"Kō Senior Brother?" Seeing the newcomer, Yanagi Shizuku called out in surprise.
At the same time, the disciples of the Blue Heart Hall, who had been about to disperse, instantly turned their eyes toward the imposing figure who had just descended from the sky.
"Kō Senior Brother?" one disciple murmured in confusion. Then, as if suddenly realizing something, his eyes widened. "Wait—could it be the famed **'Breaker Spear' Kō Anan of the Suikyō Hall?! Senior Brother Kō himself?!"
"Breaker Spear? What does that mean?" several nearby disciples asked curiously.
"You don't know? Three years ago, Senior Brother Kō traveled to the Huarin region for training. On the road, he stumbled upon a chaotic battle. To protect fleeing villagers, he charged alone into the enemy ranks wielding his tiger-headed golden spear, cut down their commander, and threw the army into disarray. His actions gave the villagers enough time to escape. From that day, he was given the title Breaker Spear."
"So incredible!?" the disciple listening had eyes full of admiration, staring at Kō Anan with reverence.
"Of course~ Senior Brother Kō is definitely one of the most outstanding disciples of the Guishin Sect in the past two years. I had only heard rumors before, but seeing him in person today—he truly is every bit as heroic as they say."
Hearing the whispers around him, Kō Anan smiled and cupped his fists respectfully to the disciples."Greetings, junior brothers of Blue Heart Hall. I am none other than Kō Anan of Suikyō Hall."
The Blue Heart disciples immediately bowed."We pay our respects to Senior Brother Kō!"
After returning their salute, Kō Anan turned toward Yanagi Shizuku."Junior Sister, in a few days, won't you be descending the mountain for your trial? Shouldn't you be preparing in your own hall? What brings you to Blue Heart Hall?"
Before Yanagi Shizuku could answer, Kataoka Akiyo spoke up:"We came to find that… eh? Where did he go?"
She looked around with confusion. Hokuto had been standing right there a moment ago. How could such a tall person vanish so suddenly?
Just as she was about to ask the other Blue Heart disciples if they had seen him, Yanagi Shizuku quickly pulled her behind and stepped forward herself. Bowing, she said politely:"Greetings, Senior Brother Kō. Akiyo and I came only to take care of some business. We were just about to return. May I ask what brings Senior Brother here?"
"Oh, me? I… I just happened to be passing by. I sensed Junior Sister's presence, so I thought I'd take a look."
"I see. Then, if Senior Brother has matters to attend to, please go on ahead. Akiyo and I were also preparing to return."
"Actually, I was planning to head back as well. Why not travel together?"
"Very well," Yanagi Shizuku nodded. She glanced once more at the place Hokuto had been standing, then finally turned and left.
Meanwhile, Hokuto had already slipped away and reached the gates of the Blue Heart Pavilion.
"Phew… As expected, that junior sister capable of triggering a mid-grade Earth-rank option is terrifying."
The moment Kō Anan landed and everyone's attention turned toward him, Hokuto had used a speed no one could notice to flee from that troublesome place.
The reason he ran so fast was simple—he had suffered badly in such situations before!
The Guishin Sect had a rule that every disciple had to follow: once every two months, they had to descend the mountain for a trial.
The purpose was twofold. First, so disciples wouldn't just hide in the sect all day, knowing nothing of the world beyond cultivation. Second, to raise the reputation of the sect in the surrounding lands—in simple terms, to strengthen the Guishin "brand."
For example, while some wandering heroes preferred to do good deeds anonymously, Guishin disciples were strictly forbidden from doing so.
If a Guishin disciple wiped out a bandit group, word of it had to spread so the local people would know it was the Guishin Sect who rid them of the threat.
When Hokuto had first learned of this rule, he couldn't help but think the sect was indeed clever. No wonder they recruited so many disciples every month.
Once a disciple received their trial assignment, they usually formed small groups with like-minded brothers and sisters. Most importantly, they needed to find an Iron Seal—a senior disciple to lead them.
In the sect, anyone who had stayed for a year had already completed at least six trials, meaning they were now considered a fully-fledged disciple. From that point onward, they carried a new obligation: every two months, they had to serve as an Iron Seal, escorting newer disciples on their trials.
Being an Iron Seal was essentially being both bodyguard and babysitter—a thankless task.
When Hokuto first descended for trial, his Iron Seal had been Roku Hakugai, who led him in driving away a beast that had been harassing a village. It had been an easy assignment.
After all, as long as one learned the Guishin Method, their strength far surpassed ordinary people. Fighting lions or tigers was no trouble at all.
That year passed quickly. But Hokuto's greatest misfortune began when he himself was assigned as an Iron Seal.
That time, he led a five-person team—three men and two women. Among them was a particularly lovely junior sister, gentle and kind in temperament. Naturally, the other three male disciples competed fiercely for her attention.
Yet, to their frustration, she kept showing interest only in Hokuto, who had given her a strong sense of safety.
The other three men grew increasingly jealous.
On the way back from their trial, the junior sister finally mustered her courage. In front of the entire group, she pulled out a handkerchief she had embroidered herself and confessed her feelings to Hokuto.
The three men nearly exploded on the spot.
And Hokuto knew it because three choices suddenly appeared before his eyes:
[Option 1: Accept her confession immediately. Reward: "Hundred Birds Face the Phoenix" (High-grade Earth-level).][Option 2: Say, "Junior Sister, my mind is on cultivation. I don't wish to involve myself in romance for now." Reward: "Four Symbols Palm" (Low-grade Earth-level).][Option 3: Say, "I'm sorry, but I can only see you as a younger sister." Reward: "Coiling Dragon Ring" (Mid-grade Yellow-level).]
When Hokuto saw these, his mind went blank. For the first time, none of the choices offered a stat point reward! Even the weakest choice offered at least a Yellow-level treasure.
"Men really are nothing but beasts driven by their lower halves!" he cursed in his heart.
Holding back tears, Hokuto chose Option 3. With a heavy heart, he rejected her, saying he only saw her as a sister.
But the junior sister wasn't discouraged at all. She firmly declared that one day, she would make sure he saw her differently.
At that moment, Hokuto finally understood why none of the options gave stat points. Because it was a death flag no matter what! No matter how he responded, those three male disciples would hate him to the core.
Sure enough, after he made his choice, the system assigned him a follow-up mission: remove the hostility of those three disciples—or eliminate them entirely.
"I swear, this system is screwing with me!!!" Hokuto roared in his heart.
(End of Chapter)