“I really can’t believe it!”

Jang-hong exclaimed with an expression of disbelief. It was rather abnormal for someone to enter without any prior knowledge or information, like Bi Ryu-yeon. It was common for everyone to familiarize themselves with the Heavenly Martial Arts Academy before entering. In other words, Bi Ryu-yeon had irresponsibly entered without doing any of the things a normal person would have done. Jang-hong felt dizzy even though he wasn’t anemic.

“Can’t be helped. I’ll explain it to you in detail.”

“I prefer simple explanations over detailed ones. Explain it to me in detail but simply.”

Bi Ryu-yeon spoke in a tone that indicated he despised troublesome things. Jang-hong was once again in despair at the fact that he still showed no signs of remorse, but decided not to show it.

“First, one of the mandatory courses for first-year students is Introduction to Poison Techniques. Even if you’re not a specialized practitioner of poison techniques, learning about poisons is a field that all grade levels must take for basic protection and survival of the body. That’s how ruthless and cold-blooded the Gangho is, rife with schemes and infighting. The same goes for hidden weapons in that regard. These two are often associated with survival in the martial arts world rather than enhancing skills. Anyway, apart from the Snake Heaven Sect, it’s not an exaggeration to say that there are no righteous sects that deal with poisons and hidden weapons. In addition…”

Jang-hong continued to explain the mandatory courses without a break. In addition to poisons and hidden weapons, other mandatory courses for first-year students included “Understanding Martial Arts Mnemonics,” “Introduction to Battle Array Analysis,” “General Theory of Sword Techniques,” “Applied Acupoint Techniques,” and for general education, “Current Affairs in the Gangho.” Each one was a headache.

As Bi Ryu-yeon was wracking his brain and lamenting the pain, his gaze suddenly turned to Hyo-ryong, who had accompanied them. However, contrary to expectations, Hyo-ryong was diligently flipping through the book beside him, lost in thought, as if he wasn’t tired of it. Somehow, Bi Ryu-yeon felt that his movements were skillful.

How did these two know so much about this place despite it being their first time, or was it strange that he had entered without any prior knowledge? Bi Ryu-yeon was simply baffled.

However, he soon turned off his attention. Either way, it didn’t matter much to him. He was just grateful to have Jang-hong, who knew a lot about this place.

“Is there any specific martial arts field you want to learn?”

Jang-hong asked while flipping through the book. Bi Ryu-yeon shook his head. He hadn’t felt the need to learn anything more yet.

“Usually, people choose sword, saber, or spear as their major. They are the most standardized and refined fields. The system is well-established, and it’s easy to find good teachers. As many people have walked this path, you can access a lot of advice and various related martial arts. Among them, if you’re a member of the orthodox faction, it’s none other than the sword. The sword is indeed the king of all ailments.”

Jang-hong, being a swordsman himself, greatly revered the sword. He considered sabers and spears to be not truly part of martial arts.

“I’ll pass on all three.”

“Why? I know it’s awkward to say this, but it’s difficult to become a supreme master with bizarre weapons or other martial arts. You might be fine for a year or two, but in the end, it’s hard to be recognized as a master. It’s not too late, so why not change your mind? It’s a sincere piece of advice from a friend.”

Hyo-ryong naturally chose the sword. He was a skilled swordsman who could execute sword barriers. The desire to see a higher realm of swordsmanship was a primitive and instinctive desire as a swordsman. So he was engrossed in finding classes that would elevate his swordsmanship, seemingly not paying attention to the conversation between Bi Ryu-yeon and Jang-hong. He was lost in his own world, unable to escape. Perhaps having one’s own world is a happy thing. Until it ruins your life…

Bi Ryu-yeon had handed over most of his course registration choices to Jang-hong and was ignoring it. So Jang-hong was focusing on Bi Ryu-yeon’s course registration. However, it was a debacle that he was disregarding the three major martial arts for his major. Although Bi Ryu-yeon had rejected swords, sabers, and spears, surprisingly, there was one field of study he was interested in. It was the Sound Technique, a martial art for playing the ink zither he had borrowed from his sect.

“Then look into the Sound Technique for me.”

“Sound Technique?”

Jang-hong’s question was filled with surprise.

“Unexpectedly, you’re interested in the Sound Technique. It’s a more delicate and elegant discipline than it looks.”

“Don’t worry about that. How common are handsome and elegant young men like me? My stupid master knows about music but knows nothing about the Sound Technique, so I thought it would be good to learn it on this occasion.”

“But the Sound Technique is an extremely difficult martial art, contrary to expectations. It requires not only a deep understanding of music but also a tremendous amount of internal energy to execute. Moreover, it’s difficult to apply in actual combat, and the progress is as slow as a snail compared to the depth and complexity of learning, and the effects are as small as a snot… There are many constraints like this. Do you still want to learn it?”

