Star Instructor, Master Baek

Chapter 151: I'll Go

TL: FoodieMonster007

“The Blood Cult’s legacy is hidden in the Valley of Evil?” Baek Suryong echoed. The White-Haired Demon hadn’t mentioned anything about this during his interrogation.

If the White-Haired Demon had known, he would’ve spilled the beans under the influence of the Blood Demon Eyes. That can only mean… is the Bloody Ripper testing me? Did I let something slip about the Blood Cult when I mentioned my past life?

With a puzzled look, Baek Suryong murmured, “The Blood Cult… Master never mentioned such a tale.”

“That’s because I never told him,” the Bloody Ripper replied smoothly. “The fewer people who know a secret, the better it is kept, no?”

“Then why tell me now…?”

The Bloody Ripper gazed at Baek Suryong, eyes swirling with complex emotions. After a brief silence, he said, “Everyone who knew about this died thirty years ago. They were the comrades I used to run with back then.”

The Bloody Ripper said that they “died,” but to Baek Suryong, it sounded more like “were killed.”

“I didn’t have the heart to endanger my own Junior Brother, so I kept him in the dark. Lucky for him, he wasn’t around when we stumbled upon the Blood Jade Claws.”

The Bloody Ripper paused, turning his gaze out the window. As if lost in old memories, deeper wrinkles etched themselves onto his already aged face.

“But sometimes, on nights like this, I just feel like spilling my secrets.”

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“Is that so?” Baek Suryong whispered.

The Bloody Ripper nodded. Staring blankly at the dim moon half-obscured by clouds, the drunken old man rambled, “Back then, I memorized the secret manual of the Blood Jade Claws and downed the elixir that came with it. Twenty years flew by, and the martial world pegged me as the weakest of the Ten Great Villains. The weakest… well, maybe they got that right.”

Baek Suryong refilled his empty cup. “With my modest skills, I can’t even begin to grasp your level, Senior Uncle.”

“You’re too humble. Do you think I don’t know you’ve been holding back?” the Bloody Ripper chuckled. “But no worries. It’s only natural for a martial artist to keep about thirty percent of their true ability hidden.”

Baek Suryong’s eyes widened in surprise. “I’m sorry.”

“I said, it’s fine. In fact, I’m pleased to have such an exceptional nephew.” The Bloody Ripper reached out and gave Baek Suryong’s bowed shoulder a light pat. “Anyway, the Blood Jade Claws I found is just the tip of the iceberg. One day, an earthquake split the ground, and only the spot where it was hidden became exposed. The rest…”

“There’s more?”

“Heh, you bet. The treasures, secret manuals, elixirs—the Blood Cult’s stash before their downfall—are buried underground in the Valley of Evil.” The Bloody Ripper smirked, pointing to the floor. “Right beneath my house.”

Baek Suryong glanced down and gulped. Is this one of the Blood Cult’s hidden vaults? If what he’s saying is true… I definitely need to find a way in.

“It took me a full decade to locate the entrance to where the Blood Cult’s legacy lies,” the Bloody Ripper said, grabbing the wine bottle and taking a swig straight from it.

BANG!

Suddenly, he slammed the bottle down so hard it cracked. The old man laughed, greed and madness flickering in his eyes. “Do you want it too? Of course you do. Any martial artist would. The Blood Cult once terrorized the world despite being a lone sect… and just by mastering one of their techniques, I became one of the Ten Great Villains. Can you imagine how many martial arts and secret techniques are down there?”

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Baek Suryong met his gaze steadily. “But you haven’t obtained anything except the Blood Jade Claws yet.”

The Bloody Ripper’s expression hardened. “…Why do you think that?”

“If you had, you’d have mastered martial arts far superior to the Blood Jade Claws by now. You would’ve made a name for yourself not just as one of the Ten Great Villains, but perhaps as one of the Ten Supremes, or maybe even the world’s strongest,” Baek Suryong replied calmly.

It was blatant flattery, but the Bloody Ripper laughed knowingly. “You’re sharp. There’s a massive black iron door in the way, and I’ve never been able to find a way past it. I thought about blasting it open, but I was afraid of damaging what’s inside. There must be martial arts that surpass the Blood Jade Claws in there, and if there are elixirs… maybe even Rejuvenation wouldn’t be a dream anymore.”

Truth be told, he was now too old to learn new martial arts, but after decades of searching for a way to open the door or dig another entrance, he couldn’t give up.

Rejuvenation was a state of great enlightenment where one’s body became youthful again. It was a realm that could only be reached after surpassing the peak level and attaining transcendence, and in today’s martial world, it was common knowledge that all the Ten Supremes had achieved Rejuvenation.

