Chapter 54. What Do You Think a Sword Is?

“Do you have any thoughts of taking a master?”

“Pardon? Surely you don’t mean to take me as your disciple……”

“How could that be possible?”

Yi Mu-baek shook his head as if it was absurd.

“Although I hold a rather important post as the Blood Wolf Corps Leader, if we look at pure martial arts alone, I am a person of no great account.”

“Oh, that is excessive humility.”

“That is not so. How outstanding could my martial arts be when I have spent my entire life in the Blood Wolf Corps? I am a person who is far from being worthy of becoming the master of a once-in-a-millennium genius like you.”

“Please do not say such things. I am so embarrassed that I do not know where to put myself.”

“Perhaps because you are a friend who once belonged to the Righteous Faction, your manners are impeccably good.”

Yi Mu-baek looked at Jin Yeong-in with a pleased expression as if he found him admirable, and then continued speaking.

“Anyway, the reason I want to connect you with a good master is for another reason. You possess the talent that ranks within the top five among the Blood Wolves I have seen. Ah, of course, this evaluation excludes the creation of the Post-Heaven Extreme Demonic True Qi. If that were taken into consideration, I dare say there would be no one who could compare to you.”

Jin Yeong-in found Yi Mu-baek’s praise to be a bit burdensome, but at the same time, he was curious about who the other geniuses he had seen were.

Since Yi Mu-baek had been in the Blood Wolf Corps for a remarkable thirty-seven years and had seen countless Blood Wolves, his curiosity was piqued as to how outstanding the talents would be for him to rate them so highly.

“Look at this fellow?”

“Pardon?”

“I think a look of competitiveness just crossed your face, am I wrong?”

“Th-that is.”

As Jin Yeong-in was flustered at having his inner thoughts read, Yi Mu-baek spoke as if he knew everything.

“Do you know what emotion the Blood Wolves show most often? It is competitiveness. How could a bunch of hot-blooded youths gathered in one place not feel competitive with each other?”

“Is that so?”

“Since you are such an outstanding genius, you probably did not feel any competitiveness. One has to have someone comparable to them to feel competitive or not.”

Indeed, Yi Mu-baek did not seem to be the Blood Wolf Corps Leader for nothing.

“Since you seem curious, I will tell you. If someone were to ask me who the best genius was, I would pick the First Young Lord, the Sixth Young Lord, and you.”

“……Was the Sixth Young Lord such a great genius?”

Jin Yeong-in found it a bit surprising that Yi Mu-baek rated the Blood Qilin highly.

He did not know who the First Young Lord was, so that was that, but for a degenerate like the Blood Qilin to be at that level…….

“Do you think he could have become His Excellency’s disciple for no reason? It is because his temperament is peculiar and he is lazy, but if we look at his talent alone, the one more outstanding than anyone else is the Sixth Young Lord.”

“Hahaha…….”

Honestly, he could not believe it, but on the other hand, he could understand it to some extent.

The martial prowess the Blood Qilin had shown against the Seventh Apostle of the Demonic Devil Cult was so outstanding that there was no match for him at his age.

“Of course, if I were to pick the best genius, I would choose the First Young Lord.”

“Is he that great?”

“He is more than that.”

Yi Mu-baek said curtly.

“In fact, the reason the succession structure has stabilized is largely due to the First Young Lord being so overwhelming.”

“Indeed…….”

Jin Yeong-in nodded his head as he recalled his memories of the First Young Lord.

The First Young Lord, Cheon U-jin.

He was the one who inherited the position of Cult Leader after the death of the Iron-Blooded Demonic God before the regression, and was called the Heavenly Demon Emperor, leading the Second Righteous-Demonic War.

However, he was also a person whose end was not good, thanks to the defeat in the Second Righteous-Demonic War, which was triggered by the occupation of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s headquarters, the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

He met a tragic and dishonorable end, with his head hung on the main gate of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance…….

The one who led the remnants of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult after him was the Blood Demon, that is, the Blood Qilin, so Jin Yeong-in’s thought was that Yi Mu-baek’s evaluation was quite accurate.

‘What kind of person is he?’

Jin Yeong-in’s curiosity about the First Young Lord, Cheon U-jin, was aroused, but it would not be easy to meet him within the cult.

