WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 217: An Unwanted Invitation (6)

──────

The Invitation of Distinguished Figures event began.

For roughly a week, the Academy students attended profound lectures on martial arts and life from the distinguished figures they had invited. They asked questions about martial theory and received answers.

This event drew even greater anticipation because Moyong Gang, the Wind-Splitting Sword and a renowned supreme master, was attending.

The Academy's mood had already sunk after what happened in Sichuan, so everyone was encouraged by this long-awaited burst of energy.

The Orthodox Society and White Path Society had also collapsed, meaning the Academy students no longer needed to watch their reactions.

With so many members of the Orthodox Society and White Path Society participating, the atmosphere grew even more heated.

The name Wind-Splitting Sword was simply too weighty for the Academy students of those two societies to skip the event out of pride.

Thus, countless Academy students took part in the event, save for a few exceptions, and everyone seemed highly satisfied with it...

At least, it certainly looked that way...

"That's just what you think, Young Master Jin."

"......Huh?"

Seong Moran spoke with a disgruntled expression, one cheek swollen as though someone had struck her.

"Do you know the Academy Medical Hall is bursting with people right now?"

"......Lessons are supposed to hurt."

Seong Moran trembled at my calm reply, which sounded exactly like Ilgak's usual attitude.

"That doesn't mean people's bones should actually break!"

There had been one small problem.

Moyong Gang's teaching method.

When someone suggested splitting the lectures across several days because there were so many attendees, Moyong Gang told them to gather everyone at the grand training ground.

Then he said,

[I can't ramble on like some hooked-nose Daoist or bald monk.]

[A martial artist learns more from facing death once than from hearing about enlightenment a hundred times.]

[So I'll help you feel more.]

[Those who want to be hit first, come forward.]

[No one? Then I'll come to you.]

...After spouting such nonsense, he leaped into the crowd of Academy students.

At first, the Academy students were so bewildered by Moyong Gang's actions that they didn't know what to do.

But...

Even those who had hesitated because they couldn't bring themselves to strike a supreme master like Moyong Gang began charging at him with crazed eyes once they had bloody noses.

...The training ground became a complete mess in an instant.

The disciples of various sects, their competitive spirit roused, used their ultimate moves and even attacked together. Yet it was always the Academy students whose blood spilled and whose screams rang out.

[Tsk. What do you think the White Path's greatest weapon is?]

[What? Righteous spirit? What are you talking about!]

[Hah, righteousness? Do you know what a bastard your sect leader was in his youth?]

[You idiots! The White Path's greatest weapon is numbers! Neither the Black Path nor heretical martial artists can defeat the White Path in numbers, which is why the Martial Alliance rules the martial world! Do you understand now?]

Under Moyong Gang's teachings(?), the Academy students began working together to form a sword formation.

Yet Moyong Gang waited until the sword formation was complete before smashing it apart in a single strike, leaving the Academy students unable to come to their senses.

[Did you think I meant you should just huddle together because I told you to fight with numbers? What the hell have you all been learning?]

[A coordinated formation means matching each other's movements. If you're all intoxicated by your own greatness and cannot coordinate your strength with one another within the formation, there's no reason to form one in the first place!]

[You don't understand? Don't worry! Once you've been beaten senseless enough, you'll even understand Confucius's words.]

As the assault disguised as a lecture(?) continued, the fed-up Academy students began dropping out one by one.

Moyong Gang, who had somehow remembered every single one of their faces, raided their dormitories, dragged them all out, and bestowed his lessons(?) upon them again.

It was truly tearful devotion.

"......But why didn't you participate in the event, Young Master Jin?"

Namgung Seonhwa, whose eye was badly swollen, glared at me.

She looked like she was in real pain.

"Representatives don't really need to attend, do they?"

"......Did you expect the lectures to go like this?"

Namgung Seonhwa looked at me with eyes full of betrayal, as though her parents had abandoned her.

Unable to meet her gaze, I spoke as casually as I could.

"Of course not... I didn't apply because my body was already exhausted from being beaten so much by the elder."

I pointed to the eye that had been bruised, but the suspicious look in her eyes didn't disappear.

"There's barely even a trace left!"

Tsk, the medicine Sama Jeong prescribed was too effective. That was the problem.

