Genius Martial Arts Trainer

Hardship

Namgung Jin-cheon, who had been staring blankly at the broken plaque, raised his head at his father’s voice.

“Tell everyone in the Namgung Family to gather at the training ground.”

“Yes, Father. I will inform them to prepare for Grandfather’s funeral.”

“Your grandfather’s funeral is a given, but there’s something we must tell everyone in the family first.”

Namgung Chang-hwi, gripping the sword that had cut the plaque to pieces, turned his gaze somewhere.

“From today, our Namgung Family declares war against Sa-doryeon. We must end the persistent life of Hyuk Jin-gang that our father couldn’t completely cut off.”

Namgung Jin-cheon was also eager for his grandfather’s revenge, so he was pleased with this decision.

“Then, shall I send word to the Shaolin side, who were also preparing for war with Sa-doryeon?”

“We are the renowned Namgung Family. Why would we need anyone’s help to defeat Sa-doryeon?”

“!!!”

Enlightened by his father’s teachings, Namgung Jin-cheon widened his eyes and quickly bowed.

“Please punish me for my foolishness!”

* * *

Shocking rumors spread throughout the martial world.

The news was that Namgung Muguk, known as the Sword Emperor of Namgung, had single-handedly attacked Sa-doryeon, massacring its warriors and severely injuring Sa-doryeon’s leader, Hyuk Jin-gang, leaving him unable to move for a while.

All the martial artists in the orthodox sects praised Namgung Muguk, and poets and musicians began creating poems and songs in his honor.

Naturally, these rumors reached Songshan in Henan, where Shaolin was located.

‘…Is this how it turned out?’

Mu-jin had hoped that someone would shake up Sa-doryeon but never imagined that Namgung Muguk would move.

Why did that battle-obsessed old man suddenly go to Sa-doryeon?

‘Could it be… he went to claim the title of the strongest in the world again?’

It sounded ridiculous, but having met Namgung Muguk, Mu-jin quickly realized that it was the most likely reason.

‘Truly, a remarkable person in many ways.’

Whether he meant it sarcastically or sincerely, it was a way of thinking that ordinary people couldn’t easily fathom.

However, regardless of whether his actions were foolish or if he lived as a true martial artist, risking his life, Namgung Muguk’s bizarre behavior was an excellent opportunity for Mu-jin and Shaolin. RáƝỗ₿ÊṤ

“I heard that after the funeral of the Sword Emperor of Namgung, the Namgung Family plans to attack Sa-doryeon immediately.”

At Jegal Muhwan’s words, those gathered in the room nodded.

Given the significant changes in the situation, they were gathered in the room to discuss it.

“Then how about proposing an alliance with the Namgung Family? Since we also have a grudge against Sa-doryeon, fighting together would benefit both sides, wouldn’t it?”

Though everyone nodded in agreement with Mu-jin’s suggestion, Jegal Muhwan shook his head.

“Impossible.”

“Why?”

Mu-jin expected a complex, high-level reason beyond his imagination, but Jegal Muhwan’s answer was absurd.

“Because those people would never form an alliance.”

“Pardon?”

Mu-jin and everyone in the room looked at Jegal Muhwan in disbelief.

“The Namgung Family lives on their own pride. To be on the same side, you’d have to submit to them, not form an alliance.”

“Ah…”

Everyone sighed in agreement at his next words, not because of what he said but because of his expression.

Jegal Muhwan, who usually wore a mask of a fabricated expression, showed a clear look of disgust when talking about the Namgung Family.

It seemed that he had suffered quite a bit at the hands of the Namgung Family during his time as the chief strategist of the Martial Alliance.

“So, what should we do now?”

“Namgung is not a force we can move as we wish. The same goes for the other side. They are like a natural disaster. And fortunately, this time, the disaster struck the other side, so shouldn’t we take advantage of this opportunity?”

Jegal Muhwan, who started speaking, looked at Mu-jin.

“You mentioned before that there were forces in place on the unorthodox side, correct? Now that the Namgung Family has inflicted significant damage on Sa-doryeon and is planning to attack the unorthodox factions, it’s the perfect time for them to act.”

“I will send word to them.”

Of course, they couldn’t be sure how much of the rumor was true.

Hyuk Jin-gang, who was said to be severely injured, had secluded himself. Whether this was a ruse or if he was indeed gravely injured was unclear.

If he was injured, how long would his recovery take?

Though exact information was unknown, waiting for a better opportunity might result in missing the current one.

Though Sa-doryeon was devastated, and numerous warriors had died, the unorthodox faction itself was not destroyed.

The warriors of Sa-doryeon who had led the vanguard were still alive, and the Seven Evils, excluding Salmak, were still intact.

Now that the Namgung Family had stepped in, it was the perfect time to shake up the unorthodox faction.

“So, how should we move? Should we form the alliance while Namgung buys us time?”

At the question from Abbot Hyuncheon, Jegal Muhwan spread his fan and pointed somewhere.

“Rather than forming an alliance now, it is better to take advantage of this opportunity to launch an attack.”

The direction his fan pointed was Shaanxi Province.

In Shaanxi Province, the Martial Alliance and the Mount Hua Sect were based.

* * *

After deciding to advance into Shaanxi and attack the Martial Alliance and Mount Hua Sect, the meeting shifted to discussing the troops and supplies needed.

“To seize this opportunity, we must quickly select personnel and move to Shaanxi with minimal supplies.”

Jegal Muhwan’s words made Mu-jin tilt his head.

“In war, supplies are crucial. If we rush there and lack supplies, it would be the worst outcome, wouldn’t it?”

