I entered the compound.
As soon as I stepped inside, I saw slightly more than twenty people already waiting. Even as I walked, my skin prickled with numbness. Sensing it, I clicked my tongue inwardly.
*''Tsk.*'
*'Jeez, these old men and their qi contest.'*
People were needlessly throwing their weight around. Whenever martial artists gathered, it was always like this—they spread out their domains and waged a contest to measure themselves against one another. Truly, there were no greater fools.
*'How nice it would be if they conserved their strength and lived a little.'*
Did they really have so much energy to spare? I felt like even if you combined all of them, I would still have more. They would end up dying while showing off like that. In war, if you wasted your energy like that and couldn't use it when you truly needed to, getting killed for nothing was the norm.
*'This is why you shouldn't deal with brats who've never seen war.'*
Cursing them internally, I waved my hand.
*''Fwoosh—!*'
After lightly dispersing the clumped and intertwined qi, I could finally breathe a bit easier.
However.
"…!"
"…."
Whether they realized I had touched their auras, the gazes of the qualifiers fixed upon me. Feeling that, I smiled awkwardly.
"Sorry. I was feeling a bit suffocated."
I muttered roughly and found a spot nearby. Since there didn't seem to be assigned seats, I sat on the floorboards in a place less exposed to the sunlight. Their gazes still followed, but I tried not to pay them any mind.
*'How long will this take?'*
Right now, the only thing I was concerned about was the time ahead. The preliminaries were still underway, so I wondered how long it would be before the second round began, and so on.
And it wasn't just the time.
*'I wonder how Wi Seola and Seongyul are doing.'*
I was worried about the others who had entered the preliminary round with me.
*'They should be fine, right…?'*
If the tests were the same in the other locations, I didn't think they would fail, but still, what worried me, worried me.
Especially Wi Seola.
*'…Is she doing well…?'*
Like a child left by the waterside, she occupied all my thoughts. I was so tempted to slip out right then and check on her.
*'Whenever she tries to do something, she always giggles. Surely she wouldn't do that here, too.'*
Unlike her previous life, Wi Seola now seemed slightly dazed. Compared to the Divine Sword who had been so cold and austere, she was now an entirely different figure. She looked better in this life, but her lack of socialization was concerning.
*'Though I wonder who should be worrying about whom…'*
I was the one who refused to socialize. Wi Seola was different in that regard, so my worry was immense.
*'I think I may have kept her too isolated.'*
I had wanted to let her live differently from her previous life. Could the actions I had taken with that in mind be causing problems now? That suddenly bothered me.
Rather than judging right and wrong.
Judging what was immediately better.
This was a problem that arose from living only in that manner.
*'It's difficult.'*
Truly difficult.
What was the more correct way to do things?
That was the most difficult dilemma for me.
*Tak.*
While I was steeped in such thoughts, I sensed a presence in front of me. I raised my head and saw a shadow cast right before my nose. Someone was blocking the sunlight.
"It's been a while."
A rough, deep voice.
Wondering who it was, I saw a giant of a man in dark clothes. Blade King Peng Zhou was standing before me.
Unexpected.
*'To think he would acknowledge me.'*
I hadn't expected that old man to approach me. Naturally, I had thought we would pretend not to know each other. Was I mistaken?
I looked at him with a puzzled expression, and his gaze staring back grew heavier. After all, it was surprising enough that the Blade King had initiated conversation. Since it had come to this, it couldn't be helped.
"It's been a long time, Patriarch Peng."
When I greeted him shortly, the Blade King's brows twitched slightly.
"I had my doubts, but it really is you."
"Yes. I am that guy."
I spat out the words and stood up. I had wanted to sit a while longer, but propriety had to be observed, for what it was worth.
"A blood descendant of the Gu clan greets the Blade King."
I cupped my fists and bowed my head slightly. Even this rough display of courtesy made the Blade King's imposing aura seem to subside a little.
*'Don't tell me this guy is pleased because I did this?'*
"You seem to know your manners better than you look."
He really did seem pleased.
As if a simple, light greeting had truly improved his mood—
"You seem to have changed from before. Back then, you seemed to hold no value whatsoever."
