Chapter 9 :

Chapter 9

Act Three: The Grand Martial Path Entrance Examination (2)

As the applicants stood before the main gate, bewilderment appeared on their faces.

Taken literally, the task was far too simple to be considered an examination.

They merely had to pass through the main gate.

It appeared to possess no means of distinguishing between the applicants and seemed far easier than the rumors had suggested.

However, the atmosphere changed the moment they noticed the demon crouching in the middle of the gateway.

A demon.

Its skin was ashen, its arms were long, and its neck was unnaturally elongated.

Its eyes were closed, but the corners of its mouth appeared to be slightly raised.

There were no sacred ropes, barriers, or chains around it.

It was not a restrained demon.

It was simply sitting there.

The applicants would have to pass close beside the demon while crossing the relatively narrow gateway.

If it attacked them, even by the slightest chance, they would have to surrender their lives.

The applicants realized the purpose of this test.

It tested courage, one of the four qualifications of knowledge, martial prowess, courage, and righteousness.

They had to overcome the pressure exerted by a demon that might attack them at any moment and possess the courage to continue walking.

“But this still seems too easy.”

No matter how unfamiliar and frightening demons were, if they knew it would not attack them, how difficult could it be merely to walk past it?

Yise tilted his head.

The first applicant appeared to share that thought.

“What? This is nothing,” he muttered in a voice containing both nervousness and bravado before walking forward.

However, he managed only three steps.

His legs immediately began trembling, and he collapsed to the ground.

He could not rise again.

“Failed.”

Chief Examiner Kang Yitae’s decisive voice rang out, and the examiners dragged the applicant away.

A second applicant stepped forward, followed by a third and a fourth.

Countless applicants attempted the test, but most collapsed before taking more than three to five steps.

Whenever an applicant sat down, stopped walking, or hesitated, the Chief Examiner did not wait long before immediately declaring their failure.

“Hae Unchan.”

A familiar name was called.

Yise heard murmurs from the surrounding applicants.

“So that’s the direct heir of the Hae Clan.”

“The one considered the leading candidate for the highest score this year...?”

The Hae Clan?

Since they called it a clan, Hae Unchan was probably the son of some noble family.

Yise knew nothing about the clans of the continent, so he simply watched without attaching much importance to it.

Hae Unchan strode forward boldly but faltered on his third step.

He tightly clenched his fists and forced himself to continue.

With every step, cold sweat poured from his body, while blood dripped from his tightly clenched hands.

At last, the first applicant successfully passed through the main gate.

“Passed.”

Kang Yitae’s brief declaration was followed by quiet exclamations from the applicants.

Afterward, the occasional successful applicant emerged among the many failures.

“Next, Yise.”

When his name was called, Yise quietly steadied his breathing.

As he walked toward the gate, he carefully assessed the sensations throughout his body.

“This is strange.”

Yise narrowed his eyes as he studied the demon’s appearance.

He could not identify it.

He had memorized all several hundred species of demons recorded within Spirit-Guarding Temple’s library.

That made an unfamiliar demon stand out even more clearly.

“A demon that wasn’t recorded in the library.”

Spirit-Guarding Temple’s library might have lacked information in other fields, but its knowledge of demons was virtually limitless.

That was thanks to Mong Ryeon’s three hundred years of demon hunting.

Yet Yise still could not identify it.

Judging by the intensity of its demonic energy, it seemed slightly stronger than the Crying-Infant Dragon Steed and was probably around the late Energy Refinement Realm.

Yise dismissed his thoughts and took his third step.

The air changed.

Dense murderous intent descended upon his entire body as though it would instantly slit his throat and tear apart his organs.

He would die.

Take one more step, and you will certainly die.

It was as though someone were screaming those words directly into his ear.

“How can this be the demonic energy of the Energy Refinement Realm?”

The difference between the demonic energy it contained and the murderous intent he sensed was far too great.

The pressure felt as though it came from a being in a much higher realm.

His body reacted instinctively.

Without realizing it, his hand moved toward his waist.

