TRDT 8

Chapter 8 — Abandoned Martial Hall

Jin Gwang-ung’s abrupt answer left me speechless.

The Great Assembly of Elders wasn’t just important to the elders themselves—it was a major event that every key figure in Kunlun paid close attention to.

And yet he wanted to send me, someone he had only met today, as his representative to such a heavyweight gathering.

‘This old monster… He’s actually lost his mind.’

I was seriously starting to suspect that Jin Gwang-ung had gone senile.

‘The Great Assembly or whatever, I can’t get dragged into unnecessary trouble.’

Right now, I had only one goal in this life:

Revenge on the Orthodox Alliance and Moyong Cheon-hwi.

That was why I had regressed in the first place.

Every single second was precious if I wanted to achieve that goal. There were far too many things I needed to secure early, based on the information I possessed from my previous life.

Moreover, although I still wasn’t entirely sure, it seemed I had even obtained an incredible opportunity in the form of some kind of martial arts transcendence(?).

I couldn’t afford to waste my precious time after regression on the whims of a crazy old man.

First, I needed to change this senile elder’s mind.

I lowered my head respectfully and spoke.

“Greatest Elder Jin Gwang-ung. Kunlun is full of outstanding disciples who are far superior to someone like me. How could a lacking person like myself possibly serve as your representative?”

“That’s true. Kunlun does have plenty of talented brats. They would probably do a much better job as a representative than you. Kle kle kle.”

Surprisingly, Jin Gwang-ung readily agreed with me.

Perhaps dragging me all the way here had simply been an impulsive decision made while he was drunk.

‘Looks like I can persuade him if I push a little more.’

I continued in the most polite tone possible.

“In that case, instead of me, please choose one of the other excellent disciples as your represent—”

“There isn’t any.”

“…Pardon?”

“I said there isn’t. No one I can bring.”

“What do you mean by that? No one you can bring?”

I was utterly confused.

Seeing my flustered expression, Jin Gwang-ung cleared his throat.

“Ahem. Didn’t this old man tell you earlier? The representatives must be chosen from the disciples each elder manages.”

“Yes, so among the disciples under you, Elder…”

Mid-sentence, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind and I froze.

I asked carefully, half in disbelief.

“…Don’t tell me you don’t have any disciples?”

“…Yeah. I don’t.”

“Not even one?”

“I said I don’t! Don’t you have eyes? Other than this old man and you, who else do you see here?”

“…”

I was dumbfounded. How could he possibly have zero disciples?

Even though it had the shady name “Abandoned Martial Hall,” it was still an organization personally headed by one of Kunlun’s First Elders.

Jin Gwang-ung must have read my expression, because he awkwardly cleared his throat again.

“Cough! You bastard! What kind of nonsense are you thinking right now? Don’t tell me you think I picked you as my representative because I couldn’t find a single disciple!”

“…”

“Originally, a true Taoist must devote himself to self-cultivation. This old man has simply been so focused on training that I didn’t have time to raise juniors. It’s not that no disciples wanted to come under me or anything like that!”

“…”

“Why are you making that face? Are you saying you don’t believe this old man?!”

Jin Gwang-ung kept rambling as he stared at my face.

Unlike his confident attitude earlier, he now looked slightly deflated.

‘This is ridiculous. He really doesn’t have a single disciple… By the way, what exactly is this Abandoned Martial Hall supposed to be?’

The fact that it was called a “Hall” (堂) meant it should have played some significant role within the sect.

At the very least, it would be normal to have at least one disciple stationed here to help manage operations or assist Elder Jin Gwang-ung.

‘Now that I think about it, even in my previous life, I never heard which specific Hall Jin Gwang-ung was in charge of.’

I had also never heard any stories about him raising disciples.

Jin Gwang-ung was such a notorious eccentric that most people simply accepted it and didn’t pay him much attention. That was what I remembered.

“Anyway, this old man has decided to take you under my wing. You just need to be grateful. You’ve been given the glorious opportunity to serve alongside me. Kwahahahahaha!”

“…”

What part of this was glorious?

From what I could tell, it looked like all the Kunlun disciples had wisely avoided the walking disaster known as Jin Gwang-ung.

‘Sigh… How did I end up stepping in this pile of shit…’

When I remained silent and didn’t respond, Jin Gwang-ung’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“Why aren’t you answering? What? You don’t like it? Becoming this old man’s subordinate?”

His gaze changed instantly.

Madness rapidly filled his eyes.

It wasn’t just his eyes—his arm muscles bulged noticeably, making his sleeves tremble slightly.

I got the strong feeling that if I delayed any longer, I’d be in real trouble.

“N-no, of course not! First Elder Jin Gwang-ung! It is the greatest honor! I was so overwhelmed with emotion at the thought of receiving your teachings that I couldn’t speak right away!”

“Kle kle kle. I see, yes, that’s how it should be. Being chosen by this old man is a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of fortune and blessing for a guy like you.”

His mood improved again as the corners of his eyes curved into a smile.

