Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Back to the Horse Stance
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Hyeonjin shut his mouth.
It was just as he said.
So what if it was for actual combat?
The modified Falling Petals Sword Art was superior.
Cheonhwi turned away from Hyeonjin, who stood there silently like a mute who had eaten honey.
"So, what will you do?"
He stared straight at Gu Gyeomwi.
"Falling Petals Sword Art seems to be your specialty. Want to learn this one?"
"Will I get stronger if I learn it?"
"I can't guarantee it."
Cheonhwi didn't give a firm answer.
As he said, though it was a superior technique, it required equal parts effort and luck.
Still.
"It'll be better than what you have now."
Gu Gyeomwi nodded gravely, his eyes suddenly lighting up.
A moment later, he struck a flashy, elegant pose that belied his massive build and turned to Cheonhwi.
"S-sajje. How's this?"
"Hm. Straighten your back a bit more."
"Like this?"
Cheonhwi stroked his chin as he observed.
The stance was good, but something felt off.
"...You're embarrassed right now, aren't you?"
Gu Gyeomwi's face flushed red.
"With your size, flashy sword arts like this are bound to feel..."
"Just empty your mind. You'll never get anywhere if you worry about that."
Cheonhwi added, watching Gu Gyeomwi's awkward hesitation.
"To become an immortal, you have to let go, set aside your burdens, and empty your heart."
Gu Gyeomwi's eyes widened.
"You're right, sajje. I must empty myself, yet here I am clinging to such things."
Recalling a teaching from the Dao he had forgotten, his stance instantly relaxed.
At first, the light and ornate movements clashed with his heavy frame, but as time passed, they began to blend naturally.
"That's much better now."
Cheonhwi turned and found Hyeonjin, who had come to his senses.
"...Can you give me some advice too?"
Seeing the shift in Hyeonjin's eyes, Cheonhwi grinned.
"Sure."
No sooner had he spoken than Hyeonjin unleashed a barrage of questions.
"Why execute it like this here?"
"Plum Shadow River Creation? This technique hides a heavy thrust within an illusory sword. You conceal your internal energy at first, then strike with double the power in a forceful lunge..."
"Where there is yang, yin must exist. So you're saying to reverse the energy contained within."
"...Yes."
Cheonhwi had explained the Plum Blossom Sword Art simply, but Hyeonjin interpreted its essence through Daoist philosophy.
He understood.
To record it in a martial manual, it had to align with that philosophy.
Just then, Cheonyu approached cautiously.
"Sajje, can I get some advice too?"
He had already taken on two; what was one more?
"Sure."
Cheonyu smiled faintly and moved into position.
"Want to see my techniques?"
"That works best."
Cheonyu promptly demonstrated.
Footwork, sword arts, palm strikes, and fists.
He showed considerable skill.
'About half a step above Namgung Jin-gyeong.'
For Mount Hua Sect's top disciple, it was lacking.
'Something I couldn't have imagined before.'
Mount Hua's top disciple on par with Namgung family's second young master?
'And the sword doesn't suit him.'
Cheonhwi assessed Cheonyu's nature.
Holding a sword threw off his balance, preventing proper execution.
"Dasahyeong should ditch the sword."
"Ditch the sword?"
"Sajje! Dasahyeong is the next sect leader. He must master the Purple Dawn Sword Formula!"
Hyeonjin and Gu Gyeomwi, waiting for their turns, recoiled in shock.
"Do you know why?"
Surprisingly, Cheonyu remained calm.
"You already seem to."
"Haha. I just wanted confirmation from you."
"Then it's settled. Dasahyeong, your nature doesn't fit the sword."
"Hahaha!"
Cheonyu burst into laughter.
He had known it all along.
As top disciple, he learned Plum Blossom Sword Art and dabbled in others to master the Purple Dawn Sword Formula.
'But palm and fist techniques suit me better.'
Seeing Cheonhwi pinpoint his hidden nature at a glance, he laughed.
'Hahaha. Even Master didn't know.'
It built trust.
"So, what techniques do you think I should learn, sajje?"
"Hm. Palms or fists, probably. You look like you've been training those for years."
"No weapons, then?"
"Doesn't suit you, sahyeong."
Cheonhwi stated flatly.
"Hearing it straight like that clears my mind."
