Entrance Exam (2)
“Heh heh, it might be a bit tricky. But if you come back asking for a refund or for me to teach you the technique, I’ll be in a bind. That’s not in our agreement, right?”
Well, damn. I thought this Fighting Cock Fist Guest was a decent guy, but people only look out for themselves, after all. Still, with his whole backstory about his sick daughter, what can you do?
“Yes, I understand. Off you go, then.”
I said that, carefully tucked away the copied manuscript, and headed back to my lodging.
It had taken a lot of time to track down the Fighting Cock Fist Guest and get my hands on this unique fist technique, so I only had two days left.
I’ll master the Fighting Cock True Fist to the best of my ability in these two days!
The Fighting Cock Fist Guest had called it tricky, but that wasn’t a lie. More precisely, it was easy for someone who knew martial arts, but for a total amateur like me, it was naturally going to be tough.
That said, I had two reasons to be confident.
Divine Transformation Heart Method!
The first was undoubtedly the Divine Transformation Heart Method. As I’d mentioned countless times before, it paired seamlessly with any martial art without causing rejection or side effects.
On the contrary, it helps you learn the technique faster and even boosts its power in some aspects—practically an upgrade from the original.
So, a copied manuscript didn’t matter. I was bound to take a different path from the original anyway.
Great Power Iron Hardening Skill!
The second reason was, of course, the Great Power Iron Hardening Skill, the ultimate external art that I possessed.
I’d specifically sought out a fist and foot technique from the start because the protagonist, Cheon Myeong, was fated to become the Fist King—and because this Great Power Iron Hardening Skill was the perfect cheat for bare-handed combat.
What would happen if I combined the excellent first-rate fist art, Fighting Cock True Fist, with the body reinforcement and superior defense unique to the Great Power Iron Hardening Skill?
“The blue would surpass the indigo, making it far superior to the original technique.”
Fighting Cock Fist Guest, don’t envy or resent me for it. As you said, that’s not in our agreement. Right?
Whoosh!
I calmly swung my fist and threw myself into training with renewed vigor.
* * *
Time flew by like an arrow, and the day of the entrance exam finally arrived.
“This should do it.”
I stopped my intense two-day training session and stood up.
It had been a short time, but I’d given it my all. I had the strongest internal and external arts ready, protagonist correction on my side, and Cheon Myeong’s innate perseverance and talent to boot.
Plus, the Fighting Cock True Fist meshed perfectly with Cheon Myeong’s disposition.
Choosing the Fighting Cock True Fist had been an excellent decision. Even if the technique itself was only first-rate, it synergized so well with the warrior wielding it—me, Cheon Myeong—that it surpassed most super first-rate arts.
“The servant Cheon Myeong is gone now.”
I’d gotten up early at dawn to prepare and slipped into the heated bath.
My previous appearance had been ragged enough for the pawnshop’s low-level warriors to look down on me, and my clothes were nothing to write home about. No wonder even this handsome face of Cheon Myeong’s had seemed half-dead—anyone would’ve pegged me for a lowly servant.
Shwaaa!
I entered the wooden tub filled with hot water and thoroughly cleansed myself. This wasn’t just washing up; it was a ritual to send off the old Cheon Myeong, who’d limped along in misery.
I’m taking a path completely different from the original story.
True to my Korean roots, I scrubbed away the grime and adopted a fresh mindset.
The original Cheon Myeong, like a classic wuxia protagonist, valued justice, righteousness, and chivalry above all.
I respected that, but from now on, I’d prioritize myself. My interests would come first, no exceptions.
“Feels refreshing.”
After finishing my bath, I returned to my lodging and donned the clean white uniform I’d prepared in advance. I tied a sash around my waist, straightened my appearance, and gazed toward the capital.
“Whoa, oh wow!”
I wasn’t one to gawk at my own looks, but the freshly washed Cheon Myeong staring back was like a commanding beauty straight out of legend. I couldn’t help but marvel.
Well, he is the protagonist—he’s gotta look the part.
They say clothes make the man. Cleaned up and properly dressed, no one would dare mistake me for a servant now. Hell, I looked like a pampered young master from a wealthy family.
“Wh-who are you, sir?”
The inn’s errand boy, who’d seen me for days, gaped up at me like I was a stranger.
Who else? The protagonist of this world.
“You’ve taken good care of me.”
Ting!
I flicked a silver coin as a tip to the boy and headed out to Cheonmu Academy.
As I arrived, I saw promising young talents from across the Central Plains gathered there— the next generation of martial artists.
Of course, none of them were the real deal.
What I mean is, there were no true elites like Heavenly Dragon Sovereign Sword Baek Muhon or members of the Three Dragons and Four Phoenixes, the super first-rate juniors classified as such from childhood.
The real prodigies don’t get sent to Cheonmu Academy; they go straight to the Cheonmu Assembly.
That was the safer, more efficient way to nurture a clan’s precious talents.
Baek Muhon didn’t even attend the Cheonmu Assembly. Why? Because he arrogantly declared, “The world already knows who’s the best—no need to compete with kids,” and laughed it off with haughty disdain. He didn’t even consider himself on the same level as other juniors.
