Chapter 117: Qualification (1)

One week.

Not too long, not too short.

Too long to waste doing nothing, yet too short to dive deeply into anything meaningful.

Seojun decided to simply live as he always had.

Why should I go out of my way to impress that old man?

No matter how many times he turned it over in his mind, it just didn’t seem worth the effort.

Conveniently, news arrived that the Heaven-Man Divine Pills for Chunbong and Namgung Suah had been completed. It would be better to focus on that instead.

They met, as usual, at the Clan Head’s exclusive training ground, which had become their unofficial gathering spot.

Seojun sat Chunbong and Namgung Suah down to explain the Heaven-Man Divine Pill.

“You’ve heard the basics, right? It’s a spirit pill that focuses on physical enhancement rather than inner qi. So, it’s going to feel a bit different from the spirit pills you’ve taken before.”

Pae Jingwang inspected the pill with a skeptical expression.

“Improving the body? With just a single pill?”

“It won’t give you muscles or anything, so don’t get any weird ideas.”

“What weird ideas?”

“Don’t go trying to crush it just because you’re from the unorthodox path.”

“Do I look like I’m crazy? I’m not gonna do that.”

“Oh. That’s a surprise.”

“…You tryna start something?”

After their usual exchange of jabs, Seojun snatched the Heaven-Man Divine Pill back from Pae Jingwang.

“It would be wasted on you anyway, old man. Your essence has already soared to the heavens, off doing tap dances far above while your qi and mind is off somewhere else. You’d just end up pooping out something that smells good.”

“I never said I wanted it, you brat!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make something special for you, old man.”

“I live well enough without your help, thanks.”

Seojun shot a crooked smile at Pae Jingwang, who was slightly backing away, and then turned his attention back on his education.

“Anyway, you know how taking the same pill multiple times reduces its effectiveness, right? So the first time is the most important.”

“You think this is my first time with a spirit pill?”

Chunbong grumbled.

She had consumed quite a number over the years trying to repair her blocked meridians. Still, these were a bit different.

“Now, now. Focus, Miss Geum.”

Seojun moved to stand between the two, both sitting cross-legged in front of him.

“Think of the inner qi I’m inserting as the Heaven-Man Divine Pill itself. Remember the pathways and the sensations well. That is how you draw out every bit of benefit.”

Having fully grasped the Five Elements Formation engraved within the Heaven-Man Divine Pill, Seojun knew exactly how to wring every drop of efficiency from it.

“Alright, let’s begin.”

The Transcendent Realm was just within reach.

Chunbong and Namgung Suah took the Heaven-Man Divine Pills and began circulating their energy, guiding it through their bodies to strengthen themselves.

The Heaven-Man Divine Pill was crafted to embody the balance of the principle of the Five Elements of Nature.

A state without bias toward any single element.

It built a foundation of equilibrium, one that would later allow the user to specialize as they saw fit.

Absorbing the pill’s full effects would take time. Seojun lay back on the training ground, watching them.

Pae Jingwang, who was exercising in a one-finger handstand nearby, asked.

“Have you given any thought to it?”

“No.”

“…Do you even know what I’m talking about?”

“Since I haven’t thought about anything, doesn’t really matter what you meant, does it?”

“My goodness.”

Clicking his tongue, Pae Jingwang adjusted his posture and continued.

“I’m talking about those three conditions Namgung Hyeok gave you. Loyalty, swordsmanship, and martial arts, right?”

“Wait. Namgung Hyeok?”

Seojun suddenly sat up.

“Hold on. Old man… are you older than that old man?”

“I am.”

“…What.”

Just how old was this geezer?

The Clan Head was pushing 300 years. So, for someone to be older than the Clan Head’s great-uncle…

“Wow. You’re basically a walking corpse.”

“What did you say, you brat?”

Seojun barely dodged a flick from the Fist King (which was an attack strong enough to split an average person’s skull) and swiftly changed the subject.

“Anyway. Loyalty, swordsmanship, martial arts… let’s skip swordsmanship for now.”

“Why would you skip that?”

“Because… I’m not really confident in that area?”

“The hell are you talking about? Aren’t you the one they call the Sword Hand?”

“I’m not the Sword Hand.”

“…What?”

“My swordsmanship is mediocre. Without dedicated training like you get in qi arts, it’s hard to reach true mastery.”

Pae Jingwang furrowed his brow deeply.

