Chapter 285: Entrance Exams (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 285: Entrance Exams (5)
Rustle—
Fragments of stone clattered across the ground, and the dust was carried away on the wind. The chill of winter swept through, banishing the last traces of lingering heat.
“What… just happened?”
The prolonged silence was finally broken by one of the young prodigies, and the surroundings instantly erupted into noise.
“How is that possible?! They said that pillar was mixed with Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Steel!”
“There’s a hole in it!”
Those who had passed the exam had only managed to leave faint marks on the pillar. To see someone reduce it to rubble warranted such a reaction.
Although the situation was advantageous for the person responsible.
Should I have held back?
No—I shouldn't have used heat in the first place.
I'd only wanted to leave a more prominent mark than the others, but completely destroying it was excessive.
I told you to hold back a little, you idiot.
Perhaps I’d needed to vent some stress, but I’d truly gone too far.
And besides…
“Heh…”
Why was she here right now?
Ever since we’d moved to the field for the exam, I’d spotted a familiar face among the instructors.
Is this what she meant when she said I’d find out tomorrow?
The woman doing a poor job of hiding her laughter was none other than the Plum Blossom Sword Saint.
I thought the Kunlun Sect was in charge of this year’s Heavenly Dragon Academy.
So why was she here?
Setting aside the fact that a Sword Queen was serving as an instructor…
Did the Leader of the Kunlun Sect really allow this?
Allowing a martial artist from another sect to assist was one thing, but having someone of her stature here was unexpected. News of the Plum Blossom Sword Saint becoming an instructor would attract even more attention than the Kunlun Sect Leader becoming Head of the Academy. At a time when honor and fame were paramount, it was strange that the Qinghai Sword had permitted it so easily.
There must be reasons…
But I couldn’t speculate further.
Anyway…
…They have more of this stone, right?
I stared at the remains of the pillar I’d just shattered.
They must have a spare. This was the great Kunlun Sect, after all.
But what if they didn’t?
Why even bother asking?
It would work out somehow.
As I rubbed my face, slowly resigning myself to the situation, the Sword Queen finally spoke, having barely contained her laughter.
“Gu Yangcheon of the second group, you pass.”
When her qi-enhanced voice announced my result…
“Gu Yangcheon…?”
Only then…
“The True Dragon, Gu Yangcheon?”
…did the others realize who I was.
Hmm. I was still not used to that damned title.
Meanwhile…
Crack.
I saw another person stealthily leave a mark on one of the remaining stone pillars. Despite striking it lightly, a crack still spread across the surface.
Amid the noise, the supervising instructor spoke up.
“Bi Eejin of the second group… you pass.”
After that, Bi Eejin glanced in my direction and smiled.
That guy.
It seemed he had taken advantage of the crowd’s distraction over my ‘test result’.
Damn, he’s cunning.
…I’d been planning to do the same.
He beat me to it.
I hadn’t expected us to have the same idea.
Well, it makes sense. The Dishonored Venerable wouldn’t want to draw attention here.
What was to be gained by standing out in a playground full of children who’d only just begun their training?
And yet, knowing that, here I am, doing exactly that.
I was in the same boat as him.
That was why I needed to keep a tighter leash on my anger. My failure to control my emotions had landed me in this mess.
I turned away from the rubble on the ground.
As I walked through the bustling crowd, a thought crossed my mind.
This exam was far from over.
…Since things have turned out this way…
I might as well show off as much as possible, now that I had everyone’s attention.
* * *
* * *
-I heard this from the Celestial Plum Blossom.
When the Sword Queen had met with the Qinghai Sword, his gaze had been less than welcoming.
Given the circumstances, it was inevitable.
This meeting wouldn’t have happened without the Head of Mount Hua’s intervention.
-You wish to come to the Heavenly Dragon Academy next month… as an instructor.
-That’s correct.
-Might I ask why?
The Qinghai Sword’s cold gaze pierced through her. It was the sharp look of someone who had honed their sword their entire life.
But the Sword Queen wasn’t shaken; she had expected as much.
-And please don’t claim it’s for the sake of training the young prodigies.
-Isn’t that reason enough?
-If you wish me to believe that, you know as well as I do that the world no longer works that way.
-…
He was right.
Such things had become unheard of ever since the Abyss had appeared.
