Chapter 337
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 337
Chapter Title: Is This Seventy Percent?
Next day.
All the cadets of the Fierce Dragon Corps had seen Ha Mu-baek return the previous day.
So they gathered at the grand training ground at the appointed time, expecting Instructor Ha Mu-baek to teach them today.
But the one who greeted them was an instructor of otherworldly beauty.
Instructor Ji Gun-wi.
"Huh? Why..."
Dang Jin-san muttered reflexively under his breath without realizing it.
Truly under his breath.
To the point where even the person next to him wouldn't hear it clearly.
"Seems like you have a lot of complaints, Dang Jin-san."
However.
Ji Gun-wi picked up on that faint mutter and immediately singled out Dang Jin-san.
"N-No, sir!"
Dang Jin-san replied loudly in a fluster.
'Damn...'
The thought came unbidden.
The distance between the platform and where he stood.
And the volume of his mutter.
Considering those two factors.
Just what level of cultivation was required to hear that?
The Dragon Training Pavilion's Fierce Dragon Corps was practically a dumping ground for those at rock bottom in life.
Thanks to that, most instructors were second-rate martial artists at best.
But when Dang Jin-san entered.
A monster named Ha Mu-baek appeared.
And now, these transcendent masters kept showing up as instructors to teach them.
What in the world was going on with the Dragon Training Pavilion and the Fierce Dragon Corps?
"Instructor Ha has returned, but for the time being, I'll be the one training you all due to his personal cultivation. Let's begin."
His voice was a clear, jade-like tone that naturally lifted the spirits.
But the content was anything but uplifting.
Despair washed over the cadets' faces.
What new limit would they crash into today?
Male and female cadets alike gazed at Ji Gun-wi with fearful eyes.
The female cadets who had once swooned over his handsome face and melodic voice when he first appeared were long gone.
Now, they just gritted their teeth through the grueling training.
"We'll start with Year 1, Group 7."
At Ji Gun-wi's words, the Group 7 cadets all turned to look at Dang Jin-san in unison.
The reason they were first was obvious.
And so, another brutally exhausting day of training began.
Around lunchtime.
The cadets were already utterly drained.
Someone was watching that grand training ground.
Pavilion Lord Pang Do-yul.
He was tilting his head as he watched the instructor sparring with the cadets right in the center.
His movements alone screamed transcendent master.
The key point was.
There was no such person among the Dragon Training Pavilion's instructors in his memory.
Even setting aside the level of martial prowess, he couldn't possibly forget someone that handsome.
'What in the world...'
During the pavilion's closure period, Ha Mu-baek had been solely in charge of the Fierce Dragon Corps' training.
So he hadn't paid much attention.
It was Ha Mu-baek's responsibility, and he couldn't interfere anyway.
He knew Han Seol-bing took over when Ha Mu-baek was away.
But this instructor was a complete stranger.
Still, he just watched silently.
The young instructor's level had already surpassed his own.
'Birds of a feather flock together, huh...'
Identity unknown.
But surely connected to Ha Mu-baek somehow.
Pang Do-yul watched the training for a short while before leaving.
Did the cadets even realize?
That the one drilling them so mercilessly wasn't even an official Dragon Training Pavilion instructor.
Pang Do-yul chuckled amusedly, his steps light.
The Fierce Dragon Corps had been the biggest headache.
He'd expected it to get even worse once that monster Ha Mu-baek was assigned as instructor.
But surprisingly, things had gotten easier.
Thanks to Ha Mu-baek taking on so much.
Something he never could have imagined.
"Hm?"
As he walked, someone caught Pavilion Lord Pang Do-yul's eye.
Gi Yu-chan.
The man who knew every little detail about the pavilion's affairs without fail.
It was almost eerie how well-informed he was.
And he was intently watching the Fierce Dragon Corps' training.
"You must have less work during the closure period, huh?"
Gi Yu-chan jumped at Pavilion Lord Pang Do-yul's words.
"What brings the Pavilion Lord here...?"
"What brings you here?"
Wasn't this the guy who was always buried in paperwork in his office?
"Ah, I just stepped out for some fresh air and got curious about the training..."
Pang Do-yul nodded at Gi Yu-chan's response.
Even someone born a scholar like him would find the scene intriguing.
"Alright. Take it easy."
Pang Do-yul resumed walking.
