Chapter 39: The First Preliminary Round (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 39: The First Preliminary Round (1)
"Orabeoni!"
I had just stepped out of the First Strategist Division and returned to my quarters when an unexpected guest arrived.
It was my younger sister, So Yeong-yeong.
I hadn't been able to see her because she’d been busy with the Hengshan Sect’s schedule, so I hadn't expected her to come looking for me herself.
Though she was technically an outer disciple, rumors had spread that she was the prize pupil of the Hengshan Lady Hero. Between attending meetings for the Orthodox Martial Branch and the Dragon Phoenix Branch, she had been far too busy for us to cross paths.
"Ahem."
At my dry cough, Yeong-yeong sheepishly pulled away from Sama Yeong.
It seemed she still didn't realize Sama Yeong was a woman. A grown girl shouldn't be clinging to someone like that, unable to hide her feelings.
True.
Sama Yeong also tended to stick close to me whenever possible.
But isn't this different? Yeong-yeong and Sama Yeong are both women.
'...'
That would make things incredibly complicated.
I wanted to reveal the truth, but it was still too early. Once I had the strength to truly protect Yeong-yeong, I could reveal that Sama Yeong was a woman or tell her about everything I had been through.
Until then, it was better for her safety that she remained in the dark. For now, I was just relieved that the Hengshan Sect was acting as her support system.
"Since you're here, do you want to grab some lunch?"
"Ah... about that, I already promised to have lunch with the people from the Dragon Phoenix Branch. I just stopped by to see your face."
Despite her boisterous appearance, Yeong-yeong was quite social. She was even good at leading people; before my regression, she had gained quite a reputation as the Vice Hall Master of the Phoenix Hall. She was a much better child than her pathetic older brother.
"Wow. You're a busy one."
"You're teasing me, aren't you?"
"Teasing? What brother wouldn't be happy to see his sister doing so well?"
"Yeah, right."
Her bouncy way of speaking was the same as ever.
Jo Seong-won watched our conversation with a satisfied expression. One would think he was our parent.
Meanwhile, Sama Yeong was looking at Yeong-yeong and me with a somewhat wistful gaze. Was she thinking of her own family?
Who knows.
Even wild beasts lick and care for their young. Perhaps he was different with his only daughter.
Yeong-yeong continued.
"Do you even know what one of the hottest topics in the Orthodox Martial Branch and the Dragon Phoenix Branch is right now?"
"What is it?"
"It's you, Orabeoni! The disciple of the vanished Namcheon Sword Guest!"
"Me?"
Rumors certainly traveled fast. I had intended for this to happen to some extent, but it seemed I was already the talk of the town. If I was a hot topic in those circles, it meant almost every martial artist in the land now knew who I was.
"People are calling you one of the Three New Stars."
"The Three New Stars?"
The Three New Stars (三新星)?
That was a title I had never heard before my regression. If my memory served me right, the "Twin Dragons" favored to win back then were Moyong Su, the future Yellow Dragon Hall Master, and Seoilju, the disciple of Hengshan's First Sword.
"They're calling Jin Yong, the grandson of Ardent King Hegemon Jin-gyun; Jang Myeong, the disciple of Northern Warrior Bo Won-chan; and you, the disciple of the Namcheon Sword Guest, the Three New Stars."
Ah... Lee Jeong-gyeom.
He was the joint successor of Baek Hyang-muk, the First Sword of Wuhan, and Taoist Master Zhongxian, the Taiji Sword Emperor—both members of the Eight Great Masters. His identity was only revealed after he won the tournament. Until then, the Martial Alliance had kept him strictly hidden to make his debut as dramatic as possible.
'I told you. For dramatic effect.'
It would look ridiculous if he failed to win after such a buildup. However, Lee Jeong-gyeom, the joint successor of two of the Eight Great Masters, won the championship with overwhelming martial prowess. Hailed as a genius that appeared once in a century, he defeated every opponent in under ten moves, earning him his first alias: Ten Moves Invincible.
'Hmm.'
The situation had changed completely from before my regression. Originally, none of the people currently called the Three New Stars—including myself—were participants in the Successor's Martial Discussion. This made it difficult to predict how the tournament would unfold.
"Phew."
Yeong-yeong sighed, looking somewhat annoyed.
"Actually, I wanted to invite you to the Dragon Phoenix Branch."
[How cute. It looks like Sister Yeong-yeong wanted to show off the Vice Unit Leader to everyone.]
Sama Yeong sent me a message via Secret Sound Transmission with a beaming face.
