Chapter 94
Chapter 94
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: The Tedious Opening Ceremony
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The opening ceremony was unbearably boring.
It started with the chief of Yicheon Academy, followed by the sect leaders of the Nine Great Righteous Sects and the clan heads of the Three Great Families, all delivering speeches full of predictable platitudes.
They spoke of representing the future of the righteous faction, acting with uprightness, justice, and integrity, and so on. In the end, it all boiled down to "act like proper righteous faction members."
Standing stiffly, letting these speeches—with their varying words but identical core messages—wash over him, he wondered how many of the four hundred students gathered in this vast martial arena would actually be inspired by such obvious drivel.
*Not me, that's for sure.*
And not Bang Jun either, who was gritting his teeth desperately beside him.
Normally, Bang Jun would yawn loudly without a care for appearances, but not today.
The Nine Great Righteous Sects—that is, the Beggar Sovereign Hwagolta of the Beggars' Sect—was glaring at Bang Jun with bulging eyes.
And understandably so. Bang Jun was the first disciple the Beggars' Sect had enrolled in Yicheon Academy.
It was already infuriating that he'd been assigned to the lower class, and if he caused a scene at the opening ceremony in front of all these martial arts luminaries, the shame would have Hwagolta kicking off his blankets in his sleep.
But the pressure on Bang Jun wasn't just from Sect Leader Hwagolta's gaze. The eyes of Gokgeolgae, blowing his nose raucously beside him, were fixed on Bang Jun too.
Thanks to that, Bang Jun was dying inside. He couldn't fathom why Hwagolta and Gokgeolgae—figures he rarely even saw—were suddenly staring daggers at him now.
In truth, Wi Seongcheon was receiving similar stares.
The sect leaders of the Nine Great Righteous Sects, the clan heads, and all the other martial arts elders couldn't ignore Wi Seongcheon, the one dubbed the "Hidden Dragon."
But for Wi Seongcheon, those gazes brought pleasure rather than burden. At the same time, he thought Muyon Jun was incredible.
He couldn't see Muyon Jun's face at the front of the first-years, but everyone in the audience stands surely had their eyes on the heavenly prodigy Muyon Jun.
Wi Seongcheon wasn't Muyon Jun, so he couldn't know exactly what burden he felt, but even imagining it, it didn't seem like something anyone in their right mind could handle.
*Huh?*
As that thought crossed his mind, he glanced back at the audience. The final speech from Clan Head Huangbo had just wrapped up.
The only ones left who hadn't spoken were Taiji Sword Lord and Gokgeolgae of the Ten Heroes. But they showed no sign of standing.
Who could call that rude?
In the end, the final speech fell to the Murim Alliance Leader.
White Army Gam Taejun. Clad in white as his epithet suggested, he looked more like a scholar than a warrior.
Even as the Alliance Leader spoke, Wi Seongcheon found it harder to focus. Two figures had peeked out from the back of the audience stands.
*Father.*
He'd thought he wouldn't come, of course. But seeing his father's face drained of all color stirred Wi Seongcheon's heart.
It had been about half a year since he'd last seen him, and his father looked much more haggard than before.
Come to think of it, this was the first time he'd been separated from his father for so long.
*Had he aged in just half a year?*
His father's gaunt appearance filled Wi Seongcheon's mind with all sorts of worries, even stirring a filial piety he hadn't realized he had.
"I'm gonna die."
"It's your own fault, sir."
Of course, Wi Juseok's pallor was due to being holed up in the outhouse since dawn, spewing lava-like contents—but Wi Seongcheon had no way of knowing that.
While his son belatedly realized his filial feelings and felt a pang of sorrow, Wi Juseok hunched low, searching for an empty seat.
He'd received a formal invitation, so he should sit in the VIP section, but Wi Juseok had no intention of doing so. What good treatment would he get there anyway?
"Heavenly Flower Sect Leader?"
*'Fuck.'*
He'd planned to slip into an empty seat quietly and keep a low profile, but Emei Sect Leader Hyeonjeong Sata spotted him.
Truth be told, it wasn't worth cursing over. Hyeonjeong Sata, whom he'd met a few times at Murim Alliance events, neither scorned Heavenly Flower Sect nor treated him with false compassion—she always showed genuine mercy and a kind smile.
So Wi Juseok couldn't ignore her. He quickly plastered on a smile and bowed his head politely to Hyeonjeong Sata.
"Long time no see."
"Why are you sitting there?"
