Chapter 154: Even so, I’ve only ever taken first place.
Chapter 154: Even so, I’ve only ever taken first place.
“What kind of work?”
As of yet, Seo Dae-ryong had no idea what was about to befall him.
“You need to enter the Young Dragon Tournament.”
At the mention of the Young Dragon Tournament, Seo Dae-ryong nearly jumped out of his skin. He looked so startled that I almost felt a pang of guilt.
“Surely... the Young Dragon Tournament you’re referring to isn’t the one I’m thinking of, right?” he asked in a trembling voice.
“What’s the Young Dragon Tournament you’re thinking of?”
“The martial arts tournament held by the Murim Alliance for the rising stars of the Orthodox factions! That incredibly dangerous event where masters from the Alliance and the Orthodox path gather in droves—an event where people from the Unorthodox path or our Cult shouldn’t even dream of spectating, let alone participating in! That’s not the one, is it?”
“I think that’s exactly the one.”
Seo Dae-ryong stared at me blankly for a moment, then abruptly stood up and walked out of the inn without looking back.
I didn’t try to stop him. Instead, I ordered some light snacks and alcohol from the waiter. Having been immersed in training in the mountains, it felt like a literal eternity since I’d last had a drink.
After I’d finished about two cups, Seo Dae-ryong returned to his seat.
“You didn’t even try to catch me?”
“Why would I? I knew you’d come back.”
Seo Dae-ryong poured himself a drink and gulped it down in one go.
“I can’t do it. No way. What on earth are you talking about?”
“It has to be you.”
“‘It has to be you’ is what exploitative bosses say when they’re working their subordinates to the bone! What do you mean, it has to be me? There are plenty of people if you look! If you look hard enough, there’s probably someone in this very inn!”
Seo Dae-ryong tried to think of anyone else I could send in his stead, but he soon sighed, lamenting that there were nothing but weirdos in my circle.
“Still, I can’t do it.”
Seo Dae-ryong emptied another cup.
“You know who I am, right?”
“I know. You’re a cold-hearted, power-hungry man, but also a romantic who loves only one woman. And when everyone else stays silent…”
“Stop right there!”
I cut him off and simply added the latest update.
“…And though you’re a coward who ultimately failed to duel Yeo-bin, you’re still my right-hand man, Investigator Seo. Now, I’ll get to add that you bravely participated in the Young Dragon Tournament.”
“No, but seriously, how am I supposed to enter the Young Dragon Tournament?”
“Well, it’s not like I can enter, can I?”
“No one would recognize you! With that beard, you’re perfectly disguised!”
“I thought you said it was a novice’s disguise? That it was a filthy beard?”
He let out a deep sigh, searching for another way out. Seo Dae-ryong lowered his voice and whispered, “I haven’t even properly mastered Master’s martial arts yet.”
“That makes it even better. We can’t have you standing out. You’ll have to fight using only the basics anyway.”
Someone of Seo Dae-ryong’s caliber would already know how to conceal his demonic energy, so there was no risk of him being exposed through his martial arts.
As Seo Dae-ryong sat with his head bowed, radiating an aura of gloom in silent protest, I played my trump card.
“Fine. If you can’t do it, there’s nothing to be done. I’ll just have to fail the test my father gave me. My brother will end up as the successor. I’ll probably be assassinated, dumped in some nameless field, and become food for wild beasts. Ah! But even so, I won’t resent you. I mean it.”
“I’ll probably be stabbed and killed on the duel stage by some Orthodox bastard I’ve never seen before,” Seo Dae-ryong countered. “Then my corpse will be sent to the Cult’s front sect that provided the fake identity. They’ll ask, ‘Who is this guy?’ and the answer will be, ‘I don’t know. Just some guy who got used and died.’ They’ll say, ‘Poor guy, he was short and looked depressed. Hurry up and bury him.’ Ah! But even so, I won’t resent you, Pavilion Master. I mean it sincerely.”
“Someday, when I become the Cult Leader, I’ll look back on today. I’ll think, ‘Ah, if it wasn’t for you back then, I never could have become the Cult Leader. Thank you.’”
“Someday, I’ll have my grandson on my lap and look back on today. I’ll tell him, ‘The reason you exist is because I stood my ground and didn’t enter that tournament.’”
It was a battle between an unstoppable force and an immovable object. However, no matter how much he resisted, the outcome of this battle was already decided.
“Ugh, I really can’t win with you. I really can’t. Then again, who can I blame? I was the one who wanted revenge for my senior when you first came to Huangquan Pavilion, and I was the one who decided to learn the blade.”
I poured him another drink.
“Thanks.”
“As long as you know. I suppose life is about doing things you hate.”
“People who say that usually only do what they want to do, don’t they?”
