Chapter 87: The Greatest Prodigy of the Demonic Way (6)

Yeom Ga-hwi's concern was not unfounded.

The more Il-mok sparred with Chu Il-hwan, the more refined Il-mok's swordsmanship became, the faster it grew.

"Hehehe."

The smile on Chu Il-hwan's face deepened with each passing moment.

Slowly realizing that his own state was becoming strange, Chu Il-hwan understood that enjoying it any further was dangerous.

'I should end this.'

Forcing himself to shake off the lingering disappointment, Chu Il-hwan began to fight in earnest.

Crackle!

Black lightning coiled around his twin palms more intense than before, and he used lethal techniques as he struck at Il-mok.

He wasn't trying to kill him.

It was a feint to pressure Il-mok, who was attacking relentlessly, and end the fight quickly.

But...

'As if I'd fall for that!'

Certain that Chu Il-hwan wouldn't kill him, Il-mok ignored the palm strike flying toward his heart and swung his sword at Chu Il-hwan's neck instead.

"!?"

The startled Chu Il-hwan hastily withdrew his right palm while simultaneously thrusting his left hand to barely deflect Il-mok's sword aimed at his neck.

"Hah!"

Taking advantage of Chu Il-hwan's momentarily broken stance, Il-mok seized the opportunity and intensified his assault.

"Do you have a death wish?!"

The flabbergasted Chu Il-hwan shouted and began to draw internal energy from his dantian in earnest.

He needed to subdue Il-mok quickly, before he himself lost control.

On top of that, Chu Il-hwan started to unleash his Black Thunder Demonic Palm technique while radiating killing intent toward Il-mok.

However, there was one thing he overlooked.

'It's just another feint anyway.'

Chu Il-hwan's killing intent had no effect on Il-mok.

Not just because he believed it was a bluff.

Il-mok had experienced something far more terrifying than Chu Il-hwan's killing intent countless times.

Namely, the killing intent and demonic energy his Master, the Heavenly Demon, had unleashed during what he called "realistic combat training."

Of course, the Heavenly Demon hadn't gone all out either, but compared to the killing intent generated by the Heavenly Demon, the pinnacle of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Chu Il-hwan's paled in comparison.

"Hah!"

As if Chu Il-hwan's killing intent was non-existent, Il-mok moved boldly.

Il-mok's sword, targeting only Chu Il-hwan's vital points, repeatedly clashed with Chu Il-hwan's twin palms swirling with black lightning.

"Kup..."

Perhaps due to the inevitable difference in internal energy and realm, internal injuries accumulated, causing faint traces of blood to flow from Il-mok's mouth.

Swiiiiiish! Swiiiiiish! Swiiiiiish!

Every time Chu Il-hwan paused while clashing with Il-mok, the arrows Jeong Hyeon shot from afar targeted Chu Il-hwan.

Trying to subdue Il-mok, who was filled with suicidal determination, while additionally handling the pressure of Jeong Hyeon’s distant harassment is no easy task.

This made the battle even more prolonged.

'Hehehe.'

A playful smile had returned to Chu Il-hwan's face at some point.

Unlike his usual manufactured smile, this was an impulsive one.

'Hehehe. Fine. If you want to die so badly, I'll grant your wish.'

Having momentarily failed to control his murderous impulse, Chu Il-hwan's right palm shot toward Il-mok's heart.

Il-mok, once again believing it to be a feint, countered with his own lethal technique.

And just before Chu Il-hwan's right palm could burst Il-mok's heart...

— HALT!!!

Noticing the intent behind Chu Il-hwan’s attack this time, Yeom Ga-hwi delivered a harsh mental shock to Chu Il-hwan’s mind.

"!!"

Barely escaping Qi Deviation, Chu Il-hwan hastily withdrew some of the internal energy in his right palm while simultaneously twisting his arm.

The right palm that almost reached the left side of Il-mok’s chest faltered and his palm strike transformed into a finger strike aimed at Il-mok’s acupoint.

Whoosh!

Meanwhile, Chu Il-hwan dramatically twisted his upper body to avoid the sword Il-mok unleashed.

