The Martial God with Psychic Powers

Yeon Woo Jin entered with a radiant smile and immediately checked on Hong Seolhwa.

“You’ve improved greatly. Today, we’ll finish with just a few simple needles. You’ve endured so much.”
At his words, Hong Seolhwa bowed her head.
“It’s all thanks to you, Divine Physician. I will never forget the grace of being saved—not until the day I die.”

“Haha. The fact that you’re healthy now is already repayment enough.”
Hearing this, Namgung Cheon spoke firmly.
“No. I will repay this debt—no matter how long it takes, even if it’s my life’s work.”

“I’d rather you didn’t. I’m not comfortable with things like that.”
“Then, at the very least, please tell us if there’s anything you need—anything at all that wouldn’t burden you.”
At Namgung Cheon’s words, Yeon Woo Jin smiled gently and replied,

“There’s nothing I need.”
It was clear—he had no intention of ever asking.
“If you wish for the Namgung Clan to join Mushincheon, we’ll do so.”

At those words, Hong Seolhwa flinched in shock.
And Yeon Woo Jin stared at him silently.
Then he shook his head.

“No, don’t do that. Right now, the Central Plains only remain peaceful because a certain balance is being maintained. If the Namgung Clan joins Mushincheon, that balance may collapse—and chaos may follow.”
At that, Namgung Cheon bowed his head deeply.
“I was short-sighted.”

“Then let’s do this.”
Knowing Namgung Cheon would never stop trying to repay the favor, Yeon Woo Jin offered first.
“I’ll likely be leaving soon to experience the Central Plains. When I do, I’d like to stay with the Namgung Clan for a while.”
“Truly?”

“Yes.”
“Understood! I will make all preparations to properly receive you, Divine Physician!”
“No need to go that far. Just… treat me like anyone else…”

But clearly, Namgung Cheon hadn’t heard a word of that.
His mind was already racing—how to entertain and serve Yeon Woo Jin when the time came.
Hong Seolhwa gave a quiet laugh.

“In his state, you could say anything, and it wouldn’t register.”
“Haha… Surely he won’t go so far as to dismantle the clan just to prepare for me?”
Hong Seolhwa averted her eyes.
Wait… why is she looking away?

Excuse me?
You two—please look this way.
Shouldn’t have said I’d visit.

Too late to take it back now, right?
 
****

Yeon Woo Jin went to see Yeon Cheon Baek.
The Martial God greeted him with a beaming smile.
“Hahaha! What brings my Woo Jin here at this hour?”

“There’s something I’d like to ask your permission for.”
“Permission? What kind?”
“I’d like access to the martial arts tomes in the Heavenly Vault of the Immeasurable Archives.”

“Why?”
“I want to return copies of the techniques that belong to sects outside of Mushincheon.”
Yeon Cheon Baek paused for a moment.

“Oh! Not the originals—just the copies.”
“The copies, yes. I’d like your permission to return them.”
“And what’s your reason?”

“I want competition.”
“Competition?”
“Yes. Mushincheon has long stood at the top. I want to strengthen the martial world of the Central Plains—to create tension.”

“I see…”
“I want the martial world to be strong by the time I become Lord of Mushincheon. That way, I’ll at least have some fun.”
“What? Hahahahaha! So you want to make the Central Plains stronger just so you won’t be bored when you become the Martial Lord?”

“Yes. Before I was born, even you were bored, Grandfather. You grew Blood Sect on purpose, didn’t you? Just to have something to do?”
Yeon Cheon Baek laughed with a face that said, I’ve been caught.
“Hah! I can’t win with you, Woo Jin. Fine, then! My Woo Jin mustn’t be bored, that’s for sure. I give you permission. As you said—if it’s just the copies, then it doesn’t matter. Return them.”

“Thank you!”
“But promise me just one thing.”
“Yes?”

“Promise that no one will ever dare challenge Mushincheon.”
At those words, Yeon Woo Jin’s pupils turned black.
“Mushincheon will become the sky above the martial world of the Central Plains. Not a peer among peers—but the high heavens, looking down upon the earth.”

An overwhelming aura surged from Yeon Woo Jin—as if it would swallow the world.
Yeon Cheon Baek, sensing it, let out a deep, satisfied laugh.
“KUHAHAHAHA! That’s it! That’s exactly it!”

Yeon Cheon Baek was beyond excited—
For the Mushincheon that would be led by Yeon Woo Jin.
He made up his mind then and there:

Whatever happens, he would live to see it with his own eyes.
 
****

As he departed with the now-fully-healed Hong Seolhwa, Namgung Cheon could not stop thanking Yeon Woo Jin.
He would take a step—then turn back and bow.
Take another step—turn and bow again.

At this rate, he might throw out his back.
It was only after about a hundred bows that he finally vanished from sight.
Watching this, No Sobaek muttered,

“That is truly a pure and devoted love. For the Clan Head of one of the Five Great Clans to cast aside pride and personally come to Mushincheon—it must not have been an easy decision.”
“Right? That’s why I treated her. The two of them… they were beautiful together.”
“It’s about time for you to return to the High Division. Did everything go as you wished?”

“Yes. Now it’s time to use that success to train our students to be stronger.”
“Your goal… is it Central High?”
Yeon Woo Jin gave a sly smile.

“Hahaha. Young Lord, you’re impossible. Are you really aiming for Central?”
“That’s the only way to truly unify the High Divisions.”
No Sobaek nodded solemnly.

“Among the trainees, is there one you’ve taken a liking to?”
“Yes. Jin Unhwi.”
“Ah—Unhwi. Hahaha. I see. Then I must bring that boy to the Hall of the Medicine King.”

“Yes. Raise him well—make him a worthy successor to lead the Hall.”
“Haha! As you command.”
Yeon Woo Jin looked at No Sobaek and spoke with sincerity.

“Thanks to you, Master, I’ve come to truly understand the healing arts. Your student offers you his gratitude.”
As Yeon Woo Jin bowed, No Sobaek made to stop him—but then let him finish.
And then, in return, No Sobaek bowed low toward Yeon Woo Jin.

“I, No Sobaek, swear upon my life—I will follow you to the day I die.”
The Master of the Hall of the Medicine King had declared his loyalty to Yeon Woo Jin.
And the two men exchanged smiles.

In this way, Yeon Woo Jin had brought the Hall of the Medicine King under his banner.
Before the contest for Lesser Lord had even begun—
Yeon Woo Jin had already made half of Mushincheon his own.

 
****
In the Central Region, only two High Divisions existed:

Jungcheon High Division and Yakseon High Division.
Both were designed for special purposes—and for that reason, though they were technically High Divisions, they weren’t truly regarded as such.
The news that Baekyeong High Division had unified all regional divisions reached even Jungcheon.

Among the senior students, no one paid it much mind.
It was nothing more than an amusing bit of gossip.
But the same couldn’t be said for the mid-level students.

They were at an age full of /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ vigor and heat—so a report like that naturally stirred their interest.
At that very moment, Hyeok Ryeon Ho, the top mid-level student and the next in line to be Jungcheon’s Number One, was studying the power map of the Mushincheon High Divisions with an intrigued expression.
He was from the Hyeok Ryeon Clan, one of the Five Divine Houses.

Sitting beside him, fanning himself leisurely, was Jangson Cheon Gi—ranked second.
He too hailed from a Five Divine House: the Jangson Clan.
“Interesting. Baekyeong, huh. I wonder how strong they are compared to us?”

“It says right here. They estimate their top student is at the Sixth Star of the Apex-Level Realm. You’re at Hwagyeong. Comparing the two is a joke.”
“Why don’t we ever get to have any fun?”
“You always want to play with the kids. But if we get involved, there won’t be a fight. It’ll be over in a flash.”

“Still… it sounds like it’d be fun.”
“Even if you wanted to, the upperclassmen would never allow it.”
“That’s true. But I’m the future Number One of Jungcheon.”

“…What?”
“Next year, I’ll be able to do whatever I want.”
“No way… You’re really thinking of doing it? You’ll get chewed out for bullying weaker students. Jungcheon was built specifically to prevent things like that.”

“So they’ll try to stop me, huh?”
“The odds are high. If you really want to stir things up, your only option is to transfer out to a regular High Division. But we both know you’re not going to do that. If you stay put, you’ll become Number One and earn all the fame.”
“Che. True. If I did transfer out, my family might disown me… Damn, isn’t there another way?”

