The Academy’s Unrivaled Professor - Chapter 114

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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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Academy Absolute Professor, Episode 114
Welcome to Taejeong Martial Hall
Bubble, bubble.
The acrid reek of herbal decoction hung thick in Kang Hyeon’s quarters.
“Phew.”
Beads of sweat dotted Baek Yu-yeon’s brow as she tended meticulously to the medicinal pot.
Kang Hyeon had returned from China bearing internal injuries sustained during his deployment of the Geuk Gwang Myeol Gyeop.
He’d told his disciples he was merely exhausted and resting, but he couldn’t deceive Baek Yu-yeon—not when she possessed the Cheon Maek An.
“Here, drink this.”
She thrust a bowl filled with dark herbal decoction beneath his chin.
Kang Hyeon, lying in bed, furrowed his brow.
A decoction, not wine.
“It’s bitter.”
“Good heavens! If you won’t drink your medicine because it tastes bitter, what am I to do?”
“You’ve still got far to go. The old monsters I know can make even medicinal broth taste sweet.”
She was referring to Gwang Soo, that old grandfather.
Though, of course, his tongue had gone numb from eating potent poison alongside everything else, so perhaps that had simply made the decoction seem sweet…….
“Stop talking nonsense and drink it. Do you understand what condition you’re in? You look fine on the surface, but inside you’re nothing but a corpse!”
“A corpse.”
Gulp!
Kang Hyeon downed the herbal decoction in one breath as he answered.
“Have you ever seen a corpse that could talk?”
“That’s the problem—a talking corpse. Because it doesn’t even know it’s already dead.”
Indeed, Baek Yu-yeon’s demeanor shifted entirely when treating someone.
When tending to her patients, she was anything but gentle—the very picture of a renowned physician.
“Mm.”
Kang Hyeon slowly savored the lingering aftertaste of the decoction on his tongue.
Beneath the bitterness came a subtle, harmonious bloom of medicinal ingredients—beautifully balanced.
‘At this level…….’
Her mastery of Yeon Dan Sul had clearly reached a new threshold.
Especially after consuming the Hwan Ki Dan this time—he’d been genuinely surprised.
‘The rate at which it replenishes my inner strength is far faster than expected…… At this pace, she’s ready to advance to the next stage.’
Kang Hyeon set down the empty bowl and gestured toward the shelf beneath the bedside table.
“Take them.”
“……I’m sorry?”
When Baek Yu-yeon opened the cabinet door, a mountain of books emerged from within.
Enormously thick volumes, their pages densely packed with archaic script.
“These are…… all what?”
“This batch might be difficult. Memorization alone won’t suffice.”
Kang Hyeon spoke matter-of-factly.
“To interpret each incantation passage in there and apply it to real combat, you’ll need considerable experience and effort.”
Baek Yu-yeon carefully lifted the topmost book.
The faint scent of ink permeated it.
Yok Geun Gyeong
Two volumes, divided into upper and lower sections.
Beneath them lay eight more volumes.
Cheon Ui Bo Gam
These were texts once spoken of as legends throughout the Martial World.
The Cheon Ui Bo Gam in particular deserved to be called a medical encyclopedia of the Martial World.
Kang Hyeon’s tireless brushwork in recent weeks had been devoted precisely to restoring this volume.
“……How am I ever supposed to get through all of this…….”
“Use the Yok Geun Gyeong to master the flow of vital energy and blood, and use the Cheon Ui Bo Gam to grasp the principles behind every ailment and medicinal substance in the world. The moment you make all of this your own, you will become the finest physician on earth.”
Baek Yu-yeon’s eyes gleamed with scholarly fervor as she cradled the books to her chest.
Kang Hyeon smiled.
‘Master it well. Only then can you learn the Water Yang Formation, and only then can I and your sister survive.’
Baek Yu-yeon’s path was long, and so too were the journeys awaiting his other disciples.
Do Jeong-hyeok was building his foundation in the Cheol Gwon, Min Seo-jun was accumulating practical experience in Formation Array combat, and he was personally overseeing Baek Yu-seol’s progress in the Geuk Eum Sim Beop once a week.
