"What do you think of this year's applicants?"
In the audience seats prepared for the students, there was a spot closest to the martial stage with a sign written in bold strokes: [Student Council President's Seat].
A young man with thick eyebrows and a strong impression was closely observing the movements of the instructors on the martial stage.
He was none other than Dokgo Jun, the president of the Qinglong Academy's student council this year.
"Most are below standard, but a few are receiving quite good evaluations."
Next to Dokgo Jun sat a woman with cold eyes, Tang Soso, the vice president and strategist of the student council.
Around them, the student council executives sat, coldly assessing the new instructor applicants who were trying to prove their skills on the martial stage.
Starting this year, the student evaluations were reflected in the practical exams for new instructors at Qinglong Academy, so the applicants had no choice but to be mindful of the students' opinions, especially those of the influential student council.
"A few, you say... I'd like to hear more specifics."
When Dokgo Jun asked with his arms crossed, Tang Soso picked up the documents next to her and spoke matter-of-factly.
"To mention those who received generally high evaluations, there's Ak Yeon-ho from the Shandong Ak family, Myeong Il-oh from the Myeong family, Zhuge So-young from the Zhuge family, and Gwak Doo-yong from the Gwak family..."
"Gwak Doo-yong? The fifth cousin of the Vice Principal?"
When Dokgo Jun asked with a look questioning why that name came up, Tang Soso shrugged.
"Strangely, the evaluation wasn't bad. Honestly, by my standards, he's below par..."
"The students' evaluation is good?"
"Mainly among the male students. Many said they were moved by his boldness in standing up to the elders of his family."
Before each duel, the student council distributed [New Instructor Evaluation Sheets] to the students in the audience.
The documents Tang Soso held were compiled from those sheets.
Dokgo Jun sighed deeply and spoke.
"We're selecting new instructors, not holding a popularity contest."
"Popularity can't be ignored. The more likable the instructor, the more students want to learn from them."
"If an instructor has skill, they can gain favor easily."
"You're not wrong, President, but instructors with that level of skill are rare. We need to consider factors beyond just skill."
If Dokgo Jun was an idealist, Tang Soso was a realist.
Her role was to make cold judgments within given situations to produce results.
Of course, she wasn't always maintaining a cold rationality.
"And there's one person we must pay special attention to. It's..."
Tang Soso placed the documents she was holding down and took out a portrait she had carefully kept in her bosom.
It depicted a handsome young man in a blue martial robe.
"This person. Teacher Baek Su-ryong... Perfect in every way... Ha..."
Tang Soso's icy expression melted away as she gently rubbed the portrait against her cheeks.
Dokgo Jun quickly covered her face with his sleeve, worried someone might see her sniffing the portrait.
"Vice President! Get a hold of yourself!"
"Ha. He's just too handsome... And his martial arts are so advanced... I heard he's even well-versed in martial history..."
Tang Soso had become accustomed to losing her composure whenever she saw Baek Su-ryong's portrait.
"Severe case. It's severe."
"How did our Vice President end up like this..."
"What? What!"
When the student council executives clicked their tongues at the sight, Tang Soso glared at them with fierce eyes.
"A handsome face that draws attention instantly, combined with perfect swordsmanship shown in the demonstration lecture. Is there a more perfect candidate?"
"......"
"Hmph. No one can refute that, right?"
Tang Soso snorted and turned to the twin brothers, the Qinglong Twin Heroes, who were in charge of the student council's disciplinary committee.
"Make a list of students who give low scores to Baek Su-ryong today. They might be spies from other academies."
"......"
"......"
At the absurd instruction, the Qinglong Twin Heroes looked at Dokgo Jun, who sighed and covered his face.
"Stop it, Vice President. It's scary because it sounds like you're serious."
"President, I'm always serious. Have you thought about how much we'd lose if Teacher Baek Su-ryong went to another academy?"
"That's..."
Tang Soso's expression, which had melted away, turned cold again.
"To be honest, with his skills, he'd be welcomed at any of the Five Great Academies. I found out he only applied to Qinglong Academy because he lacks connections."
"That is..."
"If he were to go to Suzaku Academy, White Tiger, or Black Tortoise Academy, would we have any way to keep him?"
"......"
Tang Soso was speaking very realistically.