"Whew..."
Gi Yu-chan let out a deep sigh and turned his gaze back to the grand training ground.
Watching Ji Gun-wi, he kept tilting his head.
There was no such person in the Dragon Training Pavilion as far as he remembered.
'What's going on here... Hm...'
And on top of that, he was strong.
Even recalling the list of current renowned masters in his mind, no one matched.
A young expert who dropped out of the sky.
More than enough to be a variable.
'I need to look into this.'
Gi Yu-chan watched the training ground a bit longer before turning away.
Once every ten days.
Yeon Ja-kyeong, patriarch of the Hubei Yeon Clan and Grand Elder of the Righteous Heaven Alliance's Elder Council, secretly met one person in his office.
Heavenly Poison Valley Lord Yeo Hong-gi was that man.
It was because of the White Flower Radiant Herb he had stumbled upon while researching the myriad medicinal and poisonous herbs of the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest.
And the development of the Qi-Scattering Poison using it.
Sometimes there were rapid breakthroughs, other times stagnation.
One unchanging fact was the need for vast quantities of White Flower Radiant Herb.
To that end, the Demon-Sealing Corps and Fierce Dragon Corps scoured the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest relentlessly.
The Fierce Dragon Corps' sacrifices were mounting in the process, but Yeon Ja-kyeong couldn't care less.
Yeon Ja-kyeong stared intently at the small porcelain dish on his desk.
"This is...?"
"Seventy percent complete."
Yeon Ja-kyeong nodded at Yeo Hong-gi's reply.
Faster than expected.
Seventy percent already.
However.
Thinking of the target for its use, it was still too slow.
He'd said to take it slow and make it perfect, but impatience gnawed at him.
Because the monster Ha Mu-baek kept growing stronger without cease since leaving the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
He'd been monstrous enough while staying there.
'Was it a mistake?'
He'd sent him to the Dragon Training Pavilion to strip his power and keep him in check.
But it had turned into an opportunity for the bastard.
The guy who showed no major growth in two years at the Righteous Heaven Alliance had become unrecognizably stronger in just one year at the pavilion.
"What does seventy percent mean, exactly?"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Yeon Ja-kyeong asked.
Yeo Hong-gi smiled faintly, brimming with confidence.
That smile sparked anticipation.
"Why don't you try being poisoned yourself? This amount should last about two hours."
A small mound of powder in the dish.
Even generously, it was half the size of a pinky fingertip segment.
Yeon Ja-kyeong pondered Yeo Hong-gi's suggestion briefly.
Only the two of them in the room.
If he lost his internal energy to the Qi-Scattering Poison...
What if Yeo Hong-gi harbored ill intentions then?
Yeon Ja-kyeong shook his head lightly.
"I have no desire to experiment on this body."
As if expecting that, Yeo Hong-gi divided half the powder with a tool and brought it to his nose.
"Sniff."
And inhaled it directly.
"Half, so one hour. I'm not fully immune to all poisons, but I've long surpassed immunity to heavenly poisons. It's practically full immunity."
Yeon Ja-kyeong nodded.
He knew well Yeo Hong-gi's poison arts attainment.
The Heavenly Poison Valley rivaled the Sichuan Tang Clan for supremacy in poisons among the orthodox sects.
Even including unorthodox sects, Demonic Cult, or Blood Cult, it ranked in the top five worldwide for poisons.
Did the valley lord Yeo Hong-gi's prowess even need stating?
At least in poisons, he was the orthodox world's best.
Yeon Ja-kyeong hadn't recruited him lightly.
The man had the talent.
Yeo Hong-gi extended his wrist toward Yeon Ja-kyeong.
"Check for yourself."
Exposing one's pulse to an opponent in the martial world was tantamount to entrusting one's life.
Yet Yeo Hong-gi showed no hesitation.
Because the Heavenly Poison Valley needed the Hubei Yeon Clan's aid to surpass the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Yeon Ja-kyeong gripped Yeo Hong-gi's pulse and probed his internals.
Checking the dantian.
Internal energy was present, but barely.
It was rigid, unresponsive to any stimulus.
Only a tiny amount twitched faintly.
Releasing the pulse, Yeon Ja-kyeong reached for the dish.
To truly gauge the poison's power, he needed to experience it himself.
"Sniff."
