Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 264

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 264
“Eliminated.”
Cheon Hui’s verdicts came without hesitation.
Dozens had already stood before him, yet not a single one had passed.
“Just who does he intend to accept?”
“Surely he doesn’t mean to hire no one at all?”
The atmosphere, once brimming with hope, had grown cold as winter stone.
Like a bitter north wind cutting through frost.
Even so, Cheon Hui continued to sift through the candidates, repeating that single word: eliminated.
The crowd thinned rapidly.
Those who had come with such confidence, only to drink deep of rejection, responded in countless ways.
“So this is how he carries himself now that he’s won some renown?”
“I was fooled by the name of Maehwa New Cooperation. Had I known what kind of man he was, I would have sought out the Benevolent Master Dan Mok Lin first… I’ve wasted my time here.”
Anger, confusion, betrayal, disappointment—
And occasionally, a few erupted with fierce emotion.
“I cannot accept this!”
A young man in a pristine yellow Martial Robe—Jeong Cheong—bellowed suddenly.
His composure had shattered entirely.
He had refused his master’s instruction to seek out Dan Mok Lin, choosing Maehwa New Cooperation instead.
And now this.
Without even drawing his sword, rejected at a mere glance.
How could his anger not burn?
“To judge without ever seeing the martial arts one has cultivated, selecting on sight alone—where does such a thing exist?”
His voice rang out loudly.
Those observing nodded in agreement.
They felt the justice of his words.
In truth, they had said nothing themselves, but they harbored the very same thoughts as Jeong Cheong.
Emboldened by their response, Jeong Cheong glared and poured out every grievance.
“Is this some simple task? A Special Detached Unit standing against nothing less than Sa Heuk Ryeon in open war. And yet you select members with merely a face-to-face glance? Does Maehwa New Cooperation regard the Special Detached Unit as a jest?”
As his perfectly valid words spilled forth, those waiting and those who had already been rejected began to voice their agreement.
“He speaks the truth!”
“I agree entirely!”
As the cries grew louder with mounting momentum, Cheon Hui scratched his head.
“So you’re saying you dislike my method?”
Jeong Cheong’s eyes widened as he replied.
“That’s correct.”
“Then isn’t this perfect?”
“What do you—”
Cheon Hui twisted one corner of his mouth.
“I had no intention of recruiting anyone who dislikes this approach anyway. Since we both dislike each other, why don’t we each go our separate ways?”
With those words, Cheon Hui pointed a finger toward the gates, gesturing for him to leave. Jeong Cheong bit his lip hard and turned on his heel.
He recognized that further words would fall on deaf ears.
“You won’t be able to build a proper Special Detached Unit with that method.”
Just before departing, Jeong Cheong glared at Cheon Hui and spoke one last time.
“I heard you. Now go. I still have plenty of people to see, so don’t waste my time any further.”
He received nothing but a sharp rebuke.
……
Jeong Cheong left with a furious scowl.
Silence descended.
In that moment, Cheon Hui swept his gaze across the gathered crowd with half-lidded eyes and spoke again.
“You all saw it, yes? If my method doesn’t suit you, you can leave now.”
At Cheon Hui’s indifferent words, those standing in line flinched, falling into serious deliberation.
“Maybe it’s better to leave now…”
“If I went to the Benevolent Master Dan Mok Lin now, might she not accept me?”
“There’s still a chance I might pass.”
With even those from the Nine Major Sects and Four Unorthodox Schools falling like this, some trembled with anxiety.
Just as no one moved—
“I’m leaving.”
One young man made his decision and hurriedly turned to go.
“W-well then, I’ll go too.”
“Somewhere else, perhaps…….”
As if his words had been a signal, those who’d been watching for an opening turned and filed after him, one by one.
In an instant, a third of them had left.
‘Still this many,’ Cheon Hui thought.
He clicked his tongue.
Despite the sizable exodus, the line remained depressingly long.
‘At this rate, we’ll be here all day.’
After a moment of silent disapproval, Cheon Hui swept his gaze across the remaining candidates and gestured forward.
“Next two, come forward.”
The screening resumed, but as before, only rejections poured forth.
Most of the rejected left without protest, but a stubborn few remained, their eyes blazing with determination to see who would actually pass—and they glared at Cheon Hui as if to mark him.
How much time had elapsed this way?
“Stand to the side.”
For the first time, a different verdict left Cheon Hui’s lips, and several candidates looked up at him in astonishment.
“What did you say?!”
“Did she really pass?”
All eyes turned to the figure before Cheon Hui.
It was a woman.
She herself looked bewildered at hearing such words, when—
“That’s absurd!”
Someone erupted in protest.
He was one of those who had just been rejected.
He was not alone.
Several others bristled at Cheon Hui’s selection, their killing intent flaring.
They could not fathom how this woman could be superior to them.
At their reaction, the woman’s face darkened.
Though she came from nothing and had never made a name for herself in Kangho, to hear such words said to her face was unbearable.
But the rejected candidates paid no heed to her expression, their voices rising.
“We cannot accept this!”
“Why her?”
