Chapter 25 - A Second-Rate Warrior Preparing to Soar (3)

The nomination ceremony for the head disciple took place.

I woke up early in the morning, washed my body clean, and took out my neatest clothes to wear before tying my hair up tidily and applying a little oil so it wouldn't fly about.

After offering my greetings to the martial ancestors at the Ancestral Hall, I bowed to the elders who were waiting, one by one.

Unlike usual, the Hall Leaders had also dressed in their cleanest clothes today.

It was hard to hold back my laughter internally, as most of them were wearing new clothes made from the fabrics Wang Geumsan had brought.

After finishing my greetings to all the Hall Leaders, it was time for the final greeting to Jin Taesan, the External Hall Leader and my father.

"..."

"..."

Jin Taesan remained silent for a long time with a wistful look in his eyes.

"The Sect Leader is waiting."

"Among the elders and Hall Leaders, I was the only one who opposed your nomination as the head disciple."

"..."

"Are you upset?"

"Why would I be upset? It hasn't been just a day or two since you started underestimating me."

"When you take on the role of the head disciple, you don't just gain the authority to command the disciples."

His wistful gaze soon became teary, shifting as if he were reminiscing about a distant memory.

"You must always be the one standing at the very front of the disciples, and you are the one responsible for their lives."

'Is my father looking at me right now, or is he looking at my childhood self?'

"From now on, you must prioritize the junior disciples over your own life. Will you be able to bear that heavy weight?"

"..."

What parent in this world would gladly accept their child taking on a role where their own life is pushed to the back?

Although I had never had a child in my past life, I had subordinates who were like family, so I could understand him indirectly at least.

"Father."

"... Yeah."

"No matter where I am, I will make sure to survive."

"..."

"And my junior disciples will always be right behind me."

Jin Taesan, who looked like he was about to shed tears, eventually turned his head away and waved his hand.

I deliberately gave him some space and simultaneously stepped forward in front of Hong Mungi.

"Disciple Jin Sowoon. Do you swear before the martial ancestors that you will do your best for the development and glory of the Taiyi Sect?"

"28th-generation disciple Jin Sowoon. I swear before the preceding martial ancestors. I will become the foremost disciple for the junior disciples in order to achieve the development and glory of the Taiyi Sect."

Sect Leader Hong handed over a black cloth identical to the one wrapped around his head with both hands, and I raised both hands to receive it while kneeling.

Embroidered on the black cloth was a silver Taiyi Sect crest proving my status as the head disciple.

I slowly tied the cloth around my head and approached my fellow disciples.

WAAAAAAAH!

My fellow disciples rushed at me from all sides while cheering, each of them offering words of congratulations.

I replied to each and every one of them and exchanged handshakes.

After the round of greetings ended, I approached Gye Cheolyeong and Gye Yeonseok, who were standing off to one side.

"I look forward to working with you from now on, Senior Brother."

"..."

Gye Cheolyeong was at a loss as to whether he should reach out his hand or not.

At that moment, Gye Yeonseok bared his teeth and growled.

"It's not over yet."

"What are you talking about?"

"Did you think I wouldn't know you were trying to steal our Cheolyeong's spot in the Murim Academy?"

"Aren't you under some kind of misunderstanding? The special admission is a process where the talent scouts select the most outstanding disciple through an objective evaluation."

"Hmph! Just you wait and see."

Gye Yeonseok hurried Gye Cheolyeong along and left the Taiyi Sect.

I was once again surrounded by the disciples and began humoring their chattering conversation.

* * *

"That damn bastard."

"Father, what do we do now?"

A look of worry was now cast over Gye Cheolyeong's face as well.

Feelings of unfairness and resentment welled up inside him.

At the Iron Sword Sect, he had attended in his capacity as a member of the Gyeryong Merchant Group, so he couldn't step forward when the incident occurred.

Of course, if he had known that the Chief Strategist would ultimately side with the Taiyi Sect, he could have easily stepped forward as well.

However, setting those things aside, the Iron Sword Sect was the most powerful sect in Anhui Province after the Namgung Clan.

From the perspective of the Gyeryong Merchant Group, which based its business in Anhui Province, he absolutely could not step forward.

