Chapter 124 - The Black Flame Dragon Who Gives an Opportunity (4)

Rumors about the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array resonated not only throughout the academy but across the entire Murim Alliance.

"They say there's a solution to it?"

"There was a solution, it's just that you had to memorize two million paths."

"Don't tell me he's going to teach all two million paths and call it a day?"

"From what I've heard, Jin Sowoon is offering to teach a way to get out without having to memorize all the paths."

Furthermore, the reason the rumors had grown so massive was because there were limits on the time the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array would be operational and the number of people who could enter it.

The academy's representative delegation's office, which was usually empty except for the personnel who were with me, started to be visited by a variety of people, ranging from those questioning the limit on numbers to those expressing dissatisfaction.

"Why spend such a large sum of money only to operate it for ten days?"

"Because the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array is too dangerous, and if something goes wrong, a place of death could emerge inside the academy."

"Then why are only two hundred people allowed to enter?"

"Because the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array is too dangerous, and it is a precaution in case casualties occur among the academy students if something goes wrong."

"All these decisions seem like the academy representative's dogmatic choices!"

"Because the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array is too dangerous, we ask for your understanding that we cannot accommodate every opinion."

Since we faithfully used the trump card of 'it's too dangerous' against any opinion or question, even those who had been firing off questions like chatterboxes naturally shut their mouths.

Then, people spreading conspiracy theories began to appear.

"Isn't he intentionally creating a dangerous array to kill the academy students?"

"That is why we placed a limit of two hundred people to prevent such a dangerous situation."

"Could it be that teaching only those two hundred people is a trick to consolidate your own faction?"

"Do I even have a faction to begin with? And it seems like that contradicts the question you just asked."

As expected of brats who grew up sheltered, they seemingly couldn't stand the fact that the world didn't revolve around them, and all sorts of talk spilled out.

To teach them the harshness of the world, I diligently cast 'so what' and decisively silenced the controversies.

"What if no one comes because of that?"

"What do you mean?"

"The atmosphere is already one that views the academy representative negatively, so I was wondering if you shouldn't be coaxing and soothing them."

At Seong Moran's question, I stared straight at her.

"W-Why? If you look at me like that so suddenly..."

"Lady Seong."

"Y-Yes!"

"If you knew of a place where a divine weapon and extraordinary artifact that could only be used exactly once was located, would you go look for it?"

"Pardon? Suddenly what... well, even if it could only be used exactly once, if it could save my life, I'd have to go look for it."

"But the place where that item is located is right in the middle of the Underworld Murim, so your family forbids you from going. Would you still go?"

"I'd still have to go. You said it was a divine weapon and extraordinary artifact. Even if it can only be used exactly once, if it's something like that, I'd have to go."

"That's right. They'd go. For themselves and their family. This is the same. No matter how unreasonable and uncomfortable it feels, if they can learn the solution to the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array, wouldn't martial artists go?"

"Ah..."

At my words, not only Seong Moran but also Namgung Seonhwa and Moyong Jaehwa, who were listening together, had their mouths hanging open in surprise.

"Anyway, when it comes to petty tricks..."

Eunho, who was holding his hands up next to me with a massive black eye, muttered quietly.

"What was that?"

"N-Nothing! As expected of Eldest Senior Brother! You're the best! The best!"

"Keep your hands held up properly."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

Namgung Seonhwa, who had a surprised expression, suddenly spoke as if she thought of something.

"If that's the case, why did you place a limit on the numbers? While you're at it, wouldn't it be more advantageous for Young Master Jin to include about three hundred people and have them participate in the academic schedule?"

"I have to open five more academic schedules over the next three months. Even if I fill up all that quota right now, it would lose its meaning."

"Ah... once one hurdle is cleared, another hurdle comes."

"It's fine, though. That's why I placed a limit on the number of people."

"Pardon?"

* * *

"What kind of bullshit is that!"

The Zhongnan Sect's Jang Seokdo shouted furiously.

Geumpyo, wiping the spit that splashed on his face from his sudden yelling, spoke calmly.

"Didn't I tell you? If you want to learn the solution to the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array, you must obligatorily attend five of the academic schedules opened by the academy representative in the future."

"There was no mention of such a thing!"

"Originally, isn't it the rule to show the terms and conditions when you fill out the application form?"

"You bastards, I've been going easy on you and now...!"

"Dongryong."

At Geumpyo's words, the sword boy who had been tightly hugging his sword next to him stepped forward.

Jang Seokdo flinched and took two steps back.

He was also well aware of the rumors about the Black Blood Three Dragons of the Mu-class.

'They say if the three of them band together, they can take on an entire squad?'

It was everyone from the Nine Sects and One Gang, the Five Great Noble Clans, and the Twelve Peaks and Castles who showed a displeased reaction to the Taiyi Sect's moves.

Just as he had underestimated and rushed at the Taiyi Sect's Jin Sowoon, others in the Mu-class had also rushed at these three brothers only to suffer the mishap of getting their arms broken.

