Chapter 142 - The Ones Wearing Black Masks

"It brings back old memories."

Zhuge Somyeong nodded at Hyuk Mugang's words.

"Indeed. It is hard to believe that forty years have already passed."

Whenever the Murim Academy's first break period began, the two would dismiss their escorts and take a stroll through the Murim Academy.

Because it was the first break period, there were few people residing within the academy.

After living a life for several decades where even a single day of rest was viewed as a political move, one grew sick of people.

It was perhaps only natural that these two, who shared such similar feelings, would visit the Murim Academy where they could reminisce about their innocent old days.

"The dormitory buildings have changed."

Zhuge Somyeong nodded at Hyuk Mugang's words.

"The old buildings were quite poor, weren't they? Back when I attended, even the Gap-class students had to share one room among four people."

"You must have felt very stifled, Chief Strategist."

"Still, there were many fun incidents with my academy peers. We used to sneak out at night and run all the way to Yueyang. The guy who is now the Sect Leader of Mount Hua loved the courtesan houses so much back then."

As Zhuge Somyeong shared his stories with a slight smile on his lips, Hyuk Mugang also spoke up.

"I am truly envious. I have no such memories."

"Did you not have any friends back then either, Alliance Leader?"

"Hmm?"

Hyuk Mugang's eyebrows twitched at Zhuge Somyeong's words.

"Ah! I misspoke. I meant to ask if you were fully devoted to your training back then, but it just slipped out... Hahaha."

Zhuge Somyeong tried his best to recover, but Hyuk Mugang's eyes had already narrowed.

"It's not that. Because I never missed out on being the top student and the academy representative, I never had the chance to experience group living. As the Chief Strategist knows, the representative's dormitory is a bit secluded, isn't it? ... Oops! You have never been the academy representative, have you, Chief Strategist?"

"..."

This time, it was Zhuge Somyeong's eyes that narrowed in response.

"Back then, I intentionally did that to help that Divine Sword brat of the Namgung Clan become the representative..."

"Were you perhaps in a master-servant relationship rather than a friendship?"

"Ahem! It was a grand strategic decision!"

"But you two are friends now, right?"

Zhuge Somyeong let out a long sigh at Hyuk Mugang's teasing words, which persisted to the end.

"Let's stop. What use are such distinctions now?"

"Perhaps... are you still in a relationship where you must follow the Divine Sword's orders?"

"This guy, seriously!"

"Hahahaha."

When Hyuk Mugang burst into laughter first, Zhuge Somyeong, who had kept a straight face, also smiled in turn.

"It truly is nice and quiet."

"Because everyone must be enjoying themselves grandly at their sects."

"Hmm?"

Looking around, Hyuk Mugang came to a stop.

"What is it?"

"It seems someone is remaining in the representative's pavilion."

Zhuge Somyeong focused his vision in the direction Hyuk Mugang pointed.

"It is Jin Sowoon and the kids from the Taiyi Sect."

"Did they not return this time?"

"Indeed. They were probably waiting a long time for them within the Taiyi Sect... But it seems they are having a sparring match."

"A sparring match?"

Meeting each other's gazes, the two men made their way toward the representative's pavilion without needing to say who should go first.

One way or another, both of them were martial artists who couldn't miss watching a fight.

* * *

"For shouting so boldly, this is quite petty—four against one."

At Jin Sowoon's words, Eunho, who stood at the center of the sword array, gulped down his saliva.

Despite speaking like that, he was brimming with composure.

It meant he was confident he wouldn't lose easily.

'But it won't be easy this time.'

Eunho was confident.

The experience he gained through the Murim Academy's standard exam and the new knowledge he learned from the sword array masters within the academy.

Furthermore, the core principles of the two sects' sword arrays obtained from Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran.

Having absorbed all of this, Eunho evolved the White Tiger Sword Array to the next level based on the Taiyi True Scripture.

Before their bout with their Eldest Senior Brother, they tested the newly created sword array on Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran. Namgung Seonhwa even drew out the Sovereign Sword Technique, but she ultimately failed to neutralize the White Tiger Lethal Sword Array.

"You'll have to be careful this time."

"If your training has been lazy lately, expect to receive intensive training for the rest of the break."

