Chapter 11
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Entrance Exam Announcement
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Back at the inn, I mapped out the detailed plan for what came next.
The enemy of my enemy is my ally, right?
I needed to join forces with the righteous sects, who were mortal enemies of the Demonic Cult.
The obvious choice would be to infiltrate one of the major righteous sects, but there were two problems with that.
First, at my current age, no prestigious sect would take me.
Both the Demonic Cult and the great righteous sects started training their internal energy from a very young age, so they preferred kids around ten years old.
I didn't even have a foot in the door.
Second, the cultivation method I'd mastered was from the Demonic Cult.
If I joined a major sect, the first thing they'd do is verify my internal energy.
Sure, I could suppress my demonic energy to an extreme degree.
But that only hid the external signs—there was no way to conceal the demonic energy deep inside.
So, perhaps I could aim for the Murim Alliance or a third-rate sect and carve out a position there.
But that didn't seem easy either.
For starters, I had no connections in the Murim Alliance, and while a third-rate sect might help me hide my identity, it wouldn't serve my goals at all.
My aim was to build reliable comrades who could help me wipe out the Demonic Cult.
A third-rate sect was far too lacking for that.
Which left me with just one best option right now: enrolling in the Dragon Academy.
Graduates of the Dragon Academy could join the White-Clothed Youth Corps. And I planned to enter the White-Clothed Youth Corps and rise to lead them.
That would give me a powerful force where every member possessed Sword-Unity Realm level strength, handed to me on a silver platter.
Plus, the White-Clothed Youth Corps had recently raided the Luoyang Branch Secret Sub-branch, only to fall into the Heavenly Demon's trap and suffer near annihilation.
If it hadn't been for the Heavenly Demon, they wouldn't have performed so poorly against the Blood Wolf Corps.
They probably harbored immense hatred and a thirst for revenge against the Heavenly Demon.
'Maybe even more than I do.'
Either way, I intended to pull them to my side.
I'd gotten the hint from that Thousand Gold Merchant Group clerk.
The Dragon Academy.
It was an educational institution here, akin to a modern university.
There were three major martial academies in the Central Plains.
The Dragon Academy, run by the Murim Alliance of the righteous factions.
The Demon Dragon Academy, operated by the Evil Alliance of the unorthodox sects.
And the Imperial Palace Martial Academy, managed by the imperial court.
In modern terms, the Dragon Academy was like Seoul National University, the Demon Dragon Academy like Chongqing University or something similar, and the Imperial Palace Martial Academy like a regional college.
To gather detailed info on the Dragon Academy and the White-Clothed Youth Corps, I headed to a bookstore.
Leaving the inn, I walked along the main boulevard until an old but sizable bookstore caught my eye.
Stepping inside, the place was pretty quiet.
It smelled like an old comic book cafe.
"Welcome! What can I help you find?"
"Books on the Dragon Academy."
"Ah, you're preparing for this year's entrance exam, eh? Martial arts books are this way."
I followed the friendly clerk up to the second floor.
There, a section was dedicated to martial world literature.
A few people who looked like martial artists were browsing the shelves.
"Dragon Academy books are over here."
At the mention of the Dragon Academy, eyes from around the room flicked toward me.
They looked at me like I was a rival.
Anxiety was etched on their faces.
'Hmm, what's this? Why do they give off that cram school village or Noryangjin vibe?'
Of course, I'd never prepared for the civil service exam myself.
But it was such a huge societal thing, and three out of every five friends had been studying for it, so I had a rough idea of the atmosphere.
Anyway, I ignored them and got to my business.
The shelves held not just Dragon Academy books but also martial arts manuals galore.
But their quality didn't even match the stuff piled in the Luoyang Branch Secret Sub-branch's training room.
'The Essentials of Beating People Up'
'Become a Martial Master by Type'
'Martial Master Starting Today—for Me'
'From Fists to Headbutts'
One and all, utter trash not even third-rate.
'Damn, my eyes are gonna rot.'
And the prices? Enough to make your head spin.
'This garbage costs two taels of silver? Are martial manuals really this expensive?'
Two taels of silver was my monthly stipend back in my Shadow Squad assassin days.
Printing tech must not be advanced in this era, making books a luxury good.
Shaking my head, I moved to the next shelf and finally found what I wanted.
'Dragon Academy Completely Dissected'
'Become a Dragon Man'
'Master the Dragon Academy's 12 Formulas in Record Time!'
'Traditions and History of the Dragon Academy'
'Dragon-Style Interview Essentials: Even a Monkey Can Do It'
Endless related titles, but none tempted me to pick them up.
As I skimmed through, someone next to me was hunting for the same kind of books.
