The Martial God with Psychic Powers

The impact of hitting the ground sent pain shooting through his body.

It hurt. Badly.
He’d never felt anything like it before.
No one had ever dared treat him like this.

Everyone always walked on eggshells around him, watching his every expression.
Shin Dowoon glared at Jang Woon, his eyes ablaze with fury.
“H-How dare you hit me…”

Jang Woon chuckled faintly.
“Yeah, you definitely need etiquette training.”
“Don’t come any closer.”

“Too bad. I’m going to.”
“Stop right there! If you take one more step, I’ll tell my grandfather!”
“…What?”

“Do you even know who my grandfather is? He’s the Lord of Tianzhu Hall! He serves directly under the Celestial Lord of Mushincheon! One word from him, and your life is over!”
“Hah…”
Jang Woon stared at Shin Dowoon, utterly dumbfounded.

Was this guy even a man?
He had never seen such a pathetic, spineless brat.
And the best this guy could come up with was “I’ll tell Grandpa”?

He wasn’t even worth hitting.
When Jang Woon came to a halt, Shin Dowoon mistook it as submission and his confidence surged.
“Kneel!”
“…What?”

“I said kneel! Or I’ll make sure your entire clan pays the price!”
“Oh? And what exactly are you going to do if I don’t?”
“At the very least, you’ll never set foot in Mushincheon again.”

“Is that so?”
“Yes! So if you care about your family’s future, kneel down right now!”
Jang Woon was still staring at him like he was watching a delusional street performer when Sunwoo Baek stepped in beside him.

Jang Woon asked, “So? What do we do?”
“What else? There’s only one thing we’re here to do. Proper education.”
“Doesn’t seem like that’ll work on this one. He’s got too much confidence in his backing.”

That much was true.
“Beating him won’t do any good. It’d just look like we’re picking on him.”
“Hmm. Hold here for a moment. I’ll go ask for clearance.”

“Yeah, be quick. I can’t stand another second near this brat.”
Sunwoo Baek nodded, sharing the same sentiment.
And with that, he vanished in a blur, leaving Shin Dowoon to puff himself up again.

“Hahaha! So one of you ran away, huh? Doesn’t matter—your fate is sealed! I’ll remember this! Kneel!”
“…What am I supposed to do with this damn kid?”
A guy in the Apex-Level Realm, acting like a spoiled toddler.

Just how pampered had he been at home?
If Jang Woon had ever acted like this, his own father would’ve beaten him half to death and thrown him out.
Jang Woon walked over to Shin Dowoon and sat down slowly.

Seeing that, Shin Dowoon flashed a victorious grin.
“That’s right! Bow your head! If you swear your loyalty to me right here and now, I might even forgive you!”
Flick.

“ARGH!”
Jang Woon, now fully seated, flicked him right in the forehead.
Hard enough that Shin Dowoon grabbed at his skull in pain, rubbing furiously at his brow.

“Forgive me? Please. Just sit tight.”
At Jang Woon’s words, Shin Dowoon erupted, voice cracking with rage.
“RAAAGH! I swear, I’ll make you crawl at my feet like a worm someday! Do you hear me?! A WORM!”

Jang Woon’s reply came in a low, calm tone.
“And I’ll make sure you snap out of this and start addressing me properly. As your senior. That day is coming.”
Because Jang Woon already knew.

Shin Dowoon’s future wasn’t going to go the way he imagined.
Even if he rose higher than the Lord of Tianzhu Hall, even if he inherited the entire clan—
None of it would matter.

Because the one person none of that power would ever work on… was here, at Baekyeong.
 
****

Meanwhile...
“What’s this now?”
Summoned by Sunwoo Baek, Yeon Woo Jin arrived at the scene.

“It’s him?”
“Yeah.”
As Yeon Woo Jin approached, Shin Dowoon shot him a venomous glare.

“And who the hell are you supposed to be?”
“Heard there was some strange creature worth seeing. Thought I’d come take a look.”
“A look? You came to watch me? You think I’m some kind of spectacle?! You’ve lost your mind!”

“And who are you again?”
“I’m the Young Lord of the Shin Clan! Grandson of the Tianzhu Hall Lord! And I’ll remember your face too, you bastard!”
“Oh? And what do you plan to do with that memory?”

“Not just you—all of you and your entire families will pay for this!”
“Really now? That’s the kind of thing that could get you in serious trouble. You sure you want to say that out loud?”
“Hmph! You’re the ones in trouble! What, you scared now? Release my pressure points right this instant! All of you, kneel!”

