Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

After the instructors' meeting concluded, Baek Suryong made a beeline for the Principal's office.

"It's been a while since we've sat face-to-face like this, Mr. Baek," Noh Goonsang greeted.

"Well, I've been kind of busy with work lately."

"Hoho, it's good that you're busy, Mr. Baek, although I have missed seeing you often."

Baek Suryong quietly observed the gently smiling Noh Goonsang. For some reason, the atmosphere around the old man felt… different, more intense.

Was the Principal's aura always this overwhelming? Have I become more sensitive because I reached the seventh star of the Heaven Defying Divine Art? Or… did he also become stronger recently? If I were to fight him now…

Suddenly, the corners of Noh Goonsang's mouth turned up slightly. "Are you sizing me up now?"

"Oh, I must've done that unconsciously. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. That your martial arts have become so strong is truly a blessing for the Azure Dragon Academy."

Noh Goonsang sipped from the teacup in front of him. As he set it down, his eyes narrowed, and his tone grew serious. "Tell me about what happened in the Valley of Evil. I've heard all kinds of rumors, but I'd rather hear it straight from you."

"Yes. First, regarding the Scarlet Tiger Gang…"

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As requested, Baek Suryong recounted everything—from the Scarlet Tiger Gang to the Valley of Evil, the Bloody Ripper, and even the fight with the Nine Yin Witch.

Of course, he didn't tell the whole truth. He didn't mention anything about the Blood Cult or the Nine Yin Witch's Ice Essence. Even then, it was enough to astonish Noh Goonsang.

"Ha! You even defeated the Nine Yin Witch? As far as I know, that was not in the rumors!" Noh Goonsang exclaimed, nodding as he slapped his knee. "So much happened in such a short time. Are you seriously telling me that you took down not just the Bloody Ripper, but also the White-Haired Demon and the Nine Yin Witch?"

"Now that you mention it, yes."

"What, this guy!"

To have achieved such tremendous feats and yet show so little emotion! Seeing Baek Suryong's indifferent expression, Noh Goonsang burst into hearty laughter, "How can someone who's practically an unknown newcomer to the murim, yet toppled the Valley of Evil and defeated three notorious figures, stay this calm? I must say, the title of 'Azure Dragon Hero' suits you perfectly."

"You're too kind," Baek Suryong replied, forcing a awkward grin at Noh Goonsang's praise.

In truth, however, he wasn't all that happy. Fame wasn't always a blessing in the murim. Making a name for oneself also meant attracting more enemies, which only led to more trouble down the road.

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The Blood Cult might start keeping tabs on me soon.

Baek Suryong resolved to avoid standing out as much as possible from now on.

"Principal, besides Student Yeo Min, you're the only one I've told about the Nine Yin Witch. I'd appreciate it if you could keep this between us," he requested politely.

Puzzled, Noh Goonsang asked, "You didn't report it to the Murim Alliance? Why not?"

Baek Suryong recited the answer he had prepared, "…Because it's related to Student Yeo Min's personal affairs. I don't want the Murim Alliance to start interrogating her. She's already been through enough."

Most importantly, I don't want to be more famous, he thought, though he kept the words to himself.

If he was impressed before, Noh Goonsang was now genuinely moved. "To downplay such an incredible achievement when you could have easily exaggerated it, all for the sake of your student… I see you in a different light now, Mr. Baek. I used to think your character fell short compared to your skills, but it seems I was mistaken."

"Well, um… What?"

Did I just hear that right? Baek Suryong tilted his head in confusion.

Noh Goonsang quickly nodded. "Ahem! I'll take this secret to my grave! Even is someone places a knife at my throat, I won't say a word!"

No, you don't have to take it to the grave… Baek Suryong blinked, his expression blank. Anyway, it was fortunate that Noh Goonsang reacted positively. The tension from before had completely faded.

