Chapter 96

Greenhorn? For a moment, one of Bi Ryu-yeon's sword-like eyebrows twitched lightly. The Vermilion Bird Squad instinctively noticed Bi Ryu-yeon's strange sign. The premonition was not good. Therefore, the Vermilion Bird Squad was not in the mood to answer his question now. They just wanted to shut his mouth.

"You don't need to know. We have no obligation to tell you either. Won't you please leave?"

It was the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad who wanted to get rid of Dan Dae-pung, who was trying to touch a powder keg without knowing any better, as soon as possible.

At their cold reaction, Dan Dae-pung reacted nervously. He was very displeased that the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad had ganged up and treated him coldly. The gaze of the White Tiger Squad, which had been suddenly deprived of the second-in-command position by the Vermilion Bird Squad, was so cold that it was as if cold air were blowing, and whenever they saw them, their mouths tasted bitter regardless of the type of meal that day.

So, it was natural that Dan Dae-pung of the Diancang Sect, who belonged to the White Tiger Squad, would find Bi Ryu-yeon, who was grinning among the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad he had accidentally encountered, displeasing. It could be said that it was all heaven's will that he could not help but feel a surge of anger and shoot a word at him. And so, Dan Dae-pung had finally committed a reckless act. Judging Bi Ryu-yeon as just a trivial greenhorn who was wagging his tail at the Vermilion Bird Squad was something that could proudly take first place among the numerous once-in-a-lifetime(?) mistakes he had committed so far. The advice of his friend, the Soaring Eagle Sword, Gang Hyeon-chu, who was next to him, could not penetrate the protective shield that had been cast over his ears and had returned to naught.

"Hmph, these days, it seems that one's skill rises just with a bowing waist, rubbing palms, and a restlessly moving tongue, right? How ridiculous. It's deplorable that a greenhorn who has just entered this year is not concentrating on his training and has lost his mind to flattery."

Among the words of Dan Dae-pung, which showed a 120% purity of hostility, the words 'first-year greenhorn' and 'flattery' strangely grated on Bi Ryu-yeon's ears. Bi Ryu-yeon's mood was twisted.

Of course, the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad, who knew Dan Dae-pung well, were terrified when they realized that the arrow of his criticism was aimed at their great senior brother, Bi Ryu-yeon. He had touched Bi Ryu-yeon, who had a personality as formidable as their master from their joint training days, without any fear. At Dan Dae-pung's recklessness, the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad inwardly poured out endless curses.

It was fine to poke a beehive and set fire to a powder keg to dig one's own grave, but why did he have to make the sparks fly to them? Couldn't he just quietly take the blame himself?

Bi Ryu-yeon carefully looked at the opponent of his hostile feelings, who had poured out a full of words of criticism at him. What particularly caught his eye was the White Tiger embroidery on the young man's right sleeve. Bi Ryu-yeon had often seen sleeves with a similar kind of embroidery. It was on the sleeves of his disciples. That was clearly the same kind of thing as the Vermilion Bird embroidery on his disciples' sleeves.

But Bi Ryu-yeon's observer-like gaze towards Dan Dae-pung seemed to have hurt his feelings. It seemed he thought he was being glared at. There was not a single thing related to the Vermilion Bird Squad that made him happy.

"Are you daring to glare at a senior's sky-like face now? You arrogant punk!"

The complexions of the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad became even paler. Although they had not known him for long, judging from the personality of their great senior brother, Bi Ryu-yeon, who was like their master divided into two, it seemed that this matter would not end quietly. They were going crazy wondering why that punk had to cause trouble for many people by not recognizing a person and causing trouble. While the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad were unable to do this or that in the face of this huge situation, No Hak quickly stepped forward to resolve the situation.

"Your words are too much. Is that something a man who chases after women's tails should say? I'm very doubtful whether you even have the right to say such a thing."

The tone, which was full of ridicule, immediately triggered Dan Dae-pung's anger. No Hak's words were rather like pouring oil on a burning house.

"Shut up! Don't compare Miss Ice Soul Phoenix, Na Ye-rin, to any other woman. That itself is an insult to her."

Despite being a junior who was a whole year younger, Dan Dae-pung called Na Ye-rin 'her'. Although he could endure everything else (though it was doubtful), he could not endure an insult to her. He was a member of the Ice Phoenix Flower Guard, and also one of the eight guard officers.

"Tsk, are you showing off your power now because you're a member of the Ice Phoenix Flower Guard? How ridiculous."

Among them, the only person who could utter such words about Na Ye-rin was the beggar, No Hak. Because even among the men of the Vermilion Bird Squad, there were ardent followers of Na Ye-rin.

"What did you say?"

He was on the verge of requesting a duel right away. It was a great thing that he had not drawn his sword and called for blood.

"Wait a minute!"

Bi Ryu-yeon, who had been watching the two of them chatting from the side, cut off their conversation and intervened.

"What is it?"

Dan Dae-pung looked at him, not even thinking of hiding his displeasure and revealing it. Bi Ryu-yeon, who had initially not paid attention and had just tried to let it go, changed his mind. It was because the three characters of Na Ye-rin's name had stimulated his ears. Besides, the opponent's skill level was the Six Sword Dragons. It was a timely and suitable opponent.

"What's your name?"

"I don't have a name that is too good to tell a punk like you."

Dan Dae-pung shot a contemptuous gaze at Bi Ryu-yeon's face. Wasn't this the time to use the saying 'asking for a beating'?

"That unlucky punk has a trivial name called Dan Dae-pung."

Dan Dae-pung was puzzled that No Hak was using honorifics to Bi Ryu-yeon, but he soon forgot about it. Bi Ryu-yeon carefully searched the list of challengers written on the hundreds of duel letters that had been sent to him.

As expected. The Diancang Sect's Iron Sword Flying Dragon, Dan Dae-pung, a member of the Ice Phoenix Flower Guard. Of course, Dan Dae-pung's name was on the list of duel applicants. There was not a single member of the Ice Phoenix Flower Guard who had not sent him a duel request. Among them was even an enthusiastic person who had already sent a twelfth duel request. That enthusiasm and diligence should have been praised, but Bi Ryu-yeon's laziness had at once trampled on it and thrown it into the trash can. He had ignored their duel requests for the sole reason that it was troublesome.

But since duels were forbidden by the school rules, he could not be blamed for ignoring the unofficial duel requests. Except for the one legal duel place, the promotion examination hall. But there was also a condition here, and that was the desperate fact that it was only possible if Bi Ryu-yeon applied first.

Dan Dae-pung was decided as a sacrifice for Bi Ryu-yeon's promotion exam for the crime of having run his mouth once.

"I have heard your unique opinion well. I will give you an answer to that soon. Please look forward to the next time."

Bi Ryu-yeon showed his characteristic, unreadable, deep smile.

First, it was the Azure Dragon Squad, and this time, it was a punk from the White Tiger Squad. Bi Ryu-yeon resolved that he would never be surprised even if the Black Tortoise Squad picked a fight with him and loitered in front of him next time. Far from being surprised, he was inwardly determined to show them a better example.

The next day, all the academy students living in the second dormitory, the Saber Soul Hall, could hear the laughter of one person that rang through the building from the morning.

"Uwahahahaha!"

The person who had burst into a mad laugh after receiving a letter was Dan Dae-pung of the White Tiger Squad, whom even Bi Ryu-yeon had met yesterday. That letter had at once blown away the unpleasant incident with the Vermilion Bird Squad that had made Dan Dae-pung's mood uncomfortable yesterday. The letter he was holding was clearly a duel request for anyone to see. However, it was a duel request for a promotion examination that was conducted through a legal procedure, and the applicant was, surprisingly, Bi Ryu-yeon, whom he would not be satisfied with even if he tore him to shreds and ground him up.

"The honor of revenge has finally come to me. If I defeat this punk, my command in the guard will be firmly established, and no one will look down on me. And her gaze will also change a little. Uwahahahahaha!"

It was Dan Dae-pung, who was counting his chickens before they hatched. Without knowing the miserable future that was waiting for him, his mad laughter did not stop until the people in the next room complained about the noise.

'Please look forward to the next time.'

Bi Ryu-yeon's words had become a reality in just one day. Dan Dae-pung had gladly accepted the promotion exam duel request that had suddenly flown in early in the morning. And he had inwardly sharpened the blade of revenge. Now, the opportunity to restore her honor with his own hands had been given. How many people would look at him with envious and admiring eyes? The restoration of her honor was what everyone had hoped and wished for. But at this point, several months after the incident had occurred, the situation had not yet prepared any conclusion.

For Bi Ryu-yeon to participate in the Three Sages Festival, a qualification of the Five Sword Dragons or higher was required. And to acquire the qualification, he had to take a promotion exam. For that, he needed an exam opponent. Since the promotion examination was originally conducted through a duel against a holder of a higher Sword Dragon rank, the existence of an opponent was an indispensable situation.

