Martial Arts Ain't Anything Special-Chapter 88: Soft (1)

Seojun stared blankly at the kneeling Jang Geuk before shifting his gaze to Hwangbo Jun.

Hwangbo Jun flinched and stepped back.

Next, Seojun surveyed the Diamond Squad and Heavenly Wind Squad before unleashing a surge of demonic qi from his entire body.

“This energy is certainly like demonic qi.”

The surrounding vegetation twisted strangely when the rippling demonic qi swirled around Seojun’s body.

“But since I don’t follow the Demonic Path, it can’t simply be called demonic qi.”

As he spoke, he questioned himself.

Am I sure? Where’s the reason I can’t become a demonic practitioner like this?

If I continued cultivating towards the Demonic Cult, I could likely inherit the position of Heavenly Demon before long.

Don’t I want to rise above all mankind and rule all beneath me?

— Big brother! If big brother becomes stupid, Chunbong will be sad. Boohoo.

The ridiculous auditory hallucination snapped him back to reality. The Bluetooth Chunbong effect is no joke.

Seojun raised his hands and cut off the horns protruding from both temples. Blood flowed from the cut surfaces and the sharp pain cleared his mind.

Now I can breathe. Taking a deep breath, Seojun declared.

“Therefore, I will call this ghost qi, and I am not a demonic practitioner. Namgung Jincheon, Clan Head of the Namgung Clan and known as the Azure Sky Sword Venerable, vouches for all of this.”

He said I could use his name last time, so he’s probably vouching for this.

“I-I see! If that’s the case, we can trust you!”

Hwangbo Jun nodded hastily and sighed in relief. Seems he was scared of having to fight.

Then Seojun looked at Jang Geuk still kneeling.

“And as for you, well...”

Seojun extended his hand. His recently severed right arm was a bit stiff, but his regenerative abilities were gradually improving, even able to reattach severed limbs.

“Don’t take this too badly.”

His hand moved towards Jang Geuk’s head, who squeezed his eyes shut.

But instead of crushing Jang Geuk’s head, Seojun’s hand merely touched his crown for a moment before withdrawing.

He had intended to kill him at first, but he felt a strange sense of defiance after cutting off his horns.

I won’t be swayed by an unknown will.

The fact that someone of the Fort Commander-in-chief’s caliber hadn’t yet been subjugated meant he hadn’t crossed certain lines.

His intuition told him he wasn’t an untrustworthy person, but this world was too cruel to survive on instinct alone. There was no way to truly know the true nature of someone he’d only just met.

“I’ve planted the Primordial Sun-Moon Art in your Hundred Convergence Point. It will be effective for one year.”

It would naturally dissipate after a year. He briefly considered lying that it would explode on its own if he didn’t take care of it before the year was up, but decided against it.

“It’ll disappear on its own after a year. If I set it off before then, well... you know?”

Boom! His head would explode.

An ordinary person might feel terror at having a bomb planted in their head, but Jang Geuk wasn’t an ordinary person.

“Haha! So you’re accepting my loyalty! Thank you! But since we’re at this point, could I perhaps learn a bit of that Giant Spirit Divine Art?”

Seojun laughed slightly at his shameless words.

“Well, I’ll think about it. Anyhow, are you okay? Five people died by my hand.”

“That... was unavoidable, wasn’t it? It’s not something I should blame you for.”

Jang Geuk sighed heavily and stood up.

Hwangbo Jun looked at him strangely, but neither Seojun nor Jang Geuk paid him any attention.

“I look forward to working with you.”

Jang Geuk offered the fist-palm salute.

“Same.”

Seojun returned the gesture.

Then, feeling his insides starting to twist, he focused inward for a moment.

This state becoming permanent will be troublesome.

The distortion of essence, qi, and mind isn’t as simple as it sounds.

One misstep could lead to a collapse of balance and physical breakdown, or if lucky, just a warped mind leading to insanity.

Then he’d truly become a slaughterer worthy of being called a demonic practitioner.

Instinctively sensing this, Seojun created a new inner core within himself.

As he reformed his scattered realm, three beautiful flowers bloomed behind his head.

A newly formed inner core, not one solidified over time. It was fragile, slightly destabilizing the balance of his essence, qi, and mind, but this too was an issue that could be resolved given some time.

