Chapter 70. It took half an hour.

Muyeong's head was spinning.

Fenhua Shichang was smiling warmly, his demeanor extremely cautious, and the friendly smile in his eyes was something Muyeong had never seen before.

"Us? Haven't you heard yet? I became an elder of the Skyward Sect."

"Huh? The Skyward Sect, you don't mean... Who is the leader of the sect?"

"Who else? The Grand Disciple of the Heavenly Flower Pavilion and our senior brother."

Fenhua Shichang's eyes, which had widened, soon burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, seniors, you really are something. How can you make such an unbelievable joke..."

"Laughing?"

"..."

"Instead of being surprised and amazed, you're laughing?"

"..."

"Shichang, you little brat, aren't you going to be amazed right now? Are you trying to ruin the mood?"

"Sorry, it's just too... too incredible..."

Muyeong, who had been watching, now turned pale.

The Fenhua Shichang he trusted was about to be beaten. At this point, his complexion naturally turned pale.

'How can such people...'

Muyeong had a rough idea of the level of the Skyward Sect.

If Fenhua Shichang was treated like a nobody, the gap must be significant. If the Antidemon Trio was at that level, it was hard to imagine the character the patriarchs respectfully called "Sir."

Moreover, the people who skinned the wild boar did so with such skill that it was dazzling. There were also young beggars and plump women.

'...Are they under the command of the Grand Disciple of the Heavenly Flower Pavilion?'

Or rather,

Muyeong looked towards Longhua Qing.

'I should have trusted people.'

Just then, Longhua Qing's gaze also turned towards Muyeong, and their eyes met.

'What did I say?'

'I didn't expect it to be this much...'

Even without words, their eyes communicated.

They looked at each other for a moment before quickly turning away.

"Prince Muyeong?"

Muyeong turned to see a cute woman in a maid's outfit.

"Our prince asks you to come inside."

"Inside?"

Muyeong's brows furrowed again, a feeling of displeasure rising.

The maid's attitude was respectful, but the fact that he had come all the way here and the Grand Disciple of the Heavenly Flower Pavilion didn't even come out to greet him was another matter.

'How can the Heavenly Flower Pavilion be so lacking in manners?'

Was he just an ordinary guest?

He was the successor of the Nanhua Academy, one of the three major academies alongside the Heavenly Flower Pavilion.

This was a matter of basic courtesy.

'Everything is a mess.'

The members of the Skyward Sect were only interested in wild boars and didn't even acknowledge him, and the master, who should have been the bridge, was busy catering to the old man. Fenhua Shichang seemed to have forgotten his own status and why he was here.

"Yes, he is waiting inside."

The maid smiled and led the way.

Muyeong could only furrow his brows again.

As they entered the annex, a welcoming voice greeted them.

"Please come in. I apologize for the rudeness, but due to the noise outside, I had to welcome you from inside."

"I understand. The atmosphere wasn't suitable for greetings. I am Muyeong of the Nanhua Academy."

"I am Fanhang of the Heavenly Flower Pavilion. This way, please."

After exchanging pleasantries, they sat down across from each other at a table.

Songhua brought in tea.

"It is a great honor to meet you, Prince Muyeong of the Nanhua Academy, whose reputation is well-known. I didn't expect to meet you here at the Medicine King Sect."

"The reputation is all yours, Grand Disciple. However, it seems your subordinates are all outstanding individuals."

"Hmm? The meaning of 'outstanding' seems to have changed."

"..."

"From what you can see, they are not outstanding at all. They are a mess. But sometimes they are fine, so I keep them around."

Muyeong chuckled.

At the same time, a sense of admiration arose.

'This person's response is remarkable.'

Despite thinking he was rude, after a few exchanges, the unpleasant feeling in his heart had subsided. The way he spoke about his subordinates, with a hidden message, was acknowledged so casually that there was nothing more to say.

Moreover, his manner was formal yet not stiff, light yet dignified, which naturally exuded a sense of ease. It was strange to hear that such a person was considered a failure.

Muyeong spoke.

"Let's skip the formalities and have a frank conversation. What do you think, Grand Disciple?"

"Of course."

"I have heard many stories about the Heavenly Flower Pavilion since I was young. I have always wanted to measure my skills against the Heavenly Flower Pavilion. But unexpectedly, the opportunity has come."

Hou Gong nodded.

This was something he had already guessed and intended.

The purpose of meeting was not to propose cooperation but to determine who was more skilled through the decoding of the Medicine King Sect's documents.

'At this age, it's natural.'

From Hou Gong's perspective, it was a childish notion, but within the realm of understanding and common sense.

However, there was one thing that caught his attention about Muyeong's attitude.

'Could this guy have already completed the document decoding? It's impossible...'

His confident demeanor raised doubts.

If he had completed the decoding, it would be an unexpected variable for Hou Gong.

