Episode 24
As I walked toward Jeongdo Academy, I let a thread of Sun and Moon Yin-Yang Divine Art flow through my fingertips.
Is this about as far as I can go for now?
The good news was that I had enough inner energy to use Pungsinbo.
"So that’s why I told them, ‘Someone will come save you! Don’t lose hope!’ But the women were so scared they didn’t believe me and started beating me senseless instead…. That really hurt my feelings, you know…."
It was only a tiny amount of internal energy, but compared to not long ago, it was the difference between heaven and earth.
Wuuuung—.
The qi kept gathering into a single point, then spreading back out again.
My inner energy was still lacking, but the purity of the qi pleased me immensely.
After scattering my internal power over and over, the Sun and Moon Yin-Yang Divine Art had become pure to the core.
"But just as I said, at the very last moment—bam!—someone really came to save us! And who do you think it was? Sojin-nim?"
“……”
There were plenty of inheritors in this martial world who had learned special divine arts, but I could safely say there wasn’t a single one as obsessed with purity as this art was.
At least, not among the information I knew.
Now I’ve got five blossoms left.
Compared to the vast Central Plains, the realm of the Ten Flowers wasn’t anything that impressive, but by my standards it meant I could at least stand toe-to-toe with a real expert.
"Who was it? Sojin-nim!! Aw, come on!"
She—Paeng Gayeon—came trotting over and cut me off, planting her hands on her hips.
The golden-haired girl, barely reaching my waist, looked up at me with clear, transparent eyes.
"Who is it?"
"Guess! Here’s a hint… he’s super righteous and strong and cool and amazing…!"
Paeng Gayeon whispered as though she were a child playing a prank.
“……”
She started humming as she circled around me.
Every time she spun, her chest swayed heavily.
"Who is it? Whooo could it be? Bum-burum bum-burum~"
It was only a careless little tune, but her voice was so pretty that it was actually pleasant to listen to.
"I don’t know."
"Eh…."
Watching Paeng Gayeon’s dazed expression, I clenched and unclenched my fist.
It wasn’t some meaningless gesture; I was practicing gathering and dispersing qi in an instant.
After five blossoms had bloomed in my dantian, my hunger for martial arts kept growing stronger.
My body’s senses were waking back up.
Back when I knew nothing, I’d thought it was enough to simply get stronger, but having once reached a high realm, I knew how long the road still was.
Knowing your own shortcomings honestly wasn’t exactly a pleasant feeling.
Still, the fact that I could raise my level more easily than before was a huge comfort.
"Huh… Sojin-nim, are you sure you’re okay? It feels like you haven’t slept at all and have only been training…. You’re not headed out to pick up another mission because you want to leave for the Central Plains, are you? You seem like you’re pushing yourself way too hard…."
“……”
I silently turned my head and looked at Paeng Gayeon.
So she could even guess something like that.
Honestly, it was unexpected.
One of her eyebrows twitched upward.
"You’re having some really rude thoughts right now, aren’t you…?"
Damn it.
Did she catch me?
"Thanks for worrying about me, but it’s nothing for you to fret over."
"If Sojin-nim says so…. Still, you really do have to take breaks!!"
Paeng Gayeon poked me on the nose with her index finger, and I nodded while looking at her.
"By the way, Lady Paeng, what brings you here so early in the morning?"
"Ah! Right. My grandfather called for me, so I won’t be around Jeongdo Academy for a while…. Here, take this."
She reached into her clothes and pulled out a tiny silk pouch, then placed it in my hand.
"What is it?"
When I opened it slightly, I found elixirs inside.
Judging by the shape…
Jangnaedan and Jasodan?
They were mass-produced elixirs, but an elixir was still an elixir, not something you could casually come by. These were the kind with a clear use.
"Ahem! They’re Jangnaedan and Jasodan. You’re weirdly low on inner energy, Sojin-nim, so you can use them to increase your power…. But if you ever get internal injuries, I thought you might need them too…."
I didn’t really need them, but I appreciated the sentiment.
She fidgeted with both hands and kept sneaking sidelong glances at me, like a kindergartener who knew she’d done something wrong.
A snort of laughter escaped me.
"I’ll accept them gratefully. I was just in need of them, so this works out nicely."
"Waaah! Thank you!!"
"I should be the one thanking you. I’ll use them well."
I was the one receiving the gift, but Paeng Gayeon beamed with a fresh, bright smile and bounced in place.
Then she bowed politely.
"I really should go now. Please be careful, Sojin-nim!"
"You be safe too, Lady Paeng."
"Yes!"
She answered brightly and ran toward the main gate.
She really was full of energy.
Pushing open the academy doors and entering the first-floor hall, I found countless students chatting or hurrying about in every direction.
I headed straight for the mission board marked second-rank.
"How about this one?"
"Yunnan? Isn’t that too far? Anything else?"
"This is the best option for our skill level."
For some, this might have been their second or third mission, but for most of them, it was the first of the year.
That was why the hall was crowded like a marketplace.
"Huh? That’s Jin Sojin."
"It’s Cheon Sojin, idiot. News sure moves slowly through your skull…. Besides, is this the time to worry about other people? Pick something fast."