“Of course.”

Bi Ryu-yeon answered without a moment’s hesitation.

It may sound arrogant, but his judgment was that he wasn’t in a desperate situation to cling to fields other than the Sound Technique. And since he had never encountered any evidence to overturn that judgment, he had no intention of changing his mind.

“Hmm, I’ve also been interested in the Sound Technique. How about we take the class together?”

Hyo-ryong, who had been flipping through the thick course registration handbook beside them, suddenly interjected. They thought he would only focus on swords, but surprisingly, he was interested in the Sound Technique.

“As you wish.”

There was no reason to refuse. Jang-hong began flipping through the Sound Technique section of the course registration handbook. As expected, there were numerous types of lectures listed, dizzying the reader’s eyes and making their chest feel stuffy.

“You said you know a bit about music, right? Then, excluding the basics of music, the ‘Introduction to Sound Technique’ by Elder Hong Ran, the Thousand Sound Immortal, would be good. The fundamentals are indeed important in everything. Next, do you want the zither, or the flute, the transverse flute, the vertical flute, or the chime?”

“There are so many types. Why is it so complicated…?”

“Let’s call it specialized, shall we? It sounds better. Although we’ll be taking the introductory course together, which covers the basic theory, how can we all learn from the same person when the instruments we play are different? The Sound Technique naturally differs completely depending on the instrument used. This is what we call common sense.”

Jang-hong subtly mocked Bi Ryu-yeon’s lack of common sense. However, Bi Ryu-yeon wasn’t the type to be sensitive to such subtle things. If necessary, he could reconstruct the surrounding common sense based on his own highly personal and arbitrary standards. And surprisingly, he had actually been doing that until now. The countless tragedies that inevitably(?) occurred during that process had been quietly buried along with the sorrow of the weak…

“I have a zither. It’s the only thing I know how to play.”

“Really? Then, the ‘Understanding Zither Sounds from the Perspective of Elementary Martial Arts’ by Elder Seo Pyeong of the Flying Zither would be good. That elder is a renowned master of the Sound Technique in the Gangho.”

“Then let’s go with that.”

Bi Ryu-yeon, unfamiliar with the state of affairs in the Gangho, comfortably and refreshingly left everything to Jang-hong.

“Then let’s go with this. Don’t say anything differently later.”

Jang-hong didn’t forget to kindly warn Bi Ryu-yeon in case of any future situations.

Thus, Bi Ryu-yeon chose the Sound Technique as his major and fortunately got to learn alongside Hyo-ryong. And he ended up registering for two additional lectures related to the Sound Technique.

Whether he would be able to properly learn the Sound Technique was uncertain. That would probably have to be determined by observing the course of future events. And even if the outlook was as dark as despair, it might be too early to give up now.

While they were engrossed in course registration, one of the registration counters located in a corner of the registration hall suddenly collapsed with a loud noise.

“Crash, bang, bang!”

As one registration counter collapsed with a scream, unable to withstand the excessive concentration of people, everyone’s attention was drawn to the source of the scream. There, an excessive number of people lay tangled and covered in dust. It was very impressive, in contrast to the peaceful and serene surrounding registration counters.

In the course registration hall of the Heavenly Martial Arts Academy, registration counters were divided by field and type to disperse the applicants. It was an extremely reasonable and rational decision.

But why did a registration counter collapse for no reason? Why was there a commotion in a place where the possibility of external intrusion was virtually non-existent?

It was natural for curiosity to rise. And Bi Ryu-yeon wasn’t the type to leave a curiosity that had risen from deep within his heart unattended. It was his usual philosophy to solve any question that arose, regardless of the reason, in a swift and decisive manner.

If one wasn’t curious about whose class was attracting such a bustling crowd at that registration counter amidst the numerous people, that would be even stranger. Bi Ryu-yeon decided to grab anyone passing by and ask them.

“Excuse me, why are there so many people over there?”

Bi Ryu-yeon asked, pointing to the people who were swarming and ready to fight each other to the point of bloodshed in one corner.

Even though the registration counter had collapsed, people didn’t seem to have any intention of giving up on registration.

“You don’t know?”

“What do you mean?”

The man briefly gave Bi Ryu-yeon a look as if he were seeing a very strange creature. His gaze kindly conveyed, “Tsk tsk, you’re so late to receive the news…” The man soon spoke again.

“Among the newly invited masters this time, there is a very famous one, and that counter is for registering for his class.”

In the registration hall, in addition to the counters for each field and type, there were separate registration counters for several popular and special lectures. The one that had collapsed earlier was one of them. How famous must this master be?

“Whose class is it?”