There were complaints from my companions as well, but most of them stayed through the entire event.

It was almost moving to watch them drag their bruised, aching bodies to Moyong Gang every day.

Because they had the highest participation rate, they also received the most instruction.

Geumpyo and Dongryong, in particular, even set aside time for private lessons(?).

"Huh, how interesting. One of you was born with Heavenly Yang Divine Bones, and the other carries the Heavenly Killing Star."

I already knew about Dongryong's Heavenly Killing Star, but this was the first time I had heard of Geumpyo's Heavenly Yang Divine Bones.

"Mm... It's understandable that you wouldn't know. It isn't a particularly well-known constitution."

"Is it a good thing?"

"If you learn decent external martial arts, it will take more than ordinary circumstances to break your bones or damage your skin. You're born with a constitution as sturdy as a rock."

I had thought Geumpyo endured pain and blows so well because they had great patience, but their body itself was tough.

Did that mean Geumpyo was now destined to stand at the very front of every battle?

A bleak future for Geumpyo came to mind.

Dongryong looked at Moyong Gang with watery eyes.

"E-elder, I'm a little worried. I don't know when I'll lose control again."

When Dongryong asked about the anxiety he had been carrying alone, Moyong Gang answered as though it were nothing.

"You don't need to worry. Training will be enough to control it. As it happens, you two can undergo the same training."

"The same training?"

Moyong Gang nodded firmly.

"Get beaten often. Heavenly Yang Divine Bones will make your skin and bones tougher, while the Heavenly Killing Star will increase your endurance."

"......"

"......"

The Academy students who had initially been jealous that only Geumpyo and Dongryong received advice changed their minds after watching the two of them get beaten from head to toe without a single spot spared.

They decided they never wanted private lessons.

The seven days of lectures everyone had eagerly awaited finally ended.

The Academy students rushed to flee to their dormitories or outside the Academy the moment the lectures ended. The Academy Medical Hall was still overflowing with patients, making Sama Jeong suffer.

Naturally, it had nothing to do with me.

* * *

"You worked hard."

When I clasped my hands in salute, Moyong Gang's eyebrow twitched.

"The Academy Representative bastard didn't come by even once during those seven days."

I tilted my head with an innocent expression.

"Didn't I already receive plenty from you?"

"......Even so, I want to teach you."

Crack.

Crack.

Moyong Gang loosened up, cracking his hands and neck.

...Could that really be called the appearance of someone who wanted to teach?

"Then teach me that."

"Teach you what?"

I wildly waved both hands through the air.

"You know, that thing. When the space around you became all distorted like this."

"Void-Destroying Fist?"

"Yes!"

Moyong Gang let out a furious roar.

"You little bastard! That is the enlightenment of my entire life!"

"You still owe me compensation, don't you?"

"What? Didn't I already lecture you? I am Moyong Gang! Do you think I'd ever demonstrate martial arts before trash like this?"

I let out a hollow laugh as Moyong Gang raged.

"Didn't I find the Moyong Clan's justice for you? Is the justice I found really so insignificant?"

"......"

"Besides, even if it is the enlightenment of your life, it is enlightenment from the position of the Wind-Splitting Sword. Now that you possess the eyes of Heaven-Breaking, you should be pursuing something higher."

As I spoke nothing but the truth, Moyong Gang, who had the temperament of a thug, trembled with frustration.

"You. That move you showed then was clearly a sword form of the Sword Demon, wasn't it?"

"......I won't answer that."

"Hmph! I can tell just from your face. I don't know how you learned it, but with the Taeul Sword Emperor's martial scripture and the Sword Demon's sword forms alone, you'll have few rivals among those your age."

Moyong Gang's eyes had grown calm at some point.

"......Then why are you so obsessed with martial arts?"

After a brief silence, I answered him.

"Because it isn't enough."

"It isn't enough?"

Confusion appeared on Moyong Gang's face.

The endless numbers of demonic beings.

Demonic monsters that would not break no matter how much I struck them.

Dark arts that threw the mind into chaos, and demonic arts that defied the natural order.

The future in my memories was hell.

And even I, as I was now, was not enough to endure that hell.

I looked Moyong Gang directly in the eye.

"I mean I'm not strong enough to protect those I want to protect."

