Chapter 90

"Hey, Hwi."

Moyong Hwi, the model young man who was still faithfully studying or organizing whenever he saw him, was also diligently pursuing his studies today. Moyong Hwi always maintained an attitude worthy of being a model for other students.

Moyong Hwi, who was diligently reading a book called 'Forty-eight Kinds of Sword Formation Breaking Methods', occasionally drawing diagrams and illustrations on paper, took his eyes off the book and turned them towards Bi Ryu-yeon. As if even that short moment of turning towards Bi Ryu-yeon was a waste, his gaze was stuck to the book and did not come off easily. In Bi Ryu-yeon's hand were several sheets of neatly folded red paper. Among them, there were occasionally white papers, but the colored papers were overwhelmingly more numerous.

After taking his gaze, which had been clinging to the booklet like a piece of taffy, and looking more closely, he could confirm that they were all letters. It was a strange thing to see finely colored red letters.

"What are they?"

"What do you think they are? If you know, you know, if you don't, you don't. They are hot love letters full of burning affection for you. They are still warm, so why don't you open them before they cool down? Others are busy sending love letters to capture the hearts of many women, but for you, it's the other way around, they are flying in on their own initiative. I'm so envious."

Bi Ryu-yeon said with a deep smile. Although he said so, it didn't seem like he was very envious. It was because he knew well how much of a headache Moyong Hwi was having because of that. Moyong Hwi's answer to the love letters, which were imbued with the pink love of the girls, was cold.

"I don't need them."

"Why?"

"I don't need such things. Throw them away."

Moyong Hwi's words were as firm as a knife. The act of having someone else dispose of love letters containing the hearts of others without even reading them was not something anyone could do.

The letters that Bi Ryu-yeon himself received in a pile every day were all duel requests from names he had never heard of, or letters of curses full of insults and hatred. So, he was also annoyed at Moyong Hwi, who was pretending to be cool while receiving a pile of love letters from female students.

"Still, since they are letters sent by others, isn't it polite to read them at least once? Why don't you just read them once?"

Bi Ryu-yeon's words also had a point. There would be nothing more insulting than burning a letter sent by someone else without even looking at it.

"Give them to me."

Reluctantly, Moyong Hwi took the love letters that were still steaming with heat (fortunately for the girls who had sent a large number of love letters). Moyong Hwi was at least a person with manners. The problem was that he only knew the minimum of manners. After tearing open the outer envelopes at once, he glanced at each love letter from left to right as soon as he picked it up and then put it down on one side. It was a short time that did not even take three seconds. Perhaps he had used a speed-reading method to save time. Reading the letters at that speed (although it was doubtful whether he had actually read them), it took less than three minutes to read all thirty-two letters. Bi Ryu-yeon asked Moyong Hwi, who was putting down the last thirty-second love letter. He was also curious.

"Did you really read them all?"

It was a natural question for someone who had been watching from the side.

"Of course."

"That's a really scary speed. It's hard to believe."

"This is called speed-reading. It's nothing special."

That's right. As expected, Moyong Hwi had read the love letters with the text comprehension enhancement ability called speed-reading.

"It may not be anything special, but it's convenient. But it seems that you're annoyed by the women who cling to you. Aren't you?"

What was Bi Ryu-yeon thinking, asking Moyong Hwi such a question?

"That's right."

The answer was sufficient with just the actions that Moyong Hwi had taken so far.

"Shall I make them all fall away? In other words, I'll make the women who interfere with your training stay away from you."

"Are you serious?"

Even Moyong Hwi's ears perked up at Bi Ryu-yeon's proposal.

Oh, what a tragedy! For him to be so desperate to get rid of the women that others couldn't get enough of, it was a sound that drove a nail into the heart of an unpopular man, and a sound of a full stomach in a year of famine.

"Of course, I don't say things that are impossible to realize in the first place."

"The method?"

Bi Ryu-yeon suddenly held out a piece of paper.

"Just sign here."

"What is this?"

"It's a secret weapon to separate you from the persistence of women."

Bi Ryu-yeon said with a triumphant expression.

"What is the content of the paper?"

The content was very suspicious.

"You don't need to know that, just sign here. I promise, there will be absolutely no harm. If you think it's unreasonable, you can just pretend it never happened."