—or not, it seemed.
"Have the years granted you some maturity?"
"…Yes. I suppose so."
It stung, but I held it in. The reason that old man was acting this way was clearly my own fault.
*'It's the karma from my childhood, what of it.'*
This was the price for having lived like an idiot. I could endure this much.
My former fiancée's father. On top of that, I had broken off the engagement after hurling abuses; truly, it was an utterly rotten relationship.
Perhaps because the Blade King knew that as well.
"I heard you became engaged to the Nangong family."
Of all things, the topic he brought up was the engagement.
"Yes. It turned out that way."
"The Sword King's daughter… She is called the Sword Dancer, is she not?"
My shoulder felt ticklish. As if someone were subtly scratching at it with a finger, so to speak. Conversing with the Blade King felt exactly like that.
"The Gu clan is truly remarkable, breaking off the engagement with the Peng family and joining with the Nangong family again… You have quite the ability."
To break an engagement with the Peng family and then get engaged to the Nangong family.
*'Do you want to cling to one of the Four Great Families that badly?'*
That was the meaning contained in his words.
Hearing him, I smiled lightly.
"Thank you. I merely had good fortune."
"Not at all. It's all the patriarch's ability."
It changed from a ticklish sensation to a prodding one.
"There was a time I thought you were a man who kicked away his own fortune."
He was right. Being able to live in comfort with the Peng family, yet I had thrown abuses and blown it all up; his words hit the mark exactly.
"Now that I see you, I wonder if our Ahui was somewhat lacking."
"Haha… Thank you for the compliment."
It looked like praise, but it wasn't entirely so. While acting modest, his eyes were brimming with thick emotions.
"The fact that you climbed up to this place means you have crossed the wall. Quite the achievement at your age. The future of the Gu clan is very! Bright."
"Compared to Patriarch Peng, it is a level unworthy of mention."
*''Heh.''*
Perhaps pleased by the perfunctory praise, the corners of the Blade King's mouth rose.
*'This old man seems to think I have barely crossed the peak.'*
Since I had passed the first preliminary, I must have crossed the wall, but he seemed not to know that I had reached the Transformation Realm. It wasn't just that I was hiding my realm; from the start, he didn't seem capable of even imagining it.
It didn't particularly matter. Rather, that would be helpful. I had praised him and humored him to some extent, so couldn't I wrap this up here?
Just as I thought that and was about to leave.
"Certainly, the Gu clan will become even greater going forward."
The Blade King added.
"Unlike the Gu Patriarch, the child handles himself so well."
The poison hidden within the praise dug deep inside. From fingertips that had been tapping lightly, it suddenly felt like being stabbed by a sword.
*'This bastard.'*
I tilted my head and looked at the Blade King. It wasn't merely a thorn in his words; he had sharpened and resharpened it to plunge it in.
"When I first saw you, I had many worries, but it seems that friend has raised his child very well."
"Hmm."
I quietly grasped my wrist.
The Blade King's words were right. As he said, I had matured a little. Wasn't that so? Hearing such words and not immediately beating him up—how mature of me.
"You seem quite close with our patriarch."
"Of course. We shared a deep bond since childhood."
If so, why did his eyes hold hostility as he said that?
I barely held back a sigh.
*'It would have been better if that bastard had become the Alliance Leader.'*
I was truly disappointed. I had heard he lost in a close battle with the Sword Immortal and failed to become the Alliance Leader; rather, if the Blade King had become the Alliance Leader, handling matters would have been much easier. Then I could have played him like a toy.
Hiding my disappointment, I forced a smile.
"Not just the Gu clan, but won't the Peng family also flourish even more?"
*''Pfft.''*
At my words, the Blade King's smile deepened. Was it a sneer at possibly failing to understand my words' meaning? Looking at him, only doubt lingered.
"They say the rise and fall of a great family is determined by its patriarch… The Peng family seems truly blessed in this regard."
"You needn't nitpick so. I am not one to obsess over such—"
"Though it may be shaken now, the day Young Master Biseongdo ascends to the patriarch's seat, the Peng family will take flight, so to speak."
