There were several types of training at Sinryonggwan.
However, most people did not undergo more than four training sessions a day.
They were all martial artists, after all.
They needed time not only to train as swordsmen,
but also to hone their own martial arts.
Thus, the instruction was not particularly intensive.
I had always said this, hadn’t I?
People came to Sinryonggwan because of its reputation.
That was what I had meant when I said those things.
The education here was, in truth, quite good. But there were many things that could be taught by one’s clan or sect.
There was no particular need to come here.
No matter how many times I said it, there was no way it would get through to anyone,
so I did not go around talking about it.
Even if I told them things they already knew,
what would really change?
Four days had passed since Sinryonggwan opened.
To some, it had been a short time.
To others, the days had passed so quickly that they wondered if it had really already been that long.
To me, it had been a short while.
But even in that brief span, several incidents had occurred at Sinryonggwan.
One of them was this.
A rumor was spreading that a new student had defeated an instructor.
Yes.
It was about me.
‘Rumors sure spread damn fast.’
The rumor had started because I had won the wager I made with Instructor Cheol Hwan-oh.
I had won the wager.
It did not mean that I had truly defeated the instructor.
But the rumor had spread as though I had won a formal duel.
In any case, people really loved exaggerating things.
‘If it had been real, it would have been a bit difficult.’
Since I knew a little about the man named Cheol Hwan-oh,
I had deliberately provoked him little by little to create that situation.
If Cheol Hwan-oh had actually taken the bait and engaged me in a one-on-one duel,
it would not have been easy.
‘Even with my internal injuries fully healed, he’d still be a difficult opponent.’
Uicheon Cheonggwon.
A martial artist standing just before the Hwagyeong realm, just like me.
I remembered that in my previous life, he had reached Hwagyeong before becoming a demonic cultivator.
So in this life, he would eventually reach Hwagyeong as well.
Even if he had not reached it yet, the fact that he had ultimately attained Hwagyeong meant
that he possessed that level of potential.
I did not know what the outcome would have been even if he were in perfect condition.
With my internal injuries still present, it would have been unreasonable.
‘Urgh, it’s still sore….’
I gently rubbed the area around my dantian.
The stinging sensation still remained.
It was even worse because I had tried to use Flame Prison one more time the other day.
I had recalled it without detonating it, so I had not suffered any major shock.
But it had still been excessive.
‘Still, somehow, it worked.’
As expected, Cheol Hwan-oh had proposed a wager,
and I had been able to seize victory by using Flame Prison as leverage.
If my plan had gone awry and we had actually fought a formal duel,
I would have had to draw out everything I had, blood energy and all.
‘If I had done that, I would have needed at least a month just to tend to my internal injuries.’
The thought alone made me dizzy.
Still, I had succeeded, and that was enough.
Thanks to that, I had been able to buy myself this time in the morning.
‘This should be when everyone’s running around and rolling about. I should be fine, right?’
Keeping my qi sense raised to a certain degree,
I circled the area, searching for somewhere without people.
My goal was to find the entrance to the hidden vault somewhere underground.
‘My limit is about one shichen a day.’
The training sessions lasted a little longer than that.
But I still had to hurry back and prepare, so that much was necessary if I wanted to remain safe.
The problem was—
‘I know absolutely nothing about formations.’
When it came to the entrance of a hidden vault,
it was highly likely that it would be wrapped in formations.
Moreover, the thing beneath the current Sinryonggwan
was probably unknown even to the people of the Murim Alliance.
I possessed almost no knowledge in that area.
‘I’ve always just torn formations apart and walked straight in.’
I had always thought that I could simply endure the backlash from tearing through a formation with my body.
But I could not do that now.
‘Since it isn’t being caught by my qi sense, they must have hidden it quite well.’
How had the Heavenly Demon found it?
As far as I could tell, there was a high chance he had simply smashed everything in sight
and found it by chance.
Formations were useless against the Heavenly Demon.
He might have simply discovered it and torn it apart.
‘That’s even more likely.’
The important thing was that a hidden vault definitely existed somewhere beneath this place.
I had to find it within half a year.
That would be best for my plans.
‘Without finding it, there won’t be any plan or anything else.’
It had already been several days.
Several days of waking up in the morning and looking around here and there.
‘Tsk.’
Time was beginning to run short.
Judging by this, today was probably a failure as well.
I took a sheet of paper from my robe.
Tap.
I made a tiny cut on my fingertip and drew out a drop of blood.
Then I pressed it onto one spot on the paper.
I was marking the areas I had searched nearby.
No matter how vast Sinryonggwan was, I had spent several days exploring it.
I had probably covered most of it by now.
And yet I still had not found anything.