"... That's a bit unfair, isn't it? You said we would go play at Dongting Lake."

"We aren't going to play. We are going to work and taking a brief look around while we're there."

"Anyway!"

He had clearly promised to take them to Yueyang during the break period, yet suddenly he imposed this condition.

Wasn't it too harsh?

"As expected, our Eldest Senior Brother's nasty temper is the best in the world..."

"What was that?!"

"It's nothing."

"So if you want to go sightseeing, attack me with the resolve to die."

"!"

At the sight of Sowoon drawing the Black Dragon Sword, sparks flew in the eyes of the four people.

"Are you ready?"

At the question from Namgung Seonhwa, who was seated as a spectator, everyone from the Taiyi Sect nodded at the same time.

"Then... begin!"

As soon as Namgung Seonhwa's signal fell, Sowoon shot forward like a flash of lightning and thrust his sword.

CLANG.

Dongryong, who was at the very front of the sword array, barely managed to block Sowoon's sword, but because he was pushed back several steps, the sword array failed to activate.

They were obstructed by Sowoon's intention to shatter the sword array before it could even activate.

"Eldest Senior Brother, we didn't get this far that easily either! Flood Bullet!"

With Eunho's shout, the sword array transformed into an arrowhead shape.

While Dongryong faced Sowoon, Saryeon leaped forward and fiercely aimed for Sowoon's vitals.

SWOOSH.

As the high-speed Lesser Heaven Sword Technique rushed in to target his vital acupoints, Sowoon spun his body twice and retreated.

"Bronze Force!"

The sword array spread out into the shape of a fan, with Saryeon and Geumpyo standing on either side of Dongryong, and the three of them began attacking Jin Sowoon all at once.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

In the blink of an eye, over a dozen exchanges occurred, and Sowoon stepped back twice more.

"Your attacks are quite fierce. Let's see if your defense is just as decent."

Sowoon's Black Dragon Sword began to move rapidly, scattering the Twin Heaven Sword Art. Real swords and phantom swords fluttered wildly in all directions, beginning to choke the four of them.

"Gold and Silver Armor!"

With Eunho's shout, Dongryong and Saryeon fell back, while Geumpyo and Eunho stepped forward to confront the Twin Heaven Sword Art.

Jin Sowoon's Twin Heaven Sword Art and the two people's Twin Heaven Sword Art.

The difference was that while Jin Sowoon spread the Twin Heaven Sword Art wide, the two of them deployed the Twin Heaven Sword Art narrowly, creating an effect like a sword barrier.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

As the dozens of Twin Heaven Sword Arts he unleashed were neutralized all at once, Sowoon couldn't hide his surprise either.

"Were you guys originally this well-coordinated?"

"We are in the middle of a spar, Eldest Senior Brother!"

"That is true, but it seems you're coordinating even better than I expected?"

At Sowoon's words, Eunho smiled inwardly.

The secret of the Taiyi True Scripture they had figured out while training desperately.

In fact, it was the very reason they came to think they could challenge their Eldest Senior Brother.

'I should let him know, but not during this spar.'

Right now, he was strictly their sparring opponent.

This very moment was a time to strictly compare their skills.

"Silver Phantom!"

As Eunho stepped forward and shouted, the three people retreated behind Eunho and withdrew their swords in unison.

While Sowoon had yet to properly grasp the true nature of their sword array, Eunho unleashed the Great Heaven Sword Technique with all his might, obscuring Sowoon's vision.

"It's entertaining, but it doesn't seem to be enough to go play in Yueyang."

Eunho gritted his teeth at Sowoon's provocation.

"This is just the beginning, Eldest Senior Brother."

Walking with the Taiyi Eighty Thousand Divine Steps, Jin Sowoon began to approach Eunho, dodging the Lesser Heaven Sword Techniques hidden within the Great Heaven Sword Technique.

CLANG, CLANG, CLAAANG.

As Sowoon casually swept aside the swords and entered the sword array, he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

SLASH!

With a quiet cutting sound, Jin Sowoon's sleeve was sliced off.

"Huh?"

He had thought he cleared away all the real swords hidden among the phantom swords, but it seemed he had missed one.

While Sowoon was momentarily startled, Eunho's shout rang loudly across the sparring ground.

"Star Phantom!"

