Chapter 134: Qinggong Competition (1)
‘Qinggong and Cultivation Method (2).’
Countless cadets flocked to this class.
It was extremely rare for new students to swarm in like this all at once in the middle of an already opened lecture.
Of course, it was not popular because this lecture was an outstandingly famous one or because the grades were incredibly generous.
The consolidation and integration of departments and halls.
This was because the lectures of the instructors and assistant instructors who were dismissed due to bribery were integrated with the lectures of other instructors and assistant instructors who were conducting classes normally.
The power of the public poster put up by Shen Shilin, Song Yu, Tai Zhenzhe, and Jin Xizhi was far greater than expected.
Dean Tang Jieha, thinking it was a golden opportunity, started a massive purge, and as a result, those who had received bribes from cadets until now, along with the high-ranking officials entangled with them, were all dismissed.
It was a natural consequence of the ‘Guanxi’ culture where they mutually accommodated each other.
……And.
Among the classes canceled one after another, there were coincidentally many classes related to Qinggong, and the cadets who were taking them flocked to a single class regardless of their hall or grade.
That was the ‘Qinggong and Cultivation Method (2)’ class.
Namely, the lecture currently managed by Ximen Qing.
“Really, what on earth is this out of nowhere? Consolidating the lectures we were taking well.”
“I didn’t expect the bribery culture to stretch all the way to the Blue Dragon and White Tiger Halls.”
“Is the Black Tortoise Hall the only place that suffered no damage? That place is truly amazing.”
“It’s a place with nothing but human green bamboos. It’s quite understandable.”
“As expected, those Black Tortoise Hall bastards live up to their arrogance.”
A quarter of an hour before the lecture started, the cadets were crowded in the classroom.
This classroom was a super-large one on the ninety-ninth floor that could seat over several hundred people.
Outside the window, a massive cloud bridge leading to the opposite hall was visible.
From this class onward, the cadets would practice Qinggong there.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the classroom, a group of cadets gathered.
“Yul. Isn’t it a bit noisy here? Ugh, it’s so chaotic.”
“Indeed, what is this all about? To think we have to take a class with those ragtag crowds.”
“Even yielding a hundred times, let’s say Black Tortoise and White Tiger Halls are acceptable. But what on earth is the Vermilion Bird Hall?”
“Well, it’s fine. If there are kids who will serve as the bottom tier.”
Even within the Blue Dragon Hall, the particularly influential cadets were gathered in one place.
They were all looking at a single spot.
And here sat a female cadet at the absolute peak of the Blue Dragon Hall, looking at the other cadets indifferently.
“…”
Skin as white as snow and eyebrows that stretched straight.
Lips tinged with a vivid peach blossom hue.
A beauty of such degree that it naturally made onlookers gasp in admiration.
While the other cadets admired her, they also found her difficult to approach, as they could feel her elegant dignity and cold nature just from her gaze.
Sword Flower Namgung Yul.
“…”
She had been keeping her mouth closed and saying nothing since earlier.
If someone else had done this, they would have given off a cold or unfriendly impression, but Namgung Yul’s beauty was so alienly gorgeous that no one felt that kind of displeasure.
In short, it was a beauty and dignity that made one feel no anger at all even if they spoke to her and received no reply, making it seem only natural instead, and just looking at her from afar was enough.
“Lady Yul is truly pretty today as well…”
“How can someone look so elegant even when spacing out…”
“I will definitely try talking to her today.”
“Forget it, dude. Before you can even get close to her, you will be blocked by her legion of maidservants.”
“Looking at it, she seems to be even more popular among women than men.”
Regardless of whether they were female or male, they all admired and adored her.
Regardless of hall, grade, instructor, or cadet, everyone wanted to get closer to her.
Since she was a perfect idol who possessed everything, beauty, strength, knowledge, and the overwhelming background of the Namgung Clan, it was quite natural.
……However, Namgung Yul herself, who was receiving the focused attention of everyone, was actually not interested in any of this.
Although she was originally uninterested, it was largely due to the long field trip she had taken during this vacation.
All of this was because of a single person she had met during that process.
‘…It’s suffocating.’
Namgung Yul sighed softly.
This vast Ascending Heaven Academy felt so small to her.
Recalling the martial world under heaven and the hidden realms of the Jianghu she had traveled with ‘that person,’ this place was no different from a cramped chicken coop.
Compared to the countless squawking chickens and chicks here, the man Namgung Yul was thinking of was a noble crane, no, a phoenix.
‘Do you know the meaning of gluing the frets to play the lute?’
‘When those with similar mindsets are entangled for a long time, a mental genetic disease develops.’
‘It means you should not limit making friends and learning only within the orthodox path. If the young blood from the outside looks useful, you must be able to transfuse it at any time. Only then can you survive the turbulent waves of the Wulin.’
‘The Wulin is like the sea. When it is calm, it is matchlessly tranquil, making it good to cast a fishing rod and enjoy a cup of wine… but once a storm blows, it surges so terribly that the sky and the sea mingle.’
The words of Namgung Cheon naturally rose in her mind.
‘…Now I understand the meaning of the words Grandfather spoke.’
Namgung Yul had already learned everything there was to learn at the Ascending Heaven Academy.
No, perhaps there was nothing to learn here from the moment she entered the academy.
Her martial talent was already at a stage that surpassed most instructors and assistant instructors, and considering the family’s secret techniques she had mastered, she was fully capable of setting out on a journey through the Jianghu alone.
‘Should I withdraw and return to the main house? And immediately follow him into the Jianghu…’
She wanted to do so right away if she could.
She wanted to fly freely through the sky and chase after him.
However, she could not do so yet.
Because the trivial shackles of reality were binding her from doing so.
Those trivial shackles were…
“Lady Namgung. Are you attending the upcoming ‘Sword Forest Meeting’ by any chance?”
Things like this question asked by the nameless male cadet next to her.
“…”
Namgung Yul nodded her head without showing her annoyance.
At that, the male cadet let out a sigh of relief with a bright expression.
“Haha-it is fortunate. In the end, you are listening to this Murong Mo’s earnest request. Thank you. I express my gratitude once again for considering my face. Well then, see you at the meeting!”
Although she did not know who that Murong Mo was, Namgung Yul nodded her head for now.
The Sword Forest.
It was the name of the club to which Namgung Yul belonged.
However, it was a club only in name.
The Sword Forest was a super-large cadet coalition whose membership reached as many as several hundred people, so even the instructors did not dare to treat them carelessly.
Since it was a coalition club created by the cadets of the Blue Dragon, Black Tortoise, and White Tiger Halls for exchange, the members were naturally mostly cadets from those three halls.
All of them regarded the sword as their cherished weapon, and discussing its depth was their primary activity.
Namgung Yul had been a strong candidate tipped as the next leader of this Sword Forest ever since she was a first-class cadet, and because of that, she had quite a lot of tasks to process.
Leading the Sword Forest of the Ascending Heaven Academy was a tremendous honor as a cadet, so in the past, Namgung Yul used to immerse herself quite deeply in this work.
‘Now it all feels futile and annoying. The “real” ones are outside the academy, after all.’
Having personally felt many things through her skin during her recent journey through the Jianghu, Namgung Yul was feeling boredom and disgust toward everything inside the academy.
Right then.
Buzz, buzz…
The atmosphere inside the classroom changed slightly.
“…?”
Even Namgung Yul, who was feeling bored with everything, reacted slightly to that change.
The gazes of the cadets were focusing in another direction.
Step, step, step…
A first-class female cadet entered the classroom.
She also led a number of cadets that rivaled Namgung Yul.
Hair like black silk and skin as white as white jade.
Moon-shaped thick eyebrows and eyelashes so long that dust could settle on them.
