Absolute Dominion

Chapter- 37

Song-Hwa looked at her with a concerned expression.

“Sister, why are you doing this? You shouldn’t trust that guy.”

Based on the tone of her voice, Cha-Ryun could tell that her concern was genuine.

Hyuk Lee-Sang spoke calmly.

“I trust you, but I don’t trust him.”

Cha-Ryun smiled faintly. As she turned around, she spoke.

“That means you don’t trust me either.”

Hyuk Lee-Sang and Song-Hwa stared at Cha-Ryun with a puzzled expression. The others around them also watched Cha-Ryun’s actions closely.

Cha-Ryun approached Jeok Lee-Gun.

“Not much luck with your ‘friends’, huh?”

Cha-Ryun responded playfully to Jeok Lee-Gun’s remark.

“It’s because you look too plain.”

Jeok Lee-Gun nodded, as if in agreement.

It was a joke! Don’t take it so seriously!

The two of them opened the door and stepped outside. The martial artist guarding the entrance gave a stern warning.

“If you leave without permission, you will be disqualified!”

His voice carried throughout the room, making sure everyone present could hear.

Jeok Lee-Gun replied without bothering to look back.

“Do as you please.”

Cha-Ryun trailed closely behind him.

Everyone just watched them in a daze. Especially Hyuk Lee-Sang, who looked bewildered. Ignoring the murmurs behind them, the two left the annex and headed towards the main building.

Although they had boldly walked out, Cha-Ryun’s thoughts were racing as she followed in Jeok Lee-Gun’s footsteps.

‘If we’re wrong, we could be disqualified like this. That would be truly embarrassing. The Most Beautiful Woman in Wuhan, disqualified for leaving the First Gate of the Young Dragon and Phoenix Tournament without permission! Disqualified for such a thing? Ah, just thinking about it is horrifying.’

Jeok Lee-Gun didn’t seem to be troubled at all though—he was striding forward confidently.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Of course.”

“It could just be a coincidence.”

Yet, despite her words, the situation seemed too intricate to be a mere coincidence.

Jeok Lee-Gun suddenly stopped and turned to face Cha-Ryun with a serious look on his face.

Why is he looking at me like that? It’s making me nervous.

“Can I give you some advice?”

“What is it?”

“There are no coincidences in the martial world. Don’t forget that.”

For some reason, Jeok Lee-Gun’s words resonated deeply with Cha-Ryun, and she didn’t say anything more.

The martial world… it must be even more terrifying than I imagined.

Jeok Lee-Gun resumed walking without further explanation.

“Where exactly are we heading?”

In response to Cha-Ryun’s question, Jeok Lee-Gun pointed to the building ahead.

There was a sign hanging at the entrance that read “Young Dragon and Phoenix Hall.”

Huh? It’s really here, just like what was written on the bottom of the incense burner.

The two of them opened the door and stepped inside. It was a large hall capable of accommodating hundreds of people.

All eyes turned toward them the moment they stepped inside.

A considerable number of people had already gathered.

Among them were the heirs of prestigious families that were compiled in the final list of participants that Bong Su-Chan and the other judges had put together. This included Lim Ha-Gi of the Northern Sky Clan, Sama Young of the Sama Clan, Yang Su-Chang of the Southern Peak Alliance, Seol Byeok-Hwa of the Green Water Clan, and even Jang In-Gyeol.

Jang In-Gyeol hadn’t been on the original list, but he had known about the situation in advance because Jang In-Hwa had come with Lim Ha-Gi’s younger brother. Due to this, they had already known the answer to the riddle and had gathered here from the beginning. In other words, they had passed the First Gate without any effort.

“Did all of these people really figure out such a complex riddle?”

Cha-Ryun struggled to believe it.

“They wouldn’t be called prestigious orthodox sects for nothing, would they?”

Jeok Lee-Gun’s tone held no admiration, and Cha-Ryun, sharp as ever, caught the underlying sarcasm.

“It can’t be, right?”

Jeok Lee-Gun lifted his chin in Jang In-Gyeol’s direction.

“You can tell, just by the fact that this idiot managed to get here before us.”

This is ridiculous. Is such blatant cheating really happening?

“Why hasn’t this been exposed yet?”

“They probably think it’s only natural for them.”

“What?”

Cha-Ryun was a little shocked, but at the same time, she found herself truly impressed with Jeok Lee-Gun’s insight.

“Is there anyone else who could solve this on their own like we did?”

“Of course.”

“Why are you so sure?”

“Because it wasn’t that difficult of a problem to solve.”

