Chapter 288: Not Even a Bandit Would...

    TL: FoodieMonster007

    It was yet another peaceful morning at the White Dragon Manor.

    As always, the day began with the students'' screams.

    "Kuueeek!"

    With a sound like a pig being slaughtered, Hyonwon Kang went flying through the air before crashing into the ground.

    That wasn''t the end of it. One after another, Geo Sangwoong, Ya Suhyeok, Yeo Min, and Wiji Cheon all landed on top of him. The ground trembled four more times as dust clouds rose.

    "Cough! Cough! Get off me, you pigs! I can''t breathe!"

    Pinned at the bottom, Hyonwon Kang struggled and shoved his seniors and juniors away.

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    "Damn it! Why am I always the one at the bottom?" he screamed, feeling utterly wronged.

    "Well, Wonkang, that''s because you''re always the first one to get hit and sent flying," Geo Sangwoong said, pushing his junior''s face aside as he got up.

    There was no time to complain. Morning training had only just begun.

    "Just because the holidays are coming up, does that mean you punks can slack off?" Baek Suryong barked.

    He was wearing a set of loose pajamas, his hair was barely tied back, and his sword was casually slung over his shoulder.

    "You''re already excited about lazing around, huh? Even after completely botching the final exam," he grumbled, narrowing his eyes dangerously.

    The students flinched. It was true that they had made a mess of the academy. If Baek Suryong hadn''t used his influence as the famous Azure Dragon Hero, they could have been suspended or even expelled.

    Yeo Min hesitantly raised her hand in protest. "But... Mr. Baek, weren''t you the one who told us to use any means necessary?"

    "That''s right!"

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    "We just did what we were taught!"

    "We learned it all from you!"

    "The student surpasses the master! A chip off the old block! Cook the hunting dog after the hunt is over!"

    "...Hey, your last idiom is wrong."

    Following Yeo Min''s lead, the others also voiced their grievances.

    Baek Suryong smirked. "Why are you complaining? All of you did well. Some of your tricks were so ingenious that even I didn''t expect them. I could tell that everyone worked hard this semester."

    The students, who had braced for a scolding, widened their eyes. Some even got teary-eyed at the unexpected praise.

    ""Mr. Baek...""

    Of course, it didn''t end there.

    Baek Suryong raised an eyebrow, and his expression turned serious. "What I really don''t understand is why not a single one of you managed to complete your mission. I told you to use any means necessary to complete your missions, not turn the academy into a war zone. Right?"

    ""T-That''s...""

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    Dragging the tip of his sword along the ground, Baek Suryong slowly approached the students.

    Sensing danger, they instinctively stepped back.

    Baek Suryong smiled. "Shall I go first?"

    Hyonwon Kang shuddered. Baek Suryong''s words contained a hidden threat. Unless they attacked first, they were finished.

    Once again, he took the lead, shouting, "Damn it! Either way, it''s the same! Beat Up Baek Suryong Formation Number 138, go!"

    "...Why does the number always end in 8?"

    "That''s a secret!"

    Everyone sighed as they watched Hyonwon Kang, who was charging ahead again despite getting beaten up over and over again.

    "Does that guy ever learn?"

    "Well, thanks to him, at least I won''t be at the bottom this time."

    Grumbling, they all followed Hyonwon Kang and surrounded Baek Suryong.

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    Feeling the auras of his students closing in from all sides, Baek Suryong grinned.

    They''ve all improved a lot. Now, if I''m not careful, they might even graze my clothes.

    Drawing the Azure Dragon Sword from its sheath, he muttered, "You''re still nowhere near where I want you to be, though."

    CLANG! CRASH! BOOOOOM!

    Another storm swept through the training grounds.

    Baek Suryong looked down at the students lying sprawled on the ground, gasping for air. "As you know, the semester ends in a few days. After that, it''s the school vacation."

    At the end-of-semester ceremony, the students'' final grades would be announced. After that, they would have about two months of summer vacation, during which some would return home to spend time with their families, while others could stay in the dormitories to continue training on their own.

    "What are your plans for the break?" Baek Suryong asked, curious.

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    Hyonwon Kang sat up. "I''ll be going home. My father insisted that I come back this time..."

    Recently, the Hyonwon clan had regained its former glory with the restoration of the family''s signature technique, the Earth Shattering Blade. On top of that, Hyonwon Kang himself was gaining fame in the murim as the Sky Sundering Blade, so he was sure to receive a grand welcome upon his return.

    Hmm, they''re good, but compared to the Chairman, none of them stand out.

    Yayul Hwang was a man whose sheer presence dominated every space he stepped into. He strode forward, his aura filled with overwhelming authority, his steps firm and unwavering, as if his very being proclaimed, "I am the ruler of the Murim Alliance."

    "Did I come too early?" Yayul Hwang asked.

    Baek Suryong barely managed to stop himself from grinning. His tone is much more polite than before. Just how badly did he agonize over this decision all night?

    "Not at all. Please, come in," he replied just as politely.

    Yayul Hwang nodded, then said to his men, "Heavenly Martial Corps, stand guard at the gates and restrict entry."

    ""Yes, sir!""