New novel chapt𝒆rs are published on ƒгeewebnovёl.com.

“Hmm...”

His head spun.

Shattering his inner core to gain a burst of explosive power. While it was similar to a finisher he had thought of before, the aftereffects would be just as severe as he had originally feared.

He’d need to rest quietly for a few days at least, possibly even months.

“Young Master.”

Hwan Baeho approached to support him, noticing his condition.

“Ah, thanks~”

After leaning on him, Seojun touched where his horns had been, feeling a smooth cut surface.

Wait, smooth?

Nothing changed no matter how many times he touched it.

“Oh, shit?”

A bald patch had formed. One on each temple, two in total.

“No... NOOOOOO...!!”

Well, fuck.

*A man’s greatest enemy. Baldness.

Seojun seriously worried whether he had fallen victim to its clutches, but it wasn’t something he could know immediately.

The problem would be solved if his hair grew back over time, but he would have to live with these two bald patches forever if it didn’t.

“Oh heavens!”

Hwan Baeho, carrying the wailing Seojun on his back, smiled awkwardly.

“It’ll be fine, Young Master. Your hair is long enough that it’s hardly noticeable.”

“Listen Uncle, this isn’t just any problem. It’s an extremely serious one.”

Seojun grumbled. The Diamond Squad, Heavenly Wind Squad, and the Green Forest bandits were following behind them.

The Diamond Squad and Green Forest bandits maintained their distance while watching each other warily, but surprisingly, the Heavenly Wind Squad paid them no attention.

As expected of the Great Namgung Clan. Their composure was on another level.

Is this my first time facing a proper qi arts master?

There was the Soul-Stealing Demon, but he killed him before seeing anything.

In the end, this was practically the first time he’d properly seen qi arts, and it was surprisingly unimpressive.

It’s rather unexpected.

The martial arts of long-established sects can be said to be near perfection, gradually improved by countless geniuses over a long history.

But in Seojun’s eyes, the ice arts that woman used didn’t seem all that perfect.

It was only natural. Everyone’s physique and mental imagery would be different, so achieving perfect unity with a pre-existing martial art was no easy feat.

It’s best to create your own martial arts to use after all.

Mm. Absolutely.

As Seojun nodded in satisfaction, Jang Geuk approached.

“I’ve been thinking, but I’m not sure so I’ll ask... What should I call you? Master? My Lord?”

“What.”

A hairy old man calling him Master? Seojun barely suppressed his urge to kill and took a deep breath.

“Whew... Of those, My Lord is better.”

“Then I shall do so. However... I hate to say this, but are you truly sure about this? Taking in the Fort Commander of the Green Forest bandits as a subordinate could lead to many headaches.”

“Ah, you don’t know?”

Seojun grinned.

“My father-in-law is seriously badass, so it’s fine. And well, from the Murim Alliance’s perspective, isn’t it a win since their forces have increased? Even if not, what are they gonna do about it?”

He glanced at Hwangbo Jun, who shuddered.

“Well... it shouldn’t matter. As long as you keep him on a tight leash, the Commander-in-chief will be pleased.”

Can’t trust that blockhead’s words, but that’s what he says for now.

“So then, what are you going to do now? Do you have somewhere to go?”

“Hm? What do you mean? Aren’t we going to the Namgung Clan?”

“Oh. Is that how it is?”

“That’s how it is.”

“I see.”

Seojun nodded, then suddenly had a thought and sent a sound transmission.

[Can you tell me the sutra for the Giant Spirit Divine Art?]

[Of course.]

After receiving the sutra, Seojun pondered for a moment before speaking.

“I’m amazed you reached the Transcendent Realm with such a garbage martial art.”

“Is it that bad?”

“It’s that bad. Honestly, I can see how you might make it to the Peak Realm if you’re lucky, but how the hell did you reach Transcendent?”

He must have unconsciously created a new path, or maybe the compatibility between the Giant Spirit Divine Art and Jang Geuk was unexpectedly good...

“I will say it’s not a completely worthless martial art. As you practice the Giant Spirit Divine Art, you gain a sharp intuition, which has saved my life more than once.”

“The Giant Spirit Divine Art doesn’t have that effect though?”

“Hm...?”

It was true. He couldn’t find any function that sharpened one’s intuition anywhere he looked.