"Hoho, now I see. The man standing before me is not just a new instructor at the Azure Dragon Academy, but a rising master in the murim."

"Cough! You're making me blush. Honestly, I just got lucky."

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Grinning, Noh Goonsang teased, "How about quitting your teaching job and becoming a hero?"

Baek Suryong shuddered as if he hated the thought. "Camping sucks. I hate sleeping out in the cold."

"Puhahaha! I knew you'd say that!"

The two chatted pleasantly for a while, though Baek Suryong had something else on his mind.

"Principal, could you tell me more about the new regulations for this year's Heavenly Martial Festival?" he asked.

Although an official announcement would be made soon, he wanted to know about the changes to the Heavenly Martial Festival's requirements as soon as possible. That way, he could prepare for it in advance.

"So this was your goal from the start. No wonder you came straight to my office," Noh Goonsang chuckled.

"Haha… I admit it, that was part of the reason."

"I'll go over the three new evaluation criteria one at a time. To start with, the Character Evaluation is an assessment of the refined upbringing that an orthodox martial artist should possess."

"By refined upbringing, you mean…"

"We'll assess the students on murim history and basic academic subjects to gauge their skills in poetry, prose, art, and culture, areas that have been overlooked because of their martial arts training. Written exams will be held twice a semester, and if their average score falls short of the passing mark, they won't be allowed to join the Heavenly Martial Festival."

Baek Suryong's eyebrow twitched incredulously. "Is there a need to go that far? We're a martial arts academy, not a scholarly institution…"

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"The Azure Dragon Academy isn't just any ordinary martial arts academy. Along with the other Five Great Academies, it's an elite school that nurtures the future leaders of the orthodox sects. If we raise powerful martial artists without instilling the right values, they could easily become evil villains and bring disaster to the commonfolk. As members of the orthodox, how can we allow our students to fall short in virtue?" Noh Goonsang spoke with conviction.

Sorry, but I'm from the unorthodox… was what Baek Suryong wanted to say, but he held himself back just in time. Feigning a smile, he agreed awkwardly, "Uhuh, character is the most important virtue in the orthodox sects, so we must build it through education. Yeah, I got it."

"Don't worry. As long as students have basic common sense and put in a little effort, they should pass," Noh Goonsang assured, confident that the Character Evaluation would be the easiest of the three categories.

However, Baek Suryong was not at all appeased. "Whether we can expect even basic common sense from those guys is questionable…" he mumbled under his breath.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

"It's nothing. Anyway, what's the second evaluation criteria?"

Noh Goonsang flashed Baek Suryong a suspicious look, then continued, "The second criteria is Social Engagement. In this assessment, we will grade a student's attitude in class, involvement in school activities, and participation in clubs. The final scores will be tallied at the end of the academic year. We include this evaluation because building good relationships with others is vital in the jianghu. Anyone who fails to meet the required score will not be permitted to participate in the Heavenly Martial Festival."

…Class attitude? Baek Suryong sighed softly. There was no need to think about this one. The Remedial Class was made up of a bunch of delinquents who had no friends outside the White Dragon Manor. Well, to be fair, which decent student would want to associate with them?

We're doomed. DOOMED.

Seeing Baek Suryong's somber expression, Noh Goonsang asked, "Are you okay? You look terrible. Anyway, the last criteria is the Chivalry Evaluation."

"Mmhmm…"

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"This assessment looks at the acts of chivalry that students perform outside of the academy, for example, during their practical classes."

For the first time, Baek Suryong's eyes lit up with hope. "Does that include fighting villains in the Valley of Evil?"

"Of course! Even as it is, your students have already received high scores in the Chivalry Evaluation."

Baek Suryong sighed in relief. Phew! At least among the three evaluation criteria, there's one I don't have to worry about. Moreover, I still have a lot of practical activities planned. We can earn plenty of points in the Chivalry Evaluation.

The problem is the Character Evaluation and the Social Engagement Evaluation. I need to ensure those idiots secure at least the minimum points in those two assessments as well.

