Chapter 27 - The Second-Rate Warrior Who Dominates the Exam (2)

CHATTER CHATTER!

Evening, after the exam ended.

A large sheet of paper was posted in front of the grand training ground.

It was the process of the special admission exam for the examiners who graded the first exam to reveal the results of the day's test.

Upon seeing the results, the people of the Taiyi Sect could not hide their surprise.

"Is that true?"

"How did these results come out?"

...

18th place. Song Jamun.

19th place. Gye Cheolyeong.

20th place. Gwak Samnam.

...

Seeing the exam results, Gye Cheolyeong could not close his mouth.

The number of disciples who took the exam was 63.

It could be considered a top-tier rank, but considering it was an exam to select only one person, it was by no means an excellent rank.

Moreover, he was in a situation where he had spent a massive amount of money to invite a tutor.

Jang Sagun, who had been hired for a massive sum, could not hide his surprise even more.

In all his life, a disciple he taught receiving such a score was something that simply could not happen to him.

Even in his eyes, Gye Cheolyeong wasn't a brilliant mind, but he was at a level that could be considered a rare talent.

He had definitely finished understanding and memorizing the practice exam he had created.

In the end, it meant that the practice questions he provided did not match the actual exam.

"This is completely absurd, isn't it!"

Jang Sagun grabbed Lee Jagon, who was trying to wrap up the exam and move to the quarters provided by the Taiyi Sect.

"For Cheolyeong to be in 19th place... this can't be!"

"..."

When Jang Sagun shouted abruptly, Lee Jagon's face turned cold.

"Senior. Are you doubting the fairness of a talent scout?"

"!"

No matter if he was a senior who used to be a talent scout, the position of a talent scout appointed by the Murim Alliance placed fairness and justice above all else.

Jang Sagun realized he had made a fatal mistake in his excitement.

"What I mean is that it defies logic for such a result to be produced."

No matter how he phrased it, it ultimately meant he could not accept the results.

Lee Jagon's expression sank even deeper.

Jang Sagun's eyelids trembled. But even so, he could not back down.

The fact that his score dropped despite there being no problem with Gye Cheolyeong was ultimately no different from saying there was a problem with him.

"No matter if you are a senior, I do not think we need to prove the fairness of the exam... however, I will show it to you, assuming that you have raised an objection that the Taiyi Sect originally should have made."

Lee Jagon took out the test paper located at the very top and showed it to him.

"This is the test paper of the child who took 1st place."

Jang Sagun quickly examined the questions.

The total of 50 questions covered basic common sense in martial arts, the operation method of sword formations, the components of arrays, and the distinction between poisonous plants and medicinal herbs that a warrior should know.

"The direction of the scores was decided in the 40s questions."

Following that, Lee Jagon began pointing out the questions one by one.

"Question 42 regarding the possibility and countermeasures for qi deviation, which was introduced in the exam for the first time. Question 43 on how to distinguish between youth-retaining arts and disguise arts. Question 46, which requires stating the characteristics of stealth arts and countermeasures against them. Question 48 on how to expel poison by circulating qi... and so on."

"T-These appeared?"

Jang Sagun was also human, so there were limits to his predictions regarding the exam.

However, even so, his predictions had missed the mark entirely this time.

"Aren't these things excluded from the scope of the basic exam?"

"Due to the excessive fervor of the exam candidates, distinguishing the examinees has become increasingly difficult. Especially thanks to the activities of 'tutors' like you, senior, many perfect scorers appeared, so the level of the exam has clearly been raised."

Lee Jagon's words sharply stabbed at Jang Sagun, but Jang Sagun was still unable to come to his senses.

"S-Still, isn't it strange? We also teach about these areas. But aren't topics like qi deviation and youth-retaining arts not something examinees who have completed basic martial arts would learn? How could there be eighteen people ahead of Cheolyeong?"

At Jang Sagun's words, the scholars who administered the exam tried to step forward one by one with angry expressions, but Lee Jagon raised his hand to stop them.

"Of course, it is not something the examinees would typically study... but isn't it something that all warriors studying the basics must learn?"

"... You're telling me the Taiyi Sect anticipated something even I couldn't?"

"That wasn't the case. I also found it strange, so I gathered the first, second, and third place students and asked them. They said the head disciple of the Taiyi Sect gathered the children who slacked off in their studies and taught them one by one. He even made a book himself."

"The head disciple?"

Jang Sagun's gaze turned toward Jin Sowoon, who was chatting noisily with the children on one side.

"Of course, studying for the exam is good, but in the end, I believe the talent the Murim Alliance needs is not someone strong only in these exams, but someone who possesses a general understanding of all martial arts."

With those final words, Lee Jagon headed to his quarters with the scholars, and Jang Sagun stared blankly at the people of the Taiyi Sect, including Jin Sowoon and the Hall Leaders, with burning eyes for a long time.

