Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: The Awards Ceremony
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The closing ceremony marked the end of the ten-day Yicheon Festival. Before that, the awards for the martial tournament began.
The winner, Woo Haryeon, and the runner-up, Moo Yeonjun. In addition, Tae Heemyung and Dang Seona, who had advanced to the semifinals.
And Wi Sungcheon as well.
Wi Sungcheon stood in the center of the arena with a sullen expression.
The gazes of the many esteemed elders and students gathered in the spectator stands felt truly burdensome.
"Why did I have to come out here?"
"How should I know?"
Woo Haryeon replied with a sly grin.
Come to think of it, since the first round of the main tournament, there hadn't been many chances to meet Woo Haryeon, so having a conversation like this felt like quite a while.
"Congratulations on the win, Senior."
"You're congratulating me awfully quickly, Junior."
Woo Haryeon giggled and poked Wi Sungcheon's side with her elbow.
Wi Sungcheon stood rigidly without moving and shot Woo Haryeon a glare.
"Stay still, please."
"If I stay still, it's boring."
"Everyone's watching."
"So what? What's strange about a senior doting on her junior? No, not doting—teasing her."
"What did I do wrong to deserve teasing?"
"No matter how I think about it, the scales don't balance. Because of one careless promise with you, Junior, ugh, how many fights did I have?"
"You fought four times."
"Right. With Youngjin, Woobin, Heemyung, and Yeonjun. Thanks to that, I suffered for four straight days, running around greeting everyone without rest, smiling left and right. My mouth cramped up from it."
"Ahem."
"Well, in the end, I made the promise anyway. Still, I feel a bit resentful and shortchanged, so I have to tease my junior to make up for it."
Woo Haryeon said that and poked Wi Sungcheon's side with her elbow again.
Hearing it pointed out one by one like that made him feel a little sorry, so Wi Sungcheon no longer resisted and endured Woo Haryeon's teasing.
In truth, it was just prodding his side with her elbow, so it hardly qualified as teasing.
The burdensome thing was Tae Heemyung's gaze. And the back of his head felt hot too.
He glanced back, and many male students were glaring at Wi Sungcheon as if they wanted to kill him.
Among those glaring gazes were mixed the eyes of the Volcanic Sect leader and elders, along with those from the Namgoong Clan.
"......Ahem."
And Peng Yeonhwa too. Wi Sungcheon stiffened his expression and straightened his back.
Ignoring the scorching heat at the back of his head, he glanced sideways.
Beyond Tae Heemyung, who was staring at him with melancholic eyes, he saw the profile of Dang Seona, coldly rigid.
'Talking to her would be scary.'
She still seemed upset over the incident with Cheonsal and Dang Heeran.
"No reaction from you makes it no fun, Junior."
"What kind of reaction do you want?"
"If you screamed or something, it'd be fun."
Woo Haryeon pouted her lips.
Fortunately, before her teasing could intensify, the Yicheon Academy chief Nam Myeong, the Murim Alliance Leader, and the Black Serpent Alliance Leader appeared together.
'Why is the Black Serpent Alliance Leader here?'
It was unexpected to see those three together. Wi Sungcheon wasn't the only one taken aback.
The academy chief was one thing, but the Black Serpent Alliance Leader joining the tournament awards surprised even the spectators.
However, the leaders of the Nine Great Righteous Sects, the Tai Chi Sword Lord, and other esteemed elders showed no disturbance.
It seemed discussions about the awards had taken place at last night's meeting.
"The winner, Sword Peak Woo Haryeon. Runner-up, Heavenly Person Moo Yeonjun."
Nam Myeong announced the awards.
As the ceremony officially began, Woo Haryeon stopped her antics and stood straight as if she had been like that all along.
"Semifinalists, Sword Dragon Tae Heemyung. Serpent Beauty Dang Seona."
So what about me?
As Wi Sungcheon had that thought, Nam Myeong continued.
"Special award, Hidden Dragon Wi Sungcheon."
"......Special award?"
He had heard it directly, but he still wondered what it meant.
