Ice Dragon of Namgung - Chapter 4

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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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Episode 4
Namgung Geom was unruffled.
He’d already anticipated Namgung Pae’s reaction.
If a grandson who couldn’t master martial arts through the Guyang Jeolmaek suddenly appeared radiating First-Rate Internal Power, suspicion was only natural.
Namgung Geom had considered concealing his aura, but abandoned the idea at once.
No matter how carefully he hid it, he could never deceive Namgung Pae’s eyes.
Besides, this was something he’d have to face sooner or later anyway.
“I’ve found a way to remedy the Guyang Jeolmaek,” Namgung Geom said.
“Is that truly so?” Namgung Pae asked, taken aback.
The old man’s surprise was genuine.
“Yes. In the process, I experienced a Fortunate Encounter.”
“A Fortunate Encounter?”
“I’m afraid I cannot explain the details. I hope you’ll trust me and observe how things unfold, Grandfather.”
“So you’re asking me not to question anything?”
Namgung Pae’s expression turned incredulous.
“Surely the important thing is that I’ve overcome the Guyang Jeolmaek and can now cultivate martial arts?”
Namgung Pae shook his head at his grandson’s bold reply.
“And if I insist on knowing?”
“If you press me, Grandfather, I’ll have no choice but to tell you.”
Namgung Pae studied him for a moment, then chuckled softly.
“An old man can’t very well force his young grandson into submission.”
His eyes, however, turned sharp as flint.
“But if I’m to trust you, you’ll need to show me something, won’t you?”
Namgung Geom smiled and replied, “I could enter the Changyong Pavilion as a first-place scholar?”
Namgung Pae’s weathered face creased with thought.
The Changyong Pavilion.
An organization the Namgung Clan had established to cultivate elite martial artists.
The Namgung children trained their fundamental martial arts at the various Changyong Martial Halls scattered throughout Anhui Province.
Those among them with exceptional talent advanced to the Changyong Pavilion itself, where they studied the Namgung Clan’s secret martial techniques.
After gaining practical experience and honing their skills, they entered the Namgung Clan’s elite sword brigade.
Acceptance into the Changyong Pavilion was the gateway to advancement.
For the children of families affiliated with the Namgung Clan, entrance to the Pavilion was a dream of reaching the clouds.
Yet not just anyone could enter the Changyong Pavilion.
The Pavilion selected its members through rigorous examination.
Even direct descendants of the Namgung Clan were not exempt.
The Namgung Clan did not grant preferential treatment simply because one was of the main bloodline.
One had to prove one’s worthiness as a direct descendant through one’s own strength.
The Changyong Pavilion entrance examination was precisely that proof.
“You’d enter the Changyong Pavilion as a first-place scholar?” Namgung Pae’s tone was skeptical.
The Pavilion’s examination was less than a month away.
Even with dedicated cultivation from now on, genuine achievement would be difficult to attain.
Possessing First-Rate Internal Power meant nothing if he lacked the martial techniques to employ it effectively.
Entrance to the Changyong Pavilion might be possible, but achieving first place would not be easy.
“Surely that’s the only way to earn your faith, Grandfather, isn’t it?”
“You certainly have confidence,” Namgung Pae observed.
“As the eldest grandson of the Namgung Clan, shouldn’t I?”
Namgung Pae shook his head at his grandson’s assured expression.
“Confidence is one thing, but I hear the candidates competing in this year’s Pavilion examination are exceptionally skilled—the strongest in recent memory.”
Among this year’s examination participants were indeed many children of outstanding talent.
It was fair to call them the golden generation of the Namgung Clan.
“Then shall we make a wager, Grandfather?”
Namgung Geom smiled and made his proposal.
“A wager?”
“If I enter the Changyong Pavilion as first-place scholar, you’ll grant me one wish of mine.”
Namgung Pae chuckled and asked, “And if you fail to enter the Pavilion—what will you offer me?”
“I’ll grant you one wish in return, Grandfather.”
Namgung Pae shook his head immediately at this answer.
“That hardly seems fair. I have many things I could ask of you, but you have nothing to give—or do you?”
Even Namgung Geom had to admit the terms were unequal.
He had little to offer in return.
He paused a moment in thought, then his face brightened as an idea came to him.
“What if I repay you later with interest added?”
“What did you just say?”
Namgung Pae stared at him in disbelief, and Namgung Geom broke into a grin.
“Surely a grandfather can make that small concession for his grandson, can’t he?”
At Namgung Geom’s cheek, Namgung Pae laughed despite himself.
