WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 125: The Black Flame Dragon Who Gives an Opportunity (5)

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Looking at the space where heaven and earth, in every direction, were pure white, Eun Seollan let out a quiet sigh.

They said it was an absolute formation that drove people mad with nothingness before killing them. She never imagined she would experience it herself.

"How... did this happen?"

Her sect, rooted in the Northern Sea, had no reason to install arcane formations. Once her mandatory service ended, she had no intention of remaining active in the martial world, so she should never have found herself trapped in one.

Even so, she had volunteered for this event out of a small hope. With no one to rely on in the martial world, perhaps she could gain something from it.

"I shouldn't have come in here."

Indirectly, Hong Saryeon was the reason. Directly, it was because Seollan had been distracted by the floral scent coming from Saryeon's body and stepped backward.

The moment she entered a place where she could sense neither objects nor smells, a scent she had never noticed before suddenly seemed overpoweringly strong. Unlike Saryeon, Seollan had been startled by the smell of sweat on her own body and taken a step back.

Then the people standing before and behind her vanished without a trace.

"Haah..."

Her relationship with Saryeon had not always been this uncomfortable.

The Ice White Palace, Seollan's sect, stood at the very bottom of the One Hundred Eight Peaks, just like the Taeul Sect.

A legendary master called the Little Jade Divine Maiden had once founded it, and her signature art, the Lesser Jade Maiden Divine Art, had been passed down through generations. Yet after the Little Jade Divine Maiden, no one had managed to cultivate the art beyond the fourth stage.

The lack of masters weakened the sect. Now, people often mocked it, saying its disciples lived in the Ice White Cave rather than the Ice White Palace.

Perhaps that was why she and Saryeon had quickly become close, bound by the same hardship.

But things had changed too much.

Their relationship had begun to sour. More precisely, Seollan had begun to distance herself from Saryeon once the name of Saryeon's senior brother, the Black Flame Dragon, began to resound throughout the martial world.

He had saved thousands at Demon Spirit Plateau, earned the recognition of the Wind-Splitting Sword at the Dragon-Phoenix Association, and swept through the regular examination like a storm. Throughout it all, Seollan had felt increasingly distant from Saryeon.

The academy students who had once looked on both her and Saryeon with indifference began to take an interest in Saryeon.

To disciples of the One Hundred Eight Peaks, the Black Flame Dragon was an object of admiration.

It wasn't as though Seollan didn't admire him as well. But he was Saryeon's dependable senior brother.

And Seollan had no senior brother like him. That was what drove her away from Saryeon.

"A pathetic woman will do pathetic things on her own."

Hong Saryeon had remained the same even as people constantly talked about the Black Flame Dragon and the Taeul Sect.

No, she had even told Seollan that she would introduce her to him.

She said the Black Flame Dragon had heard about Seollan and wanted to meet her.

But Seollan's vision had already been clouded by twisted inferiority. Even that did not sound good to her.

Why would such an extraordinary rising star, someone who had shaken the martial world, want to meet Eun Seollan?

It was only Saryeon's consideration.

"Hoo..."

All that inferiority had brought her to this situation.

A hopeless situation where she couldn't blame anyone.

"So this is how I die..."

Seollan sighed as she reached into her empty Fasting Pellet pouch.

When she first entered the Soul-Destroying Formation, they had given her enough Fasting Pellets and water to last a full day and night. She had wondered why, but without them, she would have starved to death long ago.

Now even those were gone. She couldn't remember how long it had been since she last put food in her mouth.

"Ha... haha."

With death approaching, an awkward laugh escaped her. Yet it did not travel far, quickly swallowed by the silence and emptiness.

The perfect silence, something she had never experienced in her life, was enough to fill Eun Seollan with an unfamiliar terror.

Hummm.

When she circulated the Lesser Jade Maiden Divine Art, white mist flowed from both her hands.

Only after pressing them to her cheeks did Seollan feel that she was still alive.

In the end, she had not uncovered the secret of the Lesser Jade Maiden Divine Art.

She had never believed she would solve a mystery that no one had unraveled for centuries.

Still, she had regrets.

She would die without ever getting to serve the Martial Alliance or meet masters of ice arts and fire arts, without even attempting to unravel the secret.

Before dying, Eun Seollan continued using the Lesser Jade Maiden Divine Art again and again, simply to feel that she was alive.

