Chapter 69

## Chapter 69. This Instructor

I stopped by the market on my way home and picked up the items I had ordered in advance.

Then I immediately returned to the White Dragon Hall and gathered the boarders in one place.

"Teacher Baek, what's all this?"

Gongsunshu, curious about the contents of the bundles in my hands, asked straight away.

I was about to tell them anyway.

I tossed a bundle in front of each of their feet.

"Recruits."

I deliberately stiffened my expression and lowered my voice to make it resonate through the training ground.

Feeling that something was amiss, they all looked at me with tense expressions.

I spoke with more force than usual, making my voice echo through the training ground.

"Within half an hour, change into the martial uniforms I've given you and gather back here. Execute."

"…What?"

"Out of the blue?"

"Could you at least explain the reason…?"

Without answering their questions, I instead took out a red headband from my own bundle and tied it around my forehead.

The center of the tightly tied headband was embroidered with the words 'Fighting to the Death (必死).'

'This brings back memories.'

Back when I was called the Demon Instructor in the Blood Sect, this red headband was my symbol.

-If I win, how about Teacher Baek cleaning my room every morning and evening?

With the resolve to crush that unlucky face, I had the red headband made anew.

"Clearly, I said half an hour. Do you all have plenty of time?"

I smirked, raising one corner of my mouth as I looked at the young lambs who were still staring blankly at me.

"Or do you find this instructor's words amusing?"

"Y-Yes, sir! Execute!"

Of the three, Gongsunshu, the quickest to catch on, picked up his bundle and ran to his room. Xianyuanjiang and Weizhichun also hurried to their rooms, albeit a bit late.

I shouted at the three who were still slow to move.

"Recruits who are late will have no dinner tonight."

"Ah!"

"That's so mean!"

"No way!"

The three finally started running to their rooms like calves with their tails on fire.

I folded my arms and watched them calmly.

"Just one month…"

For the next month, I intended to return to my days as the Demon Instructor.

* * *

"Recruit Xianyuanjiang. Is this the best you can do?"

"I can do more… sir."

Xianyuanjiang, who was lying under me, panted heavily as he answered.

Xianyuanjiang was crawling around the training ground on all fours, and I was sitting on him, pointing out his movements.

"Warriors have been inspired by the movements of animals to create martial arts for a very long time. Tigers, monkeys, wolves, snakes, dogs, and even birds in the sky have been their subjects."

"Ugh…"

Xianyuanjiang, who was underneath me, groaned as if he were about to die.

Not only was I sitting on him, but I was also using my inner energy to press down harder and correct his movements.

"Recruit, are you not doing it properly?"

"I am…! Ugh!"

I pressed and hit various spots with my scabbard, causing Xianyuanjiang to scream in pain.

His limbs twisted, convulsed, and sweat poured down his entire body.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Think of yourself as a tiger, a monkey, a snake, an eagle, or a fish swimming in water."

"Sir, if you weren't on my back, I could do it just fine!"

"Then try to shake me off."

"Ah!"

Xianyuanjiang suddenly let out a curse and shook his body violently.

However, I maintained my balance and didn't fall off.

I had already been sitting on this calf-like recruit for nearly half an hour.

This training method was a win-win, both strengthening Xianyuanjiang and serving as my own practice.

"Jenjaang!"

"Recruit, did you just curse at the instructor? Do you have a problem with your character?"

"No, sir!"

Seeing that he couldn't do as he pleased, Xianyuanjiang seemed to get angry and let out a roar. I pressed and hit him with more inner energy.

"Even if you don't understand, don't pretend you do."

Slap!

I smacked the back of Xianyuanjiang's head and explained the most important part.

"Ultimately, the purpose of the four-legged crawling training is to make you use muscles you don't normally use. This will make your entire body more elastic, and you'll be able to exert more explosive power when using martial arts. It will definitely help you with the martial arts you will learn in the future."

"…."

I planned to teach Xianyuanjiang two martial arts in the future: the Eighteen Styles of the Green Forest and the Asura Blood Heaven Saber Technique.

I intended to teach him only a part of the Eighteen Styles of the Green Forest.

The Eighteen Styles of the Green Forest, a supreme external martial art created by the Green Forest Tyrant, was inspired by the movements of various animals.

The animal-like movements Xianyuanjiang was imitating were a modified part of the Eighteen Styles of the Green Forest.

"So stop complaining and learn. It will help you when you practice the Asura Blood Heaven Saber Technique."

"…Yes, sir."

Xianyuanjiang nodded with a determined expression.

Though not as much as Weizhichun, he was a talented recruit and would have understood my explanation.

'This recruit isn't related to the entrance exam, but…'

That doesn't mean I intended to teach Xianyuanjiang half-heartedly.

After all, the reason I made a bet with Nangongshou was because of this recruit.

-Nangongshou is a failure. He's naturally lazy and weak.

-And you think he can win the Heavenly Martial Competition? We'll see how long he lasts.