‘Either it cannot be detected by my qi sense, or the entrance is outside Sinryonggwan.’
This was difficult.
I had expected it not to be easy, but it really was difficult.
‘If it’s outside Sinryonggwan, that complicates things.’
A barrier had been spread around Sinryonggwan.
I had heard that they had used a spirit object to erect something resembling a protective ward.
With so many noble bloodlines gathered here, an attack would be disastrous.
The barrier had been put in place for their protection.
Because of it, I could not simply go outside whenever I pleased.
‘Tsk.’
What should I do?
If the entrance really was outside Sinryonggwan, I would have to wait for one of the summer days without training, when everyone was briefly allowed to return to their clans.
That would waste far too much time and require far too much travel.
‘…I should head back for now….’
It was getting late enough that I needed to return and think things over there.
Just as I turned to leave for the dormitory—
Crack.
I sensed someone in the grass behind me.
At the same time, the fine hairs on my body stood straight up.
‘Why?’
I had my qi sense raised to its fullest.
The fact that someone had approached my back meant that person had concealed their presence as well.
And the fact that I had not sensed them until now meant—
‘What kind of person is this?’
Internal injuries or no, I drew up my qi without hesitation.
Heat enveloped my body as I whipped around toward the direction of the disturbance.
‘First, I need to figure out— Huh?’
Thud!
Just as I was about to raise my fighting spirit to its fullest,
my body stiffened the instant I saw the figure who had appeared behind me.
“Uh…?”
The other person flinched when she saw me as well.
She, too, had assumed a stance to draw her sword.
The woman, who looked to be a little over thirty,
was a beautiful woman with a radiant air about her.
She wore pristine white martial robes and a pale blue outer garment symbolizing her status as an instructor of Sinryonggwan.
The plum blossom pattern visible between the folds of her outer garment immediately caught my eye.
“Why….”
The Hwasan heroine who had inherited the title of Sword Empress in this era.
The Plum Blossom Sword Empress.
She was looking at me as she opened her mouth.
“Why are you here?”
The words she blurted out in utter bewilderment
were precisely the words I wanted to ask her.
******************
Behind the buildings of Sinryonggwan
was a small forest within its grounds.
Apparently, it had been created as a walking trail.
Very few people used it.
That was only natural. Even the time spent receiving Sinryonggwan’s instruction and training one’s own martial arts was already insufficient.
Who could possibly have enough leisure to enjoy a stroll?
“Why are you here?”
In that sense, this encounter was far too unexpected.
The Sword Empress stared at the person she had suddenly encountered.
The student who should have been engrossed in morning training at this hour.
A suspicious figure whose name had begun spreading widely among the instructors.
He was here.
“…Greetings.”
The awkward expression with which he greeted her was, strangely enough, familiar.
“Shouldn’t you be training this morning? Why are you here…?”
“…Instructor Cheol Hwan-oh was kind enough to say I could skip morning training.”
What did that mean?
‘So that was what the rumor was about.’
The Sword Empress immediately understood.
She herself had heard the rumor that Instructor Cheol Hwan-oh had been defeated by a mere student.
She had heard that he had been summoned by the Hall Master and reprimanded….
“That aside, you should be in the dormitory, then. Why are you here?”
“I came out for a walk. I heard the trail here was nice.”
It was a lie.
The Sword Empress immediately knew.
Gu Yangcheon was lying.
“Really….”
“Then why are you here, Instructor?”
“...”
“Isn’t this the time when the students are training?”
At Gu Yangcheon’s words, the Sword Empress paused to think.
“…I’m in charge of afternoon training.”
“I see. Then why are you here…?”
“…I’m…taking a walk.”
“Ah. Yes.”
The conversation abruptly ended.
The atmosphere was strange, their eyes cautiously studying each other.
Gu Yangcheon knew.
The moment the Sword Empress heard his words, she had determined they were a lie.
And likewise,
the Sword Empress realized that Gu Yangcheon did not believe her words either.
Yet the two of them merely remained silent for a brief moment.
‘What is this?’
It was a question Gu Yangcheon ought to have been asking himself as he looked at the Sword Empress.
‘What is she hiding?’
Judging by the Sword Empress’s attitude, there was clearly something going on.
He had already suspected that her very arrival at Sinryonggwan as an instructor
meant she had some sort of purpose.
But seeing her like this, it seemed the Sword Empress was searching for something as well.
‘Could she be looking for the hidden vault?’
The Sword Empress was moving about Sinryonggwan with such suspicion.
Could it be that she was also searching for the hidden vault?
The thought flashed through his mind.
‘If so, how does the Sword Empress know about the hidden vault?’
It was information that no one had known until the Heavenly Demon appeared.