Pat!

As Chu Il-hwan and Il-mok's bodies passed each other like crossing paths.

Thud!!

With his acupoint struck by Chu Il-hwan’s finger, his body tumbled across the dirt.

"Huh..."

But even after subduing Il-mok, Chu Il-hwan stared at the fallen Il-mok with an expression of disbelief.

More precisely, at something caught on the tip of Il-mok's sword.

"To think you'd aim for that in the middle of all that."

It was the bell that had been tied to his belt.

Il-mok's sword, which appeared to be targeting Chu Il-hwan's neck, had twisted its path during that fleeting moment when Chu Il-hwan flinched at Yeom Ga-hwi's mental shout.

And when Chu Il-hwan twisted his upper body to protect his neck while pressing Il-mok's acupoint, Il-mok's sword had cut the string that held the bell on his belt as if he had aimed for it all along.

Strictly speaking, this happened because of Hall Master Yeom Ga-hwi's intervention.

'But that's irrelevant since I succumbed to the side effects of Demonic Arts in the first place.'

Chu Il-hwan clicked his tongue lightly and acknowledged his defeat.

"Congratulations. You've achieved the highest score on this test."

At his praise, Il-mok, who was sprawled on the dirt ground, said with a look of disgust.

"Could you please release my acupoints first?"

Having engaged in such a precarious duel and now rolling in the dirt, Il-mok felt like his compulsive disorder was about to flare up.

As Chu Il-hwan approached to release Il-mok's acupoints, Il-mok suddenly convulsed and shouted.

"Re-release the other disciples' acupoints first! I-I can have mine released by another disciple later!"

He had realized that he couldn't be sure what Chu Il-hwan might do in the process of releasing his acupoints.

'Hooh. Thinking of your teammates first, even in this situation.'

Yeom Ga-hwi observed the entire process from a distance and stroked his beard with a satisfied expression.

Chu Il-hwan began to release the acupoints of the remaining disciples one by one, excluding Il-mok.

And Jeong Hyeon, who had been shooting arrows from afar, had returned to the vicinity at one point.

"Disciple Jeong! Please release my acupoints!"

When Il-mok urgently called out to Jeong Hyeon, who was still maintaining a three-meter distance, Jeong Hyeon responded with a startled face.

"M-me?"

"Yes! It must be you, Disciple Jeong! Please come quickly and release my acupoints!"

"Co-couldn't you ask the instructor..."

"Not the instructor! It has to be Disciple Jeong!"

"......"

At Il-mok's aggressive plea, Jeong Hyeon's face turned so red it seemed about to burst.

'...So he does have an eye for women after all.'

Watching from a distance, Yeom Ga-hwi nodded as if thinking, 'As expected.'

***

When everything was wrapped up, the disciples were gathered one by one at the initial meeting place.

At the base of a large tree on one side of Taecheon Peak.

‘Fufufu. As expected, my stealth skills are so outstanding that even Instructor Chu Il-hwan can't find me!'

A woman was hiding there with a proud expression.

'Huhuhuh. This time, victory is mine, Young Master!'

For a long time.

***

The day after the second test ended.

Everyone at the Hall of the Demonic Way was going about their day as usual. This was also true for Bang Mi-hwa, who had been discovered too late after being overly immersed in the test.

However, there was one change the disciples weren't aware of.

That was the absence of the Hall Master.

The place where the Hall Master had gone, leaving the academy after a long time, was the Heavenly Demon Palace situated at the main headquarters.

"I pay my respects to the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons."

Yeom Ga-hwi paid his deepest respects to Heavenly Demon, who emanated no aura and wore a benevolent expression despite his high realm.

"Hohoho. Welcome, Hall Master Yeom."

Heavenly Demon welcomed Yeom Ga-hwi kindly, like an ordinary elderly man from the countryside.

"Hohoho. Please rise."

Following Heavenly Demon's command, Yeom Ga-hwi straightened his posture and formally presented a book he had brought to Heavenly Demon.

"Then, I shall return to the Hall of the Demonic Way."

"Hohoho. Since you're already here, won't you have a simple cup of tea?"

