For a thousand years, the terror and notoriety of the Blood God Wi Cheonmu
Pushed the entire martial arts world into a crucible of fear
And roasted them in the hellfire of despair.
The martial artists feared that era, calling it the Bloody Age of a Thousand Years.
Preventing a second Bloody Age of a Thousand Years
Was the ultimate task of all martial artists.
Chapter 1
A Guy with No Sociability and Zero Fun
What a bland and insincere name, Heavenly Martial Cafeteria. It couldn’t be anything but a thoughtless name with absolutely no affection or consideration for the architect.
Since it’s the cafeteria inside Heavenly Martial Arts Academy, how is calling it Heavenly Martial Cafeteria any different from naming the second son of the Wang family Wang Yi (Wang Two)?
Bi Ryu-yeon had thought about protesting to the academy’s higher-ups as part of a movement to create a better world, but he decided to give up since nothing would come of it anyway. Getting involved in useless matters that didn’t benefit him went against his usual life philosophy.
But even more astounding than the name was the menu. On the vast menu board of this place, the only communal cafeteria in the dormitory, a single lonely name was posted. ‘Heavenly Martial Set Meal’… Really, what a name, tsk tsk tsk…
In fact, it’s true that expecting variety and taste from such a large communal cafeteria is unreasonable. The ideal is far and reality is rough. Since meals have to be prepared for nearly a thousand people, for work efficiency, it inevitably has to be simplified to a single menu, so it can’t be helped.
However, even understanding the circumstances, having only one option was too much. Shouldn’t there be at least two choices to have the pleasure of choosing?
Nevertheless, as long as the meal was free, Bi Ryu-yeon was willing to generously tolerate it unless the taste of the dish crossed the line of being too terrible to frown upon. Sacrificing his taste buds for a bland, dry, and simple menu was much more comforting than the terrifying fear of silver leaving his pocket for meal expenses and the piercing pain in his flesh.
Although Bi Ryu-yeon entered the cafeteria with a granite-like firm and solid resolution, fortunately, the situation wasn’t as serious as he had imagined. As he stepped inside, a savory and fragrant aroma stimulated his sense of smell. If a dish has a pleasant aroma, it’s safe to say that its taste is rarely disastrously bad, so Bi Ryu-yeon could secretly feel relieved.
Today’s dinner menu consisted of a chicken dish, two kinds of vegetable side dishes, and dumpling soup. Considering that even tea was served as dessert, it seemed they had put in quite some effort.
The plates were rectangular iron trays with three small square indentations and two large rectangular ones concaved inward, seemingly designed to hold rice and soup in the large compartments and side dishes in the small ones. Made of iron, they were slightly heavy.
One soup and three side dishes, it felt a bit lacking, but it deserved a passing score. The food was served in two lines on both sides, fortunately not during a crowded time, so there was no need to wait long.
“Who is this? The idiot of Huashan, the disgrace of the sect, isn’t it?”
Suddenly, while sitting at a six-person table and diligently focusing on his meal, a voice interrupting the dinner came from behind Bi Ryu-yeon. It was an unpleasant voice that sufficiently provoked the listener’s discomfort. To confirm who dared to disturb the elder’s elegant meal, Bi Ryu-yeon turned his head to trace the source of the voice. Others also followed Bi Ryu-yeon’s gaze toward the origin of the voice.
Where their eyes stopped, a young man and woman in red martial arts uniforms stood with arrogant expressions. In an instant, Yoon Junho abruptly stood up from his seat. His complexion was very dark for some reason.
“S-Senior Brother… H-Have you been well all this time?”
Yoon Junho greeted them hurriedly, offering a flustered bow. Seeing his unsettled and awkward behavior, the young man and woman who had spoken frowned again. As Yoon Junho pretended to know them, Hyo-ryong asked,
“Who are they?”
“Yes, they are my senior brother and sister from the Huashan Sect. This senior brother’s name is Jong Rihak, and this senior sister’s graceful name is Chu Gayeon.”
Even after being formally introduced through his junior Yoon Junho, these disciples of Huashan’s Lak’an Peak Red Division only nodded their heads once. No matter how much Bi Ryu-yeon and his group were their juniors in the academy, this was not courteous. It was clear they were figures who loved to act very arrogantly and haughtily. Since their rude behavior was not to the liking of the group, naturally, when there was no incoming greeting, there was no need for an outgoing one, so Bi Ryu-yeon’s party also just nodded their heads in response.
“How did you get in here?”
Senior Brother Jong Rihak suddenly asked, as if interrogating. When fellow sect members meet in a place like this, they should normally be happy and delighted to see each other, but there was no such warm and friendly atmosphere between them. Instead, it was as cold and frosty as if they were bitter enemies.
“How could a lowly bastard like you enter this place?”
It was as if he was intimidating him.
“S-Senior Brother…”
When Jong Rihak raised his voice, the weak-hearted Yoon Junho didn’t know what to do. Jong Rihak was cornering Yoon Junho like a cat chasing a mouse, oppressing him. He was now expressing his dissatisfaction with the fact that his junior had been admitted to the academy, even though a sect member’s admission should be considered an honor for the sect.
“Hmph, I bet you used all sorts of disgraceful flattery and bootlicking to Elder Taesa to get in here despite your worthless skills.”
As if cheering on Jong Rihak, who was pressuring Yoon Junho, Chu Gayeon said coldly. She also seemed displeased with Yoon Junho’s admission.
“Ah, no. How could I possibly do such a thing? It’s a groundless misunderstanding.”
Yoon Junho tried to make excuses, but it was useless. From the beginning, his senior brother and sister had no intention of lending an ear to his words.
“What do you mean no? You’ve been favored by Elder Taesa since your days in the Huashan Sect, and now you’ve instigated Elder Taesa to enter this Heavenly Martial Arts Academy with your unworthy skills? You’re a disgrace to our Huashan Sect, a disgrace!”
Jong Rihak and Chu Gayeon relentlessly attacked Yoon Junho with a force that seemed to devour him. Being repeatedly reprimanded by his senior brother and sister, Yoon Junho quickly became tearful. For his delicate heart, the harsh interrogation from his seniors was unbearably sad. Moreover, the idea of fighting back was unimaginable. Yoon Junho couldn’t say a word, as if his mouth had been sealed.
“…”
At that moment, Jang-hong, who couldn’t bear to watch, stepped up to Yoon Junho’s defense.
“Isn’t this too much? From what I’ve heard, it seems like Junho’s Elder Taesa gave him the Seungryong Badge out of fondness despite his lack of skill. Am I wrong?”
Although Jang-hong didn’t feel like it, he still used honorifics to address the two as they were his seniors, whether he liked it or not. However, if he felt displeased, it was uncertain when he might switch to informal speech. Jang-hong was not one to be bound by hierarchy and bother with courtesy.
“Wrong? It’s very accurate. This bastard used flattery on Elder Taesa with his unworthy skills to shamefully obtain the Seungryong Badge. What a disgraceful fellow!”
Jong Rihak looked as if he would spit. Jang-hong asked again,
“As far as I know, currently in the Huashan Sect, there is only one person who can be called Junho’s Elder Taesa. Could that person be the former sect leader of Huashan, Plum Blossom Sword Immortal Yu Hwan-kwon?”
“That’s right!”
Jong Rihak answered coldly.
“That’s strange.”
“What’s strange?”
“If it’s Plum Blossom Sword Immortal Yu Hwan-kwon, isn’t he the one who has been the supreme master of swordsmanship in Huashan for the past 50 years and has reached the realm of Harmony in swordsmanship? I don’t think such a person would be swayed by mere affection to misjudge and make wrong choices. He is practically the spiritual pillar of the Huashan Sect! If you question and interpret his choice arbitrarily without trusting him, how is that different from doubting him?”
“Shut up! How dare you casually mention Elder Taesa with such disrespect? Insolent!”
They were momentarily flustered by Jang-hong’s sharp counterattack. It had hit them right where it hurt the most. So, they resorted to the typical method of startled people and raised their voices. It was an instinctive action out of concern that their agitation would be revealed to others. Seeing them like that, Jang-hong sneered confidently.
“Hah, disrespect? I hadn’t thought of that. Aren’t you the ones committing even greater disrespect by doubting the choice of such a great figure with your insignificant insight?”
Jang-hong emphasized the part about ‘insignificant insight’ particularly strongly.
“What kind of nonsense is that? Shut up if you know what’s good for you!”
Jong Rihak shouted, his face flushed red. It was a pathetically typical reaction of someone whose sore spot had been poked.
“I think it’s you who started spouting nonsense first.”
As Jang-hong’s sharp gaze landed on Jong Rihak’s face, his face reddened with a sense of humiliation. He must have thought, ‘How dare a junior talk back to a senior like the sky?’ Truly insolent!
The issue was no longer about whether Yoon Junho had talent or not. The fight had already begun, and once started, they couldn’t simply back down. They couldn’t let their pride be reduced to rags. The faces of the two were already flushed red, unable to control their anger, like iron heated in a furnace.
“Don’t carelessly babble about things you don’t know. How can a fool who can’t even use the Plum Blossom Swordsmanship be called a direct disciple of the Huashan Sect? It’s embarrassing and shameful for me to even say it.”
What kind of nonsense is this? Hyo-ryong and Jang-hong’s eyes widened. They began to seriously doubt their hearing and language comprehension abilities. They had just heard something utterly incomprehensible from the other party. Only Bi Ryu-yeon remained silent, observing the unfolding situation with his eyes wide open.
Jong Rihak’s fierce gaze turned again towards his junior—it was highly doubtful whether he even acknowledged him as a junior—Yoon Junho.
“It’s a disgrace to the sect and a dishonor to the academy that an idiot of Huashan like you, who can’t even properly perform a single move of the Plum Blossom Swordsmanship, has entered this sacred Heavenly Martial Arts Academy. If you have a conscience and any sense of shame left, pack your bags and leave this place immediately.”
Jong Rihak’s verbal abuse was relentless and merciless.
“S-Senior Brother!”
No matter how much he thought about it, this guy was incredibly unlucky. Should I smack his face? That would be refreshing and exhilarating… Hyo-ryong pondered deeply.
“If you have no shame left and choose to stay here, be especially careful not to bring shame to the sect! Well, your very existence is a waste, but still.”
He was arrogant. His words, actions, expressions, everything about him was filled with conceit, believing that he was clearly superior to the likes of Yoon Junho. Such arrogant behavior certainly didn’t give Bi Ryu-yeon’s group a good impression.
“Watch your words!”
Hyo-ryong, unable to endure the other party’s arrogance and rudeness, stepped forward. Jong Rihak’s thick eyebrows twitched.
“Ho, what kind of language is that to a senior? Huashan’s idiot and his friends?”
Upon hearing Jong Rihak’s tone, Hyo-ryong and Jang-hong stiffened their expressions, feeling outraged. However, Bi Ryu-yeon had not shown any particular reaction yet, making it difficult to guess his thoughts. A condescending gaze, as if looking down on others, he seemed to be a guy thoroughly filled with authority, arrogance, and dogmatism to the depths of his bones and the ends of his mind. In short, he was an utterly unpleasant fellow, not even worth dealing with.
“…”
But Yoon Junho remained silent. He couldn’t even utter a single word of rebuttal against Jong Rihak’s insulting remarks. The atmosphere was becoming increasingly hostile, and at that moment, Bi Ryu-yeon, who had been glancing at the restless Yoon Junho, asked Hyo-ryong. He was very convenient to ask questions to, as he seemed to know a lot despite being a freshman who had just entered the academy this year. However, his question was more than enough to plunge everyone present into a cauldron of shock in an instant. It was a question that lacked any sense of the absurd and was utterly ridiculous.
“By the way, what is the Plum Blossom Swordsmanship?”
Regarding the Plum Blossom Swordsmanship, one of the most famous among the 12 great swordsmanship styles in the martial arts world, Bi Ryu-yeon asked Hyo-ryong as if such a thing had never existed in this world.
“What? You don’t even know that?”
Hyo-ryong asked back in surprise. How could he not be surprised to hear that someone didn’t know one of the 12 most famous swordsmanship styles in the world? Even if Bi Ryu-yeon had asked him, “Do you happen to know which direction the sun rises from?” he wouldn’t have been this astonished.
Jong Rihak and Chu Gayeon also looked at Bi Ryu-yeon with fierce yet dumbfounded eyes. Their eyes clearly conveyed the sentiment, ‘How can such a person exist?’ If there was someone in the martial arts world who didn’t know the Plum Blossom Swordsmanship of the Huashan Sect, that person would undoubtedly be a fool or an idiot nine times out of ten. In a world where common sense obviously exists, how could such words even make sense?
However, Bi Ryu-yeon’s question was neither a joke nor a prank. He genuinely knew nothing, so he politely asked out of a simple desire to satisfy his curiosity.
Although Bi Ryu-yeon had accepted Hwa Seol-ok and Jo Cheon-woo, disciples of the Huashan Sect, as his students during his time at Mt. Emei, he had never heard even the word ‘plum’ (梅) of the Plum Blossom Swordsmanship from them during the training camp period. He had no opportunity to learn about it.
After all, most of what he had taught and instructed his disciples to do were household chores and side jobs that had little to do with their martial arts techniques, and his teachings—Bi Ryu-yeon still insists on calling them teachings—were mostly one-way, so he was practically clueless about the martial arts techniques of not only the Huashan Sect but all the disciples of the Vermilion Bird Group.
With all 16 members of the Vermilion Bird Group constantly busy with cooking, laundry, chopping wood, stringing beads, and being overwhelmed with piled-up tasks, when did they have time to reflect on their own martial arts techniques? Bi Ryu-yeon was not lenient enough to allow them personal leisure time. So, his question was, in a way, natural. Of course, that didn’t change the fact that it was absurd and ridiculous.
Regardless of the absurdity of the question, Hyo-ryong kindly answered his inquiry, barely composing his mind that was twisting with disbelief. It was either Bi Ryu-yeon’s illusion or he had seen it correctly that beads of cold sweat seemed to form on Hyo-ryong’s forehead…