I Became a Gallery Newbie Beloved by Transcendents-Chapter 83: Arena of the Heavens (1)

Han Yuseong came to a sudden stop.

Lying on the ground were a total of eight martial artists.

Two of Fifth Rank and one of Fourth Rank were dead. One more of Fourth Rank, and the remaining four, had parts of their bodies broken and were unable to move properly.

Before disembarking from the ship, Han Yuseong had attended a survival course on Jianghu customs via the Transcendent Gallery.

Gutter Swordsman: Now then, in the Central Plains' Murim, when is it okay to kill someone? Let the lecture begin.

ㄴ Lecture personally brewed by the Sect Leader of Mount Hua himself, “Jianghu Killing Doctrine” ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ

ㄴ Is this guy really from the righteous sects???? No matter how I look at it, he's straight-up demonic faction????

Adding the comment that killing at random just makes life harder, the swordsmanship senior continued in the replies:

Gutter Swordsman: First of all, it's survival of the fittest. If you're overwhelmingly strong, no one will hold you accountable.

Gutter Swordsman: But sadly, that's a luxury reserved for those of Seventh Rank and above.

FamousGuy: Just kill only to the extent you can handle the consequences.

Gutter Swordsman: If the martial artist belongs to some faction, killing them usually causes blowback.

Danghayeon: If someone’s carrying out a job and they’re a former wanderer, and if that job’s murky to begin with, then usually no one bothers taking responsibility! Because the people who hired them usually have a ton of skeletons in their closet too!

ㄴ I guess the Sichuan Tang Clan also took care of the wanderers they hired for those shady jobs, huh?

ㄴ Danghayeon: You think this is Shaolin? The Tang Clan's specialty is cutting ties clean! They never leave a trace in operations like that!! The number one clan in the art of backroom scheming!! Artisan craftsmanship!!

ㄴ Is that supposed to be a flex or a cry for help...

Those comments were helpful as knowledge, but they didn’t serve as Han Yuseong’s personal standard.

He had simply chosen to kill them because it was more straightforward and offered a higher win rate than trying to subdue Fifth Ranks.

In the end, it had been the correct judgment. Killing two instantly had terrified the rest and sent them into shock.

"Got the direction?" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The stench of blood stung his nose. Yeon Seol-ah gave a firm nod.

Han Yuseong’s lips moved again.

“Then let’s hear the explanation as we go. Since you’re from a prestigious family, I assume your footwork’s decent.”

Han Yuseong, Yeon Seol-ah, and Hyung-ro—the three of them began sprinting at once.

From his inventory, Han Yuseong pulled out the talisman given by the Shrine Maiden senior—[Binding Scroll]—and activated the [Veil of Secrets].

He distorted the scenery to both sides of their group.

No other item was as ideal for retreating. He was reminded of that once more.

“B-but...!”

Yeon Seol-ah finally matched Han Yuseong’s stride. Moving closer to him, she opened her mouth.

“Why are you helping me?”

He had expected the question. And he had already prepared the answer.

“My late father once said he owed a great debt to the Yeon Clan. And when I overheard you whispering on the boat, it wasn’t hard to figure out you were from the Hubei Yeon Clan being chased.”

Of course, Han Yuseong’s father was alive and well back in Korea.

Danghayeon: Saying that his father received help from the Yeon Clan decades ago in that world’s timeline isn’t strange at all!

To make it easier for Yeon Seol-ah to believe him, Han Yuseong decided to go with the background info that Danghayeon senior had cooked up.

As per that advice, Yeon Seol-ah accepted the story fairly quickly.

“...Thank you. Even though it wasn’t something that happened to you personally, you’re still helping me.”

“Don’t thank me just yet. One wrong step and we’re dead.”

Han Yuseong spoke coldly and quickened his pace.

“You were headed to the Arena of the Heavens, right?”

The Arena of the Heavens was located here, in Suzhou. Right at the city’s center.

The three of them turned into a back alley.

Chchchchch!

Han Yuseong expanded his sensory field.

He could now grasp the positions of everyone nearby. There was no one with a threatening level of force chasing after them.

They had completely shaken off the pursuit. At least for now.

Wiping her sweat, Yeon Seol-ah finally responded to the earlier question.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“The Yeon Clan’s substitute for the arena died, didn’t they.”

Yeon Seol-ah lowered her head deeply.

“...Yes.”

A miserable situation indeed.

“So, what’s your plan now?”

At Han Yuseong’s question, Yeon Seol-ah exchanged glances with Hyung-ro. It was Hyung-ro who spoke.

