Chapter 236
Chapter 236
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 65
>Chapter Title: Disregarding the Embroidered Uniform Division (4)
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The internal energy measurement, marking the start of the Embroidered Uniform Guard selection process, began.
The six Thousand Captains lined up in front of the platform on the training grounds, with several dozen thick stone slabs placed before them.
Thousand Captain Chae Ho-seong addressed the cadets standing in six rows.
“Do you see them? What’s laid out before you are stone slabs made from Realm-Enduring Stone.”
Murmurs rippled through the cadets at the mention of Realm-Enduring Stone.
-Hoo. That much Realm-Enduring Stone. The imperial palace truly has budget to spare.
Mok Kyung-un, puzzled by Cheongryeong’s words, asked,
-What’s Realm-Enduring Stone?
-You don’t know about Realm-Enduring Stone... Ah, of course a fledgling like you wouldn’t. They process certain raw ores into stones tough enough to withstand internal energy.
-Withstand internal energy?
-That’s right.
“So there must be a purpose behind making them.”
“Naturally. You think peak experts training in ordinary cultivation chambers would leave them intact? Most renowned clans and sects build their cultivation rooms with Single Realm Stone or Realm-Enduring Stone.”
-Single Realm Stone?
“It’s inferior in material and durability to Realm-Enduring Stone, but it easily withstands first-rate internal energy. Shattering it requires at least fully matured peak-level internal energy.”
-Hoo. So Realm-Enduring Stone is even tougher.
“Of course. Realm-Enduring Stone is made for superior experts cultivating advanced martial arts. Its durability isn’t even comparable to Single Realm Stone.”
In other words, Realm-Enduring Stone could withstand even peak to super-peak internal energy.
Hearing this, Mok Kyung-un understood why Cheongryeong was surprised.
Only an institution with the imperial palace’s wealth could afford to craft that much Realm-Enduring Stone into slabs for testing.
At that moment, Thousand Captain Chae Ho-seong continued.
“Quiet! If you’re scared of this much, how do you expect to join the Embroidered Uniform Guard?”
“......”
“The test is simple. Use a sword, fists, feet—whatever. Infuse your internal energy and leave a mark at least one cun deep. Fail, and you’re out. Understood?”
The cadets’ faces darkened at his words.
Realm-Enduring Stone wasn’t something you could even scratch without reaching its threshold.
Demanding a mark over one cun deep made the test incredibly difficult.
“Why no response?”
“Yes, sir!!!”
Spurred by his sharp rebuke, the cadets shouted in unison.
Under the supervision of the Thousand Captains from each division, the selection process commenced.
Cadets stepped forward one by one to scar the stone slabs, quickly sorting passers from failures.
“Kwak In-myeong—fail!”
“Heo Juk-ye—fail!”
“Han Myeong-cho—pass!”
Each verdict split joy from despair.
Some failures slumped in disappointment, others wept openly.
A few even protested, refusing to accept it and begging for one more chance.
But the Thousand Captains as sub-supervisors handled it coldly.
“You thought that meager internal energy could get you into the Embroidered Uniform Guard? Get lost.”
“Ugh.”
“If you’ve just barely hit first-rate, quit now.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
The line between entry-level first-rate and its extreme boundary was clear-cut.
Those at mere entry-level left marks of only half a cun.
But those nearing the extreme or at peak left clear marks over one cun, plainly visible.
Then someone pushed nearly one-and-a-half cun deep.
“Joo Sang-jae—pass!”
‘Got it.’
Joo Sang-jae, who had carved a sword mark over one-and-a-half cun into the Realm-Enduring Stone slab, cheered in triumph upon passing.
He was now one step closer to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Joining the line of passers, Joo Sang-jae smugly watched the ongoing measurements.
“The Embroidered Uniform Guard really is the elite of the elites in the palace. They demand near-extreme first-rate just for new recruits.”
Seop Chun clucked his tongue softly in awe.
He’d heard the palace once lacked martial experts.
That led to several humiliating incidents, so now they focused on cultivating them.
Mong Mu-yak, standing behind the admiring Seop Chun, spoke up.
“Don’t make a fuss over that.”
“What fuss?”
“Internal energy matters, but combat prowess is the core of true strength. Stocking up on those useless in battle is pointless.”
