The Genius Martial Artist Who Remembers Everything [Novel] Chapter 207

Chapter 207. Stealing the Seat (6)

“I suppose the Blood Cult is still the Blood Cult, then?”

Receiving the damage report from Sichuan, Jegal Somyeong let out a quiet sigh.

The casualty numbers were lower than their initial estimates prior to deployment, but the losses were still distinct and undeniable. Furthermore, once the Blood Cult—which had been stalling its eastern advance—began moving east again, the casualties began to rise exponentially.

The Tang Family’s Poison King had led his Poison Unit, and the Sect Leader of Qingcheng had marched out with his elites to join the battle. Yet, the Iron Jiangshi were being deployed far too strategically for them to secure an overwhelming victory.

“Still, what a massive relief it is that the damage from their illusion arts was kept to a minimum.”

At Maeng Juwon’s words, Jegal Somyeong nodded in agreement.

If they hadn’t discovered the Blood Cult’s true identity in advance… If they hadn’t realized that the bastards dispatched to Sichuan had already sold off their Spirit Cleansing Orbs… If they hadn’t received the report that the Mount Heng Faction’s Demon-Subduing Talismans were effective in countering the Blood Cult’s illusions…

They would have suffered catastrophic losses, easily blowing past their worst pre-deployment estimates.

Just thinking about it makes me dizzy. Just who exactly is that Jin Soun…?

How much did he know, and how far ahead had he foreseen? Whenever Jegal Somyeong pictured Jin Soun’s perpetually unbothered expression, a smile naturally touched his lips.

“I suppose we can consider that a silver lining.”

If the Blood Cult was suppressed at this rate, the Murim Alliance would be able to maintain its strength. No, perhaps they would emerge even stronger, like impure iron being forged and tempered into mighty steel. Once the impurities were burned away, their density and solidarity would only grow stronger.

Maeng Juwon, who had been fidgeting like a puppy needing to pee for a while now, spoke up. “Honestly, seeing as he accomplished such a monumental feat, shouldn’t we grant him some sort of reward?”

As Jegal Somyeong’s gaze shifted to him, Maeng Juwon emphasized every single syllable. “Like, for instance… a pre-acceptance letter to the All-Knowing Pavilion.”

“…”

It was true that Jin Soun had made a monumental contribution during the bloodbath in Sichuan. But the problem was that he had subsequently committed a transgression of equal magnitude.

Hadn’t he twisted Ak Jupyeong’s joints at angles they were never meant to bend?

Hearing the circumstances, it was somewhat justified, but still—why did this kid always act with zero regard for the consequences?

According to the report submitted by the Academy Director, the Shandong Ak Family had already tried to sanction Jin Soun privately. They had even tried to drag him to the Inspection Pavilion.

Those Ak Family bastards, there’s a limit to a thief calling the victim a thief. Idiots, the lot of them. Tsk.

Of course, Somyeong had summoned the Inspection Pavilion Lord to the All-Knowing Pavilion and thoroughly chewed him out over the incident, but Jin Soun had nearly been branded a spy for the underworld right under his nose.

Ugh, my head…

Since becoming the Chief Strategist, he had never suffered such massive headaches over a single Academy student. And yet, he had absolutely no intention of giving the boy up.

“Besides, didn’t Jin Soun save the Academy students and hold off the Blood Cult in Sichuan?”

It was exactly because of this caliber of talent. Currently, even the elite forces of the Murim Alliance were struggling in Sichuan. Yet Jin Soun had walked into Sichuan with only a handful of people, scraped together the Academy students, and escaped safely.

In the midst of all that, he had devised a method to counter the Blood Cult’s illusions, fought off the Iron Jiangshi, and even chopped off the Young Leader’s head, entirely stalling the Blood Cult’s eastern advance.

It was unbelievable, but Jin Soun had done it all. Looking at his track record, it was as if he were playing a completely different game in a world of his own.

Even among the Murim Alliance’s elite soldiers, some had actually inquired if Jin Soun’s activity reports were heavily exaggerated. After all, they probably never imagined they would struggle so much on a battlefield that a single Academy student had single-handedly torn through.

While Somyeong was deep in thought…

A perfectly rhythmic chant, combining just the right amount of breath and volume, began to echo in his ear.

“Pre-acceptance letter! Pre-acceptance letter! Pre-acceptance letter!”

Looking at Maeng Juwon, who was chanting for an acceptance letter like a street protester, Jegal Somyeong felt an overwhelming urge to chop him directly in the throat. “Cut the bullshit!”