Yet none of them had yet reached the stage where they could seriously study the Seven Element Array.
‘The Seven Element Array is grueling.’
They needed to build their fundamentals properly first.
Consider the case of Kang Hyeon.
He mastered all seven of the Seven Element Array, absorbed nearly every martial art in existence, and only then—barely—managed to cultivate the Cheon Sin Gyeong.
The greatest martial art of the Martial World, the only art capable of matching Asura.
‘The road ahead is long.’
But there was no need to hurry.
Just as Kang Hyeon sought out talents for the Seven Element Array and trained them, the Six Inauspicious must be somewhere now, struggling to fulfill the conditions for descent.
That process surely wouldn’t be smooth sailing.
In the Martial World itself, it took a full twenty years from when the Old Monsters picked up Kang Hyeon until Asura could finally descend.
‘Whoever finishes their preparations first wins.’
“Go on now. I need some sleep.”
The Herbal Decoction was taking effect—his dantian felt noticeably more at ease.
“Sleep well, please. I’ll return in six hours with the next dose.”
There was clearly much more medicine still to consume.

* * *
While Kang Hyeon recovered, the outside world spun with mounting urgency.
Just as promised, Special Guidance Studies was officially discontinued.
In its place, Yun Tae-jung moved quickly.
Using Taejeong Holdings’ capital as a foundation, he established a Public Welfare Foundation under the name Taejeong Foundation, and concluded a clean, straightforward Memorandum of Understanding with the Academy.
The thorny issue of land acquisition was solved by Jo Tae-hwan, a politician.
Beyond the existing six thousand pyeong behind the New Training Hall, he purchased an additional twenty-two thousand pyeong of Bukhansan land that stretched upward from there—the whole stretch, outright.
In exchange, there was a condition: the land would be restricted to Hunter talent development.
The official appraised value of that land was seventy-two billion won.
Yet Yun Tae-jung paid a full one point seven times that figure: one hundred twenty-two point four billion won.
“The cleanest way to silence criticism is to bury it under money. At this price point, even a congressional audit committee wouldn’t dare open their mouth,” Yun Tae-jung’s voice came across the phone, steady and convincing.
The tone of his words was reassuring.
Parents’ complaints would now take on a different character entirely.
When it was state-run, they could protest about fairness—but lodge grievances against a private institution? Who knew what might happen to their children then?
A few days later.
“Ta-da!”
Lee Se-ah swept through the door to the quarters cradling an elegant paulownia box in her arms.
“That’s…”
Kang Hyeon sat up.
Thanks to Baek Yu-yeon’s devoted care, his internal injuries had nearly healed completely.
“Mizuki, 55-year?”
He remembered.
That premium whisky the Management Bureau had gifted him when he first returned to Earth!
“The Azure Dragon edition?”
“Yes—only twelve bottles released worldwide. We had to dig through black-market auctions and finally secured it with a Management Bureau budget of one point eight billion won. What do you think?”
“Whose idea was this?”
“Unfortunately, the Bureau Chief’s own thoughtfulness this time.”
Whoosh.
Kang Hyeon reached out to stroke the bottle with care.
The weight transmitted through his fingertips felt satisfying.
“Beautiful.”
A Display Cabinet had been installed in Kang Hyeon’s quarters, and watching him place the bottle there with reverent precision, Lee Se-ah found herself thinking.
‘What a strange person he is, truly.’
How could such a monster wear a childlike smile of contentment over a single bottle of spirits?
In truth, it was Black who’d first made her aware that such a limited-edition whisky even existed.
‘I’ll buy him another one when I get paid.’
Thanks to Kang Hyeon, Lee Se-ah was accumulating enough wealth to feed three generations.
So there was no expense that would feel wasteful when it came to him.
Ding, ding-ding!
Just then, Lee Se-ah’s tablet chimed, and her face lit up the moment she checked the screen.
“Kang Hyeon!”
“Yes?”
“I just got word—Dang So-yu has safely arrived in Korea!”
“Oh, really?”
Kang Hyeon turned.
“Go pick her up yourself.”
I’ve already prepared to teach her anyway, and she’ll work especially well with Baek Yu-yeon.