Her meager internal energy soon ran dry, and the cold energy began to weaken.

When all the internal energy in her dantian disappeared, strength drained from her entire body.

The Lesser Jade Maiden Divine Art was the only sensation of life she could feel now, so she forcibly squeezed her empty dantian.

As if desperately clinging to life itself.

Crack.

Startled by the sound coming from her hand, Seollan pulled it away from her cheek.

"What... is this...?"

Instead of white mist, a thin layer of ice had formed across her palm.

"..."

She stopped circulating the Lesser Jade Maiden Divine Art, then slowly cupped her hands together and melted the ice with their warmth.

The ice in her palm soon turned into a mouthful of water.

"Ah... ah..."

Seollan recalled the sensation from moments ago and circulated the Lesser Jade Maiden Divine Art again.

Crack.

Ice formed, as though it had taken the shape of her palm.

Without even thinking to wet her parched lips, Eun Seollan began shedding salty tears.

After the Little Jade Divine Maiden died without passing on her teachings, no one had properly mastered the Lesser Jade Maiden Divine Art.

Four hundred years later, Eun Seollan, dying within the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Destroying Formation, had uncovered its secret.

"Sniff... sniff..."

How happy would the people of the Ice White Palace be when they learned of this? How happy would her father and mother, who led the Ice White Palace, be?

At the same time, it was unbearably tragic that she would die here without passing on this realization.

"Dammit... sniff, this damned world!"

For the first time in her life, Eun Seollan cursed.

Ice crystals scattered carelessly from her palm and vanished in every direction.

"It would've been better if I hadn't gained this realization... sniff."

More painful than the death before her was the thought that she could not pass on the secret.

As she cursed in outrage at the world's unfairness...

"Shouldn't you be happy if you've gained a realization?"

"!!!!"

Eun Seollan's eyes widened like a rabbit's at the sudden voice.

She snapped her head around.

There stood a man dressed entirely in black, even his sword black. His head tilted, he wore an expression of complete confusion.

"B-Black Flame Dragon... Sir?"

"You're Eun Seollan, right?"

"Y-You know me?"

The moment he spoke her name, Seollan's heart began pounding wildly.

"Saryeon told me a lot about you. Did I interrupt something important?"

The Black Flame Dragon looked at the ice crystals clenched in Eun Seollan's hand.

"N-No. I'd already grasped it and finished sorting things out."

"Then shall we leave now?"

"L-Leave?"

The man looked like a black mark in the middle of a vast white sheet. Seollan could barely process his words.

"I understand wanting to gain more insight, but I'm worried about your condition. It looks like you've used up all your food and water. Aren't you exhausted?"

"I-I want to leave! I want to get out of here!"

The Black Flame Dragon smiled warmly, as though he had stepped out of a painting.

"Then let's go."

He passed Eun Seollan and took the lead. Seollan tried to hurry after him, determined not to lose him this time.

"Ow."

But her exhausted body would not listen.

"If it's all right with you, may I carry you? If you step wrong again, I don't know when I'll find you next."

Being held by a man was something she had only read about in books. Before the flustered Seollan could answer, the Black Flame Dragon lifted her onto his back.

Contrary to how it looked, his back was broad, firm... and warm.

"Hang on a little longer. We'll be out soon."

"...Um, but, Sir..."

"Sir? That feels a little awkward."

"Ah. S-Sorry. Then what should I call you? Senior?"

"We're in the same academy cohort, so that feels awkward too. Since you're Saryeon's friend, how about calling me brother?"

"I-Is that really all right?"

For some reason, Eun Seollan felt heat rise to her face.

"If you're Saryeon's friend, you're practically my little sister. What did you want to ask?"

Eun Seollan had forgotten what she wanted to ask in the first place.

The words little sister and brother multiplied in her head until she could no longer think.

"I-I forgot."

"All right. Think of your question after we get out."

In that space of complete silence and emptiness, Eun Seollan was no longer lonely, isolated, or despairing.

#

"Thanks to you, I've been able to breathe again."

At Jegal Somyeong's words, the eyes of Hyeok Mugang, the White-Handed Divine Sword, widened.

"Hoho, Jin Sowoon really must be special."

"I truly had no other options."

Jegal Somyeong wore a troubled expression, but the faint smile on their lips would not fade.

Even that was surprising to Hyeok Mugang.

