Chapter 93: Talent Show (2)

“Is… is that so?”

Hwan Ryung’s lips trembled.

His expression screamed, ‘Everyone else is reacting so positively—why are you being like this?’

I clicked my tongue at the sight of Hwan Ryung.

‘Tsk, it’s obvious he cares too much about others’ reactions. But no matter what others say, he should’ve paid attention to just one person’s response.’

In short, Hwan Ryung had chosen the wrong opponent.

“That’s right. It’s decent as a visual trick, but to be honest, it’s not impressive.”

Just as the atmosphere was about to shatter again—

“Jin Yeomyung.”

“Yes?”

“You evaluate it. Tell us just how full of flaws that rookie Hwan Ryung’s swordplay was.”

‘Wait, why me?!’

My head suddenly ached as Cheon Yura abruptly dragged me into the matter.

Judging by the expression that said ‘You’ll do well’, I could guess what she was thinking.

Sure, I had planned to help out, but dumping this on me without warning—what am I supposed to do with that, huh?!

‘Seriously, I wish she’d develop some political tact.’

I wondered if she was doing it on purpose, but remembering her past life, the truth was probably just that she lacked social awareness.

Hwan Ryung, slightly hiding his clenched fists, asked the Young Cult Leader.

“You want that junior from the Jin Clan to evaluate my sword?”

“That’s right.”

Cheon Yura coolly crushed Hwan Ryung’s spirit.

“Because Jin Yeomyung is way stronger than you.”

“…Huk!”

Gasps spread around us, followed by a surge of murmuring.

“No way… was that rumor true?”

“That he caught one of the Ten Evils of the Martial World in Qinghai Province…”

“Come on! That’s gotta be nonsense! Even if he’s the Jin Clan’s heir, he’s probably just a late-stage energy cultivator—how would he take down that pervert…?”

“But where there’s smoke, there’s fire! Just look at how the Young Cult Leader is reacting!”

The comment caused such a stir that even the surrounding warriors forgot their duty to guard and began debating fiercely—it was clearly a shock to them.

“S-So… the Jin Clan’s greenhorn, not even from the Demon Dragon Hall but from the Thousand-Day Pass, is judging my sword…”

Hwan Ryung was a fourth-year at the current Demon Dragon Hall.

In terms of skill alone, he was nearly on par with the Six Demonic Dragons.

And now, he was being compared to a junior who had nothing to his name but some strange rumors and his enrollment in the Thousand-Day Pass—imagine the blow to his pride.

“Jin Yeomyung. Hurry up and speak.”

Sigh.

“Alright then.”

Urged by Cheon Yura, I let out a soft sigh and rose to my feet.

After surveying the area and giving a respectful martial bow, I cautiously began speaking.

“I’m Jin Yeomyung of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan. At the Young Cult Leader’s command, I will dare to give my junior assessment of Senior Hwan Ryung’s display of the Mist Dance Sword Technique.”

Immediately, the attention of dozens focused on me.

Hwan Ryung also glared at me with arms crossed, as if to say, ‘Let’s hear what kind of crap you’re about to spout.’

“The sword form Senior Hwan Ryung performed just now was nine of the eighteen total forms of the Mist Dance Sword Technique.”

“W-Wait?! How do you know that?!”

“However, before that—let me say this. The Mist Dance Sword, also known as the Illusionary Kill Sword, is a technique that aims for extreme illusion. In fact, if the forms are seen through by an observer, one could argue that the execution of the Mist Dance Sword has already failed.”

Flinch.

Struck in the heart, Hwan Ryung shut his mouth.

“Well then. If I were to recreate the forms Senior just demonstrated…”

I drew the sword from my waist and began reproducing the moves I had seen earlier.

“The first mistake, Senior, was that the flow of the blade from upper to lower arm lacked fluidity and came off far too stiff…”

“……”

“……”

“The fifth mistake, it seems, lies in the improper flow of internal energy at this part…”

Gradually, the surrounding atmosphere grew silent.

At first, Hwan Ryung’s face had been full of anger and killing intent, but with each explanation, his expression grew darker and more twisted.

“The ninth form had an issue in the connection between the chained movements.”

“W-Wait!”

Hwan Ryung hastily interrupted me.

“Yes, what is it, Senior?”

“T-That’s enough! I understand now! I made mistakes!”

“What do you mean, ‘that’s enough’? I dared to critique my senior’s technique—if I’m going to do it, I need to do it properly.”

I completely understood Hwan Ryung’s pain in being corrected by a junior.

But stopping midway would be even more disrespectful.

If he quit here, neither his pride nor his skills would grow!

If he could fix all these flaws, Hwan Ryung’s swordsmanship would surely improve tremendously in the future.

“N-No—!”

* * *

After a short while had passed.

Hwan Ryung sat down with a look that made it abundantly clear to anyone what it meant to be completely out of it.

His blank expression as he stared up at the sky was enough to stir even the iron-blooded Young Cult Leader Cheon Yura into feeling a twinge of sympathy.

Sa Biyeon leaned in and whispered quietly to Cheon Yura.

“That was… rather cruel, wasn’t it, Young Cult Leader?”

Cheon Yura herself responded with a hesitant murmur.

“Mm, I didn’t expect him to go that far either.”

“I do wish Young Lord Jin had more political sense. Giving Hwan Ryung such a public humiliation like that will be hard to clean up later.”

If a certain someone had heard this, they’d have likely gone on a rampage, screaming about how they had to suffer because of who exactly.

“Well, still, it wasn’t too bad.”

“Hmm? You mean it?”

“The martial theory he’s built up isn’t bad.”

“Oh, you meant that part?”

For a second, I thought she was complimenting Hwan Ryung.

Sa Biyeon shrugged and shook her head.

Cheon Yura raised her voice to address the audience.

“His skills weren’t great, but he showed a rare sort of spirit for someone from the Illusion Clan. It was entertaining to watch.”

“……”

It was a sentence that delivered both praise and mockery at once, but Hwan Ryung still hadn’t recovered his senses and showed no particular response.

“So then, who wants to perform next? It doesn’t have to be one of the six standing here.”

A moment of hellish silence followed.

After seeing Hwan Ryung so thoroughly shamed and knocked out of the running, who would have the nerve to step up right away?

But someone actually did have that nerve.

“If I may be so bold, may I step forward?”

“Oh?”

A young man stepped out—one with a somewhat cold and bleak demeanor, noticeably different from Hwan Ryung.

However, his appearance seemed a bit off for someone supposedly in this group’s age range.

What stood out most was that, despite his martial air, his attire was outrageously flashy.

Only two of the Six Great Demonic Clans were known for uniforms so distinct they revealed affiliation at a glance.

“If I remember correctly, your name was Sa Cheongmun?”

“I’m honored you remembered my name, Young Cult Leader.”

Sa Cheongmun, the representative of the Black Gold Sa Clan, bowed respectfully toward Cheon Yura.

“I like the boldness it takes to volunteer in this atmosphere. So, what exactly do you intend to show me?”

“What I plan to present may be very different from what you expected, Young Cult Leader. I have no intention of showing off my martial arts.”

“What?”

Cheon Yura’s expression hardened slightly. Just as she seemed about to show her disappointment—

“Young Cult Leader, I know myself well. At my age—already nearing thirty—even if I display my martial skill, it’s unlikely to leave a strong impression.”

That much was true.

Among the six young men and women participating in the Exchange Ceremony, Sa Cheongmun was, in fact, the oldest.

Even if he demonstrated a mastery as advanced as drawing out Sword Aura, it likely wouldn’t be too impactful.

“So then? What do you plan to show us?”

“I wish to display the Way of the Written.”

“……”

Cheon Yura’s face began to distort sharply.

“Of course, I’m well aware that in the Heavenly Demon Cult, reciting the words of ancient sages would disqualify me not only as a participant in this event but as a cult member.”

“And you say that knowing full well?”

“But what if it’s within the realm of commerce?”

“Commerce?”

“I believe that the Demonic Faction Lord, who is second only to the Cult Leader in the Heavenly Demon Cult, must be multi-talented in areas beyond martial strength.”

Sa Cheongmun gave a respectful bow as he glanced around the audience.

“The position of the Demonic Faction Lord is effectively the Grand Chancellor of the Heavenly Demon Cult. He must support the Cult Leader above, and below, comfort and guide the cult members who rely on the main sect. Externally, he must deal firmly with both the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions, while internally overseeing the cult’s talents and ensuring they fulfill their duties.”

As his tongue wagged on, Cheon Yura’s expression soured in disgust.

In contrast, Sa Biyeon’s expression hardened completely—she seemed to have realized what Sa Cheongmun was trying to do.

“One of the key abilities needed to assist the next Cult Leader is talent in commerce. Historically, emperors whose granaries were empty never wielded power for long. And even if they did, they eventually crumbled.”

Though Sa Cheongmun was the one saying all this, I couldn’t help but agree with the point.

One of the reasons the main sect had collapsed in my previous life was because the Heavenly Thunder Corps had bled our finances completely dry.

“So what is it you intend to show us?”

“I wish to display my business acumen. However, it wouldn’t look very good if I simply showcased my knowledge on my own, would it? Wouldn’t it be better if I had someone to engage with?”

“A partner, you say?”

Almost as if he had been waiting, Sa Cheongmun turned his head to the side.

“Young Lord Jin. Would you be willing to join me for a moment?”

“……”

Hoo boy.

Hahahaha.

This bastard—he’s trying to use me as a stepping stone?

I let out a dry laugh inside as I stared at Sa Cheongmun, who was now looking at me with a meaningful smile.

‘So all that tongue-wagging was just a setup to corner me like this, huh.’

Just then, Sa Biyeon, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up in haste.

“How could Young Lord Jin respond to this when he has no knowledge of commerce…!”

“The only thing that matters is the will of the Young Cult Leader.”

But her words were cut off before she could finish.

“This isn’t something for a mere bystander to meddle in. Do you understand, Lady Sa Biyeon?”

Crack!

Even though they were both from the main bloodline, it was no secret that internal factions within the family had divided along succession lines—so the animosity between Sa Biyeon and Sa Cheongmun was all too obvious.

Cheon Yura spoke up.

“Why Jin Yeomyung, of all people?”

“Among the others, the only one who at least appears suitable on the surface… is Young Lord Jin.”

His blatant provocation swept over the entire crowd, causing killing intent to leak out from the other Six Clan scions. But none of them could step forward now.

If they did, they’d have to test their knowledge of commerce against Sa Cheongmun!

“Is that all?”

“That’s not all.”

Now that he seemed to think he had control of the situation, Sa Cheongmun began revealing his true intentions outright.

“Looking at everything that’s happened up to now, I concluded that surpassing Young Lord Jin is the fastest way to gain the Young Cult Leader’s recognition.”

“……”

It was something many had vaguely sensed but hesitated to accept—a quiet, implicit assumption.

Sa Cheongmun had now dragged that unspoken belief into the open, using it to attack me directly.

“Heh… heh… a man of the Sa Clan stirring up a dispute over commerce with someone from the Jin Clan. How amusing.”

Despite her words, Cheon Yura’s expression was completely devoid of a smile.

“So—so, Young Cult Leader…”

Sa Biyeon spoke anxiously, but Cheon Yura raised her hand to silence her.

“Jin Yeomyung.”

“Yes, Young Cult Leader.”

“Can you do it?”

I slowly stood up and answered.

“If it is your will.”

“Then do it.”

“As you command.”

The anger in her gaze began to fade, replaced by a barely concealed glimmer of anticipation.

‘If you so wish it, even if it were the head of the Sa Clan instead of this minor scion Sa Cheongmun, I would face them without hesitation.’

Alright, then—let’s see just how impressive this direct heir of the Sa Clan’s business acumen really is. As a former Chief Administrator, I’ll face him properly.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep