The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything - Chapter 374

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 374: The Swirling Current (6)

──────

Shaanxi Province, Xianyang

Ominous sounds rang out through Chang'an as night fell.

Thud.

“Urgh!”

A man collapsed with a pained scream.

He was clearly on the verge of death, but his companion could not rush to help. A dangerous opponent stood before him, one he could not easily escape.

Clang! Clang!

As he blocked the threatening blade, he shouted to warn his fellow disciples.

“Enemies! Stop them!”

No one came.

Or perhaps those who had been on their way had encountered other enemies and could not reach him.

Unable to defeat the enemy or retreat, the man began drawing out every last bit of strength he had.

When he unleashed the tenth level of the Azure Dragon Wandering Sea Fist, his opponent's sword path began to unravel.

“You bastard!”

His sleeves swelled as though they would burst, driving his opponent back.

The enemy who had initially been difficult to face was now retreating. Gong Wonso, the leader of the Yuryong Fist Sect, did not let that momentum slip away and pressed the opponent without pause.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Every punch sent blasts of fist wind exploding from his gauntlets, shredding the enemy's clothes.

The enemy tried to force a sword into an opening, but Gong Wonso blocked the blade and counterattacked at the same time.

Boom! Boom!

The intricate principles of the Azure Dragon Wandering Sea Fist, which could attack and defend at once, shone in moments like this.

Sent flying backward in an instant, the enemy rolled twice across the ground and spat out blood.

Spit.

“Who are you?”

“...”

Black martial attire. Not a single answer.

The moment Gong Wonso saw them, he thought of the people his daughter had described in her letter.

Those bastards who had tried to kill his daughter in Mukrim.

Yet the enemies before him were different from the ones described in that letter.

His daughter had said they were unfeeling, as though no life existed within them. But the eyes visible through the gaps in their masks sometimes showed panic, and they could not hide their surprise when attacked.

It did not matter what they were now.

Whether they were those enemies or not, no one could forgive them for climbing over the walls of the Yuryong Fist Sect in the dead of night.

Boom! Boom!

His fist strikes exploded, tangling the enemy's limbs further.

The opponent's earlier momentum had vanished. Now, even their sword hesitated.

Gong Wonso unleashed a final killing move, intending to deal with this enemy quickly and help his disciples.

But then...

Slice.

The arm that had been unleashing fist qi was suddenly gone, blood pouring from his shoulder.

“!!!”

A scream burst from Gong Wonso at the worst pain he had ever felt.

“Urgh!”

He hurriedly pressed his acupoints, but bleeding from a severed arm would not stop so easily.

“Gasp, gasp, gasp.”

For a moment, he was stunned. Then Gong Wonso realized he was still in battle and hastily stepped back twice.

Yet the attack did not continue.

It should have been the perfect chance. He had panicked and exposed an opening.

But...

‘Why...?’

Though it had happened without warning, his opponent did not seem to intend to seize the opportunity.

Then Gong Wonso suddenly realized that the swordsmanship used by his attacker was far too familiar.

At that moment...

“Are you wondering why I didn't attack?”

────!

Gong Wonso was so startled by the sudden voice that he could not even scream.

The enemy removed his mask with a cruel smile, and Gong Wonso's face went pale.

“...Seon Jachun, why are you here?!”

It was a face he never could have imagined.

They had studied together as lay disciples of the Mount Zhongnan Sect. In their youth, they had moved through the martial world together under Seon Jachun's epithet, Ghost-Shadow Sword Fist. In middle age, they had each established martial sects nearby and helped one another.

Even when Gong Wonso first realized they were under attack, his first thought had been how to notify Seon Jachun.

As if betraying that trust, Seon Jachun sneered.

“I find this regrettable, my friend.”

“...You call that something to say?!”

“What else could I do? I was beginning to feel the limits of expansion, and Mount Zhongnan has been considering which sect to support as well.”

“Even so...!”

The Black Alliance had been establishing itself in neighboring Shanxi Province, and the Black Path's influence had begun to grow.

The tribute money they once received had been cut in half. Gong Wonso had also felt threatened by his rivals' excessive expansion and wondered if he needed to swallow someone up.

Still, he had never considered attacking a friend with whom he had shared more than thirty years.

“Think of it the other way around. Aren't we the ones who know each other's strengths and weaknesses best? You were my greatest weakness, and I must have been yours.”

“Hah...”

A hollow laugh escaped Gong Wonso.

“...The martial world may be ruthless, but I never thought you would go that far.”

“Be honest. Didn't you think about it too?”

“...”

There was no reason to lend weight to words spoken to ease Seon Jachun's guilt.

Gong Wonso drew up all his internal energy and faced his old friend.

“You made the wrong choice. As you said, I know your weaknesses better than anyone.”

He took the Opening Stance of the Azure Dragon Wandering Sea Fist.

