The Genius Martial Artist Who Remembers Everything Chapter 22
“He is insane. Completely insane. He truly is not in his right mind. How can anyone do something that reckless?”
“Um…… Junior Sister, the Elders are here, and I am still your senior brother……”
“Senior brother, my foot! Are you in your right mind or not?”
Sa-ryeon stared at him in disbelief.
“You grabbed a sword with your bare hand! If Great Hero Namgung San had pulled it free at that moment…… Ugh.”
She shuddered at the thought, then began smacking Jin So-un across the back.
The Elders and Hall Masters of the Taeul Sect chuckled quietly at the sight.
Not everyone found it amusing, however.
Jin Tae-san and Hong Mun-gi certainly did not.
Having witnessed his son’s madness with his own eyes, Jin Tae-san roared,
“You foolish brat! Even in a duel fought with wooden swords, no one grabs the opponent’s blade with his bare hand!”
The guilty party could only keep his mouth shut.
Hong Mun-gi, on the other hand, asked with concern,
“Are you truly all right?”
“The physician said it was only a minor wound.”
Because he had seized a blade wrapped in sword qi, the wound had been torn open unevenly and looked far worse than it truly was.
However, Jin So-un had also concentrated a large amount of qi into his left hand, so the injury was not serious.
“Ugh……”
Sa-ryeon examined the wound again with a worried expression.
To reassure her, Jin So-un hurriedly explained,
“It was based on precise calculations. I grabbed the sword at the exact moment it had completed its strike and was beginning to return like this—”
Smack!
Apparently, one strike had not been enough to calm her anger.
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Sa-ryeon’s palm repeatedly struck the back of his neck and shoulders.
“What are you doing?”
“Try something this reckless one more time!”
She glared at him fiercely.
“Then I will be the one to cut off Senior Brother’s hand, not Great Hero Namgung San. Do you understand?”
“……I understand.”
Once the surroundings quieted, Hong Mun-gi spoke again.
“Why did you go that far?”
His voice contained neither reproach nor praise, but an emotion Jin So-un could not easily identify.
The moment Namgung San used the Emperor Sword Art, Jin So-un had already won the wager.
Hong Mun-gi was asking why he had refused to back down even then.
Jin So-un scratched the back of his head for a moment before answering.
“That man did not properly greet the Sect Leader or any of the others.”
The Elders and Hall Masters exchanged puzzled glances.
“Perhaps I was the only one who felt that way, but I do not believe he showed the proper courtesy expected of a guest.”
Hong Mun-gi stared at him in disbelief.
“You risked your fingers over something so minor?”
“It was not…… minor, was it?”
Disappointment appeared on the faces of Hong Mun-gi, Jin Tae-san, and the Hall Masters.
It was true that he had defeated Namgung San.
But this could hardly be called a proper victory.
He had nearly lost his fingers—perhaps even his entire left hand.
Even Kang Chae-seok, who had laughed loudly and dismissed the injury as insignificant, flushed red and roared,
“You insane bastard! Even so, how could you wager a warrior’s hand over something like that?”
At that moment, Namgung San quietly entered.
Because Kang Chae-seok’s voice had thundered through the room, no one noticed his arrival.
“Was it truly such a small matter?”
Seeing Jin So-un talk back despite having done something that clearly deserved a scolding, the Hall Masters began growing angry as well.
“The moment Namgung San used the Emperor Sword Art, you had already won! You could have ended it without losing anything. There was no reason to go that far!”
“The younger disciples were watching, were they not?”
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
The Elders and Hall Masters froze as though struck by lightning.
“Even if my fingers had been cut off, what would those disciples have thought after seeing my sword at Senior Namgung’s throat?”
Jin So-un looked around the room.
“Would they not have seen the potential within the Taeul Sect’s martial arts?”
His voice remained calm.
“Instead of thinking, ‘I wish I had been born into the Namgung Clan,’ would they not think, ‘Perhaps I can challenge the Namgung Clan with my own sword’?”
No one in the hall could even draw a proper breath.
Hong Mun-gi and Jin Tae-san stared at Jin So-un with complicated expressions.
The Elders and Hall Masters looked toward the dusty ceiling and repeatedly sighed, as though something heavy pressed against their chests.
Only Kang Chae-seok broke the frozen silence with a grumble.
