The Genius Martial Artist Who Remembers Everything Chapter 27

“The third examination will consist of practical martial arts duels. The sixteen examinees who qualified through the first two tests, please step forward.”

At Lee Ja-gon’s announcement, the children who had failed to enter the top sixteen moved to one side of the Great Training Ground.

Strangely, unlike in my previous life, there was little regret or resentment on their faces.

Perhaps simply seeing that Gye Cheol-yeong could no longer stand above everyone through wealth alone had been enough to leave them satisfied with the examination.

“Your final rankings will be determined through these duels. Examinees, please give your utmost effort until the very end.”

At that moment, one of the children standing outside the training ground raised his hand high.

It was Gwak Sam-nam, the third son of the Gwak family, whose father worked in the kitchen of an inn.

“I thought this examination was supposed to select only one person for the Murim Academy. Why are you assigning rankings to everyone?”

“That is correct. However, the Murim Alliance has prepared special prizes to reward the examinees who worked hard during the examination.”

Lee Ja-gon smiled faintly.

“So I encourage all of you to do your best.”

The eyes of the children who had entered the top sixteen immediately lit up.

Sa-ryeon and the three brothers from Geum-pyo’s family had already swept through the upper rankings.

Even if they could not take first place, they now intended to fight for second or third.

More importantly, these rewards had been prepared by the Murim Alliance.

They were bound to be valuable items that even the Taeul Sect could not easily obtain.

“Eldest Senior Brother, what happened?”

Geum-pyo approached me with a puzzled expression.

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you ranked eighth?”

I had deliberately adjusted my score after checking Gye Cheol-yeong’s result in the first examination.

“It must be the result of wandering around instead of studying and training properly.”

Geum-pyo clicked his tongue.

“Please say something believable.”

He gave me a doubtful look.

“You created the book of previous examination questions and even taught us the improved Minor Heaven Sword Art. Yet you somehow ended up in eighth place?”

“You little brat. It seems your manners will only improve after your Eldest Senior Brother gives your backside a proper beating.”

I had grown up with Geum-pyo and his two younger brothers as though we were family, so there had never been much formality between us.

Geum-pyo, the eldest of the three, was also only a year younger than me.

“Tell me honestly.”

He lowered his voice.

“Are you deliberately yielding to the junior disciples?”

“You brat. I am going to win the third examination anyway.”

I shrugged.

“So what does it matter if my scores from the first two tests are slightly low?”

“……”

The reply did not come from Geum-pyo.

“Is that so?”

Geum-pyo turned his head and flinched violently.

He lowered his gaze, fidgeted for a moment, and then quietly moved away.

No matter how mature he usually acted, standing before an Appraisal Envoy still made him uncomfortable.

“What do you mean?”

I turned toward Lee Ja-gon.

“I am referring to your unusually low ranking.”

“I do not know what you may have heard, but I suppose it is because I neglected my studies and frequently skipped training.”

“And yet someone so lazy managed to predict the examination questions like an expert tutor?”

How did he know about that?

“I heard the story from the examinees who received the highest scores.”

“Is there a problem?”

“It could become one.”

Lee Ja-gon looked directly at me.

“Unless, of course, the examination questions were leaked.”

“Leaking an examination paper prepared by the Murim Alliance’s Appraisal Envoys?”

I shook my head.

“That sounds terrifying even to hear.”

His accusation made no sense from the beginning.

The examination papers were handled so strictly that even Mantongbu, the lowest branch of the Military Division, could not interfere with them carelessly.

If one of those papers had truly been leaked, this would no longer be a simple problem with the examination.

The very standing of the One Hundred Eight Peaks would be thrown into question.

But that was not what Lee Ja-gon was truly suggesting.

“I want to hear your explanation.”

“Is the examination not about to begin?”

On the Great Training Ground, Sa-ryeon, who held first place overall, stood opposite Un Ji-hyang, who ranked ninth.

A moment later, the Appraisal Warrior serving as referee announced the start of their duel.

“You placed eighth rather conveniently.”

I let out a quiet sigh.

Since I could hardly admit that I had seen the examination in my previous life, I naturally began talking my way around the question.

“Is this examination not usually little more than a formality? Most sects decide in advance who they will send to the Murim Academy.”

I paused.

“Though the circumstances of our sect are somewhat unusual.”

I glanced toward Gye Cheol-yeong.

His eyes were bloodshot, as though he had not slept all night, and his chest rose and fell rapidly with excitement.

“I know about your sect’s circumstances. That is hardly unusual.”

Lee Ja-gon looked directly at me.