* * *

"What is the meaning of this!"

It was natural for such an absurd result to lead to an icy reprimand.

Gye Yeonseok unleashed all the anger he had never once shown in front of Jang Sagun.

"Didn't you tell me to just trust you! Didn't you say you would definitely make him pass!"

"..."

The highly respectful tone had imperceptibly shifted to a half-respectful one, but Jang Sagun could not say much.

When children's issues were involved, even high-ranking officials would bow as if seeking an audience with the Emperor in this industry. Conversely, if the results were disappointing, they had to endure the opposite treatment.

"I am sorry. It seems that focusing his studies to bring examinee Gye Cheolyeong's score close to a perfect score actually held him back."

"At this rate... at this rate..."

Jang Sagun calmed Gye Yeonseok with a determined expression.

"Do not worry. The second exam will be different from the first exam."

"Do you have a countermeasure?"

"What we put the most effort into over the past time is the second exam. In the second exam, they test the martial arts of the sect they belong to."

"Cheolyeong has learned the martial moves, but he hasn't learned the internal mental cultivation method!"

Jang Sagun shook his head again.

"Do not worry. Because the difference in the levels of the 108 Peaks is stark, the Murim Alliance excludes internal energy and tests only on martial moves. In particular, one can receive a higher score by demonstrating the martial moves skillfully without internal energy, and in the Taiyi Sect, there is already no one with a higher martial arts proficiency than examinee Cheolyeong, is there not?"

He offered a near-perfect countermeasure, but Gye Yeonseok still maintained a disbelieving attitude.

Jang Sagun spoke, exuding bravado.

"Father. You must trust me!"

Humans tend to want to lean on someone regarding things they do not know.

Gye Yeonseok's face, full of distrust, softened slightly.

"... Ahem. I will wait and see."

The room Gye Yeonseok left.

Jang Sagun looked at his assistant and said.

"Bring that damn brat right now. I must re-verify what we have practiced so far."

"Yes!"

It had been 15 years since he acted as a 'tutor' in this industry.

He could not let his reputation thus far be thrown into the gutter because of something like the Taiyi Sect.

* * *

"The second exam is an exam to gauge how high your understanding of your sect's martial arts is."

At Lee Jagon's words, for some reason, the complexions of the people from the Gyeryong Merchant Group brightened.

"For the exam, you will demonstrate your sect's martial arts one by one in front of ten scout warriors. However, for safety reasons, the use of internal energy is strictly prohibited."

At Lee Jagon's words, Gye Yeonseok let out an exclamation of, 'That's right!' He shouted so loudly that the elders and the Sect Leader on the podium looked at him, but Gye Yeonseok's gaze remained fixed on the exam grounds.

"If we can't use internal energy... in the end, Senior Brother Gye will take first place."

Geumpyo, standing next to me, muttered.

The eldest son of the miller, who hated Gye Cheolyeong the most among the disciples attending the Taiyi Sect's Busaeng Hall.

As the eldest brother of Eunho and Dongryong, he also took good care of the other disciples, so many children followed him.

"Are you worried?"

"I'm not worried... saying that would be a lie. Doesn't Senior Brother Gye always hire famous martial arts masters from somewhere to do private training?"

The Taiyi Sect's martial moves, which primarily focused on fast swords, had a monotonous aspect, so from the perspective of Gye Cheolyeong, who had already learned various martial moves, he could possess even more proficiency.

If we actually engaged in a sparring match using only martial moves without internal energy, the only person who could beat Gye Cheolyeong in a spar was me.

"Eldest Senior Brother, please make sure to take first place."

"Didn't you score higher on the written exam?"

To deliberately adjust my rank, I had aimed for about 5th place.

Geumryong was in 4th place, the rank right above me.

"Still, I want you to go to the Murim Academy, Senior Brother."

"It's not over yet. And, have you fully learned the Lesser Heaven Sword Technique I taught you before?"

"Of course."

"Then you can look forward to it."

"Look forward to what?"

Instead of answering, I looked at Lee Jagon, who continued speaking.

"Therefore, the scout warriors will only use the Taiyi Sect's basic sword technique, the Lesser Heaven Sword Technique. In the same manner, examinees only need to use the Lesser Heaven Sword Technique to defeat the scout warriors' martial moves within 50 moves."

At Lee Jagon's words, the faces of the Hall Leaders and the Sect Leader stiffened rigidly.

The scout warriors were entities formed by warriors of the Sixth-class or higher in the Murim Alliance.

No matter how proficient the disciples of the Taiyi Sect were in their sect's martial arts, defeating their martial moves would entail great difficulty.

However.

"They'll only use the Lesser Heaven Sword Technique?"

