Chapter 260: The Appearance of the Divine Dragon (16)
The title Shinryong (New Dragon) referred to a dragon that had ended its long life as an imugi and ascended to the heavens. It was also a term of reverence, bestowed upon the brilliant victor of the Dormant Dragon Martial Contest.
The problem was—never in its long history had a woman taken the title.
And so, naturally, the debates began.
Traditionally, “dragon” symbolized a man, while “phoenix” referred to a woman. That’s why the Murim’s most promising successors were often referred to as Dragon-Phoenix pairs.
Therefore, shouldn’t the title given to the disciple of the Divine Maiden Sect be New Phoenix, not New Dragon?
Then someone at the same table would object.
Or, sometimes, a group of like-minded folks would nod and say, “Yeah, New Phoenix makes sense,” reaching a dramatic consensus—only for the table next to them to loudly interject.
“Come on, New Phoenix? That just sounds off. There’s never been a title like that in Murim history—it sounds lame.”
That would split the room again.
One side argued: “The female counterpart to New Dragon should be Young Phoenix. Bongchu, you know.”
The other side fired back: “What does gender matter in martial arts? Stick to tradition. New Dragon applies to all.”
And so it went. Not a single teahouse or tavern in Kaifeng was safe from the argument.