The Disciples' Unyielding Resolve
The rivalry between me and my disciples clashed like thunder.
For a long moment, we stared at one another, exchanging waves of intent.
Within that silence, Man-ho stepped forward one pace.
“Master… are you going to break the promise you made with us?”
“A promise…?”
“Yes. You clearly stated that once we annihilate the Makri clan’s territories, we would strike the imperial palace together.
That is why you told us to survive.
Yet now, why are you changing your words? What do you mean by ‘return’?”
Every other disciple, save Man-ho, spat out fierce intent as they followed.
“Exactly. How can Master break a promise made to us?”
“We lived only to keep that promise!”
“We endured hellish training, believing none of us would live to see the end. Yet why…!”
I examined the disciples’ intent.
It was a color I could not name.
But their hues were mostly a deep, dark blue.
Sorrow.
The disciples were all weeping together.
‘You too are sorrowful… the deaths of your companions, your friends…’
‘I am sorry.’
So terribly sorry, and I am ashamed to be your master.
As a master, I was lacking—my disciples have died because of me.
‘My heart aches with regret.’
But because of that, I could retreat no longer.
“The promise… I will keep it. When you can truly defeat me, we will strike the imperial palace together.”
Before the words even finished falling, Gye-hwa rushed forward with her blade drawn.
“Surround!”
With her, Man-ho roared and the disciples instantly unfolded the Wol-su-jeon.
The formation built to counter a true master.
Peak experts could not perceive a true master’s intent inside their domain, but the reverse was true—the true master could see their movements clearly.
A formation designed to equalize the extremes of mortal and immortal martial artists.
‘No matter how well I predict their actions, or how little I can foresee them…’
I could never escape the trap that would tear anyone caught inside it apart.
That was the Wol-su-jeon.
‘Fundamentally, it carries the insight of Wol-su-gong-mu-rok, so the flow of the formation itself disrupts the threads of intent.’
Even if I unleashed Wol-su-gong-mu-rok and slipped free of their perception, escaping the formation would be nearly impossible.
Wol-su-gong-mu-rok was a martial system to sever perception and escape sensation—not sudden spatial teleportation.
As designed for true masters, it mattered not whether the enemy’s movements were predictable or unpredictable.
Whether they escaped perception or not, anyone trapped inside was mercilessly torn apart.
That was the Wol-su-jeon!
With thirty-four disciples, they filled the gaps with perfect intent coordination and pressed me.
Swish—swish—swish!
The disciples surrounding me in a circle began rotating, closing the distance.
Squeezing me with several human walls, they rotated the barriers from every direction to tighten the formation.
Inside the formation, countless threads of intent tangled together.
‘The disciples’ mastery of the formation has reached its peak.’
Their movements themselves were designed to interfere with intent, so I could not tell whose intent belonged to whom.
Combined with the strange illusions the formation itself created, I could no longer read their positions.
“…But this is not enough.”
It was clearly a formation that could confront a true master.
Even most Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown martial artists would be torn apart if caught.
Yet I stood on the verge of the extreme of that realm.
Five Qi Consorting with the Origin was before my eyes.
Recently, I had also grasped the upper-level variant of Wol-su-gong-mu-rok—Jo-su-wol-mu-rok and Jo-su-wol-mu-gyeong.
“You refuse to heed my words with this level of skill? What arrogance!”
—Piiiing—
My mental focus reached its limit, and I entered the world of intent.
Countless hues of intent appeared.
Entering that world, I harmonized my disciples’ intent and my own with the enlightenment of Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
Jo-su-wol-mu-rok.
Beyond simply severing intent and perception as in Wol-su-gong-mu-rok, it evolved the enlightenment of Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown to its limit.
A martial art that allowed me to completely dive into the opponent’s movements.
My sword plunged straight through the rotating intent of the Wol-su-jeon.
Clearly opposing intent clashed, yet the disciples felt nothing until my sword intent fully merged with the formation.
