Myth of Martial Arts - Chapter 8
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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 8
Jang Wook did not notice the abnormal change in Mu Jin.
Even three zhang away, he felt as though the mysterious power in his fist could travel through the air and reach Mu Jin.
The sensation came on suddenly, and with tremendous intensity.
“Huh!”
A barely audible gasp escaped Jang Wook’s lips.
Though he stood three zhang from Mu Jin, he didn’t take a single step. Rooted in place, he threw a punch straight at Mu Jin.
At the same moment, a bone-chilling, dangerous aura jolted Mu Jin out of his daze.
As though facing a formidable foe, Mu Jin immediately unleashed his trump card technique.
Immense True Energy surged through his body like a river, and the sleeves of his silk robe, though there was no wind, billowed out on their own.
【Cultivation Method: Yuun Gyeol (Spirit-tier Lower Grade, ten stages total, cultivable up to Waseon Realm Lower Stage, average of 32 flaws per stage)】
【Martial Art: Yuun Su (Spirit-tier Lower Grade, 274 flaws)】
In an instant, the mysterious power suspected to be Immortal Force collided with another formidable force!
Bang!
The massive clash of the two forces formed a violent current of air, and Mu Jin, caught at its center, was struck by the fierce assault and hurled back three zhang.
He barely managed to steady himself, but the long hair that had been bound high atop his head came loose and spilled down his back.
Bruises marred the back of his forearms and several places on his face, leaving him looking thoroughly disheveled.
The area around the stone stele fell into a silence as deep as death.
A long moment passed.
‘His power is greater than I expected.’
Jang Wook let out a faint sigh, and a smile touched his pale face.
The raw power of that unreserved strike was truly terrifying.
If even Mu Jin, the strongest man in the Imperial City, had been wounded, then a surprise attack could kill even a Gyeseon Realm 9th Stage master on the spot, while they were defenseless.
Unfortunately, his mysterious power was already entirely spent, and he could not launch a second attack in a short time.
Not far away, a flicker of shock crossed Mu Jin’s face.
‘So it really is Immortal Force!’
From that brief exchange, he had come to a firm realization.
The young man in his twenties standing before him was a true strongman of the Waseon Realm.
And he was an even more terrifying genius than Jang Hoyeon had been in his day.
Tiger Father, No Dog Son.
Some twenty years earlier, Jang Wook’s father had stunned the world, trampling every genius in the Imperial City with an invincible bearing.
And now, more than twenty years later, Jang Wook has revealed an even more formidable innate talent, reaching the Waseon Realm at a young age, a level that every person in the Imperial City looks up to.
“Father… Father was defeated?”
Mu Muk stared blankly at Mu Jin, whose whole body looked shabby now, his mind going white.
In his memory, Mu Jin had never once been defeated, yet now he had lost to a man barely in his twenties.
Everything that had happened today had completely overturned his understanding.
In this moment, Jang Wook’s figure grew even more mysterious in the eyes of Mu Jin and his son.
“Cough… Here is the admission application you wanted.”
Keeping his word, Jang Wook tossed the application that Mu Muk and Mu Heon Heon had signed earlier over to Mu Muk.
Then, maintaining an air of composure, he turned and began to leave, his weakened legs barely holding him up.
Run, I have to run.
His mysterious power was exhausted, leaving him weaker than an ordinary person. If he didn’t leave now, when would he ever?
If Mu Jin came to his senses and demanded another duel, his weakness would be exposed.
Jang Wook tried to head back, but Mu Jin called out from behind him in a rather urgent voice.
“Wait a moment!”
Hearing Mu Jin’s cry, Jang Wook paused for a moment, then started walking faster, as if he hadn’t heard the voice at all.
“Director Jang, a moment, please! I beg you, wait!”
Seeing that Jang Wook showed no sign of stopping, Mu Jin grew more desperate and hurried after him.