“Look at you, Mr. High-and-Mighty.”
What did it cost him to just agree?
Seop Chun clicked his tongue, then provoked Mong Mu-yak.
“You’re so great—want to make a little bet?”
“A bet?”
“Yeah. Who carves a deeper mark.”
“......What’s the stake?”
Seop Chun’s lips curled up.
He knew this guy would bite.
He’d hem and haw but saw Seop Chun as a rival, so he’d fall for provocations easily.
“It’s a losing bet for me anyway, but how about the loser calls the winner ‘big brother’?”
“Big brother?”
Seop Chun was older than Mong Mu-yak to begin with.
Of course, Mong Mu-yak never minded being treated as an equal.
Seop Chun just wanted to see him awkwardly calling him ‘big brother.’
“Scared?”
“......Who’s scared?”
In the end, Mong Mu-yak took the bet.
Meanwhile, it was the turn of Yeom Kyung, a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect—one of the upper-class cadets drawing attention.
Yeom Kyung steadied his breath and thrust his sword at the Realm-Enduring Stone slab.
-Shunk!
The internal energy-infused blade sank in.
But the depth was extraordinary at first glance.
It looked over two cun deep.
“Ooooh!”
Admiration erupted everywhere.
No one who’d tested so far had exceeded two cun.
Thousand Captain Mak Myeong-bo of the Death Division, supervising Yeom Kyung, called out with satisfaction.
“Cadet Yeom Kyung: two-and-a-half cun. Current top score!”
‘Huh?’
Until now, they’d only announced pass or fail, but this time they revealed the depth and ranking.
“Current top score” meant it was the highest so far.
Yeom Kyung walked to the passers’ line with a pleased expression.
‘Nothing special.’
Joo Sang-jae, who’d made a one-and-a-half cun mark, gritted his teeth enviously at his swagger.
The Mount Hua Sect wasn’t called a great ancient sect for nothing.
Then a shout rang out.
“Cadet Namgung Cheonghyeon: four cun. Current top score!”
‘No way?’
‘Four cun?’
Startled, Joo Sang-jae and Yeom Kyung turned to Namgung Cheonghyeon testing in the third row.
It was an overwhelming result.
The slab was nearly pierced through.
As he calmly sheathed his sword, the untested cadets gazed at him with awe.
‘As expected of one of Murim’s Seven Great Clans.’
He was the undisputed top cadet in the upper class.
Even the surrounding Thousand Captains inwardly marveled.
‘Worthy of the Namgung Clan.’
‘Namgung Cheonghyeon......’
Seop Chun and Mong Mu-yak—who ignored most others—reacted only to Namgung Cheonghyeon’s feat.
He was the grandson of Namgung Jin, the Celestial Heaven Martial Sword, foremost of Murim’s Eight Stars.
He lived up to his lineage without question.
Yeom Kyung of Mount Hua Sect and Joo Sang-jae, who saw him as rivals, glared with jealousy.
Then another result emerged.
“Cadet Geum Jong-hyeon: three cun. Second place!”
‘Damn it!’
‘No—Geum Jong-hyeon got three cun?’
Geum Jong-hyeon sauntered out yawning, looking bored.
Joo Sang-jae and Yeom Kyung ground their teeth at the sight.
Especially Yeom Kyung—plummeting to third place was humiliating.
‘......Tch. The real competition starts now.’
This was just internal energy measurement.
A difference of one or two cun wasn’t negligible, but it wouldn’t yet separate the wheat from the chaff decisively.
Then it was Seop Chun’s turn.
Cadets nearby focused intently.
It was a chance to gauge the caliber of the rumored Heaven-Earth Society junior.
-Swish!
Seop Chun gripped then released the sheath of his Radiant Martial Blade at his waist.
It was a unique weapon, a treasured sword that might yield better than bare hands.
For a fair bet, Seop Chun concentrated his energy into his hand blade.
He slashed at the Realm-Enduring Stone slab.
-Slash!
The result appeared.
“Cadet Seop Chun: three-and-a-half cun. Second place!”
-Murmurs!
The impressive outcome stirred the cadets again.
He seemed like a saber user, yet bare-handed he hit three-and-a-half cun.
That implied even more with his saber.
