The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Novel - Chapter 85

Chapter 85
## Chapter 85. Hell Regular Exam’s ‘Second’ Trial (2)

Out of everyone I had abandoned back there, Dong-ryong was the source of my deepest anxiety.
My primary fear was that he would activate his innate gifts at the cost of his very survival.
The thought that he might sacrifice himself to save his siblings weighed heavily on my mind.
What a relief it was.
“Eldest brother…”
Completely unaware of the immense pride swelling within me, Dong-ryong simply gaped at me with a dazed expression.
“You did splendidly.”
Unleashing the full power of the Unrivaled under Heaven Movement Art, I hurled myself directly at Gam Cheol-jin.
Utilizing the nimble Bow-Body Bullet Shadow technique, he managed to sidestep my furious onslaught.
Without losing momentum, I instantly redirected my assault toward Jong Seo-gang.

—

“Curse it…!”
Assuming he was my target, a bitter oath escaped Gam Cheol-jin’s lips, but my blade was already bearing down on Jong Seo-gang.
BOOM!
“Ugh.”
The moment Jong Seo-gang’s weapon met mine, the sheer impact sent him skidding backward by three zhang.
“What immense internal energy is this…”
Though momentarily shocked by this staggering display of raw power, Jong Seo-gang rapidly steadied his footing.
My relentless focus remained solely on Jong Seo-gang, deliberately driving him apart from his allies.
Obligated to shield Jong Seo-gang at all costs, the combatants of the Yellow Sword Sect were forced to elongate their formation into a thin queue to keep pace.
Consequently, the structural integrity of the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare began to unravel bit by bit.

“…You possess an absurd amount of good fortune.”
Spitting a thin stream of crimson from the edge of his lips, Jong Seo-gang spoke as he struggled to suppress his internal agitation and regain his color.
“Can you only find peace of mind by attributing every single occurrence to mere chance?”
“Are you implying that the presence of that Demonic Beast was something you anticipated?”
“Your fundamental error lay in assuming that a poorly constructed trap like this Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare could actually detain me.”
“…”
With a large portion of the Yellow Sword Sect forces—Gam Cheol-jin among them—distracted and pulled out of position, the overwhelming malice radiating from the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare suddenly ricocheted.
The very individuals who had been projecting this lethal intent were abruptly overwhelmed by it, as if a dammed reservoir had suddenly burst over them, causing their eyes to flush bloodshot.

Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring!
The intricate blend of illusions and genuine strikes from the Twin Heaven Sword Formula thoroughly disoriented Jong Seo-gang, whose focus shattered as he desperately looked around for assistance from Gam Cheol-jin and the remaining guards.
In a flash of steel, the cloth across his chest tore open, his hair binding snapped apart, and a deep gash opened along his left forearm.
“Gah!”
“Young Master!”
Screech!
It was only at this critical juncture that Gam Cheol-jin’s weapon intervened to block my impending strike.
“Young Master, have you sustained serious injury?”
“…”
Silence was his only response.
Now looking thoroughly disheveled and battered, Jong Seo-gang directed a gaze burning with profound malice toward Gam Cheol-jin and the surrounding Yellow Sword Sect personnel.
His furious expression demanded an explanation for why they had permitted him to be humiliated in this fashion.

—

“…Please forgive my failure.”
As Gam Cheol-jin dipped his forehead in contrition, Jong Seo-gang eventually shifted his venomous attention back to me.
Concurrently, the grim-faced retainers of the Yellow Sword Sect swiftly assumed a defensive Sword Formation to seal off their master from harm.
“I genuinely pity your subordinates. Their own Young Master lacks the awareness to recognize that his life was just spared.”
Screeech.
The harsh friction of Jong Seo-gang gnashing his teeth together echoed in the air.
“You still find time for arrogance? Were I in your position, I would have gathered my younger martial brothers and fled using that precious Movement Art you pride yourself on.”
Just as Jong Seo-gang observed, alternative factions were already moving in to plug the vulnerabilities created by the shifting Yellow Sword Sect.
The rapidly re-established Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare had widened its perimeter, trapping not just the students of the Taeul Sect but pinning down the monstrous Golden-Scaled Blue-Line Snake as well.

“Allowing a lingering threat to remain behind seemed far too inconvenient.”
“Ha! You continue to posture even now?”
Jong Seo-gang let out a mocking laugh while compressing his bleeding arm to stem the flow.
“You call it a posture. It appears you have spent a great deal of time looking into my background.”
“I am well aware that your organization acquired unfamiliar martial techniques recently. Nevertheless, a basic Illusion Sword will not be enough to trick anyone here.”
An expert who had attained the Peak realm possessed the discernment to separate reality from deception.
Regardless of how sophisticated an Illusion Sword or a fluid Variation Sword might be, to the eyes of a true Peak Warrior, it amounted to nothing more than a shallow trick.

