WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 25: The Second-Rate Martial Artist Preparing to Soar (3)
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The Head Disciple designation ceremony was held.
I rose early in the morning, washed myself thoroughly, put on my cleanest clothes, and tied my hair neatly before applying a little oil to keep it from coming loose.
After paying my respects to the sect's forebears at the Ancestral Hall, I went around greeting each elder who had gathered for the ceremony.
The hall lords had also dressed differently from usual, each wearing their finest clothes.
Most of them were new garments made from the fabric Wang Geumsan had brought, and I could barely suppress a laugh.
Once I had greeted every hall lord, it was time to pay my respects to Jin Taesan, the lord of the Outer Hall and my father.
“......”
Jin Taesan remained silent for a long while, looking at me with distant eyes.
“The Sect Leader is waiting.”
“Among the elders and hall lords, I alone opposed your designation as Head Disciple.”
“......”
“Are you disappointed?”
“What is there to be disappointed about? It is not as though this is the first time Father has underestimated me.”
“Becoming Head Disciple does not merely grant you the authority to lead the other disciples.”
His distant gaze gradually grew wet, as if he were recalling a faraway memory.
“You will always stand at the very front of the disciples, and you will be responsible for their lives.”
Was Father looking at me now, or remembering me as a child?
“From now on, you must place your junior brothers and sisters before your own life. Can you bear that weight?”
“......”
What parent could willingly accept their child's life being placed second?
I had never had children in my previous life, but I had commanded subordinates who were as dear to me as blood. Through that, I could understand, at least in part.
“Father.”
“...Yes.”
“I will survive, no matter where I am.”
“......”
“And my junior brothers and sisters will always be behind me.”
Jin Taesan looked as though he might cry. In the end, he turned away and waved a hand.
I deliberately gave him space before stepping forward to Hong Mungi.
“Disciple Jin Sowoon. Before the sect's forebears, do you swear to devote yourself to the growth and glory of the Taeul Sect?”
“Jin Sowoon, disciple of the twenty-eighth generation, swears before the forebears who came before me. For the growth and glory of the Taeul Sect, I will become the disciple who stands foremost among my junior brothers and sisters.”
Hong Mungi handed me a black headband like the one wrapped around his own head. Still kneeling, I raised both hands and received it.
A silver Taeul Sect insignia, proof of the Head Disciple's status, had been embroidered onto the black cloth.
After slowly tying it around my head, I approached my fellow disciples.
“Waaaaah!”
Disciples rushed toward me from all sides, cheering as they offered their congratulations.
I answered each of them in turn and shook their hands.
After the greetings had finally settled, I approached Gye Cheolyeong and Gye Yeonseok, who stood off to one side.
“I look forward to your guidance, Senior Brother.”
“......”
Gye Cheolyeong seemed unsure whether to offer a hand.
Then Gye Yeonseok bared his teeth and growled.
“It is not over yet.”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you think I would not realize that you are trying to steal Cheolyeong's place at the Martial Arts Academy?”
“I believe you are mistaken. Special admission is a process in which the Gyeonseong Envoys objectively select the finest disciples.”
“Hmph! We shall see.”
Gye Yeonseok urged Gye Cheolyeong away, and the two left the Taeul Sect.
I was soon surrounded by the disciples again, listening to their lively chatter.
#
“Damn bastard.”
“Father, what do we do now?”
Worry had finally settled over Gye Cheolyeong's face.
A deep sense of injustice and resentment welled up inside him.
At the Iron Sword Sect, he had been unable to intervene when trouble broke out because he had attended as a representative of the Gyerong Merchant Group.
Of course, had he known the chief strategist would ultimately side with the Taeul Sect, he could have stepped forward himself.
Even so, the Iron Sword Sect was the second-largest sect in Anhui Province after the Namgung Clan.
The Gyerong Merchant Group conducted business throughout Anhui, so it could never afford to oppose them.
Namgung San's visit left Gye Cheolyeong feeling even more wronged.
In the end, Namgung San had held back.
If Namgung San had merely drawn the sword then, Jin Sowoon's fingers would have been severed, and Namgung San would have claimed victory.
The stupidity of those who called this a victory for the Taeul Sect made his blood boil.
And then, out of nowhere, the Wang Family Estate had entered the picture...
His entire plan had fallen apart. He had intended to enter the Martial Arts Academy through special admission, build connections with the prodigies of the Nine Sects One Gang and Five Great Clans, roam the martial world alongside them, and eventually turn the Gyerong Merchant Group into the greatest merchant group under heaven.
“Do not be disappointed. Even if those ingrates resort to tricks, the special-admission prodigy will ultimately be you.”
Even Gye Yeonseok's vague reassurance failed to reach him.
“Do you not know? Becoming Head Disciple will not earn him special admission if his overall score is poor.”
“What do you mean?”
“Special admission is divided into three examinations. The first tests knowledge of martial arts and the martial world. The second tests understanding of forms and internal energy. Finally, there is a sparring examination for practical combat.”
“Then unless we know what those examinations are, I am in the same position as them.”
“You fool! Who are you?”