According to rumors, the First Young Lord was carrying out a mission in the Southern Tianshan Road, that is, the Western Regions, under the orders of the Cult Leader, the Iron-Blooded Demonic God.

“The conversation has gotten long, and I have not heard your answer. So, do you have any thoughts of taking a master?”

“I do not.”

“Why is that? No matter how outstanding your talent may be, it is not easy to reach the pinnacle without an excellent master.”

“To me, there is only one master.”

“But Great Warrior Jang is already deceased. No one would say anything even if you were to take a new master, would they?”

“I am grateful for your words, but I have no intention of taking a new master. I am sorry.”

“Hah, what a person.”

Yi Mu-baek clicked his tongue as if he could not be helped.

“Do you know who I want to build a bridge to for you? It is a person called the Demonic Sword Revered One.”

For a moment, Jin Yeong-in had to struggle quite a bit to hold back a snort of laughter.

Of all people, the one he was being introduced to was the person who would become Namgung Sin’s master; there was no need to hear any more.

Why?

According to Namgung Sin’s expression, the Demonic Sword Revered One’s temper was beyond just being foul; it was enough to drive a person mad.

* * *

In the end, Yi Mu-baek backed down when Jin Yeong-in adamantly refused.

“I am really fine. Thank you for your concern.”

“Tsk. If you insist, there is nothing I can do. However, if you change your mind, tell me anytime. I will find a good master for you.”

“Yes, Leader.”

The next day.

A graduation ceremony was held.

The event proceeded in a very solemn atmosphere, and the reason for this was to be considerate of those who had passed away during the training process and their bereaved families.

Especially in this cohort, many instructors had died or been seriously injured due to the attack by the Demonic Devil Cult, so the atmosphere was heavier than ever before.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult treated the Blood Wolves who died during the training process not as mere victims but as fallen warriors, and paid a considerable amount of compensation to their bereaved families.

Even so, it would not bring the fallen warriors back to life, but it was a hundred, a thousand times better treatment than being treated as mere consumables and ignored.

It was fortunate that the treatment had improved since the current Cult Leader, the Iron-Blooded Demonic God, took power; in the past, they would drive the Blood Wolves to their deaths without any safety measures or consideration, and not even properly recover their bodies.

Yi Mu-baek became the chief mourner, offered a cup of liquor to the memorial tablets of the fallen Blood Wolves and instructors, and lit incense.

“You must never forget that the sacrifice of your comrades is the reason you were able to graduate from the Blood Wolf Corps today and become martial artists of our cult. Do you understand!”

“Yes!”

“And…… congratulations on graduating from the Blood Wolf Corps. You are now proud martial artists of our cult.”

“Yes!”

“But graduating from the Blood Wolf Corps is not the end, but the beginning…….”

Yi Mu-baek’s long speech continued for quite some time.

However, Yi Mu-baek’s lengthy admonition was advice that would become blood and flesh, containing his wish for those who had graduated from the Blood Wolf Corps to grow into fine martial artists in the future.

Of course, it was a little boring.

“That is enough for now, and now I will decide your destinations. Before that, we will proceed with the designation ceremony for the top ten who recorded the most outstanding results.”

As soon as Yi Mu-baek’s words finished, demonic practitioners exuding intense demonic qi appeared.

They were individuals at the level of leaders of middle and lower-level military organizations, and they were here to take away the Blood Wolves who had recorded outstanding results.

But what was even more surprising was that several individuals who exuded a demonic qi that would surprise even Jin Yeong-in had also visited.

‘They are masters!’

Jin Yeong-in recognized the density of the demonic qi they possessed at a glance and was startled.

No matter how he looked at it, they were not individuals who would attend a mere Blood Wolf Corps graduation ceremony.

In terms of the Central Plains martial world, they seemed to be at least at the level of elders of the Five Great Clans or the Nine Sects One Gang.

Among them, there were also several elderly people who exuded a particularly intense demonic qi, and it would not have been strange if they claimed to be the rulers of a respectable city, beyond the level of elders.

‘Are they the old demons of the Senate?’

Seeing that the demonic qi they possessed was powerful and they looked old, they were clearly elders who had now retired and were spending their old age in the Senate.