“More nonsense… That’s far from average.”

“That’s what my father-in-law said.”

“Hmm. Then it must be true.”

For a walking corpse, he’s pretty quick to acknowledge things.

Feeling a bit smug, Seojun casually bragged.

“Still, I’ve only been wielding a sword for about two years, and apparently, I’m doing pretty good?”

“Two years? Hm… Well, if you picked up the sword after reaching the Transcendent Realm, your martial foundation would already be solid, so your growth would’ve been quick.”

“I’ve been using a sword since I first started martial arts.”

“…What? But didn’t you say you’ve only been using a sword for two years?”

Pae Jingwang gave him a puzzled look, clearly doing the math in his head.

Unfortunately, the Fist King was terrible at math.

“That’s right. I’ve only been training in martial arts for about two years, too.”

“…Are you serious?”

Seojun grinned.

His heart always raced when he lied like this.

Wouldn’t I get tired of doing this repeatedly?

Never. It’s fun every single time. Each time feels new.

With an innocent smile, Seojun added,

“Doesn’t everyone reach the Transcendent Realm in about two years of starting to learn Martial Arts? That’s normal, right?”

But instead of the usual shocked reaction, Pae Jingwang simply frowned and fell into deep thought.

After a long pause, he finally said,

“When you make it big later, don’t forget about the Supreme Force Strange Divine Martial Art. Remember that I taught you that.”

“…What?”

“Actually, why not make it official? Let me be your master starting now. I’ll treat you right.”

Was this the wisdom of a centuries-old martial freak…?

Seojun couldn’t help but be impressed.

Time passed quickly, and a week had already gone by.

Arriving at the clan’s main training ground, Seojun’s brows lifted in surprise at the considerable crowd that had gathered.

And not just any crowd. Most of them were Peak Realm experts or higher.

Even with manpower strained by war, the clan still had this much strength in reserve.

As expected of one of the Six Great Clans. They couldn’t be disregarded for its power.

At his current level, Seojun was confident he could crush an army of a hundred thousand martial artists below First Rate Realm.

But hundreds of Peak Realm opponents? That wouldn’t be so easy.

He could win through hit-and-run tactics, of course, but a clan’s strength wasn’t measured in individual power alone.

All kinds of formations premised on combining their strengths while practicing the same category of martial arts.

Against that, even a Transcendent Realm martial artist couldn’t just bulldoze through them carelessly.

In Seojun’s case, he could simply rain down the Primordial Sun-Moon Art from a distance, but…

Anyway, that’s the case for most Transcendent Realm martial artists.

“I am Namgung Hyeok, elder of the Namgung Clan. I’ve gathered you here today to determine whether Lee Seojun, son-in-law of the Clan Head, is qualified to learn the Sword Form of the Emperor. And at the same time…”

Namgung Hyeok’s voice, infused with inner qi, began his speech in a loud voice.

Seated slightly higher on the main platform was Namgung Jincheon, silently observing the situation.

That meant this entire situation had the approval of Namgung Jincheon.

Standing in the center of the gathering, under countless gazes, Seojun closed his eyes and half-listened to Namgung Hyeok’s speech.

Loyalty… How do you even test something like that?

The answer came soon enough .

“If anyone objects to Lee Seojun learning the Sword Form of the Emperor, step forward now. He must then respond convincingly and gain the approval of more than half those present here.”

It was a somewhat surprising method.

It wasn’t likely many would volunteer to oppose someone publicly in front of this crowd.

Pretty favorable odds for me.

Just as Seojun lifted an eyebrow in amusement, a woman leapt out from the crowd.

“Oh, Aunt? When did you get here?”

“Hmm, I came last night. I heard there was something fun going on!”

Namgung Yeon beamed.

Namgung Hyeok looked at her and said,

“Speak.”

“I am Namgung Yeon, elder of the clan and the Creation Sky Great Lord.”

Then, raising her voice, she shouted,

“Do you all know the amazing things our lucky charm has accomplished?”

She launched into a full-blown praise session, talking about the Azure Lightning Thunder Cultivation Art and the Thirteen Lightning Flashes.

She also mentioned the clash with the Qilian Sect Leader, though how she found out about that remained a mystery.

They’d asked for objections, but instead, she was just proudly boasting about her nephew-in-law.

As a finishing touch, an excited Namgung Youngbo suddenly leapt out and blurted without waiting for his turn.

