Having arrived in Muhan City with plenty of time to spare, I even secured a room at an inn. I thought I would simply focus on my training and keep myself in shape as usual until the preliminaries of the Dragon Phoenix Gathering began.
It was only a little later that I realized the Dragon Phoenix Gathering was not merely a sparring competition, but also a place for socializing.
"I can't do it anymore. This is too much, even by generous standards. Honestly, I don't understand it. How on earth do the Five Great Families manage to keep their name as the Five Great Families? With this, there's no way to focus on martial arts."
"Well. Rather than remaining a strong individual, maintaining a great family requires maintaining amicable relations with those around you. That's only natural."
Still, I never expected that guests would come knocking every single day, except for the first few days after arriving in Muhan City.
"Anyway, I refuse. I can't do it anymore. No matter how I am your betrothed, there's no need for me to attend every single gathering. From now on, I'll take a break one out of every three times."
"So even when you're exhausted, you'll still attend two out of three times…"
Tang So-wol tilted her head with an ambiguous expression, as if she couldn't tell whether she should feel hurt or pleased.
But the next words that flowed from her lips melted away all the lingering resentment I'd felt until now.
"Still, all the complicated business is over now. All that's left is greeting a few truly close friends, and that's something we can do slowly after the preliminaries are done."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. So how about we spend the whole day sparring today?"
"Fine. Then let's head down right away."
I grabbed my sword and was about to head to the open ground behind the inn when Tang So-wol giggled and rose to follow me.
"Young hero, you're really easy to read."
"Hmph. That's an unacceptable thing to say."
"It's a serious martial art poisoning."
"Whether I'm poisoned by martial arts or not will be decided by a sparring match."
"…"
Come to think of it, it's been a really long time since I sparred with Tang So-wol.
No, wait. Is this actually the first time since she reached the Peak Realm?
I had seen the Mallyu Gwiwon Divine Art a few times before my regression, but back then its level was too high for me to properly see much of it.
But now, I should be able to learn quite a lot from it.
"It was you, Tang So-wol, who insisted on training all day, so it's too late for regrets now."
"W-wait, you mean sparring, right?!"
I grabbed the startled Tang So-wol's hand and half-dragged her downstairs.
What followed was an absolute mess of a sparring session.
***
"A satisfying day."
"Young hero, it seems only you found it satisfying…"
After washing off the sweat from the sparring session, I returned to find Tang So-wol, who had washed up first, sprawled limply on the bed as she spoke.
Seol Ri-hyang, who was beside her, placed a hand on Tang So-wol's forehead—likely drawing up a light chill to cool her down.
Seomun Hwa-rin, who had been watching the sight from a short distance away with a look of curiosity and envy, let out a short cough.
"Ahem. Anyway, why did you gather us all here?"
"Hmm. It's nothing major. Since the preliminaries are about to begin, I wanted to discuss the schedule for the Dragon Phoenix Gathering."
As I said this while sitting at the edge of the bed, Seol Ri-hyang, who had been fully occupied with cooling Tang So-wol down, widened her eyes and waved her free arm.
"Hey! Why did you bully Sister Tang again?!"
"Bully? That's a stretch. I was merely taking the sparring seriously."
"That's the same thing! And you told me not to come near your bedding—so why are you sitting there so naturally?"
"Can't very well keep talking while standing. Now move aside for a moment. I'll take it from here."
"What? Cheon Hwi, surely you don't mean to—!"
Seol Ri-hyang, her face flushed from whatever misconception she'd cooked up on her own, was pushed aside as I squeezed in right next to Tang So-wol.
Then I lifted her head onto my lap to serve as a pillow, and placed Seol Ri-hyang's hand, which had lost its place, back onto Tang So-wol.
This way, Tang So-wol gets a comfortable pillow, Seol Ri-hyang can still cool her down, and I get the satisfaction of the faint cold energy radiating from Seol Ri-hyang and the weight pressing against my thigh.