‘They said the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult is the strongest single force in the world, and it was not an empty boast.’

The number of masters present here alone would be stronger than the combined power of several decent sects, so he could feel on his skin how powerful the strength of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was.

“What are you all doing? Show your respects……”

It was at that moment.

“Cut the useless formalities and show me the fellow who created that heart art, the Post-Heaven Extreme Demonic True Qi or whatever.”

An old man with a short stature and a shrill voice interrupted Yi Mu-baek’s words and sought out Jin Yeong-in.

“Greetings to the esteemed Demonic Sword Revered One.”

It turned out that the old man was the Demonic Sword Revered One, the one who had taken his rival’s grandson, that is, Namgung Sin, as his disciple and had driven him like a rat.

Yi Mu-baek had intended to introduce Jin Yeong-in, not Namgung Sin, but…….

“It is this friend here.”

The gazes of the masters who had visited the Blood Wolf Corps all focused on Jin Yeong-in at once.

“…….”

Suddenly, Jin Yeong-in felt like a monkey trapped in a cage.

Everyone was staring at him with curious eyes as if they had discovered something strange, and it was quite burdensome.

* * *

In fact, it was by no means a common occurrence for so many masters to visit the Blood Wolf Corps.

Of course, it was common for those who wanted to raise disciples to visit and take away the talents who were in the top ten, but at most, it was only about two people per cohort.

For dozens of people to gather like this was the first time in the history of the Blood Wolf Corps, so it was no exaggeration to say that an anomaly had occurred in itself.

And the reason for this was, as expected, Jin Yeong-in.

“Is that fellow the one who shattered the long history of our cult?”

“Hmm.”

“A genius of demonic arts who defected from the Righteous Faction. A peculiar history.”

“He is handsome, but I cannot tell just by looking at him?”

The masters who had visited the Blood Wolf Corps looked Jin Yeong-in up and down, sizing him up and offering their own impressions.

After all, was Jin Yeong-in not the one who had discarded the Reverse Heaven Heart Art, which had boasted an unshakable position as the basic art of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult for the past several hundred years, overnight?

It was worth taking the trouble to come to the Blood Wolf Corps to see Jin Yeong-in, even if only out of curiosity.

“Did you say your name is Jin Yeong-in? This old man is Cheon Ho-san. I was called the Demonic Sword Revered One, and I am acquainted with your master.”

“Greetings to the esteemed Demonic Sword Revered One. My name is Jin Yeong-in. I was taught by the Great Heavenly Divine Warrior, Jang Guk-pyeong of the Azure Heaven.”

Seeing that there was no hostility in the Demonic Sword Revered One’s words, Jin Yeong-in could guess that his master’s relationship with him was not a bad one.

“Alright, now that we have introduced ourselves, I will ask you directly. Your master also used a sword, so naturally, you would have taken up a sword as well, right?”

“Yes.”

“That’s right. Is not the sword the king of ten thousand weapons? Those who wield something other than a sword must be idiots, and those who do not wield a weapon are fools worse than idiots. Yes, that is right.”

A few masters and elders who did not use swords let out dry coughs and showed their discomfort.

However, no one openly expressed their dissatisfaction, because in terms of strength and seniority, the Demonic Sword Revered One was the highest-ranking person.

“Alright, since you also wield a sword, this old man will ask you one more thing.”

“Please ask.”

“What do you think a sword is?”

To the Demonic Sword Revered One’s question, Jin Yeong-in replied.

“It is one of many weapons, and I think it is the weapon that is most favored by the most people.”

“What did you say?”

“It is easy to carry, its length is moderately long, it has a moderate weight, and it is good for both stabbing and slashing, so I think it is the most balanced weapon without any rough edges. Is that not why everyone wields a sword?”

“You rascal! You sure know how to run that mouth of yours!”

“Then was I wrong?”

As the Demonic Sword Revered One shouted, Jin Yeong-in asked as if to say what was the problem with that.

“That is the correct answer.”

The Demonic Sword Revered One grinned as if he had never been angry.

“If you had spouted some nonsense with all sorts of flowery words about what a sword is, I was going to beat you to a pulp, but that is a very satisfactory answer.”

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