Ah… then what does that say about me?

Just then, the door creaked open once again, and two figures stepped into the room.

One of them was immediately familiar to Cha-Ryun.

“Ah, that woman!”

She was the same woman who had been selling items when they visited the Dark Treasury. The man who entered with her was an older man with a stern and upright appearance.

Jeok Lee-Gun waved at the woman.

She responded with a slight bow, while the man remained silent, his gaze fixed intently on Jeok Lee-Gun.

“They managed to solve it as well.”

Cha-Ryun couldn’t hide her astonishment. The fact that the woman from the Dark Treasury had entered the tournament was surprising, but she was truly astonished that they had solved such a riddle themselves.

“The Dark Treasury is involved in dangerous work, but they’ve managed to survive in the martial world for many years. Do you know what that means?”

“They’re strong?”

“No. It means they’re smart.”

Jeok Lee-Gun’s lips curved into a mischievous smile.

“This is getting quite interesting.”

Soon, the martial artists of the Northern Sky Clan sealed the door behind them.

From another door in the front of the hall, over a hundred people entered.

Leading the group was Bong Su-Chan of the Northern Sky Clan, accompanied by the judges for the tournament and renowned martial artists who had been invited from across the martial world. Most of the martial artists present were the parents of the young talents who had gathered here.

A young martial artist struck a large iron bell in the corner.

Gong!

At that sound, the door they had entered through was closed.

Yun, who was in charge of the event, stepped forward and gave an announcement that resounded through the hall.

“I hereby declare that Namgung Hui-Yeon of the Namgung Clan and eighty-two others have successfully passed the First Gate!”

Seeing that they had named Namgung Hui-Yeon, a member of the Four Great Families, as the representative rather than someone from the Four Great Conquerors, showed how determined the Northern Sky Clan was to hold this tournament fairly.

“Woooaaahhh!”

The participants erupted into cheers.

Bong Su-Chan stepped forward.

“Congratulations on safely passing the First Gate!”

Thunderous applause followed his words.

All of the participants looked pleased. Now, the real Young Dragon and Phoenix Tournament had begun. The useless ones had already been weeded out.

At that moment, someone outside urgently knocked on the door of the hall.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

The commotion was so loud that it disrupted the ceremony. At Bong Su-Chan’s nod, the martial artists guarding the entrance opened the door.

Dozens of young participants who had failed the First Gate stormed inside.

“This test is invalid!”

The one leading the charge was Hyuk Lee-Sang. Song-Hwa stood beside him, with tears welling up in her eyes. It seemed that the participants around them had been incited by him to join.

Bong Su-Chan responded coldly.

“Did you say ‘invalid’?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And why is that?”

“Because we cannot accept the content of the test.”

“You cannot accept it?”

“When we entered the room, the host specifically told us not to touch anything. We simply followed those orders.”

“That’s right!”

“It’s invalid!”

The participants behind him echoed his sentiment in unison.

The members of the prestigious families who were watching this scene scoffed.

Bong Su-Chan felt a sense of relief inwardly.

He had been worried that the matter of the leaked answer had been exposed, but that wasn’t the case. After all, even though the young talents of the prestigious families might seem immature, they were thorough in keeping such secrets. If word got out, it would be tantamount to voluntarily stepping outside the protective walls of their family’s prestige.

“What’s your name?”

“I am Hyuk Lee-Sang of the Dragon Tiger Sect.”

Hyuk Lee-Sang responded confidently to Bong Su-Chan’s question.

Despite his outward confidence, inwardly, Hyuk Lee-Sang felt wronged. What he couldn’t bear wasn’t just the fact that he had failed such an absurd test—it was the shame of not realizing what Jeok Lee-Gun had discovered. He was agitated.

Bong Su-Chan’s voice grew cold.

“Do you think the martial world is some kind of joke?”

“W-what do you mean by that…?”

Bong Su-Chan cut him off abruptly.

“Stop whining. By stepping into this place, you have already failed twice.”

Bong Su-Chan didn’t give them a chance to argue.

“This is the martial world, where anything could happen to you at any time. If you don’t stay alert and keep your eyes wide open, you won’t survive. You let your guard down, thinking ‘it couldn’t be.’ We clearly posted at the entrance that the moment you entered, the test would begin. If you had failed to recognize a hidden assassin and died, would you have complained that it wasn’t fair? To whom? To the King of Hell?”

The defeated Young Dragons and Phoenixes lowered their heads in shame.

