Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

A stunned silence fell over the spectator stands and time itself seemed to freeze as every eye stared unblinkingly at the sight of Seonwoo Jin's arm falling to the ground.

"Keuaaah! My arm! My arm!"

Finally, Seonwoo Jin's screams shattered the silence. His mind had delayed the pain, numb at first from the clean cut that severed his arm, but the shock of seeing it gone hit him harder than any physical wound. After all, for a right-handed bladesman, losing that arm was the same as losing his very reason for existence.

"You fucking bastard! How dare you cut off my arm?!" Seonwoo Jin roared, his voice raw and his expression so distorted that it bore no resemblance to his usual polite, gentlemanly persona.

It never even occurred to him that he was the one who had attempted to sever Hyonwon Kang's arm first. All he could think about was how much he resented his opponent.

His sanity slipping away from the pain and horror, Seonwoo Jin lunged recklessly at Hyonwon Kang, bellowing, "Die! I'm going to kill you!"

However, he soon screeched to a halt as his father, the Seonwoo Patriarch, intercepted his path. "Father!" he cried.

"Stand back," the Seonwoo Patriarch commanded, sealing his son's acupoints to stem the bleeding and sending him offstage.

After that, he strode towards Hyonwon Kang, his eyes cold and unyielding. He hadn't intervened to stop the fight—he was here for revenge.

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"For a friendly duel, you went too far. I can only assume you did this on purpose," he threatened, his voice thick with killing intent.

Hyonwon Kang held his ground, replying with steady confidence, "It was Seonwoo Jin who tried to deceive me first. He said he'd lost, but then…"

"Enough!" The Seonwoo Patriarch cut off Hyonwon Kang with a qi-infused voice. "I don't want to hear your excuses. Here and now, I will sever one of your arms as compensation."

"What? Are you mad? Do you think I'll just let you do that?"

The Seonwoo Patriarch drew his blade, sending a sharp wave of deadly energy across the stage. "I'm not asking for your permission," he replied.

"Ugh!" Hyonwon Kang struggled to breathe under the crushing pressure. The Seonwoo Patriarch was a master beyond his ability to handle.

Suddenly, another figure stepped onto the stage.

"Stop! That's enough!" Hyonwon Su barked, pulling his son behind him.

Relief immediately washed over Hyonwon Kang's face. "Father!"

"Stand back, Kang," Hyonwon Su said, before turning around and addressing the Seonwoo Patriarch. "Please calm down, Master Seonwoo."

"It's been a while, Master Hyonwon. Your son's talent is…impressive. Thanks to him, my son has lost an arm." the Seonwoo Patriarch said, smiling gently at Hyonwon Su. Still, the edge of his mouth betrayed a growing bloodlust, and he made no move to lower his weapon.

Seeing the two clan heads confronting each other on the duel stage, the spectators held their breaths.

Cold sweat beaded on Hyonwon Su's forehead as he bowed deeply, exuding as much humility as he could muster. With careful restraint, he kept his weapon sheathed, showing deference to the Seonwoo Patriarch and avoiding anything that might provoke him.

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"What happened was a tragic accident. With your unmatched skill, Patriarch, you must have realized that by now," he pleaded.

"You're critiquing my martial arts now? Is that because your Hyonwon Clan has managed to reclaim your family's lost arts? Congratulations," the Seonwoo Patriarch mocked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"That was not my intention…"

The Seonwoo Patriarch scoffed. Hyonwon Kang's martial arts were incredible, but his father Hyonwon Su's skills were mediocre at best, far too pathetic for the head of a clan that once stood shoulder to shoulder with the Hebei Peng Clan.

All the more reason for me to nip it in the bud.

The Seonwoo Patriarch's gaze drifted past Hyonwon Su's shoulder to Hyonwon Kang. In truth, he hadn't stepped forward only out of indignation over his son's injury.

If that punk becomes the next head of the Hyonwon Clan, we could be overshadowed.

Decades ago, the Hyonwon Clan was once a prestigious lineage of blademasters rivaling even the renowned Hebei Peng Clan. After the Crazy Demon's massacre robbed them of their unique martial arts though, their decline was rapid, and the Seonwoo Clan soon took their place.

Admittedly, the Seonwoo Clan was currently far inferior compared to the Hebei Peng Clan, but the Seonwoo Patriarch still refused to give up his family's status.