“Second place, but nearly tying Namgung Cheonghyeon?”
“......The Three Great Powers live up to the name.”
“A monster.”
While others marveled, Seop Chun was nonchalant.
Maybe he should’ve used the Radiant Martial Blade after all.
Still, as a martial artist with pride, tying below the orthodox Namgung Cheonghyeon irked him.
Namgung Cheonghyeon felt the same.
‘......Skipping a weapon to match me?’
His sword was ordinary, from any smithy.
But the difference between armed and unarmed couldn’t be ignored.
Deep down, he regretted not using one himself.
Then another result came.
-Thud!
A heavy punch resounded against the Realm-Enduring Stone.
The stone cratered deeply inward.
‘This guy’s at this level?’
Thousand Captain O Mu-gi of the Three Lines Division smirked and announced.
“Cadet Wi Bu-cheong: three cun. Tied for third!”
Many couldn’t hide their shock.
Especially Yeom Kyung of Mount Hua Sect, now pushed out of the rankings, seethed.
Wi Bu-cheong, dissatisfied yet sneering at someone, snorted.
‘See that? That’s the gap between you and me.’
That someone was Joo Un-hyang.
Joo Un-hyang sighed softly at Wi Bu-cheong’s attitude, saying nothing.
“Hoo.”
He knew exactly why.
Wi Bu-cheong assumed he’d risen via connections without true internal energy.
Shaking his head, Joo Un-hyang stepped forward.
It was his turn.
Then a shout echoed.
“Cadet Mong Mu-yak: three-and-a-half cun! Tied for second!”
-Murmurs!
“Another three-and-a-half.”
“Crazy.”
“Are the Heaven-Earth Society guys all monsters? What the hell?”
The cadets went beyond awe to outright amazement at Mong Mu-yak’s result.
Most of the hundred upper-class cadets struggled past one cun—three-and-a-half was legendary.
It was a different league altogether.
‘Damn!’
Even Wi Bu-cheong, somewhat pleased with his own, couldn’t hide his frustration.
Seeing Seop Chun go bare-handed, he’d skipped his sword too, using fists—a supplementary art.
That got him three cun, but another Heaven-Earth Society member outdid him, making his Four Unions League look weakest among the Three Great Powers.
“Tch.”
Mong Mu-yak, heading to the passers dissatisfied, grumbled.
Pride kept him from using his sword.
Yet he’d aimed for top score and tied Seop Chun.
The bet was a draw.
“Phew.”
Seop Chun exhaled in relief, patting his chest.
He’d worried Mong Mu-yak might use his sword or push harder for victory—glad it tied.
Then Joo Un-hyang stood before the slab.
Many cadets watched closely.
Not with anticipation, though.
‘Tsk tsk. Biting off more than he can chew.’
‘Promoted via connections—time for a proper humiliation.’
‘Think a guy without internal energy can even scratch it?’
They hoped the internal energy-less Joo Un-hyang would fail spectacularly.
Joo Un-hyang steadied his breath before the Realm-Enduring Stone slab.
Thousand Captain Mak Myeong-bo of the Death Division as sub-supervisor eyed him without expectation.
‘Why’d Six Thousand Captain So Ye-rin get involved with this guy?’
He’d probed with his senses, wondering if skills were hidden.
But no—this guy truly lacked internal energy.
Single Realm Stone was one thing; Realm-Enduring Stone was beyond unarmed scratches.
‘He’ll just feel the limits of his connections.’
-Swish!
Unexpectedly, Joo Un-hyang pressed his palm to the slab.
Not striking—just placing it—Mak Myeong-bo frowned and warned.
“Cadet Joo Un-hyang, do the measurement properly...”
Before he finished—
-Kwa-dr-r-r-r!
Wind pressure erupted from Joo Un-hyang’s palm, spinning fiercely.
The Realm-Enduring Stone slab cracked in a vortex shape, then shattered, fragments exploding outward.
-Popopopop!
“Huh?!”
Mak Myeong-bo, right in front, urgently blocked and leaped back.
Those on either side did the same.
They blocked the passersby, shielding the testing cadets from debris.
‘!!!’
Silence blanketed the grounds instantly.
‘Impossible.’
‘The Realm-Enduring Stone slab......’
