Chapter 122
Translator: penny
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Murim Alliance Entrance Exams
Days had passed since we stumbled upon the battle between the Saryeongmun and the Shandong Yak Clan.
We had finally arrived in Zhengzhou, home of the Murim Alliance.
"My lord, shall we head straight to the Murim Alliance?"
"Nah, let's grab a bite first."
It was around the hour of the horse, between 11 and 1 p.m. No need to rush.
Neither I nor Cheon Woojin had ever been to Zhengzhou before, so we followed Moyong Hui to a restaurant she recommended.
It wasn't cheap, but it wasn't overly fancy either—just the right kind of place.
It must have been popular, as it was already fairly crowded despite the early hour.
While waiting for our food, Baek Rihyeon—who'd been groaning like a puppy desperate to poop—finally spoke up.
"Um... what if I don't pass?"
"What do you mean? We'd go home. Oh, right. You don't have a home anymore, do you?"
I chuckled teasingly, but Moyong Hui elbowed my side.
She shook her head.
"Young master, stop teasing him. You know how worried Rihyeon is..."
"Come on, Hui. Am I wrong? He's the one keep bringing it up."
Baek Rihyeon's worries were simple enough.
The Alliance Entrance Exam.
He was fretting over the test required to join the Murim Alliance.
Of course, not just anyone who wanted in could join the Murim Alliance.
'Otherwise, every Tom, Dick, and Harry would sign up to be Murim Alliance warriors.'
To weed out the riffraff, the Alliance only accepted those who passed one of two methods.
One was the Alliance Entrance Exam.
'The other is by recommendation.'
To be precise, you needed a recommendation from someone of elder rank or higher.
But how could a rookie like me or Cheon Woojin know any Murim Alliance elders?
Moyong Hui was our only slim chance, but...
-As you know, young master, my family has no interest in the Murim Alliance. I joined through the entrance exam myself back in the day. I did get to know a few elders during my time there, but...
She'd trailed off, and I'd cleanly given up on the idea.
Better to pass the exam than watch my woman bow and scrape to someone else.
'It's not even that hard.'
Neither I nor Cheon Woojin were the type to quake over some piddly test.
And Baek Rihyeon was no different.
The kid might not look it, but his martial arts realm was first-rate.
Even a plain first-rate warrior would get a warm welcome from the Murim Alliance—not to mention he was only eight.
Barring a blind examiner, passing was a given.
'Plus, the exam he'll take is the White Dragon Exam.'
I'd been calling it the Alliance Entrance Exam for simplicity, but it was actually divided into three categories.
The White Dragon Exam for children not yet of age.
The Blue Dragon Exam for general warriors.
The Golden Dragon Exam for exceptional talents.
The Golden Dragon Exam required first-rate realm to even qualify.
'Of course, the little squirt won't make it into Golden Dragon.'
His realm might be first-rate on paper, but in practice, he was barely better than a decent second-rater.
Still, breezing through the White Dragon Exam with all the other kids would be no sweat.
Yet he'd been stewing in these dumb worries the whole trip. How frustrating was that for me?
We'd been ribbing Baek Rihyeon for a while when our food arrived.
It tasted pretty good, so we dug in with gusto. Then Cheon Woojin—who'd been quiet till now—spoke up cautiously.
"By the way, my lord."
"Yeah?"
I had a pretty good idea what he wanted to say, but I let him anyway.
And sure enough...
"Do I really have to take the Blue Dragon Exam...?"
"Tch, you're such a pain. Isn't it already decided?"
"Decided? You just forced it on me..."
Cheon Woojin's grumbling had a simple cause.
I'd told him to take the Blue Dragon Exam for regular warriors.
And "regular warrior" in the Murim Alliance? Just a fancy term for gate guards, patrol duties, and other odd jobs.
'Real martial artists always take the Golden Dragon Exam.'
The Alliance didn't hide it either—they made the exams worlds apart.
Unlike the White and Golden Dragon Exams held only four times a year, the Blue Dragon Exam was available anytime.
Even so, Blue Dragon takers were always overflowing.
Steady job, good pay, and that Murim Alliance prestige.
'Not to mention the halo effect.'
I knew all this not from past-life memories.
Hell, back in my Lecherous Demon days, I was too busy running from the Alliance to learn trivia like this.