“……They would probably have been horrified by the sight of your severed fingers and run away.”
Jin So-un merely gave a faint laugh.
“If even one out of a hundred recognized that possibility and carried on the spirit of the Taeul Sect because of it, then I believe my fingers would have been a fair price.”
“Khhup!”
Something seemed to burst inside Kang Chae-seok.
He furrowed his brow, covered his face, and rushed wildly out of the building.
Everyone watched him leave.
Only then did they notice Namgung San standing outside the door.
“You have come?”
When Hong Mun-gi acknowledged him, Namgung San initially moved as though he intended to give only a slight nod.
Then he stopped and offered a proper clasped-hands greeting instead.
“You young men must have matters to discuss among yourselves.”
At Hong Mun-gi’s words, Jin Tae-san, the Elders, the Hall Masters, and even Sa-ryeon rose from their seats.
This time, as they left, no one tried to speak to Namgung San or behave in a way meant to win his favor.
“……”
Namgung San silently placed the Heavenly Silkworm Thread, the wooden box, and the Seven-Colored Jewel on the table.
After remaining silent for a long while, he finally spoke.
“Losing to the Namgung Clan is nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Nor is losing to the Taeul Sect.”
“Was the Taeul Sect always a sect worthy of such pride?”
“Is the Namgung Clan’s pride founded only upon its strength?”
“……!”
“If the Namgung Clan’s secret arts were lost and the Boundless Firmament Sword Art disappeared, would losing to the Taeul Sect suddenly become less shameful?”
“……”
Namgung San’s face, once filled with unshakable confidence, now carried deep shame.
“We are the same.”
Jin So-un continued.
“Just because we lack powerful martial arts does not mean we have abandoned our pride.”
“……Your fingers.”
Namgung San lowered his gaze.
“I had already lost from the moment our resolve was compared.”
He suddenly offered Jin So-un a proper clasped-hands greeting.
“I ask that you forgive, with generosity, the discourtesy I showed the Taeul Sect and the disgraceful behavior I displayed before you, Junior.”
Jin So-un also rose and returned the greeting with his bandaged hand.
“You honored the wager and offered a sincere apology, so I will forget what happened.”
He bowed his head slightly.
“Please also overlook the discourtesy this unworthy junior has shown you.”
Once they finished exchanging greetings, Jin So-un asked,
“Then what will you do about the Entry Token? Is there somewhere else you can obtain one?”
“Do you want to wager it again?”
“Of course not.”
For some reason, Namgung San stared at Jin So-un with a meaningful expression.
“I do not think there is any need to worry.”
He paused.
“Strangely enough, I feel as though everything will work out.”
“Pardon?”
Hong Mun-gi picked up the wine bottle and tried to fill his empty cup.
Drip. Drip.
But the bottle had already been completely emptied by Kang Chae-seok, who sat beside him sniffling.
“……”
Hong Mun-gi could not even bring himself to scold the man who had shamelessly drunk all the wine and was now crying.
He merely turned his empty cup between his fingers.
Jin Tae-san, who had gone out to replace the bottle Kang Chae-seok had emptied, returned carrying a wine jar he had carefully hidden away.
“Why are you sitting there crying so pathetically?”
“Leave him alone. His heart must be deeply troubled.”
The moment the bottle was refilled, Hong Mun-gi poured himself a full cup.
“Hic. Elder Brother, are you not ashamed?”
Even while sobbing, Kang Chae-seok continued filling his own cup.
“That brat is not even twenty, yet he thinks and acts that way for the sake of the Taeul Sect.”
He wiped his face with his sleeve.
“Not only the Elders, but even the Hall Masters went to Namgung San’s quarters at least once to pay their respects. After hearing what So-un said, even I felt ashamed.”
“I said that is enough!”
Jin Tae-san tried to stop him, but Hong Mun-gi agreed instead.
“I felt ashamed as well.”
“……Why are you saying that too, Sect Leader? I know better than anyone how hard you have worked for the Taeul Sect.”
“What have I done?”
“Do you think I do not know that you still practice your sword every night at the Great Mysterious Hall’s training ground?”
“……”
No matter how generously one judged him, Hong Mun-gi’s talent in martial arts was no more than ordinary.
Even so, he had never been able to let go of the sword.