“There is one method…”
“What is it?”
“You provoke the kids from Baekyeong. Tell them that true unification of the High Divisions means conquering Jungcheon too. No matter how proud they are, they're still beneath Jungcheon.”

“C’mon, would that really work?”
“They’re riding high right now. If you strike their pride while they’re up there, it’ll stick. Kids their age are easy to provoke.”
“Still, you’d have to be crazy to come at us.”

“We’re just fishing. As long as they don’t actually attack, we can’t make a move.”
“And if they don’t respond at all?”
“Well, then we just put on a human-skin mask and go flip their world upside down ourselves.”

At Jangson Cheon Gi’s words, Hyeok Ryeon Ho grinned.
“That’s not a bad idea.”
“Let’s start by spreading some rumors—soft and slow at first. That way, when we take over Jungcheon next year, the groundwork’s already done.”

“No. Let’s go further—let’s plant someone inside Baekyeong.”
“Plant someone?”
“Yeah. Place someone who can agitate them, provoke them from within. Stir up the freshmen while rumors spread on the outside. If we do that, something’s bound to happen.”

“Sounds good. I was bored anyway.”
“Kuhuhu… Next year’s going to be fun.”
 

****
Having received Yeon Cheon Baek’s permission, Yeon Woo Jin visited the Immeasurable Archives whenever he had time and began transcribing the secret techniques of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans of the Central Plains.
He had no intention of giving out mere copies.

He intended to return the originals.
You might ask—how could he just decide that on his own?
He didn’t.

Everything was done with the approval of the Lord of Mushincheon—his grandfather.
Yeon Cheon Baek had no desire to give away the original scrolls transcribed by Yeon Woo Jin’s hand.
To Yeon Cheon Baek, a copy made by Yeon Woo Jin was more precious than the original itself.

So he told Woo Jin to keep those copies and return the originals.
He said, “The ones you write are the true treasures.”
Now, Yeon Woo Jin’s elegant calligraphy flowed across a new volume as he transcribed the Namgung Clan’s ultimate sword art: Imperial Sword Form.

As he copied, he re-read each line with fresh eyes.
And somehow—it felt different from before.
Yeon Woo Jin began to concentrate. His eyes turned black.

He dove deep, unraveling the mysteries hidden within each phrase.
The essence of Imperial Sword Form was being drawn into him.
And every insight he gained was embedded directly into the copy.

The result?
A copy imbued with the true essence of the technique—vastly more valuable than the original.
Yeon Cheon Baek had only wanted to keep Woo Jin’s handwriting—but what he got in return was something far greater.

As Woo Jin finished transcribing the final page and was about to look away—
Zzzt—
The last page of the original tore open, and characters surged up into the air.

“Hm?”
There had been a hidden section.
Yeon Woo Jin carefully read the floating script.

It had been written by the very creator of Imperial Sword Form.
He had hastily scrawled it here before dying, noting that it contained personal realizations gained at the end of life.
He also warned that the power was too great—and if used recklessly, it could harm the practitioner. That was why he had hidden it.

The system was designed so that only those who had mastered the full essence of Imperial Sword Form would be able to see it.
And because Yeon Woo Jin had done exactly that, it had revealed itself.
A delicate formation had been etched into the book, concealing the hidden technique.

What had appeared now—
Was Transcendent Secret Art, the surpassing esoteric level of Imperial Sword Form.
Yeon Woo Jin copied it down perfectly and included it in the copy.

Then, he restored the original—the Transcendent Secret Art faded from sight once more, hidden as if it had never been revealed.
When he took the copy in his hand, a light glowed softly from it—and its color began to fade.
It now looked as if it had aged for hundreds of years.

Yeon Woo Jin then infused it with a unique power that would protect the book from decay for eternity.
Flutter—!
He tossed the copy into the air, and it soared precisely into the same space where the original Imperial Sword Form had once been.

The original returned to Yeon Woo Jin’s inner robe.
Tap tap—
He patted the spot where the original rested and muttered,

“One down.”
And in that instant—
Yeon Woo Jin had not only transcribed the technique—

He had fully mastered Imperial Sword Form.
The original was now sealed away in Baekyaksa (Baekyak Pavilion), to be returned to the Namgung Clan later, when he stepped out into the Central Plains.