Chapter 24
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Pyo Gi-myeong
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Pyo Gi-myeong.
He was the grandson of the Grand General, the highest martial officer in the land.
He had trained for four years as a collateral disciple at the Qingcheng Sect and was currently taking the entrance exam for the Imperial Palace Martial Academy, aiming to follow in his grandfather's footsteps into the military.
Yet he felt like he had witnessed something he shouldn't have.
During this entrance exam, to avoid any stigma of passing thanks to his grandfather's influence, he had even hidden his real name.
But what on earth was that disgraceful behavior?
No matter how prestigious one's family, unless they were royalty, could they possibly outrank him? And here he was, concealing his identity to take the exam with complete fairness.
How dare they try to cheat their way through the sacred Imperial Palace Martial Academy entrance exam?
Pyo Gi-myeong debated whether to reveal his own identity and give them a piece of his mind, but someone else stood up first.
A martial arts expert he had been watching closely spat out exactly what he himself wanted to say.
Pyo Gi-myeong took great pride in belonging to the righteous faction.
Because of that, he instinctively kept his distance from those who seemed like they came from the evil factions.
Yet the man before him was unmistakably from the unorthodox paths.
On top of that, their skills were evenly matched, alternating between first and second place, which grated on his nerves.
But since this man had scratched exactly the itch of his dissatisfaction, Pyo Gi-myeong found himself seeing him in a new light.
'Well now, even among those Sima fiends, there's someone with such upright thinking? That's unexpected.'
Pyo Gi-myeong couldn't let it go unanswered and shouted out himself.
"This is an exam to select servants for His Majesty! Shouldn't it be more fair and upright than anywhere else?!"
Right on cue, even those who had been standing by idly until now stepped forward, seemingly admitting their own misconduct.
"Instructor, even I think this is unfair treatment."
"He's right. I never wanted special treatment to begin with. So treat us the same as everyone else. Otherwise, we'll just give up on the exam and leave."
A groan escaped the instructor's lips.
"Hmmm, this is problematic."
With the beneficiaries themselves firmly demanding a fair exam, the instructor was put in an awkward spot.
However, if they insisted so strongly, the instructor would have something to report to the academy head. He nodded decisively and spoke.
"Very well! If that's your will, this instructor won't object further. From now on, you'll take the exam alongside the other candidates."
"Thank you, Instructor."
And so, the ones who had planned to slack off and coast through now had to take the exam properly with everyone else.
Among them, a delicately handsome man who looked almost like a woman glared at the unorthodox expert and said,
"Hey, no complaints now, right?"
"Hmph! You're not completely rotten to the core, then."
But soon enough, Pyo Gi-myeong and the unorthodox expert would bitterly regret their actions.
The skills of those they thought had backdoor entry turned out to be extraordinarily impressive.
Because of them, Pyo Gi-myeong and the expert were pushed down to third and fourth in every subject.
"……."
"……."
Worse, they gave off the impression of holding back. As proof, not a drop of sweat could be seen on their bodies.
After finishing the physical fitness test, we headed to the internal energy examination hall.
The internal energy testing area, lined with massive jars, resembled the backyard of a grand ancestral home.
Each jar was filled to the brim with water, and instructors stood before them.
"We will now verify your internal energy. Place both hands on the jar and channel your qi inward! Starting from number 150, come forward in order!"
"Yes, sir!"
Candidate number 150 placed his hands on the jar and let out a mighty shout.
"Hiyahhh!"
But despite his roar, the water surface remained as still as a mirror.
"Number 150: No internal energy. Next, 151!"
"Huuuuaaaap!"
This time, unlike before, a small ripple appeared on the surface, like a water strider skimming across.
"Number 151: Internal energy present! Next, 152!"
About half an hour into the internal energy checks, a familiar face stepped forward.
"Number 166, forward!"
It was the unorthodox guy from earlier.
He smirked at me before unleashing a sharp shout.
"Hap!"
This time, a large ripple spread across the water—about the size of a toad plopping into the pond.
"Number 166: Internal energy present! Impressive internal energy you've got. What's your name?"
"Sima Ryang."
"I'll remember that name."
Among the Imperial Palace Martial Academy applicants, few possessed such internal energy, so the instructor marked a star next to his name.
Emboldened by the instructor's reaction, the unorthodox punk winked at me as if to say, 'See that?' It wasn't even worth a scoff.
"Next, number 169!"
A stocky-looking man stepped forward.