“Hey! That’s what I should be saying!”
I knew it was a massive decision for him. He was someone who hated standing out more than anything.
“It’ll be a good experience for you as a martial artist. Even the names suggest it’s destiny, don’t they? The Young Dragon Tournament and Seo Dae-ryong. It’s the tournament where the Great Dragon (Dae-ryong) ascends to heaven. If the tournament were called the Small Tiger Tournament, I would have called Jang Ho.”
At my lame joke, Seo Dae-ryong finally let out a laugh.
“So this is the successor’s test.”
“That’s right.”
“What exactly do we need to do?”
“There’s a man called the Leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society. He’s going to use this tournament to plot something. He might approach the participants, which is why you’re entering. Our goal is to catch him.”
“We have to catch him. Catching bad guys is our job, after all.”
“Spoken like my right-hand man.”
Once he made a decision, Seo Dae-ryong didn’t look back. It was likely this trait that made me like him. Behind that small, gloomy appearance was an unyielding resolve.
I pulled some documents from my robe and handed them over.
“Here, this is your new identity. Memorize every single detail. You’re good at memorizing, so I’m not worried about that.”
“What about you, Pavilion Master?”
“I’ll be acting as your attendant and guard.”
At that, a flash of joy crossed Seo Dae-ryong’s face. He struggled to suppress the corners of his mouth from twitching upward.
“Why do you look so happy?”
“Me? Not at all.”
“You just smiled.”
“You saw wrong.”
“You definitely smiled.”
“Ahem, you rascal. Why are you being so cheeky when your elder says he didn’t? Ah, I was just practicing.”
I laughed heartily at Seo Dae-ryong’s joke.
“Memorize that for today, and we’ll go register for the Young Dragon Tournament tomorrow.”
We booked a large guest room with two beds. As soon as we entered the room, Seo Dae-ryong tried to dust off my bedding, but I stopped him.
“Don’t worry about me. Just think about yourself.”
“How can I do that?”
“I’m the one giving you an order that could change your life; you’re allowed to do at least this much. You can even pee on my blanket if you want.”
“Receiving those orders is my life. Please don’t think of it as a bad thing. I, the one receiving them, have never thought of it that way. Especially not after meeting you, Pavilion Master.”
Well, I was grateful he said that.
After roughly unpacking, Seo Dae-ryong sat by the window, looking at the scenery outside with a worried expression.
“I’ll need to climb as high as possible to find out what that Heavenly Mandate Society leader is up to. I’m worried I might get eliminated too early.”
I didn’t know the exact level of the Young Dragon Tournament either, so I couldn’t predict the outcome.
“Don’t worry. Elder Blade Demon left a strategy for you.”
“What? What do you mean?”
I pulled a small silk pouch from my robe.
“He gave me this strategy pouch, telling me to have you open it when you hit your limit.”
Seo Dae-ryong was stunned. He looked even more shocked than when I’d told him he had to enter the tournament.
“Master really gave this to me?”
To be honest, I was surprised too. I never expected the Blood Heaven Blade Demon to leave something like this behind.
“Did you happen to see what’s written inside?”
“No. Why? Should we open it now?”
“Absolutely not! If Master said to open it in a crisis, then it must be opened in a crisis!”
Though he must have been dying of curiosity, Seo Dae-ryong was deeply moved by the fact that the Blade Demon had given this to him. I could feel his desire to look out the window and bow toward the distant Blade Demon.
That night, Seo Dae-ryong couldn’t fall asleep until late, lost in thought.
*
The next morning, we had breakfast and headed toward the Murim Alliance.
In the distance, the grand buildings of the Alliance headquarters began to appear. I saw a massive stone statue of a martial artist modeled after a legendary heroic swordsman.
As we drew closer to the Murim Alliance, a strange feeling washed over me. In the future, the Murim Alliance would also be swept away by Hwa Mu-gi.
Would their fates change because I had regressed? Or would only the Cult’s fate change? I couldn’t know for sure yet.
Seo Dae-ryong kept glancing at the female martial artists passing by.
“Orthodox women are pretty, aren’t they?”
“They certainly are. I thought it was just a rumor.”
“Since you’re here, why don’t you try dating one? A fateful love between an Orthodox heroine and a demonic practitioner!”
“It might be fun for the spectators. Think of how hard it would be for the people involved.”
Despite his words, Seo Dae-ryong’s eyes kept drifting toward the passing women.
The registration for this Young Dragon Tournament was being held in a separate area in the Alliance’s Outer Court. Even though they had been accepting applications for nearly five days, the line was long. Countless rising stars of the Orthodox path had flocked here from all over the Central Plains.
We took our place in the registration line. As we waited, the martial artists in front of us talked about the tournament.