Even so, those who couldn't fully vent their anger had tried to target the three brothers individually by calling out Dongryong, who looked the youngest, to teach him a lesson.

'They said that tiny guy's hands were incredibly rough.'

However, Jang Seokdo also knew the story that all three people who had rushed at him like that ended up with their arms and legs broken, suffering injuries that would render them immobile for the next half a year.

"If you're not going to do it, please step aside quickly. The line behind you is long."

When Jang Seokdo turned around, there was a long line of people who had secretly come to fill out the application form just like him.

Looking at their faces, they were all individuals who didn't exert much power within their respective spheres of influence.

As a disciple of Zhongnan, standing together with them was truly unpleasant beyond measure, but as soon as the news about the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array was heard, he had received orders from the main sect to learn the solution, so he had endured the cold glares of others and come all the way here.

"Damn it... hand it over, where do I sign?"

No matter how exhausting his daily life inside the academy became, considering his future in the Murim Alliance and eventually returning to his main sect, listening to the main sect's orders was the right thing to do.

"You just need to stamp your seal here, here, here, and here."

"That's a lot."

"For reference, since this is a document notarized by the Mantong Bureau, if you break the promise, you will have to pay a penalty fee of one hundred nyang of gold."

"What?"

"It is an opportunity given only to a limited quota of two hundred people. The Mantong Bureau does not wish to incur a loss because of someone who won't even attend anyway."

"..."

"Of course, if you attend properly, there will be no need to pay the one hundred nyang of gold."

"..."

No matter how unfair it was, he couldn't disobey the orders of the main sect.

"Yes, you made a good choice. Now, next."

* * *

Murim Academy's grand equestrian ground.

At this place where a special Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array was being installed, I met a familiar face.

"I was looking for Great Warrior Yu as soon as I came to the Murim Academy anyway. Why didn't you participate in the Murim standard exam?"

At my words, Yu Jiryang, who had become gaunter than last time, let out a chuckle.

"The Murim Academy is also an excellent opportunity, but there was an even greater opportunity right away at the Taiyi Sect, so I said I wouldn't participate."

When I conveyed my plan to the Mount Mao Sect through the Mantong Bureau, Yu Jiryang, who had been installing Qimen formations and arrays at Wangga Manor in Hefei, flew over like an arrow.

"Furthermore, isn't this a chance to install a pure Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array? Naturally, I had to come."

Although he had lost weight and become gaunt compared to before, the profound qi in his two eyes seemed fuller than ever.

"Did you have some kind of enlightenment?"

"I'd like to say that I've taken a step forward through the books Great Warrior Jin left behind and my research with Zhuge Cheongi."

Yu Jiryang was by nature a flexible and humble person. Seeing such a person talk about taking a step forward showed that his enlightenment during that time was by no means shallow.

"You're amazing as expected. Congratulations."

At my words, Yu Jiryang, who had instead bowed his head, stared piercingly into my two eyes.

"I actually thought Great Warrior Jin was the amazing one."

"Me?"

Yu Jiryang turned his head toward the grand equestrian ground.

At the grand equestrian ground, five hundred carpenters were fully absorbed in building a total of three hundred pillars and temporary structures.

"I heard through rumors about the situation Great Warrior Jin is facing. But even if I were in that situation, I wouldn't have released something like the solution to the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array."

"You could see it that way."

"May I ask why you made such a choice?"

I could have drawn in the academy students using other methods as well.

If I were to point out the reasons why I chose this method despite that, there were two.

One was the Demonic Cult.

I decided to reveal the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array because of the Demonic Cult, which already knew the methods to dispel most of Jianghu's Qimen array formations.

And the second was...

"Isn't it tragic?"

"Pardon?"

"The interior of the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array is hollow. No demonic beasts pop out, and no disasters occur. Both the people trapped inside and the people outside who can only watch and hope they escape safely are left with nothing but an endlessly painful wait without any promise."

"..."

Suddenly, I thought of the Great Martial Ancestor who must have waited for death inside this array filled with agony.

"Setting aside the black and white paths, targets that we must resist with our true human nature often appear before us, don't they? In my eyes, the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array is such an entity. Seeing that the Soul-Extinguishing Array, which was said to have disappeared three hundred years ago, has reappeared, this disaster will surely appear before people again someday. If that's the case, I thought it was right to release a solution if it's one that can be handled by human effort."

"Hoh..."

Yu Jiryang stared at me for a long while with wide, rabbit-like eyes.

"As expected, Great Warrior Jin is someone who completely exceeds my field of vision."

"You flatter me."

At the same time, I spoke with a smile on my lips.

"And just because they know the solution doesn't mean they can unconditionally dispel it, right?"

The Soul-Extinguishing Array will become a regular event as long as I am the representative.

Those who get a taste of the Soul-Extinguishing Array once will fear it while simultaneously seeking a way to overcome it, and that craving will lead to regular attendance at my events.

If this isn't a bait product strategy, what is?

"..."

A mischievous smile also appeared on the lips of Yu Jiryang, who had been making a blank expression at my words.