He shot a glare at the man called Sima Ryang, then placed his hands on the jar with a grim expression, channeling his energy without a shout.
A ripple formed, like morning dew dropping from a leaf onto a calm lake surface.
It wasn't as intense as the unorthodox expert's, but it stood out among the candidates so far.
"Number 169: Internal energy present! Not bad at all. What's your name?"
"Pyo—er, Jo Gi-myeong."
"Got it. I'll remember you too."
"Yes, sir!"
The guy called Jo Gi-myeong brushed past me, puffing up a bit.
'What the hell are these idiots?'
"Number 170! Forward!"
It was Yang Cho-gun's turn.
Uncharacteristically solemn, he stepped up, placed both hands on the jar, and unleashed a sharp shout.
"Hup!"
This time, the water didn't just ripple—it surged into waves with a splash!
The waves were so massive that water splashed out of the jar, streaming down Yang Cho-gun's face.
The onlookers gaped, unable to close their mouths.
"Gasp!"
"No way!"
"That level of internal energy at his age!"
"Shouldn't he be at the Dragon Academy?"
"He's no young buck, is he?"
"His face does look weathered."
The smirks vanished from Sima Ryang and Jo Gi-myeong's faces upon witnessing Yang Cho-gun's internal energy.
"……."
"……."
"Number 170: Int-internal energy present!"
Even the instructor stuttered in shock.
As everyone reeled from Yang Cho-gun's display, my name was called.
"Next, 171!"
"Yes, sir!"
I walked slowly to the jar, pondering how much to show.
If I wanted, shattering that jar would be child's play.
My current internal energy level could crush the later-generation disciples of prestigious sects.
But I had no intention of revealing everything.
Even in this mix of righteous and unorthodox, showing all my skills would only make things more tiring down the line.
As the saying goes, flaunt your strength or wealth, and all you'll gain are enemies.
Still, giving the provoking unorthodox punk a glimpse of the gap in our skills seemed fine.
I knew best how to handle his kind, after all.
For the first time in front of others, I circulated my internal energy—up to the limit without revealing demonic qi.
"Hiyaaap!"
A small vortex formed on the previously calm water surface.
Exclamations erupted around me.
Operating internal energy with such precision was proof of a high-level cultivation technique.
'This should be enough.'
As I prepared to wrap it up there, a puff of paulownia flower pollen drifted in with my breath and tickled my nose.
I couldn't help but sneeze.
"Puuueeeh-choo!!"
Boom!!
The sneeze made me unconsciously pour more power into the circulation.
The jar exploded as a result.
"Ha, haha... damn it."
Water from the shattered jar flooded everywhere.
The spectators were struck dumb, as if they'd forgotten how to speak.
"……."
"……."
Even Yang Cho-gun was the same.
The pale-faced unorthodox guy just stared blankly at me, mouth agape.
The instructor snapped out of it and asked in a trembling voice,
"Y-you? H-how did this...?"
"Ahahaha. Must be a defect in the jar, huh? Hahaha. I noticed it was cracked earlier. Hahahaha."
"I-is that so? Yeah, that must be it, right?"
"I should never buy products from here again. What kind of jar breaks like that? Is this even properly made? Craftsmen these days lack any pride in their work."
"Those jars are a local specialty supplied even to the palace."
"Let's try again. This one looks sturdy. Wow, what a fine jar!"
Under suspicious stares, I tested with another jar—just enough for the vortex.
"Number 171: Internal energy present!"
'Phew~ Hiding internal energy isn't easy either.'
The next test was archery.
Hit at least 5 out of 10 shots on a target 20 jang (about 60 meters) away to pass.
Additional hits beyond that earned bonus points.
The targets weren't modern bullseyes.
Hit the black square the size of a human torso on a rectangular board, and it counted.
"Number 138: 6 hits. Pass!"
"Number 139: 3 hits. Fail!"
"Number 140: 4 hits. Fail!"
"Number 141: 6 hits. Pass!"
Most were hitting between 4 and 6.
"Number 166: 10 hits. Pass!"
Then the unorthodox guy nailed all 10.
As expected from a martial artist—even a rotten one—his skill far surpassed ordinary folk.
He seemed overly conscious of us, thinking we were righteous faction, which made me cringe vicariously.
The stocky guy from the internal energy test also hit all 10.
His archery looked even more stable than the unorthodox man's.
"Number 170, forward."
"My turn."
Yang Cho-gun rose at his name being called.