Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: What Do You Mean Demonic Arts? These Are Righteous Sect Martial Arts, Though? (3)
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The Sword Demon's bombshell remark turned the hearing into utter chaos in an instant.
My head was the same way.
What the hell.
Why the fuck is the Sword Demon here?
Even his entrance line was brutally savage.
What? Finish the expulsion process?
Take me away and raise me as his personal disciple?
Is he planning to drag me into the demonic cult!
"What utter nonsense! Nothing's been confirmed yet!"
"That's ridiculous! Sihyeon's already reserved by— ngh!"
"Who the hell let that grand demonic head in here...!"
There seemed to be some weird crybaby mixed in, but I filtered it out from my eardrums.
Thanks to the Sword Demon, the unfavorable public opinion flipped in a heartbeat.
It felt weird seeing the instructors, who had been strictly neutral, suddenly step up to defend me vigorously.
What should I call this?
A desperate effort to prevent the Sword Demon from NTR-ing their promising junior?
"Amitabha—!"
A majestic Buddhist chant boomed through the noisy marketplace-like space.
The academy head, who had been wearing an inscrutable expression, finally spoke gravely.
"This poor monk invited Patron Weiji Ryang. Since the Blood Wolf Sword Technique is his unique style, I thought he'd give an accurate judgment. So please, everyone, lower your voices and show some restraint."
The academy head's calm demeanor as he raised his sleeve oddly reminded me of the No. 5 captain.
It would be perfect if it were just his index finger instead of his sleeve.
No hair, though.
In any case, my grand strategy didn't change even with the Sword Demon's appearance.
I'm just an individual.
I know nothing.
...Saying it like this makes me sound like a criminal denying everything, but isn't it the plain truth?
"Ahem! Anyway, since he's the one the academy head invited, let's continue."
Nangong Baek suddenly stepped forward to regain control.
Dang Chunsik hadn't known much, being just a low-level grunt in the grand scheme of the Azure Heaven Society.
One of the instructors who had pointed fingers at him as a likely member was this Nangong Baek.
Judging by how he was pushing now, it seemed spot on.
I played the role of an innocent simpleton to the hilt.
"I've never practiced the Star Absorption Great Law. Proving a negative isn't logically sound. What more is there to say? Besides, jumping to conclusions based on that crappy... er, low-quality footage is just speculation, isn't it?"
I rattled off the plausible line my bro had tipped me off to, adding my own spin.
"That makes sense..."
"No demonic cultivator of the Star Absorption Great Law has appeared in a hundred years, so how could its lineage flow to some random battlefield?"
Amazingly, it worked!
I memorized the face of the guy who muttered "some random battlefield."
"The internal art I learned is called the Northern Bright Divine Art. I selected it from the Heavenly Martial Library as a top student privilege. If it were the Star Absorption Great Law, wouldn't it be absurd for the academy to keep it? Instructor Moyong Seol, who was there at the time, can verify this."
As I poured out my words with momentum, everyone's gaze shifted to Sister Seol.
Sister Seol thrust out her modest chest proudly and declared,
"Correct! I was stationed at the Heavenly Martial Library then, and I saw Geum Sihyeon select the Northern Bright... Divine Art. I even tried to dissuade him because it was an unfamiliar technique. It's recorded in the manual lending log, so you can check. I stake my honor on it."
As expected of Sister Seol.
It was a bit awkward, but she caught my sly twist from "Divine Art" to "Heart Formula" and deflected smoothly.
Murmurs rippled through again.
Most had never heard of the Northern Bright Divine Art.
Question marks floated over heads as they whispered to neighbors or speculated.
And rightly so.
It was mod byproducts.
Not some ancient script, but written in modern Korean—who else in the world could read it besides me?
With even Ice Duchess's honor on the line, the mood swung my way instantly.
But.
"Proving a negative, eh? You've read some books, I see. But the Star Absorption Great Law has a flaw. The absorbed energies don't harmonize and tangle in the dantian. We can verify that easily."