Baek Suryong snorted inwardly. Honestly, I doubt he’d achieve Rejuvenation even with supreme martial arts and elixirs… but it seems he’s obsessed with the idea that obtaining the Blood Cult’s legacy will make it possible. What a delusional obsession.

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Despite his skepticism, Baek Suryong suggested, “Is there really no way to open the door? Perhaps we should bring in an expert in mechanisms or formations…”

“I’ve tried that already, and they concluded that the mechanism responds only to a specific martial art.”

“A specific martial art…” Baek Suryong mumbled. One martial art immediately came to mind. Could it be? The Heaven Defying Divine Art?

The martial arts of the Blood Demon, the Cult Leader of the Blood Cult. Although Baek Suryong wasn’t the Blood Demon, he was indeed a successor of the Heaven Defying Divine Art.

A thin smile played on his lips. What an unexpected windfall. Of course, getting my hands on that treasure won’t be easy, especially with this drunken old monster sitting in front of me in the way.

His opponent was the most dangerous and evil villain in the Valley of Evil. Not even he could take the Bloody Ripper lightly, and if he wanted to cure Wiji Cheon and get his hands on the treasure, he needed to tread carefully.

“Whew! It feels good to get all that off my chest,” the Bloody Ripper sighed, emptying the rest of the wine and placing the bottle down. Smiling gently at Baek Suryong, he asked, “Do you know why I told you all this?”

“Yes, I think I do.”

The Bloody Ripper had kept this secret from even his own junior brother for decades, but suddenly he spilled the beans to a newly arrived nephew. At first, Baek Suryong hadn’t understood why. For a moment, he thought that maybe the old man really liked him, but when he noticed the old man’s hands turning red during their conversation, he realized the truth.

“Although I’m not quite sure why… you want to kill me, Senior Uncle,” Baek Suryong said, ready to spring into action at any moment.

“Kukuku… As expected, you’re sharp,” the Bloody Ripper laughed and nodded. In an instant, the friendly atmosphere evaporated, replaced by a terrifying killing intent.

It was a critical moment, but Baek Suryong calmly lifted his cup and downed the remaining wine in one gulp. He had been careful not to reveal his deception, yet the Bloody Ripper wanted to kill him. It was puzzling. He had to find out what had tipped the old man off.

“Still, I don’t get it. Why are you trying to kill me? What will you tell Master later?” he asked.

“You mean my Junior Brother who already died by your hand?”

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“……”

When Baek Suryong didn’t respond immediately, the Bloody Ripper roared with laughter, his shoulders shaking. “Kahaha! So that’s how it is! I knew it!”

“How…”

“How did I know? Because you’re too exceptional.”

“Because I’m too exceptional?” Baek Suryong repeated.

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The Bloody Ripper’s lips curled into a wicked grin. “Don’t underestimate the instincts of an old veteran. You’re not someone who’d serve under anyone. Even if you’d genuinely come here seeking refuge, I’d have killed you eventually.”

Baek Suryong sighed dramatically, “So it wasn’t my slip-up after all, nor the fault of those other guys.”

“Heh. You mean the Zhejiang Five Devils? I sent some ‘guests’ their way too. You probably won’t be seeing them again.”

Baek Suryong’s expression hardened, and he gathered his qi.

It was a tense standoff, either could make the first move.

The Bloody Ripper sneered, “Let me ask you one last thing. How did my Junior Brother die?”

“He died pathetically, like the trash he was. Foaming at the mouth, begging on his knees for mercy,” Baek Suryong replied coldly. There was no need to keep up the act anymore.

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“I was pondering how to kill you, but thanks, that helps,” the Bloody Ripper said.

“You claim to be able to foresee mine and my brothers’ future, can’t you foresee your own?”

The air around them grew turbulent as they prepared to unleash their skills, still seated across from each other.

VWOOOOM!

A terrifying force erupted from the Bloody Ripper as both his arms turned crimson. His fingernails extended over a foot long, transforming him into a ghastly figure. “Junior Brother was always a foolish man, but I cared for him. I’ll kill you to soothe his restless soul.”

Baek Suryong’s eyes turned blood-red. “Why don’t you console him yourself? I’ll send you to join him so he won’t be lonely.”

“Kahahahaha!”

With the Bloody Ripper’s maniacal laughter as the signal, they both struck simultaneously, each aiming for the other’s heart. Everything between them shattered as fierce, enhanced qi whipped around.

If you′re seeing this, you are at the wrong place.

A few days earlier, at the Azure Dragon Academy, all the instructors had gathered for an urgent meeting.

