The Lazy Young Master of the Jin Clan

An abandoned building where no one lived anymore.

A man entered the desolate place.

He was shabbily dressed and had a grimy appearance, as if he hadn't touched a drop of water in at least a few months.

He wandered around the abandoned building before finding a suitable spot and plopping down on the floor.

Chomp— Chomp—!

He took out dried beef jerky from his bosom and chewed on it.

It was cheap jerky, so it required the effort of chewing it thoroughly, but the man enjoyed even that.

Because the longer he chewed, the more he could feel full with a small amount.

“Hoo—”

After a simple meal, the man waited for night to fall.

After about two hours, the sky darkened, and the abandoned building, without a single lantern, darkened along with it.

In the dark, abandoned house, the man’s eyes sparkled.

“Oho!”

The man, Gu Yong, dusted off his bottom and stood up, looking down at the floor with narrowed eyes.

Thin lines were drawn on the dusty wooden floor.

It was like a kind of scribble.

A messy scribble that anyone else would have passed by without a second thought.

But Gu Yong saw what others could not.

Because this was a secret code he had created.

“The Hao Sect… they succeeded… in producing the Formless Earth Killing Poison!? The descendants of the Poison Sect… are alive.”

Gu Yong felt a chill as he read the codes left by Bieunggaek.

“Damn it!”

Sweat automatically formed on his clenched fists.

The Formless Earth Killing Poison was literally one of the formless poisons created by the Sichuan Tang Clan, and it was a poison used to poison opponents by mixing it with sand poison and scattering it in the air.

Not only did it have an extremely lethal killing power, enough to be called one of the five great exterminating poisons, but if the antidote was not taken in time, death would occur within fifteen minutes of being poisoned.

And that Formless Earth Killing Poison had fallen into the hands of the Hao Sect, who had received the cooperation of the Poison Sect.

“And they’ve even finished preparing to use it…”

Gu Yong grabbed his head with one hand. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

‘The only place they would use the Formless Earth Killing Poison is there!’

The Four Daoist Assembly.

The place where over three hundred late-stage prospects selected by the righteous martial world were gathered.

“Tsk!”

Gu Yong hurriedly left the abandoned house and quickened his pace.

‘We’ve prepared countermeasures against poison, and those whose identities are not guaranteed can’t even get near the venue. Even if they have the Formless Earth Killing Poison, they won’t be able to use it easily.’

The disadvantages of the Formless Earth Killing Poison were that its production method was difficult and its killing range was not wide.

This was because the density of the Formless Earth Killing Poison was high, so it couldn't stay in the air for long.

‘If we can just block the surprise attack of the assassin with the poison, we can definitely stop it!’

Contrary to his cool-headed analysis of the situation, Gu Yong’s steps grew faster and faster.

***

The start of the Four Daoist Assembly was marked by the sparring matches between the disciples who had stepped forward for the individual competition as representatives of each Daoist Temple.

Five from each of the four Daoist Temples.

A total of twenty disciples stepped up for the sparring.

Randomly selected disciples, holding their respective weapons, stepped onto the sparring stage made of blue river stone.

“I am Geum Eundong of the Beggars' Sect, from the Black Tortoise Daoist Temple!”

“This humble monk is Dohye, a disciple of Shaolin from the White Tiger Daoist Temple.”

At the conversation between the two who had come up to the stage, Oh Seolhwa, who was watching, said in disbelief.

“A beggar’s name is Geum Eundong [Gold Silver Bronze]?”

“Of all things.”

Peng Ogyeong, who was watching the match with her, shrugged his shoulders.

The Four Daoist Assembly had officially begun, and the sparring between the spirited martial artists started.

‘My body is trembling on its own!’

The fighting spirit emanating from the young martial artists on the sparring stage stimulated the disciples who were watching from the sidelines.

“Who do you think will win?”

“Shaolin, of course.”

Most of the disciples gathered for the Four Daoist Assembly were discussing who would win the sparring match.

And as most had predicted, the winner of the first sparring match was Dohye, a disciple of Shaolin and a member of the White Tiger Daoist Temple.

“It was a good match.”

Dohye put his palms together and stepped back with a smiling face.

Geum Eundong, lying flat like a frog, bit his lip.

‘Shit.’

An overwhelming defeat.

The moment he saw the brilliant golden palm in front of his eyes, he collapsed without being able to put up any resistance.

Geum Eundong dejectedly stepped down from the sparring stage.

Of course, there were no cheers for the loser.

“How terribly cold.”

Yeom Yoa, the master of the White Tiger Daoist Temple, watched Dohye, who had easily won, with a pleased expression before shifting her gaze slightly.

