Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Encounter with the Heavenly Person
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He snapped his widely gaping mouth shut.
He rubbed his eyes needlessly and roughly brushed back his tousled hair with his hand. His empty stomach felt chilled, and his mood sank deeply.
The meeting was coincidental, yet also deliberate. If he had wanted to avoid it, he simply wouldn't have come out right now. He knew full well and came anyway.
Because he wanted to see him.
Because there was no avoiding the encounter.
That was right now. Wi Seong-cheon smacked his closed lips a few times and looked ahead. Several guys staring blankly at him. Eyes that puzzled at first, then sharpened—one pair...
From the moment he stepped out of White Tiger Hall, one steady gaze tracking him.
Sharpened eyes.
The blade-sharp stare came from a woman. Her long black hair hung loose, unbound, and the belt at her waist gleamed in the sunlight on her white uniform robe. The sash tied around her waist... flawless, without a single wrinkle. Not cloth, but metal.
'Linked Sword...'
Among the first-year students of White Tiger Hall, only one wielded the Linked Sword. Bi-yeon Sang I-rin. An exceptional prodigy who had earned a spot on the Dragon-Phoenix List without ties to the Nine Great Righteous Sects or any prestigious clans.
Wi Seong-cheon's gaze lingered on Sang I-rin only briefly. She wasn't the one he had come to meet. Beside her.
The guy who had been watching him from the start.
'...He's handsome.'
That was his absurd first impression upon properly locking eyes.
The guy was handsome.
But it was more than that. There was poise. Wi Seong-cheon could clearly make out the way he stood, even at this distance.
Flaws... none visible. Would he spot them if he drew a bit closer? His mouth went dry. His heart pounded rapidly, and cold sweat beaded on his palms.
The gaze unsettled him. Not unpleasant, just... unnerving. There was no hostility in it.
Wi Seong-cheon unclenched his fist and examined his palm. The sweat-slick skin chilled in the breeze.
'That's a Heavenly Person.'
Mu Yeon-jun.
Wi Seong-cheon realized anew just how narrow his view of the world had been. It was inevitable.
To him, the world had been just that brief glimpse following his father out ten years ago, and after that, Heavenly Flower Sect on Spirit Spirit Mountain was everything.
The world he had reentered overflowed with things he had never seen before.
'He's unbeatable.'
He hadn't fought him yet, but Wi Seong-cheon could already tell. Even at this range, he sensed the vast gap in ability. The guy wasn't even on guard, yet no openings appeared.
They said he had most of the Ten Masters as his mentors. Thirty years ago, the previous Heavenly Person had fallen to the Heavenly Demon. The one after...
Mu Yeon-jun. He was the righteous martial world’s painstakingly crafted counter to the Heavenly Demon. Born different, raised different from Wi Seong-cheon.
"This."
Mu Yeon-jun spoke. As his mouth opened, Wi Seong-cheon resumed his halted steps.
"You... did this?"
"Yeah."
Mu Yeon-jun was eyeing the wooden dummy Wi Seong-cheon had smashed yesterday. He hadn't meant to smash it quite like that, but it had worked out better. Thanks to it, Mu Yeon-jun was aware of him.
"How?"
"With my hand."
"Penetrating Fist?"
"That's a secret."
First meeting. Even so, Wi Seong-cheon flashed a friendly smile. Sang I-rin's eyes narrowed. Mu Yeon-jun's followers, including Young So-jin, still hadn't grasped the situation.
"Can you show me again here?"
"Nope."
Mu Yeon-jun asked, and Wi Seong-cheon refused outright. Mu Yeon-jun nodded as if he'd expected as much.
"Who are you?"
"Wi Seong-cheon."
"Your sect?"
"Heavenly Flower Sect."
No reason to hide it. At the straightforward answer, Mu Yeon-jun's eyebrows shot up. He wasn't the only one surprised.
Sang I-rin startled and glanced back and forth between Wi Seong-cheon and the wooden dummy.
"Heavenly Flower Sect?"
"You mean... that Heavenly Flower Sect?"
"The bat?"
"Why's a Heavenly Flower Sect disciple here...?"
The group murmured. The surprise on Mu Yeon-jun's face quickly faded. He watched the approaching Wi Seong-cheon with calm eyes. As Wi Seong-cheon passed by his side,
"You won't ask who I am?"
"I know who you are."
He answered the tossed question immediately. Wi Seong-cheon grinned and stared at Mu Yeon-jun. Close now. This distance... Wi Seong-cheon's range. Right here, right now? Go for it? Take down the Heavenly Person. Fell the Heavenly Person. The despised young lord of the bat-like Heavenly Flower Sect fells the Heavenly Person.
