Book 2 Chapter 24

Immigration Ceremony Escape Incidents

You deserve to be swept away in a wave of majesty, grandeur, and emotion.

Induction Ceremony at the Academy of Heavenly Arts!

However, for Ryu-yeon Bi, it was a series of yawns.

It was just boring, nothing more, nothing less.

As she looked around, she could see new students everywhere, many of them in tears of emotion. But in her eyes, they were mere zombies, and she could only laugh at them. The fact that they had gone through so many trials and overcome so many obstacles to reach this position would have touched the hearts of ordinary people, so it was no wonder that the new students sometimes showed tears of emotion. But their emotions were not understood by Bi Ryuyeon. The natural emotions they were feeling now were so foreign and unfamiliar to him.

"How can anyone be moved by such a horrible waste?

I couldn't understand it. He was a non-religious person whose thinking activities did not flow smoothly apart from money. For him, the thousands of people on the stage and the colorful flags flying high in the air did not inspire him at all. The harmonious combination of excitement, ambition, and enthusiasm that surrounded the ceremony only bored him.

The welcoming words of the senior student representative, the key positions in the hall that are rarely seen outside of times like this, the vice guanju, who is said to be a star in the sky, and the guanju of the Tianmu Hall, who is said to be the glory of the seven generations of the family just by being there, and the left and right twins, who are said to escort him like an iron wall, were all just too much for Bi Ryuyeon.

Bi Ryuyeon was looking for an opportunity now. A golden opportunity to leave this stifling and boring initiation ceremony and fly away somewhere……. Finally, after the torture of listening to the welcoming speeches of the Heavenly Guanju and the Vice-Guanju, as well as the representatives of the labor union and the senior students, whom everyone else wanted to see at least once in their lives, she finally put into action the decision she had been thinking about for a long time.

"If the opportunity doesn't come, make it!

At least he had the decency to do the impossible.

"Eek!"

His body blurred as if he were a phantom, his form and shadow faded, and soon he was nowhere to be found in the hall. It was an extremely high level of ascension that left no sound or form. The group, who were still tirelessly glaring at him, nearly dropped their livers. They thought their hearts were going to jump out of their throats. They were lucky they didn't trip over the protruding heart, lose their footing, slip, and fall to their deaths. Obviously, Bi Ryuyeon, who had existed only a moment ago, had disappeared in an instant like a ghost. The figure that I had been observing with care and attention had also disappeared. They couldn't even guess where she had gone, her direction or speed. He was completely out of their sight and out of mind.

'Oh, my God……. I've lost the bell!

To lose sight of an opponent you've been paying close attention to and not even recognize the direction they're headed, it's no wonder that in real life, a single sword could come from any angle other than the immediate one and decapitate them. To miss an opponent's end meant defeat. Nothing could exist outside of these two characters, and today they could add one more life to their ledger. It was a mistake that could not be forgiven by writing dozens of pages of 320-line reflections.

All the new recruits felt their skin crawl and a chill run down their spine. They had all tasted a deep sense of defeat at the same time. The flavor was not sweet at all and made them wonder if they were possessed by a ghost.

The new students next to Bi Ryuyeon diligently questioned their senses and minds, including their eyes and ears, but to no avail. She just stood there, unable to speak English. They had no idea where they were going and could not even catch a glimpse of a shadow. Their eyes were nothing more than ornaments; they had been reduced to the same level of sewage as their vanished opponents, and their shock was all the greater for it.

As she exited the ceremony hall, she went to the top of the roof of a nearby ancient pavilion. The five-story pavilion was quite tall, and when she climbed to the top of the roof, she could see the colorful scenery of the performance hall where the ceremony was in progress. Sprawled out on the tiles of the pavilion, with the bright sunlight as his blanket, he breathed in the sunlight and the breeze that gently caressed his face, as if he were breathing in the breath of life, piercing through his stifling heart. The sun was warm, and so he fell asleep. It was an extension of the good night's sleep he'd had earlier, which had to be cut short. This time, however, his sleep did not last as long as he had hoped.

"Huh?

For a moment, he dreamed of basking in the sunshine with the tiles as a blanket. A shadow fell across his face. It wasn't natural, obviously, an obstacle in the way of the warm spring sunshine.

"Flash!"

