Chapter 19
Second Trial (1)
“Now, you may go inside. I would like to talk more, but as a supervisor, I have a mountain of things to do, so let’s see each other later. I pray that you pass the remaining trials and enroll in the academy.”
“Thank you.”
After bowing deeply, Mumu inwardly felt like he had hit the jackpot.
He didn’t have to pay for the castle gate, after all.
But, just in case Supervisor Hakgyu changed his mind, he waved at Jin-hyeok, Mo Il-hwa, and the others, then hastily ran inside the castle gate.
“Guys. I’ll go in first and wait.”
At this sight, Jin-hyeok and Mo Il-hwa couldn’t hide their bewilderment.
‘No. What are we supposed to do if he just leaves after wrecking the gate like that?’
‘Didn’t he do that on purpose?’
When he broke the gate, they had just been surprised by the act itself.
But on second thought, because that guy had wrecked the First Trial’s castle gate, it looked like none of the Applicants behind him could take the exam.
Haeryang of the Haomun Information Sect also scratched his head, looking troubled.
“This has become quite a predicament.”
Surely the Applicants behind them wouldn’t have to wait until the castle gate was repaired, would they?
The gazes of all the Applicants turned to Supervisor Hakgyu.
Feeling the pressure of their stares, Supervisor Hakgyu turned his head and looked at the torn-off castle gate lying on the ground.
‘How perplexing. But was it really broken?’
The result of testing Mumu’s strength was that he possessed monstrous strength comparable to a Peak Master.
That alone was truly marvelous.
However, it seemed impossible to tear off a castle gate connected by intricate Mechanical Devices with just that much strength.
‘Considering that child’s temperament, there’s no way he wouldn’t have done his best on my test.’
Having tested him directly, he was certain of it.
That meant he had no choice but to suspect it was a malfunction due to the aging of the connecting parts.
After all, for over ten years, countless people had repeatedly opened and closed the gate for the exam.
‘In the midst of that, was it because he tried to forcibly open a device that reacts to internal energy?’
For now, that was the only thing he could surmise.
As he was thinking, the Applicants’ dissatisfied murmurs were growing louder.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
It was ridiculous to tell the Applicants who had waited until now to wait until the gate was fixed.
In that case, he had no choice but to use a rather cumbersome method.
Supervisor Hakgyu called Yeon Nam-gyeong, who was above, gave him some instructions, and then shouted to the Applicants.
“From now on, I, the supervisor, will personally measure your internal energy, so the Applicants, come forward in order as you have been.”
In the end, there was no other way but to handle it physically one by one.
His elegant supervision while drinking was also over.
Seeing the vast number of Applicants spread out before him, Supervisor Hakgyu’s head began to ache.
The castle gate, which could be called the First Trial of the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy.
Once inside, there was a long path blocked by high walls on both sides.
Following that path, a vast plaza that could accommodate tens of thousands of people and a vast artificial lake nearly one ri long revealed themselves. [N1]
The green trees neatly planted in rows around it made one guess just how much wealth was spent on the landscaping.
But the peculiar thing here was that wooden staffs were sticking out above the lake.
These wooden staffs started from the beginning of the lake, initially two steps apart, then jumbled at distances of three steps, five steps, ten steps, and so on.
What was strange was that these wooden staffs precariously protruded from the lake’s surface and were only wide enough to place the tip of one’s foot on, a structure that made it easy to fall into the water.
Tap! Tap!
There was a boy running on the wooden staffs above this lake.
The boy’s running method was different from that of an ordinary person; this was what Martial Artists commonly called Light Body Technique, also known as Lightness Skill.
‘I have to go faster.’
The boy’s heart was anxious.
It was because he had to arrive before the short incense stick in the incense burner at the end of the artificial lake burned out to pass the Second Trial.
But here lay another obstacle.
Splash!
The moment the boy misplaced his foot on a wooden staff, the calm lake water sloshed and splashed up.
And it slightly wet his shoes and pant legs.
“Damn it!”
A rough sound burst from the boy’s mouth.
He had tried so hard to be careful, but in his haste, he ended up making a mistake.
In the end, the pant legs of the boy who had barely reached the end of the artificial lake were covered in wet marks.
The boy bit his lip tightly and approached the large incense burner.
Sss-sss-sss.
The burning incense was precariously crossing the red line.
He made it in time, but the problem was,
“Your pants are almost soaked. You lack composure. Disqualification.”
“Kuk!”
At the words of the woman, who looked to be in her early forties and seemed like she wouldn’t shed a single tear even if a thorn pricked her eye, the boy couldn’t hide his disappointment.
