Chapter 161
Chapter 161
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: If You Want to Force Your Will Through
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Yi Cheolsan unwound his disguise in the solitary room.
"Has my roommate not arrived yet? I hope it's someone decent."
After enduring misfortune throughout the journey, he felt weary in every way.
But if the person he had to share a room with during the entire exam period was just as drained, it would undoubtedly cause headaches in many respects.
He would have to live with constant tension, unable to rest properly.
The supervisor had said that roommates were assigned considering each martial artist's temperament and specialties.
So, as he hoped for someone compatible, the door swung wide open.
Who could it be? Yi Cheolsan's face, filled with anticipation, hardened instantly.
"Well now. I was prepared for a tough matchup, but this is beyond anything I imagined."
The one who had opened the door let out a hollow laugh before smirking coldly.
It was Gong Sonbeom.
* * *
"Sister, have you checked your roommate?"
"Yes."
"May I ask who it is?"
"The Cold Moon Dancer."
"That's Mae Jinsan! The worst of the Hori Group!"
"...Exactly. That's why I rushed out of the room. Have you checked yours?"
"I checked mine and yours too. But do you know who they are? Jeok Sobin and Seomun So, those sly foxes!"
Yu Sumin jumped up at the spot where she reunited with Dang Gyujin. She insisted this couldn't possibly be happening.
Even Sima Seonui, who rarely showed emotions, nodded in agreement beside her.
The dormitory assignments reeked of blatant malice.
"Yours is a renowned bandit who made the wanted list, so you should watch your words—"
"What's there to watch out for? This is the secular world, and in the secular world, we follow its laws!"
Yu Sumin, who had suffered from the Hori Group's petty schemes before, could not tolerate this situation at all.
「As expected, the Tang Clan has lived up to its name this time as well.」
「Even if they pair us like this, all it will lead to is fighting. Lord Dark couldn't possibly be unaware of that. I can't fathom what he's thinking.」
I shared the same sentiment.
For the newly formed Stormwind Corps, the most crucial element was camaraderie among the members, yet this was fanning the flames against it.
"Instead of sitting here, maybe we should protest and demand a room change... Young Master Tang, who is your roommate?"
Then, all three sets of eyes turned to me. Dang Yeowon was currently with Lord Dark in the inner courtyard.
I scratched my cheek awkwardly.
Compared to the three of them, I had it easy.
"It was Hong Ryeo."
"The monk from Thunder Sound Temple?"
"Yes."
"Better than us, but not exactly comfortable for you either, Young Master Tang."
I nodded.
I actually maintained a decent rapport with Hong Ryeo.
We had helped him a lot since his Central Plains speech was still awkward.
The problem was that Hong Ryeo had built considerable familiarity with Gong Sonbeom in the meantime.
So when the Anti-Villain Group and Hori Group clashed, our relationship with him had grown strained.
I hadn't spoken much with him over the ten days of confinement, so when we briefly talked at dawn yesterday, it felt like some distance had formed.
「But rapport can be rebuilt. Isn't there a bigger issue at hand?」
'Right. The biggest problem is the Great Nirvana Dharma King Art that Hong Ryeo practices.'
Hong Ryeo hailed from Thunder Sound Temple, specifically the Great Thunder Sound Temple, classified as a Hinayana lineage.
Unlike the Mahayana schools that formed the backbone of Central Plains Buddhism, its nature was vastly different, but his Dharma power was still diametrically opposed to Heavenly Demon Qi.
Thus, every time Hong Ryeo circulated his internal energy, my Heavenly Demon Heart Technique suffered subtle interference, whether intended or not.
Of course, it wasn't strong enough to disrupt my cultivation.
If it were, my identity would have been exposed long ago.
But even the slightest influence couldn't be ignored entirely.
It could destabilize my upper dantian, especially with unresolved spirits lingering around me.
Lord Dark probably assigned Hong Ryeo to my room solely based on my curse poison cultivation.
It was likely a nudge to find a way to counter Dharma power. That way, I could achieve even greater progress.
The same applied to the roommates assigned to the Cheoksa Temple members.
To Dang Gyujin, who wielded sharp Daoist swordsmanship, they gave Mae Jinsan, skilled in defensive arts.
To Yu Sumin, whose swordplay was too formulaic and predictable, they assigned Jeok Sobin from a military background.
To Sima Seonui, who had recently attained great enlightenment and was pioneering a new realm, they paired Seomun So, a martial scholar.
Everyone was matched with their natural counters.
Conversely, Dang Gyujin, Yu Sumin, and Sima Seonui were counters to them as well.
This meant the room assignments weren't simply due to faction differences.
'The exam has already begun. Use your counter to patch your weaknesses, or eliminate them preemptively for safety.'
The Cheoksa Temple members vaguely understood this too.
But they couldn't call it favorable because their roommates were all from the Hori Group.
The animosity was so extreme that any midnight sabotage wouldn't seem out of place.
"What about this matchup then?"
All eyes turned to Yi Cheolsan, who had remained silently quiet until now.
Yi Cheolsan smiled bitterly as he replied.
"Young Master Gong."
"Ah!"
"No way—"
"I-Is that even allowed? Pairing a grand hero with lowly Hori scum? That's downright malicious!"
I could guess why Gong Sonbeom was assigned to Yi Cheolsan.
Yi Cheolsan's swordsmanship was flawless. It had no weaknesses.
That's why they paired him with Gong Sonbeom, whose lightness skill was equally perfect.
It was a directive to absorb Gong Sonbeom's strengths and become even more complete.
Or to demonstrate the magnanimity to embrace even the protruding nail that was Gong Sonbeom.
They were already grooming him as the leader of the new Stormwind Corps.
But Yu Sumin, unaware of this, shot to her feet and urged everyone.
