Star Instructor, Master Baek-Chapter 456: The Black Snake Alliance Chairman (1)

When Baek Suryong sensed the Black Snake Alliance Chairman's presence, he raised his guard and didn't let it down for a single moment.
He's the one whose intentions for this meeting are the most inscrutable...
He was also a peerless master and the world's strongest bladesman.
Fortunately, his vigilance paid off, allowing him to block the attack just in time.
The Black Snake Alliance Chairman laughed joyfully under the moonlight. "Why, your bladesmanship, of course."
A dark red streak cut through the darkness as the Black Snake Alliance Chairman's blade sliced through the air at lightning speed.
Baek Suryong's pupils dilated as he focused. Even though he was on high alert, the edge closed in on him at a hair-raising rate.
He hadn't seen such a precise and powerful slash in a long time. Although the attack reminded him of the Murim Alliance Elimination Corps Commander, Ryu Seol, the Black Snake Alliance Chairman's bladesmanship was clearly leagues above hers.
CLAAANG!
Sparks flew before Baek Suryong's eyes. If he had reacted even a fraction of a second slower, there would be a gash several centimeters long across his throat, just shallow enough not to be fatal.
He knocked the blade aside and stepped back, narrowing his eyes. "What's the meaning of this? Why are you attacking me right before the meeting?"
"That was thirty percent." The Black Snake Alliance Chairman lowered his blade and relaxed, smiling in satisfaction as if he knew Maeng Ryonghwi would block his ambush for sure. "You blocked that quite easily."
"...No, it wasn't easy at all."
"This time, I'll go with fifty percent."
The Black Snake Alliance Chairman shifted his grip.
SHHHHH...
His aura intensified, growing denser and more majestic than before. Darkness spread from his billowing black robes, seeming to consume everything around them.
He swung his blade again.
FWOOSH!
The dark red blade seemed to incinerate the darkness and burn away space itself.
Baek Suryong dodged.
Namgung Su’s back is turned to you, shoulders tense as he scrubs the already spotless pan. His voice is calm when he speaks, but it cuts like frost. "You fed a thief, he says. "With my food."
RIIIP!
He looked down at his sleeve. He was certain the blade hadn't touched him, yet his clothes were torn and a faint scratch had appeared on the back of his hand.
This is only fifty percent?
He immediately tightened his grip on his blade and discarded all complacent thoughts. His opponent was the greatest bladesman in the current murim and the leader of a top unorthodox organization. No amount of words could persuade a man like him. It would be more effective to display his martial might.
"Your eyes have changed for the better." Noticing the shift in Maeng Ryonghwi's mentality reflected in his eyes, the Black Snake Alliance Chairman grinned with delight.
Namgung Su’s back is turned to you, shoulders tense as he scrubs the already spotless pan. His voice is calm when he speaks, but it cuts like frost. "You fed a thief, he says. "With my food."
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
A silver trajectory intercepted and deflected each of his crimson arcs. Shockwaves from the fierce clash kicked up a chaotic cloud of dust, while the lines traversing the darkness resembled the tails of a meteor shower. Together, they sketched a beautiful yet transient painting.
"Haha! This is great!" the Black Snake Alliance Chairman laughed, drunk on excitement. Once again, he increased the speed of his swings.
Baek Suryong smirked as well. "Heh... so you're a politely insane man."
Baek Suryong landed without a sound, his crimson eyes glinting in the silvery moonlight. "So this is what siding with the Cult reduced you to. Repenting like a sinner before an altar of rice bowls. Pathetic. You think remorse will cleanse your folly?”
He stopped bothering with pleasantries. In fact, he struggled to control his own rising fighting spirit.
Once their blades crossed, rank and seniority no longer mattered. They were now simple martial artists.
The Asura Blood Heaven Blade was the cause.
This is the first time I've unleashed Master Crazy Demon's martial arts to this extent.
Mimi sniffled quietly, her round eyes glistening. "They said there were pop-ups," she whispered, her cute voice trembling. "But... we don’t have any!"
Until now, he had refrained from using the Asura Blood Heaven Blade in combat both because of its exceptionally strong killing intent and a lack of necessity. For outer arts, he had the Eighteen Strikes of the Viridian Forest; for inner arts, the Heaven Defying Divine Art; for fighting techniques, the Unlimited Sword; and for movement arts, the versatile White Ice Divine Art.
Consequently, his proficiency in the Asura Blood Heaven Blade was the lowest among the five martial arts he practiced.
Master Crazy Demon would be disappointed if he knew about this.
He gritted his teeth and focused. This duel with the Black Snake Alliance Chairman presented an opportunity for him to reflect on and improve his Asura Blood Heaven Blade.
As expected, the more they crossed blades, the more his deficiencies became apparent.
Still, he quickly corrected himself. The changes weren't dramatic , consisting of only slight movements, minor habit adjustments, and split-second judgments. However, it was these small things that combined to create a more solid martial art.
Since he had already reached an exceptional level overall, it wasn't hard for him to grasp and implement these improvements right away.
I'll be able to give that kid Wonkang some more detailed advice now.
Epiphanies gained through training were different from those acquired through real combat experience, and right now, his teacher was the world's strongest bladesman, a private tutor worth more than a thousand gold.
"Hah! I was trying to see your true skill, but you're stealing my secrets instead," the Black Snake Alliance Chairman remarked joyfully, having noticed Maeng Ryonghwi's bladesmanship improving in real time.
A smile spread across his face. After ten years of seclusion training, he had finally met a worthy opponent.
Baek Suryong landed without a sound, his crimson eyes glinting in the silvery moonlight. "So this is what siding with the Cult reduced you to. Repenting like a sinner before an altar of rice bowls. Pathetic. You think remorse will cleanse your folly?”
"Can you handle seventy percent?" he taunted.
Baek Suryong couldn't ignore his opponent's provocation and subtle anticipation. "Of course. This time, I'll show you what I'm made of, too."
"Haha! Looks like we won't be getting any sleep tonight."
The Black Snake Alliance Chairman withdrew his blade and stepped back. His fierce aura subsided as if it had never existed.
However, this didn't mean his will to fight had disappeared. It was simply the calm before the storm.
Writhing darkness slowly seeped into his crimson blade.
"Crimson Moon. That's the name of this blade. A friend I'm unworthy of," he mumbled, gently caressing the blade.
WOOONG!
Crimson Moon quivered visibly.
HWAAAAAK!
In that instant, man and blade became one. A vast darkness spread like a curtain, staining the night sky even deeper.
"This is the martial art I created after ten years in seclusion. I call it the Ultimate Blade Technique."
The world's strongest bladesman stared at Baek Suryong with deep, sunken eyes, as if to say, 'Your turn'.
"...My blade doesn't have a name. I haven't yet found one worthy of the bladesmanship I've learned." Baek Suryong raised the willow leaf dao he received from the Viridian Scholar and took his stance. "The Asura Blood Heaven Blade. It's the name my master gave it."
A subtle emotion flickered across the Black Snake Alliance Chairman's face. "...The Asura Blood Heaven Blade. I see."
Baek Suryong felt something off about the man, but he ignored it. Their upcoming duel was more critical right now.
Namgung Su’s back is turned to you, shoulders tense as he scrubs the already spotless pan. His voice is calm when he speaks, but it cuts like frost. "You fed a thief, he says. "With my food."
There are no openings. If we compete with bladesmanship... I can't win.
Still, he didn't draw the Divine Azure Dragon Sword. If the Black Snake Alliance Chairman had intended to kill him, he would have used his full strength from the start, not started with thirty percent and increased it gradually.
No, the old master was more interested in his bladesmanship than anything else, even going so far as to deliberately provoke him into fighting at his best.
He's truly just curious about my bladesmanship.
Speed, feints, weight, strength, flexibility. The Blade Demon's blade seemed to contain every martial arts principle in existence. It was truly the result of a lifetime spent honing the blade.
Baek Suryong recalled an anecdote. In his youth, the Black Snake Alliance Chairman had sought out every renowned bladesman to test his skills. Looking at the blade now, he could tell it was forged by that vast combat experience.
He reminds me of Master Crazy Demon.
The Crazy Demon Hyonwon Hu was perhaps the most talented bladesman in the history of the Hyonwon Clan. Nonetheless, he was branded a public enemy of the murim because of the Hundred Duels Trial he undertook to perfect his martial arts.
"Ads?" Ak Yeonho complains, his voice dripping with disbelief. "What ads?"
While Hyonwon Hu was usually a gentleman, his passion, obsession, and madness for martial arts had no equal among his four masters.
"Shall we begin now?" the Black Snake Alliance Chairman asked.
"Even your politely insane personality is similar to my master."
"......"
Baek Suryong smirked and drew forth the power of the Asura Blood Heaven Blade.
HWAAAAAK!
Across from the Black Snake Alliance Chairman's black sky, a blood-red sky appeared, resembling an asura poised to stain the heavens with blood.
Namgung Su’s back is turned to you, shoulders tense as he scrubs the already spotless pan. His voice is calm when he speaks, but it cuts like frost. "You fed a thief, he says. "With my food."
