Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Passed Candidates 3
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Seo Moon-geuk's iron fan grazed Baek Moo-jin's neck like a blade.
'Gotcha. Huh?'
But it barely missed.
'The Baek family's footwork is strange.'
Even as he unleashed follow-up attacks, Seo Moon-geuk glanced at Baek Moo-jin's footwork. The movements were downright odd. His feet were planted on the hard floor, yet in unexpected situations, they would shift direction slightly while sticking to the ground, as if sliding away or toward him.
'What kind of footwork is that... sliding around like that?'
Just moments ago, when Seo Moon-geuk had attacked with his iron fan, he'd thought there was no way to dodge it. Now he saw it was that bizarre footwork that had let him evade.
Seo Moon-geuk's own movements were subtly intricate, befitting his nickname of Seo Moon Wonderful Fan, but they paled in comparison to Baek Moo-jin's.
He had no idea how far Baek Moo-jin could freely slide, but the fact that his attacks kept missing due to that rapid gliding alone was enough to throw him off balance.
Baek Moo-jin was moving with the 'essence of Stepping on Snow' infused into his footwork. It incorporated the effect of gliding over snow.
How was such footwork even possible?
Baek Moo-jin's martial arts were unique in that the essence of the White Flower Divine Art was blended into his sword techniques, saber methods, palm strikes, finger arts, footwork, and more.
This essence was broadly divided into snow, flower, and ice, with each further subdivided into specific traits that enhanced his forms. Stepping on Snow was primarily applied to the feet.
Baek Moo-jin made full use of the spacious hall.
Since Seo Moon-geuk's lightness skill was swift, chasing him around proved quite entertaining.
"You just gonna keep running?"
Seo Moon-geuk bellowed as he pursued Baek Moo-jin. Baek Moo-jin didn't respond, simply taking in the flashy attacks with his eyes.
The iron fan's movements were truly profound.
Thrusting like a sword.
Slashing like a saber.
Then fanning out to obscure vision, spinning from the palm before altering its trajectory, and consecutively targeting pressure points on Baek Moo-jin's torso, upper arms, and a few other spots.
But each time, Baek Moo-jin slid away just in the nick of time, causing Seo Moon-geuk's composure to fray without him realizing it. His eyes twitched faintly.
Seizing the moment when Seo Moon-geuk's calm shattered, Baek Moo-jin deliberately exposed an opening in his upper body.
Whoosh!
Seo Moon-geuk's iron fan shot toward Baek Moo-jin's chest. His response, however, was somewhat reckless.
He countered the fan's tip with his thumb and index finger extended in a finger technique.
Even amid his surprise, Seo Moon-geuk couldn't help but smirk triumphantly.
'He's lost his mind.'
The iron fan's tip clashed straight on with Baek Moo-jin's thumb and index finger.
If Baek Moo-jin's internal energy gave way, those two fingers would shatter miserably.
Yet the instant the iron fan met Baek Moo-jin's Cold Moon Finger Technique, a cracking sound rang out, and frost bloomed from the tip, spreading in an instant.
Eventually, the pale chill of frost climbed up to Seo Moon-geuk's wrist. Startled, he hurriedly circulated his energy to resist the freezing aura.
"Ugh."
Crying out from the surging pain, Seo Moon-geuk reflexively unleashed a palm strike with his other hand.
Baek Moo-jin extended his left palm to meet it head-on.
With a thud, Seo Moon-geuk stumbled back, dropping his iron fan. His energy output was greater than when he'd faced Kang Yeop, so he staggered awkwardly before kneeling, his hands trembling. The chill from the finger strike was surging back.
Seo Moon-geuk's face flushed beet red as he drove out the freezing energy.
Of course, he couldn't utter a single word.
Meanwhile, Baek Moo-jin snatched the falling iron fan, then with a rustle, unfurled the fan blades and examined it from various angles.
"I figured there'd be some hidden weapon, but it's just an iron fan."
In that time, Seo Moon-geuk had hastily expelled the chill and was steadying his breathing.
Snap. Baek Moo-jin folded the fan and handed it back to Seo Moon-geuk.
"Don't make such a fuss. Get up now. Seems like you've driven it all out..."
The moment he took the fan, Seo Moon-geuk considered lunging in for an internal energy clash, glaring at Baek Moo-jin.
But realizing from that bizarre finger technique that Baek Moo-jin's internal energy far surpassed his own, he couldn't act rashly.
Irritated for no good reason, Seo Moon-geuk snatched his iron fan back.
Baek Moo-jin stared at him blankly for a moment, flashed a smile, then returned to his seat as if nothing had happened.
It was an infuriatingly nonchalant attitude.
Seo Moon-geuk stood dazed for a bit, staring at his iron fan. The frost that had coated it had vanished completely, as if it had been an illusion.
Since venturing into the martial world, this was the first time Seo Moon-geuk had lost to someone younger. It was so absurd he couldn't think of anything to say. If it had been a close defeat, his pride might have stung, but it wasn't even that.
Seo Moon-geuk sighed and sat across from Baek Moo-jin.
"Brother Baek, your skills are remarkably profound. How are you so..."
Some questions were better left unasked. Seo Moon-geuk stared at the table with a genuinely dejected expression.
Unlike with Kang Yeop from the Silent Sword Unit, Baek Moo-jin offered no consoling words to Seo Moon-geuk. He simply sipped his tea quietly.
Then the maids waiting inside emerged silently, placing a fresh teapot of hot tea and cups on the table without a word about the commotion before vanishing again.
Their movements were as routine as if such sparring matches were commonplace in the North Heaven Alliance.
2.
Seo Moon-geuk was utterly deflated.
Meanwhile, Baek Moo-jin was pouring steaming tea into his cup with a trickle.
