The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Novel - Chapter 117

Chapter 117
## Chapter 117. The Black Flame Dragon Dressed in Gold (2)

“For what reason have the Elders, who ought to be occupied with drafting laws within the Alliance, traveled all this distance?”

Murong Cheong moved ahead to speak on behalf of Daoist Master Myeonghyeon, whose overwhelming fury prevented him from articulating his thoughts clearly.

“A formal protest was lodged regarding how that youth, Jin So-un, is being treated. Surely you are well aware of this situation, Grand Strategist?”

“Not just myself, but the Alliance Leader is fully conscious of how critical this matter is. In fact, I am arriving here directly after consulting with the Alliance Leader to convey his stance.”

“……!”

“……!”

The realization that Mantongbu and the Alliance Leader Hall—two forces that held two-thirds of the Murim Alliance’s total power—had reached a unified consensus meant that the issue would inevitably be settled according to their decree.

“The core dispute in this current predicament hinges entirely on whether Jin So-un resorted to foul play. Is that the case?”

“That is correct.”

Jegal So-myeong scanned the assembled Elders of the Murim Alliance before continuing.

“If no deception occurred, he shall be granted a passing mark. Should any fraud be uncovered, he will face immediate disqualification.”

He then shifted his gaze toward me.

“As you previously stated, the Murim Academy’s Regular Exam is conducted solely to ensure the future tranquility and endurance of the Murim. It serves no other purpose. It is never an arena meant to rank individuals based on personal agendas or factional gains. If you disrespect the integrity of the Murim Academy’s Regular Exam again, I will personally see to it that you are cast into the Prison. Is that completely clear?”

The harsh, unyielding tone of Jegal So-myeong caused the surrounding air in the courtyard to turn freezing cold.

“…I understand.”

“Excellent. Now, address the primary point of contention.”

The Murim Academy Head stepped to the forefront, unfurling a document as he spoke.

“We are dealing with two primary arguments. First, as mentioned before, the allegation that he engaged in illicit partnerships with the Black Path.”

The Academy Head paused briefly, casting a glance toward Elder Myeonghyeon before proceeding.

“Second, regardless of whether a conspiracy is verified, there remains the fact that he accepted assistance from a crowd that far exceeds the maximum allowed count of participants. These are the two violations.”

Stripped of its diplomatic phrasing, it was merely a definitive statement that they intended to fail me regardless of the circumstances.

An inescapable trap.

It stood to reason that someone who had successfully climbed into the ranks of the Elder Hall within the cutthroat, conspiracy-ridden hierarchy of the Murim Alliance would not be a simple adversary to dismantle.

“If those are the facts…… then there is no grounds for a review.”

The moment Jegal So-myeong uttered those words, a triumphant smirk finally surfaced on Daoist Master Myeonghyeon’s face.

“You arrived here embedded within a massive procession belonging to the Black Path, so you surely will not attempt to foolishly claim that this does not constitute receiving external aid?”

With Jegal So-myeong leveling that question, every pair of eyes in the area converged directly upon me.

Since even Jegal So-myeong had taken that stance, it was completely obvious that attempting to deny my association with the Black Path would be entirely futile.

My only real option was to frankly acknowledge it.

“If traveling alongside a funeral cortege is to be defined as accepting assistance……. then yes. I did receive aid.”

“Just as we thought……!”

“It is undeniable!”

Muted cries of validation broke out among the Elders, who were technically bound to maintain a dignified composure.

“Be that as it may, since this action violates no existing code, there is absolutely no impediment to my qualification.”

“What…… How can……”

“The boy is utterly out of his mind.”

“Apprehend that lunatic and remove him this instant!”

As a wave of outrage rippled through the angry Elders, Jegal So-myeong gave a thunderous shout.

“Silence! Continue this disruptive behavior, and I will have every one of you expelled from the grounds!”

“……”

“Continue your explanation. You certainly haven’t forgotten that you are standing in the presence of the Murim Alliance’s Grand Strategist?”

“Naturally.”

“From what this Grand Strategist recalls of the Regular Exam directives, the absolute maximum number of individuals an applicant may employ or accept backing from is capped at precisely one hundred. The host of the Black Path vastly surpassed that figure. If we are enforcing the letter of the law strictly, then not just you, but every single pupil from the Taeul Sect, the descendants of the Namgung Clan and the Murong Clan, and even the representative of the Iron Sword Sect must be disqualified simultaneously.”