There, Heonwon Hu, the master of the Black Tortoise Daoist Temple, was silently watching the sparring stage.

“Of course, that child from the Beggars' Sect isn’t the disciple Master Heonwon was relying on, is he?”

“They are all precious disciples to me.”

“It must be a pity that a precious disciple has experienced a bitter defeat.”

Yeom Yoa had a feigned look of concern, but the temple masters gathered here knew her inner thoughts.

The Four Daoist Assembly was a place where the selected late-stage prospects of the righteous path showcased their achievements over the past year, and at the same time, it was a place to test the abilities of the masters who taught them.

Naturally, the master of the Daoist Temple that won the Four Daoist Assembly would surely receive public attention.

Something more important than money to martial artists.

Honor followed.

And that, in front of the Martial Alliance Leader.

‘The White Tiger Daoist Temple will be the one to win the Four Daoist Assembly.’

Yeom Yoa, the master of the White Tiger Daoist Temple, was confident.

Because she had disciples from Shaolin, which represented the Nine Great Sects, and the Namgung Clan, which represented the Five Great Clans.

But even Yeom Yoa had someone she was concerned about.

‘The one I need to be most concerned about is… that one over there, I suppose?’

Yeom Yoa glanced at Gwak Myeong out of the corner of her eye.

The Blue Dragon Daoist Temple was the smallest, with about a third of the disciples of the other temples.

Even if it was an accident, Gwak Myeong, who couldn't protect his disciples, could be seen as the least qualified leader among the four masters, and the evaluation of the righteous martial world was also like this.

However, the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple had the White Moon Palace.

‘Nothing is known about the White Moon Palace yet.’

What kind of martial arts they actually used.

The only one who knew how strong they were was their master, Gwak Myeong.

Yeom Yoa’s eyes landed on Cheon Yerang, who had come up to the sparring stage for the second match.

‘Now, show me. What kind of power the daughter of the White Moon Daoist Lord is hiding!’

***

“Oh, it’s Miss Cheon’s turn.”

From the highest point of the estate, with a clear view of the sparring stage, a man wearing a black robe looked down at the stage.

“Miss Cheon will win easily, right?”

Jin Sohyun, who had not only worn a robe but also prepared a mask, watched the sparring with interested eyes and put a rice ball he had stolen from the kitchen into his mouth.

“This is pretty tasty.”

While munching on the rice ball, Jin Sohyun kept an eye on his surroundings.

He was currently in a situation where he couldn't reveal himself.

—Are you saying you’re going to see the Four Daoist Assembly?

—Yes. You never know, right? The Nameless Pavilion is as good as defunct, but the Heretic Path's Alliance is still going strong.

—You’d go even if I told you not to. Stubborn fellow… be careful. But, since you’re known as someone who can’t use martial arts, you must never, no matter what happens, reveal your identity. Understood?

—Yes!

In any case, Jin Sohyun also wanted to avoid trouble.

‘Let’s just get through this Four Daoist Assembly safely, and never set foot in this damn martial world again.’

After asking Kang Cheon to ensure the safety of his clan and family, he had secretly left the estate.

Then he had stopped by the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple, stolen Hwanggu, and come all the way here where the Four Daoist Assembly was being held.

“Miss Cheon is strong, as expected.”

Cheon Yerang easily overwhelmed her opponent, Mae Jung, a disciple of the Kunlun Sect from the Vermilion Bird Daoist Temple.

At first, Mae Jung’s sword seemed to be pressuring Cheon Yerang sharply.

But as time passed, Mae Jung’s sword began to move further away from Cheon Yerang.

Eventually, Cheon Yerang’s sword cleverly deceived Mae Jung’s sword, which was trying to block, and stopped right at his throat.

“Keuk… I have lost.”

Nodding her head, Cheon Yerang stepped down from the sparring stage without a single word.

The disciples of the Daoist Temples, who had been watching in a daze, sent up fervent cheers.

Not only her beautiful appearance but also her skill that overwhelmed a martial artist from the Nine Great Sects.

“Is that the White Moon Palace, as expected!?”

“Amazing… it’s overwhelming!”

“Keuk! To think that Disciple Mae Jung of the Kunlun Sect would be defeated so easily.”

The joy and sorrow of the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple and the Vermilion Bird Daoist Temple were starkly divided.

“We don’t have to worry about Miss Cheon!”

“Maybe we can win the Four Daoist Assembly!”

The disciples of the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple sent fervent cheers toward the returning Cheon Yerang.

