WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME NOVELS

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Former Supreme ◈

Chapter 47: When Recruitment Ends, the Adventure (2)

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The next day, ten martial artists were assigned from the Secret Pavilion.

Some had originally belonged to the Secret Pavilion, while others had been recruited from outside by the Murim Alliance Leader and On Byeokhwa.

Baek Socheon gathered them at the training ground with the Iron Sword Corps martial artists who had arrived the day before.

He asked the Secret Pavilion martial artists, "Did any of you volunteer to come?"

Three of the ten raised their hands. All three had followed him loyally when he had been the Secret Pavilion Master. Though they had been assigned here in name, volunteering for the Sage Heaven Corps in the current circumstances could not have been an easy decision.

"Thank you."

The other seven had been sent here under the Secret Pavilion Master's orders.

"I'll send you back once the mission is complete, so don't worry."

One of them stepped forward.

"I'm Wang Ho."

He had been recruited from outside. With his muscular frame and fierce features, he looked like a tiger, true to his name.

"I don't serve anyone weaker than me as my leader. That's been my principle all my life."

"Is that so?"

"May I test the Unit Commander's skills?"

"Fine."

Baek Socheon readily agreed, then added, "But let me tell you one thing first."

He addressed everyone standing behind him.

"You've all lived by the blade long enough to know this. A leader has to establish authority at the start. If someone sets the stage for me like this, I'm only grateful."

Of course, this was a somewhat unusual case. Most of them had come because they respected Baek Socheon, so there was no real need for him to establish his authority. It was the remaining few he needed to cow.

"Wang Ho. I respect your principle, but I intend to make an example of you."

Wang Ho's expression stiffened.

"After sparring with me, you won't be able to move around properly for about a month. Will you take charge of the Sage Heaven Corps' training during that time?"

"What?"

Wang Ho looked dumbfounded.

In other words, Baek Socheon was saying Wang Ho would be beaten badly enough that he could not carry out his usual duties, so he should oversee the training instead. It was an offer he had never expected.

"Will you still do it? You can withdraw your challenge now. Everyone here will understand both your feelings and mine."

"No, I'll do it. Since the Unit Commander has said that much, I have something to say as well."

"What is it?"

"I won't go easy on you either. I mean to fight as though this were a real battle from the very first move."

"Of course you should. A man's word?"

"Is worth a thousand pieces of gold."

"Good."

The observers formed a wide circle, and the two men stood at its center.

Everyone watched with eager interest.

The Secret Pavilion martial artists knew how strong Wang Ho was. He was a master who had reached the peak, and he never hesitated when he struck. Rumors had also spread that Baek Socheon had cleared Supreme-level mechanism training without internal energy.

Clang.

Wang Ho drew his sword.

Baek Socheon stood more than ten paces away, his arms hanging loosely at his sides as he watched Wang Ho. He appeared relaxed, but every bit of his focus was fixed on his opponent. Wang Ho's skill was clear from the way he drew his sword alone.

Baek Socheon considered all of this an ordeal he had to go through at least once.

It had been the same with Choong Yang, and this challenge was no different.

This was likely the price he had to pay for wandering for the past three years.

He had to fill that gap. If he merely covered it up without addressing it properly, it would become a pit that would one day cave in beneath him.

Wang Ho flashed forward and closed the distance.

He was incredibly fast.

Baek Socheon used his movement technique to evade the attack. The second fist's defensive form from the Heaven-Turning Nine Fists, Calm Sea Without Waves, unfolded. Baek Socheon's body spun aside, and Wang Ho's sword swept past his chest.

The experienced Wang Ho felt his attack miss and twisted his sword. It was an exquisite shift in attack that only a peak master could manage.

Swish!

The attack was as swift and threatening as its sound. It was a vicious strike that made relying on physical ability alone to evade it a gamble. This was the power of a fully matured peak master.

Baek Socheon was not simply taking the attacks. This time, he used the second fist's form, Wind Blows Below. His body tilted as he swiftly retreated from the attack.

The sword cut through empty air.

When his attack missed again, Wang Ho grew impatient. For a brief moment, doubt clouded his mind. How could someone without internal energy avoid that decisive strike?

'He's deceiving everyone by claiming he has no internal energy!'

Swish!

Wang Ho's sword once again flew toward Baek Socheon's chest.

