Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

The light of dawn bathed the Namgung Clan's central training ground in a soft glow, but today, instead of the usual shouts of their martial artists, it was filled with rows of new instructors from four martial arts academies.

GULP! GULP!

The new instructors swallowed hard, visibly nervous. Behind them, the Azure Sky Sword Brigade stood in formation, their presence radiating an icy aura of authority. Although many of them were renowned experts from prestigious sects and families, few could remain unfazed in the midst of the world's mightiest martial clan.

As if that weren't bad enough, the escort instructors from each academy stood in front of them, nagging relentlessly as they reminded them of proper behavior.

"Be extra careful not to show the Namgung Clan Patriarch any disrespect," the Vermillion Phoenix escort instructor warned.

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"Straighten your shoulders! Show them the dignity of a White Tiger instructor!" the White Tiger escort instructor scolded.

Namgung Su sighed, "…Baek Suryong. Stop yawning."

It was no surprise that the new instructors were brimming with excitement. After all, there was a legend that any instructor who graduated at the top of the training would one day rise to the rank of Star Instructor. While this outcome seemed perfectly logical, it was impossible for the trainees not to feel the weight of it. At the very least, their performance here would shape how they were perceived when they returned to their respective schools.

"The Patriarch is coming!" the captain of the Azure Sky Sword Brigade shouted, his voice imbued with inner qi.

The Azure Sky Sword Brigade stomped their feet in perfect unison.

BOOM!

As the ground vibrated from their synchronized stomp, the previously noisy atmosphere fell silent, and all eyes turned toward the dueling platform.

Namgung Cheon, Patriarch of the Namgung Clan, arrived with a young man and an old man trailing behind him. Among the new instructors, many found themselves more astonished by the pair accompanying him than by the Patriarch's presence.

The Blue Sky Sword King!

The Erudite Sage!

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The young man to the left of the Patriarch was the famous Blue Sky Sword King Namgung Jaehak, while the tall, thin old man with the unusually large head was the Erudite Sage, a scholar who was said to know everything about martial arts theory.

""Greetings to the Patriarch of the great Namgung Clan!""

""Greetings to the great senior of the murim, the Blue Sky Sword King!""

""Greetings to the great senior of the murim, the Erudite Sage!""

The senior instructors of the Four Academies were the first to clasp their hands in salute, and the new instructors hurriedly followed suit.

Namgung Cheon briefly surveyed them and said indifferently, "Nice to meet you. I am Namgung Cheon, and I will be in charge of this new instructor training course."

Although he was often overshadowed by his father, Namgung Cheon was a transcendent master whose strength approached that of the Ten Supremes. Even without projecting his aura, few of the new instructors could meet his gaze directly.

"There's no need for a long speech, so I'll get straight to the point. The new instructor training course here at Namgung Clan will take place over seven days. The course is largely divided into theory and practical sessions, and the two grandmasters beside me will be in charge of each one respectively."

The Blue Sky Sword King and the Erudite Sage, who had been standing a step behind the Patriarch, stepped forward together.

"Greetings, I am the Blue Sky Sword King. I've already met some of you."

"Kukuku… Greetings, youngsters. I am the Erudite Sage."

All the new instructors greeted in unison, ""Greetings, Grandmasters!""

The two old masters nodded slightly and stepped back.

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Namgung Cheon continued, "Also, senior instructors who have taught at the Five Great Academies for at least ten years and are now retired will assist the two Grandmasters as teaching assistants."

A dozen or so teaching assistants stepped forward from under the platform, each radiating a powerful aura.

"That person is…!"

"Master Drifting Cloud Swordsman!"

"The Ice Moon Fairy!"

Upon recognizing the assistants, the new instructors were shocked.

All of them are truly remarkable experts, Baek Suryong mused, slightly impressed by the caliber of the senior instructors. He had come with a lax attitude, and only now did he feel that he might actually gain something from this experience.

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"I will end my speech here so as not to waste your valuable training time. I hope that you will all gain much from this training and return to your schools armed with new insights."

Having finished his brief speech, Namgung Cheon stepped down from the platform, but just before leaving, his gaze lingered on Baek Suryong for an instant.

"……"

It was such a fleeting moment that no one noticed except for the two of them.

With the Patriarch gone, only the Blue Sky Sword King and the Erudite Sage remained on the platform.

The Blue Sky Sword King stepped back and said to the Erudite Sage, "You go first. Morning is for theory."

"Very well." With the Blue Sky Sword King's concession, the Erudite Sage stepped forward. Scanning the new instructors, he said in a raspy voice, "As I mentioned earlier, I am known as the Erudite Sage, and I pride myself on being the world's best in martial arts theory."

The fact that he claimed to be the world's best while the Blue Sky Sword King, a member of the Ten Supremes, was standing right next to him showed just how strong the Erudite Sage's confidence in his martial arts theory was.

"Before we begin the lecture, I need to assess your current abilities."

Some of the new instructors immediately frowned. They were outstanding individuals who had been recruited by the Five Great Academies. Even though it was the Erudite Sage who said it, they couldn't help but feel offended.

The Erudite Sage scoffed. "Arrogant youngsters. All of you, spread out and sit down."

The new instructors swallowed their discontent and did as instructed, while the teaching assistants handed out brushes, inkstones, ink sticks, and a book to each of them.

Baek Suryong snorted. What the hell? He's treating us like scholars about to take the Imperial Examinations.

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"What I have just handed out is a martial arts manual," the Erudite Sage said, stepping down from the platform and walking among the seated instructors. "To be precise, it's a demonic arts manual."

"!!"

"If you learn the formulas written in this demonic art as they are, you will suffer qi deviation and go insane, or die with blood pouring out of every orifice in your body."