The woman was Ga Yu-hang, the Supervisor in charge of the Second Trial of the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy’s entrance exam and the Lightness Skill Master who would teach the First Year Martial Arts Students.
The boy cautiously spoke to her.
“Excuse me, Supervisor, I made a small mistake along the way. Could you please give me one more chance?”
“Everyone gets only one chance. Go back.”
But all that came back was a heartless reply.
Watching the back of the boy who was dejectedly returning after failing, a cute girl with deep dimples, who looked to be about eighteen and was recording with a portable set of paper, brush, and ink behind Supervisor Ga Yu-hang, spoke.
“It seems there are surprisingly many Juniors who can’t pass this stage of the exam, Master.”
“It’s because they lack composure and elegance.”
“……Ah, yes.”
‘What does elegance have to do with it?’
The girl thought so inwardly but didn’t show it.
Her name was Dang So-so.
She was from the Sichuan Tang Clan and a Second Year Martial Arts Student at the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy.
Curious about the Freshmen who would be entering this year, she had volunteered to help her, and thanks to that, she got to see quite a lot of interesting sights.
‘Was she the Southern Blade Imperial Uncle’s daughter? That Hong Hye-ryeong girl was awesome.’
She possessed truly incredible Lightness Skill.
She crossed the artificial lake with that huge saber on her back, arriving when only a third of that short incense stick had burned.
Even the Rising Stars from the great martial sects barely succeeded when it was half-burnt or just about to finish, so she was truly amazing.
‘She’s almost on par with that girl, the daughter of the West Wind Poison Kick.’
Among the Four Great Grandmasters, the one called The Number One in Lightness Skill and poison was the West Wind Poison Kick.
That was his daughter, Guyang Seo-rin, and as a contemporary, she knew her well.
As someone who had witnessed the scene when they took the exam together, she knew her Lightness Skill was so fast it was beyond compare.
‘For real, our class was hell, but this class is also hell. Hell.’
One had to compete and complete the course with good grades to enhance their own sect’s fame or achieve rising to fame and glory.
Of course, just completing the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy was a great honor in itself.
Anyway, there was still one more promising prospect.
She sneakily lowered the wooden board she was holding and glanced at a boy.
‘He’s a liiittle plain, but he’s passably handsome.’
She had been secretly looking forward to him since he was the Third Disciple of the Eastern River Sword Saint, but he had a more simple-looking face than she expected.
But he kept frowning, maybe because he was nervous.
He looked kind of cute, so she wanted to go over and say something to help him relax, but since she came as the supervisor’s assistant, she had to be faithful to her role.
‘Even if he looks like that, he’s a disciple of one of the Four Great Grandmasters, so he’ll manage on his own.’
Among the successors of the Four Great Grandmasters, there had never been anyone with low grades.
“But no more successful candidates are coming.”
Supervisor Ga Yu-hang muttered as if she couldn’t understand.
It was understandable, as no one had come after that person named Ha-ryun.
There was only one thing she could guess.
“Hmm. Master. Then that must mean they’re continuously failing the First Trial.”
“It seems so. It looks like this class, with a few exceptions, doesn’t have many talented people.”
Ga Yu-hang said elegantly, placing the back of her hand on her forehead.
Does she really have to talk while striking a pose like a noblewoman?
Everything else was fine, but this aspect of Ga Yu-hang was tiring for Dang So-so.
‘But they’re really, really late.’
As she said, the successful candidates from the First Trial were indeed quite late.
Just as they were finding this strange.
From the direction of the castle gate, the First Trial, a human figure was hastily performing Lightness Skill and running towards them.
“Teacher, that’s Nam-gyeong over there.”
He was none other than Yeon Nam-gyeong.
Puzzled by the sight of him, who was assisting Supervisor Hakgyu at the First Trial, running over in such a hurry, she waved her hand and called out.
“Nam-gyeong~”
At this, he, who had intended to just give a light nod and pass by, stopped.
Supervisor Ga Yu-hang spoke to Yeon Nam-gyeong.
“I told you not to let your posture break when performing Lightness Skill, so why are you running in such a fluster? Did I teach you that way?”
‘Ah, this is getting really tiring.’
Yeon Nam-gyeong cursed her inwardly.
She was the only one who would lecture on every single posture when performing Lightness Skill.
Annoyed by this, Yeon Nam-gyeong performed a fist and palm salute and hurriedly spoke.
“Um, Master. I have an order from Master Hakgyu, who is supervising the castle gate exam, so I must go and report to the Head Supervisor quickly.”
“Did something happen?”
To her puzzled question, Yeon Nam-gyeong replied.