“What I want to know is how you predicted this examination. It was different from previous years. You could not have created that book merely by studying old questions.”

He did not seem to enjoy listening to pointless excuses.

I nodded obediently.

“I was simply lucky.”

“Lucky?”

“I used the examination as an excuse to teach the disciples things that would help them later when they served in the Murim Alliance.”

I shrugged.

“Giving them an immediate goal made it easier to motivate them.”

“Then why did you deliberately place eighth?”

“How could anyone control their score that precisely—”

“I have already heard about you.”

Lee Ja-gon cut me off.

“They say you never forget anything once you have seen it.”

In the future, Lee Ja-gon would become famous under the title Gentleman Iron Sword.

He was known for his meticulous personality and flawless martial duels.

It seemed those traits were already fully developed.

There was probably no point in continuing with vague excuses.

“I did it to make the examination fair.”

“Are you claiming that this examination is unfair?”

“The examination itself is fair.”

I looked toward the gathered disciples.

“I merely wanted to begin the final test from the same position as my junior brothers and sisters.”

“And so you deliberately lowered your ranking?”

“That is correct.”

“Why would you go so far?”

“Because someone else is already taking the examination unfairly.”

My gaze shifted toward Gye Cheol-yeong.

Lee Ja-gon followed it.

He observed Gye Cheol-yeong for a moment before speaking.

“My senior still does not understand that a shortcut can sometimes lead to a dead end.”

“Are you not going to stop him?”

“Stop what?”

There was no possibility that an expert of Lee Ja-gon’s level had failed to notice that something was wrong.

He was deliberately pretending not to see it.

“Must you protect your senior’s reputation?”

The other day, Lee Ja-gon had firmly defended the integrity of the examination and dismissed Jang Sa-gun’s objections before everyone.

Because of that, the disciples had been able to trust that the examination was fair.

“An Appraisal Envoy is not influenced by any organization within the Murim Alliance.”

Lee Ja-gon’s voice remained calm.

“Much less by lingering affection from an old relationship.”

“I understand.”

“You clearly suspect something. Why have you not raised an objection?”

“It does not matter.”

I turned my attention back toward the training ground.

“I intend to make the examination fair myself.”

Lee Ja-gon stared at me as though he had discovered some strange creature.

“Waaaaaah!”

“That was incredible!”

At that moment, Un Ji-hyang’s sword flew from her hand.

The Appraisal Warrior serving as referee immediately declared Hong Sa-ryeon the victor.

The disciples and Hall Masters erupted into applause for her excellent swordsmanship.

The duel had not lasted long.

Among the examinees in the front bracket, Sa-ryeon defeated every opponent within thirty exchanges.

She never once used the Great Advance Divine Art or the Flash Thunder Sword Art she had secretly learned.

Even with only the martial arts taught in Busaeng Hall, none of the disciples could withstand her.

After all, Sa-ryeon trained through the night at the Sect Leader’s private training ground almost every evening.

Once she defeated Eun-ho in the semifinals, she secured her place in the final.

Up to that point, events had not differed greatly from my previous life.

In the rear bracket, however, Gye Cheol-yeong displayed overwhelming strength.

If Sa-ryeon needed fewer than thirty exchanges, Gye Cheol-yeong finished every duel in fewer than ten.

Since the third examination placed no restrictions on martial arts, he freely used the Three Shadows Sword.

During his first duel, he even cut his opponent’s Blue Steel Sword in half.

“The next match will be Gye Cheol-yeong against Jin So-un!”

At the Appraisal Warrior’s announcement, Gye Cheol-yeong and I stepped onto the training ground and faced each other.

The winner would advance to the final against Sa-ryeon.

“So we meet here after all.”

Unlike his usual self, Gye Cheol-yeong radiated a tremendous amount of fighting spirit.

It spilled out in every direction without restraint, making my skin sting merely from standing before him.

“Are you tired? Your eyes are red.”

“Yes, I am.”

He answered without hesitation.

“That is why I intend to end this quickly and rest.”

Gye Cheol-yeong assumed an opening stance, and the Appraisal Warrior standing between us stepped back.

Instead of taking my own stance, I walked closer to him.

“That is not the real reason, is it?”

His brows twitched.

“You want to finish quickly because you consumed a Blood-Explosion Pill.”

“……!”

Gye Cheol-yeong’s eyes widened.

In my previous life, he had also used the Blood-Explosion Pill because he feared Hong Sa-ryeon, who had been closing in on him.

I only learned the truth after the Great Righteous-Demonic War began, when I read through Mantongbu’s records.