I mentally accessed the text of the Murim Regular Exam Regulations stored perfectly within my memory.

“However, looking strictly at those exact decrees, neither I nor my companions have committed a disqualifying offense.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“‘Murim Regular Exam Regulations, Article 3, Clause 7: An applicant is strictly prohibited from accepting assistance from confederates, unaligned wanderers, or any martial artists belonging to the broader Orthodox Path!’”

This was the exact passage they were using to corner me.

And yet.

“Nowhere within these written statutes does it state that an applicant is forbidden from accepting aid from the ‘Black Path,’ which is explicitly categorized as an ‘adversary’ in these very documents.”

The skin around Jegal So-myeong’s eyes twitched violently.

He cast a sharp look toward the Deputy Academy Head, who frantically flipped through the pages of the massive rulebook until he located the precise section, holding it out for confirmation.

“……”

Jegal So-myeong shifted his gaze between the written law and my face, staring at me with an expression of sheer bewilderment.

While Jegal So-myeong stood paralyzed and utterly speechless, Daoist Master Myeonghyeon roared in outrage.

“What twisted sophistry! It is a basic, unwritten truth that a cultivator of the Righteous Path would never accept backing from the sinister Black Path!”

“In that case, such an obvious piece of common sense should have been encoded into the official statutes. Is it not the fault of the Elder Hall for failing to draft the laws competently?”

The entire mandate of the Murim Alliance rested entirely upon its rigid system of rules.

Codes and regulations might be altered or struck down as eras shifted, but as long as they were active, they served as the absolute criteria for all judgments.

“The Second Trial was designed for the acquisition of Spiritual Pills. By conventional logic, anyone would assume the test required us to track down Spiritual Creatures or slay Demonic Beasts to harvest those treasures. Yet, in truth, the vast majority of applicants simply purchased their Spiritual Pills to secure their Second Trial Tokens. They did this because the text never explicitly mandated that they must ‘hunt the creatures themselves.’ If you intend to enforce unwritten logic, shouldn’t nearly every successful applicant standing here be failed as well?”

“……”

“If there are any individuals among the passing candidates who personally tracked down and slew a Spiritual Creature or a Demonic Beast, please step forward right now.”

The other candidates, who had been deliberately keeping their distance from my group as though we carried a terminal sickness, ground their teeth together, their glares turning incredibly sharp.

“Y-You……”

Daoist Master Myeonghyeon’s mouth gaped open and closed repeatedly, looking exactly like a stranded fish.

Frankly, if one wanted to debate the topic of exploiting loopholes, the absurd and corrupt behavior they had practiced for generations was infinitely worse.

A minor display of clever technicality from my end wouldn’t even register on their scale of misconduct.

Furthermore, I had already alerted them to the covert resurgence of the Demonic Cult, providing them a perfect pretext to pull the Black Path Murim into the fold. Even if Daoist Master Myeonghyeon was too blinded by rage to see it, there was no way a mastermind like Jegal So-myeong would overlook such a massive strategic opportunity.

This debate was a conflict I had utterly secured before a single word was spoken.

“Cease this at once, Myeonghyeon.”

“……But Grand Strategist.”

“Did you not hear me tell you to step down? How much longer do you intend to display this blatant abuse of your position?”

“……”

Jegal So-myeong glared down at Myeonghyeon, who lowered his gaze in deep shame, and murmured quietly to himself.

“……This is completely ridiculous. To claim a victory through such a bizarre method.”

Turning his attention back to the Academy Head, Jegal So-myeong questioned him.

“It appears the final outcome of the evaluation has been finalized. Is there any further objection you wish to raise?”

“……There is none.”

“Do any representatives of the Elder Hall wish to present an argument?”

The delegates representing the Righteous Path Association looked as though they had been forced to swallow filth and remained stubbornly silent. It was Murong Cheong, representing the Orthodox Path Association, who answered on their behalf.

“If we attempt to press this matter any further, we will only succeed in exposing our own hypocrisies and shortcomings. I believe it is best to let the results stand as they are.”

Jegal So-myeong offered a subtle nod of agreement.

“I shall now declare the official outcome of the examination.”

Though he spoke in what seemed like a calm, conversational volume, his voice carried perfectly across the entire expanse of the courtyard, reaching every single spectator seat in the arena.

“By the supreme decree of the Murim Alliance Leader, I hereby broadcast the results. The absolute top-ranking candidate of this term’s Murim Academy Regular Exam is Jin So-un of the Taeul Sect!”

