Chapter 432: Chapter 432

Just before the Tiger Smashes the Mountain struck Jeok Manpae, the Viridian Scholar, who had been observing the match intently, bellowed, "Everyone, fall back thirty meters!"

The bandits moved instinctively at their boss's frosty command. Their earlier laughter and chatter vanished as they immediately took up defensive stances, clearly demonstrating their discipline.

It was a split-second decision and response. Had the two men been fighting with inner arts, it would have been too late to prevent audience casualties. Fortunately, this was an external arts duel fought only with their physical abilities.

From another perspective, though, this also meant that the clash was powerful enough to cause a devastating shockwave.

"Fuck..." Jeok Manpae sighed softly as he watched Baek Suryong's blurred form close in on him.

The instant the instructor's shoulder touched his chest, ripples spread across his muscles as the impact radiated outward.

With an earth-shaking roar and shockwave, he was sent flying backward, smashing through everything in his path.

The bandits cried out in shock and worry. Some of them glared fiercely at Baek Suryong. The source of thɪs content is novel-fire.ɴet

Just moments ago, they had greatly admired Baek Suryong. He, one of the orthodox sects' greatest masters, had drunk with them, wrestled with them, and treated them as equals instead of looking down on them for being bandits.

His somewhat brutal methods weren't a problem. Rather, they preferred people who were rough around the edges.

Nevertheless, the attack that sent their vice boss flying was no ordinary feat.

"Cheater! You're not allowed to use inner arts!"

"How dare you use a fatal technique on our Vice-Boss...!"

A faint killing intent rose in the bandits' eyes. Those closest to the vice boss slowly reached for their weapons.

"......" Baek Suryong stood still, offering no explanation. He simply looked down at his own two hands.

This only enraged the bandits further.

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"Will you explain yourself?" the Viridian Scholar asked, standing in front of his men and staring at Baek Suryong grimly.

The atmosphere neared a tipping point.

"Cough! Stop that! Show some respect toward our guest!" Jeok Manpae roared, coughing as he dug himself out from under a pile of debris. "Who said he used inner arts, you idiots?! If the Azure Dragon Hero had really tried to kill me, do you think I would be able to get back up?" ŔἁŊỌ𝔟Ęꞩ

"I'm fine, Big Bro. Hey, you bastards! Apologize to our guest at once!" Firmly warning the bandits against acting rashly, Jeok Manpae smacked his lips with a hint of regret and turned to Baek Suryong. "I lost. That last technique you unleased... I hope you'll let me witness it again someday. I've truly learned an important lesson."

Jeok Manpae bowed, acknowledging his defeat.

"...I'm the one who has learned a lot, too," Baek Suryong said, breathing a sigh of relief.

The moment the technique had landed, he had feared his opponent's internal organs ruptured. Fortunately, Jeok Manpae was a monster when it came to durability, bouncing back perfectly fine even after taking a direct hit of the Tiger Smashes the Mountain.

That was really crude.

Until now, the Tiger Smashes the Mountain was a technique he could technically use by force, but he had always avoided it because it put too much strain on his body. Furthermore, since he had his sword, he had thought there was no need to use it. Now that he had properly unleashed Master Maeng's martial arts for the first time, though, he was amazed by its power.

He clasped his hands in gratitude. "Thank you for yielding, Vice-Boss. If you had insisted on continuing, I would have been the one to fall to the ground."

"What are you talking about? You're too humble."

"I mean it," Baek Suryong insisted, holding up his subtly trembling hands. This was the price for using an unfamiliar technique without practice.

Naturally, a master of Jeok Manpae's caliber didn't miss such a detail. His eyes widened in surprise. "Did you push yourself that hard? Just to beat me?"

Baek Suryong sighed and nodded. "It was the only way I could think of to defeat a hero of the Viridian Forest, so I acted recklessly."

Although the truth was that his body hadn't yet adapted to the technique, he let Jeok Manpae misunderstand, thinking it was for the best.

As expected, Jeok Manpae's face brightened considerably. "Hahahaha! Why go that far? Then again, I guess not even the famed Azure Dragon Hero can send me flying that easily!"

"I never thought I'd meet someone who could impress me so much in the Viridian Forest!"

"Hahahaha! I don't know what to do with such undeserved praise!"

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Baek Suryong left behind the heartily laughing Jeok Manpae and turned to the bewildered bandits and the still-suspicious Viridian Scholar. "I've learned a lot from you Viridian Forest heroes today. I used to be confident that I wouldn't lose to anyone in external arts, but after sparring with all of you, I realized my shortcomings. So, how about we call today's match a draw?"

The bandits, who had just been angry when they thought their vice boss was seriously injured, quickly changed their tune as if nothing had happened.

"A draw? What do you mean? Of course, it's your victory, Azure Dragon Hero'!"

"I've gained something to be proud of for the rest of my life!"

"Just how did you train your body?"

"May I have the honor of offering you a drink, Azure Dragon Hero?"

Such interactions were typical of the men of the Viridian Forest. Their simplicity and honesty were both their strengths and weaknesses.

The drinking party naturally resumed, and soon, the atmosphere became boisterous again.

"Ha, this is quite something..." the Viridian Scholar laughed hollowly, seeing the Azure Dragon Hero mingling and drinking with the Yama Keep bandits as if they had never traded blows.

I remember Suhyeok saying that his teacher was someone more like us than the stereotypical orthodox master. Was this what he meant by that?

For some time now, he had wanted to meet Baek Suryong, the Azure Dragon Hero, in person. He needed to learn what kind of man Baek Suryong was and what his intentions were.

That was why he had held a feast under the pretext of entertaining a guest, offered him alcohol, and only pretended to stop his lackeys when they suggested an external arts duel.

Baek Suryong uses the Heaven Defying Divine Art on you.

He had heard a great deal from Ya Suhyeok, so he knew that his external arts were exceptionally outstanding. He wanted to confirm that skill with his own eyes.

I never imagined that he would surpass my expectations by so much.

He had never imagined that the Azure Dragon Hero would have trained his body to such an extent. In particular, he was stunned by the technique he demonstrated at the end while facing the Vice-Boss.

That was definitely the Bandit King's martial arts. Moreover, it wasn't a hollow imitation, but the genuine article.

The Viridian Scholar felt as if he had experienced all of the surprises of the last few years in a single day.

"I expected it, but..."

He decided to stop observing from a distance. The Azure Dragon Hero was more than just a martial arts master.

The ground shook, and the bandits turned their heads in unison.

Having captured everyone's attention, the Viridian Scholar looked around at his lackeys and shouted, "It's getting late. Our guest who's come from afar must be tired, so let's end the feast here."

It was late at night. Everyone was disappointed, but they obediently got up and began to clean up.

The Yama Keep was famous for having stricter discipline than any other mountain keep in the Viridian Forest. Even when they seemed relaxed, it was still within the bounds of their rules.

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"Mr. Baek, allow me to show you where you'll be staying tonight," said the Viridian Scholar.

"Thank you." Baek Suryong expressed his thanks and followed the bandit boss.

A sudden, strong gust of wind made the torches in the mountain keep flicker all at once. For a moment, Baek Suryong's shadow, cast by the light, swelled immensely, as if a giant several times his size walked behind the Azure Dragon Hero.

Baek Suryong finally had a private meeting with the Viridian Scholar. The feast in the Viridian Forest wasn't so bad, but he hadn't come there to play. He was here to form an alliance with the Viridian Forest.

"As I mentioned in my letter, I'm here today not only to see Ya Suhyeok's father, but also to propose an alliance to the Viridian Forest."

"Yes, I've read the letter you sent several times."

The two men sat facing each other, drinking tea. It was quite a rare spectacle to see two men who looked more like scholars than martial artists sitting upright and drinking tea inside one of the largest mountain keeps in the Viridian Forest, but their conversation wasn't light chatter. Rather, it was an important matter that would decide the future of the jianghu.

After taking a sip of tea, the Viridian Scholar asked calmly, "I'll ask you directly. How would this alliance benefit us?"

"The greatest benefit is safety. As you know, the Blood Cult will never leave the Viridian Forest alone. To wage war against the entire murim, they must pass through numerous mountains, and the Viridian Forest occupies most of them. The Blood Cult will either bring them under their control or annihilate those who don't listen and use their territory as base camps..."

Baek Suryong explained the safety benefits and rewards they would gain by forming an alliance.

"The Valley of Evil and the North Sea Ice Palace have already decided to join me.

"...Your negotiation ability is astounding."

Deeply impressed, the Viridian Scholar took another sip of tea and lost himself in thought as he listened to Baek Suryong's story. He had agonized over this countless times even before this meeting was arranged, but the conclusion was always the same.

Hyonwon Kang was bonked again. Lorem ipsum sit dolor amet.

"Still, I don't trust the orthodox."

"That's especially true for the Nine Sects One Gang and the Five Great Clans. Those arrogant hypocrites don't treat the people of the Viridian Forest as human. They think of us as pests that can be stomped to death at any time. I'm sorry, but I can't agree to this alliance."

The Viridian Scholar stood up and clasped his hands politely. He personally liked the Azure Dragon Hero, but an alliance with the orthodox could not be achieved on that alone. "I apologize for making you come all this way for nothing. I was going to send my reply by letter, but I didn't expect you to arrive before I could."

"Wait a moment!" Baek Suryong called out to the Viridian Scholar, who was about to turn away. "You've misunderstood me."

"I'm not suggesting you form an alliance with the orthodox! The Nine Sects One Gang, and the Five Great Clans have nothing to do with this alliance."

"I'm proposing that you form an alliance with me, Baek Suryong."

The Viridian Scholar hesitated for a moment before sitting back down. Baek Suryong's gaze was too earnest. "Tell me more."

"The Azure Dragon Academy, the Valley of Evil, the North Sea Ice Palace, and the Murim Alliance. These are the organizations within my sphere of influence. I intend to settle things with the Nine Sects One Gang later, but since I haven't taken action yet, I won't speak of it. However..." Baek Suryong asserted, "If the Viridian Forest becomes our ally, I'll ensure the Nine Sects One Gang never threatens you guys again."

"...What are you talking about" The Viridian Scholar glared at Baek Suryong, barely restraining his anger.

Throughout murim history, the Viridian Forest was the most common villain, and the Nine Sects One Gang was the hero that punished those villains.

However, orthodox martial artists weren't always just. Drunk on their desire for fame, many so-called 'orthodox' martial artists had indiscriminately slaughtered innocent refugees who had fled to the mountains just to survive.

To make matters worse, the orthodox sects praised such people, calling them heroes. As long the opponent was suspected to be from the Viridian Forest, brutal murders were portrayed as acts of bravery.

The Viridian Scholar recalled the words of a deceased friend.

> "We draw our swords to eat and survive, but those so-called heroes swing theirs to raise their fame. Which is worse?"

Even as one of the Ten Supremes of the era, can the Azure Dragon Hero really change the reality of the Viridian Forest? If he tries to deceive me with some absurd story...

Even though Baek Suryong was his son's teacher and one of the Ten Supremes, he had no intention of condoning falsehoods.

Baek Suryong stared intently into the Viridian Scholar's eyes. "First, let me ask just one thing," he said seriously. "Did you inherit the long-cherished desire of the Bandit King, who sought to make the Viridian Forest a sect equal to the Nine Sects One Gang?"

This wasn't an answer, but rather a question that would one day alter the course of Viridian Forest's history.

"...!!" The Viridian Scholar's eyes widened in shock. At the same time, the teacup in his hand shattered into dozens of pieces, crumbling through his fingers.