Chapter 245

The Martial Alliance was thrown into chaos without anyone noticing.

This was due to the incident where several mid-level officials, including the Secretary Won and the peace warriors, died within the alliance.

The victims had suddenly complained of abdominal pain and then collapsed, ultimately succumbing to convulsions.

Upon hearing the autopsy results, Jo Hyun-ryang held his head in his hands.

“Solitude, huh? What does that even mean?”

“They say a deadly poison burst forth from within them, rotten enough to damage their organs, yet their gallbladder and liver looked unusually clean. Additionally, there are reports of casualties within the government as well.”

“Hmph. So?”

“They speculate that someone might have used solitude as a cover for achieving their goals, leading to the total extermination of the group. That’s the military department’s theory.”

Reach an impossible point, huh? Jo Hyun-ryang thought. Seems they’ve put some fancy words together, these military folks.

“Aren’t we expecting guests from the Tang family? Those guys are experts in that area; maybe we should seek their cooperation?”

“This could become a weak point for the alliance. For now, we’re investigating whether there were any underhanded dealings related to solitude among the victims.”

“Hm. Sure.”

Jo Hyun-ryang nodded.

I wonder if we even need reports if they’re handling everything themselves.

But this was the fate of the leader of the Martial Alliance.

While the staff handled the work, the leader had to be well-informed about everything happening in the alliance.

“And here are the results of today’s agenda. Please review them thoroughly before signing. It would be troubling if you just slapped your seal on it and claimed that you had never approved it like last time.”

If that’s the case, you might as well take over as the leader, Jo Hyun-ryang sighed heavily.

—-

The atmosphere of the Martial World Tournament was reaching its climax.

As various events had mostly concluded, before the semifinals of the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts Match, the results of the agenda were about to be announced.

Even the mid-level martial artists from the provinces had come out to cast their votes, representing the will of the orthodox sects.

Dressing almost like a celestial being, Jo Hyun-ryang declared the subsequent official activities of the Martial Alliance with awe-inspiring volume full of his inner strength.

First, there was news of support for the orthodox martial artists in the southeast of the Central Plain, specifically in the Yang Province and the Jiao Zhu region.

Since the area was suppressed by the Gangster Group, the intent was to help relieve some of that pressure.

The establishment of the Hunan Branch of the Martial Alliance was also part of this extension, as it was the optimal location to quickly spread into the Yang Province and Jiao Zhu.

However, what truly excited everyone was the news of the resurrection of the Yijeong Muhak Institute.

Simply put, the Yijeong Muhak Institute was a non-regular training institution under the Martial Alliance.

“Send all your talented boys and girls here; we’ll turn them into masters!” was the gist of it.

Because they generously offered various training resources along with some elixirs, they were said to produce future masters every time they opened up.

In fact, for notable martial sects, it wasn’t exactly an attractive choice.

If they already had well-established disciple training systems based on renowned divine skills, there wouldn’t be the need to send promising talents to the Martial Alliance.

But for mid-level martial artists or those young and unknown aspiring to join the orthodox sects, it was truly a golden opportunity to rise from the mud, like a dragon emerging from a pond.

“Oooh! Wow!”

In the midst of the vibrant atmosphere, Qing could hear cheers clearly coming from beyond the waiting room for the competition.

“What’s going on? Did they start handing out unlimited meal vouchers at some fancy restaurant?”

“Seriously. It always comes down to food.”

“Otherwise, is there anything to get that crazy excited about? Unless our leader declared, ‘I’ll treat today!’ or something.”

The waiting participant, Pang Dae-san, chuckled at that.

The semifinals were a showdown between Gongson Yo-ye and Pang Dae-san, as well as Wolbong and Seomun Qing.

In the end, it was left to those whose mastery levels were the highest.

“San, what are we eating after the matches? Either you or Yo-ye is winning today, so I’ll treat. Celebratory drinks for the winner and consolation drinks for the loser. How about Sa Hong Chun Jiu? I’ve heard it’s quite the rising star these days?”

“Aren’t you a bit too relaxed? Hm. If you end up losing, that consolation drink might end up being for you.”

“Come on, the great Seomun Qing wouldn’t lose to some scrubs!”

Then Pang Dae-san smirked and asked, “By the way, who are you cheering for? Me or Gongson?”

“What are you, five? Asking something like ‘who do you like more, mom or dad?’”

“Not picking someone and saying you like both wouldn’t be fun either. So, who are you supporting?”

“Hmm.”

Qing pretended to ponder seriously as he rubbed his chin, but eventually, he had his answer ready.

“I suppose I’ll have to cheer for you. Can’t help but stick with the loyalty from seeing you for so long.”

“Is that so? If Gongson was here, I think you’d have given a different answer.”

“No way. Based on past match results, when you’re in the ring, you’re practically guaranteed to win. Yo-ye, however, seems a bit tricky to deal with. Plus, she hasn’t shown her true abilities yet, I feel?”

At this, Pang Dae-san’s eyebrows twitched.

You’re saying you’re cheering for me because you think I’m the easier match?

“Do people usually just say that to someone’s face?”

“Hmph. If you’re feeling unfair, then just win and come back.”

“Ha. You better not underestimate Shaolin’s martial arts, or you might regret it. Even if you lose, don’t worry. I’ll drown you in drinks afterward.”

“Hmm. Not sure if that’s a curse or a blessing.”

Just as Qing tilted his head in confusion, the moment for Pang Dae-san arrived.

