Chapter 32
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Selection Hall Dreams Are Scarier Than Ghost Dreams
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The brawl among the Third-Generation Disciples, ostensibly to establish pecking order, had come to a temporary halt due to adult intervention.
It was confirmed that the Outer Disciples had picked a fight with Biyeon first and even thrown the initial punch, so the fight was ruled as an act of insubordination against superiors. Thanks to that, we didn't get scolded or anything.
"Well, it happens every intake like clockwork."
"As long as we won."
Even the Second-Generation Disciples who had walked the same path before praised us for doing well.
What a life—beating people up and getting compliments for it.
"Found out who started the rumor?"
"Yes, sir! Got the exact source!"
When I asked while lounging on the training ground with my arms behind my head, Bihwan's twin younger brother nodded vigorously.
Then he shoved the guy he'd brought forward.
From the look on his face, he was one of the guys from that brawl.
Whether he'd gotten beaten by me or seen me send the others flying, he was terrified and shrinking back. I crooked a finger at him.
He shuffled over hesitantly, and I sat up to ask,
"Was that bullshit your invention?"
"No! I just heard it from someone else!"
"Funny, everyone says it started with you. So who told you?"
When Biyeon looked up at him at that gangster angle she'd called it, the guy flinched and started spilling the truth.
The more I heard, the clearer my suspicions became, and my face hardened.
This wasn't something I could handle on my own.
'What a petty, stingy, dirty, lowlife bastard.'
Recalling the faint memory of the trash talk aimed at me and the finger I'd broken, I piled on every negative adjective I could think of in my mind.
"Um... so, can I go now...?"
I waved him off as he cautiously asked while I ground my teeth.
"Yeah. And watch your mouth from now on. Don't go spouting bullshit everywhere."
"Use proper words, kind words. What are you, some street thug? You're supposed to be a Righteous Faction Taoist."
Uijin, who oversaw training for the Plum character batch and had snuck up without me noticing, smacked me on the head.
Ow, ow. I rubbed my throbbing crown and yelled out in rising indignation.
"It is bullshit! He went around saying one of us was a backdoor admission!"
I'm innocent!
If it were just between Third-Generation Disciples, fine, but with a Second-Generation involved, I couldn't handle it myself.
In cases like this, toss it to the adults!
* * *
"Master, I think there's a Second-Generation Disciple who hates me."
Uihyeon stopped what he was doing and looked at me with worried eyes.
"What happened?"
"Yeah... In this world, someone still holding a grudge from three years ago is spreading nonsense about irregularities in my Mount Hua admission, trying to paint me as a backdoor admittee. It hurts my heart."
I drooped my eyebrows and the corners of my eyes, putting on the most pitiful expression. Uihyeon stroked my head affectionately and smiled reassuringly, telling me to leave it to his master.
And a few dozen minutes later.
I watched with gleeful satisfaction as the guy was dragged in by the collar by Uiseong.
"Junior Brother Seungseo, come see me for a bit?"
The guy's face went pale white at Uihyeon's chilling smile.
The ringleader from back then, who had insulted me, gotten his finger broken, and been locked in the repentance chamber.
Looks like this time he wanted to isolate me from behind the scenes, but against this top admission rank Biyeon? No chance.
If we're going full cliché moron villain route, I hope he tries screwing me over by colluding with some Evil Faction goons, gets caught, and gets kicked out of Mount Hua. Heh.
* * *
"Run faster! Go!"
Huff, huff. I panted raggedly as I endlessly circled the Selection Hall training ground.
Uijin's whip-crack voice pierced my ears.
Just before vomit rose in my throat, Uijin finally yelled 'Stop!' and hauled me up as I lay gasping.
"Now we go down here."
Following his pointing finger downward, a sheer, smooth rock cliff stretched out at my feet.
No matter how I looked at it, it screamed suicide inducement. Even with lightness skill, I'd die falling.
"This can't be right! Nooo!"
I shot up with a scream-like shout. My body was soaked in cold sweat.
Peeking outside the door, the sun was just rising; the sky was dark blue.
Thank goodness, it was a dream. Thought I was a goner.
At my yell, the junior sisters sharing the room stirred awake, rubbing their eyes and sitting up groggily.
Biseon, right next to my left, asked without even opening her eyes.
"What happened, senior brother?"
"Selection Hall... Selection Hall dream..."
At my stammering reply, groans mixed with irritation and fear rose from here and there.
"Ugh, worst nightmare ever."
"Uwaaah... I finally erased it from my memory!"
