Yuk Soyeon's heart was a tangle of emotions. She hadn't expected things to turn out this way, and she certainly hadn't imagined that Yeop-hyun didn't have a dantian.
Not having a dantian meant he couldn't use qi.
At that moment, Changjung's cold voice rang out.
"Hey, get those disgusting siblings out of the mountain immediately!"
At his command, the martial artists surrounded Yeop-hyun.
Just then, an old man stepped in front of Yeop-hyun. His hair was completely disheveled, his face streaked with soup residue. His clothes were nothing but rags, and the smell of alcohol radiated from his entire body.
For a moment, Changjung frowned. He hadn't sensed the old man at all.
"Who the hell are you!"
Changjung shouted, but the old man said nothing, simply gazing down at Yeop-ryeong's face.
"I can save him."
In an instant, Yeop-hyun lifted his head.
The old man looked directly into Yeop-hyun's eyes and spoke.
"Do you want to enter Changran Academy?"
Changran Academy!
The surrounding area erupted into chaos at those words.
Changran Academy, along with Changmok Academy, had once been the two dragons of the kingdom!
But now, they were no match for Changmok Academy.
Changjung shouted at the old man.
"Are you a martial artist from Changran Academy!?"
The old man paid no attention to Changjung and continued to look at Yeop-hyun.
Yeop-hyun answered.
"If you save my sister, my life will forever belong to Changran Academy!"
The old man pointed toward Chang Mountain.
"There are thirty-six corpses hanging from stakes there. All are students of Changran Academy, each killed in a cruel way. You could become one of them as well."
"If you save my sister, I will not resent it even if my body ends up there!"
"Could you return their bodies to their homes?"
"If my sister survives, I will see to it that their bodies are returned so they can rest in peace!"
The old man stared intently at Yeop-hyun for a moment.
"From now on, you are a person of Changran Academy."
The old man immediately knelt and began checking Yeop-ryeong's pulse. After a moment, he rubbed a black ring on his pinky finger, examining Yeop-ryeong's face carefully. From his palm, a lotus-shaped flame rose, heating the surrounding air.
"Fire Spirit!"
Someone shouted.
Changjung stared in horror at the Fire Spirit.
There were a few rare treasures in the world known as "Heaven-and-Earth Oddities," and the Fire Spirit was one of them. Its value was immeasurable. No amount of money could buy it! Even Changmok Academy had only a handful of such treasures.
The old man moved his fingers, and in an instant, the Fire Spirit was absorbed into Yeop-ryeong's forehead. Soon, the cold energy that had occupied her body drained away like the tide.
When the old man placed his hand on Yeop-ryeong's shoulder, a strange force flowed into her body. As Yeop-hyun watched tensely, color slowly returned to her face.
Yeop-hyun was deliriously happy at the sight.
After a brief moment, Yeop-ryeong slowly opened her eyes. Yeop-hyun grabbed her hand anxiously, his voice trembling.
"You're… awake!?"
Yeop-ryeong looked around blankly, then saw Yeop-hyun and began to cry.
"O… oppa… I… I'm not dead?"
A bright smile spread across Yeop-hyun's face as hot tears streamed down.
At that moment, a small flame appeared between Yeop-ryeong's eyebrows.
"This Fire Spirit will temporarily block the cold energy. It will disappear in a month or two, so keep that in mind."
Yeop-hyun helped her to her feet. The two siblings bowed respectfully to the old man.
"I, Yeop-hyun, will never forget the kindness you've shown today!"
The old man shook his head and replied.
"Now, let's go to Changran Academy."
"Yes!"
At that moment, Changjung sneered and shouted at Yeop-hyun.
"Pathetic! That once-great Changran Academy now goes around picking up trash abandoned by our Changmok Academy! Oh well, I guess no one wants to join Changran Academy now, so they might as well gather scraps!"
The old man glanced at Changjung once and then silently looked away.
Amid all the gazes, Yeop-hyun and Yeop-ryeong followed the old man.
Behind them, Changjung's mocking voice continued without pause.
"Pathetic, so pathetic! Changran Academy going around picking up trash, hahahaha!!"
At that moment, a white shadow rapidly approached from a distance. Someone shouted in a trembling voice.
"Ah, Commander An! It's Commander An!"
The crowd trembled once more at the words.
Commander An!
She was the leader of all young martial artists in the kingdom, their idol! The people who looked at her saw nothing but worship and respect in their eyes.
An Lansu, the pride of the kingdom, had achieved so much that no one could even feel jealousy.
Amid the crowd's intense gaze, An Lansu stopped in front of the old man and the Yeop siblings. Her voice trembled as she looked at Yeop-hyun.
"I'm sorry!"
"There is nothing for you to apologize for."
An Lansu extended her hand.
