Chapter 101:

Chapter 101:

Preliminary Round (1)

On the way back after the meeting.

Mu-jin, noticing the somewhat uncomfortable expression on Master Hyun-hyeon’s face, asked him a question.

“Head of the External Affairs Department. Is there something troubling you?”

“Hahaha. It’s nothing,” replied Master Hyun-hyeon with a smile typical of a monk, but he did have something on his mind.

While the Mu-ja-bae Four were meeting with disciples from other sects, Master Hyun-hyeon had a meeting with the elders of those sects. The discussions from that meeting were enough to cloud his mind.

‘They said this child was involved in most of the affairs with the Cheonryu Sangdan. Despite his age, he has a deep sense of judgment. It might not be a bad idea to keep an eye on him.’

Master Hyun-hyeon, remembering that his senior brother and Mu-jin’s grandmaster, Hyun-gwang, as well as Abbot Hyun-cheon and Chubodang’s head, Hyun-myeong, also held Mu-jin’s judgment in high regard, sent a telepathic message.

– Did you know that not only our Shaolin, but also Hwasan, Wudang, and Ami were present at today’s meeting?

Despite the sudden telepathic message, Mu-jin showed no sign of surprise. In fact, he responded as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.

– Yes, Head of the External Affairs Department. The disciples of Ami and Wudang were also there.

– At the meeting today, Elder Hwa Sun-kyung of Hwasan’s Plum Blossom Drunken Sword mentioned that Hwasan also wishes to join us. With Ami added to the mix, that makes four sects together.

Listening without knowing the context might make this seem like a random statement.

But Mu-jin had a rough understanding of the situation. Moreover, despite his average academic ability, his rich social experience made it easy for him to grasp the context.

– It seems Hwasan believes we have allied with Wudang and the Cheonryu Sangdan. I apologize. I feel like this situation has arisen because of me.

Master Hyun-hyeon had to conceal his surprise at Mu-jin’s apology, understanding the entire situation with just a brief explanation. They were walking along the main road, conversing telepathically, so he couldn’t afford to show any conspicuous reaction.

– No. You opened a clinic with the Cheonryu Sangdan to help people, didn’t you? And your involvement with Wudang was solely to assist them. It’s just that those people misunderstood our intentions.

Despite Master Hyun-hyeon’s comforting words, Mu-jin was deep in thought.

Naturally, he wasn’t feeling guilty for the misunderstanding he might have caused.

‘While it’s understandable for Hwasan to act like that, why is Ami involved?’

Mu-jin was merely trying to figure out the intention of the Ami sect, not bothering to ponder over Hwasan’s intentions.

It was because the current head and elders of Hwasan, as depicted in the novel “Legend of the Evil Emperor,” were nothing but opportunists.

Unaware they were being manipulated by hidden forces, they craved the benefits offered to them, leading to the downfall of the orthodox faction.

Therefore, Mu-jin considered Hwasan as simply an enemy and focused on understanding Ami’s intentions.

“Ami Sect was neutral. If divided, it was closer to being a part of the hidden forces.”

Even though the flow had changed due to his actions, it was strange that the Ami Sect had suddenly become part of the hidden forces.

Therefore, Mu-jin pondered deeply about the commonalities between the Ami Sect, Hwasan Sect, and perhaps soon the Jegal family, which might get entangled with the hidden forces.

Before long, he realized a common point.

“The rival sects are located nearby!”

The Jegal family shared Hubei Province with Wudang, the Hwasan Sect shared Shaanxi Province with the Jongnam Sect, and the Ami Sect shared Sichuan Province with the Sichuan Tang Clan and the Qingcheng Sect.

Naturally, most sects would not be happy with this situation. Just as there couldn’t be two suns in the sky, if more than one large sect existed in a single province, their relationship couldn’t be amicable. Despite their power, they had to share resources.

The hidden forces must have exploited this sentiment to approach them.

However, questions still remained.

“Still, in Sichuan Province, the Sichuan Tang Clan was originally the hidden force.”

