If You Want to Die, Try Going Down
Cracking an egg against a rock? No! This was punching a mountain.
Sometimes in life, you end up doing things you never imagined.
For Yeop Hyeon, this was one of those moments!
It was absurd, but he had no choice. If he couldn't shatter this mountain, he might get expelled from Canglan Academy. For his sister's sake, he had to stay.
Dean Ji Yuan Zhang had the power to heal Yeop Ryeong. His unfathomable strength was another reason Yeop Hyeon needed to remain. With nowhere else to turn, the orphaned siblings needed the dean's protection.
So he had to stay here!
For Yeop Ryeong, he could smash one mountain—no, ten if needed!
Watching Yeop Hyeon pummel the mountain, Ji An Zhi spoke up.
"We can't leave them here."
"If I send them down now, those Cangmu Academy bastards will kill them."
"Then why'd you bring them here in the first place?"
"True, coming here means they can't avoid a fight with Cangmu Academy. But doesn't that also give them a chance?"
"Besides, without meeting me, those kids would've lived miserable lives."
Ji An Zhi said nothing.
The dean turned his gaze to Yeop Hyeon.
"Whatever brought them here, they're Canglan Academy students now. They think that way too. So I have to take responsibility to the end."
With that, the dean left Ji An Zhi behind and staggered off. He barely took a few steps before tripping and face-planting into the dirt. He was already dead drunk.
Ji An Zhi had no intention of helping him up. It was routine by now.
She turned to Yeop Hyeon, still madly punching the mountain. Naturally, the rock didn't have a single scratch.
His fists, on the other hand, were soaked in blood.
Shaking her head, Ji An Zhi walked away.
As the dean said, now that they were Canglan students, they had to get stronger—or end up as corpses on Cang Mountain.
Deep into the night, Yeop Hyeon—still punching—asked inwardly.
"Heavenly Maiden, is this method working?"
The Heavenly Maiden didn't respond.
He asked a couple more times, but silence.
It hurt. Beyond imagination.
Thanks to training the Golden Divine Nerve, Yeop Hyeon's body was tougher than most—several times over. But that didn't make him invincible.
He endured the pain. It wasn't just to avoid expulsion. There had to be a reason the dean assigned this. He'd figure it out eventually.
So, mind blank, Yeop Hyeon kept smashing the mountain.
Time passed. Dawn broke. He stopped punching. Then the dean appeared, tossing a bundle of herbs at his feet.
"Grind 'em up good and slather it on your fists and arms!"
With that single command, the dean vanished.
Yeop Hyeon did as told, mashing the herbs and applying them. The instant they touched his skin, he leaped back.
"Ack! It stings!!!"
It burned like red-hot iron on his arms.
Still, he forced himself to keep applying it.
Because he could see the wounds slowly healing!
This level of pain was nothing to him.
How much agony had he endured training his hidden realm? Just thinking about it made his teeth chatter.
Soon, he examined his arms. They glowed red, like molten steel. He headed back to the mountain.
Thud! Boom! Crash!
The explosive impacts echoed until lunchtime.
Mealtime!
Cooking was one of Yeop Hyeon's key duties here. He went to the waterfall to wash up before preparing. There, he spotted a figure bobbing in the water below—Bai Ze.
Bai Ze's upper body was a gruesome sight, skin peeled away completely.
Dragging himself onto a rock, Bai Ze tossed Yeop Hyeon an herb pouch.
"P-put some on me..."
Yeop Hyeon ground the herbs and smeared them over Bai Ze's torso.
Bai Ze barely stifled his screams, body trembling violently.
Yeop Hyeon watched the wounds knit shut bit by bit.
"This stuff works great!"
Bai Ze sucked in a deep breath.
"Of course! That's Superior Spirit Grass—fifty gold pieces a pop!"
"For real?"
"No lie!"
Yeop Hyeon paused, staring at the half-used herbs in his hand.
"Should I sell the leftovers?"
"...Don't joke..."
"We could split the profits."
"Just hurry up and finish..."
"Fine, I'll take seventy percent!"
"Kill me?"
"..."
Soon after, Yeop Hyeon and Bai Ze returned to the main hall. At the entrance stairs lay a dark heap—M u Yun Qi.
Staring at the ground, cheering triumphantly, his body convulsed nonstop. He'd fled from demon wolves all night. His legs felt broken from running.
Yeop Hyeon helped Mu Yun Qi to his feet.