To summarize their conversation, they weren’t just picking a winner; everyone who made it to the quarterfinals would be recruited into the Murim Alliance’s elite organizations.
One of the men talking turned to look at Seo Dae-ryong and me, then smirked. Seeing our appearance—looking like we’d just come from the countryside—he naturally looked down on us.
I asked Seo Dae-ryong loud enough for him to hear, “Young Master, are you confident you can win?”
There was a strong protest in Seo Dae-ryong’s eyes that said, ‘Win? All of a sudden?’ but his answer was firm.
“I am.”
The guys in front of us exchanged glances and snickered. Still, they didn’t openly pick a fight.
Eventually, after a long wait, it was our turn.
“Name: Seo Ryong. Sect: West Blade Sect of Gansu.”
It was a real sect in Gansu—a place directly operated by Tongcheon Pavilion for situations exactly like this. If anyone went to investigate, they would find that the son, Seo Ryong, existed and had left to participate in the Young Dragon Tournament.
“The bracket will be posted in front of the Murim Alliance in ten days. Check the date and the duel stage then. If you’re late for your match, you’ll be disqualified immediately, so arrive early.”
“Understood.”
After finishing the registration, we left the Murim Alliance.
“Did you see those guys looking down on us earlier? Since the subject came up, maybe I really should just go ahead and win the whole thing.”
“It’s not impossible.”
“Can I really? Despite how I look, I’ve only ever taken first place since I was a kid. Don’t underestimate me!”
“I’m not underestimating you. Go ahead. You can win.”
“I really will!”
From that day on, Seo Dae-ryong spent his time going back and forth to the mountains to train until the tournament began. I didn’t help him. Since he was learning from the Blade Demon, it wasn’t my place to interfere. I simply trusted the Blade Demon’s teachings.
While Seo Dae-ryong went out to train, I trained as well. Of course, I went elsewhere so as not to interfere with his practice.
I had trained incredibly hard in the mountains even before Seo Dae-ryong arrived, but this time, I pushed myself even further. And that training rewarded me with the best possible result.
“I did it!”
I had finally reached the Nine-Star Stage of the Wind God Four Steps.
Honestly, I was happier than when I’d achieved the Twelve-Star Great Achievement of the Flying Heaven Sword Technique.
Now, my Blink Step could escape dangerous moments even faster, my Dark Shadow Step could evade eyes like an illusion, and I could say with certainty that my Underworld King Step was lethal in the face of power.
And my Rapid Speed Step had become terrifyingly fast. While internal energy consumption had decreased, the mental strain had doubled. It was fast—too fast. At first, I even crashed into trees. If it weren’t for my New Eye Technique, it was a speed I couldn’t have handled even in a wide-open field.
Once I became accustomed to this Nine-Star realm, the Wind God Four Steps, with only one final hurdle remaining, would say this to me:
— Amazing, isn’t it? If the Nine-Star Stage is like this, imagine what it’ll be like when you reach Great Achievement. Come on, just a little more effort!
I had to hear those words. Only then, after reaching Great Achievement, could I say this to the Wind God Four Steps:
— You worked hard too!
I would definitely say that one sentence.
After that, I would inherit the Nine Calamities Demonic Art and reach Great Achievement in that as well. Even after mastering both martial arts, I would continue to strive without rest.
If I still couldn’t handle Hwa Mu-gi after all that… then there was nothing more I could do. In that case, I would gladly die with a smile.
*
The tournament bracket was announced.
The first duel was the thirteenth match of the Yellow Group, held tomorrow. Because so many people had gathered, matches were being held simultaneously in dozens of locations within the Alliance’s Outer Court.
“If our Cult held a tournament like this, would people flock to it?”
“Probably not.”
“This is the power of the Orthodox path. For starters, their numbers are likely ten times greater.”
And was it just them? The number of hidden masters was also far greater among the Orthodox factions. This was why we couldn't just start a war simply because we were currently stronger than the Murim Alliance. Even if we pushed through and crushed this Alliance headquarters, the real war would only begin from that day forward.
As I was sharing these thoughts with Seo Dae-ryong over a meal, a waiter rushed over to us.
“I’m sorry, but could you please share your table? We’re flooded with customers because of the Young Dragon Tournament.”
“Go ahead.”
“Thank you.”
Soon after, a woman wearing a bamboo hat joined us.
The moment she sat down and took off her hat, I was startled. She was someone I knew.
A woman of a status that made it seem like she’d never have to share a table in an inn in her entire life; a woman called the Beauty of Hubei for her cold, intellectual beauty; a woman who possessed outstanding martial arts skills.
Surprisingly, she was none other than Jin Ha-ryeong, the granddaughter of the Murim Alliance Leader.