Looking at Hyonwon Kang, his mind raced with cold calculations.

I need to clip that genius boy's wings before he grows up and put an end to the Hyonwon Clan's resurgence. Getting revenge for Jin is the perfect excuse.

Having made his decision, he put on a show of emotion and demanded, "Step aside! As a father, I must avenge my son!"

"Master Seonwoo, please calm down…" Hyonwon Su begged.

The Seonwoo Patriarch cut him off, warning, "Step aside, and I will treat this as my personal revenge. Refuse, and this will become the trigger for all out war between our clans."

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Hyonwon Su's face immediately paled. "T-That…"

Seeing his father in a dilemma, Hyonwon Kang stepped forward and said urgently, "Father, let me fight him. If I win…"

"Please, just stay put!" Hyonwon Su rebuked sternly, stopping his son.

Hyonwon Kang sighed. "Father…"

"I'll take care of this, so just stay put. Okay?" Hyonwon Su pleaded. No matter how much his son's martial arts had improved, it was absurd to think that he could win against the Seonwoo Patriarch.

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If I bow down to him in front of everyone, will he relent?

For years, Hyonwon Su had swallowed his pride and lowered his head repeatedly to protect his fallen clan. What little honor he had as a martial artist meant nothing as long as he could save his son's arm.

"…You know, it's scary how fast kids grow up. Before I knew it, my little boy was a grown man who no longer needed his daddy's protection."

Maybe it was the drinks he'd shared with Baek Muheun that fueled his courage, or maybe it went deeper, but at that moment, something within Hyonwon Su snapped.

Surprising even himself, he blurted out, "I'm done being an unworthy father. I won't live like this anymore."

"What did you say…?"

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"I want to be the proud father of my son who has grown up so magnificently. You may want to avenge your own child, but I simply cannot stand by and watch my son lose his arm, even if it costs me my life. So, I have a proposition for you. Let's leave the children out of this and settle it between us fathers," Hyonwon Su asserted, his tone resolute and his usually gentle eyes blazing with unprecedented intensity as he drew and pointed his blade at the Seonwoo Patriarch.

"Huh…" The Seonwoo Patriarch fell silent, rattled by Hyonwon Su's unexpected defiance.

Is he really Hyonwon Su? Why is the man who usually backs down at the first sign of intimidation suddenly acting so bold…? Ah, it must be because his son's arm is on the line. Well… this might be a little inconvenient later, but there's a simple solution. All I have to do is make both of them one-armed. If I cut off Hyonwon Su's arm first, Hyonwon Kang will lose his temper and rush in, and then I'll take his arm as well. Perfect.

The Seonwoo Patriarch's martial arts uniform flapped wildly in the wind. "Since you insist on doing things the hard way… Don't underestimate me."

Narrowing his eyes in concentration, Hyonwon Su gathered his inner qi and moved into the starting stance of the Earth Shattering Blade.

"Father…" Hyonwon Kang mumbled, his face taut with worry. Now that the confrontation had spread beyond father and son to encompass both clans, it was difficult for outsiders to intervene rashly.

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Still, there were always exceptions to the norm, and people who didn't give a shit about jianghu politics.

"Okay, that's enough. You two should stop now," a young man in blue robes said as he descended onto the stage using movement arts and landed right between the two Patriarchs.

Annoyed, the Seonwoo Patriarch glared rudely at the young man who had intervened. "Who the hell are you?" he snapped rudely.

"Me? I'm a teacher at the Azure Dragon Academy, duh."

"What? How impudent…"

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"You're the one who used coarse language first. I'm just returning the favor."

"How dare you?" The Seonwoo Patriarch's mouth twitched, so astounded that he couldn't even get angry. Just as he was thinking about how to chase this arrogant fool away, though, cheers erupted from the audience.

"It's the Azure Dragon Hero!"

"The hero who destroyed the Valley of Evil!"

Recognizing the name, the Seonwoo Patriarch finally took a good look at the young man.

This guy is the Azure Dragon Hero Baek Suryong?

He had heard about Baek Suryong, the young martial arts instructor who had defeated the Bloody Ripper, one of the Ten Great Villains, earlier while waiting for the duel. Although he was much younger than himself, Baek Suryong wasn't a master he could ignore.

Softening his approach, the Seonwoo Patriarch asked, "Could you please step aside, Mr. Baek? This is a matter between the Seonwoo and Hyonwon Clans."

