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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: The Divine Hall of the Latent Demon and the Six Rising Stars
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This happened one month before the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon was established.
Long ago, a bout of Qi Deviation had left the Cult Leader unable to bear children.
Because of this, opinions were divided within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult on who should fill the vacant position of Young Cult Leader.
The candidates under consideration were a group of Rising Stars, children selected from the Five Heavenly Pillar Gates that supported the Cult Leader and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Each of these factions spared no effort in raising their chosen children, hoping to produce the next Young Cult Leader.
However, amidst their mutual checks and balances, the situation remained at a tense stalemate. Not a single one managed to stand out.
Of course, the disciple of the Left Guardian, personally selected by the Cult Leader, was the most skilled, but his orphan background left opinions divided, as he lacked any backing.
Some judged that if this situation continued, it could lead to internal division, a sentiment shared by the leadership.
Ultimately, they reached an agreement.
After a long meeting, they concluded that the Young Cult Leader would be chosen fairly through a test administered by the neutral Council of Elders.
Thus, the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon was established, founded on the principle that the strong survive.
The first test was as follows:
- Survive until the Hour of the Horse (11 AM - 1 PM) the next day. (The number of students is limited to 500.)
However, the use of internal energy and killing are forbidden.
(Violators will have their dantian crippled.)
* * *
*Creak.*
'Tsk. What's so hard about just changing a name to re-enroll? Good thing I got that pouch of money from Dang Hyeon-woo. Still, it's definitely more comfortable using a name I'm used to.'
After a long argument at the student records office, I slipped them a bribe and finally got the new student pass I wanted.
Student 1390, Maeng Ak.
The student number on it alone told me that far more students had entered the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon than I had thought.
'Looks like it's just as crowded as the Green Forest.'
Although the Green Forest had many members, they were scattered across various mountain fortresses.
But I had no idea why these cultists were so keen on sticking together like this.
'Still, you can't ignore the advantage of superior numbers. I guess there was a reason the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions joined forces to fight them in the past.'
Honestly, the part of the old martial world stories my master used to tell me that I found most unbelievable was the one about the Demonic Cult.
'No matter how strong the Demonic Cult was, the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions, who are like oil and water, joined forces? You expect me to believe that now?'
I remembered arguing with him about it.
However, if the number of promising Rising Stars from a single faction was this high, as the student pass suggested, it made sense. These thousand or so must have been carefully selected.
According to the faction structure chart and information about the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon I had Dang Hyeon-woo acquire, the hall was like a final tune-up before the Demonic Cult stepped out into the Central Plains.
Consider what would happen when one of the Rising Stars, selected by the Cult Leader and the Heavenly Pillar Gates, secured the vacant Young Cult Leader position.
The Rising Star who becomes the Young Cult Leader, and the faction that produced him, would naturally become the leaders of the next generation of the Demonic Cult.
On top of that, they would naturally form their own power base during the testing process in the Divine Hall.
'That would make it easy to gather their strength as a single faction without internal strife.
They'd be so strong that even the combined forces of the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions would struggle to stop them.
But will things really go their way?'
They had only agreed to this after picturing a future where they were the victors.
If things didn't go according to their plans, their true colors would surely show.
Even those hypocritical Orthodox Faction bastards show their dark inner selves when their own interests are at stake.
There was no way a group called the Demonic Cult would meekly accept an agreement like this.
As I pondered the current state of the Demonic Cult, a scene suddenly came to mind.
It was a vision of me crushing the Rising Stars chosen by the Cult's leadership and becoming the Young Cult Leader myself.
'I'm already looking forward to it.
I wonder what expressions they'll make when the stage they've set for themselves is overturned by a single orphan student they never even knew existed.'
The mere thought was thrilling.
To think I would be sketching the blueprint for the revenge I couldn't achieve in my past life here, in the Demonic Cult.
Now that my identity was laundered, I headed toward the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon with a fluttering heart.
'Un Geom, Leader of the Martial Alliance. I can already picture you falling out of your chair in shock.'
Entering the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon and claiming the position of Young Cult Leader.
For me, that was just one part of a much larger plan.
There wasn't a hint of a tremor in my steps as I walked towards the Divine Hall.
After walking for a little over fifteen minutes, the entrance to the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon came into view.
As I opened the door and stepped inside, a man in a deep crimson uniform with the word 'Instructor' written on it stopped me.
Just from the way he held the hilt of his sword, I could tell he was a master of at least the peak level.
"Show me your student pass."
I handed him the pass from my robes and met his gaze.
*Swoosh.*
I deliberately held his gaze without flinching, creating a tense atmosphere.
Even so, the hand resting on his hilt didn't move an inch.
"Number 1390… Looks like a re-enrollment, but I don't recognize the name."
He pointed it out, seeming to have noticed my identity change. To think he remembered the faces of so many students.
Sensing he was no ordinary instructor, I studied his face carefully.
'A horizontal scar across the bridge of his nose, and a ponytail. I should remember him.'
For some reason, I felt that this would not be a brief encounter.
I trust my instincts.
They've saved my life more times than my Green Forest brothers from my past life.
Was it because I was staring at him so intently?
The ponytailed instructor asked.
"You're no ordinary fellow. Did you also apply to suck up to one of the powers that be?"
For some reason, the look in his eyes wasn't friendly. I didn't like it.
'Hmm. I thought he was a decent fellow, but for an instructor, he's already picked a side with either the Cult Leader or one of the Heavenly Pillar Gates. …Should I test him?'
"Suck up? You have a poor eye. It seems you can't even distinguish the caliber of a follower."
Of course, I hadn't fully adapted to this new body yet, nor could I draw out the strength of my prime.
Provoking him here and now had its risks.
But honestly, I didn't think I would lose.
Even if my body had changed, there was a world of difference between a peerless master and a peak master.
And more than anything, my fighting spirit was boiling over.
Regardless of his strength, the ponytailed instructor's gaze was that of a true martial artist.
He had probably spent his life honing only the sword.
However, his internal energy and martial arts likely hadn't kept pace with his effort and passion, preventing him from breaking through his limits.
Still, a martial artist of his caliber possessed something that could stir one's fighting spirit.
Look at that, he didn't even blink at my provocation.
"…Interesting. Let me give you some advice as an instructor. No matter if you're a serpent destined to become a dragon, you are not yet a dragon.
Try to go against the great current, and you might end up dying as a carp."
Disappointingly, the ponytailed instructor said nothing more and let me pass.
'What a poser, this kid.'
And so, by walking past him, I re-entered the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon.
The moment I opened the door and stepped inside, a welcome sound filled my ears.
*Clang!*
*Kagagang!*
It was the sound of weapons, something I hadn't heard in a long time.
'If I follow that sound, I should find the training ground, right?'
My fighting spirit had been stirred a little too quickly, and it was now demanding a meal.
I had no choice but to hurry toward the source of the sound.
* * *
The training ground of the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon.
It was rather quiet, the aftermath of a massive brawl that had just ended.
The target number of 500 students had already been met.
Though the sun had yet to rise on the next day, more than 800 students had already been eliminated.
Now, the factions were divided into six groups centered around the Rising Stars of the five Heavenly Pillar Gates—Sword, Blade, Illusion, Poison, and Sound—and the one chosen by the Cult Leader, engaged in a mere war of nerves.
Now that the target number was reached, there was no need to reduce their strength with unnecessary fighting.
As if representing their respective factions, they had their subordinates fall back and gathered in the center of the training ground.
Among them, Geom Cheon-ha of the Sword Heavenly Pillar Gate and Do Cheon-mu of the Blade Heavenly Pillar Gate, who were sworn enemies, began provoking each other as soon as they got close.
"Ah, I heard the Blade Heavenly Gate was short on talent. Seems it's true, if a ruffian like you is their representative."
"Ha! Better than the Sword Heavenly Gate, which is full of nothing but dandies."
"…Dandies?"
Hearing the word he hated most, Geom Cheon-ha placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
He had given a jab and gotten a punch in return.
Geom Cheon-ha expressed his indignation at Do Cheon-mu's words by placing a hand on his hilt.
Do Cheon-mu responded in kind, placing his hand on the hilt of his blade.
A faint killing intent flowed from both of them.
However, their subordinates didn't move, having been warned beforehand.
They merely followed their masters' lead, glaring at each other. It seemed as though another huge fight could break out at any moment.
Just then, Eum Cheon-myeong of the Sound Heavenly Pillar Gate and Dok Cheon-roe of the Poison Heavenly Pillar Gate, stepped in to stop them.
"Hey, you idiots. That's enough, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Nothing good will come from us fighting amongst ourselves."
As they spoke, they both gestured to the other side.
At the tips of their fingers was a small boy, smiling brightly as he caressed his sword.
The boy was the Cult Leader's man, and also the direct disciple of the Left Guardian.
Seeing them point at him, the boy opened his mouth.
"Oh? But it was just about to get interesting…"
"Interesting? You may have the Cult Leader backing you, but are you, a mere orphan, daring to mock us, the young masters of the Heavenly Pillar Gates?"
At the boy's words, Geom Cheon-ha's sharp eyes flashed as he questioned him.
The boy waved his hands, as if to genuinely express that it wasn't his intention.
"Mock you?!
As a martial artist, I was simply looking forward to your duel."
"Hmph! Looking forward to a duel? You spout such nonsense. It's obvious you were trying to reap the benefits while we fought."
Though the boy's tone and actions felt sincere, Geom Cheon-ha, who disliked everything about him, merely scoffed.
'How dare a damn orphan catch the Cult Leader's eye before me…
I will make sure you, of all people, never become the Young Cult Leader.'
In truth, the Sword Heavenly Pillar Gate had recommended Geom Cheon-ha to the Cult Leader, but was rejected.
Instead of Geom Cheon-ha, the Cult Leader had chosen the boy, who, despite lacking a background, possessed greater talent as a swordsman.
Geom Cheon-ha, who found out about this later, harbored a sort of inferiority complex towards the boy.
He already disliked Do Cheon-mu, who had been called his rival since childhood, but the thought of the boy using that fact to his advantage was unbearably unpleasant.
Perhaps sensing that displeasure in the scoff, the boy was the first among the six main Rising Stars present to draw his weapon.
*Chwaang!*
"I will prove to you that is not the case."
He immediately headed for Geom Cheon-ha and Do Cheon-mu.
Despite the test rule forbidding the use of internal energy, he was unbelievably fast.
"Tch. This crazy bastard!"
Caught off guard by the boy's unexpected reaction, Geom Cheon-ha quickly drew his sword as well.
Do Cheon-mu also drew his blade against the rapidly approaching boy.
"Ha! I can understand the dandy, but you dare look down on me too?"
The setting sun reflected off the surfaces of the blade and sword, spreading a soft glow.
In that moment, as the orange light spread and the killing intent of the three filled the training ground, their weapons finally clashed.
*Clang!*
*Kagagang!*
Surprisingly, the small boy's sword was far faster than both Geom Cheon-ha's and Do Cheon-mu's.
The boy first parried Geom Cheon-ha's sword, then leaped into Do Cheon-mu's range and swung his sword down.
Startled, Do Cheon-mu hastily retracted the blade he had extended and blocked the attack.
Eum Cheon-myeong and Dok Cheon-roe watched the three with their arms crossed.
"Didn't expect this. This is fun."
"It's fun, but I can't read what those idiots are thinking."
Unlike the feuding Geom Cheon-ha and Do Cheon-mu, the two of them seemed to get along well.
They even started making bets as they watched the three fight.
While the five Rising Stars suddenly threw the training ground into noisy chaos, only Hwan Cheon-hwa of the Illusion Heavenly Pillar Gate stood with her eyes quietly closed.
As the only woman, she had no desire to get involved with the men.
She was simply leaning against a practice dummy in a corner of the training ground.
As if by chance, the setting sun was passing behind her.
The scene was like a painting.
But then, Dok Cheon-roe, who had finished his bet with Eum Cheon-myeong, was staring at her with a lecherous gaze.
'Beautiful. Much more interesting than watching those fools. Once I become the Young Cult Leader, she'll be mine… Huh? Where is she looking?'
Just as he was gazing at her with greedy eyes, her eyes opened and turned in a certain direction.
It wasn't towards the three idiots clashing swords, nor was it where his friend Eum Cheon-myeong, who only cared about the bet, was.
'The door?'
Following her gaze, he saw the door to the Divine Hall, which shouldn't have opened again.
'Did she sense someone trying to enter? But there shouldn't be anyone who could have recovered already.'
*Slam!*
However, contrary to Dok Cheon-roe's thoughts, the door to the Divine Hall's training ground that she was staring at swung wide open.
The one who opened the door and entered was, surprisingly, one of the guys he himself had sent to the infirmary.
'What? That guy was decent, but I didn't accept him because he's an orphan. There's no way a damn orphan could have eaten some elixir and gotten back up…'
The guy who had just thrown the door open was strangely getting on his nerves.
Was it because he was bothered by Hwan Cheon-hwa staring at him?
Whatever it was, it was a simple matter of sending him back to the infirmary, just like he did earlier today.
Dok Cheon-roe scowled and approached Maeng Ak.
"Hey! Did your dead parents hide an elixir for you?
How did a damn orphan recover and come back so soon?"
Maeng Ak had thrown open the door with a fluttering heart.
But out of nowhere, some guy he'd never seen before approached him, insulting his parents.
'Who the hell is this bastard.'
However, from the streets to his life as a bandit, Maeng Ak had heard every insult there was.
It didn't even bother him.
He simply answered not with words, but with his fist.
"Out of my way, you bastard!"
*BAM!*
A man had punched another man, but it sounded as if he had kicked a rock.
And then came the rock's scream.
"Gyaaaah!"
For the price of a single insult, Dok Cheon-roe took a fist to the gut in the blink of an eye and was sent flying.
He landed with a *thud!* at the feet of the idiots swinging their swords and blades.
The boy leaped back to avoid him, while Geom Cheon-ha and Do Cheon-mu also sheathed their weapons and retreated to the opposite side of the boy.
Then they checked to see what had fallen.
"...!"
Their pupils dilated in unison when they saw what it was.
'Dok Cheon-roe?! Who in the world!'
They turned their heads to look in the direction Dok Cheon-roe had flown from.
There stood Maeng Ak with an nonchalant expression.
'I've never seen that face before, who is he? Wait, that's a pass only students of the Divine Hall can get! Don't tell me, he sent Dok Cheon-roe flying all the way here in a single blow, without even using internal energy?'
As they looked at Maeng Ak, their eyes flickered with a mixture of vigilance and greed.
On the other side, next to the dummy, Hwan Cheon-hwa, who had watched the whole thing, was looking at Maeng Ak's back with the same expression.
Only Eum Cheon-myeong was unique, not casting a glance at Maeng Ak.
He simply lamented the betting board that his friend—no, the friend who had fallen over—had ruined, smacking his lips in regret.
"I was about to win that one, tsk."