It came from skimming that Murim Alliance booklet Somwol gave me in Beijing on the way here.
Anyway, my reason for shoving Cheon Woojin into regular warrior status was straightforward.
'Easier to control that way.'
Pass the Golden Dragon, and you'd get posted to important spots.
Like the Four Divine Beasts Squads, handling the Alliance's key missions.
And those postings could mean leaving Zhengzhou for remote assignments sometimes.
'Why would I let that happen?'
Cheon Woojin was my retainer.
I needed him on call to boss around.
Sure, I might end up posted remotely too, but that was fine.
He was perfect as Baek Rihyeon's bodyguard for now anyway.
Those were my reasons, but Cheon Woojin had his own gripe for whining.
"I'm a martial artist too, you know."
It was that whole "not treated like a real martial artist" thing.
Sure, among commoners and randos, the Murim Alliance name alone made you a hero... but that was the ceiling.
No real fame or reputation to speak of.
'Spend your life as a regular warrior, and you'll never snag a proper title like one of the Five Dragons or Phoenixes.'
So it wasn't weird for Cheon Woojin to react like this.
The guy had spent his days training under the Martial Emperor, only stepping into the jianghu with me recently.
And at that prime hot-blooded age too.
'Tch tch, what's so great about fame anyway.'
Not that I had room to talk—I came to the Alliance chasing fame myself.
But I was me, and he was him.
Who did this retainer think he was, measuring up to his lord...?
I furrowed my brow slightly and tapped the table with my chopsticks.
"Don't you remember what your father said to me?"
Cheon Woojin tilted his head, clueless.
"...What'd he say?"
"He asked me to take good care of you, you punk. Said if you got hurt joining someplace risky like the White Tiger Squad, he'd lose face with this old man."
"Yeah, right."
He'd gotten mouthier lately.
But I understood his feelings and forgave him generously.
"Fine, if you insist, get an elder's recommendation and join the Vermilion Bird Squad. I'll allow that much."
The Murim Alliance had four elite squads.
Black Tortoise, Blue Dragon, White Tiger, and Vermilion Bird.
Collectively known as the Four Divine Beasts Squads, each had distinct roles.
The Black Tortoise handled intelligence gathering and overall Alliance command—like a spy network crossed with strategists.
The Blue Dragon managed and trained White Dragon recruits and regular warriors.
The White Tiger took the front lines against the Demonic Cult or unorthodox sects—mostly field ops.
And the Vermilion Bird Squad I'd just mentioned? They guarded the Alliance itself and maintained order in Zhengzhou.
'Where Hui will be.'
It was Moyong Hui's old posting.
She'd likely get reassigned there upon return.
I could tolerate Cheon Woojin there.
'No leaving Zhengzhou, and he'd make a fine shield against guys sniffing around Hui.'
The catch? Elder recommendations let you pick your squad, but Golden Dragon passers got assigned wherever.
For reference, my top pick was White Tiger.
'Best place for fame.'
White Tiger was the frontline shock troops.
Most dangerous, but the squad with the biggest buzz among the common folk.
And that wasn't all.
'Red Phoenix is in White Tiger, right?'
There were currently two Phoenixes in the Murim Alliance.
Red Phoenix Baek Iryeong and Cyan Phoenix Namgoong Sua.
Red Phoenix was in White Tiger, while Cyan Phoenix Namgoong Sua was with Blue Dragon.
So why fixate on White Tiger over Blue Dragon?
'Babysitting kids? Hard pass.'
One of Blue Dragon's jobs was training the White Dragon brats.
I could barely be bothered to train Cheon Woojin—let alone a gaggle of rugrats.
So White Tiger was my first choice, Vermilion Bird second.
'Black Tortoise for intel would be nice too...'
Actually, for digging into the Blood Cult, Black Tortoise was ideal.
But they had one massive flaw.
'No decent women.'
White Tiger had Red Phoenix, Blue Dragon had Cyan Phoenix, Vermilion Bird had Moyong Hui coming back.
Black Tortoise? Nothing that caught my eye.
Sure, they had women members, but...
'I'm not here to chase mediocrity.'
I, Mok Jimyeong, came to the Murim Alliance to claim Cyan Phoenix and Red Phoenix.
Oh!
And scope out the Blood Cult while I'm at it.