The one overseeing the afternoon exam was the deputy head of the Qinglong Academy, Hwa Yeom-do, Kwon Cheol-woo. “Candidates who have received the duel tickets, please move to the waiting area behind the designated duel stage!” “Parents and acquaintances, please proceed to the audience seats!” “The duel opponents will be randomly selected through a drawing! Even I don’t know, so don’t ask!” “Silence! Silence! Please be quiet!”
A massive crowd surged into the Qinglong Academy.
After a long time of trying to control the situation, Kwon Cheol-woo finally slumped down onto a chair, utterly exhausted. “Where on earth is the student supervisor at a time like this?” Frustrated, Kwon Cheol-woo slammed his hand down on the armrest of the chair.
Controlling the number of entrants was originally the duty of the student supervisor.
However, that very supervisor had come to him earlier and casually said, “Deputy Head, I have something to attend to, so please take care of the crowd control for me.”
“... What?” It was shocking that the student supervisor spoke to the deputy head so casually! Moreover, to delegate the task as if he were a subordinate! ‘Where in the five great academies does such disrespect happen!’ Right here at Qinglong Academy.
Kwon Cheol-woo, despite holding a higher position, was no match for Ma Geuk-ryeom in terms of experience, martial arts, or influence in the martial world.
Thus, he couldn’t even voice a complaint and had been working tirelessly until now.
Kwon Cheol-woo gritted his teeth and muttered quietly, “Just wait. One day, I will drive that old man out of the academy…”
“Is that about me?”
“Gah!” Kwon Cheol-woo jumped at the sudden voice behind him. “Ah, Headmaster! You nearly gave me a heart attack!”
“You’ve been working hard. I came to see if I could help.”
“Help? What help… Ah, Senior Chang Cheon-geom has also arrived.”
“It’s been a while. Do you need this old man’s help?”
Kwon Cheol-woo wouldn’t dare ask for help from Namgung Je-hak, a member of the Ten Lords, even if it was just one old man. ‘Old? Nonsense.
He looks the youngest among us…’
“Is there something on my face?” Kwon Cheol-woo quickly averted his gaze from Namgung Je-hak’s wrinkle-free face and said, “... No, I’ll handle things here, so you two can enjoy the show.”
“Ha ha. Then, good luck.”
“Take care.”
Returning to the VIP seats, No Gun-sang and Namgung Je-hak looked around the Qinglong Academy with their hands behind their backs.
Ten duel stages had been set up for the exam, and the surrounding audience seats were already packed.
The fear and excitement felt by the candidates, along with the cheers of their families and friends, seemed to resonate far and wide.
No Gun-sang smiled and said, “Don’t you feel like you’re returning to your childhood at this time? Back when you were a young martial artist with fluffy hair.”
“Well, I don’t really know about that.”
At Namgung Je-hak’s response, No Gun-sang clicked his tongue and looked at his friend’s youthful face. “You still have that fluffy hair. You’ve lost your sensitivity as you’ve transformed. It’s a virtue of the elderly to reminisce about old memories as they grow older.”
“So you don’t want to transform?”
“Please tell me the secret.”
The two old men exchanged light-hearted jokes and laughed heartily.
As Namgung Je-hak surveyed the bustling Qinglong Academy, he remarked, “There are more people than I expected. Is it usually this crowded?”
“No, this year is particularly crowded.”
For the past ten years, Qinglong Academy had shown the worst results under the Heavenly Martial Arts Competition.
As a result, the number of spectators attending the entrance exam had been steadily declining.
Yet, for some reason, this year, there were far more people than last year.
No Gun-sang speculated a few reasons. “The biggest reason is because of you.”
Chang Cheon-geom Namgung Je-hak.
Many martial artists and common folks came to see the face of the strongest among the Ten Lords.
In fact, an overwhelming number of gazes were directed at the two of them.
“What’s the second reason?”
“Isn’t it because we are the candidates for the Heavenly Martial Arts Competition?”
No Gun-sang joked while recalling a certain face. - This year’s Heavenly Martial Arts Competition.