Even two years after the Selection Exam ended, we still had Selection Hall nightmares sometimes.
The Uijin and Doseon in the dreams were five times more vicious, the training ten times harder, and the tests twenty times tougher.
"What's with all the noise? Giant bug in the room or something?"
Biyeon, waking up a beat late, eyed me with half-lidded sleepy eyes.
I clicked my tongue at her gaze, full of certainty that I was the culprit.
Sure, this time it was me, so less injustice, but if it wasn't? What then?
As I fully sat up, Biyeon asked in a hoarse voice.
"Where you going?"
"Gonna ditch training early."
"Skips practice every day. Gonna get in big trouble one day."
She lay back down and clicked her tongue. Well, at least in Mount Hua, there didn't seem to be any peer who could mess up my nose.
I opened the dorm door and deeply inhaled the fresh dawn air.
My destination was my number one slacking spot, the Jade Maiden Pool.
'Now I get why Uncle Uiseong slacks off.'
After finishing morning meditation and qi circulation, I grumbled inwardly while lounging on a plum tree branch over the Jade Maiden Pool, arms behind my head.
Nearly three years since joining Mount Hua, entering my second year.
Still working on foundational arts, but no one in the Plum batch could keep up with me.
Only I, among all Third-Generation Disciples, had entered the initial stage of Falling Petals Sword.
In this world, me—who couldn't even bloom a plum blossom when first picking up a sword—being a genius.
The clear distance in my junior brothers' and sisters' eyes when looking at me, who was progressing too fast, was obvious. Having grown up watching Jinyul, the lonely genius, I didn't want to follow in her footsteps.
Winning spars was getting boring too.
Not like I was completely neglecting training—this much slacking was fine, right?
"I know you're here, Yeon-ah."
"Tch."
At my master's voice, I clicked my tongue and obediently climbed down. Uihyeon, who had put on a stern face only to melt into a smile, patted my head.
"Your lightness skill has improved a lot. Still, you need to train steadily."
"Feeling the plum qi counts as training, right?"
"That Uiseong punk is neglecting the kids..."
"But I'm not as hopeless as Uncle Uiseong yet."
Caught by Uihyeon's hand, I meekly returned to the upper dorms, only to attempt another escape and get dragged to the training ground.
Spotting me and Uihyeon, Uigang approached laughing heartily, ruffled my hair roughly, and started chatting with Uihyeon.
"This Murim Alliance conference is being held at Mount Hua."
"Gonna be a month of hassle. The talks will just be rehashing where to put the new Alliance headquarters."
"They've conferenced on that for two years and still can't decide? Ridiculous. In two years, they could've built the fortress headquarters already."
I perked up my ears at the conversation between Uigang and Uihyeon. Conference? Murim Alliance? That means...
'Guests coming to Mount Hua.'
The perfect chance to expand my connections from one Wudang Third-Generation Disciple!
But as I'd bitterly learned before, life doesn't go my way.
The day before the conference.
"No need to remind us we're the grunts like this, haha."
I let out a hollow laugh while sweeping the back courtyard of the guest quarters with a broom, unable to even peek at the arriving disciples from other sects and clans.
Was it worry that the young disciples might wander off and cause trouble, or determination not to show a dirty upper dorm to guests?
Maybe both, but the adults had Third-Generation Disciples on cleaning duty.
Heard the Five Great Clans' heirs were coming, unlike the Nine Great Sects' Third-Gens.
I grumbled while sweeping furiously in anger.
"This is prime networking time, and the adults don't get it."
"But senior brother, what exactly was that incident you caused before joining? What did you do that has the elders so up in arms..."
When I doubled down with the same grumbling, the sect elders replied by reminding me of the incident I caused at five years old.
I have dignity as senior brother—couldn't say I beat up one Wudang kid and got another drunk—so I clamped my mouth shut and just swept.
Kids cause trouble, fight, and grow from it.
Cute, lovable, mature, caring, efficient kids are, as I always say, fantasy breeds.
As I swung the broom at Biyeon, who kept pestering and clinging, some cheeky voice called out to us.
"Hey, where do I go to meet Mount Hua Third-Generation Disciples?"
Turning toward the voice, a boy about my age stood there, arms crossed arrogantly.
"Seheon, let's go back. Cause trouble and it'll reach the elders' ears right away."
I slowly sized up the guy brushing off the other boy clinging to him in annoyance, then my eyes widened.
Jet-black curly hair, two teardrop moles under his left eye.
Still an annoyingly pretty face.
The hair tie thief I'd met at Mount Hua four years ago had walked right into my presence on his own.