Chapter 148
Chapter 148
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 148
Chapter Title: Off to the Black Forest
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The waiting barracks, expanded with funding from the Golden Name Escort Agency, were being put to good use.
Over a hundred first-year students who had completed their entrance evaluations gathered in the spacious area, while seniors including Wi Sungcheon sat in the spectator seats, chatting about this year’s freshmen.
“The number of enrollees is about the same as ours, right?”
“The Heavenly Academy’s intake has been steadily growing.”
Bang Jun nodded at Dang Heeran’s mutter.
“As martial arts progress, so do the ways we teach them.”
That was certainly true, but the regimen Bang Jun had endured under the Bandit Heroes could hardly be called progressed—it was hopelessly outdated.
“...And the entrance standards keep dropping.”
Bang Jun’s face twisted.
Hundreds of years had passed since the founding of the Heavenly Academy.
The academy’s earliest students had burned with desperate urgency and a sense of mission to protect the murim—no, the entire world—from the Demonic Cult and the Demon King.
But far too much time had elapsed.
Over those centuries, people had grown accustomed to the changed world.
Since the Divine Demon Great War, the Demon King had not descended again, and every uprising attempted by the Demonic Cult had failed.
In the past, the Heavenly Academy had truly forged heroes willing to lay down their lives for the world. But these days, it wasn’t quite the same.
Just as Bang Jun said, the bar for admission kept getting lower.
It was only natural that there would be more middling talents than universally acknowledged geniuses.
And the prestige of being a Heavenly Academy graduate was something any martial artist from the righteous sects coveted without exception.
In the end, enrollment numbers had grown steadily.
Frankly, it was absurd.
The Heavenly Academy, meant only for the greatest prodigies of righteous murim, was admitting nearly a hundred new students every year?
If they were truly prodigies, the world would have long since purged the demons and restored peace.
“Still, their skill level isn’t terrible.”
“It’s the outliers that are the issue.”
Wi Sungcheon muttered as he gazed down at the freshmen.
All those new faces as juniors—it still didn’t feel real to him.
Among the hundred-plus students, a few stood out.
The freshmen assigned to the upper class.
Out of the entire group, only seven had been placed there.
And that number matched exactly the count slated for the Black Forest.
‘They fixed the numbers.’
Wi Sungcheon looked down at the upper-class students standing at the front, as if representing the freshmen.
Seven of them, including Namgoong Jiu the Clear Wind Lang Lang of the Namgoong Clan.
Four among them honestly weren’t much different from mid-class students.
“Our grade just had too many talents.”
“There’ve been plenty of talents consistently—your seniors’ year too.”
“The class that graduated last time had fewer, though? Aside from Senior Yeonhwa, no one really stood out.”
All the current era’s dragon-phoenixes were still enrolled at the academy.
Small wonder, then, that this year’s freshmen fell short.
Namgoong Jiu the Clear Wind Lang Lang of the Namgoong Clan.
Yuk Jin-il the White Cloud Racer of the Kunlun Sect.
Woo Hee-ra the Silver Bell Flow of the Wu Clan.
But those three had more than enough skill for upper-class placement.
“The Wu Clan?”
The Namgoong Clan was one of the Three Great Clans, and the Kunlun Sect belonged to the Nine Great Righteous Sects.
But the Wu Clan name rang unfamiliar.
“A minor martial house from Huguang.”
Bang Jun muttered.
“...The family of the Demon-Slaying Celestial Maiden—or rather, the Ghost Weep Demon.”
Wi Sungcheon’s expression turned to one of surprise at that.
He knew of the Ghost Weep Demon, one of the Demonic Cult’s Ten Demons.
Decades ago, she had made her name in righteous murim as a master of sonic techniques.
The Demon-Slaying Celestial Maiden, who harbored a bone-deep hatred for the Demonic Cult, had infiltrated it as a spy for the Murim Alliance—only to be brainwashed and reborn as one of the Ten Demons.
She was the last; the Alliance had never sent another spy since.
“Strictly speaking, you’d call the Wu Clan a sect rather than a martial house.”
“Why’s that?”
“They’re not bound by blood. They gather orphans with no one else in the world, give them family names, and live as one big family.”
If the North Sea Ice Palace was a sect of the Color-Eyed People, then the Wu Clan was a martial house forged from rootless orphans.
“And that Silver Bell Flow standing there isn’t even blood kin to the clan head.”
“...I heard the Wu Clan sealed itself off after the Ghost Weep Demon.”
“But they didn’t get wiped out.”
To take responsibility for the Demon-Slaying Celestial Maiden’s betrayal, they had closed their gates for decades.
No Wu Clan experts had appeared in the world since.
Which was why so many eyes turned toward Woo Hee-ra.
She was the first Wu Clan expert to emerge since the Ghost Weep Demon.
“Students called, come down.”
The entrance ceremony had proceeded without a hitch and concluded smoothly—but suddenly, Chief Nam Myeong spoke up.
“Second-years: Wi Sungcheon, Paeng Yeonhwa, Dang Heeran, Bang Jun, Hwangbo Seongu, Muyeon Jun, Sang Irin.”
Every second-year upper-class student except Haji Tae was called.
Wi Sungcheon rose without a hint of surprise.
After him, seven each from the third- and fourth-years descended.
The group included every current dragon-phoenix, along with other students praised for their excellence.
Once everyone except the first-year upper-class had returned to the spectator seats, Nam Myeong cleared his throat briefly.
“The called students will head to the Black Forest in four days.”
To think it would be right as the semester began.
The timing alone was surprising. But no one batted an eye at the destination itself.
The exchange with the Black Forest had been decided during the talks with the Black Snake Alliance Leader at the Heavenly Selection Festival.