Bi Ryu-yeon deliberately did not show the content of the document.

"Come on, if it's against reason, principle, and rules, you don't have to keep it. So hurry up and sign."

Bi Ryu-yeon urged Moyong Hwi again. Tempted by the words that it was okay not to keep it if it was against reason, principle, justice, and rules, Moyong Hwi finally signed without even checking the content of the document. Unfortunately, although his head might have displayed an extraordinary ability in martial arts training and academic advancement that was second to none, it was extremely lacking in coping with the dark schemes of the Jianghu. With a 'what if' thought, Moyong Hwi wrote a signature that might become a stroke of fate in the blank space of the document without even fully checking the content.

It was none other than the application form for the Young Lady Lovers' Society.

"Can you tell me what this is now?"

Moyong Hwi, who had finished signing, asked again. Only then did Bi Ryu-yeon answer with a meaningful smile.

"Ah, it's the application form for a club called the Young Lady Lovers' Society, which I, Hyo-ryong, Jang Hong, and Jun-ho have joined."

"Young Lady Lovers' Society?"

Moyong Hwi's reaction was blander than expected. It was a name that Moyong Hwi, who had only been studying and training, was hearing for the first time.

"What kind of place is that?"

Moyong Hwi, who was extremely strong in martial arts but knew little about club affairs, did not know at all what kind of place it was, or what kind of debauched group it was.

"Ah, you'll find out about that gradually."

Bi Ryu-yeon vaguely answered his question. Because there was nothing good for Moyong Hwi's personality to know. There was no way that Moyong Hwi, who was a severe patient of mysophobia, would like the Young Lady Lovers' Society, which was treated as a pervert group.

In the Cheonmu Academy, operating expenses were paid to each club every quarter according to the number of members. In other words, the more registered members there were, the more operating expenses they could receive. So, even if Moyong Hwi did not participate in the activities, he had to be registered as a member on paper. This was what was called a so-called ghost member. They were people who made a great contribution to securing the operating budget of the club.

Due to these circumstances, Moyong Hwi, who had been caught in a certain event for the purpose of improving the budget of the Young Lady Lovers' Society and securing funds, had joined the Young Lady Lovers' Society in a daze.

He was already curious to see what kind of change would occur on the faces of the girls who had a crush on him when the rumor spread that Moyong Hwi, who was considered the most handsome talent of the year, had become a member of a place where they chased after women's tails with crude words.

Perhaps it would be quite a sight...

Dozens of days had passed since the bet with the Sun-Hiding Shadowless, Chu Il-tae. In the meantime, Bi Ryu-yeon had no choice but to spend his days quietly attending classes with Jang Hong and Hyo-ryong. It was a continuous series of peaceful and boring daily life without any particular incident.

The poor Yun Jun-ho was called by Yeomdo every day after school and received some kind of special training, but he would often return late at night, half-dead or almost dead. Although Hyo-ryong and Jang Hong looked at him with pity, they could not find any other way to help him, so they just encouraged him with words. As the days went by, he seemed to be getting more and more haggard, which was pitiful. Bi Ryu-yeon, who was the starting point and the culprit of all the incidents, feigned ignorance and looked away.

Today was a day when various classes were overlapping. Bi Ryu-yeon, who was preparing for various classes, suddenly looked at Moyong Hwi. As usual, Moyong Hwi, who had woken up at the crack of dawn and had completely cleaned the living space, was sitting quietly at his desk and was engrossed in preparing for the lectures he would have today. Moyong Hwi's passion for learning and martial arts was so great that Bi Ryu-yeon, who was watching from the side, was fed up. Among the many courses he was taking, there was not a single one that Moyong Hwi neglected. As much as the effort he poured in, his achievement was excellent. So, Moyong Hwi was always praised by every Old Master.

There is nothing more frightening than a genius who is also diligent. The exact opposite of such a perfect model student, Moyong Hwi, was Bi Ryu-yeon. These days, he was not showing any particular interest other than sound arts, so he was diligently troubling the various Old Masters. There was no way the gazes of the Old Masters, who looked at him who was engrossed in sleeping at any time, would be favorable.

One day, such a thing happened during class. At that time, the class was a lecture on swordsmanship, and it was a lecture on the importance of eye techniques in learning swordsmanship. The Old Master in charge was a renowned swordsman of the Murim, and the Mount Hua Flying Heavenly Eagle, Old Master Mun Il-gi, whom Yun Jun-ho considered an honor just to be taught by.

