Ice Dragon of Namgung - Chapter 6

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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 6
Namgung Geom deployed his body technique, his form shooting upward into the empty air.
In a single breath, he leaped over the heads of the children blocking his path.
The children’s eyes widened at his movement—as though he were riding the wind itself.
“The Heavenly Wind Body Technique!”
The children recognized his technique at once.
The Heavenly Wind Body Technique.
An advanced body technique of the Namgung Clan, marked by gale-force speed and unpredictable changes.
Over the past month, Namgung Geom had studied the martial arts of the Namgung Clan, and this technique was among them.
The children were taken aback the moment he deployed it.
Namgung Geom had been training in martial arts for barely a month.
Yet here was the Heavenly Wind Body Technique.
And his mastery of it seemed considerable.
To judge by his form alone, he looked to have trained for years.
While the children reeled, Namgung Geom surged forward.
His body shot ahead like wind itself, the distance between them opening in an instant.
“Don’t let him escape!”
“Chase him!”
The children who had blocked him snapped to their senses and rushed in pursuit.
But Namgung Geom was already racing far ahead.
Moreover, their body techniques lagged far behind his.
Catching him was impossible.
Yet the interference was far from over.
No sooner had he shed them than another group of children cut off his path.
‘My uncles have prepared quite thoroughly.’
Their movements were nimble and coordinated—they seemed stronger than the first group.
Still, compared to Namgung Geom, it was splitting hairs.
This time too, he brushed aside their obstruction with ease using the Heavenly Wind Body Technique.
Namgung Geom’s mastery of the Heavenly Wind Body Technique had already reached a considerable stage.
The Heavenly Wind Body Technique was all but identical to the Snowwind Body Technique of Bekhae Binggung.
Thanks to that similarity, he could achieve mastery faster than with other martial arts.
Children who had only just stepped into the second rank were in no position to pursue him.
“Ugh! What?”
“How is that even possible?”
The children gasped at the sight of Namgung Geom’s technique.
But they were already forgotten by him.
Namgung Geom did not slow.
He cut past the children ahead, driving himself swiftly into the lead.
The lead positions were held mostly by children from the main branch.
Among them, the three Namgung Geom had noticed stood furthest ahead.
The leading children made no move to interfere with him.
They possessed the strength needed to enter Changrong Pavilion.
If they hindered Namgung Geom only to be disqualified, they would lose far more than they gained.
The likelihood of them risking it was negligible.
So his uncles likely had never intended to recruit them in the first place.
Children who lacked the strength to enter Changrong Pavilion on their own were another matter entirely.
With nothing to lose, they had every reason to obstruct him if a reward were promised—disqualification be damned.
But he had already left them all behind.
No one remained to hinder him.
Namgung Geom followed behind the leading children, conserving his strength.
Halfway up the path, he increased his pace.
His speed with the Heavenly Wind Body Technique deployed was incomparable to the other children.
In moments he overtook those in the lead, drawing up close behind the three who held the front.
The three running at the front closed their formation as if by arrangement, blocking him from pressing ahead.
It was not an attempt to hinder him, but a refusal to yield first place.
“You think that will stop me?”
Namgung Geom scoffed and pushed the Heavenly Wind Body Technique to its limit.
In that instant, wind surged violently in his wake.
When the Heavenly Wind Body Technique reaches a certain stage, it stirs the wind itself.
And riding that wind, one could push speed even higher.
But Namgung Geom’s Heavenly Wind Body Technique was different.
The wind summoned by the Heavenly Wind Body Technique carried a bitter chill.
That was the property of the Snowwind Body Technique from his past life—those who touched the snow-wind would find their bodies frozen solid.
Namgung Geom had merged the secrets of the Snowwind Body Technique into his Heavenly Wind Body Technique.
The moment Namgung Geom summoned the wind, the space around him froze over in biting cold.
Riding the freezing gale, Namgung Geom’s form shot past the three leading runners.
“That bastard!”
The three in front gasped in shock and pushed their body techniques to greater speeds.
But then Namgung Geom’s icy wind descended upon them.
Their bodies froze in an instant as the freezing gale engulfed them.
Their senses and movements dulled.
“Agh! What is this?”
Startled, their body techniques wavered.
Namgung Geom seized the opening and surged ahead, widening the gap.
They quickly cycled their inner power to drive out the cold.
Then they pursued him with everything they had.
But at their speed, catching Namgung Geom was impossible.
“Insane! How is he that fast?”
“And that’s after only a month of training.”
They could only marvel at his velocity.
Eventually they gave up trying to catch him.
