The Genius Martial Artist Who Remembers Everything Chapter 28

I calmed my mind and slowly drew upon the qi within my dantian.

The distant cries of birds, which I normally could not hear, and the rustling of wind through the leaves became as clear as though they were right beside me.

Then I opened my eyes.

The cliff before me was so tall that I normally had to crane my neck to see its peak.

Now, however, it appeared small, like a sandcastle built by a child.

Rumble—! Rumble—!

All three hundred and sixty-five acupoints throughout my body resonated at once.

A tremendous mass of qi surged into both arms, blazing through them like lightning.

“Radiant Heaven Divine Palm!”

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!

The palm force that erupted from my hands struck the enormous cliff.

A hole the size of a house appeared in its surface.

“Phew……”

Feeling the empty hollowness of my drained dantian, I collapsed where I stood.

“This will be useless in actual combat until I raise my mastery.”

I had obtained a peerless palm art, but the amount of internal energy it consumed was absurd.

One full cycle.

Its destructive power certainly justified the cost, but if I used it in a real battle and my opponent dodged, they would cut off my head before I could recover.

Even more strangely, the Radiant Heaven Divine Palm became less destructive as one’s mastery increased.

At a low level of mastery, the technique uncontrollably poured out nearly all the user’s internal energy.

Only after mastering it could one regulate the amount of energy used.

In other words, to use the Radiant Heaven Divine Palm with a reasonable amount of internal energy, I had to improve my mastery.

But to improve my mastery, I had to repeatedly use the Radiant Heaven Divine Palm.

And every time I used it, it emptied my dantian……

The more I considered that ridiculous contradiction, the more miserable my situation seemed.

“A sword art as feeble as an ant’s piss and a palm art as vast as the Yangtze River.”

I shook my head.

“What kind of martial artist does that make me? I would be better off calling myself a gambler.”

With that self-deprecating grumble, I took a wooden box from inside my robes.

This was why I had come all the way to this barren stone mountain, far from the Taeul Sect, instead of testing the palm art on Mount Hwaun as usual.

“If people ever learn that a pill made by the Heavenly Mysteries Divine Physician was given away as the second-place prize in the Special Admission Track, they will lose their minds.”

The reward for second place had been a pill called the Calm Heart Pill, produced by the Murim Alliance’s Physicians Pavilion.

Some might find it strange that the reward for third place—the Righteous Path Sword forged by the Murim Alliance’s Armory—appeared far more valuable.

That was only because no one in the present era knew the Calm Heart Pill’s true effect.

It had been created using a unique formula devised by the man who would later become known as the Heavenly Mysteries Divine Physician.

Hidden within the pill was the miraculous ability to strengthen the dantian.

The problem was that neither the physician who created it nor the people who consumed it knew of that effect.

Why?

Because its true ability was to protect the dantian from shattering once.

It could only be discovered when someone suffered qi deviation, as Gye Cheol-yeong had, or received severe internal injuries.

Naturally, very few people in the present era knew what the Calm Heart Pill could truly do.

Even the future Heavenly Mysteries Divine Physician, who had personally compounded it, remained unaware.

Furthermore, because its known effects did not justify its enormous manufacturing cost, this would be the only Special Admission Track in which it was produced and distributed.

“In the end, only the bastards who placed second in this particular examination received a priceless treasure without knowing it.”

I placed the Calm Heart Pill into my mouth and began circulating my qi.

The medicine was especially effective for someone like me, whose dantian had expanded too rapidly after consuming several spiritual medicines.

Its medicinal energy wrapped firmly around my softened dantian, reinforcing it from within.

Once I began circulating my qi, a faint trace of energy slowly gathered within my empty dantian.

That small wisp traveled through every corner of my body, drawing in more energy little by little. As it grew, it surged forward like a living creature, striking against the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.

All three hundred and sixty-five acupoints resonated at once.

The energy flowed through the Twelve Meridians, passed through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, and completed a full circuit of my body before returning to my dantian.

By then, my dantian had recovered roughly twenty percent of its energy.

I would have needed to circulate my qi several more times to restore it completely, but I stopped when I sensed someone nearby.

“If you were here, you could have announced yourself.”

When I opened my eyes, Sa-ryeon stood before me with her sword at her waist, glaring sharply.

“Hoho. Judging by the rebellion in your eyes as you stare at your Eldest Senior Brother, it seems you will only come to your senses after receiving a proper beating.”

“If you wanted to beat me, why did you run all the way out here?”

“Ahem. Who said I ran away?”

“Then why did you come to Mount Seokju instead of Mount Hwaun, where you loiter around every day?”