"Since you're finally speaking politely, I'll do the same, but all the same, I cannot agree to your request," Baek Suryong replied, his tone dripping with barely hidden sarcasm.

The Seonwoo Patriarch's eyebrow twitched in irritation. "Mr. Baek, outsiders have no business interfering in a clash between murim clans!"

"Sorry, but I'm not really an outsider in this situation."

"What?" The Seonwoo Patriarch blinked in confusion.

"Huh?" Hyonwon Su turned to look at Baek Suryong.

Baek Suryong calmly explained, "Since I was the one who taught Hyonwon Kang those blade techniques, one could argue that Seonwoo Jin wouldn't have lost his arm if it wasn't for me. That means I'm at least partly to blame for the accident, right? Then I'm not a total outsider."

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"That's utter nonsense…"

ROAR!

Suddenly, Baek Suryong released his aura, instantly capturing the crowd's attention. Raising his voice, he asked, "Well then, isn't what you're saying also nonsense, Patriarch? The duel between the two students was fair, and the loss of an arm was an unavoidable accident. This is a natural result of a fight with real weapons, where there is always a risk. Besides, the one who caused the accident was not Hyonwon Kang, but Seonwoo Jin. Mr. Namgung Su, you're the judge of this duel. What do you think?"

What a cunning fox. Namgung Su let out a small sigh. He knew why Baek Suryong was singling him out, but he decided to play along because to be honest, he didn't approve of the Seonwoo Patriarch's conduct either.

"In a situation where defeat was imminent, Hyonwon Kang held back to avoid hurting Seonwoo Jin, but Seonwoo Jin used that opportunity to launch a surprise attack instead. While it's unfortunate that his arm was cut off, I believe Seonwoo Jin brought it upon himself," Namgung Su said.

The Seonwoo Patriarch shot Namgung Su a venomous glare, but unfortunately for him, Namgung Su, a direct descendant of the mighty Namgung Clan and the Star Instructor of the Azure Dragon Academy, had no reason to fear him.

Just then, the martial artists in the audience began to stir.

"As the saying goes, when children fight, their parents escalate it further… I guess martial artists are no different from us regular folk when it comes to this sort of thing."

"It's unfortunate that his son was badly injured, but is it right to seek revenge like this?"

"Boo!"

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Sensing the crowd's opinion shifting in his favor, Baek Suryong grinned. "You heard them," he said, pressuring the Seonwoo Patriarch.

Pretending to be agitated, the Seonwoo Patriarch argued, "My son's arm was severed, and you're telling me to consider the circumstances before taking action? I can't be that coldhearted!"

Some in the audience nodded right away, understanding how the Seonwoo Patriarch felt. Still, even if he could deceive everyone else, Baek Suryong was not so easily fooled.

Baek Suryong frowned. "Hmm? You're not coldhearted? That's weird. Your son is bleeding like crazy right now, but you seem to be more concerned with getting revenge than tending to his wounds."

"What are you saying…"

"Turn around and take a good, hard look at your son's condition. Shouldn't taking him to a physician be your first priority?"

"That's…"

Baek Suryong smiled at the Seonwoo Patriarch as if he could see right through him. "One might almost think that you're not here to avenge your son, but because you want an excuse to maim Hyonwon Kang. Perhaps, you're thinking of eliminating the future leader of a rival clan before they have a chance to grow…"

"Shut up! Stop slandering me!" the Seonwoo Patriarch interrupted, his face turning beetroot red.

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Baek Suryong raised his hands in a gesture of reassurance. "Don't get too worked up. All I'm saying is that there's a possibility that people might misunderstand. You never know, right? Someone could end up believing it."

Crazy bastard…! Hearing Baek Suryong's scathing attempt at consolation, the Seonwoo Patriarch had to fight to keep his hand from reaching for his blade. Earlier, he had thought that Hyonwon Kang was brazen when he boldly flaunted his skills before the audience, but now he realized that the teacher was dozens of times crazier than the student.

"Anyway, shouldn't you hurry and take your son to a physician? His face is so ghostly pale, I wouldn't be surprised if he collapsed from excessive bleeding anytime now!" Baek Suryong added with mock concern.

"I'll deal with that later…" the Seonwoo Patriarch began, but his voice trailed off as he felt the crowd's gaze growing colder.

