He Really Is Injured
Watching from a distance, Ak Hong-hyang lowered her head, looking utterly disappointed in herself. She was frustrated that she hadn't been able to think of the same clever trick the previous two had used, simply because she was too nervous. However, the method they employed required a fair amount of luck. If a venomous snake had lunged upward the moment their swords struck the floor of the pit, they would have been bitten, lost their physical coordination to the toxin, and plummeted. In such a case, blisters would have erupted across their entire bodies before the supervising instructors could even intervene.
"Next! Im Bukjin!"
The voice of Chief Proctor Mae Ji-won rang out. In an instant, the noisy interior of the No. 3 Martial Arts Hall fell deathly silent. Every eye was fixed on the beautiful youth, Bukjin. The shock and stimulation he had provided in the previous trials were so immense that people were practically vibrating with anticipation, wondering what kind of incredible performance he would show this time.
With a light cough, Bukjin walked slowly toward the paper bridge.
"Ready...!" Mae Ji-won shouted.
Suddenly, Bukjin spoke up. "Wait a moment...! I need to change. Into my lucky robe."
The crowd looked bewildered. Bukjin reached into his robes and pulled out a bright crimson overcoat, slipping it on. He stretched his limbs, loosening up his body, and pointedly turned his back toward the Thousand-Mile Eye—the broadcast device—several times. Only after completing this bizarre routine did he finally speak.
"I am ready."
Chief Proctor Mae Ji-won noticed a line of text written on the back of the red robe that was aggressively eye-catching. His lip twitched involuntarily; he felt a sudden wave of indigestion, as if he had eaten something that didn't agree with him. The text read as follows:
Starting August 15th, the Cheonri-haeng Merchant Union, in alliance with 36 commercial organizations in Unmong City and the Black Tide Merchant Union—the largest trade guild in the Coastal Command—will host the largest Trade Fair ever seen at the North City Market!
All items will be sold at a flat 70% discount! Admission tickets are only 1 copper coin!
Tickets are limited to the first 10,000 people on a first-come, first-served basis. The Cheonri-haeng Merchant Union will light your path for a thousand miles ahead!
The text, neatly embroidered in blue against the crimson fabric, commanded everyone's attention. Various slogans, large and small, were packed tightly across the back of the 'lucky robe.' Naturally, these words were being broadcast throughout the entirety of Unmong City via the Thousand-Mile Eye.
"Huh? A trade fair is happening?"
"A seventy percent discount?"
"They're holding it with the Black Tide Merchant Union, the best in the Coastal Command?"
"I'm going to buy a ticket the moment the exam ends today!"
Even the students on-site began to buzz with excitement after reading the advertisement. The citizens watching the broadcast through the crystal screens were even more frenzied. Even those who hadn't seen the broadcast would surely hear the news quickly through word of mouth. Such a massive trade fair was a rare event for a small, peripheral city like Unmong. Usually, such things were only seen in major metropolises or famous regions, making it a fresh and exciting prospect for the locals.
Even Mae Ji-won, who was watching this unfold right in front of him, found himself thinking that he should go take a look on the day of the event.
'What day did it say? The 15th of this month? That's the final day of the Academic & Martial Arts Competition!'
At the same time, inside the Education Bureau building.
Lee Ung-bu, the Chief of the Unmong City Education Bureau, slammed his teacup onto the floor while watching the broadcast.
"That... that damn brat!" he roared, gnashing his teeth. 'Since when did he prepare an advertisement like that? Why on earth does he use that brilliant mind for making money instead of cultivation? Is he really that desperate for cash?!'
"Chief Proctor?" Bukjin prompted, snapping Mae Ji-won out of his daze. "I am ready."
Mae Ji-won finally regained his composure, though his heart was still racing, and shouted loudly, "Ready... Go!"
Bukjin tapped the ground lightly with his left foot. Immediately, he unleashed the first form of his newly acquired Light-Speed Phantom Wolf Step: Light-Speed. A faint streak of light flashed across the paper bridge, and in an instant, Bukjin's figure appeared in the center of the span. Then, his shadow seemed to split in two as his right foot lightly stepped off the paper and propelled him upward. He had activated the second form: Phantom.
In just two breaths, Bukjin had already reached the other side. He reached out, snatched the yellow flag, and once again deployed Light-Speed and Phantom. By the time the spectators had managed to process what they were seeing, Bukjin was already standing back at the starting point.
'He's... he's so fast...' The thought echoed simultaneously in the minds of every student present.
"Senior Brother Im! You really are the fastest man alive!" Baek Geum-un cheered, jumping up and down in her seat. Her ample chest bounced rhythmically with her excitement. Seeing this, the peerless beauty Im Jin suddenly looked down at her own chest, a look of unmistakable distress crossing her beautiful eyes.
