The path back, after memorizing the map, was darker than usual.

‘The moon is hidden by the clouds. It’s a good day to do ‘that practice’ I conceived in the carriage.’

I headed for a deserted open space.

In the evening, in the middle of a place unseen, hidden by the back mountain, I held the Daoist Scholar’s Fan and gathered my mana.

Hwoong-

Then, the surrounding airflow wavered, and I could feel it shaking.

When I first learned psychokinesis, the first thought that came to mind was how I could best utilize it.

After much deliberation, this was the conclusion I reached.

Following the mana operation of the 4th circle, my toes slowly rise.

The target that would see the greatest effect when controlled with psychokinesis.

It was my own body.

I floated my whole body and then concentrated the psychokinesis, applying it to my two legs, and moved as if walking 20m up in the air.

Then, although it was slow, my body moved forward as if swimming in a dream.

With this, true walking on air became possible.

‘This is what a mage is.’

I imagined myself, at any time, floating tens of meters up in the air and firing magic indiscriminately.

A truly overwhelming presence.

Unlike a shield, since it was a power that allowed for evasive maneuvers at any time, its applications were endless.

Becoming a flying human bomber.

I had truly acquired the firepower and mobility to end a large-scale war by myself.

‘Moreover, my survivability has also increased dramatically.’

Common sense-wise, no matter how many masters there were in the martial world who could cut down even a rock with a single sword strike, if this side went up nearly 100m in the air, they wouldn’t be able to do a thing.

Unless they were at the level of Nam Jeong-hwan, that Right Protector.

“It does get chilly the higher you go. It wouldn’t be good to go too high.”

Unlike a real fighter jet that fires a lump of iron called a missile, since it was a format that fired magic that would scatter over time, it was also a problem if the distance was too far.

The power of the magic would weaken, the accuracy would drop, and above all, it was difficult to land a valid hit on a martial artist.

I slowly lowered my altitude and took out the Daoist Scholar’s Fan. With a will, the First Blade was drawn.

‘In the end, the battle must be finished with this.’

Psychokinesis was, after all, a supplementary means.

It was the conclusion I had reached after much deliberation.

Although just floating my body in the air was a cheat-like ability, besides the aforementioned drawbacks, there were many other restrictions.

When I tried to use martial arts by operating my qi in earnest, I had to release it, and when operating my protective qi, the interference of psychokinesis dropped due to its repulsive force.

In other words, since psychokinesis was a power close to mana that did not mix with internal energy, it was difficult to use it with other qi.

That’s why even now, going down was significantly slower compared to using lightness techniques.

And the mana consumption was much more severe.

And so, as I was flying around the sky indiscriminately using psychokinesis and brandishing the First Blade, someone appeared from below.

Wary of the person who had appeared suddenly without a presence, I immediately raised my altitude.

And then I raised my inner vision and examined the identity of the old man who was faintly revealed under the moonlight that had emerged from between the clouds.

A familiar face, it was Mi Tae-eul.

‘Why that old man?’

The former academy head, and a Profound master who was once called the White-Faced Fiend as one of the 10 great masters of the central plains, why was he here?

However, before I could even organize my thoughts, Mi Tae-eul’s figure disappeared, and at the same time, this side’s vision was flipped.

Before I knew it, I was being slammed into the ground from the air.

***

“Why are you doing this?”

I asked him in a situation where I couldn’t even struggle, with both my hands bound.

I had counterattacked by shooting the First Blade in an instant, but on the contrary, the First Blade was caught by Mi Tae-eul and taken away.

“It’s certainly a strange power. But it’s clumsy.”

“What is, sir?”

To suddenly grab a student who was just practicing and spout such rebukes.

I trembled slightly at the injustice and wondered whether to scatter light magic and lure the guards.

“Walking on air and sorcery. Are those your specialties?”

I added to him, who was trying to hit my major with a sharp gaze.

“Besides those, I also have the Art of Controlling the Fan with Qi and swordsmanship.”

“Yes. Then which of those methods do you think suits you the best?”

“First, let go of this…”

“Answer first.”

At the old man’s tyranny, I finally told him what he wanted to hear.

“Sorcery and the Art of Controlling the Fan with Qi.”

“Then why are you only practicing in a way that kills the strengths of those two?”

“It hasn’t been long since I learned to walk on air, so I was trying various things. There’s a saying, isn’t there? Failure is the mother of success.”

“You have a glib tongue. But! You have no time to fail.”

“I don’t think that’s something to say to a student.”

I tried to resist timidly, but the force binding my two arms only grew stronger.

“…Then what do you want me to do?”

“You have to change. You can’t defeat a strong person by just widening the distance and fighting like that.”

Mi Tae-eul said with conviction.

I also felt it to some extent, so this time I was silent.

“If you just watch from a distance, your senses will become dull, and in the end, you will become careless. Just like a moment ago. You couldn’t even properly wrap yourself in protective qi.”

