Chapter 116 :

Chapter 116. The Black Flame Dragon in Golden Robes (1)

The Elder Hall of the Martial Alliance was not a place one could enter lightly.

One had to possess at least twenty years of experience within the Martial Alliance or personally represent one's sect or several other factions.

Looking at those who passed such strict screening and received the position of elder, most were either hardliners who despised the heretical faction or natural-born political leaders.

Because of that, the incident caused by Jin Sowoon and the heretical faction split the Elder Hall into two camps.

Those who bore various grudges against Jin Sowoon felt their blood boil when they witnessed what had happened.

"You want to admit someone who conspired with the dark faction into the Martial Academy?"

"Does that make any sense at all?"

"Calm yourself."

"How can you speak of such vulgar things in the Elder Hall?"

"And honestly, can you truly declare that they conspired together?"

"They threatened, intimidated, and guarded the area so the other examinees could not even approach!"

"If that is not conspiring, then what is?"

Conversely, the members of the Five Great Families who had ties to Jin Sowoon desperately defended him.

"Then why did you mobilize disciples who had already completed the examination and send them all the way to Henan Province?"

"W-What?"

"D-Do you have evidence?"

"Evidence, my foot."

"Do you think we do not know why someone who took the examination in Jiangnan crawled all the way up to Henan Province?"

"It was to attack Jin Sowoon, who had the highest score."

"They must have simply wanted a better score."

"Ahem."

When the members of the Righteous Path Association began looking uncomfortable, the members of the White Path Association sneered.

The greatest point of contention was not whether Jin Sowoon had actually joined hands with the heretical faction.

In this examination, the disciples of the Nine Great Sects had taken second through fifth place.

Had it not been for Jin Sowoon, one of them would have taken first place.

Because of Jin Sowoon alone, all their rankings were about to be pushed down by one position.

The elders of the Martial Alliance firmly believed that they could tolerate a loss as long as their rivals suffered as well.

Therefore, the fact that this incident could harm the interests of the Righteous Path Association was something the White Path Association could not ignore.

"To disqualify Jin Sowoon means disqualifying everyone who traveled with him."

"Are you saying that the children of the Moyong Family and the Namgung Family should also be disqualified?"

Moreover, Jin Sowoon's group included descendants of the Moyong Family and the Namgung Family, both of which belonged to the White Path Association.

The White Path Association could not retreat under any circumstances.

"...Since Jin Sowoon is said to have planned and led the matter, let us disqualify only him."

"Then what about Jin Sowoon's junior brothers?"

"The three brothers are currently the most widely supported figures among the public."

"If they are disqualified, the Martial Alliance will certainly be criticized for favoring only disciples from prestigious sects."

"...They merely followed the instructions of their Eldest Senior Brother, Jin Sowoon, did they not?"

"Then let them pass as well."

"Then on what grounds will you disqualify Jin Sowoon?"

Normally, politics involved retreating one step and reaching a reasonable compromise.

However, having caught hold of the Righteous Path Association's weakness, the White Path Association showed no sign of backing down.

Their justification was also strong.

They claimed that the reputation of the official martial examination, which was widely known for fairness and impartiality, could not be damaged.

Thus, the Elder Hall forgot its original duty of drafting Alliance laws and continued its endless discussions and debates.

In the end, the elderly members decided to personally descend upon the Martial Academy to determine whether Jin Sowoon had committed any wrongdoing and reveal the truth of the incident.

Fortunately, I had not actually failed.

More precisely, I had been told that I would have to undergo a review.

Since the official martial examination normally determined success or failure solely by the number of admission plaques, this was highly unusual.

That was why the examiner had spoken in such a way, nearly causing a major disaster.

"...Seonhwa, even so, you should not act immediately like that."

"I'm sorry, Sister."

"But I truly could not control myself."

The moment Namgung Seonhwa heard that I had failed, she had nearly killed the examiner.

The examiner had been about to explain the reason after announcing my failure.

However, several strands of sword energy from the Boundless Blue Sky Sword Art nearly severed his neck.

Gang Seopyo, Seong Moran, and Cho Mubin barely stopped her in time, saving the examiner's life.

Even so, the examination platform was completely destroyed.

Those who entered the academy after us had to receive dirt-stained acceptance notices from a stall placed on the ground.

"However... if Young Master Jin Sowoon truly fails the examination, I will not enter the academy either."

"...You..."

Moyong Jaehwa, who had been fiddling with the admission plaque he received from me, added:

"I will also follow Brother to the Taeul Sect."

What?

Not entering the academy was one thing, but why would he follow me to the Taeul Sect?

Perhaps unaware of my thoughts, even the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers looked ready to make declarations of their own.

I hurriedly stopped them.

"That is enough."

"The result has not even been decided yet."

"Do you think I will quietly accept being disqualified?"

If I had believed I could not pass from the start, I would never have done something as reckless as throwing myself into Four Emperors Peak.

If they claimed that I could not be admitted because I carried the nickname Bloodflame Dragon and had cooperated with the heretical faction, I had no intention of dying alone.

"Attention!"

"Stand properly!"

