134 - Blue Dragon Rain Dance Society (4)

Time flows on. Fifteen days flew by, and it was the day of the Blue Dragon Rain Dance Society's event. Given the unprecedented reward of a bottle of Gongsungseok Oil, the atmosphere this time was distinctively different from before. Five thousand eight hundred participants. That was the number after strict selection. Criteria included realm, background, and a brief demonstration of martial arts, leading to an absurdly high number of incidents during the qualification process. "This is absurd! I have more to show! Wait! Let me duel! I am a real fighter!!!" There was someone who, proclaiming to be a real fighter, refused to leave the stage. "I'm not in good condition today! Let me try again tomorrow! Huh? If I were in better shape, I could easily cut through even first-rate martial arts!" Someone begged, complaining that their swordsmanship was off today. "The dirty martial world of the Central Plains! It all comes down to connections! Hey! Do you know who I am? I am Gilsang from Hanam! Huh? In ten years, I'll be the one to turn the world upside down! I'll remember all your faces! See you later!!!" Someone with neither the realm, background, nor martial arts to speak of, yet filled with confidence, threatened the judges. "Gongsungseok Oiiiiiil!!!" There was someone who, lying on the ground, was throwing a tantrum. Dang Hwa-seo, serving as one of the judges, looked exhaustedly into the void. 'My goodness.' The Central Plains are so vast. There are so many madpeople in the world. Perhaps even the vile ones from the Dang clan were not as bad in comparison. Her heart, worn and whittled away, was even idealizing the past. "The sect leader must be having a hard time." Gold Sword Kwon Pyowol chuckled as he spoke, sitting beside her. Dang Hwa-seo replied with an awkward smile. "What can I do? It's all due to having a small number of sect members." Usually, senior members of each faction took turns judging, based on the schedule. Gold Sword Kwon Pyowol also had just arrived from dealing with other duties to join the judging for the next hour. But Yongbong sect was different. Total members: six. Half of them were participating in the competition and couldn't serve as judges, and the rest were assigned other tasks and couldn't be summoned here. This was the result. Dang Hwa-seo brought her workload here, processing documents in between judging. A sympathetic look crossed Kwon Pyowol's face. Dang Hwa-seo dismissed it with a smile. As the judging continued, "Oh, this one comes from an academy." Kwon Pyowol noted. Dang Hwa-seo immediately checked the roster. 'Gosang?' The martial artist named Gosang was from Kang Seosung's Yang Muhak Academy. Yang Muhak Academy, a renowned institution under the alliance, was famous for producing exceptional martial artists who reach the mainland finals of the Yongbong branch competition each year. In fact, a vice-chief from Yang Muhak Academy was one of Namgung Jincheon's opponents this year. Though he was defeated in a single match. Regardless, Dang Hwa-seo found it strange. "Usually, academy kids aim for the Yongbong branch competition. This is unusual." "Perhaps he has higher aspirations. To make a name across the entire Central Plains, not just among his peers. Look here. He's the top student of this term." "Interesting…." Taking another look at Gosang, he was a man with dark eyebrows and a large build, his skin shining, hinting at an advanced realm. If one were to guess, he appeared to be in his late twenties. His weapon was a large axe. 'A martial artist who wields an axe.' It was peculiar considering most top students from academies usually wielded weapons of broader utility. Perhaps thinking the same, curiosity bloomed amidst the weary expressions of the other judges. "I am Gosang from Yang Muhak Academy." Gosang greeted with a fist salute. Kwon Pyowol spoke. "Welcome. Please begin." Due to curiosity but also the long queue waiting, he said it in a way that didn't give much time. Gosang nodded and gripped his large axe with one hand. Then, he demonstrated just one move. Whooosh― A gray energy wrapped around his body. As Gosang stamped on the ground, with a bang, the earth split open. Silence filled the space for a moment. 'A peak realm!' Dang Hwa-seo exclaimed internally. A student from an academy reaching the peak realm. The energy was unstable, indicating he had only just entered this stage, but it was still commendable. "Ah, a peak realm…" "I had a moment of enlightenment." "No need for more words. You pass." Kwon Pyowol said, satisfied. Dang Hwa-seo shared a similar expression. After enduring so many trivial cases, seeing a true martial artist was incredibly relieving. 'He might not make it to the main competition, but at least he'll show a good performance in the qualifiers.' Only 128, that is, 128 people, make it to the main competition, so barely entering the peak realm might not be enough. Nevertheless, it was a meaningful achievement. For a martial artist from a non-famous academy to reach the peak realm at a young age was positive news for the whole martial world. "Do your best." Dang Hwa-seo said with a smile. Gosang saluted and left the stage. The atmosphere became a bit lighter. The assessment of Gosang by the judges continued briefly but did not last long. "No way!!! Do you know I'm a Sword Saint?! I've had half of my life's return, but I lost all my internal power! A single bottle of Gongsungseok Oil will allow me to regain my realm!!!" The Central Plains were vast, and it was filled with madness. Amidst this, Dang Hwa-seo flinched. Sword Saint Mok Seon-o. That was the name of Mok Riwon's teacher and surrogate parent. How shocked she was when she heard the story on her way back from Sacheon. Dang Hwa-seo thought inadvertently. 