Book 3 Chapter 6

Registration for courses is a war.

"What on earth is this?"

Bilyeon looked at the thick booklet handed out one per person at the academy with a look of disgust.

A book so thick that he was afraid to flip through it!

But unfortunately, that booklet was by no means a secret manual containing some ultimate martial arts technique.

If it were a secret manual, it would have been a relief.

However, this booklet, with its long name "Cheonmu Academy Martial Arts Student Course Registration Handbook," had a different true purpose.

"It's a course registration handbook."

Jang Hong, standing next to Bilyeon, pretended to know. Bilyeon's eyes naturally turned towards him. He hadn't yet grasped the true nature of this book.

"Just in case I'm asking, besides using it as a pillow or a weapon, please tell me if this book has any other uses."

Bilyeon asked with a tone of great curiosity. Jang Hong then obliged his expectations.

"Well, sometimes it's used as a sleeping pill."

Jang Hong said as if it were true.

"Really? It's very convenient as it has various functions included."

"Of course. It's harmless to the body, but the effect is outstanding. I guarantee it."

"Is there anything else besides that?"

"Huh, you really don't know?"

Jang Hong's eyes widened. In fact, he thought the previous statement was just a passing joke and responded accordingly, but that wasn't the case.

"It's a reference book for registering for upcoming martial arts and scholarly lectures. The martial arts taught at Cheonmu Academy are so diverse and broad in scope that they are divided into several related fields, and experts in those fields give lectures. Therefore, the types and numbers are enormous. They are so vast that one person cannot master them even if they dedicate their entire life. As a result, the range of choices is overwhelmingly wide and dizzying, making course registration difficult. This is what Cheonmu Academy has kindly prepared to help students register for the martial arts fields they desire."

Jang Hong knew surprisingly detailed information about the "Cheonmu Academy Martial Arts Student Course Registration Handbook," which was ridiculously thick and had a sickeningly long title.

"But why is it so thick? The title is also incredibly long. Are we supposed to learn all of this at once? Each page has more than two lectures with reference notes?"

The course registration handbook detailed at least two subjects per chapter, along with the instructors, lecture objectives and outlines, and schedules, in a way that was easy to understand. The diversity and vastness of the subjects were enough to make people speechless.

"Of course, how could we learn everything in there? We just choose a few based on the schedule. Moreover, this place offers not only martial arts but also all the scholarly disciplines of the Hundred Schools of Thought, including the Four Books and Five Classics, The Great Learning, and The Doctrine of the Mean, as well as the Book of Changes, the Tao Te Ching, Laozi's philosophy, medicine, pharmacology, self-study, etc., and also teachings on tea ceremony, etiquette, and dance with an incredibly vast scope and volume. Of course, few martial artists pay attention to academics, but to prevent an overemphasis on martial arts, a certain number of designated credits must be taken. If I were to speak of everything contained within, my mouth would become raw like a rag. It would be a terrible thing."

"Ugh."

Bilyeon clutched his head as if it were splitting. The procedure to learn just one martial art was too complicated. The course registration handbook, thick enough to be used as a pillow, was a stark representation of the vastness of Cheonmu Academy's teachings, but Bilyeon felt no gratitude. After all, isn't learning martial arts about becoming a master? But he couldn't understand why the procedure to become just one master was so complicated.

"Wow, look at this. I can receive teachings from the great master of peak swordplay, Na Hwancheon. I'm truly fortunate."

Unaware of Bilyeon's complex feelings, Yoon Junho, who had come with him and was a former patient with plum blossom allergy from the Huashan sect, marveled as he flipped through the handbook, lost in happiness. Na Hwancheon, the peak sword master, was a lay disciple of the Wudang sect, one of the nine major sects, and a master of the sword whose equal was hard to find even on Wudang Mountain.

According to rumors, his true strength was comparable to that of the Wudang elders, and even to the Five Heavenly Sword Masters. If Yoon Junho was at the foot of Mount Tai, Na Hwancheon was already above the clouds, gazing at the summit. It was natural for Yoon Junho to be moved by the fact that he could freely receive teachings from such a person.

"L-look at this. I-is this possible? To hear the sword theories of our Huashan sect's legendary senior, Mun Ilgi Sasunnim… I really, really…"

Now he seemed about to shed tears of emotion. Bilyeon, who desperately wanted to avoid that, quickly changed the subject. He didn't have the bad taste of watching someone else idolize people he didn't know and cry with emotion. He absolutely refused.

"But there's so much of it. Is it all about martial arts? Don't all martial arts eventually lead to one thing?"

If one were to pick two of the most distinctive features of Cheonmu Academy, they would be the diversity and specialization of its teachings. For example, if you opened the chapter on poison in the course registration handbook, it wouldn't just have one poison technique. There were 25 branches, such as "Understanding Poison," "Making Poison," and "Common Poisons in the Martial World and Their First Aid," and there were 10 masters. Only poison and its related fields were taught, with 10 masters involved in 25 types of subjects.

Moreover, while the number of courses was dizzying, each course was aimed at imparting very detailed and specialized knowledge of a specific field related to poison. All of this was Cheonmu Academy's thoughtful consideration to help students improve their skills.

Even if you forget it later, you must first know it. Because true forgetting comes from knowing and then discarding. One cannot enter a higher realm in a state of ignorance. Therefore, one must learn it first. And then, somehow, forget it. It sounds easy and simple, but this part is incredibly difficult. It's almost impossible, which is why true absolute masters are counted on one's fingers over the many years.

The enlightenment gained during this process is left to each individual. One must know for oneself the enlightenment needed to enter a new realm. It's not a place where someone can kindly take your hand and lead you there.

Just as a butterfly sheds its cocoon to become a moth, one must achieve entry into a new realm with their own hands. Cheonmu Academy merely provides the silk and nutrients to build the cocoon; it cannot shed the skin for the students.

However, it can provide small and insignificant help for reaching a higher level than the present. This thick course registration handbook, hundreds of martial arts courses, and dozens of masters exist for this meager and insignificant help.

Bilyeon, who was carelessly flipping through the pillow substitute, suddenly felt a question arise.

"It's all good, but does learning so many miscellaneous things actually have any effect? It's hard to excel even in one field, so what about learning so many random things…"

Bilyeon's complaint was natural. Knowledge is power, but it can sometimes be a poison or an illness.

A jack-of-all-trades, perfect in everything!

While the words sound grand, if handled carelessly, there's a high probability of ending up in an ambiguous and mediocre state. Thus, the unsystematic acquisition of knowledge can be a dangerous obstacle to enlightenment. If you end up with neither dough nor rice, you'll just have to suck your spoon and starve, won't you?

"Please think of it as diversity. Of course, I'm not expecting you to be good at everything. As the old saying goes, if you want to succeed, dig one well. Except for one major, the rest are just references. And most of them are composed of survival methods in the martial world. It's a regrettable reality, but too many talented people end their lives entangled in the dark schemes of the martial world at a young age. If you don't survive, how can you possibly encounter new realms?"

"Tch, is that so…"

But Bilyeon still sounded unconvinced, licking his lips.

"If you find it difficult to register, I'll register for you. Choose the fields you want to take, excluding the first-year required courses."

That was exactly what Bilyeon wanted. But…

"Required courses?"

"Cheonmu Academy has a rule that certain fields deemed essential in the martial world are specially designated as required courses each year."

"Really?"

This was a completely unfamiliar fact that he had never known before.

"You really know nothing."

"I've never felt the need to know such trivial things throughout my life."

"It's a miracle that you, who are almost ignorant about Cheonmu Academy, have been safe until now."

"I believe in performing miracles if necessary. I truly know nothing. And…"

Bilyeon paused for a moment, then continued.

"Even at this very moment, I don't feel its importance."

"I can't believe it!"

Jang Hong exclaimed with disbelief. Someone like Bilyeon, who entered without any prior knowledge or information, should have been considered abnormal. Everyone generally familiarized themselves with Cheonmu Academy before entering. In other words, he had entered irresponsibly without doing anything a normal person would naturally do. Jang Hong felt dizzy as if he had anemia.