“Oh? Have you managed to conceal a Peak Warrior among your ranks?”
“…”
Jong Seo-gang instantly clamped his jaw shut, looking entirely tight-lipped.
“Ah, so the Yellow Sword Sect deployed cloaked masters to assist you in secret. That certainly explains how you cruised through every prior evaluation with such effortless ease.”
“Watch your tongue!”
A crimson flush spread across Jong Seo-gang’s face.
“What reason is there for such anger? If your accomplishments are genuine, there should be absolutely nothing for you to hide or feel humiliated about.”
“…What is the meaning of this delay?! Slaughter that wretch this instant!”
“…”
Abandoning any pretense of courtesy, Jong Seo-gang’s tone turned entirely coarse and demanding, a shift that the Yellow Sword Sect combatants received without a hint of surprise. Maintaining neutral countenances, they synchronized their positioning into an offensive Sword Formation and advanced.
This was the Twilight One-Sword Formation.
It was a distinctive tactical array designed explicitly for overwhelming a solitary opponent, uniting the movements of several martial artists into the unified strike of a single blade.
With Gam Cheol-jin spearheading the charge, the assembled members of the Yellow Sword Sect surged forward like a singular, lethal edge.

“The repertoire of the Taeul Sect extends far beyond basic versions of the Illusion Sword and Variation Sword.”
“…”
“The coming strike will demonstrate that our survival through mortal peril was never a matter of luck.”
**[Ten Thousand Seas Heaven-Earth Sword Formula]**
Four phantom manifestations emanated outwardly from the Black Dragon Sword.
Gam Cheol-jin, who had initially dismissed the attack as a typical deceptive technique, suddenly adopted an expression of profound gravity.

—

“Argh!”
“Ugh!”
“It’s pressing forward!”
“Hold the perimeter of the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare!”
Agonized cries erupted from all quarters.
Resembling a massive colony of insects swarming a solitary target, the seven hundred martial artists maintaining the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare encircled the Golden-Scaled Blue-Line Snake, unleashing a ceaseless barrage of strikes.
The Golden-Scaled Blue-Line Snake snapped up the closest attackers into its massive jaws, snapping their bones before flattening others beneath its colossal weight.
Furthermore, whenever anyone attempted a close-range assault, it discharged a torrent of azure toxin from its maw; the initial combatant struck by the liquid perished instantly, his throat liquefying before a single cry could escape.

“Fall back and create space!”
“Assault the creature using ranged projectiles and archery!”
While such projectiles served as deadly Hidden Weapons against ordinary human targets, they proved entirely ineffective against the Golden-Scaled Blue-Line Snake.
Any incoming blades or arrows that struck the creature’s rigid, glistening exterior were deflected by a specialized secretion coating its skin, dropping harmlessly into the dirt.

“Gah!”
“Flee for your lives!”
“Hold your ground! Anyone who turns tail will face execution!”
The scene degenerated into absolute pandemonium.
With the breakdown of the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare, the dense aura of slaughter that had been contained within its boundaries washed over the entire battlefield.
Amidst the frenzy, members of the joint coalition who had collectively formed the array began blindly turning their weapons on their own allies.
A literal underworld had manifested on the battlefield.

“Oh…”
Observing this from his position immediately adjacent to the Golden-Scaled Blue-Line Snake, Geum-pyo uttered a soft note of surprise.
“Geum-pyo! Keep your focus on your Footwork Art! Did you miss the sight of that foul-colored serpent devouring someone whole?”
“It appears to be completely ignoring our presence regardless.”

Amongst the chaotic throng anchoring the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare, no one possessed the clarity to wonder why the trio of Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers remained completely unmolested despite standing nearest to the Golden-Scaled Blue-Line Snake.
Directly in front of them, the Golden-Scaled Blue-Line Snake continued spraying its caustic fluid, parting a throat that resembled a dark cavern.
“The beast isn’t our primary concern. We remain trapped within the perimeter of the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare.”
“I am fully aware of that.”
This particular movement technique was one that Jin So-un had relentlessly drilled into them during a period when sleep was an absolute luxury.
‘I assumed it was merely a technique saddled with an eerie title.’
With their internal reserves completely depleted back then, and the instruction occurring while they were thoroughly exhausted, Geum-pyo retained very little recollection of the actual training process.
He simply matched his strides precisely to Eun-ho’s movements, relying entirely on his brother’s exceptional retention.
This specific method, known as the Ghost-Breathing Step, was designed to completely obliterate any perception of one’s presence.
When they had previously inquired about using it simply to escape, they were informed that without mastering an accompanying Concealment Art, visual contact would instantly expose them. Remembering that explanation, he had secretly maligned his older disciple brother for depriving them of rest over an apparently worthless skill.