Namgung San of the Namgung Clan visiting made him feel even more wronged.

Whatever the case, hadn't Namgung San shown mercy with his hands at the end?

If Namgung San had just pulled his sword back at that moment, all of Jin Sowoon's fingers would have been blown off, and the victory would have ultimately gone to Namgung San.

He burned with frustration at the foolishness of those who viewed that as the Taiyi Sect's victory.

Furthermore, what was all this sudden nonsense about Wangga Manor...

His entire plan—entering the Murim Academy through special admission, building connections with the prodigies of the orthodox sects and the Five Great Noble Clans, roaming the Murim alongside them, and eventually making the Gyeryong Merchant Group the greatest merchant group in the world—had been completely ruined.

"There is nothing to be disappointed about. Even if they use ungrateful tricks, the prodigy chosen for the special admission will ultimately be you."

Gye Yeonseok's vague words didn't even register in his ears.

"Don't you know? Even if he becomes the head disciple, he cannot be selected for special admission if he falls behind in the overall score."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The special admission is divided into a total of three tests. The first tests general knowledge regarding martial arts and Murim, and the second tests the understanding of Martial Moves and internal energy. At the end, there is even a sparring match test for real combat."

"In the end, as long as I don't know what those tests are, aren't I in the exact same position as them?"

"You punk! Who do you think you are!"

Gye Yeonseok flared up and yelled.

"You are the legitimate heir of the Gyeryong Merchant Group! Have you still not realized that you are different from those half-wits in the Taiyi Sect right from your birth, right from the very start?!"

"..."

Right then, three figures entered the grounds.

A scholar-like man, a warrior-like woman, and in the center, a middle-aged man wearing a sword and exuding a dignified aura; they were individuals with diverse atmospheres.

"Merchant Group Leader. It has been a long time."

"Oh my! You've finally arrived! I have been waiting so anxiously my neck nearly snapped."

"I don't know what to do with such a warm welcome for this humble Jang. Now, is that child the famous prodigy, Gye Cheolyeong?"

"Haha, a prodigy, you say. He is merely slightly outstanding. What are you doing? Pay your respects."

Dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events, Gye Cheolyeong stared at Gye Yeonseok.

"You've heard the moniker Number One Instructor, haven't you?"

Gye Cheolyeong's eyes grew as large as chestnuts.

"No way."

"Yes, this is Sir Jang Sagun, the Number One Instructor who worked as a talent scout for a whopping 15 years and recently sent every single student he taught through pinpoint tutoring to the Murim Academy."

Jang Sagun looked at Gye Cheolyeong with a proud gaze.

"No matter how dull a person is, I have never failed to send them to the Murim Academy. Since you are such an excellent talent, this job will actually be easier, so I am all the more delighted."

Coupled with his confident tone, his reputation, which Gye Cheolyeong had heard until his ears bled, suddenly caused all of his feelings of unfairness to melt away completely.

'Jin Sowoon, you insolent bastard, just you wait and see!'

* * *

"Is someone talking about me?"

"Do you think it's just one or two people?"

I tilted my head while picking my ear and asked Saryeon.

"I've never done anything to deserve being cursed at by anyone, though?"

"But you've done plenty of crazy things that would make people want to curse you out."

"..."

"Do you know what the kids run to tell me as soon as their training ends? They say, 'Senior Sister, please tell us the story of what happened at the Iron Sword Sect.' I've told it so many times now that I could recite it even if I were woken up from my sleep."

"Hey, how was that a crazy thing? It was just... my resolve was extraordinary."

"And what about the sparring match with Great Warrior Namgung San?"

"..."

"Every day, the Hall Leaders gather the kids and tell them, 'Never catch a sword with your bare hands.' Is this the kind of education a normal martial arts sect should be giving?!"

"... Ahem, won't they figure it out soon enough when they grow up a bit?"

GLARE!

Saryeon's gaze became even fiercer, and I eventually turned my head to avoid her eyes.

"So, why did you ask to come here? You didn't come to build a secret base with me, right?"

The place I brought Saryeon to was Mount Hwaun, located near the Taiyi Sect. It was a place we used to go up and down almost every day to play during our childhood.