"The admission ceremony has not even begun."

"You there, move closer."

"Why are you standing so far apart?"

The instructors shouted for everyone to form orderly lines, but no one moved carelessly.

Aside from the area where we stood, the other admitted students had formed a wide circle around us as though we were infected with a plague.

The instructors raised their voices even more, but the students all came from distinguished backgrounds and showed no sign of yielding to such clumsy authority.

In the end, they failed to form proper lines before the admission ceremony began.

When the people accompanying the academy head entered, they frowned at the disorderly atmosphere.

"What is all this commotion?"

"Ah, well... the matter regarding admission has not yet been settled..."

They were supposed to conduct the admission ceremony, yet the matter of admission itself had not been settled.

Faced with this unprecedented situation, even the parents and representatives watching the ceremony from the spectator seats began murmuring.

'What a spectacular scene.'

At the center of the spectator seats sat people whom the other parents and representatives avoided just as they avoided us.

They were the great figures of the heretical faction.

'Why are all of you attending this?'

The funeral procession, which I had naturally assumed would continue toward the Martial Alliance, halted the moment my failure was announced.

At this point, it was impossible to deny that I had connections to heretical sects.

As expected of the heretical faction, they were casting dark clouds over the brilliant future of a righteous faction disciple.

"Everyone, please pay attention."

"Before the admission ceremony begins, a major controversy concerning the examination results must be resolved."

Everyone's gaze turned toward me.

Even without being told what the issue was, their expressions made it clear that they knew it involved me.

"Since this matter has become such a major point of dispute, distinguished individuals from the Alliance have been invited to judge the examination result."

The people whom even the head of the Martial Academy introduced respectfully were members of the Martial Alliance's Elder Hall.

At their appearance, not only the admitted students but everyone in the spectator seats rose from their seats.

Naturally, the great figures of the heretical faction remained seated, chuckling among themselves because they recognized some of the people who had appeared.

Nearly thirty members of the Elder Hall had all come here.

Seeing that they had moved their heavy bodies merely to eliminate me revealed just how much they hated the heretical faction.

However, I also noticed a strange sight.

The elders affiliated with the Righteous Path Association, led by Daoist Myeonghyeon, and the elders of the White Path Association, led by Moyong Cheong, were subtly keeping their distance from one another.

"Candidate Jin Sowoon, step forward!"

Leaving behind the quiet encouragement of Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran, I calmly stepped forward.

Daoist Myeonghyeon, whom I had also known in my previous life, stared at me with the same contemptuous expression he had worn back then.

"I have heard that Candidate Jin Sowoon dared to violate the solemn and strict rules of the official martial examination, caused a disturbance, and drove the review process into chaos."

It had been Namgung Seonhwa who nearly cut off the examiner's head...

"The Martial Academy is an institution that trains talented individuals to stand at the front lines of the Martial Alliance and carry out demon-cleansing and evil-destroying."

"Yet you dared to conspire with the cruel and lawless heretical faction, damaging the fundamental purpose of the examination and causing the other examinees to feel deprived."

Not only Daoist Myeonghyeon, who was practically foaming at the mouth as he spoke, but also the examinees and academy officials were all glaring at us with hostility.

"Therefore, regardless of how high your score may have been, we hereby declare that we cannot permit your admission."

Crack.

Crack.

Behind me, Namgung Seonhwa was loosening her body.

Had she forgotten that even a branch member of the Namgung Family was watching from among the elders?

"Is that the decision of the Martial Alliance?"

"What do you mean?"

"I am the one who—"

"Or is it the opinion of the entire Elder Hall?"

"..."

Daoist Myeonghyeon glanced toward the White Path Association.

The Righteous Path Association had probably won the battle over justification.

However, a true political leader would never abandon his own opinion merely because he had lost a political battle.

"As you just stated, the Martial Academy is a place meant to train righteous and courageous juniors who will carry out demon-cleansing and evil-destroying."

I took one step forward and infused my voice with internal energy.

"In that respect, I, Jin Sowoon of the Taeul Sect, can declare that I completed this examination fairly, without even the smallest blemish!"

"Therefore, your attempt to disqualify me can only be interpreted as interference by Daoist Myeonghyeon and the Righteous Path Association because the candidate prepared by the Nine Great Sects failed to take first place!"

"The four of us passed the first checkpoint without hiring a single warrior."

"We passed the second checkpoint without spending a single coin."

"And we passed the third checkpoint through fair and honorable means."

"What possible reason is there for me to be denied admission to the Martial Academy?"

"Do you not understand that this itself is the problem?"

"Who could possibly take the examination in such a manner?"

Just as in my previous life, when Daoist Myeonghyeon became agitated, he lost his reason and cornered himself.

"Ah... Then was the official martial examination originally designed so that those without money or power could never pass?"

"And I somehow passed such an examination?"

"Y-You...!"

Daoist Myeonghyeon's face twisted severely.

After being urged by the elders behind him, he finally regained his composure and spoke again.

"Then what about completing the great journey while colluding with the heretical faction?"

"I have never colluded with the heretical faction!"

"What absurd nonsense..."

I pointed toward the great figures of the heretical faction whom everyone avoided like a plague.

"They happen to be here by pure coincidence, so why not ask them directly?"

"Listen, you lackeys of the heretical faction!"

"Did I, Jin Sowoon, a righteous and chivalrous warrior overflowing with the justice of the righteous faction, ever collude with you?"

At my words, the great figures of the heretical faction simultaneously twisted their faces and cursed.

"That damned bastard."

"I ought to peel off his skin."

"You little righteous faction brat!"

"Do you want to be beaten to death in a single strike?"

The master of Four Emperors Peak chuckled as he answered.

"You lunatic, stop spouting dogshit."

"You are not the Murim Alliance Leader."

"Why would we ever conspire with a mere disciple of the Taeul Sect?"

I turned my head back toward Daoist Myeonghyeon.

"You saw that, did you not?"

"The accusation that I colluded with the heretical faction has now been resolved."

"Then what legitimate reason remains for refusing my admission?"

Daoist Myeonghyeon's face turned bright red.

The elders of the Righteous Path Association could only stare blankly at the great figures of the heretical faction.

I infused even more internal energy into my voice.

I made sure it could be heard not only throughout the training ground but in every corner of the spectator seats.

"In the end... is the true reason simply that a disciple of the Nine Great Sects failed to take first place?"

"Is that truly the reason?"

The greatest driving force behind the Martial Alliance was neither military strength nor political power.

It was justification.

The Martial Alliance was an organization moved by justification.

And I possessed an entire arsenal of the very weapon they loved so much.

Only a fool would refuse to throw such a useful weapon directly into the enemy's face.

And I was no fool.

"If that is truly the case!"

"If not only the Martial Academy but even the Martial Alliance itself has forgotten fairness and impartiality and fallen into becoming an organization concerned only with protecting its own interests!"

Political leaders loved the technique of exploiting an opponent's weakness and tying everyone else into the same condemned group.

As expected, the expressions of the attacked elders turned ugly.

It was now time for the finishing move.

"Then I will not enter the academy according to your wishes."

"No."

"Even if you order me to enter, I will refuse!"

With those words, I threw the admission plaques I had obtained onto the ground.

Each one was worth more than a large house, yet they rolled across the ground like ordinary stones.

At that moment, Namgung Seonhwa, who had been standing behind me, threw the admission plaques in her robe on top of mine.

"If this place is so unfair, then I do not believe there is anything worth learning here."

"I will not enter either."

Clatter.

Compared to mine, the number was pitifully small.

However, the spectator seats erupted into far greater commotion than they had when I acted.

Then Seong Moran, the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers, and even Moyong Jaehwa poured out their plaques.

The checkpoint plaques scattered across the ground now looked as worthless as pebbles along a riverbank.

"You...!"

I looked at Daoist Myeonghyeon's bright red face with a resolute expression.

"I have never once questioned the official martial examination!"

"I never questioned why disciples of righteous sects must fight one another until blood is spilled."

"I never questioned why families must squander their entire fortunes until the pillars of their homes are torn out merely to take this examination!"

The most important part of deception was emotional sympathy.

I pounded my chest as though it would shatter and continued.

"Why?"

"Because I believed all of it was necessary for the peace and stability of the murim world!"

"However!"

"If all of this was nothing more than a spectacle created for your own vanity!"

"If our desperate efforts were merely decorations used to glorify you!"

"Then no matter what honor it offers, I refuse it!"

Throughout history, most students admitted with the highest score had come from the Nine Great Sects.

Occasionally, someone from the Five Great Families took first place, but the Nine Great Sects possessed an overwhelming numerical advantage and traditionally claimed most of the top positions.

However, the small stone I had thrown created a massive ripple across the river.

Even they had always believed there was something strange about the examination.

They had merely lived while accepting it as natural.

"Y-You damned bastard...!"

Perhaps believing he had been insulted, Daoist Myeonghyeon's face turned crimson.

His martial uniform swelled as though he wanted to charge forward and snap my neck at any moment.

I also began quietly raising my internal energy in preparation, just in case.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

"Why did these old men drag their heavy backsides all the way here only to smear filth across their own faces?"

At the voice openly mocking the Elder Hall, Daoist Myeonghyeon and the other elders sharply turned their heads.

The owner of the voice strode casually toward the center, seemingly unconcerned by the elders' fierce gazes.

"Move aside."

"And have you forgotten that you never possessed the authority to determine whether he passed or failed in the first place?"

Daoist Myeonghyeon's eyes widened.

"W-What do you mean?"

"Strategist Jegal, are you saying you intend to defend Jin Sowoon?"

Regardless of what Daoist Myeonghyeon said, the sudden appearance of the uninvited guest caused everyone in the area to tense.

Ignoring everyone around him, the man sat in the academy head's seat, which had already been vacated for him, and gently fanned himself with a folding fan.

"You truly cause trouble wherever you go."

The Chief Strategist of the Martial Alliance.

Jegal Somyeong had arrived.

"You are completely unsuited to life within an organization."

His eyes gleamed coldly.