Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Recommendation Festival (2)
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The lottery draw continued without pause.
"Hunan Province! Dongting Lake!"
If their desired location was called, they would pump their fists and cheer.
"Yes! We did it!"
"Shaanxi Province! Luochuan! Yabang County!"
If a remote mountain backwater was announced, groans of despair echoed out.
The Recommendation Festival proceeded swiftly, soon reaching its final stages.
"Ahhh... I got it wrong again."
Moyong Seon-ya slumped beside him with a look of resignation.
"Isn't Zhengzhou in Henan Province pretty good? It's a big city, bustling and not too far away."
They couldn't specify the exact spot in Zhengzhou for security reasons, but it gave off a decent vibe overall.
In response, Yeo Mae-hong explained.
"A Taoist I met at a fortune teller's stall told me never to go near water. He said disaster would strike."
"Ah..."
The problem was that Zhengzhou was known as the city of water.
'She's awfully picky.'
It was amusing that a murim warrior, for whom the extraordinary was everyday life, would believe in such superstitions.
Truly, this was an inscrutable world.
The Recommendation Festival was flowing toward its conclusion.
The draws for Silver Hall's regular instructors had just wrapped up, leaving only the temporary instructors.
"Ahem. Shall we wrap it up here?"
The Silver Hall Master, who had stirred cheers and occasional sobs among the crowd, stepped back—not quite retiring, but...
And then came an unexpected declaration.
"I've invited someone to continue the draws in my place."
Huh?
The Recommendation Festival had always been presided over by the Hall Master, a time-honored tradition.
It was an unwritten rule to avoid any suspicions of foul play.
Yet, to everyone's surprise, he was handing the duties to an outsider, leaving question marks hovering over every head.
Realizing his explanation was lacking, the Silver Hall Master added briefly.
"No one in this hall can match this person's impartiality. And they have an important message to deliver."
At that very moment.
Parararak!
The sound of robes flapping noisily in the air echoed.
Wuuuuung.
A colossal presence descended, pressing down on everyone in the hall.
Gulk.
Those with weaker inner energy staggered, their spirits crushed in an instant.
Wrapped in this astonishing pressure like iron armor, a figure descended from the air.
"My thanks to the Silver Hall Master for yielding the stage."
Thud.
Standing atop the platform was a lone-eyed warrior radiating a ferocious aura.
"Dokgo the Great Hero!"
"The Lone Eye Divine Sword himself?"
"Hah. If it's him..."
Public opinion shifted in an instant.
"Forgive my rudeness."
With those short words, Dokgo Ryul seized the attention of the entire assembly and began gravely.
"I stand here today because there is someone I wish to introduce to you all."
Someone to introduce?
Who could it be that Dokgo Ryul would crash the event to announce them so dramatically?
Those who knew how strictly the Lone Eye Divine Sword adhered to rules felt their doubts amplify.
"For your information, this is one of the people I respect the most."
Someone the Lone Eye Divine Sword truly revered.
This revelation amplified the surprise among the instructors even further.
"Someone even the Lone Eye Divine Sword respects?"
"I've heard he acknowledges worthy rivals but respects no one."
"Look at his face—he's clearly showing utmost reverence."
"Who in the world could earn the respect of a grandmaster like Dokgo the Great Hero?"
As murmurs spread, Dokgo Ryul raised his hand.
"My master."
Master?
Question marks popped up in everyone's minds simultaneously.
Rumor had it that the Lone Eye Divine Sword was a prodigy of the world; numerous masters had sought him out voluntarily, and he had refined their teachings through countless bloody battles to forge his own art.
But he stated clearly.
"My true master is none other than Master Wang U."
Wang U. Wang U...
The name spread haltingly through the crowd.
"The Venomous Flying Sword!"
Someone in the throng shouted.
"Ah! The Venomous Flying Sword!"
"But I heard he retired."
Amid the babble, only Dokgo Ryul's voice rang clear.
"I reveal here today that my master has another identity."
Pausing there, Dokgo Ryul took a breath.
Then, as if divulging the world's greatest secret, he moved his lips.
"My master is the sole successor of the Kunlun Sect."
Kunlun Sect!
The hall erupted in shock at the legendary name.
Everyone had heard the old saying drifting through the jianghu.
- Before the Nine Great Sects existed, there were only One Temple and One Sect.
Long before the current Nine Great Righteous Sects, the old jianghu had two pillars upholding the world.
It referred to Shaolin of Mount Song and Kunlun of Kunlun.
Dokgo Ryul, invoking a name faded even from memory, cried out passionately.
"My master left the jianghu to devote his life to restoring the Kunlun Sect's arts. And now, at last, he has completed the secret transmission: the Supreme Void Dragon Sword."
Isn't that right, Master?
Behind the turned Dokgo Ryul stood an elderly man with a smiling face.
The old man chuckled lightly and spoke.
"Heh heh. Haven't seen you in a while, and all you've gained is the talent to embarrass me."
Yet he did not elaborate on Dokgo Ryul's words.
"Indeed. I am the sole successor of Kunlun's lineage. Wang U is my name."
He drove the wedge into the stunned hearts.
"Instructor Chu! Instructor Chu—! Didn't they say that guy's the new manager?"
"Seems like it."
"'Seems like it' my foot! This is huge. Totally huge."
Unlike Yeo Mae-hong slapping her arms excitedly, Chu Un-hwi felt deflated.
'What? Wasn't he just here to rig the lottery?'
Why is this getting so serious!
Following the bombshell declaration came Dokgo Ryul's blood-boiling voice.
"On behalf of the jianghu, I thank you for your tireless efforts in reviving Kunlun's supreme arts, Master."
