Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

"Oppa!" Namgung Mi ran over and checked on the unconscious Namgung Su.

His pale skin contrasted sharply with the charred and tattered remains of his martial arts uniform, which did little to conceal the extensive wounds beneath.

"O-Oppa… Uwaaaah!" Namgung Mi wailed, tears welling up in her eyes as she grabbed her sleeping brother by the collar and shook him. "Don't die! You can't die! If you leave me all alone, I'll hate you forever!"

Baek Suryong sighed. At this rate, never mind his wounds, Namgung Su might actually be strangled to death by his own little sister.

He had to calm Namgung Mi down somehow.

"He's fine. He's just sleeping because he's exhausted," he said in a reassuring tone.

"R-Really? My Oppa isn't dead?"

"Well, if you keep shaking his head like that, he might die from a concussion."

"I was joking, just joking." Baek Suryong patted Namgung Mi's head to comfort her.

Meanwhile, Jaegal Soyeong examined Namgung Su, her expression darkening with each new wound she discovered. "His qi center is completely depleted, and his qi acupoints are severely damaged. If he isn't treated in time…"

She couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence. She didn't want to accept that Namgung Su might never be able to use martial arts again.

Of course, Baek Suryong was also aware of this possibility. "So you're telling me that this fucking idiot went and defeated a martial master, only to end up screwing himself over…?" he grumbled.

As far as he could tell, Namgung Su had gained enlightenment in martial arts through his life-and-death battle with the Thunder Demon, and his mastery of the Heavenly Lightning Sword Technique was now likely close to completion. However, in his current condition, that enlightenment was meaningless.

A somber gloom settled over the room.

Suddenly, Namgung Mi seemed to recall something. "We can treat him by infusing him with qi! That's what they taught us in the clan! When someone suffers an internal injury, we need to heal them with qi!" she shouted.

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Jaegal Soyeong shook her head. Although using inner qi to accelerate healing was indeed the most common method of treating internal injuries, Namgung Su's lightning art posed a problem to that approach. Unlike other types of qi, lightning qi was violent and unstable, making it several times more dangerous for an outsider to recklessly infuse qi into his body.

She explained, "That works for ordinary internal injuries, but if a martial artist's qi center and meridians are damaged, infusing qi might actually make things worse. Besides…"

"B-But Suryong-oppa is a master, so…" Namgung Mi looked at Baek Suryong with desperate eyes.

Baek Suryong, who had been silently observing Namgung Su with his arms folded, finally said, "There is a way to treat him."

"I knew it!"

"But… there may be side effects."

Namgung Mi flinched. "What kind of side effects? He's not going to die or become crippled, is he…?"

Baek Suryong shook his head. "No, it's nothing like that. It's just that… his physical appearance might change. Also, I only know about this method in theory. I've never actually tried it before."

The conditions required were so specific that he had never had the chance to attempt it, but the success rate should be fairly high.

And right now…

Baek Suryong looked at the golden leech wriggling in his palm. If he used this thing, he could not only heal Namgung Su but also grant him a miraculous encounter.

"Mimi."

"Y-Yes?"

Baek Suryong met Namgung Mi's gaze, the seriousness in his eyes leaving no room for doubt. "I've already explained everything to Namgung Su earlier, and he gave his permission."

"……"

Even though the person in question had no memory of this conversation, Baek Suryong was certain that he had received Namgung Su's consent before he passed out, so all that remained was getting his family's approval.

"You're the only family Namgung Su has with him right now. Do you trust me enough to entrust him to me?"

"…Yes." Namgung Mi clenched her small fists and nodded.

Baek Suryong stood up. With the family's approval secured, there was nothing left to hesitate about. "You two stay here and wait."

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"What about you, Oppa?"

"There's something I want to check."

Baek Suryong recalled the Thunder Demon's final words before his death.

"If only I had perfected my divine art… if I had perfected it, I could have killed you in an instant! I could have slain Namgung Jaehak and trampled the world under my feet! Everything was within my grasp! The Primordial Thunder Divine Art was already complete! If only I had ten more days… no, even three…!"

Whether it was ten days or three days, that was too specific to dismiss as mere ramblings of a dying man.

"The Thunder Demon must have a hideout somewhere nearby, and since he also practices a lightning art, there's a good chance that he keeps some medicine or even elixirs that could help Namgung Su there. We need them."

Jaegal Soyeong asked skeptically, "He's been hiding for decades. Will you really be able to find his hideout so easily? We don't have much time."

"My guess is that it's in this direction." Baek Suryong pointed in the direction the Thunder Demon had fled toward right before his death. If he could be sure of the direction of the hideout, the search area would be narrowed down considerably. "Give me one hour. If I find the hideout within that time, I'll send a signal flare into the sky. When you see it, bring Namgung Su to me."

"…Understood."

"Got it!"

Baek Suryong nodded and immediately engaged his movement arts. In an instant, the scenery around him blurred as he dashed through the mountain, expanding his senses to the fullest.

Even for a supreme martial artist, finding a secret lair with only knowledge of its general direction wasn't a simple task, but Baek Suryong had another method up his sleeve.

"You're going to lead me there, aren't you?" he asked, looking at the golden leech that the Thunder Demon had raised. As grotesque as it looked, it was undoubtedly a spirit beast which had lived for at least several decades. It would likely react if they neared its home.

Baek Suryong carefully observed the leech's movements as he combed through the mountain, and as it turned out, his prediction was spot on.

SQUIRM… SQUIRM…

The leech, which had been lying still, suddenly moved its head.

Not missing the subtle motion, Baek Suryong stopped in place and focused all his senses.

Where is it?

His eyes glowed red as the Blood Demon Eyes activated and revealed to him a faint trace of unnatural qi.

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"Found it."

BOOM!

Grinning, he immediately launched a signal flare into the sky and advanced toward the Thunder Demon's hideout.

"Fuck, he hid it with formations."

Baek Suryong frowned. He could break through by force, but if he made a mistake and destroyed the hideout, it would be disastrous.

Fortunately, moments later, Jaegal Soyeong arrived, carrying Namgung Su on her back.

"I did find the hideout, but it's blocked by formations," he said.

"Leave it to me," Jaegal Soyeong replied, handing Namgung Su over to Baek Suryong and analyzing the formations. "Hmm… this is a triple-layered illusion formation. It seems the Thunder Demon was quite knowledgeable in formations and sorcery as well."

"Will it take long to break?"

Jaegal Soyeong turned to Baek Suryong and grinned. "Is five minutes a long time?"

The Jaegal Clan prided itself on being the world's best when it came to formations and sorcery, and Jaegal Soyeong was considered one of the most talented even among them.

True enough, five minutes later, the hideout that had concealed the Thunder Demon for decades was revealed.

WHOOSH…

As the formations were deactivated, a picturesque cottage appeared before them, surrounded by a vibrant flower garden. Off to one side, a small pond teemed with fish.

"So he was roleplaying a Mountain God, huh? He really turned this place into a paradise." Baek Suryong clicked his tongue in disdain, but seeing his two companions staring blankly at the scenery, he nagged, "Save the sightseeing for later. Let's go inside first."

""Ah, yes!""

The inside of the cottage was even more extravagant. One wall was lined with gold, jewels, and weapons that the Thunder Demon had stolen from martial artists over the decades. On the opposite wall were hundred-year-old fleeceflower roots, spirit beast cores, and pills crafted by the Thunder Demon himself. Finally, by the bedside lay a manual titled The Primordial Thunder Divine Art.

Each and every item was something that would make any martial artist's eyes widen in greed.

However, Baek Suryong didn't even spare them a glance. He simply picked up a few elixirs and pills made and said, "Lay him down over here."

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Jaegal Soyeong placed the unconscious Namgung Su on the bed. Baek Suryong then removed his tattered shirt, revealing his burned and battered torso, scorched by lightning.

It was clear that as time passed, Namgung Su's condition was worsening.

"Oppa…" Namgung Mi clutched her Oppa's hand, eyes brimming with tears.

"He'll be fine soon," Baek Suryong reassured as he sealed several of Namgung Su's acupoints. After that, he took one of the Thunder Demon's elixirs and put it into his own mouth.

Jaegal Soyeong stared at him in shock. "Are you seriously feeding it to him orally…?"

"Are you crazy? I'm just checking for poison."

"I-I'm sorry!"

Soon, a faint tingling spread through Baek Suryong's qi center, indicating that the elixir contained traces of lightning qi and was indeed a medicine for internal injuries.

"Alright. It's safe to use."

He crushed an identical elixir along with some medicine and fed them to Namgung Su.

Moments later, Namgung Su groaned and opened his eyes. "Baek Suryong…?"

His breathing had become noticeably steadier, and color had returned to his face. It was worth coming to the Thunder Demon's hideout.

"Now that you're awake, we can begin," Baek Suryong declared happily.

"Begin… what?"

