Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

When Baek Suryong returned after retrieving the Nine Yin Witch's Ice Essence, he found that several welcome guests had arrived in the Valley of Evil.

"Hyung-nim!" Ak Yeonho called out, rushing over breathlessly like an eager puppy greeting its master. When he saw Baek Suryong's ragged appearance, however, he gaped in surprise, "Whoa, what happened to you? Your clothes are ripped, torn, burnt… Wait… Why are you soaking wet? Suspicious…"

"I've had a long day," Baek Suryong replied with a sigh.

Right now, he looked utterly disheveled. After battling the Bloody Ripper in an underground lair riddled with traps, enjoying a poison gas sauna courtesy of the Demonic Strategist, and then facing off against the Nine Yin Witch, he had to endure her icy aura while extracting her impure qi.

Needless to say, his once pristine sky-blue martial arts uniform was now so tattered that it wouldn't even make a decent rag, and since the Witch's ice had melted, he was also drenched.

Glancing around, he asked, "You're not alone, are you…? Fuck."

Not far off, Mae Geuklyom was approaching, emanating a sharp, scary aura.

"You rascal…!" the old man scolded, but upon seeing Baek Suryong's miserable condition, his anger instantly melted into concern. "…Oh no, are you badly hurt?"

Compared to Mae Geuklyom, he was more surprised to see the tears on his grandfather's clothing. Judging from the position of the slashes, they were all aimed at vital points, which was no trivial matter.

Who on earth pushed Mae Geuklyom to this extent? Aside from the Bloody Ripper and the Nine Yin Witch, are there any experts in the Valley of Evil who can do this?

As if reading his thoughts, Mae Geuklyom said, "I crossed swords with a youngster who called himself the Blue Eyed Freak at the Valley entrance. He's quite an extraordinary master."

"I see. If it's the Blue Eyed Freak, then… Did you kill him?"

The figure of the Valley of Evil gatekeeper with the eerie blue eyes flashed in Baek Suryong's mind. Even though I was in a hurry and just passed by, if his martial arts are what I think it is… then his strength makes sense.

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"After exchanging about a hundred moves with no decisive result, he and his two friends fled," Mae Geuklyom explained. "I thought about going after them, but in the end, I decided to prioritize saving Wiji Cheon and let them go."

Baek Suryong nodded. "I would have done the same. They have the terrain advantage, so it wouldn't have been easy to catch them."

Unfortunately, before fleeing, Blue Eyed Freak left a parting shot—not to Mae Geuklyom, but to Baek Suryong.

Mae Geuklyom narrowed his eyes. "…By the way, that Blue Eyed Freak told me your alias."

"M-My alias?" Baek Suryong stammered, a shiver running down his spine. No way… It can't be…

Mae Geuklyom fixed a cold gaze on his grandson's groin. "He called you the Handsome Playboy, master of seduction techniques and bedroom arts."

Baek Suryong unconsciously stepped backward, muttering under his breath, "…That goddamned son of a bitch."

A fiery storm lit up in Mae Geuklyom's eyes. "You damn brat! What kind of scandalous behavior have you been exhibiting in public? The Handsome Playboy? The father's alias was the Handsome Prince, and now the son's is even worse!!"

The Handsome Prince and the Handsome Playboy. The similarity to his despised son-in-law's alias fueled Mae Geuklyom's rage. Drawing his sword, he advanced towards Baek Suryong, his eyes still locked onto his grandson's crotch.

"I should have cut that thing off long ago…"

"Grandpa! It's a misunderstanding! I can explain everything! That alias wasn't my idea, it was Wonkang's…"

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"Silence! I'll cut off your manhood and restore order to the murim!"

"What does my manhood have to do with order in the murim?!"

Flinching, Baek Suryong dodged Mae Geuklyom's sword and… ran away. Not even reaching the seventh star of the Heaven Defying Divine Art could diminish his innate fear of his grandfather.

"Get over here right now!"

"Please spare me!"

Thankfully, the short chase came to an end when Namgung Su and Geo Sangwoong appeared.

"Baek Suryong," Namgung Su said sternly, approaching with a frown. Behind him, the bound and captured villains of the Valley of Evil knelt down in a neat line.

