Seolhwa’s gaze, fixed on the two n standing on the sparring stage, was cold.
‘Namgoong Gaksu of the Red Dragon Eighth Division.’
According to the information the Outer Courtyard brothers had gathered, he was one of those who had bought his way into the Inner Courtyard.
He wasn’t even a true Namgoong — he had purchased the family na along with his rank.
‘His martial skills are abysmal, but thanks to the success of his family’s business, he beca a nouveau riche.’
Because of him, a truly talented warrior had failed to pass the promotion exam.
Money had crushed rit. Greed had trampled over genuine desperation.
‘I’ll make sure they see it clearly.’
When a martial family values wealth over skill — the results are pitiful, laughable, and a poison that corrodes the house from within.
To prove that—
Ilryong. Win overwhelmingly. Your opponent is far weaker than you, so don’t get nervous. Push through exactly as you want.
At Seolhwa’s sound transmission, Ilryong’s lips curled up into a grin.
Now that he was standing on the stage, a surge of competitive spirit flared inside him.
‘If I’m doing this anyway, I might as well win, right?’
Winning would be cool.
When else would he get a chance to beat an Inner Courtyard warrior of the Namgoong Clan?
Since it had co to this — he would win properly.
"Ilryong of the Red Dragon Sixteenth Squad."
Ilryong spoke bluntly, using informal speech.
Namgoong Gaksu’s face twisted at the deliberate provocation.
He wanted to hurl a string of curses, but managed to control his expression, forming a respectful fist-salute instead.
"Namgoong Gaksu of the Red Dragon Eighth Division. I don’t know what you were thinking coming up here..."
Gaksu shot a quick glance in the direction of the Patriarch.
"You’ll regret it. I’ll show you the true difference in skill."
"Keh-heh. What a pity. I have no intention of letting you win either."
Ilryong snorted.
"Although, if you lose, it’ll be a bit more embarrassing for you, won’t it?"
Namgoong Gaksu’s hand clenched tightly around the hilt of his sword.
"You little bastard... Seems you’ve completely lost your mind."
"Did you know? Compared to the devilish little lady I serve, you’re nothing."
"I don’t know what nonsense you’re babbling about, but fine. I’ll make sure you regret those words."
Namgoong Gaksu raised his sword.
"Co. I’ll even give you three strikes."
"Hmph. What ridiculous arrogance. As for refusing your offer..."
Ilryong kicked off the ground and shot forward.
"I won’t bother!"
Without even the formal stance, he rushed the Red Dragon Division warrior.
Whoosh—
Ilryong’s sudden movent appeared in front of him in an instant, making Namgoong Gaksu’s eyes widen in shock.
‘Wh-what the—!’
As Gaksu hastily raised his sword to block, it was already too late.
"You fell for it."
Bam—!
A heavy impact struck his right ear.
Ilryong had feinted a sword swing to the right to draw attention, then slamd his left fist into Gaksu’s face.
"I-I... was tricked..."
Before he could even finish the thought, Namgoong Gaksu collapsed onto the stage with a thud — defeated in a single move.
Ilryong snorted loudly.
"Trickery, my ass. Haven’t you ever patrolled the streets?"
Using a feint to distract the eyes before striking — it was a basic street-brawling technique that even a second-rate thug could recognize.
"And you’re this weak?"
Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, Ilryong stood over the sprawled Red Dragon Division warrior.
It had been almost embarrassingly easy.
The entire arena froze, as if drenched in ice water.
No one could find their voice after the shocking outco.
‘Wasn’t that... a bit dirty?’
‘There’s no law against using deception in sparring, but still...’
‘Even with the trick, how could an Inner Courtyard warrior fail to block such an obvious move?’
So wanted to accuse him of playing dirty, but technically, there were no rules against deception in the sparring matches.
Besides, the result had co so fast that they had missed the mont to object.
A strange tension filled the air — only for Ilryong to break it, pointing casually at another Inner Courtyard warrior.
"Hey, you there. How about a round with ?"
All heads turned toward the man Ilryong was pointing at.
The Red Dragon Division warrior he pointed to flinched, startled.
"M-?"
"Yeah. You."
"Wha—you dare—!"
The Red Dragon warrior’s face twisted with anger.
In the Namgoong Clan’s hierarchy, an Inner Courtyard warrior was considered a superior to anyone from the Outer Courtyard.
The fact that Ilryong had deliberately addressed him so casually was a clear insult.
"Fine!"
The warrior stomped onto the stage, fuming.
Facing Ilryong’s slouched, almost careless stance, he forced himself to offer a formal salute.
"Namgoong Rak of the Red Dragon Seventh Division! I’ll make you regret challenging !"
"Sure, sure."
‘All these guys sure love to talk about making others regret things.’
Namgoong Rak frowned.
"You seem to have so skill. Why are you making a spectacle like this?"
"What business is it of yours? Stop yapping and co at . I’m busy."
"So you do have a reason. Fine. I won’t go easy on you like the last one did. Prepare yourself."
"Yeah, sure."
The Red Dragon Division warrior vanished in a blur of movent.
This ti, the Inner Courtyard warrior struck first.
Whoosh— Ka-kang!
