"You—!"
Changjung's face turned red as he shouted. Inside, he had wanted to attack Yeophyeon a hundred times over, but anyone standing atop the Nine Palaces Formation could never be touched. That was the rule of Changmok Academy. In truth, the formation was designed by the academy's professors to prevent personal grudges from driving out true geniuses.
No matter how furious Changjung was, he could not recklessly step onto the Nine Palaces Platform.
Yeophyeon ignored him and scanned his surroundings. When the wooden dolls no longer moved, he spoke.
"So, does this mean I've passed?"
"Passed?"
Changjung sneered.
"After using a trick to make the swords disappear, you dare talk about passing…"
"A trick? Do you have proof?"
"Proof? Ha! How could someone at your Ji-byeong level make the swords of all those wooden dolls vanish in an instant? If it wasn't a trick, then what else could it be!?"
Yeophyeon let out a sigh, looking around.
"Now I understand why the Nine Palaces Formation has never been broken. Anyone who did so must have used a trick—it makes sense. Hah, how amusing!"
People below the Nine Palaces Platform began murmuring among themselves.
At that moment, a student from Changmok Academy climbed the platform, examined Yeophyeon from head to toe, and asked,
"You are only Ji-byeong. How could you possibly break the Nine Palaces Formation?"
"But as you can see, the formation has already been broken."
"There are still suspicious points. As Elder Chang said, you must have manipulated something."
The other students nodded in agreement. They could not believe the formation had been broken so easily. None of them, even the prodigies called unmatched geniuses when they first entered the academy, had dared attempt the Nine Palaces Formation. How could a mere Ji-byeong accomplish it?
Manipulation!
Most of the spectators were already convinced that Yeophyeon had manipulated something. He gazed at the now still wooden dolls and muttered inwardly,
"Cheonnyeo, is this considered manipulation?"
A voice answered in his mind.
[What nonsense are you talking about? You may not have mastered sword intent fully, but you have reached Sword Heart Perfection, and you've trained your Invincible Sword Body Technique, turning your body into a single sword. Though not fully perfected, your level is significant.
These wooden dolls rely on the formation, but on their own, they are only low-level sword masters. You, however, are already a true Great Sword Master, perhaps even halfway to Sword Dao Mastery. With the Invincible Sword Body Technique, absorbing those wooden swords is not unusual. No ordinary sword master could oppose you!]
Yeophyeon smiled wryly. He had asked only because the formation had been broken far too easily, but Cheonnyeo's explanation made everything clear.
At that moment, a middle-aged man appeared in the hall. Students of Changmok Academy immediately saluted him.
"Vice Director Yeosu (Leixiu)!"
Even Changjung looked startled and bowed slightly.
Changmok Academy had three vice directors, and these men were the real power within the academy.
'Yeosu…? The depth of his skill is unknown…'
Yeophyeon could not determine Yeosu's strength, though he seemed roughly on par with the old master Gu Luzhu observed from the top of Unseon. Everything was proceeding according to Yeophyeon's plan. He had climbed the Nine Palaces Formation to draw out such figures.
Yeosu's eyes turned toward Changjung.
"You must separate public duty from personal feelings. How could you let your emotions influence student selection? From now on, step down from that position and remain at the academy assisting with academic affairs only!"
Changjung's face went pale, and he stammered.
"Vice Director! That boy is not a Swordmaster Supreme, so I merely followed the regulations. I did nothing wrong…"
"I don't know what grudge you may have with him, but how dare you let personal feelings affect the selection of students, upon whom the future of Changmok Academy depends? Do you still have words to speak!?"
Changjung was left speechless, his face ashen, merely glaring at Yeophyeon from the side.
Yeophyeon turned to Yeosu and bowed in respect, taking a martial stance.
"Vice Director."
Yeosu scrutinized Yeophyeon, then spoke.
"I do not know how you made the wooden swords vanish, but your fundamentals and combat ability are sufficient to qualify for admission to Changmok Academy. Therefore… this is remarkable!"
Yeosu approached quickly, placing a hand on Yeophyeon's shoulder.
At that moment, the Spirit Sword inside Yeophyeon suddenly disappeared.
Yeosu removed his hand and stared intently.
"You… have no dantian!"
The hall was shocked by his words. Even Changjung, initially surprised, suddenly broke into a wild laugh.
Instead of answering, Yeophyeon asked Cheonnyeo.
"Cheonnyeo, why did you withdraw the Spirit Sword? Should I not reveal that I use my body as a sword?"
[Of course not!] Cheonnyeo replied.
[Using your body as a sword is a technique that would shock the world. With your current strength, if that were revealed, your life could be in danger!]
Yeophyeon understood Cheonnyeo's words. After a moment, he nodded and addressed Yeosu.
"That's correct. I have no dantian. However…"
"Hahaha! No dantian? That means you are forever confined to a low-level martial practitioner! And yet you still claim to qualify for Changmok Academy?"
Changjung cut in, but Yeophyeon ignored him, waiting for Yeosu's decision.
After a moment of thought, Yeosu spoke.
"Without a dantian, you cannot control internal energy. That is a fatal weakness for a martial artist. Changmok Academy cannot admit someone without a dantian. However, your fundamentals are exceptional, so if you wish, you may remain here as a Mudo."
A Mudo is a practitioner who performs menial tasks for students and professors within the academy.
'A Mudo?'
Yeophyeon's expression darkened. He had come here to become a formal student, not a servant. As he prepared to reveal his true combat power, an urgent voice rang out.
"Yeop Gongja!"
Yeophyeon turned, his face immediately changing. Yooksoyeon was beside him, and Yeopryeong's head was covered in frost, her body radiating extreme cold as if she were a block of ice.
Yeophyeon rushed to her. As he held her, a wave of frigid air surged, making his body shiver.
"How… how is this…?"
He was already on the brink of losing his mind.
Desperately, he turned to Yeosu and pleaded.
"Vice Director! I beg you, allow Changmok Academy's physicians to examine my younger sister!"
Yeosu shook his head.
"Changmok Academy only has three masters of medical arts. They are not available on a whim."
Across the kingdom, there were barely ten masters of medical arts, and only three in Changmok Academy. Even with Yeosu's request, whether they would act was uncertain, and any intervention would come at great cost—something Yeophyeon could not afford.
As Yeophyeon prepared to argue, Yeosu shook his head.
"Without a dantian, your maximum potential is limited to Ji-byeong. Accept the role of Mudo, or leave."
Yeophyeon saw the chance to secure Yeopryeong's life slipping. He held her trembling form, kneeled, and, with bloodshot eyes, pleaded.
"If Changmok Academy saves my sister, I, Yeophyeon, will devote my life to serving the academy until my last breath!"
Yeosu stared coldly.
"You are unqualified!"
Just as Yeophyeon was about to protest,
"O…oppa…"
Yeopryeong's weak voice called from his arms.
"It's… okay if I'm not healed… just… stand… up…"
Tears streamed endlessly from her eyes, tinged with icy blue. Her trembling hands clung to Yeophyeon's neck, filled with anguish and frustration that her brother had to kneel before others on her behalf.
Yeophyeon sat on the ground, holding her tightly. His body shook from the cold and sorrow, his teeth clenched so hard that blood seeped from his mouth.
The hall watched in stunned silence, witnessing the brother and sister in despair.