Chapter 39
[White Martial Academy Human Division Enrollment Application]
—Name: Tang Il-gi
—Origin: Sichuan Tang Clan
—Affiliation: Heaven Division
—Specialty: Swordsmanship, Whip Techniques, Hidden Weapons, Poison
—Reason for Application: Infinite Stamina, Body Remodeling
—I hereby certify that the author of the above application is myself.
—Seal of Tang Il-gi.
A single letter.
The student management instructor of the White Martial Academy, the first disciple of the Wudang Sect, Cheong-il Dojang, who had received it, took a sharp breath with widened eyes.
‘Gasp… what is this?!’
And for good reason.
How could he not be surprised when Tang Il-gi, who was evaluated as a master even in the Heaven division, was voluntarily applying to the Human division, not even the Earth division?
But this was just the beginning.
‘Again?’
[White Martial Academy Human Division Enrollment Application]
—Name: Tang Hwa-rin
—Origin: Sichuan Tang Clan
—Affiliation: Earth Division
—Specialty: Swordsmanship, Whip Techniques, Hidden Weapons, Poison
—Reason for Application: Infinite Stamina, Body Remodeling
—I hereby certify that the author of the above application is myself.
—Seal of Tang Hwa-rin.
‘The rising generation of the Tang Clan in pairs…’
It was absurd.
Although the White Martial Academy had not been established for long, there had not been a single person who had voluntarily applied to the Human division.
And then…
[White Martial Academy Human Division Application]
—Name: Myo-seon
—Origin: Emei Sect
—Affiliation: Earth Division
—Specialty: Swordsmanship
—Reason for Application: Infinite Stamina, Body Remodeling
…
[White Martial Academy Human Division Application]
—Name: Paeng Seong-un
—Origin: Hebei Paeng Family
—Affiliation: Earth Division
—Specialty: Saber Techniques
—Reason for Application: Infinite Stamina, Body Remodeling
…
—Name: Eon Yeong-je
—Origin: Jinju Eon Family
…
—Reason for Application: Infinite Stamina, Body Remodeling
—Name: Seok Won
—Origin: Seok Family Manor
—Reason for Application: Infinite Stamina, Body Remodeling.
“Wh-What is this!!”
A loud roar of astonishment erupted from Cheong-il Dojang’s mouth.
He even thought that the students might be playing a prank.
On the six application forms that had suddenly flown in, the unheard-of reason for application, ‘Infinite Stamina, Body Remodeling’, was written.
But…
“Instructor Cheong-il?”
So-ah, who was sipping tea in a corner of the office, opened his mouth softly.
“Speak, Chief Instructor Jin.”
“There are applications for the Human division, right?”
“…”
“Please approve them.”
Only then did Cheong-il Dojang realize that So-ah was behind this situation.
“Chief Instructor Jin. I don’t know about the others, but Tang Il-gi and Myo-seon are students who will be active as officer candidates of the Martial Alliance in the Heaven division. But is it okay to enroll them in the Human division…”
Cheong-il Dojang’s words, which he had uttered out of concern, could not be continued to the end.
“I will take responsibility.”
“Yes?!”
“Because I have a secret plan to further develop their martial arts.”
“Hah…”
Cheong-il Dojang gave up on replying and just nodded his head.
Since So-ah was the chief instructor, if he was stubborn, he had no way to stop him.
“Then do so.”
But contrary to his words, he sighed inwardly.
‘Sigh… it seems the academy is doomed. If martial arts could be improved so easily, everyone in the world would be a master. Tsk tsk. They said he was the disciple of the God of War, but he’s just a dud, isn’t he?’
Of course, whether he knew Cheong-il Dojang’s thoughts or not, So-ah just tilted his teacup with a constant smile.
***
“I am Tang Il-gi, who will be active as a student of the Human division from today. It’s nice to meet you all, young brothers.”
“I’m Tang Hwa-rin.”
“I’m Myo-seon.”
“I’m Paeng Seong-un.”
“You know me, right? The handsome man of the Earth division, Eon Yeong-je. Huhu.”
“I’m Seok Won.”
The students of the Human division were extremely bewildered.
‘Are these guys crazy?’
‘What on earth possessed them to apply to the Human division?’
‘Crazy…’
Among the students, there was no one who did not know Tang Il-gi and the others.
The Paeng Seong-un trio was famous for being the troublemakers of the Earth division, and since the Tang siblings and Myo-seon were outstanding in martial arts, everyone knew their faces.
