Star Instructor, Master Baek-Chapter 395: From Now Onwards

I cannot yield the momentum,
the Second Shroud thought, exploding into action.
BOOM!
With a single stomp, the ground tremored and cracked, sending fissures spreading out like a spider's web.
This should be enough to make greenhorns with little real combat experience stiffen for at least a moment!
Now twice as fast as before he took the Demonic Spirit Pill, the Second Shroud lunged at Hyonwon Kang, the core of the joint attack formation. Swinging his dark blade, he slit through the darkness of the night.
Little did he know, such unorthodox tactics were a daily part of Hyonwon Kang's life. He tilted his head back, dodging the blade by a hair. A thin red line was etched on the nape of his neck, and blood welled up, but he paid no heed to the minor cut.
"Deploy formation!" he commanded sternly, his tone utterly devoid of its usual playfulness.
Wiji Cheon and Yeo Min scattered to the left and right, their expressions just as grim as they positioned themselves around the Second Shroud.
VWOOM!
Although Hyonwon Kang couldn't see them, he clearly sense his juniors' movements through the formation due to their linked energies.
Joint attack formations were methods designed to optimize the combined strength of multiple combatants. Consequently, they were most effective when performed by disciples of the same sect who had trained in the same martial art.
"Since all the creators of the martial arts you have learned arrogantly think they are the world's best, you might think it impossible to establish a joint attack formation."
Baek Suryong was the only person in the world familiar with all four of the divine arts that his students had learned, and he also knew their creators. This naturally meant that he had experienced the flow of inner qi and techniques firsthand, and understood the philosophies and beliefs of the absolute masters who had created them.
If anyone was able to combine the four powerful martial arts into a formation, it could only be him.
"Think about this from another perspective. How powerful would your formation be if such supreme martial arts were to harmonize as one?"
"...!!"
Each time Baek Suryong overpowered his students, leaving them rolling onto the training ground in frustration, he would encourage them.
"Get your act together. How are you ever going to beat me if you stay like this?"
"Don't get cocky just because you've gotten a little stronger. At your level, you'll die a dog's death if you go out into the murim."
"...That just now was pretty good. Do it again."
He would sometimes push them mercilessly, repeating his advice over and over until they grasped the concept fully. All while wishing that someday, his students would surpass him.
CLANG CLANG CLANG!
The shadows of the four combatants danced across the White Dragon Manor's training ground. They weaved together and broke apart in a frenzy of motion, each movement faster than the last, until all that remained was a whirlwind of indistinct, blurry forms.
VWOOOOOM!!
The Asura Blood Heaven Blade. The Unlimited Sword. The White Ice Divine Art.
The moment the arrogant divine arts, each vying for the title of strongest, were unified by the current generation's successors, the assassin before them was no longer a fearsome opponent.
Even if he had become twice as strong as before his transformation into a ghoul, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the trio's powers were greater than the sum of their individual strengths.
"......" Blood oozing from between his lips, the Second Shroud leaped back and pressed down on the throbbing wound across his waist. The cut was deep, but that wasn't the main problem. Rather, the remnants of a chaotic mixture of inner qi were tearing through his insides.
This is absurd.
Common sense was being obliterated before his eyes. More than a hundred martial artists had died at his hands. Among them were supreme masters stronger than himself, as well as several world-famous martial artists.
He was the number two assassin in Deathshroud, a god of death who had killed countless people!
Even though I didn't take them by surprise, still...!
Before they started fighting, he could confidently declare that this was an easy mission, even though he planned to fight his target head on, which was unbecoming of an assassin. However, the fact that he had been cornered by mere teenage prodigies, even after swallowing the Demonic Spirit Pill, was now irrefutable.
"...You kids are supposed to be outstanding prodigies?" he laughed hollowly, feeling like he wanted to gouge out the eyeballs of the fool who had brought them all the wrong information.
"Huff, huff... Don't let your guard down yet."
"You're the only one who needs to keep your guard up, Senior."
"Is it just me, or does it feel like our energies are coordinating better than usual?"
"...It's not just you. I feel like I could even land a blow on Mr. Baek right now."
"If all five of us were gathered..."
"Save those thoughts for after we've dealt with the assassin."
Although they were excited, the trio's eyes remained focused on the Second Shroud. There was something unusual about their opponent's aura.
"Haha... I'm being treated like a hooked fish," the Second Shroud chuckled, his shoulders trembling with mirth and regret.
He admitted his mistake. He had been careless, the one thing an assassin should never be, and he had not accurately assessed his targets' abilities.
I doubt even Skykiller included this in his calculations.
His killing intent was so dense that it could make ordinary people faint just from facing it. However, it had no effect on the Five Young Azure Dragons. Just what kind of training had the Azure Dragon Hero put them through for these young prodigies to fight like seasoned veterans?
"...Don't think this is over yet. I'll just have to pay a great price to make up for my oversight."
CRUNCH!
The Second Shroud ate another Demonic Spirit Pill. Swallowing one required ten days of recuperation, and swallowing two meant teetering on the brink of death in terrible agony. Still, he did not hesitate.
CRUNCH!
He ate a third Demonic Spirit Pill. This was it for him. After swallowing three pills, he could never return to being human, even if he survived.
"Kekeke..."
The Second Shroud's bloodshot pupils turned completely black, and his body began to convulse grotesquely as it morphed into something inhuman.
SHWAA...
As he transformed into a ghoul, the dark qi surrounding his body thickened and ignited like a flame. Meanwhile, the blade qi enveloping his dao was compressed into a solid, albeit slightly translucent, mass.
"Crazy...that's enhanced qi."
The trio's expressions tensed. Enhanced qi was the crystallization of qi and could only be used by masters who had reached the transcendent realm. Most importantly, it was said to be able to obliterate anything.
Of course, what the Second Shroud had created could not be called proper enhanced qi. Compared to the real deal, it was a much cruder, less refined lump of qi. What he had produced was little more than a poor imitation, achieved by forcibly compressing the overflowing inner qi in his qi center.
"...Try not to clash directly with it if you can," Yeo Min warned.
Hyonwon Kang and Wiji Cheon nodded gravely. Given the hardness of the Black Dao and the Soul Sword, they should be able to block the enhanced qi to some extent. However, even if the weapons didn't break, it was unclear if their bodies could withstand the impact.
"Keke... Kuhahaha!"
The Second Shroud burst into a mad cackle and charged. All traces of the patient assassin were gone. Like a bloodthirsty beast, he swung his sword, poised to tear his opponents limb from limb.
KRAKOOM!
A large crater was carved into the floor where his incomplete enhanced qi swept by, and part of the White Dragon Manor collapsed. Not only that, but the wound on his side was also healing on its own. This was the effect of the Demonic Spirit Pill, which drew out all of a human's latent power in exchange for their life.
WHOOSH!
Hyonwon Kang and Wiji Cheon scattered to the left and right, simultaneously aiming for the enemy's head and heart in an exquisite combination attack that even Baek Suryong would have approved of.
However, the Second Shroud, now a ghoul, contorted his body bizarrely to evade the attack and swung his fist at Hyonwon Kang.
CLANG!
Hyonwon Kang managed to block the blow with his Black Dao, but the force of the blow nevertheless sent him flying into a wall.
Spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor, he struggled to his feet. Several of his bones were probably fractured, but he didn't have time to think about the pain. Seeing the ghoul aim for Wiji Cheon, he raised his blade and lunged forward once more.
I won't let you kill him!
Hyonwon Kang pushed aside his pain through sheer determination. A crimson glow formed on his Black Dao as he unleashed the Asura Blood Heaven Blade.
"Your opponent is me!" he bellowed.
Upon seeing that chilling energy, the ghoul winced and his blade slowed.
CLANG!
The White Ice Bangles seized the opportunity and knocked the blade aside, saving Wiji Cheon.
Relieved, Wiji Cheon retreated to his position in the formation, adjusted his stance, and went on the offensive. In the meantime, Yeo Min controlled the White Ice Bangles, continuously obstructing the ghoul's vision.
Throughout the fight, neither Hyonwon Kang, Yeo Min, nor Wiji Cheon made eye contact even once, so focused were they on their opponent. Nevertheless, they could read each other's thoughts.
I'll block the unavoidable attacks.
Hyonwon Kang, as a senior and the martial artist with the most outstanding external arts among the three, took on the role of defender.
Just create a small opening for me.
Wiji Cheon became one with his sword, abandoning defense for attack. The Unlimited Sword inflicted more wounds on the ghoul than any other technique.
Leave disrupting the enemy to me.
Yeo Min activated the White Ice Divine Art at full power. Gritting her teeth until they bled, she slowed and disrupted the ghoul's movements, disorienting him and throwing off his balance and aim.
Even so, it was a grueling battle.