Gye Yeonseok flared up and shouted.
“You are the legitimate heir of the Gyerong Merchant Group! Have you still not realized that you are different from those half-baked Taeul Sect disciples from birth, from the very beginning?”
“......”
Just then, three figures entered the grounds.
One was a man dressed like a scholar, another was a woman dressed like a martial artist, and between them was a refined middle-aged man carrying a sword.
“Merchant Group Leader, it has been a long time.”
“Oh, you have finally arrived! I have been waiting myself sick for you.”
“You honor this Jang by welcoming me so warmly. Is that child the renowned prodigy, Gye Cheolyeong?”
“Haha, renowned prodigy is an exaggeration. He is simply somewhat talented. What are you doing? Greet him.”
Gye Cheolyeong looked at Gye Yeonseok in confusion at the sudden turn of events.
“You have heard of the epithet Ace Tutor, have you not?”
Gye Cheolyeong's eyes widened.
“Could it be...?”
“That is right. This is Jang Sagun, the Ace Tutor who served as a Gyeonseong Envoy for fifteen years and, more recently, sent every student he taught through private tutoring to the Martial Arts Academy.”
Jang Sagun looked at Gye Cheolyeong with satisfied eyes.
“Even the dullest student has never failed to enter the Martial Arts Academy under my guidance. With an outstanding talent like you, this task will be easier still. I could not be more willing.”
His confident words, along with the reputation Gye Cheolyeong had heard so often that it had worn grooves into his ears, slowly melted away his resentment.
‘Jin Sowoon, you damned bastard. Just wait.’
#
“Is someone talking about me?”
“Could it be only one or two people?”
As I cleaned out my ear, I tilted my head and asked Hong Saryeon.
“I have never done anything that deserves being cursed at.”
“You have done plenty of things crazy enough to make people curse.”
“......”
“Do you know what the children say to me whenever they finish training? ‘Senior Sister, tell us about what happened at the Iron Sword Sect.’ I have told that story so often that I could recite it after waking from sleep.”
“Come on, what was crazy about that? I simply... had uncommon resolve.”
“And what about your spar with Hero Namgung San?”
“......”
“The hall lords gather the children and keep telling them, ‘Never try to catch a sword with your bare hands.’ Is that normal instruction for a martial sect?”
“Ahem. Will they not understand once they are a little older?”
Her glare sharpened, and I finally turned away to avoid her eyes.
“Then why did you bring me here? Do not tell me you brought me out to play at being recluses.”
The place I had brought Saryeon to was Huayun Mountain near the Taeul Sect, where we had played almost every day as children.
One of the broad clearings halfway up the mountain still held the crude hideout that several of my fellow disciples and I had built.
“A Gyeonseong Envoy will arrive soon.”
“That is right.”
“We need to prepare as well.”
“We too?”
“Usually, when someone like Gye Cheolyeong applies to the Martial Arts Academy as a lay disciple, they hire a tutor who understands the examinations given by the Gyeonseong Envoys and receive private instruction.”
“What?”
Saryeon looked as though she had heard something absurd.
“It is a practice that emerged because the Gyeonseong Envoys make their decisions independently of the sects. By now, the Gyerong Merchant Group has likely hired a former Gyeonseong Envoy to tutor Gye Cheolyeong.”
Even in my previous life, Gye Cheolyeong's love of boasting had shown itself when he taunted disciples who had failed to enter the Martial Arts Academy.
Jang Sagun, the Ace Tutor who had supposedly never failed to get a student through special admission. They said his predicted questions had a seventy to eighty percent success rate.
“Then... then that is unfair.”
“Yes, it cannot be called fair. But most Martial Arts Academy examinations have been like this throughout history.”
Saryeon's face fell like that of a dejected puppy.
“That is truly awful.”
“There is no need to be so disappointed. We can use the same method.”
“What?”
“Did I not tell you? Preparing in advance for the examination is not subject to sanctions from the Martial Alliance.”
“But we do not have the money to hire such a tutor...”
Even though our finances had improved considerably because of the Wang Family Estate, we were not in a position to spend enormous sums on private instruction for the children.
“I knew that would happen, so I compiled predicted questions.”
“You did? What ability do you have to do that?”
I handed Saryeon a book.
“Have you forgotten how good my memory is? During our last outing, I went to an old bookshop in Hefei, memorized every question from past examinations, and organized them.”
That was a lie, of course. I had merely adapted the questions from my previous life, changing a few sentences and words.
As long as they memorized the entire book, they would not fail the written examination.
“Senior Brother... can I really trust this?”
“How can you not trust your senior brother?”
“...I do not know. You seem too childish?”
“Ahem. This is my first order as Head Disciple. Have every junior brother and sister copy this book and memorize it thoroughly.”
“...Understood.”
Saryeon nodded in the end.
Now that the book existed, she no longer had to feel such vague anxiety.
Then I began the real reason I had brought her here.
“What is that box?”
I opened the box given to me by the chief steward of the Wang Family Estate and showed her its contents.
“Ah, it is cold. What are these? Why is there so much cold energy... Cold energy?”
