Chapter 276: Leader of the Black Lotus Union (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 276: Leader of the Black Lotus Union (1)
Martial arts was, quite literally, the study of the martial.
Every specific martial art possessed a certain logic, one shared only by those who had mastered it.
That logic was the very identity of the technique—a secret tradition that remained utterly inscrutable to outsiders unless they obtained the manuals or oral chants.
Seo-jun often compared it to a mathematical formula.
For a very simple example, let’s say there was an equation: $a^3 + 2b^2 + 3c^2 + d + e^4 = x$.
If this were the core formula for the Three Talents Sword Art, a martial artist trained in the technique could circulate an amount of internal energy equal to a to achieve the result x.
The other variables in that process represented the circulation method (b), the martial form (c), the oral chant containing the core principles (d), and the martial artist’s mental imagery (e).
When the technique was unleashed, all an outsider could perceive was the resulting value x and the physical form c.
In other words, if the equation looked like ? + ? + 3c^2 + ? + ? = x, was there any way to find the specific values for each question mark?
The answer was simple: it was impossible.
If it were a pure mathematical equation, one might attempt to estimate the values by substituting various numbers or plotting a graph. Martial arts, however, did not allow for such methods.
In the first place, the idea of someone demonstrating their martial art so transparently was nonsensical.
Furthermore, this was an extremely simplified example; a technique like the Emperor Sword Form would require an eight-hundred-page book just to write out its full formula.
Of course, an experienced martial artist might be able to make some inferences based on their background, but perfectly copying a technique was nearly impossible.
Hwangbo Ryung knew this fact well. It was impossible to copy a martial art simply by watching it.
In the past, when Seo-jun had performed the Thunderbolt Fist of Mount Tai using a sword, Hwangbo Ryung merely thought he had done a good job of making it look similar.
"Ta-da."
But no matter how he looked at it, what was unfolding before his eyes right now was undoubtedly the Thunderbolt Fist of Mount Tai.
Hwangbo Ryung stood with his mouth agape, rubbing his eyes vigorously. Nothing changed.
His heightened senses as a master of the Transcendent Realm told him that this was, without a doubt, the Thunderbolt Fist of Mount Tai.
"Did you perhaps learn the technique from Hye-ji…?"
Whoosh!
This time, a flame harboring a profound heat bloomed atop Seo-jun’s hand.
The Emperor chuckled and clapped his hands.
"Oho, the Heaven-Sun Imperial Extreme Fire Divine Art?"
Hwangbo Ryung looked at the Emperor with an expression of utter absurdity. He knew the man was eccentric, but to just sit there laughing while the Imperial family’s secret martial art was being performed by an outsider?
"Is this a laughing matter right now?"
"Well, isn’t it funny? I find it quite fascinating."
"This is a serious situation."
"Ah, right. Hwangbo Ryung, you’ve never met the Alliance Leader, have you?"
Hwangbo Ryung furrowed his brows at the non sequitur.
"What are you talking about?"
"I find the fact that this fellow drank the Alliance Leader under the table far more incomprehensible than this. How do you even drink in front of that man? Compared to that, this is nothing. It’s well within the realm of possibility."
"You madman."
Hwangbo Ryung pushed past the smirking Emperor and stepped in front of Seo-jun.
"Explain yourself properly. What is that?"
"The Heaven-Sun Imperial Extreme Fire Divine Art."
"I can see that!"
The sheer absurdity of it made his head throb. Hwangbo Ryung massaged his temples as he stared at the young man before him.
The Evil-Annihilating Heavenly Lord, Lee Seo-jun. There was no doubt about his talent and skill.
The fact that he had reached such impossible heights at such a young age was proof enough of his terrifying genius.
But this was an entirely different story.
"What trick did you use? Don’t give me that blatant lie about copying it just by looking. Every martial artist in the world knows that’s impossible."
"Well, I didn’t know that."
"……"
The dizzying response left Hwangbo Ryung speechless.
It was nonsense. It utterly defied common sense.
Fine, let’s be generous and say he could somehow figure out the flow of internal energy.
But what about the oral chants? And the mental imagery?
A martial art was not composed of the flow of internal energy alone.
Perhaps it might be possible for a very simple technique like the Three Talents Sword Art, but high-level arts like the Thunderbolt Fist of Mount Tai or the Heaven-Sun Imperial Extreme Fire Divine Art required the mental imagery derived directly from their specific oral chants.
"And you’re saying you can understand all of that just by watching?"
"I just sort of get a feel for it."
"Bullshit."
Unable to accept it, Hwangbo Ryung decided to test Seo-jun.
He demonstrated one of the Hwangbo Clan’s techniques, the Great Strength Heaven-Dominating Fist, right in front of him.
BOOOOOOOOM!!
In other words, he had just handed over one of his family’s secret techniques to Seo-jun on a silver platter.
"What…?"
Hwangbo Ryung was stunned. The focus vanished from his vacant eyes.
The man before him had only watched the Great Strength Heaven-Dominating Fist a few times, yet he had just performed it perfectly.
The common sense he had built up over a long life shattered into pieces.
How was that possible?
He couldn't understand it, nor could he accept it. It was completely irrational. Such a thing shouldn't be possible.
Yet, he couldn't simply deny what had just happened right in front of him…
"Haha."
Hwangbo Ryung just laughed hollowly and patted the Emperor’s shoulder.
"What is this?"
"What do you think? You just handed over a martial art to the Namgung Clan for free."
"I did? When?"
"Just now."
"Haha."
After laughing aimlessly, he let out a deep sigh toward the sky. He scratched his head as if trying to tear his hair out, then looked at Seo-jun with bloodshot eyes.
"What are you thinking?"
"About what?"
"Can’t you predict the fallout if this fact becomes known?"
