Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

[The world will soon descend into chaos. More demonic beasts like the One-Horned Demon Dragon will appear, and those strange occurrences you humans call 'mysterious phenomena' will become ordinary. Most importantly… you are fated to play a significant role in that turmoil.]

The mother Silver Tiger's blue eyes shone, and for reasons Baek Suryong couldn't explain, his own face reflected in those large eyes felt unfamiliar.

He remembered the Dark Heaven Goddess saying something similar during their encounter at the Namgung Estate not long ago.

"You have a destiny that defies the heavens. A fate that can overturn celestial order, capable of either destroying or saving the world."

A destiny that defies the heavens. Back then, he was too busy investigating the Namgung Clan's secrets to really think about those words, but hearing the same thing now from the Silver Tiger left him feeling uneasy.

"The chaos that will befall the world is related to my destiny?" Baek Suryong asked.

All of a sudden, a thought flashed through his mind.

No way…

Baek Suryong fixed a grim stare on the Silver Tiger. "The reason the world is going to fall into chaos… is it because of me?"

A few decades after the Blood Cult collapsed, he had awakened the memories of his previous life. Coincidentally, it was around the same time that the Blood Cult, which had been hiding and gathering its strength, reappeared in the murim.

Was that just a coincidence? What if it wasn't? What if, just like the Dark Heaven Goddess and the mother Silver Tiger said, I was born with a heaven-defying fate, and that fate was to plunge the world into chaos?

What if the world falls into chaos because of me?

[That is both correct and not quite correct,] the Silver Tiger answered vaguely.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Baek Suryong glowered at her. "Speak clearly. You didn't bring me here to talk in riddles, did you?"

If you′re seeing this, you are at the wrong place.

[…Just because you were born with a heaven-defying fate doesn't mean you will destroy the world or invite chaos. Heaven-defying literally means going against heaven's will. Nobody knows how that will turn out.]

"Then what are you implying when you say that I am destined to play a significant role in the turmoil?"

The Silver Tiger gazed at Baek Suryong, weighing the truth in his words with her divine, glowing eyes. […Indeed, it seems you are not the one.]

"Were you testing me?" Baek Suryong narrowed his eyes, only now realizing this had been her plan all along.

[I'm sorry.]

"What do you mean, 'I'm not the one'?"

This is a non-profit translation. Ads? What ads?

[There is someone out there who is spreading the power to defy heaven.]

"…Can something like that be spread?"

The Silver Tiger's blue eyes focused on Baek Suryong, although they appeared to be looking far beyond him into the future.

[All over the world, the power to defy heaven is stirring. Because of that, ancient entities that were dormant for ages are awakening, and events that rebel against destiny will occur.]

The power to defy heaven was exactly what it sounded like: a force that went against the will of heaven. On the other hand, that also meant that heaven's wrath was easily provoked, resulting in destruction and restoration of order.

This was true of the Heavenly Yin Severed Meridians Baek Suryong was born with. Had he not practiced the Heaven Defying Divine Art, his life would have ended prematurely before the age of thirty.

[Usually, even if someone escapes an untimely death by going against heaven's will, that individual act of defying heaven is hardly significant enough to threaten the world order. There has never been a time when the power to defy heaven has swelled enough to endanger the world as a whole.]

"And you're saying that it will be different this time?"

The Silver Tiger nodded wearily. [We have to stop whoever is spreading the power to defy heaven. If we fail, this world that has twisted fate will be destroyed by heaven.]

Read this at northbladetldotcom, or else.

Baek Suryong fell silent and pondered. The Silver Tiger's body was weakening rapidly, possibly because she had tried to see through the will of heaven. Moreover, this spirit beast, who could see the future, had prophesied the end of the world.

Somebody is intentionally spreading the power to defy heaven? Who could it be?

The Blood Cult came to mind first. This would not be the first time the Blood Cult had tinkered with dark arts to dominate the murim. However, even when he was there, he had never heard of a sorcery that allowed one to manipulate the power to defy heaven.

Aside from the Heaven Defying Divine Art, that is…

Suddenly, a figure came to mind. An absolute being who had mastered the Heaven Defying Divine Art and perfected both martial arts and sorcery at the highest level.

"The Blood Demon…"

"Come back again sometime."

Is the Blood Demon the monster spreading the power to defy heaven across the world? He recalled that languid smile the Blood Demon had given him as he woke up from the dream.

