A man wearing a hat was quietly looking down at Xuanyuan River.
"Student Xuanyuan River. I asked what you are doing here."
His expression was beyond blunt, devoid of any emotion.
His hair was neatly combed, and his clothes were immaculate even on a rainy day.
The man, who seemed to have no flaws, was the only top instructor at Qinglong Academy.
"Nangong Su..."
"Add 'teacher' at the end."
"..."
Nangong Su furrowed his brow and examined the state of Xuanyuan River, who was lying down.
"It seems you're injured all over. Did you have a duel? There aren't many students who could hurt you this much... Were there many opponents?"
"Don't worry about it and go on your way."
Xuanyuan River replied curtly.
Although they now regarded each other with indifference, he remembered that Nangong Su had paid quite a bit of attention to him when he first entered the academy.
- You have talent.
So why don't you train hard?
- Because I don't want to.
- ...
Why?
- If you ask why I don't like something, what should I say?
- ...
From the beginning, Xuanyuan River had taken a rebellious path.
Nangong Su, who regretted Xuanyuan River's wasted talent, tried to persuade him several more times, but Xuanyuan River always avoided him.
Eventually, Nangong Su classified Xuanyuan River as a problem student he couldn't teach and stopped paying attention.
After all, there were many other students he needed to teach besides Xuanyuan River.
"Just pretend you didn't see me and go on your way. You're busy, so don't worry about someone like me."
Nangong Su clicked his tongue lightly, furrowing his brow.
"Student Xuanyuan River. You're in your third year now, right? Seventeen years old."
"...."
"Don't you think that at seventeen, a martial artist should take responsibility for their actions and words?"
"...."
"Why did you enter Qinglong Academy? Did your parents send you? Do you need a diploma? Did you come because everyone else did?"
Xuanyuan River gritted his teeth and glared at Nangong Su.
However, Nangong Su did not stop speaking.
"You've disappointed me and other instructors for three years. You have good talent but don't work hard, and you frequently cause violent incidents. But we've overlooked it many times. Why do you think that is? Because we thought you'd eventually mature and work hard."
"...."
"But there's a limit to overlooking things."
Nangong Su was shielding Xuanyuan River from the pouring rain with his umbrella, but his words hurt Xuanyuan River several times more.
"Just drop out."
"...."
A cold voice devoid of emotion.
Nangong Su looked at Xuanyuan River, who was lying in a mess, with a stern gaze.
"I won't tolerate any more actions that tarnish the honor of Qinglong Academy. If you continue to behave like this, I recommend you drop out."
"Who are you to tell me to drop out or not...!"
"Xuanyuan River."
At that moment, Xuanyuan River felt a suffocating murderous intent tightening around his neck.
"Does the world look easy to you?"
Nangong Su was merely looking down at him quietly, but his eyes were filled with contempt for Xuanyuan River.
"If you want to achieve something, you have to work yourself to death. Even then, you might not reach it in your lifetime. Someone who lives recklessly like you and whines after losing a fight can't achieve anything."
After a brief pause, Nangong Su extended his hand as if offering a favor.
"Take it. This is your last chance. Attend my class from tomorrow. It's the last opportunity that can change your life."
If others had seen it, they would have been greatly surprised.
Although his voice and attitude were coercive, it was rare for Nangong Su to offer such an opportunity to an individual student.
However, instead of taking that hand, Xuanyuan River gritted his teeth and glared at Nangong Su.
"I don't need it. That kind of opportunity."
Because in Nangong Su's eyes, he saw the same look as the head of the Hebei Peng family he had seen in his childhood.
"You never deviate from expectations."
A small sneer formed on Nangong Su's previously cold expression.
"At this moment, I've decided not to give you a diploma."
The only top instructor at Qinglong Academy.
Nangong Su's influence in the academy surpassed even the headmaster, Lu Gongxiang.
If he decided to do something, there was almost nothing impossible at Qinglong Academy.
"Enjoy the rest of your school life until expulsion."
"... Do as you please."
"As a final courtesy, I'll leave the umbrella here."
Nangong Su placed the umbrella he was holding next to Xuanyuan River's face.
Then he opened the spare umbrella he had brought.
"I always carry two just in case."
"... I didn't ask."
With a swish, Nangong Su opened the new umbrella and walked away into the rain.
Xuanyuan River muttered a curse quietly at his shrinking back.
"Unlucky bastard..."
The contempt in Nangong Su's eyes made his anger boil.
At the same time, regret surged in.
Should he have taken that hand earlier? Should he have grabbed that last chance and started working hard from now on?
'No. It wouldn't have mattered even if I took it.'
Nangong Su was fundamentally a swordsman.
Of course, he was proficient in most martial arts, which is why he was called a top instructor, but Nangong Su's classes always revolved around the sword.
On the other hand, the martial arts of the Xuanyuan family were based on blade techniques.
The family martial arts passed down through generations.