By then, it had been far too late to correct what had gone wrong.

“How did you……”

“I will correct the mistake this time.”

Before he could finish, I assumed my stance and immediately thrust my sword toward his throat.

Clang—!

Gye Cheol-yeong knocked my blade aside with tremendous force.

The weight behind his strike pressed against me like a collapsing wall.

“You will not be able to do anything!”

“Is that so?”

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

I drew upon the Fifth Star of internal energy and unfolded the original Minor Heaven Sword Art.

Confident in his newfound strength, Gye Cheol-yeong answered with the Three Shadows Sword.

The overlapping sword shadows repeatedly intercepted and cut off my swift strikes.

“Go ahead and try that petty trick of yours!”

His face twisted with anger.

“If you reach out with your hand, I will cut it off. If you move your foot, I will cut that off too.”

His sword came crashing down.

“I am not indecisive like Namgung San!”

It seemed he had built up quite a bit of resentment after hearing about my duel with Namgung San.

Empowered by the Blood-Explosion Pill, Gye Cheol-yeong’s sword felt as heavy as a boulder.

I shifted my sword force and changed to the Breaking Strike Form of the Minor Heaven Sword Art.

Clang—! Clang—! Clang—!

The Breaking Strike Form targeted vital acupoints with even greater speed.

Gye Cheol-yeong soon failed to keep up.

He had gained a tremendous amount of internal energy all at once, but lacked the control needed to wield it properly.

My blade tore through his clothes piece by piece.

Thin wounds appeared beneath the shredded fabric.

“You bastard!”

The sight of his own blood drove Gye Cheol-yeong to draw upon every last trace of energy in his body.

The killing intent pouring from him was intense enough to rival that of a renowned expert.

“I will never forgive you.”

I had no idea what terrible wrong I had supposedly committed.

But Gye Cheol-yeong’s sword, carrying all the resentment he had accumulated toward me, had long since crossed the boundary of a controlled duel.

What I found strange was that Lee Ja-gon still made no move to stop the fight.

‘What is he thinking?’

I pushed the question aside and raised my internal energy to the Seventh Star.

Gye Cheol-yeong felt as though he could cut me down at any moment, yet no matter how fiercely he attacked, he could not reach me.

That frustration seeped into every swing of his sword.

Crash—! Crash—! Crash—!

He was clearly pouring all his internal energy into each strike.

The examination prohibited the use of treasured weapons, so I had been unable to bring the Black Dragon Sword.

All I could do was watch as fragments of my Blue Steel Sword scattered in every direction.

“You ruined it!”

Gye Cheol-yeong screamed.

“You ruined everything!”

The speed of our duel had already far surpassed anything expected of examinees.

The disciples stared without blinking, unable to tear their eyes away.

Rumble—! Boom—!

Gye Cheol-yeong’s sword slammed into the Great Training Ground.

The marble beneath it shattered, sending fragments flying through the air.

“Sh-should we not stop them?”

“Something is wrong with Cheol-yeong.”

Even the Hall Masters and Appraisal Warriors sensed the abnormality and turned toward Lee Ja-gon.

Yet Lee Ja-gon merely shook his head in silence.

By then, I had decided the time had come.

I raised my internal energy to the Tenth Star.

Clang—!

For the first time, Gye Cheol-yeong was forced three steps backward when our swords collided.

“Senior Brother, that was exactly the hundredth exchange.”

I looked at him calmly.

“It may become dangerous if you continue. Are you certain you are all right?”

“……!”

One hundred exchanges marked the supposed limit for safely using the Blood-Explosion Pill.

Gye Cheol-yeong had already gone beyond that limit.

“Give up.”

I lowered my sword slightly.

“There is no reason to throw away your life for the sake of entering the Murim Academy.”

“You……”

His face twisted.

“You are obstructing my grand ambitions until the very end!”

A far more violent wave of qi erupted from his body.

The Blood-Explosion Pill had triggered a second eruption.

“Hup!”

“What is that?”

“Sword qi?!”

Cries of shock rang out when crimson qi gathered around Gye Cheol-yeong’s blade.

By forcing out strength far beyond his true level, he had managed to manifest sword qi.

But this was nothing to celebrate.

His dantian had already reached the point where permanent damage was unavoidable.

If things worsened, he might even fall into qi deviation.

“No!”

Someone in the spectator seats shouted with all their strength.

No one turned to look.

“I will kill you.”

Gye Cheol-yeong’s eyes had lost all reason.

“I will kill you. I will definitely kill you!”

He charged like a madman.

I raised my sword.