‘Shattered to pieces.’
Every cadet gaped, speechless.
The shock rippled through all Thousand Captains of the Six Divisions.
Even Six Thousand Captain So Ye-rin alone reacted calmly, lips curling faintly—as if it were natural.
* * *
Everyone in the grounds was stunned.
No one had imagined Joo Un-hyang shattering the Realm-Enduring Stone slab.
‘Didn’t that guy lack internal energy?’
‘Impossible.’
The result defied their assumptions more than anything.
They’d thought his upper-class promotion came from connections, given his inability to cultivate internal energy.
‘How......’
Wi Bu-cheong, expecting a clean failure, was dumbfounded as the slab exploded.
How could this happen?
‘Ha......’
‘Well now......’
The Thousand Captains of the Six Divisions were equally baffled.
They’d reviewed the cadets’ files beforehand.
Joo Un-hyang’s record was a mess.
Yet now he’d shown something extraordinary.
‘......Beyond cadet level.’
Shattering Realm-Enduring Stone required fully matured super-peak internal energy.
Even most sub-supervisor Thousand Captains of the Embroidered Uniform Guard couldn’t manage it.
‘What the hell?’
‘Hiding his power all this time?’
Their minds raced.
One of the chief supervisors, Six Thousand Captain Chae Ho-seong, was equally shocked, eyes fixed on Un-hyang.
Without looking at Six Thousand Captain So Ye-rin beside him, he murmured.
“Did you know?”
So Ye-rin offered only a faint smile.
Her reaction narrowed Chae Ho-seong’s eyes.
He hadn’t detected Joo Un-hyang hiding his prowess.
If she had...
‘......Are you a level above me, So Ye-rin?’
He’d assumed her skills matched or trailed his slightly.
This hit harder—as a contender for next South Marching Warrior of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
“Thousand Captain Mak. Announce the result.”
Six Thousand Captain Chae Ho-seong broke the silence.
Thousand Captain Mak Myeong-bo of the Death Division, brushing off shards from the shattered slab, bellowed.
“Cadet Joo Un-hyang: complete Realm-Enduring Stone destruction. Top score!”
Waiting cadets, failures, and passers alike stared at Joo Un-hyang in lingering shock.
“Ha...... Even the palace has monsters. Right?”
“......”
Mong Mu-yak said nothing to Seop Chun’s tongue-clicking.
He too was quite shaken.
He’d thought reaching such heights before thirty—like his lord Mok Kyung-un—was nearly unheard of.
Yet the world was vast.
A monster like this in the palace of all places.
Then Seop Chun nodded.
“Lord’s turn.”
“Oh.”
As he said, Mok Kyung-un stepped forward for the slab.
Some cadets watched with interest.
He was another Heaven-Earth Society junior.
But only low-skill failures or weak internal energy cadets cared; supervisors and top scorers reacted differently.
‘He’s the average one among Heaven-Earth Society juniors.’
‘Weaker than those two.’
‘He’ll pass easily, but no standout.’
That was the consensus.
Their senses pegged Mok Kyung-un at merely mature peak.
Superior to most upper-class cadets, sure.
But below Heaven-Earth Society and top tiers.
Mok Kyung-un stood before the Realm-Enduring Stone slab.
“Begin.”
Thousand Captain Si Woo-ryang of the Two Lines Division, judging his group, said.
‘Probably two to two-and-a-half cun.’
That was his guess.
Mok Kyung-un eyed the slab and spoke.
“Is there really much point in scratching a lifeless, immobile rock?”
Thousand Captain Si Woo-ryang snorted.
“Save it for after you mark the slab properly, cadet.”
It was arrogant from someone far below top-tier prowess.
Joo Un-hyang, who pulverized it, could say that.
‘Tsk tsk.’
Yet Mok Kyung-un placed his hand not on the front—but atop the slab.
Si Woo-ryang warned.
“Do it right. Not there—the front face of the slab......”
Before he finished—
Mok Kyung-un gripped the top, then slowly dragged all five fingers downward.
-Kr-gr-gr-gr-gr.
Something astonishing happened.
The Realm-Enduring Stone slab crumbled like packed dirt.
‘!!!!!!’
< 65화 시위부 무시 (4) > End