Chapter 317

Chapter 317
## Chapter 317. The Cold Wind of Late Winter (5)

—

The fragrance of the Seven-Colored Flower sampled after such a long absence brought a deep serenity to his soul. The faint winter beams filtering through the glass pane brought a gentle warmth. This quiet, undisturbed, and unhurried interval…….
Bang!
What sort of idiot thinks they can just smash open the entryway to the Academy Representative Office like that!
Instinctively, he felt ready to deliver a swift kick to whoever it was, but.
“Uh…… ahem, you’ve arrived, Ryeon-mae?”
“…….”
It felt as though the Seven-Colored Flower he had just ingested evaporated instantly, leaving him with an immediate, uncomfortable urge to retreat to the latrines.
“So-un Jin…… rather, Dae-sa-hyeong.”
Sa-ryeon, her gaze practically drilling holes into him, rolled her neck with an ominous creaking sound. In the blink of an eye, she crossed the distance using the advanced Shifting Positions and Changing Shapes technique.
“Just…… what exactly was crossing your mind?”
So-un grasped her meaning without needing further explanation. His first move was to pull back and shield his prized cup of Seven-Colored Flower before venturing a reply.
“Well, the thing is……”
“Was that the behavior of someone in possession of their mental faculties?”
“Actually, at that particular moment……”
“You appeared to be conducting yourself rationally over the past few days, yet you simply couldn’t contain yourself and resorted to this madness once more?”
“No, there were specific explanations for how everything unfolded……”
“Is it truly impossible for you to behave normally for even a single month! Why must you always do this!!”
Honestly, would she not permit him a single moment to explain? Sa-ryeon stared down at the Seven-Colored Flower cup with an expression of sheer disbelief before releasing a heavy breath.
“Very well. Speak. What on earth possessed you to behave that way?”
“…….”
So-un Jin merely offered Sa-ryeon a silent stare. His eyes silently questioned whether she was genuinely prepared to hear him out now. Even so,
“……Do you truly have no defense to offer? You! No, Dae-sa-hyeong! Since when did you become such a thoughtless individual?”
“…….”
Sa-ryeon struck her own chest in pure exasperation. Observing her, So-un felt a matching tightness forming in his own chest. If only she would let him speak.

“……So, you are asserting that the instructor had a hidden agenda for acting in that manner?”
A while later, Sa-ryeon, having listened to his explanation with restored composure, regarded him with a leveled tone that suggested she was somewhat mollified.
“Regardless of that, reducing him to a cripple crosses the line.”
“A cripple?”
“The rumor is that you destroyed his dantian and rendered him invalid?”
Honestly, regardless of So-un’s nature, he wouldn’t go to such extremes. The man held a rank equivalent to a Hall Master within the Cheong-seong, a prominent member of the revered Nine Sects. Taking such a drastic measure would bring every swordsman of the Cheong-seong hunting for his life. So-un was well aware of this reality. Indeed, he was.
“Ahem, what kind of nonsense is that? I merely gave him a stern warning; his dantian remains perfectly intact.”
“……Is that the absolute truth?”
“Naturally.”
“……Are you entirely certain? Can you swear to it?”
“…….”
Really, what reason did she have to harbor such doubt toward the Senior Disciple of the Tae-eul Sect, the very Sa-hyeong she had grown up alongside? As So-un returned her doubt with a disgruntled look, Sa-ryeon offered a defensive wave of her hand.
“Well, consider the sheer volume of bizarre stunts you’ve pulled as of late.”
While he chose to extend grace to his Sa-mae out of pure magnanimity and resumed sipping his Seven-Colored Flower, Sa-ryeon muttered to herself as a recollection surfaced.
“Now that I think about it……. Something rather comparable occurred to me.”
