Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

To think I'm being humiliated by an Azure Dragon Academy instructor!

Kang Sochi couldn't wrap his head around what was happening. He knew his opponent had recently risen to fame as the Azure Dragon Hero, but he'd assumed the rumors were exaggerated. Either the Bloody Ripper was weaker than everyone believed, or, as Goatee had suggested, the Azure Dragon Hero had used underhanded tactics like a group attack or a trap.

I thought I could definitely beat him!

Since Baek Suryong's aura seemed quite ordinary at first glance, Kang Sochi had challenged him to a duel, confident in his victory. He would publicly defeat Baek Suryong and show everyone the huge difference between the Vermilion Phoenix Academy and the Azure Dragon Academy.

However, right from the start, nothing went as planned.

Did I misjudge him? Or… was he hiding his true strength all along?

Kang Sochi felt like he was fighting a ghost. More than five minutes had passed, and despite swinging his sword relentlessly, he couldn't even graze Baek Suryong's clothes, let alone land a solid hit.

On the contrary, every one of Baek Suryong's attacks struck home.

He had been hit over ten times already. If Baek Suryong had drawn his sword from its scabbard, he would be bleeding all over.

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By now, Kang Sochi realized that he had no choice but to admit defeat, yet the words just wouldn't come out. Even if his stubbornness led to more bruises, the thought of losing to an instructor from the Azure Dragon Academy, an academy he'd always scorned… was too humiliating.

"Ugh!"

Finally, unable to withstand the pain from a blow to his chest, Kang Sochi stumbled backwards, panting and drenched in sweat. Had this been a real fight, that last strike would have killed him.

Looking at his opponent, a shiver ran down his spine. Baek Suryong hadn't broken a sweat at all.

"You rely too heavily on your sword techniques," Baek Suryong lectured. "Your movements are overly flashy and needlessly complex. Your footwork can't keep up, so your upper and lower body are completely out of sync."

"How dare you…!"

"If you have nothing more to show me, why don't we end this here?"

Kang Sochi's face burned with shame. This wasn't a duel, it was a lesson. Normally, he would have thanked an expert for pointing out his flaws, but Baek Suryong was an instructor from a rival academy.

…Rival academy? Even if it was only for a moment, I actually considered the Azure Dragon Academy a rival academy?

Blinded by rage, Kang Sochi threw all courtesy aside and shouted, "What can trash from the Azure Dragon Academy even teach anyone?"

Baek Suryong's eyes turned icy. "Trash from the Azure Dragon Academy?"

The other Azure Dragon Academy instructors, watching from the sidelines, also glared daggers at Kang Sochi.

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"…I offer you kindness, and you repay me with insults," Baek Suryong whispered.

THWACK!

The swing was too fast to see. Before Kang Sochi knew it, Baek Suryong had smacked him in the face with his scabbard, knocking out several of his teeth and causing blood to gush from his mouth.

"Trash from the Azure Dragon Academy, you say?"

Radiating a chilling killing intent, Baek Suryong quit toying with Kang Sochi and began wielding his sword in earnest.

"Ugh!"

With the first slash, Kang Sochi's arm was broken.

"Gah!"

With the next, his leg.

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"Cough!"

With the third, he collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood.

"S-Stop…" Kang Sochi gasped, gazing up at Baek Suryong with terror in his eyes. Realizing that this man had every intention of killing him, he no longer cared about the crowd witnessing his pathetic display. In stark contrast to his earlier arrogance, he pleaded desperately, "I-I admit defeat! Please, stop!"

Baek Suryong, who had been advancing like the God of Death, halted in his tracks.

A hush fell over the crowd. Kang Sochi had clearly crossed the line with his insults. Even if Baek Suryong killed him right here and now, no one would blame him.

However, Baek Suryong had no intention of taking it that far.

This should be enough.

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He wasn't actually that angry. Given the current state of the Azure Dragon Academy, it was only natural for instructors from other academies to look down on them. The real reason he'd accepted the Vermilion Phoenix Academy's challenge was to show everyone that the Azure Dragon Academy was no longer the pushover it once was.

I can cause trouble inside the Namgung Clan later.

The people here would spread the word about him and the Azure Dragon Academy, but if he pushed it too far now, he would only gain notoriety, not respect.

His goal achieved, Baek Suryong looked at Kang Sochi icily. "Is that all you have to say? I believe there's more."

Kang Sochi hung his head in shame. "…I apologize for insulting the Azure Dragon Academy. I didn't mean it. I was frustrated by my loss to you, and I spoke out of turn."

Gasps and murmurs erupted from the crowd.

"The Azure Dragon Hero's martial arts are even more incredible than the rumors suggested!"

"I never thought I'd see the day the Vermilion Phoenix Academy loses to the Azure Dragon Academy…"

"Wow! Maybe there will be an upset at the training course this year after all."

The outcome of this duel would spread throughout the murim like wildfire.

Everything went exactly as planned, but this is just the beginning. Baek Suryong suppressed a triumphant smile. It wouldn't do to appear too pleased with himself for defeating a weaker opponent.

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He turned to Yang Jagi, the other Vermilion Phoenix instructor. "Are you going to challenge me to a duel too?"

Yang Jagi silently shook his head. "My skills are comparable to Kang Sochi's. There's no point."

After witnessing Baek Suryong's overwhelming strength, he knew that he was no match for him. Still, he wasn't about to back down completely.

"Azure Dragon Hero, I acknowledge your strength. However, every academy has exceptional individuals. Don't mistake today's outcome as proof that the Azure Dragon Academy is superior to the Vermilion Phoenix Academy," he added.

