I Am the Youngest Disciple of the Martial Arts World’s Mastermind
Chapter 60
Chapter 60
The Youngest Disciple of the Murim’s Hidden Mastermind
Episode 60
“…Young Master Baek’s martial arts were so profound that we received great help from him.”
Deung So-han bowed his head calmly, acting as if the conflict that had occurred inside had never happened.
Both Yeong-do and Yoo Chwi-san, who remembered the exchange between Namgung Ryeong-hwa and Baekri Hyuk, opened their mouths to speak.
But in that instant, Dang Cheong-a firmly gripped their sleeves.
Then, with a bright smile, she said, “Yes! More than anything, we met the Medicine Immortal inside, and he looked as though he had undergone Rejuvenation!”
“…Pardon?”
Hahou Yeon turned to Dang Cheong-a with a look of pure shock.
“What on earth does that mean…?”
Perhaps because the words came from the youngest, Dang Cheong-a, they lacked credibility. Hahou Yeon’s gaze naturally shifted toward Yeong-do, Yoo Chwi-san, and Deung So-han.
However, even Baekri Hyuk gave a composed nod.
“It seems we have much to discuss.”
This incident bound the cooperation of the Orthodox rising stars even tighter.
At the same time, it sparked suspicion that the absolute masters of the past, rumored to have ascended to immortality, might still remain in the jianghu through the process of Rejuvenation.
The full truth of the matter was known only to the disciple of the Murim’s hidden mastermind.
After Soso left for a mission expected to be somewhat long, Ryang remained behind and immersed himself in cultivation.
Dust-covered, Ryang cupped his fists toward Danhwi and gave a deep bow.
“Thank you for the lesson.”
“It was nothing.”
Danhwi muttered, dusting off his wooden sword.
“By the way, you really do have talent.”
Ryang had heard those words many times even back when he was a slave to the Demonic Cult.
He showed no particular reaction, as if he were used to it.
“In ten more years at this rate, you might actually be able to defeat me.”
However, when Danhwi added another word as if he weren’t merely making empty talk, Ryang lifted his head.
“…….”
“What?”
At Danhwi’s sly question, Ryang replied with a faint smile.
“Will it really take ten years?”
“Heh.”
The corners of Danhwi’s mouth curled up.
He ruffled Ryang’s hair with his free hand and laughed like an older brother.
“Kid, you know how to joke now? I guess you’ve gotten comfortable with me, huh?”
“A joke…”
It wasn’t a joke.
“A joke, what?”
“That is correct.”
Ryang quickly swallowed his true thoughts and nodded.
He knew how to distinguish between what should be said and what should not.
However, the reason it wasn’t a joke…
Was because of the voice that rang persistently in his head every time he circulated his internal energy during their sparring.
Just now, when he had barely managed to block Danhwi’s blade—which mixed the principles of heavy swords and rapid strikes with effortless mastery.
[To think you are shaken by a sword of this measly caliber.]
The voice now popped up not only during meditation but also during sparring.
It was sharp and piercing, as if rebuking Ryang for his own inadequacies.
Ryang swung his sword, trying his best to act as if he couldn’t hear the voice.
“…….”
Clang, clang, clang. And then, his guard was breached.
[How can you lose to a sword you have already broken once?]
The voice swirled in his head, growing clearer and clearer.
The pressure pierced his mind as if a blade were cleaving through his brain, making Ryang feel as though the voice completely surrounded him.
His vision blurred, and his fingertips began to tremble. The sword he held felt as if it were growing heavier by the second.
Yet, Ryang did not loosen his grip. Because…
[If the sword is heavy, do not try to take the full force of it. Deflect it. And from there, draw a horizontal line.]
The voice had moved beyond simple rebuke and was now teaching him.
It felt as if someone were guiding the tip of his sword and leading him to move faster.
Sasuk Danhwi was a master with vastly more experience, more techniques at his disposal, and deeper internal force.
Under normal circumstances, Ryang was an opponent who would struggle to even exchange a single bout.
However, the voice ringing in his head was equally formidable.
“Ho, what are you trying to do? Come at me.”
[Go.]
He felt the illusion of receiving lessons from two masters at once.
“…Yes.”
Ryang moved exactly as the voice demanded.