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"Did you just change your clothes?" Baek Suryong asked, clicking his tongue. Namgung Su's pristine white robe was spotless, free from even a single drop of blood or speck of dust, and every strand of his hair was perfectly in place. He must have used movement arts at full speed from the Azure Dragon Academy to the Valley of Evil, yet he still looked immaculate.

"…What?" Baffled by the unexpected question, Namgung Su hesitated for a moment, but quickly regained his composure and asked coldly, "Where's Wiji Cheon?"

"I just finished fighting the Nine Yin Witch and was about to go see him when you guys showed up."

"……"

"What? What is it? Why are you staring at me like that?"

Namgung Su closed his eyes and clenched his fists to hold back his anger. "When we return to the Azure Dragon Academy, you will face harsh criticism and blame for this incident. I'm quite certain the PTA will call for your immediate dismissal."

Baek Suryong frowned. "So, are you threatening to fire me now?"

"Not at all. Rather, if anyone tries to fire you, I'm going to stop them."

"What?"

Baek Suryong, Ak Yeonho, and even Mae Geuklyom's jaws dropped, dumbstruck by Namgung Su's unexpected stance, but if this wasn't shocking enough, his next words made them question their hearing.

"Who would benefit from you being fired? No one! After causing this mess, you think you can just quit? Don't even dream of it. I'll make you work extra hard to compensate for everything. From now on, you'll have to teach the students as if your life depends on it!" Namgung Su roared, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Uh… Well, I was already planning to work hard," Baek Suryong replied, nodding blankly at Namgung Su's logic. What the hell? This guy isn't normal either…

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"By the way, Mr. Baek… Where are the others?" Geo Sangwoong asked worriedly, defusing the awkward situation.

"I was just about to go find them. Follow me," Baek Suryong replied, leading the way to the Demon Doctor's residence along with the instructors and Geo Sangwoong.

Before entering the house, though, he sent a telepathic message to the Demon Doctor, who had pledged unconditional loyalty to him after being subdued by the Blood Demon Eyes.

[Demon Doctor, don't let anyone know that you've sworn to serve me. Act like you're scared of me.]

[…Yes, my liege.]

Once the necessary precautions were taken, Baek Suryong led the group inside, where they found the students resting on beds while the Demon Doctor tended to them.

As ordered, the Demon Doctor immediately fell to his knees and raised his hands. "S-Spare me! I surrender!"

With the Bloody Ripper dead, the Demon Doctor's surrender marked a significant turning point. Most of the remaining villains in the Valley of Evil either followed his example and yielded, or fled as fast as their legs could carry them. The few who chose to resist were quickly subdued by the instructors.

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Baek Suryong approached the students. "How are your injuries?" he asked.

Hyonwon Kang scoffed, "This is nothing."

Ya Suhyeok folded his arms. "A bit of ointment and I'll be fine."

Wiji Cheon mumbled, "We're more worried about Senior Yeo Min…"

Baek Suryong nodded. Although the three were severely injured, they were able to recover with proper care and rest. The real concern was Yeo Min.

Baek Suryong approached her bed and saw that her already pale face had turned ashen, almost corpse-like.

The Demon Doctor glanced timidly at Baek Suryong and cautiously said, "Her life is out of danger, but some of her life force was drained by the Star Absorption Technique… Even if she wakes up, it will be difficult for her to recover fully."

Baek Suryong nodded silently. He understood Yeo Min's condition better than anyone. Turning to Mae Geuklyom, he asked politely, "Grandpa, could you and everyone else please step outside for a moment?"

Mae Geuklyom narrowed his eyes. "You want us to leave? Are you planning to treat this child?"

"Yes. However, during the treatment, a secret she wishes to keep hidden may be revealed. I can't let others witness the process," Baek Suryong explained.

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Mae Geuklyom nodded. "Very well. It seems you've had some miraculous encounter yourself… but we can discuss that later."

"Thank you."

When everyone had left, Baek Suryong took out the Ice Essence, a gift the Nine Yin Witch had intended for Yeo Min. Since feeding it to her directly would kill her instead of healing her, he needed to take another approach.

Taking a deep breath, he swallowed the Ice Essence in one gulp. Instantly, it dissolved, releasing a wave of icy energy throughout his entire body and threatening to freeze him from the inside out.