“Our Young Master is the God of Alchemy…! The Five Elements Formation! He just flipped it! Into a Reverse Five Elements Formation! Like… What? That’s no ordinary feat!”

Namgung Hyeok looked at him with pity.

“…Hall Master of the Heavenly Medicine Hall. If you wish to speak, please wait for Elder Namgung Yeon to finish and come forward properly.”

“Oh, yes! Of course!”

Seojun was starting to feel secondhand embarrassment.

Is their plan to kill me with shame?

Still, since this was a formal event, he held his tongue. Eventually, Namgung Youngbo’s impromptu speech ended.

The murmurs among the crowd grew louder.

Most of them had heard of Seojun’s deeds, but it was only in bits and pieces and not the full picture.

“With achievements like that, shouldn’t we just hand him the Sword Form of the Emperor and then some? If he stays in the clan for ten years, we could quickly become the Unrivaled Clan Under The Heavens.”

“Shh. Watch what you say now.”

“What? Did I say something wrong?”

“Doesn’t matter. This isn’t the place for careless talk.”

As the chatter spread, an elderly man stepped forward.

“I am Namgung Hyeoncheol, Head of the Law Enforcement Hall.”

The Law Enforcement Hall handled internal discipline within the clan.

Naturally, its leader held significant weight in clan affairs.

As soon as Namgung Hyeoncheol spoke, the murmuring stopped.

“I will not deny that this young man has accomplished remarkable feats. However, the Sword Form of the Emperor has always been traditionally reserved for the Clan Head and the Young Master of Namgung. For you to learn it… does this mean you intend to compete for the position of Young Master?”

“It doesn’t?”

“Then how do you view the matter of succession…”

Suddenly, Namgung Yeon cut in.

“Hey, old man! What’s with all this talk about succession rights? Quit stirring things up and get over here!”

“Yeon, that mouth of yours.. Even in a place like this, your behavior shows no signs of improvement.”

“Old man, would you stop running in such weird directions? You’ll drop dead thinking like that.”

“I’ve lived long enough.”

“Agh, you’re so frustrating! Just shut up and come here!”

“…Let go of my collar, please.”

It felt like a family reunion during the holidays.

One might wonder—Should a prestigious clan like this really be acting like this? But in a way, it made sense. This was the Namgung Clan.

What they pursued was solely the sword.

Unless it was a martial force, strict militaristic discipline was rare.

And that was all thanks to the existence of Namgung Jincheon.

He wasn’t a leader propped up by authority, but a solitary, complete existence.

It was fundamentally different from modern armies.

Their authority, whether one star or three stars, comes from rank and some ability (which is minimal compared to the influence of rank), but Namgung Jincheon’s rule came from strength alone. It was an authority no one dared challenge.

Outside of a few exceptions like independent martial units, there was no need to maintain strict discipline.

In emergencies, everything would be decided with one gesture from the absolute figure.

He was on a completely different level from leaders who had to constantly assert power to prevent insubordination or uprisings.

Plato, you old man, are you seeing this?

The philosopher-king you dreamed of? He’s right here.

Though honestly, Seojun didn’t know enough about philosophy to really empathize with Plato.

“…Let’s end it here. It seems there’s no further need to prove loyalty.”

Namgung Hyeok seemed to have a slightly different thought.

He looked at the gathered clan members with a complicated expression and let out a heavy sigh.

Perhaps the Namgung Clan of his memories had been more strict… so returning after a long time to see this version of it must’ve stirred all kinds of thoughts.

Either way, the loyalty trial had ended… anticlimactically.

No one seemed to have any serious objections, and Seojun’s backing turned out to be stronger than he had expected.

Which meant he’d already proven his loyalty within the clan.

There was no reason to drag this out any longer under the pretext of testing it.

Seojun, who hadn’t said more than a few lines, just scratched his head.

“And now, the second test… swordsmanship. To truly master the Sword Form of the Emperor, your swordsmanship must also be exceptional. It’s a vital qualification.”

Really? Pretty sure it’d be great even without any sword skills…

“For the swordsmanship test… Well, yes, whatever.”

As Seojun raised his hand, Namgung Hyeok, who seemed somewhat resigned, passed the opportunity to speak.

“Can we just skip straight to martial arts?”

“…”

Namgung Hyeok looked like a man who wanted nothing more than to disappear.