Bi Ryuyeon's eyes flashed open as he enjoyed a peaceful and pleasurable puke. Lying on his back with his chin up, the shadow of a man entered his eyes like an adult. He was a young man of about twenty years of age, with sharp black hair and an imposing nose, and a relaxed smile. The single, brightly smiling face, the two strands of blue hero's robe crossed diagonally on his forehead, and the twin swords strapped to the left and right sides of his back, both of which were of the same shape and color, without a trace of error, were also very impressive. Presumably they were identical not only in shape but also in weight and feel.

"Hi!"

A young man I didn't recognize greeted me first.

There was no precedent. There was no respect. He simply lifted up his water bottle and waved it. It was a rather awkward greeting for a stranger, but I didn't notice any awkwardness in the young man. He had a certain charm that drew people to him, and it was a greeting that anyone would have been happy to hear. He had a certain coolness about him that people liked.

"I didn't know anyone else had the same hobby as me!"

His words were full of life, as if he was very happy to find an unexpected ziggy, a comrade to share his heart with.

"Who?"

"Ah, my name is Hyo-ryong, and my friends call me Eunjin Moo-sword, though I don't think I deserve it. Rituals may look great on the outside, but they're so boring for the people inside. They're just boring, aren't they? Isn't that why you're here, too? To meet an unexpected and unexpected friend at a time and place like this, that's why life is fun. A wonderful connection after skipping the ceremony? Hoo-hoo, don't you think it's wonderful? It's a merit of the heavens."

This loud man, Hyo-ryong, who hadn't given Bi Ryuyeon a chance to open her mouth, was smiling brightly at her. He looked like he was dying of amusement and wonder. She thought his smile was so bright and cool.

In fact, it was so rare for Bi Ryuyeon to take such an interest in others that it should be recorded. Normally, he paid little attention to people outside of his monetary relationships. However, Hyo-ryong was exclaiming as if he was overwhelmed by the fact that he had met such an unexpected comrade in such an unexpected place. Clearly, he was excited. After all, it's not every day that you find a friend who agrees with you. But Bi Ryuyeon didn't bat an eyelid in the face of Hyo Ryong's enthusiasm.

"Are you done?"

Bi Ryuyeon, who had been silently watching Hyo-ryong the whole time, frowned and finally spoke up.

"Yes."

"Hey, but……."

"Yes?"

Looking down at Bi Ryuyeon, Hyorong, who had been drumming on his own, turned and asked.

"That's all well and good, but now get out of the way. It's blocking the sun. I don't like that."

Her words far exceeded Hyorong's expectations, and it was only then that Hyorong realized his mistake and took a step to the side with an 'ouch'. The sun bathed his entire body in its warmth. Satisfied, she relaxed her frown and smiled, basking in the warmth of the sun's embrace. It was a luxury that money could not buy.

After watching her with envy, Hyo-Ryong made up his mind and moved to the next bed, lying down with the same exuberance as her. The sun's rays pleasantly stimulated his skin.

"Huh? Didn't you just buy those new clothes and don't mind them getting dirty?"

She asked. She was still very concerned about useless things.

"I don't care, it feels good!"

By now, Hyorong's words had become normalized, but Bi Ryuyeon didn't pay much attention to that fact. There was no break in the conversation between him and Hyorong. Ryuyeon asked Hyorong.

"What do you think?"

"This feels great, this release, this fullness, hahaha."

Hyo-ryong replied with a big smile, and she smiled back. When she was satisfied with his answer, she extended her right hand. This is the first time since the beginning of time that a man has extended his hand to a woman. No one would blame him if he worried about the end of the world tomorrow.

"I'm Bi Ryuyeon, let's get along."

Hyo-ryong clasped his hand, and they looked at each other and smiled. Below the pavilion, events were bustling, but above the pavilion, the two were as relaxed as if they were fresh from the world. Everything seemed peaceful and relaxed.

Neither of them had any intention of ending their sunbathing on the pavilion until all the initiation ceremonies were over and the signal was sounded to separate the new cadets. Nor did they seem to have any intention of coming down.

"Hey, Ryuyeon?"

Hyo-ryong turned his head slightly to the side and called out to Bi Ryuyeon.

"Yeah, why?"

"Who's watching us?"

"Yeah, I know. I've been here since you came upstairs. Didn't you follow me?"