It was a truly exquisite move that benefited everyone present.
Everyone except one person, that is.
Seomun Hwa-rin, watching with trembling eyes, timidly grabbed hold of Tang So-wol's sleeve—and I couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for her.
"Now then, regarding the preliminaries for the Dragon Phoenix Gathering…"
"Ah, before that—today's dose of the… tea. You should drink it first."
Perhaps because the Crane Spirit Grass was a rare poison, Tang So-wol deliberately spoke vaguely, calling it "tea" in front of Seomun Hwa-rin.
Having prepared it right after washing up, Tang So-wol dipped the tip of her pinky finger into the cup of pre-poured water and stirred.
With each rotation of her finger—one turn, two turns—the transparent water began to shift into a pale purple hue.
Once it reached the right concentration, she handed it over to Seol Ri-hyang.
Seol Ri-hyang let out a soft sigh, cupped the surface of the cup with her palm, and channeled her internal energy to blow a chill into its contents.
"Yap!"
With a small shout of effort, the tea turned so cold in an instant that a thin layer of ice formed on its surface.
Taking the frost-covered cup, she asked back in a somewhat gloomy voice.
"When will this end?"
"Who can say? You can now withstand half the concentration, so wouldn't a perfect immunity form within three to four years?"
"Seven years in total. That's a long time."
"It's not just any poison—you're building an immunity that works even against the Tang Clan's poisons. Drinking a few cups of tea for seven years is a cheap price to pay."
"Let me correct one thing. It's tea with a horrible taste."
"Still, didn't you say that drinking it cold makes the taste less noticeable? Just down it in one go."
"…Understood."
With the resolve of someone swallowing poison, I downed it in one gulp. Still unable to get used to the taste, I furrowed my brow deeply as I spoke.
"About the preliminaries of the Dragon Phoenix Gathering—did you know there are two kinds?"
"I, of course, know that."
"I only know there are two kinds, but I don't know the specifics."
"This one doesn't know at all. Isn't it just sparring between participants?"
Seomun Hwa-rin, who had been staring intently at the cup that had held the Poison Tea, blinked and said that.
True enough. Since she had come to participate in the Dragon Phoenix Gathering without much thought, it made sense she wouldn't know. In fact, that was exactly why I had brought it up.
I intended to subtly bring up the possibility that Seomun Hwa-rin could be discovered before long.
Fortunately, I had stories I'd heard from Seomun Hwa-rin in my previous life, and I'd also asked my older brother—Tang Cheong—who had participated in the Dragon Phoenix Gathering before.
"If there are those who don't know, I suppose I should go over it briefly. The preliminaries are conducted in two ways, and you may choose either one as you prefer."
One was to spar with a Martial Artist of the Murim Alliance, just as Seomun Hwa-rin had said.
Of course, winning wasn't strictly necessary. What mattered was showing enough skill to pass the preliminaries.
The level of one's realm or how much internal energy one had accumulated didn't matter. It was a test that evaluated only how well one could fight.
It was a method commonly used by Third-Rate sects that hadn't mastered any great martial arts, or by wanderers and martial artists from escort backgrounds.
"And the remaining one is to leave a mark on a chunk of black iron."
"On a chunk of black iron?"
"That's right. Unlike the previous sparring, this method emphasizes one's realm and internal energy."
If it's black iron rather than ordinary iron, Sword Qi should be enough to dig into it. Since the chunk is so thick, cutting it completely through would be impossible… but it should be enough to carve a deep, visible wound into it.
Even if one hadn't reached the Peak Realm, a first-rate martial artist would be able to skillfully handle the Eogi Chunggeom technique of infusing internal energy into the body and weapon to strengthen them.
Unless one possessed a truly exceptional blade, carving a mark into a chunk of black iron—far heavier and tougher than ordinary steel—was an extremely difficult task.