“I think you just naturally developed good instincts to survive with such a crappy martial art... Maybe those who didn’t gain it all died?”

“...Is it that bad?”

“It’s that bad.”

“Oh...”

Seojun watched him lament, scratching his chin.

If we’re going to the Namgung Clan together... Should I create something like a Green Forest Squad?

Father-in-law probably won’t care much, so maybe I could create a decent martial art and build up a force with it?

No. Should I just learn the Namgung Clan’s basic arts and create a complementary martial art?

If I make it well and distribute it in the Namgung Clan, wouldn’t it be a win-win?

If I improve the qi accumulation speed, which is a weakness of the basic arts, and make it a bit easier to reach higher realms...

...It becomes a demonic art.

It seemed he needed to think about this a bit more.

That’s when—

“Hm? Wait a moment.”

At Seojun’s gesture, everyone stopped at once. The Diamond Squad and Heavenly Wind Squad both exuded sharp auras, watching in all directions.

The Green Forest bandits looked around nervously, subtly reaching for their weapons.

“Is it an enemy?”

Seojun shook his head at Hwan Baeho’s question.

“No, it’s not that.”

He got down from his back and looked in the direction he sensed something.

“There’s a kid running around frantically over there. Could someone bring them here?”

“Yes!”

Hwan Baeho immediately darted out. He never listened to the order to retreat, but—

Well he wasn’t much help in the end, but if Seojun had been pushed back in the fight against the two Transcendent Realm martial artists, he would have certainly risked his life to protect him.

The Diamond Squad wasn’t much different.

Unlike wandering martial artists, these were martial artists loyal to their clan.

While Seojun was lost in thought, Hwan Baeho returned carrying a child on his back.

“I’ve brought them, Young Master.”

The child was covered in injuries. It looked to be a boy about fifteen years old, and his desperate expression suggested something had happened.

“P-Please help me...!”

As Seojun raised an eyebrow, the child cried out screaming.

“M-My sister...! Hic! She was kidnapped...!”

Looking at the child’s injuries, most seemed to be scratches from branches or from falling.

It appeared he had hidden and luckily avoided being found.

The corners of Seojun’s mouth twitched.

“Young Master, it seems to be the Black Serpent bastards. When they establish bases, they often kidnap people from nearby cities to use as sacrifices.”

“Ah, got it.”

Seojun bent his knee to meet the child’s eyes.

“Your little sister?”

“Y-Yes...!”

“Then why are you alive?”

Seojun’s eyes turned red.

“If you’re her brother, you should have protected your sister until your head rolled.”

“Hic...!”

The child’s body trembled. Even Hwan Baeho looked flustered.

— Hey, you dumbass!

At Chunbong’s voice, sounding like an auditory hallucination, Seojun smacked his own head.

“Hmm.”

This inner core, I shouldn’t break it too often. The distorted mind is making my personality a bit strange.

Or maybe I’ve just become less patient.

“I’m sorry.”

Seojun patted the child’s shoulder and stood up.

“Uncle Baeho, please.”

“Young Master. In your current condition, you shouldn’t. I’ll call for support, let’s leave it to them.”

“Now now. I’m worried about them.”

He would have been quite concerned even if it were a little brother, but since it was a little sister, he couldn’t simply walk away.

“And we have a new subordinate here too.”

He patted Jang Geuk’s shoulder, who grinned.

“I see this is my chance to prove my worth. I shall do my best.”

“I don’t know if he’ll be of any help, but there’s also that idiot over there.”

As Seojun pointed at Hwangbo Jun, he flinched.

“...Are we going too?”

“What, you wanna sit out? You wanna die, bastard?”

“...I didn’t say I wouldn’t. Let’s go.”

Seojun grinned as he climbed back onto Hwan Baeho’s back.

“Alright, let’s move out! Old man Jang Geuk, please carry that kid.”

“Understood.”

“Hey brat, give us a bit more information about the situation.”

“Y-Yes...”

Jang Geuk laughed heartily as he patted the trembling child’s back.

“A man shouldn’t shake like this! We need to save your sister! We’ll help, so please explain the situation!”

The former bandit was surprisingly good with kids.

Seojun grinned.

“Shall we go?”

The guardian of all things soft in the world, Lee Seojun, sets forth!

...is what he almost said.