The Genius Martial Artist Who Remembers Everything [Novel] Chapter 209

Chapter 209. The Enemy’s Favor (2)

The Grand Horse Track of the Martial Arts Academy.

Normally used to manage and stable the Academy’s horses, the vast area was currently packed with people instead. In the center of the track stood a makeshift pavilion, seemingly erected as a symbolic centerpiece for testing the mechanical formation.

“It certainly is… strange,” Song Jeongmu noted.

The mechanical formation spread across the Grand Horse Track looked incredibly bizarre. Usually, formations were designed to lull people into a false sense of security by taking on ordinary appearances, like trees and rocks. Once someone stepped inside, the formation would confuse their senses and logic, subtly misdirecting them until they wandered back out.

The reason the Seven-Star Seven-Catch Formation was renowned throughout the martial world was its ability to freely manipulate the Eight Gates, naturally steering intruders into deadly traps or dead ends.

Yet the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams All-Encompassing Formation currently dominating the horse track was shrouded in a thick black mist, blatantly revealing its menacing form. It was failing its primary job: concealing its true nature to lure people to their deaths.

“Aaaaaagh!” “Uheuuheuk.” “Please… please…”

What was worse, agonizing screams continuously echoed from within the formation.

“What exactly happened here?” I asked, approaching a Jegal Family formation master.

I was met with an irritable response. “We are currently managing the situation. Step back!”

Despite the pale-faced formation master’s rudeness, I took another step forward. “I am Jin Soun, the Representative of the Martial Arts Academy. I need to know what happened here.”

Only then did the deeply frowning formation master’s expression undergo a subtle shift. “Jin Soun?”

“Yes. I am that Jin Soun.”

“…This is none of your concern. Step back.”

Wow. Talking to this guy is pointless.

I infused a bit of inner qi into my voice and asked again. “Where is Jegal Jeonggi?”

“I-I said, step back!”

“Do I look like I’m joking right now?”

Overwhelmed by my intense momentum, the formation master and the nearby warriors began to exchange nervous glances, unsure of what to do.

Seeing no signs of progress, Song Jeongmu finally stepped in. “I am Song Jeongmu of the Mount Heng Faction. I was told my assistance was required.”

“Ah! The Seven Kills Soul-Destroying Great Hero!” The formation master immediately brightened and bowed deeply.

Would you look at this? The blatant favoritism is disgusting.

As I scowled, Song Jeongmu quickly checked my reaction before questioning the formation master. “What exactly is happening inside the mechanical formation? And why was I suddenly called here?”

“Th-That is…” The formation master trailed off, casting wary glances in my direction.

Seriously, is he refusing to speak just because I’m standing here?

Just as I was about to snap at him, Song Jeongmu beat me to it, roaring in anger. “What do you think you are doing?! To call for me means the situation is dire. Yet you continue to play petty power games while leaving the people inside to die?!”

“…”

Song Jeongmu hammered the final nail in. “If this is how it’s going to be, I cannot help you.”

“A-Ah, no, that is not the case.” After nervously reading the room for a long time, the formation master finally let out a heavy sigh. “The truth is, the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams All-Encompassing Formation…”

Just as he was about to reveal the details, another voice cut him off.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

The students gathered near the source of the furious shout quickly parted to clear a path. The person yelling, his face a flushed beet-red, was none other than Jegal Jeonggi. He stormed forward, ready to reprimand the formation master.

“Are you trying to leak family secrets to outsiders…?!”

However, the formation master’s gaze shifted past Jegal Jeonggi—who was barking like an angry little dog—and landed on the figure behind him. Following his gaze, everyone turned their heads.

“Grand Elder… no, Chief Strategist?”

Even the rowdy students instantly clamped their mouths shut. The Grand Horse Track, which had been buzzing like a busy marketplace, fell silent in the blink of an eye.

Yet even that silence seemed to irritate the Chief Strategist. He muttered quietly to Academy Director Buk Wonpyeong, who was standing beside him. “It’s too noisy.”