It was not because he desired personal glory or achievement.
If his martial arts did not improve, then neither would the Taeul Sect’s.
“Everyone is doing what they can in their own way.”
Jin Tae-san placed the wine jar down.
“When those efforts gather together, the Taeul Sect moves forward. There is no reason for either of you to feel ashamed or guilty.”
“Rotten bastard! What have you contributed to the Taeul Sect that allows you to speak so confidently?”
“Me?”
Jin Tae-san shrugged.
“Is Jin So-un not my son?”
“……Damn you……”
Kang Chae-seok raised his cup and continued drinking.
“On my way here, I noticed that the lights in Busaeng Hall were still burning.”
“Are the children training this late?”
“They were learning that strange version of the Minor Heaven Sword Art from So-un.”
“Is that so?”
Jin Tae-san frowned.
“I am not sure whether we should stop them. It is certainly the Minor Heaven Sword Art, but why is it overflowing with killing intent?”
“Was that not something you taught him?”
At Kang Chae-seok’s question, Jin Tae-san shook his head.
“Do you honestly think I could teach something like that? You know the limits of my martial attainment.”
Hong Mun-gi, who had been listening in silence, let out a quiet sigh.
“Perhaps that child developed it on his own.”
“Yes? No matter how basic the Minor Heaven Sword Art may be……”
“To tell you the truth, I was surprised because it shares many similarities with the version I have been researching.”
Hong Mun-gi spoke thoughtfully.
“Of course, the Minor Heaven Sword Art So-un uses is far closer to completion. Just how much effort must that child have put in to reach such a level at his age?”
“That damned brat.”
Kang Chae-seok clicked his tongue.
“So whenever he ran out of Busaeng Hall, he was merely going off to train?”
As though irritated by the thought, he raised the wine bottle and gulped from it.
“Let them continue. Is it not a good thing that the children have developed an interest in basic martial arts?”
“That is true.”
“More importantly, is there anything we can do for So-un?”
Kang Chae-seok lowered the bottle and practically shouted,
“We must do something for him! He has devoted himself to the Taeul Sect to such an extent. Should we not support him in some way, if only so that we can feel a little less ashamed?”
“……”
Hong Mun-gi nodded, then turned toward Jin Tae-san.
“What do you think about making So-un the chief disciple?”
“……”
Jin Tae-san’s expression stiffened, and he did not answer.
Kang Chae-seok, however, nodded eagerly.
“That is an excellent idea! If that fellow becomes the chief disciple, the children will follow him even more closely. And later, when the Special Admission Track—”
“It is a matter that requires careful consideration.”
Jin Tae-san cut him off flatly.
“Huh?”
Hong Mun-gi looked between them.
It was strange to see Kang Chae-seok supporting the idea while Jin Tae-san opposed it.
“What concerns you?”
“Is the chief disciple not essentially the Sect Leader among the disciples?”
Jin Tae-san spoke carefully.
“If So-un later performs mandatory service in the Murim Alliance, Gye Cheol-yeong may neglect the Taeul Sect’s disciples.”
He continued,
“Moreover, the chief disciple may one day be required to lead the entire sect. We must also consider Sa-ryeon.”
“You…… You fool!”
“This is not a position we should hand out while overcome by emotion.”
Hong Mun-gi stopped Kang Chae-seok, who was already huffing angrily.
“What if So-un attends the Murim Academy?”
“……”
“So-un has already crossed swords with Namgung San and proven his ability. I do not believe he is inferior to Gye Cheol-yeong.”
Hong Mun-gi paused.
“As for Sa-ryeon…… I doubt she would strongly oppose the decision.”
“The Master of the Gyeryong Merchant Guild has reportedly requested another spiritual pill from the Mount Hua Sect.”
Jin Tae-san’s expression remained grim.
“It may not be a Snow Plum Pill, but if Cheol-yeong’s internal energy increases dramatically, he may still be chosen in the end.”
Bang!
Kang Chae-seok slammed his hand against the table.
“What are you doing?”
“I am speaking realistically. Do you think I would oppose something that benefited my own son?”
“That is not the real reason, is it?”
Kang Chae-seok glared at him.
“You are worried that the Gyeryong Merchant Guild will withdraw its financial support!”
“……”
Jin Tae-san remained silent for a moment.