The new instructors stared at the books in front of them, their faces tense. The covers were blank.

"Read the manual and locate the flawed passages that will directly cause qi deviation. There are six errors in total."

"…What?"

"Here and now?"

"Don't you know that just reading a demonic art can cause qi deviation?"

Realizing how absurd the Erudite Sage's demand was, the new instructors began to protest despite knowing it was disrespectful.

The Erudite Sage ignored their complaints. "If you don't want to do it, then leave. If you're going to be affected by such a low-grade demonic art, then you're not qualified to teach at the Five Great Academies."

"……"

The Erudite Sage grinned maliciously, revealing his yellowed teeth. "Kukuku… I'll give you four hours. Those who do not find any errors within that time will be considered unqualified to attend my lectures and will be sent home."

Standing behind the Erudite Sage, the Blue Sky Sword King shook his head helplessly. He's incorrigible.

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Meanwhile, the new instructors panicked.

Only four hours?

That's not even enough time to properly interpret the manual…

This is a demonic art! What kind of crazy test is this?!

The Erudite Sage didn't give them any more time to think. "Begin!" he announced.

Despite feeling wronged, the new instructors quickly buried their heads in the demonic arts manual.

The Erudite Sage strolled among the groaning new instructors, laughing wickedly to himself. Kukuku…You guys. Life has been pretty easy so far, hasn't it?

Although he had called it basic, this was actually a test designed to break the new instructors' spirits right from the start. He could say with certainty that not a single instructor would solve this problem perfectly within four hours.

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If they can solve it, they're already at the level of a Star Instructor.

He did not anticipate this level of skill from the fledglings. His primary goal was to humble them and ensure that they would follow his teachings without resistance.

His gaze lingered on a few of the more prominent new instructors.

Sama Yeong. Tang Baekho. Baek Suryong.

These three were said to be the most promising new recruits of the Five Great Academies this year, and indeed, all three seemed to have exceptional martial arts talent.

However, martial arts theory was a completely different matter.

An instructor lacking in theory is nothing but an empty shell.

Talented prodigies learned martial arts through intuition, not theory. They could imitate something after seeing it once, while normal people needed detailed explanations and lots of practice. Therefore, it was common for prodigies to be extremely strong but know next to nothing about martial arts theory.

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Fuck talent.

The Erudite Sage had wanted to be among the world's strongest martial artists, but he wasn't born with outstanding talent. Despite mastering countless martial arts techniques, he remained a mere peak-level master. As such, he despised instructors who relied solely on talent.

As a learner, one can rely on talent and become strong. However, teachers cannot be like that.

Just like the Erudite Sage himself, there were far more people in the world without talent than there were with it. Such students needed a teacher who could guide them using sound theory, not one who shone with raw talent and good instincts.

If you have neglected your theoretical studies, relying only on talent, you will be thoroughly humiliated here.

He carefully observed the three individuals he had marked.

"Ugh…"

Tang Baekho of the White Tiger Academy was scratching his head in frustration. It seemed he was stuck from the very beginning.

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This man is hopeless.

On the other hand, Sama Yeong of the Vermilion Phoenix Academy had already read more than half of the manual in less than an hour.

Oho. That girl might be worth watching.

Just from the way she held the book, he could tell how hard she had studied and how much effort she had put into it. It was said that she was a prodigy even at the Heavenly Martial Academy, and indeed, she seemed to excel in both theory and martial arts.

Nodding, the Erudite Sage finally turned his attention to Baek Suryong of the Azure Dragon Academy…only to find Baek Suryong casually flipping through the manual while making occasional annotations with his brush.

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A surge of displeasure welled up in his heart. Why is he just skimming through it like that? How dare he…!

At that moment, Baek Suryong looked up and met the Erudite Sage's eyes. "Can I submit it if I'm done?" he asked.

"You insolent…"

"Excuse me?" Baek Suryong tilted his head in confusion. Why's he being like this just because I met his gaze?

Seeing Baek Suryong's response, the Erudite Sage barely managed to contain his anger.

Hmph, he's done? What bullshit is that? How is it even possible to find all six erroneous passages in one hour? He must have just guessed randomly…

"Yes, you can submit it to me. I'll evaluate it right here, right now," he snapped gruffly.

"Yes, sir." Baek Suryong rose to his feet and handed over the manual.

The Erudite Sage took it and immediately began grading it on the spot. "Let's see. How good are you… Hmm?"

"……"

"Oho."

"……"

"Not bad."

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"……"

"H-How…?"

"……"

"This can't be…"

"……"

"Gasp!" The Erudite Sage choked.

"What's wrong?" the Blue Sky Sword King asked, approaching him worriedly.

"How could this be…!" The Erudite Sage's jaw dropped as he stared at the manual.

Let's say he was lucky enough to get the first one or two right. However, once he went past three, four, isn't it something that can't be explained by luck? Moreover…

"HOW ON EARTH DID YOU FIND THEM ALL!?"

At those words, not only the Blue Sky Sword King and the teaching assistants, but even the new instructors looked up at Baek Suryong.

"You've already finished interpreting it?"

"How?"

"Is he a monster…?"

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Everyone stared at Baek Suryong as if they were looking at an inhuman monster. Only Sama Yeong gritted her teeth and went back to solving the problem… but when she heard Baek Suryong's next words, she dropped her brush.

"It's not six, but seven, right?" Baek Suryong asked sheepishly.

The Erudite Sage stared at him, dumbfounded. "What?"

Baek Suryong flipped to the last page of the manual. "The incorrect passages, I mean. There's one more."

"What?!"

"Oh, so it wasn't a bonus question?"

"!!!!"

Translator's Note: People who laugh "kukuku" simply cannot be trusted.