The rules of the promotion exam were simple. To go up one rank, one had to fight and win against two opponents belonging to that rank, or achieve a draw for more than 300 seconds. In other words, to become a Three Sword Dragon, one had to fight and win against two opponents belonging to the Three Sword Dragons, or achieve a 300-second draw.

It meant that for Bi Ryu-yeon, who had no rank, to go up to the Five Sword Dragons, he needed a large number of more than ten duel opponents. Fortunately, Bi Ryu-yeon was able to save himself the trouble of fighting his way up one rank at a time. Because there was a rule that it was possible to skip ranks in the Sword Dragon rank promotion examination if one had the skill. In other words, it meant that if he had the skill, he could finish it by just finding two opponents. Bi Ryu-yeon did not have to go to the trouble of finding a challenge opponent.

Since the incident at the Unhyangjeong that day, Bi Ryu-yeon's locker had been filled with duel letters and duel slips every day. All he had to do was to select the punks he didn't like(?) from among them and face them in the promotion examination. Since there were so many opponents to choose from, there was no problem in selecting a duel opponent. Rather, there were so many that he was having a headache because he couldn't decide who to choose.

In the midst of that, the one who had fallen out of Bi Ryu-yeon's favor was none other than the Iron Sword Flying Dragon, Dan Dae-pung. He could not just let Dan Dae-pung, who had looked down on him as a greenhorn, go. As soon as he returned to the dormitory, Bi Ryu-yeon sent a promotion duel request to Dan Dae-pung. For a first-year student who belonged to the basic rank of the One Sword Dragon to suddenly skip five steps and challenge a Six Sword Dragon was clearly a reckless act for anyone to see. But Bi Ryu-yeon chose a promotion duel with the Six Sword Dragon, Dan Dae-pung, without a moment's hesitation. The second opponent was the Soaring Eagle Sword, Gang Hyeon-chu, of the Wushan Sect, who had been with him today. In his case, it was a case where an innocent spark had flown to him because he was next to Dan Dae-pung. It was an action worthy of Bi Ryu-yeon, who extremely disliked troublesome things.

In fact, if one were to look into it, the one who had defeated the Seven Sword Dragon, Wi Ji-cheon, in just one day was none other than Bi Ryu-yeon. This could be said to be a matter of course.

As the rumor that Bi Ryu-yeon was facing a promotion examination in preparation for the Three Sages Festival spread, the number of duel slips that had been piling up in his locker doubled. Since the promotion examination hall was being used as a legal duel place, it was a golden opportunity that would not come again for the followers of the Ice Soul Phoenix, Na Ye-rin, who considered Bi Ryu-yeon a thorn in their side, a sworn enemy, or a public enemy of the Murim. Since too many duel slips had piled up, even Bi Ryu-yeon, the person concerned, could not help but be perplexed. Because there were so many applicants that it was difficult to decide who to choose.

After thinking for a moment, he had put off the conclusion for a while, and then he had finally come to a conclusion. His decision was surprisingly simple. At first, he had tried to fight the strongest punk among the challengers. Because that seemed to be the least troublesome. Whether it was because of his lazy nature, Bi Ryu-yeon extremely disliked and pathologically avoided troublesome things.

When he carefully looked at the pile of duel slips, the Seven Sword Dragons or higher were not visible, perhaps because they were paying attention to the progress of the situation, and the maximum was the Six Sword Dragons. But even if it was a Six Sword Dragon, it was by no means a pushover skill. Although the Seven Sword Dragon, Wi Ji-cheon, was not perfect, he had used the Sword Firmness. That alone was a sufficiently amazing skill. In other words, it meant that those belonging to the Six Sword Dragons were not as good as Wi Ji-cheon, but they had a comparable skill. But such a thing was not in Bi Ryu-yeon's consideration.

Although it was a sorry thing for those who had sent the duel slips with all their heart, Bi Ryu-yeon, who had picked two duel opponents by drawing lots with his eyes closed, had arbitrarily set the duel date on the same day and at the same time for the reason that it was troublesome, and was about to go and submit the documents to the examination committee of the Sword Dragon Platform's Dragon Riding Courtyard, which was in charge of the promotion exam. But after he had gone to the trouble of picking them out, only then did a suitable opponent for a duel appear before his eyes. If it weren't for that incident after the poison arts class, the two who had been picked with his eyes closed would have become Bi Ryu-yeon's duel opponents, but not now.

