Chapter 12
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 12
Ascending to the Celestial Realm presumably meant rising as an Immortal. If so, why hadn't the position of Great Martial Dao Master been filled?
Noticing Ise’s doubt, Hong Mi-hui smiled and answered.
“The highest-stage Great Cultivator in the Great Martial Dao right now is Hall Master Hae Il of the Azure Dragon Hall. But he declared he won't inherit the position until he reaches the Dao Master's realm. Thanks to that, it's awkward for any of the lower-ranking Hall Masters to step forward... so it's simply been left vacant.”
After explaining, Hong Mi-hui turned to Kang I-tae and asked, “Should we ask Cultivator Hae Il or the Head Steward? Somehow, I feel like those two might know.”
“We’d be lucky if the Azure Dragon Hall Master doesn't scold us for bothering him. And the Head Steward is currently away. If he passes the entry into the Great Martial Dao and an opportunity arises, I will send word. However, both of them are so exceedingly busy with official and personal affairs that I doubt they'd pay attention to the matters of a Qi Refining Stage initiate disciple....”
A special constitution was just a constitution.
In another cultivation force, they might have poured all their resources into nurturing him as a core asset. But given the nature of the Great Martial Dao—where it wasn't the strong who survived, but those who survived who were strong—it was common for even those with special constitutions to collapse and die before ever advancing past the Qi Refining Stage.
“True, but wouldn't they care a little if it's the exact same constitution as the Dao Master? Our Head Steward goes completely crazy over anything involving the Dao Master. Anyway, kid. Try not to act recklessly and focus on the exam for now. It would be quite troublesome if the side effects of your constitution split your body into thirty-six pieces, wouldn't it?”
“Yes. I will be careful.”
Ise answered politely, then added, “If you have no further business with me, may I return? I must eat and begin my afternoon physical training.”
Missing a training session was a grave matter.
* * *
“What a peculiar kid.”
“Ahaha. It’s probably because of Sister Mongryeon. She places so much importance on meals, after all...”
At Hong Mi-hui’s words, Gong Wol-ah replied with a soft giggle.
Hong Mi-hui chided her for giggling pointlessly, then poked Kang I-tae in the ribs with her fan.
“There seem to be quite a few decent kids this year. I thought you were just slacking off all this time, but I guess you actually do work?”
“I would prefer not to hear that from you, Hall Master Hong.”
“What? What did I do?”
“Out of all the Hall Masters in the entire Great Martial Dao, don't you have the lowest mission acceptance rate?”
“That’s because I’m busy! Where do you think all the Dharma artifacts you use come from? What about the pills? The talismans?”
“That, too, is merely your duty.”
“Unbelievable. Anyway, stop selecting candidates so carelessly. The initiate disciples who entered last year had a mission survival rate of less than ten percent over the past year. They’re all dying off! So, can we pick them properly this time?”
“I am merely adhering to protocol.”
“I am merely adhering to protocol.”
Hong Mi-hui’s face distorted exaggeratedly. Seeing her completely squander her pretty features, Kang I-tae clicked his tongue.
Who would ever look at that person and see a Daoist over four hundred years old?
“...To think someone like this is a Daoist. Please act your age, Hall Master.”
“What?! Did you just call me an old hag?!”
“Did I? I did no such thing. I merely told you to act your age.”
“It’s the exact same thing!”
Hong Mi-hui huffed in irritation while Kang I-tae narrowed his eyes, and Gong Wol-ah clapped her hands in delight beside them.
“If there is no further business, I shall take my leave.”
“Why? Stay a bit longer since you’re already here.”
“We are all busy people.”
Leaving behind those brief words, Ban Ho departed on his flying Dharma artifact and vanished into the distance.
Hong Mi-hui fanned herself discontentedly. “That tiger bastard, pretending to be so busy.”
“Don’t be so harsh on him.”
“What did I do? Honestly, youngsters these days have no respect.”
