Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Namgung Geom unleashed his movement art, and his body soared into the air.

In a single bound, he vaulted over the heads of the children blocking his path.

Their eyes went wide at his movement, as though he were riding the wind itself.

"The Celestial Wind Movement Art!!"

The children recognized Namgung Geom's movement art at a glance.

The Celestial Wind Movement Art.

An advanced movement art of the Namgung Family, possessing storm-like speed and unpredictable variations.

Over the past month, Namgung Geom had studied the Namgung Family's martial arts, and the Celestial Wind Movement Art was among them.

The children were thrown off when Namgung Geom executed the Celestial Wind Movement Art.

It had been barely a month since Namgung Geom began cultivating martial arts.

And yet, the Celestial Wind Movement Art.

His level of achievement even looked considerable.

Judging by his movement art alone, it seemed as though he had been training for years.

While the children stood stunned, Namgung Geom shot straight ahead.

His body streaked forward like the wind, opening a gap between them in an instant.

"We can't let him get away!"

"After him!"

The children who had blocked his path snapped to their senses and gave chase.

But Namgung Geom was already far ahead.

On top of that, their movement arts were far inferior to his.

Catching Namgung Geom was impossible for them.

But the interference was not yet over.

No sooner had he shaken them off than another group of children cut in front of Namgung Geom.

'My uncles certainly came prepared.'

Their movements were agile and coordinated, and they appeared more skilled than the last group.

But to Namgung Geom, it was six of one, half a dozen of the other.

Namgung Geom shook off their interference with ease once again, using the Celestial Wind Movement Art.

His Celestial Wind Movement Art had already reached a considerable level.

The Celestial Wind Movement Art was virtually identical to the Snow Wind Movement Art of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.

Thanks to that, he had been able to progress faster than with any other martial art.

Children who had barely set foot in the second-rate level had no hope of keeping up.

"What?! How?!"

"How is that even possible?"

The children were stunned speechless by Namgung Geom's Celestial Wind Movement Art.

But they were already beneath his notice.

Namgung Geom did not stop his movement art.

He overtook the children ahead of him and rapidly pushed into the lead group.

The lead group was largely composed of children from the main family.

Among them, the three Namgung Geom had been watching were at the very front.

The children in the lead group showed no signs of trying to obstruct him.

They possessed the skill to enter the Azure Dragon Pavilion.

If they interfered with Namgung Geom and ended up disqualified, they stood to lose far more than they gained.

There was virtually no chance they would take that risk.

That was why his uncles had probably never even attempted to recruit them in the first place.

The children who lacked the skill to enter the Azure Dragon Pavilion on their own were a different story.

They had nothing to lose, so with the promise of a reward, they had every reason to risk disqualification and interfere with Namgung Geom.

But he had already left all of them behind.

There was no one left to get in Namgung Geom's way.

Namgung Geom trailed behind the lead group and conserved his energy.

Then, when he reached the mid-slope, he increased his speed.

With the Celestial Wind Movement Art in full swing, his speed was incomparable to the other children.

In an instant, he overtook the lead group and closed in right behind the three at the very front.

The three running in the lead, as if by prior agreement, blocked the space ahead to prevent Namgung Geom from passing.

This was not an attempt to sabotage him—it was a move to hold on to their lead.

"As if that's going to stop me."

Namgung Geom scoffed and pushed the Celestial Wind Movement Art to its maximum.

In that moment, a fierce wind rose in Namgung Geom's wake.

At a certain level of mastery, the Celestial Wind Movement Art generates wind.

And by riding that wind, one could boost one's speed further.

But Namgung Geom's Celestial Wind Movement Art was a little different.

The wind generated by his movement art carried a biting cold.

That was a capability of the Snow Wind Movement Art from his previous life—anyone touched by the snow gale would have their body frozen.

Namgung Geom had added the secrets of the Snow Wind Movement Art to the Celestial Wind Movement Art.

The moment Namgung Geom summoned the celestial wind, the surrounding air froze solid.

Riding the frigid celestial wind, Namgung Geom's body leapt over the three in the lead.

"That bastard—!"

The three startled and accelerated their movement arts.

At that moment, the frigid celestial wind Namgung Geom had conjured crashed over them.

Their bodies, struck by the frigid celestial wind, froze momentarily.

Their senses and movements slowed.

"Wh-what is this?!"

Their movement arts faltered in shock.

Namgung Geom used that opening to rapidly widen the gap.

They quickly circulated their inner arts and drove out the cold.

Then they chased after Namgung Geom with everything they had.

But their speed was not enough to catch him.

