The Dragon Tiger Pavilion

The scholar from the Bright Mirror Pavilion who had guided him stepped to a halt and pointed ahead.

"The structure you see there is the main hall of the Martial Training Hall. Someone will be waiting for you out front."

Without bothering to wait for Dokgo Jin's reply, the man turned on his heel and walked away. He, too, harbored an inward irritation toward Dokgo Jin's impassive demeanor.

Not that Dokgo Jin paid him any mind.

Unperturbed, he leisurely turned his steps down the narrow covered corridor leading toward the main hall.

The surroundings were strangely quiet.

Because Dokgo Jin's own footsteps made virtually no sound, the stillness felt all the more profound.

Then, in that very instant—

Fwhooosh!

There was neither warning nor killing intent. Only the crushing pressure of wind tearing through the air, bearing down upon his head like a collapsing boulder.

Against any ordinary master, the surprise strike would have pulped their skull before they could even perceive a presence.

Yet Dokgo Jin remained remarkably calm.

Without breaking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his stride, he tilted his upper body smoothly to the side—as naturally as a man stepping around a puddle during a casual stroll.

Boom!

A colossal Mountain-Shaking Saber slammed into the flagstones where Dokgo Jin had stood a breath before. The reinforced blue-stone ground split like soft curd beneath the edge, sending a plume of pulverized dust billowing into the air.

"Oho?"

A gruff, admiring exclamation rumbled through the dust cloud.

Resting the weighty saber across his broad shoulder, a bear of a man stepped into view. It was Son Dang, the Seventh Instructor overseeing training at the Martial Training Hall.

"And here I thought that was a flawless ambush. You actually dodged it?"

Son Dang effortlessly hoisted the embedded blade from the stone and raked his gaze over Dokgo Jin.

It had been far too savage an attack to brush off as a jest. Dokgo Jin, however, simply brushed a speck of dust from his sleeve, replying with cold indifference.

"A martial artist who cannot dodge a blunt swing devoid of killing intent has no right to call himself one."

In truth, Son Dang had not struck with intent to kill. Had Dokgo Jin failed to evade, the Mountain-Shaking Saber would have halted mere inches before his brow.

"Hahaha! Can't argue with that!" Son Dang roared with laughter, closing the distance between them.

Though he was a hulking brute radiating terrifying pressure, Dokgo Jin looked back at him without so much as blinking.

Son Dang's grin stretched wider.

"Got real guts, too. Now I understand why Unit Leader Yeom fought tooth and nail to shove you into the Iron Soul Unit. You're quite the piece of work."

"……."

"Pleasure. I'm Son Dang, Seventh Instructor of the Martial Training Hall."

"Dokgo Jin."

"Dokgo Jin, eh? A fine name."

Even upon hearing the surname Dokgo, he made no connection to the fallen Dokgo Clan.

In truth, that was the normal reaction. Very few people in this age still gave thought to the Dokgo Clan, which had vanished from the world so long ago.

"Follow me. There's a place already prepared for you."

With that, Son Dang took the lead.

After walking for some time, the view abruptly opened up, revealing an immense training field.

The heat radiating from the ground burned hotter than the summer sun.

"Hup! Hup!"

Hundreds of new recruits were lined up in rigid files, locked in deep horse stances. Nor were they merely standing there. Heavy boulders rested across their outstretched arms, and their thighs quivered violently, pushed to their absolute limits.

Drill instructors clad in inky martial robes paced the aisles between them, short bamboo batons in hand, barking sharp corrections.

"Your dantian has gone slack! Keep your focus!"

Thwack!

The baton struck the sagging waist of a warrior, prompting him to grit his teeth and snap back into position.

"Plant your feet as if rooted to the earth! Suspend your torso as if hanging from the heavens! Strip away the unruly habits from your wandering vagrant days! The martial arts of the Northern Heaven Alliance begin with refined breath control!"

It was an orderly yet suffocating trial of silence.

For martial artists accustomed to swinging their blades with reckless abandon, this rigid discipline proved far more agonizing than any flogging.

Dokgo Jin recognized the true worth of the regimen immediately.

'It looks crude, but it is remarkably efficient. As expected of the Northern Heaven Alliance.'

Noticing where Dokgo Jin's gaze lingered, Son Dang chuckled and offered an explanation.

"It's the foundation-building phase. Rebuilding their roots from scratch. The bladecraft recruited outsiders learn in the wild might be practical for survival, but their qi is riddled with impurities and bad habits. We strip it all down to a blank slate before imprinting our alliance's martial arts upon them."

Son Dang jerked his chin toward the trainees sweating rivers beneath the open sky.

"Anyone who enters our alliance must pass through that process without exception. They have to hold that horse stance for at least three months before they're granted the right to even touch a sword."

"Don't tell me you brought me here to put me through that."

"Hahaha! As if!" Son Dang bypassed the training field entirely, continuing forward. "Forcing the basics onto an expert past a certain threshold is an insult. The Northern Heaven Alliance respects the caliber of true warriors."

"……."

"Where you're going is the Dragon Tiger Pavilion. Not a place to polish fundamentals, but a proving ground to demonstrate your power."

A subtle gleam sparked in Dokgo Jin's eyes.

'The Dragon Tiger Pavilion.'

He was already familiar with the name through the intelligence Wi Geum-seong had supplied. The pavilion was known as an examination chamber designed to gauge the exact limits and tactical aptitude of recruited masters. Because the trials held within were kept strictly confidential, not even Wi Geum-seong's reports had contained specific details.

'It seems the Iron Soul Unit Leader evaluated me quite highly.'