Moyong Gang rubbed his chin for a moment, lost in thought.

"Hmm, is that all?"

"......What do you mean?"

His gaze flashed sharply.

"I'm asking whether you want to rule, not protect."

I shook my head.

"I have no desire for power."

"Then what you have now is enough."

I shook my head again.

"There are too many people I need to protect."

"......You madman. Are you saying you intend to protect everyone under heaven?"

I didn't react to that. I already knew it was impossible from the start.

Moyong Gang clicked his tongue at my silence.

"You dare covet my enlightenment, yet you won't even properly explain yourself."

But then...

The corner of Moyong Gang's lips began to twist strangely.

"As expected, you're perfectly suited to our Moyong Clan."

"......"

What was that smile? Why did he look happy? That was terrifying.

Without losing the smile on his lips, Moyong Gang asked me, "Why does a martial artist learn an internal cultivation method?"

Why was he suddenly saying this when I was so pressed for time?

My ear suddenly itched, so I picked at it with my little finger as I spoke.

"......Forget the theory. Please tell me the mnemonic formula and how to circulate qi."

"You rude bastard!"

Smack!

The back of my head burned, and my brain rattled.

"W-when did you...?"

Last time, I thought I hadn't sensed it because he was far away. But even this close, I hadn't felt any circulation of qi from his body.

I wanted it. I wanted it so badly...!

I hurriedly asked, "Is it perhaps Heart Sword?"

"Heaaart Sword? You must have read too many novels. Do you think it would become this tangible..."

I quickly cut him off and clasped my hands in salute.

"A martial artist learns an internal cultivation method to gather energy within the body and use it freely."

Perhaps satisfied with my answer, Moyong Gang's eyes softened.

"......Do you finally intend to listen properly?"

"I've been learning diligently from the beginning."

This was an even greater martial art than I had imagined.

To use energy without giving off the slightest trace.

There were endless ways it could be used.

Moyong Gang rubbed his chin and spoke.

"Then answer me this. What is the difference between the energy within you and the energy spread throughout the world?"

"Internal cultivation methods refine it, for one thing, and each method has different characteristics, don't they?"

"Then is the energy stored inside fundamentally different from the energy of the world?"

At Moyong Gang's words, a part of my mind began to itch.

"No internal cultivation method can erase the fundamental nature of the natural world's energy. Even those who use Heaven-Defying martial arts cannot erase nature's energy."

It felt stifling, as though I only needed one clue to release the answer, like a sneeze building after something tickled my nose.

"Then why must a martial artist only use the energy originally contained in their dantian?"

It was a theory that denied the very foundation of martial arts.

Yet I couldn't say he was wrong.

It was also one of nature's principles.

"Martial arts seek to resemble the Way of nature, yet they do not seek to become one with it. Must the Way of martial arts and the Way of nature truly remain separate?"

As his profound words continued, the frustration became more unbearable.

My heart pounded wildly, and my breathing grew rough.

"The attempt to unite the Way of martial arts and the Way of nature. That is Void-Destroying Fist."

It was a principle that only someone whose rebellious nature had seeped into their bones, someone who denied even the foundations, could realize.

Only Moyong Gang could have conceived such a concept.

I felt a thirst as though my throat were burning dry.

"T-then what is the mnemonic formula? How do I circulate qi? Does it consume a huge amount of internal energy?"

Like a beggar trying to fill his hungry stomach, I fired questions at him in a rush.

Moyong Gang looked at me and gave a twisted smile.

"The lesson ends here."

When I looked flustered, Moyong Gang grinned.

"If you want to learn more, become a member of the Moyong Clan."

"......"

No, he was stopping here?

Was he some kind of punk?

#

Moyong Gang had arrived like a storm, true to his epithet, and he left just as loudly.

'He insulted the Alliance Leader right in the heart of the Martial Alliance...'

Whether someone was an Alliance member or an outsider, that would have been enough to get them dragged to the Enforcement Hall and brutally tortured. But neither the Enforcement Hall nor the Inspectorate had anyone capable of arresting Moyong Gang.

Moyong Gang returned to the Moyong Clan.

With the Invitation of Distinguished Figures event ending smoothly, the Academy representative corps also grew.

Serving in the Academy representative corps would be good for leaving even a slightly better record in the Academy's student files.

