Chapter 44

## Chapter 44. Zhuge Xiaoying

Rumble...

At the sound of something amiss, I turned to see Aek Yeonho clutching his stomach in a peculiar posture, his face pale.

"Brother, I need to... go to the restroom!"

"Again?"

"...I'll be back before Brother Eo starts his match!"

Aek Yeonho, in a strange position with one hand clamped over his buttocks, vanished into the crowd with his light body technique.

I clicked my tongue, watching his shrinking back.

"To think he's called a peak expert..."

It's not like he drank that much last night to have diarrhea this morning. If he couldn't handle alcohol, he shouldn't drink it. But given how much he loves it, he's clearly not normal.

'Anyway, there are quite a few people here to watch.'

I turned my head to look at the students who had packed the audience stands around the sparring platform.

Murmurs.

As the most entertaining thing in the world is watching a fight, the students had gathered in large numbers.

I heard that the student council had arranged the audience stands so that students could evaluate the new instructors up close. So, all these guys were essentially judges.

...Moreover, a lot of their gazes were fixed on me, making my face feel hot.

"Teacher! Look over here!"

"Here too! Just wave your hand once!"

I gave a casual wave, and some of the female students screamed in delight.

"Ah!"

"It's not like I'm some exotic animal..."

Shaking my head, I turned away from the audience stands and looked around me.

The waiting applicants were either watching the ongoing sparring match with tense expressions or trying to calm their nerves in their own ways.

"Hmm..."

Among them was Ming Yiluo, who was next in line. He was sitting alone in a cross-legged position, doing slow deep breathing.

'Just don't be nervous and show your true skills.'

Actually, among the three of us, Ming Yiluo had the most uncertain chances of passing.

Aek Yeonho had easily defeated an existing instructor despite his stomachache (it was a fierce attack to rush to the restroom), and I was confident that I could handle whoever came at me.

So, I had given Ming Yiluo some advice last night.

'If the opponent isn't too formidable, there's a chance he can win...'

Just then,

"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!"

"...First, that ridiculous sparring match needs to end quickly."

The strange sounds coming from the sparring platform made me click my tongue as I looked over.

A one-sided fight, pitiful to watch, was taking place there.

"Uncle! Please go easy..."

"Who are you calling uncle! Call me Vice Headmaster!"

Guo Duyong was dodging attacks while sweating profusely, and Vice Headmaster Guo Tieyou was chasing him, swinging his sword like a whip.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The speed and power behind the sword were extraordinary, and each time Guo Duyong blocked or dodged an attack, he was almost on the brink of life and death.

"Can't you do it properly! You're disgracing the family!"

"But, what did I do... I'm trying my best..."

"Shut up!"

...It looked like a senior family member scolding a junior, and even I, who had nothing to do with Guo Duyong, felt sorry for him.

"Phew. He's going to kill someone at this rate."

"Can't you go easy..."

"Thank goodness I didn't get caught by Vice Headmaster."

The other applicants seemed to share the same thoughts, all looking at Guo Duyong with pity.

At that moment, I looked at the elderly man sitting in the center of the instructor's seat on the left side of the sparring platform.

'He's really a mischievous old man.'

Vice Headmaster Guo Tieyou and applicant Guo Duyong were from the same family.

So, it was clear that Lao Junxiang had paired them up for the sparring match.

If Guo Tieyou pushed Guo Duyong this hard in front of everyone, there would be less controversy no matter the outcome.

Guo Tieyou knew this, which is why he was attacking mercilessly.

"Go! If you're not prepared, give up now! Do you think being an instructor is easy?"

"I really want to do this! I've regained my composure!"

"Will you quit drinking from now on?"

"...I'll try!"

Guo Tieyou's momentum seemed to change instantly, as if he was genuinely angry at the vague answer.

"Still not serious, huh!"

Flame!

Guo Tieyou's sword was engulfed in flames.

It was his nickname and signature move, the Flame Sword.

Guo Duyong's face turned pale as he saw the flames dancing along the blade.

"Uncle!"

"If you want to teach here, you need to show more resolve."

"Ugh..."

Despite his trembling legs, Guo Duyong didn't give up.

Suddenly, they both took the same stance and simultaneously leaped at each other.

Of course, the outcome was vastly different.

Clang!

Guo Tieyou didn't budge from the point of impact, while Guo Duyong, who had lost his grip on his sword, rolled pitifully on the ground.

Blood trickled from his torn palms.

Guo Tieyou looked at the fallen Guo Duyong with a disappointed expression.

"Pathetic. Go home now."

"No."

"Even now? If you insist on not listening..."

"Vice Headmaster, that's enough."

Lao Junxiang had appeared between them like a ghost, having used his light body technique.

"Senior Brother Yi?"

"I didn't even see him move."

"Truly a great master..."

Everyone, instructors and students alike, was amazed and admiring.

Lao Junxiang helped Guo Duyong to his feet and turned to look at Guo Tieyou with a stern gaze.

"Guo Duyong's skills are sufficient. Pushing him further would be excessive."

"Headmaster! His skills will only bring shame to the Qinglong Academy..."

Lao Junxiang's cold gaze made Guo Tieyou shut his mouth.

