Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: This is How You Train
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The men of the underworld took charge of cleaning up the area around the inn.
As soon as the Master of the East Lake Escort Agency gave the order, they diligently cleared away the bodies and erased all traces of the fight.
When their work was finished, they entered the inn and stood with their backs to the walls, lining the perimeter with their hands clasped respectfully before them.
Their gazes were fixed on Byeok Taesan, who was sitting halfway up the stairs to the second floor.
Their eyes were filled with aspiration and respect.
It was only natural, as they had witnessed everything that had transpired here from beginning to end.
The first person they had encountered was Ma Chungsam, a master so skilled they wouldn't have dared to even look at him.
And the ones who appeared after him were all masters of a similar caliber.
Even though they were from the underworld and had barely set foot in the world of martial arts, they had developed a keen eye from years of struggling at the bottom.
In their eyes, Ma Chungsam was far stronger than the elite warriors of most martial families.
Based on intuition alone, he seemed to be at the level of a captain leading a squad of such elite warriors.
But recently, the leader of Ma Chungsam's gang had appeared. It was the Master of the East Lake Escort Agency.
To them, the Escort Agency's Master was a master of unfathomable skill.
Yet, the true master among masters, whom even the Escort Agency's Master and Ma Chungsam's entire gang couldn't lay a finger on, was Seo Dogun.
Having witnessed Byeok Taesan obliterate that very Seo Dogun with a single slap, their current attitude was perfectly understandable.
Sprawled before Byeok Taesan was Seo Dogun, his pressure points sealed and his body tightly bound.
A moment later, Yuk Taegu appeared, dangling Deung Jayeop, who was in the same state as Seo Dogun.
He tossed Deung Jayeop next to Seo Dogun and bowed respectfully to Byeok Taesan.
"Young Master, your orders have been carried out."
Byeok Taesan nodded. He glanced around at his people and said.
"Everyone, you did well."
Everyone's expressions changed noticeably. Seeing them so pleased by a single phrase gave Byeok Taesan a strange feeling.
*Come to think of it... have I ever done this before?*
In his days as the Heavenly Demon, he had no memory of ever praising anyone.
He had taken everything for granted.
Byeok Taesan shook off the thought and looked down at the two squirming figures on the floor.
"First... get everything these bastards know out of them."
Byeok Taesan looked at Yuk Taegu. He was likely the expert in this sort of work.
As soon as Yuk Taegu met Byeok Taesan's gaze, he took a step forward and bowed his head slightly.
"I will extract every memory, right down to the moment they were born."
He had considered using the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts to burn their souls a little, but that might erase parts of their memories, so he decided to leave it to Yuk Taegu.
"Don't kill them. I have something I need to do with them later."
Just in case, he planned to burn their souls with the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts later and hear a bit more.
"I will keep that in mind."
With that, Yuk Taegu grabbed one in each hand and walked out of the inn.
Silence filled the room.
Byeok Taesan looked at the Master of the East Lake Escort Agency, Jang Gagu.
Jang Gagu's body tensed slightly. He had a feeling he knew what Byeok Taesan was about to say, and his heart tightened.
"You're badly injured."
"Not at all! It's just a few scratches. I'm perfectly fine."
Byeok Taesan chuckled.
If those were just scratches, what would he consider a real wound? It seemed he wouldn't admit he was hurt unless he lost a limb.
"From what I can see, your mind, spirit, and body have yet to achieve harmony."
At Byeok Taesan's words, not only Jang Gagu but all the Secret Heaven Group members of his team began to tremble, breaking out in a cold sweat.
It was painfully obvious what would come next.
"For the time being, you will all train only in the Limitless Steps. I've found a rather effective training method, so it shouldn't take too long."
Cheon Gyeongwan's and Yu Seoyeon's faces turned pale at Byeok Taesan's words.
They had been doing just that right before coming here.
It was certain that they were getting stronger. Their bodies had changed, as had the flow of their internal energy.
But it was just so, so painful.