Even one Peak expert who could wield Sword Thread would have noticed something.
But their Peak stages were blocked by the restless ancestor spirits of their families.
Shukak!
I plunged into the flow of the formation without hesitation and swung Sword Gang toward it.
Kwaang!
Dust flew everywhere.
The earth shook.
“Kyuuk…!”
“Block!”
Dan-ak Sword Art.
Overlapping Mountains!
The Sword Gang split into thousands of threads and scattered in all directions.
Even the split pieces were true Sword Gang.
Far beyond mere scattered Sword Qi.
Kwa-kwa-kwang!
The basic sword technique meant to dissolve Sword Qi scattered in every direction and shattered the formation.
“You cannot stop me. Unless you sever that obsession and help your families achieve transcendence, I will never yield!”
Kwa-aang!
The Wol-su-jeon collapsed.
“Is your goal not to avenge your families by becoming strong?! If you want strength, sever the obsession first!”
Flash!
I used the first form of Gung-yul-ji-byun to shake the terrain and completely destroy the formation, then scattered Poisonous Mist.
The disciples, who had already exhausted their antidotes after the territory raid, could not resist the Poisonous Mist and fell one after another.
A disciple using the Nang-ah-bong technique, a boy named Gyu-san, stared at me and spoke.
“…How… how can I sever this? How… how can I sever my family’s voices…!”
“….”
“You cannot understand us!”
I had no answer.
What I could do was only force the fallen disciples to my side.
Nothing else.
“This weak master… I am sorry. Let us go. I will help you become stronger… even stronger…”
“Where are you going? We were waiting for the perpetrators’ graves, yet suddenly you all start fighting among yourselves… What kind of martial artists are these?”
The elderly leader of the assassination squad clicked his tongue, cutting me off, and descended on his flying artifact.
“I hear you’re making nonsense again. On what authority do you remove the assassination squad?
I recognize you as a good martial arts instructor, but in this situation, the squad’s defection is unacceptable.”
“…My disciples who have not even reached Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown—how could they help in the upcoming fight?
Those who do not reach Three Flowers Gathering will be useless from now on… quality will matter more than quantity.”
“It is not that they are useless.”
“The Makri clan has begun preparations. Most of the true masters in the remaining territories are in the late stages of Qi Condensation.
In their eyes, my disciples have become useless.”
“You admit your own education was lacking.”
“That is true. Because I lacked, I beg forgiveness and will educate the disciples again so they become useful. Please allow it.”
Flutter!
A small vein bulged on the leader’s forehead.
He raised his power with an irritated expression.
I hastily retreated outside his domain and prepared to draw my sword at any moment.
“You keep babbling and trying to defect the squad? Are you out of your mind?
No matter what, the secret war between the Jin and Makri clans has justification because the number of perpetrators is high.
If the perpetrators defect en masse, it will only give the Makri clan’s upper house reason to intervene.”
“Even if my disciples are forced out, the ones Master Kim brought…”
“Enough with the nonsense. Disobedience to orders…”
—Uuuung—
Power gathered in the leader’s hand.
At that moment.
Kwaak!
A silent, powerful hand seized the leader’s arm.
Kim Young-hoon.
“Eek, when did my consciousness domain…”
“Hmmm, this is my brother.”
Kim Young-hoon gripped the leader’s arm harder and smiled.
The leader’s arm turned white, circulation cut off, and his power began to scatter.
“My brother’s crime is my own. I will share the punishment.”
“Ugh…!”
The leader struggled to escape Kim Young-hoon’s grip with one hand while attempting another technique.
But the flow of energy around Kim Young-hoon cut every one of the leader’s techniques apart.
The leader, who had seemed to be fighting Kim Young-hoon, shouted with a flushed face.
“Fine, fine. I will overlook the disobedience. Release my arm!”
“Hmph.”
Only then did Kim Young-hoon release the arm.