————!

—————–!

A collective gasp echoed through the academy grounds as everyone stood frozen in disbelief.

My companions immediately swarmed around me, shouting out in pure joy.

However, their celebration cut short as they noticed the surrounding environment and grew visibly tense, looking around the area.

Not a single soul in the audience was offering applause.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Even considering that I hailed from the obscure Taeul Sect, this total lack of acknowledgment felt incredibly petty.

Clap, clap, clap, clap.

From a distinct section of the viewing tiers, the formidable leaders of the Black Path began to strike their palms together, their applause heavily laced with palpable malice.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

Prompted by their actions, the rest of the crowd slowly and reluctantly joined in one by one. Seeing this, my companions snapped out of their shock, tears spilling over as they threw themselves toward me in another wave of unfiltered joy.

“This will be your quarters.”

Following the path indicated by the attending servant, I was brought to a secluded, private estate that featured its own compact courtyard and an attached training field.

Compared to a luxury inn or a high-end tavern, the architecture wasn’t necessarily grand, but considering this was student housing, the sheer scale of it was enough to leave someone utterly stunned.

Within the walls of this residence, a personal Cook would handle all meals, a dedicated maidservant was stationed constantly to tend to needs, and an entirely private martial arts ground and bathing facility were provided for solitary cultivation.

It was an elite privilege reserved exclusively for the individual who secured the number one rank in the entrance exams.

“What is your preference regarding the shade of your training attire? Or do you intend to stick to the traditional garments of your specific denomination?”

“I have no particular requirement. I generally wear nothing but black.”

“We provide fresh laundering service daily, so you are entirely free to select any color you wish.”

They truly managed every single detail of daily life here.

“It is quite alright. I find black to be the most practical, so please keep providing that color.”

“As you wish. Should any additional requirements arise, please do not hesitate to summon us.”

With those parting words, the Head Maidservant bowed and exited the estate.

Left entirely alone in the quiet room, I took a moment to reflect on the immense trials I had endured over the past several weeks.

“Whew… I suppose I’ve managed to clear the first major obstacle.”

An incredible number of crises had manifested, and there were multiple points during the journey where walking away from the test entirely seemed like the only logical choice.

By some stroke of fortune, I had navigated past every single trap to plant my feet in this room.

“At the very least, the grand design is unfolding precisely as intended.”

Conquering the seemingly insurmountable Murim Regular Exam and securing the absolute highest position.

Realizing that goal caused a profound, unfamiliar wave of pride to well up inside me—an emotion I hadn’t experienced once since the moment of my regression.

“If I keep up this momentum, the path ahead should be relatively manageable.”

Naturally, my frantic drive to claim the top spot had absolutely nothing to do with enjoying a life of luxury or pampering.

By keeping a firm grip on the number one rank and maintaining flawless scholastic marks, graduating from the Murim Academy would grant me the legal right to personally select my future military deployment station.

That specific prize was the sole reason I had pushed myself to the absolute brink.

The vast majority of elite graduates would undoubtedly rush to join the prestigious Dragon and Phoenix Assembly, but I had zero interest in wasting precious time playing general with arrogant children.

My objectives were entirely different: enlist in the White Wolf Pavilion, lay the groundwork to absorb the future disciples of the Taeul Sect, and drill the common, low-tier soldiers of the White Wolf Pavilion until they were capable of mounting an ironclad defense.

Those were the critical milestones I had mapped out.

Knock, knock—

The sound broke my train of thought, and I stood up from my seat.

The Gold-Silver-Copper Brothers along with the rest of my allies had departed earlier to inspect their own designated bunkhouses, meaning there shouldn’t be anyone left to visit my private estate.

“Who is it? Did you all finish checking your quarters so quickly that you’re already back…… Wait, who are you?”

Standing just past the threshold was an intellectual-looking gentleman whom I had never encountered in my entire life, wearing a deeply pleasant smile.

Though his expression was warm, his hollow, darkened eye sockets gave him an incredibly exhausted and wretched appearance.

“Ah, greetings, Young Master Jin So-un. It has been a long time…… actually, no, this marks our very first formal introduction. It is a pleasure.”

The exhausted-looking stranger pushed past the doorway without waiting for an invitation and strolled directly into the main living space.