Was Jegal Somyeong someone who expressed thanks? They had always been someone who gave to others, never someone in enough need to ask favors.

"I've never seen a report with such flawless justification for a budget allocation."

Because they followed principles and rules so thoroughly, even something normally impossible could be made possible if those rules were followed.

"Anyway, I can finally breathe again thanks to the Alliance Leader's Hall lending us the budget."

"The head of the Alliance Leader's Hall was already foaming at the mouth, asking what they were supposed to do."

As Hyeok Mugang subtly complained, Jegal Somyeong nodded.

"I'll prepare the budget as quickly as possible and return it. From next year onward, I think it would be best to establish a separate contingency reserve."

"Jin Sowoon truly is changing a great deal about the Grand Strategist."

At Hyeok Mugang's teasing, Jegal Somyeong nodded.

"What choice did I have? He never mentioned it outright, but by linking it to the being that appeared on Puyang Plains, he implied the Demonic Cult. There was no basis to refuse."

"Still, it seems there has already been an unexpected effect."

"I heard a layer of the seal on the Lesser Jade Maiden Divine Art has been released."

"Oh... wonderful news. The Ice White Palace must be pleased as well."

After pausing for a moment, Jegal Somyeong took a sip of tea and brought up the main subject.

"I heard the Alliance Leader will attend tomorrow's Soul-Destroying Formation demonstration as well?"

"Yes. I found myself curious. I wanted to see what sort of formation it is."

Jegal Somyeong nodded as though that made sense, then their eyes gleamed.

"Then I should stay right beside you and assist you."

Hyeok Mugang's brow furrowed slightly at their words.

"I heard the Grand Strategist was too busy to attend..."

"How could I not go when the Alliance Leader is going?"

"Since when have you ever..."

"It seems the Alliance Leader finds my presence uncomfortable?"

"That isn't..."

"Is it because you would be more comfortable meeting Jin Sowoon without me there?"

"..."

Hyeok Mugang was struck speechless by Jegal Somyeong's sudden question. Jegal Somyeong raised an eyebrow at the sight.

"I-I knew it! You're quietly trying to get to Jin Sowoon ahead of everyone else!"

Hyeok Mugang felt quite displeased by Jegal Somyeong's words. Had Hyeok Mugang not just pushed through a loan of thirty thousand nyang because an emergency budget was needed?

Did it make sense that Hyeok Mugang could not even meet Jin Sowoon alone?

"Isn't that too much, Grand Strategist? It's not as if I'm trying to take him away..."

"They say that once people see something, they want to touch it. Once they touch it, they want to own it. Absolutely not."

"Ahem. Honestly. I said I only wanted to meet him..."

Hyeok Mugang could not restrain their curiosity about the ability that had even captivated Jegal Somyeong.

This time, Hyeok Mugang had no intention of backing down so easily.

"If you insist... I shall step down as Grand Strategist too."

"What? Why are you suddenly saying that?"

"This old body is already tired, and the day this lonely soul departs is not far off. It is time to return home. I planned to find and nurture suitable talent for the Mantong Office and Profound Mystery Pavilion before leaving, but if you interfere like this, then it means I am no longer needed."

"Wow..."

The moment Jegal Somyeong vanished from the Martial Alliance, countless political conflicts would surely rise to the surface and erupt. The Martial Alliance would undoubtedly splinter apart.

They could not do without Jegal Somyeong.

"All right, all right. I have no intention whatsoever of taking Jin Sowoon to the Alliance Leader's Hall, so don't say such horrible things."

"You have granted such an enormous kindness to this insignificant person. I do not know how I can repay you."

Watching Jegal Somyeong offer thanks with an expression far more moved than when they thanked Hyeok Mugang for lending thirty thousand nyang, Hyeok Mugang could only think they were shameless and petty.

#

"Hoo..."

A sigh escaped me.

I'd told her so many times, so why wouldn't she listen?

"Please put it on."

The Head Attendant held out a silk robe as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Why did you embroider something so unnecessary again?"

Countless tiny characters reading Top Student had been sewn into the cuffs, disguised as a pattern.

"Didn't you say important people from the Alliance would be coming today?"

"What does that have to do with this? It's not even an official event."

After Eun Seollan, part of the third group entering the Soul-Destroying Formation, gained a realization inside it and solved the secret of the Lesser Jade Maiden Divine Art, a mystery no one had uncovered until now...