Half an hour later, everyone gathered in the dining hall. The mood was worlds apart from yesterday.
As Yeop Ryeong set down the food, Mu Yun Qi and Bai Ze devoured it ravenously. Yeop Hyeon did the same.
After an all-nighter of training came exhaustion and ravenous hunger!
Seeing Yeop Hyeon stuff his face, Yeop Ryeong's heart ached. She ladled soup into his bowl, gently rubbing his back.
"Oppa, eat slower... you'll choke."
Watching this, Mu Yun Qi muttered softly.
"Other little sisters are so sweet... why's mine... sigh..."
He trailed off, burying his face in his plate.
Then the dean stood.
"From today on, no one goes down the mountain carelessly!"
He headed for the door.
"Why not?"
The dean didn't even glance back at Mu Yun Qi's question.
"If You Want to Die, Try Going Down!"
Ji An Zhi, licking her chopsticks, chimed in.
"Cangmu Academy goons are camped at the base. Waiting for you to come down."
Mu Yun Qi snorted.
"Those punks don't scare me!"
"You might luck out against one. What about ten?"
"These are inner courtyard disciples anyway. Don't underestimate Cangmu Academy—it's for your own good.
Last time they lowballed you and got burned. Think it'll happen again? Stronger ones are probably waiting.
Of course, if mountain training bores you, go down and have some fun!"
Ji An Zhi rose and headed to the kitchen.
Yeop Hyeon always left food for her there.
After eating, Yeop Hyeon changed and returned to the back mountain.
Bai Ze went back to the waterfall.
Mu Yun Qi? Into the woods, of course. Greeted by the wolves' enthusiastic welcome.
"Arrrgh—!"
Yeop Hyeon's punches carried full spirit now. He hadn't noticed at first, but as the mountain began to dent, he felt his spirit growing stronger with each strike.
Accordingly, the power of his Fist Collapse intensified.
Yeop Hyeon was thrilled inwardly. Who knew this training worked! He focused even more with every punch.
The dean wouldn't assign something pointless.
Days passed like this, their martial arts ripening unknowingly.
Meanwhile, Cangmu disciples visited Canglan's mountain path daily.
One day, two, three...
Finally, they realized Yeop Hyeon's group had no intention of descending.
So they started climbing the path to Canglan Academy. Ready for a frontal assault.
Leading was a twenty-something in fine silk robes. Burly, with twin daggers at his waist.
Jin Yeom—one of Cangmu Academy's outer courtyard's three great geniuses!
Seven or eight Cangmu students followed. All at the peak of Control Qi Realm, exuding thick auras—outer courtyard elites.
A warrior approached Jin Yeom.
"Sir Jin Yeom, those three aren't weak. Especially the sword cultivator Yeop Hyeon—even National Scholar An rates him highly. We can't let our guard down!"
Jin Yeom nodded.
"You're right. Zu Li got careless and paid for it. Being Canglan students, I might've underestimated them too. Zu Li's death is a warning to us."
The students nodded in agreement.
Underestimating foes once is enough. Cangmu Academy had a thousand-year legacy—its disciples were naturally exceptional.
Soon, Jin Yeom's group reached the main hall. First in their sights: a little girl washing clothes out front!
Yeop Ryeong.
Spotting the intruders, she dropped the laundry and bolted to the dean's quarters. He lounged crookedly on a long bench, reeking of booze as always.
She shook him, yelling.
"Grandpa! Wake up! They're here!"
But the dean didn't budge. No panic at all. As if he'd expected them.
Then Jin Yeom and crew entered the courtyard. Yeop Ryeong hid behind the dean, terrified.
Jin Yeom bowed toward the still-dazed dean.
"Jin Yeom of Cangmu Academy's outer courtyard. I've come to receive instruction from your students."
His eyes flashed.
"Staking our lives on it."
Life-or-death challenge!
All of Imperial City watched Cangmu's moves. Fail to avenge Zu Li, and Cangmu's reputation would plummet. Canglan's would soar.
Cangmu had dominated Canglan for ages. They had to avenge this humiliation—or this generation's students would bear the shame forever.
The dean cracked an eye, watched them, then flopped back indifferently.
"Go to the back mountain."
Hearing this, Jin Yeom's group bowed and swiftly headed there.
Canglan Academy vs. Cangmu Academy. A battle for survival.
After today, only one academy's students would remain. Blood already seemed to stain all of Cang Mountain.