“Aren’t you ashamed to be standing before those who solved the riddle and arrived here?”

That statement was the decisive blow.

They had acted on impulse, driven by hope, but reality was as expected.

Bong Su-Chan shouted, his voice resonating with internal energy.

“All of you, get out at once!”

With a face full of resentment, Hyuk Lee-Sang glared at Jeok Lee-Gun and Cha-Ryun.

Cha-Ryun’s heart softened as she caught sight of Song-Hwa sobbing beside him.

As the two were practically dragged out, Cha-Ryun let out a sigh.

“Should we have forced them to come with us?”

Jeok Lee-Gun shook his head.

“As I said before, that guy is worse than Jang In-Gyeol—at least Jang In-Gyeol bears his teeth and attacks from the front. Hyuk Lee-Sang is the type to stab you in the back.”

With that, the commotion in the hall was settled.

Bong Su-Chan stepped forward again and announced loudly.

“Proceed to the Second Gate!”

Did we really pass the First Gate?

A tremendous amount of cheering greeted the Young Dragons and Phoenixes who had successfully passed the First Gate.

They were guided to a massive martial arts training ground, which had been set up with a large circular seating area for spectators around the center. It looked like a grand stage where a performance troupe might put on a show.

Those seats were already filled with people.

“Whooooaaaa!”

There were over a thousand people. The ones seated nearest to the stage were the families of the participants who had passed the First Gate. Each participant was granted a brief moment to reunite with their family members.

The participants scattered in all directions, seeking their family members.

Cha-Ryun’s heart raced as she scanned through the crowd.

“Here! Sister-in-law! Over here!”

Thanks to Seo Baek shouting at the top of his lungs, Cha-Ryun easily spotted where her family was seated. She ran over to them and waved at her family sitting up the stairs.

“Not bad.”

Despite her words, Hwa-Ryun was genuinely concerned.

“Just don’t get hurt.”

Those were her mother’s words.

“As long as you give it your best, we’ll be proud of you.”

Her father’s words lingered in her mind.

“Young Lady! You’re the best!”

Hyang Lee was jumping up and down, making a huge fuss.

How embarrassing, you little rascal! Why don’t you just focus on ogling the handsome young talents instead?

“Sister-in-law! If you win first place, you have to treat us!”

Oh sure—I’ll even dance for you if that actually happens.

Even Lim Mu-Yeol was there, waving his hand with a smile.

Thank you, Elder Lim.

As Cha-Ryun turned away, her eyes caught sight of Jeok Lee-Gun standing alone in the distance.

Suddenly, she felt a pang of guilt, realizing she hadn’t been considerate of Jeok Lee-Gun because she had been so eager to see her family.

“What are you doing over here?”

When Cha-Ryun asked, Jeok Lee-Gun didn’t respond.

Is he angry?

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking about you.”

Jeok Lee-Gun remained standing there, still silent.

“Hey, I said I’m sorry.”

Cha-Ryun shook Jeok Lee-Gun’s arm. Only then did he turn around and remove something that looked like a plug from his ear.

“Sorry, what did you say? It was too noisy.”

You weren’t even listening to me? Ugh, of course not.

The martial artists of the Northern Sky Clan, overseeing the event, began instructing all the Young Dragons and Phoenixes to assemble at the center of the arena.

One by one, they lined up and gathered.

A tremendous cheer erupted from the crowd as they did.

“Whooooaaaa!”

The excitement was truly overwhelming.

Cha-Ryun instinctively clenched her fists, and a surge of competitive spirit welled up inside her.

Rumble.

The martial artists of the Northern Sky Clan began to drag something inside. It was an incredibly long stone slab, at least twenty feet in length. Imprinted upon the slab were footwork techniques. The deep grooves in the stone were a testament to the immense internal energy of the one who had executed the footwork.

There were hundreds of footprints scattered across the stone slab, so densely packed that just looking at them made one’s eyes dizzy.

While the participants murmured among themselves, six judges appeared.

The person who stepped forward as their representative was Yeom Chung.

“I am Yeom Chung, one of the judges responsible for judging the Young Dragon and Phoenix Tournament.”

When Yeom Chung, known as the Iron Plate Master, introduced himself, everyone bowed respectfully. Even the guests in the spectator seats stood and paid their respects.

Following his introduction, the remaining judges introduced themselves one by one. Including Yeom Chung, there were six judges in total. The Falling Sun Saber had yet to join them.

Yeom Chung spoke curtly.

“The Second Gate of this year’s Young Dragon and Phoenix Tournament is a test of footwork.”