* * *
The Family Head’s Hall.
After Namgung Geom left, Namgung Pae chuckled in disbelief.
“The audacious boy. He actually dared to wager against me.”
Namgung Pae had accepted Namgung Geom’s wager.
If Namgung Geom truly overcame the Guyang Jeolmaek and entered Changyong Pavilion as the top student, what was one wish worth?
“As the eldest grandson of the Namgung Clan, he ought to have that much backbone, wouldn’t you say?”
“And what is your assessment of him?”
Namgung Pae straightened his expression and asked.
“Young Master Namgung Geom seems greatly changed.”
“It’s as if he’s become a different person entirely.”
Namgung Pae nodded in agreement.
“Perhaps now that he has hope of overcoming the Guyang Jeolmaek, he’s found a drive he lacked before?”
Namgung Yu ventured his own reasoning.
“That’s certainly possible.”
“If Young Master Namgung Geom conquers the Guyang Jeolmaek and cultivates his martial arts, it would be a blessing for the clan.”
Namgung Yu spoke carefully, offering his view.
“So you’re asking that we set aside other doubts?”
“If Young Master Namgung Geom can simply heal the Guyang Jeolmaek, surely the rest needn’t be pressed, wouldn’t you agree?”
At Namgung Yu’s words, Namgung Pae’s expression softened.
“True enough. The boy is the only bloodline left by my departed son. Saving his life matters far more than satisfying curiosity.”
“Still, to be safe, I shall keep a close watch on Young Master Namgung Geom’s surroundings.”
At Namgung Yu’s words, Namgung Pae nodded.
“See that you do.”
Meanwhile, Namgung Geom left the Family Head’s Hall with a light step and returned to his quarters.
Based on Namgung Pae’s manner, it seemed he would press no further questions about Namgung Geom’s condition or cultivation level.
He had worried inwardly, but it had resolved more easily than expected.
Now he could focus entirely on training without concerning himself with anything else.
One month remained until the entrance examination for Changyong Pavilion.
Namgung Geom intended to succeed his departed father, Namgung Il, and become the Young Family Head of the Namgung Clan.
Entering Changyong Pavilion as the top student would be his first step.
Namgung Geom regarded the entrance examination to Changyong Pavilion as a kind of initiation.
Within the clan, he was perceived as a pitiful eldest grandson suffering from the Guyang Jeolmaek.
No one considered him a candidate for Young Family Head.
First, it was crucial to shatter that perception.
Entering Changyong Pavilion as the top student would be enough to overturn that view at once.
And once the clan learned that Namgung Geom had conquered the Guyang Jeolmaek and reached a considerable level of martial mastery, people would begin to seriously consider him as a candidate for Young Family Head.
As the eldest grandson of the Namgung Clan, he stood nearest to that position.
Especially with the wager against Namgung Pae now in play.
“I will claim the top position without fail.”
Namgung Geom clenched his fist and steeled his resolve.
From that moment, save for eating and sleeping, he devoted himself entirely to training.
In the mornings he strengthened his body with the Bingbai Yeonsin Gong; in the afternoons he cultivated the martial arts of the Namgung Clan.
Before his soul’s transmigration, Namgung Geom had mastered every technique available to him as a direct descendant of the Namgung Clan.
Though the Guyang Jeolmaek prevented him from practicing them physically, he possessed a theoretical understanding more perfect than anyone’s.
Many had mocked it as a waste of effort—he was learning techniques he could never use anyway.
But now, with his transformed self, the martial arts he had learned through study bore fruit.
Combined with the understanding and enlightenment he had accumulated from his past life, his theoretical knowledge produced astonishing achievements in mere weeks.
Had anyone witnessed his progress, they would have been left breathless.
Finally, in the evenings, he used the Changgung Binghwa Shin Gong to absorb Yanghua Qi and refine his Internal Power.
Gang Moyeon, meanwhile, learned that Namgung Geom was cultivating martial arts and tried every way to dissuade him.
But Namgung Geom remained stubborn.
He persuaded her by pointing out that Namgung Pae had not forbidden his martial training.
In the end, Gang Moyeon had no choice but to permit his cultivation.
The Family Head of the Namgung Clan, Namgung Pae, had given his approval—she could not refuse him.
During his martial training, she had fretted constantly, worried that the Yanghua Qi would flare up and harm Namgung Geom.
But contrary to her fears, Namgung Geom continued his training without incident.
If anything, he felt his body growing stronger with each passing day.
Only then could she truly set her mind at ease.
