Murim Academy.

A four-person dormitory.

Ak Jupyeong frowned as he unbandaged the foot treated with his clan's secret method.

"What are you talking about?"

"Jin Sowoon is gathering people to break the Zhuge Clan's formation array."

"What?"

Even hearing it again, he couldn't understand it.

Breaking the array.

The method to break the Seven Stars Seven Catch Array hadn't even been discovered yet, despite it being out in the world for over fifteen years.

Yet he was going to break the Two Modes Eight Trigrams Ten Thousand Forms Array, the Zhuge Clan's most confident creation?

"So the Head of the White Path Council triggered the Two Modes Eight Trigrams Array... and the people inside..."

He heard more being said, but none of it properly registered in his ears.

Instead, only the words 'Jin Sowoon', 'breaking the array', and 'people' continued to circle in his mind.

Then, as if lightning had struck his mind, his whole body trembled.

'This is an opportunity! An opportunity!'

If Jin Sowoon failed, they could hold him responsible, kick him out of the academy, pin the blame on him, and ruin his sect as well.

Conversely,

what if Jin Sowoon succeeded?

Since that meant he knew the weakness of a newly developed formation array, he wouldn't be able to escape the suspicion of being a spy within the Murim Alliance!

It was a true checkmate!

SPRING!

He raised his body, completely ignoring his injured foot.

"Huh? Why are you standing up so suddenly?"

"You said the White Path Council is holding an event at the Grand Equestrian Ground, right?"

"Yeah."

LIMP, LIMP.

"Hey, Jupyeong! Where are you going?!"

Lightly ignoring the voice calling out to him, Ak Jupyeong quickly moved his limping steps.

The physician sent by his clan had told him that a disability would ultimately remain.

Even if he recovered perfectly, the awkwardness when executing his movement technique would never disappear.

As a martial artist, his foot being in this state meant he was now doomed to chase after the others while being several steps behind.

'Jin Sowoon! Did you really think you could live well after doing this to me?'

While he had acquired a disability from that unawares ambush, Jin Sowoon was still trying to live loudly and proudly as a representative.

Ak Jupyeong could never tolerate this.

He had been planning to use his clan's power to pressure the Taiyi Sect.

In addition to that, he needed to get revenge on Jin Sowoon personally.

Although he had been scolded a bit by Ak Byeongbi for this incident, Ak Byeongbi also didn't seem to like Jin Sowoon very much.

If he mobilized the power of the Inspection Pavilion once again, this time Jin Sowoon would...

Right then.

"Ak Jupyeong."

From inside the alley, some tiny punk with long, unkempt hair like a beggar appeared.

"... Yayul Geuk?"

"You finally came out."

Seeing the face of Yayul Geuk, who was practically the culprit behind this entire situation, made irritation surge within him.

"Get the hell out of my way. I don't have time to deal with you right now."

But Yayul Geuk took a step, then another step closer to Ak Jupyeong.

It wasn't the aura of the weak boy who used to get beaten up by him.

"Is that so? I have business with you."

"You damn bastard... I'll be severing your limbs in the future anyway, so keep your arms and legs safe until that day comes."

"Why? Are you scared of me right now?"

With his uncomfortable foot, Ak Jupyeong couldn't move from his spot and only shouted.

"You fucking bastard...!"

Was it because rumors had spread that he was left with a disability?

Now, even these completely insignificant punks were looking down on him and lunging at him.

"You still don't know why you got beaten up so badly, do you?"

CLACK, CLACK.

Ak Jupyeong pulled out his collapsible spear from his waist and assembled it.

Matching him, Yayul Geuk raised both hands and took an opening stance.

Ak Jupyeong drew upon the Dark Heaven Hidden Thunder Divine Art and prepared the Ak Clan Spear Technique.

"Right, there's no need to postpone your punishment."

Ak Jupyeong's spear chillingly cleaved the air.

He had been using the Dark Cloud Lightning Spear as his main technique, but the lingering disability in his foot prevented him from executing an effective charge.

Even so, the Ak Clan Spear Technique, which had built the current Shandong Ak Clan, could by no means be considered inferior.

It was more than enough to sever the limbs of a newborn puppy that didn't know enough to fear the tiger...

SWISH, POW!

The trajectory of Ak Jupyeong's spear, which was aiming to pierce Yayul Geuk's heart and Dantian, twisted strangely.

"Ugh?"

Despite having imbued it with sufficient power, the spear's path warped and stabbed empty air, and eventually, the two fists of Yayul Geuk, who had dug into his guard, struck Ak Jupyeong's abdomen.

Sensing that something was wrong, Ak Jupyeong hastily tried to twist his body away, but it was already too late.

POW.

"Keugh!"

Pushed back five steps, Ak Jupyeong felt his insides twisting.

The unexpected blow made him feel nauseous, as if the breakfast he had eaten that morning was coming back up.

He didn't know what was going on, but Yayul Geuk's skills had completely changed.

Ak Jupyeong desperately tried to deny the fact that he was feeling fear towards that weak, tiny guy.

"You damn bastard!"

Infusing his seven-star internal energy to manifest spear qi, Ak Jupyeong barely moved his uncomfortable foot and thrust his spear at Yayul Geuk dozens of times.

SWISH— SWISH—

Watching the spear points that filled the entire space in three directions and seemed ready to puncture holes all over his body, Yayul Geuk quietly muttered.

"Just as I thought, it's nothing compared to that guy."

Casting his eyes down coldly, Yayul Geuk dug into Ak Jupyeong's guard without any fear.

He recalled Jin Sowoon's figure when he had previously fought against the Inspection Pavilion's Hall Leader, Ak Byeongbi.

Jin Sowoon back then, digging through the spear blades that flew with a much more intimidating momentum than Ak Jupyeong's.

Yayul Geuk grabbed the spear shaft with a sharply raised hand chop and executed the Lotus technique.

SCREEECH.

The parts that would normally have flexed elastically if it were a regular spear twisted around, and eventually shattered.

CRACK.

Caught by the repulsive force that suddenly surged up the spear, Ak Jupyeong ended up dropping it.

In his panic, he launched the Phoenix Divine Fist at Yayul Geuk.

However, Yayul Geuk looked down at Ak Jupyeong with a sneer.

"Do you have any idea how much I got beaten by that guy while training this?"

"... What?"

Yayul Geuk's eyes flashed brilliantly.

"So you're dead meat!"

Spitting out words that made no sense to him, Yayul Geuk grabbed Ak Jupyeong's fist and directly executed the Snowflake technique.

Ak Jupyeong's body was helplessly dragged along and lifted into the air.

'W-what is this...'

As if defying gravity, his floating body was slammed straight vertically into the ground.

CRASH.

It was a hand technique he had never experienced in his life, and a pain he had never felt before.

And a sense of terror he had thought he would never feel.

"Keuugh..."

Approaching the groaning Ak Jupyeong, Yayul Geuk looked down at him and spoke.

"You don't think this is the end, do you?"

Ak Jupyeong's mind, which had been filled with thoughts of revenge against Jin Sowoon just moments ago, went completely white.

* * *

Murim Academy.

Academy Director's office.

"Ahem..."

I feel this every time, but it seems like the Academy Director's office doesn't ventilate well.

The air just feels stuffy, you know?

"Ahem!"

Or perhaps, it was because of the people currently sitting here.

After breaking the Zhuge Clan's formation array, I had tried to hold out by crying in exaggerated pain.

However, Sama Jeong, who had been urgently called from the Medical Hall, took one look at my hands and simply diagnosed, 'He's fine.'

To dismiss a patient in such critical condition as 'fine' and just slap on some golden wound medicine...

Talk about having no tact.

It hurts this much.

"Ugh... My meridians inside must be twisted, my hands keep shaking. I really should hurry back and get some rest..."

I showed them my violently trembling hand, but Zhuge Somyeong remarked dryly.

"The one that looks worse is your left hand, so why are you shaking your right?"

The Zhuge Clan's formation masters were looking at me as if they found me utterly absurd.

Oops, was I?

I must have been a bit out of it from the pain.

"A-actually, invisible wounds are always the more critical ones."

"Sama Jeong is someone who was specially recruited solely for his medical skills. Even in the current Medical Pavilion, there are few who can compare to him in ability. Even more so when you consider his age."

"..."

When I shut my mouth, silence fell over the room.

No, honestly, I just saved people, so does it make sense to set up an interrogation like this?

This is why the Murim Alliance falls into the Demonic Cult's hands...

"First, there is something we must ask you above all else."

The formation masters sitting opposite me, centered around Zhuge Somyeong, asked with fiercely glaring eyes.

"How did you know about the Two Modes Eight Trigrams Ten Thousand Forms Array?"

If there was one thing that had changed, it was that they weren't spitting out disrespectful informal language anymore?