Did a ‘pre-acceptance letter’ even exist in the first place? If they started issuing crap like that, every single pavilion and hall in the Alliance would start throwing pre-acceptance letters at any student they liked in a mad scramble to hoard talent.

As the All-Knowing Pavilion’s top talent, Maeng Juwon surely knew this. “…But if we don’t, he might get snatched away.”

“What? What are you talking about? The Alliance Leader’s Pavilion promised not to touch him.”

Maeng Juwon shook his head vigorously. “It’s not just the Alliance Leader’s Pavilion. The report on Sichuan was circulated throughout the entire Alliance, wasn’t it? Every single Combat Pavilion and Operations Pavilion that read that report has started taking a keen interest in Jin Soun.”

“…”

Pausing for a moment, Maeng Juwon’s eyes flashed with brief, murderous intent. “If we just sit around daydreaming, we really might lose him.”

I had forgotten. This guy is a lunatic too…

“Anyway, no means no! And besides, if the kid has half a brain, he’ll crawl into the All-Knowing Pavilion on his own.”

“…We really might lose him…” Looking utterly despondent, Maeng Juwon handed over another report.

Jegal Somyeong tilted his head as he read it. “The Jegal Family visited the Academy?”

“Yes. They arrived for the event being prepared by the White Faction.”

“…What a bunch of fools.”

“Pardon?”

As Jegal Somyeong shook his head dismissively, Maeng Juwon spoke up cautiously. “Should we… block them from entering?”

“The White Faction bastards are spending their own money to demonstrate a mechanical formation. Who’s going to stop them?”

“But Jin Soun might actually lose this time. And if he loses his Representative seat, he’ll be expelled from the Academy.”

It was true that the entire world was currently boiling with anticipation over the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams All-Encompassing Formation. This could genuinely be a dangerous situation for Jin Soun. Jegal Somyeong himself had personally verified just how incredible the Jegal Family’s newly developed formation was.

However…

“…Leave it be. Just let them in.”

Even so, he wasn’t particularly worried. He simply couldn’t imagine Jin Soun falling to something like that.

But Maeng Juwon, still visibly anxious, stamped his feet. “B-but what if he gets expelled…”

“Wouldn’t that be even better for you? We can just hire him through special recruitment and bring him straight to the All-Knowing Pavilion.”

“Ah… I suppose that’s true?” Maeng Juwon scratched the back of his head, laughing like an idiot.

Somyeong couldn’t fathom how such a brilliant mind could turn into such a complete moron the moment Jin Soun was involved.

The Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams All-Encompassing Formation.

Despite its arrogant name, this mechanical formation was undeniably superior to the Seven-Star Seven-Catch Formation. Right after the Orthodox-Demonic War broke out, the sects that had installed the Seven-Star Seven-Catch Formation were utterly annihilated, while half of those utilizing the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams All-Encompassing Formation managed to survive.

Of course, as the Orthodox-Demonic War dragged into its middle stages, even the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams All-Encompassing Formation was eventually cracked by the Demonic Cult’s Demonic Brain.

However, in my past life, the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams All-Encompassing Formation wasn’t very widely distributed. The immense financial burden of dismantling the Seven-Star Seven-Catch Formation to install it was certainly a factor.

But more importantly, once the Jegal Family realized that releasing new mechanical formations guaranteed a steady stream of immense wealth, they began releasing “upgraded” versions annually. Because of this, sects planning to install it ended up waiting endlessly for the “final” version.

The Jegal Family in my past life were brilliant scam artists. Will they be any different in this life?

I didn’t know how well they would meet my expectations and evolve into a family that genuinely aided the martial world, but regardless, it was an undeniable fact that the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams All-Encompassing Formation was a masterpiece.

That was exactly why Jegal Jeonggi was debuting it here at the Martial Arts Academy—as a trump card to solidify the White Faction’s position.

I had already prepared a modified, easily installable version of the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Formation for a situation like this. But thanks to getting my hands on an excellent item, I spared myself the exhaustion of setting up that highly complex death trap.

“Dammit… dammit… dammit…”

I didn’t know which Buddha Nam Hwaseong was praying to, but he just kept muttering curses. Honestly, it wasn’t like he was the only one digging holes.

“Can we really go up against the White Faction with this?”

“Of course we can.”

Despite my confident answer, the crease between his brows refused to smooth out. “…Even a ten-year-old kid could walk through the Nine Palaces Soul-Bewildering Formation.”

