Chapter v16c1

Listen carefully.

To use the “Wind God,”

First, it is crucial to understand the laws of nature.

It is to embody nature within the human body.

It is to synchronize the human body with nature, unleashing the most powerful force.

The Wind God is a technique that transcends the realm of techniques.

It is an immeasurable, vast, and mighty force.

Flying Thunder Blade

Final Secret Transmission, Ultimate Technique

Wind God, Activate!

In that instant, Bi Ryu-yeon’s eyes flashed open.

An immense power surged from his entire being,

and the spiraling Qi transformed into a colossal dragon whirlwind, roaring to life.

Surrounding pebbles and dust were sucked into the raging whirlwind.

‘C-Could this be… a human technique?’

### No-hak’s Secret Mission

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”

The torrent of curses and complaints erupting from the depths of his heart showed no signs of stopping.

No-hak was burning with rage. This rage, which had been suppressed in the presence of the “person responsible” for the current situation, now seized this golden opportunity where no one could see or hear him.

“Raaaaaar! What sins did this lowly one commit in a past life to be abandoned in this forsaken place at this ungodly hour?! Why?!”

No-hak growled like a wild beast.

The sliver of the waning moon, barely visible after being devoured by the darkness, and the movement of the stars hinted that most of the world was now embraced by sweet slumber.

To miss out on time, to be excluded from the cyclical flow of daily life, was a great misfortune. Especially when it was not by choice, but by the will of others!

“Why?!”

He didn’t care if his throat went hoarse or even tore. It was his right. He wanted to scream his lament. But his current predicament didn’t even allow for this meager self-consolation.

Why? Damn it! He knew why. It wasn’t because he was a beggar. It wasn’t because of his age. It was because his withered heart couldn’t muster the courage. He lacked the guts to confront his damn senior brother, to defy and resist him. The very courage that his comrades would have scoffed at as “reckless”!

‘But…’

He knew he wasn’t the only one who had harbored such thoughts over the past three years.

Liberation from their senior brother! The boundless freedom that would come with it!

The mere thought sent a rush of pleasure through his body and mind, like a drug. But this resentment, deeply ingrained in his mind, had never seen the light of day.

It wasn’t that there was no way.

That day, the process of selecting the sacrificial lamb was conducted with utmost solemnity, reverence, and caution. The members of the Vermilion Bird Squad, gathered before the gates of hell, exchanged silent vows and looked at each other, their faces etched with determination.

“Shall we begin?”

Hyun-woon’s words marked the start.

“Rock, paper, scissors!”

“Rock, paper, scissors!”

“Scissors!”

“Scissors!”

“Scissors!”

After thirty-six rounds of intense competition, the sacrificial lamb was finally chosen. Namgung Sang was designated as the one to knock on the gates of hell first and face the wrath of the King of Hell. His comrades mourned him, reciting lengthy eulogies in their hearts and contemplating the inscription for his tombstone.

“You bastards! Control your expressions! I can see right through you!”

Namgung Sang had no intention of upholding any loyalty to his friends, who were barely able to contain their laughter, their faces twitching with relief. He felt a surge of nausea, his stomach churning. He glared at the door, feeling as if it would burn him if he touched it. But his treacherous friends, their betrayal masked by feigned concern, urged him forward with their eyes.

Knock, knock, knock!

He knocked on the door, his heart pounding.

“Come in!”

His senior brother, Bi Ryu-yeon’s voice, came from within. He was relieved that he hadn’t been burned, but his heart felt heavy, as if it were being crushed by a thousand-pound rock.

“Hmm… hmm… hmm… Interesting. Very interesting.”

Bi Ryu-yeon muttered to himself, pacing back and forth, his mind racing. Namgung Sang, Hyun-woon, Jin-ryeong, Dang-sam, Dang Mun-hye, Il-gong, Cheong-mun, Jo Cheon-woo, Yi Ja-ryong, Geum Yeong-ho, Danmok Su-su, Hwa Seol-ok, Hwangbo Woo-yeon, No-hak, Namgung San-san, Mo Yong hwi… They were all from prestigious backgrounds, but their faces were tense, their bodies stiff with apprehension. They were afraid of their senior brother. They usually avoided him at all costs, but today, they had a common purpose that forced them to seek him out.

Namgung Sang spoke on their behalf, and Bi Ryu-yeon listened, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

“Hmm, so you want to prove that you’re independent individuals, is that it?”

They all nodded.

“Yes!”

They said in unison. They were the envy of the other Heavenly Academy disciples, but they felt insignificant in the presence of their senior brother. They couldn’t bear the discrepancy any longer. They wanted to be acknowledged. But the fact that all sixteen of them had come, instead of sending a single representative, suggested that they hadn’t fully overcome their fear.

“Hmm… hmm…”

Bi Ryu-yeon looked at them, his eyes gleaming with amusement. Had the time finally come? A true disciple should have the instinct to break free from his master’s embrace. Those who lacked such spirit should be expelled or eliminated. But it was also a master’s duty to resist such attempts! A master was supposed to push his disciples off a cliff, not pull them up. They had hands and feet, didn’t they? It was their responsibility to crawl back up, even if they were half-dead. Of course, Bi Ryu-yeon wasn’t their master in the traditional sense, and their true intentions were probably different, but he was still obligated to play along.