Even among the spots here, a clumsy secret base that some of the junior disciples and I had built still remained in a wide clearing halfway up the mountain.

"The talent scouts will be coming soon."

"Right."

"We have to prepare as well."

"We do?"

"Usually, when applying to the Murim Academy through lay disciples like Gye Cheolyeong, they invite a teacher who is highly knowledgeable about the tests given by the talent scouts and receive private tutoring."

"Huh?"

Saryeon made the face of someone who had heard something wrong.

"Because the talent scout's decision proceeds independently of the sect's decision, these methods were born. Right about now, someone who was a former talent scout has probably been invited as a teacher by the Gyeryong Merchant Group and is giving Gye Cheolyeong private tutoring."

Even in my past life, Gye Cheolyeong's habit of loving to show off manifested as rubbing it in the faces of the junior disciples who were despairing after failing to get into the Murim Academy.

The Number One Instructor, Jang Sagun, who claimed he had never failed a special admission for the Murim Academy. It was said that his hit rate for predicting test questions was as high as seventy to eighty percent.

"Th-Then isn't this unfair?"

"Yeah, you couldn't really call it fair. But most of the past Murim Academy exams have been like this."

Saryeon's face became as sullen as a dejected puppy.

"That's really too much."

"There's no need to be so disappointed. Because we can just use the exact same method."

"Huh?"

"Didn't I tell you? Preparing for the test in advance isn't subject to the Murim Alliance's sanctions."

"But we don't have the money to invite a teacher like that..."

Even though our living circumstances had vastly improved thanks to Wangga Manor, we weren't in a position to spend massive amounts of money on private tutoring for the kids.

"I figured as much, which is why I pulled together some predicted questions."

"You, Senior Brother? By what means?"

I handed Saryeon a book.

"Don't you know how good my memory is? When we went out last time, I went to an old bookstore in Hefei, memorized all the questions that appeared in the past exams, and organized them."

Of course, that was a lie. I merely took the test from my past life and adapted it by tweaking a few sentences and words.

At the very least, as long as they memorized the entire book, they wouldn't fail the written exam.

"Senior Brother... can we really trust this?"

"How could you not trust your senior brother?"

"... Well, maybe because you act too much like a kid?"

"Ahem. This is my first order as the head senior brother. Have all the junior disciples copy this book and memorize it by heart."

"... Understood."

Eventually, Saryeon nodded.

Thanks to having the book, she likely thought she wouldn't have to feel such vague anxiety anymore.

After that, I started on the main topic of why I had called Saryeon all the way out here.

"What is that box?"

I opened the box I had received from the Chief Steward of Wangga Manor and showed her.

"Ooh, so cold. What on earth are these things? Why is there such a cold energy... wait, cold energy?"

As she was speaking, Saryeon felt a sense of doubt and leaned closer to the items inside the box.

"Senior Brother, c-could these be..."

"Yes, they are spiritual elixirs."

"Are they just regular spiritual elixirs? They don't look like it. There's definitely frost..."

Spiritual elixirs were also divided into tiers. Those at the level of ordinary restorative medicines had no effect on enhancing internal energy and merely stopped at invigorating the energy inside the body. Most of these spiritual elixirs were no different from normal food.

However, spiritual elixirs imbued with special energies, such as frost or heat, brought about effects several times greater than ordinary spiritual elixirs.

Of course, there were just as many restrictions on consuming them, but as long as they met the right master, it was certain they would give that person wings.

"Wangga Manor gave them to me."

"Wangga Manor? That's ridiculous. No matter how much money they have, to give away such precious spiritual elixirs... not just one, but three of them."

"..."

At the word 'three,' my conscience felt a little pricked.

Of the five, the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and the White Snake Divine Gallbladder, which I could consume, had already made their way into my mouth.

Saryeon, who had been staring blankly at the spiritual elixirs for a long while, soon smacked her lips and raised her head.

"Did you call me here just to brag about these?"

Saryeon seemed to lack the very thought that she could be the one to consume them.

"No. I called you here to have you eat them."

"Huh? Me? Why? Senior Brother should eat them instead."

"These spiritual elixirs possess properties of extreme yin. If I were to eat them right now, I would suffer qi deviation at the very least, or even die if I was unlucky."

