Chapter 54

## Chapter 54. You're a Genius

"Ugh! What the hell!"

Startled by my voice, Hyun Won-gang hastily retreated to the wall and stared at me with wide eyes.

I smiled at him and said, "Secret training, huh? You were doing something commendable, I see?"

"Baek Su-ryong?"

It was only then that he recognized me, and a mumbled curse slipped out of his mouth.

"Damn... What are you doing here?"

"I came to meet the student I'll be in charge of from now on."

Whoosh!

I pushed the half-open dormitory window fully open and stepped into the room.

Glancing around, I could roughly guess how Hyun Won-gang lived.

"Tsk tsk..."

Clothes were scattered everywhere, half-eaten food was strewn about, and empty bottles of alcohol were visible in every corner. The room reeked of stale sweat, as if it hadn't been cleaned in ages.

I pinched my nose and frowned. "Training is good, but why do it in your room? At least open the window for some ventilation."

"Get out."

Hyun Won-gang, who had regained his composure, glared at me as if he wanted to eat me alive.

"But I'm just a teacher. Why are you being so rude to me?"

"What kind of teacher sneaks into a student's room through the window!"

Ignoring his outburst, I took a seat.

"Hyun Won-gang. This is a supplementary class meeting. Sit down for a moment."

"What am I supposed to sit on! Don't act like you own the place! And my name is Gang (强), not Won-gang! It's a different character!"

"…Were you always this talkative?"

"Damn it! Shut up and get out of my room!"

To my surprise, Hyun Won-gang spewed out a lot of words in a short time. Most of them were curses and insults directed at me, but the more he talked, the more a smile formed on my lips.

'He must be embarrassed about being caught training.'

People reveal their hidden sides when they're flustered. So I deliberately startled Hyun Won-gang and provoked him with words to see his true self.

Thanks to this, I felt I could start to understand his real personality.

"Hey, talkative boy. You screamed like you saw a cockroach and stuck to the wall earlier. Are you usually this scared?"

"Shut up! When did I scream like that!"

"Really? I thought you did."

Indeed, as I had expected, this boy had a good eye for martial arts.

"You're right. Just like people have different personalities, they also have different natural body types and qualities. Even the same posture needs to be adjusted to fit your body. I just mimicked the posture you tried to copy. Now you can see which parts were awkward, right?"

Hyun Won-gang looked at me with a dumbfounded expression at my kind explanation.

"…You can do that just by looking once?"

"If you have a good eye, you can. You can do it too with practice."

"…."

Actually, having a good eye alone isn't enough to copy a posture immediately. I could do it so quickly because I had practiced the Green Forest Eighteen Postures, which were left behind by the Green Forest Tyrant Meng Huo'e.

-Heh. Kid, external martial arts involve training bones, muscles, and internal organs. It's not just about building muscles.

-Your persuasion lacks credibility when you say it.

-Can't you shut that demon's mouth when I speak?

…Anyway.

Master Meng had reached the pinnacle of physical training. He could change the position of his bones and muscles at will while sitting still, without using any special techniques or drugs.

-Heh heh! Did you see that! My penis and balls just retracted! That's external martial arts!

…I don't know why this memory pops up, but anyway.

The Green Forest Eighteen Postures, which Master Meng spent decades refining in prison, were a martial art he believed could increase the body's self-healing ability by dozens of times, make one immune to cold and heat, and turn the body as hard as diamond.

'…But to reach that level, you'd need to practice the Green Forest Eighteen Postures for decades.'

I had no intention of formally teaching Hyun Won-gang the Green Forest Eighteen Postures. However, I was willing to teach him a few movements that would help him in the Heavenly Martial Competition and in learning talisman techniques.

With his talent, just a few lessons would be enough to make him soar.

"Alright. Stand up and follow me. Start with this stance. Extend your arms naturally…"

"Like this?"

Hyun Won-gang followed my movements for a moment, as if entranced, then suddenly frowned and glared at me savagely.

"Damn it. Why should I follow you?"

"Why are you suddenly talking nonsense when you were doing well?"

"You're the one who started teaching me. I've already lost interest."

Hyun Won-gang sneered and lifted one corner of his mouth.

"I have no interest in your cheap martial arts."

If it were any other instructor, they would have exploded in anger at this point. But I just stared at Hyun Won-gang's eyes.

His gaze had been wavering roughly since a moment ago.

