Chapter 578: Anyone Would Think It Was the Demonic Cult, Not a Martial Arts Academy

TL: FoodieMonster007

The Sword King's gaze dropped to the shoes he held in his hand.

He wondered when the last time was that someone had given him such a gift.

"I don't even wear shoes that often."

"That's why you should wear even cleaner ones."

"What do you mean?"

"Since you walk around barefoot, don't the shoes you carry around stand out even more?"

"Now that I think about it, that's true."

The Sword King still hadn't offered a thank you for the shoes. He was clearly more flustered than when Geom Mugeuk had drawn his sword.

"Accepting something like this makes it difficult when you ask for a favor later."

Geom Mugeuk didn't inquire about the potential favor. He chose to interpret the comment as a joke instead.

"When you have a favor to ask of me, be sure to look down at your waist!"

After staring at Geom Mugeuk for a moment, the Sword King sat down. He dusted off the soles of his feet with his hands.

Then, right in front of Geom Mugeuk, he put on the new shoes.

"They fit perfectly."

"Do you think my eyes are just ordinary? These are the eyes that will one day pierce through your technique and strike your heart precisely."

"Then I suppose I'll have to pierce those eyes first."

The Sword King stood up and brushed the dust from his rear.

"But what if I'd tampered with those shoes? How can you just put them on so carelessly?"

"Then I'd die because of my own poor judgment in not recognizing such a petty person. I'd deserve to die."

The Sword King untied the worn-out shoes from his waist.

"I've worn these for a long time."

They were so old that he couldn't even recall when he had first started wearing them.

"Do these shoes have some special meaning?"

The Sword King shook his head.

"If these old shoes have any meaning, I suppose it's just that I've lived my life without caring much about what others think."

"I'm envious. I'm incredibly conscious of other people."

"You are?"

To the Sword King, Geom Mugeuk seemed like the type of person who would be freer than anyone.

"I want to be a wonderful person to that person, and I want to seem witty to this person. I want them to think of me first in a crisis. I want to be the protagonist of this moment. I'm truly conscious of everything. Even being this honest right now is because I'm conscious of you, Master. I want to appear as a sincere person."

The Sword King could sense that Geom Mugeuk was not lying.

"Isn't it tiring to live like that?"

"It's tiring, but it's also rewarding. If I weren't this conscious, would you be having this conversation with me?"

He probably wouldn't. They would have surely gone through a completely different process. No, a conclusion might have already been reached.

FWOOSH.

The Sword King summoned the energy of the Scorching Sun into his palm, burning the shoes he held.

After watching the fiercely burning shoes for a moment, the Sword King left the ashes behind and strode away.

Geom Mugeuk shouted at his retreating back.

"You can't pierce my eyes! They're my most confident feature!"

Geom Mugeuk called Lee Ahn and Seo Jin to a deserted clearing.

"From now on, I will pass down the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique to Division Leader Seo."

Seo Jin stared at Geom Mugeuk in astonishment. She knew that for the past ten days or so, something had been passing between her master and Geom Mugeuk with the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique as the medium. Now, he was going to pass the fruits of that exchange to her.

Surprised, she glanced at Lee Ahn. Her expression asked if it was okay to accept this so readily. Lee Ahn simply nodded with a smile.

Only then did Seo Jin turn back to Geom Mugeuk and express her gratitude.

"Thank you so much."

Lately, she had been constantly thinking about wanting to become stronger. Her ghost arts were not a martial art that showed results overnight, and she was not in a position to learn a new one.

How grateful she was that Geom Mugeuk, as if reading her mind, was about to pass on a sword technique to her.

"If you're passing on the sword technique to Division Leader Seo, I'll step away."

Lee Ahn tried to excuse herself tactfully. It was not polite to be present when someone was teaching martial arts to another.

If Geom Mugeuk had intended to send her away, he would have only called for Seo Jin in the first place.

"No. You learn it too."

"What? Me too?"

"It will definitely be helpful to learn it as a supplementary sword art."

He himself used the Nine Calamities Demonic Art as his main martial art but sometimes used the Soaring Sky Sword Art. He dealt with enemies that didn't require the Nine Calamities Demonic Art with the Soaring Sky Sword Art. She would frequently find herself in similar situations.

"There's something you need to pay special attention to while learning. Think about why I reinterpreted the existing Yellow Dragon Sword Technique this way."

The most important part of this training was what came next.

"And how you would reinterpret it."

Lee Ahn asked with a surprised face.

"Am I in any position to do that?"

Geom Mugeuk nodded.

"More than enough."

Geom Mugeuk was certain that the process of contemplation itself would be more helpful to Lee Ahn than the sword technique.

