Chapter 43
At the Ak Sword Clan (3)
“The Blood Cult Leader left a message?”
Zhuge Hyeon was startled by Sa-ma Iljung’s report.
“Yes. Apparently, the blood scattered there formed characters.”
“What did it say?”
“‘Kill Heaven.’”
“Kill Heaven?”
Since the words had been left at the Alliance Leader’s family estate, they were clearly a warning directed at Ak So-gun.
“It appears to mean that he intends to kill the Alliance Leader.”
Zhuge Hyeon nodded at Sa-ma Iljung’s words.
“Who identified the blood as the product of the Blood Cult Leader’s signature martial art, the Blood Heaven Art?”
“It was included in the Iron Sword Corps Commander’s report. He also stated that the Blood Heaven Art appeared to have reached full mastery.”
“Full mastery?”
Zhuge Hyeon tilted his head.
“Chung Yang figured that out?”
As befitted the commander of the Iron Sword Corps, Chung Yang was a Peak Realm expert.
However, Zhuge Hyeon had never considered him knowledgeable enough in martial theory to identify the exact level attained by the Blood Cult Leader’s signature martial art.
“Did you happen to inform Unit Leader Baek about this incident?”
“Yes.”
Only then did a faint smile appear on Zhuge Hyeon’s face.
I thought so.
The only people capable of accurately judging the Blood Heaven Art’s level were Ak So-gun and Baek So-cheon.
In truth, Hwang Il-bi had been the one to add the detail about the Blood Heaven Art having reached full mastery.
He had predicted that if the report included such a precise assessment, Zhuge Hyeon would immediately realize that Baek So-cheon was the one who had discovered it.
It was not so much that Hwang Il-bi disliked Chung Yang as that he liked Baek So-cheon more.
If Chung Yang later reprimanded him over it, Hwang Il-bi intended to insist that he had merely reported the facts accurately without thinking too deeply about it.
“Do you believe this was a declaration of war from the Blood Cult?”
“We have little choice but to see it that way.”
After all, the message had been left at none other than the Murim Alliance Leader’s family estate.
It also carried a warning that if the Blood Cult Leader truly wished it, he could kill everyone there.
“What if it is true that he has achieved full mastery of the Blood Heaven Art?”
If that was Baek So-cheon’s assessment, then it was almost certainly true.
Zhuge Hyeon’s eyes met those of the strategist standing beside the Murim Rankings.
The man was waiting for his orders.
After a moment of consideration, Zhuge Hyeon nodded and raised two fingers.
The strategist climbed a ladder and revised the rankings.
First Rank: Ak So-gun, Leader of the Murim Alliance.
Second Rank: Meol saeng, Leader of the Blood Cult.
Third Rank: Yeom Hwasin, Leader of the Cheokcheon Alliance.
The Leader of the Cheokcheon Alliance had been pushed down to third place.
For generations, rumors had claimed that anyone who achieved full mastery of the Blood Heaven Art would become an invincible expert.
However, no living person had ever faced such a practitioner.
Apart from records from more than three hundred years ago, no one in recent history who had fully mastered the Blood Heaven Art had fought against the experts of the Central Plains.
Therefore, these rankings might not be entirely accurate.
Ak So-gun had been placed first largely out of courtesy.
For all anyone knew, the fully mastered Blood Heaven Art might be capable of defeating the Murim Alliance Leader.
On the other hand, Yeom Hwasin might tear the legendary art apart and render all the old tales meaningless.
Ultimately, the martial prowess of those three men could be considered nearly equal.
It did not matter who was first, second, or third.
The problem was that two of those three evenly matched men had joined forces.
After revising the rankings, the strategist also changed Baek So-cheon’s entry at the very bottom.
The words ordinary warrior of the Wensheng Branch were erased.
Ranking Assessment Suspended: Baek So-cheon, Commander of the Hyeoncheon Unit, Murim Alliance.
Zhuge Hyeon stared at Baek So-cheon’s name for a long time.
He could only hope that this quiet change at the bottom, still without a numerical ranking, would counterbalance the drastic change at the very top.
***
Rumors that Baek So-cheon had returned and become commander of the newly established Hyeoncheon Unit began spreading discreetly through the leadership of each organization, then to unit leaders, and finally to squad leaders.
There was currently no official gag order, but perhaps because of what had happened in the past, no one spoke carelessly about Baek So-cheon.
No one came to celebrate the Hyeoncheon Unit’s creation.
Nor did anyone dare attempt to establish dominance over them.
Everyone was intensely interested, yet no one visited.
It was an utterly contradictory situation.
There were, of course, exceptions.
No Ung, who had recently become leader of the Third Squad of the Iron Sword Corps’ First Unit, came to visit Baek So-cheon with several other Iron Sword Corps warriors, paying no attention to what anyone else thought.
No Ung was the man who had once threatened to go on a hunger strike when Baek So-cheon was demoted to an ordinary warrior.
