Chapter: 691
Morning.
It was past dawn, and the sun was just beginning to rise into the sky. A slightly cool breeze blew, announcing that summer was coming to an end. The wind swept across the heavens, and below it, countless people filled the space.
“Those with a wooden plaque, please line up and come this way!”
A loud voice echoed through the air. The sound of the voice was imbued with a sense of challenge that lingered in my ears.
“The green gem, come this way!”
“The blue one, over this way…!”
Numerous people shifted their feet in response to the calls. At first glance, the number appeared to be hundreds or even thousands, but the atmosphere surrounding them felt particularly heavy.
‘The stakes are no joke.’
The intensity of the energy mixed in the air surpassed imagination. When had I felt anything like this again?
‘Was it during the war?’
I might have felt this during the ongoing Jeongma War. To feel such density of energy in the internal arena of the Murim Alliance itself was quite the statement.
‘That just means a lot of people have gathered.’
At the very least, we were at the fringe of the second-rate. The martial artists assembled here were all remarkably intense, ranging from younger warriors who looked to be my peers to seasoned warriors with streaks of gray in their hair. Not a single individual in my vicinity was without martial prowess.
‘That’s quite a gathering you’ve got here.’
I was genuinely astonished, having not expected this many to show up, even for an event hosted by the Alliance.
I scanned the area, marveling—not in awe but with a sense of fascination.
‘They say Shaolin sent people out themselves. Did that actually help?’
That could very well be true. Taking one last look around, I sighed and brushed my hair back.
‘So, it’s finally today…’
It was already the day of the competition. To be precise, it was the day the preliminary rounds began, and I stood in front of the entrance created by the Murim Alliance.
Naturally, this was in preparation for participating in the non-combat event.
‘Tsk.’
I clicked my tongue at this reality. The preliminary rounds were supposed to unfold over three days, but of course, my turn fell on the very first day.
It wasn’t directly an entrance to the internal area. Passing through the entrance would likely lead into the mountains.
‘But then again…’
Gathering such a throng of people for preliminaries within the Alliance would have been nearly impossible. Dividing the days and, more importantly, shifting the terrain made sense.
It looked like they had plans to hold something in one of the broadest available spaces, though I had no clue what that might be.
As I calmly sized up my surroundings one by one, a familiar voice broke through.
“Confucius!”
Turning at the sound, I saw Wi Seol-ah dressed in a face veil, gazing at me. Like me, her first day also involved the preliminaries. Though she was veiled to hide her looks, attracting attention was still unavoidable.
Her beautifully contoured figure and unique aura naturally drew eyes toward her.
‘…That’s the best she could do.’
After using up all the energy for her veil, should I be concerned I’d need to find a way to pay for it?
‘Perhaps I could give her the white fox mask Namgung Bi-ah used.’
That infamous white fox mask. I heard it was a relic from the Northern Sea, known for lowering the opponent’s perception.
‘It’s reminiscent of the effect Dangdeok used back in the day.’
Shouldn’t I have lent her that? But alas, it was precious and she would have had to remove it promptly anyway.
With such thoughts running through my mind, I looked at Wi Seol-ah again.
“What color are you, Confucius?”
At her question, I glanced at the wooden plaque clasped in my hand. She likely meant the color of the gem embedded in the plaque.
“It’s white.”
The jewel set in my plaque was white. As I looked at it, I shifted my gaze, noticing a line forming from a man holding up a white sign way at the end.
I suppose that’s where I need to queue up.
“I have blue.”
Wi Seol-ah subtly showed me her plaque. A blue gem sparkled embedded within it.
There were four color categories total.
‘Green, blue, red, white.’
Coincidentally, those were the same colors corresponding to the grade of the Hwagyeong Gate.
‘If it’s not a coincidence, I wonder if they’ve established a ranking of sorts based on these colors.’
Thoughts raced in my mind, but I shook my head to clear it. Surely, even if the Alliance was a den of morons, would they really make it that simple?
‘That can’t be right.’
I had faith they wouldn’t be that foolish.
