A young man with a dignified physique and sharp features stepped down from the carriage and walked into the Azure Dragon Academy with long strides, exuding an air of ingrained composure.
His navy blue leather shoes landed softly on the ground. It was a minor action, yet it drew every eye.
"...Who is that?"
"Isn't he too young to be a messenger from the Heavenly Martial Academy?"
"He must be from the academy, seeing as he passed the Murim Alliance's inspection."
"Hmm, this is quite troublesome. If you insist on picking a fight..."
The freshmen murmured in confusion. On the other hand, a quiet astonishment spread through the crowd as the upperclassmen and instructors who recognized the young man stared with jaws agape.
"W-Wait... Isn't that guy...!"
After Cho Il turned and followed Mae Geuklyom toward the principal's office, Baek Suryong approached Geo Sangwoong from the back of the crowd and patted his broad back. "You did well to endure, Sangwoong."
"Why is he here?"
"Sorry, but would you mind stepping aside? I'm here today as an official messenger from the Heavenly Martial Academy, and I still need to see the Principal.
"!" Ya Suhyeok flinched at a sudden surge of killing intent and glanced to his side. "Senior? What's wrong?"
Geo Sangwoong was glaring at the approaching young man with an expression Ya Suhyeok had never seen on him before. Thick veins bulged on the back of his tightly clenched fist, as if he were desperately holding himself back from charging forward that very instant.
The young man stopped and bowed to the onlookers in greeting, accepting their sharp gazes with a gentle, pleasant smile. "Please forgive my rude and sudden visit. I didn't mean to disturb the Azure Dragon Academy's training. I am Cho Il, a fourth-year student from the Heavenly Martial Academy. I have a letter from the Heavenly Martial Academy."
"...Fist Tyrant Cho Il!"
"The dragon of the Heavenly Martial Academy!"
The Fist Tyrant Cho Il was one of the Heavenly Martial Academy's most outstanding prodigies and a renowned genius throughout the realm. He earned the title of Dragon by reaching the final eight of the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament for two consecutive years. Some even claimed that, after the Fist King Yayul Hwang retired, the Fist Tyrant would inherit the title.
"Cho Il."
STOMP!
Geo Sangwoong strode forward with heavy footsteps and blocked Cho Il's path. It happened so suddenly that no one could stop him.
His expression was terrifyingly stiff, and his killing intent startled everyone who knew his usual good-natured self.
"Do you...remember me?"
"...You'd be wise not to do something you'll regret." Cho Il's robes began to swell with formless energy. He was not going down without a fight.
Cho Il was as large as Hyonwon Kang, but Geo Sangwoong was a veritable giant. Moreover, his already massive physique had grown even more solid under Baek Suryong's guidance in external arts and neared perfection through Sagon's teachings. An ordinary person wouldn't have been able to speak while being glared at by Geo Sangwoong from that height.
However, Cho Il simply tilted his head, feeling no pressure at all. "Hmm... have we met before?"
"...!" Geo Sangwoong grit his teeth. He remembered how, two years ago, he got into a scuffle with students from the Heavenly Martial Academy in Hubei over something trivial one night. Even now, Cho Il's mockery after beating him half to death echoed as vividly as if it were yesterday.
"You think you can become the world's best martial artist? With such pathetic martial arts? Hahaha! Listen to this pig pretending to be human!"
Contrary to his public image, Cho Il was a cunning and cruel man.
"Hey, what's going on over there!"
"This fellow was drunk and harassing passersby. I was just giving him a little warning."
"When did I...!"
The fight was reported to have been started by the Azure Dragon Academy, but it was ultimately dismissed as a minor scuffle between students. Afterward, Geo Sangwoong spent two years struggling due to qi deviation, while Cho Il grew into a prodigy who garnered the attention of the entire murim.
Now I know why I was like that.
The reason his hands and feet trembled whenever he tried to train after his defeat was not just because of fear. This bastard had used some trick to induce qi deviation in him.
Geo Sangwoong growled, "You ask if we've met before?"
RUMBLE...!
The ground beneath his feet began to sink from the immense pressure, imprinting clear footprints in the stone.
Cho Il smiled lightly, as if placating a child. "Did we perhaps meet and fight at the Heavenly Martial Festival?" he asked.
Geo Sangwoong was now certain. This son of a bitch remembered everything and was mocking him by pretending not to. "...I couldn't participate in the Heavenly Martial Festival because I was in an accident."
"Oh dear. That's a shame. But if that's the case, there would've been an even smaller chance of us meeting, wouldn't there?"
"......"
Cho Il was as large as Hyonwon Kang, but Geo Sangwoong was a veritable giant.
"Sorry, but would you mind stepping aside? I'm here today as an official messenger from the Heavenly Martial Academy, and I still need to see the Principal. I'd rather not cause any trouble or hurt anyone."
To Geo Sangwoong, the words sounded like a provocation—a warning not to pick a fight unless he wanted to get beaten up again.
"Hoo..."
He took a deep breath and repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to calm down. If he threw a punch here, he would tarnish the honor of the Azure Dragon Academy.
"I have brought a letter from our Principal."
Now is not the time.
The man who had thrown him into hell for two years was standing right in front of him. This man was the reason he wanted to participate in the Heavenly Martial Festival.
I have to endure.
He knew this perfectly well. Nevertheless, his body automatically assumed the starting stance of the Savage Tiger Fist.
Cho Il narrowed his eyes and lowered his arms naturally into a stance of his own. "Hmm, this is quite troublesome. If you insist on picking a fight..."
The situation was tenuous at best. Just as the unarmed combat masters representing the Azure Dragon Academy and the Heavenly Martial Academy were about to clash...
"Oi!" Hyonwon Kang bellowed. Shoving Geo Sangwoong aside with a fierce glare, he swaggered forward and leaned in close to Cho Il's face, his Black Dao slung over his shoulder. "Who the fuck do you think you are? Why are you barging into someone else's academy and starting a fight?"
"Senior, just stay put. As the Club Union President, it's my job to investigate suspicious guys."
Off to the side, Jang Geol, a bona-fide Viridian Forest bandit, unconsciously nodded in approval.
"What did you say?" Cho Il blinked in shock. From his perspective, the accusation was ridiculous. Dumbfounded, he replied, "Wasn't it your side that started the fight?"
He glanced at Geo Sangwoong, whose expression remained stiff. No matter how one looked at it, Geo Sangwoong was clearly at fault. He had obstructed a guest from the Heavenly Martial Academy for no apparent reason.
In the orthodox murim, which valued justification and face, Geo Sangwoong was most certainly the one who should have apologized first.
Unfortunately, Cho Il's current opponent was Hyonwon Kang of the Azure Dragon Academy. Put simply, he was the type of unreasonable delinquent that Cho Il had never encountered at the Heavenly Martial Academy.
"Of course he stopped you. We've never seen you before, and who would expect such a young man to be a messenger for the Heavenly Martial Academy? However we think about it, you're suspicious. As someone who loves this academy very much, it's only natural for our Senior Sangwoong to step up."
Such delinquency was unimaginable at the Heavenly Martial Academy, which was filled with members of prestigious orthodox sects.