The Silver Tiger's eyes darkened. [The Blood Demon? Do you suspect he is behind everything?]

Baek Suryong replied vaguely, "I can't think of anyone else who could do such a thing, but he died decades ago…"

Read this at northbladetldotcom, or else.

[Did you see him die?]

Baek Suryong shook his head. Fifty years ago, when the Murim Alliance ambushed the weakened Blood Cult while it was embroiled in internal strife, the masters of the orthodox sects supposedly killed the Blood Demon in a joint raid.

"No, but… he must be dead. If he were alive, the Blood Cult would not have fallen so easily."

Baek Suryong knew better than anyone how terrifying the Blood Demon was. The Blood Demon's overwhelming martial arts and sorcery, coupled with the sheer presence that drove his followers to fanaticism, wouldn't have allowed the Blood Cult to remain in hiding for decades.

"… Maybe a new Blood Demon has taken over, or the Blood Cult is hatching yet another nefarious scheme."

Baek Suryong brushed off the idea that the original Blood Demon was still alive, although he kept the possibility open. If it was that monstrous man, it wouldn't be impossible for him to return from the dead.

"Can you confirm if that bastard is alive using your powers?" he asked.

[…I cannot. Even though I can peer into heaven's will, I cannot see the fate of someone who has defied heaven,] the Silver Tiger whispered weakly, proof that her life was nearing its end.

Y aren′t you reading this at northbladetldotcom?

The Silver Tiger cub, who had been resting quietly, snuggled up to his mother, seemingly understanding that he did not have much time left with her.

The mother Silver Tiger reciprocated by licking her baby's fur.

Baek Suryong sensed her deep affection for the cub, but her energy was waning more quickly now. She could pass away at any moment, and he still needed to hear the rest of what she had to say.

[I have lived for over a thousand years, waiting for the day I could ascend to heaven. However, at the end, a single regret kept me tethered to this world. I wanted to have a child.]

The Silver Tiger pressed her forehead against her baby's, and the little furball purred softly in bliss.

The mother looked tenderly at her cub. [Ever since I was born, I was a little special, so even before I became a divine beast, I never had a mate. That's why, I wondered. What would it be like to have a child? What would it feel like to give birth to a small life that looks just like me?]

"……" Baek Suryong quietly listened to her final words.

Closing her eyes, the mother Silver Tiger sniffed her cub, treasuring his scent. [I could not have a mate, so I split my inner core, built up over my entire life, to bring this cub into being.]

northbladetldotcom welcomes you.

So that's why she lost to the Horned Snake, Baek Suryong realized. Giving birth had drastically weakened the Silver Tiger, and the Horned Snake took the opportunity to devour her flesh and blood, causing it to evolve into the One-Horned Demon Dragon.

"Do you regret it?" he asked.

[No, not at all,] the Silver Tiger said warmly.

A tiger's expressions differed from a human's, but Baek Suryong somehow knew that she was smiling.

The Silver Tiger nudged her cub away. The little one whimpered and tried to stay close, but it eventually backed off, its ears drooping as if it understood what was happening.

[Would you be willing to watch over this child until he grows a bit bigger?]

Baek Suryong nodded. The Silver Tiger had saved both him and his students, so he would have agreed to any request.

"That's not a problem. The kids seem to adore the furball anyway."

[…Thank you.]

Relief filled the Silver Tiger's voice as she released a white light, which seeped into Baek Suryong's body.

"This is…"

A gentle energy flowed through his damaged acupoints and meridians, healing most of the injuries that would have kept him bedridden for at least ten days and taken him more than a month to fully recover.

I'll be back to normal with a few days of rest.

Why aren′t you reading this at northbladetldotcom?

The tip of the Silver Tiger's tail began to crumble into dust. She had used up the last bit of her strength.

"…Are you fading away? Or ascending to heaven?" Baek Suryong asked.

The Silver Tiger laughed quietly. [I'm glad that the last connection I made was with a human like you. Please protect this world, and that child.]

With that, her body vanished into dust, the white specks drifting through the cave like falling snow.

Baek Suryong held the Silver Tiger cub in his arms. Surprisingly, it was calm about its mother's death.

Stepping out of the cave, he found himself immediately surrounded by his students.

"Mr. Baek!"

"How did it go?"