"Ugh!" Baek Suryong groaned. The Ice Essence was even more potent than he'd anticipated. Inside him, the raging blizzards of the North clashed with the intense qi of the Heaven Defying Divine Art like two dragons entwined in mortal combat.

"Phew… If I'd been greedy and tried to absorb it all myself, I'd have been in serious trouble," he muttered, cold sweat beading on his forehead as white mist billowed from his mouth, frost formed on his hair and eyebrows, and the surrounding temperature dropped sharply.

Quickly circulating the Heaven Defying Divine Art, he pressed his right palm against Yeo Min's dantian, channeling his qi to divide the Ice Essence's energy in two—half for himself and half for Yeo Min.

CRACKLE CRACKLE…

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An hour later, Baek Suryong finally removed his palm from Yeo Min's qi center and sat down to meditate, focusing on stabilizing the Ice Essence's energy inside his body.

Hmm… I only know the White Ice Divine Art in theory. Even in my past life, I never practiced it…

The ice element martial arts were notorious for their stringent physical constitution requirements, which he hadn't met in either his past or present life. As a result, until now, he had only been able to use the Ice Moon Empress's movement arts, but not her ice arts.

With the yin energy of the Ice Essence, however, both he and Yeo Min now had the opportunity to learn it.

"Hoo…" Baek Suryong exhaled, standing up. Noticing that Yeo Min's breathing had steadied, he whispered, "I thought your potential was the lowest among the five kids, but now… you might be the best."

Of course, unlocking that potential would require effort, talent, and proper guidance.

Grinning, he playfully tousled her hair. "Get ready. From now on, besides movement arts training, we'll add ice-based martial arts, heheheh…"

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Was it his imagination? It seemed like Yeo Min's eyebrows twitched.

"You little punk…" he chuckled softly, a trace of sadness in his smile as he recalled the Nine Yin Witch's final, serene expression.

For a moment, Yeo Min's face seemed to overlap with the Nine Yin Witch's.

Baek Suryong sighed bitterly, "Don't worry anymore, and rest in peace. I will definitely avenge you… whether you want me to or not."

It took several days to settle matters in the Valley of Evil. Personnel from the nearby Golden Dragon Trading Company arrived to tend to the wounded and transport the captured villains to the nearest constabularies.

"Whoa! Less than ten people took over the Valley of Evil? And five of them are child prodigies!" the branch manager of the Golden Dragon Trading Company exclaimed in amazement.

Although not a sect, the Valley of Evil was a notorious unorthodox force in the murim. With two of the Ten Great Villains residing there, even the Murim Alliance hadn't dared to touch them.

Nevertheless, the ones who had accomplished this feat weren't particularly pleased about it.

"All the quick-witted and strong ones fled early on. We only caught the small fry," Mae Geuklyom admitted honestly, though it sounded like excessive modesty to others.

The Golden Dragon warriors and workers glanced at the instructors and students of the Azure Dragon Academy, whispering among themselves. Soon, incredible rumors would spread throughout the jianghu.

When everything was settled, Mae Geuklyom addressed the Azure Dragon Academy group, "Let's head back now."

"Uhm, please go on without me," Baek Suryong said abruptly, coming to a halt. Seeing the puzzled looks around him, he added sheepishly, "I just realized I left something behind. Don't worry, I'll catch up soon."

"…Don't take too long," Mae Geuklyom nodded after a brief pause. He seemed to have noticed something, but eventually decided to ignore it.

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Baek Suryong watched silently as their figures disappeared into the distance. When they were out of sight, he sensed a subtle presence behind him.

Without turning around, he snapped, "You have something to say to me?"

"So you noticed me after all."

"How could I not notice someone staring at me so blatantly?" Baek Suryong glanced back at the speaker.

As expected, it was Blue Eyed Freak, the leader of the Valley of Evil's gatekeepers. Unlike before, though, he now had a fresh slash wound on his cheek.

"What business do you have with me, Blue Eyed Freak?" Baek Suryong demanded.

"I'll get straight to the point," Blue Eyed Freak replied, his blue eyes gleaming ominously. "Are you… the Blood Demon?"

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