The Martial God with Psychic Powers

It was clear now—Yeon Woo Jin had been kept at Baekyeong Advanced Division precisely because he was weak.
That explained the secrecy.

At last, some of Yang Munseong’s questions began to resolve themselves.
Why had Shin Dowoon, heir to the Shin Clan, been silently enduring his torment—hauling boulders up cliffs without a word of protest?
If his superior was the grandson of Mushincheon’s Celestial Lord, then not even the heads of the Five Great Martial Houses would dare defy him, let alone the Shin Clan.

Still, to subject students to such harsh, almost punitive training...
The boy didn’t seem to have the warmest disposition.
Could it be he harbored resentment toward his grandfather, who had failed to acknowledge him? Was he venting that frustration on others?

As Yang Munseong’s expression shifted by the second, Yeon Woo Jin let out a faint chuckle.
He could read the man like a book.
He’d seen that expression many times before.

People always made the same assumptions in this moment.
Why did the Celestial Lord hide his own grandson?
Right now, Yang Munseong’s mind was undoubtedly filled with wild speculations.

And that frown near the end? That was usually when someone came to a personal conclusion.
Yeon Woo Jin couldn’t help but wonder—what conclusion did he reach?
With a gentle smile, he asked,
“So, have you figured out what kind of person I am?”

“Ah—no, not at all. I wouldn’t presume…”
“Go ahead. If anything’s off, I’ll correct you.”
Yang Munseong hesitated, awkward and unsure.

Chun Ho Seong furrowed his brow.
“Why the silence? Did you perhaps think ill of our young master?”
“N-no, not at all.”
“Then speak.”

After a moment’s pause, Yang Munseong began relaying his conclusions about Yeon Woo Jin.
He left out the part where he’d thought the young man might be cruel.
When he finished, Yeon Woo Jin gave a small laugh.

“It’s always the same. Everyone seems to reach the same conclusion.”
“I thought the same, back then. Just like you.”
“I was weak at the time—so it made sense for me to be hidden.”

Was weak?
Past tense.
Which meant now…?

Before Yang Munseong could ask, Chun Ho Seong answered for him.
“Haha. He has grown so powerful that even I am no match for him.”
…What?

The Heavenly Martial Commander, also known as the Deadly Sword Emperor, couldn’t defeat him?
Surely that didn’t mean he’d actually lost to him.
He must’ve held back—after all, this was the Celestial Lord’s own blood.

But then—
“Even if I fought at full power now, I still wouldn’t be able to win.”
“Kh…!”

The gasp escaped Yang Munseong before he could stop it.
The Heavenly Martial Commander couldn’t defeat him even at full strength?
If that was true… how powerful was this child?

It was unfathomable.
The current five candidates for Lesser Celestial Lord were all at Six-Star Mystic-Level—and even that wasn’t enough.
They had sealed themselves away for two years of seclusion training to push their boundaries further.

Each of the Five Great Martial Houses was devoting every ounce of its resources to support their own candidate’s growth.
No one could predict how strong they would become by the end of their retreat.
At the very least, they’d need to surpass even the Heavenly Martial Commander to have a legitimate claim to the Mushincheon throne.

But now, someone already stronger than him stood right here.
And he was from the Celestial Bloodline—Mushincheon’s most elite lineage.
And worse yet—he hadn’t even reached his coming of age.

The other Lesser Lord candidates were already in their thirties—well past the erlib milestone of thirty years.
Reaching Six-Star Mystic-Level at that age was already an anomaly.
But here stood a youth, not even twenty, who had already surpassed them.

A realization gripped Yang Munseong.
This boy... Yeon Woo Jin… will be the next Lord of Mushincheon.
If he was this strong already—what would he become in ten more years?

Could he surpass even the Celestial Lord himself?
He had to know.
Yang Munseong spoke cautiously.

“Young Master…”
“Yes?”
“There’s something I’ve been dying to ask… would you permit it?”

“What is it?”
“May I ask—what is your current cultivation level?”
“My realm?”

“Yes.”
“Hmm… currently, I’m at Three-Star Apex-Level.”
“Wh-what?! Three-Star Apex-Level?”

“Yes.”
“That’s… impossible. The Heavenly Martial Commander said even he couldn’t defeat you…”
At this, Chun Ho Seong blinked in surprise.