As the spectators began to murmur, Murim Alliance Leader Gam Taejun stepped forward himself.
"Hidden Dragon achieved victory against last year's Yicheon Festival tournament champion, Little Buddha Jinwoo. Despite his injuries, he posted impressive results and engaged in a high-level duel against the winner, Sword Peak. Though he did not advance to the semifinals, Hidden Dragon undoubtedly showed the greatest surprise of this Yicheon Festival."
That makes sense. Wi Sungcheon quickly understood.
In addition to considering the prestige of the defeated Shaolin, they had selected Wi Sungcheon—a symbolic figure from a mid-tier sect—for the tournament that was a feast for the Nine Great Righteous Sects and the Dragon-Phoenix Generation.
Thanks to the Alliance Leader's words, the spectators' murmurs quickly subsided.
Not everyone, but many nodded in agreement.
'I'm grateful either way.'
It was clearly a political award, but he didn't dislike it.
As it was a special prize, the additional reward probably wouldn't be anything grand, but free was free.
Wi Sungcheon looked ahead with expectant eyes.
The awards proceeded starting with Woo Haryeon.
In addition to a Summoning Pill, the winner received various prizes. The prize money was substantial, but the real attention was on the 'weapon.'
There were martial arts manuals prepared as well, but none impressive enough to catch the eyes of disciples from the Nine Great Righteous Sects.
"Red Scale."
The Black Demon King raised his hand.
Then, a long sword floated up from behind him.
At the name Red Scale, the elders in the spectator stands murmured.
"The original prize sword was Willow Clear, but the sword I brought is superior."
The Black Demon King said with a sly smile.
Who would have thought he had prepared even the winner's prize in advance.
Wi Sungcheon inwardly clicked his tongue at the Black Demon King's thoroughness.
Thinking back, when they first met on the main road, the Black Demon King had remembered not just the students' names but their backgrounds and traits as well.
In the end, the Black Demon King had enjoyed the Yicheon Festival 'quietly' enough to make the righteous factions' wariness seem unfounded.
There had been a minor commotion when he took Wi Sungcheon away midway, but compared to the notoriety that earned him his moniker, it was endearing.
"Willow Clear is a fine sword, but it pales in comparison to this Red Scale."
Woo Haryeon stared blankly at Red Scale in the Black Demon King's hand.
It went without saying.
Mad Storm Rain Red Scale.
One of the Six Heavenly Treasures of the martial world, alongside the Netherworld owned by Shura Demon Lord, one of the Ten Demons—an unparalleled famed sword.
"Originally, it was a sword unworthy of my master, Blood-Eye Mad Lord. I took it after killing him, but it never suited my hand. It went ownerless for decades, but now it has finally found a worthy master."
"This sword is far too grand for someone like me."
Who could have imagined that Red Scale, one of the Six Heavenly Treasures, would be given to the tournament winner?
Even the usually cheerful and smiling Woo Haryeon stammered without her usual grin.
"If you truly think so, take it first and give it to someone else later. I intend to give Red Scale to you, the tournament winner."
Red Scale floated up from the Black Demon King's hand.
Woo Haryeon floundered as it approached, then reached out. The moment her hand grasped the hilt of Red Scale.
Flash!
The plain scabbard of Red Scale, devoid of patterns, emitted a red glow.
'It changes form to match the owner's disposition, musculature, and martial arts.'
'Indeed......'
The blade and hilt transformed into the optimal form for Woo Haryeon's musculature and martial arts, and beautiful plum blossom patterns engraved themselves on the once-plain scabbard.
Woo Haryeon stared dazedly at Red Scale in her hand.
She had just gripped it for the first time, yet it felt as if she had held it since birth.
She had wielded many swords before and enjoyed holding them.
But none had ever felt this good, this desirable.
"......Ha."
Woo Haryeon, who had been gazing blankly down at Red Scale, startled and bowed her head deeply.
"Th-thank you."
"Seems you have no intention of giving it away."
The Black Demon King chuckled, and Woo Haryeon coughed awkwardly, her ears turning red.
With Red Scale given to Woo Haryeon, the original winner's prize, Willow Clear, went to Tae Heemyung.