Excuse me, but she isn't your "sister," Young Lady. She seemed to be so deep in her acting that she was starting to forget she wasn't actually a man.
Regardless, Yeong-yeong kept talking.
"But I think it's better if you just don't go."
"Huh?"
Didn't she just say she wanted to invite me?
"Why?"
"Because there are some annoying jerks there."
"Annoying jerks?"
"It seems the people from the Hunan Province Branch have been using their connections to spread nasty rumors about you. Because of that, everyone from Moyong Su of the Moyong Family to Peng Woo-jin of the Hebei Peng Family, Hwangbo Donghyeon of the Hwangbo Family, and even Yang Jeong of the Huashan Sect are busy putting you down. Those arrogant..."
"Did you just say Moyong Su?"
"You know him?"
Of course I did. How could I forget the man who shoved a sword into my gut out of pure greed? He was the one I had been sharpening my blade for, waiting for the day of revenge.
They say you can tell a great tree from its seed, but it seemed that even a man who acted so gallant in the future was quite different in his youth. Badmouthing someone behind their back was a low move.
"Who's putting who down?"
Sama Yeong asked Yeong-yeong, her eyes flashing with fire. She looked ready to run off and deal with them right this second.
Yeong-yeong gave her a smirk.
"It's fine. They were doing it right in front of me, so I slapped Peng Woo-jin across the face in front of everyone."
Whoa...
She did that at the Dragon Phoenix Branch?
[I really like your sister, Vice Unit Leader.]
The Lesser Conversation Sword and Sama Yeong spoke to me simultaneously.
Yes, she was cool, but as her brother, I was worried she might have made enemies of the other orthodox successors for no reason.
"Um... I appreciate it, but are you okay?"
"I'm fine. It's just that a crazy guy has been clinging to me, and that's what's annoying."
"What do you mean?"
"That lunatic keeps following me around, saying I'm the first woman to ever slap him. If there hadn't been so many people around, I would've slapped him again right then and there."
She was huffing with indignation. Clinging to her after getting slapped?
I agreed. I remembered Peng Woo-jin being a bit odd when I first met him, but he was even more eccentric than I thought. He made Song Jwa-baek look normal.
In any case, this allowed me to identify which of the orthodox successors were hostile toward me.
"Oh, right. More importantly, I came to tell you this."
"What is it?"
"The Martial Alliance held a meeting this morning, and the format for the second preliminary round has changed."
"The second preliminary? How do you... ah."
Come to think of it, the Hengshan Sect also held key positions within the Martial Alliance. If there had been an emergency meeting this morning, it was only natural that the information would reach Yeong-yeong's ears unless it was strictly classified.
But what did she mean by the format changing?
"Originally, there were supposed to be second and third preliminary rounds, but they're merging them into one. They say it's to give more successors a chance."
"How are they going to run it?"
"It's actually kind of absurd."
"Absurd?"
"All the qualifiers from each district will fight on one massive stage."
"All at once?"
Did that mean everyone would be up there at the same time? I couldn't tell if this was to give people a chance or just to save time.
"But the method is unique."
"What is it?"
"Based on the results of the first preliminary, the top-ranked successors and those with lower scores will go up first to fight."
"First? Then don't tell me..."
"Then, at set intervals, they'll send up more people one by one."
"!?"
What kind of format was that?
It meant the highest-scoring successors would start fighting each other, and then more people would be added to the stage over time. This put the top scorers at a massive disadvantage in terms of stamina.
"Ridiculous, right? But they claim it's for a fair preliminary. Since there are over 4,000 participants, they devised this so that smaller sects or relatively weaker successors wouldn't be eliminated immediately and could at least make a name for themselves. But this makes it really hard for the top-tier successors."
Not just hard. It was a massive handicap.
If the successors entering later decided to team up against the strongest person on the stage, the favorite could potentially be the first one eliminated.
"What if they collude?"
"To prevent that, the rules state that those entering later cannot form a combined attack of more than three people against those already on the stage."
It was a rule to prevent mass dogpiling. Even so, being able to double-team someone was still a huge factor. The strongest successors would likely have to deal with constant combined attacks until the end of the round.
The Namcheon Iron Sword seemed to think this method wasn't bad. Why?
Hmm. Come to think of it, he was right. If someone passed the second preliminary under those conditions, they would receive even more spotlight.
On the flip side, it would be a tremendous ordeal. Since the rule only negatively affected top-tier successors and major sects, it wasn't entirely "unfair" in the grand scheme of things.