The warriors who came with him were also people who had received Baek So-cheon’s help, great or small, during his days in the Iron Sword Corps.
Naturally, far more people owed him favors than this.
But these were the only ones willing to act openly without watching the reactions of others.
They caused a commotion by declaring that they wanted to join the Hyeoncheon Unit immediately before eventually leaving.
Someone who wanted to visit just as badly as No Ung was Ga-in, vice commander of the White Dragon Corps.
The moment she heard that Baek So-cheon had returned, she wanted to be the first to see him.
But in the end, she did not come.
She understood better than anyone that if she failed to keep her distance, she would ultimately be the one who got hurt.
Then, that day, another person visited the Hyeoncheon Unit.
Of all the people in the Murim Alliance, he seemed the least likely to come.
It was Iron Sword Corps Commander Chung Yang.
“May I ask who you are?”
At Beon Saeng’s question, Chung Yang replied,
“I am the commander of the Iron Sword Corps.”
“Yes, sir!”
Beon Saeng’s back snapped straight, and his voice filled with spirit.
“Is Unit Leader Baek here?”
“Yes, sir! He is currently training in the rear practice ground. Please wait in his office, and I will bring him to you.”
“Lead the way.”
“Yes, sir.”
Beon Saeng escorted him to Baek So-cheon’s office on the top floor.
As he walked ahead, his heart pounded.
The leader of the organization he had always dreamed of joining had come in person.
Baek So-cheon had once commanded the Iron Sword Corps as well, but Baek So-cheon had already become something entirely different to Beon Saeng.
The man behind him was the true Iron Sword Corps Commander.
The current commander.
After climbing the stairs and guiding him to Baek So-cheon’s office, Beon Saeng carefully spoke before Chung Yang entered.
“It has always been my dream to join the Iron Sword Corps.”
“Is that so? Then you shouldn’t be staying in a place like this.”
“Pardon?”
“How could you ever rise into the Iron Sword Corps while wasting your time in such a shabby, disreputable place?”
Having said only what he wanted to say, Chung Yang entered the office.
Beon Saeng pouted.
What is wrong with that man?
His admiration for the Iron Sword Corps Commander shattered in an instant.
Still, considering Chung Yang’s hatred toward Baek So-cheon, this was actually a relatively restrained response.
At that moment, Baek So-cheon was training alone in the practice ground.
Today’s training was different from usual.
He was finally about to achieve his first tangible result.
He performed the first through third forms of the Nine Fists That Overturn Heaven with absolute concentration.
Paang! Paaang!
The air burst apart.
It felt as though wind had begun blowing through a place where there had been none.
Patterns formed within that wind, and Baek So-cheon’s punches and kicks flowed through them in every direction.
No matter how great the force behind an enemy’s attack, the exquisite techniques of the Nine Fists That Overturn Heaven would reverse that power and send it back at them.
As the wind subsided, waves surged in its place.
Like a man riding the sea atop a floating log, Baek So-cheon’s figure glided smoothly throughout the training ground.
His footwork was swift and precise.
It was dazzling, yet beautiful.
In this way, sixteen distinct methods of evading an enemy’s attacks were reproduced perfectly.
Just as the waves appeared to calm, a whirlwind rose once more, followed by the violent crash of lightning.
As though declaring that he would no longer merely evade or endure, Baek So-cheon launched a powerful counterattack.
Papapapapang!
Who could possibly believe such power had been produced without internal energy?
The space around Baek So-cheon’s fists and kicks twisted and tore.
In this way, all twenty-nine techniques contained within the first through third forms of the Nine Fists That Overturn Heaven were executed perfectly.
“Whew.”
After completing the sequence, Baek So-cheon steadied his breathing and returned to his stance.
“It’s done!”
Those were the first words of satisfaction he had spoken since beginning to learn the Nine Fists That Overturn Heaven.
He had now completely absorbed the first three forms and made them his own.
The insight gained through his conversations with Goe Yeo in the underground prison had allowed him to complete them more quickly.
The first three forms did not rely on internal energy.
They were performed by exploiting the enemy’s strength and applying the profound principles of the Nine Fists That Overturn Heaven.
Therefore, even if Baek So-cheon possessed internal energy, their effects would remain exactly the same.
The greatest man under heaven was now performing the greatest martial art of all time.
His joy, however, soon turned to concern.
The moment he mastered the third form, he became certain of one thing.
This martial art would not restore his dantian.
He had vaguely believed that learning the greatest martial art of all time might grant him some new enlightenment.
But once he began learning it, he absorbed it naturally before any great revelation could occur.
Both he and the martial art itself were already too complete for him to gain some profound breakthrough from the process.
He had underestimated his own talent for martial arts and the depth of knowledge he had accumulated over the years.
Learning the greatest martial art of all time would certainly help him survive.
