WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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Chapter 12: Episode 3: Great Exorcist Order Entrance Exam (5)
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If ascending to the heavenly realm meant becoming an immortal and rising to the heavens, why had no one filled the Great Exorcist Order Lord's position?
Noticing Ise's confusion, Hong Mi-hee smiled and answered.
“The highest-ranked great cultivator in Great Exorcist Order right now is Haeil, the Azure Dragon Hall Master. But Haeil has declared that the position will remain unclaimed until Haeil reaches the Great Exorcist Order Lord's realm. That makes it awkward for lower-ranked Hall Masters to step forward, so the position has been left vacant.”
After explaining, Hong Mi-hee turned to Kang I-tae.
“Should we ask Cultivator Haeil or the Chief Master? I feel like those two might know something.”
“We will be fortunate if the Azure Dragon Hall Master does not scold us for being a bother. The Chief Master is away from Great Exorcist Order at the moment. Once you enter the Order, we can send word if the chance arises. Still, both of them are so occupied that I cannot say whether they will concern themselves with the affairs of a Qi Condensation Realm novice disciple...”
A special physique was only a special physique.
Another cultivation faction might have poured its entire household's resources into raising someone like Ise into a core force. But Great Exorcist Order was not a place where the strong survived. It was a place where survivors became strong. Even those with unusual physiques often failed to surpass the Qi Condensation Realm and died.
“That is true, but won't the Chief Master pay some attention if the boy has the same physique as the Great Exorcist Order Lord? Our Chief Master goes completely mad whenever the Great Exorcist Order Lord is involved. Anyway, little one, do not act recklessly if you can help it. Focus on the examination first. It would be a problem if some side effect of your physique split you into thirty-six bodies or so.”
“Yes. I will be careful.”
Ise answered respectfully, then added, “If you have no further business with me, may I return now? I need to eat and complete my afternoon physical training.”
Missing training was a serious matter.
* * *
“What an unusual little boy.”
“Ahaha. It is probably because of Sister Mongryeon. She places so much importance on eating...”
Gong Wol-a smiled at Hong Mi-hee's words.
Hong Mi-hee told her not to laugh so foolishly, then poked Kang I-tae in the side with her fan.
“There were quite a few decent children this time. I thought you had been sitting around doing nothing, but I suppose you do work after all?”
“I would prefer not to hear that from you, Hall Master Hong.”
“What? What did I do?”
“Among all the Hall Masters in Great Exorcist Order, do you not have the lowest mission acceptance rate?”
“That's because I'm busy. Where do you think all the spirit artifacts you use come from? What about medicinal pellets? Talismans?”
“That is also part of your duty as a Hall Master.”
“How absurd. Anyway, do not select them too carelessly. Less than one in ten of the novice disciples who entered last year survived their missions for a full year. They all keep dying. All right? Pick them properly.”
“I only follow the principles.”
“I onwy follow the pwincipwes.”
Hong Mi-hee's face twisted strangely. Kang I-tae clicked his tongue as he watched her squander that pretty face.
Who would take that person for a Daoist more than four hundred years old?
“...This is supposed to be a Daoist. Please act your age, Hall Master.”
“What? Did you just call me an old monster?”
“Did I? I did no such thing. I only told you to act your age.”
“That means the same thing!”
Hong Mi-hee huffed while Kang I-tae furrowed his brow. Gong Wol-a clapped beside them.
“If there is nothing else to do, I will take my leave.”
“Why? Since you came all this way, why not stay and enjoy yourself a little longer?”
“We are all busy people.”
After leaving those brief words, Banho mounted a flying spirit artifact and vanished.
Hong Mi-hee fanned herself in displeasure.
“That tiger, pretending to be busy.”
“Please do not be too hard on him.”
“What did I do? Young people these days have no manners.”
The three Hall Masters laughed and chatted for some time, then slowly rose.
It was good to see one another after so long, but they were people with more work than anyone.
Their positions were too important for them to linger idly.
“Still, there were plenty of interesting children this year. Raise them well and send them to the Inner Halls. Help our idle Kang I-tae.”
Kang I-tae faintly frowned.
Hong Mi-hee, the Vermilion Bird Hall Master, was known as a madwoman.
She possessed countless abilities and talents, but her greatest gift was her eye for recognizing talent and special physiques.
It would not be an exaggeration to call it the finest on the continent.
If even she held such expectations, then this year's group surely contained an uncommon number of promising talents.
Kang I-tae felt a weight settle on both his shoulders.
* * *
‘This day has been long.’
After completing his evening training, Ise returned to the candidates' lodging.
The room was cramped, but it was a private room.
Considering that there were one hundred seventy candidates, it showed just how deep Great Exorcist Order's resources ran.
‘There is even a small luminous pearl...’
Strictly speaking, candidates were guests, not formal disciples. No one would have criticized Great Exorcist Order for treating them less attentively, yet this seemed almost excessive.
‘Are they trying to display their wealth?’
Even without going this far, most young people in the Three Peninsula Kingdoms were desperate to join Great Exorcist Order. Successful sects clearly had their reasons.
For Ise, it was good news. No one would disturb him.
Rustle.
He turned a page.
By his usual schedule, he should have already been in bed.
Ise followed his routine precisely, without violating it by even a moment. Yet he needed to cut into his sleep to read the Great Exorcist Order Basic Handbook from beginning to end at least once.
On the first day, he had only skimmed part of it because he lacked time. Today, he had spent the entire day taking examinations.