“Ahem. You little brat, mind your words. I am still your Eldest Senior Brother—”

“Enough!”

Sa-ryeon cut me off.

“Why did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Why did you forfeit the final duel?”

Sa-ryeon had ultimately taken first place in the third examination.

Although my earlier scores had been slightly lower, reaching the final had earned me second place overall.

Dong-ryong, who had benefited from a fortunate bracket, took third.

Dong-ryong had looked completely bewildered after receiving the Righteous Path Sword, which did not suit him in the slightest.

Sa-ryeon had worn the same expression after being declared the winner.

“Forfeit? I lost fair and square.”

“You call that losing?”

Her eyes narrowed.

“You dropped your sword after exchanging only a few weak moves.”

“Did you not see what happened? I exhausted all my internal energy fighting Senior Brother Gye with everything I had.”

“Are you seriously saying that?”

“Good bracket luck is also a form of skill. In the end, Sa-ryeon, you—”

“Aaaah! Stop! Enough!”

She covered her ears in frustration.

“I will tell them I refuse to attend the Murim Academy. Whether Senior Brother goes in my place or chooses not to go at all, do whatever you please!”

Even when I considered what had happened in my previous life, my role had only ever been to stop Gye Cheol-yeong.

I had merely returned to Sa-ryeon what should originally have belonged to her.

Nothing more and nothing less.

Furthermore, if I wanted to protect the Taeul Sect’s disciples during the Great Righteous-Demonic War, at least three to five of us needed to enter the Murim Academy.

In truth, that goal bordered on absurdity.

Even the strongest sects among the One Hundred Eight Peaks could barely send five talented disciples to the Murim Academy after gathering all their resources.

If Sa-ryeon had no intention of taking the regular entrance examination later, then securing her admission now was more important than anything else.

“Hong Sa-ryeon. Stop right there.”

At my low voice, her shoulders flinched.

“The examination results have already been finalized. Not even the Sect Leader can change them at will.”

I stared firmly at her back.

“If you refuse to go, no one from the Taeul Sect will be able to take your place.”

“But……”

“Stop behaving like a child.”

I understood how Sa-ryeon felt.

But as someone who knew what the future held, I had no choice but to make her understand, even if I had to be harsh.

At my shout, Sa-ryeon flinched violently.

She soon lowered her head and began nervously fidgeting with her fingers.

“What happens after the disciples of Busaeng Hall finish their training in Swift Blossom Hall?”

“……?”

“Do they not all go to the Murim Alliance to complete their mandatory service?”

“……Yes.”

Sa-ryeon suddenly began speaking politely, something she rarely did with me.

“What do you think those disciples will do once they reach the Murim Alliance?”

“……”

There was no way she could know about a future she had never experienced.

The Hall Masters occasionally mentioned what had happened during their own generation, but they only spoke of fragments of hardship.

They had few pleasant memories of the Murim Alliance and disliked discussing their time there.

“I know the junior disciples have high expectations for life in the Murim Alliance.”

I looked directly at her.

“But their dreams and reality will be completely different.”

“What do you mean……?”

“The Taeul Sect’s disciples will be worked like slaves.”

“What?”

“The Nine Sects and One Gang. The Five Great Clans.”

I shook my head.

“No, we do not even need to look that far. The higher-ranked sects among the One Hundred Eight Peaks treat disciples from weaker sects as though they are less than human.”

My voice hardened.

“What do you think we will be able to do against them?”

The Sect Leader and all the Hall Masters already knew this.

That was why, in my previous life, the adults had appointed Gye Cheol-yeong as Eldest Senior Brother.

He possessed the two weapons the Taeul Sect lacked—money and a connection to the Murim Academy.

But I had erased that future.

“No one will help us.”

I continued quietly.

“We must protect ourselves.”

“……”

“To do that, we need the credentials of Murim Academy graduates.”

I stepped closer.

“Only those who enter the Murim Alliance as officers can begin as deputy captains and command ten people.”

I stared into her eyes.

“Can you endure watching others look down on the Taeul Sect while you remain nothing more than an ordinary low-ranking warrior?”

The Murim Alliance ultimately followed a strict chain of command.

Without someone above us to pull us upward, we would inevitably remain at the very bottom.

“Then that is even more reason Senior Brother should have gone!”

Although the situation frightened her, Sa-ryeon clenched her fists and forced herself to speak.

“I will go too.”

“What?”

“I will take the regular entrance examination.”

I spoke firmly.

“I will enter the Murim Academy.”

“Senior Brother……”

“So go ahead and wait for me there.”

“……Have you lost your mind?”