Hyeonjeong Sata asked in a low voice. The Alliance Leader was still giving his speech.
Wi Juseok scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Well... I was so late, I didn't want to draw attention."
"You got an invitation, didn't you? Come on over here. It's fine."
Her kind smile and beckoning hand made it hard to refuse. Besides, the other VIPs who'd already noticed him were staring openly.
Wi Juseok cleared his throat awkwardly and shuffled over to the VIP section, keeping low.
"Heavenly Flower Sect Leader?"
"Who on earth sent him an invitation...?"
"Did he wander in by mistake?"
The VIPs murmured.
It was a reaction Wi Juseok was all too familiar with. *This is why I wanted to stay out of sight.* If he'd known, he would've come after the ceremony. He smacked his lips in regret.
"This way."
Taiji Sword Lord raised a hand slightly.
The other sect leaders and clan heads looked surprised. But Taiji Sword Lord didn't care.
"I sent the invitation to the Heavenly Flower Sect Leader."
The murmurs stopped. Taiji Sword Lord smiled faintly and shifted aside, yielding the seat next to him to Wi Juseok.
*What's with this old man?*
Wi Juseok thought that, but he clasped his hands in greeting and bowed.
"This lowly Wi Juseok of the martial world greets Taiji Sword Lord."
"Ho ho, you've raised a Hidden Dragon who's shocking the world, yet you call yourself lowly? If the sect leader claims to be at the bottom, then most of the Nine Great Righteous Sects—who failed to produce even a Rising Dragon—are lower than dirt."
Taiji Sword Lord chuckled.
Wi Juseok cleared his throat and sat beside him.
"That wasn't my intention."
"I know. I'm just being mischievous. I don't much like all this whispering anyway."
*Is this the Heavenly Flower Sect Leader?* Taiji Sword Lord eyed the man now seated beside him.
His first impression wasn't great. Wi Juseok's demeanor upon entering the stands was the complete opposite of his son Wi Seongcheon's upright, confident posture.
He was that kind of man.
Heavenly Flower Sect Leader, the Rogue Hero Wi Juseok.
The epithet was a mocking mashup of mismatched words. He was servile, insignificant.
Was he really?
Even with Wi Juseok right there, Taiji Sword Lord hesitated to judge him hastily.
His hunched posture, his awkward smiles and greetings to the sect leaders and clan heads... Everything matched the bat and Rogue Hero jeers he'd heard.
But his father had been a powerhouse Taiji Sword Lord respected, a hero who'd faced demonic beasts in the Demonic Realm without regard for his life.
And his son was the Hidden Dragon who'd astonished not just Taiji Sword Lord, but even Blood Ghost Demon and the world.
"...Your complexion looks poor. Has something happened?"
"Ah, well... I foolishly ate some spicy food last night when I wasn't even hungry for it. Embarrassingly, I got a stomachache. That's why I'm late to this... Ahem, I was stuck in the outhouse since dawn..."
Wi Juseok said with a sheepish expression.
Taiji Sword Lord's face went blank at the words, while the other VIPs stifled snickers. It was still during the Alliance Leader's speech.
How could they not laugh? What warrior in the world gets a stomachache from spicy food?
Any martial artist who cultivates mind, qi, and body can easily expel the fire qi from spicy fare.
*Hmm...*
Taiji Sword Lord's expression hardened slightly.
Wi Juseok's answer and attitude were utterly disappointing.
Right now, he was playing the clown for the VIPs who looked down on him. That was his way of navigating the situation.
It grated. Taiji Sword Lord fell silent, fixing his thinly opened eyes on Wi Juseok.
*...Hmm?*
Taiji Sword Lord's eyebrow twitched.
Someone acting servile out of fear shows it not just in face or posture, but their whole body.
Racing heart, sweat, chills...
Wi Juseok was the same. But Taiji Sword Lord's supremely honed senses pierced through it all—it was all an act.
Wi Juseok's performance was so refined that even Taiji Sword Lord wouldn't have noticed without close scrutiny. No wonder no one else had.
"The world has misjudged you, Sect Leader."
"What do you mean...?"
Wi Juseok tilted his head at Taiji Sword Lord's mutter. Not a hint of awareness on his face.
If his son weren't the Hidden Dragon, Taiji Sword Lord wouldn't have bothered scrutinizing him. He'd have glanced once and dismissed him as the petty wretch he seemed.
But because he looked closely, Taiji Sword Lord saw Wi Juseok was no servile man.
*No... this is...?*
And that wasn't all. The Alliance Leader's speech was ongoing.