Righteous murim’s elders had naturally been present as well.
Thus, the called students had already received word in advance from their sects, families, or professors.
“Good.”
Haji Tae, the sole second-year upper-class left behind, let out a genuine sigh of relief.
“Doesn’t that hurt your pride?”
“What does pride matter? Staying at the Heavenly Academy beats slaving away in the Black Forest by a hundredfold.”
Hwangbo Seongu’s brows twitched in disbelief.
If he’d been left alone like that, he’d have stormed the chief’s office without a second thought, demanding answers.
“It won’t be all easy street. Even with most of upper-class gone, you’ll still head out for subjugation training.”
“And with only you left, the professors will pay extra attention.”
Bang Jun and Dang Heeran teased, but Haji Tae’s expression remained utterly serene.
“Better than sailing down to Guangdong for ages and holing up for months on an island crawling with unorthodox prodigies.”
No one could argue with that.
It was the first exchange with the Black Forest, so curiosity abounded—but no one knew what awaited them there, and anxiety mingled with the anticipation.
“So, it’s real?”
“From what Brainstorm and Snow Flower said.”
“...An alliance with the upper peaks, huh. Even the Black Demon King’s got a mischievous streak.”
Wi Sungcheon shared with his friends the story he’d heard from Jegal Ihyeon and Ha Ji-eun.
The exact nature of that alliance remained unclear, but it was certainly worth keeping in mind.
“Senior!”
A bright, lively voice halted Wi Sungcheon’s steps.
Glancing back, he saw Namgoong Jiu bounding toward him with a beaming smile.
But she froze upon spotting the other students at his side.
Especially Paeng Yeonhwa.
Paeng Yeonhwa offered a wry smile and stepped back.
“To you, is this guy the only senior?”
Hwangbo Seongu ribbed her.
Namgoong Jiu coughed lightly and bowed her head.
“Long time no see. When was the last time?”
“Three years ago.”
Dang Heeran murmured. The Three Great Clans maintained regular contact and exchange.
She had no choice but to glance warily at Paeng Yeonhwa.
“...Paeng Yeonhwa Senior, too. Long time no see.”
Namgoong Jiu spoke first.
Even for her usual cheer, the voice she directed at Paeng Yeonhwa was a bit stiff.
Paeng Yeonhwa nodded with an awkward smile.
“Yeah, long time.”
“What’s the business, Junior Namgoong?”
The frozen atmosphere was stifling just to stand in, so Wi Sungcheon changed the subject by addressing her.
His speech was stiff, but calling her ‘junior’ lit up her face.
“To say hello, and...”
Namgoong Jiu glanced off to the side.
She beckoned to Woo Hee-ra, who hesitated at a distance, watching them.
“Hee-ra said she had something to ask Senior.”
The Silver Bell Flow, Woo Hee-ra, approached hesitantly.
Her thick bangs made it hard to see her eyes.
“G-Greetings, Seniors.”
Woo Hee-ra bowed her head first in greeting.
It was awkward, but Wi Sungcheon nodded in acknowledgment.
“You had something to ask me?”
“...W-Well... n-not just Latent Dragon Senior. G-Good that everyone’s here.”
In a voice thick with nerves, Woo Hee-ra continued, swiveling her head to look at the students around Wi Sungcheon.
“I was wondering if... anything came up about the Ghost Weep Demon when you met the Poison Blood Ghoul Demon in Gansu...”
An unexpected topic.
After hesitating, Woo Hee-ra swallowed hard and lifted her head to stare straight at Wi Sungcheon.
“...Did the Poison Blood Ghoul Demon or the Sword Demon say anything about the Ghost Weep Demon?”
“...No. They didn’t mention the Ghost Weep Demon at all.”
The Poison Blood Ghoul Demon had spoken of the Tiger Vessel, but nothing about the other Ten Demons.
At Wi Sungcheon’s answer, Woo Hee-ra’s shoulders slumped.
“...Thank you for answering.”
She bowed once more, then turned and walked off unsteadily.
“Th-Then, see you later.”
Namgoong Jiu, watching Woo Hee-ra with concern, gave her own greeting before hurrying after.
“So that’s why the Wu Clan, sealed for decades, chose now to step out.”
Bang Jun clicked his tongue and shook his head.
* * *
Assigned professors and fixed schedules applied only up to first-years.
From second-year on, students could apply for their preferred classes and build their own timetables.
They had to meet the minimum scores for grade evaluations, but it wasn’t as grueling as first-year.
“I figured I’d sign up for some easy classes to coast through...”
That didn’t apply to the students departing for the Black Forest exchange.
Bang Jun scowled fiercely at the carriages waiting at the main gate.
“You’re coming along again?”
“Yes.”
Seo Il nodded with a wry smile.
None of this year’s first-years were under his charge, and the Golden Claw Technique class wasn’t popular.
Thanks to that, he’d been assigned as escort professor for the second-years all the way to Guangdong.
“The schedule’s tight, so we’ll need to move fast. Hardly any time for proper rest.”
“Camping out again, huh.”
“No helping it. We’ve got to push straight through to Guangdong.”
Their immediate goal was the Black Snake stronghold in Guangdong.
From there, they’d board ships bound for the Black Forest.
Just the travel would take at least two months.
“We planned for half a year originally, but the distance is what it is.”
“The students left behind have it good.”
Wi Sungcheon chuckled.
They’d be staying in the Black Forest this year, but even with most upper-class students gone, the Heavenly Selection Festival would still be held.
With nearly all the previous festival’s finalists departing the academy, this year’s martial tournament would be the least competitive in history.
“By the time we get back, Haji Tae might’ve taken the whole thing.”
Bang Jun said it half in jest, but considering the remaining students, it wasn’t entirely implausible.