"That's not for you to decide alone. How long will you keep injecting personal feelings into a fair examination?"

"...I apologize."

Guo Tieyou bowed deeply and stepped back. Guo Duyong also stumbled off the sparring platform.

Lao Junxiang looked around to calm the momentarily noisy venue.

"The next sparring match will start immediately after the platform is cleared. Ming Yiluo, start warming up now."

"Hmm..."

Ming Yiluo, who had been sitting in a cross-legged position, stood up and began to stretch.

Lao Junxiang, confirming this, turned to look at the gathered instructors.

"I will designate an instructor to spar with Ming Yiluo."

Ming Yiluo wouldn't lose easily to anyone.

I silently cheered him on from a distance.

'Show them your skills.'

Since Vice Headmaster had just sparred, he wouldn't be called again, and Mo Jigian was managing the students and wouldn't participate in the sparring today.

With any other instructor, Ming Yiluo had a fair chance of winning.

'But why... do I feel strangely uneasy?'

My unease was soon clarified.

Lao Junxiang called out a name I hadn't expected.

"Teacher Nangong Shou, please prepare."

The crowd buzzed with excitement at the mention of Nangong Shou, who had never been called before.

Ming Yiluo's expression tightened with tension.

"Yes."

Nangong Shou stood up and began to stretch, his eyes shining with anticipation.

I looked at Lao Junxiang with disbelief.

"Old man. You said I couldn't do it..."

"...Was that directed at the Headmaster?"

"Who else... Oh?"

Thinking it was Aek Yeonho returning, I answered, but when I turned my head, I saw a young woman I didn't recognize.

'A student?'

She looked so young.

Was she just over twenty?

She was holding a large book that could be used as a weapon against her chest, and a judge's pen was hanging from her left waist.

She was slender, and the large book made her look unsteady.

But her clothing, gait, and breathing were quite composed.

'A child from a prestigious family.'

Seeming annoyed by my informal speech, the young woman frowned.

"You seem older than me, but even so, using informal speech on our first meeting is a bit..."

"I apologize. I thought my younger brother had returned from the restroom."

"Are you saying my voice sounds like a man's?"

"No. I'm saying my younger brother's voice sounds like a woman's."

"..."

She was a brave young woman.

Because of what I did during the demonstration lecture yesterday, no one dared to approach me now.

The excessive attention from students and the disapproving gazes from some instructors were all directed at me.

Just now, when the young woman approached me, the gazes became even more intense.

But she approached me as if she didn't care about others' gazes.

"...Do you have something to ask me?"

"I know it's impolite, but I have a question. Is it okay to ask?"

I thought for a moment and nodded.

"If I can answer it."

She looked delighted and asked with bright eyes.

"The sword technique you used to cut the wind at the end of yesterday's lecture. Is it from the Murong family?"

"..."

I stiffened, unable to answer.

'Who is this girl?'

The sword technique I used yesterday was based on the Wuji Sword's movements.

And the founder of the Wuji Sword, Jianzun, was from the Murong family.

'But recognizing that trace is almost impossible...'

"No. I've never been to the Murong family."

I wasn't lying.

I had never even been near the Murong family.

Moreover, Jianzun had severed ties with the Murong family, so the Wuji Sword couldn't be considered a Murong family technique.

"Really?"

"Yes."

She seemed unsatisfied with my answer and asked her next question.

"Then is it from the Kunlun Sect?"

"..."

This made me curious about her identity.

Because Jianzun had a long-standing friendship with a recluse from Kunlun and was greatly influenced by him in perfecting his sword.

Recognizing my technique and deducing this fact meant she had an extraordinary eye for martial arts.

"..."

I could talk about Kunlun's techniques all day, having clashed with them multiple times during the Blood Sect era and having read many of their manuals.

"...Therefore, my conclusion is that the sword techniques of the Murong family and Kunlun are almost opposite and cannot be mixed. Do you disagree?"

Jianzun had also had many debates and sparring matches with the Kunlun recluse.

And the Wuji Sword was the result of combining these two opposing techniques.

'Impossible for most, but possible for a genius.'

Turning the impossible into the possible.

That's the realm of a genius, and Jianzun was one of the greatest geniuses I had ever seen.

"Wait! I'll take notes!"

The young woman, who had been listening with her mouth slightly open, crouched down and started writing in the book she was holding.

'Is she taking notes?'

It was a rare sight of a true student, and I nodded approvingly.

"Um, I have a question about what you just said..."

I didn't intend to continue the lesson.

The gazes from around were becoming burdensome.

"Sorry, but the sword theory lecture ends here. If you want to hear more, come to my class."

"I'm also an applicant for the new instructor position!"

The indignant young woman looked up at me and shouted.

I was surprised...

She looked so young that I thought she was a student, but she was apparently an applicant for the new instructor position.

"You look so young, I thought you were a student."

"...I did graduate not long ago."

"From this academy, Qinglong Academy?"

"No. I'm from Tianwu Academy. By the way, we haven't introduced ourselves yet."

After finishing her notes, the young woman stood up and gave me a salute.

"I'm Zhuge Xiaoying. I applied for the new instructor position in the mechanisms and formations, as well as martial history."

Zhuge Xiaoying looked at me with sparkling eyes.