I will take responsibility and lead Qinglong Academy to victory.
That day, Baek Su-ryong’s declaration spread beyond Qinglong Academy to the entire city and the martial world.
Of course, most reactions were disbelief. ‘But it’s definitely having a positive effect.’
Among the candidates taking the entrance exam at Qinglong Academy this year, there were particularly talented children, which might be influenced by Baek Su-ryong’s declaration.
No Gun-sang glanced at Namgung Je-hak. “Just wait and see. This year, Qinglong Academy will make a name for itself in the Heavenly Martial Arts Competition.”
In the past, such a statement would have been met with ridicule, but Namgung Je-hak did not respond that way. “That might actually be true.”
“Oh?” Just then, Gong Son-su and his companions were entering the Qinglong Academy.
Namgung Je-hak’s gaze shifted in order to observe Gong Son-su, Hyeon Won-gang, and Wi Ji-cheon.
No Gun-sang’s gaze naturally followed the same direction.
“I heard there’s one person who taught those three.”
“Really? Has that guy’s name reached your ears already?”
“I don’t know the details, so please tell me.”
“Baek Su-ryong, a new instructor this year. Ah, there he is.” No Gun-sang pointed in a direction.
Baek Su-ryong was patrolling the audience seats with other temporary instructors, including Ak Yeon-ho.
Namgung Je-hak stared at him for a while, as if he were trying to see through him. “Hmm. He doesn’t look that impressive. He’s handsome, but… maybe…”
“Don’t even think about it.”
“... What?” Turning to the side, he saw No Gun-sang with a stern expression, lowering his voice. “Don’t try to test him. He’s a teacher at our academy.”
“Hmph. What have I done?” Feeling a bit guilty, Namgung Je-hak cleared his throat.
It was true that he had considered approaching Baek Su-ryong.
“I’m just a little curious about his level as a martial artist.”
“Please don’t.”
“Hmm. If you’re asking me not to, then…”
Seeing Namgung Je-hak nod in understanding, No Gun-sang finally relaxed, a smile returning to his face. “Good thinking. If you go and embarrass yourself trying to test him, it would be quite troublesome for you.”
“... Is that a joke?”
“Ha ha ha ha!”
No Gun-sang often mixed jokes with serious remarks, so Namgung Je-hak couldn’t tell if his words were playful or sincere. ‘Hearing him say that makes me even more curious.’ Namgung Je-hak’s gaze remained fixed on Baek Su-ryong for a while.
“... I feel like my face is going to be pierced.”
“Who is it this time? This guy’s popularity is something else…”
As Ak Yeon-ho looked around, Baek Su-ryong let out a small sigh. “It’s not a woman.”
If it were a woman, he wouldn’t be sweating so much down his back. ‘Chang Cheon-geom.’ There was a reason why he was always mentioned when discussing the strongest in the current martial world.
Even from a distance, his skin felt prickly. ‘I wish he would take his interest elsewhere.’
The moment Baek Su-ryong realized that Namgung Je-hak was watching him, he became extra cautious in his actions.
A master of the Ten Lords was like a natural disaster.
If he were to annoy him or pique his interest, Baek Su-ryong knew he wouldn’t be able to resist with his current skills. ‘If he notices that I’ve learned the Reverse Heaven Divine Art…’
He didn’t even want to imagine it.
Since Namgung Je-hak had fought in the war against the Blood Cult fifty years ago, he might be well aware of their martial arts.
The conclusion was that he needed to remain as inconspicuous as possible.
“If it’s not a woman… then could it be? Well, with a face like yours, it wouldn’t matter what gender.”
“You brat.” After hitting Ak Yeon-ho on the back of the head, Baek Su-ryong turned to look around.
Fortunately, as the exam was about to begin, Namgung Je-hak’s gaze quickly shifted away.
[Where are the assassins?]
[Still trying to locate them.]
As Ak Yeon-ho rubbed the back of his head, he replied through a communication device.
When he asked the other scattered colleagues, they all gave similar responses.