The opponents were, of course, Dan Dae-pung and his party, who belonged to the White Tiger Squad. Now they were to be offered as sacrifices on the altar for Bi Ryu-yeon's promotion. As someone said, reality is cruel and heartless. The duel date was three days from now, around noon.

"Are you really going to be okay?"

Hyo-ryong asked with a worried voice. He was also fed up with Bi Ryu-yeon's recklessness.

"What? Is there something to worry about?"

Bi Ryu-yeon said as if it were someone else's business.

"Do I look like I'm not worried right now? To boast that you will face two masters of the Six Sword Dragons on the same day and at the same time, are you in your right mind?"

"Of course!"

"I really can't believe it. Do you even know what kind of skill a Six Sword Dragon possesses?"

"Well?"

Bi Ryu-yeon was no different from an outsider when it came to the relative evaluation of the Murim.

"He's at the level of a core executive of a sect. That level is the level of a peak master. Do you really know this fact?"

Hyo-ryong said with a fed-up face.

"It's the same for me. I also think your decision this time is a bit reckless. Their skills are truly frightening."

Jang Hong helped Hyo-ryong from the side. Although he had already known that Bi Ryu-yeon was the owner of an extraordinary skill with his insight, this case seemed too reckless.

"Well, I don't know to what extent a core executive of a sect is, but if it's about a Seven Sword Dragon, they can scatter the Sword Firmness."

The complexions of Hyo-ryong, Jang Hong, and Yun Jun-ho were colored with astonishment. They could not understand Bi Ryu-yeon's thought process. They were on the verge of wondering what kind of disease one would have to get to have such big guts.

"Do you think the Sword Firmness is a child's play? And you're still calmly facing the promotion exam even though you know that? Do you know what this means?"

"Worrying is also a destiny. Don't worry. It will be over soon. Don't worry too much about something that's nothing... Why are you guys like this only to me when you guys are also capable of easily handling those punks?"

At Bi Ryu-yeon's words, which he had uttered nonchalantly as if it were nothing, Jang Hong and Hyo-ryong were inwardly startled, but they did not show it. Cold sweat flowed down their cheeks.

"S... surely our skills wouldn't be that much, would they? Haha! You're overestimating us too much. Others would be angry if they heard..."

"Don't waste your mental energy on useless worries, and worry about something else instead."

"What?"

"For example, something like a promotion celebration party. I'm more interested in that. I'm really looking forward to it, you know. Surely you're not thinking of greeting a friend who has come after a difficult exam coldly, are you?"

It was Bi Ryu-yeon, who was speaking so well and slickly in a subtle tone. It seemed that he would not even get his principal back if he dealt with him any more.

"You are really an incorrigible person. I lost. Do your best."

"Of course I will, so don't worry."

Bi Ryu-yeon reassured his friends, but they were not reassured. Since they had not yet encountered Bi Ryu-yeon's true face, their worry was natural.

The Nine Orthodoxies Association, which includes the Sword Soul Society, which is based on the nine great sects, almost all mainly use the orthodox weapons of the sword, the saber, and the spear. Besides, more than 80% of them are swords. It is not an exaggeration to say that almost all of them use swords. Even the Diancang Sect, where the spear art is said to be the best in the Murim, also mainly uses swords on the one hand. It is said that the secret spear art is not carelessly passed down to the disciples. The rest all use swords. On the other hand, the Heroes and Eight Families Association, which is based on the eight great families and various other sects, selects and uses a variety of weapons as much as their numbers. As such, the systems and martial arts are bound to be complex and diverse. Since they all have their pros and cons, one cannot say for sure which one is better or worse.

It was not only the Nine Orthodoxies Association that was after the Seven Absolutes Divine Sword, Moyong Hwi. There was another place that was as thirsty for him as the Nine Orthodoxies Association, and that place was none other than the Nine Orthodoxies Association's sworn enemy and biggest competitor, the Heroes and Eight Families Association. While the Nine Orthodoxies Association had tried to block Moyong Hwi, the Heroes and Eight Families Association was in a situation of actively trying to recruit him. Because it was as clear as day that the Seven Absolutes Divine Sword, Moyong Hwi, would be a huge power in the upcoming Three Sages Festival.

In fact, the Heroes and Eight Families Association had initially thought that since Moyong Hwi was also a child of the Moyong family, one of the powerful four families among the eight great families, he would join the Heroes and Eight Families Association right away without a second thought and without needing to be mindful of others. But when they actually opened the lid, the reality was not that.