“Oho? I guess that means you’re worse than a ten-year-old kid, then?”

“Bullshit!” Covered head to toe in dirt and grime, Nam Hwaseong stormed over to me. “What are you gonna do if I pass it?”

“If you pass it?”

“Yeah! If I pass it!” His eyes suddenly gleamed with determination. “…Don’t you ever call me a spy again!”

“Hmm… Deal.”

Brimming with some inexplicable confidence, Nam Hwaseong puffed out his chest triumphantly and burst into laughter. “Then fire it up right now! I’ll show you how I shatter this Nine Palaces Soul-Bewildering Formation in a single breath!”

Radiating more confidence than ever before, Nam Hwaseong stood proudly before the Gate of Life.

I walked over and stood in front of the stone mound I had erected in the center of the Nine Palaces Formation. It was the central axis, the core pillar supporting the Nine Palaces Soul-Bewildering Formation. While the formation deceived people using illusions, it could be easily dispelled by simply locating and shattering this core pillar’s energy.

If I just take this… and mix it in here…

I reached into my robes, pulled out the Illusion Ring I had looted from the Blood Cult’s Young Leader, and slipped it onto my finger. It was a bizarre artifact capable of transforming even the most basic mechanical formation into a Blood Cult illusion array.

For me, this event was also the perfect opportunity to test exactly how effective this artifact would be against the Academy students, who were considered the rising elite of the martial world.

Since everyone’s attention is fixated on the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams All-Encompassing Formation, they’ll pay even less attention to how I constructed this illusion array. Heheh.

Reciting the incantation for the Nine Palaces Soul-Bewildering Formation, I channeled my qi into the Illusion Ring.

-Kkiiyaaaaaak! -Kkeuaaaaaak! -Kyakakakakaka!

The Illusion Ring was clearly no ordinary item. The moment it absorbed my qi, a cacophony of horrific screams erupted inside my mind. Suppressing the malicious thoughts trying to cloud my mind, I forced the tainted qi from the Illusion Ring directly into the Nine Palaces Soul-Bewildering Formation.

Rumble.

With a rattling sound, the stone mound slightly collapsed, a few rocks tumbling to the ground. Simultaneously, a thick red mist began to seep out from the mound, crawling along the ground and spreading in all directions.

The red mist didn’t bleed past the boundaries of the Nine Palaces Soul-Bewildering Formation, instead pooling inside it like a deep lake. The red mist, initially swirling around my ankles, soon rose to my thighs, eventually flooding the entire formation.

Faced with this sudden, eerie transformation, the previously overly confident Nam Hwaseong started backing away. “Wh-what the hell is this…”

As the red mist reached maximum density, the original appearance of the Nine Palaces Soul-Bewildering Formation vanished entirely. The stone mound and pillars that should have been right in front of him disappeared, and the horse track suddenly looked exactly as it had before we even started digging.

Staring at the solitary Gate of Life left floating in front of him, deep bewilderment washed over Nam Hwaseong’s face.

I looked at him and gestured lightly with my chin. “What are you doing? Aren’t you going in?”

“I-is this really the Nine Palaces Soul-Bewildering Formation?”

“You built it yourself. What? You chicken?”

“B-bullshit!”

Provoked, Nam Hwaseong gritted his teeth and took a step forward. The moment he did, he was sucked cleanly into the Nine Palaces Soul-Bewildering Formation.

Shortly after…

“Ugh!” “Keugh!” “D-damn monsters, why are they here!!!!” “S-save me!!!!” “Aaaaaagh!” “Jin Soun, you son of a bitch!!!!!” “Kweeegh!”

A very colorful variety of his screams began to echo out.

“Hmm, it’s working perfectly.”

Nam Hwaseong, who had sworn to shatter the pillar in a single breath, showed no signs of emerging from the formation even after a long time had passed.

After about thirty minutes, I lightly kicked the pillar connected to one of the Eight Gates and shattered the Nine Palaces Soul-Bewildering Formation.

A moment later.

“Aaaaaaaagh!”

Nam Hwaseong appeared, thrashing around pathetically with drool leaking from his mouth.

I gave him a light kick. “Snap out of it, idiot.”

“Heugh! Heugh! Heugh! D-dammit…!” Heavily panting, he stared at me with an utterly dumbfounded expression. “Th-this is the Blood Cult’s demonic arts! What the hell did you do?!”

I flashed him a satisfied smile and replied. “How is it? This should be enough to grab everyone’s attention, right?”