As he stood up to head toward the arena, he suddenly grabbed the door and turned back.

“Make sure you win and come back. I’d like to have a proper match in the finals.”

With a slight flush of his ears, he dashed out.

Qing instantly had a feeling about the match result.

Once someone says something like that, they’re bound to lose, it’s a universal law, right?

And sure enough, that’s exactly how it turned out.

Qing was unsurprised, having already anticipated it. He merely lit up with the thrill of having another juicy story to tease about.

And now it was his turn.

As he made his way through the familiar hallway toward the competition stage, a deafening roar of cheers shook the arena.

In the Martial World, the status of Shaolin could be summed up in one word.

Sovereignty.

“All martial arts originated from Shaolin.” That saying was practically gospel among the martial world.

Thanks to that, for common folks who knew little about martial arts, Shaolin was almost a sacred entity almost identical with the Martial World itself.

Moreover, the Number One in the World came from Shaolin.

And now, a promising young disciple was making waves at the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts Match, so it was only natural everyone would be ecstatic.

There were people everywhere claiming the next Number One in the World would emerge from his martial trials, as if the victor was already decided.

Fueled by that excitement, when Wolbong the monk strutted in with a heavy thud that reverberated through the ground, the uproar was enough to shake the earth.

And as Wolbong performed the unique greeting of Shaolin, the noise only heightened.

This was called “Ban-Jang,” a form of greeting.

Long ago, a greatly esteemed monk named Hye-ga offered to cut off his own arm as a tuition fee when asking to learn from Master Da-mo, so the tradition came from there.

Once he made his offering, the surprised Da-mo accepted him as a disciple thinking, “Now that’s a dedicated one!”

Normally, the greeting consists of joining palms, but Hye-ga had only one hand, so he did a one-handed prayer, hence the term “Ban-Jang,” or “half greeting.”

However, the cheering continued for too long.

The audience, unable to control their excitement at witnessing the future Number One, couldn’t hold back their jubilation.

Seeing this, Seomun Sulin frowned.

At official events, when one person receives such enthusiastic cheers, the next one should wait until things calm down; it’s basic etiquette.

But if the cheering drags on, the next speaker could end up waiting indefinitely, so it’s also their duty to request moderation at a proper level.

And so, Seomun Sulin could only click her tongue.

That young monk was getting way too full of himself.

Given that he had likely spent all his time training on the peak of Songshan without properly exposing himself to public appreciation, one could understand him basking in this glory.

But for a master whose essence revolves around stillness and unwavering spirit like Shaolin, he clearly still had much to learn.

Seomun Sulin didn’t try to hide her discomfort as she glared at the stage.

As expected, Great Master Muhak, known as the Number One in the World, also couldn’t hide his embarrassment as his eyebrows twitched.

Seeing that expression calmed Seomun Sulin’s heart just a bit.

It seemed he had passed on martial skills sufficiently well, but the training in internal discipline must have been lacking.

Finally, even the host stepped in, waving his arms and requesting calm.

Only afterward did the lovely disciple appear, radiantly beautiful as if she descended from heaven—

“Wow, it’s the Stunning Sword Lady!”

Seomun Sulin clenched her fist tightly.

With hardly anyone responding, the atmosphere was as silent as could be compared to the thunderous cheers that had filled the arena moments before.

It was a stark contrast to when Gongson’s child had come out; there was no denying that.

Of course, Gongson’s kid had a modest appearance, but had they been a beauty and competing against Oki-rin, support would’ve flooded in.

Perhaps since the disciple had her face covered, some assumed her looks weren’t great, which accounted for the lukewarm reception.

Though Seomun Sulin was well-versed in how women were treated in the martial world, she couldn’t help but worry that her disciple might feel disheartened even before the match began.

Qing didn’t particularly care.

He thought it was just the usual popularity of Shaolin and waited leisurely.

In fact, even Qing—who previously had no knowledge of the martial world—knew that Shaolin was renowned for its martial monks, so you could only imagine how the people of the Central Plain felt.

But where did this common knowledge about the martial arts of Shaolin even come from? It was something no one could be unaware of. Well, why would he even think about it?

“Presenting Seomun Qing from the Divine Maiden Sect!”

“Amitabha. This is Wolbong from Shaolin.”

Qing finally got to see Wolbong up close.

Wolbong had kept a low profile, rarely showing his face outside of the martial tournament, and Qing had only ever seen him from a distance in the audience at Muchen Pavilion.

So, as Qing looked at Wolbong, he thought to himself.

Hmm. But… doesn’t he look a bit older?

Is he really a promising disciple…? He should be, right?

He looked to be in his mid-thirties at first glance, which seemed a bit awkward for someone participating in a category for younger folks.

Still, Qing himself wasn’t in a position to complain about that.

After all, he was also technically a twenty-year-old participant and fully understood he could easily get away with some embellishing about his own age if he needed to.

If Wolbong found out, it’d be quite the injustice.

Because, after all, Wolbong was only twenty-seven, a vibrant young man.

Besides, it was typical for young disciples of Shaolin to look a bit older, likely because they underwent rigorous physical training from a young age.

Wolbong just happened to be a little more affected than the rest.

Whether he realized Qing’s questionable thoughts or not, Wolbong continued greeting warmly.

“I’ll yield the first strike for you, my disciple.”

“I won’t refuse. Here I go!”

With that, Qing energetically stepped onto the stage.

---