With a sneak attack.
'...Cowardly?'
But he'd win?
Wi Seong-cheon smirked.
His steps didn't stop. They just slowed a touch. He steadied his pounding heart and looked at Mu Yeon-jun's face.
'...Damn. What'd he eat to grow this tall?'
Mu Yeon-jun was half a head taller than Wi Seong-cheon.
"Where you headed?"
"Righteous Heaven Hall. Entrance evaluation today."
"I see."
Mu Yeon-jun nodded. That was it. He said nothing more to Wi Seong-cheon, and Wi Seong-cheon had nothing more to say to him. His steps continued onward.
"Whew."
Only after walking some distance did Wi Seong-cheon glance back. Far off in the training ground, Mu Yeon-jun and his group still stood. Wi Seong-cheon rubbed his drying sweaty palms vigorously on his pant leg.
'Those eyes earlier.'
The idea of a sneak attack hadn't come just from the proximity. Something thin as a thread, yet guaranteed to draw blood if it pierced, had prickled his senses.
'It wasn't hostility.'
Wi Seong-cheon whistled and turned away.
'It was killing intent.'
Why from a Heavenly Person?
First time seeing him today.
It nagged at him, but he couldn't hesitate now.
Noon approached soon.
* * *
"Slept well?"
The sun hung high.
Seok I-jin was already waiting in Righteous Heaven Hall's training hall. Hands behind his back, he smiled faintly at Wi Seong-cheon.
"I had a good dream."
"Bet you slept soundly then."
"If it hadn't woken me midway, yeah."
"Regretting that?"
"Not really. If I'd slept through, I would've been late."
"Must've been one hell of a dream."
Seok I-jin laughed heartily. A slim wooden sword hung at his waist. Entrance evaluation. As expected, no killing allowed.
This was purely a test to gauge the level and skills of incoming students.
"So. Not tired?"
"Sleep's all gone now."
"Good to hear."
No need for weapons, right?
Seok I-jin asked. Wi Seong-cheon smiled and raised both hands. Seok I-jin chuckled again.
"Heavenly Flower Chain Technique."
The wooden sword slid out smoothly, like a metal blade leaving its sheath.
Carved from wood, yet in Seok I-jin's grip, it looked nothing like one.
"The techniques I heard you know... that's all of them, right? I even asked if you'd learned anything else... but you didn't answer."
"What's your technique, Professor?"
"Fine Slice Flash Fire Four Forms."
Tap, tap.
The wooden sword lightly tapped the ground.
"You can guess from the name alone? It's a swift sword style."
"I figured from your moniker."
"Right. A warrior's title is straightforward like that. Techniques too. Even unfamiliar ones—you hear the name and get the gist. Open Pavilion's Dog-Beating Staff Technique. Name alone screams 'staff for beating dogs,' doesn't it? Not all techniques are that obvious, of course."
Heavenly Flower Chain Technique.
"Techniques with less obvious names... tend to be exceptional."
"Is that so?"
"Sure, plenty of third-rate trash have fancy names too. Look at the infamous Three Powers Sword Technique—sounds impressive, right?"
The ground-tapping wooden sword lifted. Its blunt tip aimed at Wi Seong-cheon.
"You'll know soon enough. What Heavenly Flower Sect techniques are like. How you wield them. Ah... don't take it as arrogance. Regulations say the professor yields five moves in entrance evaluations."
"What if I take you down in five moves?"
"You'll see me rolling on the ground in shame."
The sword tip quivered.
"It's not unprecedented. Dragon-Phoenix and Four Flowers both subdued their evaluators in five moves. A few other students too. Haha! Impressive, isn't it? The future of righteous martial world looks bright."
"You ever been on the receiving end, Professor?"
"No."
Seok I-jin shook his head.
"Might sound like boasting, but... Bi-yeon... she got me."
A prickling sensation crawled over his skin.
"She lost after the five-move yield, but the other professors aren't weaker than Dragon-Phoenix or Four Flowers. Just bad luck. Honestly, it's absurd—yielding five moves? One strike can end a life."
Of course.
Seok I-jin raised his hand.
"I'm among the stronger professors at Righteous Heaven Academy. That's why I'm one."
No need to be told.
Life-Ending Sword Seok I-jin was a master.
"Five moves."
Wi Seong-cheon nodded and lifted his foot.
"Thanks for the yield."
"Truth be told, I hate yielding."
Wi Seong-cheon's foot pushed lightly off the ground.
"I've got a bad feeling I'll regret it."
Seok I-jin muttered, halting his moving arm.