The Lightning I Harbor Is Too Strong - Chapter 40

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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 40
Baek Rihyeon was a senior who knew a great deal, and what’s more, she enjoyed talking. For Jeong Ishin, who had only just arrived at the Cheonmu Academy, there could be no finer guide.
Following in Baek Rihyeon’s footsteps as she bounded along, Jeong Ishin thought this was the moment to settle his curiosity.
“My Qi… it’s somewhat unusual, isn’t it?”
“Hmm? Ah, yes—Thunder Qi? Right, it’s incredibly pure. That’s how I noticed your Qi Sense in the first place. You startled me, frankly.”
With that, Baek Rihyeon spun around and began walking backward.
Curiosity flickered in her eyes as she faced him.
“Though I’d say ‘remarkable’ rather than ‘unusual.’ Thunder Qi isn’t particularly rare, after all.”
She had a knack for bounding along even while stepping backward.
Though her gait was rather scattered, it didn’t escape Jeong Ishin’s notice.
‘Not rare, then.’
The shape of what he’d been vaguely sensing began to take form, piece by piece.
Unfortunately, Baek Rihyeon’s explanation was cut short when a cluster of figures suddenly emerged from the pavilions lining one side of the Hwawon.
“It must have been the Unique Secret Martial Art that used to belong to… ah!”
“Used to belong to?”
“You work with Thunder Qi, so you’d be curious. You could look into it at the Manmugak later if you’d like. They have plenty of entertaining books there besides the martial arts texts.”
Baek Rihyeon answered the disappointed Jeong Ishin with a playful laugh and turned to greet the newcomers.
Among them, a middle-aged man in a clean green jacket hastened forward and clasped his fists.
“Welcome to the Entrance Ceremony! I’m Jang Yeongja, under the Entrance Exam Division.”
“I’m Jeong Ishin.”
“Ah! Please forgive us. Ordinarily, someone from our division stationed in the Hwawon should have guided you…”
“Four days is an unprecedented record, after all.”
Jang Yeongja answered the interjecting Baek Rihyeon with a genial smile.
“Yes, yes. Quite so. Thank you very much, Senior Baek Rihyeon. Thanks to you, we’ve been spared even greater embarrassment.”
“Nonsense. I just happened to be here.”
It was now the evening of the fourth day since the Entrance Ceremony began, Jang Yeongja said, when Jeong Ishin had set foot in the Hwawon.
Counting backward, it seemed to fit—though perhaps not quite.
‘Things must have been in quite an uproar.’
In any case, Baek Rihyeon’s excitement and Jang Yeongja’s discomposure seemed to stem from the record he’d set.
Jeong Ishin received the Wooden Tablet that Jang Yeongja offered.
A simple tablet with the character for “one” inscribed upon it.
“Once again, welcome. And congratulations. You, Jeong Ishin, have achieved the highest score in the Entrance Ceremony.”
“Thank you.”
“Junior, aren’t you being rather impassive about this? This is no ordinary matter! You’ve made history at the Cheonmu Academy!”
“Indeed. Heh… I’ve heard that the Director of the Entrance Exam Division from Naiseong was coming to visit, but they’ve been forcibly dissuaded from doing so.”
Before Jeong Ishin, the fastest newcomer had reached the Hwawon on the morning of the fourth day, and the second-fastest record was noon of the fourth day.
“And that noon-on-the-fourth-day record belongs to Beom Cheon, no less!”
“Mm…”
He felt little excitement. It was enough that he had held his older brother Mujin’s rank.
Behind the bounding Baek Rihyeon, Jeong Ishin stepped into a pavilion of extraordinary opulence.
“How many new disciples enter in a year that the temporary quarters are this grand?”
Jeong Ishin sat at an elegant table and marveled.
He’d only heard tales of the Cheonmu Academy. He hadn’t imagined its prosperity was of this caliber.
“The numbers of new disciples vary wildly. Some years there are fewer than fifty, other years more than two hundred, I’m told.”
Baek Rihyeon, who had seated herself beside him without warning, spoke, and Jeong Ishin furrowed his brow.
“Isn’t the variance far too great?”
“What would you have? We can’t cast martial artists out of a mold like pottery.”
“…Surprisingly sound reasoning from you.”
“What?”
Meanwhile, Jang Yeongja deftly poured tea.
As he listened to the tea fill the cup, Jeong Ishin gazed down at his palm.
The Wooden Tablet with the character “one” inscribed clearly upon it.
‘This will reestablish my brother’s authority once more.’
And this tablet, he’d learned, held utility beyond merely proving rank.
‘The right to nominate for the Evaluation Match.’
The Cheonmu Academy divided each cohort into three grades—upper, middle, and lower—and the Evaluation Match was the criterion used to determine them.
Since the Entrance Ceremony ranking did not reflect an absolute measure of a martial artist’s true strength, the system had been devised as a corrective.
Of course, there was only one face that came to mind when he thought of that nomination right.
‘Heh.’
As he suppressed his anticipation and traded various tales with them, even the sunset faded entirely into darkness.
