Chapter 14 :

Chapter 14

Act Three: The Grand Martial Path Entrance Examination (7)

Of course, that did not apply to Yise.

“Then that would be a problem. Do it when you judge that you’re fine.”

He wanted to test himself against him, but he was not stupid enough to overexert himself before an important event.

“Um, excuse me?”

Just then, an unfamiliar, clear voice came from behind them.

The owner of the voice was a girl who appeared to be two or three heads shorter than them.

She was a fair-skinned girl with snow-white hair, golden eyes, and skin like white jade.

“Wow, you’re really pale. Was there always a girl like you here?”

“She was standing beside you when they called the preselected applicants.”

When Hae Unchan spoke in fascination, Yise corrected him.

“Ahaha... Calling me a ‘preselected applicant’ right in front of me, are you? I’m Ryeong of the Seol Clan.”

“You really are tiny. How did you pass the third examination?”

A vein bulged on Seol Ryeong’s forehead, but she forced herself to endure it. This dark-skinned bastard was incredibly rude.

The answer came from Yise.

“She mainly used the Force-Borrowing Art. She kicked a charging man in the groin with all her strength and made him bleed, so she certainly deserved to pass.”

“What? Were you interested in her? Why were you watching her so closely?”

“It was amusing how everyone after that either kept trying to shove a foot between their opponent’s legs whenever they had the chance or fought while protecting their groins, so it stayed in my memory. Of course, I memorized all the successful applicants’ battles as well.”

“All one hundred and twenty of them?”

“I never know whom I might have to fight.”

Seol Ryeong, who had been standing there blankly, interjected with only her eyes smiling.

“Excuse me, would you stop treating me like a wooden doll? The person you’re talking about is standing right here.”

“Sorry. What do you need?”

“It’s nothing much. There’s a team evaluation in two days, and it’s an examination in which teams of four have to capture a demon. Would you let me join your team?”

At Seol Ryeong’s words, Hae Unchan tilted his head and asked,

“You want to be on the same team as us?”

“Yeah. Both of you fought well. I’m hoping to become a shaman, you see. If we have to face a malevolent spirit, I’ll be useful. My eventual goal is to enter the Vermilion Bird Hall and succeed Senior Hong Mihi as a talisman master or ritual-implement artisan! It wouldn’t hurt to be friends with me, would it?”

This time, Yise turned to Hae Unchan and asked,

“Talisman master? Ritual-implement artisan?”

“A painter who draws talismans and a blacksmith who makes ritual implements.”

“You could never become a talisman master.”

“Where did that come from? And I wasn’t planning to become one in the first place.”

Hae Unchan frowned and questioned Yise’s abrupt declaration.

Unable to endure it any longer, Seol Ryeong shouted angrily.

“Did you just look down on the artisan disciplines?”

“...Me? When?”

“For the crime of daring to disparage the Four Great Artisan Disciplines, you’ll have to accept me as a team member. Otherwise, when I enter the Vermilion Bird Hall someday, I’ll tell Hall Master Hong Mihi that you called her senior a painter. She’ll probably divide you into your head, chest, and belly.”

Hae Unchan burst into laughter when she drew a finger across her throat and threatened him with an expression that was not frightening in the slightest.

How could such an adorable little thing be taking this examination?

“What a terrifying threat. But there’s a problem. We haven’t formed a team either. We didn’t even know such an examination existed. Are you going to be on my team?”

“Of course. I don’t mind.”

“Then let’s do that. Seolreong, you can join us if you’re fine with it.”

“It’s Seol Ryeong, all right? Then I’ll start eating beside you from today.”

Seol Ryeong naturally took a seat before even hearing their answer.

She immediately berated the two of them for eating so quickly, only to look appalled when they said they would be getting several more servings.

“Now there’s one more chatterbox.”

Yise let out a faint sigh.

Fortunately, he did not dislike it.

***

There were not many areas in the training institute that applicants for the Grand Martial Path Entrance Examination were permitted to enter.

However, if one walked a short distance from the training institute’s main gate toward the slope, a deserted cliff composed of all manner of strangely shaped rocks would come into view.

The scenery could truly be called magnificent.

The scenery of Azure Mountain was also worthy of admiration, but something else was more important to Yise.

An enormous mass of spiritual energy.

If Azure Mountain had to be summarized in a single phrase, that would be the perfect description.

Like a boiling cauldron, endless spiritual energy rose from every part of the mountain and blanketed the surrounding area.

When he sat quietly in the lotus position and meditated, he could distinctly feel the spiritual energy and demonic energy flowing through his body.

‘How am I supposed to use this power?’

He could sense it, but he did not know how to use it.

He had tried various things, but just as he could not move his internal organs at will, no matter how much he strained himself, all he accomplished was making his abdominal muscles squirm grotesquely.

Still, something had changed.

Yise picked up a fallen, withered tree with one hand and then set it down.

Simply awakening to spiritual energy had transformed his body.

It felt as though he were standing on the boundary between an ordinary human and a superhuman.

His vision had become clearer, his five senses had grown sharper, and the muscles throughout his body had become firmer and more resilient.

‘Once I can properly use spiritual energy, I’ll become even stronger.’

Yise was eager to finish the examinations and begin using this power.

Just then, his five senses detected someone’s presence.

Light footsteps. A short stride. A gentle aura.

Small and female.

“So this is where you were?”

It was Seol Ryeong, who had joined their team yesterday.

“Can’t you two stay together? I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

Yise greeted her with a slight nod.

“A notice was posted on the bulletin board this morning. It says tomorrow’s team examination requires us to form teams of four.”

“What does the examination involve?”

“It doesn’t say. But I told you yesterday, didn’t I? It’s an examination where we capture a demon.”

