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백양천의 발견

“Baek Yangcheon, huh….”

“Is it true that the master wanted to take him as a disciple?”

“Way younger and smaller than I expected! Did the master really show interest in that young man?”

“Apparently, he aced the exam on Demon Beasts.”

“What?! They said this exam was the hardest ever.”

“And that’s not all! In the first round of exams, he actually…”

Whispers danced in my ears. The level of transcendent enlightenment I had achieved couldn’t be completely hidden, no matter how hard I tried to suppress it.

As I began to hear the voices of those intrigued by me…

I stepped onto the podium.

Crack!

On hearing the creaking wood, I cautiously glanced at my surroundings.

Everyone gathered was looking at me.

Amidst the interesting gazes, I spotted the man who had just spoken to me.

Was it Do-yun?

‘From Mountain West Island, right?’

A person from my home region. Mountain West Island? I didn’t really recall hearing much about it.

‘Probably not a prominent clan member.’

I didn’t think too deeply about it, as I found his reaction amusing.

Even now, he looked utterly shocked, staring at me with wide eyes.

‘How amusing.’

It had been a while since I encountered someone who entertained me like this.

I allowed myself a slight smile before turning my focus back to the situation. In that moment…

“Baek Yangcheon.”

I turned my gaze toward the voice calling my name.

There was a familiar face—the exam proctor who had been managing things during the second round. He looked at me with an untrusting gaze, likely filled with suspicion.

‘He must think I was bribed or something.’

Perfect score on a notoriously difficult exam.

It must be strange for me to have aced it.

‘It’s just suspicion, after all.’

The issue was my background—a lesser family within the Hundred Families.

It wouldn’t be too remarkable for someone from an obscure family to have bribed an examiner.

He probably thinks that’s why he’s suspecting me.

“Yes.”

As I answered, the man furrowed his brow slightly.

“…Congratulations. You passed with flying colors.”

“Thank you.”

Passed with high marks, huh? I had experienced something similar from Shinryong Temple before.

‘…But what’s the point of being recognized here?’

I wasn’t particularly moved by it.

At that moment…

“The Great Lord will be arriving shortly, so please compose yourselves.”

“…!”

Upon hearing the term ‘Great Lord,’ my eyes widened. This place’s Great Lord…

‘…The Sword Sovereign.’

Grandfather of Wi Seol-Ah and one of the current Three Eminent Beings.

‘A figure near unmatched in the world.’

As the world says, if they were to choose the strongest, everyone would undoubtedly say it would be the Sword Sovereign.

A great person who led the Martial Alliance in its prime and peace.

‘Not anymore, though.’

The Sword Sovereign is coming. Just as I was feeling a bit tense with his arrival…

“The Great Lord is coming!”

A loud voice echoed from afar.

Actually, I didn’t even need to hear it to know.

‘That presence…’

Something enormous was slowly approaching from a distance.

It was sharp and deadly, as if the air itself would cut through my skin.

Extreme tension.

The shape seemed to press down the air around, exuding the charisma of a supreme being.

I turned my gaze.

I could see him—a small, thin old man approaching from within the main hall.

His sparse black hair was mostly white, and he had an extremely thin frame, but—

‘…It’s different.’

Looking at that old man made me question if he was the same person I recognized.

The feeling was entirely different. The old man I knew had a frail face that gave off a kind impression.

But the current old man…

The Sword Sovereign was nothing like that.

‘A finely honed divine sword.’

The personification of the sword blade. Just looking at him made it difficult to breathe.

‘The feeling is completely different.’

I hadn’t seen the Sword Sovereign in his prime, and all I knew was his appearance when he was serving as a court official.

The current state felt entirely isolated.

I intensified my energy as I grasped the realm.

I mustn’t be discovered. That thought pushed me to exert all my strength.

Even if I had reached the level of the Eminent Beings, how strong the Sword Sovereign currently was remained unknown.

I suppressed my power as much as possible while also allowing a small fraction to be open. It would look odd if I completely suppressed it, so I adjusted it to a proficient peak level.

“…”

Eventually, the Sword Sovereign approached and stopped before me, and as our eyes met, his sharp golden eyes turned toward me.

“Was it Baek Yangcheon?”

“Yes, it is. It’s an honor to meet you, Great Lord.”

“…”

His golden eyes scrutinized me from head to toe. Amidst his examination, I didn’t feel any intent to harm.

But it was probably enough for someone of the Sword Sovereign’s level just to observe me.

“…A new star has risen in the Central Plains.”

At his whispered remark, those nearby gasped. They would certainly understand the weight of what the Sword Sovereign had just said.

Also…

“Why, has he taken a liking to you?”

An old man appeared beside him. Overwhelmed by his presence, I narrowed my eyes slightly.

‘…Muk Yeon.’

The strategist of the Martial Alliance, referred to as the brain of Wi Hyogun.

He had returned to that strategist position in this world too.

‘That makes sense. He should have been here back then too.’

It wasn’t unusual; just one more character to keep an eye on.

“I heard you are the new top scorer. Please take good care of us.”

“…Thank you.”

Once the words of the strategist and the Great Lord concluded, the Sword Sovereign gazed at the vast crowd gathered and continued.

“I welcome and commend all of you who have chosen to be the new strength of the Alliance.”

The words were simple—a speech one could hear anywhere.

While I half-heartedly listened to the exchange, I quietly spread my energy around.

Just in case the Sword Sovereign might catch on, I did it lightly and slowly.

‘There are quite a few watchful eyes here.’

How many among those observing me are bothersome?

Recalling the number, it seemed rather significant.

Is this the amount after filtering through so many?

‘Hmm.’

I nodded.

‘With this, I think I can handle it.’

It didn’t feel particularly difficult.

As I mulled it over and nodded, the Great Lord’s speech finally came to an end.

*

After the speech, we headed to the plaza along with the others.

Everyone who had been in front of the podium received directions and began to gather in the plaza.

The reason was straightforward.

“Now I will call out the names of the sword teams you will join.”

It was to choose the sword teams for those who passed. If one had joined the main sect, they naturally would belong to a sword team.

It was only natural.

Everyone maintained a tense silence as they busily looked at the people in front of them.

There stood six successful candidates.

The six sword teams had their members standing with crossed arms while they observed us.

There were eight sword teams within the Martial Alliance. Actually, at this time…

‘There should also be Shinryong Team, making it nine.’

While there were supposed to be nine sword teams, only six had arrived.

That was simply understandable.

‘The absent teams are Shinryong Team, Wind Dragon Order, and Guardian Unit.’

Shinryong Team would only recruit those who were extreme elites, so they wouldn’t be seeking new recruits.

The Wind Dragon Order and Guardian Unit were specialized forces, so they were the same.

‘Therefore, they must be selecting personnel from the remaining teams.’

It was a reasonable conclusion.

“I will begin calling names.”

As the voice sounded, names echoed.

“Jin Seok-hyun, Flying Dragon Order.”

As each name was called, individuals moved forward to join the senior members of their designated teams.

“Bang Hyun-yeon, Gold Dragon Order. Seok Ho-ryeong, Iron Dragon Team.”

The calls came rapidly. They had seemingly prepared this list within a day among their teams.

After a considerable number of names had been called…

“Do-yun, Blue Dragon Team.”

A familiar name rang out.

“…Baek…Yangcheon.”

When my name was called.

“Blue Dragon Order.”

“Whoa!”

The moment my name echoed, Do-yun behind me reacted vigorously.

“It seems we’re in the same team again this time!”

“…”

“Wow, to be in the same sword team as that remarkable figure…! This is just overwhelming.”

This guy had been talking non-stop since we gathered in the plaza.

I was getting a bit exhausted.

He must have recognized my identity, as it seemed he was even more talkative now.

‘Why am I in the same team as him?’

On top of that, it’s the Blue Dragon Order. My ears already felt a slight ache.

‘But overall, it’s a relief.’

Ignoring Do-yun’s chatter, I confirmed the Blue Dragon Order situation.

‘This is what I wanted.’

This had been my biggest wish.

Joining the Blue Dragon Team was something I desperately wanted, and having passed through a low chance, this was indeed a good outcome.

‘…It’s the place where my father is.’

The current deputy lord of the Blue Dragon Order, Gu Cheolun, was my father’s title.

The last time I met him, he belonged to that team, so I wanted to go there if possible.

It seemed I got my wish.

“Hahaha. I think we should get along well from now on, don’t you agree?”

“…Ah, yes.”

Marching forward with the talkative Do-yun, the Blue Dragon Team’s cloaks were a distinct blue, making them easy to spot from afar.

As we approached the area where the senior members of the Blue Dragon Order were,

“Nice to meet you.”

‘Huh?’

A sweet voice caught my attention.

The woman before me was beautiful, just like her voice. Graceful and elegant, moreover…

‘The scent of flowers.’

I felt an all-too-familiar floral aroma.

‘…Ah.’

As I realized who it was, I couldn’t help but stare.

I often felt I was seeing a familiar face here.

The woman, locked in eye contact with me, smiled.

“From now on, I look forward to working with you. I am…”

Her name, or rather, her identity was clear.

“I am So-i from the Blue Dragon Team, and embarrassingly enough, I am being called the So Sword Peak. It’s a pleasure to meet you, juniors.”

“…”

Plum Blossom Sword Queen So-i.

This was her youth.

 

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