The hundred available spots, which had seemed as though they would never fill, were all taken within a day.

And I had formed a connection with the Little Jade Maiden as well.

That was undoubtedly the greatest success. I had managed to build a relationship with the Little Jade Maiden.

Was she not the person who transformed the Ice White Palace into the Northern Sea Ice Palace and displayed such invincible divine might that the Demonic Cult could not invade even the Northern Sea?

Since she's friends with Saryeon, should I try to persuade her to join White Wolf Pavilion later?

It wouldn't be easy, of course, but it was worth trying.

In any case, this incident made the Alliance much more interested in the Soul-Destroying Formation. The academy wanted to hold a demonstration, inviting the Elders' Council and the hall lords.

"If important people are coming, then naturally Young Master should stand out. If you don't catch their attention at a time like this, it'll be difficult to advance in the future."

"I'm not interested in advancing. If I were, I wouldn't have picked fights with the Nine Sects One Gang or the Five Great Clans in the first place."

"That is exactly why you need to stand out even more under these circumstances. Appearance influences people far more than Young Master realizes. If you present yourself like an emperor, more people may be moved by it and wish to stand with you."

Something felt strange as we spoke. The Head Attendant was always stationed at the academy, but how did she know so much about what went on among the academy students?

"How do you know so much about the details?"

"...I am the person who attends to Young Master. Naturally, I need to know these things."

The Head Attendant's lips moved as if she had more to say, but she soon closed her mouth. I did not ask further.

"Either way, I'm not wearing it."

"You must wear it! You lot, close the door!"

"...What exactly is your reason for wanting to dress me up this badly?"

At my question, the Head Attendant sighed quietly.

"My son had been deeply devoted to martial arts since childhood. My husband and I both earned our living through the Alliance, so we did not oppose it much. We wanted to give our son a chance, so we let him take entrance examinations for renowned sects, but he failed every one."

It was a common story. As talented people flocked to famous sects, competition for entry into even reasonably respected sects continued to rise without end.

"When my son was young, he was so happy just learning at a martial arts school. At some point, though, he seemed to have decided he had reached his limit. We could do nothing as we watched him despair before that wall."

Gaps formed from the very beginning. Walls that made those gaps impossible to close always broke those who tried something new.

"Recently, my son has begun attending the martial arts school diligently again. He trains every day without rest, and the reason he has begun to hope for the future again is..."

The Head Attendant looked at me with unsteady eyes.

"It is because of you, Young Master Jin."

"..."

"I sincerely hope you continue to rise and prosper. I also hope you become a good example for my son. But you are such a humble person that my wish simply cannot come true. I understand. I will have another outfit prepared."

"..."

After speaking, the Head Attendant sighed. Her expression was tired in a way I had never seen before.

I picked up the robe and examined it closely.

"Next time, I'd appreciate it if you made these characters look more like an actual pattern."

"!"

The middle-aged Head Attendant's face brightened.

I didn't know why, but I felt as though I had been played.

"That doesn't mean I'll wear it whenever you want. Just make it less obvious."

The Head Attendant nodded repeatedly.

"Understood."

In the end, I put on the Top Student ceremonial robe and headed to the Grand Training Ground.

The nearby area was packed with academy students who had gathered to see the important figures from the Alliance.

After making my way through them, I found the sixth group, who had finished their theory lesson yesterday and would enter the Soul-Destroying Formation today, waiting there.

But despite the demonstration being about to begin, the atmosphere was strangely unsettled.

There were also far too many people for them to be mere spectators.

Even key figures from the Nine Sects One Gang, the Five Great Clans, and the Twelve Peak Alliance, people who seemed as though they would never come near this place, had all gathered here.

When I entered the Grand Training Ground, Yu Jiryang's group, who had been speaking with an academy administrator, hurried toward me.

"You're here."

"There are more people than I expected. Is the Martial Alliance Leader coming or something?"

"Yes. That's right."

"What?"

Yu Jiryang acted as though the news of the Martial Alliance Leader's arrival was nothing important and immediately continued.

"More importantly, we have a problem."

"...A bigger problem?"

What could be a bigger problem than meeting the Martial Alliance Leader, someone whose face was said to be extremely difficult to see even once in a lifetime?

"It seems members of the Nine Sects One Gang... secretly entered the Soul-Destroying Formation and cannot get out."

"...Those lunatics."

Footnotes:

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