The runner-up Moo Yeonjun received Thin Stone, a broad stone slab as renowned as Willow Clear, though not one of the Six Heavenly Treasures.
It was coveted by many martial artists for accelerating internal injury recovery and inner power growth during meditation atop it, but Moo Yeonjun, the recipient, remained expressionless.
Dang Seona received a short sword named Severing Karma.
In truth, it looked less like a dagger and more like a palm-length awl.
Unexpectedly pleased, Dang Seona slightly softened her rigid expression as she accepted Severing Karma.
"And...... for you......"
The prizes for the Yicheon Festival winner had been carefully selected.
The problem was that, in preparing them, they had more or less predetermined 'who' would receive which.
That was unavoidable.
As originally expected, Woo Haryeon wouldn't have reached the semifinals, and Little Buddha Jinwoo would have won.
But she shattered those expectations and took the championship.
Originally, Jinwoo would have received the Summoning Pill and Thin Stone, the runner-up Sword Hand Willow Clear, and Dang Seona Severing Karma.
[Do you even know how to use weapons?]
The Black Demon King sent a transmission abruptly. Wi Sungcheon blinked and shook his head slightly.
Of course not.
The Black Demon King snorted and glanced at the Alliance Leader.
"No need to give a weapon he won't use."
"Then...... shall we proceed as decided yesterday?"
"That would be better."
The Alliance Leader nodded slightly.
"......What is this?"
Wi Sungcheon looked at the two iron tokens handed to him by the Alliance Leader and Black Demon King.
He could tell they weren't something carried regularly. Their crude make was obvious.
"Take them first."
The Black Demon King grinned.
Wi Sungcheon obediently accepted the two iron tokens.
The one from the Alliance Leader had the character for "White" in the center, the one from the Black Demon King "Black."
"Those tokens will prove that wherever you go in the martial world, you are a guest of the Murim Alliance and Black Serpent Alliance."
"And no matter the reason, if you show up with those tokens, we will grant you an audience once."
The Black Demon King explained the tokens' true utility on behalf of the Alliance Leader.
Wi Sungcheon widened his eyes and looked at the Black Demon King and Alliance Leader.
"Don't misunderstand. It's only 'an audience' at most."
The Alliance Leader emphasized.
It wasn't hard to understand. The tokens allowed a meeting with the Alliance Leader and Black Demon King anytime, but only a meeting.
The tokens held no power to compel favors.
'It's all in how you use them.'
An ambiguous item. But Wi Sungcheon felt no dissatisfaction.
The pinnacle of the righteous Murim Alliance, the Murim Alliance Leader, and the top of the unorthodox, the Black Serpent Alliance Leader.
Even most experts couldn't easily meet them.
Wi Sungcheon liked the phrase "no matter the reason."
For a lowly junior like him to meet the Alliance Leader or Black Serpent Alliance Leader would require numerous procedures, but with the tokens, even trivial reasons would secure one meeting.
'What to do or say once meeting them...... I see.'
He liked it. Wi Sungcheon smiled and bowed his head.
As the Black Demon King said, ambiguous but reliably usable tokens were better than a useless weapon.
[Did you make these yesterday by any chance?]
[Yes.]
[......What was originally meant for me?]
[We prepared many weapons as prizes, but nothing specifically for you. No one expected you'd stand here in the first place.]
Not no one, but.
The Black Demon King smiled slyly. Knowing roughly about Heavenly Flower Sect and Chairman Wi, he had considered Wi Sungcheon might advance to the main rounds.
However...... Even for the Black Demon King, Wi Sungcheon defeating and advancing past Jinwoo was unexpected.
[Truth be told, I planned to meet you even without the token.]
The Black Demon King chuckled via transmission.
With the awards concluding on Wi Sungcheon, the closing ceremony began.
During the tediously boring closing ceremony, no different from the opening, Wi Sungcheon fiddled with the tokens tucked in his bosom.
'How should I use these?'
In the dreadfully dull closing ceremony, Wi Sungcheon pondered how to use the tokens.