“In the most reasonable scenario, the best way to ensure the young lady’s safety was for the Yeon Clan’s representative to become the top of the Arena of the Heavens...”

A reasonable plan. Han Yuseong recalled what the Heavenly Demon senior had said.

Something outside the realm of reason.

Heavenly Demon: If the daughter of the Yeon Clan, now being pursued by fellow righteous clans, could somehow enter the Demonic Cult of that world, that would be the surest way to guarantee her safety. But no way the daughter of the Hubei Yeon Clan would choose that path.

Hyung-ro spoke again.

“Benefactor’s strength appears to be around Sixth Rank. Equal to the Arena’s entry limit... If you would be willing to act as our proxy, we could provide massive rewards in return—”

Han Yuseong cut him off.

“I’m not Sixth Rank.”

“...Pardon?”

“I’m not Sixth. I’m Fifth.”

Hyung-ro blinked in surprise. Yeon Seol-ah also looked dazed once more.

“B-but just now you took down two Fifth Ranks and a Fourth Rank in one go, and the rest—?”

“That’s just because it was doable. Has nothing to do with my actual Rank.”

“That... That can’t be unrelated though...”

Yeon Seol-ah kept muttering, as if she couldn’t believe it.

Han Yuseong spoke again.

“If I act as the substitute, is there any disadvantage for me?”

Hyung-ro took the lead in answering.

“There’s no direct penalty. However, one of the absolute rules of the Arena of the Heavens is ‘no killing’... If someone kills a proxy, the penalty they receive is drastically reduced. But that doesn’t mean killing is taken lightly—doing so still carries a serious stigma.”

Han Yuseong gestured with his chin.

“And if I kill my opponent?”

“...You’ll probably be executed under pressure from the Murim Alliance. Unless you’re backed by a powerful clan, a wanderer would be toast.”

“Oh, I’m a wanderer.”

Han Yuseong wasn’t actually hesitating. This was all information he had already learned through Danghayeon.

Nothing to lose.

From an experience perspective, this was an excellent chance for repeated sparring.

He might even get a feel for breaking past Fifth Rank.

The other options are mostly just pipe dreams. This one has the highest odds.

Becoming the champion of the Arena of the Heavens—that was the most certain way to save Yeon Seol-ah’s life.

Which meant there was no other path but this one.

“I’ll do it. I’ll be the proxy.”

Both Yeon Seol-ah and Hyung-ro's eyes gleamed with mixed emotion.

“Thank you... But, may I ask again why you’re helping us?”

Han Yuseong decided to use Danghayeon’s script again.

“I spent a few years training in the mountains. Figured this was a good opportunity, since I’m lacking in real combat experience anyway.”

Danghayeon: A man who did nothing but train in the mountains...! A reclusive novice... Master!

This was the backstory Danghayeon senior had crafted for him.

“But I told you already. I’m Fifth Rank.”

The two of them nodded in unison.

“That’s perfectly fine...! You’re stronger than the proxy I had prepared anyway!”

Han Yuseong smirked faintly.

“Isn’t that its own problem? If that guy went in, he probably would've lost instantly.”

Yeon Seol-ah let out a quiet sigh.

“Right... That is its own problem...”

“You know the way to the arena?”

“Yes, from here on, as long as we formally declare our intention to participate, they won’t chase us so openly like before.”

Yeon Seol-ah, seemingly more at ease now, moved with a bit more composure.

“So, do we have a place to stay?”

The sky was beginning to darken. Even if they ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ declared their intent to join, it would have to be done after sunrise.

“There’s a small inn right in front of the Arena. The owner is an acquaintance of mine.”

“Really?”

So she had at least one person she could rely on.

Just like she said, the inn—Unmongru—didn’t seem to pose any threat.

“Don’t worry. I may be rough around the edges, but I wouldn’t harm my friend’s little sister.”

The man who introduced himself as Hyeok-un looked at Yeon Seol-ah and asked,

“Is Yushin still missing?”

Yeon Seol-ah replied weakly.

“Yes... still...”

“He’d better come back, that punk.”

With that, Hyeok-un left the room. After wolfing down a bowl of noodles and some dumplings, Han Yuseong casually asked Yeon Seol-ah,

“So, I think it’s time you explained why the Yeon Clan is in this mess.”

Yeon Seol-ah began answering his question.

“Last year, my older brother, Yeon Yushin, the clan’s eldest son, went missing. The problem is what happened before that... During a duel with Baekri Hyuk, the eldest son of the Baekri Clan, he killed him and then vanished.”