I suddenly remembered when I was hit by Nam Jeong-hwan. It was definitely something that happened because I was careless, thinking I was in the sky.

Moreover, to even point out the problem that I couldn’t properly use my protective qi due to the interference phenomenon when moving with psychokinesis.

In that short time, he had properly pierced my weakness.

“Don’t rely on what is safe and flashy. It will be broken by the boldness and integrity of throwing everything away.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

When a Transformation master said that, it seemed to give me a clearer direction. I had reduced the time for trial and error by trying various things just in case.

‘It’s better to use it only when running away from an opponent of the same class or when facing a weaker opponent.’

Because it was a method that was too flashy and lacked substance to be used at a critical moment.

“So why were you looking for me?”

I cautiously asked the main point. There must be a reason he had come like this.

“I know that you have learned the secret manual. And that Cheon Mu-jin has chosen you as the next candidate.”

“A candidate, you say?”

“The one who inherits the long-cherished wish. That also means you are a candidate for the next academy head.”

“Pardon?”

It was the first time I had heard of it. A setting that had not been mentioned separately even in the original story.

Although there were a few mentions of this in a very small number of strategies, it was similar to a rumor, and since I was an efficiency-oriented person aiming for a clear, I hadn’t even looked at it properly.

“Then am I going to be the academy head?”

“Hmm, if you safely pass all the exams and then gain experience. Like Cheon Mu-jin. Though you have to graduate with great distinction first. Anyway, the reason I came to find you is one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Training. Since you’re learning all sorts of miscellaneous things, I thought you might not be able to find your way.”

Following the King of Insects, Go Du-gyeong, even the former academy head, Mi Tae-eul. It seemed my luck with teachers had exploded.

And the beatings I got were also consistent.

“I have a teacher named Go Du-gyeong…”

“In a battle between masters, I’m better than him.”

“Professors Maeng Dong and Maeng Ha also…”

“I was the one who invited them as professors.”

My teeth don’t even make a dent. In fact, I wasn’t trying to refuse, but just to appeal that I was this great of a talent.

Then wouldn’t he be a little easier on me?

As if that intention was conveyed, Mi Tae-eul released the two hands that were binding me.

‘Oh, did it work?’

As I stood up, stretching my stiff wrists and shoulders, I heard something unbelievable.

“For training, real combat is the best. Now, try to struggle with all your means. You can attack, you can run away. You’ll be caught anyway. I’ll show you properly what happens when you clumsily run away in front of a master.”

It seemed my previous appeal had backfired.

‘I’m going crazy.’

Having no choice, I unfolded the Daoist Scholar’s Fan with one hand and aimed the First Blade.

And then, holding the Martial Arts Sword in the other hand, I took the form of left fan, right sword.

“That looks plausible. Let’s see if it’s the same in a real battle.”

A voice coming from the side, and a relentless series of punches.

That day, I could feel the title of the White-Faced Fiend to my bones.

The next day.

After being beaten to a pulp until late at night, I came out of my dorm, feeling the early morning breeze.

Still, it was a relief that the old man knew the importance of rest. He had sent me back to my dorm to sleep before midnight.

He had told me to stop by after breakfast, so there should still be time. In the meantime, I was going to do what I hadn’t been able to check yesterday.

I headed for the intermediate student building.

As soon as I entered, on one side of the large wall that I could face, Zhuge Cheonwu’s name and score were recorded.

[Highest-grade request, contribution to the annihilation of the Jinju Eon family: 10 points]

It was a sight with 10 points squarely stamped.

Come to think of it, it was a mission where I had faced a Transformation master and the Black Dragon Unit. 10 points was a given. Even excluding the matter of the Jinju Eon family’s annihilation.

Moreover, except for me and Baek Hasin, it was no different from having only advanced students selected, so it was a mission of tremendous difficulty.

With this, my total credits were 104. Looking next to it, Baek Hasin, who had carried out the mission with me, also had 10 points added, and it was recorded as 102 points.

Both of us had met the minimum credits required to advance to the advanced level.

Early winter was slowly approaching, so the promotion exam was not far off.

As I was thinking that and turning around, I felt someone raising their momentum in a corner of the intermediate student building.

I instinctively wrapped myself in shadow and hid my qi sense. And then I approached the place where the sound had come from.

‘Huh?’

What was there was Baek Hasin and Baek Yu-hwan.

Compared to the expressionless Baek Hasin, Baek Yu-hwan’s face seemed somewhat angry. An unusual atmosphere.

Fortunately, it seemed they hadn’t noticed me hiding, so after cautiously approaching further, I was finally able to hear the content of their conversation.

“So you’re saying you’re going to join the succession battle after all? Did you even listen to what I’ve been saying until now!”

“Yes. That’s why I’m challenging. Because I also have a chance.”

‘Hoh. So it turned out like this.’

To think that Baek Hasin would step forward for the position of the master of the Baek family.

