Chapter 282: Entrance Exams (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 282: Entrance Exams (2)
The night passed, and I left the inn as soon as morning arrived.
Having decided on our schedule long ago, I was fully prepared to depart.
Though it was winter and the air was still bitingly cold, the sky was perfectly clear. It was so bright and cloudless that the relentless rain of the past few days felt like a distant dream.
“It’s disgustingly tall,” I muttered, sighing repeatedly as I trudged up the towering mountain path.
I swear… this insane place…
A mountain like this in Henan? Every time I looked at it, I was left speechless.
In my past life, I’d fainted halfway up this very mountain.
Idiot.
If I was that exhausted, I should have just taken a break. Instead, worried about the people watching me and desperate to maintain my pride, I’d pushed myself—only to end up in a far more humiliating situation. The mere memory sent a shiver down my spine.
It was one of the biggest reasons I felt grateful for this regression.
“You know…” Tang Soyeol began, wiping sweat from her brow as she followed behind me. “This mountain was formed during the Blood Demon War.”
Judging by her unprompted explanation, my face must have been clearly broadcasting my thoughts: Why the hell is this damned mountain here?
“An entire mountain was formed?” I asked.
“That’s right…! I heard it happened during the Lord of the Fist’s battle.”
“…?”
I couldn’t help but frown. It made no sense. The Lord of the Fist was another title for the Iron Fist, Yeon Il-Cheon. Was she saying this mountain was created during his fight with the Blood Demon? A mountain forming from a battle, not a natural disaster? What kind of monstrous feat was that?
Was it a man-made natural disaster or something? How could anyone create a mountain this massive in the middle of a fight?
…Hmm.
Then again, thinking objectively, I felt that even I could probably create a small hill. But something this size? That was a different league altogether. This was fucking Mount Tai.
Putting that aside for now…
I couldn’t confirm if it was a false rumor or an exaggeration, so I pushed the thought away. I wasn’t physically tired from the climb anyway.
Way too many people are staring at me.
I felt intensely bothered by the countless eyes fixed directly on me. The path up the mountain was long and wide, and it was crowded, with everyone needing to arrive by a fixed time. Most of them were Young Prodigies—no, to be accurate, practically all of them were Young Prodigies. The rest were escorts from their clans. Aside from those escorts, every other person was a young martial artist, and our group was more than enough to draw attention.
I started to pick up their whispers.
- The Poison Phoenix…? That’s the Poison Phoenix, right?
- It looks like the Snow Phoenix is next to her, too.
- Woah… she’s incredibly pretty.
The gazes were mostly admiring. Since Namgung Bi-ah had covered her face and concealed her presence, there were no comments about her.
I’m glad she’s making good use of it. I’d been a little worried, as she hadn't used that technique in a while.
“…”
It seemed Namgung Bi-ah had hidden herself because she felt uncomfortable surrounded by so many people. I felt a bit more at ease thanks to that.
Even so, I wasn’t completely comfortable.
- Then who is that guy over there? Just who is he?
- Who? The one standing at the back?
- No, the one at the front… the scary-looking guy.
- There are two guys, so why are you only mentioning the one at the front?
- At least the guy at the back is handsome.
- Aha.
Those fuckers…?
Hearing their mumbling, I shot them a glare. They flinched and immediately shut their mouths. It seemed Gu Jeolyub was the ‘handsome guy’ they were referring to. I was being discriminated against because of my looks. Life was still full of beauty, huh? Fuck my life.
Though, I am glad that it seems they don’t know who I am. This was because I hadn’t done anything particularly “special” since the Dragons and Phoenixes Tournament.
I’m also glad that I covered my face on purpose back then.
Like Namgung Bi-ah, I had also concealed my presence. To be more precise, I’d hidden myself enough that only someone paying very close attention would recognize me, as I couldn’t afford to use all my Qi in the middle of a fight.
And that makes me curious.
A few days ago, when I overpowered the Sleeping Dragon and Yung Pung…
- That face…! It’s the True Dragon!
There had been a bastard who recognized me. At the time, everyone else just took it in stride, but it made me curious.
I wonder who it was.
I hadn’t been able to identify the person, and it left me feeling uneasy. It didn’t seem like a coincidence; it felt deliberate. Sure, a martial artist at the Peak realm might have been able to see through my barrier and recognize my face, but someone of that caliber wouldn’t lack the dignity to shout my title from the middle of a crowd.
Moreover…
My senses didn’t catch them.
