LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 113
Chapter 113: Are They Still Alive?
Byeok Taesan slowly walked toward the training hall where his group was still fighting.
He felt the oppressive pressure weighing on his entire body but paid it no mind.
The reason Byeok Taesan had gathered his group in that specific training hall earlier was because of the formation.
Although he wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about formations, his exceptional instincts allowed him to quickly grasp how a formation operated and where its weaknesses lay.
Even if the formation wasn’t activated, he could deduce its workings through the flow of energy.
The moment Byeok Taesan established himself at the Black Iron Workshop and anticipated an attack, he meticulously examined the premises.
That was how he discovered the existence of the formation.
His certainty that the enemies would attack the Black Iron Workshop stemmed from that formation.
While he couldn’t fully understand the formation’s effects, he identified its weak point.
That weak point was the training hall where he had driven his group.
It was an area where the flows of multiple energies intertwined and neutralized each other, creating a space devoid of energy—a dead zone.
Even when fighting Ma Jeong-wan earlier, he had to endure the oppressive pressure that weighed on his entire body.
It wasn’t merely pressure; it disrupted the natural flow of energy.
The formation imposed various restrictions, yet Byeok Taesan had endured it all while battling Ma Jeong-wan.
Had it not been for the formation, there would’ve been no need for such a cumbersome plan; he would’ve simply crushed the enemy in one fell swoop.
Walking through the force of the formation, Byeok Taesan eventually arrived at the training hall.
His group was still fighting.
Most of the enemies had already been dealt with, leaving only about ten remaining.
Clicking his tongue in disappointment, Byeok Taesan muttered, “Already tired? This… it seems your training methods need adjustment.”
Hearing Byeok Taesan’s grumbling, both the Needle Master and the Heavenly Divine Healer suddenly let out wild cries and charged at the remaining enemies.
Cheon Kyungwan and Yoo Seoyeon swiftly moved to strike from behind.
The rest of the group also attacked with all their might, as if summoning their last reserves of strength.
The enemies were dealt with in an instant.
It was only after the fight ended that Byeok Taesan approached them.
He closely examined everyone to check for injuries.
Among those who had consumed the modified Blood pills, there were about sixty opponents. It was impossible to fight such foes without sustaining injuries.
Blood stained the arms, legs, and sides of the attendants.
Byeok Taesan’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
The Hao Clan scouts were in even worse condition, though none had sustained life-threatening injuries.
Cheon Kyungwan and Yoo Seoyeon were the most severely wounded.
Blood smeared across their bodies, and their wounds were noticeably deep.
The Heavenly Divine Healer, the Needle Master, and Cho Seoran bore numerous injuries, though they were mostly superficial.
“Where on earth should I even begin fixing this mess?” Byeok Taesan muttered while shaking his head.
Hearing this, the group’s faces turned pale.
“Y-Young Master, still, didn’t we do quite well? Those enemies weren’t ordinary! The Black Pearl didn’t work on them, and their strength was monstrous…”
The Heavenly Divine Healer trailed off, suddenly recalling something, his eyes widening in realization.
“And the formation! There was even a formation! Yet we managed to endure this much!”
Byeok Taesan chuckled lightly.
“Do you even know what effect the formation had on you?”
The Heavenly Divine Healer closed his mouth.
He had no words. He didn’t know.
Avoiding Byeok Taesan’s gaze, the Heavenly Divine Healer took a step back.
“It’s better to confirm it directly,” Byeok Taesan murmured, nodding.
Now that he thought about it, the formation had remarkable potential—at least for training purposes.
If refined properly, it could also be an effective tool for repelling external invaders.
Of course, this would require a formation expert. There wasn’t one under Byeok Taesan’s command yet.
‘Come to think of it, there were a few formation experts at the Fragrant Flower House, weren’t there?’
Their skills were far too low to be worth recruiting, though.
If he instructed the Hao Clan, they could probably find a skilled formation expert.
If not, Byeok Taesan would go himself.
“Follow me,” he commanded.
With his thoughts organized, Byeok Taesan led the group out of the training hall.