“Could the contents have changed?”

“The Grand Martial Path examination is an extremely famous tradition in itself. Of course, plenty of applicants still fail even when they know what to expect.”

Seol Ryeong urged Yise onward.

“More importantly, isn’t there anyone you want as our final team member? You keep disappearing, and Hae Unchan said he was leaving the decision to you, so everyone keeps bothering me. I don’t even know how they found out. Honestly.”

As it happened, several applicants had sought her out at the crack of dawn and swaggered around while boasting about how many times they had taken the examination.

In truth, it probably would not matter much who joined them. However, since they did not know the examination’s exact contents, it was difficult to choose anyone in particular.

“Honestly, I don’t particularly care who joins us. But when someone approaches me while putting on airs, it makes me want to choose them even less.”

“You’ll never become a proper Daoist with that attitude. By the way, are you going to keep speaking informally to me? I’m seventeen.”

“Seventeen? Is this your second examination?”

“No! It isn’t! I couldn’t take the examination last year. I had personal circumstances. I couldn’t take it!”

If that was not the case, she could have simply said so. Why did she have to shout?

Yise dug at his aching ear before speaking to Seol Ryeong.

“I don’t particularly care who it is, so if there’s an applicant you want to bring, you can choose.”

“Really? No taking it back!”

She excitedly hurried away from Yise with quick little steps.

Yise watched her go and worried that the girl needed to eat more before resuming his training.

The fourth examination was an optional examination.

As its name suggested, applicants were free to take it or skip it.

No one was eliminated through this examination. Instead, it was meant to identify applicants whose martial prowess was somewhat lacking but who possessed other talents by awarding them additional points.

In that context, Grand Martial Path cultivators had the concept of a “specialization.”

It was a concept that existed only within the Grand Martial Path.

The “Demon Vanguard,” who subdued demons using weapon techniques.

The “Healer,” who practiced medicine and produced medicinal pills and poisons.

The “Shaman,” who excelled in spells and the creation of ritual implements and talismans.

The “Shadow Master,” who specialized in breaching and defending strongholds through tracking techniques, concealment techniques, mechanisms, formations, civil engineering, and Qimen Dunjia.

Hae Unchan had said he would focus on what he was good at and did not even enter the examination.

Yise had no intention of choosing any specialization besides Demon Vanguard, but he wanted to acquire a variety of skills if possible, so he decided to take every examination.

After all, one could never investigate knowledge too deeply.

‘The time limit is the end of today anyway. They said there was no limit on how many categories we could attempt...’

He planned to divide his time effectively and take all three examinations.

His first destination was the Healer examination hall.

The moment he entered, the acrid smell of herbal medicine assaulted his nose.

Two types of pills had been placed at the front of the examination hall, with numerous medicinal ingredients, herbs, and poisonous substances spread out before them.

The examination was simple.

Produce one medicinal pill and one poison pill as similar as possible to the samples provided.

They could use as many ingredients as they wished, but the amount of spiritual herbs and by-products from spiritual objects available to each applicant was limited.

They would have only one opportunity to submit their creations.

Yise picked up the medicinal pill.

Then he asked the examiner,

“May I taste it?”

“No.”

Hiding his disappointment, Yise brought it to the tip of his nose and smelled it.

A great variety of scents had been mixed together.

He could also sense a faint trace of spiritual energy.

A sudden question occurred to Yise, so he asked again,

“Doesn’t the Grand Martial Path refuse to handle medicinal pills made from spiritual objects?”

“We merely refrain from deliberately defying the natural order. We do not go out of our way to prohibit recovering spiritual objects that have reached the natural end of their lives, trading for them to produce medicinal pills, or consuming completed medicinal pills when necessary. However, the Grand Martial Path’s secret cultivation methods are not particularly compatible with medicinal pills themselves.”

“I see.”

He briefly thought the regulations seemed to have been created for their own convenience, but Yise soon changed his mind.

This was an organization he intended to join, so there was no need to view it negatively on purpose.

“Why? Does it seem like a fraudulent cult?”

“I did not have such irreverent thoughts.”

“Would you like to hear something even more irreverent? We engage in plunder as well. We plunder resources from other cultivation sects, clans, and demonic sects and use them for ourselves.”

When Yise scratched his head, the examiner added jokingly,

“Plunder normally corrupts the mind, but it’s fine if the targets are cultivators.”

“May I ask why?”

“Do you think stealing from thieves will cause their resentment to accumulate as karma against us? That is why ordinary mortals must be treated with care, while cultivators should be killed and eradicated whenever encountered. It benefits the world.”

Perhaps the Grand Martial Path had become the immortal-cultivation world’s public enemy for good reason.

Yise stopped entertaining such irreverent thoughts and returned to his examination station.

After making several different products, he submitted the medicinal pill that appeared the most efficacious and the poison pill that practically radiated toxic fumes.

“Six points and seven points. Thirteen points in total.”

Yise exclaimed in admiration when he received a higher score than expected.

Was it because of his greatly heightened sense of smell and his extensive exposure to mountain herbs since childhood?

“May I eat what I made?”

“If you put just anything into your mouth, you may drop dead without warning.”

Yise accepted that explanation and headed toward the next examination hall.

Next was the Shaman examination hall.

The Shaman specialization appeared to be more popular than the Healer specialization, as a considerable number of applicants had gathered there.

He also saw a familiar face.

It was the little snow-white cultivator, Seol Ryeong.

“You’re still taking the examination?”

“I thought I’d practice while I was at it. It’s been a while, so I’m having trouble...”

Sweat beaded across Seol Ryeong’s forehead as she drew a design on a sheet of talisman paper.