Chapter 284: Entrance Exam. (4)

At Bi Uijin’s words, I couldn’t help but shake myself off.

Could it be that I’ve been cursed?

If it’s a real curse, I’ll catch the bastard who cast it and burn them alive.

“Anyway, besides that….”

As Bi Uijin tried to bring up something else.

I listened intently, albeit with a slight frown.

No, maybe I should say I pretended to listen intently.

“Hmm….”

“Why the long face?”

Bi Uijin, about to speak, took a small step back while looking somewhere.

“This won’t do. If this continues, it feels like a sword fight might break out.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“Let’s definitely meet again next time.”

“…”

“Since there’s no answer, I’ll take it as a yes.”

“No, why is this a y…!”

Without even waiting for an answer, Bi Uijin abruptly left.

The murmuring crowd, perhaps seeing that the matter concluded without major issue.

Had already moved to different spots.

Gu Jeolyeop and Gu Yeonseo had vanished unnoticed.

Only then, slowly.

“Hoo….”

I could recall the energy filling my lower dantian.

‘…I didn’t expect Paczonim to intervene.’

I vaguely knew he paid attention to me.

But I didn’t expect him to directly butt in and speak like this.

‘It’s awkward, but….’

He did help just now.

Because I was letting my emotions get the better of me and couldn’t see the obvious.

Still, it was fortunate.

I was uneasy, wondering if that guy might have changed even a little.

He was still the same.

Confirming that for sure.

Put my mind at ease.

‘Since I’m here….’

Since I came to this place.

Since there’s someone I need to find.

‘I can kill him this time.’

The justification to kill him.

That was enough.

Jang Seonyeon dies here.

That was also one of the reasons I came here.

Suppressing the murderous intent that kept flaring up.

Suddenly, I glanced in the direction where Paczonim had been.

Wondering what he was looking at when he spoke.

“Huh?”

There.

Was Wi Seol-ah, wearing her wind-breaking cloak pulled down low, just like yesterday.

The distance was far.

And even though people were moving quickly.

It was definitely Wi Seol-ah.

“You.”

The moment I started walking towards Wi Seol-ah.

-Group 1, Group 2! The entrance examination will now begin! Please gather!

In the brief moment my attention shifted due to the call mixed with energy.

When I turned my head back.

“Damn.”

Wi Seol-ah had already disappeared into the crowd.

I could have found her, just like last time.

Using some energy wouldn’t cause me to fail the exam, after all.

However.

‘Why that expression?’

For some reason, this time.

Wi Seol-ah’s eyes, glimpsed briefly.

Felt like she was asking me not to look for her.

It’s unsettling right from the start.

“Hah.”

Nothing’s going right.

I want to take my frustration out on someone,

but unfortunately, Gu Jeolyeop seems to have already fled.

“Tsk.”

After clicking my tongue briefly.

I finally started walking.

Because there was something I had to do first.

******************

Jo Wi-seok, the second disciple of Kunlun.

Is a martial artist known by the sobriquet ‘Branch-Scraping Sword’ (支嚓劍).

He’s quite renowned in the Central Plains.

He’s a young martial artist who shows great promise and is steadily growing.

Furthermore, among martial artists who have passed the age of thirty, he belongs to the outstanding group.

Like the young master of the Tang Clan,

Or geniuses like Shin Hyeon, the second disciple of Mount Hua,

He’s someone whose position is quite firmly established.

“Group 1, Cho Un-chil of the Cho Clan, passed.”

That’s why he was able to find the Divine Dragon Pavilion following the Azure Sea Sword.

And even secure a position as an instructor.

However, Jo Wi-seok wasn’t particularly fond of this position.

‘What could the Sect Leader be thinking?’

With the sheer mountain of tasks happening right now in Qinghai.

About the reason he insisted on handing everything over to the elders and heading here.

Jo Wi-seok couldn’t easily understand.

As the Sect Leader, he had no choice but to endure lengthy explanations,

but the dissatisfaction brewing within him remained.

In a place like this, right now.

It wasn’t the situation to be teaching these brats.

Moreover.

‘The Sword Empress.’

Jo Wi-seok recalled the only woman among the instructors of Group 2.

He already knew through the Sect Leader’s words,

but he truly hadn’t expected the Sword Empress of all people to come seeking a mere instructor position at the Divine Dragon Pavilion.

If we’re talking about the Sword Empress, honestly, just based on her reputation.

She’s someone who could be the Pavilion Master, not just an instructor, without it being strange.

That such a Sword Empress would condescend to come as an instructor to the Divine Dragon Pavilion, managed by a different sect, not even Mount Hua.

There surely must be another reason.

Just as his brow furrowed from the throbbing headache caused by his myriad thoughts.

Kkang!

Along with a clear sound.

Jo Wi-seok’s eyes darted open.

When he looked in the direction of the sound, countless disciples were exclaiming in admiration while looking at someone.

And Jo Wi-seok’s reaction upon confirming it was the same.

‘Whoa.’

It couldn’t be helped.

In front of a stone pillar that seemed about ten feet long.

A handsome young man was sheathing his sword.

Hwik.