Thanks to that, those who had already been working in the Academy representative corps could divide up the work and finally catch their breath.

And I had even less to do.

My days were peaceful. I reported to the Academy Representative's office, sat in a fine chair, and drank Seven-Colored Flower Tea.

An unexpected period of rest had come my way.

"But now you need to start reporting to the Mantong Office."

I immediately frowned at Eunho's words, which ruined the mood.

"Do you break out in hives whenever you see your Eldest Senior Brother resting?"

Eunho replied with an extremely calm expression.

"Of course not. I simply hope you will report to the Mantong Office soon and do great work, for the sake of the other junior disciples."

Huh. Look at this brat.

"......Come to think of it, you must have been the one who wrote the letter instead of Jaehwa, right?"

"Of course not. I only wrote what Jaehwa told me to. Jaehwa said their writing was so poor that it would only anger Grandfather."

"......"

Eunho gave me an ambiguous look, one I couldn't tell was a glare or merely a stare.

"And you shouldn't have made Jaehwa your scapegoat in the first place."

...Since I was guilty, I couldn't bring myself to press Eunho any further.

Somehow, Jaehwa, who used to cling to me like a puppy every day, seemed to have been gradually avoiding me since that day.

Eunho smugly drove in the final nail.

"Just hurry and report to the Mantong Office. They keep complaining that there aren't enough documents because of you, Eldest Senior Brother."

Even without Eunho urging me, I did need to report to the Mantong Office.

It wasn't enough that Maeng Juwon sent me messages several times a day. Maeng Juwon also visited my dormitory once a week.

'Ugh, what a tiresome person.'

I had been considering working at the Mantong Office anyway.

I needed to compare the events that had changed from my previous life because of me with the past. I also had to anticipate how those events would affect the future.

'Besides, there are those people too.'

Those damned members of the Elder Council.

They wouldn't easily leave budget-related work to me, but I could still make the Elder Council suffer by handling documents meticulously. Hehe.

There were already tens of thousands of future documents stored in the library of my mind, so I wouldn't need to suffer through learning the work separately.

My short-term goal was to show that I had completed the handover as quickly as possible, then reduce my visits to once a week.

That way, I could rest from the Academy representative corps and on weekends while making time for martial arts training.

Once I had finished organizing my thoughts, I entered the Mantong Office, where Maeng Juwon and Jegal Somyeong greeted me.

"Welcome home! Welcome!"

This had never been my home to begin with, yet Maeng Juwon looked unable to contain their joy.

"Have you been well?"

When I greeted Jegal Somyeong, they furrowed their brow deeply.

"Do you think I could have been at ease?"

Because of what I had done, my head lowered of its own accord.

"As you are advancing in years, I beg you to preserve your august person."

"Nine-tenths of my worries are because of you."

There was nothing for me to gain by continuing this conversation.

I quickly changed the subject.

"What work should I begin with? Please entrust me with anything."

Maeng Juwon was about to drag me away when...

"Leave him alone for a moment. There is something I need to assign him first."

"Yes?"

"......"

For some reason, Maeng Juwon looked even more surprised than I did.

Ignoring Maeng Juwon's expression, Jegal Somyeong handed me a document.

It was a long document rolled into a scroll.

I quickly read it, then tilted my head.

"You want me to help establish an alliance with the Black Alliance?"

When I briefly summarized it, Jegal Somyeong nodded.

But I still had a question.

"Are you sending an envoy delegation?"

The first character was sa, meaning thought, so it did not seem to be a Black Path sect.

'Could this also be a sect newly formed because of me?'

No matter how thoroughly I searched the library in my mind, there was no sect called the Black Alliance.

"I have never heard of a sect called the Black Alliance."

"You couldn't have. It was just created."

That made it even stranger.

If it had only just been formed, why would the Martial Alliance need to establish an alliance with it?

As I tilted my head, Jegal Somyeong added an explanation.

"You know it well. It is the new name of the Black Path Alliance established around the Lord of the Four Emperors Association, whom you are close to."

"No way..."

"Go attend the Black Alliance's founding ceremony."

"......Huh??????"

Jegal Somyeong calmly drank their tea.

Anyone watching would think they had told me to go to the neighborhood market and buy a block of tofu.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried