The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 14

"We will go from here to our quarters in a handstand."

"Yes, Senior Brother!"

With Uncheol's firm voice, all the members of room number nine began to move in a handstand, following him.

They were so used to this that they didn't even pay attention to the eyes of others.

Moreover, why did it seem that going in a handstand was as natural as walking?

"Sigh. There they go again. They must think they'll get stronger by doing that."

Un Chi, a disciple from room number eight who was watching them, said, looking to his side.

There, Unjihak, who was the oldest in room number eight and had been a disciple of Wudang for a long time, was looking at Uncheol.

"Hmm... there must be a reason why Uncheol is doing that."

He had entered Wudang on the same day as Uncheol and had even shared a room with him years ago.

Therefore, he prided himself on knowing his personality better than anyone else, but for some time now, he couldn't understand his actions.

"What reason could there be? You've been in Wudang for a long time, Senior Brother, so you know. He's probably just trying to get noticed by the Martial Uncles by doing that."

"Has Uncheol changed?"

He was one of the few people who knew about Uncheol's plan to make Wudang strong.

Although he didn't completely agree with Uncheol's thoughts, he was secretly cheering for him.

"Everyone changes. Especially in a room like number nine, where only weak kids are gathered, wouldn't that be even more so?"

"Stop it. I'm afraid someone will hear."

"Who's here to listen? And even if they do, it doesn't matter. It's the truth, isn't it?"

Un Chi spoke without hesitation, even though Unjihak was trying to stop him.

"Actually, I thought room number nine would forfeit this martial arts competition without a doubt, but they said they're participating, perhaps because they have more courage than I thought? We'll have to see if it's courage or recklessness."

"I was also surprised when I heard that from Senior Brother Un Gwang."

"What on earth are they going to do... it was so funny to see them all with broken noses and crying in pain at the last martial arts competition."

Un Chi giggled as he remembered that time.

"I hope we meet room number nine in this martial arts competition. It'll be an easy win."

"Un Chi. That's enough. They are all our senior and junior brothers."

"There are senior and junior brothers, and then there are senior and junior brothers."

He pouted and started walking, and Unjihak sighed at him and followed.

"Hmm... what a brat."

Just as Unjihak and Un Chi moved away.

A voice came from above a tree taller than the pavilion.

Crunch—!

The one who was biting into an apple with a deep frown was none other than Unhwi.

"The big one was Unjihak, and the small one's name was Un Chi?"

It had already been three months since he became Unhwi of Wudang.

Unhwi had already memorized the names of most of the senior brothers.

"I did run into Unjihak a few times in my past life."

I remember Unjihak being a pretty good martial artist.

He didn't openly support Unhwi like Un Gwang, but he was also a person who didn't interfere or bully him out of envy or jealousy.

But I have no memory of that Un Chi guy.

"I really... want to give you a new life."

For a moment, Unhwi, who was trembling his fists with a burning passion for education, suddenly smiled brightly.

"Well, anyway. The next goal was to subdue (?) the room next door, so it turned out well, didn't it?"

He shrugged his shoulders, threw the remaining piece of apple into his mouth, and stood up from the tree.

"Once you receive this Unhwi-nim's training method, you will surely be reborn as a new person."

He confidently clenched his fists and jumped down to the ground.

He wanted to follow them, but unfortunately, it was time to meet Martial Uncle Hyeon Yang.

***

"Really, what can I say... I'm probably tired of saying I'm amazed by now."

"Tired? It's always new and thrilling."

"Haha. If only you couldn't talk."

Martial Uncle Hyeon Yang was constantly amazed looking at me.

It's understandable, since I, who had perfectly mastered the Taiji Internal Technique and even finished the Chilseong Sword Art in just three months, wouldn't look ordinary.

"It's as if you've walked the path of martial arts once before. I wonder if I could do it like you even if I were reborn."

He said in a slightly dejected voice.

I felt a pang of guilt inside, but I quickly said to the Martial Uncle, "I-It's all thanks to you teaching me so well, isn't it, Martial Uncle? I probably would never have been able to do it on my own."

"Haha. If only you couldn't talk. I know very well that I'm not teaching you much."

"But when I get stuck or don't understand something, you always point it out like a fortune teller, don't you? You don't know how much that helps."

"What's amazing is that you can understand it just by hearing a single word."

After saying that, my eyes met with Martial Uncle Hyeon Yang's.

I felt like I could feel the hidden intention in that gaze.

'No, does this guy feel a sense of rivalry with someone who is going to be his disciple?'

That gaze was definitely a sense of rivalry.

A gaze that saw me not as a junior or a disciple candidate, but as a fellow martial artist.

He had hidden it well with his long years of cultivating the Tao, but I had been reading people's expressions in the martial world for twenty years.

The thoughts of a naive Taoist were easily read.

"Unhwi. Get strong quickly."

"Yes, I have to, Martial Uncle."

The Martial Uncle summed up his feelings in this one sentence.

But I felt a very faint shiver run down my spine.

'What are you going to do if I get stronger?'

For some reason, I feel like I'll have to have a spar in the guise of training every day.

In fact, I'm confident that I wouldn't lose easily even if we had a spar right now.

Of course, my body is still weak, and the amount of internal energy I have is meager.

But, a spar... especially a fight, is not done with just strength and internal energy.

Like the saying, 'four taels of strength can lift a thousand catties', how you use what you have is important.

I can fill that gap with my experience.

'But, now is not the time yet.'

My learning ability is already freakishly fast, so the interest in me must be at its peak. If I show my fighting style based on my experience at a time like this, he might make a fuss about taking me as his formal disciple.

I quite like the current situation where I train with my room's senior brothers in the morning and at night, and with Martial Uncle Hyeon Yang in the afternoon, so I want to maintain it for a while.

"By the way, the matchups will be decided today."

"Are you talking about the martial arts competition?"

"Yes. Usually, a week before the competition, the first-generation disciple in charge of the competition holds a lottery in his room."

"The matchups are decided by a lottery?"

"Yes. Because that's the fairest way."

I nodded my head automatically.

The saying that it's fairer to leave it to luck rather than to match them up by assessing the skills of each room was strangely Wudang-like.

"I know that Martial Granduncle Okgil is in charge of this competition, right?"

Martial Granduncle Okgil is the current head of the Yuyeop Hall and a top master who plays a big role in the war with the Demonic Cult in the future.

Even now, he is one of the strongest in the 'Ok' generation, which is one generation above the Hyeon generation.

"Martial Uncle, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"By any chance, besides the lottery, can we also nominate a room we want to face?"

"Nominate... well, it's not impossible. However, the two rooms must agree. If the stronger side unilaterally nominates, it would be the same as losing fairness."

"Oh-ho. Is that so?"

Perhaps seeing my eyes sparkle, Martial Uncle Hyeon Yang said with a slightly anxious expression, "Why. Is there a room you want to fight?"

"Yes, I want to fight room number eight."

"Why there?"

"They were looking down on our room a lot. They were saying things like, 'I thought you would forfeit, why are you participating?', 'I can already see you crying with bloody noses', 'If we meet you, we'll make you into a pulp'..."

Huh? Did they not say that much? Well, it doesn't matter. It all amounts to the same thing in the end.

"Haha! So you want to get revenge?"

"Rather than revenge, well... I just want to show them who we really are?"

Martial Uncle Hyeon Yang glanced up at the sky and said, "Then you'll have to move quickly. It's almost evening, and I don't know when Martial Uncle Okgil will draw the lots tonight."

"So the time isn't fixed?"

"Yes. He could do it right after dinner, or he could do it late at night."

I nodded my head.

There's not much time, but I can't meet them until dinner time anyway.

'I'll have to go right after dinner.'

I thought and looked back at Martial Uncle Hyeon Yang.

I wish it was dinner time already. And there's nothing like training to make time go by quickly.

"Martial Uncle! For now, shall we do the Chilseong Sword Art one more time? There's plenty of time until dinner."

"Good. That mindset of prioritizing training above all else is good."

"Haha... well. That's right."

The Martial Uncle seemed to have misunderstood something completely, but I didn't bother to correct him.

It's a misunderstanding that benefits me, so there's no need to fix it.

***

The joyful (?) dinner time returned.

The end time for the Yuyeop Hall group training and my personal training with Martial Uncle Hyeon Yang is the same, but since Martial Uncle Hyeon Yang's training ground is a little far, I'm always late for the dining hall.

But the senior brothers in my room always waited for me and ate dinner with me.

To be honest, food is really important.

At first, even though they were senior brothers, I thought I wouldn't feel any affection for them because they were just little kids in my eyes.

But after living and eating together for several days, I can feel that affection slowly taking a place in a corner of my heart.

And when we eat together, we have a lot of time to talk like this.

"Junior Brother. So... I have to come on strong, right?"

"Yes, the initial impact is important. You shouldn't give them time to make excuses."

"I understand. Hoo. I don't know if I can do it well."

"You can do it properly. When you're not sure, trust me, who believes that you will do well, Senior Brother."

"Yes. I understand."

Uncheol stopped eating and clenched his fists, strengthening his resolve.

Today, I explained 'provocation' to the senior brothers in words.

Of course, a high-level skill like this can't be learned just by words.

Just as the benefits of provoking an opponent are enormous, it's not an easy task to make an opponent angry.

'But, the opponents are also Wudang's little brats.'

It might not work against seasoned martial artists, but it will work with a very simple trick against kids who haven't been tainted by the secular world.

"Alright. Memorize the lines I'm teaching you well, and just follow them exactly at the beginning. I'll step in if there's an unexpected situation, so don't worry."

"Hmm... I understand."

Uncheol diligently memorized the lines I recited while eating.

It wasn't a very long line, and Uncheol's comprehension wasn't bad, so he was able to memorize it easily.

"Junior Brother. What should we do?"

"Ah! You will also play an important role, Senior Brothers."

"An important role?"

"It's called setting the mood. That's one of the most important things."

The senior brothers, who didn't understand what I was saying, had a bewildered expression.

I looked at them and explained further.

"It's nothing special. When Senior Brother Uncheol starts, without looking at the situation, you all just have to go in at once and make a very angry face."

"An angry face? Like this?"

Unjeong frowned deeply and breathed heavily.

"No, Senior Brother. That doesn't look angry, it looks like you're sick somewhere..."

"Then like this?"

"Oh! That's right. The other senior brothers should do it like this too."

At my praise, Senior Brother Unjeong patted his own shoulder proudly.

Why do I feel like the personalities of our room's senior brothers are changing little by little?

Is this complete domestication?

"Unhwi-ya! They seem to have finished eating too. They've stood up."

Senior Brother Unmi, who was eavesdropping on the conversation of the senior brothers from room number eight while listening to our story, said.

"That's right. Let's get up slowly too. When all the senior brothers from room number eight have gone into their room, we'll count to ten and then go in."

"I understand. Hoo, I'll do my best."

After returning our utensils and leaving the dining hall, we slowly began to follow the senior brothers from room number eight.

Fortunately, they didn't stray to another path and went straight into their room.

"When that Un Chi guy goes in, everyone will be inside."

"Good. Now that he's in, let's slowly count to ten."

"One, two, three... ten!"

Finally, we finished counting to ten.

"Alright, Senior Brother Uncheol, go!"

"Yes. I understand."

Uncheol huffed and puffed and started walking towards the door of room number eight.

The back of the senior brother, who was already walking with an angry expression and gestures, looks surprisingly reliable.

'He has a talent for acting, doesn't he? And that build is always enviable.'

While I was lost in my thoughts, the senior brother arrived in front of the door of room number eight.

He took a deep breath, and then, he kicked the door with a loud bang! and shouted.

"Is it true that you've been talking behind my back?! And that you've been looking down on our room number nine?!"

It was literally a roar.

I nodded with a satisfied expression and clapped twice.

That's right. Good job

(End of Chapter)