"In swordsmanship, eye techniques are 40%, and the remaining footwork and sword forms are 30% each. This is a statement that emphasizes that eye techniques are more important than anything else in swordsmanship, and this principle applies equally to all other martial arts. If you don't have the ability to read the opponent's movements, all that's left is only defeat."

As befitting a peak swordsman, his teachings were made up of only correct words, but it seemed that they could not arouse Bi Ryu-yeon's interest.

Old Master Mun's lecture continued.

"In a fight with an enemy, the most important thing is to secure one's field of vision. Because if you miss the enemy's movements, it will directly lead to my defeat. You!"

"Yes? Me?"

The person he had pointed at was none other than Bi Ryu-yeon. From the beginning of the sword theory lecture, his bangs, which were swaying and coming down to his eyes, had been an eyesore to him. It was an unacceptable thing for a swordsman.

"Yes, you. Everyone, look carefully. That is one of the worst examples of not securing one's own field of vision and making it even worse."

As he felt all the gazes of the disciples focused on him, he felt somehow embarrassed.

In fact, Bi Ryu-yeon's bangs were long and came down to his eyes, severely obstructing his field of vision. But Bi Ryu-yeon had never felt any particular inconvenience so far.

"Don't you have any intention of correcting your mistake right away? If you continue in that state, there is no guarantee when you will lose your life under someone's blade."

But even at Old Master Mun Il-gi's advice, Bi Ryu-yeon was calm.

"It's alright. I don't feel like it yet. In fact... I haven't met an opponent yet who would be hindered by my hair."

The Mount Hua Flying Heavenly Eagle, Mun Il-gi's mouth dropped open. Depending on how one heard it, it was an extremely arrogant statement. There was no way the renowned Mun Il-gi would stand still at that arrogance. Guiding a disciple's arrogance and insolence was also one of the duties of a teacher.

"You are really arrogant and insolent. Do you think you can learn the sword with such a spirit?"

A stern reprimand fell on Bi Ryu-yeon.

"Excuse me... I'm not a person who learns the sword, am I? And I don't have any particular intention of learning it in the future. It's better to be perfect in one thing than to learn various things, isn't it?"

For Mun Il-gi, who was listening, it was a dumbfounding thing. It was a relief that he had not fallen into a state of qi deviation due to the surging anger.

"You are really confident. Does the world seem so easy to you? Don't you know the saying that there are as many strange and extraordinary people in this world as there are grains of sand on the beach?"

"That's for that time. If I meet such an enemy, I'll tidy up my hair."

Bi Ryu-yeon said nonchalantly.

"Before that, your head will be cut off by the opponent's sword. And yet you won't change your mind?"

"Yes. Besides, my master told me to cover my eyes with my hair because an accident might happen."

At Bi Ryu-yeon's absurd words, Mun Il-gi showed a displeased expression.

"Cover your eyes with your hair? To cover the eyes, the most important body organ in learning martial arts and facing an enemy, to deliberately reduce the field of vision?"

Although he was on the side of having lived in the world for a long time, it was the first time he had heard a strange story of a sect that deliberately covered the eyes with hair to reduce the field of vision.

"To be precise, it's the pupils. He told me to just cover them if possible. My master also doesn't want to see them. He says it feels strange..."

'Come to think of it, he told me never to show them, especially in front of a woman, right? He said all the women would run away!'

Since it was the strict order of the master who had passed down his mantle, Mun Il-gi had no other choice. And it was not something he could confirm the truth of... He just cursed inwardly that it was a really strange, worthy of being cursed, tradition.

"Are you really saying that the hair that comes down to your eyes is not a hindrance?"

"Yes, of course."

"May I test it?"

"Of course."

Bi Ryu-yeon answered confidently.

"Then you'll be able to guess this too."

As soon as Mun Il-gi's words fell, a dazzling red sword flower was emitted from his scabbard like a fantasy, confusing Bi Ryu-yeon's vision. A part of the Whirling Wind Dancing Willow Sword, one of the two orthodox sword ultimate techniques of the Mount Hua Sect, was executed. It was an unannounced move.