She recounted that during their initial session following the start of the academic term, their instructor spent the entire period delivering a scathing critique regarding the evaluation of the papers turned in the previous year. The nature of the lecture mirrored So-un’s experience precisely. Highlighting Sa-ryeon’s top-tier paper as a case study, the instructor dismissed the overall standard of the class, claiming such a submission only gained top marks because the general caliber of the student body was so abysmal.
“Tsk.”
Recognizing that the instructor had taken up his position at the academy with a calculated agenda from the very beginning, even the expensive Seven-Colored Flower began to taste unpalatable. This stuff wasn’t cheap. As So-un stared into his cup with a deep scowl, Sa-ryeon let out a sharp breath and gave him a gentle reprimand.
“Even taking that into account, your physical response was far too severe. Hitting a faculty member is a straight path to permanent dismissal.”
Sa-ryeon struck right at the precise vulnerability So-un had been attempting to disregard.
“On top of that, you’ve handed a perfect excuse to the very factions who are desperate to uncover any misconduct…… what is your plan now?”
Tsk. Reflecting on it, So-un acknowledged to himself that his retaliation had perhaps been slightly over the top.
‘What possessed me to go that far?’
Had he spent so much time pretending to be a member of the Black Path that he was actually becoming one? He wasn’t truly the leader of the Black Dragon Stronghold, after all……. A wave of self-reproach washed over him for behaving with the aggressive recklessness of someone who had no home to return to.
“I took that course of action because it served a distinct purpose.”
“…….”
Naturally, the words that left his lips did not betray his internal doubts. He assumed that displaying any genuine uncertainty would only heighten Sa-ryeon’s anxiety. So-un Jin deliberately raised his teacup with an air of unbothered calm and clarified.
“If those individuals were targeting our dismissal, their schemes wouldn’t have concluded with a single instance of baiting us. They would have steadily accumulated grievances throughout the term and unleashed them all at a critical juncture near the final examinations.”
“…….”
“Had they succeeded, we would have been branded as failures who fell short of graduating despite executing all our academic duties faithfully.”
The more he articulated the thought, the more valid it sounded to his own ears. Isn’t that simply the nature of human dynamics? A person who harbors a baseless aversion toward you will never alter their perspective, regardless of how much you attempt to appease them. In fact, performing gestures to curry favor might merely supply them with further ammunition to justify their dislike. Such is the irrationality of mankind.
“Given those circumstances, it is far more effective to strike preemptively so they are caught entirely off balance. That way, we reverse the dynamic and secure the breathing room necessary to formulate a counter-strategy.”
The concept of ‘providing a rationale.’ The most efficient tactic when dealing with an individual who despises you without cause is, paradoxically, to give them a concrete reason for their animosity. By providing an explicit grievance, you create a dynamic where, if that specific issue is resolved down the line, the animosity might actually dissipate into a functional relationship. It sounds entirely backward, but it remains a fundamental reality. A proper relationship cannot exist without a baseline of mutual respect.
“Whew……. Honestly.”
Sa-ryeon offered a weary sigh, apparently finding logic in his reasoning, and chose not to debate the point further. Then, a sudden realization caused her to query.
“Hold on, why are you phrasing it as ‘our’ and ‘us’?”
“Eh?”
“The individual who provoked this disaster was you, Dae-sa-hyeong. What grounds do you have for grouping us all together in this?”
“…….”
“Are you implying that if you face dismissal, Dae-sa-hyeong, the rest of us are obligated to depart alongside you?”
Uh…… framed in that manner, he found himself momentarily devoid of a witty comeback. Hmm…….
“The practitioners of the Tae-eul Sect move as one, bound together through every triumph and catastrophe.”
“…….”
Sa-ryeon’s forehead creased with immense irritation. Having known her since their youth, he recognized that particular grimace instantly. It was the exact look Sa-ryeon reserved for moments when she thought, ‘I absolutely detest this idea!’……. Ah, that actually stung a bit. Quite painful, really.

Even after Sa-ryeon took her leave.
Bang!
“Young Master Jin, what in the world has transpired!”
Bang!
“What sort of madness have you gone and unleashed now!?”