However, there was a problem with their martial arts.
- With the martial arts we have now... even at best, the peak master is the limit.
His father's words came to mind.
The reason young Xuanyuan River was frustrated.
Because he felt the limits of how strong he could become with the Xuanyuan family's martial arts were clear.
His father, the head of the Xuanyuan family, was at a similar level of martial arts proficiency as a mere branch leader of the Peng family.
- If only we could perfectly restore the Heaven-Cutting Blade, or at least the True Heaven Blade...
The True Heaven Blade was lost during the Blood Demon War.
It was barely restored afterward, but it was an incomplete, half-baked martial art.
The more Xuanyuan River learned the True Heaven Blade, the more he painfully realized that fact.
"... No. This is all just an excuse."
He didn't work hard to his limits because the limits were obvious.
If he had worked himself to death to his limits... perhaps he could have broken those limits himself.
The rain showed no sign of letting up.
The umbrella left by Nangong Su shielded his face from the pouring rain, but the rainwater pooling on the training ground floor made his wet body shiver.
His mind grew hazy.
- Did I look like such a person to you?
- I'm sorry.
There's not much I can do for you...
- ...
Did you use an assassin on my son?
- You have talent.
So why don't you train hard?
The words of Peng Sahyuk, his father, the head of the Peng family, and Nangong Su tormented him endlessly in his mind.
'Please, just stop!'
He tightly closed his eyes.
A terrible fatigue washed over him.
The wounds inflicted by Peng Sahyuk throbbed more and more, but he didn't have the strength to move even a finger.
To make matters worse, his body grew stiffer in the cold rain.
"Haa..."
When he opened his mouth, a white breath escaped.
Strength was slowly draining from his entire body.
'Am I going to freeze to death like this? A fitting end for a scoundrel.'
Suddenly, he thought that it might not be so bad, and a chuckle escaped him.
It was then.
"Look at this brat, lying around so comfortably. What's so funny that you're grinning?"
At first, he thought he had misheard.
"Get up, man. What kind of mess are you making in the middle of the training ground?"
It couldn't be that this voice was what he heard at his last moment.
"If you sleep here, your mouth will twist."
Unlike Nangong Su's arrogant and coercive tone, it was a relaxed tone like a neighborhood loafer.
"Look at him pretending not to hear when he can hear everything. Do you think I'll just leave if you ignore me? Not a chance."
"No way..."
The moment Xuanyuan River opened his eyes, the umbrella covering his face flew to the side with a thud.
In other words, as soon as he opened his eyes, he was hit by a torrent of water.
"Blub blub blub! Damn it!"
Suddenly, as if from nowhere, Xuanyuan River, who was on the verge of death, sprang up.
And he pointed at the person who drenched him and shouted.
"Baek Surong!"
"Call me teacher."
Baek Surong squatted in front of Xuanyuan River and grinned.
Shivering.
Xuanyuan River, with a blanket over his shoulders, trembled.
"Ugh..."
It was still a cold season.
Having lain injured in the rain for several hours, it was only natural he caught a cold.
"Drink this. It'll help with the cold."
I handed Xuanyuan River a warm tea.
He took a few sips with trembling hands and then stared at me with a face flushed from the cold.
Then he suddenly bowed his head and mumbled in a voice as small as a mosquito's.
"I'm not a genius."
"... What are you suddenly talking about?"
Did this guy get hit by Peng Sahyuk and hurt his brain too? The fact that Xuanyuan River lost to Peng Sahyuk had already spread throughout the academy.
As I looked at him with a puzzled expression, Peng Sahyuk bit his lip and began to tell the story of how he ended up lying in the training ground.
"... So I ended up fighting Peng Sahyuk... and in the end, I couldn't do anything..."
When Xuanyuan River's rambling story finally ended, I clicked my tongue.
This guy was seriously mistaken about something.
"So what if you're a genius? Did you think you'd become the best in the world without any effort? And is the young master of the Peng family a dullard? He's also someone who can be called a prodigy."
"..."
Despite my explanation, Xuanyuan River's eyes were as dull as a dead fish.
He hadn't yet recovered from the shock of overwhelming defeat.
I sighed deeply and continued.
"Wouldn't it be great if just eating meals increased your inner power and just swinging your arms and legs made you a supreme martial artist? But even geniuses have to work hard to reach their destination. It's just that the path is easier for them than for others."
"There's no path for me here."
Xuanyuan River looked at me, his expression resolute as if he had made a firm decision.
Seeing that expression, I realized with decades of experience that this guy was planning something reckless.
Sure enough.
"I'm going to drop out of Qinglong Academy."
I immediately smacked Xuanyuan River on the head.
Smack!
"Ouch! Why are you hitting me!"
"This brat."
When I raised my hand, Xuanyuan River flinched and backed away.
He was in no condition to resist, having caught a cold.
