The Genius Martial Artist Who Remembers Everything Chapter 24

The ceremony appointing the chief disciple was held.

I woke early, washed thoroughly, put on my cleanest clothes, and tied my hair neatly. I even applied a little oil so that no loose strands would fall out of place.

After paying my respects to the Founders in the Founders’ Hall, I greeted each of the Elders preparing for the ceremony.

The Hall Masters had also appeared in their finest clothes.

Most of those clothes had been newly made from the fabrics Wang Geum-san had brought, which made it difficult to hold back my laughter.

After greeting all the Hall Masters, only one person remained.

Jin Tae-san, Master of the Outer Hall.

My father.

“……”

Father remained silent for a long time, his gaze distant.

“The Sect Leader is waiting.”

“Among the Elders and Hall Masters, I was the only one who opposed your appointment as chief disciple.”

“……”

“Were you disappointed?”

“What is there to be disappointed about? It is hardly the first or second time Father has underestimated me.”

“When you become chief disciple, you do not receive only the authority to lead the other disciples.”

His distant eyes gradually grew moist, as though he were recalling memories from long ago.

“You become the person who must always stand at the very front.”

His voice grew heavier.

“You also become responsible for the lives of every disciple behind you.”

Was Father looking at the person I had become?

Or was he seeing the child I had once been?

“From now on, you must value the lives of your junior brothers and sisters before your own.”

He stared directly at me.

“Can you bear that weight?”

“……”

What parent could possibly feel happy watching their child accept a duty that placed their own life last?

I had never raised a child in my previous life.

But I had once commanded subordinates who had become like family to me, so I could understand his feelings, if only slightly.

“Father.”

“……Yes.”

“I will survive, no matter where I go.”

“……”

“And my junior brothers and sisters will always return with me.”

Father looked as though he might begin crying.

In the end, he turned his head away and waved his hand.

I deliberately stepped past him and advanced before Hong Mun-gi.

“Disciple Jin So-un.”

The Sect Leader’s voice rang solemnly through the hall.

“Do you swear before our Founders that you will devote yourself to the growth and glory of the Taeul Sect?”

Still kneeling, I bowed my head.

“I, Jin So-un, a disciple of the twenty-eighth generation, swear before the Founders who came before us.”

My voice carried throughout the hall.

“For the growth and glory of the Taeul Sect, I will stand foremost among my junior brothers and sisters.”

Sect Leader Hong held out a strip of black cloth with both hands.

It was identical to the one wrapped around his own forehead.

Still kneeling, I raised both hands and received it.

The Taeul Sect’s silver emblem was embroidered upon the black cloth, marking its wearer as the chief disciple.

I slowly tied it around my forehead and approached my fellow disciples.

“Waaaaah!”

Cheers erupted from every direction.

The disciples rushed toward me, each offering their congratulations.

I answered them one by one and shook their hands.

Once the first wave of greetings ended, I approached Gye Cheol-yeong and Gye Yeon-seok, who stood off to one side.

“I look forward to your guidance, Senior Brother.”

“……”

Gye Cheol-yeong hesitated, uncertain whether he should extend his hand.

At that moment, Gye Yeon-seok bared his teeth and growled.

“This is not over.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Do you think I cannot see that you are trying to steal Cheol-yeong’s place at the Murim Academy?”

“Are you not misunderstanding something?”

I looked at him calmly.

“The Special Admission Track is decided by the Appraisal Envoys, who objectively select the most outstanding disciple.”

“Hmph. We shall see.”

Gye Yeon-seok urged Gye Cheol-yeong away and left the Taeul Sect.

I was immediately surrounded by the other disciples again and returned to answering their excited questions.

“Damn that bastard.”

“Father, what should we do now?”

Worry had finally appeared on Gye Cheol-yeong’s face.

Resentment and frustration had continued piling up inside him.

At the Iron Sword Sect, he had attended as a representative of the Gyeryong Merchant Guild, so he had been unable to step forward when trouble began.

Of course, had he known that the Grand Strategist would ultimately side with the Taeul Sect, he could have stepped forward as well.

But setting everything else aside, the Iron Sword Sect was still the largest sect in Anhui after the Namgung Clan.

From the perspective of the Gyeryong Merchant Guild, whose business was rooted throughout Anhui, Gye Cheol-yeong had been in no position to step forward.

Namgung San’s visit only deepened his sense of injustice.

Had Namgung San not shown mercy at the end of the duel?