Just you wait. I’ll smash that arrogant nose of yours.
To do that, I first needed to make my mark at Cheonmu Academy.
“All participants for the Cheonmu Academy entrance exam, form lines by fives and tens and stand by!”
With so many people in one place, the academy’s servants and low-level staff buzzed about busily.
That’s when I spotted a familiar face by chance.
“Gasp! Ch-Cheon Myeong?”
“What are you doing there?”
“This is where the exam participants are!”
The servants still thought I was one of them and tried to pull me aside, telling me to know my place. I just smiled and replied.
“Didn’t the manager tell you?”
That I wasn’t a servant anymore—I was an official participant.
“Uh, uh?”
They stared up at me in shock, my transformed appearance throwing them off. Up close, they could see my clothes and looks were completely different.
“Hebei Province line is that way, right? See you.”
I had no interest in chatting with servants anymore. Unlike the original story, I’d kept my legs intact and even entered the Cheonmu Academy exam that protagonist Cheon Myeong had dreamed of. I was satisfied.
“All participants, gather up. We’ll now announce the first trial of the entrance exam.”
With the exam’s start, Dan Ri-cheong—vice head of Cheonmu Academy and warrior of the Dan Ri Clan, the Soft Wind Silver Sword—let out a lion’s roar.
This Dan Ri-cheong had a clear, dignified look that hid an eccentric temperament. Put nicely, he was quirky; put harshly, a grumpy old man.
“The first trial is to kill each other right now! …Just kidding!”
Even a kind, handsome guy like him pulls that stuff.
“These days, the cadets under me all lack backbone. Back in my day, it wasn’t like that. I don’t know what’s become of the martial world.”
With utterly boomer-level grumbling, Dan Ri-cheong announced a trial no one saw coming.
“So, the type of talent Cheonmu Academy seeks this time is someone with a fighting spirit, a heart for struggle. Thus, the first trial is… bare-handed combat, no internal energy allowed!”
Oooooh!
Gasps erupted everywhere as soon as he finished.
Most had expected one-on-one sparring, internal energy clashes, or form demonstrations, so bare-handed fighting without qi was a surprise.
I’d forgotten about this part too, so it caught me off guard. From the protagonist’s perspective in the original, Cheon Myeong had been bedridden with his leg injury, unable even to watch the exam.
“Fight bare-handed without internal energy?”
“That’s ridiculous. We’re not black faction brawlers.”
“That’s a bit…”
Reactions among participants were split. Most were shocked and questioning the test, while
“Sounds fun.”
“If Cheonmu Academy says strip, we strip.”
“Actually works in our favor?”
the adaptable elites and those with huge advantages in bare-handed fights welcomed it.
“The first test is simple. Climb onto this training ground and score one win in bare-handed combat! Who will be the first to pass?”
No sooner had the amused Dan Ri-cheong shouted than someone eager for the bare-handed trial leaped up.
Whoosh!
He was over eight feet tall, with a build twice as wide as mine sideways. His fists were like pot lids, and his innate frame exuded overwhelming pressure—a massive youth.
“I am Huang Bo Taeung, junior of the Huangbo Clan, wielder of the Giant Force Fist. Who dares face me?”
Incredibly, he was Huang Bo Taeung of the famed Huangbo Clan, renowned for his massive size and ferocious fist and foot techniques.
I remember. In the original, he shone in this exam, passed, and was hailed as the next Fist King of the world, right?
There was good reason Huang Bo Taeung welcomed bare-handed combat as the first trial. With his natural physique and powerful fist arts, he was the one even Baek Muhon feared in qi-less hand-to-hand.
“……”
As expected, when Huang Bo Taeung took the center of the training ground and awaited challengers, everyone averted their eyes or pretended not to hear.
“Ugh, how do you beat a guy stronger than a bear?”
“Yeah, impossible without internal energy.”
“It’s basically made for the Huangbo Clan, isn’t it?”
After half a gak passed with no challengers, Huang Bo Taeung finally grinned in satisfaction.
He raised his iron-pillar arm high and asked Dan Ri-cheong,
“Vice Head, what happens if no one challenges like this?”
I chuckled at that.
Body of a bear, brain of a fox, huh?
He knew the answer but asked anyway to solidify his position and victory.
The punk wasn’t living up to his size.
“A walkover win, naturally.”
At the quirky Dan Ri-cheong’s reply, Huang Bo Taeung shrugged triumphantly, savoring his assured victory.
“Truly no one? Among all these entrance exam participants, no real men?”
As Huang Bo Taeung’s boasting peaked and his nose aimed for the sky,
Swish!
I shot my hand up high.
I’d planned to skip the first round, but no can do.
It was time for me to step up.
I admit Huang Bo Taeung is unmatched in bare-handed combat.
But what about this? I’ve got the Great Power Iron Hardening Skill, my pride and joy for qi-less supremacy.
No matter his natural monstrous strength, it couldn’t pierce the Great Power Iron Hardening Skill.
In other words, to Huang Bo Taeung, I—Cheon Myeong—was his natural predator.
“I’ll take you on.”