"There's no other way. I'll explain it in detail."

"I prefer a simple explanation over a detailed one. Explain it simply but in detail."

Bilyeon said with an air of disliking troublesome things. Jang Hong despaired again at Bilyeon's lack of remorse, but decided not to show it.

"First, the first-year required course is Introduction to Poison Techniques. Knowledge related to poison is a field that all grades must take for minimal bodily defense and survival, even if they are not professional poison users. The martial world is a cruel and ruthless world filled with schemes and intrigues. Hidden weapons are similar. These two are often related to survival on the path of martial arts rather than skill enhancement. After all, among our righteous sects, except for the Sichuan Tang Family, there are no sects that handle poison and hidden weapons."

Jang Hong explained the required courses without pause. In addition to poison and hidden weapons, first-year students were required to take courses such as "Theory of Reading Martial Arts Mantras," "Introduction to Formation Breaking," "General Theory of Swordplay," "Application of Various and Mysterious Human Acupoint Techniques," and for general education, "Theory of Martial World Affairs." None of them were not bothersome.

Bilyeon, who was writhing in pain while clutching his head, suddenly turned his gaze to Hyoryong, who had come with him. However, contrary to his expectations, Hyoryong, showing no signs of boredom, was diligently flipping through the book and lost in thought. Bilyeon somehow felt his movements were skilled.

How did these two know so much about this place from the first time, or was it surprising that he entered without any prior knowledge? Bilyeon was bewildered.

But he soon dismissed it. Whichever it was, it didn't matter much to him. He was just glad to have Jang Hong, who knew this place well.

"Do you have any specific martial arts fields you'd like to take?"

Jang Hong asked while flipping through the book. Bilyeon shook his head left and right. He still didn't feel the need to learn anything special.

"Usually, people choose sword, saber, or spear as their major. They are the most common and thus the most refined fields. They also have the most established systems and are easy to find good instructors. As it's a path many have walked, you can encounter much advice and various related martial arts. Among them, if you're a righteous path practitioner, isn't it always sword? After all, the king of all maladies is the sword."

Jang Hong, having practiced the sword himself, had a great reverence for it. He considered saber and spear not to be the way of martial arts.

"I'll decline all three."

"Why not? I hate to say this, but it's difficult to become an ultimate master with mystical weapons or other martial arts. You might be fine for a year or two, but in the end, it's hard to be called a master. How about changing your mind now? It's my sincere advice as a friend."

Hyoryong naturally chose the sword. He was a master of swordsmanship, capable of performing sword techniques. The desire to see a higher realm of the sword is a primitive and instinctive desire for a swordsman. Therefore, he was engrossed in finding courses that would elevate his swordsmanship, seemingly oblivious to Bilyeon and Jang Hong's conversation. He was lost in his own world. Having one's own world might be a happy thing. As long as it doesn't ruin one's life…

Bilyeon had handed over most of his course registration choices to Jang Hong and was doing nothing. So Jang Hong was paying attention to Bilyeon's course registration. However, he was in trouble for shunning the three major martial arts for his major choice. Bilyeon shunned sword, saber, and spear, but there was one academic field that surprisingly piqued his interest. It was martial arts to play the ink zither, which he had borrowed from his sect, the sound arts (음공 - Eumgong).

"Then please look into sound arts."

"Sound arts?"

Jang Hong's question contained surprise.

"That's unexpected. I didn't think you'd be interested in sound arts. Sound arts are a more delicate and elegant discipline than you might think."

"Don't worry about that. How often do you find an elegant young man like me? My foolish master knows about music theory but nothing about sound arts, so I thought it would be good to learn sound arts on this opportunity."

"However, sound arts are much more difficult martial arts than you might think. It requires not only a deep understanding of music theory but also immense internal energy to perform. Moreover, its practical application is difficult, and the speed of progress is slow like a grub compared to its depth and complexity, and the effects are minuscule… There are many such limitations. Do you still want to take it?"

"Of course."

Bilyeon answered without a hint of hesitation.