The disciples of the other Daoist Temples watched Cheon Yerang with eyes filled with envy, jealousy, or admiration.

“There’s no need to worry about Miss Cheon.”

Jin Sohyun, who was watching the sparring just like them, sat cross-legged and narrowed his eyes.

“Hmm… let’s see…”

Jin Sohyun had not forgotten his role.

The reason he had come all this way, enduring the trouble of hiding his identity.

It was to stop the Heretic Path's Alliance, which would be targeting the Four Daoist Assembly.

“How are they planning to attack?”

Jin Sohyun couldn't get a feel for it at all.

How was the Heretic Path's Alliance targeting the Four Daoist Assembly?

‘The security is too tight to send assassins. It won’t be easy to infiltrate.’

Jin Sohyun looked around the outskirts of the estate with eyes tinged with a blue light.

He could feel faint presences here and there.

A considerable number of martial artists were guarding the estate while hiding their presence.

It was so difficult for even a mouse to pass through that Jin Sohyun had to use all his strength to get over the estate wall.

In the process, he was almost caught having secretly entered the venue.

“If I can get in, then skilled assassins should be able to get in too.”

Jin Sohyun lay on his side and tapped his ankle.

The fifth sparring match was already underway below him.

“Huh?”

There was a familiar face there.

“That young lady is…”

It was a familiar face.

“Isn’t that Young Lady Namgung?”

Namgung Seoru, whom he had met at the Namgung Clan, appeared on the sparring stage.

And her opponent, coincidentally, was Peng Sopyeong.

The two, who had met on the sparring stage as representatives of the White Tiger Daoist Temple and the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple respectively, clasped their fists and greeted each other.

“I didn’t expect to meet Young Lady Namgung here!”

“I know.”

Unlike Peng Sopyeong, who greeted her warmly, Namgung Seoru drew her sword without hesitation.

“My… you’re not even giving me a moment to share the joy of our reunion!”

Peng Sopyeong also drew his saber.

He didn't know why, but the aura of Namgung Seoru, whom he had reunited with after a long time, was different.

‘She feels sharper?’

She had always had a cold personality, enough to be called a flower carved from a blade, but today it was even more so.

Peng Sopyeong swallowed dryly as he faced Namgung Seoru, who was exuding a blade-like aura.

‘I have to do my best.’

“If you are ready, we will begin the sparring.”

As they nodded at the same time, the two kicked off the sparring stage with the referee’s signal.

“Hyaap!”

“…”

Peng Sopyeong’s powerful saber strike split Namgung Seoru in half.

But Namgung Seoru’s sword strike deflected Peng Sopyeong’s saber more quickly.

Kaaang—!!

“Ugh!”

Visibly flustered, Peng Sopyeong stumbled back.

‘I’m being pushed back in strength?!’

The delicacy of their swordsmanship had always been incomparable, but he had never been pushed back in terms of raw strength.

But today.

Peng Sopyeong was pushed back by Namgung Seoru even in raw strength.

‘My actual strength is a notch above. Is it the difference in internal energy?’

The power contained in the blade was different.

Namgung Seoru’s more profound internal energy had surpassed Peng Sopyeong by more than a notch.

“This is going to be a tough match!”

While Peng Sopyeong was struggling against Namgung Seoru, who was exuding a powerful aura, Jin Sohyun watched their sparring with interest.

“They say the best spectator sport is a fight… this is fun.”

Jin Sohyun, who was enjoying the irresponsible pleasure, suddenly flinched and hid himself below the roof.

Not long after, a man appeared where Jin Sohyun had been standing.

From head to toe.

The man, dressed in black, lowered his posture and placed his hand on the roof tile.

“It’s warm. Human warmth. Someone was here just a moment ago.”

The man widened his view and looked around.

“An assassin? They must have infiltrated to grasp the structure of the estate. For the Martial Alliance’s security network to be breached… this is a serious matter.”

The man who recognized the seriousness of the situation was So Soil, the leader of the Hidden Shadow Unit, which undertook missions requiring secrecy for the Martial Alliance.

So Soil, realizing that there was a third party besides themselves in the estate where the Four Daoist Assembly was being held, tried to move quickly.

“I must report this to the Alliance Leader at once…”

Thwack!

So Soil, who was hit by a surprise attack, collapsed.

Behind him stood Jin Sohyun with a clenched fist.

“Oops.”

In his thought that he shouldn't be discovered here.

He had knocked out a man he had never seen before.

Jin Sohyun looked down at So Soil, who was sprawled on the roof tiles, and scratched the back of his neck.

“This is a mess.”

(End of Chapter)