Sa-ryeon stared at me as though I had just claimed to have seen a dragon.

“No. Let us go back and speak to them first.”

She hurriedly continued.

“Who knows? They might agree to change the result.”

“That is right. If the person who took first place admits what happened, surely they will understand.”

Sa-ryeon refused to give up.

First, she tried persuasion.

“Huh? Are you really going to keep acting like this?”

Then she switched to threats.

“Fine! I will not attend the Murim Academy! I truly will not go! When I say I will not go, I mean it!”

Finally, her expression turned solemn.

“Senior Brother, the truth is…… I suffer from an incurable illness……”

“……”

“So, as the final wish of your dying junior sister……”

She even resorted to begging.

“No! They will not change the result. Go back. It is already decided!”

I refused without hesitation.

We continued bickering until we reached the Taeul Sect.

Just as we were about to enter, Gye Yeon-seok came walking out.

His bloodshot eyes were sunken and hollow.

His hair was matted together as though it had not been washed in days. The stench of alcohol clung to his entire body, and his once-elegant silk robes were covered in wrinkles.

Halfway through the gate, he noticed me.

His eyes widened like lanterns before filling with venom.

“It is because of you.”

His voice trembled.

“All of this happened because of you.”

I let out a disbelieving laugh.

“You were the one who used a prohibited medicine. Why are you blaming me? Did I force you to give it to him?”

“……Ghk.”

“Besides, I heard the Murim Alliance has no intention of letting the matter end quietly.”

On his return journey, Lee Ja-gon had reportedly stopped by the Gyeryong Merchant Guild to examine Gye Cheol-yeong’s condition.

The guild had desperately attempted to prevent him from discovering the use of the prohibited medicine, but they were no match for an Appraisal Envoy and his Appraisal Warriors.

In the end, it was confirmed that Gye Cheol-yeong had consumed the Blood-Explosion Pill.

Because of that, the Gyeryong Merchant Guild suffered both financial losses and public disgrace.

“Do you think I will simply endure this humiliation?”

“Why do you continue blaming others for the consequences of your own actions?”

I looked directly at him.

“Do you truly want to argue over who was right and who was wrong?”

At that moment, Sa-ryeon tugged at my sleeve.

“Let us go inside, Senior Brother.”

She had also heard that Gye Cheol-yeong’s dantian had ultimately shattered.

His only son had permanently lost the ability to cultivate martial arts.

Sa-ryeon understood that Gye Yeon-seok was now desperate enough to do anything.

“That is why you should have acted with a kinder heart from the beginning.”

I walked past him.

“If you had, none of this would have happened.”

Gye Yeon-seok remained frozen in place like a stone statue, his resentful gaze burning into my back.

The grounds inside the Taeul Sect were unusually noisy.

The children who had completed their training in Busaeng Hall and finished the Appraisal Envoys’ examinations were playing in groups of three and five, celebrating their newfound freedom.

“Still, is this not too much? Why can I not see a single Hall Master?”

Strangely, there were no adults anywhere on the grounds.

At that moment, Dong-ryong approached me.

“Eldest Senior Brother, they said you should enter the Great Mysterious Hall immediately.”

“What is happening?”

“I do not know. It seems they called an emergency meeting of the Hall Masters.”

The Hall Masters’ Meeting was a formal gathering attended by the Sect Leader, the Hall Masters who managed the sect, and several Elders.

It was strange enough for a meeting normally held on a fixed schedule to be called without warning.

It was even stranger for them to summon me.

Putting aside my questions, I headed toward the Great Mysterious Hall.

“Disciple Jin So-un greets the Sect Leader and Elders.”

Sect Leader Hong dismissed the formalities with a small wave of his hand.

I quietly took the empty seat at the far end of the long table and looked around.

Despite being called a meeting, the hall was filled only with a heavy silence.

No one seemed willing to bring up the subject first.

A large pile of unfamiliar documents sat before Sect Leader Hong.

“This is completely unreasonable. How can they demand that we return all the sponsorship money they have paid until now?”

“Indeed. What sect in the world repays money it received as sponsorship?”

“They are doing this because they believe the Taeul Sect is easy to bully. Was Gye Cheol-yeong’s qi deviation not the result of their own actions?”

Listening to the Hall Masters and Elders angrily argue, I gradually understood the situation.

Gye Yeon-seok was using what had happened to his son as an excuse to demand the return of every coin he had ever provided to the Taeul Sect.

‘He truly tries everything.’

Although I cursed him inwardly, I also realized that this might not be an easy problem to resolve.

Buddhist martial sects received donations from believers.