Then he spoke quietly.
“When people are starving, loyalty and belonging ultimately mean little.”
His voice grew heavier.
“If the Taeul Sect cannot provide food, more than half our disciples will not even be able to eat one proper meal a day.”
He looked around the hall.
“What are we supposed to do about them?”
“You…… You……”
Kang Chae-seok could no longer continue.
He slowly sat back down.
Silence settled over the hall.
Faced with the crushing responsibility of providing food, clothing, and shelter for the sect, no one could speak lightly.
“Is that truly the only reason?”
“……It is the greatest one.”
“Then we will make So-un the chief disciple.”
“Sect Leader!”
Hong Mun-gi continued calmly.
“He wagered his fingers to erase the sense of defeat from the children’s hearts.”
Hong Mun-gi’s voice remained firm.
“Are a martial artist’s hands not as precious as life itself? That child risked his own future to prevent the Taeul Sect’s honor from being trampled into the dirt.”
He looked directly at Jin Tae-san.
“If someone like him is unworthy of leading the Taeul Sect, then who is?”
“……This is not a decision that should be made while overcome by emotion.”
“No. This is not an emotional decision.”
Hong Mun-gi raised his voice.
“If money is the only problem, then I will earn it myself—even if I must work as an escort warrior.”
“Sect Leader!”
“Yes! Good!”
Kang Chae-seok enthusiastically raised his cup.
“I will do it as well! No, I will gather all the Hall Masters and establish an escort agency if necessary. Make So-un the chief disciple!”
Unaware of the frustration burning inside Jin Tae-san, Kang Chae-seok and Hong Mun-gi laughed and clinked their cups together.
They even held out another cup toward him.
In the end, Jin Tae-san sighed and accepted it.
“I will be managing the money earned from those escort jobs, so keep that in mind.”
One cycle!
A dense mass of internal energy, as large as a baby’s fist, had formed firmly within my dantian.
The Great Swallow Divine Pill had certainly lived up to its reputation.
In a single breath, it had raised my cultivation to one full cycle.
“At last…… I have done it.”
It was an enormous amount of internal energy—far beyond anything I could have dreamed of possessing in my previous life.
And in this life, it was still only the beginning.
Thanks to an unexpected fortuitous encounter, I had reached one cycle far sooner than expected.
I had already gathered nearly every spiritual medicine available in Anhui, but many more remained scattered throughout the other provinces.
If I wanted to obtain as many as possible before the Murim Academy’s regular entrance examination began, I had very little time.
‘I should leave as soon as the Special Admission Track examination ends.’
With that thought, I returned to the Taeul Sect.
The moment I entered, I saw the training ground filled with armed strangers I had never seen before.
‘The Gyeryong Merchant Guild?’
Warriors dressed in the Gyeryong Merchant Guild’s uniforms stood in a circle around Gye Yeon-seok as though guarding him.
On the raised platform, Gye Yeon-seok was engaged in a serious argument with the Sect Leader.
I approached Sa-ryeon, who was watching them from the side with a worried expression.
“What is happening?”
“……Where have you been? Why are you only returning now?”
“I was training alone. It is not as though the sect falls into chaos whenever I leave.”
“The problem is that it did fall into chaos.”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
I asked again, unable to understand her, but Sa-ryeon merely looked toward the training ground without answering.
“Sect Leader Hong! How can you do this to me?”
Gye Yeon-seok’s face contained both desperation and rage, like a man who had just seen his entire fortune disappear.
“Do you truly intend to break our agreement?”
“Guild Master Gye, you appear to be mistaken about something.”
Hong Mun-gi remained calm.
“The authority to appoint the chief disciple belongs solely to the sect.”
“Who besides our Cheol-yeong possesses the necessary qualifications?”
My mind went blank.
‘Chief disciple?’
Originally, that position had been contested between Gye Cheol-yeong and Hong Sa-ryeon.
It carried authority and responsibility comparable to those of a sect Elder.
When dispatched to the Murim Alliance, the chief disciple spoke with the Sect Leader’s authority.
Ordinarily, the position was given to whichever disciple entered the Murim Academy.
That way, once the chief disciple rose to an executive position, they could look after at least a few more of the sect’s junior disciples.
In my previous life, Gye Cheol-yeong had become the chief disciple.