And the expressions of Jang Gagu and the Secret Heaven Group members, who knew the Limitless Steps well, soured.
Seeing this, Byeok Taesan tilted his head slightly.
"It seems you have a complaint."
At his words, everyone flinched and vehemently waved their hands, shaking their heads.
"N-no, sir! Not at all!"
"The Limitless Steps is my favorite training! No, I will make it my favorite!"
Byeok Taesan nodded.
"A good attitude. Then, on this occasion... it would be good for everyone to temper their bodies with the Limitless Steps."
Byeok Taesan's gaze rested on the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric.
The two of them flinched and took a step back.
"What? A-are you talking to us, Young Master?"
"W-we are too old for that kind of training."
Byeok Taesan said nonchalantly.
"Actually, it's a training method more necessary for the elderly. As one ages, the harmony of mind, spirit, and body tends to fall apart."
The faces of the two men turned pale.
"W-we have to—ah, that's right. The Divine Pill of the Ages! We must make the Divine Pill of the Ages!"
"Of course. We need to make a large batch of the pills so we can give one to each of those fellows standing by the wall, watching us."
"That's right. And our numbers will continue to grow, so it's best to prepare the medicine in advance."
"And it's not just the Divine Pill of the Ages that we need."
"We also have to make those beads that worked so well on the ones who just unlocked their potential."
"There will be many more fights ahead, so we must also make medicine for external and internal injuries."
The two spoke in turns, as if a single person were speaking continuously.
"So you're saying you're very busy?"
Byeok Taesan asked with a slightly cynical look, and the Divine Doctor and the One-Needle Eccentric spoke in turns again.
"Oh, it's not exactly that..."
"It's just that it's not easy to find the time..."
"That's it."
Byeok Taesan chuckled.
"Enough. Do as you please. Well, I can't force you if you don't want to get stronger."
"Oh, thank you, Young Master."
"We will repay this kindness by working until our bodies break, Young Master."
Byeok Taesan waved his hand dismissively at the two men bowing with exaggerated gratitude.
Then, changing the mood, he once again surveyed the room.
"For the time being, I will personally oversee one person's training each day."
At Byeok Taesan's sudden declaration, everyone swallowed hard and stared at him.
They had already seen his skill. They also knew his knowledge of martial arts was immense.
No one could predict what kind of results would come from Byeok Taesan personally overseeing their training.
Byeok Taesan grinned as he saw the change in people's expressions and eyes.
"You will think that death would be a mercy."
Everyone's face turned pale.
"This is how you train."
With those final words, Byeok Taesan stood up and walked out of the inn.
***
On the way back to the Golden Jade Manor, no one spoke a word.
Byeok Taesan was deep in thought.
He was retracing his words and actions from today, one by one.
*Something is changing...*
He didn't know if it was because his physical body was different, or because he had died and come back to life.
What was clear was that he was changing.
The idea of personally overseeing each person's training was something he would never have even considered in his days as the Heavenly Demon.
Of course, he had overseen his subordinates' training back then. But that was more like impulsively intervening when he happened to see them training.
Or helping with the group training of the Heavenly Guard.
But he certainly didn't feel bad about the change.
His earlier offer to oversee each person's martial arts training had been sincere.
And even now, his mind was branching into multiple trains of thought, planning how to oversee each person's specific martial art.
*Either way, it's interesting.*
All of this was intriguing and fun.
As his thoughts continued, he remembered the men he had captured today.
*The feeling I get from these bastards is unpleasant.*
He had felt the same underlying unpleasantness when facing the Four Fiends of Guangdong, the Three Blood Demons, as well as Budu Cheol and Gok Yangdu.
But the reason this unpleasantness was so irksome was that he still wasn't sure why he felt it.
"I suppose... I'll have to crush them all."
The people following him flinched at his muttering.
They all walked silently behind him, too busy trying to read his mood to say a word.
But as Byeok Taesan's aura grew heavier and more intimidating, they found themselves trembling if they let their guard down even for a moment.
