Turbulent Times Create Heroes. (2)

Yu Jinsan stared for a long while in the direction his granddaughter had disappeared.

On one hand he was worried, but he had no regrets about the choice.

‘It will be a valuable experience. After this, she’ll grow even more.’

Wasn’t she tougher and stronger than anyone he knew?

Enemies surrounded her on all sides, but there was nothing to fear—so long as she didn’t storm inside the barrier alone.

No matter how reckless his granddaughter could be, she wouldn’t go that far.

‘This is a good chance for me to train properly as well.’

This wasn’t a time for leisurely waiting.

He still had a long way to go.

The Vajra Indestructible Divine Arts he had been training bit by bit were at nine-tenths, and the Muscle Changing Technique remained at eighty percent.

If he mastered these peerless Shaolin arts passed down by the Renegade monk, he would reach the pinnacle of the Supreme realm.

But that would not be easy.

For now his goal was to push his limits step by step before his duel with Jeon Sa-ryong.

Yu Jinsan headed for the training room he’d checked out earlier.

Throughout the underground headquarters were several small rooms expanded like anthills; he had been assigned one of them in advance.

A warrior standing guard near the door hailed him in recognition.

“Hello, sir! I’m Ma Cheol. You remember me, right?”

The man had a familiar, somewhat naive face. After rifling through his memory for a moment, Yu Jinsan just barely recalled him: a follower of Im Pyeong-il—someone he’d greeted once or twice.

“Ah, yes. I remember you.”

“Are you going to train? I’ve been put in charge of the training hall at this hour.”

Perfect timing. He needed to make sure his training wouldn’t be disturbed.

“Good work. If there’s nothing special, make sure no one can come to my room. It’s the one at the far end.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll tell my comrades as well.”

“Thank you. If anything urgent happens, don’t hesitate to fetch me.”

“Understood, sir.”

Yu Jinsan moved straight to his room. There was no time to hesitate.

Thud!

Sitting cross-legged, he closed his eyes and formed the hand seals of the Muscle Changing Technique.

As he began qigong training, a soft golden aura manifested and wrapped his body.

‘The goal is nine-tenths.’

He intended to train without rest until he reached it.

The Muscle Changing Technique was Shaolin’s foremost art, maximizing the body’s potential as mastery increased.

He knew well how powerful one could become at its peak—hadn’t he already glimpsed that through the Renegade monk Jeong Hye?

Jeong Hye had been stronger than anyone Yu Jinsan had ever faced—except his granddaughter.

Whuoooo—!

The luminous flow of qi around him surged with greater majesty. The braziers along the central passage were the only lights in the underground headquarters, but nothing shone as brightly as the space around him.

He slipped into a state of selflessness, losing track of time, losing even himself.

His mind replayed endless training within the infinite space-time of the vast universe.

Ma Cheol controlled access so no one could approach Yu Jinsan. Many had been peeking in, drawn by the warm, bright qi of the Muscle Changing Technique.

Leaning against the wall for a rest, Ma Cheol sprang up at the familiar sound.

“Good work.”

Yu Jinsan emerged from the training hall with a satisfied expression.

“Ah, sir! Did you make any progress in training?”

“Yes. Thanks to your attention, I reached the level I aimed for.”

At last, the Muscle Changing Technique had reached nine-tenths. The flow of qi had smoothed and his movements felt much lighter. It was a valuable achievement.

“Thank you for your efforts. I’m glad to hear you made progress.”

“Thank you. By the way, what are all those things?”

Yu Jinsan glanced down the central passage. Mysterious boxes lay strewn everywhere—items that hadn’t been there before he entered the training hall.

“Oh, those? They’re spoils brought back by the raid team. The warehouses are full, so there’s nowhere to store them.”

“Hm? You’ve already had successes?”

“Already? It’s been far more than ten days. During that time the raid team has been back and forth here a dozen times or more.”

Yu Jinsan doubted his ears for a moment. More than ten days had passed? He’d thought at most a day or two.

No matter how absorbed he’d been, he hadn’t realized how time had flown.

What had happened in the meantime? What he worried about most, naturally, was his granddaughter’s safety.

“Up to now, how many have been killed or injured?”

“Not a single injury; all the squad members are unharmed. I saw them a little while ago.”

“That’s a real relief. What happened during that time?”

“The Yin Monster razed everything she went to. She looted six food warehouses, destroyed two ships, and seized their cargo.”

It was an astounding string of accomplishments.

So his needless worry had been unfounded. Relieved, Yu Jinsan found himself smiling as calm returned.

“Impressive. Truly impressive.”

“Haha! Right? Everything has changed now. The Yin Monster is our hero.”

Apparently she’d been spectacularly active while he trained. Just hearing the news filled him with pride.

“Turbulent times require heroes. So, where is that Yin Monster now?”

“About an hour ago she led the squad out. Today another ship is due to arrive.”