Anyway, at least our colors didn’t overlap.
Should I consider this a stroke of luck?
If it’s lucky, then yes, definitely.
Or at least, that’s what I thought as I turned my gaze.
Four total lines. People staggered to the very ends, not distinguishing between gender or age, each having various levels of skill.
Some bore expressions of determination, while others carried a hint of anxiety.
Everyone was uniquely different.
So, where were they all trying to go?
I really didn’t know.
No… perhaps.
‘Except for me, everyone else may be gazing in the same direction.’
An outsider, lingering in a land where they shouldn’t belong.
That feeling washed over me and I frowned.
Let’s not entertain pointless thoughts.
Shaking my head, I dismissed the notion.
‘What about Seongyul?’
I turned to search for him. Seongyul was also sharing his first day with me.
I had left him to figure things out and hoped he was managing well.
‘He’ll figure it out.’
He might seem a bit clumsy, but he’s not the kind of guy you can’t trust. I figured he’d handle it just fine.
But then came the problem.
‘…Bongsoon, though.’
The catch was that Bongsoon had to enter the preliminaries on the second day, not today.
Meaning I’d have to let her go alone without me.
Just thinking about it drained my energy.
‘I did put some restrictions on her, though…’
To prevent any mishaps before she went in, I laid down several bans.
First.
She absolutely must keep her mouth shut.
Second.
Even if others provoke her, she could only endure it up to twice.
And finally the third.
‘Do not kill unless your opponent tries to kill you.’
That was basically the extent of bans I placed on Bongsoon.
With that restrained, I hoped to mitigate any problems she might unwittingly cause.
Or… well.
‘If she messes up despite all that, I’d have to admit it.’
Once it escalated that far, there would be nothing I could do.
I imagine she’ll manage just fine.
At that moment, right as I was convinced, I caught wind of something.
“…Look over there!”
A commotion echoed around.
“It’s the King of Swords!”
“Is that really him?”
The martial artists’ spirits collectively surged in response to the announcement.
Turning my head, I noticed two figures entering through the entrance, and everyone was watching them.
Thud.
The vibrations resonated with the man’s footsteps.
The eyes of the martial artists widened at the sensation.
“To think that merely walking exudes such spirit—!”
“Is he truly the head of the Four Great Families… no, the Three Great Families?”
A mix of admiration, astonishment, and an underlying respect filled the air.
All eyes were glued to the imposing figure of the King of Swords, Peng Zhou.
‘The King of Swords…’
Glancing at him, I couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
There are only a select few in the Central Plains known by the title “King.”
This isn’t about the ranking of hundreds of masters or even the top ten.
Rather, “King” indicates someone holding absolute influence in their field.
It’s not about brute strength. It indicates their reputation and standing.
He was the most potent figure among sword-wielders.
That was Peng Zhou, head of the Peng family.
As he appeared, the throng of martial artists gradually heightened their tension.
“Is the King of Swords truly participating…?”
“Was that rumor actually true!”
“How could His Majesty be here…?”
Half the responses were reactions of disbelief; the other half expressed confusion as to why he had come here.
I couldn’t blame them.
‘What would the head of a prestigious family have to gain from doing this?’
If he wins, he merely gets his money back, and if he loses, he incurs losses.
No, perhaps even winning might yield him a loss.
There’s no plausible reason for the King of Swords to be involved here, yet he was adamant about stepping into the non-combat event.
Peng Zhou sauntered forward amidst an array of stares.
Observing him, I couldn’t help but muse,
‘This is just a grand display of arrogance.’
It was downright ridiculous.
Thud—!
With each step, a thrum echoed through the space.
People regarded him with awe, attributing it to the overpowering presence radiating from his strength.
‘That old man doesn’t know a thing about humility.’
He was literally parading his confidence like a peacock, showing off as if inviting onlookers to admire his bravado.
Thanks to this, attention had definitely landed upon him…
‘Just what is he thinking?’
The strange flow of energy mixed with the atmosphere stood out so profoundly; I wondered how no one else seemed to notice it.
