The World’s Greatest Martial Arts Instructor - Chapter 139

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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 139. I’m Envious

 

 

Thud.

‘Thud?’

Along with the sword that stopped abruptly, a sound reached Dan Mok Un-rae’s ears.

A sound that couldn’t occur during a martial duel had emerged.

The sword was stopped right before his eyes.

Dan Mok Un-rae’s pupils moved to the side.

And there he saw a hand.

Thumb, index finger, and middle finger.

Just three fingers were gripping the blade.

The sword was stopped like that, unable to move forward or backward.

Dan Mok Un-rae’s pupils moved again.

Ju U-myeong before his eyes.

He was pouring even more strength into his sword, trying to overcome the being that blocked him.

But the sword didn’t budge at all.

‘What, what is this?’

This situation was confusing.

This was clearly a martial duel on the martial arts arena.

An unidentified hand had stopped Ju U-myeong’s sword.

Was such a thing even possible?

As that question arose, he moved his body.

He quickly retreated and took deep breaths.

“Huff. Huff. Hufffffff.”

Only then did the scene enter his vision.

“In, Instructor.”

Ha Mu-baek was holding Ju U-myeong’s sword.

Very lightly.

Ju U-myeong was still exerting himself. This could be seen from the qi aura surging from his body.

“Tsk. Were you hiding such fighting spirit? Well, that’s why you came all the way to Maengryong Corps.”

Ha Mu-baek raised his left hand that wasn’t gripping the sword. Then he bent his fingers.

‘That, that’s.’

Dan Mok Un-rae recognized what Ha Mu-baek was trying to do.

‘But he’s out of range?’

Since he was holding the sword, there was no way Ha Mu-baek’s fingertips could reach Ju U-myeong’s forehead.

Ha Mu-baek acted as if it didn’t matter, striking the air and flicking his fingers.

“Argh!”

Ju U-myeong screamed, clutched his forehead, and collapsed.

Of course, he let go of his sword.

The sword that Ju U-myeong had released was still held in Ha Mu-baek’s hand.

Between his thumb, index finger, and middle finger.

In those three fingers.

Focus gradually returned to Ju U-myeong’s eyes as well.

He too had awakened from the State of No-Self.

“You were a bit dangerous this time.”

Ha Mu-baek said this and threw the sword toward Ju U-myeong with a swoosh.

Ju U-myeong, who had been bewildered not knowing what was happening, hastily caught his flying sword.

Ha Mu-baek’s gaze turned toward the Judge.

“As you can see, the winner is still Ju U-myeong. If I hadn’t intervened, Dan Mok Un-rae would have died or been severely injured.”

Ha Mu-baek left those words and leaped away.

The Judge, who had been standing there dazed without properly grasping what had just happened.

He soon came to his senses and nodded.

He knew that Ha Mu-baek’s words were correct.

“The winner is Ju U-myeong!”

The judgment was rendered.

However, there were no cheers.

Because it had ended so absurdly.

It had been an excellent martial duel, but it ended with that person’s intervention again.

In the previous duel too, he had intervened and caught Yeon Ha-min.

What exactly is that guy?

The spectators who didn’t know Ha Mu-baek murmured among themselves.

 

***

 

The reaction on the platform was no different.

“That person again!”

Several instructors burst with frustration.

Since Academy Director Peng Do-yul remained quiet, they couldn’t openly step forward.

“Academy Director. Is it acceptable for an instructor to keep intervening like that?”

Jamryong Corps Leader Neung U-dam couldn’t hold back this time and spoke up.

Peng Do-yul’s gaze turned toward him.

“If he didn’t intervene? The Judge couldn’t respond properly to the situation just now either, so you’re saying an innocent cadet should have died or been severely injured?”

Peng Do-yul asked back with anger in his voice.

Anyone present could predict what would have happened if Ha Mu-baek hadn’t intervened in that situation.

They had all reached that level of mastery.

“That, that’s…”

Neung U-dam couldn’t answer properly.

“Rather, we should reprimand that Judge and Assistant Judge who couldn’t respond to this situation.”

His voice was still angry.

Neung U-dam could no longer say anything and backed down.

The Judge of that martial duel was an instructor from Jamryong Corps. In other words, one of his subordinates.

Since it was ultimately being attributed to Jamryong Corps’ fault, Neung U-dam couldn’t say anything.

