The famous guest invitation event began.

For about a week, the academy students would listen to pedantic lectures on martial studies and life from the invited guests, asking questions about martial theories and receiving answers.

Expectations were especially high for this event since the renowned absolute expert, the Wind God Breaking Sword Moyong Gang, was attending.

The atmosphere in the academy had been subdued due to the events in Sichuan, so everyone was encouraged by this long-awaited vitality.

Furthermore, with the Orthodox Council and the White Path Council having sunk, the academy students no longer needed to walk on eggshells around them.

As the members of the Orthodox Council and the White Path Council showed a high participation rate in the event, the atmosphere heated up even more.

For the academy students belonging to the Orthodox Council and White Path Council, the name 'Wind God Breaking Sword' was simply too weighty and massive to skip the event out of pride.

Thus, the event was held with the participation of numerous academy students, excluding a few, and the participants seemed to show high satisfaction with the event...

It certainly seemed that way...

"That's just your thought, Young Master Jin."

"... Huh?"

Seong Moran, whose cheek was swollen as if she had been beaten somewhere, spoke with a face full of complaints.

"Do you know that the Medical Hall is bursting with people right now?"

"... Teachings are inherently painful."

At my calm and collected answer, much like Ilgak's usual attitude, Seong Moran trembled all over.

"But that doesn't mean actual bones should be broken!"

There was a small problem.

Namely, Moyong Gang's teaching method.

When it was suggested that the lectures be divided over several days due to the massive number of attendees.

Moyong Gang had demanded that everyone be brought to the grand training ground.

And then.

["I can't babble on with my snout like those horse-nosed Daoists or bald monks."]

["Martial artists are beings who feel more from a single life-or-death crisis than from hearing about enlightenment a hundred times."]

["Therefore, I will allow you all to feel much more."]

["Those who want to get beaten first, step forward."]

["Not stepping forward? Then I'll come to you."]

... He spouted such nonsense and lunged into the crowd of academy students.

At first, the academy students were flustered by Moyong Gang's actions and didn't know what to do.

However.

Even those who hesitated to raise a hand against an absolute expert like Moyong Gang began to charge at him with rolled-back eyes once they suffered double nosebleeds.

... In an instant, it turned into pure pandemonium.

In the midst of it, some sect disciples felt their competitive spirits ignite and used their ultimate supreme techniques or launched joint attacks, but the ones spilling blood and screaming were always the academy students.

["Tsk tsk. What do you think is the Orthodox faction's greatest weapon?"]

["What? A righteous mind? What the hell are you talking about!"]

["Hah, you say justice? Do you know what a son of a bitch your Sect Leader was in his youth?"]

["You idiots! The Orthodox faction's greatest weapon is their sheer numbers! Whether it's the Underworld or the heterodox path, no one can beat the Orthodox faction in a headcount, which is why the Murim Alliance rules Jianghu! Do you understand now!"]

At Moyong Gang's teaching(?), the academy students united and began to deploy sword arrays.

However, the academy students couldn't wrap their minds around Moyong Gang's behavior of waiting for the sword arrays to be completed, only to shatter them in a single blow.

["Just because I told you to fight with numbers, do you think clumping together is enough? What the hell have you been learning all this time!"]

["A joint array is inherently about coordinating with each other. If you get drunk on your own ego inside a joint array and fail to synchronize your strength, there's no reason to form an array in the first place!"]

["You don't understand? Don't worry! If you get beaten enough, even Confucius's words start making sense."]

As the assault disguised as a lecture(?) continued, the exhausted academy students began dropping out of the event one by one.

Then Moyong Gang, who miraculously remembered every single one of their faces, raided their dormitories, dragged them all out, and bestowed(?) his lecture upon them once again.

It was a truly tear-jerking passion.

"... But why didn't you participate in the event, Young Master Jin?"

Namgung Seonhwa, whose eyes were impressively bruised black and blue, glared at me sharply.

She looked like she was in genuine pain.

"Inherently, there isn't really a need for the representative to attend, is there?"

"... Did you anticipate that the lectures would be conducted in this manner?"

Namgung Seonhwa looked at me with eyes dripping in betrayal, like a child abandoned by her parents.

Unable to meet her gaze, I spoke as calmly as possible.

"Not at all... I was already aching from being beaten so much by the Elder, so I couldn't apply."

I pointed to my once-bruised eye, but her suspicious glare still didn't disappear.

"The marks are practically gone!"

Tsk, the medicine Sama Jeong prescribed works too well, that's the problem.

Though various complaints surfaced among my group, most of them participated in the event until the end.