“Feel free to use any room upstairs. Then, shall I see you tomorrow?”
“I wish you good health, Jeong Ishin.”
“Yes, may you have a peaceful night.”
And so Jeong Ishin found himself drifting to sleep in an elegant room the likes of which he had never seen before.
* * *
Mujin’s feet touched the ground of Hwawon on the evening of the next day.
By the records, it was the fourth evening.
Given that Beom Cheon had reached the fourth day at noon, it was truly a remarkable achievement.
“Hahahaha! Welcome, junior! Congratulations on your Fourth Rank!”
“…….”
But there was no point in responding when a youth was already sprawled across the colorful flower garden, laughing.
“……Namo Amitabha Buddha.”
“You’ve gone to considerable trouble to get here, junior.”
“…….”
“Eh? Surely you’re not one of those deplorable sorts who doesn’t speak at all!”
“……No such intention. I’m simply surprised.”
Mujin spoke calmly, his gaze fixed on the wooden tablet that Jeong Ishin held aloft.
First Rank.
Apart from those who appeared to be affiliated with Cheonmu Academy, there were two other martial artists present in Hwawon.
The faint bewilderment and curiosity etched on their faces suggested their thoughts were not so different from his own.
Mujin laughed heartily and bowed in respect.
“Truly, a remarkable achievement. I offer my respect. Ishin…… senior.”
“……Hm.”
For the first time, the two of them shared a genuine smile.
As Mujin spent time with him, familiar faces began to emerge one after another.
“Junior brother!”
“……You’re calling me a friend now? At any rate, it’s been a long time.”
Nam Taegang, still in robust health, took the lead.
“Eh? So you’ve entered Cheonmu Academy too? I was certain you were with Master Deokmeong…….”
“Yes, well, there were circumstances.”
Bang Sijeong, one of those rare minds in the ravaged Central Plains Martial World.
“What? You passed before me?”
“So it would seem, Miss Gongsun.”
“Mm…… have you seen Sister So Ran?”
“I haven’t.”
“I see. Thank you.”
Gongsun Young vanished, shaking the ornate flower-shaped hairpin in her hair.
“……Tsk.”
“Jeong Ishin! I knew you’d have passed before me! There’s a story that struck my mind like lightning during my third gate—a martial artist with a price even higher than So Geumgang……!”
Wi Seok, openly frowning, and Gu Jayun, who came rushing over without hesitation.
Of course, Jegal Jeok simply turned and left the moment their eyes met.
Still, for having ventured into the martial world not so long ago, there were surprisingly many familiar faces.
‘Only three have remained by my side.’
While Nam Taegang and Mujin exchanged a peculiar look, scrutinizing each other’s forms, Jeong Ishin began to actively make use of Bang Sijeong.
“Bang, I have one question I’m curious about!”
* * *
Several days passed in this manner.
“How much longer must we wait?”
One was free to do as they pleased, but leaving Hwawon was forbidden.
Watching martial artists arrive one by one was growing tedious.
Nam Taegang, who in days past would have rushed forward to challenge him to a duel, was now preoccupied with training alongside Mujin.
“You’re quite skillful, brother.”
“……This humble monk is not the younger brother of Lord Nam.”
Leaving behind a scene that felt oddly familiar, he lay down in the flower garden as shadows fell across his face.
“You look bored to death. Why don’t you train with Taegang as well, Jeong Ishin?”
Bang Sijeong sat down beside him with an unusual tone, clearing his throat before asking quietly.
“Won’t you really tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
“Oh come now! I mean Shaolin, Shaolin!”
“That’s all I’ve said.”
Jeong Ishin, who had been sprawling on the ground, rose fluidly to his feet without a trace of struggle.
Bang Sijeong pointed at Mujin in the distance, who was striking the earth in a display of disbelief.
“You haven’t even been at Songshan for half a year, and you’re saying you became So Geumgang’s senior disciple and took on a Lawless Fool as your master? Just like that? *Just like that*? Am I supposed to believe this?”
Jeong Ishin shook his head, twisting the grass between his fingers.
“Becoming Mujin’s senior disciple wasn’t luck—it was the result of his own effort. I told you that already.”
He spoke calmly and produced a Wooden Tablet, causing Bang Sijeong to squeeze his eyes shut.
“Right, there is that. But what exactly were you doing all this time?”
“I’m not entirely sure myself… did I do anything special?”
“Good heavens! This man!”
Of course, Jeong Ishin harbored genuine personal regard for Bang Sijeong as well.
An intellect uncommon in this age—a man whose words carried weight and whose thinking was clear.
But there was no way he could reveal what had happened at Shaolin.
And so, quite unintentionally, he had become a young man who answered only Bang Sijeong’s curiosity.
“This is truly disappointing! When our patriarch said he wouldn’t go easy on you, I was ready to stake my life to stop him!”
“Really? You would have?”
“…If it had been necessary! Of course I would have!”
It was around the moment that the intelligent man became passionate.