Hyorong's body twitched imperceptibly, but then, as if nothing had happened, he scratched the back of his head coolly and spoke.

"Yeah, well, I don't know anyone who's that loved, hahaha……."

Unlike his earlier reaction, his voice was nonchalant.

"Really? Then don't bother."

It's not a big deal, she said. But it was easier said than done. She couldn't help but be bothered by the unseen gaze of someone else.

"Doesn't he mean to tell me to stop messing around and go down?"

"I don't care if it's someone else, and I don't care if they eat bedbugs with vomit."

It's a bit annoying," said Touro Biyou. I really didn't want anyone to interfere with my work.

"Uh, did you have a history of that?"

Hyo-Ryong asked, looking very interested.

"I don't, but I know someone who did. He was drinking with a bunch of friends, and one of them woke up and vomited into a bowl in the middle of the night. When he woke up in the morning, the vomit was pretty solid and he thought it was bedbug rice cakes. So he made bedbug rice cakes with it and ate them."

"Sounds good to me."

"Yeah, I guess it's pretty good. He said he had a lot of ingredients and not a lot of patience, so he just beat the eggs with a little more flour and shared it with his friends, and it was a real treat, though they freaked out when they found out later."

"Ignorance is bliss. Let's give it a try, and maybe we'll find some surprising new flavors."

"I would actively encourage you to give up."

"Okay, so let's put the sour cooking exercise on hold for now, but who the hell is this friend of yours, I'm really curious?"

"Yeah, it's no big deal, the name isn't well known……."

She stammered and evaded Hyo-ryong's questions. There was no way in hell she was going to tell him it was Nohak.

"We've got a new recruit roll call, and we need to get our housing assignments, so let's head downstairs."

"Accommodation?"

"Is there such a thing? I didn't know about it?" asked Bi Ryuyeon with a look of disbelief. Hyo-ryong was inwardly offended.

"So you're telling me you didn't know about that all this time?"

"Yes!"

Bi Ryuyeon nodded nonchalantly, as if her ignorance was some kind of boast. Suddenly, Hyo-Ryong jumped up from his seat and dragged her by the hand, heading for the place where the gathering signal had been sounded earlier. She didn't put up any resistance and was simply dragged along like a piece of luggage. Even with her weight on his back, he didn't seem to be weighing him down at all. It was easy to tell that his internal cultivation level and light gong mastery were exceptional.

Hyo-ryong, who was dragging Bi Ryuyeon to the meeting place, looked at Bi Ryuyeon and gave her a cheeky smile.

"Ryuyeon?"

"Huh?"

"I just realized that if he's really from the Temple of Heaven, we'd already be on camera, because we've already been caught fooling around."

Despite his words, there was not a hint of embarrassment on Hyo-Ryong's face. There was even a faint smile on his face, as if he was enjoying the situation. Any hint of surreptitious observation had long since vanished, and fortunately, the meeting place was not far from the performance hall, so they crossed a few pavilions and quickly arrived in front of a building labeled 'Hearing Hall'. This was the meeting place for the new recruits.

The building was large and grand enough to accommodate a large number of people. As I walked through the doors, a large number of new students were already gathered and waiting inside the hall. Even though there were nearly six hundred people in the hall, there was no sense of cramped quarters; the hall was spacious. And despite the presence of hundreds of people, the hall was eerily quiet. She didn't like that. She had a bad feeling. Just then, a booming voice echoed through the hall.

"The Immortal Lord eats."

The gazes of the new students were drawn to the source of the sound. An elderly man walked out, accompanied by three unattended guards. The three sword dragons embroidered on the chests of the escorts indirectly explained the old man's high status.

This is something that Hyo-Ryong didn't learn until later in his life, but in the Heavenly Martial Academy, the measure of a person's ability, regardless of their years, is determined by the pattern on their chest. In the case of the Three Sword Dragon, it's three crossed swords and three dragons wrapped around the swords. Of course, as the number of the sword dragon increases, the difference in ability is said to be as great as the difference between heaven and earth. This is because each number represents one level of martial arts.

A three-sworded dragon would be able to see through the hands of an enemy warrior disciple of any sect. With three such dragons escorting him, there was no need for any further explanation of the old man's identity. All eyes turned to the old man. Their eyes were filled with admiration and respect.