Qinglong Academy was renowned as one of the Five Great Academies of the martial world, but its reputation had been declining over the past decade.
The biggest reason was finishing last for ten consecutive years at the 'Heavenly Martial Festival,' the largest joint event of the Five Great Academies held at the end of the year.
-Tsk tsk.
Qinglong Academy has had its day.
-There was a time when it competed for the top spot at the Heavenly Martial Festival...
-The students and instructors there aren't what they used to be.
Every year, their seniors returned to Qinglong Academy hearing such whispers, and this had been repeated for over a decade.
No longer did promising young talents of the martial world want to enter Qinglong Academy.
Even the best instructors didn't want to teach there.
"......"
The student council members knew this fact better than anyone.
Tang Soso was mercilessly touching their reverse scale.
"We can't just sit back. If there's a good instructor, we must bring them in, no matter what. Restoring Qinglong Academy to its former glory. Isn't that our biggest goal?"
Only then did the student council members understand her words and nod with determined expressions.
Dokgo Jun, too, was looking at her with a serious expression.
"I understand the Vice President's point. But making a list seems excessive. Let's watch the situation a bit more. His duel hasn't even started yet."
"...... Yes."
"Understood."
The conversation ended on a slightly subdued note, and a moment of silence passed as everyone seemed lost in thought.
Dokgo Jun turned his gaze back to the martial stage.
"Haap!"
On the martial stage, an unknown new instructor applicant was fighting hard, but Dokgo Jun wasn't watching that applicant.
'Baek Su-ryong is next, the last one.'
Baek Su-ryong, who was last in the demonstration lecture, was also last in the duels.
'The skill he showed in the demonstration was certainly impressive.'
He had drawn a small circle and endured the attacks of ten students within it for a brief moment.
Not just any ten students.
Among them were Peng Sa-hyuk, Heon Won-gang, and Tang Soso.
Even though they didn't use their inner strength, it wasn't something achievable with ordinary skill.
Baek Su-ryong had already shown enough skill to pass.
'He'll likely show passable skill again, no matter who his opponent is.'
He was someone who had tried to confront Namgung Su for injuring a colleague.
If No Gun-sang hadn't intervened, they would have really clashed.
What would happen if they faced off in a duel? Dokgo Jun tried to imagine a virtual battle in his mind, but it was still difficult at his level.
'In any case, having more excellent instructors is a good thing.
With solid education and students training diligently...
In my generation, definitely!'
Gritting his teeth quietly, Dokgo Jun resolved himself.
His eldest brother, who was much older, his second brother, who was three years older, and even Dokgo Jun's father had all graduated from Qinglong Academy.
The Dokgo family in Zhejiang had graduated from Qinglong Academy for generations and took great pride in it.
But that pride had somehow turned into shame.
-You attend Qinglong Academy? Hmm...
-Why not try for Suzaku Academy or Black Tortoise Academy instead?
-There's a saying that those who can't make it to the other Four Great Academies reluctantly go there...
It was infuriating.
The fact that Qinglong Academy, which his father and brothers were proud of, was being treated like this made Dokgo Jun unbearably angry.
That's why, even though he could have gone to another academy, he chose Qinglong Academy.
'If it doesn't change on its own, I'll change it with my own hands.'
If things continued like this for another two or three years, Qinglong Academy might no longer be able to participate in the Heavenly Martial Festival.
'This time is different.
I won't let us finish last at the Heavenly Martial Festival!'
While Dokgo Jun was firming his resolve, the duel ended.
The unknown applicant fought hard but realized the skill gap with the instructor and declared defeat on his own.
A moment later, No Gun-sang, who had come up on the martial stage, looked around the audience and laughed.
"Only the last duel remains now. It seems many students are looking forward to it."
"Yes! We've been waiting!"
"Please start quickly!"
At the impatient students' reactions, No Gun-sang chuckled and called out the two people for the last duel.
"Applicant Baek Su-ryong. And Teacher Yang Yi-rak, please come up to the martial stage."
"Who?"
"Yang Yi-rak?"
There was a brief outcry from the audience about why Baek Su-ryong's opponent wasn't Namgung Su.
But as soon as Baek Su-ryong stepped onto the martial stage, the commotion subsided.
Step by step.