He gripped the handle of the small axe that had rested comfortably in his hand for many years.

An examiner’s voice rang out.

“Attacking the demon will result in disqualification.”

Unable to bring himself to release the small axe, Yise took another step.

The fourth step.

The pressure intensified, constricting his chest and making it difficult to breathe.

The fifth step.

A biting chill traveled from the back of his head to his waist, and the muscles in his shoulders stiffened with a prickling sensation.

At that moment, the demonic energy inside his body twitched and surged.

“So I wasn’t mistaken.”

It had entered him on the day he purified the Crying-Infant Dragon Steed.

The demonic energy that remained inside him had continued to ache and writhe.

Now that unpleasant sensation had become distinct once again.

“Stay still.”

Yise spoke inwardly and scraped his palm against the blade of his small axe.

Fresh blood slowly flowed from the wound.

After closing his hand around the clotting blood, Yise continued forward.

“This false murderous intent is nothing but a child’s game compared to standing before a real demon intent on killing me.”

He began moving quickly, almost at a brisk march.

No previous applicant had displayed such speed.

At last, Yise passed through the main gate.

“Passed.”

Chief Examiner Kang Yitae’s brief declaration reached him.

At the same time, the murderous intent that had carved at his entire body like blades disappeared.

Yise noticed a boy inside waving at him.

“I knew you’d make it.”

Hae Unchan approached excitedly, behaving as though he had been the one to pass again.

“What was that sprint at the end? Wow, I could barely take one step at a time.”

“I’ve simply experienced a similar situation before.”

“...?”

Hae Unchan tilted his head as though wondering what Yise meant, but Yise merely shrugged.

If he said that he had hunted a low-ranking demon at ten and taken the head of a mid-ranking demon only a few days ago, Hae Unchan would assume he was boasting.

***

Because there were more than a thousand applicants, the examination continued until sunset.

By the time the sun began sinking beneath the horizon, the first test had ended, leaving fewer than two hundred applicants.

Considering their original number, nearly ninety percent had been eliminated.

Kang Yitae stepped before the disorderly rows of remaining applicants and looked them over.

“One hundred and sixty-nine. There were many applicants this year, so there are also many successful candidates. Welcome, all of you who passed the first test.”

As he spoke, a bird circling in the air flew down and perched upon Kang Yitae’s shoulder.

The demon that had guarded the main gate changed its form and stood beside him.

Yise immediately identified both creatures.

One was a gigantic white-feathered bird known as the Hakjo.

The other was the Haechi, a horned beast that resembled both a lion and a cloud.

They were the two divine beasts that symbolized the Grand Martial Path and had helped establish the organization as it existed today.

The demon from the first test had actually been the transformed Haechi.

While the applicants stared open-mouthed at the divine beasts and their imposing presences, Kang Yitae continued his explanation.

“The examination will consist of one test per day over seven days. As you all know, disciples are selected according to four qualifications: knowledge, martial prowess, courage, and righteousness.”

Since these criteria were famous, all the applicants nodded.

“The first test confirmed that you possess the courage not to retreat before a demon. Prove the remaining qualities through the six tests that follow.”

Kang Yitae looked over the applicants one by one before emphasizing his next words in a solemn voice.

“I will now give you several warnings.”

He slowly paced from side to side, lightly tapping the staff in his hand against his palm.

“If any of you value your lives and came to the Grand Martial Path seeking immortality, turn around immediately. Get lost and crawl into a den of pill addicts, or chant scriptures with those cowardly Daoist frauds.”

Yise blinked because he did not understand Kang Yitae’s words.

Hae Unchan nudged him in the side and whispered.

“He’s mocking the major cultivation sects of the Jeong Empire.”

“Cultivation sects other than the Grand Martial Path?”

“Yeah. The Jeong Empire has two enormous cultivation sects called the Jedan Sect and Kunlun. The Jedan Sect hunts spirit beasts and gathers spiritual objects to create elixirs. They forcefully raise their cultivation that way, which is why he calls them pill addicts.”

“What about Kunlun?”

