In the suffocating atmosphere, I calmly opened my mouth.
"So you're saying the Alliance Leader alone is not enough?"
"...That's right."
"Then you can invest in . With my talent, I'll take care of the Heavenly Demon or the Blood Demon."
I went for broke. Even if he suspected, that was all.
Through the title of Great Mage, I had already clearly shown my direction in the fight against the Blood Demon.
To fit into the Heaven-Shattering Demon's prophecy with just my talent alone was an over-interpretation.
From the Martial Alliance Leader's perspective, it was much better to actually raise .
"Hehe, how bold. A foresight worthy of the Zhuge family."
"Can we depart for the Martial Academy soon? There are only four days left."
Although he said he would take in half a day, the world's affairs were not so easily resolved.
It was good if we could set out as early as possible.
"I will."
Seo Won-dal took a step towards and wrapped an arm around my waist.
‘Huh?’
Just as I was puzzled by the sudden skinship from a strange man.
“Hold on tight.”
Simultaneously, my body soared, and we flew into the air. In an instant, Kongtong Mountain was far below.
‘So this is how we’re going.’
If we could just fly, we could arrive incomparably faster than by land.
I swallowed dryly, watching the rapidly receding background.
The aerial movent of a Profound Realm master was truly incredible. It felt as if it was comparable to the speed of sound.
However, since the wind resistance was stronger than I thought, the ride was not comfortable.
So I raised my mana and unfolded a hemispherical shield like the fuselage of an airplane.
As the resistance disappeared, it beca much faster than before.
“An interesting idea.”
Seo Won-dal laughed and accelerated.
Although it was a pain to maintain the shield because the air pressure was so strong, I endured it sohow.
It was a feat that was possible thanks to the increased mana recovery after reaching the 5th circle.
And so, we flew through the air at a trendous speed.
We moved, using the sun and the terrain as a compass when the sun was up, and the starlight at night.
And so, passing through Gansu and Shaanxi, it took less than half a day to reach Hubei.
‘What incredible stamina and speed.’
I felt like I knew why Profound Realm masters were called heavenly beings.
Because even the Transformation Realm, which was like the sky, was nothing before the Profound Realm.
A little later, we, who had lowered our altitude, fell into the middle of the Martial Academy with the sound of the early morning air being torn.
Having departed around sunset and arrived at dawn, it ant we had arrived in half a day.
“I’ve kept my promise.”
Soon, the instructors of the area rushed over and surrounded us.
“Identify yourselves… M-Martial Alliance Leader?!”
“It could be a human-skin mask! Check!”
“What?! Look at that imnse internal energy! It’s impossible for us to respond.”
When Seo Won-dal slightly revealed his prayer, the instructors turned pale and stepped back.
Here, it was my turn to step up.
“I am Zhuge Cheonwu, an interdiate student. This person is the Martial Alliance Leader, Seo Won-dal, so please show him the appropriate courtesy.”
When I showed my student ID and testified, the murmuring grew even louder. Although they had to act according to the regulations, they couldn't even approach due to the na value of the Martial Alliance Leader and his montum.
Just then, a human figure appeared before us.
“Why have you visited without any notice?”
It was Cheon Mu-jin. At the academy head's declaration, the instructors paid their respects at once.
““We greet the Alliance Leader!””
“Yes, yes, it’s been a long ti since I’ve been here.”
“So what is your business?”
Cheon Mu-jin faced Seo Won-dal and asked back. Then, Seo Won-dal put his arm around my shoulder.
“Because the future of the orthodox faction asked for help.”
Cheon Mu-jin looked at with a puzzled expression. As if asking why I was coming out from here.
When I explained the whole story via telepathy, Cheon Mu-jin let out a faint sigh.
“Since you seem to have co for an inspection, I will guide you.”
“Oh, good.”
As he took Seo Won-dal and disappeared, the remaining instructors looked at this side and whispered.
“How does he know the Martial Alliance Leader?”
“He’s beco a huge figure.”
“That brat already…. His future is fearso, the Great Mage.”
The rumors surrounding were now familiar. No matter what others' evaluations were, I just had to do what I had to do.
I moved my steps toward the interdiate student building.
It was ti to go and apply for the promotion.
Interdiate students could choose one of three options in their last sester of each year: graduation defernt, interdiate graduation, or advancent to the advanced level.
What was peculiar was that it was announced who had made which choice.
When I went to the bulletin board, it seed that Bong So and Namgung Bihwa had also applied for advancent to the advanced level.
‘Is Baek Hasin not yet?’
I finished my application and ca out.
