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Kang Jin-Ho laid out his plans in his mind. His role in strengthening the Martial Assembly\'s forces could be broken down into three major tasks. One, pass down \'proper\' demonic cultivation methods to the demonic cultivators. Two, help Bang Jin-Hun create a new martial art for the Assembly. And finally…

Kang Jin-Ho must analyze his own martial art and find a new path forward.

None of these tasks would be easy. Still, it was clear which of the three must be prioritized. And that... was the first task. That didn\'t mean Kang Jin-Ho could afford to underestimate the difficulty of passing down the demonic cultivation method, though.

Kang Jin-Ho could start distributing powerful demonic cultivation methods to the Chinese demonic cultivators right away. However, doing so came with considerable risks in the form of side effects. Even though those people were called the ‘demonic cultivators’, they were completely different to the demonic cultivators Kang Jin-Ho was familiar with back in ancient Zhongyuan.

To begin with, these modern-day demonic cultivators hadn\'t learned any foundational martial arts. They couldn\'t even accept pure demonic qi, either. Thanks to cultivating in trashy scraps that didn\'t even deserve to be called demonic arts, too many parts of their cultivation had become impure and corrupted.

That was why Kang Jin-Ho used Zhu Gang to figure out the general physical status of the demonic cultivators. Demonic arts not suitable for their realm would do more harm than good, but relying on a method that was too gentle or forgiving would mean a much longer time was required to make them stronger.

He needed to find the perfect middle ground here.

“You seem to have a lot on your mind, sir?” Lee Hyeon-Su asked while placing a cup of coffee before Kang Jin-Ho.

Kang Jin-Ho silently stared at the coffee\'s rising steam, then slowly nodded. “Yeah. It\'s not an easy problem to solve, after all.”

“Is that so?” Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled while sitting on Kang Jin-Ho’s opposite side.

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?”

“Rather than funny, I’m a bit amazed, sir.”

“Amazed? Why?”

“Well…” Lee Hyeon-Su looked a little embarrassed just then. “Maybe instead of amazed, should I say it’s more like… Different? Unusual? Yes, it’s that kind of impression, Assembly Master.”

“I don’t get it. What’s different?”

“When I\'m looking at you from here or from the side, or when I\'m close by or at a distance… You come across as a totally different person depending on where I\'m looking at you from.”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. He couldn’t quite understand what Lee Hyeon-Su wanted to say.

“When I was going up against you back in the Yeongnam Group HQ, I... felt so lost trying to figure out what to say.”

“For a man who felt that way, you sure have worked me hard, haven\'t you?”

“Well, it’s the result of desperately racking my brain, sir.”

“Since you\'ve bothered to bring this matter up, am I supposed to take it as your desire to revive the old grudges?”

“...Please don\'t hurt me,” Lee Hyeon-Su cackled before resuming his explanation. “I thought nothing could get through your thick skin. Not even treasure swords. It was as if you had zero weaknesses. It felt like you could come up with counters almost immediately to every plan I could think of.”

Kang Jin-Ho sheepishly looked away since he never had any proper ‘counters’ as described. “No, hang on. That’s not really the case.”

“I know it isn\'t. It\'s just the feeling that I got back then. If you were like this during that night, well, you wouldn\'t have stood a chance, that\'s for sure.”

‘What the hell? This brat…?’

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow as his head cocked to the side. It felt like everyone around him had become a bit more daring toward him lately.

“As I was saying, that\'s the impression I got while observing you. But now, I get different impressions, like… Oh, this guy also has things he worries about. He\'s got problems like everybody else.”

“I’m also human, you know.”

“Indeed. Any humans would be like that, no? Although I gotta say, I always thought you\'ve ever-so-slightly transcended past the boundary of being human…” Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled again. “But I\'m glad to know you\'re human like me. That you have humanity like us.”

Was this supposed to be an insult or a praise? Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t tell.

Lee Hyeon-Su pulled out a cigarette packet from his pocket, then offered a cigarette to Kang Jin-Ho.

Kang Jin-Ho didn’t stand on ceremonies and accepted the offered cigarette. After mouthing it, he casually lit it up with a lighter.

Click…

Soon, gray-blue unhealthy smoke spread into the office\'s air.

“Sir, since we’re all humans here, isn’t it okay to discuss things in your mind with us? I know I haven’t displayed a trust-inspiring side of me lately, but you can still bounce ideas around with me.”

“No, let\'s get one thing straight,” Kang Jin-Ho firmly said, “I\'ve never stopped trusting you. I believe in you.”

Lee Hyeon-Su smiled brightly. Even if that was lip service, it still felt great to hear it. “Kuh-hum. In that case, in terms of trust ranking, where do I…?”

“…” Kang Jin-Ho didn\'t reply, but his brows began furrowing deeply instead.

