## Chapter 190 – (2)
“You mean you’re competing as a sect, not as the Cheonmu Academy?”
“That’s right.”
“What does that…”
“Damn it, I thought we might actually get somewhere for once.”
“Don’t tell me even the top disciples are coming out?”
Everyone looked surprised.
The atmosphere shifted to a more pessimistic one.
It was as if they were saying they absolutely couldn’t win.
I couldn’t quite understand.
“Is it that big of a difference if a sect participates?”
I asked Jeongseon, who was next to me, and he looked at me with pity.
His gaze seemed to genuinely pity me, which hurt my feelings.
I’d rather be called an idiot.
“Aren’t they pretty much the same?”
“Completely different. The real top disciples from each sect will be there.”
“Real top disciples?”
What was that supposed to mean?
Was he implying that the ones sent to the academy were fake top disciples?
As I questioned the term, Jeongseon began to explain slowly.
“The students who attend Cheonmu Academy aren’t really there to learn martial arts.”
“…Right, that’s true.”
I remembered hearing about this a long time ago.
The top disciples attending Cheonmu Academy didn’t really need to learn martial arts at the academy.
Most of them were from the Nine Great Sects or famous noble families, so they had already learned martial arts far superior to what the academy could offer.
The main reasons they entered Cheonmu Academy were to gain practical experience, including sparring, to gain enlightenment from the famous masters who were instructors at the academy, or to build relationships with those who would become key figures in the orthodox sects in the future.
“To be honest, the academy might not even be that helpful for their training.”
If they were truly dedicated to martial arts, training within their own sect would be more beneficial.
Knowing this, the sects didn’t send their most talented disciples to the academy.
They only sent the second or third most talented disciples among the top disciples.
Despite this, they consistently achieved top results in the martial arts tournaments, so it was a wise choice.
However, this time, an unexpected event occurred, and the sects thought.
If Cheonmu Academy were to lose to Inmu Academy even in the martial arts tournament, not just the friendly match.
Then their own reputation, along with Cheonmu Academy’s, would be tarnished.
In fact, even without that, rumors were already spreading due to the gossip surrounding the friendly match.
Their reputation was already gradually being damaged.
“So, they’re participating as sects to restore their honor?”
They were confident because they had their real top disciples within the sects, who they hadn’t sent to the academy.
Finally, I understood.
“Keep that in mind, then. And, Seonghan, Jeongseon, and Seolyeong, follow me.”
Jeongseon and I exchanged glances and slowly followed Instructor Cheolung.
Seolyeong joined us on that walk.
Short white hair and a cold expression.
Snow-white skin and elegant gait caught my eye.
“…”
Seolyeong walked so close that her cold skin brushed against me with every step, and the coolness felt pleasantly good.
Feeling a sense of longing at this distance, I recalled Seolyeong’s appearance.
And then, slowly, I remembered.
Many things that had happened with Seolyeong.
I had used my extreme Yang internal energy to treat Seolyeong’s Nine Yin Severed Meridians.
Originally, her hands were colder than this, and her skin was so white it was almost pale.
Even after the treatment, her touch was still cold due to her original Ice Skill martial art.
But now, it felt pleasantly good.
I almost wanted to get her separately in the summer.
Like a hugging pillow or a Dutch wife.
“This should be far enough.”
Instructor Cheolung turned around to face the three of us, judging that we were far enough away from the training grounds.
“With the sects participating in this martial arts tournament, only three of you will be competing.”
As he said that, Instructor Cheolung pointed to me, Jeongseon, and Seolyeong in turn.
“And you three are the ones participating in this martial arts tournament.”
“Me too?”
Jeongseon pointed to himself.
His bewilderment was obvious on his face.
Seolyeong also seemed a little taken aback.
A part of my heart felt uneasy.
There was definitely someone who should have been there.
Someone who would have been the first to be chosen if there was a competition like this…
Then Jeongseon said out loud.
“What about Pungun? He’s here, isn’t he?”
“Ah.”
I only remembered after Jeongseon said his name.
The man who should always appear in my quest world, the one who gets robbed.
Pungun, the protagonist of this martial arts novel and the regressionist who takes all the opportunities, was in this Inmu Academy.