But I was in too dangerous of a situation to take comfort in something like that.

"I didn't know."

"..."

Because if I got caught on the wrong slip-up here, I might actually get dragged to the Inspection Pavilion's basement.

The eyes of the people surrounding me narrowed.

"You didn't know?"

Then, they all burst into hollow sneers at the same time.

I mean, it wasn't like I could tell them I knew because I had experienced it in the future.

One of the formation masters asked in a voice brimming with suspicion.

"The Two Modes Eight Trigrams Ten Thousand Forms Array is a formation array that only a tiny fraction of a fraction of personnel within the Zhuge Clan have been researching. That means no one outside knows about it, let alone people within the clan itself."

"So how would I possibly know about something like that?"

"..."

The formation master who had asked the question bobbed his mouth open and closed like a carp, seemingly at a loss for words.

Of course, I couldn't just keep stonewalling them like this.

The Zhuge Clan's formation arrays were the absolute top secrets of the White Path Alliance, so much so that the Murim Alliance designated and managed them separately.

Which meant this wasn't a situation I could just brush off by saying, 'Oh, I don't know!'

'Sigh... What do I do?'

But I couldn't explain the truth either.

Even if I said, 'Your formation array is going to get completely dismantled by the Demonic Brain in the future,' they wouldn't believe it, and besides...

I didn't know what kind of fit the Zhuge Clan would throw if their pride was wounded.

While I agonized over it, the Zhuge Clan's formation masters relentlessly pressured me.

"You need to answer properly. Merits and faults of this incident aside, this is related to a leak of confidential information."

Fucking... ungrateful bastards.

But since it really was a serious issue, I couldn't just curse them out.

I was wracking my brain trying to squeeze out any sort of excuse, but nothing particular came to mind.

Right then.

"You must have heard it from Cheongi, that punk."

A voice of salvation rang out.

"Pardon?"

"What does that...?"

Zhuge Somyeong took a sip of the tea Buk Wonpyeong had prepared and spoke calmly.

"Did this brat's sect not take Cheongi in? The problem Cheongi caused within the clan a while ago was also regarding a Living Array."

Oho.

So the reason Zhuge Cheongi had been locked up in the Golden Jade Prison wasn't just because he was researching mechanisms and formations?

Now that was a fact I hadn't known.

"T-then, the leaker of the secrets is Young Master Cheongi?"

"Tsk."

At the idiotic question, Zhuge Somyeong's eyes turned sharp.

"Do you think Cheongi is someone with so little tact?"

"But..."

"Cheongi must have simply informed him of the existence of the Living Array."

"But Supreme Sect Lead—no, Chief Strategist. Even if he knew of the Living Array's existence, that doesn't mean he could break it."

Zhuge Somyeong slowly turned his head and pointed at me with his chin.

"It's this brat, isn't it."

"Pardon?"

"This is the brat who broke the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array at the Demonic Spirit Plateau. Did you not know?"

"..."

Was it just my imagination that his eyes seemed to harbor a solid sense of trust?

"He's a brat who strolled in and out of the Soul-Extinguishing Array like it was his own living room in that barren environment, even with the Mount Mao Sect's help. The Two Modes Eight Trigrams Ten Thousand Forms Array probably didn't feel that difficult to him."

For some reason, a smile was forming on Zhuge Somyeong's lips.

Why is he smiling when his own clan just took a huge blow?

Has he lost his mind?

"Even so, the Two Modes Eight Trigrams Ten Thousand Forms Array is..."

SLAM!

Zhuge Somyeong slammed the table, silencing the formation master.

"Are you still trapped in your well?! Have I not always told you! Look at the world broadly! Did you think I wouldn't know that the reason you all rushed to create and announce that half-baked formation was because of the impact of the Soul-Extinguishing Array?"

"..."

The formation masters all clamped their mouths shut, struck entirely speechless.

Unable to easily ease the anger on his face, Zhuge Somyeong looked at me and spoke.

"You explain the rest."

What do you mean, explain? What is there to explain?

My panic at having the ball suddenly tossed to me was brief.

To survive, I started flapping my lips.

"When I heard the concept of the Living Array from Cheongi, I thought a supreme formation that would never be seen again in history would be born. But thinking about it, just as there is no perfect martial art in this world, wouldn't there also be no perfect formation array?"

At my confident attitude, the formation masters raised their heads one by one and looked at me.

"After pouring weeks, no, months into creating a hypothetical Living Array and experimenting with it in my head, I somehow got the feeling that I could break it."