As Saryeon spoke, she seemed to realize something and leaned closer to the items in the box.
“Senior Brother, d-do not tell me these are...”
“That is right. They are spiritual medicines.”
“Are they really ordinary spiritual medicines? They do not seem like it. There is definitely cold energy...”
Spiritual medicines came in ranks. Those comparable to ordinary tonics did not increase internal energy and only replenished the body's vitality. Most such medicines were little different from regular food.
But spiritual medicines that contained special energies, such as cold or heat, possessed effects several times greater than ordinary spiritual medicines.
Naturally, there were limits on consuming them, but in the hands of the right person, they would surely give their recipient wings.
“The Wang Family Estate gave them to me.”
“The Wang Family Estate? That is impossible. No matter how wealthy they are, such precious spiritual medicines... And not one, but three?”
“......”
The mention of three made me feel slightly guilty.
Of the five, the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and White Snake Divine Gall, which I could consume, had already gone into my mouth.
Saryeon stared blankly at the spiritual medicines for a while, then smacked her lips and looked up.
“Did you call me here just to show off?”
She appeared not even to have considered taking them herself.
“Of course not. I called you here to give them to you.”
“What? Me? Why? You should take them instead.”
“These spiritual medicines possess an extremely yin nature. If I consume them now, I will suffer qi deviation at best and may die at worst.”
Most of the internal energy that formed my dantian was pure Taeul qi.
Even those filled with strong yang energy did not recklessly consume extremely yin spiritual medicines. If someone like me, who had not even properly expanded my vessel, consumed one improperly, the consequences would certainly be severe.
That was why I had only consumed the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and White Snake Divine Gall, which possessed both strong yang and extremely yin energy.
‘Thanks to that, my internal energy has now surpassed one gapja.’
In addition, my entire body remained filled with the energy of spiritual medicines that I had yet to absorb properly.
However, to absorb all of those medicines, I now desperately needed a more advanced martial art.
“...No. Even so, I will not take them. It would be better to speak with the Sect Leader and give them to the other junior sisters...”
“I brought you out here because I knew you would say that.”
“What?”
I had deliberately kept the existence of the spiritual medicines from the Wang Family Estate secret.
For now, the Taeul Sect needed people who could lead its disciples.
It would take far too long for everyone to grow at the same pace. Before they could be led, they would only hold each other back and be swept away together.
‘At least three.’
That was the minimum number of people I expected would need to enter the Martial Arts Academy.
Including myself, I still needed two more. At the moment, the only people with any chance of entering were Saryeon, Dongryong, who had once saved me rice cakes that were several days old, and his brothers Geumpyo and Eunho.
Moreover, these spiritual medicines had an extremely yin nature that only women could consume.
If I informed the Sect Leader, they might be divided through a fair process, and Saryeon's share would surely become smaller.
“But even so...”
“I will do my utmost in this Martial Arts Academy examination.”
“...?”
“And if I fail, I will take the regular examination and enter the Martial Arts Academy regardless.”
“What? Why go that far?”
“If we do not enter the Martial Arts Academy, we cannot become shields for the junior brothers and sisters who will be sent into compulsory service by the Martial Alliance. In the end, we will be swept away with them.”
“...Come on, Senior Brother. In such peaceful times, what are you saying? We will simply suffer for a few years and return.”
Saryeon had taken it as a joke, but her face slowly changed as she saw my rigid expression.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Even in peaceful times, battles against the Black Path occur day after day on the westernmost front. The higher-ups of the Martial Alliance do not care much about the disciples dying there. Do you want to entrust the lives of your junior brothers and sisters to them?”
“Of course not!”
“Then eat.”
“!”
“Eat it and enter the Martial Arts Academy by any means necessary. Only then can you protect the other disciples.”
After thinking for a long time, Saryeon looked at me with trembling eyes, her face seeming deeply moved.
“All right. I will eat it, so stop saying frightening things.”
“You have learned the Great Tremor Divine Art, have you not?”
The Great Tremor Divine Art was an advanced Taeul Sect martial art that could only be learned after entering Gwaehwa Hall. Saryeon had long since learned both the Great Tremor Divine Art and Flash Lightning Sword Art after begging her father, the Sect Leader.
After hesitating briefly, Saryeon nodded.
“How much do you even know?”
“Eat the Snow Carp inner core and the Snow Lotus Seed.”
“Both of them?”
“I heard Gye Cheolyeong bought another Plum Blossom Pellet. Can you afford to fall behind him in internal energy?”
“......”
“And give the remaining Spirit Azure Stone Fungus to the junior sister you believe is most devoted to the Taeul Sect. You must give it to her in secret, of course.”
“This is all for the Taeul Sect, right?”
“Yes.”
Saryeon placed one of the spiritual medicines in her mouth, sat cross-legged, and began qi circulation.
I watched her for a moment, then turned around and began standing guard.
‘I've done everything I can.’
Man proposes, Heaven disposes. I had changed much of the past, but this was the first time I had tried to change the great current itself.
Vowing not to repeat the same life, I watched the setting sun.
One month later, a Gyeonseong Envoy visited the Taeul Sect.
Footnotes:
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