Yet Wang Ho immediately changed direction and pulled his sword back. He had noticed Baek Socheon closing in to seize his wrist.

But that move had been intentional.

The moment Wang Ho moved to protect his sword, an opening appeared. Baek Socheon's knee slammed into his side. The third fist's form, Long Wind Breaking Waves, unfolded. Originally, it was a move that created an opening before attacking with the shoulder or elbow, but Baek Socheon had adapted it for real combat and used his knee instead.

Thud.

Wang Ho staggered backward at the heavy impact.

He swung his sword to stop Baek Socheon from approaching, but in the end, there was no need.

Baek Socheon remained where he stood.

Wang Ho understood why his opponent had not pressed forward with a follow-up attack.

"Urgh."

A short cry escaped him. His rib had cracked from the earlier blow. He clutched beneath his chest and groaned in pain.

He had been about to endure the pain and charge in anyway when his eyes met Baek Socheon's. From the indifferent way Baek Socheon looked at him, Wang Ho understood. Had Baek Socheon not held back, several of his ribs would have broken. He had truly been given an injury that would heal completely after about a month of treatment.

"I lost."

Everyone was startled. In fewer than five or six exchanges, Baek Socheon had subdued Wang Ho, one of the Secret Pavilion's best.

In truth, Baek Socheon had ended the match as quickly as possible not because the difference in their abilities was overwhelming. Rather, he knew the longer the exchange went on, the more disadvantaged he would become, so he had settled the matter quickly.

Judging coldly, before learning the Heaven-Turning Nine Fists, facing Wang Ho barehanded would never have been easy. He would have needed to fight a desperate battle with his life on the line, and victory would not have been guaranteed.

"Do you admit defeat?"

"I do. I will keep my promise as well."

His tone had become respectful as he bowed his head.

"Until I return to the Secret Pavilion, I will serve you with complete loyalty."

The technique Baek Socheon had shown moments ago was truly astonishing. It was a clean move that would have been difficult to block even if one knew it was coming.

He had also realized the moment he was struck that it had not been an attack imbued with internal energy, but a purely physical blow. That made him admire Baek Socheon all the more. Anyone who had worked hard enough to defeat him without internal energy was worthy of respect as a martial artist, regardless of rank.

"Go receive treatment first."

"Yes."

Wang Ho bowed. His insistence on serving only those stronger than himself had not been an empty provocation. It was truly his principle.

Baek Socheon spoke to the others.

"For the time being, you will train under Wang Ho's command. There will be many times ahead when you'll have to risk your lives. Don't leave yourselves with the regret of wishing you had trained harder when death is upon you. Understood?"

"Yes!"

Everyone answered loudly. They were beginning to see traces of the old Baek Socheon.

With two demonstrations and two sparring matches, the Sage Heaven Corps, made up of members of the Iron Sword Corps and Secret Pavilion, was formed. There were twenty-five people in total.

* * *

Baek Socheon had shut himself inside the Ten Thousand Books Repository from early in the morning.

The Ten Thousand Books Repository.

It was said that every book in the world had been gathered there. They said that if a book could not be found there, it did not exist anywhere in the world. That was why the Ten Thousand Books Repository carried the proud title of the Central Plains' greatest library.

The first library was open to any Murim Alliance martial artist. Hundreds of shelves filled its vast interior, packed with books of every kind.

Naturally, there were martial arts manuals as well. Of course, it did not contain every manual. The manuals in the first library ranged from beginner to intermediate level. Martial artists could not borrow them. If they needed anything, they had to memorize it there before leaving. Many martial artists sat reading manuals as though preparing for an examination.

The next library was open to Unit Commanders. It contained higher-level manuals than the previous library, including advanced manuals.

The library after that was accessible to Corps Commanders, while the final library was reserved for Pavilion Masters. It did not hold many books, but the manuals and texts stored there were correspondingly rare and high-level.

Baek Socheon was reading a manual there.

Ever since recovering, he had consistently studied the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method, the greatest internal cultivation manual of all time. But since he could not circulate his internal energy, there was a limit to his progress no matter how often he read it.

The next manual he had memorized was the Heaven-Turning Nine Fists. He had mastered the first three of its nine fists with certainty.

The manual Baek Socheon was currently reading was one he had never paid attention to before. He had seen it on the shelf several times, but had never once taken it out.