Unless one was a formidable expert, they were not even granted the right to take the pavilion's trials. There had been entire years when the Dragon Tiger Pavilion's gates remained sealed without opening even once. That alone revealed how lofty the alliance's expectations of Dokgo Jin were.

'This might actually be worth looking forward to.'

Leaving behind the shouting and choking dust of the drill grounds, an eerie, cool stillness settled over the path, as if they had crossed into another realm.

At the end of a paved lane of finely chiseled blue-stone, cloaked in the heavy shadows of the woods, loomed a massive pavilion.

The Dragon Tiger Pavilion.

The calligraphy carved into the plaque hanging above the entrance surged with wild, untamed vigor, evoking a dragon taking flight and a tiger roaring at the heavens. This was no ordinary building. Its blackened pillars were thicker than the trunks of ancient trees, and the exterior walls were reinforced with thick plates of unyielding black iron rather than adorned with ornate painted lacquer.

The pavilion itself radiated an overwhelming, stifling aura.

Son Dang halted before the colossal iron gates at the entrance.

"They're already prepared to receive ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you, so all you have to do is step inside." Adjusting the Mountain-Shaking Saber on his shoulder, Son Dang added, "Whatever the outcome may be... I wish you martial fortune."

He turned to leave, then paused mid-step.

"Let me tell you just one thing: the Dragon Tiger Pavilion is not merely a gate designed to test you."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll understand once you experience it firsthand. You'd do well not to take it lightly."

"……."

Dokgo Jin brushed past him, walking straight toward the iron gates.

'Dokgo Jin... I'm deeply curious to see how they grade you in there, and what you will take away from it.'

Son Dang watched his retreating back for a brief moment before turning on his heel and heading back toward the Martial Training Hall without lingering.

Left alone, Dokgo Jin tilted his head up to study the Dragon Tiger Pavilion.

"……."

Up close, the aura emanating from the structure was extraordinary. A heavy pall of killing intent and battle spirit had seeped deep into the iron-plated walls over countless years.

'A gate where dragons and tigers are forged, is it?'

Dokgo Jin reached out and pushed against the heavy iron door.

Skrrreeeech!

The harrowing screech of ungreased metal grinding upon metal shattered the stillness.

Through the widening fissure spilled a chill draft, accompanied by an abyss of darkness deep enough to swallow light whole.

Dokgo Jin calmly stepped into the dark.

The instant he crossed the threshold, the massive iron gate slammed shut behind him of its own accord.

Boom!

The interior of the hall was steeped in pitch-black shadow.

Not a single sliver of light breached the total darkness. Yet Dokgo Jin showed no hint of panic, coming to a steady halt where he stood.

'Rather than killing intent... it is sheer pressure.'

Something immense and stifling held its breath within the gloom.

Fwhoosh!

Torches mounted along the chamber walls flared to life all at once.

As the crimson fire banished the shadows, the overwhelming presence occupying the center of the rectangular hall was finally laid bare.

"……!"

It looked less like a gathering of men than a towering rampart of solid steel.

Thirty warriors, encased from head to toe in black full-body armor and brandishing shields as tall as their own frames, stood arrayed in flawless formation. Motionless as carved stone statues, not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a single one stirred.

The moment Dokgo Jin laid eyes on them, the thirty armored figures slammed the bases of their shields into the flagstones in absolute unison.

Thud! Thud!

The entire hall trembled as though struck by an earthquake. It was no polite greeting; it was a blatant demonstration of force meant to break a challenger's spirit before battle even commenced.

From between their ranks, a hulking warrior strode forward. He wore black armor of the same design, yet adorned with subtly superior craftsmanship.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"How long has it been since someone entered the Dragon Tiger Pavilion...? Welcome to Gate One."

His deep, resonant voice reverberated through the hall.

"I am Ma Dong-il, Vice-Commander of the Black Armor Unit."

Dokgo Jin's eyes sharpened slightly.

'The Black Armor Unit.'

They were the heavy combat force belonging to the Black Tortoise Banner among the Five Banners of Northern Heaven, revered across the Central Plains as the Shield of Northern Heaven.

"You must be Dokgo Jin."

"I am."

At Dokgo Jin's nod, Ma Dong-il continued with an impassive countenance.

"The Dragon Tiger Pavilion consists of three gates, and we are the first. Depending on your capabilities, your trial may end right here, or you may experience all three."

"……."

"Gate One is simple. By whatever means necessary, breach our unit's formation and strike the brass bell hanging behind us."

Looking past the armored ranks, Dokgo Jin indeed spotted a brass bell roughly the size of a child's head suspended at the rear of the chamber.

"Let me warn you beforehand: do not overexert yourself. If you find the task impossible, you may yield at any time."

Dokgo Jin gave a slight shake of his head.

"That won't happen."

"I'll give you credit for confidence, at least."

Ma Dong-il slowly raised his right hand.

In perfect synchronization, the warriors of the Black Armor Unit adjusted their grips on their shields and sank into low, immovable stances. Through the narrow seams between the interlocking shields, gleaming spearheads thrust forth.

An impregnable pressure, reminiscent of an unbreachable iron fortress, washed over the chamber.

Ma Dong-il swung his raised hand down.

"Begin!"

Rumble!

With his roar, thirty shields surged forward simultaneously. It was no mere march. A suffocating momentum, like a mountain of iron grinding across the floor, bore down upon Dokgo Jin's entire body.

In an instant, the enclosed hall was overtaken by an advancing tide of steel.

Watching the wall of iron bear down upon him, a subtle smile touched the corners of Dokgo Jin's lips.

'Let us see what caliber you possess.'

Rather than retreating, he charged headlong into the Black Armor Unit.