Chapter 179
Chapter 179
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 179
Chapter Title: Rigorous Training Begins
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Cheonhwi, who had arrived at Samong Plain, looked down at the Mount Hua Sect disciples gathered before him.
Eighteen first-class disciples.
Forty-two second-class disciples.
These were the individuals currently regarded as the sect's strongest forces.
'Look at these guys.'
Cheonhwi scanned them with eyes full of disbelief at their excited expressions.
"You all seem pretty happy, huh?"
A few of them flinched.
Cheonhwi tilted his head crookedly at their reactions and smacked his lips.
"The joint operation was a failure, and just a few days ago you put on a show like a bunch of ragtag amateurs, yet here you are grinning away."
"......"
"If it were me, I'd be so ashamed I'd hang my head or not even dare to make eye contact. Hmm. Did you all leave your sense of shame somewhere?"
His words were as crooked as his tilted head.
No—even more so.
They pierced the hearts of the disciples assembled on Samong Plain.
Especially the Plum Blossom Sword Guards who had failed in the joint operation—they hung their heads low.
Cheonhwi narrowed his eyes.
He understood why they were happy.
They had become part of the first martial force unit in Mount Hua Sect's history.
But that was that.
This was not the time to get excited.
'They need to face reality.'
Why had the martial force been created?
Because Mount Hua Sect was in crisis, and they needed to build up their strength as quickly as possible.
Yet here they were, getting all worked up.
'We should be cracking the whip, not coddling them.'
That was why he had spoken so harshly on purpose, and fortunately, it seemed to have worked.
But.
"Junior Brother. Isn't that a bit too much?"
Cheonhyang stepped forward and spoke up.
Was it a sense of responsibility as the great senior sister?
Or pride as a member of the Plum Blossom Sword Guards?
Representing the deflated Sword Guards, she pursed her lips with a pout, clearly unhappy with what Cheonhwi had just said.
"Did we want to fail?"
Cheonhyang's words were a roundabout way of saying they had done their best.
But Cheonhwi had no intention of accepting that excuse.
"So you're saying failure is to be expected?"
"No, that's not what I mean..."
Unable to dodge vaguely or grab at straws, Cheonhyang scratched her head awkwardly and opened her mouth.
"We want you to acknowledge that we tried our best despite the unfavorable situation."
"Effooort?"
Cheonhwi dragged out the word in disbelief at Cheonhyang's follow-up.
"Perfect timing. I was just about to bring that up."
Cheonhwi's eyes gleamed mischievously.
"So effort makes failure okay?"
"Th-that's..."
Cheonhyang stammered.
"And if you're going to put in effort, why aren't you doing it now? Did you come back and train until you passed out? Or are you planning to go into secluded training?"
"......"
"Jeez. Not even that—you weren't rampaging for revenge or anything. You just sat there getting treated. Ah! Getting treated must be your effort. Oh dear, how did I miss that? Right?"
Cheonhyang squeezed her eyes shut at Cheonhwi's relentless, biting criticism that never let up for a second.
"Doesn't it piss you off, Senior Sister?"
Cheonhwi's eyes darkened.
"You went up against some unorthodox scum, came back half-crippled with some barely breathing, and you're not even angry."
"No, I am pissed..."
Cheonhyang's voice trailed off weakly.
The ever-confident woman was completely overwhelmed by Cheonhwi.
And she wasn't the only one.
The Plum Blossom Sword Guards who met Cheonhwi's gaze shrank back and averted their eyes.
"You say you're pissed, but you sure seemed laid-back. If it were me, I'd be furious at my own skills and dive straight into secluded training. But here you are, all excited without even practicing. Tsk!"
At Cheonhwi's harsh words, the Sword Guards hung their heads like criminals.
"From today, I'll make you show me that 'effort' our Senior Sister mentioned properly."
Cheonhwi glared at them.
"Oh, right! One thing to note first. During training, there's no such thing as first-class or second-class disciples."
The disciples stirred at the shocking declaration. The first-class disciples looked flustered, while disappointment flashed across the second-class ones' faces.
But Cheonhwi continued regardless of their reactions.
"If you want to learn from me, you'll have to set aside your pride and everything else. But if you don't like that..."
Cheonhwi pointed toward the outside with his index finger.
"Get out of here."
Everyone held their breath.
The second-class disciples showed no signs of wavering, but some first-class ones hesitated.
Bowing their heads to a junior brother was deeply humiliating.
But the hesitation didn't last long.
'This is a chance to get stronger.'
'Will pride protect my life?'
Memories of failing the joint operation flashed and faded in their minds.
Being weak and suffering was more humiliating than bowing to a junior.
Cheonhwi smiled contentedly at the disciples' resolute gazes.
Yes, if you have pride, this is how you act.
"Then since you've all chosen to stay willingly, no complaining about the training ahead."
Anxiety flickered across the disciples' faces.
But what was done was done.
As everyone swallowed hard.
"For now, to get organized, the three new unit leaders, step forward."
Cheonhwi said flatly.
"Yes!"
"You called?"
"Here."
The three sprang forward briskly.
Cheonhwi pointed at each one in turn with an annoyed expression.
"Shadow Sword Unit, No Flower Unit, Flame Spirit Unit. Take charge of those respectively."
He pointed at Jeokgeom, Seollan, and Cheonhyang in order, then twisted his lips.
"Alright, now go pick your own unit members."
"Pardon?"
"M-members?"
"You want us to pick them ourselves?"
"Should I pick the ones whose backs you'll trust? You have to do it yourselves."
The three were momentarily swayed by Cheonhwi's logic.
'Certainly, picking them myself...'
'For someone to entrust my back to...'