In fact, in terms of bloodline alone, the traditional direct line of the Baek family was closer to Baek Hasin’s mother, Baek Yeon-seo, than the current family head.

Baek Yeon-seo was the only daughter from the legal wife, and the current family head was the son of the second wife, obtained because he had no son.

However, due to Baek Yeon-seo’s free-spirited personality and the existence of Baek Hasin, an illegitimate child, and various other things, the atmosphere was that the current family head and his son were solidified as the successors.

Of course, it was natural for the current family head to be the center and his direct line to be the successor.

However, there was also a faction that missed the previous family head, and since Baek Yeon-seo was also a martial artist who had made a name for herself in the central plains, the current family head had allowed Baek Hasin as a successor candidate, considering various situations.

But the current family head probably didn’t know.

That the existence of Baek Hasin, who was chosen just to quell the complaints of the elders and used as a catalyst for the growth of his children before being eliminated, would grow this big.

With the martial prowess of having achieved the super-peak level this time, and Baek Hasin’s achievements and fame in this war, it seemed that voices supporting Baek Hasin were also emerging within the current Baek family.

Seeing the family elder, who usually didn’t even glance at him, coming to stop him so urgently.

On top of that, since the Martial Alliance had also sent an official document praising Baek Hasin, the sense of crisis on the family head’s side could only be heightened.

Anyone could see that the current family head’s children were no match for Baek Hasin.

‘A candidate for the young master is struggling at the beginning of the peak level, so there’s not even a competition.’

For someone much older, it was a truly shabby level, but in the central plains, this was normal.

It was because Baek Hasin and I had grown at a cheat-like rate.

Unless you were from a prestigious family, just reaching the peak level before the age of 30 was enough to be called a prodigy.

“…Are you going to cause trouble until the end?”

“It would be trouble if someone who is not qualified leads everyone.”

“You brat!”

Baek Yu-hwan, unable to contain his anger, struck out. A clear powerful qi formed at his fingertips. It was clearly an excessive move.

However, the killing move could not extend any further in front of Baek Hasin’s nose.

Gwaak-

Because Baek Hasin, who had grabbed Baek Yu-hwan’s wrist, was pressuring the opponent, raising a black powerful qi.

“You can’t stop me with this much. The praise of being one of the top two in the Baek family is undeserved.”

And then he shook off Baek Yu-hwan’s hand. The opponent’s beard trembled with anger.

“…What are you going to do?”

“At least I won’t wield my power arbitrarily like this. Uncle.”

Baek Hasin turned around. Seeing his unhesitating attitude, it seemed he had already won over a few vassals.

In the first place, since the former family head, that is, the grand elder of the Baek family, was tacitly condoning Baek Hasin’s expansion.

“A duel! Won’t you have one?”

Just then, Baek Yu-hwan’s shout rang out. At the sudden proposal, Baek Hasin also stopped walking abruptly.

“Why should I?”

“Because if I lose, I will support you. Considering my position in the family, it wouldn’t be a bad thing, would it?”

“And if I lose?”

“Please give up the position of successor. You already have the potential to surpass the family on your own. Even if you’re not the head of the Baek family, you could create a new family or aim to be the best in the world.”

Baek Yu-hwan’s proposal continued.

In fact, his words were also right. There was no reason for a genius like Baek Hasin to be tied down to just the Baek family.

But the important thing was his own will. Baek Hasin opened his mouth softly.

“I accept. I will bring a notary next week. You can decide on the place.”

And then he left the intermediate student building.

– Come out.

With a telepathic message sent to me.

‘Was I caught?’

The qi sense itself was certainly much better on Baek Hasin’s side. I headed for the side street of the intermediate student building where Baek Hasin was waiting.

Baek Hasin was standing in a corner of an alley lined with trees, glaring at me.

“You heard, but I need a notary. I’d like you to come too.”

“Alright.”

I was about to ask why me, but our eyes met, so I just nodded my head.

“Thank you.”

Baek Hasin said so and then turned around.

What was he thankful for?

As he walked away, the sunlight peeking through the leaves of the trees was touching his back in layers.

‘Sunlight?’

I then remembered that the morning sun had completely risen and quickly grabbed Baek Hasin.

“Let’s go.”

“What? Where?”

Baek Yu-hwan was a master who had reached the proficient super-peak level. A moment ago, it was just a battle of brute force, so he was at an advantage, but when it came to swordsmanship, the story was different.

To face him, Baek Hasin needed to become stronger. In that sense, it seemed like a good idea to ask Mi Tae-eul to take a look.

Since this guy was also a talent who would fight the Demonic Cult in the future.

“I’ll help you with your training. Additionally, you’ll be able to get a very reliable notary on this occasion.”

Saying so, I half-dragged the bewildered Baek Hasin.

Since he had a talent like a sponge, if he received teachings after explaining the situation, he would be able to grow enough to defeat Baek Yu-hwan next week.

And in that process, I would also make an excuse for being late.

(End of Chapter)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep