Emergency Meeting
Eight people were seated around a massive round table. Judging by the extraordinary aura they exuded, it was clear that they were not ordinary individuals but possessed remarkable martial arts skills. In addition to the eight individuals surrounding the expensive round table made of rosewood, priced at 22 nyang of silver, there were three seats at the head of the table, two of which were already occupied. The only empty seat was the most ornate chair placed in the center. Although the auras of the eight people around the purple round table were indeed extraordinary, they still paled in comparison to the two occupying the seats on either side of the empty one. That’s how tremendous their auras were.
The person seated to the right of the empty seat was a white-robed noble with a handsome appearance and a cold impression, holding a bamboo fan in his hand. The man seated to the left of the empty seat was a blue-robed noble who, peculiarly, had three swords strapped to his back. Both of their sleeves were embroidered with the same dragon emblem, indicating that they were both members of the glorious Nine Dragons. The two of them seemed to be leading the meeting. Although the most important seat was vacant, no one there seemed to think it would be filled. That seat was always empty, as usual. As if waiting for the room to settle, the white-robed noble opened his mouth. He had important news to share with these eight people.
“Then, let’s begin the emergency meeting,” the white-robed noble declared. As soon as his declaration ended, Jeong Ha-gyeong, the Fiery Mountain Fairy from the Huashan Sect, expressed her curiosity.
“Why did you urgently summon us? General.”
They referred to the white-robed noble as “General.” He had been serving as the brain of their organization, and unless someone more capable emerged, he would continue to be their general.
“General? That title is too grand. Just call me Deputy Leader,” the white-robed noble waved his hand in refusal, seeming to find the title of “General” too exaggerated.
“Then, Deputy Leader, I would like to know the reason for urgently summoning us.”
“If it was a sudden matter, I apologize. Did it interfere with your work by any chance?” The white-robed noble bowed his head, expressing his apology. In response, she shook her head, making a face that indicated it was not a big deal.
“It’s not that. However, if you summoned us, the Nine Profound Eight Blades, so abruptly, I thought there must be a good reason, so I asked out of curiosity. How could I possibly commit the absurd act of doubting the ability of Baek Mu-yeong, the One Energy of Hengshan, who is not only one of the Nine Heavenly Dragons but also known as the brain of the Hengshan Sect?”
“Those are truly reassuring words. Thank you for having such faith in me.”
“You’re welcome.”
Although his words were endlessly gentle and soft, no one dared to act recklessly in front of him. Baek Mu-yeong, the Earth Dragon and One Energy of Hengshan, was an extraordinary talent produced by the Hengshan Sect, whose single word could change the path of the entire Hengshan Sect. Unless one wanted to make their future bleak, it was never a good idea to build walls and distance oneself from him.
“The reason I summoned you all is to discuss countermeasures against two men,” Baek Mu-yeong said.
“If it’s two men, one must be Moyong Hwee, the Seven Severing Divine Sword. And the other one?” Moyong Hwee, the Seven Severing Divine Sword, was one of the hottest topics that had recently emerged among them. Since he was the person their Nine Profound Society was most focused on monitoring, he would naturally be one of the two. Then, who was the other one? She wondered if there was another individual they needed to be wary of besides Moyong Hwee. She couldn’t quite grasp it.
“That person is a man named Bi Ryu-yeon.”
‘Bi Ryu-yeon?’ She had to briefly search through her memory as the name didn’t immediately come to mind. Only then did she realize that the name was the same as the person who had won the special entrance exam of the Ascension Martial Arts Festival this year.
“Isn’t he the one who won the special entrance exam this year? Was he someone the Deputy Leader needed to be concerned about?”
“I’m not sure if he’s someone I need to be concerned about, but he’s definitely the one who has tarnished the honor of our Nine Sects. If disciplinary action is not taken against him, people may look down on us, especially the Eight Houses Society and the Heroes Gate.” Wind Blade Demon Yu Gyu-seon from the Huashan Sect, who became particularly tense when Bi Ryu-yeon’s name was mentioned, raised his voice. It was only natural for him to be angry, as it was his fellow disciple who had his jaw dislocated by Bi Ryu-yeon in this year’s special entrance exam. The disciple who suffered back then was still surviving on porridge and water.
“That’s right. We need to quickly decide how to deal with that guy in order to maintain our prestige within the academy. Just in time, their actions have failed, so I think now is the opportunity,” Yeok Sang-han from the Diancang Sect, who also had his junior disciple brutally defeated by Bi Ryu-yeon in which that person’s limbs were twisted in directions they couldn’t bend, also chimed in.
As the meeting was about to go off track due to the two people’s resentment, there was a need to get it back on course.
“Now, now, calm down. Of course, we have no intention of letting him go. If we can’t restore our fallen prestige, how can we call ourselves the descendants of the orthodox prestigious Nine Sects? However, the problem is that he keeps coming into contact with strange individuals,” Baek Mu-yeong said.
“Who are they?”
Yu Gyu-seon from the Huashan Sect asked. He was skilled in swordsmanship but had the flaw of being impetuous.
“It’s the Twin Ghosts.”
The Twin Ghosts he referred to were Dang Cheol-gi and Cheon So-hae of the Heavenly Academy Twin Ghosts. Blatant displeasure and surprise mixed on the faces of those present.
“Are you saying he met those troublemakers?” Yeok Sang-han from the Diancang Sect asked in disbelief.
Baek Mu-yeong gave a wry smile. “If you’re surprised by this, you might faint if you knew the name of the club he joined.”
“Don’t tell me…”
Jeong Ha-gyeong’s radiant face instantly hardened. An unpleasant place she didn’t even want to think about came to mind. She personally hoped that name wouldn’t reach her ears. However, Baek Mu-yeong was cruel.
“Yes, it’s the Club for Loving Young Ladies.”
“That’s a very annoying and unpleasant matter.”
It was truly the worst situation. Something that could only happen when things took the worst turn had occurred.
“Then, that means he has already met Flourishing Legendary Fish Im Seong-jin and Bi Yeon-tae,” So Cheon-gun from the Qingcheng Sect, who had been silent until now, said. He was also one of the Nine Profound Eight Blades. He was both one of the Four Great Sword Masters of the Sword Soul Society and one of the Nine Profound Eight Blades of the Nine Profound Society. He had an unpleasant memory of unexpectedly receiving help from Im Seong-jin yesterday.
“That’s exactly right. If things get more entangled, even I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to completely untangle the knot. Because we have a pressing matter at hand,” Baek Mu-yeong said.
“You mean Moyong Hwee, the Seven Severing Divine Sword.” Jeong Ha-gyeong began to show signs of liveliness as the conversation finally shifted to the topic she had been waiting for. It was a much more progressive discussion than the unpleasant topic of the Club for Loving Young Ladies.
“To exaggerate a bit, we are in a very serious crisis. If we make a mistake, we may suffer the humiliation of being pushed back by the Heroes Gate Eight Houses Society and went drinking the bitter cup of defeat.”
“I don’t really believe that will happen.” As Jeong Ha-gyeong said, no one there thought that their Nine Profound Society, boasting tradition, would be pushed back by the Heroes Gate Eight Houses Society. Over the past ten years, they had only achieved victories through painstaking efforts. They couldn’t make the mistake of collapsing the tower built with the blood and sweat of their predecessors.
“But you never know how things will turn out,” Baek Mu-yeong said in a subtle tone, trying to gauge their intentions.
“That’s absurd. How could we, the Nine Profound Society, boasting tradition and orthodoxy, have our victory stolen by the leftovers like the Heroes Gate Eight Houses Society? Please refrain from such groundless fears.”
Gu Yang-jin from the Kunlun Sect spoke passionately, raising his veins.
However, Baek Mu-yeong took a step back again, unperturbed.
“No, that kind of arrogance can be the biggest reason for defeat. They are also descendants of prestigious families with a long history and outstanding talents among the strong and upright warriors of the martial arts world. Looking down on them just because they are on a different side is a bad habit.”
The words were true, but strangely, the truth seemed to have a mysterious power to provoke the listener.
“Isn’t that attitude of the Deputy Leader too passive?” Gu Yang-jin countered, but Baek Mu-yeong remained unfazed.
He seemed at ease, as if he had known things would turn out this way. He even had the leisure to make a joke. Baek Mu-yeong made an embarrassed expression, which didn’t suit his cold impression.
“I agree with Gu So-hyeop’s words. That attitude is not like the Deputy Leader at all,” Jeong Ha-gyeong, who always remained cool-headed, also felt that he was being unusually passive and timid today.
“Oh my, I’ve been misunderstood. I’m not trying to criticize Gu So-hyeop’s carelessness. Moreover, passive? I’m just saying that we should know how to acknowledge our opponents,” Baek Mu-yeong tried to appease Jeong Ha-gyeong with a wry smile, but she didn’t seem to like that either.
“Hmph, now you’re not just passive, but even timid. I’m disappointed.” She was completely sulking, and there seemed to be no way to appease her. Due to the confrontation between Jeong Ha-gyeong and Baek Mu-yeong – although it was mostly a one-sided attack from Jeong Ha-gyeong – the atmosphere in the room sank into an awkward sea of silence. Because of that, no one was able to offer an opinion. In the sunken atmosphere, like a lump of iron thrown into the abyss, how could a proper opinion emerge? As the atmosphere became stagnant, Baek Mu-yeong felt a desperate need to refresh the mood. He had a feeling that it would be very difficult to proceed with the meeting like this. Wouldn’t that negate the purpose of convening the emergency meeting? However, he couldn’t completely ignore Jeong Ha-gyeong for the sake of continuing the meeting.
“Now, now, Moyong Hwee, the Seven Severing Divine Sword, is a name that stirred up the martial arts world even before he entered the academy. No matter how exaggerated the rumors are, if we look at the combined results of the rumors about him, it seems that the rumors are rather insufficient for someone of his caliber. Disregarding such a person is not a proper course of action.”
And they were the dragon hunters who had to capture or eliminate that dragon. The last words were meant for her, to appease and persuade her. If he upset her, it would require tremendous effort and patience to rectify the situation. Baek Mu-yeong wanted to avoid that dreadful situation at all costs.
“No matter how extraordinary his existence is, I don’t think it’s to the extent that our Nine Profound Society’s top members need to gather and worry about the future. He’s still a first-year novice. At this rate, it seems like we’re getting scared and holding a countermeasure meeting,” Jeong Su-hyeong from the Hengshan Sect said with a very dissatisfied face.
“You can think of it as a countermeasure meeting. But please think again about who he is.”
“Even so, isn’t he just a first-year new student?”
“Tsk tsk, you’re too hasty. Have you already forgotten whose grandson and successor he is?” When Baek Mu-yeong reminded her of a certain fact, her face finally contorted in dismay. She had to admit that she had been living while forgetting one of the most famous stories in the martial arts world. With that, she could no longer object to Baek Mu-yeong’s opinion.
“I have to admit that I was too hasty. After all, he is that person’s grandson.”
Jeong Ha-gyeong readily acknowledged her mistake. Baek Mu-yeong showed a slight smile to reassure her.
“But don’t be too hard on yourself. It hurts my heart. Unfortunately for us, he is that person’s most cherished grandson and successor. And I am convinced that most of that person’s affection stems from his talent rather than blood ties. There is evidence for that.”
“Then, it wouldn’t be wrong to think that he received advanced lessons ahead of time.”
“Does that mean the Deputy Leader is assuming the worst-case scenario?” Yu Gyu-seon from the Huashan Sect interjected and asked.
“It’s an assumption that seems unlikely and one I don’t even want to imagine. But if, by any unfortunate chance, it turns out to be true, we will have to pour in a tremendous amount of effort and tireless dedication this time. It’s definitely not something we should welcome from our perspective.”
“This year’s Three Saints Competition might be in danger.” Cheong-heun, who had been sitting silently next to Baek Mu-yeong, finally spoke. He was an extraordinary talent from the Mudang Sect. He was a master swordsman who could not be defeated by anyone except the leader. Even Baek Mu-yeong himself had to concede when it came to martial arts. Although he hadn’t completely abandoned his spectator-like attitude, he knew exactly what Baek Mu-yeong was trying to say. The faces of the eight people surrounding the rosewood round table noticeably hardened. Jeong Ha-gyeong spoke again.
“Then, does the Deputy Leader think that he may have not only received the Revised Great Method at birth but also inherited internal energy from that person?”
The Revised Great Method was a type of qigong technique performed on infants shortly after birth to activate the qi meridians throughout the body and transform the bones and muscles to create a body suitable for practicing martial arts. It had to be performed during infancy to maximize its effects, as it prevented the invasion of worldly energy and blockage of qi meridians. It could be considered a procedure performed for the purpose of preventing the infiltration of worldly energy. In other words, it allowed one to achieve internal energy cultivation three to four times faster than ordinary people. It could be described as a road construction project for blood pathways and qi meridians. Just as faster movement was possible on a well-paved road compared to a bumpy gravel road, the Revised Great Method played a similar role in smoothing and paving the pathways for qi circulation. It was something that every martial artist wished to receive at least once. However, to perform this procedure, one needed the assistance of at least three supreme masters with tremendous internal energy, so the practitioners tended to be reluctant. Moreover, this Revised Great Method had to be performed during infancy for the procedure to be much easier and to see its effects. This was because the bodies of ordinary adults had accumulated worldly energy and waste blocking the qi meridians, requiring two to four times more effort and strength than infants to penetrate them. Furthermore, even after the procedure, the effects were minimal, making the efforts almost futile. The person who received that supreme method, which was said to be given to only one in 50,000 people, right after birth was none other than Moyong Hwee. If, on top of that, he had also inherited internal energy, he would rise to become the strongest obstacle, more than enough to trouble them.
“I think there is a very high possibility, if not all of it, for at least a part of it. No matter what anyone says, he is the most cherished grandson of Sword Saint Moyong Cheon, one of the Three Heavenly Sages,” Baek Mu-yeong said.
“That’s truly the worst-case scenario.” Gu Yang-jin spat out. Even he hadn’t realized that Baek Mu-yeong was taking the situation that seriously. If that was the case, it was understandable that Baek Mu-yeong, the Deputy Leader and the brain of the Nine Profound Society, was making a fuss.