Chapter 212: Secular Disciple Seol-hyang-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 212: Secular Disciple Seol-hyang-2
The Nine Great Sects recruit disciples at regular intervals, and those recruited undergo a classification process based on their skeletal structure, character, and comprehension.
Children with exceptional skeletal structures and comprehension are classified as Main Sect Disciples, who ascend to the sect's headquarters to inherit its secret techniques. Those with relatively inferior skeletal structures and comprehension are classified as Secular Disciples, who train in the sect's martial arts at locations other than the headquarters.
In essence, they are assigned a rank based on their potential.
By definition, being a Secular Disciple—who can practice the sect's martial arts while remaining in the secular world—might seem better than being a Main Sect Disciple, but the reality is quite the opposite.
This is because Secular Disciples often face clear and frequent limits in the martial arts they can master. From the beginning, the sect's True Secret Techniques are never passed down to Secular Disciples. In exchange for maintaining their ties to the secular world, a ceiling is placed on their martial progress.
So, is it always better to be a Main Sect Disciple than a Secular Disciple?
That depends on what values one pursues.
If one is a martial artist who prioritizes martial achievement above all else, it is better to become a Main Sect Disciple and acquire the sect's secret techniques to one's heart's content. Conversely, if one's goal is personal success and a comfortable life rather than martial mastery, it is better to become a Secular Disciple, using the sect's name to conduct business or pursue personal advancement through connections.
Thus, Main Sect Disciples and Secular Disciples are first divided by comprehension and skeletal structure, and then further divided by the values they pursue.
Because of this, while many become Secular Disciples out of necessity due to the limits of their talent, there are also those who possess abundant talent yet refuse to become Main Sect Disciples.
Since there is a prevailing perception that becoming a Main Sect Disciple means being confined to deep mountains and remote valleys to do nothing but practice martial arts forever, some children who possess talent but do not place great value on martial arts refuse the position.
Seol-hyang, a Secular Disciple of the Emei Sect, was one such case.
As the only daughter of the "Golden Insect" Seol Su-beom—one of the wealthiest men in the Central Plains—she was a woman who had grown up wanting for nothing since childhood.
To Seol Su-beom, who had three sons, Seol-hyang’s mere existence was incredibly lovely. After seeing nothing but his dull sons, how could he not find her precious?
Her older brothers felt the same way. Unlike them, she was a girl, so she would never be involved in the succession competition. Furthermore, because of the significant age gap, they were even more inclined to dote on her.
Seol Su-beom and the brothers provided Seol-hyang with whatever she desired. She grew up in an environment where she could have anything just by reaching out her hand.
However, a problem arose here. Because she had everything, she became a spoiled brat who would throw tantrums whenever things didn't go her way.
Yet, because even her tantrums were seen as cute, the men of the Seol family failed to recognize the severity of the issue. Whenever she threw a fit, they would grant even her most unreasonable requests, and eventually, an incident occurred.
It happened the year she turned ten.
One day, Seol-hyang asked Seol Su-beom for a rhinoceros as a birthday present.
Seol Su-beom was troubled by her request and eventually declined with kind words. His reasoning was that a rhinoceros was an extremely violent animal and could not be brought into the clan estate recklessly.
Seol-hyang’s pout reached her chin, and she began to throw a tantrum, insisting she wanted to see a rhinoceros. Despite her fit, Seol Su-beom remained firm, so Seol-hyang sought another way.
That way was to ask her older brothers.
Seol-hyang ran to her brothers and pleaded with all the aegyo she could muster. Her brothers, wearing goofy grins, promised they would get her a rhinoceros.
On the day of her birthday, each of the three brothers brought back one rhinoceros. Seeing the three beasts, Seol-hyang giggled and thanked her brothers. Her brothers felt a sense of pride and wore deeply satisfied expressions.
It would have been nice if it ended there, but that was when the trouble started.
Startled by the sound of firecrackers at the celebration, the rhinoceroses suddenly went on a rampage. The clan's martial artists quickly tried to subdue them, but they were unable to stop the sudden charge of beasts weighing thousands of catties. Eventually, the rhinoceroses smashed through the clan walls and escaped outside.