He nodded.

“Alright, I’ll grant your request.”

A wave of relief washed over them, their tension dissolving into joy. But Bi Ryu-yeon wasn’t done.

“But!”

He said, his voice firm.

“There’s one condition.”

“A condition…?”

Namgung Sang asked, his voice hesitant.

“Of course! Do you think there’s such a thing as a free lunch? You have to pay a price for what you want. That’s the law of cause and effect, the law of equivalent exchange.”

He grinned, his smile unsettling.

The sixteen members of the Vermilion Bird Squad wished they could ignore the condition.

Namgung Sang hadn’t volunteered to be their representative. They had all tried to avoid the responsibility, and he had lost the rock-paper-scissors match. They treated the role as if it were a guaranteed one-way ticket to hell – and to be honest, it wasn’t far from the truth. He glared at Hyun-woon, who had abandoned him. He wondered if he should still consider him a friend.

“W-What’s the condition?”

Jin-ryeong, his lover, asked, trying to support him. But love wasn’t enough to overcome this evil.

“You have to prove it!”

Bi Ryu-yeon said, as if it were obvious.

“Prove it?”

“Yes, prove it!”

His smile vanished. His demeanor, once light and carefree, became heavy and oppressive.

“Can you prove that you are who you say you are?”

He asked, his voice deep and resonant, like that of a priest conducting a ritual.

“Are you sure you’ve established your own identities?”

They nodded again, though they hadn’t given it much thought. They were young and confident. Bi Ryu-yeon had to bring them down to earth. He seemed to have forgotten that he was young too.

“You’re good at talking! But! Words are fleeting things! Actions speak louder than words! Alright! If you’re so confident, prove it! Prove that you’ve established yourselves, that you can stand on your own two feet!”

Proof!

Conveniently, there was only one way for a martial artist to prove himself. The Vermilion Bird Squad members realized this.

“Senior Brother! That’s not fair!”

Jin-ryeong protested. The others clearly agreed with her. If they could defeat Bi Ryu-yeon in a fight, they wouldn’t be in this situation. They had no chance.

“I’m giving you a chance! I don’t want to be called a cheat.”

It was too late for that. He might not have heard it directly, but he was probably the most talked-about person in the Heavenly Academy.

“A chance?”

“Yes! You can all attack me at once!”

“All of us?”

“Yes, all of you! If anyone’s injured, you can do it after you recover. I don’t want to hear any excuses.”

“With real swords?”

Namgung Sang earned a bump on his head for that question.

“Are you kidding me? Of course with real swords! How can you show your true skills with toys?”

He was serious. His confidence was absurd, bordering on arrogance. He was truly the embodiment of self-importance.

But that meant they had a chance. Their despair, which had plummeted to the depths of hell, shamelessly transformed into hope and crawled back up. They were different now. They had spent the past three years training, honing their skills. They had faced countless dangers. They weren’t the same naive youngsters they had been three years ago. It was time to show him how much they had grown.

“Alright, Senior Brother!”

They agreed. They thought they had a chance.

“But there’s one condition.”

Bi Ryu-yeon said.

“Another condition?”

They groaned. Their voices trembled with apprehension. They had a bad feeling about this.

“Sixteen against one is unfair. I need a partner. And he’s like a master to you too. Don’t you think you should surpass him as well?”

“Y-You mean… You’re not talking about Elder Yeom-do, are you?”

Namgung Sang asked, his voice filled with anxiety. The others paled. They didn’t want to fight Elder Yeom-do. It was a nightmare scenario.

“Yes, I am.”

Bi Ryu-yeon nodded innocently, shattering their hopes.

“Who else would it be? Right?”

‘I wish he were just a braggart…’

Contrary to his reputation, their senior brother was the real deal. And that was a problem. They couldn’t afford to be complacent.

Self-proof!

The outcome was too horrible to contemplate.

‘Senior Brother Bi Ryu-yeon! Age: Twenty-one! Martial arts: Unknown. Sect: Unknown. Background: Unknown.’

They had known him for over two years, but they knew almost nothing about him. Except that he was incredibly dangerous. He was a prime example of how rumors could be misleading.

Namgung Sang and Hyun-woon, the Wudang Monkey, had tried to subdue him with their secret joint technique, only to end up bedridden for three and a half weeks. The others had escaped with minor injuries.

Why did he have to drag Elder Yeom-do into this? It was cheating! But they couldn’t complain. The losers had no right to speak.

Proof failed! Verification impossible! And…

Subordinate status confirmed!

That was the conclusion. They had failed to prove themselves. Their little rebellion had been crushed.

No-hak wasn’t sure if he was better off as a beggar or a rock. It was a sad state of affairs. He felt pathetic.

‘I guess I’m stuck guarding the Heavenly Demon Pavilion because I lack the guts and the skills.’

He had been doing this for two weeks. There had been no signs of activity.

Click!

His keen ears, honed by years of begging, detected a faint sound.

‘What’s that?’

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked towards the dormitory.

Creak!

The door, which had been locked for two weeks, creaked open.

‘They’re moving!’