And the Sword Queen knew that better than anyone.
-It seems you want something.
-Yes.
Since she had business at the Heavenly Dragon Academy, she decided to answer honestly.
The Qinghai Sword stared at her for a long moment before speaking.
-Since the Celestial Plum Blossom made the request, and I told him to proceed as he saw fit, I will not refuse you.
-Thank y—
-However, that is conditional on you hearing my request.
Swoosh.
A cool breeze instantly filled the room.
The Sword Queen tensed as she felt it—a wind that could turn sharp at its master’s whim.
-Sword Queen, you have two choices.
-…I’m listening.
-One: tell me your reason, and agree to a small request of mine.
He wanted to know why she wanted to become an instructor, and he had a minor favor to ask.
The Sword Queen listened carefully.
-I would like to hear the second option.
She asked for the other choice.
Even though he had said he would accept her request if she revealed her reason, she chose the second option without hesitation.
As expected…
-The second…
The Qinghai Sword replied,
-…is for you to do a significant favor for me, without telling me your reason.
-I choose the second option.
The Qinghai Sword seemed surprised she had decided so quickly.
-It must be a reason you truly cannot speak of.
-…I merely chose the option that did not require me to.
-Hmm… Do you even know what I might ask of you?
-I will accept, no matter what.
Hearing her firm reply, the Qinghai Sword rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought. Perhaps he found it difficult to make such a request.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
-…There is a red gate in Qinghai.
The Sword Queen was profoundly shocked by his words.
The Red Gate of Demons.
By accepting his request, she had secured her position as an instructor, but his words from that day still lingered in her mind.
…The Red Gate of Demons has appeared, and it will open soon.
It was predicted to open around the autumn of next year.
But something else troubled her.
If what the Qinghai Sword said was true, the greater issue lay elsewhere.
The biggest problem was that a Red Gate of Demons had not appeared for a very long time.
If that’s true…
Why had the Qinghai Sword informed her, and not the Murim Alliance?
Moreover…
He took the position of Head of the Academy at a time like this?
If this was happening within the Kunlun Sect, there was no way the role of Academy Head could be more important than a Red Gate of Demons.
Unlike green or blue demons, which could be handled by well-trained martial artists, red demons were an entirely different matter, according to history.
The Sword Queen couldn’t understand why the Qinghai Sword would leave his sect in a time of peril and come to the Heavenly Dragon Academy merely for fame and honor.
What is his real reason?
It seemed she wasn’t the only one with an ulterior motive for being here.
Otherwise, he would never have come, knowing the danger his sect faced.
Yet, despite her misgivings, the Sword Queen had accepted his request.
He had asked for her assistance when the Red Gate of Demons finally opened—a thing she would never normally consider, even for another sect’s problems.
For now, it’s better to focus on the task at hand.
The Sword Queen returned her thoughts to her original purpose.
I need to find it quickly.
The Plum Blossom Gem—an artifact even the Celestial Plum Blossom didn’t know about—was hidden somewhere in the Academy.
If not for him, she wouldn’t have known either. But now that she did, she had to find it, for all that was yet to come.
“…Seon Eeseok of the second group. You pass.”
By the time the last successful applicant from the second group was announced, the sun had begun to set. Since the exam had to conclude today, it looked like she would be here until midnight.
Once the first stage was over, all the instructors gathered to review the day’s events.
Many talented individuals from the Murim Alliance and the Kunlun Sect, each bearing their own titles, were present, but all eyes were on the Sword Queen. After all, it was unusual to have someone of her stature in their midst.
Ignoring the stares, she continued with her work.
“…It’s already been half a day.”
“I’m surprised this many candidates remain.”
“Indeed. This year’s applicants seem different from previous ones.”
“For hundreds to still be in the running…”
With only a fixed number of admissions available, the instructors faced a difficult task.
As they compiled their observations, one of them spoke up.
“From what we’ve seen so far, there are about ten, correct?”
Most nodded in agreement. They were all thinking of the same ten individuals.
“…It seems their rankings are already decided.”
At those words, everyone’s gaze turned in one direction—toward the stone pillar brought from the Kunlun Sect.
Those who had witnessed it could still vividly recall the scene: the moment a young man, not even twenty, had shattered the pillar with a single strike.