Exhaustion was evident on everyone’s faces as they followed him.
The day’s events had been far from easy.
After enduring hellish training, they had barely rested before facing an intense battle.
As they exited the training hall, their eyes widened in shock.
An oppressive pressure suddenly enveloped them.
After a moment, they realized that the pressure wasn’t the only effect.
Their senses dulled, and when they used internal energy to resist the pressure, the flow of their energy became disrupted.
What if they had fought those enemies under these conditions?
The thought sent chills down their spines.
Their gazes turned toward Byeok Taesan, filled with a newfound sense of awe.
“Young Master, is this why you confined us to the training hall?”
At the Heavenly Divine Healer’s question, Byeok Taesan gave a slight nod.
“Interesting formation, isn’t it?”
No one could answer. Should this be called entertaining?
“We should stop the activation of the array formation, shouldn’t we? If we find and destroy the axis, it should be possible.”
At the words of the Heavenly Divine Healer, everyone nodded in agreement.
They didn’t know how long they would be staying in this Black Iron Workshop, but as long as they were here, they would inevitably be using it. If such a formation was active, it would be truly inconvenient.
No, it could go beyond inconvenience and become outright dangerous.
“The array formation will remain active.”
“What?”
“Why destroy an environment so conducive to training?”
“Ah…”
Everyone gaped at Byeok Taesan.
No one had even considered linking this to training.
“Isn’t it… dangerous?” the Heavenly Divine Healer asked earnestly.
In response, Byeok Taesan sneered.
“And if it’s gone, is it no longer dangerous? Isn’t it better to grow stronger through training instead?”
There was nothing to say to that.
When everyone fell silent, a quiet stillness settled over them. For a while, they simply followed Byeok Taesan as he walked.
Soon, they arrived at the hall they were using as their quarters.
As expected, the power of the array formation was at work in the hall.
Within the entire Black Iron Workshop, the only place untouched by the formation’s influence was the training hall where the group had fought.
“Go inside, treat your injuries, and get some rest for the day. While sleeping, adjust to the power of the array formation.”
Everyone swallowed nervously as they looked at Byeok Taesan.
He waved his hand dismissively, urging them to go inside.
The group entered the hall listlessly.
There was no issue with treatment. They had the Heavenly Divine Healer, the Needle Master, and Cho Seoran to assist.
Once everyone had gone inside and started treatment, Byeok Taesan turned and left the Black Iron Workshop.
Though the night was deep, the Black Iron Workshop was still bustling.
People from the Hao Clan were cleaning up the area.
There was more to organize than expected.
They had to remove the scattered corpses inside the Black Iron Workshop and clean up the bodies and traces of those who had gone berserk outside after being struck by the Black Pearl’s effects.
The number was so great that even with many Hao Clan members dispatched, it was taking considerable time.
The Hao Clan members had been summoned by Byeok Taesan himself.
Since his subordinates were injured and receiving treatment, he decided to handle the matter personally.
It wasn’t a demanding task; all he had to do was issue instructions at Golden Jade Pavilion, the Hao Clan’s branch in this area.
However, throughout the process, Byeok Taesan found himself in deep thought.
This, too, was something he had never done or even considered in the past.
No matter how severely injured his subordinates were, it had always been one of two scenarios: they handled the task themselves, or they recovered first and then managed it.
But today, even though none of his subordinates had suffered life-threatening injuries, Byeok Taesan had personally taken action.
Standing atop an empty hall, he watched the Hao Clan members bustling about, then leapt into the air.
The rest could be left to them—it was time to rest.
Starting tomorrow, he planned to throw his subordinates into a swamp of relentless training.
As for Byeok Taesan himself, he had his own matters to attend to.
Upon hearing that the Black Iron Workshop had been attacked, the Hubei Martial Alliance Leader sighed.
“I expected this might happen, but it still feels bitter when it actually does.”
“It couldn’t be helped, could it? They laid the groundwork so well.”
“No, we were hasty. And we didn’t respond appropriately. There were ways to manage both sides.”