Meanwhile, watching from the stands, Old Man Hae was struck by a profound shock he couldn't hide. He had only taught Bukjin the Light-Speed Phantom Wolf Step last night. He had mentally prepared himself, knowing Bukjin possessed a monstrous capacity for understanding and learning, but seeing the boy reach the level of Mastery in a single night made him shudder with awe. At that moment, Old Man Hae decided he would have to completely overhaul the training schedule he had planned for Bukjin.
Candidate: Im Bukjin
Time Elapsed: 6 Breaths
Bridge Condition: Normal
Grade: High-Superior (A+)
Mae Ji-won's voice echoed through the hall. It was the same score as Im Jin and Ya Mi-ang. This result was well within everyone's expectations. Bukjin, still standing at the starting point in front of the paper bridge, took his time stretching his waist and arms as if warming up. He turned his body again, ensuring the advertisement on his robe was broadcast clearly once more. Only after completing these antics did he finally step down, looking satisfied.
The trial continued, punctuated by exclamations over Bukjin's impressive score and the eye-catching advertisement that had everyone talking.
"Did you see that! Everyone saw it, right?!"
In the central gambling den of Unmong City, the gamblers were shouting at the top of their lungs.
"The fact that Im Bukjin got that score is the definitive proof that he's injured! With his Ten-Thousand-Jin Strength, he could have just leaped across and back and finished in three breaths! The fact that it took him six breaths proves he's hurt!"
The gamblers, who had been harboring various doubts, suddenly found this logic quite sound. An average man weighed about a hundred jin. Someone with the strength of ten thousand jin could easily throw a five-hundred-jin bronze statue twenty yards. For such a person to take two steps and three breaths just to cover twenty yards... it was clear evidence that his movement was restricted by an injury.
The person fanning the flames of this theory among the gamblers was none other than Gong Gong. At that moment, Wang Chung stiffened his neck and shouted back as if to refute him.
"That's all sophistry! Im Bukjin is absolutely not injured. He's simply holding back his full strength for the later trials! I'm betting my entire fortune on Im Bukjin, just like always!"
As he spoke, Wang Chung placed all the gold he had brought onto Bukjin's name.
"Hahaha! You old fool! If you support him that much, why did you secretly bet a hundred gold on Jo Pacheon behind everyone's back?" Gong Gong laughed loudly, grabbing Wang Chung's arm as he was trying to sneakily move money toward Jo Pacheon's side. Gong Gong then climbed onto a table and raised his arms, shouting to the crowd.
"Everyone! Don't say I didn't warn you later! Im Bukjin is finished! He is clearly suffering from a major internal injury. The evidence is all there on the recording stones! Listen to me—Jo Pacheon is the strongest candidate for victory! I have inside information. Word is that Baekun City, determined to see Jo Pacheon win this competition, dispatched the greatest of the Three Great Swordsmen, the Sword God himself, to teach him!"
"What kind of nonsense is that!" Wang Chung, looking like he couldn't accept Gong Gong's words, lunged at him, and the two began to scuffle on the floor.
Right then, as if to prove Gong Gong's words, the crystal screen in the gambling den showed Jo Pacheon performing a bizarre movement technique. His body turned into a streak of sword light, crossing the bridge and completing the task in a mere four breaths. He didn't even pause; in a single breath, he flew to the other side and secured the flag.
Candidate: Jo Pacheon
Time Elapsed: 4 Breaths
Bridge Condition: Normal
Grade: Peak-Superior (A++)
The scene of Chief Proctor Mae Ji-won announcing the score with a smile flashed across the screen. The gamblers no longer had any doubts.
'As expected of Jo Pacheon! The peerless genius of Baekun City! He's definitely going to win!'
"I hope everyone makes a wise choice! Think about it! If Jo Pacheon doesn't take first place, what happens to the reputation of Baekun City? They will surely use any means necessary to make him the winner!" Gong Gong, now with a bruise on his nose from the fight with Wang Chung, climbed down from the table and shouted one last time.
"Hehe, Im Bukjin. Well? Do you have anything left to say?"
Jo Pacheon was immensely satisfied with his score. As soon as he stepped off the bridge, he walked straight up to Bukjin and sneered.
"You...!" Bukjin said, his entire body trembling as if with rage. "You only took first place in a single category. Hmph, I... Ugh! Hack!"
As he spoke, Bukjin suddenly couldn't hold it back and sprayed a mouthful of fresh blood.
'He really is injured.' The thought crossed the minds of everyone watching the scene.