'Hmm, unit members.'
As the three began to ponder.
"Better hurry, though. Get there late, and someone might snag your picks."
Cheonhwi urged them on.
The moment his words ended, the three dashed off to their chosen targets and made their pitches.
"Join the Shadow Sword Unit?"
"Won't you trust me and join the No Flower Unit?"
"Trust me and come along."
About an hour later.
"All gathered."
"Done."
"Got 'em."
The three lined up before Cheonhwi with their personally selected members.
Cheonhwi looked at them and let out an incredulous chuckle.
'Impressive. I told them to do it freely, and they still balanced it perfectly.'
As if by prior agreement, the three had each picked exactly nineteen members, evenly matched.
"Whatever, doesn't matter now."
Cheonhwi trudged forward.
And facing them, he spoke.
"Then let's start the first training."
For a moment, everyone swallowed hard.
Just as anticipation mixed with faint anxiety rose in their eyes.
"See that over there?"
Cheonhwi gestured backward with his thumb, and all eyes turned upward.
It was Falling Goose Peak.
As everyone looked at him quizzically while he pointed at the sheer cliff of a summit.
"Go to the top and back."
"Y-you mean that one?"
A deflated question arose.
Everyone's excitement drained at the unexpectedly simple training.
Cheonhwi slowly—and deeply—twisted his lips at their reaction.
"You'd better hurry."
The moment his words ended.
Taat!
Some shot off like arrows.
The other disciples couldn't hide their shock as they scanned the runners.
"U-unit leader?"
"J-Jeokgeom Senior Brother?"
They were the Plum Blossom Sword Guards who had trained with Jeokgeom, Seollan, and Cheonhwi before.
And Cheonhyang chased after them.
"Even Senior Sister?"
As everyone stared blankly.
"What are you waiting for? Do what you want, I guess."
Cheonhwi cut himself off mid-sentence with a sinister smile.
"You'll figure it out once you experience it."
"......!"
Finally snapping to, the remaining disciples hurriedly raced toward Falling Goose Peak.
Tadadot!
They unleashed their movement techniques without caring about exhausting their qi.
Soon, only Cheonhwi remained on Samong Plain.
"Hmm."
Cheonhwi looked up.
The sight of dozens of disciples straining to climb Falling Goose Peak was a rare spectacle.
"Stamina is the urgent issue."
The most important foundation for any martial artist: mind, technique, and body.
They had at least built up some internal energy through the Dark Fragrance Pills and learned decent martial arts.
But stamina was the problem.
'No matter how much qi you have or how strong your arts, without stamina to back it up, it's useless.'
Cheonhwi recalled the brawl when selecting the unit leaders.
No matter that it was a melee, most tiring out in less than an hour was a serious issue.
'At least physical training grows faster than qi cultivation or martial arts, so that's a relief.'
Cheonhwi tore his gaze from Falling Goose Peak, rummaged in his sleeve, and pulled out a black pill.
It was the Dark Fragrance Pill.
"The toxicity is stronger than before."
The well-worn Dark Fragrance Pill gleamed even blacker than the last one.
And even from afar, its poisonous scent stung the nose.
"Still, it has to be this potent to make them give their all to avoid it."
* * *
"Hek, hek!"
"G-gonna die."
"Who knew we'd be sprinting back and forth like this non-stop with movement techniques."
The disciples who reached the summit and returned collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.
Normally they wouldn't be this winded, but the competition had drained their stamina.
"Getting worse toward the back."
Cheonhwi scanned the arrivals.
Cheonhyang, who arrived first, followed by Jeokgeom and Seollan, looked fine.
But the later ones showed their exhaustion plainly on their faces.
"The last one..."
Cheonhwi approached the latest arrival and shoved a Dark Fragrance Pill into his mouth.
"Eup! Gulp! Wh-what did you feed me?"
"What else? Your favorite spirit pill."
Cheonhwi said flatly.
But the recipient's face began to turn blue.
"N-no way... a Dark Fragrance Pill?"
Cheonhwi grinned instead of answering.
The disciple's face turned purple, then his eyes reddened.
"Ughhh!"
A faint groan escaped.
Unable to endure the pain, he bolted upright and began circulating his qi.
"Mental fortitude is the issue, as expected."
Cheonhwi smiled smugly.
He couldn't even twitch a finger moments ago, yet now he was enduring that agony by circulating qi.
"Let's see. Next latecomer..."
Cheonhwi eyed the disciples like a predator stalking prey and moved.
"Those guys."
"Kyaak!"
"Uwaaa!"
"S-save me!"
Soon five more disciples convulsed.
They desperately circulated their qi in a life-or-death struggle to suppress the Dark Fragrance Pill's energy.
"Tch. Too bad."
Cheonhwi smacked his lips.
"If I had more Dark Fragrance Pills, I'd feed the others too. Oh well."
Those shuddering at Cheonhwi's cruelty sighed in relief.
They exchanged glances.
'W-we survived!'
'If we'd been late...'
As they relaxed.
"Looks like everyone's caught their breath. Time for the next training."
Cheonhwi beamed.
"Lightly, for one hour—horse stance. Not just any, though..."
Cheonhwi drew his scabbard and swung it at the massive boulder nearby.
Sguk!
As the boulder, sliced diagonally with a smooth cut, began to tilt slowly.
Whik—
Cheonhwi lifted it with the scabbard.
It was an astonishing feat.
Balancing the boulder on his sword tip, Cheonhwi lifted it effortlessly and spoke.
"With this on your head. Oh! You know what happens if you drop it?"
Cheonhwi grinned, and all color drained from the disciples' faces.
"Starting now, so get into horse stance. Hurry and lift."