Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Running Through the Sky (5)
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Who doesn't know how to give a proper thrashing?!
Don't you idiots know we're in the middle of an exam?!
'Hah. What the hell am I gonna do with these damn monks?!'
'Of course there is. It's a total mess just five minutes—no, half a quarter-hour ago.'
Talent scouting in the demonic world tends to happen through shady, underhanded methods like kidnapping or luring.
The official army prefers more rigid, by-the-book warriors.
Thus, the place drawing the most hot-blooded youngsters from across the land is none other than the Righteous Martial Academy's entrance exam grounds.
Which means...
If you start quibbling over every little thing in a place like this, it could spiral into utter chaos in the blink of an eye.
'Young masters from prestigious clans have egos the size of mountains. In an environment like this, they're no different from walking powder kegs.'
For instance, guys like that Tanmok Clan young master loathe losing face to an extreme degree—they'd draw their swords just to save it.
'They all seem hell-bent on screwing up the exam. Driving me insane.'
'...Pardon?'
...Are you seriously lumping me in with those guys, Master?
'......?'
No, the circumstances were different!
I weighed my options carefully before stepping in.
'...Those idiots just charge ahead without a thought!'
H-hey, don't look so pleased with yourself!
Regret's sending weird vibrations. Bad vibes.
Ugh.
Well, my first instinct was indeed to lose my mind.
But that didn't mean I couldn't understand Jeong Hyeon, Wu So-rung, and Yin Ha-seong's actions.
'I get it... to a point.'
Jeong Hyeon was always the type.
The sort who can't walk past injustice.
And as Master said, he probably felt indebted to me over that mess with the Hyangran Hall seniors.
'Even Wu So-rung makes sense.'
He co-created the Shadowless Heaven-Splitting Steps with me and witnessed its power firsthand.
So when he overheard the betting talk, he must've stepped up cautiously.
'Which means Wu So-rung only intervened because of what the Tanmok Clan kid said—basically slapping "no turning back" on Yin Ha-seong.'
With that realization...
My gaze naturally drifted to Yin Ha-seong, about twenty paces away, mingling with the mid-tier cadets.
"Hehe."
Noticing my stare, Yin Ha-seong wiped under his nose all smug, like he'd personally saved my honor.
It was as if he were saying, 'Big bro, didn't I do good?'
'......'
Damn monk.
'If he were any closer, I'd slap a full-powered Heaven-Splitting palm into his back.'
Anyway, separate from my rising ire, I could understand why Yin Ha-seong pulled his stunt.
Even total strangers were calling me the hope of the minor sects, the myth of the first-class warrior.
From the perspective of a guy who'd been claiming me as his righteous big brother ever since I gave him a proper schooling, it was bound to piss him off.
'I get the sentiment. But keep it low-key next time. Argh!'
If it had been his sister, she'd have cooked up something far more cunning and thorough.
Starting a scuffle in the exam grounds, of all places...
Huh.
Wait a second?
'But it hasn't even reached scuffle stage yet, has it?'
This is the exam grounds, after all. That applies equally to the Tanmok Clan young master.
'No, wait?!'
The Tanmok Clan wasn't quite on the level of the Five Great Clans. Still, they were a powerhouse in Jeolgang Province.
Which boils down to this:
Compared to a labeled scoundrel like me, he—the young master of a famed house—would face far more psychological pressure.
'And he even said he'd wager his entire fortune?'
A few simple moves, and I could flip the whole situation squarely in my favor.
I first beckoned Yin Ha-seong over from a distance.
"Excuse me. Coming through. Make way, please."
At my gesture, he cleaved through the crowd of candidates and arrived in front of me in a flash.
"You called for me, Big Bro?!"
There were two reasons I'd called him specifically.
"You got portable writing tools on you?"
Merchants always preferred putting promises in writing over verbal agreements.
The Silver Radiance Merchant Group folks were no exception—they carried them at all times.
For example, Yin Xia Lian always had a notebook handy. When that wasn't feasible, her sleeve lining had parchment sewn in, and twisting the end of her hair pin revealed charcoal that worked like a pencil.
That was why I'd called Yin Ha-seong.
And sure enough, he had them.
"Of course!"
But his white hero's headband served as parchment...
And the hairpin stuck in it doubled as a pencil.
At my request for writing tools, he whipped them off in an instant, leaving his hair a total mess.
"Here you go, Big Bro."
That was reason number one for calling him.
Reason two was to leverage his status as the Silver Radiance Merchant Group's young master—and his self-proclaimed title of Southern Jiang Trust.
"...Do something about your hair."
He looked every bit the scoundrel.
In that state, he lacked any real persuasive power.
But it didn't matter.
A perfect alternative stood right beside me.
I handed the writing tools to Jeong Hyeon and spoke.
"On this month and day, at the left peak of Gero Twin Peaks on Wudang Mountain, someone insulted this person's sect. I wish to request a duel in my own way. Will Great Wudang's Jeong Hyeon Daoist serve as witness?"
Jeong Hyeon looked flustered for a moment at my actions.
"...Uh. Yes?!"
I leaned in and whispered to him.
"Didn't you just say their words were too harsh?"
"...Yes. You're right."
"But this is my business, so I'll handle it. Just be my witness. Was the wording too fancy?"
That sealed it.
Jeong Hyeon nodded with a start.