'Ha!'
At the Iron Sword's words, a certain person flashed through my mind.
The person who devised such an unconventional tournament format... I think I knew who it was.
"Do you happen to know who came up with this?"
"Strategist Zhuge proposed it. Apparently, everyone passed it unanimously after hearing his reasoning."
I knew it. The one behind this was Zhuge Won-myeong.
After hearing the Iron Sword's take, I realized the hidden intent behind this preliminary format. If things proceeded this way, anyone trying to hide their strength would be eliminated. They would be forced to reveal everything down to their very roots.
'Truly impressive. Simply impressive.'
It was a brilliant move. This way, they might be able to catch any spies who had infiltrated the Successor's Martial Discussion before the main tournament even began. Furthermore, it appeased the smaller sects while increasing the overall quality of the competition.
I couldn't help but marvel at how well his mind worked. He wasn't the Chief Strategist for nothing.
*
Early the next morning.
The Grand Martial Assembly finally began.
Starting with the opening speech by Baek Hyang-muk, the Leader of the Martial Alliance, various events within the Alliance were held simultaneously across different parts of the city.
Of course, the main attraction was the Successor's Martial Discussion.
It would take place over ten long days, starting with the first preliminary, followed by the second, and finally the main tournament.
The massive training grounds, spanning thousands of square feet, were packed with countless participants and spectators. It was a spectacle of tens of thousands of people.
When I first entered, the overwhelming "Voice of the Sword" from so many blades gave me a sudden headache that nearly made me collapse. I thought I had adjusted, but there were certainly a lot of them. This was partly because nearly seventy percent of orthodox martial artists preferred the sword, known as the King of All Weapons and the Gentleman of Arms.
The fact that over 4,000 people were participating finally felt real. The training grounds were filled with young male and female martial artists. Out of all these people, excluding the mediocre ones, only a fraction would pass the first preliminary.
"Good luck, Sahyeong!"
"I wish you martial fortune!"
Sama Yeong and Jo Seong-won, who had been cheering for me, moved to the spectator stands before the first round began.
From this moment on, the mission to seize the Blood Demon Sword truly began.
I felt a bit nervous. Before my regression, I never even had the chance to attend such a discussion. But now, here I was as a successor, with a chance to aim for victory.
Perhaps because the waiting period was long, the Lesser Conversation Sword asked me. He seemed curious about the reason.
'What do you think was the most famous sparring tournament in the martial world?'
It wasn't me who answered his question, but the Namcheon Iron Sword.
Correct. The largest-scale duel.
Hundreds of years ago, when the line between Orthodox and Evil was even blurrier than it is now, all the masters under heaven gathered at Mount Hua to determine who was the best. That was the Huashan Sword Debate.
'Back then, just as now, the sword was considered the ultimate weapon. It was an era where the sword was the King of All Weapons and the symbol of martial arts. Discussing the sword was synonymous with discussing and competing in martial arts. That's why it was called a Sword Debate. But nowadays, rather than elevating a specific weapon, it's called a Martial Discussion (Nonmu) to signify the discussion of pure martial arts.'
'Well, it's the typical orthodox way.'
In a way, the term "Martial Discussion" was used to add a sense of class. In reality, it was just a tournament to compete in martial prowess.
[Hey.]
A voice reached my ears via Secret Sound Transmission. The owner of the voice was none other than Song Jwa-baek.
I looked around to see where it was coming from and spotted him standing not too far away.
[Don't embarrass yourself by failing the preliminaries. Do your best.]
The guy never knew how to say anything nicely. His skills had improved a lot, but since the orthodox monsters and Baek Hye-hyang's experts were also participating, I was worried about whether he would actually pass.
[Stop messing around and do well. This is a mission.]
[What?]
[Look ahead. It's about to start.]
He was about to argue with my message but turned his head instead.
A man stepped onto a high platform so that the thousands of successors could see him. He was the official in charge of the first preliminary round. He was an old man with snowy white hair, wearing a deep blue Taoist robe.
'Ah!'
He was the Second Elder of the Martial Alliance, Taoist Master Hoyang of the Huashan Sect, also known as the Plum Blossom White Sword. He was a master of the sword, rumored to have cut a hundred falling plum blossom petals with a single blade. Excluding the Eight Great Masters, he was among the highest-ranking martial artists in the world.
Taoist Master Hoyang opened his mouth.
"We shall now begin the preliminary rounds of the Successor's Martial Discussion!"
his booming voice echoed across the training grounds. It was impressive that such a profound voice, infused with deep internal energy, came from such a small frame.