"Return the jade token…"
Yeop-hyun hesitated for a moment before replying.
"May I keep it?"
"For what reason…?"
"Simply, as a symbol of friendship."
An Lansu looked into Yeop-hyun's eyes for a moment and nodded. She then shifted her gaze to the old man nearby. The old man, looking at her, sighed softly and spoke.
"Indeed, the greatest talent of the kingdom. To reach this level at such an age…"
"I do not wish for unrest in the kingdom."
The old man smiled lightly and shook his head.
"Thirty-six corpses still remain on Chang Mountain."
An Lansu remained silent.
The old man said nothing further and began walking. Yeop-hyun performed a salute toward An Lansu.
"Then, farewell."
Yeop-hyun passed by An Lansu with Yeop-ryeong in tow.
Watching from a distance, Changjung spoke to An Lansu.
"Commander An! I…"
At that moment, Changjung's body shot up several meters. The crowd stared at An Lansu in shock and confusion.
'Why her!?'
An Lansu's cold voice addressed Changjung as he fell and writhed on the ground.
"He had my jade token."
As Changjung went pale and tried to speak, a sword flew through the air.
Shing!
With a chilling sound, one of Changjung's arms was severed. Blood sprayed everywhere, and the area fell silent.
Everyone stared at An Lansu in astonishment.
'Why did she do that!?'
Amid the crowd, An Lansu raised her head atop Chang Mountain and shouted in a voice full of wrath.
"Yeosu! Come out here!"
At the same time, she flicked her fingers lightly, sending her silver spear skyward. A massive dragon, over a hundred feet long, coiled around the spear and was drawn into Chang Mountain.
The dragon's roar echoed across the mountain, followed by a brief silence.
Bang!
The explosive sound shook the entire hall. Someone whispered in awe.
"Transforming the spear's intent… a Spear Master, perhaps?"
Spear Master!
Gasps spread throughout the hall.
"A Spear Master? An Lansu has reached the level of a Spear Master?"
"At only nineteen years old!?"
Everyone's expressions froze like stone. This had never occurred in the history of the kingdom, nor in previous dynasties.
Unprecedented!
At that moment, Yeosu appeared before An Lansu. His face was darkened completely. It was the first time anyone had seen An Lansu so angry.
In the history of Changmok Academy, only one person could stand shoulder to shoulder with An Lansu: Go Cheonjin, who had saved the entire academy by himself.
Now, An Lansu's skill was entirely on par with the legendary Go Cheonjin.
"Commander An, why are you so angry?"
"I just can't stand the sight of you!"
At the same time, she stomped her foot, causing her cloak to flutter. Her spear shot forward like lightning.
Yeosu gasped and stepped back, extending his right hand with his fist clenched. Wind swirled around his fist, filled with countless wind blades.
An Lansu's spear struck.
Bang!
The mountain shook with a deafening sound, shattering the wind blades. Someone's qi was violently pushed back.
The person was Yeosu. He was thrown at least ten feet before regaining his footing, blood flowing from his mouth, his arm cracked like a spiderweb.
The hall fell into complete silence. In a single second, An Lansu had defeated the vice principal of Changmok Academy.
Little was known about Yeosu's true level.
But the position of vice principal was not given to just anyone. Yeosu's skill was at least at the Neunggong or higher Tongyugyeong level, perhaps beyond! Yet he was utterly defeated by An Lansu.
Yeosu's eyes stared at An Lansu, filled not with anger but pure fear.
Few knew the significance of An Lansu's background. Regardless, even if she had refused Changmok Academy, the academy could not have treated her rudely.
Changmok Academy was infamous for killing geniuses they could not recruit.
But An Lansu was a martial artist beyond their capacity.
An Lansu lowered her spear and looked at Chang Mountain.
"From now on, I sever my ties with Changmok Academy."
As she turned to leave, Yeosu panicked and shouted.
"Commander An! This cannot be! If we have wronged you, we will beg for forgiveness! Please reconsider—"
Before Yeosu finished, An Lansu had already disappeared from sight.
Yeosu's face twisted in anger.
At that moment, the eight wooden dolls on the Nine Palace Platform returned to their original positions. At the same time, a phantom appeared in the empty air above the platform.
The crowd recognized it immediately.
It was Go Cheonjin, who had left the kingdom about three hundred years ago!
All the high-ranking members of Changmok Academy, except the retiring principal, gathered and paid deep respects to the phantom.
Go Cheonjin's phantom surveyed the hall and smiled faintly.
"You, the chosen one… I am a bit late… The child who destroyed Jin… has already gone? At such a young age, with a foundation as solid as rock, and understanding martial will, the great sword master, skilled in both sword and martial arts… where has this child gone?"
Hearing this, Yeosu trembled uncontrollably, and Changjung's face drained of color.