The World’s Greatest Martial Arts Instructor - Chapter 442

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

 

 

 

 

Chapter 442. You Reached Me?

 

 

Wuji stopped laughing and turned his gaze toward Ha Mu-baek.

A sword was already in his hand.

There was no need to say anything.

Ha Mu-baek drew his sword.

Radiance had already disappeared and retreated far away.

“Come.”

Ha Mu-baek brought down the sword he had raised above his head.

Just like that one move Wuji had shown him.

Like that single sword whose profound principle he couldn’t understand at all.

Nine Severance Abyss.

A single sword containing all the principles and harmony of the Infinite Wishful Eight Section Sword.

Wuji calmly watched Ha Mu-baek’s sword.

Then slowly swung his arm.

A horizontal slash different from before.

Swoosh.

A small sound rang out.

Ha Mu-baek’s sword shadow disappeared.

Bang!

With the sound that followed, Ha Mu-baek flew backward powerlessly.

Swish.

And Wuji’s sleeve was cut with a very slight scratch.

Confirming this, Wuji nodded his head.

Radiance appeared again.

He looked shocked.

“You reached him? You reached you?”

He looked like he hadn’t expected this much.

“Impressive.”

Wuji tried to speak calmly, but couldn’t completely hide his surprise.

Ha Mu-baek’s body, which had been sprawled pathetically, got up.

Strangely, there was no impact at all.

No.

He had recovered instantly.

The moment he was struck by Wuji’s single sword, he had thought he would die like this.

“Thank you.”

Ha Mu-baek took a cupped fist salute and bowed his waist.

Wuji looked at Ha Mu-baek who had straightened his body.

“Are you going to leave?”

He read the will in those eyes.

“I realized from our recent clash. Even if I spend more time in this place, what I can gain is only up to here.”

The ancestral tablet of sword marks carved on the ceiling.

And Wuji’s single sword that he had shown in this place.

Ha Mu-baek intuited that the walls and enlightenment he could overcome with the questions those two things posed to him was only up to here.

Just now.

In the clash.

Though he had made gestures of resistance, there was nothing more he could feel.

“Time is nearly infinite, and within it you could gain power indefinitely.”

“For that, I seem to have already been here long enough. I also have things I must do.”

“Do you know how much time you’ve spent in this place?”

“How much is it?”

He didn’t know.

He had forgotten even himself and been absorbed in the sword, let alone the flow of time.

So he asked.

Ha Mu-baek had also felt the sensation of cutting Wuji’s sleeve, even if slightly.

With his absurdly elevated realm.

He was worried that perhaps he had spent too much time in this place.

‘A hundred years? It’s not around two hundred years, is it?’

Such anxiety arose.

Ten years in this place was one moment in reality.

Eighty years was one hour.

Even two hundred years would be less than three hours.

But Ha Mu-baek’s current elevated realm was at the boundary between mind and reality.

It wasn’t that Ha Mu-baek’s physical body in reality had elevated in realm.

Then there would be a gap between body and mind.

Considering the time needed to correct that.

‘Three hours is the limit.’

The leisure Ha Mu-baek could currently afford to spend in this place was at most about three hours.

“Thirty years.”

Wuji answered, and Ha Mu-baek’s eyes widened greatly.

Who would have thought only that much time had passed.

“Does it seem like too much?”

At Wuji’s question, Ha Mu-baek shook his head vigorously.

As if he had returned to being a child like when he was eleven years old.

“N-no. It’s too little…”

“Hehe. You’ve recognized how remarkable the realm you’ve achieved is.”

Though he called it a walnut-sized amount of power.

That single sword Wuji had shown.

Because it contained even a small fragment of that sword’s principle.

Perhaps it might be able to cut the Abyss.

“Yes.”

“It’s impressive, but still insufficient to annihilate the Abyss. However, if you gain a new clue, come again.”

“Thank you.”

Ha Mu-baek bowed his waist once more.

“Then go well.”

When Wuji waved his hand.

The world began to melt away.

The space suddenly began to disappear.