They say you see a person anew.
Baek Moo-jin's demeanor, expression, gestures, and actions were exactly the same before and after their bout with Seo Moon-geuk.
Yet now, Seo Moon-geuk saw him differently.
"Chilling" wasn't quite enough to describe it.
How to put it?
Baek Moo-jin wasn't trying to press him with aura, tease him with words, or show off his martial prowess.
But Seo Moon-geuk now realized that Baek Moo-jin was a terrifyingly cold man.
Unthinkingly, Seo Moon-geuk breathed out.
Wondering if white mist would form, the baseless thought welled up in his mind.
Baek Moo-jin spoke to Seo Moon-geuk in his usual even tone.
"Looks like this year, only you and I made it in the fourth and fifth grades."
To avoid looking like a pathetic loser, Seo Moon-geuk had to reply.
"How would I know? The examinations aren't over yet..."
Thinking about it, he was relieved no one had witnessed this spar. Seo Moon-geuk let out a sigh of relief.
Seo Moon-geuk was the type who loved to chatter.
Skilled at mocking opponents with words, enjoying their reactions while concealing his own intentions.
Yet here he was, silent.
To Baek Moo-jin, it was nothing, but to Seo Moon-geuk, the time felt suffocatingly oppressive.
At that moment, the hall's door opened, and a man covered head to toe in dust, his face weary, entered.
Baek Moo-jin and Seo Moon-geuk couldn't help turning their eyes to him; the man looked a total mess.
Anyone could tell he'd just come from a sparring examination. Unlike Baek Moo-jin or Seo Moon-geuk, though, he'd clearly been through a brutal fight.
Seo Moon-geuk knew he was a passed candidate but wasn't in the mood to speak.
The man addressed the two.
"Are you the passed candidates?"
Only Baek Moo-jin responded politely.
"Yes."
Seeing no change in Baek Moo-jin's tone, Seo Moon-geuk shook his head.
'What a sly fox.'
Baek Moo-jin said to the exhausted-looking man,
"Come, have some tea."
"Yes."
3.
As the man approached, Baek Moo-jin spoke politely once more.
"I'm Baek Moo-jin."
"I'm Joo Ja-woon. And this gentleman here..."
Seo Moon-geuk, feeling miffed and silent, watched as Baek Moo-jin unnecessarily introduced him.
"This is a member of one of the Five Great Families, the Seo Moon Family..."
He particularly emphasized "Five Great Families." Seo Moon-geuk snapped at Baek Moo-jin, who was introducing him out of nowhere.
"Enough! Why are you doing my introductions, Brother Baek?!"
"You were keeping quiet..."
"Shut it!"
Seo Moon-geuk turned to Joo Ja-woon.
"Seo Moon-geuk."
But upon hearing the name, Joo Ja-woon lit up with delight.
"Oh! Really? To meet Seo Moon Wonderful Fan here of all places. What a pleasure."
Yes. This was it. This was the reaction he'd wanted from Baek Moo-jin. But with his spirits crushed, Seo Moon-geuk didn't know what to say. He irritably gulped the tea on the table and spat it out.
"Ah! Hot!"
Joo Ja-woon blinked in confusion at Seo Moon-geuk, clueless to what was going on. Only then did Baek Moo-jin burst into laughter for the first time, his voice ringing out.
"Hahaha."
At Baek Moo-jin's laugh, Seo Moon-geuk exploded in anger.
"Don't laugh!"
Quick on the uptake, Joo Ja-woon sensed something had happened between them, chuckled softly, and took a seat.
"I'll have some tea."
For some reason, Baek Moo-jin personally lifted the teapot and poured into Joo Ja-woon's cup. Strangely, a faint hiss came from the pot.
After pouring, Baek Moo-jin said to Joo Ja-woon,
"You must have had a rough spar. Drink up nice and cool."
What did that mean? Seeing Baek Moo-jin's serious expression, Joo Ja-woon nodded.
"Thank you."
It was clearly the same tea that had made Seo Moon-geuk yelp about the heat when he guzzled it hastily. But Joo Ja-woon felt the cup was cool, widened his eyes, and downed it in one go.
"Wow, the tea is surprisingly cool. Your martial arts are quite unique."
Only then did Joo Ja-woon realize Baek Moo-jin had infused chilling energy into the teapot.
Seo Moon-geuk, whose tongue and palate still burned, felt teased by Baek Moo-jin yet again.
"Brother Baek, your first impression wasn't like this, but you really have a knack for being annoying."
Baek Moo-jin replied with a refreshing smile.
"Forgive me, Brother Seo Moon. Let me pour you another cup."
"Hmph..."
This time, Baek Moo-jin poured fresh tea into Seo Moon-geuk and Joo Ja-woon's cups with his usual polite expression and tone. He filled his own last, then addressed them.
"Please. Nice to meet you both."
Seeing Baek Moo-jin's bright smile this time, Seo Moon-geuk inexplicably felt his own mood lighten a bit.
He couldn't help but admit it.
'What an unusual guy. Honestly...'
Meanwhile, Joo Ja-woon couldn't help but have a great impression of Baek Moo-jin.
'What a straightforward fellow.'
However, having barely survived a grueling spar, Joo Ja-woon was sore and exhausted all over. Seo Moon-geuk and Baek Moo-jin, on the other hand, looked pristine, as if they hadn't fought at all. Joo Ja-woon tilted his head.
"But how are you two so unscathed? I nearly died out there."
Baek Moo-jin nodded seriously at the question.
"Well, that's just how it went for me."
He tossed back at Joo Ja-woon the exact words Seo Moon-geuk had said to him earlier. Beside them, Joo Ja-woon oblivious, Seo Moon-geuk let out a long sigh that echoed.
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