Inhaling the poison, Yeon Ja-kyeong closed his eyes and observed his internals.
The toxin was barely perceptible.
If not inhaled directly, he wouldn't even know it entered his body— that insidious.
However.
A reaction slowly emerged.
One he could sense while observing his internals.
His dantian gradually hardened.
Like solid rock, his internal energy became immovable.
No matter how he tried to circulate it, nothing.
Only a minuscule fraction budged slightly.
This was as good as having no internal energy.
"Is this seventy percent?"
Yeon Ja-kyeong looked at Yeo Hong-gi in astonishment.
Now he understood the man's confident smile.
Yeon Ja-kyeong's own attainment was no slouch.
And he too had reached heavenly poison immunity.
Yet he felt the Qi-Scattering Poison's full effect.
"If we use this Radiant Qi-Scattering Poison on Ha Mu-baek now, I'm confident there's at least a fifty percent chance of success."
Yeon Ja-kyeong nodded.
He agreed.
But Ha Mu-baek didn't know yet.
So it needed to be perfect.
"What are the shortcomings?"
"It doesn't fully scatter the internal energy... Some remains hardened like stone. If there's a technique that can mobilize that..."
"It's not gone completely."
This definitely needed fixing. Ha Mu-baek's arts might have that trait.
"And the quantity required is too much. It needs to achieve the same effect at one percent of the current amount."
Listening, it sounded like there was still a long way to go.
This wasn't seventy percent complete; it was more like seventy percent left to do.
"We've passed the hardest hurdle, so the rest is improvable. Just need time, materials, and plenty of White Flower Radiant Herb."
Yeo Hong-gi spoke as if reading Yeon Ja-kyeong's concerns.
"I'll discuss more support with the Kunlun Sect's leader."
"Then I'll take my leave."
Yeo Hong-gi bowed with clasped hands and left Yeon Ja-kyeong's office.
He crossed the Righteous Heaven Alliance toward the Heavenly Poison Valley's quarters.
"Master."
His prized disciple and current acting Valley Lord.
Geuk In-cheong.
He bowed deeply to greet Yeo Hong-gi.
"Inside."
Yeo Hong-gi said curtly.
The two descended underground, deeper and deeper.
The most remote spot in the Righteous Heaven Alliance, with a workshop buried deep for any potential accidents.
"More funding's coming."
Geuk In-cheong's face lit up at Yeo Hong-gi's words.
"As expected of Master."
Admiration filled his expression.
"Even after completing the Radiant Qi-Scattering Poison, you took the seventy percent test subject and succeeded."
Yeo Hong-gi frowned at his words.
"Watch your mouth."
"S-Sorry!"
Geuk In-cheong bowed hastily under the murderous aura.
"It's complete, but not truly. We must keep researching how much more potent we can make it."
Geuk In-cheong kept his head down at Yeo Hong-gi's low voice.
But doubts swirled inside.
'It's already an insane poison. How much stronger can it get... No, why even try?'
Geuk In-cheong couldn't fathom his master's thoughts.
'In this world, the only one I can trust is myself. Yeon Ja-kyeong might discard me anytime. I need a Qi-Scattering Poison no one in the world can withstand— no, something beyond even that.'
He'd joined under Yeon Ja-kyeong for the Heavenly Poison Valley's revival.
But Yeo Hong-gi knew.
How terrifying Yeon Ja-kyeong was.
To survive, he hid partial results.
And focused on crafting even deadlier poisons.
"Hm."
Ha Mu-baek opened his eyes.
The task of removing the blood stench.
A breakthrough from an unexpected source.
Radiance.
Fire Qi.
Ice Qi.
Threefold.
Their greatest shared trait: purification.
That power was gradually erasing the blood stench deeply embedded in Ha Mu-baek's body.
The deeper his understanding and higher his attainment in Radiance.
"Good."
Ha Mu-baek murmured calmly.
It truly was.
One major worry resolved.
He raised one hand casually.
A small flame and wisp of ice rose, intertwining.
Two energies moved freely at Ha Mu-baek's will.
Soon, they spiraled together.
Flash.
Transforming into brilliant light.
A radiance that seemed to annihilate all unclean things in an instant.
"Radiance, huh..."
Ha Mu-baek smiled faintly at the light in his palm.
On the dorm bed, this was the extent.
But that single move let him gauge the power he'd gained.