“They study swordsmanship but shut themselves away in the mountains, trying to become immortals through nothing but meditation and enlightenment. That’s why we call them fraudulent Daoist priests.”

“It sounds as though the sects don’t get along.”

“That’s putting it mildly. If you ever travel to the Jeong Empire, guard your life carefully. They call us demon butchers. Hahaha! Cultivators seek longer lives and immortality, yet we supposedly don’t understand how to value our own lives.”

“That is enough conversation.”

Despite their extremely quiet whispers, Kang Yitae noticed them with seemingly supernatural hearing and glared sharply.

“We apologize.”

Hae Unchan and Yise straightened their postures after answering.

“We do not cling to our lives. Making demon extermination one’s calling is itself righteousness and a cultivator’s heavenly mandate. Do not recklessly hunt spirit beasts. Do not recklessly damage spiritual objects. Everyone who follows a path different from ours is our enemy.”

Did that mean the Grand Martial Path never consumed elixirs?

Would Yise have to vomit out the elixir he had already taken?

He had read that elixirs became necessary at certain cultivation realms, so he could not help wondering.

“Answer me.”

“Yes!”

Their answer rang out like thunder.

The examiners then began distributing robes and books.

“That book explains the fundamentals every disciple of the Grand Martial Path must learn. There will be a written examination on the final day, so study it whenever you have spare time.”

Some applicants frowned at the mention of a written examination, but most realized it was intended to prove their knowledge.

The words “Grand Martial Path Basic Handbook” were written on the cover of the fairly thick book.

“Finally, anyone who fights privately or injures another examinee will be eliminated. If someone angers you enough to make you want to kill them, request an official martial duel through me. The loser will be removed from the examination. That is all. Questions?”

When no one else asked anything, Yise raised his hand.

The most important matter had not been explained.

“When are the mealtimes? Is food served freely?”

Every examinee nearby immediately turned to look at Yise.

“...Is that important?”

“Yes.”

Yise’s expression suggested that the answer should have been obvious.

Kang Yitae’s brow twitched.

This year’s group seemed to contain an unusual number of conspicuous individuals.

“A bell will ring at every mealtime. I don’t know how the food is distributed.”

How could he not know?

Did cultivators not eat?

Yise had countless questions, but he decided to ask only the most important one.

“Will there be enough food to support our growth?”

“...Does this look like a sect so poor that it must ration food? Next.”

After Yise opened the questioning, the other applicants began asking their own questions one by one.

Kang Yitae answered them briefly.

When the bell announcing the meal rang, he raised his palm and stopped the questions.

“That will be all for today. Since one of you appears exceptionally serious about eating, go and have your meal first. Afterward, wait in the waiting hall, and we will assign you temporary quarters.”

After finishing his meal and returning to the waiting hall, Yise quickly skimmed through the handbook.

He then addressed Hae Unchan, who had been clinging to him like a leech for some time.

“Hae Unchan.”

“Yeah?”

“Could you tell me more about the cultivation sects on the continent that you mentioned earlier?”

“Of course. What do you want to know?”

“Just the general situation. You said the Jeong Empire has two other cultivation sects. Aren’t there any other cultivation sects in the Three Kingdoms of the Peninsula?”

Hae Unchan was briefly surprised by such a basic question from someone aspiring to immortal cultivation.

Then he remembered that some applicants came to take the examination after spending their lives secluded in the mountains, so he accepted it and continued.

“There are some. Most are secular branches of the Grand Martial Path or so small that calling them cultivation sects would be embarrassing.”

“But there are three countries on the peninsula. Why is that?”

“The Three Kingdoms of the Peninsula are the Grand Martial Path’s territory. Think about it. Cultivators value their lives above all else. Their greatest goal is to live as long as possible while remaining young, regardless of the methods required. Most cultivators place immense importance on elixirs and fortuitous encounters. Why would they covet a region overflowing with bloodthirsty demon butchers who don’t know how to value their lives?”

“.......”

“Some still cross into our territory. They fall into exactly two categories: fools who die young and people confident in their abilities.”