Nangong Baek smirked as if he'd anticipated my move and pressed harder.
Hm.
This was a bit scary.
The Northern Bright Divine Art had indeed absorbed and fused multiple energies, but what if it used the same mechanism?
I gathered my thoughts briefly.
And reached a conclusion.
Fuck it, might as well join the demonic cult.
With Sword Demon backup and young cult leader backup, demonic life might not suck.
"Then go ahead and verify it."
I locked eyes directly with Nangong Baek.
"Fine, since I'm taking you as my disciple anyway, let's check—"
"Amitabha."
The academy head timely cut off the Sword Demon, who looked ready to insist it was demonic arts anyway and claim me regardless.
"This poor monk will verify it. That should resolve the issue."
Then he floated over effortlessly, as if stepping on air, and landed beside me.
"Treading the Void...!"
"The master's arts have grown even more profound..."
This felt like a show of force to tell the Sword Demon not to get cocky.
The Sword Demon's expression did sour a bit, confirming it.
I scratched my demonic cult defection plan off the list.
Having drawn all eyes with his flashy display, the academy head gave me a benevolent smile.
"Amitabha. Patron Geum, would you mind letting this poor monk take your pulse? No pressure."
In this atmosphere, "no pressure"?
Consideration or pressure?
Still, I calmly extended my right arm.
"Match my infused energy and circulate your qi slowly, slowly."
Following the academy head's guidance on my wrist, I cautiously stirred my energy.
The purest, most majestic internal energy I'd ever felt—the academy head's qi—flowed slowly through my meridians into my body.
And then.
Changes began in my body.
A subtle, warm sensation enveloped me, as if Buddha-nature itself was descending, washing away the impurities that had built up since the Peak Realm.
Like tuning my breath, his infused qi circulated the Lesser Heavenly Circuit, easing the slight stuffiness in my chest.
And then.
Plop—
Like a single water droplet.
The moment it touched the lake called my dantian, it melted seamlessly into me.
....
Did I just... absorb it...?
I looked at the academy head with eyes trembling slightly, beyond even Clear Mirror Still Water's control.
"Hehe, splendid, splendid."
But he gazed back with an even warmer smile.
Releasing my wrist, the academy head declared,
"Cadet Geum Sihyeon has not cultivated the Star Absorption Great Law. I don't know its origin, but he must have encountered a great fortune. This poor monk was astonished by its purity—no way is this a demonic art. I vouch for it on my precept name, Wolseong."
Not guilty.
Sighs of relief erupted here and there.
Relief at my innocence?
Or relief at not losing a promising junior to the vile demonic cult's schemes?
"...Hmph."
Seeing that crazy old geezer gearing up to grumble, I figured it was the latter even for me.
"What about the Blood Wolf Sword Technique? Shouldn't we verify that too?"
Damn geezer! Don't cling!
You sticky bastard!
I ground my teeth inwardly but didn't let it show.
"Ahem, yes, there's suspicion there too."
This crazy Nangong punk wouldn't brake like he was a demonic infiltrator, not Azure Heaven Society.
But I'd prepared for that.
I couldn't say I'd memorized the Flying Heaven Sword Art and Blazing Shadow Heart Formula on the spot with my genius brain, internalized them, and blended into Blood Wolf after seeing it.
"I'm sorely lacking in sword basics, so I consulted Instructor Moyong Seol privately a lot, organized what I'd memorized in my head, and formed a stance. It's crude, but I'll demonstrate."
Gripping the wooden sword a guard silently handed me.
Swish, swish.
Whish, whish.
I showcased the Blood Wolf Sword Technique, the essence of my enlightenment condensed.
Everyone watched with interest, murmuring among themselves.
Overall positive reactions.
It evoked the orthodox spirit—like a lone crane soaring gracefully, or fervent flames dancing over a lake.
Praise that twisted the lit exam proctor's intent a bit drifted over.
