Chapter 9

“Just when I thought we’d see the first life-and-death duel before the entrance ceremony in the academy’s history… what a disappointment!”

The speaker was a huge man about the same size as Maeng Ryeong-ji.

A massive saber was strapped to his back.

He looked about the same age as my father.

Judging by the situation, he had to be one of the instructors.

I immediately cupped my hands politely and greeted him.

You had to show respect to the instructors.

“Greetings, Instructor.”

“Hm?”

He stared at me carefully, looking over my face.

“So you’re the Polar Star Emperor’s daughter!”

He recognized me immediately.

“Yes. My name is Seol Su-ryeo from the North Sea Ice Palace.”

“Haha, you really are the spitting image of him. But unlike that fellow, you’re polite. Now I’m curious how much of his martial arts you’ve inherited.”

If he knew my father by face, they must have been acquainted.

Since I was still avoiding using my Ice Arts because of my meridian condition, I simply smiled without saying anything.

“It’s a pity you didn’t break the academy’s record today. But don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of chances to fight fiercely soon enough!”

Of course, the instructor didn’t seem to care about my reaction.

Even though nobody had been worrying about that, he laughed loudly and smacked both Maeng Ryeong-ji and Eun-hyeon on the back.

“You, disciple of Myeong-gyeong.”

That was how he addressed Eun-hyeon.

“I’ll go fetch Myeong-gyeong. Wait in Black Rock Hall.”

Without another explanation, he pointed toward a nearby building.

Then he practically carried Eun-hyeon away.

What was that?

If he was going to stop them, why didn’t he step in sooner?

“That was an instructor, right?”

I quietly asked Maeng Ryeong-ji.

“That should be the Mad Flame Blade, Paeng Jung-geol.”

She even knew the instructor’s name.

For someone who came all the way from Yunnan, she really knew a lot.

Having older siblings certainly had its advantages.

We had only intended to watch for a little while.

Instead, a fight had almost broken out.

Thankfully, everything settled down in the end.

Maeng Ryeong-ji and I continued watching how the instructors evaluated the remaining applicants.

“They really care a lot about potential.”

“Yeah. That fellow barely has any internal energy, yet he still passed.”

Unfortunately, it wasn’t all that entertaining.

Halfway through, we left for downtown Luoyang, wandered around the marketplace eating snacks, then returned in time for the evening matches.

During that short time, news about Eun-hyeon must have spread.

There were several times more spectators than before.

“That doesn’t look like Mount Hua swordsmanship at all.”

“That kid has used a killing sword before.”

A killing sword?

Some scar-faced men standing nearby made the atmosphere feel rather creepy.

But their opinions were surprisingly harsh.

Right now he was practically holding back as though fighting children.

Anyway…

The results of the tournament didn’t change.

A boy named Ju Pyeong-sam lost to Eun-hyeon in only six exchanges and dropped his sword.

Danri Hyang, who had defeated Gu Won-ui after a fierce battle, also couldn’t compete with Eun-hyeon.

“The Nine Great Sects really are different!”

“Huh? He’s not breaking anyone’s bones this time.”

“The instructor must’ve warned him.”

The only noticeable difference was that Eun-hyeon showed more restraint than before.

After Ju Pyeong-sam dropped his sword, he actually gave him a chance to surrender.

Even while fighting Danri Hyang, he deliberately avoided striking vital points.

He was just a little clumsy about expressing himself.

Everyone was judging him too harshly.

“This year’s Heavenly Martial Tournament should be exciting.”

Everyone kept talking about Eun-hyeon.

But I didn’t think it meant much to compare him with anyone yet.

His opponents had all been too weak to force him to reveal his true strength.

Personally, I found Gu Won-ui’s swordsmanship more interesting.

Danri Hyang’s determination also impressed me.

She kept standing back up no matter how many times Eun-hyeon knocked her down.

“Well done, all of you! That’s the spirit a martial artist should have! Never stop fighting!”

Paeng Jung-geol seemed especially pleased with Danri Hyang’s fighting spirit.

After the match ended, he handed her what looked like a medicinal pill.

“This is a Recovery Origin Pill. Eat it and rest. You should recover before the entrance ceremony.”