We couldn't just sit here—we had to protest.
"Don't you know the Tang Clan's temperament yet? Protests won't get through to them at all."
"But we can't just sit idly by!"
Even as I tried to stop her, Yu Sumin's eyes blazed with fury.
For reference, the nuns of Mount Ami were all famously bull-headed.
In this harsh martial world, forming a sect with women alone naturally forged such a sect style.
Yu Sumin was no different. Once something got under her skin, she charged ahead recklessly.
In the end, Yi Cheolsan, I, and the Cheoksa Temple members were dragged along by her to the supervisor's location.
It was already packed with others who shared her mindset.
"Tell us the criteria for these dormitory assignments!"
"Yeah! I can't share a room with that guy for even a day!!"
"Why are you speaking for me? Change our rooms! If not, I'll book one in Chengdu and commute—"
Thud!
The supervisor stomped his foot with a icy expression.
"Quiet!"
His burst of energy crushed the protesters' momentum.
"The assignments are final. No private room changes will be permitted, and booking external rooms will result in immediate expulsion upon discovery. If you don't like our decisions, leave."
"!"
"!"
"!"
"This handling is also part of your evaluation, so bear it in mind! Your roommate, sharing the same room, could one day be the comrade you entrust your life to. Whether you clash, reconcile, or duel to the death with them, we will not interfere."
"……."
"……."
"……."
"But you must resolve it somehow. Don't forget that what you're experiencing now is part of the enlistment exam. The first test could begin unnoticed at any moment. Dismissed!"
If you hate the temple, leave the monk.
The supervisor had essentially roared that.
In the end, the protesters slunk back empty-handed.
I shook my head.
"See? I told you we'd only hear harsh words."
"...This will just breed more resentment instead of reconciliation."
Yi Cheolsan patted the back of Yu Sumin, who sighed deeply as if the earth were caving in.
"Didn't the supervisor say it? Find a way to deal with it. Instead of complaining, let's discuss what we can do."
Back at our spot with Yi Cheolsan, we debated countermeasures for a long while.
Various ideas flew back and forth.
What about a truce negotiation? Or sounding out friendly warriors in the Hori Group?
But none offered a clear solution.
"Why not just snatch all the Hori Group plaques and make them fail?"
Surprisingly, the most radical suggestion came from Sima Seonui.
Yi Cheolsan rejected it outright.
"That's even worse. If a bigger conflict erupts here, it'll lead to irreparable internal strife. Don't forget that most in the dorms aren't from the Anti-Villain Group or Hori Group."
Even though the procession from the Nine Dragons Branch Family was the largest, with people gathered from across Sichuan's martial world, far more were unaffiliated with factions.
If the Anti-Villain Group launched a preemptive strike here?
Without justification?
How would the others perceive it?
"We are disciples of so-called prestigious sects and noble houses. We must be especially cautious in our conduct. Losing the moral high ground is as good as losing everything. We can't become back-alley black path thugs or savage demonic rabble, can we?"
「This fox-mouthed bastard starts off well then suddenly drags us down!?」
「No matter how much the Divine Cult is a world of the strong, it's still a religion—lose the people's hearts, and it's over!!」
「Can't we just smash that fox mouth once, Young Cult Leader? Or at least pluck the hair on his crown!!」
Yi Cheolsan's earnest advice continued.
"Even if they're unpalatable, they are future comrades in the new Stormwind Corps. As the supervisor said, people we must entrust our backs to—treating them as enemies now because we dislike them will breed lasting grudges even after the unit forms. That leads only to ruin."
"……."
"……."
"……."
I listened indifferently, but from their perspective, it was stuffy yet irrefutable common sense.
They were from the orthodox sects.
Orthodox sects where justification and negotiation mattered most.
So Yu Sumin pouted unhappily but couldn't retort.
Dang Gyujin silently nodded, and Sima Seonui offered no reply.
But there was one fact they didn't know.
I wasn't from an orthodox sect.
"Brother Yi is too frustrating."
I was the young master of the place they called the Demonic Cult.
Yi Cheolsan and the three women's gazes turned to me.
Yi Cheolsan's eyes darkened.
"What do you mean, Young Master Dang?"
"I'm saying, how do you live nitpicking every little thing like that?"
It was blatantly twisted phrasing.
Yi Cheolsan furrowed his brow.
"Young Master Dang."
"Isn't this board set up for open combat? Why leave it be? Convince them? How long will that take?"
I had no time to play the nice guy like Yi Cheolsan, nor the temperament for it.
Above all, I needed to crush Gong Sonbeom's neck.
The Stormwind Corps was mine.
I couldn't tolerate a Ghost Sect lackey prancing around in my front yard any longer.
Especially with possible info on my master.
So I wanted the fast, efficient path.
Conversely, Yi Cheolsan sought the slow, circuitous but righteous path.
Perhaps this was our greatest difference.
I pursued the Path of Domination.
Yi Cheolsan, the Path of Kingship.
For now, we were lumped together under childish names like Anti-Villain Group, but from the start, our paths diverged.
Yi Cheolsan's face stiffened.
"They aren't villains. We can't suppress opposition with force alone. And I'm not just talking about the Hori Group."
"……."
"After dealing with the Hori Group? Will you subjugate unaffiliated ordinary warriors the same way? Just because they won't listen?"
"Yes, of course not. But Brother Yi, you're mistaken about one thing."
"What?"
I stared steadily into Yi Cheolsan's eyes and said.
"This is the Tang Clan."
"!!"
"And before that, the martial world."
I smiled coldly.
"Want to force your will through? Then prove it with martial prowess."
"!!!"
"Twisted knots must be severed with a single stroke. Why go around in circles?"
My fangs bared for the first time in a while.
"So why not just beat them all down while we're at it?"