'If Mok Sohyeop saw this scene, it would have been a disaster.' Perhaps that man would have had to endure the deep anger of Mok Riwon. * That evening, at the dining hall of the Yongbong faction. "Someone is impersonating my teacher!!!" As expected, Mok Riwon was furious. Dang Hwa-seo chuckled softly. The reason for telling him was simple. She was curious about how he would react to the story during their conversation about the day's events. It was a more violent reaction than expected. His red face and trembling body showed his rage. Dang Hwa-seo decided it was time to stop teasing and calm him down. "You don't need to be so angry. It's a category that happens every year." "Still! As the 11th disciple of the Seoryeon Sect, I cannot let this pass! Who is that man? I will go and give him a big spanking!" That the most he could do was a spanking was somewhat adorable. "Thinking differently, isn't it a good thing?" "Hmm?" "Doesn't it mean that there are still many who remember the great Sword Saint?" At those words, Mok Riwon's eyes widened. Then, he let out an "Ah..." and a sheepish expression appeared on his red face. "That’s true." He seemed pleased. Now knowing his lineage, Dang Hwa-seo thought anew. It seemed like Mok Riwon truly loved his teacher. It was a touching sight, and at the same time, it stung a bit. The kind of master-disciple relationship that Mok Riwon had was something Dang Hwa-seo had always dreamed of but never achieved. '...What nonsense.' Dang Hwa-seo brushed off the thought and asked. "Speaking of which, Sohyeop Mok, is your preparation going well?" "Ah! Fortunately, yes! I think I'll be able to complete the third technique of the Full Lotus Sword soon!" "That's good news." "How fortunate I am to have reached the upper-realm. Not just enlightenment, but there are practical benefits, right? Skipping the preliminaries. Being in the upper-realm is truly a respected state in the martial world. It saved me time, too." Mok Riwon was right. A martial artist who reached the upper-realm could directly advance to the main competition without preliminaries. The first reason was it was certain they would pass anyway, and secondly, as martial artists in the upper-realm were esteemed throughout the entire Central Plains martial world, it was also to maintain their dignity. Mok Riwon was the type of person who’d happily participate in preliminaries, but most capable individuals usually had high pride. Look no further than Namgung Jincheon. Ilwoon once said how nice it must be not to do the preliminaries, to which Namgung Jincheon had snorted. - Considering it an insult to me to mix swords with that riff-raff. Ilwoon, who had to climb up from the preliminaries and became riff-raff in a moment, was a separate story. Anyway, it wasn’t important at the moment. "Preliminaries take a month, so does the main event. I guess I'll be dead to the world for a while." "It’s a lot of hard work." "But it's work, so it must be done. Besides…" "Besides?" "...Never mind." Dang Hwa-seo trailed off her words. 'There's no need to burden Sohyeop Mok with this right now.' The true purpose of this Blue Dragon Rain Dance Society event. If Mok Riwon knew, he might not be able to concentrate on the duels. Dang Hwa-seo did not want to burden him unnecessarily. 'He'll find out eventually.' All she wished was for Mok Riwon to enjoy the duels until the time came. * Yang Muhak Academy's top student, Gosang. He entered a dilapidated shack located a bit away from the alliance. There, someone was waiting for him. "Have you arrived?" The man, donned in pristine Taoist robes and sporting a cheerful smile that conveyed lightheartedness, was waiting. The symbol of Taoism etched on the sword at his waist showed how often he had swung it. That man was Sun Dragon Prefect, Hyun Gong, the current generation's top disciple of Taoism and one of the spies sent from the Heavenly Demon Sect to the Central Plains. Gosang bowed. "Heavenly Demon reigns supreme, and all demons prosper." "No need for such formalities." "Yes." Gosang raised his head. Hyun Gong was pouring wine, humming a tune, and seemed quite pleased, murmuring to himself. "Sure missed this taste being around those Taoist fellows." "Yes." "How fortunate the Blue Dragon Rain Dance Society happed to be scheduled." "That is correct." Hyun Gong sipped the wine, swallowed it, and chuckled. "How many have you planted?" "Twenty at the peak realm like me, and one in the upper-realm." "Planted?" "...Arrived." "Right. The strong stand alone. One of our most important principles, isn't it?" "I misspoke." Hyun Gong's gaze was firmly fixed on Gosang. "A mistake should not occur. The Vice Sect Leader has a significant interest in this affair." "I will always keep it in mind." "Ah, and I will also participate. The Blue Dragon Rain Dance Society." Gosang jerked his head up. A look of surprise settled on his face. "Directly, you mean?" "Yes, fortunately, having the Taoist background is advantageous. It's easy to enter, and it's convenient to deal with any unforeseen circumstances, so there's no reason not to participate." Gosang fumbled with his lips, then eventually cast his gaze downward. "I understand." "Then you may go." "Heavenly Demon reigns..." "That'll be unnecessary." Flinch— Gosang's fingertips trembled. He averted his gaze from Hyun Gong and stared at him as he went back to focusing on his drink, thinking. 'What on earth...' A mysterious person. Yet, there was no room for resistance. Although he had lived as a spy from a very young age, he was, after all, the successor to one of the Six Paths of Demonology. 'There must be a purpose.' Gosang, a first-class spy from the Heavenly Demon Sect. He decided to follow what he had been taught all his life, to not question the Sect's intentions. The night deepened.