It was also true that they had managed to evade my senses entirely. There were just too many curious aspects to it.
I think I need to be more mindful of my surroundings.
I’d considered letting it go, but judging by the situation, I felt I needed to be more cautious. Although I needed fame, things like this worried me.
The more famous I get, the more annoying bastards will target me. That applied to anyone. I’d somewhat expected it…
But they were faster than expected.
Who was it? Where were they? Well, since I was curious, I’d look for them myself. I’d learn everything once I caught them. After all, I was a professional in that field.
As I rubbed my lips, lost in thought…
“Are you alright?” asked Moyong Hi-ah, who was walking beside me.
“What do you mean?”
“Your expression is… familiar.”
“Familiar?” Did I make that expression often?
“Ah, no. It’s just that I make that expression a lot.”
“Hmm?” What was she talking about?
Seeing my confusion, Moyong Hi-ah explained. “It’s the face that says, ‘If I ever catch you, I’ll show you what hell looks like.’ I make that expression when I feel that way, and the Young Master was making that exact face just now.”
“…”
She was so spot-on that I was rendered speechless. Seeing my reaction, Moyong Hi-ah smiled brightly.
“Young Master is really bad at hiding his expressions.”
“…I get that a lot.” I thought I was fairly good at it, but it seemed I’d gotten worse since regressing.
Why, though? Is it because I’ve gotten a little used to peace? “I should work on it.”
“There’s no need for you to.”
“Hmm? Why?”
“I like that side of the Young Master more.”
“…”
After she said those words as naturally as flowing water, a moment of silence lingered. I glanced at her to see her reaction.
…They became red? I was met with the rare sight of Moyong Hi-ah’s cheeks flushing. It seemed she had accidentally spoken her thoughts aloud.
“It looks like these two apples are ripe. They’re really red.”
“Ough…”
Moyong Hi-ah’s usually cold expression began to crumble as I teased her. Seeing her reaction made her look a bit…
…Cute?
Crazy fucker. For me to think the almighty Moyong Hi-ah was cute. Did the exhausting climb make me lose my mind?
It’s not even that exhausting, though. Thanks to my constant training, a simple mountain climb couldn’ tire me out. It must have been a temporary lapse.
I brushed my hair aside as a cool breeze made me feel a little better.
The Heavenly Dragon Academy was at the very peak of the mountain, but that wasn’t our destination. Our stop was a bit closer. One had to pass an examination to be accepted into the academy. This meant they weren’t planning to accept everyone who showed up—only those with sufficient talent.
Every Young Prodigy present was from a well-known noble clan or household. Despite that, the academy still planned to filter people out. In a way, it was a blow to some people’s pride, as passing the exam would mean they were more talented than those who failed. It made those obsessed with fame and honor salivate.
Those who passed formed their own groups and built connections, which sometimes made the academy’s original purpose—education—feel secondary. Of course, setting that aside, everyone ultimately came here for the bragging rights of having graduated from the Heavenly Dragon Academy.
Also…
Just as they claimed to be the greatest educational institution, their quality of teaching wasn’t bad either.
…Though you could learn most of what they teach here if you don’t belong to a noble clan.
If someone was a blood relative of a noble clan, they usually had no reason to attend, as they already had their Clan Lord or Elders to teach them.
“Gu Clan’s Gu Yangcheon of Shanxi, you are checked in. Head to the second group.”
Since this land belonged to the Murim Alliance, the people checking in the Young Prodigies were also from the Alliance. I was given my group number after being checked off.
Glance.
The man checking me in glanced at me after confirming my name and origin. His gaze clearly said, Is it really him? I had a feeling I’d be receiving such looks for a while. I was too tired to even get angry.
For the ones who aren’t here yet, is tomorrow their day?
The Sleeping Dragon and the Sword Dragon weren’t present; it seemed the members from the great sects were scheduled for their exam tomorrow. Only the blood relatives of the various clans were being tested today. Without exaggeration, it was fair to say all the Young Prodigies in the world had gathered here, so one day wouldn’t be enough.
Second group, huh? It was obvious they were grouping people by their perceived rank. To prove it, Moyong Hi-ah, Tang Soyeol, and Namgung Bi-ah were all assigned to the first group.
But why am I in the second group?
I wasn’t angry about not being treated as a top noble clan member. It just felt strange. The Gu Clan wasn’t a clan to be looked down upon, not that the second group was lowly. But considering the Gu Clan’s current ranking in the Central Plains, the group number I was assigned felt a bit off.
“Hmm…”
Though, honestly, I didn’t care. I knew there were no real benefits to being in a different group, so it didn’t matter.
The one thing that worried me was that the other members of the Gu clan might throw a temper…
It doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen…
When I glanced at Gu Yeonseo, feeling a bit concerned, I saw her spacing out. By the look of it, the Sword Queen must have visited her last night, just as I’d requested. Seeing that, I breathed a sigh of relief.
It may not be perfect.
This method wasn’t about eliminating her Inner Demons so much as covering them with something else. If she couldn’t move forward on her own, the best solution for a swordsman was to give her a target to achieve or make her focus entirely on her sword—so she wouldn’t have room to think about anything else.
Of course, this approach could potentially cause someone to develop new Inner Demons if they chased after their sword without being truly capable. But for Gu Yeonseo, I felt this method wasn’t a bad fit.
Of course, if this doesn’t work…
I was prepared to use something else, but it seemed I wouldn’t have to. At least, not for now.
To begin with, is she even going to pass the exam?
I wasn’t worried about Gu Jeolyub; I’d made him work hard, and he was at a level where he’d pass as long as he didn’t act like an idiot and lower his guard. My worry was what I’d do if he failed instead.
I’d beat him to a pulp.
I’d worked so hard to train him. If he failed and embarrassed me in front of everyone, I’d give him a punishment to remember. A big one.
Flinch.
Gu Jeolyub flinched, as if feeling a chill from me, and subtly created some distance between us.
Noticing this, I asked, “What?”
“…Nothing. For some reason, I felt like you were going to hit me for a second there.”
“Tsk… You’re sharp.”
“Huh…?”
His look of shock was almost funny. Oh, but I wasn’t joking. I would genuinely break him if he failed.
As I killed time teasing Gu Jeolyub, I sensed another presence approaching me. Who could it be? There weren’t many people who would approach me willingly. Wondering who it was, I focused slightly…
Tsk.
I clicked my tongue the instant I guessed who it was. His aura felt unsettling.
Right, that bastard must have come, too.
It wasn’t strange; I’d come here knowing he would be around. Despite that…
“It’s been a while.”
It didn’t change the fact that I got pissed off every time I saw him, especially since his intention in approaching me was so obvious.
Seriously, why’s he getting closer? The guy was stubborn.
The bastard walked up and greeted me with a smile. The dark symbol on his white outfit was the same, and so was his damned handsome face. Seeing that his physique was better than the last time we’d met, it seemed he had been training hard.
“Have you been well?”
“Yes.”
I suppressed the killing intent rising to my throat. If I lost control here, things could get seriously messed up—not for me, but for the people around me. As much as I was on the verge of exploding, I had to restrain myself for the sake of my future plans.
To do that, I had to speak as politely as I possibly could. I spoke to the bastard named Jang Seonyeon, who stood smiling in front of me.
“Hey, you fucker.”
“…”
That was the best I could manage.
Blaze.
The Qi that was about to erupt from her shoulder scattered harmlessly. She had tried to release a Qi wave to cut him down, but her energy dissipated, unable to maintain its form.
Clack.
Her hand, gripping the hilt of her sword, felt frozen. It was because someone else was blocking it, preventing her from drawing the blade.
Wi Seol-Ah glared with cold eyes at the person stopping her.
“Sister, you are more aggressive than I thought.”
His voice was slow and heavy, yet paradoxically fast. The mysterious aura he emitted kept Wi Seol-Ah’s guard at its peak.
Noticing her tension, the young man continued. “Fair, you would be like that. Especially if you take after your mentor.”
“…”
“I’m not sure what you are trying to do, but it would be wise to hold back. If you do not wish to return home, that is.”
The young man delivered his warning with a smile.
How did he know?
As Jang Seonyeon had been walking towards him, Wi Seol-Ah had tried to draw her sword to prevent the approach. However…
When?
This young man had appeared beside her before she even realized it. She had concealed her killing intent to the point where no one should have noticed. For Wi Seol-Ah, swinging a sword without any detectable killing intent was easy. That this young man had detected it made him even more peculiar.
As Wi Seol-Ah continued to glare at him with a sharp gaze…
“You must be curious about who I am.”
The young man spoke to Wi Seol-Ah with a bright smile.
“Bi Eejin. I am Bi Eejin of the Bi Clan.”
Hearing his name, Wi Seol-Ah couldn’t help but be shocked.