"This is insane! How is he that fast?"

"And he's supposedly only been training for a month?"

They could only shake their heads at Namgung Geom's speed.

And they gave up trying to catch him.

Pushing themselves recklessly to keep up would only waste their stamina.

Before long, Namgung Geom vanished from their sight.

Namgung Chang and the other two clenched their teeth.

'Reaching the summit first doesn't mean it's over.'

'I'll be the one who finds the Azure Dragon Banner first.'

They burned with competitive fire, vowing to find a banner and descend before Namgung Geom.

Having left them behind, Namgung Geom headed straight for the summit of Celestial Sword Peak.

The distance from the Azure Dragon Pavilion's training grounds to the summit of Celestial Sword Peak was a two-hour journey.

Using the Celestial Wind Movement Art, Namgung Geom reached the summit in just one hour.

The instructor waiting at the summit was stunned.

'He made it up this fast?'

It was a speed that required at least first-rate mastery.

'Could the Eldest Young Lord truly be at the first-rate level?'

But considering Namgung Geom's age, it was an absurd thought.

"Are you not going to give me the summit token?"

At Namgung Geom's words, the instructor hastily handed over the summit token.

"Here you are."

The summit token was proof of having reached the summit of Celestial Sword Peak, numbered in the order of arrival.

After receiving the token, Namgung Geom immediately set out to find an Azure Dragon Banner.

The Azure Dragon Banners were hidden throughout Celestial Sword Peak.

To find one, one had to detect the energy imbued within it.

That might be difficult for other children, but not for Namgung Geom.

Thanks to the mastery and enlightenment of his previous life, his qi sense was sharp, and reading the energy of an Azure Dragon Banner was not the least bit difficult.

Sure enough.

Namgung Geom found an Azure Dragon Banner without trouble.

And he immediately headed back down Celestial Sword Peak.

The children in the lead group had not even reached the summit yet.

The three in the lead saw Namgung Geom descending with an Azure Dragon Banner in hand and stared wide-eyed.

"What? He's already found a banner and is heading down?!"

Namgung Chang stared at Namgung Geom in disbelief.

"He's the eldest grandson, so he probably got fed some rare elixir."

Namgung Cheol-ung sneered, as if refusing to accept it.

"Just taking elixirs doesn't make someone that skilled."

Namgung Cheon-sang said with a shake of his head.

Namgung Cheol-ung glared at him.

Namgung Cheon-sang brushed off Namgung Cheol-ung's gaze and launched himself forward.

"Where do you think you're going first?!"

Namgung Cheol-ung immediately gave chase.

Namgung Chang took off as well.

First place had been stolen by Namgung Geom, but second place would not go to anyone else.

Meanwhile, the children climbing from below also saw Namgung Geom descending with an Azure Dragon Banner and were stunned.

The expressions on the children who had been tasked with obstructing Namgung Geom were especially priceless.

Before they could even attempt anything, Namgung Geom had found a banner and was leisurely making his way down the mountain.

'We're finished.'

Seeing their dumbfounded faces, Namgung Geom gave the Azure Dragon Banner a deliberate wave for their benefit.

Then he headed straight down Celestial Sword Peak and arrived safely at the Azure Dragon Pavilion's training grounds.

It was the fastest time since the Azure Dragon Pavilion was established.

***

The first round of the Azure Dragon Pavilion's examination came to an end.

Sixty-four candidates passed the first round.

Over a hundred and fifty had been eliminated.

The talk of the first round was, without question, Namgung Geom.

He had taken first place with the best record in history.

And the news spread quickly throughout the family.

Namgung Geom's second uncle, Namgung Byeok, the master of the Celestial Thunder Hall, also received the news.

For reference, the Namgung Family's organizational structure consisted of the Six Bureaus, which handled administration, and the Three Halls Four Pavilions, which handled military affairs.

Namgung Geom's uncles were the Hall Masters of the Three Halls, with the core military force of the Three Great Sword Corps under their command.

"It seems Geom-i has truly overcome the Nine Yang Severed Meridians."

Namgung Byeok spoke with a complicated expression.

That his nephew had overcome the Nine Yang Severed Meridians was cause for celebration.

But Namgung Geom distinguishing himself was the problem.

Namgung Geom was the eldest grandson of the Namgung Family.

He could shake up the Young Lord competition at any time.

"What is truly remarkable is that with merely a month of training, he took first place in the Azure Dragon Pavilion's first round."

At the words of Namgung Hak, the Chief Steward of the Celestial Thunder Hall, Namgung Byeok nodded.