“…” Nam Hwaseong firmly clamped his mouth shut, refusing to admit it.

“Answer me, spy!”

“D-dammit!”

Ultimately substituting his answer with a curse, he accepted that his days of living as a “spy” had been forcefully extended.

The ongoing battle against the Blood Cult in Sichuan was not yet known to the broader martial world. Information was strictly classified, and the Alliance was on high alert to prevent operational leaks.

Nevertheless, those who carried any real influence in the martial world naturally caught wind of the situation in Sichuan.

“Tsk.”

Jegal Jeonggi of the White Faction was one of those individuals. He heavily furrowed his brow, deeply displeased. “Are the combat pavilions of the Murim Alliance truly worse than a single Academy student?”

The news that they were locked in a bitter struggle against the Blood Cult was more than enough to grate on Jegal Jeonggi’s nerves. The more incompetent the Murim Alliance appeared, the more Jin Soun’s past achievements would stand out.

Because of this, Jegal Jeonggi felt the need to divert the public’s attention to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances. If the Sichuan incident gained traction, attention would shift to Jin Soun’s event. If the Sichuan incident was buried, people’s eyes would lock onto his own event.

Since the entire White Faction was well aware of this dynamic, they poured all their energy into suppressing the information. Or rather, instead of merely suppressing it, they actively worked to discreetly spread new information.

However, there was a problem.

“Our budget is nearly tapped out. Do we really need to go this far?”

The problem was funding. Jegal Jeonggi issued a firm command. “Once the White Faction officially takes over the executive committee, additional funds will be allocated from above. So don’t worry about it and proceed.”

“…Understood. Then we will contract the Beggars’ Sect.”

“No, don’t just use the Beggars’ Sect; hire the rumormongers as well. Nothing is more powerful than word of mouth.”

Scraping the absolute bottom of their budget, the White Faction hired the Beggars’ Sect and various busybodies to discreetly leak information about the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams All-Encompassing Formation.

Just as public interest began to dry up, these perfectly timed drops of information acted like rain in a drought, brilliantly spiking the public’s curiosity. Consequently, the attention of various sects became heavily concentrated on the Martial Arts Academy, where the formation would be unveiled for the very first time.

As a result, it served as the perfect catalyst, shifting the Academy students’ interest away from Jin Soun’s established event and toward the White Faction’s event.

Meanwhile, at the main gate of the Martial Arts Academy.

“That’s the situation. It’s an absolute emergency.” “…”

Exactly as Jin Soun had predicted, the students were beginning to waver as the White Faction slowly leaked information about the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams All-Encompassing Formation. As interest in the new mechanical formation skyrocketed, even the people who had previously committed to Jin Soun’s event were starting to cautiously read the room.

That much was true, but…

But why am I out here?

A thick stack of paper rested in his hands. The sash strapped diagonally across his chest and back boldly declared the slogan: ‘Dominate the World with Demonic Arts.’

“Almsgiver Jin… I understand the gravity of the situation. However… why must I be the one doing this?” Ilgak was trembling more violently than he ever had while enduring worldly agony.

Watching Ilgak, Jin Soun spoke with the exact demeanor of a back-alley thug. “Obviously, it’s because you failed to bring anyone over from the White Faction.”

Ilgak barely managed to suppress his trembling body as he retorted. “Almsgiver Jin… As I told you, I cannot act as a spy.”

“Which is exactly why I’m giving you a different job to do. …Oh, hello there! You’ve heard about the event being hosted by the official Academy executive committee, right?”

Cutting his own sentence short, Jin Soun shamelessly approached a passing student and handed them a flyer. In other words… Jin Soun was currently acting exactly like a tavern waiter or a red-light district barker aggressively trying to pull in customers.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to work?”

And he had dragged Ilgak—the rising star of Shaolin, who had endured facing-the-wall meditation and mastered the Yijin Jing—out to do it with him.

“H-hello…” Ilgak held out a flyer with violently shaking hands.

Gripped by an inexplicable sense of terror at Ilgak’s trembling demeanor, the passing student completely ignored the flyer and sprinted away in fear.

“W-wait! H-how could you… just leave!”

Watching this unfold, Jin Soun clicked his tongue. “Tsk. Unbelievable! You can’t recruit people! You can’t even hand out a simple flyer! What exactly can a promising talent of Shaolin do?”

“…”

Every time Jin Soun spat out a bitter criticism, it felt like a massive nail was being driven straight into Ilgak’s heart.