‘His mood really swings like crazy…’

Still, the situation wasn’t entirely bad.

Although his personality was a bit(?) insane, Jin Gwang-ung was strong enough to hold the position of First Elder in Kunlun.

If I became his disciple and learned high-level martial arts from him, it would be an incredible opportunity for me.

‘Besides, I have my martial arts acquisition ability. I can grow much faster.’

Once I changed my perspective, everything started looking positive.

Becoming Jin Gwang-ung’s disciple could actually accelerate my revenge against the Orthodox Alliance and Moyong Cheon-hwi.

This time, I spoke with genuine sincerity.

“First Elder… No, should I call you Master from now on?”

“Master? Hmm… This old man as your master…”

What’s with this lukewarm reaction?

Didn’t he say he was making me his representative for The Great Assembly of Elders?

Don’t tell me when he said he’d take me under him, he just meant as a servant?

“Elder…?”

“…Y-Yeah, let’s do that. Master, what’s the big deal about a title anyway? Fine. From now on, I am your master. Kwahahahaha!”

It wasn’t the most reassuring answer, but I decided to let it slide for now.

Establishing an official relationship with him was what mattered most at the moment.

“Master. Then this disciple will formally pay his respects.”

“Ohhh, a formal bow. It’s been a while. Go on, do it properly.”

Even though the situation felt strange, I performed a proper nine-prostration greeting (gu-bae-ji-rye) to Jin Gwang-ung.

No matter what, becoming the disciple of a First Elder was far more beneficial than harmful.

“Master. Thank you for accepting someone as lacking as me as your disciple.”

“Good. You know your place well. Just as you said, you really are quite lacking.”

“…”

At least he was honest with his insults.

Brushing off his blunt words, I continued.

“Master. Since The Great Assembly of Elders is only two months away, we should start preparing right away.”

“That’s right. We do need to prepare.”

“You can begin whenever you wish. This disciple is ready to receive your teachings.”

I subtly brought up the topic of martial arts training.

I didn’t know exactly how The Great Assembly of Elders would be conducted, but it was obvious that the representatives would ultimately be judged by their martial prowess.

However, Jin Gwang-ung’s reply was completely different from what I expected.

“Teachings? What teachings are you talking about?”

“If I’m going to participate in The Great Assembly of Elders as your representative, I need to inherit your advanced techniques as soon as possible—”

“Advanced techniques? There’s no need for any of that. For The Great Assembly of Elders, you don’t have to do anything at all.”

“…Pardon? What do you mean…?”

“I mean there’s no need for me to teach you any martial arts.”

“No need to teach me?”

“That’s right. You just need to show up at The Great Assembly of Elders as you are. There’s no need to learn more martial arts or anything like that.”

What the hell was this guy even saying?

The Great Assembly of Elders was a stage where the First Elders competed with their pride on the line. The other representatives would surely be sharpening their blades and training intensely. Yet he was telling me I could just participate without doing anything?

‘Is he saying he doesn’t care about the results at all?’

If that were the case, there would have been no reason to drag me here as his representative in the first place.

While I stood there with a dumbfounded expression, Jin Gwang-ung continued chattering.

“Kle kle kle. Even if it’s not martial arts, this old man has more than enough teachings to give you.”

“What kind of teachings…?”

“Observe and reflect upon this old man’s excellent character and way of life from right beside me. Simply living while serving me as your master will be a deeply meaningful time of learning for you. Kle kle kle.”

‘Teachings my ass.’

It was clear that Jin Gwang-ung wasn’t looking for a disciple — he was looking for a servant to boss around.

‘I really stepped in shit this time. I picked the wrong person. I need to change my plans.’

I immediately gave up on the idea of learning high-level martial arts from this mad old monster.

I had to find a way to escape from him as soon as possible.

‘Once I see an opening, I’ll sneak away. There are countless ways to obtain advanced martial arts just by using the information I know from my previous life.’

While I was busy thinking of escape plans, Jin Gwang-ung’s eyes flashed strangely.

“Why are you rolling your eyes like that? You’re not thinking of running away behind my back, are you?”

He casually flicked his left index finger.

Whoosh!

Something shot past my ear with a sharp sound.

BOOM!

Startled, I turned around to see a massive ancient tree with a hole punched straight through its trunk, now shattered.

“Kle kle kle. I hope you will be a sincere and honest disciple who harbors no falsehoods in front of your master. If I catch you scheming… you know what will happen, right?”

“…Yes, Master.”

“Good. It seems my intentions have been properly conveyed.”

Jin Gwang-ung nodded in satisfaction.

He then clasped his hands behind his back and slowly walked toward the Abandoned Martial Hall building.

Stopping in front of the door, he took out a key from his robe and inserted it into the heavy lock.

Clunk.

With a rough metallic sound, the lock opened.

Jin Gwang-ung pushed the tightly shut door wide open.

“What are you standing there for? Come inside.”

He glanced at me once before stepping into the building.

Still in a daze, I followed him inside.

The first thing I noticed upon entering was the walls covered with bookshelves, packed tightly with hundreds of books.