“Incredible. So the Murim Academy truly provides an entire estate like this for a single student’s private use? I’ve heard rumors that they even hook you up with a personal maid and a chef to handle every aspect of your wardrobe and diet.”

“Uh…… Yes, that’s true. But you still haven’t stated your identity.”

“Must be nice. Back when I first entered service in the Alliance as a mere junior copyist, I was crammed into a single cell shared with seven other men.”

The incredibly chatty individual rambled on without giving me a single chance to interject, casually reaching out to poke and examine the various ornaments decorating the room.

“Hold on! Listen to me! I demanded to know your name! By what right do you simply march into my quarters uninvited?”

“Goodness…… You. To think you would speak to me in such an ungrateful tone……”

The gentleman stared at me with a look of profound disappointment, mimicking a father deeply hurt by an unfilial child.

Seriously, who on earth are you?

“Are you even aware of whose direct intervention saved you from immediate failure and allowed you to set foot inside the Murim Academy?”

What kind of absolute nonsense was this person spewing?

“That miracle was entirely my doing, entirely my doing.”

“Sigh…… I am going to ask you one final time. Who are you?”

“As for my identity……”

“Please leave.”

“I am the Mantongbu Department Head, Maeng Ju-won.”

The rough grip I had used to seize his shoulder and drag him toward the exit froze instantly.

“Maeng Ju-won?”

A name that was permanently etched into the deepest recesses of my mind.

The supreme authority overseeing the entirety of Mantongbu, and a brilliant tactician who had spent years operating as Jegal So-myeong’s indispensable right hand.

“Precisely. I am indeed Maeng Ju-won.”

Yet another legendary mastermind who had perished right around the period I originally joined Mantongbu was now standing directly in front of me, flashing a benevolent grin.

—

The Murim Alliance lost no time in issuing a formal public decree announcing the successful conclusion of the Murim Academy’s Regular Exam, broadcasting the roster of accepted students to every corner of the realm.

Positioned boldly at the absolute apex of the passing list was the name of the Taeul Sect—a faction that had nearly dissolved into total obscurity in the minds of the public. Because of this shocking revelation, the gossips and storytellers of Jianghu began hunting for any scrap of information regarding Jin So-un like a pack of starved ghouls.

“You’re asking if I possess knowledge regarding the Taeul Sect……? Why, naturally I do!”

“That very settlement is under the direct guardianship of the Taeul Sect. In fact, Jin So-un and I share a bond so profound we practically speak to each other as grandfather and grandson.”

With the entire martial world thrown into a state of shock, it was inevitable that a massive wave of turmoil would also erupt within the internal hierarchy of the Murim Alliance.

“You absolute incompetent fools! You managed to let the crowning rank get snatched away by some nameless, low-born sect trash? You have completely dragged the proud lineage of the Nine Sects and One Gang through the mud!”

“How in the world did those absolute nobodies manage to secure entry for all four of their applicants when their entire faction only sent four people to begin with?”

“Hmph! It’s exactly like the whispers on the street suggest; those bastards are clearly in bed with the thugs of the Black Path.”

“Hey, keep your mouth shut over there! Are you openly questioning a matter that the Grand Strategist himself explicitly cleared of all treacherous suspicion?”

“Ahem, who said anything about denying it?”

Simultaneously, a great number of prominent figures expressed deep anxiety over the unprecedented record Jin So-un had carved out.

“The reports claim that Jin So-un of the Taeul Sect concluded his trial possessing a higher count of Entry Tokens than even Yong So-ah, is that correct?”

“Worse yet, they say he accomplished the feat without employing a single mercenary or guardian warrior. I am deeply concerned that this precedent will cause our own heirs to be viewed as coddled and inferior moving forward.”

“Our children are perfectly capable of achieving greatness without being surrounded by a small army of protectors. Starting next season, I intend to cut the number of escort warriors we provide for our applicants by half.”

The ripples caused by this development were far too massive to be dismissed as the isolated impact of a single youth’s success.

—

“Hoo, whenever I recall the sheer amount of aggravation and chaos that brat inflicted upon me……”

Hearing Jegal So-myeong’s exhausted groan, Hyeok Mu-gang let out a sharp, amused chuckle.

“Haha, regardless of the headache, it provided the Alliance with a much-needed wake-up call, so shouldn’t we view it as a positive outcome? You managed a difficult situation masterfully, Grand Strategist.”

“Which is precisely why I implored you to handle the Alliance Leader personally from the very start. Do you have any inkling of how viciously the Four Emperors Peak Lord glared at me during that meeting?”

“Well, did you manage to have a productive dialogue with those individuals?”

“They didn’t offer much. They simply instructed me to ensure Jin So-un is well protected and nurtured. They mentioned something about him transforming into their very own version of ‘Yong So-ah,’ despite the fact that their machinations nearly caused him to fail his academy admission entirely.”

“So the pieces are moving into place regardless. The Black Path Alliance.”

It was a structure destined to manifest eventually.

The martial artists of the Black Path had spent years being systematically hunted, broken apart, and scattered by the Murim Alliance, which only caused the internal lawlessness and desperation within the Black Path Murim to reach a boiling point.

As a direct consequence of that relentless pressure, the absolute necessity for a unified Black Path Alliance had been debated among their factions for a long time; it merely required a single, definitive catalyst to spark it into reality.

“That is exactly my point. Does this situation make a lick of sense? A mere incoming student of the Murim Academy has inadvertently laid down the entire cornerstone for the unification of the Black Path Alliance.”

This was a deeply classified reality known strictly to Jegal So-myeong and the Murim Alliance Leader.

A narrative that should never be whispered to any outsider was being discussed casually between them.

“Look on the bright side—thanks to this turn of events, have we not established a functional bridge to the Black Path Alliance? I was growing increasingly anxious because the radical anti-Black Path factions within our own Murim Alliance were becoming entirely too dominant.”

“Under standard conditions, what would there be to fret over? My anxiety stems from the fact that our current circumstances are anything but standard.”

Even if those factions managed to consolidate their power, what real shift would occur beyond transforming the scattered, regional conflicts of the past into massive, full-scale warfare?

Even so, given the current climate, they were secretly hoping for the successful formation of the Black Path Alliance to some degree.

“What is the status regarding the investigations into the Demonic Cult?”

The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

Those monstrous zealots of the dark arts, universally believed to have been completely eradicated half a millennium ago, were once again stretching their claws out to subjugate the realm.

“We have tracked numerous bizarre and unexplained phenomena throughout Jianghu recently. Had we remained blind to the reality of the Demonic Cult’s survival, we would have casually dismissed a terrifying number of warning signs as mere isolated incidents.”

“Then it truly stands as a massive stroke of luck that we discovered them, does it not?”

“Undeniably. It is a relief, and yet……”

For reasons he couldn’t quite define, Jegal So-myeong found himself unable to shake off a lingering, persistent sense of dread.

The fact that every single piece of this chaotic puzzle was sliding into its perfect slot so seamlessly actually made him incredibly paranoid.

“And yet, surely……”

“What are you implying?”

“Ah, think nothing of it.”

“Regardless of that, I remain deeply unsettled. This marks the first occasion in our history where a child completely lacking any clan pedigree or political backing has seized the champion’s seat. I genuinely doubt whether that boy possesses the fortitude to survive the backlash. Have we ever witnessed a comparable precedent in our archives?”

“The gentleman currently serving as our Murim Academy Head, the Three Pure Ones Peerless Sword, once entered the institution as the top-ranked candidate.”

“And for what duration did he manage to hold onto that summit?”

“He voluntarily relinquished the title and stepped down after a mere six months.”

“That is an incredibly brief tenure.”

Although the lineage of the Three Pure Ones Peerless Sword was a solitary sword style preserved through a strict single-successor tradition, its immense symbolic weight and reputation within the broader Murim were massive.

If even an individual backed by the legacy of the Three Pure Ones Peerless Sword lacked the political leverage to maintain his footing, it served as a stark reminder of just how unyielding and oppressive the entrenched noble factions truly were.

“He managed to endure for that half-year solely because he carried the prestige of the Three Pure Ones Peerless Sword. By comparison, the Taeul Sect is practically nonexistent……”

“Do you truly believe this child, Jin So-un, has the capacity to withstand the pressure?”

“Regarding that specific outcome, I harbor virtually no optimistic expectations whatsoever. ……Will he not inevitably bump against the ceiling of his own limitations and abdicate the position of his own accord? Should he grow arrogant and attempt to cling to that seat through greed, he will simply be engineered for expulsion from the Academy. He does not strike me as the type of foolish child who would throw his life away for vanity.”

“…If that is the case, then perhaps we should coordinate with the Alliance Leader Hall to……”

“Ahem! My desk is piling up with urgent matters, so I must take my leave.”