"What if the instructors cause trouble while I'm away? I cannot neglect the sacred mission you have entrusted to me."

Hearing Yeom Ga-hwi's straightforward answer, Heavenly Demon nodded and sent him back.

Shortly after Yeom Ga-hwi left the Heavenly Demon Palace.

"Hmm."

With a subtle expression, Heavenly Demon read the book that Yeom Ga-hwi had left behind.

It was a kind of evaluation report. One personally written by Hall Master Yeom Ga-hwi.

It was based on what Yeom Ga-hwi had directly reported and felt, as well as the reports the instructors had submitted.

Since the Hall of the Demonic Way was an institution responsible for nurturing talents who would carry the future of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, such evaluation reports were periodically delivered to Heavenly Demon every few months.

Obviously, he had received and read such reports before, but the Heavenly Demon was particularly looking forward to the newest report.

'Hohoho. To think I'd become such a doting father in my later years.'

It was all because of that brilliant youngest disciple.

Given how he had stirred up various incidents even before entering the academy, it was quite curious to see what he had accomplished during his two months at the Hall of the Demonic Way.

And knowing the Hall Master, his expectations grew even greater.

He knew that Yeom Ga-hwi was not the kind of sycophant who would only write praises about Il-mok to curry favor with him.

Trying to suppress his anticipation, Heavenly Demon began to read through the evaluation report.

Whether Yeom Ga-hwi had deliberately written it that way or not, Il-mok's evaluation was written quite far back.

"Hooh."

And Yeom Ga-hwi's evaluation was filled with nothing but praise.

Considering his temperament, this was definitely not flattery.

'Hohoho. As expected of my youngest disciple.'

As he continued reading the evaluation with a satisfied expression for a while, he unwittingly paused when he reached a section at the end.

— Despite having such excellent qualities, he has the potential to become a womanizer.

Words involuntarily escaped from Heavenly Demon's mouth.

"What is this...."

He wasn't disappointed in Il-mok. It's just that.

'That child has an eye for women...?'

There had been no sign of such tendencies before he entered the Hall of the Demonic Way.

In fact, when Heavenly Demon first assigned Jin Hayeon as Il-mok's attendant, it was partly a test.

He wanted to test what attitude Il-mok would display while being with Jin Hayeon, a young woman whose beauty was counted among the best within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

Yet, the youngest disciple who had stayed away from women, even when faced with Jin Hayeon, was now openly showing interest in women at the Hall of the Demonic Way?

But the upright Yeom Ga-hwi wouldn't lie about such things.

After pondering for a moment, Heavenly Demon soon reached his own conclusion.

'...It seems my youngest's taste is quite unique.'

***

Somewhere in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's main headquarters as darkness fell.

Two elderly men were having a meeting.

In a room where all the lights were out, as if no one was there, with faces hidden.

One elderly man cautiously opened his mouth.

"Have you heard the rumors about the school program?"

The first initiative Il-mok undertook was to establish schools in each branch of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult to educate children.

A year had already passed since that began. The children, who initially began learning the Thousand Character Classic and basic exercises, had now started learning simplified doctrinal texts along with basic martial arts after a year.

In addition, reports were continuously coming to the main headquarters that the loyalty to the cult among the children learning to read and exercise, as well as their parents, was increasing day by day.

"I have."

At the other elderly man's calm answer, the one who had asked the question inquired again.

"Then, have you also heard the rumors about the Pure Mind Hall?"

The second project that Il-mok had undertaken was a medical institution that couldn't be called "Heavenly Demon Divine Cult Mental Ward" and had come to be called Pure Mind Hall instead.

That place had also been open for more than half a year now, and it was building its system through information collected via consultations or medical texts.

There were stories that among the young martial artists receiving counseling, some had their side effects slightly alleviated, or even gained insights that led to higher achievements.

"I have."

Again, at the other old man's concise answer, the old man who had asked the question sighed softly and asked.

"The initiatives undertaken by the Youngest Young Master have all been proven effective. So, rather than killing the Eighth Young Master, wouldn't it be better to rope him to our side?"