Surviving as the Terminally Ill Young Lady of the North Sea Ice Palace - 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
Tall frame, shoulders broad as a door.
Her very presence seemed to press down on the space around her, an overwhelming aura of dominance.
Her sun-darkened skin gleamed with vitality, and the muscles of her exposed forearms were carved with impressive definition.
This was a body that proclaimed martial prowess with every inch—the physical form of a true warrior.
‘The Southern Barbarian Beast Palace?’
Tiger fur cloak draped across her shoulders, two massive axes strapped to her back.
Nothing about her appearance suggested a Central Plains martial artist, and I found myself thinking of one of the sects that belonged to the Outer Martial World, like ourselves.
“Ho.”
She had noticed me rising from my seat.
Our eyes met.
Her gaze held the feral sharpness of a predator spotting prey, but I held my ground and stared back at her unflinching.
“…I can tell at a glance! You must be Seol Suyeo from the Northern Sea Ice Palace?”
Even her voice boomed with resonance.
Though her height and build exceeded that of most grown men—
The voice was unmistakably a woman’s.
But how does she know my name?
Is she here to challenge me to a duel?
“Indeed, though—”
I carefully drew up my energy to gauge her skill level.
The aura she carried was completely different from those clumsy fighters I’d encountered in the rural village.
“I’m a Palace Disciple of the Beast Palace. My name is Maeng Ryeongji.”
The giant woman strode toward me.
With each step, I felt an aura like a mountain in motion.
A crude grab wouldn’t work on her—if we did fight, I’d have to draw my blade.
“From the moment I heard your name, I’ve been looking forward to this day!”
Whoosh!
Maeng Ryeongji spread her massive arms wide.
Like a bear making a threat display.
I reflexively dropped into a stance, hand moving to my sword.
…
And in the next moment—
“Finally I see your face! How wonderful that you’ll be entering the Heavenly Martial Academy with me! Ha-ha-ha!”
Maeng Ryeongji pulled me into a crushing embrace.
The shock was so complete that it took me a moment to process what she’d said.
…I was glad I hadn’t drawn my blade and had managed to sheath it in time.
“Ahem, well. You certainly… startled me.”
“Ha-ha! When I heard that a fellow from the Outer Martial World had arrived in Luoyang, I couldn’t wait!”
Maeng Ryeongji laughed heartily, patting my back several times.
Her stern expression when silent had been misleading—I’d clearly misread the situation.
“Sit down for a moment. You’re frightening the other guests.”
I gestured toward the chair across from me.
Not only the innkeeper standing off to the side, but everyone in the inn was staring at us.
“Would you… mind if I joined you for a meal?”
She pulled a chair over and sat without waiting for a full answer, her eyes gleaming with an odd wetness.
With her massive build, the small chair looked ready to splinter beneath her.
“How did you know I was here?”
There was no malice in her manner, but I was curious how she’d found me so quickly.
Though not as striking as Maeng Ryeongji, my own appearance was quite distinctive.
It wasn’t strange that someone might recognize me as a Palace Disciple of the Northern Sea Ice Palace at a glance, but I’d only arrived in Luoyang today.
“I asked the Heavenly Martial Academy the moment I arrived whether you’d come yet! When they said you hadn’t, I had them tell me as soon as you showed up!”
Eh?
Had the instructor checking my Entrance Token told Soun about my destination?
Well, her identity is certainly legitimate, so there’s no real reason they couldn’t have shared that information…
“Wait—your name is Maeng Ryeongji? With the family name Maeng… are you the Beast Palace Master’s daughter?”
I was about to resume eating, but the memory surfaced suddenly.
My father had mentioned that the child of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace would be coming to the academy.
I’d assumed it would be a son, so I’d failed to make the connection with her.
“That’s right! But at the Beast Palace, everyone except the So-gungju is treated as an equal Palace Disciple, regardless of bloodline!”
And that was precisely who Maeng Ryeongji was.
‘So the Beast Palace Master’s child wasn’t candidate number one for a husband after all?’
I’d never heard mention of a daughter.
Thinking back, Father hadn’t actually said “son” either.
‘That’s right, he just said “child.” ……Am I an idiot!’
I downed a glass of cold water while turning over Father’s phrasing in my mind.
The talent certainly seemed remarkably exceptional.
But even if this girl mastered the Extreme Yang Ultimate Technique, the Yin-Yang Union would be impossible for her!
……Could it be Father didn’t know Maeng Ryeongji was female?
‘Ah, he mentioned the Namgung Clan and others alongside her. Is it possible to study the Extreme Yang Martial Art at the Academy even without being the Beast Palace Master’s child?’
Internally I was confused, but I couldn’t possibly clear up a misunderstanding my companion had never even considered.
I settled my shock and spoke calmly.
“I’ve heard about you from Father too. He said your martial skill is formidable?”
“Haha! I’ve beaten every Palace Disciple in my age group to the ground!”
Maeng Ryeongji spoke proudly, twirling an Entrance Token between her fingers.
“I heard the Northern Polar Sage himself guaranteed that you’d surpass even the Later Generation Elite of the Nine Sects and One Gang!”
“…….”
……Father said that?
Not only does he spout such nonsense in the Ice Palace, but he made such an outlandish claim right in front of the Beast Palace Master?
Could he genuinely believe I’d crush the finest martial artists in the Central Plains
and monopolize the Elixirs?
‘The sect leaders of the Nine Sects and One Gang surely weren’t present. He must have said it while drinking alone with the Beast Palace Master, or something like that.’
Separate from my confusion about why I’d been sent to the Academy,
heat flooded my face.
Admittedly, the Northern Sea Ice Palace isn’t so weak as to lose to most sects.
But even if someone graduates first from a provincial elite high school, there’d be scores of students in Gangnam studying even harder or doing better!
The Nine Sects and One Gang are the ten most prestigious forces in the Central Plains orthodox martial world.
The Nine Great Sects, excluding the Beggars’ Gang which is a martial sect of beggars, accept talented disciples from across the Central Plains and educate them in the finest environments.
The Five Great Clans perform the Foundation Tempering Ritual the moment a child is born, and are said to feed them Elixirs like water.
To claim I could surpass all of them seemed like too much.
“Let’s crush these pathetic Central Plains weaklings together! Hahahaha!”
Whether or not I resented Father for staying so far away in the Northern Sea, Maeng Ryeongji took his outlandish words completely at face value.
She spoke of fighting while straightening her shoulders and clenching her fists, Yang Energy pouring from her entire body.
Hmm…… at least her aura seemed formidable.
“My brother says those Central Plains types all think they’re the best, one and all! If you threw them into a jungle teeming with beasts where not even their bones could be recovered, yet they band together so tightly among themselves—we must do likewise and unite through bonds of loyalty!”
So basically, a hothouse flower.
As I was nodding along, I caught on one word.
“That brother you mention…… is that your older brother?”
“Hm? Oh yes. He’s the Assistant Palace Master of the Beast Palace.”
“He’s at the Academy?”
“No, he graduated last year.”
Maeng Ryeongji frowned slightly.
Whether her brother was handsome, how skilled he was—
I felt an impulse to ask,
but if I suddenly threw out such questions while keeping his Nine Yin Meridians secret,
there was a strong chance Maeng Ryeongji would see me as boy-crazy and keep her distance.
I filed away the information that Maeng Ryeongji had an older brother and
continued the conversation naturally.
“I see. Having an older sibling who’s attended the Academy means you’ve heard plenty about it.”
I was curious about the other cadets too.
Though I wasn’t as combative by nature as Maeng Ryeongji,
fundamentally, to extend my limited lifespan by obtaining the Elixirs distributed by the Heavenly Martial Academy, I’d have to compete and triumph over formidable competitors.
“In one-on-one duels, how strong would they be? Have you ever crossed swords with any of the Later Generation Elite from the Nine Sects and One Gang or the Five Great Clans?”
Maeng Ryeongji had dismissed them by mentioning their survival rate if thrown into a jungle,
but the Academy would probably involve fighting other martial artists far more than surviving in the wilderness.
“Hmm…….”
She frowned without answering.