Good is good.
Even Nangong Baek desperately schooled his face, at a loss without a nitpick.
But there was always one to rain on the parade.
"Indeed. Too shabby for Blood Wolf Sword Technique. No proper mind-image at all. Where's the wolf chasing blood? Just a chick peeping away."
The original creator gave his harsh critique.
A chick, huh.
Stings a little...
Still, with my all-out sword demo done.
"Amitabha. Thus, all suspicions of demonic arts against Cadet Geum Sihyeon are cleared. A suspicious mindset isn't always bad, but it mustn't create innocent scapegoats."
Bang, bang, bang.
Not! Guilty!
No chance to yell "Any objections!" and my first reversal trial ended.
I bowed and tried to slip away first.
"Cadet Geum Sihyeon. Could you spare this poor monk a moment? Instructors, you're dismissed. Patron Weiji Ryang, please head back."
The academy head's voice held me back.
The Sword Demon left with an inscrutable expression.
Soon, alone with him.
Venerable Wolseong simply gazed deeply into my eyes without a word.
Avoiding felt rude, so I endured the awkwardness.
"Patron, you are like the purest blank slate."
He suddenly dropped a Zen koan.
Before I could ask what it meant.
"Unyielding and pure against others' wills, yet if you stray wrong, you'll become the most chaotic. Hold yourself firm."
"Yes. I'll live diligently."
My straight answer brought a gentle smile.
Seemed like a blessing, but kinda...
Like a drill sergeant going "You in trouble lately?"
Gotta live right.
I'm a good guy. I'm orthodox sect.
Pure-born orthodox, never even thought of defecting to demonic cult.
Leaving the main hall, I trudged to the dorms, soaked in crashing fatigue.
Gonna crash with puppy cuddles and sleep like the dead.
Sun long set, moonlit quiet streets—no foot traffic outside class hours—as I strolled leisurely.
Suddenly, a figure leaning against the opposite wall caught my eye.
Closer, I made out the face clearly.
"......"
Crazy boomer geezer.
The Sword Demon.
No side alley to duck into.
Turning tail and bolting felt off.
Already freaking as a righteous sect guy seemed much.
Like meeting a bear in a dead end.
So I tried passing casually.
Tap.
The Sword Demon's arm shot out languidly, grabbing my wrist.
"Ah, haha, Sword Demon, sir. Sorry for not recognizing you. Uh, business with me?"
I ignored surging anxiety, forced levity.
"Confirmed. You were that young man from the Mind-Image Sword Debate."
"W-wrong person— kgh."
Suddenly, he sealed my acupoints everywhere, turning me to a log, and monologued.
"Become my disciple."
"—."
"No answer means yes."
"—!"
"Ah, right, start with implanting demonic arts."
Like routine, he calmly placed his palm on my dantian and infused energy.
"────!"
This guy's insane!
Help! Anyone!
Argh! Master! Sword Division!
Academy head! Ink on the blank page!
I'll stray wrong!
Demonic fall!
The invading fierce demonic qi stung sharply through my body.
Thankfully.
Northern Bright-Kirby slurped it all up greedily, digested cleanly, sublimated and expelled what it couldn't handle.
Sword Demon's brow furrowed.
"Hm...? Peculiar. The Black Heaven Demonic Qi is being devoured instead. Like sticking your head in the ghostless river. No wonder the Star Absorption misunderstanding."
No, fuck. Look at that ominous heart method name.
Then stop!
"──!"
As I squirmed futilely in rebellion.
"Enough."
A very familiar voice came from behind the Sword Demon.
He turned, surprised, and through the gap, I spotted my savior.
"Gasp, niece?"
170cm towering height.
75G voluptuous figure.
—Luri, slated to evolve (never).
Late to hearing news, or candy craving night stroll—who knows.
But glaring at Sword Demon with a scary face I'd never seen.
"Mine."
....
These demonic fuckers going at it duo-style...