Yeon Woo Jin shook his head at the absurd display.
“So that’s why you called me. He’s way beyond your paygrade.”
“Right?”

“If we don’t break him in properly, the rest of the lower division will get cocky again and tear the entire intermediate division apart.”
“Exactly.”
Yeon Woo Jin stepped toward Shin Dowoon and spoke calmly.

“Come on. Say ‘Respected Senior!’ like a proper junior.”
“Shut up!”
“Yeah, you definitely haven’t been hit enough in life.”

“No one dares lay a hand on me!”
“Figured as much. No sense of hierarchy at all.”
Yeon Woo Jin rolled up his sleeves.

Then stared directly into Shin Dowoon’s eyes and said,
“Let’s fix that. Time for a good beating.”
“W-Wait! Didn’t you hear me?! I told you—I’m the Young Lord of the Shin Cla—GAAACK!”

 
****
Drag. Drag. Thud.

One unconscious body, dragged across the ground, was tossed down among the lower division recruits.
Gasps broke out among them.
“W-Was that… Dowoon?”

“Holy crap! Even «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» he got dragged here!”
“Do they even realize what they’ve just done?!”
Before the panic could build, Sunwoo Baek barked out,

“Quiet.”
Eun Hwan rose hesitantly and approached.
“Um… Senior?”

“What?”
“Are you aware… of which family he’s from?”
“Obviously. He’s from the Shin Clan.”

“And… you still did this to him and dragged him out here?”
“Yeah. So what?”
“He’s from the Shin Clan. You know—the one led by the Lord of Tianzhu Hall.”

“I told you. I know that.”
…There’s no way he actually knows.
No one who really knew could stay that calm.

At that moment, Yeon Woo Jin began looking over the gathered recruits.
“Think the kids are worth using?”
“Definitely. Especially those two over there. Real talent.”

“Oh?”
Eun Hwan and Song Ho Won exchanged puzzled looks. Jang Woon was pointing them out like they were prized goods… and to someone clearly above his rank.
The way he reported felt strangely formal.

“Hm.”
Yeon Woo Jin stepped in for a closer look.
“Good. Their level’s not bad either. With proper training, they could be very useful.”

“Right? We got a decent batch this year. Those two over there aren’t bad either.”
“I see.”
Sunwoo Baek, the top of the academy, was hovering beside someone else, explaining the recruits like an assistant.

Even stranger—no one acted like that was odd.
All eyes eventually turned back to Shin Dowoon.
If he went crying to his clan and told them what happened…

Baekyeong’s intermediate division could be flipped upside down by tomorrow.
“Send the kids home,” Yeon Woo Jin said.
Sunwoo Baek nodded, and the intermediate students began ushering the kneeling recruits away.

“Alright, you heard him. Time to go.”
The younger students slowly rose, but their eyes kept drifting toward Shin Dowoon.
“W-What about Dowoon?”

“He stays. We’ll take care of him.”
Still, the younger recruits hesitated.
“…What’s the matter?”

“It’s just… if we leave like this, we’re afraid it’ll come back to bite us later.”
“What kind of bite? We’re the ones telling you to go.”
“It’s not you we’re afraid of…”

Their eyes turned toward Shin Dowoon again.
“Ah, the Shin Clan.”
“Yes, sir.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. The Shin Clan won’t be making any moves over this.”
…And just what did he know that made him so confident about that?
“You’re really going? Go on, then.”

The younger students hesitated, feet dragging as if glued to the floor—but in the end, they obeyed.
Once all the lower division students had left, Jang Woon asked quietly,
“So what are you going to do with him?”

“I’ll take him back myself.”
“You? Woo Jin?”
“Yeah. Who else would you suggest? I’m the only one here who can handle him.”

“Well… that’s not wrong.”
Yeon Woo Jin hoisted Shin Dowoon up over his shoulder and said,
“You’ve all done enough. Go rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You’re really going alone?”
“I am. Don’t worry about me. Just head in.”
“…Alright.”

 
****
“Should I inform the Lord of Mushincheon?”

“What for?”
“Shin Dowoon is the sole heir of the Shin Clan. Their only son in eight generations. If he shows up like that… they’ll come after you.”
At Ma Ryong’s warning, Yeon Woo Jin offered a calm smile.

“And if they do? What could they possibly do to me?”
…That was true.
If Yeon Woo Jin really decided to make an example out of the Shin Clan, they wouldn’t survive the night.

He had always been strong, but recently—since his enlightenment—his power had grown even more terrifying.
The only real question now was how he intended to handle it.
“For now, all three of you stay hidden. Until I give the signal.”