“That’s in the past. And didn’t we handle it admirably? What matters is what comes next.”
“That’s true.”
The Alliance Leader nodded, looking at the Secretary.
“Nothing unusual from Wuhan?”
“Thanks to the Patrol Corps Leader’s competence, everything is proceeding smoothly. I received confirmation just yesterday.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
“What concerns me more is the Murim Alliance, Black Lotus, and the Five Great Clans.”
“Why them? Is it because of the Wuhan expansion?”
“No. While the Wuhan expansion was slightly premature, it was inevitable in the end.”
“That’s true.”
“So that’s not the issue… It feels like they’re hiding something, as if the expansion isn’t their real purpose.”
The Alliance Leader shook his head in frustration.
“What a headache. As if dealing with those maniacs shaking up this area wasn’t enough.”
“It seems those maniacs might also be meddling with the Murim Alliance, Black Lotus, and the Five Great Clans.”
“What?”
“It’s just a suspicion for now. There’s no clear evidence, and we haven’t heard their side yet.”
“But if you’re saying this, doesn’t that mean there’s over a 70% chance you’re right?”
The Secretary slightly lowered his head.
“Hmm. Are you saying that the so-called Nameless Sect, that gathering of lunatics, is responsible for orchestrating all of this at once? If that’s the case, I can’t even begin to estimate their scale.”
“That’s why I’m suggesting…”
“Go on.”
“Wouldn’t it be beneficial to provide more active support to Byeok Taesan?”
“Support Byeok Taesan?”
“Yes. If we build more goodwill with him, we can secure his allegiance.”
“Recruitment, eh? I like it. That’s exactly what I want. If we openly help him, especially when those guys are targeting him, Byeok Taesan wouldn’t be able to ignore us.”
“That’s correct.”
“In that case… I’ll go by myself and spend some meaningful time with him.”
The Hubei Martial Alliance Leader abruptly stood up, ready to leave his office.
But he couldn’t, as the Secretary had already grabbed hold of his collar.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
“It would be problematic if you left without addressing urgent matters.”
“Were there urgent matters?”
The Alliance Leader awkwardly laughed and tried to free his collar from the Secretary’s grip.
However, the Secretary channeled his internal energy into the hand holding the collar.
At that moment, a group of scribes carrying piles of documents marched into the office.
Seeing this, the Alliance Leader’s face turned pale.
“Secretary… what is the meaning of this?”
The Secretary responded coolly.
“These are the matters you’ve postponed and left unaddressed. You must deal with them all by today.”
As he spoke, the documents kept piling up on the desk.
The scribes, each bringing their own small desks, set up workstations around the Alliance Leader’s office.
“They are here to assist you.”
The Alliance Leader looked blankly between the Secretary and the scribes.
“They don’t seem like assistants; they look more like watchdogs.”
“That’s a misunderstanding. Well then, I have government affairs to attend to, so I’ll be on my way.”
The Secretary bowed politely and exited.
The Alliance Leader stood in place for a while, staring blankly at the spot where the Secretary had been.
By morning, Byeok Taesan carried on as usual, attended by his attendants, who assisted him with washing and breakfast.
Afterward, he gave instructions for training and left the Black Iron Workshop.
Today, he ventured out alone, feeling unburdened. He briefly considered bringing Hwaryeong but decided against it, reasoning that it would be wasteful to rob her of such an excellent training opportunity.
There was only one task he planned to accomplish today.
As Byeok Taesan exited the Black Iron Workshop, a member of the Hao Clan bowed deeply.
This individual was tasked with guiding Byeok Taesan and acting as a liaison between him and the Hao Clan in Yichang.
When Byeok Taesan silently stared at him, the Hao Clan member quickly began to speak.
“There are only three array masters in Yichang who match the criteria you described, Young Master. Two of them have been residing here for over ten years, and one arrived just three months ago.”
“Let’s start with the most recent one.”
“Understood. Please follow me.”
The Hao Clan member promptly began guiding Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan leisurely followed behind, muttering to himself.
“I wonder if they’re still alive…”