Chapter 53 …
Even if I interfere, what if Seon-oh germinates the seed and appears today……
“…….”
Gong-woon’s eyes darkened.
When he achieved his second awakening and became a Supreme Being, Gong-woon had a frivolous thought.
He had wondered, absurdly, whether if the Phoenix Contest were held in this generation and I-ryeong participated and became the Phoenix, she would become my master.
Of course, the Phoenix Contest hadn’t been held for hundreds of years, and the probability of it happening now was low, so he had assumed that neither I-ryeong would become his master, nor would he serve her as master.
Yet, as if mocking that uncomfortable sense of relief, the Phoenix Contest was held after all.
So now, I-ryeong would become the master of the seven Supreme Beings, and even I, a Supreme Being, would belong to her. While he accepted this fact naturally, Gong-woon was secretly a little disappointed.
That his master would be none other than I-ryeong.
I-ryeong, of course, was an extraordinary woman, without a single flaw.
Yet, she was not at all interesting.
His master-to-be was a cousin he had known all her life, since her birth.
Even so, Gong-woon swallowed all of it and straightened his posture.
“……Alright, I’ll see soon enough.”
Whether this was a response to I-ryeong’s earlier words or just a muttered remark about something else, Gong-woon turned away without hesitation. I-ryeong, who had already resumed her training before he turned, opened her eyes only after his footsteps faded.
Her gaze lingered in empty air for a long while.
The Great Hall, which had been quiet and empty for some time, gradually filled with energy again.
It was finally the day to confirm the candidates who had passed the second trial.
All five candidates stood on the stage.
“Where’s the last one?”
“One, two, Seoi, Noei…… I don’t see Cheon Sojeo.”
“Could it be… that the seed didn’t germinate?”
The audience murmured as they realized Jasin had not appeared, even though the sand in the massive hourglass at the center of the stage was almost gone.
Chae-gyo, standing with her hands behind her back, let out a “Hmmm” and spoke.
“Maybe he’s too embarrassed to show up?”
Soyeon chuckled at the rude remark.
“You really don’t know how to read people.”
All eyes turned to Soyeon.
“Cheon Sojeo didn’t skip coming—he just couldn’t come.”
“What do you mean? That he’s dead?”
Chae-gyo’s eyes lit up with curiosity, and Soyeon suddenly glanced at Seon-oh. Unlike last time, Seon-oh was relaxed, as if ready to enter battle at any moment. She scanned him from head to toe.
Then she asked Seon-oh,
“Mr. Kang, do you happen to know Cheon Sojeo’s whereabouts?”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Seon-oh turned his gaze calmly toward Soyeon. All the other candidates watched him. Seon-oh stared at Soyeon for a moment.
His eyes seemed to be testing her, though there was no certainty in them.
Seon-oh calmly replied,
“How should I know?”
Soyeon raised an eyebrow.
“Since you both deal with the same lunar energy, your paths might overlap. I heard Cheon Sojeo went to Myomyoh. Did you go there by any chance?”
“I did.”
At the matter-of-fact answer, Soyeon and Chae-gyo, and even quietly observing I-ryeong, all glanced at Seon-oh.
“When did you go?”
“Are you interrogating me now?”
“Of course not. I just worry about Cheon Sojeo. Did you not see anything, perhaps a floating piece of his clothing on the lake?”
“I’ll let you know if I find anything later.”
Soyeon’s eyebrows rose at Seon-oh’s brief answer. Chae-gyo burst out laughing beside her, though no one else joined.
Seon-oh did not avoid Soyeon’s suspicious gaze. He too found her behavior suspicious.
‘So Soyeon knows Cheon Gajin’s true nature.’
And she seemed to be trying to involve him in whatever happened at Myomyoh. Of course, as Chae-gyo said, Soyeon enjoyed teasing and troubling others, so it could simply be her mischievous nature.
Soyeon was the first to look away.
Losing interest when Seon-oh didn’t get caught up in it, she turned her head sharply. At the same time, the sand in the hourglass ran out, and Cheong-eum appeared.
Seon-oh stared at Cheong-eum, and from afar, a man observing him raised an eyebrow sharply.
“…….”
It was Gong-woon, who had been glaring at Seon-oh for some time.
‘Why is he staring like that?’
Seon-oh soon turned his gaze from Cheong-eum, but Gong-woon’s confusion did not subside. He alternated his eyes between the two as if watching them, though Cheong-eum did not look at any of the candidates.
‘I thought he’d come to me the moment I returned to Myeonggyeong.’
Yet even after a few days back, Seon-oh had not sought him out. Of course, even if he had, Gong-woon would not reveal his decoding abilities until Seon-oh’s elimination was certain.
And today would likely be the day.
After Seon-oh is eliminated in the contest today, Gong-woon planned to personally meet him, decode his state, and show how merciful the next head of the Wi family would be, offering a quiet consolation to the eliminated Seon-oh.
Just as Gong-woon smiled in anticipation, a decree rose from the brazier.
“By germinating the seed, the candidates who have passed the second trial will be announced.”
Cheong-eum, who gave this concise announcement, began reading the honored list.
“Buga’s Soyeon. Yangga’s Chae-gyo. Gwakga’s Gilim. Kangga’s Seon-oh. Wiga’s I-ryeong.”
When Seon-oh’s name was called, Gong-woon’s brow furrowed.
“…….”
Seon-oh had indeed passed the second trial.
But how…?
In such a short time, he had found and eliminated the monster comparable to a salamander?
The audience, unaware of Gong-woon’s turmoil, held their breath and listened to Cheong-eum. Yet the announcements did not continue.
Instead, another decree rose from the brazier.
Cheong-eum picked it up, examined it, and spoke again.
“The eliminated candidates of the second trial.”
At the word “eliminated,” everyone’s eyes widened.
“Cheonga’s Gajin.”
Some couldn’t help but groan. Thus, the first eliminated candidate was revealed. The others, seemingly expecting this, did not show surprise but studied each other’s expressions sharply.
Though the first elimination occurred, no one showed joy or sorrow, their expressions eerily controlled.
At that moment, Chae-gyo raised her hand and asked,
“Does it say if he’s dead?”
Her absurd question drew shocked gasps from around. Isodo, seated in the audience as before, covered her mouth in astonishment.
“I’m telling you, she’s really crazy.”
Gong-woon waited for Cheong-eum’s answer instead of replying.
Cheong-eum calmly looked at Chae-gyo and said,
“That is not written.”
Chae-gyo sighed in disappointment, scratching under her chin, and Soyeon looked at her incredulously. Amid the uproar of murmuring spectators, the only ones maintaining composure were Seon-oh, I-ryeong, and Gilim.
At that moment, the stage beneath the candidates began to tremble.
Startled by the sudden noise, everyone held their breath and stared. The candidates watched as the floor beside them cracked open.
Through the large gap, a mound of earth rose, and the candidates recalled the last decree:
“Germinate the obtained seed. Then bring it here and plant it.”
So planting the seed was also part of the second trial.
“Everyone, plant your seeds.”
At Cheong-eum’s command, Seon-oh realized that this trial, too, mirrored the original.