Ilryong blocked the incoming sword cleanly — and imdiately launched a counterattack.
Clang! Ka-kang! Clang!
Their swords clashed fiercely, steel against steel.
The Inner Courtyard warriors shouted encouragent for Namgoong Rak, while the Outer Courtyard warriors, though silent, cheered for Ilryong in their hearts.
Unlike the earlier one-sided match, this duel was evenly matched — # Nоvеlight # and before they realized it, the entire arena had split into two sides, each cheering for their own.
Finally—
Pow—!
"Grahhh!"
With a sharp kick, Ilryong sent Namgoong Rak flying off the stage.
The arena exploded into stunned silence again.
Once again, Ilryong had claid victory.
Hoisting his sword onto his shoulder, Ilryong glanced at the direction Namgoong Rak had flown — and just then, a familiar voice reached his ear through sound transmission.
Next. Fourth row, second from the left, Blue Dragon Division.
Ilryong’s sharp gaze turned toward the Blue Dragon Division’s ranks.
Following Seolhwa’s instructions, he pointed his sword directly at his next target and called out with an easy grin.
"Hey, you over there. Step up, will you?"
****
Splash—
"Gaaah!"
Next. Yellow Dragon Seventh Squad, third row, third seat.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
Next. Red Dragon Fifth Squad, fifth row, second seat.
Several more matches unfolded.
After Ilryong, Imoe and Sambong took their turns, stepping onto the stage to challenge the Sword Division warriors.
One after another, they too claid victories.
The reason for the trio’s consecutive wins was simple — Seolhwa had carefully selected opponents whose strength was comparable or inferior.
But none of the spectators were aware of that.
And so, shock rippled through the crowd, growing stronger with every match.
One defeat could be dismissed as entertainnt.
It could be blad on carelessness, underestimating the opponent, or even accused of using underhanded tactics.
But when unbelievable outcos repeated themselves again and again?
That was no coincidence.
As the string of shocking results continued, a cold, heavy silence gradually settled over the sparring arena.
‘Inner Courtyard warriors have been defeated by Outer Courtyard warriors.’
‘If Inner Courtyard warriors, supposedly chosen from only the strongest of the Outer Courtyard, are losing...’
‘It proves the selection process was flawed!’
Those who realized this could no longer laugh.
Just as the Outer Courtyard warriors, stirred by the victories of their comrades, were about to surge forward and challenge the stage en masse—
"Enough."
Namgoong Mucheon called a halt to the sparring.
Seolhwa glanced over at him.
‘It’s fortunate he stopped it at the right mont.’
Even though they had won so far, if more Outer Courtyard warriors flooded the stage, they would eventually lose to the Inner Courtyard warriors.
If that happened, everything Seolhwa had orchestrated with the trio would be undone.
‘Grandfather must have realized it from the mont Ilryong stepped onto the stage.’
He had known Ilryong could overpower a Red Dragon Division warrior.
...
The sparring ended, and a heavy silence hung in the air.
The faces of Namgoong Mucheon, the division heads, and the Sword Division leaders all darkened.
The sa was true for the elders and councilors.
Corruption had been exposed — the rot festering within the Namgoong Clan’s martial ranks laid bare before everyone’s eyes.
Even those not directly connected to the Sword Divisions could not avoid the sha of failing to notice the filth that had seeped into their great house.
"In my absence, it seems you’ve all been quite busy with your little gas."
Though spoken with a hint of a smile, Namgoong Mugang’s voice carried an unmistakable chill.
The Martial Academy Hall oversaw all five Sword Divisions.
Leaving them to their own devices had now backfired, exposing his own negligence for all to see.
"Truly amusing."
His rough killing intent radiated toward the five division masters and the five Sword Division captains.
Among them, the one who turned the palest was, without question, Namgoong Jangyang — captain of the Red Dragon Division.
‘D-damn it... Damn it all...!’
The Red Dragon Division warriors had been targeted most frequently — and had suffered the most defeats.
The reason was obvious.
‘The Red Dragon Division had the most warriors who bought their way into the Inner Courtyard.’
Until now, Yun Solran had shielded them.
And because Outer and Inner Courtyard warriors rarely crossed swords, no one had noticed.
But this Heavenly Martial Festival had dragged all their filth into the open.
‘Where did it all go wrong?’
At what point had the rot set in?
Why had the agents planted in the Outer Courtyard — ant to rot quietly and leave Namgoong — suddenly stirred things up instead?
Was it betrayal?
‘No, no. That’s impossible. No black sect agent would be foolish enough to expose themselves so openly. If anything, it started... with the Eleventh Squad.’
Those warriors, who should have stayed quietly buried, had passed the promotion exams and shaken the very foundations.
The mont the hidden disparity in skill between the Outer and Inner Courtyard warriors was exposed, it had revealed the full extent of the Sword Divisions' corruption.
And the root cause of it all—
‘Namgoong Seolhwa!’
Namgoong Jangyang glared at Seolhwa with burning hatred.
And just then, as if feeling his gaze, Seolhwa turned her head.
Their eyes t.
Feeling the ferocity of his glare, Seolhwa responded with a bright, innocent smile — as if mocking him.
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