He might be called arrogant, but he judged that he was not in such a desperate situation as to have lingering attachments to fields other than sound arts. And since he had never encountered any evidence to contradict that judgment, he had no intention of changing his mind.

"Hmm, I've also been interested in sound arts for a long time. How about we take it together?"

Hyoryong, who had been diligently flipping through the thick course registration handbook and lost in thought, suddenly chimed in. He thought Hyoryong would only care about the sword, but surprisingly, he was interested in sound arts.

"As you wish."

There was no reason to refuse. Jang Hong began to search for the sound arts section in the course registration handbook. As expected, a multitude of lectures were listed, enough to dizzy the eyes and make one's chest feel constricted.

"You said you know a bit about music theory, right? Then, skipping the music theory basics, this 'Introduction to Sound Arts' by the Heavenly Sound Nun Hong Ran would be good. After all, the foundation is important. After that, do you want a zither, or a transverse flute, a large flute, a piccolo, or a bell?"

"Wow, there are so many types. Why is it so complicated…"

"Please call it specialized. It sounds better. The introductory course is about basic theory, so we can take it together, but how can we all learn from one person when playing different instruments? Sound arts naturally differ completely depending on the instrument used. This is what we call common sense."

Jang Hong subtly mocked Bilyeon's lack of common sense. However, Bilyeon was not the type of person with such delicate nerves to care about such trivial matters. When necessary, he was someone who could reconstruct the surrounding common sense based on his own very personal and artificial standards. And surprisingly, he had actually done so until now. The numerous unavoidable(?) tragedies that occurred during that process were quietly buried along with the sorrows of the weak…

"I have a zither. It's the only instrument I know how to play."

"I see? Then, this 'Understanding Zither Sound from a Martial Arts Perspective' by Elder Bi Geum Seopyeong would be good. That elder is a very famous master of sound arts in the martial world."

"Then, please make it that one."

Bilyeon, who was ignorant of the martial world's affairs, comfortably handed over all the work to Jang Hong.

"Then we'll go with this. Just don't change your mind later."

Jang Hong kindly reminded Bilyeon to prepare for any potential issues.

Thus, Bilyeon chose sound arts as his major, and fortunately, he would be learning it with Hyoryong. He also applied for two additional sound arts lectures.

Whether he could truly learn sound arts properly remained to be seen. It would likely depend on future developments. And even if the outlook was despairingly bleak, it might be too early to give up already.

While they were engrossed in course registration, a registration window in a corner of the registration hall suddenly collapsed with a loud noise.

"Crash! Bang! Bang!"

As one registration window collapsed with a scream, unable to withstand the concentrated crowd, all eyes turned to the source of the scream. There, a ridiculously large number of people were entangled and lying in a heap, covered in dust. It was a stark contrast to the quiet and even peaceful surrounding registration windows, making it very impressive.

At the Cheonmu Academy registration hall, registration windows were divided by field and type to disperse applicants. This was a perfectly reasonable and rational decision.

But why did a course registration window collapse for no reason? Why was there such a commotion in a place where the possibility of external invasion was almost nonexistent?

It was natural to be curious. And Bilyeon was not the type of person to leave a deeply rooted curiosity unchecked. His usual principle was to resolve any doubts quickly, regardless of the reason.

It would be stranger if he wasn't curious about whose class it was that attracted such a crowd to the bustling registration window. Bilyeon decided to grab anyone passing by and ask.

"No, why are there so many people over there?"

Pointing to the crowd fighting fiercely on one side, Bilyeon asked.

Despite the collapsed registration window, the people seemed unwilling to give up on registering.

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

The man looked at Bilyeon for a moment as if he were a very strange creature. His gaze kindly sealed with the concern, "Tsk, tsk, how can you be so late with the news…" The man soon opened his mouth again.

"There's a very famous master among the newly invited experts this time, and that's the registration window for his class."

At this registration hall, in addition to windows for each field and type, there were separate windows for some famous popular lectures and special lectures. The one that had just collapsed was one of them. How famous was the master?

"Whose class is it?"