Bang!
“Representative! Are the rumors reaching my ears accurate!”
At this rate, the framework isn’t going to survive.
“Hey, mind the woodwork……”
BANG—!!
……As a consequence of the successive arrivals slamming their way into the Representative Office as though intent on demolition, the barrier finally splintered apart completely. Would the institution cover the expenses for a replacement? Possessing absolutely no inclination to fund the repairs out of his own pocket, a genuine sense of irritation took root. Even so, he could hardly leave the Representative Office completely exposed like an open corridor.
“Hmm…… this situation could undeniably escalate into a major crisis.”
The observation came from Woo-jae Jang, who had stepped through just prior to the final destruction of the entryway. He hadn’t assaulted the barrier upon entry, slipping into the Representative Office with an aura of detached calm. Consequently, no blame for the property damage could be leveled at him. Truly a man of refinement and breeding. He respected that, genuinely respected that. The man leaned forward, his expression grave.
“The true danger lies in the fact that even if this assault on a faculty member is hushed up, our path forward will be dictated entirely by the whims of the teaching staff.”
He was identifying the exact complication that So-un himself was pondering.
“Just as you noted, Representative…… or rather, as our companion Sun-jik Cheol pointed out, if their objective in coming here was to monopolize merits, their maneuvers will only become more shameless moving forward.”
So-un directed his gaze toward the individual responsible for the ruined doorway, who was currently taking a seat beside Woo-jae Jang.
“What is the perspective of the one who just demolished the entryway?”
“……Ugh, it was already on its last legs……”
Il-gak wiped away the beads of perspiration glistening on his forehead, brushing off the structural damage as secondary to the crisis at hand.
“In any case, within the factions of the Nine Sects and One Union, sentiment regarding these replacement instructors is distinctly negative. Whatever their motives, their behavior was an open insult to everyone else.”
Public sentiment was split down the middle. Roughly half of the populace felt outraged by the audacity of striking an instructor, while the remaining half reportedly found it incredibly satisfying to see the arrogant teacher put in his place. Hmm, but where were the voices advocating directly for his perspective? Shouldn’t there be a faction declaring that the Representative had made the correct call?
While So-un drifted into these wandering thoughts for a brief moment, Il-gak lowered his voice to a whisper.
“My primary concern rests with…… the members of the Tae-eul Sect.”
“Eh?”
“Have they not realized the truth? That Representative Jin possesses power far beyond their capacity to manage.”
“…….”
Ah. Meaning that in his stead, his younger martial siblings would bear the brunt of the retaliation. Was that the warning? What course should he take? Perhaps it would be better to instigate an all-out confrontation with the faculty line-up…….
“……Do not go escalating things further without cause, just to be safe.”
Sa-ryeon’s chilling warning drifted through the room like a biting winter gust.
“Bearing a grievance is entirely separate from becoming active adversaries. This doesn’t just impact us; the consequences could easily trick down to the younger disciples when they undergo their compulsory deployments later on.”
It was a fair point; looking strictly at numbers, he wasn’t in a position to wage war against the entirety of the Nine Sects at this moment. Sa-ryeon had identified the true vulnerability. The friction itself wasn’t the disaster; the danger lay in how the junior disciples might be targeted during their mandatory military service periods. If the ruling factions held a grudge, they could easily manipulate unit assignments or transfer requests, leaving the younger students completely vulnerable to internal sabotage.
The Martial Alliance operated under a strict hierarchy demanding absolute obedience to superior ranks. While the internal reality was far more compromised, the official stance required everyone to respect the established chain of command within the Martial Alliance, disregarding individual sects and heritages. On paper, it appeared to be an incredibly egalitarian structure, but for those holding generational power, it represented a challenge. For instance, how would an elite prodigy of the Wudang Sect feel if forced to take directives from So-un Jin of the insignificant, third-rate Tae-eul Sect?
‘Their ego would be utterly shattered and they’d be furious.’
What if Il-gak of the Shaolin Temple found himself subjected to deliberate harassment by a common swordsman of the Iron Sword Sect? Could he genuinely be expected to submit to that without resentment? This underlying tension was precisely why the entrenched factions demonstrated underhanded motives before the academy’s official testing—which ought to be entirely unbiased—and it simultaneously explained why So-un couldn’t simply act on impulse.
“I anticipated a baseline of bias from the moment we arrived. If the hostility remains at this current intensity, I am entirely capable of weathering it.”
Sa-ryeon adjusted her stance, sitting with perfect posture.
“We are bound to encounter these obstacles repeatedly moving forward. If I lacked the fortitude to face that, I would never have set foot in the Martial Academy to begin with.”
Sa-ryeon kept her gaze locked onto So-un as she pressed on.
“Therefore, do not entertain any notions of creating an even grander spectacle or incident on our account!”
“…….”
“I am telling you to cease putting yourself at risk for our sake!”
Following Sa-ryeon’s intense lecture, Mo-ran Seong chimed in with her own observation.
“My word, the Sa-mae displays far more wisdom than the Senior Disciple.”
What nonsense was she spouting? Under the weight of Sa-ryeon’s fierce glare demanding a promise, So-un ultimately found himself giving an affirmative nod. He harbored the distinct impression that she would take matters into her own hands if he failed to give her the reassurance she wanted.
Even so, Sa-ryeon’s bold words failed to completely ease his mind. He remained entirely in the dark regarding the specific disrespect the Gold, Silver, and Bronze brothers might have faced during their sessions today. Moreover, there was no telling how brutal their remaining time at the academy might become. He sincerely wished that the determination of the three brothers hadn’t been broken. Given how mercilessly he had trained them up to this point…… no, never mind, ahem. He simply felt it would be tragic if those youths, having just found their stride and taken flight, were forced to confront an artificial wall and give up.
Right then.
Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta.
The rapid patter of feet sprinting down the stone corridor reached their ears. Even without visual confirmation, the rhythm belonged unmistakably to the Gold, Silver, and Bronze brothers.
“Huh? Why is the door lying on the floor?”
“Never mind that, we need to speak with Dae-sa-hyeong immediately!”
“Ri-right, let’s go!”
Geum-pyo paused briefly upon entering the Representative Office, looking at the broken framework, but quickly dismissed it to follow Eun-ho’s lead into the room. Surveying the remarkably rigid expressions on the three brothers’ faces, a quiet sigh escaped So-un. They looked troubled, anyone could see that.
“Did you boys run into complications during your sessions today as well……”
“Dae-sa-hyeong!”
Eun-ho cut him off mid-sentence. Had a crisis of massive proportions occurred for a youth normally so respectful to interrupt him so abruptly? So-un rose from his chair, approaching them with a heart full of apprehension. But then.
“Is the rumor true that you completely overwhelmed the instructor using nothing but raw internal force? Can it be true? How did you manage that……?”
Geum-pyo led the charge, his voice laced with absolute astonishment at the tale.
“Dae-sa-hyeong, give us the truth. What sort of secret remedy did you take when we weren’t looking…… what did you find? You discovered a mythical elixir, didn’t you? Admit it!?”
Eun-ho’s face was twisted in an expression of pure, borderline insolent jealousy.
“Dae-sa-hyeong, you must impart that secret to me as well. The art of dismantling a dantian through pure internal energy transmission……”
And finally, Dong-ryong added his own terrifying request, his eyes shining with a disturbing intensity.
“Was this the reason you all rushed over here with such urgency?”
“We simply have to know. The exact mechanics of how you pulled it off.”
“Dae-sa-hyeong, just confess the truth. I promise I will accept it and move past it.”
“I-is that a technique within my grasp currently? Or must I accumulate more years of internal cultivation first?”
Uh…… they seemed to possess an abundance of vitality, all things considered. He supposed he ought to view this turn of events as a positive development, right?