Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

At dawn, the new instructors assembled at the central training grounds. The air was heavy with tension, a result of the incident that had occurred in the wee hours of the morning.

"Did you hear that an intruder snuck into the Heavenly Ears Headquarters?"

"What kind of lunatic would even think about sneaking into the Namgung Clan?"

"Could it be… an assassin?"

"Maybe it's a thief who came to steal treasure…"

Morning training hadn't started, so the new instructors gathered in small groups and chatted quietly among themselves. Many of them had not slept at all since the ruckus broke out.

"Yaaawn… Thanks to the commotion, I didn't get any sleep at all."

"I heard the Blue Sky Sword King himself chased after the intruder…"

"Yeah, his lion's roar technique was so terrifying that my legs went numb."

The instructors shuddered as they remembered the Blue Sky Sword King's lion's roar, soon followed by thunder and lightning in the northern sky. They all understood it was no natural phenomenon.

In the end, the distant storm lasted for about fifteen minutes before fading, leaving everyone unsure of the outcome.

"Did the Blue Sky Sword King catch the culprit? The servants say they don't know anything."

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"Since the dogs stopped barking this morning, maybe they've already been caught…?"

"With the Blue Sky Sword King hunting them personally, there's no way they could have escaped. They've probably been beheaded by now."

"I wish someone would just tell us directly…"

The Namgung Clan was in chaos after last night's incident, resembling a stirred up beehive, and even the new instructors were restless, worried that the new instructor training course would be cancelled.

Just then, Baek Suryong and the Azure Dragon instructors arrived at the central training grounds. Immediately, Sama Yeong and the other instructors glared at them fiercely, their eyes burning with fighting spirit after being thoroughly humiliated by Baek Suryong and blindsided by the Azure Dragon instructors the day before.

"YAAAWN~" Baek Suryong stretched lazily as he sauntered into the training ground. He hadn't slept a wink. Ignoring the piercing stares directed his way, he groaned sleepily, "Good morning~ Everyone's so energetic! I guess you all slept well?"

"What a prick…"

"Ugh, seriously!"

For a moment, the Vermillion Phoenix and White Tiger instructors wondered if Baek Suryong had mastered the art of provoking others with just a few words.

With the arrival of the Azure Dragon instructors, all the new instructors were now gathered at the central training grounds… Well, not everyone.

No one seems to find Jongri Yeon's absence weird, Baek Suryong mused. The Black Tortoise Academy's Jongri Yeon hadn't shown up yet, but except for him, no one bothered to even look for her.

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Is her presence was so faint that everyone forgot about her, or did she use sorcery to erase their memories of her?

No matter how much the events of a few hours ago felt like a dream, they were real. He had definitely met the Dark Heaven Goddess and heard many things from her, one of which was a prophecy that a disaster would soon befall the Namgung Clan.

For now, I'll just observe the situation.

Deciding not to concern himself further with Jongri Yeon, Baek Suryong chatted leisurely with his fellow Azure Dragon peers as he waited for the grandmasters to arrive.

About fifteen minutes after the scheduled time, the Erudite Sage appeared alone at the edge of the central training grounds, his abnormally large head bobbing from side to side as he swaggered toward them.

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The new instructors immediately stopped talking and stood at attention.

The Erudite Sage grinned, revealing yellowed teeth. "Kukuku, you all seem to have a lot of questions. As you probably already know, an intruder appeared in the Namgung Clan last night. Don't worry though, the Blue Sky Sword King personally took care of them."

When the instructors heard that the Blue Sky Sword King had dealt with the intruder, a chorus of "oohs" and "ahhs" rang out among them.

The Erudite Sage glanced around, then continued, "Given the seriousness of the matter, the Namgung Patriarch has urgently convened a family meeting. The Blue Sky Sword King is also attending it. I heard that it would take quite a while."

The instructors kept talking, whispering things like, "At least they caught the intruder," and, "They need to find out who's behind this."