He cleared his throat self-consciously, aware of me.
"Ahem! Ahem!"
Even indoors, he wore a conical hat and black cloak, like he wanted to hide his identity.
And at his waist hung some odd item.
Partially obscured by the cloak, but what peeked out didn't look like anything from the Central Plains.
'What is that? The shape looks familiar somehow?'
Tilting my head, I focused on my own task.
I bought three books there.
One was 'Traditions and History of the Dragon Academy', then 'Dragon Academy Completely Dissected', and '100 Legends of the Dragon Academy'.
Back at the inn, I pored over them.
Now I could finally see the path ahead.
For one, the Dragon Academy didn't care about the origin of your internal energy cultivation.
Made sense, really.
It was where young talents from every sect and clan in the Central Plains gathered.
Their internal energies naturally varied wildly.
And checking further, there were even unorthodox sect origins.
Though they were people who'd switched from unorthodox to righteous, so not purely unorthodox—but precedents existed, giving me hope.
I also confirmed the entrance exam procedures.
"Identity verification" jumped out first, but I had a perfect fake identity.
A forged ID plaque from the Whispering Shadow Sect's pawnshop, bought for a whopping twenty taels of silver.
As for martial skill? No way I'd lag behind my peers.
There were details on the White-Clothed Youth Corps too.
Any Dragon Academy graduate could apply, and surprisingly, applicants received an elixir on the level of the Shaolin summoning pills, called the Dragon Pill.
Monthly pay was a stunning ten taels of silver.
The equivalent of a nine-figure annual salary in modern terms.
No wonder it was the dream job for young martial artists.
And an unexpected tidbit: by imperial decree, the Imperial Palace Martial Academy scouted six or seven students a year.
Not that I'd ever go there, so I skimmed and moved on.
Having read all the books, I filled out the application and awaited the exam date.
The next day.
I was in my room, gripping the eaves with one hand and doing chin-ups.
Most martial artists shunned strength training the stronger their internal energy got, but I was the opposite. I doubled down on it.
"Two hundred ninety-eight... Two hundred ninety-nine..."
Finishing three sets of three hundred, I dropped to the ground and spotted the young errand boy watching with wide, sparkling eyes.
"Here."
He idolized martial artists and, without being asked, fetched water in a washbasin every day since seeing my routine.
I tossed him a one-jeon copper coin, and he bowed his head to the floor, shouting his thanks.
"Thank you, sir!"
My title had just upgraded from "guest" to "sir."
As I washed off the sweat with the basin water, he glanced at the Dragon Academy books I'd been reading and spoke up.
"Are you taking this year's entrance exam too, sir?"
"You can read?"
Literacy wasn't common in this era.
"A little, from peeking over shoulders. A scholar who stayed here long-term taught me sometimes."
"Oh, really?"
He was a likable kid, so it made sense.
I even felt like teaching him some basic martial arts.
"You're really lucky, sir."
"How so?"
"This time of year is peak season for our inn. With all the exam takers flooding in from the provinces, rooms are like stars in the sky. You're super lucky."
"Is that right?"
"Yes! The ones arriving now have no rooms and camp in the hills outside the walls. It's a total shitshow out there."
"......"
I sincerely thanked my stars for arriving before the exam rush, per the kid's words.
"By the way, sir, why stay here instead of the exam village?"
"Exam village? What's that?"
"Come on, you're taking the entrance exam and don't know?"
"I only decided recently. But you seem to know all about it."
"Of course! I've been here long enough."
According to the kid, it was where young martial artists from across the land gathered to share exam info, spar, and hone their skills for the Dragon Academy entrance.
Couldn't help but be curious.
'Hmm, since it's come up, maybe check it out now?'
And so, I headed to this exam village.
Formed behind the Dragon Academy's back gate, it felt just like Noryangjin or Sinrim cram villages.
'Whoa, a shantytown.'
A massive sprawl of shacks clung to a steep hillside.
Everyone visible had sunken eyes, clutching manuals in one hand while mumbling forms under their breath.
Deeper in, academy signs crowded the streets.
'Top Instructor Master Kang Recruited!'
'67 Passes! Best Faculty!'
'Elite Quick-Form Academy.'
'Righteous Faction First! Injection-Style Training!'
'We Pinpoint Your Entrance Pulse!'
As I gawked at the signs, a man sidled up and slipped me a flyer, whispering slyly.
"Direct instruction from a former Dragon Academy professor. One spot left—better hurry."
"Want real sparring? Just two taels a month."
"......"
The familiar scene nearly drew a chuckle from me.
'No coincidence those bookstore guys screamed "cram school" to me.'