He was definitely more skilled than me back then.
What about now?
“Pungun has returned to his original Wudang Sect and will participate from there.”
Jeongseon, Seolyeong, and I looked at each other.
Come to think of it, I didn’t have any particular background, and if my memory was correct, Jeongseon was from a courtesan house.
He was far from martial arts.
And Seolyeong was from the distant Bukhae Ice Palace, which used Ice Skill.
I understood why we three were called.
As we made understanding expressions, Instructor Cheolung nodded and said as if he was informing us.
“Train hard for the next month.”
As he said that, Instructor Cheolung glanced at me.
Then, he made a blank expression as if he was wondering something, and then turned around and walked away.
“Huh, what… are we supposed to train on our own?”
Jeongseon looked at Cheolung walking away and said with a puzzled expression.
I was a little empty too.
But there really wasn’t anything more he could tell us.
Seolyeong, who uses Ice Skill, or me, who uses extreme Yang internal energy.
And what could he possibly teach Jeongseon, who has natural physical abilities, in such a short time as one month?
There was no other way but to tell us to improve on our own.
“There’s nothing we can do. Let’s just suffer for a month.”
“Sigh, this is our fate…”
I said that and comforted Jeongseon, who was a little sulky.
And so, the three of us parted ways, each wondering what we should do for the next month.
“I want to learn swordsmanship properly, even if it’s just a little, for a month.”
Somehow, I felt like I would see the spy of the Demonic Cult in that competition.
It would be stranger if the spy of the Demonic Cult didn’t come to the martial arts tournament where the top disciples of all the sects would come out to compete for the best top disciple.
When my thoughts reached that point, a hypothesis suddenly came to mind.
Perhaps the sects were also aiming for that.
It might be an excessive thought, but.
“Hoo…”
I had become a free man for a month, but where on earth could I go to learn swordsmanship?
At times like this, I envied the protagonist who remembered all the opportunities.
Of course, I had my own way of finding opportunities.
It was an action that was possible because this place was a world within a martial arts novel.
“…Let’s move quickly.”
A month was an infinitely short time to learn martial arts.
I left the academy with light steps and headed to the place where the most people passed by.
I looked at the passersby as if evaluating their appearance.
I ignored those with ordinary faces and those with ordinary internal energy.
If they were covering their faces, had beautiful appearances, or had unusual internal energy, they all got +1 point.
It was even better if they had a sword at their waist or seemed to have a story to tell.
One woman caught my eye.
She was hiding it, but her internal energy was flowing out, and she was looking at the ground as if she had a complicated story.
And above all, she was pretty.
She had an appearance that made all the passersby look like extras.
Without hesitation, I approached the woman.
It was only when I got closer that I realized that she wasn’t looking at the ground, but was just catching her breath because she was tired.
Even her hair and chin were covered in sweat.
I wondered if she really had a story to tell.
She did have a slightly sad look in her eyes.
“Excuse me…”
“…Yeah.”
And she was strangely calm.
I suddenly appeared in front of her, but she didn’t react much.
‘Sigh, did I choose wrong?’
Somehow, that short answer felt eerie.
I had such a thought that I turned around to pass by.
Suddenly.
The woman grabbed my sleeve.
I tried to shake her off lightly with force.
I felt resistance.
‘Huh…’
It was the first time someone had resisted my strength.
But it seemed like I was a little stronger.
Crack.
It was the clothes that were screaming in the power struggle between me and the woman.
If I tried to move like this, the clothes would tear first.
“Help me.”
Hearing the clumsy tone that was different from her brute strength, I thought.
I messed up.
I awkwardly tried to smile and asked with the best possible friendly smile.
“What’s wrong? Ah, but I’m a little busy…”
“I need a disciple.”
“…Is that so?”
The sword at her waist.
The internal energy and strength that I could feel at a glance.
Even her beautiful appearance.
And even the timing.
It was too perfect, but that made it difficult to accept the offer.
But I was mistaken.
I thought I had a choice.
“Be my disciple.”
Her hand slowly reached for the sword at her waist.
She seemed like she would be the strongest enemy so far.
“…I will. Disciple.”
So, I decided to accept it for now.
