Book 2 Chapter 21

The talent of Taegeuk who will make two into one.

A week after visiting Hoahjang! Na Jung-hae of Sunpoong Obstetrics and Gynecology kept his promise.

Three days after meeting Na Jung-hae,

That is, two days after visiting Hoahjang in a peaceful (?) and friendly (?) manner.

A messenger came from Cheonmu Academy.

Yeomdo's response was that any condition presented by Yeomdo would be met. Of course, it was an expected event, so Cheongwan gladly accepted the proposal. As a result, things progressed rapidly, and it was agreed that Yeomdo would also be admitted to Cheonmu Academy as a master of martial arts (武師父) on the day of the Cheonmu Academy entrance ceremony this year. The best accommodation and the best treatment were to be provided. At least, everything was going smoothly. Yeomdo's mood had been continuously uneasy lately, but it did not affect the negotiations. The messengers withdrew with the utmost courtesy, just as they had arrived.

After the messenger from Cheonmu Academy returned, Bi Ryu-yeon sat quietly in his room and turned a certain object over and over against the backdrop of the sunset visible through the window. This jade pendant, with a dragon ascending to heaven carved in relief on a square green jade frame adorned with golden threads, was none other than the famous Seungryong-pae. The Seungryong-pae, a recommendation token for entry into Cheongwan, obtained by ruthlessly overturning a sect!

How many people shed tears of blood for Bi Ryu-yeon to obtain this? However, Bi Ryu-yeon, who seemed to have had all seriousness taken by a dog, was so carefree. In his memory, the tears of the Hoahjang family had long since become a faint trace of the distant past. He had always been oblivious to seriousness.

'Is this really such a great item?'

Bi Ryu-yeon played with the Seungryong-pae, which he had obtained with such a great commotion, as if it were a toy, turning it around and around. He did it not out of any special thought, but simply out of boredom. His lack of thought remained the same.

The Seungcheonwu Festival, which began the day after the Hoahjang visit, continued for a week. In what felt like a long, yet short, period, numerous gates were erected and destroyed repeatedly to select the finalists. Then, through countless martial arts duels where swords, palms, sabers, and whips danced chaotically according to the principles and flow of martial arts, the true gems, named finalists, were carefully chosen.

Finally, a week after the end of the Seungcheonwu Festival, one of the martial arts world's greatest events, which had proceeded with fervent passion and interest. The day of the announcement of the successful candidates, for whom they had longed and waited so desperately, had arrived. At this moment, the attention of all martial artists in the Nine Provinces' martial arts world was focused.

On this day, the scene at the announcement hall was extremely crowded, just like in previous years. A sea of black hair spread out as far as the eye could see. A crowd packed so tightly that there was no room to breathe. A deafening murmur that could make one's mind dizzy. A scorching heat that excited people dominated the entire announcement venue. Anyone present here at this moment could not help but feel a thrilling excitement and heat. However, as the announcement of the successful candidates began, the boisterous murmur, which had driven people to distraction, gradually subsided, and finally, the venue was enveloped in a silent stillness so profound that even the sound of a falling needle could be detected.

The announcement of the successful candidates was conducted by the venerable Jade Lake True Person of Wudang Sect. As a venerable figure of Wudang Sect, one of the twin titans of the Nine Great Sects, he announced the origin sect and name of the Cheonmu Academy entrants in a clear and steady voice, imbued with inner energy, so that the assembled crowd could hear him accurately.

As each successful candidate was announced, people laughed, people cried, people laughed with joy, people laughed out of despair, people cried with emotion, people cried as if unjustly treated, some were thrown into the air, and some threw down their swords, the lifeblood of a warrior. A myriad of people continued to appear. It truly seemed like an opportunity to comprehensively observe, witness, compare, analyze, and study all sorts of human beings.

The announcement hall showed these various aspects of people without filtering. Moreover, every year on this day, there are always those who come to lament their unfair rejection and those who go to protest at Cheonmu Academy, unable to bear the humiliation of their failure. Among them, it was common for them to draw swords or clench their fists as a means of lament or protest. But what kind of place was Cheonmu Academy? Such individuals were often beaten severely at the entrance and turned away without even being allowed to set their toenails within the premises.

They might claim wrong judgment or injustice and engage in meaningless sword fights, but if they failed due to lack of skill, would their protests have any skill or substance? It was merely a momentary bravado and a gesture that would vanish like bubbles. They should have been grateful just to stay alive and not die. They should have been a hundred times more grateful to the Cheonmu Academy officials, who showed restraint in their hands on such a fine day.

Despite the strict disciplinary actions against the yearly recurring protesters who resorted to force, as if they suffered from a critical deficiency in rational thinking and learning ability, a large number of rioters would reappear the following year. Therefore, on the announcement day, a riot suppression team specifically for rioters was always stationed in front of the main gate. And they dealt with those pathetic fellows who, knowing it was futile and would yield no results, would draw their swords like they were under a spell, acting like a mantis trying to block a chariot. The most troublesome of these were the groups who would come in large numbers, bringing friends, disciples of their sect, or even hired warriors from their family. These were the most troublesome times, and when such groups appeared, Cheonmu Academy would show no mercy. If such groups were not punished severely as an example, it would be impossible to make those who might have similar thoughts realize the harsh reality.

Once, as an example, some of these foolish groups were severely disciplined, and they would witness the gruesome scene of one of their limbs being beautifully broken, or being dragged by their companions to the medical clinic. At that point, people's blocked minds would feel somewhat clearer and they would face reality. After that, the commotion would also considerably subside. The members of the suppression team were all high-ranking disciples of Cheonmu Academy, and it was impossible to find ordinary martial artists, even those of intermediate skill, but only peak masters. And the leader of these masters was a single master of martial arts. So, how could rioting and troublemaking possibly work against such masters? It was simply absurd.

Since the establishment of Cheonmu Academy, no one had ever managed to break through the main gate by force. Yet, seeing them charge forward even after drinking alcohol, one might wonder if humans are truly pathetic creatures. Those who could barely distinguish between their heads and stones naturally failed. How could someone who cannot even control themselves properly learn martial arts? It was like pouring water into a leaky pot.

The day of the Cheonmu Academy entrance examination results announcement was the most chaotic day in Namchangseong, and it was also the day when the entire entertainment district of Namchangseong did the most business. It was the day when they earned all the money they had to earn in a month. Moreover, this sleepless night continued for at least a week. Whether they passed or failed, they would drink. If they passed, they would drink to celebrate, and if they failed, they would drink all night to forget everything in their anger. Those who failed the exam would drink until their brains were numbed by alcohol to forget their miserable plight. It was a kind of compensation psychology, perhaps.

Furthermore, if alcohol was not enough, they would find women, embrace them from the side or from below, and writhe as they pleased. So, how could the entertainment district's sales not increase? If one were to pick the most profitable day of the year, all the innkeepers and courtesans belonging to the Namchang Entertainment District Association would readily choose this day as the first. This day when Namchang's night buzzed with drinking and entertainment.

However, there was someone who silently observed this chaotic scene from the side, as if it had nothing to do with him. It was Bi Ryu-yeon. Even though he had obtained the Seungryong-pae, Bi Ryu-yeon's mood was very uneasy.

Ten days have passed since the visit to Hoahjang. Yeomdo had not yet recovered from the shock of meeting Binggeom Gwancheolsu. He remained with his lips tightly sealed, drifting aimlessly on the river of silence, aboard the sailboat named "right to remain silent." With his mouth and tongue completely sealed, he was in a state of contemplation, as if staging a protest. Yeomdo's gloomy appearance made Bi Ryu-yeon, who was watching from the side, feel frustrated. Yeomdo, who had a personality of eliminating the cause of frustration before it bothered him, was exhibiting an extremely unprecedented behavior.

Bi Ryu-yeon found watching such a scene frustrating and unpleasant. The person who usually acted rashly according to his whims was engaging in a contemplative activity accompanied by an uncharacteristic silence, which was truly chilling. How frustrating must it be for the observer? Bi Ryu-yeon was suppressing the urge to kill him, but his patience was reaching its limit. It seemed that there was not much time left to set a date for a decision.

It was not only that Yeomdo was always lost in thought, but Binggeom had left an indelible scar on his heart. Cheonmu Academy, where only those with the strongest power, strongest techniques, and strongest spirit could enter, and there, his enemy, a fellow disciple, was teaching students. And now he himself was trying to enter there. As a master of martial arts with the same position and status as him! No, he held the position of Grand Master, so was he below him? This was something he really didn't want to think about.

'Master!'

Suddenly, he thought of his deceased master. A master whom he and Binggeom, even if they attacked him together, would still doubt if they could even contend with. A warrior who best fit the name "Number One Under Heaven." His studies and techniques were so outstanding that both he and Cheolsu had to receive divided martial arts from their master, not inheriting all of it. How much had their master sighed then? The master's desperate disappointment at that time was still vividly etched in the depths of his heart and could not be forgotten. Even by just refining and developing that half, they each became one of the top five swordsmen and top five sword masters in the world.

A master who was not ashamed of the name "Number One Under Heaven." Who would have expected that death would come to such a master? He thought he would live longer than him. Although he was injured by someone – he still couldn't believe that his master had been harmed by another's hand – in fact, his master's death could not be called death. Although blood oozed from the wounds all over his body, his master's face was strangely peaceful. And then, as on any other day, he calmly sat in meditation, savored a cup of Longjing tea, and quietly ascended to heaven. He had left the secular world by his own will. His last dying wish was to find the talent of Taegeuk who could make two into one, but in the end, he could not fulfill it. Furthermore, the possibility of fulfilling it in the future was even more nonexistent. It would probably be impossible forever.

As he sat quietly in thought for the first time in a long time, his master's thoughts suddenly came to mind. He hadn't thought of him recently. In the end, she also came to mind. He really didn't want to think of her. He wanted to bury her in the depths of his memory, but she suddenly came to mind. His chest suddenly felt tight and painful, and a profound sense of loss and loneliness visited him.

'Forget it, forget it.' After repeating this to himself thousands of times, he was finally able to shake off her image. His master's death was an ideal death for a martial artist, but even so, she could not suppress her sorrow. Tears, clear as crystals, flowed from her jade-like face, and she was immersed in sorrow. But… but… his chest started to throb again. Damn it, it was a warning sign that thinking further would cause even greater damage. A cruel wound of the heart. It was said that wounds of the heart could not be erased even across lifetimes. She left behind such a terrible scar that he would carry it into the afterlife. How much pain had he endured from the incurable pain? His fiery temper now was largely due to this.

The most precious thing, hidden in the deepest part of his heart, was wounded. She left, leaving an indelible mark of pain like a brand on his heart. Now, he no longer wanted to suffer from her lingering shadow. Absolutely not.

He also wanted to be freed from Binggeom (Ice Sword).

'I am Kwak Young-hee, the Fire Spirit Flame Heaven Soul-Stealing Saber (火靈焰天奪魂刀), one of the world's top five saber masters. Gwancheolsu, the Cold Moon Ice Pure Fallen Sword (寒月氷淸落魄劍)! I will settle things with that guy soon. I will no longer passively allow his afterimage to hold me back, endlessly wound my heart, and torment me.'

Finally, Yeomdo decided on a firm course of action. That decision was a firm resolve as hard as diamond. And he threw away all the bundles of thoughts he had been agonizing over. From now on, he would never hesitate or shy away in front of him again.