As a former soldier, Mu-jin knew the importance of supplies better than anyone.

Jegal Muhwan nodded, acknowledging that Mu-jin’s question was valid.

“Supplies are indeed important. However, our ally, Zhongnan, remains in Shaanxi. Also, the Wudang Sect and the Jegal Family are already moving to assist them. If we arrive before they fall to the Martial Alliance and Mount Hua, we can secure supplies through Zhongnan. On the other hand, if they fall, having stable supplies will be meaningless.”

Since his explanation made sense, the meeting moved on to discussing the number of disciples to take to Shaanxi and the essential supplies they must carry.

“As this attack could be the turning point of the war, our Shaolin Sect will mobilize as many people as possible.”

“But Abbot, we do not yet fully know the identity of the forces behind Shinchun. They may still launch a surprise attack on us.”

When the head of the Ji-guest Hall raised an objection, Abbot Hyuncheon responded.

“Just as before, we will leave the 108 Arhats at Shaolin. All monks except for those among the Three Great Disciples who are still lacking in skill will accompany us.”

“Then we will have to move over three hundred people.”

This time, Ryu Seol-hwa began calculating the necessary supplies for the more than three hundred people moving to Shaanxi.

Though she wasn’t considered a genius like Jegal Muhwan or Baek Ga-ryeong, she was very quick in her calculations, having blossomed her own talents.

While everyone silently listened to her calculations, Mu-jin suddenly raised his hand.

“Seol-hwa Shiju-nim, we also need at least thirty additional empty carts.”

“Oh! I already planned for that.”

Having grown accustomed to Mu-jin, she understood why he requested empty carts, but Jegal Muhwan did not.

“Why do we need so many empty carts?”

Mu-jin answered as if it was obvious.

“Shaanxi is far, isn’t it? Even if we continuously use our lightness skills, it will take at least three days to reach Mount Zhongnan.”

“I understand that, but…”

“Of course, we need exercise equipment for weight training.”

“???”

Jegal Muhwan stared at Mu-jin with an expression that seemed to ask if he was speaking nonsense.

However, everyone else in the room nodded in agreement with Mu-jin.

Jegal Muhwan felt strange. His rational mind told him the other was spouting nonsense, yet the atmosphere made him feel like the fool.

“We are about to engage in a war, so why would we do weight training during the journey?”

“Precisely because we are going to war, we must bring it. If we don’t exercise for three whole days and our martial skills weaken due to muscle loss, we might lose to enemies we could have defeated.”

Mu-jin believed that muscle loss equaled a loss in combat power.

“Also, the war won’t end in a single day, will it? Even during the war, if we don’t continue weight training on non-combat days, we risk getting exhausted and losing if the war drags on.”

Once again, everyone nodded at Mu-jin’s words.

Since their visits to Wudang, participation in the Yongbongji Conference, and teaching external skills to the Zhongnan Sect, it had become a given for the Shaolin to bring iron weights on expeditions.

Of course, this was only from Shaolin’s perspective.

For the first time, Jegal Muhwan was at a loss for words, looking at Mu-jin and the high monks of Shaolin as if they were insane.

* * *

The Shaolin monks, with their carts loaded with iron weights, set out for Shaanxi Province.

The sight of hundreds of monks dressed in identical orange robes marching together was a spectacle.

It seemed as if they were on a pilgrimage to a sacred Buddhist site, which was quite paradoxical since they were actually heading to a battlefield. It was almost as if they were heading towards the path of a demon rather than a Buddhist.

However, aside from this contradiction, there was a peculiar aura about their march.

The clanging of the iron weights loaded on the carts was the cause of this strange atmosphere.

After moving for a while, pulling the carts, Abbot Hyuncheon gave an order.

“Let’s take a short break.”

As soon as his order was given, the monks started to stop one by one from the front.

After taking out food from the supplies provided by the Cheonryu Sangdan and eating, they took turns engaging in meditation to recover the internal energy they had expended while using their lightness skills.

Just as the disciples were finishing their meditation, Mu-jin shouted.

“Let’s start weight training now!”

Mu-jin was the first to approach the carts and took out the iron weights he had reserved.

“!!!”

As Mu-jin took the lead, the other monks hurriedly approached the carts with surprised expressions.

It had been nearly eight years since Mu-jin introduced the concept of weight training to Shaolin, and most of the Shaolin monks had become genuine exercise addicts.

They quickly took out the iron weights from the carts and began their intense training.

Initially, the reason for weight training was simple.

Weight training could build muscle, and stronger external skills meant more powerful martial arts.

However, what began as a means to become stronger had deeply integrated into their lives.

The sensation of lifting and lowering the heavy iron weights was initially unpleasant and painful, but over time it became enjoyable.

They realized through years of experience that the greater the pain, the bigger and stronger their muscles would become.

Nevertheless, there was still a problem.

No matter how many carts of iron weights they had brought, the over three hundred monks made the weights insufficient.

Thus, the Shaolin monks adopted the proper attitude of dedicated fitness enthusiasts.

“One, two, three.”

“Brother! Just three more reps! You can do it!”

“You heard Mu-jin, didn’t you? If you don’t use the full range of motion when you’re tired, it reduces the effectiveness. I’ll help you, so let’s do one more set.”

They paired up to assist each other with weight training.

They exchanged their equipment to work different muscle groups.

Some even took off their robes to check their range of motion, revealing their bodies drenched in sweat.

Jegal Muhwan, who watched this sweaty scene in silence, thought to himself.

‘…Choosing Shaolin might have been the worst mistake of my life.’

Jegal Muhwan was seriously considering deserting even now.

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