Baek Suryong narrowed his eyes. Yang Jagi was implying that while he might be powerful, the average skill level of the Azure Dragon Academy's other new instructors was nowhere near that of the Vermilion Phoenix Academy.

"Is that so? Do you really think I'm the only skilled new instructor in the Azure Dragon Academy?" he asked.

Yang Jagi nodded. "Of course."

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Baek Suryong shrugged and turned around. "Well, guys?"

Ak Yeonho, Myeong Il'oh, and Jaegal Soyeong stood up and removed their black sedge hats.

"We can't let that slide."

"You seem pretty confident in your skills."

"Shall we have a match?"

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Baek Suryong grinned. "These three are all new instructors at the Azure Dragon Academy. Feel free to challenge any of them."

Yang Jagi's face fell. None of the three who had stepped forward looked like easy opponents, and even Kwak Duyong, who stood awkwardly in the back trying his best to go unnoticed, didn't seem any weaker than him.

What the hell…? Damn it, there's nothing to gain from fighting here.

Making up his mind, Yang Jagi helped Kang Sochi to his feet. "Although I'd love to have a match with all of you, my companion is injured, and I need to take him to a physician immediately."

"Oh dear, what a shame. We can't force you, then."

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"See you at the Namgung Estate!"

Yang Jagi hastily retreated from the inn, supporting Kang Sochi.

""Boo!""

Some of the onlookers jeered at them as they left.

The Azure Dragon Academy group booked rooms at the Tianzhu Inn. It was getting late, so they planned to head to the Namgung Estate the next day.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Goatee bowed repeatedly, having sought out Baek Suryong and offered to buy him food and drink in gratitude for saving his life. "If you hadn't intervened, good sir, those guys would have beaten me up so badly that I'd be bedridden for months."

Baek Suryong smiled gently. "You don't have to thank me. I intervened because I wanted to."

"Still, out of all the martial artists in the inn, you were the only one who was willing to help me. Hehe, may I pour you a drink?"

Seeing Goatee shower Baek Suryong with flattery, the other instructors frowned, but they kept their thoughts to themselves as Namgung Su hadn't said anything.

He's such a sycophant.

Should we just throw him out?

Why is Hyung-nim putting up with this guy…? Is it because of information?

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Sensing their disapproval, Goatee apologized, "Um… about what I said about the Azure Dragon Academy… those were just rumors I'd heard. If I offended you in any way…"

"May I ask you something?" Baek Suryong interrupted.

Goatee rubbed his hands together and laughed, "Ask me anything, sir. I've lived in Anhui Province for over twenty years, so I know all the rumors in this area…"

"Has the training course already begun?"

Goatee blinked in confusion. "Excuse me? What do you mean…?"

Baek Suryong chuckled, amused at the effort Goatee was putting into feigning innocence. "The new instructor training. I'm asking if it has started yet," he clarified.

"Ah, well, I do have a close friend who works as a servant in the Namgung Clan, so I've heard some rumors… but there's a limit to what lowly servants know, so I don't really…"

"You're a Namgung Clan martial artist, right? If even you don't know anything, then who would?"

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With the exception of Namgung Su, who seemed unruffled, the other instructors widened their eyes in surprise.

Goatee's expression stiffened. "E-Excuse me? I don't quite understand what you…"

"You can't fool me. I can tell you're a martial artist just by looking at your gait, your breathing, and the way you chew your food," Baek Suryong interjected.

"Haha, I think you've made a mistake, sir. I'm just an ordinary third-rate martial artist, and if I had ties to the Namgung Clan, I wouldn't have had to grovel to those guys earlier," Goatee pointed out, implying that if he were a Namgung Clan martial artist, there was no way he would have tolerated being humiliated by the Vermilion Phoenix instructors.

Baek Suryong could tell that Goatee was telling the truth, but his lips still curved into a knowing smile. "You don't seem like a third-rate martial artist to me, but it's true that you're not particularly strong either. Judging from the kind of martial arts you practice, I can at least conclude that you definitely don't belong to either of the Namgung Clan's main combat units, the Azure Sky Sword Brigade or the Heavenly Wind Corps."

"What are you talking about…?"

"However, a powerful murim faction like the Namgung Clan doesn't only have combat units, right? They must also have an intelligence organization to keep track of the world's affairs."

Every powerful faction had its own intelligence network, and naturally, the Namgung Clan was no exception. Within their own territory, they had access to better information than even the Rogues' Guild or the Beggars' Sect.

Baek Suryong grinned. "You're a member of the Namgung Clan's intelligence organization, the Heavenly Ears, right? Are you still going to deny it?"

Goatee's ingratiating smile slowly faded, and his entire demeanor changed as if he had become someone else entirely. "When did you notice?" he asked in a low voice.

"I knew it right from the beginning. I have a good eye for these kinds of things."

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"You knew I was an agent from the Heavenly Ears the moment you saw me?"

"Unfortunately, I don't have such supernatural abilities. I merely noticed that you were unusually critical of only the Azure Dragon Academy and the Vermilion Phoenix Academy, and it just so happened that the new instructors of both schools were present. A bit too coincidental, don't you think?"

"Just based on that…"

"All I did was narrow down the list of people who would be interested in assessing our reaction to provocation. The answer was quite obvious."

"Obvious?" Goatee blinked in disbelief. This was a perspective that no one else had considered, and in reality, everyone except Namgung Su was gaping blankly at Baek Suryong.

Baek Suryong casually put some food in his mouth and asked, "So, has the training course already begun?"

"……" After a moment of silence, Goatee sighed, "Before that, allow me to introduce myself again. I am Namgung Myeongjin, the deputy commander of the Heavenly Ears."

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