I Became the Genius Mage of the Martial Academy

‘How do I warn them?’

I fell into thought. I couldn’t just tell them out of the blue that the Blood Cult would attack right after the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly, kill them, and kidnap Yang Ha-eun to turn her into a Blood Fiend Demon. I would just be treated like a crazy person.

Then how should I warn them?

‘There’s no guarantee that it will proceed as it did in the original work, but it’s better to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.’

The problem was how to give a warning naturally.

‘First, I’ll narrow the distance.’

I recalled Yang Ha-eun’s last remark about participating in the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly and opened my mouth.

“I see. I’m also participating in the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly.”

“That’s quite a coincidence. It seems we can go together at this rate, don’t you think?”

Choi Mi-kyung suggested with a pleasant smile, as if surprised.

Although it seemed she had known from the beginning and had asked.

Still, just having an elder-level person traveling with me would eliminate worries like bandits. It wasn’t a bad thing.

The problem was that a swarm of the Blood Cult might rush in instead, but it was better than leaving her alone and having Yang Ha-eun return as a Blood Fiend Demon later.

“I’d be delighted.”

And so, when I looked at Yang Ha-eun, she, who had gone behind Choi Mi-kyung, nodded her head faintly.

“Then it’s decided.”

Choi Mi-kyung concluded.

After that, she, unlike an elder of a sect, asked me various things. It seemed it was on behalf of Yang Ha-eun, and the content was mainly about academy life and the lifestyle peculiar to peers.

I also continued the conversation, asking about the trends in the central plains, especially in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan.

According to Choi Mi-kyung’s testimony, it was noisy there too, with the Blood Cult and pirates starting to run rampant.

As the great floods of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, which occurred periodically, and the famine continued at the same time, the borderlands and the regions outside the passes, which had not secured enough water, farmland, and commerce, were already infested with bandits.

There were many mouths to feed, but the food resources had drastically decreased on a continental scale. A structural panic was bound to follow.

A turbulent era was dawning.

Until now, since the land was so vast, those in power or in the city centers had not felt it much.

But since the Blood Cult was secretly active behind the scenes, there was a high possibility that a huge wave would rush in later.

Because they were always those who plotted to go against the heavens.

‘It’s not easy.’

After finishing the conversation, as I was looking at the river with a complicated heart for a moment, Yang Ha-eun approached me hesitantly.

“What is it?”

“Ah, I… I was just wondering how old you are…”

An awkward tone. Seeing Choi Mi-kyung, who was standing behind her, pretending not to be there, it seemed she had sent her to improve her social skills.

When I simply told her my physical age, a reaction came back from Yang Ha-eun’s side as well.

“We’re, we’re the same age. Wow, that’s amazing… Then, um, um.”

Yang Ha-eun, who was half-crying. It seemed she was receiving her master’s instructions through telepathy, and it was pitiful.

“Speak comfortably. I will too.”

“Uh, uh…”

At the sudden informal speech, Yang Ha-eun flinched in surprise and then nodded her head.

And for a while, a silence fell. Yang Ha-eun kept fiddling with her bangs, covering her vision.

Unable to watch her, I asked first.

“Are your eyes originally like that?”

A question that was close to a straight ball. Normally, I would have had to approach it much more carefully, but…

‘At this rate, it will just be an awkward question-and-answer session for a hundred days. Of course, Yang Ha-eun will get tired and fall off before that.’

I looked at Yang Ha-eun. The reason she had her bangs down so thickly was probably because she was conscious of her one eye.

If I were to have a conversation while burying what the other person was conscious of, the wall would only get thicker.

If it wasn’t a flexible way of speaking, it was difficult to make what the other person was conscious of seem like nothing and become friendly.

It meant that even if you pretended not to notice it to a female friend who was conscious of her obviously ruined bangs, she wouldn’t stop fiddling with the ends of her hair throughout the conversation.

It’s better to just blame the hairdresser’s incompetence together. And at the same time, reassure her by saying that it’s okay.

When I asked with that intention, Yang Ha-eun opened her mouth.