“Ah, did you know? I've always been better with my left hand.”

“Heh heh. Is that so?”

“I'll kill you here and wipe out your sect as well.”

Seon Jachun's expression stiffened for a moment.

The aura pouring from Gong Wonso's body was no ordinary thing.

Soon, though, a faint smile appeared on Seon Jachun's face.

“That probably won't happen.”

Step. Step. Step. Step. Step.

More than ten black-masked figures surrounded Gong Wonso.

“You're the last one.”

Seon Jachun gave a bloodthirsty smile.

Damn it.

Gong Wonso cursed under his breath.

Without further hesitation, he drew up his innate qi.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Enormous explosions of qi erupted around him.

A short while later...

Standing amid more than ten corpses, Gong Wonso suddenly dropped to one knee.

“Hah... This fellow made trouble for me until the very end.”

Seon Jachun shook his head and turned away.

Gong Wonso, who had been glaring at him with bloodshot eyes, collapsed to the ground.

At his final moment, absurdly enough, he did not think of his own life but of his daughter a thousand li away.

‘...Did she buy the clothes she wanted to wear to the graduation ceremony?’

She had sent several letters saying she needed to buy the finest outfit. Gong Wonso had grumbled about it, but he had been secretly looking forward to the ceremony.

‘What a shame... I really wanted to see it.’

Imagining the bright smile he had never seen on his daughter's face, he slowly drew his last breath.

It was something that occurred all too often whenever a dark night fell over the martial world.

“She's not attending the graduation ceremony?”

That made three already.

Academy students returning to their hometowns just before the graduation ceremony.

Of course, missing the ceremony did not mean their graduation would not be recognized.

Still, returning home before an event they had awaited their entire lives meant that something far from ordinary had happened.

“Again?”

At my question, Jang Woojae nodded.

“Hah...”

I could not help sighing after hearing Gong Yuseon's story.

As someone from a Mount Zhongnan-affiliated fist sect, she had always wanted to join the Azure Dragon Pavilion.

Her grades had not been good enough, so she had been looking into other combat pavilions. Then, unlike previous cohorts, the strange behavior of the Martial Arts Academy students caused competition for the Azure Dragon Pavilion to plummet.

She had been accepted into the Azure Dragon Pavilion and was enjoying happier days than anyone.

Then the terrible news arrived.

“There were no traces of the attackers?”

“No.”

That made three already.

And those were only among the sects to which Academy students belonged.

Across the entire martial world, even more sects were vanishing overnight without a trace.

According to recent reports, requests for mystic formations were flooding the Mount Mao Sect and Jegal Clan, leaving spirit practitioners without any time to rest.

“The Black Path is even worse, isn't it?”

The absurd part was that the real Demonic Cult had only begun to stir, while the fake Demonic Cult was more active than ever.

If this confusion grew worse, a war would eventually erupt within the Martial Alliance, and the Martial Alliance would pay a harsh price.

Yet no one worried about that.

People only cared about striking down the companion beside them and taking away that person's livelihood. Because of them, the martial world would fail to prepare for its true enemy and be forced to resist with difficulty.

“Representative... Is your sect all right?”

Anhui Province, where Taeul Sect was located, was no less competitive than any other region.

With Taeul Sect's profits rising through the Great Heaven Merchant Group, more people had begun to look upon the sect unfavorably.

It could easily become another victim of this hidden struggle.

I looked at Jang Woojae and nodded.

“I've made some preparations.”

Jegal Cheongi's Mechanism Formation was complete, and Baek Haegwang was staying as a guest retainer. Unless the real Demonic Cult appeared, there would be no news of Taeul Sect being destroyed by the fake one.

Jang Woojae let out a small sound of admiration, as if he had expected nothing less.

“I see. You mean that Mechanism Formation you mentioned before.”

It seemed he remembered something I had said in passing.

Jang Woojae murmured to himself as if considering something, then raised his head.

“Would it be possible to ask you to install one at our Yujang Sect as well?”

“Hm?”

Taeul Sect had installed Jegal Cheongi's Mechanism Formation first, followed by the Wang Family Estate. Still, the martial world clearly held the prejudice that Mechanism Formations were weaker than mystic formations.

Yet they wanted one installed.

“After hearing that Representative Jin installed a Mechanism Formation at Taeul Sect instead of a mystic formation, the elders of my sect decided that we should install one as well.”

“Oh?!”

Jegal Cheongi had carried a deep regret in my previous life over never completing his Mechanism Formation.

This was the perfect opportunity to give him proof that his theories had succeeded.

I even rose from my seat, delighted.

“Of course.”

With help from the Wang Family Estate, I had already prepared to sell Mechanism Formations through the Great Heaven Merchant Group.

Every time Jegal Cheongi's dream came true, a huge amount of money flowed into the Great Heaven Merchant Group. It was killing two birds with one stone.