"He definitely said that. Plus, he said the warriors will only use the Lesser Heaven Sword Technique!"

"I heard it clearly too."

The disciples could not hide their excitement, their voices sounding somewhat thrilled.

To the children who came to me asking to be taught the Lesser Heaven Sword Technique after my battle with Namgung San, I had taught them the Ascension Form of the Lesser Heaven Sword Technique.

A martial move based on the Sword-Breaking Formula that underwent transformations to eliminate weaknesses and further develop its strengths.

Therefore, it was no exaggeration to say that it was the most specialized for shattering the original Lesser Heaven Sword Technique.

The disciples of the Taiyi Sect stood in front of the scout warriors one by one.

"We will begin!"

With Lee Jagon's shout announcing the start, the warriors and the disciples began to cross swords.

To begin with, the number of those who made it into the passing range of the second exam was less than 30 percent.

Proposing the high standard of 'defeat' was intended to figure out where the children's limits lay.

From the start, there was no way a sect like the Taiyi Sect could defeat Sixth-class scout warriors.

It was clearly something only unparalleled prodigies could do...

"Huh?"

"Eh?"

"Ugh!"

An unbelievable event occurred.

The scout warriors, having continuously lost their swords, made blank expressions.

The children let out cheers of joy.

"I won!"

"I won!!"

"Hooray!"

Lee Jagon, who was administering the exam, also could not hide his surprise.

'What on earth happened?'

Looking around the grounds to grasp the situation, he saw the sight of the children who passed running toward a single young man, all as one.

"Eldest Senior Brother! Eldest Senior Brother! I won by doing as you instructed, Eldest Senior Brother!"

Lee Jagon's gaze locked onto the young man.

'They won by doing as the head disciple instructed?'

First the first exam, and now even the second exam...

Did it make sense for someone who wasn't even a professional 'tutor' to prepare for this?

What he thought was a coincidence continued until the second exam was concluded.

The children of the Taiyi Sect who 'defeated' the scout warriors reached a staggering 80 percent, and the remaining children also showed a high understanding of the martial moves, surprising the talent scout and the warriors.

Meanwhile, the Gyeryong Merchant Group heated up in a different sense.

"Look here! Tutor Jang! What in the world is the meaning of this!"

The person who unleashed a roar of anger, losing all sense of dignity, was Gye Yeonseok.

Jang Sagun's expression also grew increasingly stiff.

...

6th place. Gwak Ilnam

7th place. Gye Cheolyeong

8th place. Song Gyeongmun

...

Even in the second day's exam, Gye Cheolyeong did not receive a top-tier rank.

* * *

"What are you going to do now!!"

Gye Yeonseok's tone, which had at least maintained half-respect, ultimately changed to complete disrespect.

Jang Sagun's eyelids trembled violently from humiliation.

"Father. There is still a chance."

Jang Sagun spoke desperately, even using a respectful tone, but Gye Yeonseok's eyes were full of distrust.

"In the end, what accounts for the most points in this special admission is the third exam. Fortunately, Cheolyeong's second score was not bad, so we can flip the board as much as we want."

Gye Yeonseok spoke with a gaze that looked like he would tear him to death at any moment, stopping just short of shooting out actual killing intent.

"... Keep speaking."

"... The third exam is one where only the top sixteen from the previous two exams are chosen to hold sparring matches. The prior exams are practically nothing more than preparation for this test."

Of course, it was a lie.

The third sparring match among examinees was a test to determine the comprehensive depth of their martial arts.

Ultimately, if there was no clear difference in skill level here, they would be affected by the scores of the previous exams.

'However.'

Conversely speaking, if one could win overwhelmingly in the sparring match, the previous exam scores would become meaningless.

"Hmph! Though the Taiyi Sect is a third-rate sect, even within it, there are a few punks who show considerable aptitude. How can you guarantee that Cheolyeong can overwhelm them and win?"

Gye Yeonseok was now speaking exactly as if treating his own subordinate. Even so, Jang Sagun clenched his teeth and spoke.

"I know that as well. Geumpyo, Eunho, Dongryong. Those three miller's sons have a decent depth of martial arts in the Taiyi Sect, and Sect Leader Hong's daughter, Hong Saryeon, shows the most outstanding prowess among the children of Busaeng Hall."

"You missed one. Jin Sowoon! Even now, I can't believe it, but he's the guy who defeated the Blood Wolf Iron Sword Seong Mohyeon and the Genesis Divine Dragon Namgung San. How on earth can Gye Cheolyeong overwhelmingly defeat them?"

Gye Cheolyeong, who was being cursed at wholesale because of Jang Sagun, trembled.

However, knowing the gravity of the matter, he did not say anything.

"Father. You must trust me."

"I can only trust you if you give me a reason to!"