“Wait—Three-Star Apex?”
What was he so shocked about?
Yeon Woo Jin raised a brow.

“Oh? {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} I never told you?”
“You did not! How can your level leap that far without notice? What are the rest of us supposed to do now?”
What kind of conversation was this?

Yang Munseong couldn’t follow a single word.
“I couldn’t defeat you even when you were Four-Star Peak-Level… but now you’re Three-Star Apex-Level? There’s no way we can even spar with you anymore! How are we supposed to help you grow?”
It was absurd.

What kind of talk was this?
A Mystic-Level master complaining that he couldn’t help train an Apex-Level youth?
Was that the hierarchy now?

Had he misunderstood the entire cultivation ladder?
Was Apex-Level above Mystic-Level?
It felt like he’d fallen into some surreal world.

Eventually, Yang Munseong blurted out,
“Wait, hold on! I don’t understand anything anymore. Can someone explain? How is it that our Young Master is at Apex-Level, and yet the Heavenly Martial Commander, who’s at Mystic-Level, says he can’t win? What kind of conversation is this?”
Chun Ho Seong stepped forward.

“You cannot take the Young Master’s cultivation at face value. He is not a normal man. He possesses abilities that transcend human boundaries.”
“…Transcend human boundaries?”
That was the first he’d heard of such a thing.

“It is best to think of him as a god temporarily visiting the mortal world for sport.”
That couldn’t be serious.
It sounded like a joke—but Chun Ho Seong wasn’t smiling.

He was being completely sincere.
Was this some elaborate prank?
If what he said was true, then the boy wasn’t just powerful—he was something else entirely.

Yeon Woo Jin rubbed his forehead.
“Come on, I’m human. How could I be a god?”
“How can you be human? Humans can’t erase memories, freeze time, fly, summon storms, shoot beams from their eyes, levitate objects at will…”

That was it.
It was over.
There was no going back now.

Yeon Woo Jin let out a sigh.
Why does this always happen?
When he first met them, they were all serious and composed.

Now Jeok Seong, Ma Ryong, and even Chun Ho Seong had turned into absurd, wide-eyed fanatics.
Yang Munseong was just as stunned.
Heavenly Martial Commander—one of the most revered men in Mushincheon—was now saying things not even traveling storytellers would dare to utter.

If a bard tried to tell such tales, he’d be pelted with stones.
Yang Munseong gave up trying to understand.
They were clearly mocking him.

But Chun Ho Seong wasn’t finished.
“Normal humans don’t regenerate injuries instantly, amplify their inner power at will, or harden their bodies like diamond, or neutralize any poison as if it were water. These things are only possible for gods.”
He was still dead serious.

Was he being serious?
Surely this was too far.
But if it were true…

Then Yeon Woo Jin wasn’t just a genius.
He was a being beyond human.
Yeon Woo Jin pressed a hand to his forehead.

“I’m just… a slightly unusual human, that’s all.”
“And that is exactly why the world calls such people gods.”
Brushing off the absurdity, Yeon Woo Jin turned back to Yang Munseong.

“We’ve done nothing but ramble in front of our guest. I apologize.”
“N-no, not at all…”
"Nonsense? But if he’s going to become one of your people, shouldn’t he at least be informed of the basics?"

What?
Where had that come from?
Why was anyone assuming Yang Munseong was going to become Yeon Woo Jin’s subordinate?

Who made that decision?
“Lord Yang!” Chun Ho Seong’s voice cut sharp. “Let me ask you plainly—what would you think about serving our Young Lord? You stand before a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“…Hahaha. I appreciate the offer, but…”

“You’ll regret it later. Mark my words—you’ll be pounding the ground in regret!”
Chun Ho Seong closed in like a predator, bearing down on him with a manic gleam.
Yang Munseong stumbled backward, nearly tripping.

That was when Yeon Woo Jin spoke, tone casual.
“But if he refuses, he won’t even remember this conversation. So how would he regret anything?”
“Ah! That’s true.”

…What?
Was that… a joke?
But they weren’t laughing.

They were serious.
Was Yeon Woo Jin in on this mockery now?
“Didn’t you say he was useful?” Chun Ho Seong continued. “Then just show him a bit of your ability. He’ll be swearing loyalty on the floor before you know it.”