With a leisurely gait, he drew everyone's attention just by walking to the center of the stage.
"I am Baek Su-ryong."
When Baek Su-ryong turned and cupped his fist towards the audience, some female students covered their mouths at his dignified appearance.
On the other hand, no one paid attention to Yang Yi-rak, who came up from the opposite side.
"I am Yang Yi-rak. Your popularity precedes you."
Yang Yi-rak's face was filled with hostility towards Baek Su-ryong.
It was clear even to Dokgo Jun that he wasn't there to confirm skills but to crush his opponent.
Rip!
Yang Yi-rak tore off his martial robe, revealing his muscular body, and grinned.
"Coincidentally, we're both teaching external martial arts. Since it's fate, how about we fight like men, without weapons, using only our fists and feet?"
'Like men? What nonsense...'
The problem was that Yang Yi-rak's body was filled with muscles, and his fist and foot techniques were renowned in the martial world.
In contrast, Baek Su-ryong was an outstanding swordsman.
Yang Yi-rak's proposal was like asking a swordsman to fight using only his limbs.
"Don't fall for such a low-level provocation. Show your skills properly..."
Dokgo Jun muttered with concern as he watched Baek Su-ryong, but Baek Su-ryong nodded readily.
"Alright. Let's do it without weapons."
Yang Yi-rak's face brightened immediately.
Baek Su-ryong had taken the bait he had casually thrown.
"Heh heh. As expected of someone who trains their body, you have a bold spirit. I like it."
"Shall we start now?"
"Let's take it slow and enjoy it. We're the last ones, so there's no next turn anyway..."
"Sir, may we start?"
"...... It seems both are ready, so you may begin."
"Hey!"
Yang Yi-rak's neck veins bulged as Baek Su-ryong ignored his words and asked No Gun-sang.
He walked towards Baek Su-ryong with his entire body flexing.
"This brat doesn't know his place. He needs to be taught a lesson..."
At that moment, Baek Su-ryong disappeared from Yang Yi-rak's sight.
"What, what! Where did he go..."
As a flustered Yang Yi-rak looked around, Baek Su-ryong's voice came from right behind him.
"I thought about it on my way here. No matter how I win, defeating someone like you won't leave a strong impression on everyone."
"Gulp..."
Yang Yi-rak stood still, unable to move.
Because the terrifying energy in Baek Su-ryong's palm, which was now touching his back, would surely shatter his spine if he moved even slightly.
"So I'll just finish it quickly, okay?"
"S-spare me..."
"Hey, who said anything about killing? In my old job, I might have killed or crippled you, but this isn't a place where that's allowed."
"Whew..."
Yang Yi-rak let out a sigh of relief, but Baek Su-ryong chuckled devilishly and whispered softly in his ear.
"Who told you to relax? I said I wouldn't kill you, not that I wouldn't hit you."
"Th-that..."
Bang!
With a tremendous sound, Yang Yi-rak was flung out of the martial stage and landed right in front of Namgung Su.
After twitching for a while, Yang Yi-rak went limp.
"... What is the meaning of this?"
Namgung Su glared at Baek Su-ryong with eyes blazing with anger.
He knew this was retaliation for what he had done to Myeong Il-oh earlier.
Baek Su-ryong shrugged and spoke.
"Why are you so surprised? As you can see, he's not dead. He's so sturdy that even his bones are intact. His muscles might have torn a bit, but a few months of rest should fix that."
"A few months? Then what about Teacher Yang's classes during that time..."
"What's the worry? I can handle them."
"..."
For a moment, the two exchanged a fiery gaze in the air.
No Gun-sang intervened between them and shouted.
"Enough! You two again..."
"I have something to say to everyone."
Turning his body, Baek Su-ryong looked at the students in the audience.
His gaze swept over the students and stopped precisely on Dokgo Jun.
"Do you know what I heard about Qinglong Academy on my way here?"
"......"
To Dokgo Jun, it felt as if those words were directed at him personally.
"They said it's not what it used to be. That it's past its prime. That it shouldn't be included among the Five Great Academies anymore."
"......"
With just a few cold words from Baek Su-ryong, the expressions of everyone present froze.
After looking around at the students, Baek Su-ryong clicked his tongue and spoke coldly.
"Can you still eat after hearing that?"