Originally, the three major forces in Sichuan were just wary of each other. Then, due to a certain event, a full-fledged conflict structure formed.

At that point, the hidden forces extended a helping hand to the Sichuan Tang Clan, leading the Sichuan Tang Clan to ally with them.

As revealed in the latter part of the novel, the event itself was orchestrated by the hidden forces.

Thus, Mu-jin planned to head straight to Sichuan after this Martial Arts Tournament to prevent the event from happening.

“Only those being evaluated are allowed into the examination area, so come out once you’re done.”

“Yes, Master Uncle.”

After greeting Hye-mil, the Mujabae trio entered the training ground.

It seemed that not only Shaolin had completed early registration, as several young martial artists were already lined up, waiting for their evaluations.

However, instead of checking each individual’s appearance, Mu-jin focused on the evaluation scene visible from a distance.

‘Hmm. I was curious about the first preliminary round since it wasn’t mentioned in the novel, but it’s quite simple?’

Those taking the evaluation first were undergoing a test of lifting a large piece of metal.

Following Mu-jin’s gaze, Mu-gung, Mu-yul, and Mu-gyeong also looked at the scene and soon shared their impressions.

“It looks too easy.”

“Maybe because it’s the first preliminary round, Senior Brother Mu-gung?”

“Heheh. This sounds fun!”

Mu-jin blurted out something completely random as he observed the confident expressions of the trio.

“Hmm? It looks pretty tough to me,” he said.

At this, the Muja faction trio tilted their heads in confusion and asked, “That?”

“Isn’t it difficult to do without internal energy? Well, I can manage it, but you guys might have a hard time.”

“...Of course, you have to use internal energy to pass it, right?”

“No way. If we’re using internal energy, who wouldn’t be able to pass that? Even when I was fourteen, I could get through it.”

Mu-gung and Mu-gyeong looked at Mu-jin in disbelief, while Mu-yul seemed to be convinced by his words.

Mu-jin, looking at their faces, grinned as if he had thought of something amusing and said, “Why? Do you think you can’t pass it without internal energy?”

At Mu-jin’s question, Mu-gung snorted, “Hmph.”

Mu-yul was just all smiles, and Mu-gyeong logically rebutted, “What if we get disqualified in the first round? If that happens, we’ll be tormented by the Master Uncle for at least a month.”

Thinking of Hye-gwan, Mu-gyeong shivered. However, Mu-jin wasn’t one to back down easily.

“Alright. Then let’s do it without internal energy at first. If anyone feels like they’re going to fail, they can use their internal energy. But whoever uses it will get a penalty, and if you hold out and get eliminated... an enormous punishment will await for disgracing the sect’s name.”

In the end, a peculiar bet was established by Mu-jin’s insistence.

* * *

Meanwhile.

Among the countless young martial artists gathered at the training ground for the first preliminary round of the Yongbongji Tournament, there was someone intently watching the Shaolin disciples.

“Jegal unni, what are you staring at so intently?”

Tang So-mi asked Jegal Jin-hee, who had spotted Mu-jin from afar.

“It’s nothing,” Jegal Jin-hee replied.

“Hmm, over there... Ah! You were looking at the Shaolin people!”

No matter what Jegal Jin-hee said, Tang So-mi grinned as she followed her gaze.

“If we do well in this tournament, we might get to see the famous Seventy-Two Consummate Arts!”

Tang So-mi spoke with excitement, but Jegal Jin-hee responded with a peculiar expression, “We’ll see.”

Jegal Jin-hee wasn’t particularly interested in Shaolin’s Seventy-Two Consummate Arts. The best young martial artist from Shaolin that she knew hadn’t mastered them.

With that ambiguous response, Tang So-mi turned her gaze back to the Shaolin disciples.

Not only Tang So-mi, but many others at the training ground were subtly paying attention to the Shaolin disciples as well.

It was an opportunity to gauge the level of the renowned Thousand-Year Shaolin, the revered pinnacle of martial arts.