Chapter 603: Yeah, I’m Threatening You

Baek Suryong said, "Shame on you!"

Everyone fell speechless in shock. An Azure Dragon Academy student had assaulted a student of the Heavenly Martial Academy in public, and the assailant was none other than its Student Council President.

Ok Jin lay motionless on the floor, out cold. Dokgo Jun, who had thrown the punch on pure impulse, stood frozen on the spot, regretting his actions.

“What is the meaning of this?!”

“Even if Ok Jin was a little rude, how could you assault a man who can’t even stand up straight!”

“You’ve gotten incredibly arrogant after only a few wins, huh?”

Flipping the tables. Causing pandemonium.

“They have lowly origins, so it’s only natural that their conduct is vulgar!”

The Heavenly Martial Academy students shot up from their seats to condemn Dokgo Jun. The hot-tempered among them gripped their weapons.

Amid all the commotion, their Student Council President, Shaolin’s Divine Dragon Ilgak, stood silently, his expression stiff.

Namgung Su shook his head in disdain. The ones who are seeing this have disappointed him.

What was that just now...?

Dokgo Jun’s punch had been anything but deliberate, so honestly, he hadn’t put much speed or force behind it. Naturally, Ilgak had moved to stop it.

He could have definitely blocked it in time with his Vajra Body, but he didn’t just want to block. He had meant to seize Dokgo Jun’s arm and break it.

While it was true that Ok Jin had been rude, he couldn’t just stand by and watch as a Heavenly Martial Academy student got hurt. Making Dokgo Jun pay the price was his duty as Student Council President.

In the end, however, he had failed to move at all, and could only watch Ok Jin take the punch.

“What is the meaning of this?!”

If I had moved... I would have been cut down.

And not by Dokgo Jun. The faintly smiling Wiji Cheon standing behind him was the dangerous one. The boy had simply rested a hand on his sword hilt and stared straight at him, nothing more than that, yet...

...I was intimidated?

He could hardly believe what his senses were telling him. He was Shaolin’s Divine Dragon, a prodigy said to have no rival his age! Being the best in Shaolin meant being the best among all the orthodox sects in the jianghu! How could a mere Azure Dragon Academy freshman have rooted him to the spot?

“...Amitabha,” he mumbled, his voice thick with qi.

Ilgak threw himself into the fray, deciding he could not let this continue.

The surrounding noise died down instantly, and the prodigies of the Nine Sects One Gang turned to their Student Council President in surprise.

Ilgak took a step forward. His eyes held no Buddhist compassion, only a quiet fury, and his voice came out low and sunken. “Student Dokgo Jun, are you mocking the Heavenly Martial Academy right now?”

Dokgo Jun frowned. “Mocking? In what way?”

Ok Jin lay motionless on the floor, out cold.

“It is true that Student Ok Jin erred while drunk, but you were the one who first proposed we end the dispute. I even thanked you for the concession, but then you launched a surprise attack...”

FWOOSH!

Ilgak’s monk robes billowed with an immense volume of qi, an amount no student should have possessed. A wave of energy rippled out from where he stood and set the floor humming. “If this is not you mocking the Heavenly Martial Academy, then what is it?”

“Huh? Do you have a poor memory? He insulted my academy’s alumni first. Everyone here heard it,” Dokgo Jun said, coolly laying out exactly why his punch had been justified.

Ilgak shook his head, indicating he wouldn’t hear any excuses. “The Heavenly Martial Academy’s Student Council desires a sincere apology from the Azure Dragon Academy’s Student Council.”

Do that, and I will not request disciplinary action for today’s incident from the Heavenly Martial Festival’s Organizing Committee.

BOOM!

His powerful stomp carried through all five stories of the building, causing enough noise that passersby looked up in surprise.

Ilgak trembled, his face flushing red, as he found himself engaged in a brawl unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

“Show your remorse in a manner everyone here can accept. Do that, and I will not request disciplinary action for today’s incident from the Heavenly Martial Festival’s Organizing Committee.”

Ilgak made the offer as if it were a final act of mercy from someone in a clearly superior position. He pressured Dokgo Jun to apologize in front of the entire restaurant. Meanwhile, the Heavenly Martial Academy students surrounded the trio to cut off their escape.

Unease crossed his face as he remembered the things the Five Young Azure Dragons had done during the midterm and final exams, and the specialty every student at the academy knew them for.

Dokgo Jun glanced around and quietly ground his teeth. “A show of remorse... Are you telling me to kneel in front of everyone?”

“We desire only sincerity. If you believe you must, then you must.” Ilgak smiled benevolently once more, though his eyes did not smile at all.

Dokgo Jun understood then that the monk would never back down. This is my mistake. If kneeling once makes it all go away...

He clenched his jaw. If today’s incident reached the Heavenly Martial Festival’s Organizing Committee, all three of them would almost certainly face disciplinary action.

What is my dignity worth compared to the efforts of my fellow students, who’ve worked so hard to win the Heavenly Martial Festival?

A divine golden aura rose from Ilgak’s body, and the prodigies of the Nine Sects One Gang grimly released their auras as well, issuing a clear and unmistakable show of intimidation.

He was indeed frustrated and infuriated at the unfairness of it all. However, if it was for the Azure Dragon Academy’s sake, he was more than willing to cast aside his pride and kneel.

Steeling himself, he stepped forward... only to be grabbed roughly on the shoulder and pulled back.

“I’ve heard enough of this bullshit. What the fuck are you bastards spouting? Weren’t you the ones being rude to people who just came here for a meal?” Hyonwon Kang sneered, planting himself on Dokgo Jun’s left.

Dokgo Jun frowned. “Mocking? In what way?”

“Isn’t a martial artist who gets so drunk he can’t dodge a half-hearted punch with no inner qi behind it a hell of a lot more shameful?” Wiji Cheon giggled, standing to Dokgo Jun’s right. His expression stayed as innocent as ever, but the way he spat venom through a bright smile strongly resembled a certain someone.

Dokgo Jun shook his head, trying to wave them both off. “You two, stay out of this. I’ll handle it...”

A divine golden aura rose from Ilgak’s body, and the prodigies of the Nine Sects One Gang grimly released their auras as well, issuing a clear and unmistakable show of intimidation.

THWACK!

Dokgo Jun rubbed the back of his head, stunned.

Hyonwon Kang clicked his tongue. “Dokgo, you naive bastard. What makes you think we’re the only ones who are gonna get disciplined?”

“...What?”

A wicked grin reminiscent of a certain martial arts instructor spread across Hyonwon Kang’s lips. “Jicheon, remember what Mr. Baek said before? Getting swept up in a game somebody else sets makes you third-rate, while taking over the game makes you first-rate... something like that.”

Ok Jin lay motionless on the floor, out cold.