In other words, the depth of the wound left on the black iron depended on how well one wielded Eogi Chunggeom, and how much internal energy one could channel in a single burst.
Since it could be judged by the eye rather than Qi Sense, it was the method most suited to a preliminary round where one had to quickly assess the abilities of many people.
As a bonus, one could also avoid revealing one's full skill in front of others.
"So here's what I'm saying. The latter method is faster and simpler, so I plan to go with Tang So-wol and cut the black iron. But your cases are different, Seol Ri-hyang and Hwa-rin."
"Hmm. That's true."
"Ah, ahem, ahem. This one is the same!"
Seol Ri-hyang had somehow managed to raise her level to first-rate mid-stage, but she had spent too little time on energy accumulation, and she hadn't benefited from an environment rich in Yin-Cold True Energy or the aid of Spiritual Medicine, so she had no confidence in her internal energy reserves.
And Seomun Hwa-rin, who was simply an absolute master of the Harmony Realm pretending to be a first-rate mid-stage martial artist and feeling guilty about it, nodded in her own way.
"What will you do? The former method requires showing off some skill, and it takes a long time. But you'll build your reputation at a faster pace."
"The latter lets you hide your skill, but it's harder to pass, right? I'll just go with sparring against a Murim Alliance martial artist. Honestly, with internal energy that isn't even half of half a tenth-rate's, I don't think I can do anything to the black iron."
"Your martial art, Seol Ri-hyang, can unleash great power in a single burst… Ah, I see. So you're the one who wants to hide."
"Yeah. I have to hide the part I'm most confident in, right?"
"Hyang-i remembers well. Good job."
Tang So-wol, her head resting on my thigh, smiled brightly and reached her hand out toward Seol Ri-hyang.
At that, Seol Ri-hyang hesitated for a moment before leaning her head in, and Tang So-wol gently stroked it.
I watched the scene for a while, then turned my head toward Seomun Hwa-rin.
"Hwa-rin, what will you do? I don't know your exact martial level, but if you're at the peak of first-rate, you should be able to pass by a hair's breadth even against the black iron."
"This body…"
Seomun Hwa-rin was lost in thought, pondering how much of her skill she should reveal, and what she needed to do to make a name for herself as a suitable rising talent of the Orthodox Sects.
Before her regression, she had participated in the preliminary rounds through sparring matches and caused a bit of a stir, which was why the Murim Alliance Leader, having taken an interest, had caught onto her right away.
If I had my way, I would tell her to absolutely not stand out in the preliminaries… but from midway through, Seomun Hwa-rin kept avoiding me, so I hadn't grown close enough to her to press the matter that firmly.
So I decided to add one more word.
"I hear that this Dragon Phoenix Gathering has grown larger than expected, and that the Murim Alliance Leader will personally encourage the participants from the early stages of the main tournament. If you show good skill from the preliminaries onward, you'll draw that much more attention."
"…The Murim Alliance Leader himself, you say?"
"That's right. If you intend to join the Murim Alliance, or seek refuge with another family or sect, then competing in the preliminaries through sparring matches might work in your favor."
"…"
At this point, Seomun Hwa-rin must have roughly understood. That the method she had vaguely considered—winning one or two matches at a suitable level and then losing—was impossible.
Now Seomun Hwa-rin had to choose one of two paths.
Either give up on making a name at the Dragon Phoenix Gathering and steadily build her reputation as a rising talent.
Or, even at the risk of danger, make her presence known at the Dragon Phoenix Gathering and immediately begin her new life as a member of the Orthodox Sects.
I waited quietly as she pressed her lips tightly together and twisted her white hair around her fingers.
Before long, her small lips parted.
Seomun Hwa-rin spoke, her voice trembling with a mix of anxiety and excitement.
"This one shall challenge through a sparring match alongside Hyang-i."
"…Is that so."
Since things had come to this, I needed to prepare for the worst-case scenario.