“I will handle it.”

At Buk Wonpyeong’s nod, the instructors efficiently corralled the students and ushered them out of the Grand Horse Track. Realizing the situation was extremely serious if the Chief Strategist himself had appeared, the students dispersed without a fuss.

Complete silence finally settled over the area. Only then did Jegal Somyeong, wearing a stern expression, cast a glance at Jegal Jeonggi. “So, what is the situation?”

At the Chief Strategist’s question—delivered with his hands clasped firmly behind his back—Jegal Jeonggi started to answer, but then glared at me again. His wary eyes practically screamed, Why are you still here? It was a blatant demand for me to leave.

Seeing his glare, Jegal Somyeong’s eyebrows shot up. “You said the situation was so urgent that you had to call for me. Were you lying?”

Understanding Jegal Somyeong’s indirect order to leave me be, Jegal Jeonggi bit his lip hard before finally speaking. “…A problem has occurred with the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams All-Encompassing Formation.”

“I have eyes, too. Do you not even know the basics of making a report?”

Under Jegal Somyeong’s freezing reprimand, Jegal Jeonggi shrank back. “…We were attempting to showcase the upgraded version…”

“Ha…! We still don’t know what issues might arise from a newly completed formation, yet you tampered with an upgraded version that hasn’t even finished testing?!”

“I am sorry, Grandfather…”

“You fool!”

A thunderous roar erupted from Jegal Somyeong’s lips. The air in the Grand Horse Track froze instantly. “Do you think I came here today as your grandfather?!”

“…”

Just then…

“Uheuuheuk.” “S-Stop! Please, stop! I… I was wrong!” “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” “It wasn’t me… It wasn’t me! I didn’t do it!!”

The screams echoing from within the mechanical formation instantly filled the Grand Horse Track once more.

Letting out a sigh, Jegal Somyeong turned his head and looked toward where Song Jeongmu and I were standing. “Did you bring the Mount Heng Faction here because the Righteous Minds of those inside are being shaken?”

Song Jeongmu stepped forward and offered a martial salute. “It has been a long time, Chief Strategist.”

“It is a shame we must reunite under such unpleasant circumstances. Tell me, what is your assessment? Will the Mount Heng Faction’s exorcism arts be of use?”

“…”

When Song Jeongmu remained silent, Jegal Jeonggi shot his head up and interjected. “The Mount Heng Faction’s exorcism and spirit cleansing arts are the best in the world! They will undoubtedly aid those trapped inside…”

“I was not asking you!”

“…”

Jegal Somyeong shot Jegal Jeonggi a look of sheer disgust before turning his attention back. Song Jeongmu let out a quiet sigh.

“As you surely already know, Chief Strategist, unfortunately, there is nothing I can do to help.”

Jegal Jeonggi flinched in panic. “Wh-What do you mean?! A-Are you saying you are turning your back on the Jegal Family to side with Jin Soun?!”

At Jegal Jeonggi’s accusation, Song Jeongmu’s eyes narrowed sharply. It was a look of pure, unadulterated contempt. “Do you think I… and our Mount Heng Faction, are that much of a joke?”

“…”

Every time Jegal Jeonggi opened his mouth, he only made the situation worse for himself.

Jegal Somyeong let out a heavy sigh as he looked back and forth between his grandson and me. “I apologize. Jinmyeong pampered him too much growing up. I told him countless times not to do so.”

“Are you not here as the Chief Strategist right now?”

“I will speak to your Sect Leader personally later.”

Listening to the exchange between Jegal Somyeong and Song Jeongmu, Jegal Jeonggi wore a deeply confused expression. “Grandfath—no, Chief Strategist, what do you mean?”

“Do you still not understand the difference between the energy of unorthodox demonic paths and orthodox righteous paths?”

“…Pardon? What does that…”

Jegal Somyeong clicked his tongue in sheer disappointment. “The Mount Heng Faction’s exorcism is the power to dispel the wrong with the right. How could the illusions of the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams All-Encompassing Formation—which was built upon orthodox, righteous energy from the very beginning—possibly be dispelled by the Mount Heng Faction’s energy?”

“…”

Only then did Jegal Jeonggi realize his mistake, his face turning completely pale.

“How many are trapped inside?” At Jegal Somyeong’s question, a formation master answered, stiff with tension.

“S-Seventy-eight people, sir.”

Hearing a number far exceeding his expectations, Jegal Somyeong’s eyes flashed sharply. “You certainly threw a lot of them in. How long have they been inside?”

“A-Almost three quarters of an hour, sir.”

“Hoo… How long will it take to safely dismantle the formation?”

“Th-That is…” The formation masters quickly huddled together, whispering amongst themselves, before one of them finally swallowed hard and answered. “It… will take about th-three days, sir.”

Jegal Somyeong pressed his fingers against his temples as if fighting a massive headache. “And that’s the absolute minimum estimate, I assume?”

“…Well.”

“Because you have no idea what effects the upgraded equipment is causing inside.”

“Yes, sir…”

At the formation master’s defeated answer, everyone present let out a collective sigh. The situation was spiraling out of control.

Since the White Faction had restarted the event, the vast majority of the people currently trapped inside the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams All-Encompassing Formation were individuals closely affiliated with the White Faction. In other words, they were people holding significant status—not just within the Academy, but in the broader martial world as well. And it was the crushing weight of that pressure that had forced Jegal Jeonggi to drag Jegal Somyeong all the way here.

“Grandfath—no, Chief Strategist. You have a solution, don’t you, Chief Strategist?”

Despite the desperate plea, Jegal Somyeong did not easily open his mouth. Naturally… considering the caliber of the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams All-Encompassing Formation. It was a legendary mechanical formation that the great Jegal Family had spent twenty years researching and perfecting. Moreover, it was a formation that had reached a supreme level through endless refinements.

Although there would be public criticism that the Jegal Family was playing dangerous games with formations out of pure greed for money, hadn’t those upgraded versions ultimately saved countless lives from the Demonic Cult’s grasp? But that was a story for the distant future.

Right now, from the Jegal Family’s perspective, there was only one way to forcibly dismantle the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams All-Encompassing Formation. Jegal Somyeong looked into Jegal Jeonggi’s desperately hopeful eyes.

“There is a way.”

“Th-Then… please, hurry and…!”

And then, he ruthlessly snuffed out that light of hope. “But everyone inside will die.”

“Pardon? What do you mean…?”

“The core stability of the mechanical formation is being destabilized by the upgraded equipment. That is why the Righteous Minds of the children inside are being shaken.”

Hearing Jegal Somyeong’s explanation, the members of the Jegal Family simultaneously gulped.

Jegal Somyeong tossed out his next words with a detached, emotionless voice. “But because of that instability, we can destroy it.”

“D-Destroy it?!” Jegal Jeonggi recoiled in shock, looking as though he might lunge forward.

Yet Jegal Somyeong didn’t even blink. “Do you have another solution?”

To ‘destroy’ the mechanical formation right now meant obliterating all the gates, including the Eight Gates, in a single, devastating strike. It was the equivalent of burning down a thatched cottage with people still inside just to kill a few bedbugs.

Unable to accept this, Jegal Jeonggi trembled violently. “But… if you do that, the people inside will die!”

“Or we wait three days and watch them emerge as raving lunatics.”

“…!”

Jegal Somyeong spoke with a gaze colder and more ruthless than ever before. “Make a choice. Do you want to see corpses? Or do you want to see children turned into madmen?”

“…Ugh.”

“You must have been prepared to bear this responsibility when you ordered this, were you not?”

Jegal Somyeong was pressuring Jegal Jeonggi not as his grandson, but as a criminal standing trial. It seemed highly unlikely he would just let this slide even after the incident was resolved.

What do I do…

Meanwhile, I was racking my brain just as hard as Jegal Jeonggi. The question was whether I should step forward or not. If I intervened unnecessarily, I risked turning the Jegal Family—with whom I currently had a relatively decent relationship—into an enemy. On the flip side, if I just sat back and did nothing, I could use the White Faction’s inevitable collapse as an opportunity to firmly solidify my own position.

That was definitely true, but…

“Aaaaaagh!” “M-Mother! Father!!!!” “I’m sorry! I was wrong!”

The screams erupting from the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams All-Encompassing Formation pierced the air once more.

The choice I had to make was crystal clear. Having organized my thoughts, I let out a small sigh.

“Chief Strategist.”

Every single pair of eyes instantly locked onto me. I met Jegal Somyeong’s gaze squarely. “I do not believe this is the time to be arguing over responsibility.”

“…”

A freezing silence blanketed the Grand Horse Track following my statement. The Academy instructors and the Jegal Family formation masters were all staring at me like I was completely insane.

But only one person—only Jegal Somyeong—returned my gaze with a steady, unwavering look. “Then?”

“Shouldn’t our first priority be saving the people trapped inside?”

For some inexplicable reason, the corners of Jegal Somyeong’s lips seemed to curl up ever so slightly. “…Do you have a way to save them? Because the internal pillars are twisted, the formation’s pathways are constantly shifting. No matter how good your memory is, what use is it if the paths themselves change?”

“I am not confident I could go inside and find them myself.”

A look of puzzlement entered his eyes. “Then?”

I swept my gaze across the Jegal Family formation masters before looking back to Jegal Somyeong. “May I… break the formation?”

“Break it?”

Right then, Jegal Jeonggi’s eyes bulged as he shrieked. “Jin Soun! How dare you even utter the words ‘break the formation’ in front of me! What do you take the Jegal Family’s mechanical formation for…?! What are you all doing! Seize that bastard immediate—!”

Smack!

Following the crisp, resounding crack of a slap across the face, Jegal Jeonggi looked at Jegal Somyeong in pure shock. “G-Grandfather…”

Jegal Jeonggi’s face was filled with utter betrayal, looking like a man who had just been stabbed in the back by his most trusted comrade.

Jegal Somyeong roared, his face contorted with unprecedented fury. “You foolish boy!!! Human lives are hanging by a thread right now! Is the mere prestige of our family that important to you?!”

“…”

His gaze lingered on me for a brief second before shifting back to Jegal Jeonggi. “You do not even have the right to be here! What are you all standing around for?! Drag this boy out immediately!”

A thunderous command rained down on the hesitant warriors once more. “Did I not order you to drag him out this instant?!”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

Looking like a lifeless corpse, Jegal Jeonggi was dragged away, his feet trailing limply across the dirt.

With a grim expression, Jegal Somyeong looked back at me and asked. “You say you can break the formation?”

Neither Jegal Somyeong nor the Jegal Family formation masters looked at me with eyes that easily believed my claim. If it weren’t for Jegal Somyeong’s presence, they looked like they wanted to tackle me to the ground. And understandably so, because ‘breaking a formation’ meant pinpointing the formation’s weakness and forcibly dismantling it from the outside.

It was only natural they wouldn’t want to believe that someone could neutralize the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams All-Encompassing Formation—a masterpiece forged from twenty years of the greatest geniuses’ efforts. Even in my past life, no one had successfully ‘broken’ the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams All-Encompassing Formation until the Demonic Brain appeared.

Of course, I didn’t know if I could break it the exact same way the Demonic Brain did. But still, it was better than seeing dozens of corpses crushed to death by the formation, or watching Academy students emerge as raving lunatics.

Isn’t this the better option?

I couldn’t even begin to predict what kind of relationship I’d have with the Jegal Family after this.

“Aaaaaagh!” “Uheuuheuk.” “Please… please…” “Forgive me! I was wrong!”

But saving people first was always the right choice.

“Yes. I believe it is possible.”

Right now, that was the only thing I was thinking about. Absolutely nothing else.