If he had simply pulled his sword free, all of Jin So-un’s fingers would have been severed, and Namgung San would have won in the end.

The thought of everyone praising that as a victory for the Taeul Sect made rage boil inside him.

And now, on top of everything else, the Wang Estate had suddenly appeared……

His entire future had been thrown into chaos.

He had planned to enter the Murim Academy through the Special Admission Track, build connections with the talents of the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Clans, travel throughout Jianghu alongside them, and eventually turn the Gyeryong Merchant Guild into the greatest merchant guild under heaven.

Now, every part of that plan was in danger.

“There is no reason to be discouraged.”

Gye Yeon-seok spoke confidently.

“Even if they resort to such an ungrateful trick, you will still be the one selected for the Special Admission Track.”

His vague reassurance barely reached Gye Cheol-yeong’s ears.

“Do you not understand? Becoming chief disciple does not guarantee admission. If his overall score is too low, he still cannot be chosen for the Special Admission Track.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Special Admission Track consists of three tests.”

Gye Yeon-seok began counting them off.

“First, there is a written examination covering common knowledge of martial arts and Jianghu.”

“Second, they test the applicant’s understanding of forms and internal cultivation.”

“Finally, there is a martial duel to evaluate actual combat ability.”

“But if we do not know the exact contents of the tests, am I not in the same position as the others?”

“You brat!”

Gye Yeon-seok flared up.

“Who do you think you are?”

He pointed sharply at his son.

“You are the legitimate heir of the Gyeryong Merchant Guild! Do you still not understand that you have been different from those half-baked fools of the Taeul Sect since the moment you were born?”

“……”

At that moment, three figures entered the grounds.

Each gave off a different impression.

One was a scholarly-looking man. Another was a woman with the air of a seasoned warrior. Between them walked a dignified middle-aged man with a sword at his waist.

“Guild Master. It has been a long time.”

“Oh my! You have finally arrived!”

Gye Yeon-seok hurried forward.

“I have been waiting so long that my neck nearly fell off.”

“To be welcomed so warmly by Guild Master Gye leaves this Jang unsure of how to respond.”

The middle-aged man looked toward Gye Cheol-yeong.

“Is that the young man known as Gye Cheol-yeong, the famous talent?”

“Haha! A famous talent is an exaggeration. He is merely a little more capable than most.”

Gye Yeon-seok turned toward his son.

“What are you doing? Offer your greetings.”

Still confused by the sudden arrival, Gye Cheol-yeong looked at his father.

“You have heard the title Ace Instructor, have you not?”

Gye Cheol-yeong’s eyes widened.

“Surely……”

“Yes.”

Gye Yeon-seok smiled proudly.

“This is Jang Sa-gun, the Ace Instructor. He served as an Appraisal Envoy for fifteen years, and every student who recently received his private instruction successfully entered the Murim Academy.”

Jang Sa-gun studied Gye Cheol-yeong with confidence.

“No matter how foolish the student, I have never failed to send one into the Murim Academy.”

His smile deepened.

“With a talented young man like you, the task should be far easier. That makes me even more pleased.”

His tone was filled with absolute certainty.

Gye Cheol-yeong had heard of the Ace Instructor’s reputation so often that his ears had nearly grown calluses.

The resentment and helplessness filling his chest immediately began to disappear.

‘Jin So-un, you insolent bastard. Just wait.’

“Is someone talking about me?”

“How could it be only one or two people?”

I picked at my ear and tilted my head toward Sa-ryeon.

“I have never done anything that would make people curse me.”

“You have done plenty of insane things that would make anyone want to curse.”

“……”

“Do you know what the children ask me the moment training ends?”

Sa-ryeon imitated their excited voices.

‘Senior Sister, please tell us what happened at the Iron Sword Sect!’

She sighed.

“I have told that story so many times that I could probably recite it immediately after waking from sleep.”

“How was that insane? It was simply…… that my resolve was stronger than theirs.”

“And what about your duel with Great Hero Namgung San?”

“……”

“The Hall Masters gather the children every day and tell them, ‘You must never grab a sword with your bare hand!’”

Her eyes narrowed.

“Is that something a normal martial sect should need to teach?”

“……Ahem. Would they not understand once they grow a little older?”

Glare.

Sa-ryeon’s gaze sharpened even further.

In the end, I turned my head and avoided her eyes.

“So why did you ask me to come here?”

She looked around.