Alongside the phantom swords Eunho blossomed, the other three bloomed phantom swords at the same time.

Dozens... no, hundreds of phantom swords completely blanketed Sowoon as well as the entire surrounding area.

Even if they were phantom swords, just looking at them instilled a sense of intimidation.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

Sowoon swung his sword dozens of times in the blink of an eye.

However, his clothes began to tear away bit by bit.

"My goodness..."

Finally, a voice laced with bewilderment burst out from Sowoon's mouth as well.

"This is just the beginning, Eldest Senior Brother!"

Eunho and his junior brothers and sister grew triumphant, raising their momentum even higher.

The brilliant lights of Yueyang were already shimmering before their eyes.

"It can't be helped."

Along with his softly echoing words, four manifestations of the Ten Thousand Swords sprouted from Sowoon's blade.

"That won't be enough!"

Eunho's tone was full of confidence.

Sowoon smiled faintly as he looked at Eunho.

"You'll see soon enough."

At that moment, Sword Qi gathered on the Ten Thousand Swords.

"Huh?"

"What in the!"

"!"

Eunho, as well as the other junior brothers and sister, could not hide their shock.

It was supposed to be impossible to use Sword Qi on the Ten Thousand Swords.

"Did you think I was just playing around?"

As the Ten Thousand Swords coated in Sword Qi began to swing, the phantom swords bloomed by the Twin Heaven Sword Art started to vanish.

The phantom swords disappeared in an instant, like flying insects being chased away by a natural predator.

Eunho and the other three had no choice but to widen their eyes.

"This is so petty..."

"Are you planning to call it petty even after you're dead?"

"It's not over yet!"

Eunho met the gazes of the other three and shouted at the exact moment he nodded.

"Ten Thousand Phantoms!"

From the swords of the four people, a single manifestation of the Ten Thousand Swords bloomed each.

Jin Sowoon felt a sense of strangeness at the sight of his juniors and frowned.

VMMMMMM!

A bizarre vibrating sound spewed out from the sword array.

Furthermore, the four people who had previously seemed to be merely coordinating their movements now moved as if they were a single person.

An ominous energy wrapped around Jin Sowoon's entire body, and an unprecedented pressure began to constrict him.

"What in the world..."

Just as he was about to say something, another manifestation of the Ten Thousand Swords spawned next to each of the ones his juniors had bloomed.

"Hmm?!"

A total of eight Ten Thousand Swords bloomed by the four of them. Those Ten Thousand Swords moved simultaneously, beginning to embroider the Twin Heaven Sword Art in midair.

The radius was so large that it engulfed the entire small sparring ground located at the representative's dormitory.

BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM!

THWACK-THWACK-THWACK!

Wherever the Ten Thousand Swords danced, marble was gouged out and trees were chopped down.

It was truly a massive mist of swords.

A dangerous fog, capable of grinding apart anything upon contact, approached Jin Sowoon while protecting the four of them.

"Hah!"

Right before being swallowed by the mist of swords, Sowoon felt more bewildered than afraid.

It was definitely the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven and Earth Sword Art and the White Tiger Sword Array he knew, but to think there was such a bizarre form of attack?

'Still, I can't just back down and ruin my dignity as their Eldest Senior Brother.'

It was a proud thing to see his juniors growing stronger, but for now, he wanted to remain the wall they still needed to overcome.

"Let's see you take this, too!"

The Taiyi Sect's unique Sword Force, created while enduring hundreds of curses hurled by the Sword Demon.

Sowoon's Black Dragon Sword produced two manifestations of the Ten Thousand Swords.

Soon, Sword Force began to bloom from the tips of the Ten Thousand Swords.

The Ten Thousand Force that even the Sword Demon had evaluated as 'quite usable'.

"Aaaaargh!"

A desperate scream erupted from within the mist of swords.

Sowoon, as if even that was enjoyable, threw his body into the mist of swords without delay.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

Along with continuous explosions, the mist of swords and the Ten Thousand Force clashed.

And then,

CRASH! CRASH! RUMBLE... BANG!

With a heavy impact sound, the innocent marble and trees of the sparring ground were blasted away in all directions.

"Huff, huff, huff."

"Haa, haa."

Eunho and the other three sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath.

