Chapter 72
Chapter 72
“Huff! Huff!”
Seeing them drenched in sweat from head to toe, Youngho clicked his tongue.
“You still have a long way to go. Getting exhausted over just this? Honestly.”
“No, anyone would be tired!”
Kang Hosan, who still had a bit more energy than Kang Chowon and Hyeon-gang, burst out as if having a fit. It was an entirely reasonable reaction.
Youngho’s training had truly been ruthless.
Youngho grinned.
“No need to thank me. If it’s for becoming stronger, what wouldn’t a Martial Artist endure?”
“Ah, seriously!”
“That’s enough for today. Go rest. Wash up properly, too.”
The three of them nodded, lacking even the strength to speak, and trudged toward the Annex.
Though they had grumbled endlessly, not a single one had fallen behind. Youngho wore a satisfied smile.
He erected a Qi Barrier so that his voice would not leak out and spoke.
“At this rate, give them about four or five years and they should reach Transcendent Peak Master, don’t you think, Horyeung?”
“Indeed. Chowon should soon reach the realm of Master Level.”
“Right. Not even of coming-of-age age and already Master Level… The start is good.”
A good start. It was far too modest a phrase to evaluate the two of them. Kang Hosan and Kang Chowon’s rate of growth was unprecedentedly fast.
At this rate, both of them might enter the Transformation Realm within twenty years.
As for Youngho, it was fair to say he had firmly established his position. After all, he had already stepped into the Transformation Realm.
Moreover, in another five to ten years, his forces would become powerful enough that no one within the Unorthodox Alliance would be able to contend with him.
Knowing this, Horyeung’s expression grew all the more complicated.
‘Just what kind of grand design is he drawing…?’
At this point, one might have expected him to grow even slightly lax in his training. But Youngho did not feel satisfied here.
Especially considering his age, it would have been natural for him to slacken. Yet every time Horyeung watched him train, he noticed one consistent trait.
The stronger he became, the harsher his training grew.
If anyone else attempted to follow Youngho’s regimen, Horyeung was confident they would foam at the mouth and collapse in less than a Quarter-Hour.
That was precisely why it was so puzzling. The Lord he served constantly drove himself as though this level were still insufficient.
It truly felt as if he trained because he was genuinely lacking—making it all the more strange.
And the training methods Youngho taught others were somewhat peculiar as well.
They resembled methods for surviving a war. One had to survive first in order to plan for the future.
Training meant purely for survival.
It was strange. It was puzzling. But Horyeung simply followed. Youngho was not a thoughtless man; it was clear he was preparing for something.
‘One day, he will tell me.’
Holding onto that vague thought, Horyeung followed Youngho into the Annex.
The next day dawned. Kang Hosan rose from his bed, stretched widely, and spoke.
“Are we heading back to the Unorthodox Alliance now?”
“Yes. It ended faster than expected.”
Kang Hosan, Kang Chowon, and even Horyeung were excited at the thought of finally returning home. Only Hyeon-gang, however, seemed tense, biting his nails repeatedly.
“Is this really okay?”
At Hyeon-gang’s muttering, Youngho looked at him as if this were nothing new.
“You’re worrying now? You even stayed in the Special Chamber of the Gold-Blood Hall and went to the Hao Sect.”
“No, but even so, I belong to the Orthodox Sect….”
“You were expelled.”
“…….”
Having been struck at a sore spot, Hyeon-gang said nothing. He merely glared at Youngho.
Youngho turned his head away, lightly ignoring him, and looked at Kang Chowon, who was humming while packing her belongings.
“Chowon. Something good must have happened last night?”
“You noticed?”
“I see everything.”
Youngho flashed a confident grin, and Kang Chowon gave a small nod.
‘He really did know everything.’
To see through it with just a brief glance—truly, his reputation was well deserved.
Kang Chowon quietly glanced at Horyeung. Horyeung, too, seemed to have sensed something and his lips twitched upward in delight.