The first page of the book listed the Ten Commandments of Exorcists.
Mongryeon had repeated them so often that his ears might as well have calluses. Ise turned the page.
A simple organizational chart of Great Exorcist Order appeared. It was not much of a secret. It seemed intended only to show the hierarchy within the organization.
At the very top stood the Great Exorcist Order Lord, along with the Chief Master who assisted the Great Exorcist Order Lord.
Then came the eleven halls known as the Eleven Inner Halls.
Disciples belonging to the Inner Halls were called Mountain-Guarding Disciples, and one had to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm at minimum to join them.
All disciples who did not belong to an Inner Hall were called formal disciples. Their role was to carry out various missions. In truth, most disciples fell into this category.
There were also external affiliates who were not disciples but helped Great Exorcist Order with its work, as well as household disciples who had left the Inner Halls and established their own secular households.
Those were the people who made up Great Exorcist Order.
‘It does not list their numbers.’
All the information that seemed important was omitted. Ise guessed that, including the external affiliates, Great Exorcist Order likely had several thousand people, perhaps even close to ten thousand.
Rustle.
Another page turned.
The next section listed the many rules that had to be observed as a disciple of Great Exorcist Order.
Do not hunt spirit beasts.
Do not gather spiritual material.
Do not kill fellow disciples of Great Exorcist Order or destroy their spiritual roots.
Do not travel beyond Great Exorcist Order territory.
Dangerous areas at each realm.
Guidelines for encountering demons of a higher realm.
Guidelines for encountering independent cultivators.
Methods of dealing with demonic sects and other cultivation factions.
There were also rules such as addressing cultivators of a higher realm as “senior” to show respect, and calling fellow cultivators “fellow Daoist” or “cultivator.”
As he read, it seemed less like material one needed to learn as a Great Exorcist Order disciple and more like the basic knowledge expected of a cultivator.
Such as the following passages.
「Demons are transparent inside and out. Cultivators, on the other hand, are often white on the outside and black within. When facing enemies of the same realm, cultivators are far more dangerous than demons nine times out of ten.」
「If an outside cultivator offers you kindness without reason, there is always an ulterior motive greater than any favor you are aware of.」
「Statistically, nine out of ten people who form personal soul-binding contracts are used like slaves before being killed.」
The latter half of the book organized information on the Qi Condensation Realm demons that formal disciples most often encountered on missions, from Grade Nine to Grade One.
Most of it was information he had already learned, but new details occasionally caught his eye.
The reason was particularly interesting. Great Exorcist Order did not assign specific grades to demons from the Foundation Establishment Realm onward, and instead graded only Qi Condensation Realm demons according to danger rather than realm.
It was meant to raise the survival rate of Qi Condensation Realm cultivators, who died in droves, by making them advance step by step.
<Stake your life in battle, but do not regard life lightly.>
The passage showed the concerns of Great Exorcist Order's leadership so clearly that Ise could not help smiling.
His eyes shone as he devoured the words like the finest delicacy in the world.
He did not know who had written the book, but the author's skill with words was truly exceptional.
* * *
The third day's examination began.
The third test was a combat arts examination.
Thirteen candidates gathered together for a group free-for-all while the examiners assigned scores.
In a way, this was the first examination that truly felt like an examination.
Tension was written plainly across the candidates' faces.
The first thirteen candidates whose names were called stepped forward.
“Look at the pattern on the ground.”
Kang I-tae explained the rules simply.
“This is a formation that restricts the use of spiritual energy. From now on, use only your natural physical abilities and subdue each other until only one person remains. Your evaluation will end if you fall or leave the formation. Prepare yourselves.”
A moment later, Kang I-tae gave the command to begin.
At first, the candidates hesitated and watched one another. Then they surged together and began a fierce brawl.
It was fierce. Fierce, but...
‘They are below standard.’
Compared to the physical battles Ise had fought against the young dokkaebi, it looked like children playing around.
Still, their determination to enter Great Exorcist Order seemed genuine. Even with split lips and blood streaming down their faces, most of the candidates desperately swung their fists.
No.
It was not that their fighting was below standard. Ise's training with the young dokkaebi had simply gone too far.
Watching them fight while pushing themselves almost to the limits of their bodies, Ise reconsidered.
At last, only one candidate remained, their face too battered to recognize.
The first round ended.
“Jo Seong-min. Wang Jae. Failed.”
Two out of the thirteen candidates had been eliminated.
Ise tried to judge the standard, but it was somewhat unclear. The candidate called Wang Jae had remained until nearly the end.
“That guy mostly just avoided everyone. I guess you fail if you do not fight actively.”
Ise let out a short sound of understanding at Hae Unchan's words.
The next group was called, and three candidates failed this time.
By the time the test was halfway complete, each group had an average of two eliminations.
The atmosphere grew increasingly intense, and injuries began to pile up. When one candidate bit off a competitor's ear and turned the ground into a sea of blood, some candidates even began to retch.
Yet the examiners did not intervene in the slightest.
The candidate who had bitten off the other person's ear even roared as though a high score was naturally guaranteed.
Ise finally understood the standards for elimination.
Those whose physical abilities were so poor that they fell below the minimum standard. Those who were too passive. Or those who gave up too easily after taking a few hits.
No matter how he thought about it, this was a little too extreme for the examination methods of a Daoist order.
It was a gap in values that would not be easy to get used to.
Footnotes:
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