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Chapter 7: What on Earth Is This Nonsense!

“What on earth are you doing?”

The shout of the Double Blade echoed all around.

Crack-!

The desk he smashed splintered in two and fell over, causing everyone nearby to look at him in shock.

I was just as surprised.

Why is he suddenly throwing a fit?

His face was flushed red, clearly furious for all to see.

Curiously, I asked him, “Senior, what’s going on?”

“Why am I throwing a fit?”

Oops.

I clapped my hand over my mouth, realizing my words had slipped out.

My inner thoughts completely changed what I meant to say.

As a result, the expression of the Double Blade twisted even further.

“Star King, what did you just say?”

“Hahaha… I sincerely apologize. That was a slip of the tongue.”

It was a huge faux pas. Embarrassed, I added, “So, why are you throwing a fit?”

“…”

At this point, I just need to push through. That was clearly my intention.

As I said this, a tumultuous energy began to swirl around the Double Blade’s shoulders.

“…Are you asking because you don’t know?”

“Yes. I’m asking because I genuinely don’t know. If I already knew, why would I ask?”

Creak.

He stood up from his chair, and I noticed he was slightly taller, but there was no issue meeting his gaze.

“I clearly said: If you’re unhappy, then just leave. So why are you suddenly throwing a fit?”

Crack! The sound of cracking knuckles echoed as the Double Blade clenched his fist.

“…Star King.”

“Yes, Great Lord.”

“Do you think this is all just a joke?”

His voice brimmed with intense emotion.

“A joke?”

“Everyone in the world is praising you as a hero, and you think this situation is all just a joke?”

“Hmm.”

Hearing that, I nodded.

I made a gesture as if to say, “I don’t quite understand.”

“I think I need a little more detailed explanation.”

“Explanation? If this isn’t a joke, then what is it?”

“Why? I’m working hard here.”

“Hah, that’s laughable. Is this really what hard work looks like?”

The Double Blade pointed at somewhere in the direction where the applicants were gathered.

Specifically, towards those I had eliminated.

“It’s a test for selecting members of the Martial Alliance!”

“That’s right.”

“Do you think someone who knows that would choose members in such a ridiculous manner?”

As the Double Blade spoke, the eliminated applicants nodded in agreement.

“The fact that there are this many participants, just a day after the announcement, means this is a significant test. No matter how favorably the Alliance views you, you’re still challenging the pride of the Martial Alliance!”

As he continued, the murmurs around grew louder.

Those unhappy with my testing methods.

More precisely, it was the eliminated participants who felt this way. It made sense; they must have prepared for something only to be eliminated right away.

However.

“What am I supposed to do about what’s visible?”

It’s too glaringly obvious to ignore!

Why on earth did I set the Heated Strikes Sword as the standard in the first place?

This isn’t a mere wordplay; in reality, it was my benchmark.

“The passing criterion.”

Exactly at the cusp of mastery.

The realm of the Heated Strikes Sword was precisely that, and it was my minimum requirement.

To be honest, that benchmark might be a little high.

Once reaching that realm, someone is already considered a master in the Central Plains.

Moreover, most elite martial artists from the Alliance are at that peak, and a fully matured peak would be at Great Lord level.

With such circumstances, to argue that the Heated Strikes Sword is the standard is ridiculous.

“Because it’s my heart.”

In simpler terms, it was just how I felt.

I eliminated those who didn’t meet my tastes, and that was all there was to it. Looking for deeper meaning here would be excessive.

“Why? If this doesn’t sit well with you, should I just give up?”

A smirk appeared on the Double Blade’s face.

“If that’s your wish, you may do so. Just as you said, this is your domain. But…”

He paused, glancing at the eliminated participants, and added, “If you run this trial in such a manner from the start, I doubt you’d earn the support of the Great Lords, regardless of your martial skills.”

“Hmm.”

Hearing that, I also glanced at the applicants.

Their expressions seemed to indicate agreement.

“So that’s it.”

Only after seeing this did I understand why the Double Blade was making such a ruckus.

“It’s all political maneuvers from the get-go!”

Using the applicants and the situation as leverage.

Targeting my actions to raise doubts about my qualifications and to sway public opinion to create reactions.

It didn’t seem like a bad strategy.

In fact, my actions were indeed easy to criticize.

I had acted overly aggressively, so it made sense that the Double Blade, viewing me unfavorably, would express his anger.

But.

“Aha. So what you’re saying is….”

Here lies the problem.

“After going through the trouble of hiding informants among the applicants, they all got eliminated and now you’re ticked off. Is that what you meant?”

That’s how it went when I had no justification.

“…What…?”

The smirk vanished from the Double Blade’s face that had just been laughing a moment ago.

What remained was only bewilderment.

This quickly faded, but I didn’t miss it.

“What do you mean, ‘informant’?!”

What nonsensical nonsense is this? The Double Blade looked shocked, trying to regain his composure.

“Third, fourth, and then the ninth.”

“…!”

The numbers poured out without pause, and the Double Blade’s expression shattered.

“Right?”

The numbers I mentioned referred to none other than the informants he had injected into the mix.

“And where else….”

As I was scanning the remaining applicants to look for others,

“What nonsense are you spouting!”

Bang! The Double Blade cut me off, slamming the desk in front of me.

“Did you think it was all a game, or are you now trying to pin the blame on me?!”

“Blame?”

“That’s right. You’re accusing me with no evidence…!”

“Why do you think there’s no evidence?”

“…!”

The Double Blade’s eyes widened in shock.

To be honest, I didn’t have any evidence to show, but his reaction gave me confidence.

“Seeing your eye twitch makes me think I’m right.”

“Nonsense…!”

The Double Blade finally realized his blunder, but by then it was already too late.

Actually, it was too late; I’d already been confident about it.

The reason I believed them to be informants was straightforward.

Some of them have a similar energy.

The energy detectable from their physical bodies had been caught by my heightened Qi Perception and Heart Eye, indicating they used similar martial arts.

Of course, that alone isn’t enough to conclude they are informants; they might simply hail from the same sect or clan.

Moreover, their realms weren’t bad, so I could have selected them; however, the energy similarity I mentioned wasn’t just for those three.

“The Double Blade also possesses a similar energy.”

It was strikingly similar to that of the Gold Dragon Master.

This meant that they were likely members of the martial family they belonged to.

Why would individuals with such levels of skill apply to the Star Dragon rather than the Gold Dragon?

It was an explanation that could only be made if they were informants.

Seeing me nabbing their informant made the Double Blade exceedingly irate.

“At this point, who’s toying with this trial?”

From my perspective, it was a ridiculous situation.

“No matter how you slice it, I don’t think it’s me.”

As I lightly chuckled and continued, the Double Blade’s expression grew increasingly sour.

“What nonsensical talk is this? I mentioned that the Star King is ignoring this trial and the Martial Alliance! Don’t change the subject!”

Desperately, the Double Blade tried to shift the topic.

Just as I was about to respond,

“That’s right, Star King.”

另一位声员打断了我。

It was Eunranggeom, who had been quietly listening at my side.

“I believe what Gold Dragon Master said regarding this trial is correct.”

‘Who’s this guy now?’

Looks like the Double Blade might be losing ground, so suddenly, Eunranggeom intervened.

‘Where was he hiding until now?’

From the looks of it, this guy also seemed to be involved.

He seemed quite dignified.

“Do you also think similarly, Iron Dragon Lord?”

“…This trial is solely managed by the Star King, so that part can’t be interfered with. However, I definitely think there’s a problem with bias.”

“Bias?”

I frowned, not understanding what he meant. What on earth is he talking about?

“What sort of bias?”

“I’ve heard some of the applicants have been acquainted with the Star King.”

As he explained, Eunranggeom glanced toward the sparring stage.

“Of course, the Heated Strikes Sword standing over there. Then there is that lady beside you….”

He hesitated, looking at Nangong Bi-ah’s face.

She, however, didn’t look at Eunranggeom and kept her eyes fixed on me.

“…I know she is the lady you are engaged to.”

“Eh?”

“What do you mean—!”

With Eunranggeom’s words, everyone who had been looking at Nangong Bi-ah turned to me.

In this absurd situation, I felt a hostile gaze directed at me.

‘These jerks?!’

Why are they showing animosity? It was ridiculous.

“The Star King’s fiancée…?”

“Are you saying that lady truly belongs to the Star King?”

“…Now that you mention it, I’ve heard that the Star King’s fiancée is the Sword Dance Hero from the Nangong Clan.”

“What? The Sword Dance Hero…? Could it really be Anhui’s number one beauty?”

“I only heard rumors… I didn’t expect her to be that incredible.”

The reactions changed dramatically. Seeing that, Eunranggeom quickly added, “In addition to that…”

As his gaze scanned around, it seemed he was searching for letters.

“Most of the martial artists who participated in the last battle against the White Grade Demon Beast appear to have signed up.”

“…”

I nodded in agreement with Eunranggeom’s statement.

That was indeed true; the martial artists who had attended that battle somehow all participated in this recruitment.

“So, you’re saying, Iron Dragon Lord, that I’m conducting biased evaluations for my connections? Is that what you’re implying?”

“Given the circumstances, it’s hard to come to any other conclusion.”

“Ahha….”

So this is how it’s going to be?

I chuckled lightly as I faced him and said, “So you think that’s how it appears, huh?”

“If not, I can’t understand why you would hastily eliminate capable candidates without assessing them.”

“Hmm.”

Iron Dragon Lord seemed to imply that I had eliminated candidates without assessing them to secure my connections.

Honestly, I didn’t care about that.

It was one of the conditions I had laid out for Muk Yeon.

“I will make sure to bring in the five I want, no matter what it takes.”

With that condition in mind, such statements didn’t concern me.

“Right now, the fact that you keep scratching at that is starting to annoy me.”

I held back a sigh as I addressed Eunranggeom.

“Sorry, but the reason I eliminated them is simply that they didn’t meet my expectations. It has nothing to do with my connections. Besides, I was planning to eliminate the lady due to her engagement to me!.”

“Due to weakness…? What made you conclude that?”

Eunranggeom’s eyes shifted to Nangong Bi-ah.

“Among the eliminated participants, the fact that Nangong young lady passed the standard is also quite incomprehensible. It’s no different than hasty excuses.”

“…What?”

“That’s right, isn’t it?”

Wow.

This is a major calamity.

‘…This is really annoying.’

I was trying to let it slide, but he hit a nerve.

It’s not that I don’t know what’s going on, but seeing Nangong Bi-ah getting belittled is exceedingly infuriating.

‘What should I do?’

Should I just knock down one of these fools to ensure they can’t rise again?

As those thoughts flitted through my mind.

‘…’

A sudden idea struck me, and I glanced at Nangong Bi-ah.

– Hey.

I immediately sent her a mental message. She tilted her head, having received it.

– How are you feeling?

– …What…?

– I’m asking how you feel.

– …I’m fine.

– Be honest.

– …

She fell silent for a moment, as if pondering something. A few seconds later.

– How okay am I supposed to be…?

Nangong Bi-ah’s response reached me. Hearing that, I looked towards Eunranggeom and asked.

– Can you defeat this guy next to you?

– …

After hearing my question, Nangong Bi-ah glanced at Eunranggeom, and not long after, her reply came in.

Nodding, I turned to Eunranggeom and said, “Iron Dragon Lord.”

“Yes. Is there something more you wish to say…?”

“Let’s make a bet.”

“…What?”

The sudden mention of a bet raised Eunranggeom’s eyebrows in surprise.

It was such an outlandish statement!

But.

“What kind of absurd thing are you—?”

“If I lose the bet, I’ll give my Alliance’s Great Lord title to you. If you want, I’ll even kneel and lick the dust off your feet.”

“…”

“What do you say?”

At my inquiry, Eunranggeom wore a strange expression and asked, “What are the terms of the bet?”

Gotcha!

 

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