Thinking of that unlucky face, my anger flared up again.

Slap!

"Aah! Why did you hit me all of a sudden!"

"Something that made me angry just came to mind."

"Am I a punching bag…?"

"Xianyuanjiang!"

I shouted, facing Xianyuanjiang who was looking at me with a wronged expression. He flinched and looked at me.

"Nangongshou said you are a failure. He said you are naturally lazy and weak, and even if you work hard your whole life, you won't be able to catch up to Pangshahexi."

"What? That guy…!"

The latter part was my addition, but Xianyuanjiang wouldn't know unless he went to Nangongshou to verify it.

"Are you going to just stand there and take it?"

"I won't stand for it!"

Xianyuanjiang's neck veins bulged as he ground his teeth.

I put my arm on Xianyuanjiang's shoulder and whispered in his ear.

"Good. Then show him what you're made of in the first midterm exam. Got it?"

"Yes, sir!"

"From now on, all your answers will be 'Ack.'"

"Ack!"

Xianyuanjiang's shout, filled with righteous anger.

I smiled and patted his cheek before standing up.

"Continue the rest of your training on your own."

"Ack!"

Leaving Xianyuanjiang, who was groaning and struggling to stand, I went to check on the other recruits who were training.

"Recruit Weizhichun, how is your recovery going?"

Weizhichun, who was sitting cross-legged, slowly opened his eyes at my call. He bowed his head timidly and answered.

"I… I'm not sure."

"I told you to only answer with 'Danak' during training."

"S-Sorry!!"

Weizhichun, sweating cold sweat under my intense gaze, answered.

But the cold sweat wasn't just from nervousness.

"Let me check."

I extended my hand and felt Weizhichun's pulse, carefully examining his body with my inner energy.

'There doesn't seem to be a major problem… but the aftereffects of the demonic transformation are lasting longer than expected.'

Weizhichun appeared to have no issues on the surface.

The problem was inside his body.

The aftereffects of the demonic transformation were more severe than I thought, making it difficult for him to gather his inner energy.

'The injuries to his dantian and meridians have healed. But if he still finds it hard to gather his inner energy… it could be a psychological issue.'

During the demonic transformation, Weizhichun had become a bloodthirsty sword demon and killed many people.

He said he had almost no memory of that time, but it was still deeply ingrained in his subconscious.

"Does anything happen when you try to gather your inner energy?"

"…I break out in cold sweat, my body shakes, my heart races, and I feel dizzy…"

It was a psychological issue.

The memory of killing people while using martial arts was strongly embedded in his subconscious, causing fear to resurface whenever he tried to gather his inner energy.

It was one of the mental disorders occasionally experienced by warriors who had undergone demonic transformation.

"I'm sorry… sir."

Weizhichun, bowing his head deeply, muttered in a tiny voice.

I extended my hand and stroked his head.

"You have nothing to apologize for if you've done your best."

"Sir…"

This recruit was different from the wild calf-like Xianyuanjiang.

He possessed a genius-level talent but had a delicate and sensitive nature, harboring great fear in his heart.

'You can't force him or he might fall into demonic transformation again.'

Weizhichun's passing the exam wouldn't be a problem if he could just recover his inner energy.

Actually, even without using his inner energy, his current skills were enough to pass.

But what I wanted was more than just passing.

'Nangongshou, right?'

A well-behaved brat who looked like a smaller version of Nangongshou.

Still, he seemed to have a decent talent, befitting the Nangong family's lineage.

Enough for Nangongshou to confidently think he would be the top student this year.

He was right.

If it weren't for Weizhichun.

"Recruit Weizhichun, I believe in your talent and dedication. A month is a long time. Let's find a way to overcome this together."

"Sir…!"

Seeing my firm belief, Weizhichun looked at me with a grateful expression, as if he were about to cry.

Being a Demon Instructor doesn't mean I always push the recruits around.

I smiled benevolently and stroked Weizhichun's head.

"So don't feel pressured."

"Yes, sir!"

"Even if Recruit Weizhichun can't recover his inner energy, the worst that could happen is that this instructor will be humiliated by Nangongshou and get fired from the Blue Dragon Academy."

"Y-Yes…?"

"Without a job, this instructor will be buried in debt, and the White Dragon Hall will have to be sold at a low price. In the end, this instructor will be chased by debt collectors…"

"S-Sir?"

The more I continued my pessimistic story, the paler Weizhichun's face became.

I had no intention of forcing Weizhichun to train.

I just wanted to instill in him the resolve to do his best 'on his own.'

As you know, this recruit is delicate.

"So just do your best without feeling pressured."

I smiled sadly and stroked his head, and Weizhichun clenched his teeth and shouted.

"I will do my best!"

"Good, good."

After firmly instilling this resolve in Weizhichun, I turned to the last recruit, the one who would require the most time.

I felt a bit at a loss standing in front of him.

Let's take a deep breath first.

"…Recruit Gongsunshu, is there any part of your body that hurts?"