Daoist martial sects earned money through offerings, seal fees, ancestral rites, and religious ceremonies.

The Taeul Sect could technically be considered a Daoist martial sect, but its religious character was weak. It upheld the principles of Daoism without regularly conducting ancestral rites or shamanic ceremonies.

Depending on how the arrangement was interpreted, the money Gye Yeon-seok had provided as sponsorship might instead be treated as a loan.

“Perhaps the Gyeryong Merchant Guild prepared for a situation like this from the very beginning.”

As expected of the Hall Master of the Outer Hall, Father immediately recognized the true problem.

However, recognizing the problem did not mean he had a solution.

“How are we supposed to repay this entire amount?”

“Sect Leader!”

“You cannot agree to this!”

“There is no precedent for such a demand. What sect under Heaven returns money that was given as sponsorship?”

No one would dare give sponsorship money to the Nine Sects and One Gang or the Five Great Clans and later demand its return.

Refusing to give money in the first place was one thing.

But giving it, then attempting to take it back, could be seen as a deliberate humiliation of the recipient.

Such an insult could easily make the conflict far worse.

Moreover, people rarely looked kindly upon someone who deceived the other party in a transaction.

Even if Gye Yeon-seok succeeded, the resulting rumors would damage his reputation.

‘The Master of the Gyeryong Merchant Guild has truly been driven into a corner.’

Since the Gyeryong Merchant Guild relied on commerce, this incident was certain to deal it a serious blow.

Yet Gye Yeon-seok was forcing the matter forward anyway.

His resentment toward us must have been that deep.

“The Guild Master claims he will report the matter to the government office. Does anyone have a way to deal with that?”

Threatening to involve the authorities meant Gye Yeon-seok no longer cared what happened to his own reputation.

Once the story spread, the credibility of the Gyeryong Merchant Guild would fall even further.

It was essentially mutual destruction—the sort of tactic a desperate martial artist might use when willing to perish alongside his enemy.

“Phew……”

“Ahem.”

“Good grief.”

The moment the government office was mentioned, everyone fell silent.

Unlike the Gyeryong Merchant Guild, the Taeul Sect had no connections within the government.

Simply becoming involved in a dispute before the authorities would already place us at a disadvantage.

Worse, if the officials ruled that the sponsorship money had to be returned, there would be no reversing the decision.

“Outer Hall Master, how much property does the sect possess?”

“……If we sell everything belonging to the sect, we might barely cover the amount.”

He was probably referring to the inns and restaurants that provided the sect with its limited income.

Father hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“It may be inappropriate to suggest this under the circumstances, but what would everyone think about asking the Wang Estate for assistance?”

“The Wang Estate?”

“Yes. It seems the Estate Master anticipated that something like this might happen.”

Father looked around the table.

“He told me that if the Taeul Sect ever encountered trouble, we could seek his help at any time. He even said that if our circumstances were difficult, we would not need to repay the money.”

“He truly said that?”

“Huh.”

At Father’s words, life returned to the Hall Masters’ faces.

Sect Leader Hong, however, tilted his head.

“No matter how favorably he views the Taeul Sect, giving away such a vast amount without compensation makes little sense.”

His expression grew doubtful.

“It is even harder to believe that a merchant would make such an offer.”

“Yes…… About that……”

Father hesitated before suddenly looking toward me.

Why was he looking at me?

“The Estate Master asked for Chief Disciple Jin So-un in return.”

“Pardon?”

Every gaze in the hall immediately turned toward me.

I could not hide my surprise.

“What does that mean?”

“He said that if Jin So-un possesses any aptitude for commerce, he would like to teach him how to manage the Estate’s business……”

In an instant, I had become the item being sold to repay the sect’s debt.

“What nonsense is that?”

Hong Mun-gi rejected the idea without hesitation.

“The chief disciple of the Taeul Sect cannot become a merchant!”

The Hall Masters let out disappointed sighs.

They clearly knew that accepting the offer would be improper, but they could not entirely hide their regret.

Kang Chae-seok, the Hall Master of Swift Blossom Hall, was even staring openly at me.

That bastard!

“Even if we must sell every piece of property belonging to the sect, we cannot agree to such a condition.”

“……Yes. Of course.”

Father also gave me a strange look, as though disappointed by something, before turning away.

“Even so, borrowing money from the Wang Estate remains worth considering.”

He continued,

“We cannot repay the entire sponsorship immediately, so perhaps we could borrow the necessary amount and repay it gradually over several years.”

“Hmm……”

But that, too, was merely a temporary solution.

The Hall Masters and Elders could do nothing but sip their cold tea in silence.