Muyeong continued.

"Of course, the criteria for evaluating each other must be fair. I have been working on the document decoding for 13 days since I arrived here. The Heavenly Flower Pavilion has been at it for 3 days. The time taken to complete the decoding will be the deciding factor."

Considering the ten-day difference, he was willing to take that into account.

"Prince Muyeong, I have a question."

"Please ask."

"How many more days do you estimate it will take to complete the decoding?"

"How many days?"

Muyeong's lips curled up.

Hou Gong's eyes widened.

"Could you have already finished?"

"Guess. What do you think?"

Muyeong's mocking tone deepened.

This was as good as an answer.

Hou Gong couldn't help but be amazed.

"Remarkable. You solved the complex content in just 13 days?"

Hou Gong's praise was sincere.

Considering that he, Fanhang, was not human, this was irrelevant.

He had thought Muyeong, though a genius, would be on par with his younger brothers, Yun and Fumeng.

Fumeng, the youngest, would take less than a month, while Yun would take over a month.

Therefore, he expected Muyeong to take at least a month, but 13 days meant Muyeong was far more talented than he thought.

"Hahaha, are you that surprised?"

"Not just surprised. To be honest, I didn't expect to meet someone more skilled than my younger brothers."

"..."

Muyeong, who had been laughing heartily, suddenly stopped.

A chill ran through his body, and his head turned cold.

"More skilled than your younger brothers... What do you mean by that?"

"Due to the depth of the Medicine King Sect's cipher, I expected Prince Muyeong to struggle for at least a month. To have already produced results is truly surprising."

"..."

The color drained from Muyeong's face.

The moment the words "Medicine King Sect's cipher" were mentioned, his head spun, and dizziness set in.

Knowing that the document was written by the Medicine King Sect's leader implied that the decoding was already complete.

'What... In just 3 days...'

It couldn't be.

It was impossible to have decoded the entire document.

Just decoding the beginning would reveal that the document was written by the Medicine King Sect's leader. That was the first sentence, after all.

"Surely... you don't mean you've decoded the entire document?"

"Hmm... Is there a difference between a part and the whole? One is the whole."

Muyeong swallowed hard.

"Decoded in just four days?"

"Shorter than that."

"..."

"Half an hour."

"Keke!"

Muyeong, too shocked to speak, let out a dry cough.

Half an hour,

This was a bolt from the blue.

Muyeong, who had just calmed down, opened his eyes wide.

"Grand Disciple, you're joking. Do you expect me to believe that?"

"Ahem..."

Hou Gong, feeling uncomfortable at the thought of someone glaring at him, absentmindedly stroked his beard, only to realize he didn't have one, and awkwardly lowered his hand.

"Songhua."

"Yes, Prince."

"Bring the decoded document I wrote down earlier."

"Yes."

Muyeong's eyes narrowed.

'Already written down?'

He was about to ask him to explain the entire document.

But half an hour? This was just a flight of fancy.

Or rather, why write it down at all?

Soon, Songhua handed over a folded piece of paper.

Hou Gong took it and passed it to Muyeong.

"Please forgive the mess."

Muyeong, frowning, took it.

It wasn't just messy; the edges were already frayed, as if it had been rolled around.

When he unfolded it, the inside was even more chaotic.

There were scribbles, animal drawings, and fish sketches all over.

"One of my subordinates, who is still a child, often draws animals. Hehehe..."

"Hahaha..."

Muyeong burst into laughter.

The animal drawings didn't even register.

The moment he saw the decoded document, he was speechless, and laughter was his only response.

It was a perfect interpretation.

Not a single error.

The result spoke for itself.

There was no need to prove that it was completed in half an hour.

The state of the document was proof enough.

Even more astonishing was the fact that,

Not only did the Skyward Sect members know about this, but they still went hunting for wild boars.

'What are these people?'

Most importantly, the Grand Disciple of the Heavenly Flower Pavilion was not someone to be compared with. Not only was he a genius, but he also had the breadth of mind and trust in his subordinates.

"This is..."

It was a hollow laugh.

"I was lucky."

"Hehe, this is..."

Muyeong repeated the same words.

'Luck?'

Was this a matter of luck?

The gap was beyond imagination. It was like the difference between heaven and earth.

Normally, he should have been angry or in a terrible mood, but he couldn't stop laughing.

The heart only hardens when it feels it can compete. Once the gap becomes an insurmountable wall, one simply accepts it and feels at ease.

And then, he realized.

"The letter by the window... It was you, Grand Disciple, who brought me here, wasn't it?"

Muyeong asked.

His tone was calm, almost a monologue.

Perhaps it was because he had let go of his guard.

Reflecting on the events so far, he had a rough idea.

It wasn't the Medicine King Sect's doing; he had been drawn here like a magnet.