But Ha Mu-baek wasn’t flustered.

Because he knew he was returning from Mugeuk’s Space to reality.

As he stayed still like that.

Before he knew it.

The sight of the Archive Hall came into view.

The last thing he remembered was looking up at the ceiling, but somehow he was sitting cross-legged.

“Whew.”

Ha Mu-baek let out a long sigh.

Thirty years.

It was much less time than expected, but.

That didn’t mean it was a short time either.

But that was only about three moments passing in reality?

In truth, even now he couldn’t distinguish whether this was reality or a dream.

Ha Mu-baek moved slowly, very slowly.

There would surely be a disconnect between mind and body.

He couldn’t move carelessly.

He took a deep breath.

He slowly raised his right hand.

It moved well as intended, but.

‘What kind of energy is this…’

He was startled to feel the energy surging from within himself.

His internal energy level was the same.

His physical strength was also the same.

It was natural.

How could his internal energy increase and his body become stronger during just three moments in this place?

However.

The magnitude of energy created by that internal energy’s movement was different.

Enlightenment.

It was thanks to his changed realm.

Had his efficiency improved tremendously?

If previously he could produce ten units of power with one unit of internal energy.

Now he felt he could produce at least twenty units of power.

In other words.

He had become at least twice as strong.

And that was only the minimum.

Therefore, Ha Mu-baek moved carefully while suppressing his internal energy as much as possible.

The distance he traveled forward after lightly stepping on the ground had changed.

For now, he had to concentrate even on taking steps.

Thus Ha Mu-baek retraced his path back up.

Master was still standing there.

“It took quite a long time.”

Wi Ji-gun spoke with a knowing smile.

“Yes.”

Even his response was cautious.

“Did you meet him?”

“Yes.”

“Then now you know everything.”

“That’s right.”

“Then what mission did you receive?”

Wi Ji-gun’s mission.

It was to raise outstanding successors while observing the world’s political situation.

Whether traces of Taecho and Manhwang would appear.

When Wi Ji-gun was active, traces of Taecho had appeared, but he missed them.

Hyeon-hwang.

He had obtained part of Taecho’s power.

Due to Shaolin’s quick action, he disappeared from the world before Wi Ji-gun could notice.

“He told me to live as I wish.”

Ha Mu-baek spoke calmly.

“It seems the long, long wait has finally ended.”

Wi Ji-gun nodded and said.

“Pardon?”

“It means that as I expected, you are the connection Josa has been waiting for. The mission I, my master, and Sa Jo received was the same.”

“Ah…”

It meant the mission had changed for the first time.

“Though he said to live as you wish, it won’t be an easy path. It also means that even if you stay still, the existence of Taecho and Manhwang could become entangled with you.”

Ha Mu-baek silently nodded.

“It seems like you spent decades there, and you’ve become unrecognizably strong. With that power, you might be able to fulfill your mission.”

Wi Ji-gun had also been to that space.

He knew the flow of time was different.

He roughly estimated by calculating the time from when Ha Mu-baek entered underground.

“How long did you stay there, Master?”

“About three years. I completed the Wuji Yeoui Eight Severing Sword Sea there.”

Wi Ji-gun answered with eyes that seemed lost in reminiscence.

“You already completed it before entering. I can’t even imagine what realm you’ve reached.”

“You flatter me.”

Despite Ha Mu-baek’s modesty, Wi Ji-gun looked at his disciple with a proud expression.

“What do you plan to do now?”

At Wi Ji-gun’s question.

Ha Mu-baek slowly shared what he had been thinking.

“First, I should go back to the Jeongcheon Alliance Main Headquarters.”

“Hmm?”

“The Eastern Tournament will end soon, so the Maengryong Corps will be deployed to Sanwol Demon Forest a bit earlier than usual. I might be a step late, but now I should be with them as the Maengryong Corps Leader, not as an instructor.”

“There’s been a change in your feelings.”

“Yes. I can’t leave Seol-ran in that dangerous place forever. And after visiting Sanwol Demon Forest this time, I’ve made up my mind.”