The escaped rhinoceroses ran amok, destroying nearby private houses and forcing many people to flee. Fortunately, they were subdued by a passing Murim expert, so there were no fatalities, but many people suffered property damage.
In response to this disaster, Seol Su-beom apologized deeply, providing not only the costs to rebuild the destroyed buildings but also compensation for damages. He also expressed his gratitude and gave a large reward to the Murim expert who prevented a major loss of life.
Then, he lined up all the children responsible for the incident and took up a rod.
He was a man who normally never raised a hand to them. Whenever they did something wrong, he would always resolve it with kind words or give them a punishment that allowed them to realize their mistake on their own. The fact that such a man had taken up a rod meant his rage was immense.
Fortunately, no one died thanks to the passing expert, but if luck had been poor, a horrific number of casualties could have occurred. This was not something to be overlooked.
The lifeblood of a merchant group was trust and public reputation. It was certain that the reputation lost through this incident would return as an even greater blow later.
His sons were whipped in turn until their calves burst and welts formed. Then, it was Seol-hyang’s turn.
Since she was the original cause, he had intended to scold her severely as well. However, as he prepared to strike her, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Was she not his most lovely and beautiful daughter in the world? What could a mere ten-year-old child possibly know?
Furthermore, even as their calves were torn and bleeding, his sons begged and pleaded with him not to whip Seol-hyang. Even the delicate Seol-hyang herself was shedding tears and begging for forgiveness. The sight of her weeping was so pitiful that it began to melt his heart.
Ultimately, Seol Su-beom’s heart wavered, and he slowly lowered the rod.
How could he treat his fragile daughter the same as his sons? Besides, what did a ten-year-old know when she threw that tantrum? Wasn't it all the fault of the doting brothers?
However, despite the father's self-justification, Seol-hyang ended up being whipped after all—by the hand of her mother, Madam An, who snatched the rod away.
As soon as Seol Su-beom lowered the rod, Madam An seized it and struck Seol-hyang’s calves. Seol Su-beom tried to stop her with a flustered expression, but it was no use. Despite Seol-hyang’s tearful cries, she only applied the rod more firmly.
She only stopped whipping Seol-hyang when the rod finally snapped.
Then she spoke.
She said that wrongdoing knows no gender. She criticized her husband for trying to give their daughter a pass when corporal punishment should be fair.
At her words, Seol Su-beom was left speechless. It was true that he had tried to overlook his daughter—who could be considered the root cause—simply because she was young and cute.
Then, Madam An spoke to Seol Su-beom in a serious tone. She said that Seol-hyang needed character education. She felt that such an incident must never happen again.
Madam An suggested to her husband that they entrust Seol-hyang as a Secular Disciple of the Emei Sect. She knew that if they tried to educate her at the estate, those doting brothers would never cooperate, and she believed that being among peers would fix her tantrum-prone personality.
After contemplating her words for a long time, Seol Su-beom eventually nodded in agreement. He felt that the environment of the estate was not suitable for educating Seol-hyang, who had already grown up as a spoiled brat.
Of course, upon hearing this, Seol-hyang pleaded with them not to send her away, promising to be a good daughter, but she was forced to shut her mouth under Madam An’s fierce gaze. Though Madam An was usually infinitely benevolent, she became fiercer than anyone else when Seol-hyang threw a tantrum.
In the end, Seol-hyang had no choice but to enter the Emei Sect as a Secular Disciple, crying all the way.
Since it happened to be the period when the Emei Sect was recruiting disciples, it wasn't very difficult for Seol-hyang to enter as a Secular Disciple.
Once she became a Secular Disciple, Seol-hyang thought to herself: I'll stay as quiet as possible so I don't stand out. I'll just finish my term and leave.
However, her plan did not go as intended. An unexpected problem arose.
The cause of the problem was her talent.
Seol-hyang, who had entered the world of martial arts at the somewhat late age of ten, began to improve at an incredible speed. Her progress was incomparable to that of her peers.
And in the year Seol-hyang turned fourteen, her sword began to ring with Sword Resonance.