"Investigating the movements of the Demon Cult? Shouldn’t the Alliance be handling this? Can we even take this on? If we’re going to do it, wouldn’t it be better to ask another squad for help?"
"Are you planning to graduate and go off as low-ranking martial artists? Fine, do that. We’re going to join the Alliance eventually anyway…. Stuff like this all gets recorded."
"Still, it’s dangerous. Isn’t it better than failing?"
Most of them were choosing missions carefully.
Of course, not everyone was.
"Should we take this one?"
"Whatever. I don’t care. I’m just going to inherit my sect anyway."
"Damn it, isn’t this guy seriously obnoxious?"
I should look for something that pays elixirs as a reward.
Since I was at it, I might as well take everything I could get.
Ordinary academy students only took third-rank missions or lower, so there weren’t many people looking here.
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[Search for Blood Cult followers]
[Investigate the location of the Seventy-Two Strongholds of the Green Forest]
[Scouting the Qinghai region near the Kunlun Sect]
[Eliminate the ethnic tribes near Liaoning Province]
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Most of them were rear-support assignments, and the rewards weren’t anything I liked.
Even after turning to the next page and searching for other missions, the result was the same.
"Hmm…."
Should I look for a third-rank one?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, an assignment on the very last page caught my eye.
[Subjugate the Black Path bandits occupying the village]
There was a condition that I might go with others, but I was satisfied by the fact that the reward included a Haeblood Pill.
I needed an elixir at least on par with the Jangjin Pill, and the Haeblood Pill fit the bill.
This is it.
Since the mission offered a high-grade elixir as a reward, it was hard to believe they were just ordinary bandits.
Still, the explanation said that even if I simply investigated the bandits’ numbers and martial arts techniques and returned, the mission would count as complete.
Now that I’d learned Pungsinbo, there was nothing much to fear.
Even if I still couldn’t stand toe-to-toe with an expert, running away wouldn’t be difficult.
Of course, I had no intention of just investigating and heading back.
"I’ll take this one."
"Wait, Dang Soyeong…. I’m the squad leader. What gives you the right to—"
"Have you ever seen a squad leader weaker than one of the members…? I’m not sure. Anyway, let’s do this one."
"Y-you—!!"
"Young Master Namgung, please calm down. …And I don’t think Lady Dang is wrong."
"W-what did you just say?"
When I turned my head, familiar faces came into view.
That idiot.
He still didn’t have the Southern Jade Iron Sword.
But looking at how red his face had turned, it couldn’t be far off.
I ripped off the mission slip and headed for Master Raeji’s room.
*
Master Raeji set the paper down and tapped the table with his fingers.
"Sojin. You really plan to take this one?"
I looked at him and nodded.
I even threw in a confident smile.
"Yes. There’s no problem, is there?"
"That’s true. I did approve it up to second-rank missions. There’s no problem, but this is dangerous, so—"
"Since you’ve gone to such trouble to approve it, I’ll do my best to live up to your expectations."
I quickly clasped my hands and bowed to Master Raeji.
He let out a sigh and stood up.
"Hoo…. If that’s what you want, then I understand. This was originally a mission assigned directly to another squad. But just in case, I asked for permission and adjusted the personnel. …Though you were the only one who applied."
"I know."
So that was what the condition about going with others meant.
Master Raeji nodded with a strangely relieved expression.
"As you know, it’s fine even if you only investigate and return. Sit down for now. Patriarch Pyeong."
"Yes, Master Raeji. Did you call for me?"
"Bring me the squad leader of the Mugi Squad right away."
"Understood."
The Mugi Squad?
If it was a contemporary, wouldn’t it be the Mucheon Squad?
Master Raeji poured me a cup of tea.
Warm steam curled up from the cup.
And for a while, we drank our tea in silence.
"…As you may have guessed, he’s your senior."
"Is that so?"
The master seemed to choose his words carefully, but there was nothing remarkable about it.
I didn’t know why he still hadn’t graduated, but whoever came wouldn’t matter. I was confident in my own ability.
"He’s the direct disciple of the Wudang Sect Leader. His skill is certainly real, but…."
Kwaaaang—
He couldn’t finish.
That was because someone kicked the door open and stormed in.
A man with his hair tied in a ponytail shouted, "Master, did you call for me? Am I allowed to leave for the mission now?"
"Cheongmyeong! What do you think you’re doing? How dare you be so rude to your master…!"
The roar of the head instructor came from behind him.
"Ah, I’m sorry, Master."
Cheongmyeong apologized quickly and bowed his head.
Looks like Wudang is finished too.
It couldn’t be helped.
He’d only apologized. His tone was still unbearably obnoxious.
"Hoo…. Patriarch Pyeong, you may leave for now."
"…Understood."
As if this happened often, Master Raeji let out a long sigh.
"Cheongmyeong, this is Cheon Sojin, the academy student who will be accompanying you to the Central Plains. Greet each other."
"I’m Cheon Sojin. Nice to meet you."
"Ah… so you’re that ‘Cheon Sojin,’ are you?"
Apparently he knew who I was, because his face twisted before he soon drew up a sly, narrow smile.
It was a blatant sneer.
Look at this bastard.
Did he have two lives or something?
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