The World’s Greatest Martial Arts Instructor - Chapter 321

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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 321. I’ve Come, Young Lady

 

 

“Elder Brother?”

Ha Mu-baek smiled gently.

“I’ll have to be away again for a while.”

At those words, Ha Seol-ran’s complexion darkened slightly.

“It’s not dangerous, is it?”

She was worried about her elder brother’s safety.

“Do you think there’s anyone in All Under Heaven who could harm me?”

Ha Mu-baek answered her question with a question.

However, Ha Seol-ran couldn’t answer immediately.

Even in her mind, there was no one who could harm her elder brother.

That day.

Hadn’t her elder brother survived even that tremendous explosion that looked like a fire dragon ascending to heaven?

After witnessing that directly.

She wondered if there was truly any way to harm her elder brother.

“No.”

The answer that finally came.

At Ha Seol-ran’s response, the smile on Ha Mu-baek’s face deepened.

“That’s right. So don’t worry about me. I’m the one who’s worried about you.”

“Master is here.”

Ha Seol-ran replied with a bright smile.

“But what’s the matter this time?”

She asked Ha Mu-baek as if remembering something.

“It seems Seol-bing has fallen into a difficult situation.”

“Ah…”

She was Ha Seol-ran’s supervising instructor.

At the news that she had fallen into a difficult situation, Ha Seol-ran’s face immediately darkened.

During the break period, she had informed her and Ju U-myeong that something had come up and she would have to be away, then hurriedly left Gyoryong Hall.

The day after her elder brother returned to Gyoryong Hall.

Han Seol-bing had probably left so urgently because of that matter.

“Please return safely. You and Instructor Han.”

No matter how unlikely it seemed that anyone in All Under Heaven could harm her elder brother, she couldn’t help but worry.

It was only natural to worry about an elder brother departing on a long journey.

On top of that.

She was even more worried about Han Seol-bing.

Especially since she was said to be in a difficult situation.

Ha Mu-baek nodded with a smile.

And patted Ha Seol-ran’s head once.

“Yes. You too, train hard and take care of yourself. Don’t be too surprised today.”

And then Ha Mu-baek departed.

Watching her elder brother’s retreating figure, Ha Seol-ran tilted her head.

It was because of the last words her elder brother had left.

Don’t be surprised today.

What could that mean?

It didn’t take much time for Ha Seol-ran to understand the meaning.

 

***

 

A day had passed.

At dawn this day.

Ha Mu-baek had departed from Muchang, but no one knew this fact.

No, the Tak Family wasn’t thinking about the existence called Ha Mu-baek at all.

The Martial Artists of the Tak Family were simply surrounding the Palace Lord’s Hall covered by the formation.

Ice Mist that seemed ready to freeze the surrounding air at any moment.

The atmosphere it created was quite unpleasant.

As if one would die upon entering that place?

That’s why the Martial Artists of the Tak Family stayed as far away as possible from the formation’s range.

There were already comrades who had entered and never returned.

Only Tak Pung-geon had his eyes shining as he examined the area around the formation.

He even reached out slightly to directly touch the Ice Mist.

He also threw objects tied to strings and pulled them back out.

“Hmm.”

It seemed like he almost understood, but he just couldn’t figure it out.

As expected, throwing objects in wouldn’t reveal anything.

Animals first.

Tak Pung-geon caught several dogs, tied ropes around their necks, and threw them into the formation.

‘One. Two. Three…’

After counting like that, he grabbed the leash and pulled the dog right back out.

“Whine. Whimper. Yelp. Yelp.”

What had it seen inside the formation?

The dog was trembling all over with its tail tucked.

One thing.

Even so, it wasn’t dead and didn’t look to be in bad condition.

He repeated the same process several times.

Not just in one place, but in various spots around the perimeter.

Recalling the diagrams he had seen in the secret manual, checking the directions.

While confirming things one by one like this.

A day was passing.

The North Sea, where white nights spread, was still bright.

Even so, his body felt fatigue.

The bright night like day could throw the body’s rhythm into chaos.

But those born and raised in the North Sea were already adapted to such situations.

Even during the bright night, the body felt fatigue and drowsiness came as well.

Before long, it was quite late in the evening.

Except for those assigned to night watch, many had already entered their barracks to sleep.

Tak Pung-geon was also heading to his barracks to sleep.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

At the faint sound of a bird’s wingbeats, his gaze turned.

And he saw.

A single black bird flying down toward the formation.

Tak Pung-geon hastily maximized his Eye Power and watched the scene.

The bird flew straight down and disappeared into the formation.

Tak Pung-geon’s eyes widened.