Ha Mu-baek’s eyes gleamed.

“I’ve decided to completely erase it.”

His following voice carried firm resolve.

“Hmm.”

Wi Ji-gun quietly stroked his beard.

“Previously I lacked the power, but now that’s not the case.”

Sanwol Demon Forest.

It was a vast space.

No matter how many countless martial artists and workers were mobilized.

It was unbelievable that they had surrounded that place with a great wall.

No matter how strong Ha Mu-baek was at that time.

It was a space too much for him alone.

However, last time.

After going to Sanwol Demon Forest, he felt it.

That he could try with this much power.

And today.

He was certain.

That he could do it.

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

Wi Ji-gun asked, looking at his disciple’s determined eyes.

“Please watch over those kids. I might be a little late.”

At Ha Mu-baek’s words, Wi Ji-gun nodded.

Among them was Ha Seol-ran as well.

“If something unexpected happens… I’ll look after Seol-ran first, of course. But make sure to keep an eye on those guys too.”

“Thank you.”

Ha Mu-baek bowed deeply to Wi Ji-gun.

“So you’ll head straight to the Jeongcheon Alliance then?”

“Originally, I was planning to stop by Muchang first. There’s someone who wants to follow along.”

Even without Ha Mu-baek saying it, he could tell that person was Han Seol-bing.

“But now it seems I won’t have that luxury. I need to adapt to my body.”

“I’ll pass that message along too. Well then, let’s go.”

“Yes, Master.”

And so the two left Dongting Lake and parted ways in different directions.

Wi Ji-gun headed back to Muchang, while Ha Mu-baek headed toward Luoyang.

 

***

 

Around lunchtime on the final day of the Dongtu Festival.

Soon, the final martial duel—the championship—would begin.

Initially planned to take place over two days, the deadline had extended by one day to three due to the numerous participants and their fierce battles.

Even that was now coming to an end.

Since it was lunchtime, Damryong Pavilion was packed with people.

East, west, south, and north—everywhere was full.

All those who had come to watch the Dongtu Festival had flocked here to get their meals.

Han Seol-bing was eating alone at Damryong North Hall amidst all this.

Though it was a dining table that could seat four people, no one joined her.

It was because of the aura she was emanating.

‘He said we’d leave when the Dongtu Festival started. He definitely said that.’

Han Seol-bing was radiating a cold aura while thinking of Ha Mu-baek.

She knew he had left somewhere urgently before the Dongtu Festival began.

But since he had said they would leave when the Dongtu Festival started, she thought he would return by yesterday at the latest.

Yet here it was, another day later, and there was still no word from him.

‘Don’t tell me he went alone?’

That couldn’t be possible.

He had never done such a thing before.

But still, the thought suddenly occurred to her.

It was because Ha Mu-baek’s atmosphere when he mentioned that Sanwol Demon Forest was unusual had been different from usual.

It was an atmosphere she had never seen even during their Hocheon Corps days.

Just as she was beginning to think that perhaps he had left her behind because he felt she couldn’t handle it.

“Huff, huff. So you were here. I see.”

Someone sat down across from Han Seol-bing with their meal.

No one else had dared to approach because of the aura she was radiating.

Yet here was someone bold enough to sit down.

Han Seol-bing looked up.

“Elder…”

She was startled by the person before her.

Wi Ji-gun.

Though he was a laborer who swept at Gyoryong Hall, he was actually the master of Ha Mu-baek and Ha Seol-ran.

And he was the person who had disappeared along with Ha Mu-baek.

He had returned.

“Mu-baek went separately.”

Han Seol-bing’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Well, he originally intended to come here, but something unexpected happened. He asked me to pass along a message. He said to meet him there.”

He didn’t need to specify where “there” was.

Since he had said he was going to meet Gongsun Elder—that is, Strategist Gongsun.

“Th-thank you, Elder.”

Han Seol-bing’s hands became busy after giving that reply.

Having finished all her food in an instant, Han Seol-bing disappeared immediately.

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