She said that her upper dantian had been slightly open since she was young. As a backlash, one of her eyes had been discolored so that she couldn’t see well.

‘A genius’s characteristic, an open upper dantian.’

As I was having such silly thoughts, her conversation continued. Although her one eye was blurry, she could see through things like energy, ghosts, and monsters instead.

‘Is it something like a spiritual eye ?’

Listening to Yang Ha-eun’s words, I felt like I knew why the Blood Cult side had coveted her.

Because she was a newcomer who had opened her upper dantian from birth and even had a spiritual eye, and she had the martial talent to reach the peak level around the age of twenty.

‘This child must not fall into the hands of the Blood Cult.’

Although she had to be protected as an individual, strategically, I could not hand over a genius who would reach the Transformation Realm in the future to the enemy.

‘I’ll have to see the situation at the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly first.’

The only information I had was that there would be an attack after the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly. Since I couldn’t be completely sure even of that, I needed to be aware of any suspicious signs while accompanying them.

‘And it’s the best I can do at the moment.’

I continued the conversation with her to build a friendship while we were going.

Although Yang Ha-eun had a hard time at first, once she started talking, it seemed she was the type to quietly talk about herself one by one.

Of course, since most of the content was about training, there was nothing particularly special.

I guess you have to be serious about training to reach this level at that age.

And so, as I was talking, there was one impression I got from Yang Ha-eun.

‘It’s not easy.’

I heard that she had reached the peak level around the beginning of this year. In terms of growth rate and talent alone, you could say that she was above Peng Geun-u or Baek Cheong.

Still, since it was a competition for those under the age of twenty, I had been a little relieved, but to think I would encounter a future super-master. As expected, the central plains was wide, and there were many masters.

‘I had thought there would be at most one or two peak-level masters.’

As in the case of Baek Hasin, although it was extremely rare for people to break through the wall before they reached the age of twenty, they did exist.

I just didn’t expect to encounter them right away.

I decided to review my future plans again.

At the sight of Yang Ha-eun talking enthusiastically, Choi Mi-kyung in the distance made a very moved expression, but I tried my best to ignore it.

And so, after a full day, we were able to arrive at the area of Anhui Province, which was the territory of the Namgung family. After riding a carriage again from the land for about half a day and heading north, Luzhou, the venue of this Dragon and Phoenix Assembly, finally appeared.

Thanks to having left at night and arriving around noon, we were able to get a glimpse of the scenery of Luzhou, which was full of people from the entrance.

The Dragon and Phoenix Assembly was a big festival. As famous people flocked from all over the country, the city was bound to be lively.

We broke through the crowd and received a proper examination at the application office.

First, we were tested once by a master from the Namgung family, who was in charge of the hosting, to see if we were at a level to participate, and after that, after having our participation conditions, such as our family register and energy veins, confirmed, we received a number tag. Mine was number 188.

Seeing as the number was high, it seemed I would have to go through quite a few preliminary rounds.

When I came out, Yang Ha-eun was also holding a plaque, as if she had passed. Hers was number 183.

Since the matches were decided randomly, I would probably only be able to see Yang Ha-eun after the main tournament.

When we went out to the street, Choi Mi-kyung headed to the inn and threw a greeting.

“Then let’s see you later.”

“Just a moment.”

At those words, Choi Mi-kyung, who was turning her head. I brought out my business.

“Since this is also a connection, how about we go around together?”

Since I didn’t know where we would be able to meet in the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly, which was overflowing with people, this was the most certain.

Choi Mi-kyung, who had slightly raised her eyebrows, looked at this side and Yang Ha-eun for a moment and then asked her disciple.

“What do you think?”

“I… think it’s okay.”

Yang Ha-eun, who answered shyly, and Choi Mi-kyung, who made a sly smile at that.

“So she says?”

Although it seemed she had misunderstood something, since it seemed permission had been granted, it seemed it would be okay. I nodded my head.

After that, the two of them went around various places in Anhui Province. Thanks to that, I also tagged along and ate things like lamb skewers.

