The World’s Greatest Martial Arts Instructor - Chapter 114

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 114. That Bastard

 

 

The night was quite cold.

Cold enough to naturally remind one that it was winter.

Steam rose with every breath.

Ha Mu-baek paid no mind and slowly moved his body.

For the most basic training of External Arts.

In the deep night that had reached the hour of the Ox.

At the deserted Maengryong Corps 7th Group Training Hall.

With all Internal Energy suppressed, he moved using only the strength of his muscles.

He personally lifted the iron weights he had told the cadets to use and moved them in steady motions.

Concentrating on the detailed movements of his muscles.

‘It’s different.’

Breaking through the wall had affected not only his Internal Energy but also his External Arts and muscles.

He could lift and move the iron weights much more easily.

He needed to get accustomed to this sensation first.

He had to steadily adapt to his current body like this.

He had broken through the wall in the process of overcoming a life-and-death crisis.

Thanks to that, there was now a subtle discrepancy between his senses and his body’s capabilities.

He needed to correct that quickly.

As if the cold weather didn’t matter, Ha Mu-baek’s body was drenched in sweat.

Ha Mu-baek’s training didn’t end until the end of the hour of the Tiger (around 5 AM).

After washing off his sweat with cold water at the bath house, Ha Mu-baek briefly rested his eyes at his dormitory before heading back to the training ground.

‘It’ll take a few days.’

The sensory errors seemed to be gradually correcting themselves, but it would take some time to achieve the same precise accuracy as before.

The time Ha Mu-baek arrived back at the training ground was the end of the hour of the Dragon (around 9 AM).

The cadets had already gathered and were absorbed in training.

But.

Somehow there were many people.

There were definitely only five Group Seven Cadets.

So why were there nine people in the training ground?

Ha Mu-baek narrowed his eyes and looked at those who shouldn’t be there.

“Why are you here?”

At Ha Mu-baek’s question, Han Seol-bing played dumb. Ha Seol-ran and Ju U-myeong simply stood quietly beside their instructor.

“And you.”

Where Ha Mu-baek’s sharp gaze turned.

“You’re from Jamryong Corps entirely.”

Namgung Ji-hu scratched his head slightly at Ha Mu-baek’s point.

“There’s no one in Jamryong Corps worth having a proper match with…”

While saying this, Namgung Ji-hu glanced at the people.

It was Ju U-myeong, Baek Ri-pyeong, and Dan Mok Un-rae.

“Fine. Handle it yourselves.”

Ha Mu-baek waved his hand dismissively and headed to his spot.

“We were handling it ourselves from the beginning…”

Dang Jin-san’s muttering reached Ha Mu-baek’s ears, but he pretended not to hear.

Since it wasn’t wrong either.

 

***

 

Thousand Sword Sect.

It was the sect that served as the leader of the Eight Rising Sects.

Now it had handed that position over to Dorim.

That was solely because of So Hwi-ung.

A war hero who led two wars to victory, the Jeongcheon Alliance Leader, and the undisputed greatest under heaven.

Since Dorim was So Hwi-ung’s home sect, Dorim had no choice but to take the leadership position of the Eight Rising Sects.

Though it was unavoidable for the Thousand Sword Sect, they were still grinding their teeth and trying to reclaim the leadership position.

Since the leadership had passed to Dorim due to the birth of one genius, the Thousand Sword Sect scoured the world looking for a genius who could surpass So Hwi-ung.

They found ten children that way, and one of them was truly a heaven-sent genius.

That child was now in the Waryong Corps at Gyoryong Hall.

He had secretly entered the hall with the start of the second half of the year.

His targets were Namgung Ji-hu and Ju U-myeong.

First, he would mercilessly crush those two.

Upon hearing news that Ju U-myeong would enter Gyoryong Hall, the Thousand Sword Sect had also hurriedly sent that child to Gyoryong Hall.

The eldest son of the Namgung Family Head and the sole disciple of the former greatest sword of Wudang.

They were worthy opponents to crush.

Currently, Dorim had no one outstanding enough to follow in So Hwi-ung’s footsteps.

All the more reason to show the prowess of the Thousand Sword Sect’s rising talents and rally the Eight Rising Sects around the Thousand Sword Sect.

Dorim’s influence had been declining recently.

Just look at that bastard Han Pyeong who became a cripple after harassing a female cadet at Gyoryong Hall – didn’t that show the current situation?