Killed the heir of another clan and disappeared?

“Did he actually intend to kill him?”

At Han Yuseong’s question, Yeon Seol-ah slowly shook her head.

“I... I can’t say for sure. There was only one witness to the duel... and that witness was from the Baekri Clan.”

“If this Yeon Yushin guy is still alive, asking him directly would be the surest way.”

Eyes wide, Yeon Seol-ah exclaimed,

“Exactly...! I want to ask! I really want to! But where the hell is he hiding?!”

She added quietly,

“Better to be alive than dead, sure, but still... haah.”

“So Baekri Hyuk’s definitely dead. And now the Baekri Clan is using that as an excuse to swallow up the Yeon Clan.”

“Right. And it’s not just any clan—one of the Five Great Clans, the Hebei Peng Clan, is backing them... Using the excuse that my brother killed Baekri Hyuk, their elite warriors assassinated our top fighters last night.”

Han Yuseong tilted his head.

“Isn’t the clan on the verge of collapsing then?”

Yeon Seol-ah’s stiff expression didn’t relax at all.

“For now, Father is protecting the clan with an iron grip... but things are bound to get worse. If not for the Sixth Rank restriction, Father would have entered the tournament himself. But he’s Seventh Rank.”

Han Yuseong’s questions about the situation were now cleared up.

There was one week left until the Arena of the Heavens. All they had to do was lay low for a week, then head for the arena.

***

There was more than enough to do over the next week.

Inventing an inner energy method and repeating martial arts training.

Solitude.

I sat cross-legged in a shabby building tucked at the far edge across from the Arena of the Heavens.

A personalized internal energy cultivation method. Also known as a personalized mana cultivation method. It was said that only after creating one’s own could one claim to have completed the foundation to reach Sixth Rank.

To become Sixth Rank, your own mana cultivation method was essential. That was written in the Dragonslayer Sword Manual that Sword of Light senior had given me when I had just entered the Tower.

In a way, this wasn’t a recent attempt—it was something I had been trying ever since I first reached Fifth Rank. Even so, the cultivation method still wasn’t complete.

It wasn’t that I felt like the mana flow wasn’t working. I just vaguely sensed that there were regions my mana had yet to reach.

Sword of Light: You’re perfectly normal.

Sword of Light: Reaching Sixth Rank is many times more grueling than ascending from First to Fifth Rank.

ㄴ Suwang: T-t-t-terrifying truth! That statement applies to Seventh Rank too! And to Eighth Rank! Even Ninth Rank, aaack!!

ㄴ Malenis: Beltui—eeeek!!

Gutter Swordsman: Han Yuseong, your vessel is vast. That might be why it’s taking longer.

So I’m late because my vessel is “big”?

Even if that’s true, so what.

Heavenly Demon: Vessel size aside, for someone of your level, you’re progressing extremely fast, Climber.

I knew I wasn’t slow.

Ban.

Ban Iner, who entered the Tower at Fourth Rank.

“Hm? How long did it take me to go from the 1st to the 13th floor? Three years and seven months?”

Even Ban, despite her natural talent, had taken that long.

“Fifth Rank was actually the clearest point for me, so I got through it quickly. Sixth Rank was the hard part. Not because it took long to clear stages, but because I spent most of the time in the waiting room.”

While I had the support of countless senior Transcendents and charged upward without hesitation, Ban had to assess her survival chances alone, every step of the way.

But I have to measure by my own standards. If I don’t want to rely on excuses.

There’s no room to whine about how painful or frustrating it is.

Gutter Swordsman: A cultivation method is ultimately tied to your inner image.

Sword of Light: Recall the way you fight. The flow you follow when engaging in battle.

For a full week, I studied my mana cultivation method.

I sat cross-legged. Mana began circulating through my body.

Sometimes gently.

Sometimes explosively.

I persistently manipulated the mana to open a hidden path.

Eventually, the flow of mana reached the two endpoints it hadn’t before. Pain welled up from the soles of my feet.

Like I’d climbed a tree I wasn’t ready for.

Crack—

My muscles trembled, my bones creaked. Like dozens of swords stabbing into my body from all directions—pain that crushed everything.

I externalized that internal image: the desire to draw those swords into the world.

Several days had passed beyond the third day of training—at some point, I had lost track of time. Only then did I finally manage to create my unique mana cultivation method.

Heavenly Demon: If you’ve truly created one, you’ll feel some part of your body has changed.

Just like the Heavenly Demon senior said.

The world had become more vivid.

Hoo...

I inhaled and exhaled. The surrounding air.