The leader poured power into his arm and began to recover, sweating cold sweat.
“…I will overlook it, but the family elders will not let you simply defect. What I said just now was not my personal opinion.
Those are simply a justification! Whether they are useful or not, they must be thrown into the battle first!”
“Then, I ask for a favor.”
I looked at my disciples and spoke.
“My disciples awakened their talent forcibly and reached Peak, but with my training they have settled into Peak.
To go beyond that, they must comprehend intent and reach the realm of Qi Thread.
However, their Peak stages are filled with their own family’s ancestor spirits, so they cannot advance further.”
“So?”
“I understand you are the one who uses the technique of Bestowing Curse.
Please help my disciples’ ancestor spirits achieve transcendence.
For my disciples, those are now nothing but restrictions.”
“Hmph, you want me to tear out the ancestor spirits again?”
The leader who had been sweeping through the disciples’ Peak stages clicked his tongue.
“I am sorry, but I cannot. Even if I cancel the technique, as long as they refuse to separate from their families, I cannot lift it.
There are only two ways to cancel the technique now. A Core Formation level expert forcibly removes the ancestor spirits, or they release them themselves.”
“….”
“Ah, now that I think of it, there is one more. If they die, the technique will lift on its own. You know that too, right?”
The leader asked me with half-closed eyes.
‘Do you know?’
I smiled bitterly and nodded.
Yes, it was a pointless hope I had asked while grasping at straws.
And the disciples who had begun to recover from the paralysis slowly opened their mouths.
“You… you would really separate my family…?”
“It is impossible….”
“Lack of skill can be solved with more combat experience!”
Not a single one gave in.
They did not want to let go of their families.
No one.
The leader of the assassination squad looked at my disciples, then at me, and spoke mockingly.
“Hah, to think an instructor like you did not even know what kind of people you were training.
Did you think these kids were alive? These kids have all already abandoned their lives! Your disciples are living but dead! Zombies devoted to revenge!”
“Hah, good. I will help a little.”
Flash!
When the leader formed the contract, green light burst from his palm and seeped into the minds of the remaining disciples.
“The technique of Ancestor Spirit Transcendence! If you sever your attachments to your families, the ancestor spirits will naturally ascend. That is what I said!”
“….”
“Haha, you are giving orders without knowing what you are teaching! The family elders and your disciples themselves do not want you to miss the upcoming battle!
You should throw away these useless delusions and properly lead the squad!”
The leader finished speaking, shot Kim Young-hoon a glare as if to say ‘as a perpetrator,’ and flew away on his flying artifact.
I ground my teeth and looked at the sky.
There was nothing I could do.
“…Brother Kim. Was borrowing the power of the Jin clan worth it… I am filled with doubt.”
“Me too.”
“…What should I do….”
“….”
“What… what should I do….”
He let out a small sigh.
“There is no choice. The Jin clan is certainly not all good. But… the Makri true masters are the worst! We have no choice but to select even these…”
I ground my teeth, fed the antidotes to the fallen disciples, and lifted them up.
And I had no choice but to regroup them and head to the next battlefield.
Everyone else wanted it that way.
* * *
Half a year passed once more.
Today too, a fierce battle had ended, and I wandered the territories of the Makri clan, collecting the bodies of the victims and my disciples.
“Recently, I seem to have a lot of white hair.”
“….”
“Are you all right?”
Kim Young-hoon, who had been collecting corpses with me, looked at me with pity and asked.
Recently, I had aged rapidly.
In previous lives, except for the first, I had consumed many elixirs, so aging was not so severe.
However, my hair was turning snow-white even faster now.
“…I am fine.”
“…Do not push yourself.”
Kim Young-hoon looked at me with a troubled gaze and dropped down to collect the other corpses.
In the ruins of the fallen Makri territory, I found the body of my disciple Giseo.
His poisoned blade, the Great Blade, was perfectly maintained even after his death, reflecting my face clearly.
My eyes were bloodshot, dark shadows under them.
My lips were cracked, and my hair was disheveled white.
I pulled Giseo’s corpse from the ruins once more.
I was too weak—I could not save my disciple today either.
“Why!!!!”
I shouted toward the sky.
“Why is this happening to me! Why!!!”
I roared with a throat that felt torn.
“Why did you give me this talent! Why must I still remain at Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown!
Why! Why! Why! Why cannot I reach Five Qi Consorting with the Origin!
Why am I….”
I grabbed the ground and growled.
The ground cracked exactly where my handprint was.
“Why… I cannot do anything…”
I knew.
This was not heaven’s fault.
It was all my fault.
If I had only tried a little more.
If I had only refined my intent more desperately before dying.
Even if my brain exploded, I should have sought even higher.
Yes, if I had been a little stronger, this problem would have been solved.
“Please… give me talent… Please… give me strength…”
I gnashed my teeth and roared.
“Why… even after doing this much… I am still so powerless…”
It is regret.
Why did I stupidly throw my disciples into this place? I should have opposed it even at the cost of my life.
No, why did I teach these kids? Even if it meant being driven out, I should not have taken them on.
No… why did I come here and form ties? Yes, I should not have entered the Jin clan to stop the Makri clan’s atrocities.
The disciples I taught out of guilt had long since become part of my life.
And every time one of these children breathed their last, it felt as if a piece of my flesh was being cut away.
“…I have collected the corpses, Master.”
“…Survivors?”
Man-ho approached me, eyes red from crying over Giseo’s corpse, and reported with gritted teeth.
“314….”
“I see… Let us go.”
I staggered while carrying my disciple’s corpse toward the burial ground.
I buried the disciples in a sunny spot and, under Kim Young-hoon’s leadership, recited the rites.
Kim Young-hoon’s inherited ghost-repelling technique seeped in, and the souls of the victims ascended.
And Kim Young-hoon recited the rites before the corpses of my disciples too.
From the perpetrators’ graves, small clusters of light rose and scattered into the sky.
We watched the scene in silence.
Just then.
“Haha! Finally, finally the permission has come!”
One of the Foundation Establishment true masters who had fought with us shouted with joy.
In his hand was a transmission talisman.
“Everyone gather! The conversation between the family elders and the Makri upper house is over!”
He looked around at us with a happy expression and shouted.
“The negotiation is over. If the Makri clan accepts only the participation of perpetrators and Qi Condensation true masters, they will allow the imperial succession challenge!”
“Oooo! The elders finally succeeded in the negotiation!”
“As expected of the elders.”
Hope shone in the eyes of the Jin true masters, and great emotion filled the eyes of my disciples and the martial artists under Kim Young-hoon.
But Kim Young-hoon and I each wore bitter smiles.
‘Negotiation.’
The hundreds of lives lost so far had been nothing but tools in the upper house’s negotiation.
Kim Young-hoon seemed to feel the same.
He asked the Foundation Establishment true master.
“So… allowing succession means we can ‘challenge’ the mortal imperial court of the Yeon Kingdom, which is a lower house of the Makri clan?”
“That is correct. Originally, a large-scale assault on the imperial court would be considered a challenge to the Makri clan, forcing a full-scale war.
But since they accepted the succession, it means that even if we organize a large army and storm the Makri imperial court, there will be no full-scale war.”
‘…Has the imperial court’s succession been reduced to the point where the lower house has disappeared?’
From the tone, it seemed even to the Makri clan the Yeon Kingdom itself was merely a lower house, and their acceptance of succession was lenient.
“However, replacing the imperial ancestor will not be so easily accepted.
They will only allow the challenge, and even that is limited—nowadays, Foundation Establishment true masters cannot intervene. Even…”
The Foundation Establishment true master furrowed his brows.
Irritation spread across his face.