> Forgive me, Eldest Senior Brother.
> I was dense, and I acted like an idiot.
> The benevolence of Eldest Senior Brother truly knows no bounds.

By virtue of this partially mastered Ghost-Breathing Step, the foul-colored serpent remained completely oblivious to their proximity, directing its lethal movements and cavernous maw exclusively toward the combatants who were projecting waves of hostile intent.

—

“…Dong-ryong, are you unhurt?”
“…Yes. I am alright.”
“You reckless fool, I explicitly ordered you never to remove this item!”
Geum-pyo swiftly replaced the Demon-Purging Spirit Beads over Dong-ryong’s head.
He understood the sheer desperation that had driven Dong-ryong to intervene.
In reality, had Dong-ryong not taken action, one of the three siblings might have actually inherited the moniker of the One-Armed Flying Sword, or their trio of Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers would have been reduced to a pair.
Nevertheless, seeing the youngest put himself in such jeopardy troubled Geum-pyo deeply, prompting his stern reprimand.

“Understood. My apologies.”
“If you expose yourself to such peril again, I will genuinely abandon you next time.”
“Fine! Please stop threatening to discard me.”
“Regardless, it seems our best course of action is simply to maintain this stance. Wouldn’t you agree?”
The cohesion of the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare was rapidly deteriorating.
The suffocating pressure that had gripped their senses was dissipating, and the hostile forces that had previously targeted them were now entirely preoccupied with combating the foul-colored serpent.

“…”
Curiously, Eun-ho offered no reassuring confirmation.
“Listen, since the malice from those groups is drawing all the attention, we—”
“Incorrect. Observe that location.”
Eun-ho indicated a specific direction.

A group of individuals clad in blue garments, bearing massive blades, ultimately abandoned their positions in the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare to advance.
Vaulting into the sky simultaneously, they unleashed a torrential storm of devastating Saber Qi.
Screeeeech—!
The Golden-Scaled Blue-Line Snake, which had previously seemed entirely indomitable against the human forces, emitted a piercing shriek of agony.
Its protective scales, which had remained impervious to the earlier volley of projectiles, shattered and detached, exposing raw tissue from which dark blood welled up.

“It is injured! Direct all strikes to that opening!”
Subjected to the focused onslaught of the Blue Saber Gang combatants, the Golden-Scaled Blue-Line Snake thrashed with renewed violence.
Though wary of taking damage, the martial artists continued to circle the beast, launching throwing blades and letting fly a barrage of arrows.
Screeech!
“Move now!”
“Curse it all!”
Spurred by Eun-ho’s shout, the three Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers utilized the Taeul Eighty-Thousand Divine Steps to bolt forward.

“Look, the members of the Taeul Sect are escaping!”
“Apprehend those runaways immediately!”
While the Blue Saber Gang remained fully occupied with the Golden-Scaled Blue-Line Snake, members of rival factions, finding themselves unburdened, immediately redirected their pursuit toward the three siblings.
“Does this mean one of us is truly destined to become the successor to the One-Armed Flying Sword legacy?”
“Geum-pyo! Cut out the grim predictions at a moment like this!”
“Exactly! Eldest brother always brings up the worst scenarios!”
“…”
Receiving their complaints while establishing their synchronized Sword Formation, Geum-pyo took the lead position and watched the approaching adversaries.

—

“What… How is this possible?”
Jong Seo-gang remained completely transfixed by the spectacle before him.
“…What on earth am I witnessing?!”
The reality defied all logic.
Gam Cheol-jin possessed the formidable combat capabilities of an Elder within the hierarchy of the Yellow Sword Sect.
Despite that master spearheading the Twilight One-Sword Formation, Jin So-un had shattered the array entirely?
In alignment with their intelligence reports, Jin So-un employed a tactical approach that overwhelmed adversaries by fluidly switching between an Illusion Sword style and a rapid Swift Sword style.
Furthermore, he introduced unpredictable deviations and heavy power behind his strikes, deeply confounding his targets.
Against an opponent of identical standing, he would undoubtedly prove to be a nightmare to handle.
However, that assumption held true only if their cultivation levels were truly equal.
The physical state of Gam Cheol-jin, who had scrambled back to defend Jong Seo-gang following the dismantling of the Twilight One-Sword Formation, appeared significantly compromised.