It was strange that she would know about it.
‘If she does know, what should I do?’
Should he search together with her?
And what about the fact that he knew this information as well?
‘This isn’t good.’
It might not be an immediate problem involving the hidden vault,
but it had become clear that the Sword Empress also had some sort of purpose.
This meeting
was certainly related to it.
Just as Gu Yangcheon was wondering what he should do,
the Sword Empress spoke to him after a brief moment of deep thought.
“There was something I heard….”
“Please, go ahead.”
Wondering if she was about to speak about the current situation,
he instinctively focused his attention.
The Sword Empress must have had her own reasons for bringing it up.
“That technique you used at the examination grounds….”
“Yes? Yes…? Suddenly?”
Because she had abruptly brought up such an unexpected topic,
Gu Yangcheon was momentarily flustered.
Why was she suddenly talking about that?
‘Could there be some other reason?’
Just as he began to wonder,
the Sword Empress continued.
“I heard that the martial art you used back then did not actually need to be detonated.”
“...”
At those wholly unexpected words,
Gu Yangcheon’s mind turned blank.
Oh… fuck.
‘How does she know that— Ah.’
Just as he wondered how the Sword Empress had found out,
Gu Yangcheon remembered the duel with Cheol Hwan-oh.
He had retrieved his secret technique and used a feint.
Apparently, Cheol Hwan-oh had reported that incident.
A thin film of sweat began to run down his back.
‘…Am I screwed?’
He had forgotten about that fact during his spar with Cheol Hwan-oh.
During his duel with the Sword Empress,
he had detonated his secret technique and put her in a difficult position.
‘Ah, I’d forgotten about that. What an idiot….’
If he had known this would happen, he would have used another method.
“Even so, I thought I should come find you about this….”
“Me? Why?”
“Who knows?”
Her refusal to explain the reason was even more frightening.
“…Um.”
“I’ll let that matter pass.”
“What?”
The Sword Empress looked at me and smiled sweetly.
That refreshing smile was even more frightening.
“We now have secrets to keep for each other, don’t we? I should let something like that pass.”
“...”
She was being direct.
The Sword Empress was saying that she would overlook this matter,
so I should keep quiet as well.
It was certainly a benefit.
But the Sword Empress’s gaze was immensely burdensome.
It did not look like she was simply going to let it go, no matter how I looked at it.
“Um, Sword Empress.”
“Yes.”
“Are you really all right…? No, never mind.”
Gu Yangcheon had started to ask, but stopped himself.
It was obvious to anyone that she did not look all right.
She seemed a little angry,
but was forcing herself to hold it in with a smile.
At times like this, the best course of action was to escape as quickly as possible.
“Then I’ll be going first. Enjoy your walk.”
“Very well.”
Gu Yangcheon quickly fled from the Sword Empress and headed toward the dormitory.
The Sword Empress watched his retreating back
with a strange look in her eyes.
******************
During the three days since Sinryonggwan opened.
Small and major incidents alike had taken place.
One was Jinryong provoking an instructor.
And ultimately claiming victory as well.
Since there had been so many witnesses,
more outrageous rumors were added to the already rampant rumors about Jinryong.
They said he had crushed the instructor’s limbs.
That he had stomped on the unconscious instructor’s head and cursed his parents.
That he had grabbed one of the disciples watching and done the same to him.
Jinryong’s already numerous evil rumors had grown even worse.
On top of that,
people had begun saying that, among the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes, Jinryong might be the strongest.
After all, anyone capable of defeating an instructor was hardly on the same level as the other younger-generation talents.
The other story was this:
Several factions had begun forming among the disciples of Shinyong Hall.
They might have been organized by groups,
or perhaps they were forming on an even larger scale.
But it was certainly rumored that factions had begun appearing within Shinyong Hall.
One might ask how factions could form after only a few days.
But at least, in Cheol Jiseon’s eyes, it was undeniably true.
“Hahaha, even the Divine Star knows about that?”
“Of course. That was probably the first one made in Henan, wasn’t it?”
“Oh, that’s right. Since it came up, I might as well mention that I know the craftsman who made that sword….”
‘What a load of crap.’
Several younger-generation talents had gathered close together, chatting and laughing.
Each of them held an important position in their clan or sect,
and they proudly boasted about the accomplishments they had achieved.
Cheol Jiseon had no idea whether what they were saying was true or not,
but their conceit and bravado were plainly visible on their faces.
And among all those numerous figures,
one man stood at the center of them all.
The Divine Star, Jang Seonyeon.
He had been assigned to the same group as Cheol Jiseon,
and though he was not one of the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes, he had become famous for possessing tremendous talent.