There was nothing wrong with Peng Do-yul’s words either.

Sang Gyeong-mun said nothing and just observed the atmosphere. The two Assistant Judges were instructors from Waryong Corps.

Since they too had done nothing in that situation, there was no reason to butt in and incur the Academy Director’s wrath as well.

 

Ju U-myeong and Dan Mok Un-rae.

Dan Mok Un-rae and Ju U-myeong.

The two came down from the martial arts arena with dazed faces.

What on earth had just happened to the two of them?

“I, I’m sorry.”

Ju U-myeong apologized first.

It really had been a dangerous situation.

“It was during a martial duel, so what for.”

Dan Mok Un-rae brushed it off casually. Even though he had truly experienced a life-or-death crisis.

After returning from Sanwol Demon Forest, they had recognized what kind of place Murim was and had firmly steeled their resolve.

“More than that, what happened?”

Dan Mok Un-rae asked.

“Well….”

Ju U-myeong couldn’t answer properly either.

By the time they returned to the seats prepared below the martial arts arena.

The two began to faintly remember what had happened.

About the events that occurred in the state of no-self.

“Ah….”

Ju U-myeong let out a small exclamation, glanced at Dan Mok Un-rae and sent him a hand signal. Then he immediately sat cross-legged and fell into meditation.

Dan Mok Un-rae saw Ju U-myeong’s appearance and hand signal and immediately entered meditation.

Baek Ri-pyeong quietly watched the two and stood guard beside them.

“I’m envious.”

Baek Ri-pyeong muttered quietly.

He too had fallen into the state of no-self. But unlike these two, nothing had occurred that required him to immediately enter meditation right afterward.

Until the final duel, the last martial contest, there was one more hour.

Hoping their meditation would end by then, Baek Ri-pyeong also sat cross-legged and fell into energy circulation and breathing.

 

“Ho. What a fortuitous encounter.”

Gongsun Mu-oe muttered while watching the two fall into meditation.

“But I wonder if one hour will be enough.”

He said while looking up at the sky.

“It’s their own destiny.”

Ha Mu-baek said calmly.

“Tsk. Really, with people. It would be nice if there were about two hours of leeway. But then the sun would set….”

Then they wouldn’t be able to hold the final match.

They couldn’t postpone it to tomorrow either.

They could only hope Ju U-myeong’s meditation would end within one hour.

“Don’t they need someone to guard them?”

Two were meditating, and one had begun energy circulation and breathing.

“I’m already guarding them.”

Ha Mu-baek answered briefly.

At those words, Gongsun Mu-oe could only nod slowly.

Having seen that lightning-fast movement from earlier.

He had no choice but to agree.

“But what did you say to that boy Ju U-myeong?”

Gongsun Mu-oe asked curiously.

“It was just something about having a strong fighting spirit.”

“Is that a problem?”

“Because that fighting spirit nearly led him into heart demons.”

At Ha Mu-baek’s words, Gongsun Mu-oe showed a surprised expression.

“Oh my. I wondered why his sword strikes seemed unusual.”

“If it had continued for five or six more forms like that, he definitely would have fallen into heart demons.”

“Huh, heart demons in the state of no-self. Such cases exist too. Still, it’s fortunate you stopped it well.”

At those words, Ha Mu-baek shook his head.

“I intervened because the duel had reached a conclusion. If it hadn’t been decided, I would have left it alone.”

Gongsun Mu-oe’s eyes widened.

“Even if he fell into heart demons?”

“Because it’s a duel. I can’t interfere with the match. If it were real combat, that would be different.”

At Ha Mu-baek’s words, Gongsun Mu-oe shook his head repeatedly.

“Then you didn’t tell him about the heart demons either.”

At those words, Ha Mu-baek nodded.

“I brought up the fighting spirit topic without thinking, but I wonder if I shouldn’t have said even that.”

As Ha Mu-baek spoke while looking at the two in meditation, Gongsun Mu-oe made a resigned expression.

 

***

 

Yeon Baek-jin arrived in front of Yeonryong Lodge.

The fence marking the boundary.

Yeon Baek-jin stood before it and looked at the Yeonryong Lodge building.

From here was the men-forbidden zone.

No matter how much of a Vice Director he was, he couldn’t just enter.

Only the old workers doing odd jobs moved inside as usual.

Yeon Baek-jin could only look with worried eyes at the window in the direction where he thought his niece’s room would be.