The three Hall Masters laughed and chatted like that for a while before slowly rising to their feet.
It was nice to see one another after a long time, but they were busier than anyone else. Their positions were far too critical for them to spend time idling about.
“Still, there seem to be a lot of interesting kids this year. Raise them well and send them to the Inner Hall, my freeloading Fellow Daoist Kang I-tae.”
Kang I-tae frowned slightly.
Hong Mi-hui, the Vermilion Bird Hall Master, was known as a madwoman. She possessed countless talents and abilities, but among them, her eye for discerning talent and special constitutions was absolute perfection—truly second to none on the entire continent.
For someone like her to hold such high expectations, it undoubtedly meant this cohort was brimming with exceptional talents for once.
Kang I-tae felt a heavy weight settle onto his shoulders.
* * *
It’s been a long day.
Ise returned to the applicants' quarters after completing his evening training.
It was a single room, albeit small. Considering that there were one hundred and seventy applicants, providing individual quarters was a testament to the Great Martial Dao’s vast resources.
And even a night-glowing pearl, small as it is...
Strictly speaking, applicants were merely guests, not formal disciples. No one would blame the sect if they neglected them a bit, so this treatment felt almost overly generous.
Are they flexing their wealth?
Even without such gestures, most youths across the Three Peninsular Kingdoms were practically dying to enter the Great Martial Dao. Successful sects truly had good reasons for their reputation.
For Ise, having a private room meant no distractions, which suited him just fine.
Rustle. He turned the page.
Normally, this was the hour he would retire to bed. Though he usually followed his strict schedule down to the last fifteen minutes, he needed to thoroughly read through the Basic Manual of the Great Martial Dao, even if it meant cutting into his sleep.
On his first day, he had only skimmed bits and pieces due to a lack of time, and today had been packed with exams from dawn to dusk.
The first page of the book laid out the Ten Commandments of Ghost Exorcism—rules Mongryeon had drummed into his ears so many times he knew them by heart. Ise turned the page.
A basic organizational chart of the Great Martial Dao came into view. It was far too simple to be confidential, appearing to serve solely to clarify the hierarchy within the organization.
At the very top stood the Great Martial Dao Master and the Head Steward who assisted him.
Below them were the eleven halls known as the Eleventh Inner Hall.
Disciples belonging to the Inner Hall were called Core Disciples, a title that required one to reach at least the Foundation Establishment Stage to attain.
All disciples who did not belong to the Inner Hall were classified as Formal Disciples, whose duty was to carry out various missions. In truth, the vast majority of disciples fell into this category.
Beyond them were non-disciple Outer Gate Affiliates who assisted with the sect’s operations, as well as Secular Disciples who had branched out from the Inner Gate to establish their own secular clans.
These were the people who comprised the Great Martial Dao.
The exact numbers aren't listed.
All seemingly crucial details were omitted. He surmised that, including the Outer Gate Affiliates, the total scale likely ranged from a few thousand to nearly ten thousand people.
Swish. The pages turned.
The next section listed various rules that every disciple of the Great Martial Dao had to master.
Hunting Spirit Beasts is strictly forbidden.
Harvesting Spirit Creatures is strictly forbidden.
Killing fellow Great Martial Dao disciples or destroying their Spirit Roots is strictly forbidden.
Traveling outside the boundaries of the Great Martial Dao is strictly forbidden.
Dangerous regions based on cultivation realms.
Code of conduct when encountering Demon Ghosts of a higher realm.
Code of conduct when encountering Rogue Cultivators.
Protocols for encountering Demonic Path Sects or other cultivation forces.
In addition, there were etiquette guidelines, such as addressing cultivators of a higher realm with the respectful title of "Senior," or using terms like "Fellow Daoist" or "Cultivator" among peers.
As he read through it, it felt less like mandatory instruction for a Great Martial Dao disciple and more like fundamental wisdom required of any cultivator.
