Genius Martial Arts Trainer

Chapter 252:

murim alliance

the unexpected news shocked the old monks, who began speaking all at once.

“are you saying those demons are targeting the central plains again?”

“amitabha. first shinchun, now even the demonic cult. what is happening?”

“it doesn’t say the demonic cult is moving for sure. the murim alliance wants to investigate this matter and resolve the conflicts that have recently intensified among various sects by sending the younger generation of the nine great sects and the five noble families along with the alliance’s warriors.”

it was indeed strange. the murim alliance, which had been watching the conflicts among the sects, was now stepping in to mediate.

however, considering that the murim alliance was created to counter the demonic cult, it made sense in a way.

while the gathered old monks wore confused expressions, mu-jin remained calm.

in explaining the events in the southern region, he omitted details related to ou-yang pae.

specifically, he hid the fact that ou-yang pae was affiliated with the demonic cult and referred to the red tiger group under a different name.

the old monks of shaolin had experienced the demonic cult’s attack firsthand forty years ago.

their hatred for the demonic cult was something difficult to overcome, even after decades of buddhist practice.

‘if only we could find evidence that the attack forty years ago was orchestrated by shinchun and not the demonic cult, an alliance could be possible.’

mu-jin hoped that ou-yang pae would return to the demonic cult quickly to obtain this evidence.

alternatively, capturing a senior member of shinchun to get the evidence seemed necessary.

at least, there was no need to hide the fact that the left envoy was the leader of shinchun and that the right envoy was affected by the yin-yang gu.

“abbot, during the interrogation of a man named hwang gon, we obtained some information about the demonic cult.”

as mu-jin began to explain the current situation of the demonic cult, the old monks’ faces grew more complex.

“so you’re saying that the demonic cult is essentially a puppet of shinchun now?”

“yes. additionally, during the interrogation concerning the yin-yang gu, we heard about the murim alliance.”

“why would the murim alliance come up all of a sudden?”

“when i received the ten-thousand-year snow ginseng for winning at the yongbongji conference, it also contained a hidden yin-yang gu.”

“!!!”

the sudden influx of shocking information continued.

master hyun-hyeon looked at mu-jin with a mixture of surprise and concern.

“so, are you saying that the yin-yang gu is currently in your body?”

if that were the case, master hyun-hyeon thought it necessary to confine mu-jin within shaolin.

however, contrary to hyun-hyeon’s concern, mu-jin shook his head calmly.

“while consuming the ten-thousand-year snow ginseng, i sensed something wrong and spat it out. it had a tiny worm hidden inside.”

“you spat it out after nearly consuming it?”

“yes. because of that, i couldn’t absorb most of the energy from the ginseng, but it seems it was the right decision.”

“huh. hahaha. hahahaha.”

the old monks collectively laughed at mu-jin’s calm demeanor.

“amitabha. it must have been buddha’s protection.”

“what do you mean? mu-jin was able to avoid greed by following buddha’s will. hahaha.”

at hyun-hyeon’s words, the old monks looked at mu-jin with peculiar expressions.

‘does he really have no greed?’

though unspoken, this sentiment was evident in their eyes.

then, hyun gong, the head of the jurisdiction department, asked with a puzzled tone.

“but why did you keep it a secret until now?”

“...i thought it might cause problems in various ways to mention that i didn’t consume the ten-thousand-year snow ginseng because of a worm.”

since he couldn’t say he knew about the yin-yang gu from the start, mu-jin made up an excuse.

fortunately, due to the continuous flow of surprising information, the old monks didn’t think to question further.

“it’s truly fortunate. and since the prize at the yongbongji conference contained poison, it seems shinchun’s spies have infiltrated the upper echelons of the murim alliance.”

“yes. i wanted to find out more through hwang gon, but there wasn’t enough time.”

“no. you have already done a great deal by discovering this much.”

“hmm. mu-gyeong probably won’t go down easily anymore. i’d find traveling with hye-dam sasook more dreadful.”

“what’s wrong with our sajo-nim?”

“traveling with him would mean not a single word throughout the trip. how suffocating would that be?”

a journey with hye-gwan promised some drinks and entertainment. but with hye-dam?

everyone has their travel preferences, but mu-jin preferred traveling with someone crazy over someone silent.

still, since it was about his sajo, mu-gung defended him.

“ahem. sajo-nim may not talk much, but once you get used to it, you can understand what he’s thinking just by his expression.”

“sure, sure. whatever you say.”

“both of you, stop! fighting is bad! right, ling-ling?”

“ukki!”

seeing mu-yul glaring at them with clear eyes, mu-gung and mu-jin burst into laughter.

* * *

after several days of travel, they arrived in woe-hyeon, located in shaanxi province, where the martial alliance was based.

returning to this place after about three years, it had a completely different atmosphere than before.

without the martial arts tournament or the yongbongji conference, woe-hyeon seemed surprisingly quiet.

unlike before, they traveled through the sparsely populated main street and arrived at the entrance of the martial alliance.

after following the guide waiting at the entrance, they reached the training grounds.

a familiar group in uniforms greeted them.

“may buddha bless you. shaolin has just arrived.”

“amitabha. it’s good to see the wudang again.”

while the wudang sect elders exchanged greetings with the shaolin monks, cheongsu dojang slipped away to greet mu-jin.

“mu-jin sunim! it’s been a long time!”

“indeed, cheongsu dojang. have you made progress?”

“haha. would you like to find out today? you’re always welcome, mu-jin sunim.”

seeing him draw his sword with an innocent smile, mu-jin thought he was as consistent as ever.

meanwhile, the commotion caused by shaolin and wudang attracted some of those in the training grounds.

“mu-jin sunim. have you been well?”

the first to approach was jegal jin-hee, leading the jegal family members.

as the current young master of the jegal family, she not only represented the younger generation but also played a role in leading the family.

“it’s been a while, jegal jin-hee shijunim.”

mu-jin greeted her with a gentle smile, just as he did with cheongsu.

‘both of them have clearly improved.’

the environment seemed to make people stronger.

though cheongsu dojang and jegal jin-hee were not major figures in the novel, their skills had already surpassed the level of the younger generation.

following jegal jin-hee, tang so-mi also appeared with the tang family members and greeted mu-jin.

“hehe. i saw you recently, didn’t i?”

“ahem. have you been well?”

“wait a minute. have you two met recently?”

jegal jin-hee’s sharp eyes glared at tang so-mi as she greeted mu-jin.

despite jegal jin-hee’s icy glare, tang so-mi simply smiled mischievously.

“oh my, didn’t you hear, jegal unni? i went to southern barbarian to help mu-jin sunim. hehe.”

jegal jin-hee, uncharacteristically agitated, tried to continue the playful banter, but their conversation was interrupted.

just as mu-jin had made allies with the tang family, wudang, and the jegal family over the years...

“you despicable bastards!!!!”

there were also plenty of enemies who had become mortal foes.

taoists in the jeomchang sect uniforms approached them, radiating murderous intent.