Noh Goonsang finished his explanation, "This year, only students who meet all three evaluation criteria will qualify to participate in the Heavenly Martial Festival."

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"……" Baek Suryong lowered his head, deep in thought. Every student from the Five Great Academies faced the same requirements. On the surface, the conditions didn't place the Azure Dragon Academy at any particular disadvantage.

…But not all geniuses from other academies are delinquents like ours, are they?

He felt the urge to let out a deep sigh, but stifled it. Complaining wouldn't solve anything. It was better to adjust to the new rules and think up a counter-strategy as soon as possible.

Noh Goonsang looked at him curiously. "Do you have any other questions?"

"No," Baek Suryong answered confidently, raising his head and meeting Noh Goonsang's gaze. "I thought those punks lacked mental discipline anyway, so this is actually perfect.

"As expected of you, Mr. Baek! You're always brimming with confidence."

"…This is a emergency," Baek Suryong announced gravely, his expression dead serious in stark contrast to when he had spoken with Noh Goonsang just a few hours earlier.

As soon as he returned to the White Dragon Manor, he had gathered his students and informed them about the new entry criteria for the Heavenly Martial Festival.

"We have to pass our theory exams now?"

"What the hell is up with the Social Engagement Evaluation? I don't have any friends…"

"Me neither…"

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The delinquents, oblivious to the gravity of the situation, stared at Baek Suryong with vacant expressions. Only Geo Sangwoong, having competed in the Heavenly Martial Festival before, appeared shocked.

"Now that I think about it, there's been a lot of violence at the Heavenly Martial Festival recently. They picked participants based only on their martial skills, so a few bad apples slipped through…" Suddenly, he looked around at his juniors, who definitely numbered among the bad apples, and groaned, "…Mr. Baek, I think we're fucked."

"Ugh… Regardless, let's see how bad things are with a written test," Baek Suryong sighed, passing out copies of last year's test papers to the students. The subjects were writing, martial arts theory, and murim history.

"This is nothing."

"Piece of cake."

"Aren't you underestimating us, Mr. Baek?"

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As the students sneered and quickly began scribbling on their test papers, Baek Suryong felt a flicker of hope.

Less than an hour later, they all handed in their papers.

He read through one of the common questions on all their tests. "Alright, let's see… What's the most important thing to becoming a master… Holy shit."

It was a simple question asking about the mindset of a martial artist, but the students' answers were outrageous.

Baek Suryong lifted his head from the test papers and glared at the students, who unanimously avoided his gaze. "Money, family background, muscles? Are you guys idiots?!"

WHACK! THWACK! SMACK!

He rolled up the test papers and smacked the back of their heads so swiftly that none of the students could dodge.

"Argh!"

"Ouch!"

Looking at the students splayed on the ground like frogs, Baek Suryong moaned, "I was a fool to have expected anything from you."

These delinquent brats clearly hadn't studied a single day in their entire lives. Sure, they were martial arts prodigies, but that didn't mean they were good at everything. If anything, their talent probably made everyone overlook their other flaws up until now.

No, I can't put all the blame on them. I should take a moment to reflect on myself as well.

Noh Goonsang had a point. When someone got too caught up in martial arts, their view of the world narrowed. They became rigid and set in their ways. Even in his own experience, hubris had caused many unorthodox martial artists to lose themselves to qi deviation or be overcome by their inner demons.

"You know what? It's good that I found out about this now. While you guys are recovering from your injuries, you won't be able to train intensively, so we can use the extra time for other pursuits."

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"Excuse me?"

"What do you mean…"

Baek Suryong decided to think positively. The kids already had solid physical foundations. If they could strengthen their mentalities, their martial arts would naturally improve as well.

"What I mean is, starting today, it's study time."

The students' faces paled.

NOOOOO! We'd much prefer training in martial arts instead!!!

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