"Waaaaaaaah!!!"
As if in response, the successors let out a collective roar. Right now, everyone was fired up, but that would change as time passed.
Taoist Master Hoyang gave an opening speech and began explaining the tournament format. The first preliminary was the simplest method. It was something I had already experienced during my position exam.
Leaving a mark on a Generation Stone.
The only difference was that instead of a simple strike, one had to leave the mark of a specific martial form.
"Based on the marks left on the Generation Stone, you will be ranked for the second preliminary. If you don't want to be eliminated, I suggest you do not foolishly hide your internal energy."
It meant that if you tried to hide your strength and were unlucky, you could be cut. I wondered how many would pass to the second round.
"Since this preliminary will narrow the field down to five hundred people, I hope everyone does their best to achieve good results. Now, let the first preliminary begin."
Five hundred?
They were cutting a huge number of people in the first round. If 3,500 people were to be eliminated, the standard would have to be incredibly high. If someone tried to hide their energy for the second round, they might not even make it that far.
*
The 4,000 successors were divided into rows and assigned to different sections.
I was assigned to Section B (乙).
About two hundred people gathered in each section, standing in two lines to take turns leaving marks on the Generation Stone. Since there were two lines, we moved at roughly the same pace as the adjacent row.
Coincidentally, standing right next to me was Hwangbo Donghyeon of the Hwangbo Family. He was the one who had supposedly incited others to badmouth me.
I didn't feel the need to acknowledge him, but he was the first to speak.
"Hey. You, the brat from Yul Rang-hyeon. I heard you got lucky and became the Namcheon Sword Guest's disciple?"
'?'
What was with this guy? He had no manners for a first meeting.
"Aren't you ashamed to be treated with respect just because your master is famous?"
He was deliberately picking a fight. I knew the warriors of the Hwangbo Family, like those of the Hebei Peng Family, were bellicose by nature, but provoking someone like this was a matter of his own character.
"Why no answer? You might be able to insult our friends from the Hunan Province Branch, but do you find it hard to utter a single word in front of the great Hwangbo Family?"
Ah. So he was put up to this by the Hunan Province Branch. I wondered how much they had stroked his ego to get him to pick a fight with me.
When I remained silent, he spoke with a sneer.
"A coward with no guts, I see."
He was speaking loudly enough for the surrounding successors to hear. Naturally, all eyes turned toward us. I looked at him quietly with cold, indifferent eyes.
"What, you don't like it? Then how about a bet?"
"A bet?"
"Yeah. See that Generation Stone over there? How about the one who leaves a shallower mark has to kneel before the other and grant whatever favor they ask?"
So this was his goal. He was provoking me to lure me into his trap. Since other successors were watching, refusing would make it look like I lacked confidence in my skills.
"What? No confidence?"
At that, I gave a thin smile. I looked into his eyes, cupped my hands politely, and spoke.
"How could I possibly make such a bet against Brother Hwang of the prestigious Hwangbo Family? Please, take back your words."
"Ha!"
He snorted. But then, his eyes suddenly went blank.
With a vacant expression, Hwangbo Donghyeon let out a shout and drew his saber toward me.
Clang!
"You cowardly bastard. Let's settle this right here!"
"Whoa!"
"Brother Hwangbo!"
As he swung his saber, the surrounding successors panicked and grabbed hold of him. Hwangbo Donghyeon's eyes snapped back to normal. Finding himself held back by the other successors, he looked utterly bewildered.
Just then, one of the Hall Masters in charge of the proceedings approached.
"What is this commotion?"
Hwangbo Donghyeon, still holding his drawn saber while being restrained, stammered an explanation.
"I-I didn't mean to..."
He tried to deny it, but the testimony of the surrounding successors said otherwise.
"Brother Hwangbo provoked Brother So and then attacked him."
"Brother So tried to calm him down politely, but he was acting like a madman, so we..."
Faced with their testimony, Hwangbo Donghyeon couldn't hide his shock. Since the circumstances were already stacked against him, the Hall Master's decision was swift and merciless.
"Hwangbo Donghyeon is hereby disqualified!"
I let the corner of my mouth curl up slightly as I looked at him.
"!?"
"W-wait a minute!"
"Wait for what? Drag him out immediately!"
Regardless of his protests, he was dragged away by the guards.
The Lesser Conversation Sword chuckled and shook his head.
Why bother dealing with someone picking a fight? Just send them on their way.