Pushing themselves further would waste their strength for nothing.
Before long, Namgung Geom vanished from their sight.
Namgung Chang and the other two clenched their teeth.
‘Reaching Cheongeom Peak first doesn’t mean anything.’
‘I’ll be the one to find the Dragon Jade Token first.’
Burning with competitive fire, they resolved to recover the Dragon Jade Token before Namgung Geom did.
Having left them behind, Namgung Geom headed straight for the summit of Cheongeom Peak.
From the Changrong Pavilion Training Ground to the summit was a journey of two hours.
Deploying the Heavenly Wind Body Technique, Namgung Geom reached the summit in just one hour.
The instructor waiting at the summit was startled.
‘He made it up that quickly?’
Such speed was only possible at the First-rate realm.
‘Surely the Eldest Grandson hasn’t reached the First-rate realm?’
But considering his age, it made no sense.
“You’re not giving me the Climbing Badge?”
At Namgung Geom’s words, the instructor hastily handed it over.
“Here you are.”
The Climbing Badge was proof of reaching the summit, and it bore a number marking the order of arrival.
After receiving the badge, Namgung Geom immediately set about searching for the Dragon Jade Token.
The Dragon Jade Tokens were hidden throughout Cheongeom Peak.
To find them, one had to sense the Qi contained within each token.
It would be difficult for the other children, but not for Namgung Geom.
Thanks to the realm and insights from his past life, his Qi Sensitivity was acute enough to read the Dragon Jade Token’s essence without effort.
And indeed.
Namgung Geom found the token without any difficulty.
Then he immediately made his way back down the peak.
The children in the lead hadn’t even reached the summit yet.
When the three leading runners saw Namgung Geom descending with the Dragon Jade Token in hand, their eyes widened.
“What? He already found the token and is coming back down?”
Namgung Chang stared at him in disbelief.
“As the Eldest Grandson, he must’ve eaten some precious medicinal elixir.”
Namgung Cheolwoong spoke with bitter sarcasm, unable to accept it.
“But just taking an elixir doesn’t make you that strong.”
Namgung Cheonsang shook his head as he spoke.
Namgung Cheolwoong shot him a sharp look.
Namgung Cheonsang brushed off the glare and launched himself forward.
“Where do you think you’re going first?”
Namgung Cheolwoong immediately gave chase.
Namgung Chang sprang forward as well.
First place had been snatched by Namgung Geom, but second place could not be given to anyone else.
Meanwhile, the children climbing up from below also gasped when they saw Namgung Geom descending with the Dragon Jade Token in hand.
The expressions on the faces of those who had planned to obstruct Namgung Geom were particularly spectacular.
Before they could even attempt anything, Namgung Geom had already found the Dragon Jade Token and was leisurely descending the mountain.
‘We’re finished.’
Seeing their dumbfounded expressions, Namgung Geom waved the Dragon Jade Token as if to rub it in their faces.
He then descended Cheongeom Peak and arrived safely at the Changrong Pavilion Training Ground.
Since the founding of Changrong Pavilion, it was the fastest time on record.
* * *
The first round of the Changrong Pavilion examination had concluded.
Sixty-four candidates had passed the first round.
More than one hundred fifty had been eliminated.
The talk of the first round was undoubtedly Namgung Geom.
He had achieved first place with a record-breaking performance in the first round.
And the news spread swiftly throughout the clan.
Namgung Byeok, Namgung Geom’s second uncle and master of Cheonlae Hall, heard the news as well.
For reference, the Namgung Clan’s organization consisted of the Six Halls, which handled administration, and the Three Halls Four Pavilions, which oversaw military affairs.
Namgung Geom’s uncles were heads of three of these halls, commanding the Three Sword Brigades, the clan’s core military force.
“It seems the boy has truly overcome the Nine Yang Severing Meridians.”
Namgung Byeok spoke with a conflicted expression.
It should have been cause for celebration that his nephew Namgung Geom had overcome the Nine Yang Severing Meridians.
But the problem was that Namgung Geom was beginning to show his talents.
Namgung Geom was the Eldest Grandson of the Namgung Clan.
At any moment, he could upset the game of succession for Branch Head.
“What is truly remarkable is that he achieved first place in Changrong Pavilion’s first round with merely a month of training.”
At the words of Namgung Hak, the chief administrator of Cheonlae Hall, Namgung Byeok nodded.
The Pavilion Entry examination of Changrong Pavilion was by no means simple.
In fact, Namgung Byeok had anticipated that Namgung Geom would fail the first round.