It felt like even the very breath of this world had grown more familiar to my body. I was sure now—this world would no longer reject my qi.

At last, I had fulfilled the prerequisite for stepping into the Sixth Rank.

Post title: Cultivation Method Complete

Posted by: ㅇㅇ*

Haven’t decided on the name yet.

ㄴ Suwang: Oh! You should name it—makes it easier to operate! A name is power!

ㄴ LOL is this cat being serious right now?

ㄴ Archmage: There’s no such thing, but sure, having a name can be helpful.

ㄴ Suwang: ???? Huh??? But my dad, mom, and grandpa all said it!!! You’re saying that’s a lieeee!!

ㄴ LOL, you got gaslit by generations of superstitious BS.

ㄴ Heavenly Demon: Welcome to the end of the Fifth Rank.

ㄴ Gutter Swordsman: But this is a world where the end has its own end.

ㄴ What a blessing. Just say “you’ve finally arrived,” damn it.

ㄴ Yeah, we Easy and Normal plebs can’t even come up with working cultivation methods... now rise above us, you god-tier rookie...

ㄴ Ice Queen: Frozen! I think if one huge storm explodes all at once, you’ll dive right into Sixth Rank! Fighting!

ㄴ Malenis: Beltuiiii—need a massive booomb.

ㄴ Danghayeon: Now! Arena of the Heavens! Time to enter!!!

ㄴ ㅇㅇ*: Tomorrow morning, ㅇㅇ.

ㄴ Danghayeon: Deployingggg!!!

ㄴ FamousGuy: Beware the politics. Guys who look like their heads are full of nothing but martial arts often have a nest of snakes inside them.

ㄴ Spear King: If someone starts saying weird shit, just split their mouth open.

ㄴ Danghayeon: If that happens, come back to the Gallery!!! I’ll show you how to counterattack!!

ㄴ Gutter Swordsman: Just let them sniff some plum blossom scent. That shuts them up.

The helpful advice from the Senior of the Beggars' Guild quickly got buried under all the nonsense.

***

The next morning.

The entrance to the Arena of the Heavens was in a commotion.

“...The harbinger of bloodshed who shattered peace dares to step foot into the Arena of the Heavens.”

Yeon Seol-ah could feel the gaze fixed on her.

It was the gaze of Baekri Hwi, second son of the Baekri Clan.

“Surely you’re not still claiming Yeon Yushin is innocent?”

Yeon Seol-ah ignored the icy glare.

Clang!

Under the wall that resembled a ridge of crimson stone steps, the Murim Alliance’s honor guard stood in strict formation.

“So the Hubei Yeon Clan’s scion is participating after all?”

“But haven’t you heard? The Yeon Clan’s original proxy died before the ship even left Yangzhou.”

And now, all eyes from the most powerful clans were on them.

They couldn’t directly harm Yeon Seol-ah. So the Fifth-Rank martial artist Baekri Hwi instead projected a blade-sharp killing intent at her.

It was so intense it took her breath away for a moment.

“So, the piece you prepared so diligently died before reaching the starting line, and yet you still dare come here—!”

Baekri Hwi’s mocking gaze suddenly veered left.

A chilling aura climbed up his spine.

The killing intent he had been pouring onto Yeon Seol-ah had been shredded—and an even greater one was now pressing down on him.

The source of that killing intent was Han Yuseong, standing behind Yeon Seol-ah.

A white-haired Murim Alliance captain spoke.

“If you don’t identify yourself and your affiliation, you’ll be detained. Withdraw your killing intent and state your name.”

Han Yuseong continued radiating that same aura toward the Alliance guards who had done nothing even after seeing Baekri Hwi’s intent directed at Yeon Seol-ah.

“Proxy for the Hubei Yeon Clan in the Arena of the Heavens—Han Yuseong.”

Han Yuseong gave Yeon Seol-ah a nod.

“Go on in.”

Only after Yeon Seol-ah stepped through the entrance did he withdraw all of his killing intent.

The eyes of the martial world now turned toward Han Yuseong.

Heavenly Demon: When you receive killing intent, return it. If they think you're weak, they’ll devour you.

Gutter Swordsman: In a tournament like that, if you create a situation the bigwigs find entertaining, they won’t interfere even if you act recklessly. Make it a spectacle they can’t look away from.

ㄴ FamousGuy: That’s... shockingly good advice.

Just like the Transcendent Gallery seniors had said at dawn, Han Yuseong heard hearty laughter from somewhere far off—likely from those so-called “bigwigs.”

And then, Han Yuseong stepped into the Arena of the Heavens.