“You guys… what were you thinking when you applied to the Human division?”
The head of the Human division, the second son of the Shandong Cho Yeong-bo, Jang Byeong-il, asked Tang Il-gi and the others with a questioning look.
Just then.
A figure quietly appeared in the Human division’s exclusive training ground where the students were gathered.
He was none other than So-ah.
“Don’t be surprised. They all enrolled in the Human division to become stronger.”
At So-ah’s words, the students murmured.
“What is he talking about?”
“I don’t know.”
“He said they applied to the Human division from the Heaven division to become stronger?”
“What the hell is he talking about?!”
At that, So-ah’s brow furrowed.
As expected, the students did not seem to respect So-ah as an instructor in the slightest.
Above all, there was no intelligence in their eyes.
It was to the point where a sigh would naturally come out upon seeing the students with dull, dead fish eyes, where one could not find any martial artist’s ambition or will.
‘Sigh… it seems I have no choice but to be tough on them.’
Instead of getting angry, So-ah responded with a sinister smile and said coldly.
“Tsk tsk, what a bunch of pathetic losers.”
At that, the students’ faces contorted with anger.
They couldn’t get openly angry because he was an instructor, but they were furious to just stand there and take it.
Among the students, there were those who were the same age as So-ah or even older, so it was perhaps natural.
“You’re martial artists too, aren’t you? But aren’t you ashamed to be living in such a shabby place, being treated like the lowest-class surplus humans?”
“…”
So-ah’s provocation deepened.
Tang Il-gi and the others did not know why So-ah was making such a provocation, but they thought there must be a reason, so they decided to just watch.
“I admit that the White Martial Academy is just a formal institution. The time a student stays at the academy is only seven months a year. Moreover, since the roots are different, what kind of training can you do here? You probably just enrolled to make up the numbers, considering your sect’s circumstances. Am I right?”
At So-ah’s question, the head of the division, Jang Byeong-il, spat out bluntly with a dissatisfied voice.
“That’s right. Most of us in the Human division are from small and medium-sized sects. Our purpose of enrollment is different from those from the Nine Great Sects or prestigious families. So, who would think of training here?”
“That’s why you guys are failing. If I were you, I would train hard and faithfully carry out the missions of the Martial Alliance to raise the fame of my sect. Why do you give up before you even start?”
“Look here!”
“Look here? Watch your mouth. I’m an instructor.”
Jang Byeong-il flinched at So-ah’s stern warning.
“As I said yesterday, I plan to improve your martial arts. But that is not something that can be achieved with a special secret plan or a stroke of luck. It will be really harsh. Vomiting every morning will be the basic, and you will be so exhausted that you won’t even be able to hold chopsticks. Nevertheless.”
“…”
“Anyone who wants to become stronger, raise your hand. For your information, this will be the first and last chance. Anyone who doesn’t raise their hand now will be excluded from my special training.”
—Murmur, murmur!
The training ground was in an uproar at So-ah’s words.
‘Can I really become stronger?’
‘You’re really going to train in martial arts at the White Martial Academy?’
‘I don’t think it’s possible…’
The students were half in doubt.
Not only the Human division, but most of all the students trained in martial arts at their own sects and just carried out missions at the White Martial Academy. There were almost no one who had the thought of training properly.
In that moment.
“Ahem. May I add a word to the instructor’s words?”
Tang Il-gi, who had been silent, asked So-ah.
“Yes. Please do.”
Only after seeing So-ah nod his head did Tang Il-gi cautiously open his mouth to the students.
“I know your feelings well, young brothers. I was the same. But I dare to say, risking my three-character name and the honor of the Tang Clan, that I have never seen anyone as strong as Instructor Jin among my peers in my life. No. To be precise, not just my peers, but even a master of a decent sect would have a hard time facing Instructor Jin.”
—Murmur, murmur!
Tang Il-gi’s statement had a great impact.
It was because Tang Il-gi was currently one of the strongest students in the Heaven division.
“This kind of opportunity is rare. Everyone, follow Instructor Jin’s training with me. It will be a choice you won’t regret.”
At that, all of So-ah’s friends added their words.
“I’ll guarantee it too.”
“Me too!”
“Me too!”
“It’s an honor for your family to be able to learn from Brother Jin, you bastards! What are you hesitating for?”
Just then.
Someone shouted.