Waryong Corps 20th Group cadet Mok Cheong-san.

To repay the humiliation from the Summer Fighting Competition, to crush Wudang and Namgung from the Nine Sects and Five Great Families.

He was the Thousand Sword Sect’s greatest rising talent sent to Gyoryong Hall.

“Whew.”

After finishing a round of sword dance, he exhaled deeply.

An empty training ground.

He wielded his sword alone.

The other cadets of Waryong Corps 20th Group had long since finished training and left.

Only Mok Cheong-san, currently the strongest in Waryong Corps, was wielding his sword.

Looking around the empty training ground, he shook his head.

“What on earth are they thinking?”

He was displeased.

Even devoting themselves to training as if a day wasn’t enough would still be insufficient.

How could the others be so leisurely?

“Senior Brother. The sun is about to set, but you’re still training?”

A voice came from behind then.

It was Mok Cheong-san’s junior brother, one of the five cadets in Waryong Corps 1st Group.

One of the ten rising talents the Thousand Sword Sect was cultivating with all their heart.

The one Waryong Corps Leader Sang Gyeong-mun had evaluated as ‘a talent who shouldn’t be entering Waryong Corps’ – Beom Il-so.

“The Winter Fighting Competition is not far off, junior brother.”

Mok Cheong-san answered with a serious face. No, his expression contained reproach toward Beom Il-so.

Reproach asking why he wasn’t devoting himself more to training.

“Haha, since Senior Brother is participating, the victory is already in Senior Brother’s hands anyway, isn’t it? This junior brother can’t win even if I participate, so I should take it easy.”

It was an attitude that naturally made one frown.

“Junior brother. What are you…”

“Ah, I understand, Senior Brother. I’ll work hard starting tomorrow. This isn’t even our home sect but Gyoryong Hall, so please don’t scold me so much.”

Before Mok Cheong-san could say anything, Beom Il-so let out a groan.

“Actually, I finished training early because I was thinking of going to that place.”

Then someone beside Beom Il-so spoke.

It was probably the person who had said he was from the Iron Cavalry Guild.

“That place?”

“The inn where they say a fire dragon ascended last time.”

“A fire dragon, that’s ridiculous…”

The commotion from that night was also in Mok Cheong-san’s memory.

The sudden explosion and the flames that painted the dark sky red.

Within Mok Cheong-san’s knowledge, there was nothing that could cause such a phenomenon.

Still, he thought it wasn’t some absurd existence like a fire dragon.

“More than that, what are you planning to do by going to a place with nothing there?”

Mok Cheong-san asked with a face that showed he couldn’t understand at all.

“It’s not that there’s nothing there. The inn’s ruins were cleaned up neatly, but some of the separate buildings swept up by the fire dragon apparently remain.”

Beom Il-so said.

“So?”

“The inn owner opened that place to the public starting today. The Fire Dragon Ascension Site, they call it.”

Fire Dragon Ascension Site.

What a ridiculous story.

“Of course, you have to pay a bit of an admission fee.”

At Beom Il-so’s following words.

“Ha.”

Mok Cheong-san could only let out a hollow laugh.

 

***

 

“Ah… I lost again!”

Dan Mok Un-rae shouted as if frustrated.

Baek Ri-pyeong patted Dan Mok Un-rae’s shoulder.

“I barely won today too.”

That was exactly right.

He had really won by just a hair’s breadth.

If just a little more time passed like this, it seemed like he would lose next time.

It was the time when the sunset was setting.

Today’s training time was also coming to an end.

As the sun set quickly, the training time had also shortened.

Here and there in the training ground, cadets drenched in sweat were breathing heavily.

The same was true for Ju U-myeong and Namgung Ji-hu.

The two of them couldn’t settle the match today either.

Since it was a training match, perhaps both were hiding their final move.

They were maintaining exactly an even match.

“Now, now, more than that, I heard some interesting news.”

Dang Jin-san said, putting his arms on both their shoulders.

“You guys come over here too.”

Dang Jin-san gathered the cadets.

Dang Jin-san was one of Gyoryong Hall’s sources of information. With his excellent sociability, he brought news from everywhere.

“Have you heard of the Fire Dragon Ascension Site?”

At Dang Jin-san’s question, the cadets looked at each other’s faces.

At least there was no such place in Muchang.

Seeing the cadets’ bewildered faces, Dang Jin-san, who was excited, began to tell the story he had heard.