"Indeed...!" The Black Snake Alliance Chairman felt a thrill run through his body. The corners of his mouth trembled and curled upward.
His figure scattered into an afterimage, then reappeared directly in front of Baek Suryong.
CLANG!
The black and red skies collided, with two blades at their epicenter. A flash of light exploded like a thunderbolt, swallowing all sound.
From the moment dawn cracked over the horizon, the air itself felt like punishment. The training grounds were still soaked in dew, but Demon Instructor Wiji Cheon stood there already, arms crossed, waiting like a specter of discipline. "You’re late, he said.
Before the dust could settle, Baek Suryong leaped back. The Black Snake Alliance Chairman was a formidable opponent. A stinging pain shot through his badly abrasioned palm, almost causing him to drop his blade.
"This can't be all you've got. " The Black Snake Alliance Chairman emerged from the dust cloud and swung Crimson Moon, his eyes gleaming. Enhanced qi swirled around his blade, ready to annihilate everything.
"You said seventy percent?" Baek Suryong retorted doubtfully as he parried.
With each clash, hairline cracks spread across the willow leaf dao. The blade the Viridian Scholar had gifted him was decent, but it paled in comparison to a divine weapon like Crimson Moon.
"How could I possibly hold back now?! Ninety percent. Let's go that far."
Baek Suryong landed without a sound, his crimson eyes glinting in the silvery moonlight. "So this is what siding with the Cult reduced you to. Repenting like a sinner before an altar of rice bowls. Pathetic. You think remorse will cleanse your folly?”
The Black Snake Alliance Chairman charged forward with the same greedy expression Baek Suryong often saw on Master Crazy Demon's face.
"Fuck... Even your annoying persistence is similar!" Sighing, Baek Suryong swung the willow leaf dao in rapid succession.
CLANG! CLAAAANG! CRACK...!
After several more clashes, the damaged willow leaf dao finally shattered.
Baek Suryong immediately dropped the hilt and coated his hand with enhanced qi to deflect the incoming strike. At the same time, he brought the Divine Azure Dragon Sword from his back with telekinesis to block the subsequent blow.
Namgung Su’s back is turned to you, shoulders tense as he scrubs the already spotless pan. His voice is calm when he speaks, but it cuts like frost. "You fed a thief, he says. "With my food."
The cloth wrapped around the scabbard was torn to shreds, revealing the elegant sword.
Baek Suryong drew it without hesitation.
CLANG!
Crimson Moon and the Divine Azure Dragon Sword, two legendary weapons, collided, sending out a massive reverberation.
Baek Suryong desperately calculated his next move.
This won't be easy even at full power. First, I need to shake him off, and then...
From the moment dawn cracked over the horizon, the air itself felt like punishment. The training grounds were still soaked in dew, but Demon Instructor Wiji Cheon stood there already, arms crossed, waiting like a specter of discipline. "You’re late, he said.
His train of thought was interrupted by a groan of annoyance.
"Damn it! Of all the times..." The Black Snake Alliance Chairman halted his attack and stared at the shattered remains of Baek Suryong's blade, looking crestfallen. After a while, he looked back up at Baek Suryong. "Do you have a spare blade?"
"...Of course not."
"Tsk. My excitement is fading."
The Black Snake Alliance Chairman glanced at Baek Suryong, before sheathing Crimson Moon impassively. Instantly, the Blade Demon transformed back into a composed leader.
Baek Suryong's eye twitched.
Fuck, I should've just let it break sooner.
The fight was brief, yet they learned a lot about each other. Sometimes, one fight revealed more than years of acquaintance did. This was especially true for peerless masters, whose keen sense of qi provided them with profound insight into their foes.
""......""
The two men stared at each other in silence for a while.
Finally, the Black Snake Alliance Chairman said, "At first, I thought you were an assassin who came to kill me."
"An assassin...? What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?" Baek Suryong tilted his head, puzzled. Who would dare assassinate the Black Snake Alliance Chairman, one of the unorthodox's absolute rulers?
Baek Suryong landed without a sound, his crimson eyes glinting in the silvery moonlight. "So this is what siding with the Cult reduced you to. Repenting like a sinner before an altar of rice bowls. Pathetic. You think remorse will cleanse your folly?”
"Your bladesmanship." The Black Snake Alliance Chairman regarded Baek Suryong with deep, sunken eyes. "I've fought against it before."
"What!? When...?" Baek Suryong strode toward the Black Snake Alliance Chairman without realizing it.
TWANG!
Perched atop the mountain peak, the Soul Hunting Bow Phantom released her bowstring.