Because of that, the rest of us had become his hands and feet, spending our days serving the children of the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Clans.
“Junior Sister.”
I turned toward Sa-ryeon.
“Did the Sect Leader decide to appoint you as chief disciple?”
“……?”
Sa-ryeon stared at me as though I had suddenly started speaking nonsense.
“Why has the position of chief disciple become such a problem?”
“……It is because of you, Senior Brother.”
“Me? Why?”
At that moment, everything I had done recently flashed through my mind.
I had returned from the Iron Sword Sect carrying the Ninefold Sword.
I had also refused to retreat even a single step before Namgung San’s blade.
“Sect Leader Hong! Is this because of what happened at the Iron Sword Sect?”
Gye Yeon-seok raised his voice.
“Did I not explain that our Cheol-yeong could not step forward because he belonged to the Gyeryong Merchant Guild?”
Gye Cheol-yeong had indeed failed to step forward at the Iron Sword Sect.
Worse, he had been the one who provoked the conflict in the first place.
Compared to him, everything I had done recently……
‘I really am perfect chief disciple material.’
Still, this could not have been an easy decision for the Sect Leader.
If I became the chief disciple, the Gyeryong Merchant Guild, which already appeared to be losing interest in the Taeul Sect, might withdraw its support completely.
If that happened, the sect’s finances could collapse overnight.
Of course, I had already made preparations, and I possessed the Seven-Colored Jewel, so things would not truly reach that point.
Even so, from the Sect Leader’s perspective, appointing me was an enormous gamble.
“Is this not merely a scheme to prevent our Cheol-yeong from entering the Murim Academy?”
At Gye Yeon-seok’s accusation, Hong Mun-gi finally roared,
“Watch your words, Guild Master Gye!”
His voice thundered across the training ground.
“From the beginning, the opportunity to enter the Murim Academy belonged to every disciple of the Taeul Sect. Even if Cheol-yeong does not become chief disciple, he can still enter if he proves his ability!”
Gye Yeon-seok was so obsessed with the position because the chief disciple received additional points during the academy’s admission screening.
The title also served as proof that the candidate was the sect’s legitimate representative.
In an examination where even a single point could determine success or failure, Gye Cheol-yeong desperately needed that advantage.
“Kgh……!”
Having lost the verbal argument, Gye Yeon-seok glared at me with bitter resentment.
“Fine! If you insist on acting this way, I will immediately end all financial support to the Taeul Sect!”
His declaration struck like a bolt from the blue.
Worry appeared not only on the Hall Masters’ faces, but even on those of the Elders.
“Did you believe I, Gye Yeon-seok, was someone you could use and discard whenever you pleased?”
He sneered at Hong Mun-gi.
“Return to the days when you could not even afford a proper bowl of thin gruel and wore clothes no different from those of the Beggars’ Sect!”
His voice rang sharply across the training ground.
“Once that happens, you will understand how foolish this decision was!”
Those who already carried countless worries could no longer hide their unease.
Embarrassment also crossed Hong Mun-gi’s and Jin Tae-san’s faces, though both struggled not to show that they were shaken.
The training ground fell silent.
Unease, impatience, anger, and hostility filled the air.
The young disciples watched the adults’ expressions, barely daring to breathe.
Then a voice broke through the silence.
“Then may I take his place?”
At the sudden interruption, Gye Yeon-seok turned with murder in his eyes.
“Who is it? Who dares make light of an important matter concerning the Gyeryong Merchant Guild?”
His voice grew so shrill that the warriors accompanying him began drawing their swords and releasing their fighting spirit.
“Make light of it?”
A calm voice answered.
“I do not joke about matters like this. Have you forgotten?”
A middle-aged man stepped forward.
His clothing appeared plain at first glance, yet every piece was clearly made from luxurious materials. Unlike Gye Yeon-seok, he wore only a few simple accessories.
His back was straight, and every movement carried the natural dignity and authority of a man accustomed to command.
“Y-you came here……”
Gye Yeon-seok’s mouth fell open wide enough to swallow a washbasin.
At that moment, a pale-faced girl with a lovely smile peeked out from behind the man.
“Brother So-un~!”
The newcomer was Wang Geum-san.
The master of the Wang Estate—and Wang So-so’s father.