There was about a week left until the advanced student promotion exam.
‘Then it’s about ti I visited the underground library.’
It was ti to use the access pass I had obtained before.
I went to the head of the secret library and applied for access to the underground library. Although he seed to not like , he soon nodded his head.
“Co in two days.”
When the day of the visit ca, I, who had made thorough preparations, headed for the secret library.
Following the guidance of the head of the secret library, we avoided the formations and chanisms and reached a hidden area. When he opened the door hidden on the floor with a specially made key, a path leading to the basent soon appeared.
“The given ti is two shichen (4 hours). In the anti, I and the gatekeeper will accompany you.”
Although it might seem like a lot, considering that the secret manuals hidden in the underground library were all abstruse and profound martial arts, it was rather tight.
As if sensing this, the opponent made a proposal.
“If you choose to look at only two books, I will extend the viewing ti to four shichen.”
“It’s alright.”
Because I was confident in my speed reading.
The expression of the head of the secret library hardened. It seed he was uncomfortable with being so greedy.
“Do as you please.”
He then opened the last door leading to the underground library.
What was revealed after the thick tal door opened was a single room and two bookshelves.
On the left were martial arts, and on the right were unfinished or non-martial arts books. The book of the Heaven-Shattering Demon's Thought, from which I had obtained psychokinesis, was also in that place.
‘At best, about 30 books?’
Although the number was small, each one was a peerless secret manual.
First, I started to examine the martial arts books, which were my original purpose.
The first thing I examined was the Huashan Sect's absolute secret manual, the Zixia Divine Art.
Looking at the two, I thought of Cheong Ah-hyun, who had been on par with Jin Tae-gyeom.
The Zixia Sword Art was just a formal expression of the Zixia Divine Art. The root of the purple sword qi ca from the Zixia Divine Art.
‘Incredible.’
As expected of a divine art, the operations and principles. Perhaps because of the image that the White Plum Blossom had shown , I could imdiately understand even the abstruse passages.
‘It will be difficult to implent right away, but… I have acquired the subtlety.’
After closing the last page, the next thing I picked up was the perfectly recreated secret technique of the Namgung family, the Emperor Sword Form.
Since I had already learned the Namgung family's martial arts, including the Heavenly Thunder Qi, it was not difficult to morize.
There was a reason why they were called the strongest among the five great families.
‘No wonder the Emperor Sword Form was on the list of martial arts to learn during the growth process of the Heaven-Defying Heart Art.’
The Emperor Sword Form was a sword art that dominated space. It was easy to understand when I recalled the enlightennt I had gained from the life-and-death struggle with Zhuge Ryu-hun.
The next thing I picked up was the Wudang Sect's Two-Yi-Heart-Art and the Taiji-Hye-Sword.
The Two-Yi-Heart-Art, which could handle two or more heart arts, was also the motif of the Heaven-Defying Heart Art, so it was profound and amazing.
‘As expected of the strongest of the Daoist sects.’
As I was even learning the swordsmanship of the Taiji-Hye-Sword, one shichen had already passed.
There wasn't much ti left.
The last thing I chose was the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
It was the peerless divine art of the Demonic Cult, which was considered the most destructive and powerful among all martial arts.
As its infamous reputation suggested, the subtlety of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was also connected to the desire for infinite power.
‘The fundantal strength. I feel like I’ve gotten a glimpse of the foundation of the Heavenly Demon’s endless power.’
With this, I had morized all the martial arts books I had in mind.
“One quarter (15 minutes) left.”
As I was engrossed in reading, the ti was already running out.
‘Is there so ti left?’
I quickly scanned the left bookshelf. Although they were all excellent secret manuals, it was difficult to call them divine arts.
Although there were martial arts of the Shaolin, they were not suitable for the Heaven-Defying Heart Art, so I didn't even glance at them.
I turned my head and examined the right bookshelf.
‘Although it’s a collection of miscellaneous books, there must be a reason they are placed here.’
Although they were elents that I had passed by without thinking in the original story, there might be sothing helpful.
I examined one that caught my eye among them.
‘Unique Domain?’
It was a familiar handwriting. The handwriting of Zhuge Goya that I had seen in the Zhuge family once.
As if drawn, I opened the book.
The first part was related to high-level formation knowledge, but what really caught my attention was the content in the latter half.
‘The standard of a special-grade formation master.’
According to the book, a special-grade formation master has a unique domain.
It was said that so had darkness, so had space, and so even had a unique domain in their soul itself.
‘What?’