"The kid who used to swing a sword with hands like fiddleheads is now greeting me on behalf of the jianghu..."
To this emotional response, Dokgo Ryul cried out hotly.
"However, I have a request."
"There are no few ominous figures stirring in the current jianghu."
"The pillars of tomorrow's jianghu are still too young."
Shouting as if swallowing fire, Dokgo Ryul pleaded earnestly.
"Thus! I humbly beseech you, Master, who has fulfilled the dream in your heart—what of your next dream?"
His voice lowering as he stepped back from his passionate plea.
"Could you not bestow it upon those who will shape the jianghu's future?"
Ooooo!
The instructors and guests held their breath at Dokgo Ryul's earnest plea.
'Could you not leave your future dream to the students?'
In other words, sacrifice for the next generation of the jianghu.
"Heh heh. You're saying I should spend my remaining years for the jianghu's youth?"
"Yes, Master."
"Isn't that too much to ask of one who left the jianghu to live out his days in peace, my disciple?"
"Is it..."
"Haha. Entrusting the youth's fate to an old, useless man like me—it's absurd."
Dokgo Ryul, seeming regretful as he withdrew, trembled with clenched fists.
His profound disappointment at the clear refusal was palpable.
"However."
But Wang U's words were not finished.
"As a senior of the jianghu, lending a hand to those who will carry on is only natural."
Muttering that, he shouted toward the air.
"This Venomous Flying Sword, Wang U! For the sake of raising future talents, how could I not endure even the toil of tending horses and dogs?"
"...Master."
Wang U replied with eyes blazing similarly.
"Rebuilding Kunlun is important, but without righteousness and chivalry, what is a pillar with a fancy plaque? Is it truly a sect?"
I've told you time and again: chivalry is people leaning on each other. Without it, even Kunlun is nothing.
"However. The dream of rebuilding Kunlun Sect."
"The ancestors of old Kunlun were all chivalrous heroes. Not one had a narrow heart—they will understand."
With that, Wang U stroked his white beard and sighed.
"Heh heh. But my only worry is that this old body lacks the ability."
"You will do well, Master."
"I know my shortcomings. But one thing I can promise is my heart and resolve!"
Goooooo.
Channeling his energy to whip up a great gust, Wang U cried out to the heavens.
"Heavens above! If my efforts fall short, do not spare the heavenly punishment!"
His resounding oath overwhelmed everyone.
It was a scene later dubbed the "Kunlun Oath" by some scholar.
Watching this, Yeo Mae-hong clasped her hands in感動.
"So cool. To go that far for the jianghu's future talents."
Moyong Seon-ya murmured in admiration.
"As the sole disciple of Kunlun Sect, he's practically the sect leader. To forsake all glory for the next generation—who else is like that?"
The surrounding reactions were much the same.
But Chu Un-hwi saw it.
Amid the universal fervor, the wooden ball slyly slipped from his sleeve.
"Temporary Instructor Chu Un-hwi!"
- Anhui Province! Xiaohe!
His expectations were not off by a single inch.
The cats' sect.
His destination to the Meow Truth Sect was confirmed.
The Recommendation Festival ended.
A banquet was held to celebrate everyone's hard work.
Though not entirely relaxed with superiors everywhere, Chu Un-hwi had nothing to envy.
He was the star of the show.
"Instructor Chu, try this too."
"Oh my, your glass is empty. Here, here."
Moyong Seon-ya surprisingly yielded food, and Yeo Mae-hong refilled his glass each time it emptied.
"Really. You promised, right?"
"Me too. You can't forget about me for real, okay? Pinky swear."
And it wasn't just them.
"Instructor Chu, need anything else? I'll go grab it."
"No need. I'll handle it. Our Instructor Chu should relax here."
Not only temporary instructors like Jo Hyeon, but even Silver Hall's haughty instructors fidgeted restlessly.
"Hahaha. No need to go all out like this."
He mumbled as he made them serve him and stuffed himself full.
The reason was simple.
"You're lucky too. The Meow Truth Sect, of all places."
The two squad leaders smacked their lips enviously.
"Everyone wants to go to the Meow Truth Sect."
"What's there to say."
Instructor Jo Hyeon nearby chimed in.
"It's every female student's dream to visit once."
"Right, right. They say you can pet cats to your heart's content."
"The hottest topic is the Hundred Cat Formation with a hundred cats, right?"
"Getting trapped in the Hundred Cat Formation and taking hits from Meow Meow Fist techniques is the dream."
They all glazed over at mentions of the Meow Truth Sect.
'At this rate, I might actually meet some beauties.'
Can't find them inside? Scatter bait outside. Danya's strategy was brilliant.
'Wait, did beauties like cats?'
A minor detail nagged him, but for now, he should savor this victory.
"Euhahaha! Just say the word. I'll provide lodging in the Meow Truth Sect as much as you want."
"Temporary Instructor Chu Un-hwi, don't hand out empty promises too freely."
He was reveling in his kingly mood when a low warning flew from two tables away.
Turning, he saw Senior Instructor Jang Cheol-sim with a twisted scowl.
"If the sect allows it, providing lodging should be fine, right?"
"That's true. It's between the academy and the client."
Instead of jianghu missions, sects commissioned by the academy provide conveniences during the journey.
A simple symbiotic rule.
"But excessive demands are forbidden. Are you planning to fill the Meow Truth Sect with academy instructors and students?"
Sighing deeply, Jang Cheol-sim continued his scolding.
"It's all about mutual aid for convenience. Inviting whoever like you do only burdens the Meow Truth Sect."
"Well, yeah."
True enough.
Food and lodging were all on the client's dime.
But Jang Cheol-sim wouldn't know.
'The Meow Truth Sect was made for exactly this.'