Lee Ahn could tell that this training was also an incredibly precious and miraculous encounter. Geom Mugeuk always brought her moments like this.

Looking at her trembling eyes, Geom Mugeuk gave a single nod.

Instead of saying thank you, Lee Ahn bowed her head.

While the reinterpretation was more important for Lee Ahn, it had a different meaning for Seo Jin.

"Division Leader Seo, you will use this sword technique until the day you die."

He was certain that the probability of her obtaining a better sword technique was almost nonexistent. The new Yellow Dragon Sword Technique, a blend of his and the Sword King's interpretations, had been perfected into an exceptionally fine sword art.

She needed a proper sword technique. Once she became a true master of ghost arts, she wouldn't need other martial arts, but she had to survive until then. Even when that time came, knowing a proper sword technique would be far more useful.

Geom Mugeuk passed on his reinterpreted Yellow Dragon Sword Technique to the two women exactly as it was.

He explained it with incredible simplicity. As with any field, only those who truly understand can explain things easily. The essence of his profound martial knowledge was conveyed to the two women in simple terms.

Not only Lee Ahn, but Seo Jin was also brilliant. Because of this, the transmission of the martial arts proceeded without a hitch. They asked questions whenever they didn't understand and discussed things together.

Since Lee Ahn learned alongside her, they would be able to discuss and train together on any parts they didn't understand in the future.

As the transmission was nearing its end, a person came, handed a small piece of paper to Lee Ahn, and disappeared. He was a martial artist from the Hidden Moon.

Previously, Geom Mugeuk had told Lee Ahn and Seo Jin to look into all information related to the Yellow Dragon Academy at the All-Knowing Hall and the Hidden Moon. Today, they had obtained urgent information from the Hidden Moon.

Lee Ahn relayed the information written on the paper.

"The White Snake Society is on its way here."

As if he had expected it, Geom Mugeuk was not surprised at all.

"What's the estimated time of arrival?"

"They said it will likely be around Purple Orb today."

Geom Mugeuk glanced down at Lee Ahn's Sun Moon Sword. She had wrapped the scabbard in an old cloth to avoid drawing attention.

"It seems the time has finally come to bloody that sword."

A single carriage was speeding along.

There were a total of three people in the carriage.

One of the men among them opened his mouth.

"This is the first time in several years that I've gone on a mission as the youngest."

The man was none other than the Eight White Snakes, a member of the White Snake Society.

Ever since he had entered the top ten in rank among the hundred vipers belonging to the White Snake Society, every mission had revolved around him.

Today's mission, however, was different. There were three people in the carriage, and the other two were both of higher rank than him.

The First White Snake and the Fifth White Snake.

These numbers naturally signified their rank. In other words, the First White Snake was the most skilled master in the White Snake Society, excluding the Chairman. The Fifth White Snake was the fifth-ranked master.

The Fifth White Snake alone boasted a very high price, so what about the First White Snake?

There were several legendary contracts that the First White Snake had accomplished. The tale of him single-handedly killing the Violet Pure Sword, an elder master of the Murim Alliance, and escaping was a story passed down like a legend in the White Snake Society.

"Is there something I don't know about this contract?"

He had joined this carriage yesterday after finishing another contract and was truly surprised to see the two men who were already inside. The Fifth White Snake must have been just as surprised to see the First White Snake when he joined earlier.

In any case, considering the target of this contract, it seemed like something he could handle on his own.

"This can't be a contract that requires all three of us."

As he said this, the Eight White Snakes watched the other two's expressions. This was the first time he had experienced such a situation since he started taking on contracts.

Finally, the Fifth White Snake opened his mouth.

"Of course not."

The Fifth White Snake looked at the First White Snake sitting next to him and continued.

"If it was a job that required all of us, would we even be able to return alive?"

It would be a mission of death.

Of course, the Fifth White Snake didn't think so. Judging by the Chairman's personality as he had seen it so far.

"The Chairman must have smelled money."

At the Fifth White Snake's words, the Eight White Snakes was able to understand the situation at once.

The Chairman was planning to properly extort money from the Yellow Dragon Academy.

The moment the First White Snake was mobilized, the contract fee became incomparably expensive. The First White Snake's name alone was symbolic.

In short, the Chairman was planning to use a butcher's knife meant for a cow to kill a chicken, just to overcharge them properly.

And would the greedy head of the White Snake Society really stop at just this contract? He would find a way to fabricate things and extort more money.

He's probably going to suck dry all the petty cash they earned from the martial arts academy.

The problem was that someone who just runs a martial arts academy got involved with the White Snake Society in the first place. How could that naive person have known that once you set foot on this path, there's no turning back? The beginning of villainy is always impeccably polite and trustworthy.