Then, Byeok Taesan suddenly stopped walking.
Everyone froze, startled.
Byeok Taesan slowly turned to look at the group following him.
He saw the Divine Doctor of the Ages, the One-Needle Eccentric, Cheon Gyeongwan, and Yu Seoyeon.
They were the people who had been with him the longest since his rebirth. Though, of course, it hadn't even been a full year.
"W-what is it, Young Master?"
The bravest of the four—no, the most reckless—the Divine Doctor of the Ages, asked cautiously.
"I'm thinking about how to make you all stronger."
Everyone's face turned pale.
They already felt like they were dying. What more could he possibly do?
"Well... let's talk again after you finish the Limitless Steps."
Byeok Taesan turned away, pondering what kind of training he should put Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon through after they finished the Limitless Steps.
After that, no one said a word until they reached the Golden Jade Manor.
***
Byeok Taesan was sitting across from Hwaok.
Hwaok looked at Byeok Taesan with eyes mixed with tension and fear, then lowered her gaze slightly to the thin booklet on the desk.
It was a booklet with no writing on the cover.
But the contents within were anything but ordinary.
"It seems you've worked hard. Your mind, spirit, and body have settled quite well. Well... you still have more to do, though."
Hwaok bowed her head respectfully.
"It is thanks to the Young Master's teachings."
Since she began training in the Limitless Steps, Hwaok had felt a distinct change in her body. Thanks to that, the level of her Shadow Steps had risen sharply.
Her gaze fell once more on the booklet on the desk.
"It is the Lunar Shadow Demonic Arts."
Hwaok swallowed dryly.
It was a demonic art. She had been surprised when Byeok Taesan asked if she wanted to learn one before, but she never imagined he actually possessed one.
"The Lunar Shadow Demonic Arts..."
"It should be quite compatible with your Shadow Steps."
It meant it was a powerful demonic art that was also compatible with the Shadow Steps.
"It is a demonic art, but to be honest, it's a bit lacking to be called one. You don't have to drink blood or bury yourself in a pile of corpses."
Hwaok's face paled slightly.
Hearing about drinking blood and being buried in corpses made the reality of it being a demonic art sink in.
Byeok Taesan smiled seeing Hwaok's expression.
"There are actually few demonic arts that require such extreme training. And unless you're a complete madman, you wouldn't even think of learning them."
"Ah...!"
Hwaok looked at Byeok Taesan with slightly surprised eyes. He had just mixed a joke into their conversation.
"The tricky part about the Lunar Shadow Demonic Arts is that you must train under the moonlight."
Hwaok quickly composed herself at his next words and nodded. It was common to train at a specific time of day to absorb yin or yang energy.
"And your senses are also very important. Well, the bastards who learned this before didn't seem to know much about that."
Hwaok tilted her head, not quite understanding what he meant by 'senses'.
Byeok Taesan looked straight at Hwaok and said.
"You can do it."
You can reach the highest realm among all the past leaders of the Lunar Shadow Group who have learned the Lunar Shadow Demonic Arts.
That was Byeok Taesan's judgment.
***
Several days had passed since he had thwarted Seo Dogun's scheme.
During that time, Wuhan had been quite noisy.
No matter how effectively Byeok Taesan had stopped Seo Dogun, it had been a loud fight on both sides, making it impossible to cover up completely.
Furthermore, as the deeds committed by Go Jungwang's subordinates to divert the attention of the Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance came to light, the major factions became even more active.
While Wuhan was in such a state, Byeok Taesan's people were being driven to the brink of death by their training.
And Yuk Taegu, who had not yet participated in the training, entered the Golden Jade Manor.
He ran straight to Byeok Taesan's residence and prostrated himself before him.
"Young Master, I have found the Half-Jiangshi."
He had found out where the Half-Jiangshi that Seo Dogun had prepared for later use were.
The corners of Byeok Taesan's mouth lifted slightly.
A miracle elixir.