"I have also heard the rumors and am aware. The divine might that child Jin Sowoon displayed was ultimately like a suicide attack on the level of mutual destruction. In this exam, the examiners will stop it entirely before it reaches such a situation."

"Get to the main point! The main point!"

At Gye Yeonseok's urging, Jang Sagun swallowed his saliva. And when he nodded toward a female warrior, the female warrior, who hesitated for a moment, took out a red wooden box from her embrace.

When she opened the wooden box, five pills glowing with a sinister red color popped into view.

"What is that?"

"It is the secret method that will send Cheolyeong to the Murim Academy."

"..."

"It is called the Explosive Blood Pill."

Gye Yeonseok's eyes widened and his lips trembled.

"Y-You bastard, you've made up your mind to cut off the Gye family's bloodline!! How dare you bring such a sinister drug!!"

"Father. Do you know why the Demonic Cult was destroyed in the past?"

"Why bring that story up all of a sudden!"

Despite Gye Yeonseok's shout, Jang Sagun raised a question in a calm voice.

"Isn't it strange? There are countless heretical paths and Underworld factions in Jianghu. Yet, why was only the Demonic Cult 'subjugated'?"

"..."

"There are various reasons, but the biggest reason is exactly this secret method. Because the Explosive Blood Pill has the effect of drawing out twice the latent power without any conditions."

"... Right, and then it turns a person into a cripple."

At Gye Yeonseok's words, Jang Sagun smiled faintly.

This was, in a way, the core secret that had made Jang Sagun the best Star Instructor over the past 15 years.

"That is not true."

"What?"

"It is known as such, but that is not the reality. That is why the Murim Alliance of that era, fearing the Demonic Cult's power would become so mighty that they would covet the world, annihilated the Demonic Cult."

"... This is the first time I'm hearing such a thing."

Jang Sagun nodded to a male scholar this time.

The male scholar took out a cyan-colored wooden box from his A-frame carrier and opened it.

"This is something called the Dormant Blood Pill."

"Dormant Blood Pill?"

"Yes. It is a spiritual elixir that quiets down the latent power running rampant due to the Explosive Blood Pill. If we use this, he can use that latent power with almost no aftereffects."

"..."

Gye Yeonseok's eyes began to waver.

There was no way there were completely zero side effects as cleanly as Jang Sagun made it sound.

If such a drug existed, the Explosive Blood Pill wouldn't be distributed so secretly in the first place.

However, he could not help but agonize over it.

The fact that there was a countermeasure drug called the Dormant Blood Pill.

Furthermore, the fact that right now, Gye Cheolyeong did not have the score to go to the Murim Academy, among other things.

Looking at Gye Cheolyeong, Gye Yeonseok spoke to Jang Sagun.

"If you do not tell me the truth, I will chase you to the ends of hell and ruin you."

It was a threat from someone without a single shred of internal energy, but feeling a chill from that venomous tone, Jang Sagun swallowed a thick lump in his throat.

After pondering for a moment, Gye Yeonseok asked Jang Sagun.

"... What are the aftereffects of that drug?"

Jang Sagun carefully parted his lips.

"... If he exceeds 100 moves, it will leave a permanent scar on his Dantian."

"You... I'll beat you to death..."

"B-But please think about it, Father! There is a whopping 30 years' worth of internal energy in Cheolyeong's Dantian. Even if that child Saryeon and that child Jin Sowoon worked themselves to the bone with the Taiyi Sect's martial arts, they wouldn't have been able to fill up even 20 years' worth of internal energy."

"..."

"It is certain that they will not be able to easily withstand even a single move from Cheolyeong after he takes the Explosive Blood Pill. Which means he will never have a reason to use up to 100 moves."

In a fight between experts, 100 moves is just a fleeting moment, but at Cheolyeong's level, he would collapse from exhaustion before fulfilling 100 moves.

Moreover, considering the sparring matches would not exceed a total of five times, taking the Explosive Blood Pill wasn't such a bad idea.

"Father. You must trust me."

"..."

Just when only silence descended as Gye Yeonseok could not easily make a decision.

Gye Cheolyeong strode forward.

"Father! I will take this."

"... It is not your time to step forward."

Catching the wavering in Gye Yeonseok's eyes, Jang Sagun did not miss the opportunity and added.

"Think about it, Father. Even though Great Warrior Namgung San could only use three-tenths of his internal energy, Jin Sowoon and the Great Warrior couldn't even exchange a total of 50 moves."

"..."

After agonizing for a long time, Gye Yeonseok finally ground his teeth and glared at Jang Sagun.

"If even a scar the size of a fingernail is left on Cheolyeong's Dantian, I will absolutely tear you to death."

Jang Sagun also answered, feeling as if he were standing at the edge of a cliff.

"Just trust me, Father."