Fuck.

He'd been checkmated. His claim to avenge his son was eroding under Baek Suryong's relentless logic.

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"Okay, that's enough from all of you," a stern voice imbued with inner qi rang out, quieting the commotion.

Immediately, all eyes turned to the speaker, Noh Goonsang, who surveyed the stage with a steely expression.

"Master Seonwoo, I understand a parent's heartache when they see their child crippled right before their very eyes, but as a senior in the murim, I think cutting off another child's arm in revenge seems excessive," Noh Goonsang pointed out, stepping forward to mediate the fight.

The Seonwoo Patriarch ignored him and continued glowering at Baek Suryong with seething hatred.

Noh Goonsang cleared his throat. "AHEM! Master Seonwoo, would you mind stepping down for today? I really think you've gone too far."

"Even if you're the Azure Dragon Academy Principal, you cannot interfere in my clan's affairs…"

"I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but the former Patriarch of the Seonwoo Clan owes me a small debt. Please convey my regards to him when you return."

"……" The Seonwoo Patriarch fell silent for a while, then nodded reluctantly. The aura Noh Goonsang was emanating sent chills down his spine, and on top of that, he mentioned the former Patriarch.

Clenching his teeth, he grabbed Seonwoo Jin and left the arena to a chorus of jeers, looking like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs.

"Look at this guy, making a fuss over nothing." Baek Suryong scoffed as he watched the Seonwoo Patriarch withdraw. Turning to Noh Goonsang, he asked, "Principal, could you officially announce the result of the duel?"

Noh Goonsang nodded. "Attention, everyone! The winner of today's duel is Student Hyonwon Kang!"

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"It was an amazing duel!"

"Isn't Hyonwon Kang already beyond the level of a prodigy?"

"Hyonwon Kang… He might aim for the position of the next Blade King."

Applause poured in from all directions to celebrate the victor, and even martial masters collectively praised Hyonwon Kang's outstanding martial arts. Although the aftermath of the duel had caused quite a stir, nothing could overshadow Hyonwon Kang's victory.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Hyonwon Kang shouted back in awkward embarrassment, standing in the middle of the duel stage and bowing repeatedly in all directions. Having been constantly scorned until recently, he was still unaccustomed to receiving compliments.

Seeing Hyonwon Kang's joy, Hyonwon Su had never felt happier for his son. "Kang…"

Looking warmly at the father and son, Noh Goonsang asked Hyonwon Su, "I remember that in the past, there was a title that was used specifically for the strongest master in the Hyonwon Clan. Do you know what it is, Master Hyonwon?"

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"…Of course I do," Hyonwon Su replied unhesitatingly.

How could he not know? In the days when the Hyonwon Clan competed with the Hebei Peng Clan for the position of the world's strongest bladesman clan, there was a glorious title given to the strongest member of the Hyonwon Clan. Even the Crazy Demon Hyonwon Hu was once called by that title.

Gazing dazedly at his son, Hyonwon Su added, "Many years ago, before the Crazy Demon's massacre, the strongest master of our clan was always granted the title of Sky Sundering Blade…"

Noticing Hyonwon Su's hesitation, Noh Goonsang spoke the words he wanted to say, "One day, Master Hyonwon, your son will definitely be worthy of that title."

At the moment, Hyonwon Kang was not ready to bear the weight of such a title. However, in the jianghu, titles that were more symbolic than a reflection of skill were also common.

Hyonwon Su smiled. "Well, I think that's something Kang should decide for himself."

"What? A title, now of all times…" Hyonwon Kang stammered, flustered. The Sky Sundering Blade was the title reserved only for the Hyonwon Clan's strongest! He could already feel its weight on his shoulders.

Baek Suryong nudged him playfully. "So? What's your answer?"

Hyonwon Kang took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After a while, when he opened them again, his gaze shone like a sharpened blade. Gone were the clouded eyes of a wayward youth.

Raising his voice, he declared loudly and clearly, "From this day on, I pledge to work harder to honor my clan and become the pride of the Azure Dragon Academy. I will inherit the title of the Sky Sundering Blade!"

The Sky Sundering Blade Hyonwon Kang (破天刀 轩辕强).

This was the moment when a name that would one day shake the jianghu was first proclaimed.

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Translator's Note: That's all for this week! I have a long weekend next week, so chapters will be posted starting Thursday instead of Friday.