If that was the case, then he would have to handle this contract all by himself. He couldn't possibly make his god-like Seniors do the work when he was with them.

The Eight White Snakes stealthily glanced at the First White Snake. The First White Snake had his eyes closed and said nothing.

How much will he get for this contract? Three times more than him? Five times? He would be the one doing all the work. Once you become the best, you earn money just by showing up.

Of course, he had no complaints. The day would come when he too would sit in that position, just looking imposing and earning money.

The Eight White Snakes asked toward the driver's seat.

"When will we arrive?"

"We should arrive before Purple Orb."

The Eight White Snakes said to the other two.

"When we arrive, please have a drink and wait. I'll go take care of it and come back."

At that, the First White Snake opened his eyes. In his cold, snake-like gaze, not a hint of carelessness could be found.

"The Chairman…"

A profound inner arts could be felt in his low voice.

"If he had sent the Second White Snake, it would be for money. But the fact that he sent me means there's something bothering him."

The First White Snake gently closed his eyes again and added.

"If you want to return alive, it would be best to move together."

The Eight White Snakes respectfully bowed his head and replied that he would, but he considered the First White Snake's words just now as an expression of embarrassment for earning easy money.

Why so dramatic? Anyone would think we were going up against the Demonic Cult, not some martial arts academy.

"Anyone would think they were learning some ultimate martial arts."

The person who entered the clearing was Yeom Baekjin.

Geom Mugeuk had suddenly contacted him to meet. He had said it was a matter of life and death, so he should not be late and must meet him here.

What on earth could it be?

He had come to the meeting spot feeling tense inside, only to find Lee Ahn and Seo Jin performing the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique.

Geom Mugeuk, who was teaching, and the two women, who were learning, were all incredibly serious.

"But it looks a little different from the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique."

Geom Mugeuk said with a smile.

"They only started learning a few days ago, so they're still inexperienced."

"That's not it. It's because the instructor is teaching it strangely."

The temporary instructor Yeom Baekjin had met in his brother's office kept bothering him. So he looked into him and found that he was indeed a temporary instructor in the White Dragon Class.

However, the complaints from the disciples were overwhelming. He was teaching the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique in a strange way.

"I met that man, the instructor, in my brother's office. My brother doesn't usually meet with instructors, but he was there."

"You met your brother."

Yeom Baekjin nodded. There was also Geom Mugeuk's advice to go see his brother, so he summed up that day's situation in one sentence.

"I went to talk, but my brother made me draw my sword."

And he predicted that the reason Geom Mugeuk had called him to this place today was also related to his brother.

"Why did you want to see me? A matter of life and death?"

He really wasn't this kind of person. He wasn't someone who would come running just because someone, a mere disciple at that, called him. If it was a matter of life and death, he was the type to say that they should come to him.

Was it because of Geom Mugeuk, because of Seo Jin, or because of that beautiful woman? For some reason, he felt like he was constantly being swayed by them.

Geom Mugeuk delivered some startling news.

"Masters from the White Snake Society are coming to the Yellow Dragon Academy."

It was an unexpected statement, so Yeom Baekjin was taken aback.

"Is this information reliable? The White Snake Society isn't a place that leaks information easily, so how did you find out?"

"A martial artist from the White Snake Society was killed by the sword of a mere White Dragon Class disciple. Do you think they would just stand by? So I had people keep an eye on them."

Yeom Baekjin thought that if it was the Ghost Sect, they would be capable of gathering that level of intelligence.

If this was true? His gaze naturally turned to Seo Jin.

"I will protect you."

He wasn't the type of person to say such things to others, especially to a woman.

But for some reason, his eyes were drawn to her. Besides, the start of this whole affair was his brother's fault.

Even though it was a situation where she should naturally say thank you, Seo Jin showed no reaction.

Feeling that something was strange, Yeom Baekjin looked at Geom Mugeuk.

From Geom Mugeuk's mouth came a fact even more shocking than their arrival.

"The contract targets not only Seo Jin, but also Master Yeom."

The delayed shock hit Yeom Baekjin, who stood there stunned for a moment. The words "I can't believe it" rose to his throat, but he couldn't spit them out.

He had felt that it might be possible when he went to see his brother. But to actually try to kill him? To really hire the White Snake Society?

"Do you know when they're coming?"

Geom Mugeuk's gaze shifted to the area behind Yeom Baekjin. He had deliberately called Yeom Baekjin to this remote place at this specific time.

He had thought they wouldn't miss this golden opportunity for the targets to be meeting in such a secluded spot.

"I believe they're already here."

From the darkness, masked figures revealed themselves.

Yeom Baekjin turned around, blocking Seo Jin's front, and declared.

"If you want to live, stay right behind me!"