“You did not bring me all this way merely to play hermit with you, did you?”

The place I had brought Sa-ryeon to was Mount Hwaun, near the Taeul Sect.

As a child, I had climbed this mountain almost every day to play.

Halfway up the mountain was a wide clearing where the crude hideout my junior brothers and I had built while pretending to be hermits still remained.

“The Appraisal Envoys will arrive soon.”

“That’s right.”

“We need to prepare as well.”

“We do?”

“In cases like Gye Cheol-yeong’s, where someone applies to the Murim Academy as a lay disciple, it is common to hire a teacher familiar with the Appraisal Envoys’ tests and receive private instruction.”

“What?”

Sa-ryeon looked as though she had misheard me.

“The Appraisal Envoys make their decision independently of the sect. That is why this method became so common.”

I continued,

“By now, the Gyeryong Merchant Guild has probably hired a former Appraisal Envoy to tutor Gye Cheol-yeong.”

Even in my previous life, Gye Cheol-yeong had enjoyed boasting about it before the junior disciples who had failed to enter the Murim Academy and fallen into despair.

The Ace Instructor, Jang Sa-gun.

He was said to have never failed to send a student through the Murim Academy’s Special Admission Track.

Rumor claimed that his predicted questions had an accuracy rate of seventy to eighty percent.

“Th-then that is unfair.”

“Yes. It can hardly be called fair.”

I shrugged.

“But most Murim Academy examinations throughout history have worked like this.”

Sa-ryeon’s shoulders drooped, making her resemble a dejected puppy.

“That is far too unfair.”

“There is no need to be so discouraged. We can use the same method.”

“What?”

“Did I not just tell you? Preparing for the examination beforehand is not forbidden by the Murim Alliance.”

“But we do not have enough money to hire a teacher like that……”

Although the Taeul Sect’s finances had improved greatly thanks to the Wang Estate, it still could not afford to spend an enormous sum on private tutoring for its disciples.

“I expected that, so I prepared some predicted questions myself.”

“Senior Brother did?”

Sa-ryeon looked at me suspiciously.

“With what ability?”

I handed her a book.

“Have you forgotten how good my memory is? During my last trip to Hefei, I visited an old bookstore, memorized every question from the previous examinations, and organized them.”

Of course, that was a lie.

I had simply copied the examination from my previous life, changing a few words and sentences so it would not appear suspicious.

At the very least, anyone who memorized the entire book had almost no chance of failing the written examination.

“Senior Brother…… Can I really trust this?”

“How can you not trust your own senior brother?”

“……Because you are far too childish?”

“Ahem.”

I cleared my throat.

“This is my first order as chief disciple. Have all the junior disciples copy this book and memorize every word.”

“……Understood.”

Sa-ryeon eventually nodded.

At least now that she had something concrete to study, the vague anxiety weighing on her seemed to fade.

With that matter settled, I finally moved on to the true reason I had called her all the way here.

“What is inside that box?”

I opened the box I had received from the Wang Estate’s chief steward and showed her what was inside.

“Oh, it’s cold. What in the world are these? Why is there so much cold energy……?”

Sa-ryeon leaned closer, then suddenly froze.

“Senior Brother…… D-don’t tell me these are……”

“Yes. They are spiritual medicines.”

“Ordinary spiritual medicines do not release cold qi like this.”

Spiritual medicines varied greatly in quality.

The lowest-grade ones were little more than powerful tonics. They could replenish the body’s vitality, but did little to increase one’s internal energy.

Such medicines were not all that different from highly nutritious food.

However, spiritual medicines containing special properties such as cold or heat energy were several times more effective.

Naturally, they also came with far greater restrictions.

But when consumed by someone with a compatible constitution and cultivation method, they could grant that person wings.

“The Wang Estate gave them to me.”

“The Wang Estate?”

Sa-ryeon stared at the contents of the box.

“That makes no sense. No matter how wealthy they are, these are incredibly precious. And there are not just one or two, but three……”

“……”

The mention of three pricked my conscience slightly.

There had originally been five.

The Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and the White Serpent Divine Gall, which were suitable for me to consume, had already entered my stomach.

Sa-ryeon stared blankly at the spiritual medicines for a long time before licking her lips and raising her head.

“Did you bring me here just to show off?”

She did not seem to have considered for even a moment that they might be intended for her.

“No. I brought you here so you could eat them.”

“What? Me?”

Her eyes widened.