For instance, lines such as:
[Demon Ghosts are transparent inside and out. Cultivators, however, are frequently pure white on the surface and pitch black within. Facing an enemy of the same realm, nine times out of ten, a cultivator is far more dangerous than a Demon Ghost.]
[If an outside cultivator shows unprompted kindness, there is inevitably a scheme far larger than the favor itself.]
[Statistically, nine out of ten people who sign an individual Soul Binding Contract are exploited like slaves and ultimately murdered.]
The latter half of the book compiled detailed information on the Qi Refining Demon Ghosts that Qi Refining Formal Disciples would primarily face on missions, neatly categorized from Grade 9 down to Grade 1.
Most of it was knowledge he had already mastered, but fresh details caught his eye now and then.
He found the explanation for why grades were assigned only to Qi Refining Demon Ghosts, and not to those at the Foundation Establishment Stage, particularly amusing.
The system had been designed to boost the survival rate of Qi Refining cultivators—who were dying in droves—by ranking threats based on danger level rather than raw cultivation stage, allowing disciples to tackle them step-by-step.
<Risk your life in battle, but do not hold your life lightly.>
The line clearly reflected the deep anxieties of the Great Martial Dao’s leadership, bringing an unexpected smile to his face.
Ise devoured the words with gleaming eyes, savoring each character as if partaking in a supreme delicacy.
Whoever authored this, he thought, their writing talent is truly exquisite.
* * *
The third day of testing commenced.
The third exam was hand-to-hand combat.
Thirteen applicants were placed together in a group melee while the examiners evaluated their performance.
In a sense, this was the first exam worthy of the title.
Tension was etched clearly across the applicants' faces.
The first thirteen applicants called stepped forward.
“Look at the pattern on the ground,” Kang I-tae said, briefly explaining the rules. “This is a formation that suppresses the use of spiritual energy. From this moment on, you will rely strictly on your raw physical capability to subdue one another until only one person remains standing. If you fall or step outside the formation, your evaluation ends. Prepare yourselves.”
Shortly after, with the command “Begin,” the bout erupted. Though the applicants hesitated and eyed one another at first, they quickly threw themselves into a chaotic, brutal brawl.
It was fierce. Fierce, and yet...
It's terribly subpar.
Compared to the physical combat Ise had endured against the boys of the Dogwi Tribe, this was mere child’s play.
However, their desperation to gain entry was genuine. Even with split lips and blood streaming down their faces, most of the applicants swung their fists with desperate fury.
No, that wasn't right.
It wasn't that their fighting was subpar; rather, the training Ise and the Dogwi boys had undergone was simply absurdly extreme.
Watching them fight by pushing themselves to their absolute physical limits, Ise revised his opinion.
Finally, when only a single applicant—whose face was beaten beyond recognition—remained standing, the first match concluded.
“Jo Seong-min, Wang Jae. Failed.”
Two out of the thirteen were eliminated.
Ise tried to figure out the criteria, but felt a bit puzzled. The applicant named Wang Jae had lasted until nearly the very end.
“That guy spent most of his time just dodging around. Looks like you get disqualified if you don't fight aggressively.”
At Hae Un-chan’s comment, Ise uttered a quiet “Ah” in realization.
The next group was called, and this time three were disqualified.
By the halfway mark, an average of two applicants were eliminated from each group.
The atmosphere grew increasingly brutal, and injuries mounted rapidly. After one applicant bit off a competitor's ear, spraying blood everywhere, a few onlookers even began to retch.
Yet the examiners didn't intervene in the slightest.
If anything, the applicant who had torn off the ear roared in triumph, taking it for granted that he would receive a stellar evaluation.
Ise now clearly understood the criteria for failure:
Those whose physical abilities fell completely below the baseline, those who were overly passive, or those who surrendered too easily after taking a few hits.
No matter how he looked at it, for an entrance exam into a Daoist sect, it was... a bit extreme.
It left him with a lingering sense of dissonance that felt difficult to get used to.