Since his voice was loud due to his excitement, not only Ha Mu-baek but also Han Seol-bing and Ha Seol-ran could hear the entire story.

Han Seol-bing and Ha Seol-ran looked at each other with absurd expressions.

“So. You have to pay an admission fee to see it?”

Dan Mok Un-rae asked with a troubled expression.

He wanted to see it, but the admission fee seemed to be a problem.

Since they said it was the place where a fire dragon ascended, his curiosity was piqued.

“A fire dragon, that’s nonsense.”

Ju U-myeong shook his head.

“I think the same.”

Namgung Ji-hu also supported that opinion.

“Then, what was that?”

At Dang Jin-san’s question, the two became speechless.

Dang Jin-san grinned at their reaction.

“So let’s go and check it out once.”

At those words, even Ju U-myeong and Namgung Ji-hu were eventually persuaded.

Nak U-jin, Baek Ri-pyeong, and Yeon Ha-min also had curious expressions.

“Come on, let’s all go. Un-rae. I’ll lend it to you, so pay me back later when you succeed.”

Dang Jin-san patted Dan Mok Un-rae’s back and spoke casually.

Their gazes turned toward Ha Seol-ran.

“Seol-ran. Won’t you come with us?”

Yeon Ha-min asked.

“No. I’m fine. I’m also a bit tired today.”

At her words, everyone nodded and turned their gaze to Ha Mu-baek.

“If it’s about exit passes, get them from Instructor Han. It’s bothersome.”

“Ha, really.”

At those words, Han Seol-bing shook his head and took out exit passes from his chest, handing them to the cadets.

Since they just had to return by midnight, there was plenty of time.

Like that, the cadets all rushed off together, leaving only Ha Mu-baek, Han Seol-bing, and Ha Seol-ran in the training ground.

“How does it feel to have become a fire dragon?”

Han Seol-bing asked with a chuckle.

“Crazy.”

A simple answer.

“But is that place worth charging admission for?”

Ha Seol-ran asked, tilting her head as if she couldn’t understand.

She had already seen the remains of the separate building that was burned and left behind.

“The inn owner is good at business.”

It was Ha Mu-baek’s brief assessment.

 

Perhaps thanks to charging admission fees.

Many people gathered around the ruins, but there weren’t many who entered inside the rope barriers.

Warriors hired by the inn owner were also guarding the surroundings.

The inn owner looked at that scene with satisfaction.

Fire Dragon Ascension Site.

It was the name he had given it.

‘Of course, fire dragons definitely ascended. Two of them at that.’

The inn owner had definitely seen it that night.

Fire dragons soaring high, burning the dark sky.

After that incident, the next day, even the guests from the separate building who came couldn’t properly explain what it was.

‘It must be because they were dragons.’

The inn owner kept repeating this to himself and decided to believe it.

And he spread that rumor.

He had already received more than enough money for the reconstruction costs of the separate building, but for the time being, leaving it like this was expected to bring in much more profitable income than rebuilding the separate building.

Moreover.

‘Those leather shoes.’

Not even a pair remained, but just one shoe.

‘Hehe. It’s definitely a trace left by a dragon that had taken human form.’

He believed it himself.

He had to, since that’s what he told people.

The leather shoes dropped by the Fire Dragon were traces left by the dragon.

The rumor spread like wildfire, gathering people like clouds once again.

The reason people so easily believed the rumor spread by the inn owner was nothing special.

Everyone had come here that morning and seen the frost mist that thickly covered the surroundings.

They thought it was mist left behind by the dragon that had ascended.

The widely spread rumor made all the people of Muchang come to this place at least once.

Even if they couldn’t enter inside the rope barrier, they wanted to see it from afar.

That sacred place where the Fire Dragon had ascended.

Among them was this child as well.

Dan Mok Un-hye.

Thanks to recovering much of her health through Ha Mu-baek’s treatment, coming to this place was no longer difficult for her.

‘At the place where a dragon ascended, if I receive that qi energy, I might recover even faster.’

With such childish thoughts, she had walked all the way here.

But small and young as she was, she couldn’t easily approach the rope barrier.

“Tch. What’s this? Why are there so many people? They can’t even go inside anyway. Why are they being so bothersome?”

Beom Il-so was grumbling as if the crowd surrounding the area was getting in his way, moving along with irritated steps.

 

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