"Weeks?"

"Months?"

They all had expressions showing they didn't like the numbers I presented.

Well excuse me, but that Demonic Brain bastard broke the Ten Thousand Forms Array in less than three months.

So I was just speaking based on that standard.

At this point, I felt something boiling up in my chest and traveling to my head.

A-at this rate, I might really turn into a demon...

"Yes. So I just did what I thought of, and it worked."

"..."

"..."

The formation masters' faces simultaneously twisted into looks of having chewed shit.

Fuck. They should've behaved when I was being polite.

However, it seemed my answer had pushed the exact trigger buttons of the Zhuge Clan formation masters, who were known as geniuses.

"What a load of nonsense! Our Zhuge Clan spent years creating this. How dare a place like the Taiyi Sect..."

TAP.

The formation master flinched at the sound of Zhuge Somyeong hitting the table.

But in my mind, the sentences he hadn't spoken had already completed themselves automatically.

"... A place like the Taiyi Sect what?"

"..."

"I said, a place like the Taiyi Sect what? Say it! I'm telling you to say it!"

When I sprang up and grabbed the formation master by the collar, the other terrified formation masters began trying to tear me off him.

But would that work?

How could people who had played at desks their entire lives possibly handle a monster with two hundred and forty years of internal energy?

"I said, tell me! What about the Taiyi Sect! What about the Taiyi Sect?!"

"Urrk, urggh."

Buk Wonpyeong grabbed my hand that was wildly shaking the formation master.

"Stop this."

I glared with wide eyes.

"No! Senior Brother! Are you saying we should forgive a bastard who dared to insult our sect?"

"..."

Panic lingered in Buk Wonpyeong's eyes as well.

It was only natural for the formation masters to be shocked.

Do these fools know whose sect they just messed with?

He may be a lay disciple, but it's the sect of the Murim Academy Director, you bastards!

"I'm telling you, those bastards dared to insult your sect, the Taiyi Sect, Senior Brother! You shouldn't be stopping me, you should be grabbing him by the throat!"

"What does that mean? Why is the Three Purities Formless Sword in the Taiyi Sect..."

"... Haa."

With Buk Wonpyeong eventually letting go of my hand, I was about to lift the formation master up in earnest and shake him wildly.

However...

"Enough."

At the quiet single word uttered while sipping tea, I flinched and had no choice but to stop.

Ah, if I just pushed a little more, I could've glossed over everything like this.

When I released the formation master, who was now crumpled into a mess with disheveled hair, the others shielded him and didn't cease their wary glares at me.

"We will conclude this matter here."

"Chief Strategist!"

"Chief Strategist! A more thorough investigation is—"

"We can't just leave it at this!"

As the formation masters simultaneously protested, even Zhuge Somyeong's eyes turned fierce.

"Do you all wish to bear the heavy responsibility for this incident?"

"..."

"If an investigation proceeds, your own faults will naturally be highlighted. Do you want to pay the price for coaxing the clan's young master into installing incomplete equipment!"

"..."

The snobbiest formation masters in the world were trembling uncontrollably.

"I am concluding the matter here. Is there anyone who still has more to say?"

Instead of answering, the formation masters shook their heads from side to side.

"Leave."

At Zhuge Somyeong's eviction order, the formation masters all stood up at once, and since I had no more business here either, I was about to leave as well.

"I didn't tell Jin Sowoon to leave."

"... The tea was running low, so I was just going to refill it."

"Academy Director, you should leave as well."

"... Yes."

"Wait, why...?"

I sent an SOS signal to my old Senior Brother with desperate eyes, but the old Senior Brother just shook his head with a sigh and left.

That, that! What a useless old Senior Brother.

TRICKLE.

"The tea is overflowing."

"..."

No matter how slowly I poured, the teacup's size was fixed.

Eventually, I sat down in front of Zhuge Somyeong.

"..."

Even though I had taken my seat, Zhuge Somyeong remained silent for a long time.

What could he possibly have to say to me alone? I thought about it, but nothing came to mind.

Was he going to spew that nonsense about me coming to the Mantong Bureau again?

Just as I was forcing myself to imagine a positive future.

Zhuge Somyeong asked me in a heavy voice.

"What is your true identity?"

"Pardon? What do you..."

"No matter how much Cheongi follows you, there's no way he would have spoken of the clan's secrets."

"..."

"What is your true identity?"

I suddenly felt as if my heart had plummeted.

Fuck, he's thrusting a variable sword like this?