"…"
"Isn't that right, Patriarch Peng?"
I wiped away my smile and spoke. I could see the corners of the Blade King's eyes trembling. Since he kept inserting thorns into his words, I tried doing the same once; it seemed to have worked well.
*'It's because a wretch like you sits as patriarch that the Peng family is shaken.'*
*'If Peng Wujin ascends to the patriarch's seat later rather than a bastard like you, the Peng family will stabilize.'*
*'So quit your nonsense and behave.'*
That was what I had meant.
"You brat…"
Fortunately, or perhaps because the Blade King understood the meaning, his face began to contort.
"I've met him a few times. Young Master Peng is truly an extraordinary figure."
"…Ha…"
Though it was praise for his own son, the Blade King's expression only continued to break.
At the same time, I felt stifled. It was because the aura flowing from the Blade King had grown a little denser.
"I thought only your face resembled him a little."
*''Grrk. Clang—!!''*
As the Blade King's killing intent grew thick, those nearby took up stances. The martial artists were reacting instinctively.
"Even the way you speak is truly the spitting image of your father."
At those words, I tilted my head. Was that an insult? It sounded like praise. Pondering, I looked into the Blade King's eyes. I could see malice far thicker than before. What was the problem? I had scratched his sore spot to some extent, but such a fierce reaction was unexpected.
*'Lack of ability as patriarch. Comparison with his son. Or what could the problem have been?'*
As I thought, a strange sense of dissonance suddenly flashed by. Rather than those being the problem.
*'Could I be the problem?'*
No. Precisely, not me, but…
*'Is Father the problem?'*
He had definitely said I resembled my father, and his energy had grown denser then. Was the problem there? If that were truly the case, what was the problem? After pondering briefly, something came to mind, and I asked the Blade King.
"Patriarch Peng. If I may."
"What are you going to say now—"
"Have you ever been beaten by my father?"
"…"
He froze.
At my words, the Blade King stiffened. Even the momentum he had been emitting vanished instantly. Seeing that, I widened my eyes.
"Oh, so it's true?"
Was he really beaten? Judging by his reaction, it seemed true?
*'Wow.'*
I had wondered why he was making such a fuss, and I had suspected my father had done something to him. Was he taking out his anger from being beaten by my father on me?
*'Father… just what did you do in your youth?'*
How did you end up beating even the patriarch of one of the Four Great Families? It was a moment when I suddenly grew curious about my father's past.
*''Grrrrck.''*
A rough sound came from the Blade King's direction. He was biting his lip hard, and the killing intent felt from his clenched fist was the same. Then, forcing himself to control his expression, he opened his mouth.
"…Child of the Gu clan."
"Yes."
"Be grateful that this is the interior of the Martial Alliance, a place where the laws of the Alliance exist. Had there been no fixed rules, you would be groveling on the floor right now."
Unauthorized fighting during the preliminaries meant immediate disqualification. Since that was something I had been informed of before the preliminaries began, the Blade King spat this out telling me to be grateful.
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
That was truly a regrettable part for me as well.
"Rules… aren't they truly something to be grateful for? Beasts that don't know their place ought to be beaten like dogs. Yet because a rusty cage protects them, it is simply a pity."
The Blade King, who had been emanating killing intent, glared at me for a long while before turning his back. It seemed he wouldn't be able to endure his own temper if he stayed any longer, just as he said. What a pity. If he were more of a bull-headed man, things might have been different.
Was this really all his business here?
*'Did he really come just to pick a fight?'*
A man called a patriarch truly seemed to have nothing to do.
*'Tsk.'*
Even after meeting him briefly, I felt like I could understand why Father had beaten that man. Suppressing a sigh, I sat back down on the floorboards. I already felt tired. So I closed my eyes for a moment.
Just wishing time would pass quickly. Wishing so, I rested briefly amid the pouring gazes.
It was after half a shichen had passed from then that the next test began.
******************
The sky was dyed red. The sun was setting and the evening glow was sinking in. Seeing as the test had begun at noon, quite a lot of time had flowed by. I stood among the gathered people and prepared once more. With the first round completely over, all the qualifiers had gathered and had to begin the second preliminary.