“Senior Brother, do you know how many sins you have committed?”

As though he could no longer hear me, Gye Cheol-yeong charged like a madman.

I did not retreat.

Instead, I ran straight toward him.

The sin of entering the Murim Academy in my previous life, becoming an executive of the Murim Alliance, and using your position as Eldest Senior Brother to work the junior disciples like slaves.

The sin of sending them to the very front lines of the Great Righteous-Demonic War simply to earn merit for yourself.

The sin of turning a blind eye when the Taeul Sect was in danger.

“I will make you pay for every one of those sins here!”

“Die! Die! Die! Die!”

Gye Cheol-yeong screamed the same word over and over as he swung his sword wildly.

I slipped past his strikes, entered his guard, and unleashed Lotus—a hand technique from the Flowing Cloud Sect’s Transplanting Flower and Grafting Tree Art.

Using his own momentum against him, I spun Gye Cheol-yeong around three times and hurled him away.

Thud—! Boom!

He struck the ground, but immediately sprang back to his feet as though he could no longer feel pain.

Then he charged at me again.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Unstable or not, sword qi was still sword qi.

An ordinary Blue Steel Sword could not withstand it.

Fine cracks began spreading across my blade with every clash.

“What a pathetic sight, Jin So-un!”

Gye Cheol-yeong spoke as though his victory were already certain.

‘Understandable.’

Sword qi could normally be manifested only after reaching the level of a first-rate warrior.

To children our age, it was an object of admiration no less impressive than a divine sword.

“I will kill you! I will enter the Murim Academy and rise above everyone!”

His lips gleamed unnaturally, and his bloodshot eyes burned with madness.

Gye Cheol-yeong was already convinced he had won.

“If you kill me, you will be disqualified, Senior Brother.”

“Shut up!”

The crimson qi surrounding his sword doubled in size.

Gye Cheol-yeong poured all his strength into the Three Shadows Sword.

Three solemn trails of sword qi closed in on my vital points, leaving no apparent path of escape.

Although he had relied on the Blood-Explosion Pill, there was no denying that it was an impressive technique.

‘But……’

In my previous life, I had fought enemies who threw around not merely sword qi, but even sword force as though it were nothing.

“Do you think this pathetic level of achievement is enough to face them?”

One step.

I stepped directly into the Three Shadows Sword.

The first trail of sword qi narrowly missed my vital point.

Two steps.

The second streak of crimson qi brushed past my earlobe.

Three steps.

As the final shadow descended, I thrust forward with the Minor Heaven Sword Art.

Swoosh—!

Clang—!

A piercing metallic shriek rang through the training ground.

Half of my Blue Steel Sword broke away and spun through the air.

Gye Cheol-yeong’s eyes widened before a triumphant smile spread across his face.

“I won, Jin So—”

But his joy lasted only an instant.

I had knocked his sword outward along with mine, leaving his chest completely exposed.

Passing through the opening, I took one final step.

“Spend the rest of your life atoning for your sins, Senior Brother.”

I swung the remaining half of my sword twice.

Slaaaash—!

Slaaaash—!

The first strike cut from his left shoulder to his right waist.

The second crossed from his right shoulder to his left waist.

Two deep sword wounds formed an enormous cross across Gye Cheol-yeong’s body.

Spurt—!

Blood burst from Gye Cheol-yeong’s body like the juice of crushed fruit.

“Cheol-yeong!”

Gye Yeon-seok shot forward from the spectator seats and caught his son.

“Come to your senses! Cheol-yeong!”

Gye Cheol-yeong’s entire body was covered in bright red blood, and his eyes had rolled back into his head.

At the sight, Gye Yeon-seok screamed at the top of his lungs.

“What are all of you doing?! That bastard Jin So-un used a killing move on my son!”

Lee Ja-gon stepped onto the training ground.

“The match has been decided. The winner is Jin So-un.”

Gye Yeon-seok handed Gye Cheol-yeong over to the physician who had accompanied them, then turned on Lee Ja-gon, practically foaming at the mouth.

“What nonsense are you saying?! That bastard used a killing move! Are your eyes nothing but holes in a piece of wood?”

“Gye Cheol-yeong was the first to manifest sword qi and attack with the intent to kill.”

“……But… But……”

“Stand down.”

Lee Ja-gon’s voice turned cold.

“Even as his father, I will not tolerate any further disruption from you.”

Then he turned toward me, staring as though he found me deeply strange.

“Ugh…… I’ll kill you…… I’ll kill you……”

Gye Cheol-yeong, who had been lying in the physician’s arms, suddenly sprang to his feet.

