"It's finally over!" Hyonwon Kang shouted, throwing his arms up in liberation as he emerged from his final exam.
For him, final exams were worse than preparing for the Heavenly Martial Festival. But now, they were finally done.
He shook his head in disgust. The mere thought of the past few days turned his stomach. "Why hold exams right before the Heavenly Martial Festival and jinx us? They should have just let it slide this year."
The school trip incident had pushed back the academic schedule, so most of the final exams were replaced with written tests. This came as a shock to Hyonwon Kang, who was confident in any physical exam.
Still, where there's a will, there's a way. He had a savior who helped him avoid failing.
"From your expression, it looks like you survived," Dokgo Jun sighed heavily at the sight of Hyonwon Kang, leaning against the wall in the hallway with his arms folded.
They were in the same year and shared several classes, so their exams overlapped. Being a model student, Dokgo Jun had naturally finished early and had been waiting for a long time.
"I never thought I'd get this anxious over someone else's grades."
Hyonwon Kang grinned and sidled up to the weary, sighing Dokgo Jun. "Dokgo! The problems you pointed out were on the exam, exactly like you said. Are you secretly close with the teachers because you're Student Council President?"
"I'm not even angry because you wouldn't understand how absurd your accusation is, even if I explained it. So, did you pass?"
"Yeah! Thanks to you, I made it through safely!"
Yes! We prevented the Five Young Azure Dragons from failing their exams!
Dokgo Jun reflected that this might be the Student Council's greatest achievement this year. If Hyonwon Kang had failed, a catastrophe would have unfolded. He would have had to stay at the academy for supplementary classes instead of participating in the Heavenly Martial Festival.
"Are you certain? You really avoided failing?"
Hyonwon Kang thumped his chest confidently. "Who do you take me for? I solved everything perfectly and double-checked every answer."
Dokgo Jun frowned, unconvinced.
Anyway, the person he was really waiting for was not Hyonwon Kang.
"Mr. Namgung Su..."
After organizing the exam papers, Namgung Su came out and frowned at the sight of the two students in the hallway. Noticing Dokgo Jun's desperate expression and Hyonwon Kang's confident grin, he sighed softly.
The expressions on their faces should be the other way around...
He recalled Hyonwon Kang's test paper, which he had just provisionally graded.
"Student Hyonwon Kang, while training in martial arts is commendable, please also take an interest in the scholarly virtues expected of a martial artist from now on," he said coldly.
Both students' faces drained of color.
"N-No way..."
"You said you were confident! Damn it! You blockhead who can only use his head as a blunt weapon!"
Dokgo Jun grabbed Hyonwon Kang's collar and shook him as the memories of the past few days flooded back.
Fortunately, Namgung Su added, "Had you gotten two more questions wrong, you would have had to remain in school for supplementary classes."
"Whoa! You scared me!"
"...Ahem. Thank you, sir."
Namgung Su nodded nonchalantly and walked past them, a faint smile gracing his lips. The boys' reactions were polar opposites, but they both glared at him with the same look in their eyes.
"I'll see you both at the Heavenly Martial Festival."
""Yes, Mr. Namgung!""
Namgung Su walked off. Technically, he shouldn't have told them whether they passed or failed. The old him would never have imagined doing such a thing, but, like everyone else at the Azure Dragon Academy, he too had changed.
Finally, the two boys could breathe again. Their eyes burned with fresh motivation.
"All right, the exams are over. Let's go train. You're coming with me today too, right?"
"Of course. We have a sparring match scheduled with Wiji Cheon and Yoo Yiran at the White Dragon Manor."
"By the way, didn't Mr. Namgung Su say he'd see us at the Heavenly Martial Festival?"
"He probably meant that we should train harder."
The two headed toward the White Dragon Manor together.
The Azure Dragon Academy's academic schedule had officially ended, and winter break had begun. However, hardly any students were enjoying their vacation, whether inside or outside the academy. None of them had that luxury.
"It's really not that far away now. The day I face that bastard Peng Sahyuk again is drawing near."
Almost a year had passed since he announced that he would win the Heavenly Martial Festival, and many things had happened in a time that felt both long and short.
Hyonwon Kang's eyes gleamed at the thought. Defeating Peng Sahyuk in the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament at the Heavenly Martial Festival was a goal he had not forgotten for a single moment all year. The thought of departing for Hubei, home of the Heavenly Martial Academy, was too exciting for him to sleep properly.
Dokgo Jun chuckled. "Are you confident that you can win this time?"
"Of course." Hyonwon Kang smirked and stroked the Black Dao at his waist. "That guy has probably gotten a lot stronger, too, so it won't be easy... But regardless, this time, it's my turn to win."
Dokgo Jun nodded. Hyonwon Kang wasn't the only one with a clear goal. Each of the Five Young Azure Dragons had their own personal agenda for the Heavenly Martial Festival.
Geo Sangwoong intended to repay his debt to Fist Tyrant Cho Il. Yeo Min planned to win the movement arts competition and then visit the North Sea Ice Palace with confidence. Ya Suhyeok was determined to show his Viridian Forest brothers how much he had grown. Wiji Cheon wanted to prove his sword skills to his grandfather and his master, Baek Suryong.
Besides them, every Azure Dragon Academy student also had a goal of their own.
"Don't you have one? I mean a goal you want to achieve, other than the academy winning." Hyonwon Kang asked, suddenly wondering if Dokgo Jun had a personal goal. As Student Council President, he always put the academy first, but surely he had his own aspirations as a martial artist.
Dokgo Jun thought for a moment, then smirked. "Of course I have one."
"Oh? What is it?"
"...Defeating Shaolin's Divine Dragon, Ilgak."
"Who's that?"
Dokgo Jun stared at Hyonwon Kang in disbelief. "You don't even know who Shaolin's number one prodigy is?"
"What's the point of knowing a guy like that?"
"...Anyway, such a person exists. He's also the Student Council President of the Heavenly Martial Academy."