“Why? Senior Brother should take them.”

“These spiritual medicines possess Extreme Yin energy. If I consumed them now, I would suffer qi deviation at best.”

I pointed toward the box.

“At worst, I might die.”

Most of the internal energy within my dantian consisted of pure Taeul qi.

Even someone who practiced a powerful yang cultivation method would not recklessly consume an Extreme Yin spiritual medicine.

If I took one before properly strengthening my vessel, something would undoubtedly go wrong.

That was why I had consumed only the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and the White Serpent Divine Gall, whose energies were compatible with mine.

‘Thanks to them, my cultivation has already surpassed one cycle.’

Even now, a great deal of medicinal energy remained unrefined throughout my body.

To absorb all of it properly, however, I desperately needed a more advanced cultivation method.

“……No.”

Sa-ryeon shook her head.

“Even so, I will not take them. Tell the Sect Leader and give them to the other junior sisters instead.”

“That is exactly why I brought you here in secret.”

“What?”

I had deliberately concealed the spiritual medicines sent by the Wang Estate.

What the Taeul Sect needed right now was someone capable of leading its disciples.

It would take far too long for everyone to grow equally.

If no one became strong enough to lead them, they would only hold one another back and be swept away together.

‘At least three.’

That was the minimum number of Taeul Sect disciples who needed to enter the Murim Academy.

Including me, we still needed two more.

At present, the disciples with any realistic chance were Sa-ryeon, Dong-ryong—the boy who had once left me several-day-old rice cakes—his brothers Geum-pyo and Eun-ho, and a few others.

More importantly, these spiritual medicines possessed Extreme Yin energy and could only be safely consumed by women.

If I informed the Sect Leader, they would likely be divided fairly among several disciples.

Then the amount Sa-ryeon received would be too small to produce a meaningful result.

“Even so……”

“I intend to give everything I have during the Murim Academy examination.”

“……?”

“And if I fail the Special Admission Track, I will enter through the regular examination.”

“What? Why would you go that far?”

“If we do not enter the Murim Academy, we cannot protect the junior disciples sent to perform mandatory service for the Murim Alliance.”

My voice hardened.

“If we fail to become their shields, we will all be swept away together.”

“Come on, Senior Brother. These are peaceful times.”

Sa-ryeon laughed awkwardly.

“They will suffer for a few years and then return.”

But when she saw my rigid expression, her smile slowly disappeared.

“What exactly are you thinking?”

“Even during peaceful times, battles against the Black Path occur every day along the western front.”

I looked directly at her.

“And the higher-ranking members of the Murim Alliance do not care much when disciples from small sects die there.”

Her expression stiffened.

“Do you truly want to entrust the lives of our junior brothers and sisters to people like that?”

“Of course not!”

“Then eat them.”

“……!”

“Take the medicines and enter the Murim Academy, no matter what method you must use.”

I pushed the box toward her.

“Only then will you have the power to protect the junior disciples.”

Sa-ryeon remained silent for a long time.

Her wavering eyes suggested that my words had finally moved her.

“All right.”

She sighed.

“I will take them, so stop saying such frightening things.”

“You have learned the Great Advance Divine Art, correct?”

The Great Advance Divine Art was an advanced Taeul Sect cultivation method available only to disciples who entered Swift Blossom Hall.

Sa-ryeon had long ago pestered her father, the Sect Leader, until he taught her both the Great Advance Divine Art and the Flash Thunder Sword Art.

After hesitating briefly, she nodded.

“How much do you know?”

“You should consume the Snow Carp’s inner core and the Snow Lotus Seed.”

“Both of them?”

“I heard that Gye Cheol-yeong has obtained another Plum Blossom Pill. Can you afford to fall behind him in internal energy?”

“……”

“And give the remaining Spirit Blue Stone Fungus to whichever junior sister you believe is most devoted to the Taeul Sect.”

I added firmly,

“Of course, you must give it to her in secret.”

“This is all for the Taeul Sect, right?”

“Yes.”

Sa-ryeon placed one of the spiritual medicines into her mouth, sat cross-legged, and began circulating her qi.

I watched her for a moment before turning away to stand guard.

‘I have done everything I can.’

Man proposes, but Heaven decides.

I had already changed many things from the past.

However, this was the first time I had attempted to alter the course of a major event.

As I watched the setting sun, I silently vowed never to repeat the same life again.

One month later, the Appraisal Envoys arrived at the Taeul Sect.