He was the only son of the current Murim Alliance Leader, Nakgeom Jang Cheon.
Jang Seonyeon was one of the people Cheol Jiseon had intended to approach,
but with so many people surrounding him, it was not easy to get close.
“Hey, aren’t you going to answer?”
Nor was this a situation in which Cheol Jiseon could approach him.
Smack-!
“Ugh!”
Someone struck him on the back of the head. Cheol Jiseon’s head dipped forward from the impact.
“I’ve been calling you. Why aren’t you answering?”
Cheol Jiseon rubbed his throbbing head and turned around.
It was a younger-generation talent seated behind him.
Calling me? That was a lie.
The man had never called out to Cheol Jiseon.
“…What do you want?”
Even knowing that, Cheol Jiseon endured it.
“I just called you. What? Are you upset?”
The man snickered, and the others watching nearby also chuckled.
‘Ha….’
At the sight, Cheol Jiseon sighed inwardly.
Ever since he had begun falling behind in his training,
there had been people who would constantly poke at him.
He wondered how they could behave like this even after coming to the renowned Shinyong Hall,
but he felt utterly pathetic for being unable to say a single word in response.
‘This isn’t why I came here.’
His fist clenched atop his knee.
This truly wasn’t why he had come.
He had expected things to be difficult,
but to end up like this from the very beginning?
“Your eyes look strange. I guess you’re upset. Hey, the great Cheol Jiseon is in a bad mood.”
“He’s upset? What should we do? He must’ve been really upset when he was stammering earlier, too.”
“...”
When the instructor had asked Cheol Jiseon about the theory he had taught them,
Cheol Jiseon, nervous, had stammered out his answer.
Now they were dragging that out to mock him.
“If you don’t like it, why don’t you spar with me?”
Displaying his bulging muscles,
the man glared at him.
Cheol Jiseon had heard that he had surpassed the First-rate realm.
He was not someone Cheol Jiseon could do anything against.
In the end, he had no choice but to press his lips shut.
“He lowers his tail right away. He looks so delicate—I wonder if he even has a dick.”
“Who knows? Maybe he really doesn’t. Or maybe it’s just that small.”
“Still, he’s handsome enough to make a living off his looks, isn’t he? Maybe as a male prostitute.”
Crack.
Strength filled Cheol Jiseon’s clenched hand.
“Oh, right. Hey, do you have an older sister?”
He froze.
Cheol Jiseon’s trembling body stopped at the words he heard.
“Does she look like you? That’d be nice. I like having lots of concubines. You could introduce her to me.”
—Jinseon, you mustn’t use that power.
His sister’s voice tickled Cheol Jiseon’s ears,
but his fingertips began to move on instinct.
It should be all right just this once.
“With someone like me, your sister’s life would bloom. I’m telling you, it’s a great opportunity.”
He could endure anything else,
but he could not tolerate anyone bringing his sister into it.
Just as Cheol Jiseon rose and began to move his hand—
“Why the hell aren’t you answering again…?”
Bang-!
“Gack!”
With a thunderous boom,
the man who had been spouting insults suddenly went rolling across the floor and flew into the wall.
Cheol Jiseon’s eyes widened.
The man, struck by the sudden blow, grabbed the wall and began to tremble.
Drip, drip-!
Blood flowed from his mouth, staining the floor.
“Wh…what….”
When the man raised his head in confusion,
he saw an unfamiliar figure standing before him.
At the very least, he was not from the same group.
“Wh-who the hell are you?”
The man shouted in anger at the bewildering situation,
but the newcomer abruptly picked up a chair and threw it at him.
Crack!
“Argh!”
“What do you think, you bastard? Just a friend passing by.”
The chair struck him squarely, drawing another scream.
Yet the person who had taken action remained utterly calm.
As he spoke, his fierce-looking eyes curved slightly.
The faint smile he wore in such a situation
was almost more frightening than anything else.
Cheol Jiseon had to start in shock when he saw him.
He had not expected this person.
“Ah, I came to eat with my friend, but look at this. There’s some worthless piece of shit here.”
The man scratched his head as if he were annoyed.
He had a ferocious face, and his manner of speaking was crude beyond belief.
Cheol Jiseon knew him.
How could he not?
He was the man who had made Cheol Jiseon his friend by force… No, practically by force.
When their groups had been divided, Cheol Jiseon had wondered if the man would no longer come looking for him.
At the time, he had actually thought it was fortunate.
He had expected the man to single him out and torment him,
but figured that he had given up because their groups had been separated.
That was why Cheol Jiseon could not help being flustered.
Because, in this situation,
the person who had suddenly appeared and saved him was—
‘…Jinryong?’
It was none other than Gu Yangcheon.