"Ah! No, not at all. I was just slow on the uptake. I'll gladly serve as witness!"
"So he says."
With the witness secured, I turned to the Tanmok Clan young master and continued.
"Then, Jeong Hyeon Daoist, please record this moment in writing with those tools. Top left: 'Heaven-Splitting Sword Sect's Eon Yong-un.' Top right: 'Tanmok Clan's...' What's your name?"
"...A-are you talking about me?"
"Who else? Is there another Tanmok Clan member here badmouthing behind backs?"
"Hah, badmouthing? I was merely discussing with a friend who would take first place in this cohort's entrance exam..."
Oh?
Playing it tough, eh?
I snorted and opened my mouth.
"You said my lightness skill would rot my eyes or whatever. Did you or didn't you?"
"......"
The Tanmok Clan young master clammed up like his mouth was glued shut.
But Wu So-rung, who had slipped through the crowd to stand behind me at some point, chimed in with a timid yet firm voice.
"He did."
Emboldened, I pressed on.
"And you said you'd wager your entire fortune. Did you or didn't you?"
"That too."
"See! So, your name. Your name! No way the great young master of Tanmok Clan is chickening out over some first-class warrior, right? Chicken?!"
"...Tanmok Won. Tanmok Won."
With that wrapped up, a word came from Master at my waist.
'Pardon?'
While we nailed Tanmok Won with an ironclad document...
A blue flag rose atop the right peak of Gero Twin Peaks.
Helpers bustled around the blackboard listing rankings, then added five points to Zhuge Seolji's score at the very top.
Taking that as my cue, I stepped forward and spoke.
"Ready to go?"
The deputy supervisor raised his palm as if to say wait a bit longer.
"Hold on. Candidate number 1,234 damaged a plank on the crossing, so it needs repair. A senior helper's over there inspecting and crossing."
"Ah, so if a plank's broken, the senior helper assigned to assistant duty fixes it on the spot?"
"Exactly. When you arrive, be sure to thank them properly. It's only polite."
"Understood."
That was when.
As I pondered whether the lightness gate helpers had the toughest assistant job of all...
A figure in black training robes shot toward us like lightning, using clouds as a ladder.
He flipped midair and landed with a crisp thud!, quickly straightened his attire, then cupped his hands toward the deputy instructor.
"All clear, Instructor."
I cupped my hands in respect toward the helper senior as well.
His face looked awfully familiar, though.
"...Hm? Aren't you Un-hyeok Daoist's junior brother... and Cheol-seong's friend? Pardon my rudeness, but may I have your title?"
"...Cheeky brat. It's Un-jin."
"Understood. In any case, thank you for your hard work."
"Hmph. Save the thanks for after you check my gift."
"......?"
We weren't exactly on gift-swapping terms, so what was that about?
But the deputy supervisor's voice cut in right away, leaving no time for further thought.
"Candidate 79, ready?"
"Yes."
"I'll blow the whistle. Take that as your start signal."
"Yes."
Soon, the deputy supervisor's whistle rang out.
Pip-
I used it as my signal, activated Shadowless Heaven-Splitting Steps, and leaped grandly toward the five-point wooden bridge.
Swaaaaaaaaak—!!!
That was when I grasped the true nature of Un-jin's so-called "gift."
"Ha!"
'It's not that he didn't report it, Master.'
'No. You saw Zhuge Seolji's White Crane Steps, right? It wasn't her who broke them. That bastard deliberately smashed the planks.'
Back when Un-jin's gang embarrassed themselves at the restaurant, the way he glared at me while cleaning up was like he'd swallowed a boiled axe.
He must've remembered my name, checked the rankings, and pulled this stunt.
'Tell me about it. Total scumbag.'
Anyone timid, or lacking experience improvising in a pinch, would've panicked right then—and that panic would've led to a fatal mistake and a plunge.
But I wasn't timid, and I excelled at thinking on my feet.
Thus, I breezed past such a shallow trick.
Paht—!!!
No, I didn't stop at breezing past. I went a step further with a complete reversal.
'The helper's supposed to fix them, right?'
The thought hit me, so I narrowed my overall stride.
At the same time, the moment I stepped on a plank, I poured maximum inner energy into Shadowless Heaven-Splitting Steps.
Bbang!!!!
The planks started exploding under every step.
Bbang!!!
I pictured the faces I wanted to flip off as I stomped across the shattering planks.
Bbang!!
Our Mok Won!
Tanmok Won!
We'll settle up later~?!
Bbang!!!!!
And Un-jin!
Our cheeky senior!
I'll smash 'em all, so hang on tight and frantically fit each plank one by one!
Ppaak!!!!!!!
"Kekekeke! You're all screwed!!!"
Bbang! Bbang! Ppabababang!!!!!
Cackling as I went, before I knew it, I'd arrived at the right peak of Gero Twin Peaks!
"This candidate must be the infamous terror of first-class warriors? Never seen such an entertaining lightness skill before. If it's not rude, may I ask its name?"
"Shadowless Heaven-Splitting Steps."
"Shadowless Heaven-Splitting... First time hearing the name too. But it suits it perfectly. Truly like running across the sky. Let's see, adding five points makes fourteen total—more than enough for a pass, eh? Congratulations. When picking courses later, do take mine. I talked too long. Candidate 79, Eon Yong-un: cleared."
Han Yeong Daoist raised the blue flag.