"You guys are pretty good."

In contrast, Jin Sowoon casually sheathed his sword.

The four people couldn't hide their disappointment as they looked at him.

"What was that at the end?"

Judging by the amount of their internal energy and their mastery of the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven and Earth Sword Art, sprouting one manifestation of the Ten Thousand Swords was supposedly the limit for the kids.

However, near the end, the kids forming the sword array had each produced two Ten Thousand Swords.

"We just named it Synchronization."

"Synchronization?"

"Yes. When we coordinate the sword array amongst ourselves, there comes a point where we use less effort but can draw out more qi."

They were describing an effect similar to the Resonance phenomenon emitted by the Shaolin Sect's 108 Arhat Array or the Wudang Sect's Yin-Yang Taiji Array.

"Haha! That's amazing."

"Yes, and we still lost even with that amazing thing."

"But it was enough."

"Is it enough to go to Yueyang?"

Sowoon chuckled at Eunho's words.

"Yeah, it's enough."

At Sowoon's words, the juniors who had collapsed in exhaustion jumped to their feet and cheered.

"Eldest Senior Brother, by the way, when did you pettily learn Sword Force?"

* * *

At the same time.

The two men, who had been strolling through the Murim Academy and ended up watching the kids spar, could not leave their spots even after the match was completely over.

"... What do you think?"

Hyuk Mugang nodded at Zhuge Somyeong's question.

"Jin Sowoon isn't the only one in the Taiyi Sect."

"Right?"

"The Taiyi Sect will soar higher than I thought."

"Will they merely soar? I think they will shake the world."

"You seem to quite like this situation, Chief Strategist."

Zhuge Somyeong subtly smiled at Hyuk Mugang's words and asked.

"Which kid caught your eye?"

"I covet the boy named Dongryong. Unbelievably, he seems to be a child who has overcome the Heavenly Slaughter Star."

"I'm glad we don't overlap this time. I like the kid named Eunho."

"Oho... Is he a useful talent for the Mantong Bureau?"

"I'll have to see if he's as capable as Jin Sowoon, but looking at his skill in operating arrays, I think he will easily adapt to the Mantong Bureau."

"He's that good?"

"Did you see him instantly alter the sword array to match the opponent? That's impossible without a good head on your shoulders."

Hyuk Mugang also nodded at Zhuge Somyeong's excited appearance.

That was how impressive the sparring match of the Taiyi Sect kids had been.

"By the way, when did that Jin Sowoon kid grow that much in such a short amount of time?"

"I know, right? I thought I was going to faint when that rascal drew out Sword Force."

"He truly is a child whose potential cannot even be estimated. I am looking forward to it."

Even though they couldn't finish the quiet stroll they had desired, the two men's faces were filled with nothing but utter satisfaction.

* * *

"Dongting Lake!"

"It's a vacation!"

The destination we chose for this break period was Yueyang in Hunan Province, where Dongting Lake was located.

"We aren't going to play."

"Yes, yes, of course. Still, it's not like we only have to work, right?"

Eun Seollan and Moyong Jaehwa also wanted to follow me, but they ultimately had to stay behind at the academy for supplementary lessons and personal training, respectively.

"But what exactly is the work we have to do in this glamorous Yueyang?"

Seong Moran asked, wearing luxurious silk robes and accessories as if she had already blended into the brilliant streets of Yueyang.

"There's someone I need to seduce."

"Pardon?"

"... Excuse me?"

Seong Moran and Namgung Seonhwa's heads spun around, creaking like wooden dolls.

Did I say something that weird?

"S-Seduce them?"

"..."

"Saying I'm going to seduce them might sound a bit weird. To be precise, saying I'm going to recruit them would be more accurate."

The recent missive sent by Zhuge Cheongi contained complaints that procuring the parts needed to complete the mechanical arrays was becoming increasingly difficult.

While there were many good blacksmiths near Hefei, there were none who could be called true artisans.

The parts supporting a mechanical array that operated in such a complex and delicate manner couldn't be made with just any ordinary skill.

That was likely why Zhuge Cheongi ultimately failed to complete the mechanical array in my past life as well.

So the person I thought of persuading was none other than Jang Dowon, whom I had crossed paths with before.

He was the best artisan I knew.

