Eighteen-year-old Baek Muheun had a face that could stop hearts. Wherever he went, all eyes followed him.
"Is that the rumored absurdly handsome young master?"
"He's the Handsome Prince, right?"
"My goodness! The Azure Dragon Academy students get to see that face every day?"
Baek Muheun's outstanding looks always made him stand out, and his free-spirited nature caused constant headaches for his instructors. To his fellow martial artists, however, he was an object of both admiration and envy.
At a certain year's Heavenly Martial Festival, Baek Muheun strolled through the streets of Hubei, enjoying the festival without a care in the world. Next to him was someone who seemed to be having every bit as much fun.
"Who's that pretty boy walking next to him?"
"I've never seen him before, so he must be a new student. He's pretty good-looking too..."
"But isn't he a bit too skinny for a man?"
Students from the Five Great Academies whispered about the Handsome Prince and the pretty boy beside him. However, the two paid them no mind, roaming the night streets in high spirits, with the scent of alcohol clinging to their clothes.
Until a petite girl blocked their path in a deserted alley, that is.
"You broke your promise and withdrew from the tournament. Because of you, I lost my chance for redemption."
"Are you the Handsome Prince, the Azure Dragon Academy's most notorious delinquent?"
"Who are you?"
Back then, the gap between the Five Great Academies was not as wide as it was now, but the prodigies of the Heavenly Martial Academy still ranked among the best.
"I am Geum Sansan, a disciple of the Emei Sect and a member of the Heavenly Martial Academy's Student Council."
Geum Sansan was such an exceptional prodigy that few could rival her. She was also one of the top contenders for that year's Dragon and Phoenix Tournament. It was no exaggeration to say that every student in the Five Great Academies knew of her.
Nevertheless, Baek Muheun's lackluster attitude made it clear that he couldn't have cared less.
After thirty years, she heard a truth so trivial it was anticlimactic, but she didn't believe it for an instant. "So, you're determined to lie until the very end."
"...I heard the Handsome Prince of the Azure Dragon Academy has been harassing women in this area, and I demand that you stop at once."
"What? What?" The mysterious pretty boy questioned the wide-eyed Baek Muheun. "Is that true?"
"How could it be true? That's obviously a false accusation!"
"Are you saying a student of the Emei Sect is lying?"
"You're being ridiculous! We've been together all day, and you still don't believe me!"
Baek Muheun looked genuinely wronged. In contrast, the pretty boy beside him stifled his laughter and continued the interrogation.
Geum Sansan tilted her head, noticing a side of Baek Muheun that differed from the rumors. Her expression soon hardened. "Both of you, please follow me. Judging by the scent of alcohol, I suspect you've been drinking. I'll escort you to the Azure Dragon Academy lodgings myself. This is for your own safety as well."
Geum Sansan sighed. Several mischievous seniors from the Heavenly Martial Academy had tricked her, and she had fallen for it completely.
Of course, the two legendary delinquents of the Azure Dragon Academy had no intention of following her meekly.
"You're worried about our safety?" Baek Muheun asked incredulously.
Geum Sansan's face went blank for a moment. How can even that infuriatingly smug face look as perfect as a painting?
Soon, however, she caught on to Baek Muheun's teasing. "...Were you just laughing at me?"
"...Wait. Was that an insult or a compliment?"
"Wasn't that supposed to be a joke? We don't have time, so move! If we stay here too long, the Headmaster will find us."
"If you refuse to comply, I'll subdue you by force."
"That's a bit of a problem... Huh?" Baek Muheun tilted his head, then shouted in surprise, "Isn't that the Heavenly Martial Academy Principal?"
"The Principal?!"
Geum Sansan turned her head. In that instant, Baek Muheun's form blurred as he brushed past her and struck her paralysis acupoint with his Finger Sword Technique.
"Huh? I was sure that was the Principal, but I must have been mistaken."
"You coward!"
Geum Sansan realized too late that she had been duped. By then, her body was already paralyzed.
Baek Muheun answered honestly, hiding nothing.
Baek Muheun playfully tapped the top of the petite girl's head with his fist and grinned. "You shouldn't falsely accuse people based on rumors. It's sad how a little chestnut like you has already picked up such bad habits."
Geum Sansan's body trembled. As a disciple of the Emei Sect, she had never suffered such humiliation before. Unfortunately, with her paralysis acupoint sealed, she could do nothing.
There were even rumors that he had used cowardly tactics to advance and quit before he could be exposed.
"I was just careless for a moment! Had we fought properly, I could have easily dealt with someone like you!"
In hindsight, those words were embarrassing, but in her anger and confusion, Geum Sansan felt that branding her opponent a coward was the only way to save face.
Baek Muheun grinned and proposed a bet. "Then shall we have a proper match later at the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament?"
"...Pardon?"
"I might get expelled for causing trouble here, but that won't matter on the duel stage, right?"
"At the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament... How do you know that you and I will even fight?"
The Dragon and Phoenix Tournament was the crown jewel of the Heavenly Martial Festival, a competition in which countless prodigies from the Five Great Academies took part. With the brackets not yet released, suggesting that they should settle their match at the tournament was absurd.
However, Baek Muheun seemed wholly unconcerned about that. "You seem pretty strong. If neither of us gets eliminated, we'll naturally meet at some point, right? Even with the worst luck, we'll meet in the finals."
"Ha...!" Geum Sansan went speechless at his absurd confidence.
The mysterious pretty boy, who was watching with his arms folded, chuckled to himself.
Finally, Geum Sansan asked, "Are you saying you'll give me a chance to redeem myself at the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament?"
"On the condition that what happened today stays a secret between us."
"......"
After some thought, Geum Sansan agreed.
"Ask your conscience... Oh, but you don't have one, do you?"
Baek Muheun released her paralysis acupoint at once and turned away without a second thought. "See you at the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament, then."
"Don't you forget today's promise!"
Baek Muheun waved without looking back. Along with the mysterious pretty boy, he left the alley and melted into the crowd.
"Why did you talk to her for so long?"
"I can't just leave a little girl all alone and paralyzed in a back alley, can I?"
"You really are a sinful man."
"...What are you going on about all of a sudden? It's been over half a year since I settled all that."
"Whatever. Arguing with you is a waste of my breath. Let's hurry and go see the acrobats!"
"......" Geum Sansan stared blankly at the direction where the pair of delinquents had vanished. "I am not a little girl... I am Geum Sansan, a third-year at the Heavenly Martial Academy!"