"Why are you lying? You want to learn. Your hands and feet are itching to follow. Why are you backing down at the crucial moment?"

"…Bullshit. I have no interest in your martial arts."

"You were training so hard in your room that it reeked of sweat. Quite convincing, isn't it?"

Hyun Won-gang's face turned red, and he clenched his teeth and glared at me.

"…It's none of your business whether I learn martial arts or not. Now get out of my room."

"Is it because of the Pang family?"

At my words, Hyun Won-gang's expression hardened, and a murderous aura began to rise.

I continued without hesitation.

"I know the story. The relationship between your Hyun family and the Northern Pang family."

The story I heard from Mae Geuk-yeom before coming here.

Decades ago, a great calamity befell the Hyun family. In a single day, the family head and other experts were massacred. After that, the Hyun family began to decline, and the Northern Pang family was the first to offer help.

The two families, both renowned for their righteousness and vying for the top position, had always been in close contact. So when the Northern Pang family offered substantial economic aid and help in restoring lost martial arts, the entire orthodox martial world applauded them.

But…

'Wrong choice, huh.'

There is no such thing as unconditional kindness in the martial world. Decades later, the Hyun family had become little more than a lay family to the Northern Pang family. And the genius Hyun Won-gang was bound by that chain.

"Do you think I can't kill you just because you're a teacher?"

His low voice was like the growl of a crouching beast. A different level of murderous intent.

When I touched on the family's secrets, Hyun Won-gang grabbed a sword from the corner and glared at me.

But I didn't stop what I was saying.

"If you've given up on learning martial arts because you think it's meaningless, or because you believe you'll end up as a slave to the Pang family no matter how hard you train, then you're a fool."

"Who the hell do you think you are to say such things…!"

"Hyun Won-gang! Your talent is far greater than that."

Hyun Won-gang, who seemed ready to pounce on me, stopped in his tracks.

His gaze was rough and shaky.

I looked him straight in the eye and said, "You're a genius. You were able to enter the Blue Dragon Academy despite learning the mediocre martial arts of a declining family. You were able to dominate other students who trained hard with your half-hearted skills. You're a genius who can clumsily mimic my movements after seeing them just once."

Carrot and stick.

The simplest method, but always the most effective.

Hyun Won-gang, trying to hide his embarrassment, said curtly, "You think you can manipulate me with such words…"

"Is it because of Pang Sa-hyeok? The reason you don't want to learn martial arts properly."

"!!"

Caught off guard by my sudden attack, Hyun Won-gang gasped and widened his eyes.

"What… What nonsense…!"

The boy tried to deny it, but his expression already revealed everything.

'So that's it.'

I recalled the look in Pang Sa-hyeok's eyes when he looked at Hyun Won-gang. The jealousy and suspicion hidden beneath the mockery and disdain.

Considering the relationship between the two families and the fact that the two boys were often compared due to their similar ages, I could guess why Hyun Won-gang had become a failing student.

And his reaction just now confirmed my suspicion.

"If you become much stronger than the Pang family's young master, you might offend them. Did you think it would harm your family, or did Pang Sa-hyeok threaten you directly?"

"Shut up! Who would believe such bullshit…"

"…You're right. It seems no one has noticed until now. You're just unlucky to have run into me."

I've survived in the Blood Sect for decades by being observant.

I smiled and looked at Hyun Won-gang, who growled savagely again.

"Damn it. Showing up out of nowhere and spouting nonsense… Get out of my room and leave me alone!"

"I have one last thing to say."

My words were like a sharp dagger, piercing Hyun Won-gang's heart.

"If you pull yourself together and learn martial arts from me, the Hyun family might become the number one martial arts school in the world."

You have that kind of talent.

The talent to inherit the Green Forest Tyrant's legacy.

"Damn… What the hell are you talking about…"

Hyun Won-gang, with a nosebleed, glared at me and huffed.

Realizing he couldn't match me either in words or in skill, he chose another method.

The method of running away.

"If you're not leaving, I will."

Hyun Won-gang turned and slammed the door as he left.

Bang!

I clicked my tongue, looking at the firmly closed door.

"Think I'll give up just because you closed the door?"

I opened the door again.

I could see Hyun Won-gang's figure shrinking in the distance down the corridor.

I decided to give him time to think today instead of pursuing him to persuade him further.

"With this, I've at least sparked a flame."