"AHEM!" The Erudite Sage cleared his throat to silence them. "Therefore, for today, we'll conduct theory classes all day without any practical training in the afternoon."

The blood immediately drained from the faces of the instructors who were weak in theory, such as Tang Baekho of the White Tiger Academy and Kwak Duyong of the Azure Dragon Academy.

Enjoying the sight, the Erudite Sage's eyes sparkled. "Today, we'll be studying the external arts theory," he said snidely.

His gaze swept over the instructors, finally settling on Baek Suryong.

Annoying brat.

He was determined to repay Baek Suryong for the embarrassment he suffered in the last lecture.

"With the passage of time, martial artists' obsession with inner arts has intensified, while the external arts have become increasingly neglected. After all, inner qi can be accumulated rapidly and painlessly through miracle herbs or meditation techniques, but external arts require relentless, continuous physical training to achieve any results."

The Erudite Sage cast a disapproving glance at Baek Suryong's chiseled face and loose martial arts uniform.

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Hmph. He must have stumbled upon a lucky encounter and gained immense inner qi at a young age. There's no way he knows anything about external arts.

"To make matters worse, many men have begun to worry unnecessarily about their appearance, preferring lean, compact muscles to bulky ones. However, for a tree to grow well, the soil must be fertile and firm, and for a martial artist, the external arts are the soil. If the soil isn't good, the roots can't take hold properly, and eventually the tree will wither."

The Erudite Sage had the assistants distribute textbooks to the instructors.

"Throughout my life, I have dissected the corpses of dozens of martial artists, carefully studying their muscles and bone structure. With the knowledge I gained, I wrote this book. This is the latest revised edition, published earlier this year."

"This is the one I've only heard about…"

"The Fundamentals of External Arts!"

"This textbook is near impossible to get a hold of…"

Overjoyed to receive the textbook, many of the new instructors looked back and forth between the book and the Erudite Sage, their faces filled with gratitude.

The Erudite Sage watched this scene with satisfaction. When he saw Baek Suryong casually flipping through the book with a disinterested expression, however, his face crumpled.

That insolent punk!

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From the moment he laid eyes on the young man, he hadn't liked him one bit. How could one person have it all? Outstanding intellect, exceptional martial arts, a strikingly handsome face…

I'll definitely humiliate him today!

"I will use this book to explain external arts training from a theoretical perspective. You have two hours to read the first chapter. After that, we will have a simple test. Anyone who fails the test will lose points."

The Erudite Sage stared intently at Baek Suryong, as if challenging him.

Amused by that provocative gaze, Baek Suryong chuckled to himself. Is he seriously thinking about teaching me, the disciple of the Bandit King, external arts? If I include yesterday's class, isn't this old man deliberately making life easy for me?

Less than an hour later, Baek Suryong raised his hand.

"I'm done reading. Can I take the test now?"

"Ugh!"

The Erudite Sage examined Baek Suryong's test paper. He was stumped. The young man had not only answered every question correctly, but had also added his own interpretations and explanations.

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This guy… he could practically publish a revised edition based on this answer sheet!

In the end, the Erudite Sage was forced to acknowledge Baek Suryong's skills once again.

"Your knowledge of external arts is quite impressive."

"Of course. I initially applied to the Azure Dragon Academy as an external arts instructor, after all."

The Erudite Sage glared at Baek Suryong with a face that seemed to say, Can such a perfect person possibly exist?

"Fine. You get full marks," he spat through gritted teeth.

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As if waiting for those words, Baek Suryong asked eagerly, "Excuse me, but could I rest in my room until everyone else is done? I didn't sleep well last night."

"What?" For a moment, the Erudite Sage stared at Baek Suryong with a bewildered expression. Finally, he clicked his tongue, groaning, "Tsk, do as you wish."

Baek Suryong stood up and bowed politely. "Thank you."

Although he said he wanted to take a nap, in reality, he had other plans.

The Namgung Clan leaders are in a meeting, and the instructors will be distracted for about an hour. That should be enough time to look around.

Baek Suryong quickened his pace. There was a place he needed to check as soon as possible.

Just then, the Erudite Sage called out from behind. "Mr. Baek Suryong."

"Yes?" Baek Suryong asked politely. He's not going to change his mind and stop me from leaving, is he?

"You don't need to return to class. Just go and rest," the Erudite Sage snapped, scowling.

Seeing the old man waved his hand in dismissal, Baek Suryong caught him muttering under his breath that him coming back after a nap would only disrupt the class atmosphere.

"THANK YOU!" he shouted, grinning from ear to ear.

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Just like that, Baek Suryong skipped away happily as the other new instructors watched his retreating figure, their faces green with envy.

The Namgung Clan Ancestral Shrine was the place where the clan stored their ancestors' memorial tablets and held ancestral rites. In prominent families, the size of the ancestral shrine often reflected their power, and the Namgung Clan's shrine was so large that it could easily be mistaken for the royal shrine.

Baek Suryong observed the Namgung Clan Ancestral Shrine from a distance. The clan was still in disarray from the previous night's riot, and security had been tightened in many areas.

Fortunately for him, the Namgung Clan had given priority to the security around places housing treasures, information, and martial arts secrets that intruders sought. This left the area around the shrine relatively deserted.

I can get in easily enough.

Sneaking into the Namgung Clan Ancestral Shrine, Baek Suryong activated the Blood Demon Eyes and expanded his senses.

He recalled the Dark Heaven Goddess's prophecy.

"Soon, a great calamity will befall the Namgung Clan. When that happens, you will have to make a choice, and your decision will ultimately determine whether the event becomes a great disaster or a blessing for the world."

The prophecy wasn't exactly very informative, but fortunately, she had left behind another clue for Baek Suryong.

"Visit the Namgung Clan's ancestral shrine sometime. You might discover what you're searching for there."

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Baek Suryong moved through the shrine at a slow pace, carefully examining every detail as he progressed. As he approached the far end…

Demonic qi!

He discovered a very faint trace of demonic qi that he might have missed if he hadn't activated the Blood Demon Eyes.

Baek Suryong immediately dashed toward the source of the demonic qi.

It was an abandoned well. A large, flat stone covered it, suggesting it hadn't been used for a long time. The water had likely dried up completely.

"This is it."

Pushing aside the stone, Baek Suryong peered inside for a moment before slowly climbing into the well. Once inside, he moved the stone back into place, waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, and jumped down.

THUD!

The well was about thirty meters deep. In the darkness, Baek Suryong ran his fingers along the wall, searching for a hidden entrance.

It didn't take him long to find it. His keen eyes and understanding of such technologies made the task easy.

There was a problem, though.

"What the hell…? It's broken?" Baek Suryong exclaimed exasperatedly, his voice echoing in the darkness.

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After a moment's hesitation, he decided to destroy the wall and force his way inside.

I have to be careful not to let any noise escape outside.

Placing his palm on the stone wall, Baek Suryong concentrated and injected his inner qi.

The stone wall vibrated, and the old stones began to shift backward one by one. Soon, an opening large enough for a person to pass through was created.

"Huff, huff…"

Baek Suryong took a break to catch his breath, then went inside.

The narrow, dark passage was lined with moss and teeming with insects, and the ceiling was riddled with evenly spaced holes that had probably once housed luminescent pearls.

"Cough, cough! Looks like no one's bothered to clean or maintain this place in a long time."

The passage continued deeper underground. Baek Suryong moved forward cautiously, continuously scanning for signs of traps.

How long have I been walking? Fifteen minutes? Thirty?

As his sense of time began to blur, the narrow passage came to an end, giving way to an open cavern.

"Phew! Finally…"

Baek Suryong let out the breath he had been holding and glanced around briefly, surveying his surroundings.

Suddenly, he froze, his gaze fixed on one spot. Six ominous red words, as if written in blood, adorned a dusty, long-forgotten signboard.

【Blood Demon Divine Cult (Anhui Branch)】