In contrast, Kang Hosan held his head as if suffering from a headache.
“It concerns your younger sister. Why aren’t you happy?”
At Youngho’s question, Kang Hosan groaned.
“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
“I know. You cherish Chowon.”
“That’s exactly why!”
Kang Hosan suddenly exploded, launching into an impassioned rant.
“I never intended for her to learn martial arts in the first place!”
“She’s already a fine Martial Artist now. What’s done is done.”
“That’s true. You’re right….”
Kang Hosan looked at Kang Chowon with complicated eyes.
Trying to ease the slightly awkward atmosphere, Horyeung chuckled.
“Hosan, let the past go. Chowon is now a Master Level expert. Do you know how rare Master Level experts are?”
“They seem pretty common these days.”
“…….”
It was true. No rebuttal could be made.
Kang Hosan let out a long sigh, then ruffled Kang Chowon’s hair.
“Well done, you little brat.”
“Ah, Oppa!”
Pouting, Kang Chowon brushed his hand away as if telling him to stop. Yet she could not hide the smile blooming on her face; she grinned brightly.
Watching them, Youngho let out a faint chuckle.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
Kang Chowon answered energetically.
Cheongsol was genuinely delighted to see Cheonung sitting in the Office for once. Though the probability was extremely low, even Cheonung occasionally worked.
However, the important point was that whenever Cheonung handled work, he did so without uttering a single word.
“Cheongsol.”
“Yes, Alliance Lord.”
But the moment Cheonung finally opened his mouth, Cheongsol despaired inwardly.
The Cheonung he knew did not chatter during work. The fact that he had suddenly spoken meant—
‘Yes. Lasting a Quarter-Hour is already impressive.’
Usually, Cheonung could not even endure One Dakyung before abandoning his duties and heading to the Training Ground.
Yet today, he had processed work for over a Quarter-Hour. It was truly a rare sight.
“It seemed there was no choice but to send him again this time as well.” As Cheongsol finished many thoughts in a fleeting instant and rose from his seat in resignation to see the Alliance Lord off—
“Isn’t it about time Youngho returned?”
He froze mid-motion, half-risen from his chair. Remaining in that awkward posture, Cheongsol retraced his memory for a moment before answering.
“To my knowledge, there is still some time remaining.”
“Really? Then why are you standing like that?”
Only then did Cheongsol realize how strange he must have looked. Slowly straightening his legs, he replied,
“It is expected to take at least three months before the Fifth Young Master returns to the Unorthodox Alliance.”
“He’s been away longer than I thought.”
“This is already remarkably fast. Including travel time, it is an unbelievable speed.”
“Is that so? Where did he say he was now?”
“He said he was going to meet the Hao Sect Master. There has been no word since.”
Cheonung clicked his tongue in displeasure.
“Tch. That woman is always causing troublesome matters. It makes me uneasy.”
“Even so, she is capable, is she not?”
“That’s right. That’s also why I’ve kept her alive.”
Though he spoke casually of her competence, Cheonung knew well that the person in the Unorthodox Faction who hated Maeryeong the most was Cheongsol.
Even now, at the mere mention of Maeryeong, his face twisted openly.
No matter how highly he rated her abilities, dislike was still dislike.
“She’s the type who seems like she’d know even the color of the undergarments I’m wearing today. She’s unsettling to the extreme.”
“I agree.”
Nodding once, Cheonung moved his brush across the stacked documents and continued.
“What kind of test do you think she’ll give Youngho?”
“I do not know that either.”
“If Youngho were at least on my level, that woman wouldn’t dare touch him….”
Maeryeong enjoyed toying with the weak. More precisely, she enjoyed watching the weak struggle.
Whether one held a lowly or noble status in the Jianghu, if they were weaker than her, she would first torment them.
And the struggling she observed was the process of passing the test she personally imposed.
That test, one that made a person feel as though they were about to die and wish for death, could never be endured with ordinary mental fortitude.