Then someone interrupted his complete immersion in reading.

"We meet here."

The unexpected person who greeted him was On Byeokhwa, the Secret Pavilion Master.

"Unit Commander Baek doesn't suit a library."

"You mean I look stupid?"

"Ha ha, not at all. I only mean that a sword suits you better than books, Unit Commander Baek."

"Thank you for sending your subordinates."

"Don't mention it. It's all for the martial world anyway. I heard rumors that you earned Wang Ho's loyalty on your first day?"

"Martial Artist Wang went easy on me."

"Not that Unit Commander Baek went easy on him?"

Baek Socheon did not know much about her. He knew of her exploits through rumors, but he did not know what kind of person she was. If the Alliance Leader had personally brought her in, they must have been very close. Had the Alliance Leader told her about him?

On Byeokhwa broke the silence and changed the subject.

"May I ask what book you're reading?"

"Of course."

Baek Socheon readily showed her the manual.

Complete Transformation Method.

On Byeokhwa was startled when she saw the title. She had never imagined the book Baek Socheon was reading would concern complete transformation.

"Why are you so surprised?"

"I didn't expect you to be reading such an absurd book. Ah, calling it absurd was rude of me."

"Not at all."

There were only a few records of anyone achieving complete transformation in the history of the martial world. Even those were mostly cases where it was unclear whether they had truly happened. That was why many people in the martial world dismissed complete transformation as a fanciful tale.

"My circumstances are what they are. I have to grasp even at something as uncertain as this."

On Byeokhwa smiled and asked, "So, did it help?"

"No. This book alone is no help at all."

Her gaze fell on another book placed beside Baek Socheon.

Compendium of the Martial World's Ten Great Soul-Seizing Arts.

"I didn't know you were interested in Soul-Seizing Art as well."

"There's something I need to look into. What brings you here, Pavilion Master?"

"I have something to look up as well. Then I'll see you later."

She went deeper inside.

Baek Socheon continued reading. When On Byeokhwa returned to leave later, she passed by quietly. Baek Socheon had become completely absorbed in the book.

Several hours later, Baek Socheon closed the final page.

Beneath the title Complete Transformation Method was the author's name.

Ban Yunsaeng.

He was the man Baek Socheon had heard Gwoe Yeo speak of in the martial prison.

* * *

Baek Socheon assigned separate duties to Im Chung and Beon Saeng.

"From now on, Im Chung will manage the information coming from the Sage Heaven Pavilion, report it to me, and organize it. I also want you to handle all administrative work for the Sage Heaven Corps."

"In short, I'll be the Sage Heaven Corps' administrator."

"Someone has to do it, and I think you're the right person for it."

"Yes, understood."

In some ways, this was the most important task. That was why it had to be entrusted to someone he trusted most.

Fortunately, Im Chung's work as Branch Chief had also been administrative. Managing the Sage Heaven Corps' administration suited him perfectly.

"Beon Saeng, assist Im Chung while working hard to improve your skills. Join the Sage Heaven Corps as soon as possible."

With Beon Saeng's exceptional talent for martial arts, he would be able to join them in the field before long.

"The martial world and the Murim Alliance are full of people skilled in martial arts. I don't need capable people. I need people I can trust. People who will never lie to me no matter the situation, people who will believe in me no matter what. I want you two to become those people."

The two men could tell that Baek Socheon was not saying it merely to please them.

He truly wanted people he could trust. Even with so many masters around him, he was searching for people he could trust.

"Elder Brother. Thinking back, it was presumptuous of us, but we formed a brotherly bond with you nevertheless. Even if I die, I will never betray you."

"I feel the same."

Baek Socheon had saved Im Chung's wife and son. Im Chung had already considered his life to belong to Baek Socheon.

"Good. Thank you."

Baek Socheon patted each of them on the shoulder.

"Also, take this training plan to Wang Ho."

It was a training plan Baek Socheon had written. It detailed what training should be given each day and how it should be conducted.

"I'll be away for a while. Take good care of the Sage Heaven Corps in the meantime."

"Where are you going?"

Baek Socheon gave no answer to Im Chung's question.

That night, carrying the answer he had not given earlier in his heart, Baek Socheon quietly left the Alliance.

'I am going to test my luck.'

His destination was the Qilian Mountains, where Ban Yunsaeng was said to be living in seclusion.

Footnotes:

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