"There are fifty-eight first-round qualifiers."
A martial artist of the Alliance organized the documents and handed them to someone. The one receiving them was an old woman with white hair, possessing an impression so sharp that it seemed not a drop of blood would come out if you stabbed her. The old woman glanced at the received document and then directed her deeply stooped back and stiff gaze this way.
"Tsk tsk… Greetings. I am called Yeoseon, Commander of the Wind Dragon Squad…."
Upon hearing the introduction, those nearby flinched slightly.
Wind Dragon Commander Yeoseon.
Or Bimapa Yeoseon.
She was said to be the only woman among the Commanders of the Alliance and, aside from the Sword Emperor, the martial artist who had been active in the current Martial Alliance the longest. However, she was not an exceptionally outstanding figure in terms of martial prowess. The Wind Dragon Squad itself was a group that dealt with formations and sorcery, and its Commander, Bimapa, was also an expert in that field. By martial prowess alone, she would likely be the lowest among the Commanders.
That didn't mean she was weak. In some ways, that old woman was the most troublesome person among the Alliance's Commanders.
*'…I suffered a bit because of that old woman.'*
The one who had aided the Alliance's strategist Zhuge Zhixi—who had killed Cheonyuranga—was that Bimapa. The formations and sorcery she deployed were no ordinary nuisance. From illusion-type techniques to traps using formations, it wouldn't be wrong to say she was a figure specialized for war rather than single combat. To kill that old woman, the Sword Demon and the Green King, who would clash every time they met, had joined hands; it was a testament to how great the value Bimapa possessed was.
"I shall be in charge of this second preliminary, so I ask for your cooperation…."
There was no murmuring at Bimapa's words. It was a completely different sight from the first round. Of course. By now, most had already been filtered through the first round of elimination. What remained for them was not the excitement of having seen an expert. Only curiosity and tension about what kind of test would come crashing in. Thus, everyone swallowed hard as they looked at Bimapa.
"The second preliminary is a test no more complicated than the first."
Bimapa began her explanation without hesitation.
*''Thud—! Grgrgrk.''*
As she spoke, she drew a long horizontal line in front of her feet with the staff she held. And then she said.
"From now on… those who cross this line shall be passed."
"…What?"
"Cross the line?"
Voices that had been barely held back flowed out at Bimapa's words. Just cross that line and we pass? At the completely unexpected content, everyone made dazed, bewildered expressions. It was simple, yet too simple. Everyone was plainly revealing such thoughts.
But.
"I have already set up formations around these quarters…."
At Bimapa's continued explanation, everyone had to harden their expressions.
"You have already entered the quarters… It will be difficult to escape easily…."
Formations had been laid in the quarters. At her words, everyone surveyed their surroundings with stiff faces. Just when had they entered the formation? It was something none of them had noticed. Was this the power of Bimapa, the Alliance's greatest formation master? Just as everyone was sending gazes close to shock.
"There are fifty-eight, so… exactly half will do."
Bimapa spoke to the martial artists.
"First come, first served. Twenty-nine."
Following her voice, everyone began to focus. Break through Bimapa's formation. It looked simple, yet everyone intuitively knew it was absolutely not easy.
"Only the twenty-nine who cross this line and tap my shoulder can pass the second preliminary."
Bimapa swept her gaze across the assembly and curved her wrinkled eye corners.
"Then, we shall now begin—"
"We just need to tap your shoulder?"
A question was heard just as she was about to begin, and Bimapa paused briefly. Since she had just explained and was asked again, her expression showed displeasure.
"…Yes, cross the line and tap my shoulder… Hmm?"
Bimapa, who was about to explain nonetheless, suddenly had to close her mouth. Because the voice had come from too close by.
*''Tap tap.''*
At the same time, she felt a sensation of someone touching her shoulder. Bimapa turned her head. And her eyes met mine. Looking her in the eyes, I asked with a wide grin.
"Can I go home now?"
"…?"
As with the first round, no answer came this time either.