‘Could it be…? Is there a way in there? Or did some ignorant bird just fall in?’

He squeezed out every memory he could from when he had concentrated his eye power just moments ago.

The black bird was a pigeon.

Definitely.

It was a black pigeon.

And on its leg.

“There was a message tube.”

A carrier pigeon!

Then it wasn’t accidentally caught in the formation.

Perhaps there was a path in the formation when viewed from the sky above.

He recalled asking the martial artists of the Iron Wind Corps about the moment the formation was deployed the previous day.

They said that not long after losing Han Seol-bing, ice mist began to form immediately with vibrations.

They said it was less than half a hour.

Deploying such a large-scale formation in that amount of time would be impossible even for a formation genius.

Tak Pung-geon’s mind was complicated.

It seemed he needed to organize his thoughts first.

He sat cross-legged on his camp bed and fell into meditation.

The information obtained the previous day.

The information he had personally confirmed by moving today.

And even the scene he had just witnessed.

 

Meanwhile.

In the sky at the very center of the formation, there was a hole about two feet in diameter.

It wasn’t a hole deliberately made.

It was a flaw that appeared because the formation had become imperfect over time.

However, it was the center of a formation that covered even the highest halls.

Since it was in the middle of such a vast range, there was no way to pass through this hole unless one was a bird.

Baek-a passed through the hole and moved quickly.

“Huh? It’s a bird!”

Though it was late, those who were surveying the surroundings discovered Baek-a.

And at the same time.

They also realized that something could enter through that hole, which had been bothering them because it showed blue sky instead of pure white ice mist.

It wasn’t perfect at blocking external intrusion.

Of course, what could possibly enter through that small hole in the sky above the center of this vast Palace Lord’s Hall.

Unless it was a bird like that.

Baek-a flew around various parts of the Palace Lord’s Hall.

Soon Na Hong-ryeon spotted Baek-a and waved the flag she had received from Han Seol-bing in advance.

Baek-a, who discovered the flag, landed directly on the flagpole.

Though there was a message tube on its leg, Baek-a didn’t allow Na Hong-ryeon to touch it.

‘They said it was a spirit beast…’

Na Hong-ryeon took Baek-a with her and soon went down to the underground where Han Seol-bing was.

“It’s here, Young Lady.”

At Na Hong-ryeon’s words, Han Seol-bing opened both eyes.

“You came back quickly, Baek-a. You worked hard. You really pushed yourself too. Thank you so much.”

Han Seol-bing discovered wounds and traces of fatigue all over Baek-a’s body.

It was a sight she had rarely seen since getting to know Baek-a.

Had it been like this once or twice during the Murim Tournament?

It meant that Baek-a also knew how urgent the current situation was and had given its all.

Coo coo coo coo.

Baek-a made crying sounds at Han Seol-bing’s words.

Whether it was because they hadn’t seen each other for several days.

Or because it had brought the news she had been waiting for.

It felt even more welcome.

And she felt sorry and grateful for that hardship.

A smile formed on Han Seol-bing’s lips.

“As you can see, I can’t use both hands. So please hand the message to that person.”

At Han Seol-bing’s words, Baek-a moved its head up and down as if nodding that it understood.

Only then did Baek-a allow Na Hong-ryeon’s touch.

A small message came out of the tube.

“Departing now.”

Na Hong-ryeon read the contents written in the message.

That was all there was.

However, upon hearing those contents, an even brighter smile bloomed on Han Seol-bing’s face.

She had believed.

And it was as expected.

Han Seol-bing calculated the dates in her head.

The time it took for her to come from Muchang to Ice Heaven Palace.

And Baek-a’s speed when flying at full power.

“Four to five days.”

“Pardon?”

Han Seol-bing’s murmur. Na Hong-ryeon asked back upon hearing that sound.

“We just need to endure that long.”

Her face was full of confidence.

It seemed to be about that single reinforcement who was supposed to come.

How could she show such faith?

“Don’t tell the others. Since there’s always the possibility of ‘what if,’ we still need to conserve food and supplies as much as possible.”

Na Hong-ryeon nodded at Han Seol-bing’s words.

The food and supplies they had brought were enough for ten days.

That was the limit for what they could carry directly while moving quickly.

If conserved, it was enough to last up to twenty days.

She had been worried about what would happen after that.

But Han Seol-bing was saying they only needed to endure four to five days.

“Just who is it that makes you say that?”

Bing Chwi-seol, who had been placing her palm against Han Seol-bing’s life gate acupoint and continuously infusing ice crystal qi energy, asked.

Since she had been doing this for over a day.