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    Baek Suryong turned and led Yayul Hwang and Jaegal Sojin into the White Dragon Manor. As he walked, he could feel an especially sharp and impatient killing intent piercing into his back.

    As expected, Yayul Hwang didn''t beat around the bush.

    The moment they entered the meeting room, before Baek Suryong had even sat down, he clasped his large fists together and slightly bowed his head, "I formally apologize for my previous disrespect."

    Baek Suryong blinked in shock. If the Heavenly Martial Corps outside had witnessed this, they would have been utterly devastated. The Chairman they knew was not a man who lowered his head easily.

    "I''ll be honest. I''ve mobilized all of the Murim Alliance''s intelligence networks, as well as my personal connections, to investigate you," Yayul Hwang confessed.

    Baek Suryong nodded. "I assumed as much. And what did you find?"

    Yayul Hwang balked. What had he found? He had spent the whole night and early morning reading through reports, but because he couldn''t believe what he was seeing, he had reread them over and over just to be sure.

    First, he confirmed that Baek Suryong truly possessed both the Sichuan Tang Clan and the Fire King''s Gratitude Tokens, only to discover that the Namgung Clan had given him the Divine Physician''s Gratitude Token as well.

    What the hell? The first two are one thing, but even the Divine Physician?

    Second, he verified that Baek Suryong had identified a flaw in the Blood Cult''s demonic art that even the Erudite Sage had failed to notice during the Namgung Clan''s new instructor training course.

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    His claim that he can develop counter-techniques for Blood Cult martial arts is highly credible...

    However, what shocked him the most were Baek Suryong''s connections. While investigating the students Baek Suryong had taught, one name stood out—Gongson Su.

    Isn''t that the Prime Minister? His connections extend even to the imperial court?

    This wasn''t just a casual relationship. Recently, the Azure Dragon Academy''s financial situation had improved dramatically, and he had confirmed that the funding came directly from the Imperial Treasury.

    Whatever it was, Yayul Hwang now understood that Baek Suryong hadn''t exaggerated at all.

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    "Let me get this straight. The one who should be begging for an alliance isn''t me, but you."

    "...Rumors in the murim tend to be exaggerated, but in your case, they were actually an understatement," Yayul Hwang laughed hollowly. "...And on top of that, Noh Goonsang outright threatened me."

    "Chairman, do not even think about using force against the Azure Dragon Hero. If you do, you''ll have to fight the Azure Dragon Academy before you even get to the Blood Cult."

    Yayul Hwang knew better than to ignore such a warning. When Noh Goonsang had said those words, the man had worn the same crazed look he had decades ago when the Blood Cult called him the Mad Dog.

    "So, have you reached a conclusion?" Baek Suryong asked.

    Yayul Hwang nodded. He was self-centered and arrogant, but he wasn''t foolish enough to let his pride cloud his judgment. Rather than forcibly integrating the Azure Dragon Academy into the Murim Alliance''s chain of command, it was far more effective to recruit Baek Suryong as a high-ranking official and let him control the Five Great Academies from within.

    "The Murim Alliance proposes an equal alliance with the Azure Dragon Academy. Additionally, I offer you the position of Chief Instructor of the Murim Alliance," he said.

    It was a shocking offer, but...

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    "Chief Instructor? I thought I requested the position of Vice Chairman," Baek Suryong replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

    "You know that''s not realistically possible," Yayul Hwang sighed. The Murim Alliance Chairman''s authority was vast, but even he couldn''t do everything at his sole discretion.

    "The position of Vice Chairman requires a majority vote of the five alliance commanders. I can''t appoint one on my own," he explained.

    "Then you just have to convince them, don''t you?"

    Yayul Hwang shook his head. "That''s impossible. Every one of them is eyeing the Chairman''s seat. If I suddenly appoint a Vice Chairman, do you think they''ll approve?"

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    "Hmm, this puts me in a difficult position..."

    "It''s hard for me too..."

    Now it was Yayul Hwang''s turn to plead. As long as he couldn''t afford to give up what Baek Suryong had, the bargaining power was in Baek Suryong''s hands.

    Under the pretense of contemplation, Baek Suryong weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

    The Vice Chairman position isn''t that important to me anyway. I just threw it out there as a test.

    The Chief Instructor role was equivalent to a commander of the five Murim Alliance divisions. In some ways, it was the perfect position for Baek Suryong.

    Still, that doesn''t mean I should give in so easily.

    Baek Suryong sighed, as if reluctantly conceding. "Fine. However, the Azure Dragon Academy and the Murim Alliance must establish a formal agreement."

    Yayul Hwang groaned in displeasure, but upon receiving a telepathic message from his Chief Strategist, Jaegal Sojin, telling him to listen first, he nodded. "What kind of threat... no, agreement are we talking about?"

    "Starting this year, the Murim Alliance will accept graduating students from the Azure Dragon Academy as interns, allowing them to gain field experience there for three to six months. Of course, all expenses will be covered by the Murim Alliance."

    "Not even a bandit would..."

    "Take it or leave it."

    "Ugh!"

    Translator''s Note: Look forward to Namgung Su''s antics tomorrow, heheh...