However, gaining the enlightenment needed to restore his dantian did not appear likely.
And now, even Meol saeng had emerged after fully mastering the Blood Heaven Art....
Baek So-cheon pulled open the front of his robe and looked down at his dantian.
An ugly scar remained there, as though something had been violently torn away.
He missed it too.
He missed the days when he had possessed such overwhelming internal energy that he could fight dozens of opponents in succession without his breathing becoming the slightest bit rough.
He was only human.
How could he not long for those days?
Do I really have to try that method after all?
Baek So-cheon’s gaze deepened.
He had always worked within the boundaries of reason.
Yet he could feel that the time was approaching when he would have to embark upon one truly insane gamble.
At that moment, Beon Saeng hurried into the training ground and reported,
“The Iron Sword Corps Commander has arrived.”
***
Chung Yang sat waiting in Baek So-cheon’s office.
The desk, chairs, and cabinets were all old and worn.
It felt more like the room of an ordinary subordinate than a commander’s office.
It differed greatly from Chung Yang’s own lavishly decorated office.
Hmph. Pretending to be frugal.
Had the room been luxurious, Chung Yang would have thought, He’s already wasting money?
Had it been moderately decorated, he would have thought, What a bland, unoriginal bastard.
At that moment, the door opened and Baek So-cheon entered.
“Welcome.”
Baek So-cheon greeted him cheerfully, causing Chung Yang to feel strangely unsettled.
Hmph. Keep pretending all you like. I’m not falling for it.
Chung Yang forced an awkward smile and sat down.
“Would you like some tea?”
“No.”
“I’ll have a cup. I worked up a sweat, and I’m thirsty.”
Baek So-cheon instructed Beon Saeng to bring him some cold tea.
Looking at Baek So-cheon’s sweat-soaked martial robes, Chung Yang asked,
“You still train in martial arts?”
The unspoken words were obvious.
Even in your condition?
Despite the crooked tone of the question, Baek So-cheon answered with complete seriousness.
“I haven’t missed a single day. I train extremely hard.”
“I didn’t ask whether you trained hard.”
“Commander Chung.”
“What?”
“Do you train?”
Chung Yang flinched.
He could not remember the last time he had properly trained.
After reaching the Peak Realm, he had stopped making any further progress.
No matter how hard he worked, nothing changed.
That had been four or five years ago.
Around then, he had realized that this was probably the extent of his talent and gradually began neglecting his training.
The war had also left him little time to practice.
Baek So-cheon suddenly said,
“Keep training.”
“Is this the cat worrying about the mouse?”
“No. It’s the mouse worrying about the cat. I want you to hunt properly.”
Chung Yang glared at him.
Throughout his life, he had met countless martial artists.
He prided himself on understanding how to handle people and believed he possessed considerable political skill.
Yet Baek So-cheon was exceptionally difficult to deal with.
For one thing, Chung Yang could never determine exactly what kind of person he was.
At times, Baek So-cheon seemed prickly and foul-tempered.
At others, he was unexpectedly sincere and considerate toward those around him.
“What exactly are you?”
“Let’s save that answer for another time. I’ll tell you once I figure it out myself.”
“Always with the clever remarks.”
Baek So-cheon changed the subject and got to the point.
“What brings you here?”
“There is the matter of the Blood Cult, and the atmosphere around the Cheokcheon Alliance has become unsettling. So I intend to put the corps through special mechanism training. You know what that is.”
“Of course.”
Among the Murim Alliance’s training methods was a course that utilized intricate mechanisms and traps.
“What would you say to serving as a guest instructor for one day?”
Baek So-cheon gave a faint laugh.
The scheme was obvious.
Chung Yang wanted Baek So-cheon, who no longer possessed internal energy, to humiliate himself while acting as an instructor.
Training in the Iron Sword Corps was unimaginably grueling.
The special mechanism course in particular was not merely difficult—it was exceedingly dangerous.
“Why are you laughing?”
“I’m laughing because I’m grateful that you remembered to include me.”
“What is there to be grateful for? We may not get along, but the Iron Sword Corps is still an organization you once commanded. Everyone will be pleased if you come.”
“Very well. I’ll do it.”
Baek So-cheon accepted without hesitation.
“You will?”
Chung Yang had prepared numerous arguments in case Baek So-cheon refused.
He had planned everything from gentle persuasion to provoking Baek So-cheon’s pride.
Yet Baek So-cheon had accepted after the very first invitation.
“When is the training?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Good.”
“Then I leave it to you.”
Chung Yang felt pleased, yet also uneasy.
He isn’t the kind of man who agrees this easily.
After Chung Yang left, Beon Saeng entered the office.
“He didn’t even bring a potted plant! What did that man come here for?”
“Measles.”
“Pardon?”
Baek So-cheon gave a faint smile at the bewildered Beon Saeng.
“A case of measles I would have had to suffer through sooner or later just paid me a visit.”