“Ahem. Why do we not hear the chief disciple’s opinion?”

At that moment, Kang Chae-seok suddenly brought up my name.

As I had no authority to speak during a Hall Masters’ Meeting, I could only offer my opinion if someone formally gave me the opportunity.

“So-un’s opinion?”

“Yes. Whatever else may be said about him, he is still our chief disciple. He may think of something we Hall Masters have overlooked.”

Kang Chae-seok paused meaningfully.

“And perhaps he has always had an interest in commerce.”

This man!

Was he seriously trying to sell me off in exchange for sponsorship money?

When I glared at him, Kang Chae-seok let out a dry cough and turned his eyes away.

“Besides, would it not benefit everyone if So-un eventually inherited the Wang Estate?”

Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

He had become so carried away by the thought of all that wealth that there seemed to be no limit to his imagination.

“What is wrong with what I said? If So-so and So-un get along well, the Wang Estate and the Taeul Sect would practically become one family.”

Wang Geum-san marrying his only daughter, whom he treasured more than his own life, to a second-rate warrior from a third-rate sect?

Just what was going through Kang Chae-seok’s head?

What was even more ridiculous was that one or two of the other Hall Masters began nodding thoughtfully.

“Enough.”

Hong Mun-gi immediately put an end to the discussion.

“We will not speak of this again. I have absolutely no intention of sending So-un away to learn commerce.”

He then looked at me with expectant eyes.

“You may speak as well if you have something to say.”

“What could this disciple possibly know that the Sect Leader and Hall Masters do not?”

At my answer, Hong Mun-gi and the others looked visibly disappointed.

“However, if any suggestion is welcome, I will offer one.”

“Go ahead.”

“As everyone knows, I have wandered through many places. During one of those journeys, I met a miner on a certain mountain.”

“A miner?”

“Yes. He said he could not understand why no one had opened a mine in that area.”

The Sect Leader and Hall Masters exchanged puzzled looks.

“According to him, Mount Seokju, behind Mount Hwaun, contains a large deposit of high-quality iron ore.”

“Iron ore?”

Iron was the most commonly used of all mined metals.

For martial sects in particular, iron was directly connected to the production of weapons. Powerful sects often possessed mines among their most valuable properties.

Father spoke instead of the Sect Leader.

“Is Mount Seokju not simply a barren stone mountain where even trees cannot grow?”

Mount Seokju belonged to no one.

Its soil was poor, its slopes were covered in nothing but weeds and stone, and no useful trees grew there. No one had ever found a reason to develop it.

The mountain was absurdly cheap, but since owning a worthless mountain accomplished nothing, no one had bothered purchasing it.

“The miner claimed that iron could be found after digging only a short distance into Mount Seokju.”

I looked around the table.

“What if the Taeul Sect purchased the mountain and borrowed money from the Wang Estate to develop the mine? Once it begins producing iron, we can gradually repay the debt demanded by the Gyeryong Merchant Guild.”

Despite my explanation, no one seemed convinced.

That was understandable.

If such a valuable mine truly existed, someone should have discovered it long ago. And if an ordinary miner could recognize it, the government office might already have taken an interest.

Still, I had no intention of letting this opportunity slip away.

Two years from now, an enormous rainstorm would strike this region.

A massive landslide would occur on Mount Seokju, washing away much of the soil and revealing a vast iron deposit beneath it.

The government office, which would own the mountain by then, would become unimaginably wealthy from the newly discovered mine.

Father would then spend an entire year getting drunk and lamenting that he should have purchased Mount Seokju when it was still cheap.

“There is no particular reason for the miner to have lied to you.”

Hong Mun-gi spoke cautiously.

“However, investing such a large sum based only on one man’s words would be far too risky.”

He clearly thought my proposal was absurd, but at least he did not dismiss it outright.

I nodded.

“I expected you might say that, so I spent the past few weeks digging around Mount Seokju myself.”

“Eh?”

“What?”

“What did you just say?”

I rose from my seat and took a stone roughly the size of a small melon from inside my robes.

It was deep black, with a faint silver sheen running across its surface.

I had taken it from a pit I dug that morning while practicing the Radiant Heaven Divine Palm.

“I discovered this some time ago, but I ask your forgiveness for keeping it secret until now. I first wanted to have it examined by a blacksmith.”

The Hall Masters’ eyes and mouths began widening, as though they had already guessed what I was about to say.

“The blacksmith confirmed that it is exceptionally high-quality iron ore.”

Even the usually composed Hong Mun-gi stared at the stone with his mouth and eyes opened as wide as washbasins.