The Mad Demon simply could not understand.
By any reasonable measure, the Transcendence Hall was the superior choice between the two. Training environment, support, resources—the Transcendence Hall outclassed the Thousand Days Hall in every respect.
Of course, if his skill wasn't enough to survive there, that would be a different story—but Ha Jin had blocked her attacks. He was clearly formidable. No matter how she turned it over, she couldn't think of a single reason for him to choose the Thousand Days Hall.
The Mad Demon was gripped by deep suspicion. What was his game?
In the end, she had no choice but to ask outright.
"Give me a reason. Why the Thousand Days Hall, of all places? If you can't provide a proper explanation, I'll snap your legs right here and drag you to the Transcendence Hall."
"......?"
Ha Jin's expression wavered slightly at the murderous threat.
But he had already finished his calculations.
'The Transcendence Hall has too much to lose.'
As Do Gyeong had told him, the Transcendence Hall was crawling with people who dreamed of becoming the next Sect Leader or Demon Lord. Walking in there of his own free will was a guaranteed way to be ground to dust.
The quintessential high-risk, high-return scenario—but high return wasn't what Ha Jin needed right now.
'Until my mana stabilizes, safety comes first. Survival is the priority.'
No matter that he'd once been called a genius Mage—given the nature of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, no one could guarantee his safety. He had to chart his own path to security.
Of course, Ha Jin concealed these thoughts perfectly and answered in a measured voice, as though he had reached this conclusion after long and careful deliberation.
"......I judged that it would be of greater benefit to me as I am now."
This answer only set the Mad Demon's insides ablaze further. She sighed and asked once more.
"Have you no interest in pursuing the seat of the heavens?"
The seat of the heavens—none other than the Heavenly Demon. The Sect Leader's throne.
In the Demonic Sect, where the strong were revered above all, it was the ultimate aspiration every cadet dreamed of.
But Ha Jin scoffed inwardly at the suggestion.
'Am I insane enough to spend my life stuck in the Demonic Sect's lair? Sect Leader, my ass......'
His goal was to leave the Demon Path Hall at the right time and open an inn on Black Wood Cliff's prime real estate. Naturally, he had every reason to refuse.
"That lies on a different path from my goals."
And naturally, this firm refusal plunged the Mad Demon into yet another spiral of bewilderment.
'What? He has that level of potential and skill, yet has no interest in the Sect Leader's seat? Is he planning to walk an entirely different road?'
Unthinkable for an ordinary martial artist. But she soon found herself nodding.
'Well, people like that do exist.'
She was suddenly reminded of herself. Wasn't she—the Mad Demon—someone who possessed formidable power yet had never cared much for authority or status?
A being who pursued nothing but pure martial arts and freedom. That was who she was.
There was no guarantee that no one else in the martial world shared her disposition.
'It's been a long time since someone truly interesting came along.'
The thought that Ha Jin might be a kindred spirit deepened her fascination. Yet an unresolved question remained.
'But why the Thousand Days Hall, specifically?'
Even if the Sect Leader's seat wasn't his goal, the Transcendence Hall was superior in terms of skill development, training, and support. So why the Thousand Days Hall?
The Mad Demon's mind could think of nothing else. To her way of thinking, those who went to the Thousand Days Hall were, generally speaking, deserters.
The Thousand Days Hall: a haven for the faint-hearted who feared the Transcendence Hall's cutthroat competition and chose to wash themselves out.
This was, of course, the Mad Demon's deeply subjective opinion—had anyone heard it, it would have sparked considerable controversy within the Divine Sect. But what did that matter?
Aside from the Sect Leader himself, no one under heaven could challenge the Mad Demon.
'Could he have a Young Sect Leader candidate he wants to support?'
That was the most rational guess. But if the reason were something so mundane, she would be sorely disappointed. How could a martial artist lower his head before the fight even began?
Unless, like herself, he had been properly broken by the current Sect Leader and changed his mind afterward.
The Mad Demon asked Ha Jin with a probing glare, just in case.
"Do you perhaps have someone you wish to elevate as Young Sect Leader?"
Ha Jin shook his head firmly.
"No. No one in particular."
At this unvarnished answer, the Mad Demon sank even deeper into her confusion.
No political ambition, no hunger for power, and yet he didn't look like a defeated coward who had run away, either.
Then why the Thousand Days Hall? Was something wrong with his head?
Then, suddenly, a name flickered through her mind. Ghost Hand.
'Right—come to think of it, Ghost Hand came from the Thousand Days Hall too.'
Ghost Hand. A Thousand Days Hall alumnus, yet an assassin whose fame surpassed all others. To this day, no assassin within the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect had surpassed Ghost Hand, and even upon leaving the Sect, he had destroyed his own qi center and severed his wrist as a pledge of loyalty to the current Sect Leader—his reputation endured still.
And aside from Ghost Hand's singular example, the Thousand Days Hall was an unremarkable place.
In that instant, a curious hypothesis formed in the Mad Demon's mind.
'Could Ghost Hand have arranged something in the Thousand Days Hall for his disciple's sake?'
But she shook her head almost immediately. No matter how she thought about it, that didn't make sense. That stubborn old man would never have shown such thoughtful consideration.
'But if that's not the reason, then why insist on the Thousand Days Hall......?'
In the end, after a long, drawn-out silence, the Mad Demon spoke first. Her voice had settled into something cold and flat.
"You truly intend to go to the Thousand Days Hall?"
"Yes."
At the definitive answer, she finally surrendered. The Mad Demon sensed that persuading this man any further was a lost cause. Whether it was stubbornness, conviction, or some hidden agenda—those eyes would not be bent.
A strange smile suddenly appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"Very well. Then I'll see you at the Thousand Days Hall."
With those parting words, she turned toward the door without a trace of reluctance.
'Fine—if that's how it is, yours truly has her own plans.'
Her violet eyes flashed with a cunning light.
***
Meanwhile, in the study of the Right Protector, situated in a wing of the Sect Leader's Hall.
Once again, a deep, cold sigh was drifting through the room.
"Whew......"
The source of the sigh was none other than the Right Protector, Seol Gwi. Before him stood Instructor Chae Un-ryang, head bowed, having come to report the first-stage trial results.
"Is this real."
"......"
HUMMM—!
The frigid, frost-like aura emanating from Seol Gwi's body made the instructor involuntarily shrink.
"R-Right Protector!"
Chae Un-ryang called out in alarm, and Seol Gwi blinked as though snapping back to himself. Realizing his emotions had leaked out, he spoke curtly.
"My apologies. Leave the documents there and step out."
"Y-yes!"
Once Chae Un-ryang had hastily set down the report and scurried out of the study, Seol Gwi pressed his throbbing temple and picked up the papers. He looked at the figures printed on them and sighed once more.
<First-Stage Trial Results>
- Examinees: 500
- Passed: 160
- Transcendence Hall Applicants: 40
- Thousand Days Hall Applicants: 120
A dismal pass rate—less than half the usual figure. The cause of every last problem was a single person.
"That crazy bitch, the Mad Demon......"
Seol Gwi muttered, scrubbing his face with both hands. Cutting the number of successful candidates in half—had she resolved to destroy the Sect entirely?
The embarrassing report he'd have to present to the Sect Leader loomed before him. With a sigh, the numbers danced dizzily in his head.
'How in the world do I clean this up?'
The first thing that came to mind was the more than three hundred cadets who had failed. He couldn't simply cast them out. Each one was, in effect, a potential asset for the Divine Sect.
'Should I have the dropouts retake the trial? A losers' bracket of sorts?'
Of course, this was unprecedented and not something he could decide on a whim. It required more deliberation. And right now, there was an even bigger problem.