The Azure Dragon Pavilion's entrance examination was by no means simple.

In truth, Namgung Byeok had expected Namgung Geom to fail the first round.

And yet, an overwhelming first place.

Even having overcome the Nine Yang Severed Meridians, a single month of training should not have been nearly enough.

No matter how exceptional Namgung Geom's talent might be.

"As I mentioned before, it is certain that the Family Head cured the Eldest Young Lord's Nine Yang Severed Meridians and elevated his mastery."

Namgung Byeok nodded.

"At the time, I dismissed the possibility, but now it does seem likely."

There was no other explanation.

"What matters is the Family Head's intent."

"And what do you think Father's intent is?"

Namgung Byeok asked.

"I believe the Family Head may have the Eldest Young Lord in mind as the Young Lord of the Namgung Family."

Namgung Byeok's brow furrowed at Namgung Hak's answer.

Namgung Pae had still not appointed a Young Lord for the Namgung Family.

In that context, aiding Namgung Geom's growth was no trivial matter.

The possibility that Namgung Pae had marked Namgung Geom for Young Lord, as Namgung Hak suggested, could not be ruled out.

In truth, Namgung Geom himself was not the problem.

No matter how impressive Namgung Geom might be, he was no match for Namgung Byeok or his brothers.

But if Namgung Pae, the Family Head, made up his mind to throw his full support behind Namgung Geom, that changed everything.

Namgung Byeok had no intention of ceding the Young Lord's seat to Namgung Geom.

That said, competing for the seat against a young nephew was not to his taste either.

"Then what would you suggest?"

When Namgung Byeok asked for a countermeasure, Namgung Hak wore a troubled expression.

"The best outcome would be for the Eldest Young Lord to fail the entrance examination, but now that he has passed the first round, it will be difficult to intervene."

The second round of the Azure Dragon Pavilion's examination was a sparring tournament.

Unlike the first round, there were far fewer ways to pull strings.

One option was to manipulate the bracket and pit a strong opponent against Namgung Geom.

But since the bracket draw was conducted in front of everyone, manipulation was effectively impossible.

"And if we were to intervene regardless?"

"We would have no choice but to ensure the Eldest Young Lord cannot take the second round at all."

Namgung Byeok shook his head.

"Taking direct action against Geom-i within the family estate is too dangerous."

Within the family estate, there was no escaping Namgung Pae's eyes.

If they were caught trying to knock Namgung Geom out of the Azure Dragon Pavilion, they could fall out of Namgung Pae's favor.

"Then we have no choice but to leave it to luck."

"Luck?"

"We can only hope a strong opponent lands in the Eldest Young Lord's bracket."

Namgung Byeok's brow furrowed.

Relying on bracket luck did not sit well with him.

But for now, there was no other recourse.

***

The next day.

The sixty-four candidates who had passed the first round gathered at the Azure Dragon Pavilion's training grounds for the second round.

On one side of the training grounds, Azure Dragon Pavilion Master Namgung Baek and the Corps Masters of the Three Great Sword Corps had taken seats as observers.

Those who passed the Azure Dragon Pavilion were practically reserve members of the Three Great Sword Corps.

The Corps Masters had come to the training grounds to personally assess this cohort's abilities.

Once everyone had assembled, Namgung Pil, the Chief Instructor of the Azure Dragon Pavilion, stepped up onto the platform.

"First, congratulations on passing the first round. I hope you achieve good results in today's second round as well."

Following the customary well-wishes, Namgung Pil began explaining the second round.

"The second round is a sparring tournament. Those who reach the top sixteen will be guaranteed admission to the Azure Dragon Pavilion. However, failing to reach the top sixteen does not mean all hope is lost."

Those who did not reach the top sixteen could earn a chance at additional admission through a consolation round.

The consolation round was designed to give another opportunity to those who possessed skill but were eliminated due to poor bracket luck.

"So do not be discouraged by a single loss. Give your best until the very end."

After Namgung Pil's explanation, the bracket draw was conducted immediately.

The draw was simple: the sixty-four children each pulled a numbered tag, and the matchups were determined by those numbers.

The sixty-four children drew their numbered tags with nervous hearts.

Bracket luck was extremely important in a sparring tournament.

All else being equal, it was advantageous to face a relatively weaker opponent.

But with overwhelming skill, one had no need to worry about the bracket at all.

Namgung Geom drew his numbered tag without any particular tension.

The other children drew in turn, and before long, the bracket was complete.

Namgung Geom checked the bracket and wore a meaningful smile.

"My very first match is already interesting."

Namgung Chang.

He was Namgung Geom's first opponent.