No way in hell.
Still… it was oddly satisfying to be told he was needed.
And then—

Yeon Woo Jin smiled.
“Right? If I want to bring him over, I should show something, at least.”
“Exactly. Show him, Young Lord. Let him witness your greatness.”

Chun Ho Seong kept winking furiously.
It was clearly his not-so-subtle way of saying: Do it properly.
“…Haa. I wouldn’t say greatness, but maybe just a little taste.”

A chill slid down Yang Munseong’s spine.
He looked at Yeon Woo Jin—and froze.
His irises were darkening, slowly drowning in black.

“T-those eyes…”
Only one man had ever borne such a trait—the Celestial Lord.
But now, Yeon Woo Jin displayed the same black eyes.

It was unmistakable. He was blood.
But more than that—the Qi he radiated…
“This… this is impossible.”

This wasn’t Apex-Level.
This wasn’t Mystic-Level.
Hell, even Transcendent-Level wouldn’t explain this.

No—this was something else.
Mythic Realm.
He hesitated even to think it. But the feeling was undeniable.

The sheer weight of it, the presence—it was the same overwhelming sensation he had only ever felt from the Celestial Lord himself.
No ordinary expert. No conventional scale.
Yes… this was Mythic. No mistake.

If that was true, then the battle for Mushincheon’s future was already over.
No Lesser Lord candidate could ever hope to match this.
The best they could reach was maybe Ten-Star Mystic-Level.

If one of them stumbled into a miraculous enlightenment, perhaps they’d just graze the Mythic Realm.
But Yeon Woo Jin?
He was already there.

Stunned, slack-jawed, Yang Munseong stared at him, paralyzed.
And then—it was gone.
Yeon Woo Jin calmly retracted his Qi.

“How was that? That enough to convince you?”
“Th-this is… your true strength?”
Chun Ho Seong cut in smoothly.

“True strength? Hardly. That was just a glimpse.”
A glimpse?
That?!

What even was this conversation?
“Decide now,” Chun Ho Seong said. “This is your final chance. There will be no second offer.”
Yang Munseong suddenly felt like he was listening to some back-alley apothecary trying to sell miracle pills.

But even if he disregarded Chun Ho Seong’s antics… he couldn’t dismiss what he’d just witnessed.
That power had been real.
And unmistakable.

He was staring at the future Lord of Mushincheon.
Still, one thing weighed on him heavily.
He already served someone—the Celestial Lord.

And he would not betray that bond.
But perhaps… assisting Yeon Woo Jin without pledging fealty?
That, he could do.

But he had to choose his words very carefully.
“I’m sorry,” he began at last, voice solemn. “I cannot serve you, Young Master.”
“Why not?”

“I belong to the Celestial Lord. I cannot serve two masters. But… within the scope of my authority, I will assist you as best I can.”
Yeon Woo Jin smiled faintly.
And then—

A new voice echoed across the air.
“Kehkehkeh! This one really knows how to sweeten his words.”
That voice!

Yang Munseong immediately dropped to his knees and bowed his head low toward the sound’s direction.
“Your servant Yang Munseong greets the Celestial Lord!”
“Yes, yes.”

Yeon Cheon Baek looked down at him with warmth and pride.
Then he turned to Yeon Woo Jin.
“I came to see your face, and what do I find? You’re out here stealing your grandfather’s retainers?”

Yeon Woo Jin didn’t flinch.
“Well, Mushincheon will be mine someday. Better to build good relationships now, isn’t it?”
“What?”

Yang Munseong panicked.
To say something like that to the Celestial Lord—openly claiming Mushincheon for himself?
No matter whose grandson he was, that was outright treason.

But Yeon Cheon Baek—
“Kehahahah! Damn right! Mushincheon is yours! Should I give it to you right now?”
“No thanks. I told you—I’ll take it with my own hands.”

“Hahaha! That’s my boy! You say the most beautiful things, don’t you? I swear, I could die happy with a smile thanks to you.”
No outrage. No punishment.
Instead, the Celestial Lord was beaming with joy, planting kisses on Yeon Woo Jin’s cheeks.

Was this really the man known as Mushincheon’s supreme ruler?
Yang Munseong could hardly believe what he was witnessing.
Every second of today had shattered his understanding of Mushincheon.

 
_________

TL Note: Mushincheon (무신천, 武神天) is translated as Martial God. All future mentions will use this English rendering for clarity and consistency.