Bi Ryu-yeon slightly pulled his head back. Because he had read the sign that he was trying to remove his bangs. It was clear that Old Master Mun had decided to cut off his bangs, pretending it was an accident.

As the sword ki that had been manifested did not achieve any result because Bi Ryu-yeon had slightly pulled his head back, Old Master Mun's complexion changed slightly. Because he had not expected that he would read that subtle difference.

As the sword ki that had been drawn in front of Bi Ryu-yeon's eyes soon subsided, the arena became as quiet as a lie.

"Can you tell how many changes there were?"

Old Master Mun asked, hiding his hardened complexion. It was a kind of test to see if he could guess the changes that had been emitted from his sword ki if he was that confident.

"There were forty-eight."

Bi Ryu-yeon said as if it were nothing.

"Among them, twelve were real forms, and the remaining thirty-six were false forms. This time, you reduced the real forms to increase the changes."

"Th... that's right."

How could this be! The mental shock of Mun Il-gi, who had not known that his sword ki would be seen through by a first-year greenhorn, was enormous. As things had come to this, Mun Il-gi had nothing to say.

"Ahem, do as you please. Everyone, in this case, most people will hit the ground and wail and regret their mistakes later. Please keep that in mind."

There was a bone in the words of the Mount Hua Flying Heavenly Eagle, Old Master Mun Il-gi. As if he did not want to reveal his agitation any more, Old Master Mun Il-gi hurriedly resumed the class.

"Ahem, let's continue, the eyes are closely related to speed and time. Because they have a very close relationship with the relative sense of speed. In other words, if the eye power develops, one will acquire a faster speed and more time than the opponent. If you can read and grasp the opponent's speed with your eyes, isn't that a faster speed that suppresses the opponent's speed? In a fight, speed is relative, not absolute, so it can always change according to the opponent and the environment at any time. That's why all martial arts secret manuals consistently emphasize the importance of eye techniques."

The dry class of Old Master Mun Il-gi, who was bursting with anger inwardly whenever he glanced at Bi Ryu-yeon, continued like this.

Since this had happened not just once, but several times, there was no way the gazes of the Old Masters looking at Bi Ryu-yeon would be favorable. But Bi Ryu-yeon still did not care about the gazes of those around him. The only thing he was concerned about these days was the matter of fulfilling his promise with Na Ye-rin.

To fulfill his promise with the Ice Soul Phoenix, Na Ye-rin, he first had to know various conditions and qualifications. He couldn't win the Three Sages Festival without knowing anything, could he?

Fortunately, there were many people in the Young Lady Lovers' Society who knew about that area, so it was easy to ask. In particular, Jin Seong-gon and Im Seong-jin did not spare any detailed explanations.

First, not just anyone could participate in the Three Sages Festival. Because there was a strict participation condition that one had to have received at least the rank of the Five Sword Dragons to participate in the Three Sages Festival. Below that, even if they participated, it would only make things more complicated, increase the number of injured people, and increase the amount of miscellaneous work, so the qualification limit was strictly set at the Five Sword Dragons or higher. It meant not to rush in recklessly and get hurt.

So, it was a story that participation in the Three Sages Festival was absolutely impossible unless the acquisition of the Sword Dragon rank was preceded. Since there were almost no people among the first-year students who acquired the Five Sword Dragons or higher at once, it was a situation where the participation of the first-year students was actually being rejected. The academy side still considered them to be immature. But there are always exceptions.

Despite these rules, there was a person who was dreaming of participating in the Three Sages Festival, even though he was a first-year student. A person who thought that he could acquire something like the Five Sword Dragons at once, his name was none other than Bi Ryu-yeon. He was a person who was equipped with enough skill, ability, and potential for that. More than anything else, to keep his promise, the acquisition of the Sword Dragon rank had to be prioritized. It was the first step in fulfilling his promise.

Then how was the promotion exam conducted? Surprisingly, the method and procedure were simple. The current promotion duel applicant just had to have a duel with a person of a higher rank than himself and win. Of course, since there was always an evaluator on standby at the promotion examination hall, it was safe to say that there was no possibility of the exam being conducted illegally. This system was also a practical duel opportunity for the superiors, so it was a method that could achieve a double effect with the evaluation of the subordinate's ability.

But it seemed that Bi Ryu-yeon was not the only one who needed the Sword Dragon rank.