"GRAAAARGH!" the ghoul roared in frustration. Thanks to the Demonic Spirit Pill, he felt no pain as his life energy burned and converted into an endless stream of enhanced qi.
BANG! BOOM!
The three students were completely overpowered. Regardless of how much their weapons, crafted by Wiji Yeol, allowed them to block the incomplete enhanced qi of the ghoul, and no matter how much their bodies, trained tirelessly, helped them push past their limits, this wasn't a fight any of them could handle alone.
Still, they grit their teeth and held on, all for the exact same reason.
If I fall, the other two will die!
It has often been said that surviving a life-or-death battle elevates a martial artist to a higher level.
In reality, however, such cases were extremely rare. Even if they survived, martial artists were more likely to sustain severe internal injuries or become permanently disabled after a hard-fought battle. Only the talented and well-prepared could emerge unscathed and enlightened.
Baek Suryong knew this, so he ceaselessly trained his students in order to prepare them for moments like these.
FWHOOSH!
Hyonwon Kang was the first to have a revelation. The domain of the Asura Blood Heaven Blade unfolded, dyeing the night sky a brilliant crimson.
Falling into a trance, he began a strange, erratic blade dance, moving as if he were drunk. He deflected the ghoul's sword, brushed past it lightly, and then whirled around, swinging his blade in a large arc.
SLASH!
The Black Dao sliced off the ghoul's blade arm. At the same time, Hyonwon Kang coughed up blood and dropped to one knee.
The ghoul let out a shriek of pain and attempted to crush him with its remaining hand, but was stopped by a fierce burst of frigid qi.
CRACKLE!
The ghoul's skin frosted over in the blizzard reminiscent of a North Sea snowstorm, forcing it to cloak itself in an armor of enhanced qi. Enraged, it turned its attention to Yeo Min.
"...Now," Yeo Min muttered with a pale face.
Wiji Cheon zoomed past Yeo Min like a beam of light.
SHHIIINK!
The Unlimited Sword pierced through the ghoul's enhanced qi armor, blasting off half of its torso.
THUD! CRASH!
Wiji Cheon fell to the ground, unconscious from overexertion.
The ghoul also toppled over, but despite the fatal wound, it remained tenacious to its last breath. Rather, a flicker of sentience appeared in its eyes as terminal lucidity took hold and restored the Second Shroud's mind.
"Grrrr..." The Second Shroud blinked his completely blackened eyes a few times, then muttered, "Astonishing... to think not a single one of you died."
Smiling bitterly, he stared at the young martial artists in front of him in disbelief. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but spit out one last curse.
"...But your friends and master will not be safe. You will soon be wailing at their funerals... I wonder how many of you will survive? Even those who survive will experience hell. And in the future, you will realize. You would have been luckier to be killed by me today..."
SHLICK!
Hyonwon Kang staggered over and beheaded the Second Shroud, cutting his last words off permanently.
"Bullshit. No one will die, you idiot," he mumbled.
He surveyed his surroundings. Wiji Cheon had fainted, and Yeo Min was lying on the ground, gasping for breath.
"Are you okay?" he asked her.
Yeo Min groaned, "Yeah..."
They had exhausted all their inner arts and stamina, and they didn't have the strength to lift a finger.
Hyonwon Kang fought off the temptation to collapse and fall asleep immediately. "More assassins might come. Let's get out of here for now."
Hyonwon Kang and Yeo Min carried Wiji Cheon together and prepared to leave the White Dragon Manor.
CRASH!
Suddenly, someone smashed the main gate and barged in.
Hyonwon Kang and Yeo Min flinched, thinking it was an enemy, but they soon recognized the invader as Mae Geuklyom.
"Are you all alright?" Mae Geuklyom asked. His sword was wet with blood, as if he had just come from a fierce battle, and the martial artists of the Murim Alliance's Jiangxi Branch trailed behind him.
The students nodded blankly, relieved that help had arrived.
Mae Geuklyom examined the students' wounds, then patted his chest in relief.
"Is Mr. Baek okay...?" Hyonwon Kang asked.
Mae Geuklyom nodded. "Don't worry. That punk will be fine no matter what happens. You kids should go rest up."
Hyonwon Kang and Yeo Min's tension instantly evaporated, and they lost consciousness.
Mae Geuklyom entrusted the students to the Murim Alliance members who had come with him, then spun around.
"From now onwards, it's the adults' turn," he growled, his pupils glowing blue with fury.