The majority of the internal energy making up my Dantian was the pure Taiyi Qi.

Even someone filled with extreme yang energy wouldn't consume extreme yin spiritual elixirs recklessly. If I, who hadn't even properly expanded my vessel, were to eat them improperly, I would certainly end up in a terrible state.

That was why I had only consumed the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and the White Snake Divine Gallbladder, which possessed both extreme yang and extreme yin energies simultaneously.

'Thanks to that, my internal energy has now surpassed sixty years' worth.'

In addition, my whole body was still filled with the energy of the spiritual elixirs that I had not yet properly absorbed.

However, a point had arrived where I desperately needed an even higher-tier martial art in order to absorb all these spiritual elixirs completely.

"... No. I still don't want to eat them. Rather, I'd rather... tell the Sect Leader and give them to the other junior sisters..."

"I deliberately called you out here because I knew you'd do that."

"Huh?"

I intentionally hadn't revealed the existence of the spiritual elixirs that came through Wangga Manor.

Right now, we needed someone who could lead the disciples of the Taiyi Sect.

It would take too long for everyone to grow at the same pace, and if we did that, we would likely get bogged down and swept away together before we could even lead them.

'At least three people.'

That was the minimum number of people I predicted needed to enter the Murim Academy.

Even including myself, we needed two more, but as of right now, the only ones with a chance of entering the Murim Academy were Saryeon, Dongryong—who had previously saved me a rice cake that was several days old—and his brothers Geumpyo and Eunho.

Moreover, these spiritual elixirs were of extreme yin properties that only women could consume.

If we informed the Sect Leader, they might end up dividing them up through a fair process, and if that happened, it was certain that the amount going to Saryeon would shrink.

"Even so..."

"I am going to do my absolute best on this Murim Academy test."

"...?"

"And if I fail, I will enter the Murim Academy even if it means taking the standard exam."

"Huh? Why go that far?"

"If we don't enter the Murim Academy, we won't be able to serve as a shield for the junior disciples who will be doing mandatory service in the Murim Alliance. In the end, we'll just be swept away alongside them."

"... Come on, Senior Brother, what do you mean in such a peaceful time... They'll just suffer for a few years and come back."

Saryeon's face, which had been taking it as a joke, slowly began to contort upon seeing my stiff expression.

"Just what exactly are you thinking?"

"Even if it is a peaceful time, battles with the Underworld break out day after day on the frontlines out west. And the higher-ups of the Murim Alliance don't care much about the disciples dying on those frontlines. Do you want to entrust our junior disciples' lives to them?"

"Of course not!"

"Then eat."

"!"

"Eat, and enter the Murim Academy by any means necessary. That is the only way we can protect our junior disciples."

After thinking deeply, Saryeon looked at me with a touched expression, her eyes wavering.

"I understand. I'll eat them, so stop saying such scary things."

"You've learned the Great True Divine Art, right?"

The Great True Divine Art was a high-level martial art within the Taiyi Sect that could only be learned upon entering the Kwaehwa Hall. Saryeon had already learned the Great True Divine Art and the Lightning Step Sword Technique a long time ago by pestering her father, the Sect Leader.

Saryeon, who hesitated for a moment, nodded her head.

"Just how much do you know...?"

"You eat the Snow Fox's core and the Snow Lotus Seed."

"Two of them?"

"I heard news that Gye Cheolyeong repurchased the Plum Blossom Pill. Will you be able to avoid falling behind Gye Cheolyeong in terms of internal energy?"

"..."

"And as for the remaining Spirit Azure Stone Fungus, give it to the junior sister who you think has the strongest attachment to the Taiyi Sect. Of course, you must hand it over in secret."

"This is all for the Taiyi Sect, right?"

"Yes."

Saryeon placed one of the spiritual elixirs in her mouth, sat cross-legged, and began her breathing exercises to circulate her qi.

I watched that sight for a moment before turning around and beginning to stand guard for her.

'I've done everything I can.'

Man proposes, Heaven disposes. Although I had changed many things from the past, this was the first time I was changing the massive flow of events.

I vowed not to repeat the exact same life as I gazed at the fading sunset.

A month later.

The talent scouts visited the Taiyi Sect.