"What happened to the mother Silver Tiger?"

This is a non-profit translation. Ads? What ads?

Baek Suryong explained that the Silver Tiger had ascended to heaven. He wasn't certain that was true, but he wanted to believe it.

"Let's go home."

Just like that, their short but intense spirit beast hunt came to an end, and they gained a cute new addition to their group.

The group did not hurry back to the Azure Dragon Academy. First, they gathered the One-Horned Demon Dragon's remains and collated everything the students had collected while running through the mountains.

Surprisingly, they ended up with a rather large haul of inner cores and other materials, so the students were ecstatic.

"If we sell everything, we'll make a fortune, right?"

"What should we buy first? New weapons, or clothes…?"

"Wine first! My mouth is watering already."

"Hey everyone! If you sell it to our trading company, I promise I'll give you much more than the market price. How about it?" Geo Sangwoong asked, attempting to entice his classmates.

You ought to read this at northbladetldotcom.

It was a bargaining war between one man trying to maximize his profit and one group trying to get the best deal, but in the end, no one could beat the merchant's son.

"Enough of that for now. Sit down to meditate," Baek Suryong cut in. "Just because you've absorbed a lot of qi, doesn't mean it belongs to you yet."

Each of the students had absorbed about a century of the One-Horned Demon Dragon's energy, but they still needed to meditate and gradually transform that power into something compatible with their martial arts.

Normally, a lot of energy was lost in the process, and it was common knowledge that even the best elixir would only allow someone to retain about half of its energy if they were lucky.

Baek Suryong snorted. "Don't get carried away just because you gained a bit of inner qi. Those heirs of the Nine Sects One Gang and the Five Great Clans have been taking elixirs every day since they were children. You've only just managed to catch up."

Even half should be enough for them to rank among the top in their generation, but… I can't let their ego get inflated now.

Deep down though, Baek Suryong was elated. After all, the people he was comparing his students to were the finest and most privileged prodigies in the murim.

Their current inner qi should rival the best of the Heavenly Martial Academy students.

Now that the disadvantage of background had been overcome, all that remained was for the students to work on improving their skills.

"Ahem! So, don't be too full of yourselves."

Why aren′t you reading this at northbladetldotcom?

"Mr. Baek, aren't you even more excited than we are?"

"It's obvious you're trying not to laugh."

SMACK!

Anyway, as the group made their way back to the Azure Dragon Academy, their days were spent focusing on controlled breathing, refining their martial arts, and nursing their wounds.

The little furball, who had been noticeably down at first, soon started acting playful again, though it still stayed close to Ya Suhyeok and Baek Suryong most of the time.

Several days later, they finally arrived in Nanchang.

"We should keep a low profile," Baek Suryong said, lowering his bamboo hat so that it covered most of his face.

Previously, when he had returned from defeating the Bloody Ripper in the Valley of Evil, the streets had been crammed with people greeting him. News of what had happened at Namgung Estate must have spread, so he expected even more hype this time.

I don't want to deal with that again.

Therefore, this time, he chose to arrive late at night and had everyone wear bamboo hats so they could slip into the White Dragon Manor unnoticed.

Unfortunately, as the White Dragon Manor came into view, he noticed a lot people loitering about outside. Some were martial artists, while others looked like ordinary citizens.

What's this crowd doing here this late at night? There must be dozens of people staking out the manor!

Fortunately, none of them seemed to have any intention of forcing their way in.

The students gave Baek Suryong questioning looks, asking with their eyes, "What's the plan, Mr. Baek?"

You ought to read this at northbladetldotcom.

"We climb over the wall," Baek Suryong signaled. He found it strange to sneak over the wall of his own house, but it looked like the only way to return home peacefully.

Fortunately, none of the lurkers were particularly strong.

Leading the way, Baek Suryong leaped over the wall, when suddenly, a glint of metal flashed from within the darkness.

"Ugh!"

He tried to dodge, but the attack was too precise. Drawing the sword he had borrowed from the Viridian Forest Bandits, he barely managed to block.

CLANG!

Sparks flared in the night, revealing his opponent's face.

Baek Suryong's jaw dropped in shock. "Why are you here!?"

Namgung Su, wearing an apron as if he had just been cooking, coolly brandished a ladle at Baek Suryong. "I thought you were a thief… but it appears the owner of the house has finally come home."