“How… how can a common illusion-sword peddler manage this…”
Upon reaching the Peak realm, where a martial artist can immediately distinguish genuine strikes from mere fabrications, any standard Illusion Sword lost its efficacy.
For this reason, critics within the murim mockingly dismissed practitioners of such arts as mere illusion-sword peddlers.
“This extends far beyond a basic deceptive technique.”
Departing from his customary demeanor, Gam Cheol-jin delivered his assessment with absolute gravity.
“Pardon?”
“It is no mere Illusion Sword. It is an authentic, lethal strike disguised perfectly as a phantom.”
“Preposterous.”
“Young Master… I strongly advise that we withdraw from this engagement immediately.”
“What did you just suggest?! Retreat?!”

An initiate from a minor, obscure faction held eight First Trial Tokens in his possession.
Furthermore, whether through pure coincidence or deliberate planning, a rare Demonic Beast likely containing a valuable Spiritual Pill had materialized.
Should he choose to flee out of terror toward an initiate of the Taeul Sect, the resulting self-loathing would keep him awake at night, to say nothing of the enduring scorn he would face from the broader martial world.

“…”
“Every available fighter of the Yellow Sword Sect, rally to my position!”
Jong Seo-gang’s command reverberated through the clearing.
The members of the Blue Saber Gang engaged with the Golden-Scaled Blue-Line Snake, along with the various sect members struggling to preserve the remnants of the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare, turned perplexed glances toward Jong Seo-gang.
“Regroup immediately! We must eliminate this individual! He is the one holding the First Trial Tokens!”
“…”
Despite his shouting, not a single combatant from the Yellow Sword Sect made a move to comply.
“You ungrateful…”
As Jong Seo-gang’s features flushed crimson with fury at this blatant insubordination, Gam Cheol-jin released a heavy breath and uttered a low command.
“Assemble here, everyone.”
The moment he spoke, the Yellow Sword Sect forces who had been straining to sustain the perimeter of the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare instantly abandoned their posts and converged around Gam Cheol-jin and Jong Seo-gang.

—

“Ha…”
Witnessing the troops who had completely disregarded his authority as the rightful successor move with absolute celerity at a mere suggestion from Gam Cheol-jin, Jong Seo-gang stood paralyzed with disbelief. Recognizing the precariousness of the moment, he suppressed his rising fury.
Plastering an arrogant sneer across his features, he turned his focus toward Jin So-un.
“Your capabilities are certainly notable. Yet, the Hell Regular Exam demands far more than superficial maneuvers and parlor tricks to survive.”
Confronted by a force of nearly fifty elite martial artists from the Yellow Sword Sect, Jin So-un maintained a perfectly composed demeanor.
“I was curious to hear what sort of statement you would attempt.”
“Surrender the First Trial Tokens to me this instant, and I shall overlook your transgressions entirely.”
“Amusing. Your faction has already sustained over fifty casualties, yet you claim you can simply brush it aside? Do you genuinely believe your own subordinates will tolerate such a compromise?”
“…”

The prowess displayed by Jin So-un was undeniable.
Nevertheless, Jong Seo-gang maintained his absolute certainty of victory.
After all, the Golden-Scaled Blue-Line Snake was gradually being worn down by the efforts of the Blue Saber Gang, and a formidable coalition of over five hundred warriors remained deployed across the field.
Regardless of how extraordinary Jin So-un’s personal martial arts might be, there was simply no path for him to successfully flee or defeat such overwhelming numbers.

“Is it your desire to perish in this location?”
“Perish? We? Have you already forgotten my previous words? My arrival at Mount Makgan was entirely calculated.”
“Indeed, and by virtue of your choice, our own advancement through the Second Trial will be effortlessly secured.”
With a smooth motion, Jin So-un slid his blade back into its Sword Sheath.
Observing this, Jong Seo-gang questioned him with an expression of smug satisfaction,
“Are you finally surrendering?”
“Surrendering? Foolish.”
“Do you honestly believe you possess a means of departure from this perimeter?”
“Had I not, what purpose would there be in coming here?”

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.
Without warning, the ground beneath them trembled violently.
Rumble. Rumble.
“Agh!”
“What new terror is approaching?!”
“Curse it!”
Terrified shouts began to echo from the outer edges of the battlefield.
The expressions of the Yellow Sword Sect combatants, who had been locked in a combat stance, instantly transformed into looks of sheer panic.
“Did you truly assume that I had only arranged for a single serpent to be here?”

The **One-Horned Black Toad**.
An enormous obsidian amphibian renowned for preying upon serpents, featuring a solitary prominent protrusion upon its brow, began discharging a dense cloud of Poisonous Qi across the landscape, bounding forward with massive leaps that belied its gargantuan size.