Speaking while infusing qi energy was no longer difficult.

“Dan-ju.”

“Dan-ju?”

“Hocheon Corps Leader Ha Mu-baek.”

A short answer.

However, at that answer, shock and anticipation appeared on Bing Chwi-seol’s face.

She too had encountered rumors and information about Ha Mu-baek.

She was the leader of Ice Heaven Palace, one of the Eight Gates of Divine Progress.

Therefore, she knew information about Ha Mu-baek that was close to the truth.

However, Na Hong-ryeon still tilted her head in confusion.

She knew he was a remarkable person, but could he defeat the Tak Family alone?

Them, with their martial artists numbering in the hundreds?

 

***

 

Morning training time.

They gathered at the Great Training Ground as usual.

And the person who appeared on the platform.

Was someone they had never seen before.

A handsome man with an elegant and refined appearance.

His face, as if drawn in a painting, reminded them of the legendary beauties Ban-an or Song-ok.

At the appearance of this stranger, the Cadets looked around at each other and murmured.

Though Ha Mu-baek had given them a hint yesterday, who could have imagined that the new Instructor would be such a handsome man.

That reaction was no different for the Cadets of Gyoryong Hall’s Seventh Group and Twentieth Group.

Only one person.

Ha Seol-ran alone was staring at the platform with a dazed expression.

Certainly this was someone with an appearance she had never seen before.

So handsome that.

If their eyes met, she would have to look away.

But the thing is.

The qi energy she felt from that handsome man was all too familiar.

It was qi energy she could never fail to recognize.

Majestic and proud, solemn and vast.

That kind of qi energy.

Though he was hiding his qi, Ha Seol-ran’s Ki Sense could feel the concealed energy.

And she knew the owner of this qi energy all too well.

‘M-M-Master…???’

Ha Seol-ran froze in shock, completely stunned.

Only now could she understand the meaning of the words Ha Mu-baek had left when he departed.

This was why he had told her not to be too surprised.

But how could she not be surprised?

Where had the kind-looking Master she knew gone…

Ah, there was one thing that was the same.

His elegant and refined bearing.

That was exactly the same.

“Who is that? Was there such a person at Gyoryong Hall?”

Dang Jin-san searched his memory, but this was someone he had never seen before.

If it were someone so handsome, he would never have forgotten them after seeing them just once.

“Greetings, Cadets. I am called Ji Gun-wi. You may call me Instructor Ji. At Instructor Ha’s request, I will be teaching you for a while, so follow along well.”

A brief greeting.

His voice was also pleasant.

A clear and bright voice that naturally lifted one’s spirits.

The Female Cadets were already blushing and didn’t know what to do with themselves.

“Tch. Looking like some pretty boy…”

Someone grumbled as if they didn’t like his appearance.

“Then we’ll start with Shield Technique formation training. After this ends, we’ll begin training matches.”

With Ji Gun-wi’s, no, Wi Ji-gun’s instructions, training began.

 

***

 

Another day passed.

Tak Pung-geon, who had been deep in meditation until late and then went to sleep, only opened his eyes around morning.

It seemed like he was getting some kind of clue.

He needed to investigate more certainly, more thoroughly.

Today too, he took the dog and examined the Formation Technique.

The parts he hadn’t been able to check yesterday.

As he wandered around various places like this, the day grew dark again.

Though it was still bright nonetheless.

 

The next day.

This time it wasn’t a dog.

A cat.

The method was the same.

These were places he had specially marked among the locations he had checked with the dog.

The cat’s reaction wasn’t much different from the dog’s.

But the size of its pupils varied.

The cat’s movements felt through the leash he was holding were also not much different from the dog’s.

 

The next day.

This time it was a bird.

A carrier pigeon.

He sent it flying not to the sky, but to places where people could enter on foot.

With tough thread tied firmly to both legs.

The places where he was sending animals were gradually decreasing.

And now he didn’t pull the rope to bring the animals out.

Instead.

He pulled them out after the movement felt through the rope had completely stopped.

When he did so.

“It’s dead.”

Without exception, they were dead.

Afternoon came.

Tak Pung-geon finally decided to send people in.

He brought several servants from the Tak Family, tied them with ropes, and had them go inside.

Then he counted to ten and pulled them out.

People who were trembling all over, having seen and experienced something in that short time.

However.

Their eyes were clearly focused and none of them had wet themselves.

They clearly remembered what they had experienced and told him about it.

One who saw a maze, one who saw a monster, one who saw his deceased father, one whose body had no strength at all.

They were all different.

Narrowing it down like this.

He found a total of three places.

Finally.

“I should look from above too.”

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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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