He was no longer afraid of the weight of the sword. With a sensation as if he were hurling a heavy blade without a hint of hesitation, Ryang swung.
His elbows, his wrists, and even the tips of his toes instinctively moved in perfect harmony.
“Oh?”
A glint of surprise flashed in Danhwi’s eyes.
And with the very next strike, Ryang’s sword intent was pierced through.
While it was difficult to fully parry the blow, he had managed to complete a sword form that deflected a portion of the force.
“…….”
Ryang retraced the duel in his mind as he rewrapped the bandages around his throbbing wrist.
Watching him quietly, Danhwi handed over a water skin and asked.
“But why are you trying to train so urgently?”
In front of Soso, Danhwi had spoken as if he were snatching Ryang away. But in truth… this training was something Ryang had specifically requested of Danhwi.
He had asked the Blue Robed Hermit for permission, saying he wanted to undergo intensive training with Danhwi while Soso was away on her safe mission.
So, in reality, Ryang could have followed her on this mission if he had wanted to.
When Soso was practically on the verge of tears, Danhwi thought this kid, Ryang, would lose his resolve and give in….
‘But he stood his ground, insisting on training doggedly.’
Danhwi looked at Ryang with curious eyes.
Ryang’s lips twitched before he gave a simple answer.
“…Just. I felt that I needed to become strong quickly.”
[As you should. You are far too weak even to atone…]
Ryang ignored the voice that had begun to speak again.
At first, he had wondered if this strange voice—which started when he accepted Soso’s internal energy—was a precursor to Qi Deviation… but he was starting to guess its true identity.
Ryang recalled what had happened a few days ago.
Late at night, under a thin crescent moon.
The moment Ryang’s foot crossed the threshold of the gate, a presence was felt from inside the room.
“What brings you here at this late hour, A-Ryang?”
The person Ryang had sought out to discover the identity of the voice was the Blue Robed Hermit, Soso’s master and his own martial grandmaster.
“I have something I wish to ask.”
“Come in.”
With the sound of the door sliding open, a warm light spilled out.
Ryang slowly lifted his bowed head and entered the room.
A peculiar scent of Forget-Sorrow Grass drifted inside the Blue Robed Hermit’s room.
A smoky, heavy smell.
The Blue Robed Hermit sat neatly in the room, wearing a pure smile that seemed at odds with such an aroma.
The Blue Robed Hermit gestured for Ryang to take a seat.
“Sit and speak.”
Two teacups, still warm, sat before the Blue Robed Hermit.
As if he had been waiting for a guest.
Before sitting, Ryang’s gaze lingered on the teacups for a moment, and he asked with a strange feeling.
“…Did you know I would come to find you?”
“I figured it was about time. You have talent, after all.”
“…….”
…He was an enigmatic man, as expected.
Ryang could not easily respond to the Blue Robed Hermit’s strange, cryptic words and remained silent.
Instead, he slowly took his seat and spoke.
“I have been experiencing… something strange.”
“What sort of thing?”
“Whenever I regulate my breath or engage in a duel using internal force, a voice speaks to me inside my head.”
“What does it say?”
Lifting his head, Ryang met the Blue Robed Hermit’s gaze directly.
“It told me to repay the grace I received from Master Soso and to atone.”
Staring into the Blue Robed Hermit’s pitch-black eyes, whose depths were impossible to fathom, Ryang spoke without a tremor in his voice.
“But I have never committed a sin against Master Soso. I do not understand why such a… thought would occur to me. Could it be a sign of Qi Deviation?”
“Are you certain you have committed no sin?”
“Yes. If I had ever sinned against Master Soso, there is no way you would have allowed me to stay by her side.”
After taking a sip of tea in the brief silence, he set the cup down and smiled thinly.
“Yes, you know well.”
The Blue Robed Hermit’s voice was soft, but beneath the calm surface, an inexplicable ripple surged.
“…….”
Ryang held his breath in silence. He struggled to suppress the aura of threat his instincts warned him of.
“You are right. You have committed no sin.”
In that stillness, the Blue Robed Hermit’s voice drifted out once more.
“At least… not in this life.”
Ryang’s fingertips flinched.
“……?”
His shoulders stiffened slightly as he lifted his head.
“What do you mean by ‘this life’?”