Until the moment the young man put his sword into its scabbard.

Woong.

The sword seemed to be singing, as if resonating.

And moreover, a long, albeit not deep, sword mark was etched onto the stone pillar.

Seeing that, Jo Wi-seok had to open his mouth in surprise.

‘Not just a scratch, but a sword mark?’

That long pillar is precisely the task for this entrance examination.

Make a scratch on the stone pillar in any way possible.

That is the content of this first stage’s test.

Even though it says ‘in any way possible’.

Everyone knows implicitly that it means using one’s martial arts.

And one might find it laughable, asking ‘just a scratch?’,

But if you heard what that pillar is made of.

Everyone would agree.

‘Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron.’

Among the metals found throughout the Central Plains.

It’s an iron mixed with a certain portion of what’s known as the hardest metal.

Although it’s said to be mixed in a very small quantity.

Even that alone transforms it into an object that cannot be easily broken.

The same applies to that simple black stone pillar.

How on earth they managed to bring a stone pillar mixed with Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron for a mere entrance examination.

He couldn’t comprehend it at all.

But regardless, the fact remained that this was its nature.

The task for the entrance examination, which always changes each session.

Is the authority of the Pavilion Master.

That meant this stone pillar was a task set forth by the Azure Sea Sword.

What kind of test was this?

What was the intention behind setting it?

Jo Wi-seok didn’t need to know about this.

What mattered was whether the disciple succeeded or not.

Knowing that, Jo Wi-seok looked at the person who created that long sword mark.

Soon, he could recall the young man’s name as well.

‘Was it Shinseongnim?’

The only son of the current Alliance Leader,

And a martial artist called a rising star these days.

His previous sword technique must have been the Alliance Leader’s unique martial art, the Shadow Sword.

‘They say he’s outstanding, and the rumors are widespread.’

It seems the rumors aren’t baseless.

While other disciples are struggling to make even a fingernail-sized scratch.

Shinseong managed to create such a mark with a single sword strike.

It wasn’t strange that the other disciples were expressing such admiration.

‘The level of disciples these days is truly exceptional.’

Whether it’s the Six Dragons and Three Peaks, or Shinseong.

Even.

The descendant of the Sword God whom I went to find myself back then.

In Jo Wi-seok’s eyes, they were all on a different level.

‘Still, the top spot this time… it seems to be decided already.’

That’s how it looked to him.

If one can make a mark like that on the stone pillar.

It was expected they’d already surpassed the disciple level.

Though I’ll have to see about the other Dragons and Peaks.

Perhaps that young man will take the top spot in the entrance exam.

Jo Wi-seok opened his mouth, thinking just that.

“Group 1, Jang Seonyeon. Pass….”

Kwah-deu-deu-deuk!

Just as Jo Wi-seok was about to declare Jang Seonyeon passed.

A strange, booming sound echoed from somewhere far away.

“What was that?”

“What is that noise?”

Jo Wi-seok immediately shouted towards the murmuring disciples, channeling his energy.

“Don’t move, as we don’t know what might happen!”

Jo Wi-seok also took a defensive stance and looked around.

The direction of the sound was….

‘Wasn’t that where Group 2 was taking their test?’

Could it be an attack?

With Kunlun disciples and warriors of the Alliance surrounding the area.

Unless they’re at the level of a Dark King, they shouldn’t be able to penetrate easily?

As Jo Wi-seok considered evacuating the disciples just in case of an unforeseen situation.

A telepathic message relaying the situation reached his ears.

“…What?”

Hearing this, Jo Wi-seok uttered a voice, as if he had misheard.

He was so surprised that instead of replying telepathically.

Jo Wi-seok spoke out loud.

“Who… shattered the pillar?”

It was that unbelievable.

******************

After the strange booming sound echoed, in Group 2’s area.

Along with scattered stone fragments on the ground.

A young man was holding his face and sighing repeatedly.

“Kukuku….”

And watching him, the Sword Empress tried hard to hold back her laughter,

but it didn’t seem easy.

In front of the Sword Empress, who kept suppressing her laughter for some unknown reason.

A large hole had been created in the pillar mixed with Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron.

It was covered in cracks all over,

making it look like it would collapse the moment it was tapped.

And.

The culprit who so brutally damaged the pillar.

Still covering his face, mumbled quietly.

“Ah….”

The person responsible for this situation.

Gu Yangcheon, ignoring the gazes felt from all directions.

Was sincerely regretting it inwardly.

‘I should have controlled my strength a bit.’

The root of the problem was that I just swung wildly, thinking I’d take out some frustration.

‘They said it was mixed with Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron, so why did it break so easily?’

This is absurd.

Recalling the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron I saw in my past life.

It was hardly comparable to this pathetic stuff.

Still, perhaps it shouldn’t have broken like this originally.

The surroundings, which had been murmuring for a while, fell silent as the pillar was breached.

This silence surely held various implications.

Gu Yangcheon certainly had no reason to welcome it.

This wasn’t what I intended.

Sensing that, Gu Yangcheon murmured softly.

“Shit.”

It seems.

I’ve caused a major incident right from the start of the exam.