"I suspect he will be quite a difficult person to recruit. We'll be lucky if I can persuade him before our term at the academy ends."

"Just what kind of person is he that you would pour so much effort into him, Young Master Jin?"

"He might not look that impressive on the outside."

No, if anything, you might end up frowning at his abrasive personality.

However, isn't the brightest jewel always hidden in the deepest part of the mine?

Not only the mechanical arrays made by Zhuge Cheongi, but to think that all Fifteen Divine Artifacts that the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Noble Clans had divided amongst themselves in my past life would be gathered in the Taiyi Sect.

Just imagining it makes my heart swell with grandeur.

"Hyung, you said this one was mine."

"What's yours is mine, and what's mine is mine."

"..."

Anyway, Lady Seong Moran brought us to this high-class restaurant, so why were these three brothers eating like beggars?

"Eat slowly. No one is going to steal it from you."

At my words, Geumpyo roughly wiped his grease-slicked mouth.

"We know that, but for some reason, we get this anxious feeling that we'll get ambushed or interrupted whenever we eat something delicious."

What do you mean? They always provided regular meals at the Taiyi Sect, and I had never made them miss a meal while bringing them around.

Why were they acting like starving ghosts?

I truly couldn't figure it... actually, wait. Ahem.

"... By the way, there seem to be quite a few warriors who look like they belong to Mount Cangshan."

As Seong Moran pointed out, at every other table in the restaurant sat men and women dressed in martial robes indicating their affiliation with the Mount Cangshan Sect.

"Yueyang is a place where Mount Cangshan's influence runs strong."

"But Hunan Province is packed with powerful sects, including the Mount Heng Sect, isn't it?"

"That is true. But Yueyang is home to the Yuwol Sect, a lay sect of the Mount Cangshan Sect, as well as the Changseong Sect, which has maintained close ties with Mount Cangshan."

Both the Yuwol Sect and the Changseong Sect were among the top fifty of the 108 Peaks.

Thanks to those two sects, the Mount Cangshan Sect could keep a tight grip on Yueyang, arguably the number one tourist destination in Hunan Province.

"Heeh, you know about all sorts of things, Young Master Jin."

Anyway, whether compared to the martial robes of the Mount Cangshan Sect or standing next to the glamorous Seong Moran and Namgung Seonhwa, the black martial robes of the three brothers looked truly shabby.

As for me, I originally liked black, so I dressed like this, and thanks to my residence's head maid paying special attention, I was wearing luxurious martial robes embroidered with patterns. In contrast, their attire looked a bit pitiful.

It would be fine if they at least had martial robes that could represent the sect.

But expecting the Taiyi Sect, which had only recently stopped wearing patched-up clothes, to prepare martial robes embroidered with the sect's symbol was absurd in itself.

Feeling a pang of uncalled-for guilt, just as the thought crossed my mind that I should get the guys some custom-fitted clothes before meeting Jang Dowon.

"Where are these beggar bastards from?"

Even though the inside of the restaurant was noisy, the cursing could be heard clearly.

Thinking that perhaps it wasn't aimed at us, I looked around just in case. But true to a high-class restaurant, everyone was dressed in colorful silk robes and gold ornaments.

As expected, we were the only ones who could be mistaken for beggar bastards.

Not just the Geum-eun-dong Brothers, but even Seong Moran's face stiffened rigidly.

Namgung Seonhwa, acting as if there was no need to wait, pulled out a hairpin from her hair and held it like a knife. Exuding killing intent, she leaped up from her seat and strode briskly toward where the voice came from.

"Who is it? Who just called our cute little brothers 'beggars'?"

"..."

What is this? Namgung Seonhwa definitely seemed to have said that to defend us...

So why does it hurt?

Anyway, the person who made the 'beggar' remark didn't get beaten to a pulp by Namgung Seonhwa's hands.

Because Namgung Seonhwa's body came to a dead stop at the words he spoke.

"My, if it isn't Lady Namgung Seonhwa!"

"..."

His voice was raised, as if deliberately feigning the joy of meeting a welcome friend.

The man, surrounded by glamorous people, smiled and gave his greeting before turning his eyes to look in this direction.

"I wondered who it was... So it was you bastards?"

The man's voice carried a thick, viscous contempt.