"This one's really hopeless. What? Drop out? Your father bowed to the Peng family to feed and clothe you and sent you to Qinglong Academy, and now what? You're saying you'll live like a scoundrel for the rest of your life?"
"That's not it!"
Xuanyuan River shouted, glaring at me.
"I won't live like a scoundrel anymore. I'm going to become a wanderer."
A wanderer? What kind of nonsense is this? I had a lot to say, but Xuanyuan River's eyes were so serious that I decided to listen a bit more.
"... While lying there, I thought about many things. Where did it all go wrong? Why was I wasting my life like this? Damn it. I don't know why I'm telling you this, but... anyway, it's ultimately because of martial arts."
"What's wrong with martial arts?"
In response to my question, Xuanyuan River sighed with a bitter expression.
"How much do you know about the Xuanyuan family's martial arts?"
"Blade techniques. Especially the True Heaven Blade technique and the Heaven-Cutting Blade technique are famous throughout the martial world."
I knew one more thing, but I didn't bother to mention it.
Xuanyuan River nodded with a gloomy expression.
"That's right. But after the Blood Demon War, all that's left in our family is the half-baked True Heaven Blade. This martial art has clear limits."
"What does that have to do with becoming a wanderer? Don't tell me..."
As if confirming my suspicion, Xuanyuan River nodded with determined eyes.
"Based on the True Heaven Blade, I'll complete my own martial art through real combat. I'll use that martial art as a new foundation to revive the Xuanyuan family."
The intention was commendable.
But my gaze at Xuanyuan River couldn't be kind.
He didn't even know what he was talking about.
"Anyway, Nangong Su told me to drop out. He said he wouldn't tolerate tarnishing the academy's honor any longer. Even if I stayed, I wouldn't get a diploma. Fine. I won't waste any more time. I'll become a wanderer, travel the battlefields, gain real combat experience..."
Smack!
This time, I hit him with intent.
"Damn it! Why are you hitting me again!"
Tears welled up in Xuanyuan River's eyes as he rolled on the floor.
"Because you deserve it."
I sighed deeply.
It was good that he had come to his senses and resolved himself, but why did it have to be as a wanderer?
- ...
I have no regrets.
It was to complete my martial art.
As if he were of the same bloodline as the Mad Demon, his actions were just as similar.
Baek Inbi's Martial Journey.
The Mad Demon embarked on a martial journey, engaging in life-and-death duels with a hundred masters to complete his martial art.
And in the end, he met the fate I knew.
I sighed and spoke.
"Stop thinking about useless things and just attend the academy."
"I told you, there's nothing more I can learn here. To complete my own martial art..."
"Just listen to me first."
When I raised my hand, Xuanyuan River flinched and closed his mouth.
"First of all, the logic that completing martial arts through real combat is better than a good educational environment and guidance from a good teacher is outdated. Of course, if you're a martial artist so accomplished that you don't need a teacher's guidance, real combat can be a great help, but you're still a long way from that level."
"And you don't need to create your own martial art. There's a martial art you need to learn first."
"... A martial art I need to learn?"
I looked at Xuanyuan River, whose face seemed to have traveled back decades to the face of the Mad Demon master, and spoke.
"I'm going to teach you a blade technique. It's the blade technique of a former master who is now deceased, and I'm the only one in the world who knows it. I assure you, it's a blade technique that rivals the True Heaven Blade, no, even the Heaven-Cutting Blade."
Xuanyuan River's eyes widened at the mention of teaching a blade technique.
In the martial world, one never teaches their martial art to others lightly.
Even in the Five Great Academies, what they teach is mostly how to utilize martial arts, how to handle situations, rather than the martial arts themselves.
Xuanyuan River asked in a trembling voice.
"You're going to teach me the blade technique of a former master?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Because the owner of this blade technique would want it that way.
I couldn't say that, so I gave another reason.
"Because you need to win the Heavenly Martial Festival."
At my answer, Xuanyuan River let out a hollow laugh, then spoke with a serious expression.
"Suddenly learning a different blade technique isn't easy. Especially mastering it to the point of using it in real combat within a year..."
"So you're saying you don't want to learn it?"
"... If I can become stronger, I'll try anything. No matter how hard it is..."
It seemed he had come to his senses a bit after being defeated by Peng Sahyuk.
I grinned and spoke.
"It'll be easier to adapt than you think."
Because the root of the martial art I'm going to teach is the Xuanyuan family.
I recalled the conversation I had with the Mad Demon master in the past.
- Mad Demon master.
But what's the name of this blade technique you created?
- ...
I named it Asura Blood Heaven Blade.
Asura Blood Heaven Blade.
A supreme martial art completed by the Mad Demon, who synthesized all the martial arts of the Xuanyuan family and gained enlightenment through the Martial Journey.
I decided to teach this blade technique, completed by the Mad Demon, to his descendant, Xuanyuan River.
'Xuanyuan River.
I'll make you the greatest blade master in the world.'