“A small, no, a big problem has occurred.”
“A problem?”
“One of the Applicants tore off the castle gate—the entire Third Gate structure.”
“What?”
“What?”
At those words, Supervisor Ga Yu-hang and her Assistant, Dang So-so, couldn’t hide their amazement.
Ga Yu-hang, in particular, wondered what on earth that meant.
“Tore off the castle gate? What does that mean? Who tore it off and how? You know that’s impossible, right? Explain it properly.”
‘……..Aah. Too many questions.’
Yeon Nam-gyeong grew anxious.
If he was late, Hakgyu might chew him out.
Finding it difficult to be held up any longer by Ga Yu-hang, Yeon Nam-gyeong briefly explained the situation.
“I think it’s the younger brother of Senior Yu Jin-seong, who graduated from our Martial Arts Academy as the Second Scorer, who tore off the castle gate. Master Hakgyu said the gate was a bit… Aaaah. Master. I’m so sorry, but the Applicants are really backed up at the First Trial right now, so I have to hurry. I’ll see you later then!”
With those words, he performed Lightness Skill and left as if fleeing.
“Martial Arts Student Yeon Nam-gyeong, stop right…”
About to say ‘there’, Ga Yu-hang soon just shook her head.
“How impertinent.”
Then, as if she couldn’t comprehend it at all, she spoke to Dang So-so.
“Tearing off the castle gate, does that even make sense?”
“I-I think it’s strange too.”
It was an incident that had never happened since the founding of the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy.
In an exam where you’re supposed to open the gate, tearing it off—did that make any sense?
But seeing Yeon Nam-gyeong, who was assisting at the First Trial, rush off to report like that, it didn’t seem like it was just a lie either.
“Ah!”
Just then, Dang So-so clapped her hands together as if she had remembered something and spoke.
“Master. Th-that… you know. Among our Seniors, Senior Yu Jin-seong, who became an Inspection Officer to clear his father’s name.”
“Aah. That young man. I remember him.”
“Oh my, oh my. It seems that Senior’s younger brother has come to take the entrance exam!”
She had already been interested because the younger brother of a Senior she admired was coming.
“So, are you saying that young man tore off the castle gate?”
“I guess so. Wow. That’s really amazing. How do such prodigies keep popping out of a literati family?”
“Popping out? I don’t like that expression.”
“Oh, come on, Master. It just means they’ve produced that many.”
This conversation between the two was heard very clearly by the Applicants, more than one might think.
Mo Yong-wol of the Murong Clan and Bae Ui-seok of the Nurturing Mountain Villa, who were preparing for their turn, spoke in a tone of disbelief.
“Did you hear that, Brother Moyong?”
“I heard. Tearing off the castle gate, what is this nonsense?”
“But didn’t the supervisor and Miss Dang, who is assisting her, say it themselves?”
“Do you think that’s possible? Ui-seok, didn’t you push the gate yourself?”
“That’s what I’m saying. I mean, by what means could he have torn off the castle gate?”
It wasn’t just them; other Applicants were also buzzing loudly about this story.
Since most of them had passed the First Trial and entered the castle, it was hard to believe this fact.
Unlike them, Yeong-chun, the disciple of the Eastern River Sword Saint, took a deep breath with a rather calm face and quietly mulled over that existence.
‘Yu Jin-seong’s younger brother?’
It seemed a formidable competitor who wouldn’t be easy to deal with had appeared.
If he could tear off the castle gate, it meant he possessed that much profound internal energy.
According to his master, there would be no worthy opponents other than the successors of the other Four Great Grandmasters, but unexpectedly, reality seemed to be not so easy.
‘I’ll have to remember this.’
Just like him, there was one person who was taking the conversation between the supervisor and the assistant seriously, and that was Ha-ryun.
‘He tore off the castle gate?’
Seeing that no one had come since he passed, he had assumed that only failures were being produced, so it was hard to accept that such a thing had happened.
But if that was true, it meant one more person to be wary of for his great cause had appeared.
‘It must be that bastard.’
He had heard it because they were chattering so much right behind him.
That the guy named Yu Jin-hyeok was Yu Jin-seong’s biological younger brother.
‘Yu Jin-hyeok!’
Just then, from the direction of the castle gate, someone could be seen strolling along, looking around here and there like a person out for a neighborhood walk.
It was none other than Mumu.
Spotting him, Ha-ryun’s face contorted into a frown.
It was that pretty boy-like fellow who had been with that annoying girl, Mo Il-hwa.
‘But… how did that bastard pass?’
He clearly remembered him babbling about not having learned any martial arts.