Bi Ryu-yeon asked, even though he wouldn’t know even if he heard the name. But surprisingly, the person was someone Bi Ryu-yeon was well aware of, despite his lack of experience and knowledge in the Gangho.

“If you don’t know, don’t be surprised when you hear it. It’s none other than Master Blazing Blade!”

Bi Ryu-yeon widened his eyes. However, the reason for his surprise wasn’t because he was astonished by the person’s greatness, as the other party had worried, but because the name of his disciple(?) had suddenly popped out of the other party’s mouth, which he had never expected.

“You also know the famous lone wolf, Master Blazing Blade?”

Of course, Bi Ryu-yeon was in a position to know the details better than anyone else, so he immediately nodded. In fact, there was probably no one who knew more about the hidden corruption behind the matter than Bi Ryu-yeon. Except for Blazing Blade himself.

Blazing Blade originally enjoyed traveling alone and disliked mingling with or belonging to other forces, so it was extremely unusual for him to stay at the Heavenly Martial Arts Academy and impart his teachings.

“Those who are skilled in saber techniques and are renowned in that field are all flocking to the registration counter to attend his class, creating chaos. Moreover, even those who have mastered the yang-based Martial Arts are rushing in, causing a commotion. At this rate, they might have to determine the number of accepted students through a martial arts competition. It would be a great match against Frozen Sword Master Gwan Cheol-su.”

“Wait, when you say Frozen Sword Master Gwan Cheol-su, do you mean the legendary Gwan Cheol-su, one of the Five Great Swordsmen under the Heavens?”

Yoon Junho interjected with astonishment. The Five Great Sword Masters were like idols he dreamed of. Just the fact that such a person was in his immediate vicinity, at a very close distance, made him unable to hide his bursting excitement.

“Who else could bear the title of the Frozen Sword? It’s the same person you know.”

Currently, the most popular class in the swordsmanship field at the Heavenly Martial Arts Academy was none other than the Ice Sword’s swordsmanship class. Due to the limited class hours and its rarity, those who wished to receive his teachings, even for a little while, flocked like clouds.

However, there was a limit to the number of students. Therefore, in order to be the first to take the desired course, institute students not only stayed up all night in front of the registration counter the day before registration but also, in extreme cases, pitched tents and lined up for days, almost resembling a war. Various methods were said to be mobilized for this.

“Ah, to be able to attend the class of such a person right beside me…”

Once again, Yoon Junho attempted to drown in a sea of emotion. Bi Ryu-yeon slightly frowned as he looked at Junho.

“But you can’t take it yet.”

Fortunately, the man poured cold water on the pot of emotion created by Yoon Junho.

“Why?”

Yoon Junho looked at the man with a gaze that seemed to say, “How can the world be so stingy?” However, the man simply trampled on the earnestness in his eyes. But why was a smile forming on Bi Ryu-yeon’s lips?

“You’re still a first-year student, right?”

“Yes.”

“His class is only available to third-year students and above, or those with at least the qualification of Three Dragon Swords. In reality, due to the competition, almost all of them are at the level of Five Dragon Swords or higher. You’re new here, so you might not know, but to attend certain lectures at the Heavenly Martial Arts Academy, you need the corresponding qualifications. This place isn’t as easy as you think. It’s like a battlefield where you can only survive by breaking through fierce competition. You should also not let your guard down and diligently train.”

“Thank you.”

Yoon Junho expressed his gratitude for the senior’s advice with a bow. He also seemed to have finally felt the reality of the Heavenly Martial Arts Academy through his skin. A solemn expression briefly appeared on his face and then disappeared.

If Frozen Sword Gwan Cheol-su was renowned for his upright character, sword-like perfection, and ice-like coldness, Blazing Blade was well-known in the martial arts world not only for his excellent saber techniques but also for his fiery temper, magnanimity, and numerous anecdotes and eccentric behaviors. Among them, there were many cases where he couldn’t tolerate injustice and acted out. Still, he was a man of righteousness.

His warm and fiery, extremely masculine personality—which the Frozen Sword faction would criticize as ignorant, aggressive, and lacking in foresight—was supported by numerous young people. That’s why there were many who followed him, especially among those who used sabers. However, since Blazing Blade preferred to travel alone, he had little interaction with people and few opportunities to showcase his skills.

Even in the renowned Heavenly Martial Arts Academy, those with such skills were currently rare. Moreover, regardless of his personality, he was a master whose skills in saber techniques and yang-based Martial Arts were unrivaled. Therefore, it was only natural that institute students were now desperately rushing to catch even a snippet of his lecture. Of course, Bi Ryu-yeon’s mind couldn’t comprehend it at all.

Was his disciple really such a great person?

For Bi Ryu-yeon, who had lived with him for nearly two months, it was a fact that was difficult to acknowledge.