“The Makri clan can directly intervene in true masters related to the imperial ancestor.
The emperors of the past who served as Yeon emperors, especially…”
“Are you speaking of the Founding Emperor?”
“Yes, the Yeon Founding Emperor, Makri Hwang-shin! All past emperors were Foundation Establishment low-grade true masters, but he was an exceptionally talented Foundation Establishment high-grade true master from the moment he ascended the throne according to the family’s wishes.
And… he came down from the throne and reached the realm of Foundation Establishment true master.”
Shadow fell across the faces of the Jin true masters.
“That means…”
“Yes, we can challenge them only with perpetrators and Qi Condensation true masters, but they have Makri Hwang-shin, a Foundation Establishment true master.”
“These damn Makri bastards! How can a Qi Condensation true master defeat a Foundation Establishment true master?! This…”
But the Foundation Establishment true master’s face relaxed.
He smiled at Kim Young-hoon.
“Do not worry… we have him!”
He patted Kim Young-hoon’s shoulder.
“This young martial artist has the power of a Foundation Establishment true master… your mission is heavy!
After this mission, the family elders have decided to marry you to an upper house daughter and accept you as their in-law into the Jin clan. Consider it an honor!”
“Marriage…”
Kim Young-hoon’s face twisted as if something had come to mind.
“…Well, we can talk about that later. The Makri clan knows my power is at Foundation Establishment level too, right? Nothing else is to be said about it.”
At those words, the Foundation Establishment true master smiled.
“Hah, even if you have started learning ghost-repelling and such techniques recently, your power is definitely at Qi Condensation three or four stars.
The upper limit set by their side was Qi Condensation fourteen-star true masters, and you meet that criterion! Hahaha, what can those fools say against me? Hahaha!”
He spoke as if in a good mood.
“Although we will not be able to help, you should be able to at least hold back Makri Hwang-shin. No need to kill—blocking is enough!”
The explanation continued.
“No matter how, as long as the legitimate emperor of the Yeon Kingdom, Makri-jeong, and his son Makri-hyeon are killed, the Jin clan will win.
All past emperors had no talent and could not reach Foundation Establishment, so they all died.
Makri Hwang-shin is considered dead externally, so even if he is alive, it is not a problem!
While you hold back Makri Hwang-shin, if the Qi Condensation true masters and perpetrators kill only Makri-jeong and Makri-hyeon, the Jin clan can reclaim this country!”
The Foundation Establishment true master shouted excitedly.
“The Jin imperial ancestor can once again take a name!”
Upon hearing, this true master had originally been a descendant of the Jin imperial ancestor and had been desperate to recover the Yeon imperial ancestor from the beginning.
No matter how much a lower house of a true master clan, the name of the imperial ancestor was never light.
He had spoken passionately about the honor of the Jin clan recovering the imperial ancestor.
After that, he flew away with the Jin true masters on his flying artifact, still excited.
We exited the territory and I quietly watched the disciples listening to the Foundation Establishment true master’s words.
“…The time has come to keep the promise.”
The disciples’ intent was all different.
They all wore resolute expressions.
But I ground my teeth and made the same request I had given them the first time they faced battle.
“Please, return alive.”
And the disciples’ reactions were the same.
“…I am sorry, Master.”
“As your master, I ask you. Please return alive.”
“….”
Now there was no justification to stop them.
I had promised on my own mouth that if they survived, I would help them exact revenge.
“…You have surely lived until now to avenge your families. And you will not hesitate to die.
But what about the ones left behind… Why do you not think about my heart.”
“…I am sorry.”
A dark blue intent filled their eyes.
“Master’s heart does not go unrecognized. But… Master…”
“You say my heart is not recognized? You say you do not understand my emotions? Me?”
At that moment, Kim Young-hoon, who had been watching our conversation, approached me.
“You ungrateful bastards… you knew your master’s emotions and still said such rude things!”
Kuu-ung!