Unfortunately, Kang Jin-Ho\'s dilemma continued on for a bit too long. As a result, awkwardness descended in the office, forcing Lee Hyeon-Su to break the silence first. “...I think that\'s enough thinking, sir.”

“Mm?”

“Who cares about the ranking, anyway? The only thing that matters is that you trust me. That\'s all,” Lee Hyeon-Su desperately tried to close the curtain on this situation, then changed the topic. “Okay, so! What were you agonizing about earlier, sir…?”

Kang Jin-Ho wasn\'t planning to hide his thoughts, anyway. With Lee Hyeon-Su\'s smarts, maybe he could help with Kang Jin-Ho\'s decision, too.

“I was thinking about which demonic cultivation method to pass down.”

“I see. How many cultivation methods do you know, though?”

“Hmm. Maybe around thirty? I guess more than that?”

“…” Lee Hyeon-Su blinked his eyes. No wonder Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t choose! “Sir, can’t you just pass everything down and let them sort it out?”

“Hah. Utter pandemonium will break out that way, you know?” Kang Jin-Ho chuckled softly.

Only someone who didn\'t know much about demonic arts could make that kind of suggestion. Obviously, Kang Jin-Ho was well aware of the demonic arts\' dangers, so he couldn\'t do that.

“Listen, Lee Hyeon-Su. It\'s not the case of me not trusting those demonic cultivators. No, I don\'t trust demonic cultivation itself. I know only too well what will happen if the wrong demonic cultivation is unleashed on the masses.”

These kinds of things happened fairly regularly back in the past. Whenever the demon cult’s demonic cultivation methods got leaked to the unsuspecting people of Zhongyuan, a bloodbath followed soon afterward.

Demonic cultivation was surprisingly delicate in terms of martial arts. Anyone with a low degree of understanding of the \'demonic\' foolishly dipping their toes into the demonic cultivation would always turn into a crazed murderer. For instance… Like the Fallen.

The demonic cultivation that man had mastered was as trashy as it could possibly get, but his case still served as clear evidence of the risk associated with demonic arts. Someone not as accomplished as Kang Jin-Ho could easily experience their qi going berserk and totally out of their control. Indeed, they could enter the state of much-feared qi deviation.

‘No, hold on. I’m not an exception either.’

In a way, what Kang Jin-Ho was experiencing could be a side effect of cultivating demonic arts. Otherwise, it\'d be impossible to explain his ego\'s complete split from that of Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor.

Lee Hyeon-Su rubbed his chin. “That means you will have to decide.”

“Yeah.”

“What about the demonic cultivation method you’ve given to the Demon Flames?”

“That\'s quite safe and stable, alright. It\'s just that…” Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders. “It lacks a bit of oomph due to how excessively stable it is. My original plan was to pass down something new once they have built their foundation to some degree.”

“I see. So, the Demon Flames would’ve learned something new…”

“Well, they are going to act as instructors, after all.”

“Hmm…” Lee Hyeon-Su chewed his lips as if he was deep in thought. “...In the end, what you’re agonizing about can be summarized like this. Do you pursue stability and safety at the expense of power? Or try to strengthen everyone in spite of the high degree of risk?”

“Well, yeah. That’s it.”

As expected of him, Lee Hyeon-Su had accurately figured out the crux of Kang Jin-Ho’s indecision.

“Well, sir. I think this dilemma already has a solution. Wouldn’t you also agree?”

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head when Lee Hyeon-Su confidently spoke up.

“I\'ve witnessed countless times of you worrying about similar problems, but… I\'ve never seen you choose safety in the end. Not even once.”

Kang Jin-Ho was rendered speechless just then.

It seemed Lee Hyeon-Su still had a better understanding of Kang Jin-Ho\'s inner thoughts than Kang Jin-Ho himself!

“You’d have arrived at the inevitable conclusion, anyway. At the end of a lengthy consideration, you’d eventually say, ‘Forget safety and stability. Right now, we must take our chances!’ and dump the management of the risks on the shoulders of the people under you. All the while justifying your decision by saying it can\'t be helped or something similar.”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly. Did he really do that? Listening to Lee Hyeon-Su even made Kang Jin-Ho feel a wee bit apologetic, too…

“The usual thing to say in such cases is that a man should have morals. But… Yes, yes. The truth is, I\'ve already given up, sir. I now know that wishing for such a thing from you is a total waste of my time. What choice do I have but to grit my teeth and get on with it? Uh-whew… I can\'t even complain about this to anyone and all…”

Why did it feel like Lee Hyeon-Su was definitely taking his chances a bit more today? Kang Jin-Ho’s expression stiffened a little.

“Oh, well. It\'s my job to clean up your mess, so you don\'t have to worry about anything, sir. It\'s not like I\'m suddenly doing something new and unexpected, anyway. Having one more thing dumped on my back isn\'t gonna change the situation much, after all. So! Believe in me, and let me…”

“Oho. So, I should believe in you?” Kang Jin-Ho suddenly smirked suspiciously.