* * *
Incheon International Airport Terminal 1.
Whoosh!
The automatic doors slid open, and a cool wave of air conditioning swept across Dang So-yu’s cheek.
‘Ah, so this is it!’
It was enormous.
The Zhangbei International Airport back in Chongqing had been impressive too, but Incheon felt far more overwhelming and refined in comparison.
‘What is this? Why is a Korean airport so nice? Isn’t Korea a small country?’
She’d once thought the dramas exaggerated, but reality turned out to be even more grandiose.
Even the air flowing through her nostrils felt sweet.
“Mom, Dad. I think this really is the smell of freedom.”
A trip without state security!
Crossing a border purely by her own will—it was her first time.
And with her parents at that.
Because of that, Korea, where she stood now, felt freer than Paris, the city called the capital of freedom.
“You’re Dang So-yu, correct?”
A woman in a neat, pressed suit approached at that moment.
Dang So-yu answered in fluent Korean.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Lee Se-ah, and I assist Professor Kang Hyeon.”
At Lee Se-ah’s words, Dang So-yu’s pupils trembled.
‘Kang Hyeon.’
She didn’t need to ask who that was.
‘So my master’s real name is Kang Hyeon.’
Only now did she learn her master’s true name.
“You must be tired from your flight. Please hand your luggage over here.”
As Lee Se-ah gestured, the waiting staff moved swiftly into action.
With the Management Bureau’s VIP directive, the protocol was flawless.
Outside the airport, a long, imposing luxury black limousine awaited.
“Please, step inside. We’ve already prepared accommodations for your parents and a residence for you.”
“Thank you.”
Once in the car, Dang So-yu couldn’t tear her eyes from the Seoul scenery streaming past the windows.
Towering skyscrapers.
The brilliant shimmer of the Han River.
People walking the streets.
Everything was so new that her heart swelled with emotion.
“From now on, you’ll be staying at a place called the Taejeong Martial Hall. Professor Kang founded it himself.”
“The Taejeong Martial Hall?”
“Yes, it’s right beside the National Academy.”
“Wow…… Does the professor hold significant standing within the Academy? Building his own martial hall there and all.”
“Well…… more than that, he’s simply very wealthy.”
Lee Se-ah laughed from the front passenger seat.
“And your parents will be staying at an apartment near the Academy.”
“An apartment?”
“It’s about ten minutes by car from the Taejeong Martial Hall, with excellent security, a nearby hospital, and well-established living facilities. You can visit whenever you wish. And the floor space is quite generous, I assure you.”
Dang So-yu translated everything Lee Se-ah said for her parents.
Her father listened, astonished.
“Are we really permitted to live in such a place?”
“Of course.”
Lee Se-ah smiled warmly.
“Once the Taejeong Foundation is established, we’ve decided that the families of Professor Kang’s disciples will be supported by the foundation across the board—housing, living expenses, medical care, security, everything. We’re still in the early stages, so the system isn’t fully in place yet, but you can have high expectations.”
“Living expenses as well?”
This time Dang So-yu’s mother spoke up in surprise.
“Yes. The support ensures that you won’t have to worry about your livelihood while Dang So-yu concentrates solely on her training.”
Dang So-yu felt as though she were still dreaming.
That brief encounter by chance at the Paris Exchange Tournament had set wheels in motion that rolled and rolled until they carried her to this very place.
‘My master truly is the greatest fortune of my life.’
Before long, the limousine passed through the main gates of the National Hunter Academy on Seoul’s outskirts.
‘So this is… Korea’s Academy.’
Dang So-yu’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.
The car passed the Academy’s main building and continued deeper into the grounds.
Beyond the New Training Hall, they soon arrived at the edge of the lush slopes of Bukhansan.
“We’ve arrived.”
Dang So-yu and her parents, stepping out of the car, drew in their breath as if by mutual agreement.
The Mijong Array that Min Seo-jun had set in place struck all who crossed its threshold with an instinctive sense of being overwhelmed.
Lee Se-ah smiled as she watched them.
“Welcome to the Taejeong Martial Hall.”
It was the moment she, having broken free from the fishbowl, finally stood at the threshold of the sea.

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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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