A massive aura burst from him.
The disciples all collapsed where they stood from the aura.
“Kuhak!”
“Kyeok….”
“Kuu-ung…!”
“What does Seo Eun-hyun not understand! Did you not hear what I said?!”
He growled with an angry expression.
“The friend spirits of the ones you killed last time are still not completely unraveled—lingering ghosts.
Did Seo Eun-hyun not ask you not to let them cling to him?! That is why my brother is aging too, yet you still speak such nonsense! You arrogant brats, even after doing that…”
Suddenly, as Kim Young-hoon spoke, he read the disciples’ intent and turned to me with a strange expression.
“…You did not say a word to your disciples?”
“….”
“…You stupid, foolish, foolish disciples!”
He hit his chest in frustration.
“Listen to me! Your master is the one who accepted your unyielding obsession so you could inherit it after death.
He did the exact same foolish thing as you!
He accepted the friend spirits of your friends into his Peak stage, even though they were not blood relatives, and has been cutting down Makri bastards with them until now!”
The boys’ faces showed shock at Kim Young-hoon’s revelation.
“Did you not notice that your master was rapidly aging all this time?!
Because of forcibly accepting more than two hundred non-blood ancestor spirits, your lifespan has been drastically shortened!
Did you not know what kind of heart your master has been enduring to accept your unyielding, arrogant obsession?!”
He shouted in anger.
“You foolish, arrogant, selfish fools! Is your only emotion resentment?! Do you not even care what kind of heart your master has?!”
“…Enough, brother.”
“…You foolish, frustrating fool. Why are you carrying that alone?! Did you think anyone would praise you? Did you think those stupid, selfish fools would support you?
I accepted your request because I was thinking of you and your disciples.
Yet here you are! You have been holding it inside until now and said nothing! This, this…”
Kim Young-hoon, who had been raging, let out a sigh.
“Huu… Done. You foolish, foolish fellow. Sort it out among yourselves. I will depart first.”
For a moment, silence fell around us.
I opened my mouth after calming my emotions.
“…At first, it was after accepting the thirty-three original disciples.
I accepted them one by one, stored their spirits in my Peak stage, and since then the dead children have all been with me…
Of course, I could not accept all their families, but at least those children all came with me after death…”
Until now.
I had simply found it frustrating that my disciples were clinging to the dead to hone their revenge.
But now that I accepted the ancestor spirits the same way they did, I could finally understand them.
The teacher and the student are each affected by the other.
Just as they were influenced by me, I was influenced by them.
That is why master and disciple are called as one.
Now I could no longer simply block my disciples.
I had understood the emotions and the resentment in my heart.
“…Now, however weakly, I can empathize with you. You all… how large is the resentment and pain you carry… I can understand a little…”
I looked around the group and spoke.
“However, even so, I…”
Facing their emotions head-on, empathizing face-to-face, I put my longing into words.
“I hope you live.”
My talent is the lowest of the low.
Even with infinitely favorable conditions compared to other experts, I have crossed Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
Even after maximizing my meager talent by accepting my disciples’ ancestor spirits, I am still at the final of the Seven Stars.
I cannot detect the intent of Desire.
My desire is life itself.
Even knowing that, I have not yet discovered the final intent and have not reached Five Qi Consorting with the Origin.
I do not even know what life is.
A life of not being able, not being able, and still not being able.
Therefore, please.
“I will not say not to avenge that resentment or forget that hatred. However…”
You alone.
“Please, return alive…”
Live that life.
These were the disciples who had never listened to my words until now.
But they are nodding to my words for the first time now.
“…We will definitely live.”
“We will live to pay our respects to Master…!”
Starting with Man-ho, the boys all collapsed before me.
“We will survive! Master!”
Perhaps for the first time since becoming master and disciple, the hearts of teacher and student had connected.
In that way, we succeeded in opening our hearts before the final battle.
And the day of the final battle approached.