Sensing Mu Jin pursuing him, Jang Wook began to panic.
Feeling his strength drain away and his body grow weak, Jang Wook desperately tried to steady himself inwardly.
‘Don’t be afraid. Stay calm!’
Forcing himself to stop, Jang Wook drew a deep breath, turned around, and glared at Mu Jin with a cold expression.
“Clan Head Mu, what is it?”
Under the slightly sharp gaze of Jang Wook, Mu Jin’s heart trembled, and he spoke with deference.
“Director Jang, I was just rude. I beg your forgiveness.”
A powerhouse of the Waseon Realm was not someone the Mu Clan could ever dare to oppose.
Even if the Mu Clan and every power in the Imperial City joined forces, they would not be a match for a Waseon Realm expert.
“I did not expect this. Even I, Mu Jin, can misjudge a person now and then!”
Regret kept welling up in Mu Jin’s heart without end.
Had he known from the start that Jang Wook was a Waseon Realm powerhouse, would he not have flattered him with everything he had?
Would he ever have tried to have Mu Muk and his sister expelled from Changung Academy?
Such was the nature of empiricism: at times, it could be harmful.
If he could lean on a great tree like an expert of the Waseon Realm, it would be nothing short of a glory for the Mu Clan.
“Father, what is this…?”
Mu Muk could not grasp his father’s intent.
“Muk, hurry up and apologize to Director Jang!”
Mu Jin, seeing his son standing there dumbfounded, could not contain his frustration, and scolded him in a low voice.
Mu Muk was somewhat bewildered. What had I done? Why should I apologize?
Though he could not understand his father’s thinking, Mu Muk stepped forward obediently and spoke respectfully to Jang Wook.
“I’m sorry, Director Jang.”
Jang Wook watched the performance put on by the Mu Clan father and son in silence, his mind thoroughly muddled.
‘What games are these two playing?’
Jang Wook remained silent, seeming to tacitly accept the apology, and Mu Jin let out a quiet sigh of relief.
He immediately took the two admission applications from Mu Muk’s hand and presented them to Jang Wook with deference.
“After giving it some thought, I believe Muk and Heon Heon would be better suited to remaining at Changung Academy. Only at Changung Academy can they receive the finest education. Please, I beg you, accept these two applications. If your anger has yet to subside, direct it at me. I will bear the consequences. Muk and Heon Heon are still young. Please forgive their thoughtless behavior…”
Only one thought filled Mu Jin’s mind: by any means necessary, he had to win Jang Wook’s forgiveness.
He did not wish to be constantly watched by an expert of the Waseon Realm.
Of course, if this matter allowed him to climb aboard the great ship of a Waseon Realm expert, that would be nothing short of wonderful.
‘Could he be mistaking me for a Waseon Realm expert, and that’s why he’s so frightened?’
Only then did Jang Wook vaguely grasp what was going on.
Clearly, Mu Jin’s attitude had not been like this until just a moment ago.
Thinking this over, Jang Wook regained his composure. Without hurrying to accept the admission applications, he wore a meaningful smile on his face.
“Clan Head Mu, weren’t you the one who, just a moment ago, wanted Muk and Heon Heon to withdraw?”
Hearing this, Mu Jin’s face flushed red, and his expression turned flustered.
“I, I…”
Jang Wook had no interest in Mu Jin’s excuses. Waving his hand, he spoke calmly.
“That’s enough. There’s no need to hear any more explanations. I can accept these two admission applications, but there is one condition. If you won’t accept it, there’s nothing more to discuss.”
Changung Academy was still the same Changung Academy, but the Jang Wook before them was no longer the Jang Wook of old.
If he accepted Mu Jin’s request just as it stood, it would instead diminish his own standing.
Through this matter, he meant to teach Mu Jin a lesson: Changung Academy was not a place that anyone could come and go as they pleased.
Mu Jin tensed slightly at Jang Wook’s words.
“What conditions?”