"What kind of fallout?"
Seo-jun chuckled and sat down on a nearby wooden bench.
It wasn't as if he hadn't thought about it. He could easily guess the chaos that would ensue if the world learned he could copy martial arts just by looking at them.
But so what?
"I don’t think much will happen, really."
Learning a martial art just by seeing it—it was, of course, entirely unprecedented.
Anyone with a bit of intuition would naturally think, ‘Wait, isn't this a huge problem?’
In the Murim, a martial art was a sect’s secret tradition and the very proof of its identity.
If someone else could just copy it at will, it would obviously cause a massive problem… however.
"I’m the Evil-Annihilating Heavenly Lord, you know."
Lee Seo-jun was the Grand Master of the Namgung Clan and a martial artist of the Transcendent Realm.
Furthermore, the Namgung Clan would never cast out their own Grand Master, and their reputation in the Central Plains was second to none.
Not to mention allies like the North Sea Ice Palace, who considered the Evil-Annihilating Heavenly Lord a close friend…
If the fact that he could copy martial arts became known, it would certainly cause a great stir, but his "weight class" was far too large for anyone to challenge him head-on.
"Besides, would anyone even believe such a story? It’s a bit ambiguous to use that as an excuse to brand him a Public Enemy of the Murim, and if they play their cards wrong, the Righteous Faction might just split right down the middle."
Hwangbo Ryung frowned at the Emperor’s smirking remark.
"That is certainly true."
If this fact were widely known, he could think of a few leaders among the Sixteen Major Sects and Clans who would seek Seo-jun out personally.
However, he didn't think they would actually band together to destroy the Namgung Clan.
Unless it was a catastrophe that threatened the entire Central Plains, those in the Transcendent Realm rarely cooperated with one another.
No, rather…
"You."
"Yes?"
"You don’t happen to have a grudge against the Hwangbo Clan, do you?"
"No, not really."
"Hmm, I see. The Hwangbo Clan’s martial arts…"
"I’m not crazy enough to just spread them around everywhere. That would actually start a war."
"That’s a relief…"
What if this guy got annoyed and scattered a sect’s martial arts—or worse, their absolute counters—across the entire Central Plains?
It wouldn't completely destroy a faction as large as the Sixteen Major Sects and Clans, but it would undoubtedly cause immense damage.
"Still, it would be best to keep quiet about this for now."
Hwangbo Ryung imagined the worst-case scenario.
What if one of the Transcendent Realm masters learned of this and attacked the Evil-Annihilating Heavenly Lord?
And what if that master ended up being killed instead?
…Then things would get truly complicated.
The Righteous Faction wouldn't just split in half; it would shatter into a dozen pieces.
"Well, we’ll see."
"No, not ‘we’ll see’!"
"Anyway, can’t we use this to draw out the people inside the Black Lotus Union?"
"Ah."
Right. They had been in the middle of that conversation, hadn't they?
"It’s certainly a possibility… No, wait, isn't that not the important part right now?"
"I told you, it’s fine. If things go south, I’ll just take the whole Namgung Clan and defect to the Demonic Cult or something."
"Are you joking at a time like this?"
"I’m not joking."
"……?"
While Hwangbo Ryung was being toyed with by Lee Seo-jun, the Emperor casually unfurled the scroll where Jegal Tong had diligently written down his strategy.
The gist was the same as before: remove the movable pieces first.
However, in the case of the Heaven-Breaking Je Clan, since it was the family where the Leader of the Black Lotus Union was born and raised, they would be left alone to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.
Similarly, the Sa-ma Clan was excluded due to its proximity to the Black Lotus Union.
As a result, the only remaining forces among the Seven Evil Black Sect were the Great Black Mountain Sect and the Black Dragon Sect. So, starting with those two…
The Emperor, having skimmed the beginning of Jegal Tong’s strategy, glanced at Hwangbo Ryung and Seo-jun.
They were already engaged in a heated discussion about how to attack the Black Lotus Union.
"So, you’re saying we should lure them in like that and wipe them out in one fell swoop?"
"Yes. You said you don’t know exactly how many of them are left."
"We can make an estimate, but…"
"It’s the same thing. But it’s not like ten or fifteen Transcendent Realm masters are going to come swarming out all at once."
"Not unless the Union Leader orders it. They don’t particularly care whether the others live or die."
"Then, like this……"
The Emperor, eavesdropping on their conversation, smiled faintly.
‘Well, this looks far more entertaining, so I think I’ll just keep quiet.’
Ju Won-jang also possessed a fair bit of insight into strategy and tactics.
From his perspective, there didn't seem to be any major issues even if they proceeded this way… Ju Won-jang remained silent, wearing a mysterious smile.
As long as the Leader of the Black Lotus Union didn't suddenly pop out, there shouldn't be any major problems.
"Good grief."
Watching the Emperor smile deviously, Peng Geuk-jin poured wine into Pae Jin-gwang’s cup.
"What are those guys talking about now?"
"I don’t know either. They’ll figure it out. Forget that and let’s just have a drink."
"Sounds good to me!"
Only Peng Geuk-jin and Pae Jin-gwang continued to build their rapport, knowingly or unknowingly.
*
The Black Lotus Union. Its deepest chamber.
In the pure blackness where not a single speck of light reached, a faint, hazy radiance suddenly bloomed.
It took the shape of a man. As his long, snow-white hair cascaded in disarray, pure white pupils were revealed beneath.
The man’s eyes looked toward the heavens. There, he saw a series of flows.
It was a complex flow, its meaning difficult to discern even with the eyes of a god.
How much time passed like that?
A fleeting moment, or perhaps hundreds of years. Within the tangled flow of time, the man grasped a fragmentary answer.
Primordial Unity, and the end.
The Leader of the Black Lotus Union rose to his feet.