Yet he had achieved an overwhelming first place.
Even if he had overcome the Nine Yang Severing Meridians, a month of training should have been impossible.
Namgung Geom’s talent, however exceptional, changed nothing.
“As mentioned before, it appears the Clan Head has healed the Crown Prince’s Nine Yang Severing Meridians and elevated his realm.”
Namgung Byeok nodded.
“I said it couldn’t be at the time, but now it seems you were right.”
There was no other explanation for it.
“What matters is the Clan Head’s intention.”
“And what do you think his intention is?”
Namgung Byeok asked.
“I suspect the Clan Head has the Crown Prince in mind as the future Branch Head of the Namgung Clan.”
Upon hearing Namgung Hak’s reply, Namgung Byeok’s brow furrowed.
Until now, Namgung Pae had not yet named a Branch Head for the Namgung Clan.
Under such circumstances, aiding Namgung Geom’s growth was far from a trivial matter.
It was impossible to rule out the possibility that, as Namgung Hak suggested, Namgung Geom had already been marked as the Branch Head.
In truth, Namgung Geom himself was not the issue.
No matter how remarkable Namgung Geom became, he could not compare to himself or his other uncles.
But if the Clan Head, Namgung Pae, made up his mind and backed Namgung Geom, everything would change.
Namgung Byeok had no intention of yielding the Branch Head position to his young nephew.
Yet he also had no desire to contest for the position with such a young relative.
“Then what should be done?”
When Namgung Byeok asked for a solution, Namgung Hak’s expression grew troubled.
“Ideally, the Crown Prince would fail Changrong Pavilion’s entrance examination, but now that he has passed the first round, there is little we can do.”
The second round of Changrong Pavilion’s examination was a martial match.
Unlike the first round, there were few means to manipulate it.
There was a method of rigging the matchup bracket to pair a strong opponent with Namgung Geom.
But since the bracket was drawn by lot in full view of everyone, manipulation was practically impossible.
“Yet if we still had to act?”
“The only way would be to prevent the Crown Prince from taking the second round entirely.”
Namgung Byeok shook his head.
“Acting directly against the boy within the clan is too risky.”
Within the clan, there was no escaping the watchful eye of Namgung Pae.
Dropping Namgung Geom from Changrong Pavilion would have put him outside Namgung Pae’s favor.
“Then we have no choice but to rely on chance.”
“Chance?”
“We must hope that a strong opponent emerges as the Crown Prince’s matchup.”
Namgung Byeok furrowed his brow.
He disliked depending on the luck of the draw.
But for now, there was no other way.
* * *
The next day.
The sixty-four candidates who had passed the first examination of Changrong Pavilion gathered at Changrong Pavilion Training Ground to take the second examination.
On one side of the training ground, Namgung Baek, the Pavilion Master of Changrong Pavilion, and the masters of the Three Sword Brigades were seated as observers.
The successful candidates of Changrong Pavilion were essentially prospective members of the Three Sword Brigades.
The masters of the Three Sword Brigades had come to the training ground to directly assess the abilities of this new class.
Once all the candidates had arrived, Namgung Pil, the chief instructor of Changrong Pavilion, ascended the platform at the center of the training ground.
“First, allow me to congratulate you on passing the first examination. I hope you all achieve good results in today’s second examination as well.”
After his formal words of encouragement, Namgung Pil began explaining the second examination.
“The second examination is a martial match. Those who reach the Top Sixteen will have their entry into Changrong Pavilion confirmed immediately. However, failing to advance to the Top Sixteen does not mean your chance is lost.”
Those who failed to reach the Top Sixteen could gain a second chance through the Loser’s Bracket.
The Loser’s Bracket existed to give skilled candidates another opportunity—those who had been eliminated due to unfortunate matchups rather than lack of ability.
“So do not despair after a single loss. Give your best effort until the very end.”
Once Namgung Pil’s explanation concluded, the matchup draw began immediately.
The draw worked by having all sixty-four candidates pick a number ticket, with matchups determined according to those numbers.
The sixty-four candidates drew their tickets with nervous tension.
In martial matches, the luck of the draw was enormously important.
It was advantageous to face a relatively weaker opponent.
But if one possessed overwhelming skill, there was no need to worry about matchups.
Namgung Geom drew his ticket without particular tension.
The other candidates took their turns, and shortly after, the matchup brackets were complete.
Namgung Geom checked the brackets and smiled with meaning.
“Interesting, right from the first match.”
Namgung Chang.
His first opponent.
Namgung Byeongryong
Author |
Baek Weol Geom
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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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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