“Changung Academy has lain in ruins for a long time, and everything must begin anew. In other words, at present, we lack everything.”
Just as Mu Jin began to suspect that Jang Wook intended to take advantage of the moment to seize the Mu Clan, Jang Wook’s tone shifted.
“Hmm… Resources can be replenished slowly, but students and instructors are indispensable.”
“I’m grateful for Director Jang’s insight. I’ll gladly become an instructor at Changung Academy.”
Before Jang Wook could finish, Mu Jin stepped forward and spoke first. He showed no trace of hesitation; if anything, a faint excitement colored his voice.
Working as an instructor at an academy with a Waseon Realm powerhouse would hardly tarnish his standing.
Who could have guessed, though, that Jang Wook would instead shake his head and smile.
“No, you’ve misunderstood. My condition is that Clan Head Mu enter Changung Academy. Only, not as an instructor… but as a student!”
“A student, you say?”
Mu Jin’s expression hardened. Jang Wook turned to him and spoke.
“You heard correctly. A student!”
“Th-that is…”
Mu Jin’s brows knotted tightly, and he could not figure out what to say in reply.
Mu Muk’s jaw dropped.
Was there really such a way of doing things?
“What, is it a problem for you?”
Jang Wook could understand how Mu Jin felt, but there was nothing he could do about it.
This was the System’s requirement, and even he could not change it.
Jang Wook turned a thousand thoughts over in his mind and made his case as persuasively as he could.
“To be frank, the requirements for hiring instructors at Changung Academy are very high. Perhaps someday Clan Head Mu will meet them, but not yet. So why not simply accept being a student?”
Mu Jin fell silent. He wanted to refuse, but he was afraid of provoking Jang Wook.
It wasn’t as though there were no students in their forties.
As far as he knew, there were supreme-tier powers and supreme-tier academies scattered across the Yellow Continent, and the number of their disciples and students was beyond counting.
Students in their forties, even those over a hundred years old, were not rare, and every one of them was a genius of remarkable talent.
But… Changung Academy clearly did not belong to that category.
Most important of all, both his son and daughter were students at Changung Academy.
So was he, as a father, supposed to become a classmate of his own children?
If he accepted Jang Wook’s condition, how would his son and daughter address him from now on?
‘Father?’
‘Senior?’
‘Senior Brother?’
He couldn’t even begin to imagine it.
Shaking his head, Mu Jin made up his mind.
‘I have to refuse. I absolutely have to refuse!’
Even if it costs me my life, I cannot let my dignity be trampled!
Watching Jang Wook’s smiling face, Mu Jin bit down hard and spoke carefully.
“Director Jang, I fully understand your wish to revive Changung Academy, but…”
As he spoke, he kept a close eye on how Jang Wook’s expression shifted.
The moment he saw Jang Wook’s gaze turn cold, his heart lurched violently, and the words hovering at the tip of his tongue were immediately rewritten.
“But I deeply admire your resolve, Director Jang. So, I’ll gladly become a student of Changung Academy!”
That dignified, composed bearing was truly worthy of admiration.
‘He agreed?’
Mu Muk stared at Mu Jin as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. Was this really his wise father? Why did he feel so distant from him?
At Mu Jin’s words, Jang Wook smiled with satisfaction. The smile was as warm as a spring breeze.
“Very well. A wise choice.”
Under the tremendous pressure radiating from Jang Wook, Mu Jin quietly wiped the sweat from his brow.
There was a vast chasm between the Waseon Realm and the Gyeseon Realm.
Even the weakest expert of the Waseon Realm Lower Stage could easily subdue an expert of the Gyeseon Realm 9th Stage.
Mu Jin remembered.
When he had just fought Jang Wook, Jang Wook hadn’t even used martial arts. With a single plain, simple punch, he had rendered Mu Jin helpless.
If Jang Wook had used his martial arts, Mu Jin didn’t think he would have survived.
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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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