Though she tailored her tests to each individual, Youngho was still weaker than Maeryeong.
No matter what peerless Spirit Pill one consumed, the difference in the years they had trained could not be closed.
It was a certainty. Maeryeong had trained at least fifty years longer than Youngho.
He would surely not win. Therefore, if he wished to negotiate regarding the Orthodox–Unorthodox War, he would inevitably have to undergo Maeryeong’s test.
Of course, if Youngho heard such thoughts, he would scoff. But at least to others, it was natural to think that he could not yet defeat her.
And despite that gap, the very fact that they were weighing the two against each other made Cheonung newly astonished.
“How did that brat reach such a realm so quickly?”
At Cheonung’s muttering, Cheongsol asked with a puzzled expression,
“What do you mean?”
“The thought that if Youngho consumed a Spirit Pill on the level of Clear Sky Stone Milk, he could defeat the Hao Sect Master.”
“You mean a single drop?”
“I didn’t specify.”
At Cheonung’s nonchalant reply, Cheongsol let out a deep sigh.
“No matter how rare a heavenly elixir may be, to compare it to the Hao Sect Master… Hm… Still, if you speak so highly of the Fifth Young Master, then there must be something about him that I do not know.”
“Yes. That brat will become far stronger than me.”
At Cheonung’s matter-of-fact tone, Cheongsol forgot even to organize the documents and widened his eyes.
“To that extent?”
“No matter how much I explain, you won’t believe it.”
“There has never been a time when I failed to believe you, Alliance Lord.”
“I know your loyalty, but you still wouldn’t believe it.”
“Could you not at least tell me?”
At Cheongsol’s earnest plea, Cheonung fell silent for a moment before speaking.
“In five years, Youngho will defeat even me.”
It was unbelievable. Yet at the same time, it was a statement that could not be dismissed.
‘For the Alliance Lord to say something like this?’
Cheonung had never given even the First Young Master such a generous evaluation.
It was more direct than vague praise like remarkable or outstanding.
‘In five years, the Alliance Lord would lose?’
Cheongsol could not comprehend it. Was such a thing even possible?
He firmly believed that if not for the Heavenly Demon, Cheonung would become the strongest under heaven.
It was not mere speculation. Even Han Yonghu, the Murim Alliance Leader, had been defeated in a sparring match against Cheonung.
That match had been conducted unofficially in secret, known to no one but Cheongsol.
If anyone else knew, it would only be a trusted figure on the Orthodox side close to Han Yonghu.
“I do not understand. Of course, I know the Fifth Young Master is strong. After all, he killed the Poison Demon.”
That was true. It was the Poison Demon, no less.
“Even so, the experience and wisdom gained from living one’s life cannot help but be insufficient. Time cannot be defeated. Five years is not enough for the Fifth Young Master to surpass you.”
That, too, was true.
It had to be true. And yet, that was precisely why Youngho was a contradiction.
“Cheongsol, if Youngho lacked experience and wisdom, he would have long since fallen to the Poison Demon.”
“Is that so?”
Seeing that Cheongsol still could not shake his doubt, Cheonung nodded.
“Yes. You know it too, don’t you? The fate of half-witted fools who have learned only theory.”
In that instant, Cheongsol’s face hardened.
“He defeated the Poison Demon. I do not recall the names, but among those who managed to escape from me, he would be one of them. His skill must be considerable.”
“That is true.”
“If Youngho were merely strong, he would have died the moment he faced that Poison Demon or whatever. I do not know how, but that brat possesses experience and wisdom in real combat that rival my own.”
“……He is a bundle of contradictions.”
“That’s what makes him interesting. He’s a monster. A monster that twists common sense and creates new concepts. Yes.”
Looking toward where Cheonsan lay, Cheonung spoke.
“Just like that Heavenly Demon.”
The Alliance Lord laughed as if delighted, while Cheongsol sank into deep contemplation.