Eyes sparkling with curiosity and vitality, which gave off a friendly feeling like a puppy.
Ho Ye-yang, a first-class cadet of the White Tiger Hall.
She took a seat on the opposite side of Namgung Yul.
“…”
Namgung Yul looked at Ho Ye-yang for a moment.
A female cadet sitting next to her like a maidservant whispered in Namgung Yul’s ear.
“She is the one. The genius of the White Tiger Hall.”
“…Ah.”
Namgung Yul also knew of her from the rumors she had heard.
The persistent ones of the White Tiger Hall who clashed solely with their skills, throwing away things like grade distinctions to the dogs.
Among them, it was said there was a junior who was leading the pack by showcasing particularly outstanding qualities.
‘A lively junior overflowing with energy.’
‘A competitor who rises by stepping even on her seniors.’
‘A stubborn one who has a natural talent despite having no backing.’
The rumors about Ho Ye-yang were countless.
However, the most recent rumor among them was this.
‘Blade Flower Ho Ye-yang,’ and ‘the strong next leader of the Blade Mountain.’
The moniker ‘Blade Flower,’ which opposed Namgung Yul’s moniker ‘Sword Flower.’
Namgung Yul knew full well why the busybodies had named Ho Ye-yang’s moniker like that to paint a certain picture.
‘It is probably the Blade Mountain’s intention to check the Sword Forest.’
The Blade Mountain, like the Sword Forest, was the name of the massive club to which Ho Ye-yang belonged.
The slightly different point was that all members of the Blade Mountain regarded the blade as their cherished weapon, and discussing its depth was their primary activity.
And just as the leader of the Sword Forest had traditionally been produced from the Blue Dragon Hall, the leader of the Blade Mountain had traditionally been produced from the White Tiger Hall.
Sword Flower Namgung Yul of the Sword Forest and Blade Flower Ho Ye-yang of the Blade Mountain.
As the two of them sat in the same space, the atmosphere in the hall began to be strangely divided into two.
Sword Flower Namgung Yul settled the surrounding atmosphere coldly and solemnly.
Blade Flower Ho Ye-yang raised the surrounding atmosphere in a lively and vital way.
Sword Flower Namgung Yul’s beauty was objective and could be defined by specific physical conditions.
Blade Flower Ho Ye-yang’s beauty was subjective and could not be defined by specific physical conditions.
That is to say, Namgung Yul naturally invoked awe from those around her, while Ho Ye-yang made those around her naturally talk to her and express their favor.
The two of them resembled each other in that they possessed outstanding talent and beautiful appearances, but the charms they held were starkly opposed.
And now.
A minor war of nerves broke out between the two forces gathering around their respective, differing idols.
Just as the great war between Wu and Chu in the old days originated from the maids of two families fighting over a mulberry tree on the border, the fight between these two groups also began in an extremely trivial and childish manner.
“Well, though the Blade Mountain has chased the Sword Forest a lot. Still, the Sword Forest is still far above in terms of Qinggong, right?”
“What nonsense am I hearing? The Blade Mountain chasing the Sword Forest? The Sword Forest is the one that has almost caught up with the Blade Mountain. As for Qinggong, of course the Blade Mountain is superior.”
There are always zealots who are over-immersed in their own groups anywhere.
The extreme club members sitting in the front lines in the middle of the classroom clashed with each other.
“What are you talking about? Those slow-as-molasses Blade Mountain bastards.”
“Can the Sword Forest fellows even join in when it comes to Qinggong? The world has truly become a better place.”
“Oh, their tongues are truly invincible as expected. Cowards who don’t even have the courage to actually clash.”
“Look who’s talking. Shall we really have a go at it?”
“Come outside, you.”
“You seem to be acting like this thinking I won’t come out if you tell me to, but you picked the wrong person.”
A male cadet of the Blade Mountain and a female cadet of the Sword Forest stood up from their seats, panting in anger.
It soon escalated into a pride battle between the two groups, the Blade Mountain and the Sword Forest.
The atmosphere inside the classroom overheated in an instant.
For the sake of order, the influential figures among the cadets had no choice but to step forward personally and calm this disturbance.
With no other choice, Namgung Yul stepped forward from the Sword Forest’s side.
“Stop it, all of you.”
At those words, the momentum of the Sword Forest’s extremists subsided a bit.
“That’s right. Let’s stop here. If we do more, it will turn into a big trouble.”
From the Blade Mountain’s side, Ho Ye-yang stepped forward.
At those words, the momentum of the Blade Mountain’s extremists also subsided a bit.
But.
That was only being gentle to their own side, while the hostility toward the opposing side remained as before.
A cadet of the Blade Mountain’s side who had first lit the fuse spoke toward Namgung Yul.
“If you admit that the Sword Forest’s side is inferior in Qinggong, I will stop.”
“That crazy bastard! Hey! What kind of dog shit do you keep spouting, you half-witted Blade Mountain bastards?!”
A cadet of the Sword Forest’s side flared up and replied on her behalf.
At those words, the atmosphere became threatening once again.
Right then.
Creeeeak…
The front door of the classroom opened.
The assistant instructor in charge of the ‘Qinggong and Cultivation Method (2)’ lecture revealed himself.
Ximen Qing.
A short stature and a face distorted by burn scars.
At his appearance, the cadets fell silent in an instant.
“…”
“…”
“…”
The gazes of the cadets looking at Ximen Qing were not very favorable.
While it was partly because his build was small and his face looked hideous, that was actually not all.
A native of a backwater village who only chased women.
It was due to the rumor that had already spread here and there that he had bought the assistant instructor position of the Ascending Heaven Academy with money.
But regardless of whether they did or not, Ximen Qing walked with a calm attitude and stood in front of the podium.
Then, he picked up a piece of chalk and wrote today’s lecture topic on the blackboard.
-The Basics of Qinggong.
At that, a few cadets snickered and whispered.
‘What a rustic thug would know?’
‘Right. He probably has no stock to teach other than basic skills.’
‘One has to know something to teach. He wouldn’t even have the capability to dare handle the advanced curriculum anyway.’
‘Honestly, this is a waste of time. Phew-if not for the consolidation, I would never have to take a lecture from the Vermilion Bird Hall.’
Even though Ximen Qing was writing on the board, no one prepared to take notes.
It meant the cadets expected absolutely nothing from him.
Soon, Ximen Qing opened his mouth.
“Today’s class will be conducted in a practical training format. The students will pair up in twos to practice Qinggong, and after that, we will analyze the problems.”
At those words, several cadets openly mocked him.
‘Is he ashamed to show a demonstration himself?’
‘Probably. Because compared to the cadets’ level, there won’t be much difference.’
‘He might actually be worse than the upper-class cadets.’
‘Even if we show a demonstration, does he have the eye to analyze the problems?’
Regardless of what the cadets thought, the drawing of lots to form pairs proceeded according to procedure.
The cadets of each hall drew lots with numbers written on them, and those who drew the same number were to have a Qinggong contest on the rope bridge outside the window.
After that, the main gist of the practice was for Ximen Qing to analyze what the winner lacked and the cause of the loser’s defeat.
Soon, cadets from different halls who drew the same number came to face each other.
Coincidentally.
“……We meet again.”
“Indeed, senior.”
The first runners were Namgung Yul of the Blue Dragon Hall and Ho Ye-yang of the White Tiger Hall.
A fierce clash of dragon and tiger between the Blade Mountain and the Sword Forest.
As the Sword Flower and the Blade Flower clashed directly like this, the attention of the cadets was completely focused there.
In a situation where no one kept someone like Ximen Qing in mind.
“Let’s do it with a light heart.”
“Yes. I will try not to think of it too heavily.”
Namgung Yul and Ho Ye-yang were revealing their subtle competitive spirits toward each other.