Simultaneously…
-Could I have done that?
…they wondered if they themselves could have managed the same.
And more than that…
True Dragon.
The young man’s title etched itself into their minds.
The Sword Queen watched the instructors with a thoughtful look.
He was indeed a bit reckless.
Still, she was satisfied with his performance.
While she had her own reasons for coming to the Academy, Gu Yangcheon was one of them. When her disciple had mentioned her brother would be attending the Heavenly Dragon Academy, she’d been curious about his progress.
Her thoughts returned to the fierce young man.
If there is to be a Zenith in the next generation, it will be that boy.
The weight of those words was so great she wouldn’t normally dare think them—setting aside even the current Three Heavenly Venerables and all other Meteors of this generation.
But the Sword Queen was certain.
So long as he continued to grow and reached his prime, Gu Yangcheon would become the next generation’s Zenith.
He had the talent and the disposition.
At least, that was her feeling.
As she folded a letter and tucked it into her pocket…
“Were there any noteworthy candidates in the first group?” an instructor from the second group asked the first group’s instructor.
“Noteworthy? There were plenty…”
But he hesitated.
The first group was stacked: the Tang Clan’s Poison Phoenix, the Moyong Clan’s Snow Phoenix, the Peng Clan’s daughter, the Sword Dancer from the Namgung Clan. Daughters of the Four Noble Clans, scions of the Hwangbo Clan, even the son of the Alliance Leader had been present.
Strangely, the Lightning Dragon had chosen not to attend due to clan business.
It seemed the future pillars would all come from the first group, yet amusingly, no one had come close to what Gu Yangcheon had done.
There were memorable moments: the famously beautiful but sleepy Sword Dancer, wearing a face veil, had left a cross-shaped mark on a pillar, and the Meteor Sword had left a deep gash.
And then…
“Is it true? The Sword Emperor’s disciple showed up?”
The first disciple of a Heavenly Venerable had made an appearance.
“…Yes.” The Sword Emperor’s disciple.
She had become the talk of the instructors after demonstrating her swordplay. Her elegant aura and movements clearly bore the hallmarks of the Moonlight Dance, created by the Sword Emperor.
If the True Dragon hadn’t shattered the pillar, everyone would have been discussing her instead.
Jo Wiseok, the first group’s instructor, reflected quietly.
I was a fool to think the Meteor Sword would take the top spot.
Feeling embarrassed for judging too soon, he also had to conceal his shock at what the first group’s prodigies had displayed.
The Sword Dancer had left a sword mark and vanished, though it hadn’t seemed easy for her. The mark was vivid despite her listless swing. If she had been serious…
The Snow Phoenix had been slightly disappointing, but the Poison Phoenix had exceeded the rumors.
Compared to his generation, these young prodigies were on another level entirely.
And the Sword Emperor’s disciple…
A single strike.
She had arrived last and made her presence known by cleanly slicing the pillar in two. The neat cut showed the perfection of her technique.
When she revealed her moonlight aura, everyone knew it was the Sword Emperor’s martial art.
Jo Wiseok truly felt this Meteor Generation was full of monsters.
Because of that, it was hard to believe this year’s batch would be ordinary.
It’s so strange…
It felt surreal, witnessing so many rising stars burning so brightly.
* * *
* * *
Gu Yangcheon frowned deeply as the second stage of the exam began.
The long wait had already tried his patience, but when he heard the details of this round, he was speechless.
Yet it wasn’t the exam itself that left him tongue-tied…
“It’s nice to see you.”
“First off…”
Gu Yangcheon responded bluntly to the gentle voice.
It was understandable. While the others were assigned weaker-looking opponents, his was different.
“…Was this really random?”
“Of course.”
The woman replied with a bright smile, but Gu Yangcheon didn’t believe her for a second.
Rustle.
A single flower petal drifted to the ground, and the sweet scent of plum blossoms began to spread.
Yet,
Shing—
Despite the serene atmosphere, the qi emanating from her sword was downright murderous.
Whether she understood his plight or not, the woman whispered softly,
“Let us enjoy ourselves.”
Gu Yangcheon spoke tonelessly as he watched her smile.
“This isn’t right… seriously.”
The person now taking a stance with her sword before him…
…Why is everyone out to get me?
…was the Plum Blossom Sword Saint herself.