…Was that really a spiritual medicine?

I’d never heard of it before, but it sounded like something that restored vitality.

The instructors really did appreciate people who fought until the end.

If I ever fight Eun-hyeon, I should do the same.

I silently decided how I’d behave if I ever faced someone stronger than myself in front of the instructors.

“Hmph. You don’t even need this. Mount Hua has already stuffed you full of these.”

Then Paeng Jung-geol handed one to Eun-hyeon as well.

“Huh?”

“Every student who passes the Twenty-Second Heavenly Martial Academy entrance examination will receive one Small Heavenly Pill.”

That wasn’t all.

Not only the three who had just fought.

Everyone who had passed while we were away also received one.

“What’s that? They can’t all be spiritual medicines, can they?”

I asked in surprise.

Did everyone receive one just for getting accepted?

Would I receive one at the entrance ceremony too?

“That’s a Small Heavenly Pill. Ah! They probably give them to students who pass through the entrance exam to reduce the gap between them and students from the major sects.”

“They do that?”

So that’s why Eun-hyeon bothered taking the entrance exam!

There had actually been a reward.

I kept staring at the pill in Eun-hyeon’s hand.

Maeng Ryeong-ji shook her head.

“You don’t need to envy it that much. I heard you can earn Small Heavenly Pills easily by performing well at the academy or completing simple missions. My older brother received plenty of them, and he’s even taken several Sunfire Pills.”

“Oh…”

That made sense.

If those pills were truly priceless, everyone would’ve taken the entrance exam instead of relying on recommendation tokens.

To children from the Five Great Families, who had practically grown up eating spiritual medicines, they probably weren’t very valuable.

Even Maeng Ryeong-ji didn’t seem impressed.

Still…

I would’ve loved one.

It would let me use internal energy without relying on my Yin Qi.

“Someone like you, Su-ryeo, could even earn a Heavenly Ice Pill or the legendary Great Heavenly Pill created by the Medicine Sage! I’m sure of it!”

What I really needed was a Sunfire Pill.

But I couldn’t tell anyone about my severed meridians.

So I simply nodded.

Still… they’re handing out spiritual medicines this freely. The academy really is incredible.

Seeing them with my own eyes only made me more motivated.

I’d become the perfect model student and participate in every opportunity to earn rewards.

“Those of you who’ve never taken a spiritual medicine before, stay. Everyone else may leave.”

Another instructor finished his short congratulatory speech.

Then Paeng Jung-geol shouted loudly.

The event ended surprisingly quickly.

People soon dispersed.

Eun-hyeon glanced around briefly before leaving with a man dressed similarly to him.

“Thanks for inviting me. That was fun.”

“No, thank you! Even if only briefly, I got to witness your skills!”

I had only used a little strength while stopping the fight.

It wasn’t anything worth calling impressive.

I postponed Maeng Ryeong-ji’s request for a real spar until after enrollment.

Then I quietly returned to the inn and told Baek Woong-daeju everything we’d seen.

“Weren’t those kids rather childish?”

“Hmm… Well… no… I think you handled it well.”

He admitted he regretted not coming to the exam with us.

Even though he wouldn’t have stopped the fight himself…

Why did he care now?

“So how does that Mount Hua swordsman use his sword?”

“Oh, should I show you? The spectators were saying it didn’t look like Mount Hua swordsmanship. Oh right, the martial arts used by that independent boy were really unusual too.”

At least now we could study the techniques of the other successful applicants more carefully.

“You memorized those techniques after seeing them only once?”

I roughly recreated the sword techniques Eun-hyeon had used.

I couldn’t imitate the internal energy, but the movements were close enough.

“Hmm… Why do I see traces of Sword Pavilion techniques mixed into Mount Hua swordsmanship?”

Sword Pavilion?

Bota Sect?

Wasn’t that the sect made up entirely of women?

That was unexpected.

Eun-hyeon looked rather delicate, but he definitely wasn’t a woman.

“The spectators said he’d used killing sword techniques before.”

“Really? It’s hard to tell from your imitation. Forget it. I’m not an expert on every sword style in the Central Plains.”