Since I needed a stable period anyway, it wasn’t bad to spend it leisurely like this. Until the mana of the circle and the true qi were naturally restored, and the true blood had completely melted into my body.

And so, after spending a day like that, it was evening before I knew it.

Around the time when a chilly wind was blowing, we headed to the inn. Of course, we got separate rooms.

After eating, I came out of the inn. There had been a tail attached to us during the day.

A step towards a secluded alley. Although it might feel like a simple night walk, this was, after all, a lure.

When I raised my sense of qi to the maximum, I felt something faint in the distance that I couldn’t be sure if it was there or not. The moment I detected it.

Kwaang!

I heard the sound of something being slammed into the ground from the roof.

When I turned my gaze, what was revealed was a man whose head was slammed into the ground with his neck grabbed, and the figure of Choi Mi-kyung, who was squatting and watching it.

“So this is the fly you were talking about during the day.”

When Choi Mi-kyung grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and lifted him up, the man, who was already half-unconscious, was muttering something.

It was roughly about asking to be spared. I had thought he didn’t have any guts for a member of the Blood Cult, but after an interrogation combined with torture, it seemed a heretical organization had been commissioned and had moved.

‘A dud?’

Unfortunately, the strange man was not from the Blood Cult. They were very careful guys. Although he was a subordinate, I couldn’t just let it go, so I raided his organization at night and caught the leader, but the only answer that came back was that he didn’t know about the client.

When I looked at the ledger, they were all bad guys, so I sealed their dantians and handed them all over to the government.

And so, after wiping out one organization, the dawn was already breaking.

“We’ve done a great job of cleaning up the trash.”

“I see.”

Although there was no particular harvest, since I had found out that someone was targeting me, I would have to raise my vigilance a little more.

I took a late sleep at the inn with Yang Ha-eun, who was yawning next to me.

And so, the next day came, and I, who had fully recovered from my fatigue, said to Choi Mi-kyung, accompanied by Yang Ha-eun.

“Then I’ll be going.”

Today was the day the preliminary rounds began.

The preliminary round venue was bustling with participants of the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly. Although they had been filtered out a couple of times before the preliminary rounds, the number was over 200, so it was a considerable scale.

Among them, only 16 could advance to the main tournament. It meant that you had to fight almost four times just to decide the main tournament personnel.

Although the preliminary rounds were held over two days, since you had to fight at least twice a day, you also needed to manage your stamina.

Of course, it didn’t apply to me, who had already reached the extreme of the first-rate. Because the enemies were at most around the beginning of the first-rate.

No matter how strong the prodigies who had not yet passed the age of twenty were, there was a limit. They lacked the absolute time to ripen.

Or their talent was lacking.

Clang-!

I sent the sword of my second preliminary round opponent flying into the air and then came down from the training ground.

Along with the record of the organizing committee, as I was receiving the first-round pass plaque, a noisy voice was heard from the side.

Clang-!

The sound of a sword breaking in two was heard. And then I saw the opponent collapsing.

Judging by the reaction, it seemed he had cut the enemy at a tremendous speed. Although it was a blow with the back of the sword, the fact that he had subdued the opponent in one exchange was proof of his overwhelming skill.

I looked at him. Eyes that I had seen somewhere. And the blue embroidery engraved on the high-quality black clothes. A pattern of the sky and lightning. It was a mark I knew well.

‘The Namgung family.’

And if it was a person who would participate around the age of twenty, there was only one.

The second son of the Namgung family, Namgung Minsu.

As he came down from the arena, the crowd parted. Since the Namgung family was the ruler of this Anhui Province and the co-host of the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly. And most of all, there was no one who would block the path of Namgung Minsu, a strong candidate for the championship.

“I was wondering why there was a fan seller here. It was you, wasn’t it?”

He came up to me, twisting the corner of his mouth. As far as I could remember, he disliked Zhuge Cheonwu.

“You didn’t come to participate, did you? Since your skills are so shabby, you wouldn’t even dare. Well, I’d like it if we ran into each other. I’ll crush you completely.”

And that too, very much.

(End of Chapter)