Grinning, Baek Suryong tore the golden leech in half and pulled out a golden core. "I already explained it earlier. Congratulations, a miraculous encounter has arrived for you."

The leech was actually a Lightning Spirit, a type of spirit beast that had been fed martial artists' blood and tempered by nature's lightning for decades. The Thunder Demon had originally planned to absorb this Lightning Spirit, which contained an immense amount of lightning qi, to complete his Primordial Thunder Divine Art, but since he was dead, it was now Namgung Su's boon.

Baek Suryong swallowed the Lightning Spirit's core without hesitation.

This time, Jaegal Soyeong stayed silent, not wanting to disrupt his concentration.

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"Grit your teeth and endure, Namgung Su."

"Endure wha…"

Baek Suryong pressed his hands onto Namgung Su's chest and lower abdomen, where his middle qi center and lower qi center were located.

Realizing what was about to happen, Namgung Su muttered in a pained voice, "Qi Transfer…!"

Qi Transfer was a technique that allowed one to transfer their qi to another person, but It required extremely precise qi control and an immense amount of stamina, making it incredibly dangerous for both the giver and the receiver.

"Stop… You'll put yourself at risk…"

"Shut up and just accept it."

RUMBLE!

As a massive surge of lightning qi poured into his body, Namgung Su trembled violently and glared at Baek Suryong.

There was no need for words. The look in Baek Suryong's eyes practically screamed, "You know you can't say anything, right? No matter how painful it gets, just endure."

Namgung Su clenched his teeth, and thick veins bulged on his neck as Baek Suryong channeled all the lightning qi from the melted core into his body. Unlike when Baek Suryong shared the Nine Yin Witch's qi with Yeo Min, this time, there was no meaning in keeping any of this destructive energy to himself.

Fortunately, I've already learned the Heavenly Lightning Sword Technique.

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Following the formulas of the Heavenly Lightning Sword Technique, Baek Suryong slowly filled Namgung Su's empty qi center with fresh lightning qi. Not only that, he guided the Lightning Spirit's energy to Namgung Su's twelve major meridians, minor meridians, and acupoints, accelerating his recovery.

This is where it really begins.

The Lightning Spirit was the culmination of the Thunder Demon's decades of effort, the most potent concentration of lightning qi in the world. Originally, it was meant to complete the Thunder Demon's Primordial Thunder Divine Art, but since fate had other plans, its energy now surged through Namgung Su's body like a rampaging storm.

"Kh…!" Namgung Su's eyes shot open in shock. No matter how accustomed he was to the pain of lightning qi, this was unlike anything he had ever experienced.

CRACK!

He clenched his teeth so hard that he felt like they might break, but he couldn't faint now. If he did, then everything would be over, not just for himself, but also for Baek Suryong who was performing the qi transfer.

Damn you! When this is over, I swear I'll get you back for this!

Namgung Su cursed inwardly as he shut his eyes tight.

Baek Suryong's forehead was also drenched in cold sweat. Namgung Su had already gained enough understanding of the Heavenly Lightning Sword Technique, and it was time for him to take the next step.

I need his body to adapt to the Lightning Spirit's energy…

Baek Suryong circulated the Lightning Spirit's energy throughout Namgung Su's body, guiding the transformation of Namgung Su's entire physique to become more compatible with lightning.

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It was an excruciating process, but given the man's endurance, it was worth trying.

CRACK… CRACKLE!

That was when Namgung Su's skin started cracking like dried earth. Like an insect molting, flakes of his old skin peeled away, revealing flawless, porcelain-white skin underneath. At the same time, his body expelled impurities through his pores in the form of sweat.

"Oppa!" Namgung Mi screamed in horror.

Jaegal Soyeong's eyes widened as she murmured in a daze, "Body Reformation…"

He's forcing a Body Reformation?

Body Reformation was a miracle that could only be achieved by mastering a divine martial art and receiving heaven's blessing. However, to her knowledge, no one had ever managed to deliberately force the reformation upon someone else before in murim history.

RUMBLE…

When finally, the turbulent energy within the cottage gradually subsided, Baek Suryong released his hands and stepped back.

"Phew! Barely made it."

At the same time, Namgung Su slowly opened his eyes, struggling to lift his eyelids.

"Oppa!" Namgung Mi beamed brightly and called out happily, but the moment her eyes met her brother's, she froze like a statue. "O-Oppa… Your eyes…"

Namgung Su's pupils shone with a golden hue, as if lightning was trapped inside them.

Translator's Note: I'm tired, so see you next week…