“...Assembly Master?”

“You said I should believe in you. Didn\'t you?” Kang Jin-Ho asked, his smirk deepening even more.

What Lee Hyeon-Su said wasn’t wrong. Even if this conversation had veered off into the territory of jokes, Lee Hyeon-Su was still accurately pointing out the crux of the issues.

Kang Jin-Ho didn\'t need to agonize over this matter. His past self might have since it\'d be his responsibility if he chose a demonic cultivation method that was beyond everyone\'s capabilities, and something bad happened as a result.

If only the number of demonic cultivators was low! With the current number, just ten percent of them suffering from side effects would bring about a massive catastrophe.

However, what about now?

‘I don’t need to deal with everything by myself now.’

The Martial Assembly was no longer an entity that he had to shield from danger all the time. The Assembly\'s people were getting stronger on their own. In fact, they should be strong enough now to share some of the burden weighing down on Kang Jin-Ho\'s back.

So, what if the Assembly dispersed the risk for him?

Then, Kang Jin-Ho shouldn\'t have a reason to hesitate anymore.

When Kang Jin-Ho\'s thoughts reached this far, his brain suddenly recalled a demonic cultivation method. A cultivation method that was incredibly powerful… But also incredibly dangerous!

Such was its danger that Kang Jin-Ho passed it down to only his direct subordinates. But it also helped nurture the Demon Flames of the ancient past to become true flames of demonic!

‘...Mara Blood Flame Qi!’ [1]

This was the one demonic cultivation method that had never been passed down. Because Kang Jin-Ho had created it exclusively for his Demon Flames by mixing and matching various demonic arts found within the demon cult.

As such, not even Kang Jin-Ho could be sure how far this cultivation method could take the cultivator and how big of a risk it carried.

However, he could absolutely guarantee its power. After all, Kang Jin-Ho used this cultivation technique to nurture the Demon Flames, and they went on to conquer Zhongyuan together!

‘Maybe I’m going overboard with this.’

This was undoubtedly a dangerous choice. Countless people would die from it. Initially, the Demon Flames numbered over a thousand, yet only three hundred barely managed to survive till the end and reached extremely high realms.

Logically speaking, Kang Jin-Ho should not choose this path. However, he had something to believe in this time. For one, he could fall back on his prior experience to lower the risk factor. Plus, didn’t he have lots of allies to restrict and control the demonic cultivators this time? All things considered, this fight… seemed eminently doable.

“Yes… I should believe in you.” Kang Jin-Ho quietly muttered.

“...I’m sorry?” Lee Hyeon-Su asked back, nervousness quickly dyeing his complexion pale.

Since it looked like Kang Jin-Ho had been agonizing over something for a little while, Lee Hyeon-Su wanted to lighten the mood by cracking a couple of jokes, but the response he got was… Suspicious, to say the least!

“A-Assembly Master, you know I was just joking with…”

“You told me to believe in you, so I shall. I can\'t deal with everything on my own, but… Yes, I will believe in you,” Kang Jin-Ho smiled refreshingly brightly.

“Since I\'ve chosen to believe in you, I might as well go the full nine yards, too. Yes, let\'s go all in. Let\'s risk everything on this all-or-nothing gamble, Director Lee. Of course, I have full confidence that with your help, we will win this gamble.”

“...Sir, don’t you know that winning percentages are not within my control?”

“Heavens help those who help themselves,” said Kang Jin-Ho, his resolve firm. “Pen and paper.”

“...I’m sorry?”

“Bring me a pen and paper. I’ll write the sutras down, but you’ll have to translate them for me.”

Lee Hyeon-Su held his head in agony. It felt like he had done something unimaginably horrible just now, but turning things around at this stage seemed impossible judging from the look on Kang Jin-Ho’s face. Which meant he had to do it, come rain or shine!

The slump-shouldered Lee Hyeon-Su shuffled toward his desk to fetch a pen and some paper. However, Kang Jin-Ho’s gaze wasn’t following his dispirited-looking subordinate. It was silently fixed on the table before him.

Would passing down Mara Blood Flame Qi be enough?

‘No, it obviously wouldn’t be. Remember, it’s not chasing after something, but… Creating something new.’

This was merely the beginning.

Choosing to stick with Mara Blood Flame Qi created in the past and not moving forward would be the same as chasing after the shadows of Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor. Which meant…

Kang Jin-Ho had to create it. He must create a demonic cultivation like Mara Blood Flame Qi that was also not Mara Blood Flame Qi!

A new martial art that surpassed the past and looked toward the future! And Kang Jin-Ho would create it from now on.

1. Mara is a malignant celestial king in Buddhism. ☜