“I hear you took First Rank in this Entrance Ceremony.”
Someone new had interrupted Bang Sijeong mid-thought and stepped into the conversation.
The voice was so strained, so taut with tension, that it sounded anything but pleasant even to generous ears.
“Damn it. Of all people.”
Bang Sijeong muttered quietly beside him as Jeong Ishin turned to face the newcomer.
The man said nothing, merely studying Jeong Ishin from head to toe with his gaze.
It was certainly an awkward situation, but Jeong Ishin remained unmoved.
In truth, he had found himself in similar circumstances several times already.
“This is what passes for First Rank?”
Yet he had never encountered such blatant rudeness.
Bang Sijeong, who had been holding his silence, could no longer restrain himself.
“Listen here, Hwangbo Yeongkeol. If you don’t want to bring shame upon your family name, it would be wise to think before you speak.”
Jeong Ishin was startled.
This was the first time he had heard Bang Sijeong speak with such harshness. The man always maintained measured, refined speech.
But the response that followed was even more striking.
“And who are you? From the look of you, you’re some sort of beggar.”
“…What?”
“If you’ve wandered all this way to eavesdrop, then just be quiet and gather your rumors elsewhere.”
Not only Jeong Ishin, but the martial artists around them opened their mouths in shock.
Over the past several days, many martial artists had come seeking out Jeong Ishin after hearing he had taken First Rank in the Entrance Ceremony.
Most had shown only mild curiosity, a touch of skepticism, and subtle disdain.
But none had displayed such brazen contempt.
‘So this is that utterly shameless junior disciple everyone whispers about!’
Jeong Ishin marveled inwardly while Bang Sijeong blinked, apparently uncertain he had heard correctly.
Hwangbo Yeongkeol narrowed his eyes and pressed Jeong Ishin for an answer.
“What trick did you use?”
“Trick?”
“You surpassed the Sojin Sword Master and the bearer of the Qingyan Sword with just your level of skill? I simply cannot accept it. What underhanded method did you employ?”
“I—”
“Ah, beggar. Keep quiet. I wasn’t asking you.”
Hwangbo Yeongkeol stepped forward and extended his palm toward Bang Sijeong—the gesture of one addressing an inferior.
It was truly an absurd situation.
The Hwangbo Clan held one of the foremost positions among the Eight Great Clans in this age, and Bang Sijeong had mentioned only yesterday that there was one particularly notorious Reckless Wastrel among them.
‘Hwangbo Yeongkeol—one who disregards position and station, living only as he pleases. A true Lawless Fool, they said.’
Truly, he was a perfect embodiment of the reckless wastrel archetype.
Even if Mujin had stood as a shield for him these past few days, nothing would have changed.
Jeong Ishin understood well that with such men, words could accomplish nothing.
“You’re curious how I took First Rank, then?”
“That’s right.”
“I can tell you. It’s nothing difficult.”
“Jeong Ishin!”
As Jeong Ishin rose from his seat, Bang Sijeong, who had been momentarily distracted, called out to him.
Seeing the concern etched across his face, Jeong Ishin understood at once what he wanted to say.
‘I said there had to be a reason why the Hwangbo Clan kept shielding him, even when his reputation hit rock bottom.’
In the martial world, usually there’s only one reason for that.
‘Martial talent.’
The current patriarch of the Hwangbo Clan—a martial master so extraordinary the history books say his like would never come again—had acknowledged his talent.
In Shandong Province, where the Hwangbo Clan was based, he was already being called by the rather fitting alias of the Iron Nail Fist.
But through his brief time in the martial world, Jeong Ishin had come to feel something different.
‘Arrogance isn’t backed by talent. It’s backed by power—raw strength, right now.’
Talent and strength weren’t the same thing.
Jeong Ishin asked with a quiet smirk.
“When you’re planted in the dirt, will your curiosity finally be answered?”
“……What? Ha! You should have recognized this from when you were running around with a beggar. If you can do it…… try…… to…… keep…….”
As electricity coursed through his body in short, sharp waves, Hwangbo Yeongkeol’s words began to drag.
The distance between them had never been large to begin with.
Jeong Ishin took a single step forward and seized Hwangbo Yeongkeol’s face in his grip.
A face as massive as his enormous frame. The proportions were brutally honest.
But in contrast to that broad, oversized face, his eyes, nose, and mouth were bunched tightly together in the center with such petty placement that if you aimed your strike right, a single punch looked like it would be quite fatal.
‘……But I can’t smash a classmate’s face before the official entrance ceremony.’
Thinking it a merciful restraint, he simply drove Hwangbo Yeongkeol’s face straight into the ground.
Bang!!
“Cough!”
Fortunately, given the location, it only resulted in the dirt ground caving inward.
“If it had been stone, your skull would’ve been gouged the same way. Quite fortunate, isn’t it?”
The Thunder Qi I carry is far too fierce
Author |
Woosan Yu
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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Editorial Department
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books
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G720:N+A063-20260703070
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This book’s content may not be used in any form or by any means without the express written consent of Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books.

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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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