[Special Aptitude: None]

[Cultivation Realm: Gyeseon Realm 2nd Stage]

Only now did Jang Wook grasp how precious the reward he had received truly was.

‘That’s overwhelming! So this is the power of Insight?’

With a single glance, he could read through Mu Heon Heon’s basic condition in full.

Not only her age and cultivation realm, but even the girl’s Constitution Aptitude, Five-Star Aptitude, and Special Aptitude lay bare before him.

A quest reward like this was beyond anything he had imagined.

“Mr…. Jang, what’s wrong?”

When Jang Wook stood there in silence for a long while, Mu Heon Heon could hold back no longer. She stretched out her small, jade-white hand and waved it in front of his face.

Jang Wook shook off his daze, fell into thought for a moment, and then spoke.

“Go home first. You’ll have your formal classes tomorrow, so come find me here then. We can talk about tuition tomorrow.”
“But…”

The little girl’s eyes wavered, as if she wanted to say something more.

“No ‘buts.’ Now hurry home. Your family will be worried.”

He waved her on impatiently. He had to send her off quickly. Otherwise, the moment she realized what her actions truly meant, she might regret them right away.

“Alright.”

Mu Heon Heon slowly looked around. Then, glancing back with wistful eyes as though she wanted to commit the scenery of Changung Academy to memory, she waved her small white hand at Jang Wook.

“Goodbye, Mr. Jang.”
“Yes. Take care on the way.”

Jang Wook waved back with a faint smile, though inwardly he was mopping the cold sweat from his brow.
* * *
As the sun dyed the sky red at dusk, on the streets of the Imperial City.

Not long after Mu Heon Heon left Changung Academy, she ran straight into Mu Muk, sweat beading on his forehead.

The moment she spotted her older brother, she dashed toward him, calling out loudly.

“Big brother!”
“Heon-ah!”

At the familiar soft voice, Mu Muk let out a sigh of relief, quickly turned, and hurried toward her.

“Big brother, what are you doing here?”
“More to the point, where have you been, running around like that!”

After scolding her with a single sharp remark, Mu Muk immediately asked, face creased in a frown.

“Where did you go?”

Before Mu Heon Heon could answer, Mu Muk urged her on.

“That’s enough. Let’s talk about it at home. Our parents will worry if we’re out this late.”
“Understood.”

Mu Heon Heon stuck out her cute little tongue, then skipped along behind Mu Muk toward the Mu Clan Mansion.

After walking a short distance, Mu Muk suddenly stopped and turned his gaze to the middle-aged man beside him.

“Uncle Wang, Heon Heon has come back, so you can call off everyone who went out searching for her. Pass the word along however you see fit.”
“Yes, young master.”

Uncle Wang bowed deeply and answered.
* * *
Beneath a night sky strewn with thousands of stars, the castle towering atop the mountain peak blazed brilliantly alongside the countless lights of the Imperial City, like a celestial realm descended into the mortal world.

Inside a sumptuous mansion in the south of the Imperial City, where ridgepoles and golden tiles gleamed.

The elders, led by the Clan Patriarch, sat upright in the main hall, quietly listening to what Mu Heon Heon had endured that day.

“Heon Heon, is what you’re saying true?”

Patriarch Mu Jin asked, his clouded expression and voice giving away no hint of whether he was pleased or angry.

“Yes.”

Mu Heon Heon answered softly, her head bowed. She did not dare to be willful in front of her father.

“Jang Wook? That young upstart at only the fourth stage of the Gyeseon Realm dares to toy with the Mu Clan? Where does he get such nerve?”

Mu Jin said, a cold smile tinged with fury spreading across his face.

“Are young people these days really this bold?”

The Mu Clan was one of the most powerful families in the Imperial City. Even Sinwang Academy and Unsan Academy, where countless strong fighters and prodigies gathered, hesitated to provoke the Mu Clan so easily.

As the daughter of the clan’s reigning patriarch, Mu Heon Heon’s talent needed no further discussion.

Even if she had no cultivation aptitude whatsoever, Sinwang Academy and Unsan Academy would have competed fiercely to enroll her.

Yet now she had been duped by a glib, insolent young man and was going to Changung Academy, a school already in decline. It was a true disgrace.

It was an immense disgrace indeed.

Mu Muk was also seething with rage. Clenching his fists, he spoke in a low voice.

“Father, tomorrow I’ll take men with me and teach that boy a lesson!”

Mu Jin’s wife remained silent, neither agreeing nor objecting to her son Mu Muk’s words.

“Um…”

Gazing at Mu Jin’s face, which was full of anger, Mu Heon Heon spoke in a faint voice.