The Main Sect Disciples who saw this were aghast.
What was Sword Resonance? It was a phenomenon that could only be triggered once one had reached at least the First-Class realm. In a mere four years, Seol-hyang had reached the First-Class realm.
It was impossible not to be shocked.
The Main Sect Disciples reported this fact to the headquarters, and it soon reached the ears of Guwol Shin-ni. Feeling curious, Guwol Shin-ni headed to the Training Cave to see Seol-hyang for herself. She wondered just how great this girl was that the Main Sect Disciples couldn't stop praising her.
And when she arrived at the Training Cave and witnessed Seol-hyang’s Sword Dance...
Guwol Shin-ni was struck with a shock as if a giant iron hammer had hit her head. The Sword Dance she displayed was not something a Secular Disciple who had just started learning should be capable of. In terms of swordsmanship alone, she was not inferior even when compared to the Main Sect Disciples.
She couldn't help but be astonished.
While Secular Disciples and Main Sect Disciples were both technically disciples, there was a vast difference in their skeletal structure and comprehension, as well as the martial arts suited to them. Yet, Seol-hyang was demonstrating incredible divine power using only the Socheong Sword Art, which was taught to Secular Disciples.
It was truly staggering.
And Guwol Shin-ni realized something. A talent capable of leading Emei to a path of glory had arrived.
Guwol Shin-ni immediately approached Seol-hyang and urged her to become a Main Sect Disciple. Although taking such a young girl as a direct disciple would complicate the sect's generational hierarchy, she felt that no one but herself could properly teach Seol-hyang.
Countless thoughts raced through Guwol Shin-ni’s mind. How she would teach her, how she would make her grow, and how she would spread her fame throughout the Murim. Finally, she even imagined the glory of producing the World's Greatest Martial Artist.
That was how overwhelming Seol-hyang’s talent was.
However, Guwol Shin-ni hit an unexpected obstacle. Seol-hyang refused to become a Main Sect Disciple.
Hearing her words, Guwol Shin-ni momentarily wore a blank expression. She had never imagined that there would be a refusal. As the Sect Leader of Emei, Guwol Shin-ni was one of the top female experts in the current Central Plains, even if she wasn't on the level of Joo So-yang or Kang Ha-yoon. Yet, the girl had kicked away the opportunity to become her disciple.
With a confused expression, Guwol Shin-ni asked for the reason, and Seol-hyang answered simply.
She said she liked the secular world better.
Guwol Shin-ni could only stare at her blankly. Then, she realized her mistake. It wasn't that Seol-hyang had achieved this much because of a high ambition for martial arts. She was simply a natural-born genius.
Realizing this, Guwol Shin-ni felt her greed for the girl grow even more. If such natural genius were paired with effort, how strong would she become? Not just the World's Greatest Martial Artist, but becoming the Greatest of All Time would not be a mere dream.
Afterward, Guwol Shin-ni exerted every effort to entice Seol-hyang with sweet words. But despite her efforts, Seol-hyang remained resolutely firm.
Why would a girl born with everything she could ever want bother becoming a nun? Though young, Seol-hyang knew exactly what kind of status she held in the secular world, and she had absolutely no intention of eating temple food for the rest of her life.
Eventually, Guwol Shin-ni gave up on persuading her stubbornness. Instead, she set out to persuade her parents, Seol Su-beom and Madam An, but this was also futile.
What parents would be happy to hear that someone wanted to turn their precious daughter into a nun? Seol Su-beom flew into a rage, shouting that he would take Seol-hyang home immediately. Guwol Shin-ni was terrified by his reaction and apologized politely, somehow managing to calm his anger.
In the end, both the individual and the parents were against her becoming a Main Sect Disciple.
Guwol Shin-ni fell into deep thought. She felt it would be a waste to let a talent of that caliber slip away like this. If someone else were to recognize Seol-hyang’s talent, they would surely use any means necessary to take her as a disciple. That was how overwhelming Seol-hyang’s talent was.
After agonizing for a long time, Guwol Shin-ni made a decision. She felt she could not let the girl be taken away so pointlessly.