Again, just thinking about his dream coming true made me want to dance.

After we finished discussing the Mechanism Formation, Jang Woojae asked me a question.

“How many people from your sect are coming to this graduation ceremony?”

The strange smile on his lips showed that he was looking forward to the graduation ceremony as well.

“They'll probably all be clamoring to come.”

Honestly, leaving the sect empty in a time like this was out of the question, but quite a few people were probably planning to attend the graduation ceremony.

They kept saying that nothing like this would ever happen again.

Honestly, no one in the martial world could rival them when it came to making a fuss.

‘Still, it'll be lively for a while.’

Imagining the people of Taeul Sect unable to hold back their laughter for the first time in a long while, I began looking forward to the graduation ceremony too.

“Hm... It seems everything I prepared has become useless.”

Wang Geumsan said with a troubled expression.

The amount of food, carriages, horses, and other supplies he had prepared for the trip to Wuhan was nearly enough for a large caravan. Yet on the day of departure, the number of people traveling to Wuhan had suddenly fallen sharply.

“That's true.”

Jin Taesan, dark circles heavy beneath his eyes, shook his head as if there was nothing he could do.

“I never thought they would go this far.”

The problem began with the agreement between Baek Haegwang and the elders of Taeul Sect.

Only those who passed Baek Haegwang's standards by the day they departed for Wuhan could go on the trip.

Hong Mungi was the only person who passed that test.

“Well, they brought it on themselves.”

For some reason, Hong Mungi's cold reply made Jin Taesan feel unfamiliar.

“I heard the standards were rather harsh...”

Hong Mungi silently looked at Jin Taesan with steadfast eyes.

“Taesan. Freedom was never given to the weak.”

“...”

The hand resting on his shoulder was rough with hard calluses.

‘He really has changed.’

It was not only his personality, which people said could not change after forty, that had changed.

His appearance was completely different as well.

His kindly, well-built appearance had vanished. He now looked gaunt and sharp.

More than anything, a strange fighting spirit could be felt from him even while he stood still.

‘...What kind of training is he receiving?’

When Jin Taesan heard that Hong Mungi was training under Baek Haegwang, he wondered how much the man could really change. This went far beyond changing.

It would not have been strange to call him a completely different person.

Just look at him now.

In the past, Hong Mungi would have personally begged Baek Haegwang to let him take the Hall Masters to Wuhan out of kindness. Instead, he cast a cold glance at the Hall Masters, who stared at him like cattle being led to slaughter, then climbed into the carriage.

“Hah. Is there no normal person in this family?”

At Jin Taesan's lament, Wang Geumsan snickered.

“Why do you look so miserable? Your son is graduating as the Martial Arts Academy's representative student. You should be struggling to hide your smile.”

“That brat is the biggest problem, that brat! What is he doing for his reputation as the Black Path's divine prodigy to keep growing by the day?!”

“Tsk tsk. Are you still talking about that?”

Veins rose in Jin Taesan's neck at Wang Geumsan's rebuke.

“What do you mean, still?! Is this a small matter? The more famous he gets, the more his notoriety grows!”

“That's all in the past now. Our son-in-law... No, Sowoon is graduating as the representative student. Who would dare say such nonsense about him being the Black Path's Joint Successor or a spy?”

After all, the Martial Alliance Leader would personally present him with his diploma.

Once that sight spread by word of mouth throughout the land, no one would call Jin Sowoon Black Path again.

“Stop worrying about useless things and get inside to rest your eyes. You need to look presentable when you stand before Sowoon.”

With Wang Geumsan's words, Jin Taesan felt a weight lift from his heart and entered the carriage.

Shanxi Province

Black Alliance

Like the entrance to Taeul Sect, a large caravan was undergoing its final inspection.

“Heh heh, graduation. How moving.”

Dam Ak frowned slightly at Cha Seokdu, who looked pleased by the caravan's scale.

“Alliance Leader. He's with the Martial Alliance.”

“Strategist Dam, don't say that. I'm the one who got him admitted to the Academy. Tsk, if things were different, I would have gone myself to congratulate him at the graduation ceremony.”

Cha Seokdu wore a strange expression, as if recalling the distant past. Dam Ak quickly stopped him.

“Please, absolutely do not say that.”

“Ahem... That is why you will go in my place and give him a grand celebration. One worthy of the Black Alliance's name.”

“It is your order, so I have no choice but to obey, but...”

Dam Ak trailed off, frowning. Cha Seokdu watched him, then chuckled.

“You are enjoying this too.”

“...No. Because of this, I am giving deep thought to the future relationship between the Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance...”

“Fine. Handle that as you see fit. Remember this. The congratulations must be carried out exactly as I decided.”

“Alliance Leader, this agreement...”

“You must do it.”

Dam Ak hesitated, then let out a quiet sigh.

“...Understood.”