The fact that special operations were still ongoing suggested Jeon Sa-ryong had not yet appeared. But judging from the results, it shouldn’t be long.

“Tsk. I wanted to see her face, but I was a step late.”

Ma Cheol clapped his hands as if he’d remembered something.

“Ah! Now that I think about it, the captain asked me to tell you if you came out.”

“You mean the captain is staying at headquarters?”

“Yes. A few days ago he delegated command of the raid team to the Yin Monster.”

If his granddaughter hadn’t earned Il Kwang’s trust, that would have been impossible. It also meant she was performing her role well.

Yu Jinsan nodded with a proud smile.

“Alright, I’ll go meet her at once.”

On a cliff overlooking the coastline, Yu Seol sat behind a towering tropical tree, staring intently at the shore like a tiger watching prey.

“Hmm.”

She had been thinking for some time.

About ten paces back from her, some thirty warriors stood in line, waiting for her signal. Im Pyeong-il, at their head, asked, “Captain, when do we attack?”

Under normal circumstances they’d have charged immediately and wiped the camp out. Today was different.

Yu Seol held one hand back, serious.

“Wait a moment.”

On the shore masked warriors were unloading boxes from a ship, about a hundred guards stationed around them. Only a few red-masked men were worth noting. It looked like any other hit—an easy target—but Yu Seol sensed something else.

“What’s wrong, Yin Monster Captain?”

“There’s a strange guy hiding behind a rock.”

This was the raid team’s third ambush; the enemy would have made preparations.

“So there was an ambush. No wonder I felt something was off.”

Yu Seol nodded and signaled them to come closer.

“Do you see him there?”

Im Pyeong-il stepped forward and fixed his gaze on the spot she pointed to: a darker shadow tucked in bushes behind a rock.

“I can’t see anything.”

“He’s definitely there. The one wearing a golden mask.”

“Wha—? A gold-masked person is there?”

Im Pyeong-il’s surprise was plain. So far, only Captain Il Kwang had faced those wearing golden masks. Information about them was scant; all they knew was that they were Jeon Sa-ryong’s direct subordinates and very strong.

At last, a high-level fighter from inside the barrier had appeared outside.

“Yes. Fortunately it seems to be only one.”

“Ah. Can we win?”

Yu Seol snorted, smiling. She had waited to ensure there were no other high-level fighters hidden nearby. After repeated checks, there was only one ambusher. There was nothing to hold them back.

“Don’t worry. We’ll capture him and bring him to headquarters.”

“Then we’ll trust you, Yin Monster Captain.”

Yu Seol felt pleased at the thought of capturing a gold-masked man and taking him to her grandfather.

“I’ll go ahead. When I give the signal, come down.”

“Understood.”

The method was always the same. Yu Seol would slip into the enemy ranks alone and turn them into ruins; then the rest of the warriors would rush in to finish the job and collect supplies.

With scouting complete, there was no reason to hesitate.

Flap!

Yu Seol launched off the cliff like a bird. Descending with arms spread, she looked like a hawk swooping for prey.

She landed lightly in the center of the enemy camp, directly in front of the ship’s bow. Perhaps because her entrance was so natural, the masked warriors nearby didn’t react immediately, blinking as if they couldn’t grasp the situation.

“…?”

A fierce aura then exploded from her entire body.

Sshhhaaa—!

She unleashed the stored power of the Profound Realm; the terrifying qi felled enemies within a five-foot radius all at once.

Yu Seol slanted the Dragon Flower Spear in her left hand downward and looked around.

“Hello, friends~”

Whistles began shrieking from all around.

Weeeee—! Weeeee—!

Commander-level soldiers shouted, finally realizing the assault.

“An assault!”

“Get that woman!!”

Masked warriors scattered like ants, but the white- and black-masked men were meaningless no matter how many swarmed.

Yu Seol slipped out her right hand; sand grains gathered into her palm and began to whirl.

Rrrrrr—!

The sand columns, swept by a vortex of qi, scattered and struck the approaching masked warriors.

Thunk! Thud-thud-thud!

Like blunt-force blows, dozens collapsed at once. With a single gesture she wiped out thirty percent of the enemy force.

Stunned by the display, the remaining soldiers stood with mouths agape.

“W-what the…”

Yu Seol pushed through the sprawled bodies and advanced toward a rock tucked in a corner—precisely where the gold-masked man hid in the bushes.

Poison-plant-afflicted enemies lunged from around, but they couldn’t catch the Yin Monster’s eye. They had no idea how they were being handled; each one that approached was flung aside.

Screech! Crunch! Boom!

It didn’t take long for the white- and black-masked men to be annihilated. Fewer than ten enemies remained standing: red-masked warriors who had not succumbed to the poison plants, frozen with fear and unable to move.

Leaving them behind, Yu Seol twitched a finger toward the rock.

“Come out now and I’ll go easy on you. But if you don’t come out within the count of three, know that I’ll beat you until you pass out.”