‘Why is it only me who can see this farce?’
It left me perplexed.
‘Am I the only one who can see through this charade?’
The level of insight necessary to recognize the Taoist King’s behavior really only belonged to an advanced practitioner.
I glanced around, scanning for anyone else who might share my level of understanding.
‘There is someone.’
Several characters caught my eye.
There were a few familiar martial artists, and even more who weren’t.
“Can’t you see that?”
“…Huh?”
Wasn’t there someone standing right next to me?
Curious, I asked, but Wi Seol-ah only seemed confused.
‘You don’t see that?’
The stark disparity in energy was unmistakable, yet she remained oblivious?
‘Why can’t she see this?’
My thoughts were muddled.
Could it be that my perceptions were somehow skewed?
Is it really the case?
For a moment, I found myself puzzled but shrugged it off for the time being.
The crowd murmured and buzzed; as the King of Swords passed by, the martial artists parted ways for him, and there was a familiar face accompanying him.
The son of Peng Zhou and the heir to the Peng family.
Biseongdo, Pang Woo-jin, walked alongside him.
As they made their way, Pang Woo-jin suddenly looked my way.
Our eyes met.
Pang Woo-jin grinned widely and waved.
“…”
I didn’t return the wave but nodded instead.
That was the best form of greeting I could muster.
‘Why are those two also here on the first day?’
The fact that the father and son pair were both here on the same day as me struck me as a coincidence.
‘It doesn’t matter what order they applied in,’ I pondered.
Pang Woo-jin must’ve signed up on the first day alongside me, while the King probably registered on the last day, meaning there was hardly any connection between the two events.
So, did they simply draw lots to determine this order?
‘I doubt it.’
Doubts sprouted up.
I figured the Murim Alliance had up to their usual nonsense when it came to these arrangements.
‘They said the non-combat period was going to stretch nearly two weeks long.’
What kind of chaos would they stir up in that elapsed duration?
The thought alone made my stomach churn.
Just then, as I felt the need to ease my overly tense thoughts, the announcement blared.
“The preliminary round will start in one hour! Please line up promptly!”
The signal had sounded. Time was running out.
Turning, I glanced at Wi Seol-ah.
“Um…”
“Yeah?”
Wi Seol-ah turned as I spoke.
Looking at her, I hesitated.
Was she really going to do it?
Did she really have to?
As those questions danced on my tongue, I caught the gleam in Wi Seol-ah’s eyes and scratched the back of my head.
“Just try not to overdo it.”
That was the only piece of advice I could give Wi Seol-ah.
To my surprise, she beamed widely and responded.
“Of course! I’ll give it my all!”
She seemed unfazed by my cautionary tone.
“Wait, did you even hear what I said?”
“Yes! I’ll give it my all, just the right amount!”
“…”
For reasons unknown, Wi Seol-ah seemed entirely fired up.
Even Dang So-yeol had said the same, but what was with everyone’s enthusiasm?
‘…I hope nothing goes wrong.’
I truly wished for nothing to happen.
Honestly, I really did.
“Alright… we’ll catch up later.”
After my farewell, I was ready to head towards the queue when suddenly…
“Oh! Confucius!”
“Huh?”
It looked like Wi Seol-ah had something left to say.
Curious, I looked back at her.
Whoosh!
“Hmm?”
She opened her arms and hugged me tightly.
For a brief pause, she rested her forehead against my chest.
What’s happening here?
Though I felt taken aback, I subtly moved aside to reduce my presence.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m cheering for you.”
Wi Seol-ah raised her head, locking eyes with me.
“I’ll work hard too. Make sure you… stay strong, alright? Really!”
“Um… okay…”
Just as I was about to respond to her encouragement, she pulled away.
“I’ll be back!”
With that, she turned and began to walk away.
Watching her golden hair as she retreated, I found myself smiling awkwardly.
I couldn’t bring myself to say “I understand.”
What was it about that moment?
I had no idea.
It was just one of those feelings.
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