The assassins had begun to be wary of their enemies, making them harder to find than before.
[But brother, do you really think the assassins will go wild in a place filled with martial artists?]
At Ak Yeon-ho’s hopeful question, Baek Su-ryong chuckled and replied. [With all these spirited young martial artists gathered for the duel and the audience packed to the brim, is there anywhere more likely for an ‘incident’ to occur?]
[Hmm…]
Baek Su-ryong patted Ak Yeon-ho’s shoulder, which was starting to look grim. “Don’t let your guard down. They’ll be desperate from now on.”
“…”
He had already contacted Heuk Yeong at the royal palace.
The assassins would surely be aware of that.
They would likely try to kill Gong Son-su today.
“Let’s keep a close watch.” Baek Su-ryong opened his senses as wide as possible, not missing even the slightest change in the audience.
The duel exam was taking place on the ten stages.
“Wow!”
A loud cheer and applause erupted.
A match had concluded on one of the duel stages.
“I, Namgung Seok, the candidate, win!”
The judge seemed flustered as he stammered while announcing the winner’s name.
It was understandable, as it was very rare for a new candidate to defeat a senior member of the student council in a duel, especially one of the council’s executives.
“Thank you for going easy on me, senior.” Namgung Seok said politely while bowing, but both the audience and his opponent knew it was just humility.
“... I lost.”
The boy, with a blank expression as he looked down at his weapon, was the older twin of the student council duo known as the Qinglong Twins.
Baek Su-ryong narrowed his eyes and observed Namgung Seok. ‘Thoroughly prepared.’
Namgung Seok wielded a sword, specifically a fast and sharp saber.
In contrast, the older twin’s weapon was a binding rope.
It was an uncommon weapon among martial artists, making it quite tricky to deal with. ‘It’s a weapon I rarely encounter…’
Namgung Seok handled it skillfully as if he had faced the binding rope multiple times, gradually cutting through it before finally approaching his opponent and lightly stabbing his shoulder with the sword.
Baek Su-ryong turned his head to find Gong Son-su in the distance.
He wore his usual expressionless face.
“It seems he prepared his students well.”
A moment later, on another duel stage, another student taught by Gong Son-su, Jin Jin, also won against a senior member of the student council.
“Jin Jin wins!”
“Yay!”
Unlike Gong Son-su, who remained expressionless, Jin Jin, who had won with great difficulty, jumped up and down in excitement.
Both students taught by Gong Son-su had caused an upset by defeating senior members of the student council.
From all around the audience, voices could be heard saying, “As expected, these are the students taught by Gong Son-su.” “He’s not just a top instructor for nothing.”
However, Baek Su-ryong had no interest in those two.
His focus was on someone else.
“Ahhh!”
With a powerful cheer, a large boy was pushing against a senior member of the student council with all his might.
The boy had a youthful face, but his size was already taller than most adults.
His dark skin was filled with thick muscles.
“Roar! Come at me! Don’t dodge, just come at me!”
Despite being covered in bruises and having a torn eye, the boy refused to give up the fight.
He moved like a giant beast, swinging his fists to crush his opponent.
The referee, unable to watch any longer, stopped the duel.
“Candidate Yoo Soo-hyuk! Stop! Stop!”
“Ahhh!”
Even after the referee tried to intervene, Yoo Soo-hyuk couldn’t calm down for a long time.
Baek Su-ryong widened his eyes, watching the scene.
“That physique and personality… reminds me of someone.”
A body unable to contain its innate power.
On the other hand, his internal energy was barely perceptible.
Perhaps he hadn’t even learned any internal energy techniques.
Despite being fully aware of the assassins targeting Gong Son-su, Yoo Soo-hyuk left a strong impression on Baek Su-ryong.
“That guy…”
But Baek Su-ryong could no longer focus on Yoo Soo-hyuk.
“Candidate Gong Son-su, please come up!”
At the referee’s call, Gong Son-su was stepping onto one of the duel stages.
At the same time, countless gazes were fixed on him.