'The Transcendence Hall has far too few cadets. A mere forty......'
Normally, the Transcendence Hall alone had over a hundred cadets. With these numbers, what kind of competition could they hold? What talents could they identify?
Seol Gwi set the report down on the desk with a deep sigh. This wouldn't do. Clinging to existing methods would obviously ruin the entire class. Extraordinary measures were needed.
He closed his eyes and sank into thought. A moment later, they snapped open. He had arrived at a conclusion.
'First, the trial format itself needs a complete overhaul.'
Normally, the Transcendence Hall and the Thousand Days Hall operated as strictly separate, independent entities. But this class had too many failures for that to work.
The best solution was singular.
'I need to impose a cooperative trial on both halls.'
Cooperation, not competition. Mixing two groups from different environments to generate new dynamics, and sifting out the gems in the process.
It might even uncover usable talent from the Thousand Days Hall, and perhaps it was the only way to salvage this wreck.
The challenge was how to bridge the skill gap between Transcendence Hall and Thousand Days Hall cadets.
'That part will need more thought.'
No immediate solution came to mind, but the cooperative trial seemed the most promising approach. Just as Seol Gwi was allowing himself a brief look of satisfaction—
A sudden commotion erupted outside the study. Raised voices and the intermittent sound of something breaking filtered in.
'What now?'
His puzzlement lasted barely a moment.
"You cannot just barge in like that!"
"KYAAAAH!"
A pitiful shriek, and then—BANG!—the study's heavy door was flung open with a crash.
Seol Gwi's gaze turned to the doorway. There stood the Mad Demon, having brushed past the Protector Squad guards as though they were nothing. Her bearing was so brazen it crossed into arrogance.
Seol Gwi didn't even rise from his seat. He asked in a frigid voice.
"What brings you here?"
"Well, the thing is......"
"Have you come to destroy the Sect Leader's Hall after the infirmary? Or are you here to throw yourself on the floor in front of the Sect Leader and throw another tantrum?"
"Would you let me finish a sentence?"
Despite the blatant scorn and contempt in Seol Gwi's words, the Mad Demon brushed them off with a smirk.
"Well, it's something along those lines."
She strode in as though entering her own bedroom, coming to a stop before Seol Gwi's desk.
"Right Protector, I've come because I have a favor to ask of you. Yours truly shall—"
"Denied."
Seol Gwi cut her off before she could finish, not even lifting his eyes from the documents.
"At least hear me out first!"
The Mad Demon's brow furrowed. But Seol Gwi remained impassive.
"No. Denied. I don't know what it is, but given that you've barged in without warning, it can't possibly be a reasonable request. You've already halved the first-stage trial's pass rate, and now what are you planning?"
Seol Gwi's voice grew steadily louder. The Mad Demon, surprisingly, answered without argument.
"That's exactly what I'm trying to fix."
At this, Seol Gwi raised his head and actually looked at the Mad Demon for the first time. His eyes were filled with undisguised distrust.
"You......?"
"I really don't appreciate that look."
"I'm just surprised you're capable of thinking at all. I assumed you lived entirely on impulse."
"Look, yours truly does think things through sometimes...... Anyway, what I'm trying to say is."
The Mad Demon paused for effect, then dropped a bombshell.
"Yours truly will go to the Thousand Days Hall as a guest martial arts instructor and teach the cadets personally."
Silence fell over Seol Gwi's study. He couldn't believe what he'd heard. Going to the Thousand Days Hall? The high-and-mighty Mad Demon?
The same Mad Demon who had always treated the Thousand Days Hall like a backwater—volunteering to serve as its instructor? The sun would sooner rise in the west. Unable to fathom her motive, Seol Gwi fixed her with suspicious eyes and asked.
"You're not going there to torment the cadets, are you?"
At this entirely reasonable suspicion, the Mad Demon's face turned red.
"AS IF!!!!"
Her roar shook the study to its foundations.