Just then.

He encountered Han Seol-bing walking out of Yeonryong Lodge.

“Ah, Vice Director.”

Han Seol-bing took a cupped fist salute and bowed her head.

“What brings you here… Ah!”

Han Seol-bing, who had been puzzled by his sudden appearance, let out an exclamation as if realizing something.

“Ha-min is fine. She just collapsed from overexertion. She’ll be fine after sleeping soundly for about a day.”

At Han Seol-bing’s words, Yeon Baek-jin’s eyes widened.

Could she possibly know about his relationship with Ha-min?

In Gyoryong Hall, no one except Peng Do-yul knew she was his adopted niece.

Oh, Ha Mu-baek knew too.

“Don’t tell me Instructor Ha?”

At Yeon Baek-jin’s question, Han Seol-bing smiled slightly.

“The last field training of Maengryong Corps’ Seventh Group. The group I’m in charge of participated together. Of course, I did too.”

“Ah….”

He realized something from those words.

“I found out because many things happened there. But the children don’t know.”

At Han Seol-bing’s words, Yeon Baek-jin nodded slightly.

“Well then.”

Han Seol-bing left her farewell and headed back to the martial arts arena.

When she arrived at the martial arts arena, it was quiet.

There were people murmuring here and there, but it was quiet enough that one wouldn’t think martial duels were taking place.

What caught Han Seol-bing’s eye was.

Ha Mu-baek holding Ju U-myeong’s sword.

“What’s this about now?”

After briefly observing the unfolding situation, Han Seol-bing confirmed the three were sitting cross-legged and moved toward them.

Ha Mu-baek.

That damned man was probably watching over them, but still, wasn’t it different from guarding them right beside them?

Han Seol-bing glanced once at the rooftop where Ha Mu-baek was and arrived beside the three below the martial arts arena shortly after.

 

One hour was long.

For the spectators sitting in the spectator stands, it was.

On this cold day.

Just sitting and blankly spending one hour was not an easy task.

Some shivered in the cold wind.

Even though they had dressed warmly enough, it was cold.

As the sun gradually moved westward, the air grew colder and wind began to blow.

Gung So-yu and Dan Mok Un-hye had slowly finished eating their rice balls without realizing it.

During Dan Mok Un-rae’s martial duel, they had forgotten about eating, but once the duel ended and they began to feel hungry, they devoured them in an instant.

“Come to think of it, today is nice and warm. Yesterday seemed quite cold.”

Gung So-yu said as if just remembering.

How much had she insisted that Dan Mok Un-hye should dress warmly before coming out.

Even when she went to find Dan Mok Un-hye’s home, it had been cold.

Hadn’t her ears been bright red as she waited for her?

But now that they were actually watching the martial duel at this place, she hadn’t noticed the cold.

There was no wind, and it was even pleasantly warm.

Glancing at Dan Mok Un-hye, she too wasn’t feeling any cold at all.

Gung So-yu looked back at Grandfather.

Well, a master of Grandfather’s level probably wouldn’t feel much cold, so this kind of weather wouldn’t matter to him, she thought as she turned her gaze back to the martial arts arena.

“Huh? In this cold weather?”

Gongsun Bi-yeon’s question reached Gung So-yu’s ears.

Indeed, she was hugging both her arms.

The cold she hadn’t felt while concentrating during the martial duel seemed to hit her twice as hard now during the break.

“Huh?”

Seeing Gongsun Bi-yeon’s face slightly flushed red behind her face veil, Gung So-yu tilted her head as if finding it strange.

“It seems Instructor Ha is looking after you. Hehe.”

Gongsun Mu-oe, understanding what was happening, let out a hearty laugh.

Indeed, Ha Mu-baek was using his internal energy to warm the air around Dan Mok Un-hye and Gung So-yu. In addition to that, he was also blocking the wind.

“Ah!”

Realizing what had happened, Gung So-yu bowed toward Ha Mu-baek.

“Thank you.”

The clever Dan Mok Un-hye also realized why she had been staying warm and bowed toward Ha Mu-baek.

“How unfair…”

Gongsun Bi-yeon grumbled quietly, in a very small voice.

“Those children are only on their third day since recovery.”

At Ha Mu-baek’s blunt words that contained not a trace of emotion, Gongsun Bi-yeon could only draw up her internal energy to resist the cold.

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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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