Bilyeon asked, knowing he wouldn't recognize the name even if he heard it. But surprisingly, it was someone Bilyeon, who was clueless about his martial world experience and knowledge, knew well.

"Don't be surprised when you hear it. It's the great master Yeon Do!"

Bilyeon's eyes widened. However, the reason for his surprise was not the greatness of the person, as the other party might have worried, but the sudden appearance of his disciple(?)'s name from the other party's mouth.

"You know the famous, stubborn, great master Yeon Do, right?"

Of course, Bilyeon knew the truth of the matter better than anyone, so he immediately nodded. In fact, there was probably no one who knew the whole story and hidden corruption as well as Bilyeon. Except for Yeon Do himself, of course.

Yeon Do originally preferred to travel alone and disliked associating with or belonging to other factions, so his staying and teaching at Cheonmu Academy was a highly unusual event.

"Those who are skilled in the saber are all flocking to the reception desk to attend his class. Moreover, those who have mastered Yanggang martial arts are also rushing in, causing chaos. It looks like we'll have to decide the number of applicants through combat. Will it be a good match with Great Master Bing Geom Gwan?"

"No, does Bing Geom Gwan refer to Great Master Bing Geom Gwan Cheolsu, one of the Five Heavenly Sword Masters?"

Yoon Junho interjected with shock. The Five Heavenly Sword Masters were like idols he dreamed of. The mere fact that such a person was so close to him was enough to make him unable to hide his excitement.

"Who else would bear the title of Bing Geom? It's the person you know."

Currently, the most popular class in swordsmanship at Cheonmu Academy was the sword class of Bing Geom. Since the class hours were not many, its rarity added to the influx of people who wanted to receive even a bit of his teaching.

However, there was a limit to the number of students. Therefore, to take the desired course, disciples would stay up all night in front of the registration desk the day before registration, and in severe cases, camp out for days, forming lines. Various methods were employed for this.

"Ah, to be able to hear the lectures of such a person right next to me…"

Once again, Yoon Junho attempted to drown himself in a sea of emotion. Bilyeon frowned slightly as he looked at Yoon Junho.

"However, you can't take it yet."

Fortunately, the man poured cold water on the wave of emotion Yoon Junho had created.

"Why?"

Yoon Junho looked at the man with a gaze that seemed to ask how the world could be so harsh. However, the man easily crushed the earnestness in his eyes. But why was a smile forming on Bilyeon's lips?

"You're still a first-year student, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"That class is only open to third-year students and above, or those with at least Samgeomryong qualification. In reality, due to competition, almost all are practitioners of Ogeomryong skill level or higher. You may not know it yet since it's your first time, but to take some specific lectures at Cheonmun, you need commensurate qualifications. This is not as easy a place as you think. It's a battlefield where you must survive by overcoming fierce competition. You should also not be careless and diligently practice."

"Thank you."

Yoon Junho bowed respectfully and thanked the senior for his advice. It seemed he finally felt the reality of Cheonmun firsthand. A look of grim determination briefly appeared and disappeared from his face.

If Bing Geom Gwan had earned his fame with his upright character, sharp perfection, and icy composure, Yeon Do was renowned not only for his outstanding saber skills in the martial world but also for his fiery temper, magnanimity, and numerous strange anecdotes and behaviors. Many of these involved him acting impulsively against injustice. Nevertheless, he was a figure of the righteous path.

His outspoken and fiery, distinctly manly personality—which the Bing Geom faction criticized as rash and violent without thinking—garnered the support of many young people. Therefore, he had many followers, especially among those who used the saber. However, as Yeon Do preferred to travel alone, he had little interaction with people, and thus few opportunities to witness his skills.

Even at the renowned Cheonmu Academy, there were few people with such skills currently. Furthermore, regardless of his personality, he possessed unparalleled skill in saber techniques and Yanggang martial arts. Therefore, it was understandable that the disciples were desperately rushing to get even a glimpse of his teachings. Of course, Bilyeon's mind was not entirely convinced.

Was his disciple such a great person?

For Bilyeon, who had lived with him for nearly two months, this was a fact he could not accept.