“I think what Teacher Jang said makes some sense…”

Changung Academy’s beautiful surroundings and the serene, almost otherworldly quiet were truly lovely.

She had seen and confirmed all of this with her own eyes, so Jang Wook’s words had not been a lie.

Hearing Mu Heon Heon defend Jang Wook, Mu Jin felt anger rising in his chest, yet a hollow laugh escaped him anyway. He spoke in a voice drained of strength.

“Heon-heon! Do you still not realize that boy is deliberately misleading you?”

A man who had lived his whole life sharp-witted never imagined his own daughter could be this naive.

Mu Heon Heon blinked, her expression puzzled. Her long lashes fluttered, making her look even more dazed.

“Misleading?”

Mu Muk nearly burst out laughing at his slow-witted younger sister’s reaction. He shook his head helplessly and asked,

“Heon-heon, let me ask you something. What is the most important thing for a martial cultivator?”
“Innate talent?”

Mu Heon Heon blinked playfully.

“Talent is something you’re born with. No one can change it.”

Mu Muk nodded and pressed on.

“Besides talent?”

Mu Heon Heon thought for a moment before answering cautiously.

“Perseverance and willpower?”
“….”

Mu Muk sighed inwardly as he thought,

‘That answer isn’t wrong, but that’s not what I’m trying to say.’

This girl’s way of thinking was truly remarkable.

Shaking his head helplessly, Mu Muk let out a breath and said,

“It’s cultivation methods and martial arts!”

And then he continued.

“Our clan may be strong, but we only rose recently, so our foundation is weaker than those of the old families. The cultivation methods we can offer are just the Spirit-tier lower-grade method, Liuyun Jue, and our martial arts amount to the Spirit-tier lower-grade Liuyun Sleeve and the Mortal-tier upper-grade Banya Palm. To be honest, in terms of cultivation methods and martial arts, our clan has no real advantage.”

Mu Muk explained slowly, the way one would to a child, what Heon Heon’s decision truly meant.

“There is only one way for our family to keep its place as the foremost clan in the Imperial City. Our clan’s young members must keep entering Sinwang Academy and Unsan Academy to learn more and better cultivation methods and martial arts. That not only raises the strength of the clan, it also strengthens its foundation.”

Thankfully, Mu Heon Heon was listening to Mu Muk’s words with real seriousness. Relieved inwardly that his somewhat dazed little sister was not foolish after all, Mu Muk continued.

“Sinwang Academy and Unsan Academy are somewhat weaker than our clan, but both have very solid foundations and countless advanced cultivation methods and martial arts. Moreover, as far as I know, seven years ago when turmoil broke out at Changung Academy, Sinwang Academy and Unsan Academy seized the opportunity and carried off many advanced cultivation methods and martial arts that originally belonged to Changung Academy.”

Mu Muk sighed and brought his words to a close.

“Now do you understand? Changung Academy may have a good environment, but it lacks the two things that matter most to a martial cultivator, cultivation methods and martial arts.”

Changung Academy did have cultivation methods and martial arts, but those inferior ones were as good as none.

Mu Heon Heon fell silent, lost in thought.

She, too, knew how vital cultivation methods and martial arts were to a martial cultivator.

But that afternoon, bewitched by Jang Wook and utterly absorbed in him, she had failed to think about this matter at all.

“So Jang… he deceived me again!”

Mu Heon Heon’s expression darkened, and her young heart took no small blow.

“I’m sorry, Father, Brother, I… I…”

Mu Heon Heon’s eyes reddened, and she could not hold back her tears.

Seeing the sorrow and grievance that filled his daughter’s face, Mu Jin felt his heart ache as if it were being torn apart. He hurried to comfort her.

“There, there, Heon-ah. Don’t cry. Tomorrow your father will take you to Sinwang Academy. With my standing behind you, they won’t dare throw you out the gate, no matter that the registration period has passed. As for that boy Jang Wook… Mu Muk, tomorrow you will meet him in Heon-ah’s place, discuss her withdrawal, and give him a proper scolding. But mind that you keep to reason!”

As he finished speaking, he gave Mu Muk a meaningful look.

“Rest assured, Father. Leave this matter to me.”

Mu Muk caught the look in Mu Jin’s eyes and read what lay beneath it. With a smile, he nodded.

Of course he understood what his father meant. The so-called “scolding” would likely amount to nothing more than a verbal warning. Mu Muk had no real courage to lay a hand on him.

Naturally, even if Mu Jin went there himself, it would not be easy to lay a hand on Jang Wook.

For seven years, every faction had schemed against Changung Academy in one way or another, yet not a single one had dared to touch Jang Wook himself.

Unless word came of the death of Jang Wook’s father, Jang Ho-yeon, no one could lay a finger on him.

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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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