The Nine Great Righteous Sects leaders and prestigious clan heads, along with the other elders in the VIPs, listened out of courtesy despite little interest—but Taiji Sword Lord stopped even pretending.
He stared at Wi Juseok with eyes wide in shock.
*What the hell is this guy doing...?*
Gokgeolgae, seated a bit away, was startled by Taiji Sword Lord's sudden change in expression.
But his surprise turned to shock. If Taiji Sword Lord was shocked by Wi Juseok, Gokgeolgae was shocked by Taiji Sword Lord.
The others couldn't see it. This sight was reserved for those who'd fully opened their upper dantian.
Opening the upper dantian meant entering a realm beyond human comprehension, and to perceive or sense the transcendent mysteries that surpassed human limits, one had to open theirs as well.
Only then could one awaken the Divine Eye to behold and feel those mysteries.
Gokgeolgae's Divine Eye beheld the massive sword manifesting behind Taiji Sword Lord's back.
It was the image of his sword intent, the self-proclaimed supreme sword under heaven. And it was pointed straight at Wi Juseok.
With the slightest intent, Taiji Sword Lord's mind sword would cleave Wi Juseok in two.
Of course, Taiji Sword Lord had no such intention. He was just blatantly aiming it. Yet Wi Juseok's expression remained serene. His calm demeanor lacked any proper response to the threat.
For a martial artist.
For one who'd cultivated inner power in their dantian. In such a crisis, they'd instinctively emit qi to protect themselves.
It was as natural as a turtle retreating into its shell or a hedgehog bristling its spines upon sensing danger.
No matter how one controlled their qi, a slowly encroaching mind sword didn't cut the body—it severed the qi itself, drawing out a reaction.
But Wi Juseok showed none.
Taiji Sword Lord didn't know what to say. Sigh? Or...?
"Heh heh..."
Wi Juseok let out a chuckle. He stroked his chin and slowly nodded.
"A truly splendid speech. Don't you think?"
He still wore that feigned smile as he asked Taiji Sword Lord.
The Alliance Leader's speech continued, nearing its close. Taiji Sword Lord closed his gaping mouth without answering.
And the sword behind him flowed back into his body.
"...Forgive my rudeness."
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
Wi Juseok asked with wide eyes.
He had to have noticed. Even without reacting, Taiji Sword Lord's mind sword had clearly reached him.
Yet here he was, pretending ignorance. Not mocking Taiji Sword Lord, but mindful of their surroundings. Taiji Sword Lord composed himself and sent a mental message.
[Sect Leader. You...]
He started to ask, then paused the transmission. But what else could he say besides a question?
[...What in the world is wrong with your dantian...?]
No reply came.
Because he couldn't send one. He hadn't mobilized qi in response to the onrushing mind sword because he couldn't.
Heavenly Flower Sect Leader Wi Juseok had no inner power. Even Taiji Sword Lord couldn't help but be shocked.
How could a warrior exist in the world without inner power?
"...I've heard rumors that Taiji Sword Lord holds my unworthy son dear."
Wi Juseok said with an awkward smile.
"Please keep my embarrassment a secret from him. As a father myself, I want to show my son a proper paternal figure."
Wi Juseok bowed his head. The sudden words' meaning was obvious.
"...Don't worry. I'm sharp enough for that."
Wi Juseok smiled at Taiji Sword Lord's reply.
Taiji Sword Lord wasn't the only one who'd noticed his oddity.
From the moment Heavenly Flower Sect Leader—the Hidden Dragon's father—sat in the VIP section, the students had been sneaking glances at him even while listening to the Alliance Leader.
Muyon Jun was no exception. Among the students, he had particular interest in Heavenly Flower Sect and its leader.
And the moment he saw Wi Juseok,
His Heavenly Eye pierced the anomaly. The qi flowing through Wi Juseok's body wasn't inner power. Inner power, inhaled through heart methods, accumulates in the lower dantian.
But Heavenly Flower Sect Leader's lower dantian was horrifically shattered. An injury that let him cling to life but ended his days as a martial artist.
Yet qi flowed through Wi Juseok's body. It wasn't inner power.
The innate true qi everyone possessed from birth.
It circulated through his meridians as if it were inner power.
But even that flow... was distorted.
*What the...*
It was a sight Muyon Jun had never seen before, leaving him—rarely—flustered.
To his eyes, Heavenly Flower Sect Leader looked like he could drop dead any moment.
The Alliance Leader's long speech finally ended.