His eyes had turned completely red, and although it was not winter, white steam poured from his mouth.

The Blood-Explosion Pill had gone completely out of control.

‘He will spend the rest of his life confined to a bed.’

I was about to turn away when his voice rang out behind me.

“It’s because of you……”

Gye Cheol-yeong shoved aside both the physician and his father.

“You ruined everything! All of my plans!”

He kicked off the ground and launched himself into the air.

“Even if my life ends here, I will kill you!”

His roar shook the training ground, making the nearby disciples flinch.

I immediately adjusted my stance to receive him.

However—

Swish—!

Lee Ja-gon appeared between us.

He shot upward, rose above Gye Cheol-yeong’s head, and brought the edge of his hand down in a single sharp strike.

Thwack—! Crash—!

Gye Cheol-yeong was driven straight into the training ground.

Blood flowed from all seven of his orifices.

“Cheol-yeong! Cheol-yeong!”

Gye Yeon-seok rushed over and frantically examined his son.

“What is the meaning of this?! How dare an Appraisal Envoy do this to an examinee!”

Lee Ja-gon stared at his crimson face and spoke in a low voice.

“Do you know the punishment for an examinee who uses a prohibited medicine?”

“……!”

“You should.”

His gaze grew colder.

“As soon as the Special Admission Track examination ends, I will personally visit the Gyeryong Merchant Guild.”

“……”

Gye Yeon-seok clenched his teeth and looked around wildly.

“Jang Sa-gun!”

His voice thundered through the sect.

“Jang Sa-gun! You son of a bitch!”

He was searching for the person responsible for driving matters this far.

But Jang Sa-gun and his two assistants, who had been standing beside him and whispering advice only moments ago, had disappeared without a trace.

“Guild Master! We must move the Young Master first!”

“Ghk! What are you waiting for? Hurry and take Cheol-yeong away!”

At Gye Yeon-seok’s frantic command, the warriors and physicians lifted Gye Cheol-yeong onto their backs and hurried out of the Taeul Sect.

“You knew all along.”

I turned toward Lee Ja-gon.

“More importantly, why did you not intervene sooner? Had you spoken more firmly, Gye Cheol-yeong would never have gone this far.”

I could not hide the disbelief in my voice.

“Are you saying I should have challenged an Appraisal Envoy?”

“If something is wrong, you should speak up even if doing so brings consequences.”

Lee Ja-gon sounded as though he had been testing me.

“Now that I think about it, you are remarkably shameless.”

“You are rather different from what I expected.”

Whatever he had expected of me, Lee Ja-gon smacked his lips in disappointment.

“If you had been unable to handle him, I would have stopped the duel somehow.”

“You had the power to stop it, yet you chose not to?”

“Using a prohibited medicine in an examination that demands absolute fairness is an offense comparable to betraying one’s master and dishonoring one’s ancestors.”

Lee Ja-gon looked toward the path down which Gye Cheol-yeong had been carried.

“As you know, the Taeul Sect cannot punish him according to ordinary precedent. But such an offense cannot simply be ignored.”

“So you knowingly allowed it to continue?”

“Yes.”

Lee Ja-gon’s eyes trembled faintly.

“Then you will also have to accept responsibility for knowing the truth and allowing the duel to continue, Appraisal Envoy.”

The corners of Lee Ja-gon’s mouth twitched as though he were struggling not to laugh.

“To whom do you intend to report me?”

“Is the Education Pavilion not under Mantongbu? I intend to submit a formal petition there.”

I added confidently,

“I happen to know someone within Mantongbu.”

Of course, the only way I could remain acquainted with that person was by eventually settling down in Mantongbu myself.

For now, it was nothing more than an empty threat.

Lee Ja-gon finally burst into laughter.

“The Education Pavilion may fall under Mantongbu, but it accepts no outside influence aside from the orders of its Pavilion Master.”

He paused meaningfully.

“However, a request from the Grand Strategist would be a different matter.”

I had no idea what he was getting at, so I tilted my head.

“Before I departed from the Murim Alliance, the Grand Strategist gave me a special instruction.”

Lee Ja-gon looked directly at me.

“He told me about Jin So-un of the Taeul Sect and ordered me to submit a detailed report on him.”

“……!”

It seemed Jegal So-myeong had not given up on me despite my refusal.

“Thanks to today’s events, I can report not only your exceptional intelligence, but also martial abilities that appear even more remarkable.”

Lee Ja-gon smiled.

“Do you not think the Grand Strategist will be pleased?”

For the first time, I failed to control my expression.

My brow furrowed deeply.