Seeing them run to Moyong Gang every day, dragging their bruised faces and throbbing bodies, was almost touching.

Thanks to showing the highest participation rate, they also received the most teachings.

Among them, Geumpyo and Dongryong even took separate time to receive private lessons(?).

"Hoh, how fascinating. One was born with the Heavenly Yang Divine Bone, and the other harboring the Heavenly Slaughter Star."

I was well aware of Dongryong's Heavenly Slaughter Star, but Geumpyo's Heavenly Yang Divine Bone was news to me.

"Well... you might not know. It's not a very well-known constitution."

"Is it a good thing?"

"If he learns a decent external martial art, he'll rarely have his bones broken or his skin damaged. It's a constitution naturally as sturdy as a boulder."

All this time, I thought he withstood pain and blows well because of his good endurance, but to think his constitution itself was sturdy.

In that case, doesn't it become a given that he should stand at the very front of the battles from now on?

For some reason, it felt like a sorrowful future was being drawn for Geumpyo.

Dongryong looked at Moyong Gang with teary eyes.

"E-Elder, I-I'm a little anxious. I never know when my control might slip."

When Dongryong asked about the anxiety he had been harboring alone, Moyong Gang brushed it off as if it were nothing.

"There's no need to worry. You'll be able to control it sufficiently through training. As it happens, you two can undergo the same training."

"The same training?"

Moyong Gang gave a large nod.

"Getting beaten a lot. The Heavenly Yang Divine Bone will harden your flesh and bones, and the Heavenly Slaughter Star will increase your endurance."

"..."

"..."

The academy students, who initially felt jealous that only Geumpyo and Dongryong received advice, watched the two get beaten thoroughly in every nook and cranny of their bodies and came to fervently hope they would never receive a private lesson themselves.

The seven-day lectures that everyone had so eagerly awaited finally came to an end.

As soon as the lectures ended, the academy students were busy fleeing to their dormitories or out of the academy entirely, and the Medical Hall remained overflowing with patients, tormenting Sama Jeong.

Of course, this had nothing to do with me.

* * *

"You've worked hard."

When I offered a martial salute, Moyong Gang's eyebrow twitched.

"The so-called academy representative didn't show up for a single day out of seven."

I tilted my head with an innocent expression.

"Haven't I already received plenty?"

"... Even so, I want to give you a teaching."

CRACK.

CRACK.

Moyong Gang cracked his knuckles and neck, loosening up his body.

... Can that really be called the look of someone wanting to give a teaching?

"If that's the case, please teach me that."

"Teach you what?"

I wildly waved my hands around in the air.

"You know that thing. Where the space got all distorted like this."

"Are you talking about the Void Destruction Fist?"

"Yes!"

A furious roar erupted from Moyong Gang's mouth.

"You little punk! That is my life's ultimate enlightenment!"

"Either way, don't you still owe me settlement money for beating me up?"

"What! Didn't I already give you a lecture! I am Moyong Gang! Do you think I'd just casually display my martial arts in front of these worthless weaklings?"

Seeing Moyong Gang jump up and down in rage, I let out a dry laugh.

"Didn't I restore the public honor of the Moyong Noble Clan for you? Is the honor I recovered for you not worth that much?"

"..."

"Moreover, even if it's your life's enlightenment, isn't it an enlightenment from the level of Breaking Sword? Now that you possess the Heaven-Shattering eye, you should aim for something even higher."

Faced with my perfectly logical words, Moyong Gang, who undeniably had the temper of a ruffian, trembled his lips as if he were deeply aggrieved.

"You punk. The single move you showed back then was definitely a sword form of the Sword Demon, wasn't it?"

"... I won't answer that."

"Hmph! I can tell just by looking at your expression. I don't know how you learned it, but with the martial scriptures of the Taiyi Sword Emperor and that sword form of the Sword Demon, you'll rarely find a competitor in your age group."

Before I knew it, Moyong Gang's gaze had settled down calmly.

"... But why are you so obsessed with martial arts?"

I stayed silent for a moment before answering him.

"Because I am not enough."

"Not enough?"

Doubt lingered on Moyong Gang's face at my answer.

The endless, swarming numbers of demonic practitioners.

The demonic creatures that wouldn't break no matter how much you hit them.

The mind-confusing sorcery and the demonic arts that defied the natural order.

The future in my memories was hell.

And to endure such a hell, even my current self is lacking.

I looked straight into Moyong Gang's eyes.

"It means I am lacking to protect the people I want to protect."

At my answer, Moyong Gang stroked his chin for a moment, lost in thought.

"Hmm, is that all?"

"... What do you mean?"

His eyes flashed sharply.

"I'm saying, isn't it that you don't just want to protect, but to rule?"

I shook my head.

"I have no greed for power."

"Then what you have now is enough."

I shook my head once more.

"There are many people I must protect."

"... Crazy bastard. Are you saying you'll protect every single person in the world?"

I didn't react to those words. I already knew very well that it was an impossible task.

At my silence, Moyong Gang clicked his tongue, tsk.

"To think you dare crave my enlightenment yet won't even talk properly."

But then...

The corners of Moyong Gang's mouth began to twist bizarrely.

"As expected, you're exactly the kind of material suited for our Moyong Noble Clan."

"..."

What's with that smile? Why does he like it? It's scary.

Moyong Gang asked me without dropping the smile on his lips.

"What is the reason a martial artist practices a mental cultivation method?"

I'm busy enough as it is, so what the hell is this old man blabbering about all of a sudden?

My ear suddenly felt itchy, so I picked my ear with my pinky finger and said.

"... Skip the theoretical basics and just tell me the oral chants and the method for qi circulation."

"You disrespectful little punk!"

SMACK!

The back of my head burned as my brain rattled.

"W-When in the world?"

I thought I didn't sense it last time because I was far away, but even from this close, I couldn't feel any flow of qi from his body.

I covet it. I covet it so much...!

I hurriedly asked.

"Could it be the Mind Sword?"

"Miiiind Sword?? You must have been reading too many novels. To think such a thing could materialize like..."

I quickly cut off his words and offered a martial salute.

"The reason a martial artist practices a mental cultivation method is to accumulate internal energy within themselves and utilize it freely."

Perhaps satisfied with my answer, Moyong Gang's eyes softened.

"... Are you finally in the right mindset to listen properly?"

"I have been learning with a sincere attitude right from the start."

This was a martial art far greater than I had imagined.

To be able to use energy without emitting a single trace of presence.

The ways this could be utilized were endless.

Moyong Gang stroked his chin and spoke.

"Then I will ask you this. What is the difference between the energy within you and the energy spread throughout the world?"

"Well, for one, it gets purified through the mental cultivation method, and doesn't it also gain different characteristics depending on the method?"

"If that's the case, is the energy stored within fundamentally different from the energy of the world?"

At Moyong Gang's words, a part of my mind began to feel a tickling sensation.

"No internal mental cultivation method can erase the fundamental essence of Mother Nature's energy. Even those who use heaven-defying martial arts cannot erase the energy of nature."

A frustrating feeling, as if I could let it out like a sneeze tickling my nose if I just had a single clue.

"Then, what is the reason a martial artist should inherently use only the energy within their own Dantian?"

A theory that denied the very foundation of martial arts.

But I couldn't say he was wrong.

Because that, too, was simply one of the principles of nature.

"Martial arts attempt to mimic the Dao of nature, yet they do not try to become one with it. Can the Dao of martial arts and the Dao of nature truly not become one?"

As his profound words continued, the frustration only intensified.

My heart beat violently, and my breathing grew heavy.

"The attempt to merge the Dao of martial arts and the Dao of nature into one. That is precisely the Void Destruction Fist."

It was a principle that only someone with a rebellious spirit seeping deep into their bones—someone willing to deny the very fundamentals—could comprehend.

A concept that only Moyong Gang could have conceived.

I felt a burning, parching thirst.

"T-Then what are the oral chants? What about the qi circulation? Is the internal energy consumption massive?"

I hastily threw out questions like a beggar desperately trying to fill his empty stomach.

Watching me act like that, Moyong Gang flashed a twisted smile.

"The teaching ends here."

When I made a flustered expression, Moyong Gang grinned.

"If you wish to learn more, become a person of the Moyong Noble Clan."

"..."

Wait, he's cutting it off here?

Are you a thug or something?

* * *

Moyong Gang, who had appeared whipping up a storm just like his title suggested, departed just as uproariously.

'Still, to leave while cursing the Alliance Leader right in the middle of the Murim Alliance...'

Whether it was an Alliance member or an outsider, such an act would normally result in being dragged to the Disciplinary Pavilion and subjected to brutal torture, but the reality was that no one in either the Disciplinary Pavilion or the Inspection Pavilion was capable of catching Moyong Gang.

And just like that, Moyong Gang returned to the Moyong Noble Clan.

With the famous guest invitation event ending smoothly, the number of representative officers also increased.

Since it was better to be active in the representative officers' group to leave even a slightly better record on one's academy life evaluation.

Thanks to this, the existing representative officers were able to distribute the workload and take a breather.

And I ended up with even less work to do.

A peaceful life where I'd go to work at the academy representative's office, sit on a luxury chair, and sip Seven-Color Tea.

An unexpected period of rest had arrived.

"But now you have to report to work at the Mantong Bureau."

I fiercely scowled at Eunho's words, which completely ruined the mood.

"Do you break out in hives or something when you see your Eldest Senior Brother taking a break?"

Eunho replied with an incredibly nonchalant expression.

"How could that be? I simply wish for you to quickly report to the Mantong Bureau and show off your excellence. For the sake of your other junior siblings, that is."

Hah, look at this guy.

"... Come to think of it, you were definitely the one who wrote the letter on Jaehwa's behalf, weren't you?"

"Not at all. I merely wrote what Jaehwa dictated. Jaehwa told me his handwriting was so atrocious that it would only provoke his grandfather's anger."

"..."

Eunho shot me an ambiguous look that made it hard to tell whether he was glaring or just looking at me.

"Besides, you shouldn't have used Jaehwa as a sacrificial lamb in the first place, should you?"

... Since I was guilty of doing exactly that, I couldn't bring myself to chew Eunho out.

For some reason, even Jaehwa, who used to stick to me like a puppy every day, seemed to be secretly avoiding me since that day.

Eunho triumphantly drove the final nail in the coffin.

"Hurry up and go to work at the Mantong Bureau. Because of you, Eldest Senior Brother, we keep getting complaints from the Mantong Bureau that we're missing paperwork."

Even without Eunho's nagging, I still had to report to the Mantong Bureau anyway.

Not only was Maeng Ju-won sending me messages several times a day, but he was also visiting my dormitory once a week.

'Ugh, what a persistent man.'

I was planning to do some work at the Mantong Bureau regardless.

I needed to compare the current events—which had changed from my past life because of me—with the past, and also anticipate how those events would affect the future.

'What's more, those guys are there too.'

The damn Council of Elders.

They probably wouldn't easily entrust budget-related tasks to me, but I could still torment the Council of Elders by strictly processing their paperwork. Hehe.

Since there were already tens of thousands of documents that would be written in the future piled up in the library inside my head, I wouldn't have to suffer trying to learn the work either.

My short-term goal was to finish the handover as quickly as possible so I could reduce my workdays to once a week.

If I did that, I'd be able to rest from my representative duties, rest on weekends, and set aside free time for my martial arts training.

After completing my thought process.

As I entered the Mantong Bureau, Maeng Ju-won and Zhuge Somyeong welcomed me.

"Welcome! Welcome! You've returned safely to your home."

It had never been my home in the first place, yet Maeng Ju-won couldn't contain his joy, looking as if he were dying of happiness.

"Have you both been well?"

When I greeted Zhuge Somyeong, he furrowed his brow heavily and spoke.

"Do you think I've had a peaceful time?"

Because I was guilty of my misdeeds, my body bowed down naturally.

"Please take care of your precious health, considering your age."

"Ninety percent of my worries are all because of you."

Continuing to open my mouth about this would only be to my detriment.

I quickly changed the subject.

"What task should I start with? Leave anything to me."

At my words, Maeng Ju-won tried to drag me away, but...

"Leave him be for a moment. There's a task I must entrust to him first."

"Yes?"

"..."

For some reason, I was standing still, yet Maeng Ju-won made an even more surprised expression.

Whether Maeng Ju-won made that expression or not, Zhuge Somyeong handed over a document.

A long document rolled into a scroll.

I quickly read the document before tilting my head.

"Are you saying I should help establish an alliance with the Underworld Alliance?"

When I briefly summarized it, Zhuge Somyeong nodded.

However, I still had a question.

"Are you sending an envoy?"

Seeing that they used the character 'Sa' for 'to think', it doesn't seem like an Underworld sect.

'Is this another sect that was newly created because of me?'

No matter how much I searched the library in my head, there was no sect called the Underworld Alliance.

"To begin with, this is my first time hearing of a sect named the Underworld Alliance."

"Of course it is. It was newly formed."

Then that was even stranger.

If it was a sect that had just been established, what reason could the Murim Alliance possibly have to form an alliance with them?

As I continued to tilt my head, Zhuge Somyeong added an explanation.

"Don't you know very well? It's the new name of the Underworld Alliance, built around your close friend, the Peak Master of the Four Emperors Peak."

"No way..."

"Go attend the founding ceremony of the Underworld Alliance."

"... Eeeehh??????"

Zhuge Somyeong drank his tea as if nothing in the world mattered.

Anyone looking would think he just told me to go down to the neighborhood shop and buy a block of tofu.