Cheon Hui glanced at them and spoke coldly.
“You’re giving me an earache. If you’re going to be loud, get out. Tsk, you’ve already failed—what are you still doing here anyway…….”
His words left them speechless, and the rejected clenched their jaws.
“We wasted our time.”
…….
Muttering thus, they shuffled out of the pavilion.
Cheon Hui didn’t spare them a glance, merely snapping his fingers forward again.
“All right, next two.”
As the screening continued, the number of those standing behind Cheon Hui gradually increased.
And among those still waiting in line, eyes turned to study the successes, minds working.
‘Is there some common thread among them?’
But they soon shook their heads.
Those behind Cheon Hui were all different from one another.
Some belonged to the Nine Factions and One Gang, while beside them stood disciples of obscure sects no one had ever heard of.
And if one asked whether they possessed extraordinary martial arts…….
‘Their aura is weak.’
That much was clear.
Among them were later generation masters who’d made their mark in their respective regions, yet several were disciples of sects so unknown that even their names were strange to most.
There seemed to be no discernible criterion.
“Is he really just picking at random?”
That was the conclusion most had reached, when—
“What’s your take on this?” asked Mu Hong, a Daoist master of the Jongnam Sect, turning to Ho Gwang Gae of Gae Bang.
Ho Gwang Gae considered the question.
“Do you think the Maehwa New Cooperation is selecting members on a whim, as others are saying?”
“No. There’s a clear standard at work here.”
Ho Gwang Gae spoke with conviction.
But Mu Hong remained puzzled.
If there were truly a standard, he couldn’t find a single commonality among those standing behind Cheon Hui.
“What makes you so certain?”
“If he were picking arbitrarily, would he bother to make everyone stand in line like this?”
Ho Gwang Gae’s gaze shifted toward Cheon Hui, his answer delivered in a single breath.
His expression oozed annoyance.
“Look at that face. He’s the type who’d pick someone on a whim and announce it unilaterally, then leave. He doesn’t examine each candidate like this.”
Besides, before coming here, Ho Gwang Gae had already heard from the Master of Gae Bang a rough sketch of Cheon Hui’s disposition.
‘So they said he’s headstrong and finds everything tedious.’
He scratched at his oily hair.
It was worse than he’d been told.
‘Making enemies like this……’
He caught sight of those who were being dismissed.
Their expressions weren’t pleasant at all.
They were barely suppressing their desire to contest the results.
That was when Mu Hong narrowed his brow.
“So what do you think his criteria are?”
Ho Gwang Gae dragged his scratching hand across his sleeve with a soft laugh.
“Damned if I know.”
Nearby, someone was quietly listening to their exchange.
‘Criteria, is it.’
The renowned Later Generation Master of Cheongseong Sect.
Dan Ri Gwan Cheon, known by the epithet Fine-Blade Knife.
Lost in thought, he let his gaze drift downward. His eyes fell to the feet of the two men walking ahead.
‘Ah, I see.’
As he watched them walk, he perceived something, and his eyes gleamed with recognition.
And he was not alone in this discovery.
Several others with sharp perception, catching on to what Dan Ri Gwan Cheon had grasped, looked at those ahead and let out a cold, hungry glint from their eyes.
“Stand in back.”
“Truly?”
If you object, don’t bother.”
“No, no, I accept!”
Having admitted another candidate, Cheon Hui fixed his gaze on the young man beside him.
“You’re disqualified.”
“I understand.”
Perhaps it was the result of enduring several disturbances.
Those who were rejected, realizing that objection would be futile, withdrew without protest.
“Next.”
As Cheon Hui spoke, his eyes narrowed slightly.
‘He’s here.’
There was someone among those he’d been watching.
A Daoist from Cheongseong Sect.
‘Well, well. Now this is interesting.’
As he watched the man approach, stepping slowly forward, Cheon Hui’s eyes widened noticeably.
“Dan Ri Gwan Cheon of Cheongseong Sect.”
“Fine-Blade Knife?!”
“That’s the one from Cheongseong……”
Everyone stirred in surprise, their attention fixed on Dan Ri Gwan Cheon.
Though the epithet Fine-Blade Knife was widely known throughout Kangho, his appearance was not widely detailed, so the atmosphere grew tense.
“I am Jang Hak Il of Sojeong Moon.”
The man beside him spoke, his voice strained.
Cheon Hui paid him no attention, his eyes fixed only on Dan Ri Gwan Cheon before him.
Then he smiled with satisfaction.
“You pass.”
For the first time, the word “pass” emerged from Cheon Hui’s lips.
As everyone turned to stare in shock,
“You’re choosing based on just this?”
Dan Ri Gwan Cheon, on his way to step back, blurted out the question that had suddenly struck him.
“Yes.”
“But what about other things……”
“You’ve already proven that just now.”
At Cheon Hui’s words, Dan Ri Gwan Cheon’s expression grew momentarily complex, then he took his place at the back of the line.
Meanwhile, those already standing turned to steal glances at Dan Ri Gwan Cheon.
‘Did Fine-Blade Knife really just come to the Special Detached Unit.’
It was only natural to be astonished.
With Dan Ri Gwan Cheon’s background, reputation, and martial prowess, he would be welcomed with open arms not by a Special Detached Unit, but by the highest councils themselves.
‘Dan Ri Gwan Cheon in a Special Detached Unit?’
‘Is this a dream or reality?’
As several of them swallowed hard at the sight of Dan Ri Gwan Cheon.
“Mu Hong of Jongnam.”
“Ha ha ha! I’m Ho Gwang Gae of Gae Bang.”
More formidable figures had arrived.
“Stand to the rear.”
Cheon Hui spoke without hesitation.
“……Hmm, not quite passing.”
“Tsk, so there is something after all?”
Despite being selected, the two stood at the back, muttering in mild protest at Cheon Hui’s assessment.
Time continued to flow.
The sun that had blazed fiercely had begun to tilt, casting soft amber light across the ground when.
“Eliminated.”
Cheon Hui spoke to the final candidate, then stretched his heavy arms wide.
“Ah, it’s finally over.”
He rolled his shoulders loosely and turned around.
“One, two, three, four…….”
Cheon Hui counted the martial artists standing behind him one by one, then nodded.
“Forty in total, then? That’s reasonable.”
Meanwhile, the martial artists who had witnessed the end of the selection stood rigidly still.
Though not all of them.
Whoosh!
Ho Gwang Gae raised his hand sharply.
“Leader, I’m curious about something.”
Cheon Hui looked at Ho Gwang Gae, who had addressed him as leader, and laughed as if exasperated.
“What is it?”
“Why did you select us?”
Everyone flinched at the question.
In truth, they too were curious about the reason, but had not dared to ask.
Cheon Hui regarded Ho Gwang Gae and smiled wryly.
“Why? Are you unhappy with being selected? You’re free to leave now if you wish.”
“Tsk, you knew I wasn’t asking that…….”
As Ho Gwang Gae scratched his head.
“Footprints, isn’t it?”
Dan Ri Gwan Cheon spoke softly.
At his unexpected interjection, Ho Gwang Gae was caught off guard, then his eyes widened.
‘So that’s why I passed!’
Dan Ri Gwan Cheon approached Cheon Hui.
“I suspect you judged based on the footprints inscribed on the ground.”
“Correct. I judged by the footprints left behind. How consistent the stride was, how true. Those who met that standard passed.”
Now understanding why they had been accepted, those gathered could not hide their surprise.
“But observing only Speed Technique seems overly dangerous, does it not? Our opponents are Sa Heuk Ryeon. If martial arts ability is lacking…….”
Dan Ri Gwan Cheon trailed off for a moment, glancing sideways.
“Dying is secondary—they would merely become a burden to their fellow unit members.”
At his cold gaze, several of them flinched.
Indeed, the gap in skill between him and several others present was too vast for them to function as a unified force.
But Cheon Hui spoke calmly.
“Hmm, it seems you’re misunderstanding the purpose here……. What exactly does a Special Detached Unit do?”
At the question, Dan Ri Gwan Cheon’s brow furrowed.
“Operating independently, away from the main force, executing assigned missions……!”
In that moment, Dan Ri Gwan Cheon looked as though struck by a hammer, his expression blank as he muttered.
“So that’s why it was Speed Technique…….”
For a Special Detached Unit, the most critical elements were mobility and survival—Speed Technique was paramount above all else.
“But if that were the case, wouldn’t it have been simpler to test Speed Technique itself?”
“The difference between a skill honed to instinct and one merely learned is vast. No matter how well one masters the Sinbeop and Speed Technique, if you cannot execute them naturally and reflexively in each moment, what use is it?”
Cheon Hui’s voice was cold.
“Besides, we are on the brink of war itself. We cannot afford to wait until those who have recently learned even exceptional Speed Technique become truly proficient, can we?”
Dan Ri Gwan Cheon, who had posed the question, fell silent along with everyone else.
No matter how brilliant the martial arts, without familiarity they’re nothing but glittering trash.
“If it’s truly a Speed Technique, then…….”
“It’s certainly a field where I have confidence.”
Cheon Hui let out a soft laugh as he watched them nod in understanding.
‘Though of course, that’s not the whole story.’
If he’d selected them based solely on Speed Technique proficiency, more would have passed.
But he hadn’t.
The reason was simple.
‘Every single one of these people has mastered martial arts I’ve never seen before.’
A touch of personal greed for martial knowledge had colored his choice.
‘I’d like to see what they deploy later.’
Cheon Hui’s eyes gleamed with curiosity and interest as he swept them with his gaze, then spoke.
“Then let me give you one final chance. Anyone who wishes to leave now, do so.”
Though Cheon Hui spoke quietly, no one moved.
Seeing the resolute look in their eyes, Cheon Hui nodded approvingly.
“Well then, it seems we’ve selected everyone. Come now, hurry and gather your belongings.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
“Why would we suddenly need to pack…….”
As everyone looked bewildered at his sudden words, Cheon Hui’s lips stretched into a wide grin, baring his pristine teeth.
“What do you mean why? It’s time to get to work.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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