“As you command.”
At Yeon Woo Jin’s order, Chun Ho Seong, Ma Ryong, and Jeok Seong vanished without a trace.
Before long, the massive structure of the Shin Clan’s estate came into view.

The Shin Clan resided within Mushincheon, not far from Baekyeong. Its size and grandeur were unmistakable.
The guards posted at the gate tensed up the moment they spotted Yeon Woo Jin.
“State your business.”

“I’ve come to return your Young Lord.”
“Young Lord…?! Gasp—L-Lord Dowoon!”
One of the guards caught sight of the limp Shin Dowoon slung over Yeon Woo Jin’s back and sprang forward in a panic.

He hastily took the unconscious heir off Yeon Woo Jin’s shoulders and rushed him inside, shouting as he ran.
The remaining guards stared at Yeon Woo Jin, unsure what to make of him.
Was he… a benefactor?

“Thank you for bringing our Young Lord home safely.”
“Oh, it was nothing. Just doing what needed to be done.”
“Please, come in. The Shin Clan does not forget its debts.”

“Then… would you mind if I had dinner here? I’m starving.”
“I’ll have food prepared immediately. Please, this way.”
“Thank you. I’ll take you up on that.”

As Yeon Woo Jin walked inside without a care in the world, the guards silently concluded: this man clearly had nothing to do with what had happened to the Young Lord.
If he were involved, there’s no way he’d dare step foot into the Shin Clan estate.
 

****
“What did you say?! Dowoon came back like that?!”
“Y-Yes, my Lord!”

“Where is he now?!”
“We’ve placed him in his quarters!”
“What about a physician?!”

“He’s already being examined, sir!”
“Then let’s go. Now!”
“Yes, sir!”

Shin Do Gwang, Patriarch of the Shin Clan, stormed down the corridor with a dark scowl, his heavy brows twitching in fury.
When he entered the room, his son lay before him, body bruised blue and black.
“Dowoon!”

He rushed to his son’s side and took his pulse.
Thankfully, there were no internal injuries.
He turned to the physician. “What’s his condition?”

“The bruises are external. Aside from that, he seems stable.”
“I see… And those bruises—how did they happen?”
The physician hesitated before speaking, clearly nervous.

“It appears… he was assaulted.”
“…What?”
“His Qi was forcibly suppressed, and he was beaten. All the bruises were likely caused by fists.”

Fwooosh—
Fury erupted from Shin Do Gwang’s body like a storm.
“HOW DARE THEY?! Who is the bastard mongrel who laid a hand on my son?!”

“P-Please, Lord Shin! You must calm yourself! The Young Lord needs peace to recover!”
“R-Right. Yes…”
Pulling himself together at the physician’s warning, Shin Do Gwang examined his son more carefully.

If it was only bruising, then he could rest easy.
But rage still burned in his gut.
He’d raised his boy like a gem, never once laying a hand on him.

And now this.
“…You said someone brought Dowoon home?”
“Yes, sir.”

“Are they gone?”
“No, sir. He’s having dinner in the guest hall.”
“Then he’s not the culprit.”

“I don’t believe so either.”
“Still, he must know something. Let’s go meet him.”
“Y-You’ll go yourself, sir?”

“Of course I will. My son came back beaten and broken—and I should just sit here waiting for someone to figure it out? Lead the way. That’s an order.”
“Yes, sir!”
 

***
Shin Do Gwang, Patriarch of the Shin Clan, personally headed out to meet the man who’d returned his son.
He scrutinized Yeon Woo Jin the moment he entered the guest hall.

Hmph… no powerful bloodline aura… not much Qi presence either… and that build… far too delicate.
His physique wasn’t martial in the slightest. His bones were fine, and he didn’t look like he could even wring a chicken’s neck.
Most of all, Shin Do Gwang was familiar with every rising star in Mushincheon, and this boy was a complete stranger.

All signs pointed to one thing: this man wasn’t the culprit.
“Hahaha! I’m deeply grateful for returning my son safely.”
“Oh, please. I only did what anyone would have.”

“Still, it was a noble gesture. And you’re quite well-mannered, I must say.”
“Thank you.”
“There’s something I’d like to ask you.”

“I’ve been treated to a delicious dinner—I’ll answer anything you like.”
“Much appreciated. Do you happen to know who did that to my Dowoon?”
“I do.”

Shin Do Gwang’s expression hardened instantly.
“You do? Who was it? Who is the wretched bastard?!”
“That would be me.”

“…What?”
“I did it. I’m the one who beat him.”