But the preceding sentences were unusual. Darkness, space, these two were the unique domains of the special-grade formation masters I had experienced.
‘If Zhuge Goya had also foreseen the future like Ryu-hun, then the existence with a unique domain in the soul itself ntioned here is…’
It was .
Without even having ti to hide my surprise, I quickly read the next content.
According to the book, a person born with a domain in the soul itself has infinite potential. A power that deviates from reason.
At this ti, if you want to strengthen your soul and beco stronger, you must face your own domain.
That is facing the fate given to you.
‘Fate?’
To get more clues, I turned the page, but the book ended with the ntion that ‘that existence already knows the answer.’
To face fate. I couldn't understand what on earth it ant. Although I had gained various knowledge related to formations before, only that content was circling in my head.
And so, as I closed the last page with a confused feeling, I heard the voice of the head of the secret library.
“Stop. Put down the secret manual.”
With the command, the book was sucked towards the library, and the area shimred.
It seed the space itself was a single formation system.
“The viewing ti is over, so we will return.”
“Alright.”
I turned around without any regrets. I had gotten everything I could, and I had even made an unexpected harvest.
And so, after a body search according to the procedure, when I left the underground library, it was dusk. The days were getting shorter as it was winter.
Perhaps because I had used my head, I was feeling hungry, so I was about to move my feet to the dining hall.
“Cheonwu?!”
I heard a familiar voice.
When I turned around, Baek Hasin was looking at this side with surprised eyes. Seeing his shabby appearance, it seed he had just arrived and had finished reporting to Cheon Mu-jin.
“What happened?”
“I got lost while tracking.”
Although it was an excuse I made because I was lazy, Baek Hasin didn't ask any further. Instead, he asked sothing else.
“Did you apply for the promotion exam?”
“Yeah, you?”
“I did too. I heard the exam starts in five days?”
“Then we’ll have to train.”
Just then, I heard an old man's voice.
Before I knew it, Mi Tae-eul, who had squeezed in between us, put his arms around our shoulders and said softly.
“To not even look for your master after a long outing…. It’s very disappointing. We’ll have to strengthen the bond between master and disciple.”
Did soone say that an old man's grudge is terrible?
At Mi Tae-eul's sowhat chilly declaration, we, without anyone having to go first, swallowed dryly.
***
Five days later, at the examination hall prepared for the advanced student promotion exam.
In the center of it stood about twenty interdiate students.
Although their numbers were not large, each one was an existence who was comparable to or had reached the realm of a master.
I was watching Baek Hasin, Bong So, Namgung Bihwa, and others standing there from behind and waiting for the exam to begin.
A solemn atmosphere.
Soon, Gu Ja-beom, the chief professor of the Martial Academy and the professor in charge of the advanced students, ca out in front of the students and raised his voice.
“Then, from now on, we will begin the advanced student promotion exam. The content of the first exam is survival!”
The students who couldn't understand due to the lack of information. Soon, Gu Ja-beom's explanation followed.
“For one day today, the instructors will each be in charge of one person and will hunt you. The educators who have been identifying your weaknesses for the past year.”
‘A tricky one ca out from the first exam.’
The so-called student hunt.
I was sure that with this, more than half of the people in this place would be eliminated.
In the first place, the instructors were peak-level masters, and they were beings who knew each of the students' weaknesses in detail.
Moreover, since the instructors in charge would have been composed of those who were advantageous in terms of matchup, the students had no choice but to be helpless.
‘Of course, if there is a gap, that is also aningless.’
It was a word that didn't apply to , who had entered the super-peak level.
“For reference, we have attached an instructor who matches each of your levels as much as possible, so don’t be careless just because your rank is high.”
With those words, Gu Ja-beom retreated, and the students, after being wary of their surroundings, soon scattered.
Although there was a way for the students to join forces, in that case, the hunting instructors could also attack together, so it was not the best plan.
In the end, to face the instructors in a terrain that was advantageous to them, they each scattered to the places they had been eyeing.
All that was left in this place were a few of the top-tier, including and Baek Hasin, who were confident in their skills.
‘By the way, the last thing Gu Ja-beom said is bothering .’
An instructor who matches my level. There was no instructor of a similar realm to in this academy now.
Except for one person, perhaps.
As I was thinking that, I felt a sharp gaze directed at .
“It feels like just yesterday that I tested your skills after you enrolled. Now the positions are reversed.”
“That’s right.”
Instead of the Martial Arts Sword that he had once given , I drew the Demon-Slaying Sword.
The one who had co to hunt was the chief instructor, Jeong Muk.
(End of Chapter)
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