Seeing that smile, I asked with certainty.

"Great Warrior Yu, you know something too, right?"

He gave a small nod.

"By any chance, would you be able to memorize five hundred twenty-four thousand eight hundred paths?"

"Hah."

When I marveled, he continued speaking.

"Perhaps it will be of no use against Great Warrior Jin, but even if the person who originally created the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array were to return alive, they wouldn't be able to get out of the array I created."

So this was the kind of smile that only those in the know could make.

We shared such a despicable smile.

* * *

"In the end, the quota hasn't been completely filled."

"Isn't it still the first day?"

The Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array was fully completed, and bizarre pillars and structures of unknown use were erected in the center of the grand equestrian ground.

Not only those who were participating, but even the academy students and drill instructors who had gathered just to watch were sticking their heads out and looking this way.

"Do you think they will keep coming in the future?"

At Namgung Seonhwa's words, I nodded.

"Everyone here are people who must risk their lives for survival for the rest of their lives. A fortuitous encounter has been given for free right in front of their eyes, and there won't be any fool who wants to miss it."

For those who have lived among warriors their entire lives, an irresistible instinct is bound to trigger. Although I don't know for sure, it was obvious that they were engaged in a fierce battle of wits, trying to figure out when to dash out and fill out an application form.

"Shall we begin?"

I answered Yu Jiryang's question.

"Yes, please."

Yu Jiryang, standing on the podium, raised a blue flag, lowered it, and then raised a red flag.

"Activate!"

A total of fifty array masters from the Mount Mao Sect each took charge of one pillar and began to activate the array.

As fifty streams of energy moved simultaneously, the sensitive horses in the stables started to run around wildly, and people's gazes began to focus even more on the center of the grand equestrian ground.

"Ooh!"

"I-Is that the array?"

White cloudy mist began to leak out from the temporary structures erected in the center of the grand equestrian ground.

The white mist moved slowly, spreading from the center to the outskirts, and then at the outermost edge where the array masters were positioned, it stopped abruptly against something and began to stack up in layers.

It looked as if a massive cloud that should be located high in the sky was being formed on the ground.

The mist that began to slowly stack up in that manner drifted between the bizarrely shaped pillars and enveloped the entire grand equestrian ground. And ultimately, the pillars and temporary structures all vanished so that nothing could be seen.

"I will test it out."

At Yu Jiryang's words as he approached the Soul-Extinguishing Array, I asked.

"Shall I go in?"

Then, Yu Jiryang spoke with a smile on his lips.

"I can at least enter this much now too."

While creating the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array, Yu Jiryang and I had set up one safety mechanism, which was to naturally bounce people outside the Soul-Extinguishing Array if they entered through a place that wasn't the Gates of Life and Death.

Yu Jiryang must have studied tremendously at the Taiyi Sect in Hefei during that time, as he implemented what I envisioned without difficulty.

GULP.

As Yu Jiryang stood in front of the Soul-Extinguishing Array, not even the sound of an ant crawling could be heard in the venue.

STEP.

The moment Yu Jiryang took a step, his figure vanished into the mist.

"..."

And a moment later.

STEP, STEP.

Yu Jiryang, with his eyes closed, walked out of the Soul-Extinguishing Array perfectly unharmed.

"Since going in, I simply kept my eyes closed and only walked straight."

Meaning the safety mechanism was perfectly installed.

"Thank you for your hard work."

I turned my head and said to the first group that would enter the Soul-Extinguishing Array.

"Are you ready?"

* * *

Seeing the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array in operation, an additional 50 people expressed their intention to participate in just one day.

And the news that there were many personnel from the Nine Sects and One Gang among these participants was quite annoying to the Orthodox Council.

In the first place, the Orthodox Council had ordered their internal personnel not to participate in Jin Sowoon's event.

"There are still those who are confused internally. We must be more vigilant."

"Instead of doing that, let's talk to the academy and discuss giving the solution to everyone."

"We've already talked to them, but it wasn't accepted."

However, recently, the number of people acting according to the main sects' orders was increasing, and this was manifesting as a disruption of internal solidarity.

Furthermore, with an unmissable opportunity like the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array right in front of them—not just anything else—they couldn't possibly tell them not to make a move.

"If it's going to be like this, let's just share the solution ourselves."

"What? Are you saying we should take Jin Sowoon and torture him or something?"

"Would that be possible? I'm saying we should directly send someone to learn the solution and then share it internally."

"..."

"Everyone must have received contact from their main sects anyway. Even their sects wouldn't want to miss such an opportunity."

"Then let's do this. Please talk to the Elder's Hall to further unite the personnel. And after we select the chosen personnel to learn the solution, please also pass on the message that we will share it again."

"Understood."

"This secret must never leak out. According to the contract, if it is shared, a penalty fee of one hundred nyang of gold must be paid."

No matter how many petty tricks he plays, there is always an answer.

Those leading the faction finished the meeting like that, sneering at Jin Sowoon's petty tricks.