If she’d won, she would have said so immediately.
“I’m coming to the Central Plains for the first time too.”
Like me, she seemed to have almost no experience fighting Central Plains martial artists.
……So then, we’re both hothouse flowers—Maeng Ryeongji and I, equally.
Ah, but I wonder if the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace didn’t dote on their daughters the way my father does.
“Want to go see?”
When I made a wistful face, Maeng Ryeongji seized my arm eagerly.
“Go see what?”
“I heard there’s a disciple from the Huashan Sect taking the entrance examination. We could catch them if we go now.”
What? Go watch a later generation elite from the Nine Sects and One Gang?
The Huashan Sect was one of the Nine Sects and One Gang that upheld the martial world of the Central Plains.
A later generation elite sent from there would be worthy of contending for the top positions even at the Heavenly Martial Academy.
I even recalled my father mentioning a Huashan disciple in passing.
“But wait—a Huashan disciple is taking the entrance examination? Why?”
If they were disciples of such a great sect, shouldn’t they, like me and Maeng Ryeongji, all receive recommendation tokens?
“I don’t know that much either.”
But Maeng Ryeongji didn’t know everything, after all.
In truth, she’d arrived in Luoyang only a few days before me.
“We’ll need to hurry. Today is the last day of the entrance examination.”
“Is it okay just to watch?”
“Of course. The academy opens to the public while the entrance examination is being held.”
Ah, was that the place I saw on my way out?
There was a Huashan disciple there too?
“I… suppose so?”
It was quite a tempting proposal.
“Wait a moment. Let me tell my guardian when he returns, then we can go.”
I made a tentative decision and waited for Baek Ungjae-ju, who had stepped out on an errand.
It wasn’t long before he returned to the inn carrying stirrups in his hand.
So I immediately conveyed the purpose of our outing—to catch a glimpse of the Huashan disciple and return.
“I beg your pardon, but that won’t do! If you suddenly provoke a disciple of the Nine Sects and One Gang to a fight, it could cause serious trouble!”
He said something entirely unexpected.
“No, I meant I’d just peek from a distance since they’re taking the entrance examination.”
“Ah… I thought…”
Did he really think I’d storm into the inn where the Huashan disciple was staying, like Maeng Ryeongji would?
And why would I start a fight in the first place?
“Ha, if that’s all it is, then there’s no problem. Please, go ahead.”
He glanced over Maeng Ryeongji once, as if asking whether I’d already made a friend.
“But you two, you must not cause trouble in Luoyang. If there’s someone you want to thrash, drag them out to within the academy or beyond the city walls to settle it.”
He left after saying only such strange things.
Really, I couldn’t fathom what he thought of me.
* * *
Shortly after, at the Heavenly Martial Academy.
The massive martial training ground was divided into ten dueling arenas.
Applicants were conducting simultaneous duels across them.
One spot in particular drew a conspicuous crowd.
“The Huashan disciple must be over there.”
We had no difficulty deciding where to head.
Though the crowd was dense and somewhat chaotic, people readily stepped aside in surprise at Maeng Ryeongji’s imposing frame.
Thanks to that, she and I reached the arena floor in no time.
Two young men stood on the dueling platform.
It was clear which one was the stronger.
“Is that one the Huashan disciple?”
I pointed to the beautiful youth with long hair.
Wow—what is that beauty?
Still youthful, but the very archetype of the long-haired handsome man I’d been anticipating seeing here.
I opened my eyes wide and tried to examine his face carefully.
But before I could.
Crack!
The dull impact of a wooden training sword drove into my ears.
Blood spurted from the end of my pointed finger.
“Ahhhhh!”
The youth wearing the hair net—the less handsome one—shrieked and collapsed.
Northern Sea Ice Palace Limited Lifespan Young Mistress, Surviving (Serialized)
Author | Sahyang Noru
Published by | Kim Ju-hyeong
Published by | J-Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing | Han Jae-hyeok
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© SaSangNoru 2026
※ This work is published by J-Plus Media Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder. The content may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from the publisher and author.
Violations of this restriction may result in criminal and civil legal liability.

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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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