“I’ll do it! If I can become stronger, I’ll even go to hell!”
“Me too! I’ll do that too.”
“Even if I can’t eat, I’ll go. Instructor Jin, please take good care of me.”
“Can I really become stronger? Then I will also join you!”
The herd mentality was this scary.
When one person shouted, that shout continued, riding the wave of resolution.
Finally, when even the head of the division, Jang Byeong-il, nodded his head and expressed his intention to participate in the training.
Only then did So-ah rejoice inwardly.
‘The stage is set… Grandpa! I can do well, right?’
So-ah’s gaze turned to Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su, who were fidgeting in a corner of the line.
For some reason, Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su had a bewildered expression.
It seemed they were not used to their Senior Brother’s aggressive appearance.
‘Senior Brother is making a big scene…’
‘Senior Brother!’
In the midst of this, So-ah shouted vigorously, encompassing the entire student body.
“Good. As you have chosen for yourselves, please train without dropping out. For your information, this instructor has no mercy, so you’ll have to be prepared.”
Moyong Hwa, while sticking out her tongue at those words, recalled a long-forgotten memory.
‘That’s right… perhaps that is Senior Brother’s true self, hoho.’
She remembered the time four years ago when So-ah had beaten the Paeng Seong-un, Seok Won, and Eon Yeong-je gang like a dog, the time he had entered the family with a giant tiger on a leash like a puppy, and the time he had flattened her nose when they first met. She remembered that her Senior Brother was by no means an easy person, but rather a talkative person full of mischief and a mischievous disposition.
‘Aww! I don’t know either.’
For now, she had no choice but to believe in her Senior Brother’s strange actions.
***
“Hohoho. It seems So-ah is causing a big scene.”
—Martial Alliance Leader’s Office.
Not only the Alliance Leader, Ha Won-sang, but also Abbess Hong-ryeon and the Dragon Head of the Beggars’ Sect, Hong In-geol.
They had all recommended So-ah as the chief instructor of the White Martial Academy.
Because of that, they had to suffer from untimely protests.
“Sword Empress. This is no laughing matter. Honestly, I am extremely doubtful… I did push for it with the recommendation of Chief Yi Gwak, but I don’t know if So-ah will raise the prestige of the Moyong Family and contribute to the peace of the Orthodox Path.”
Ha Won-sang’s face was rather dark.
And for good reason. He had heard the news that So-ah had assigned not only the students of the Earth division but also even the students of the Heaven division to the Human division.
But Abbess Hong-ryeon, for some reason, did not lose her smile.
“Hahaha. Alliance Leader. Since you’ve pushed for it, why don’t you just believe in it once? Who is So-ah? Isn’t he the disciple of the esteemed God of War? He will surely be a child who will sound a warning bell to the entire Orthodox Path.”
At that, Hong In-geol also burst into a hearty laugh and spoke.
“Hahaha! That’s right, Alliance Leader. First of all, isn’t So-ah’s martial arts at a heaven-shaking level? In the future, So-ah will become the second God of War. It’s not bad to gain experience through trial and error. As a child who will lead the Orthodox Path, his life as an instructor will be a foundation.”
As Abbess Hong-ryeon and Hong In-geol came to So-ah’s defense, Ha Won-sang could not say anything else.
“I hope it will be so… hohoho.”
Of course, it was a moment when a dry laugh came out.
***
The next day.
So-ah had ordered the students of the Human division to gather at the training ground by the hour of the Rabbit the day before.
“Ah… I’m sleepy.”
“I want to sleep more.”
“The sun hasn’t even risen yet, has it?”
Perhaps because it was before sunrise, the students rubbed their sleepy eyes and let out disappointed sounds as the faint darkness had not yet cleared with the morning dew.
Just then.
So-ah, who had been waiting for the students in advance, spoke.
“We will begin the formal training from today. As I have already said, I cannot pass down a special martial art to you. I will just help you to perform your own martial arts smoothly through infinite stamina and body remodeling.”
Tak, tak!
In So-ah’s right hand, as he spoke, was a blunt stick. The students felt a sense of unease at the sight of him smiling while tapping it with his hand.
“Instructor! What are infinite stamina and body remodeling?”
“Ah! You’ll find out soon enough.”
“…”
“We will start the threshing from now on.”
“?!”
“Yes?”
“Threshing?”
“You might think you’re going to die in the middle. But you don’t have to worry about that. People don’t die easily.”