Vice Principal Kwak Cheolwoo began, “I believe you’re all aware of the situation.”

Tension filled the room. During one of the classes, an unprecedented incident had occurred: a demonic practitioner from the unorthodox sects had kidnapped one of the Azure Dragon Academy’s students.

Upon hearing the news, the academy had hastily called for an instructors’ meeting. However, it wasn’t Principal Noh Goonsang who presided over the meeting, but Vice Principal Kwak Cheolwoo, the Blazing Blade.

“As you know, the Principal is currently attending the Five Academies Principals Meeting and is absent. We’ve sent word, but given the urgency, we have to make decisions and take action ourselves,” Kwak Cheolwoo continued grimly. An incident like this just had to happen when the principal was away. If something happened to the student, he’d have to take the blame.

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Of course, the one who’d bear the brunt of this mess would be that fellow Baek Suryong… and if something happened to Wiji Cheon, Baek Suryong wouldn’t just lose his job, he would also face much more severe consequences.

“We must organize a rescue team immediately,” someone suggested.

“Have you asked the Murim Alliance for help? We need a tracking expert…”

“The opponent is a demonic practitioner from the unorthodox sects. There is a high chance that we are already too late…”

There was a lot of buzz among the instructors, but none offered any practical solutions.

BAM!

Kwak Cheolwoo slammed the table, his words filled with qi as he said, “We will form a rescue team comprising of volunteers from among the instructors.

If no one steps forward, we’ll draw lots…”

“I’ll go,” Mae Geuklyom declared without hesitation, standing up. As he looked around at the instructors who were all talk and no action, the elderly swordsman exuded a frosty aura. “I will save that child,” he repeated.

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As the headmaster in charge of student welfare, him volunteering was only to be expected, so everyone nodded in agreement.

Scanning the room, Kwak Cheolwoo asked, “Is there no one else? It would be too much for the Headmaster alone. We need at least two more.”

“Vice Principal, I alone am enough,” Mae Geuklyom said firmly. “I’ll be using movement arts without break. Anyone who wants to come with me must be at least a peak master. Others will only slow us down.”

At his words, several instructors who were about to volunteer quietly lowered their hands. Even in the Azure Dragon Academy, peak masters were rare. Besides, such experts had busy schedules and couldn’t easily change their commitments.

Ak Yeonho raised his hand eagerly. “Me! I’ll go!”

Kwak Cheolwoo’s face lit up. Ak Yeonho of the Shandong Ak Clan was indeed a peak master. “Mr. Ak Yeonho, your help would be greatly appreciated,” he said.

Mae Geuklyom nodded, acknowledging that Ak Yeonho could keep up with him.

“I think we need one more. Any other volunteers?” Kwak Cheolwoo asked.

Myeong Il’oh and Jaegal Soyeong raised their hands, but Mae Geuklyom declined, deeming them unsuitable. The other instructors avoided Kwak Cheolwoo’s gaze.

At that moment, someone unexpected raised his hand.

“I will go,” Namgung Su volunteered.

Kwak Cheolwoo gasped in surprise, “Mr. Namgung?”

Namgung Su nodded, his expression icy.

This time, Kwak Cheolwoo hesitated. “Mr. Namgung, you can’t. You have so many classes…”

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“Just have the other instructors cover for me for a few days. I’ll also hold supplementary classes when I return,” Namgung Su replied, then turned to Mae Geuklyom and Ak Yeonho. “Are either of you familiar with tracking arts?”

“I don’t know it well,” Mae Geuklyom admitted.

“Only the basics,” Ak Yeonho added.

Namgung Su nodded, as if he’d expected this. “Understood, I’ll find the path. Knowing Mr. Baek Suryong, he should have left behind easy to follow clues.”

Still looking reluctant, Kwak Cheolwoo suggested, “Mr. Namgung, wouldn’t it be better to get support from a tracking expert from the Murim Alliance…”

Namgung Su stared directly at him. “The rescue of Student Wiji Cheon is a matter of utmost urgency. We don’t have time to wait. Besides, do you think there’s anyone in the Murim Alliance who’s better than me at tracking and martial arts?”

It was a bold statement, bordering on arrogance, but since no one could refute it, it was decided that Namgung Su would join the team.

Standing up, Namgung Su addressed the other two rescuers as he left the meeting room, “We’ll meet at the main gate in an hour. Please be ready by then.”

“Mmm.”

“Got it!”

One hour later, the Wiji Cheon Rescue Team set off from the Azure Dragon Academy.

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Translator’s Note: Power levels in SIMB: Third-Rate, Second-Rate, First-Rate, Peak, Transcendent, Transcendent with Rejuvenation

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