And so Namgung Geom, freed from her anxiety, could train with a settled heart.
In just ten days, he had mastered the Daeyeon Sword Technique.
Though he had not yet awakened to its Extremity, he had achieved in a mere fortnight what ordinarily required years of cultivation.
Namgung Geom then advanced to the Cheonpung Sword Technique, a step higher than the Daeyeon.
The Cheonpung Sword Technique was an advanced art of the Namgung Clan, embodying the relentless momentum and speed of wind that never ceased its assault.
It was far more intricate and complex than the Daeyeon Sword Technique.
Yet Namgung Geom progressed swiftly through it as well.
The Cheonpung Sword Technique bore striking resemblance to the Bingbai Seolpung Sword of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
In both the forms and the deployment of Internal Power, there were many similarities.
The only difference was that the Bingbai Seolpung Sword conjured blizzards through the ice-cold attribute.
“What if I wove the icy attribute into the Cheonpung Sword Technique using the Changgung Binghwa Shin Gong?”
The thought struck Namgung Geom suddenly, and he smiled.
The Cheonpung Sword Technique infused with the icy attribute.
The mere thought of it seemed delightful.
Namgung Geom completed the forms of the Cheonpung Sword Technique.
Then he wove the icy attribute into them.
To the eye it appeared to be the Cheonpung Sword Technique, but hidden within was the essence of the Bingbai Seolpung Sword—a new technique born of Namgung Geom alone.
The Cheonpung Bingbai Sword was born.
As Namgung Geom trained in the Cheonpung Bingbai Sword, he refined and perfected its forms.
In the midst of this, the entrance examination for Changyong Pavilion drew ten days away.
Namgung Geom set out toward Changyong Pavilion.
To take the entrance examination for Changyong Pavilion, one must first submit an application.
Today was the day to submit it.
The front courtyard of Changyong Pavilion was crowded with children who had come to file their applications.
Someone among them recognized Namgung Geom.
“Hey! Isn’t that Namgung Geom?”
“It is. But what’s he doing here?”
The children exchanged puzzled looks.
“Surely he’s not thinking of taking the entrance examination?”
“That makes no sense. With the Guyang Jeolmaek, he can barely move his body—how could he possibly take the examination?”
“I heard he’s been training martial arts recently, though.”
“Did he cure the Guyang Jeolmaek?”
“Who knows. But if he’s training, that must mean he’s improved, right?”
“Even so, it hasn’t even been a month—he surely doesn’t think he can pass the entrance examination with just that.”
“Of course not. He’s probably just trying to take the test once, regardless of the outcome.”
The children who had spotted Namgung Geom gazed at him with curious eyes, whispering among themselves.
Not one of them believed he would pass Changyong Pavilion’s entrance examination.
Namgung Geom heard their remarks but paid them no mind, walking straight inside.
From the very top of Changyong Pavilion.
There was one who watched him.
Namgung Baek, the Master of Changyong Pavilion.
He sensed the aura of Namgung Geom as he entered the pavilion.
A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
The aura of Namgung Geom was so vast and vivid that it could be felt even from the summit of Changyong Pavilion.
“Crown Prince! You have deceived everyone all this time?”
Namgung Baek murmured with intrigue.
Namgung Geom was the one awaiting only death from the Guyang Jeolmaek.
He had heard that the Yanghua Qi of the Guyang Jeolmaek prevented him from training in martial arts at all.
Yet the aura of Namgung Geom that he had just sensed was nothing of the sort.
At minimum, First-Rate.
A realm that should have required years of cultivation to achieve.
Had he hidden behind the guise of the Guyang Jeolmaek and trained in secret all along?
Whatever the truth, Namgung Geom’s martial skill was remarkable.
And if his martial power became known…
“The clan will be thrown into upheaval.”
A deep smile played at the corners of Namgung Baek’s mouth as he spoke.
It was the expression of someone anticipating something.
Meanwhile, Namgung Geom, who had been about to enter Changyong Pavilion, suddenly lifted his head at a sensation of being watched.
From the highest point of Changyong Pavilion, Namgung Baek was looking down at him.
Namgung Baek, Master of Changyong Pavilion.
One of the Cangqian Ten Swords, the greatest active master of the Namgung Clan.
And the cousin and childhood friend of Namgung Il, Namgung Geom’s father.
He could feel the interest burning in that gaze.
The corners of Namgung Geom’s mouth turned upward.
‘It seems I’ve managed to catch his attention, at least.’
Namgung Bingryong
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Baek Wol Geom
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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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