Cheonyu said heartily.
"Glad to hear it."
Cheonhwi suddenly whipped his head around.
"More importantly, why don't you come out already?"
The Plum Blossom Sword Guards, who had finished preparing camp and been watching secretly, emerged in a group.
Four in total: So Unhyeon, Cheon-geuk, Cheon-gi, and Yeob-wol.
"Ha, haha."
"Sajje!"
"Why sneak around watching?"
The Sword Guards scratched their heads.
"Can you teach us too?"
Cheonhwi scanned them.
Their eager eyes sparkled brighter than the stars.
"Sure. But you have to follow my instructions exactly. Okay?"
"No problem if it makes us stronger."
"We'll endure that much!"
The Sword Guards answered as if it were obvious.
Cheonhwi's lips twisted into a smirk.
"Consider it agreed, then."
True to his word, he immediately took control as soon as they consented.
"Show me your techniques first."
About two ke later.
Having seen everyone's displays, Cheonhwi pointed one by one.
"Cheon-geuk sahyeong, over there. So sahyeong and Cheon-gi sahyeong, this way. Yeob sahyeong, that side."
He divided the four Sword Guards into three groups in an instant and spoke.
"Yeob sahyeong, like dasahyeong, drop the sword and focus on palms."
Yeob-wol protested in confusion.
"No, sajje. I've devoted my life to sword arts."
"Yeob sahyeong, you'll progress faster with palms."
"But as a Mount Hua disciple, I should..."
Yeob-wol faltered.
Cheonyu was grinning at him from the side.
"Haha. By that logic, am I not a Mount Hua disciple?"
"Ah, no, that's not..."
Cheonhwi glanced at the resistant Yeob-wol and said indifferently.
"Then do as you like, Yeob sahyeong. Don't regret it later."
Seeing Cheonhwi yield so easily left Yeob-wol uneasy.
Cheonhwi cut it short.
He needed to grow stronger quickly; he had no intention of dragging stubborn ones along.
"Cheon-geuk sahyeong's issue is stamina."
"Stamina?"
"I saw you gasping right up to the end."
Cheon-geuk fell silent.
"You ran out of strength mid-way, shaking your forms. With proper stamina, it'd look like this."
Whoooosh—
The sword thrust powerfully, creating a vortex that pierced the solitary moon.
"How can it be so different!"
Cheon-geuk exclaimed in awe.
His trust in Cheonhwi deepened further.
"C-can I execute it like that too?"
"Build stamina first, then we'll see."
"Got it. So what should I do?"
"Horse stance, of course."
Cheon-geuk panicked at that.
Horse stance was basic training, finished in childhood.
Doing it again felt embarrassing.
"Sajje, no other training?"
"Want to run that mountain all day instead?"
Cheon-geuk's face hardened at the tall peak Cheonhwi pointed to.
"No, horse stance is best."
"Right?"
Cheon-geuk nodded reluctantly, like swallowing mustard, as Cheonhwi stroked his chin.
"Hm. One sichen for now."
"O-one sichen?"
"Ah! Once your stamina improves, I'll teach you a sword art that suits you better than that one."
"A sword art?"
"It's from a manual buried in the Ten Thousand Scriptures Pavilion. Quite an excellent one."
Cheon-geuk's eyes brightened despite his reluctance for horse stance.
Cheonhwi stroked his chin watching him.
The technique he planned for Cheon-geuk was Shadow Serpent Fist.
'Stamina's weak, but his reflexes are sharp. It suits him.'
But there were issues.
It was a fist technique. From the Pavilion, yes, but closer to unorthodox sects than righteous ones.
No helping it.
'I'll just make a new sword art from it.'
Two days would suffice.
He turned to So Unhyeon and Cheon-gi, watching expectantly.
"Your lightness skills are lacking for the techniques you've learned. You half-assed them, didn't you?"
They averted their eyes and whispered.
"Lightness skills are a bit weak, but..."
"It's just lightness skills."
Cheonhwi looked exasperated.
"No, it's the most important."
"Lightness skills?"
"Why?"
"If the opponent's stronger, you run."
"You mean flee?"
Hyeonjin, who had been quietly watching, jumped in startled.
"You want to die like a dog?"
"Think we'll lose that badly?"
"Yes."
Cheonhwi said flatly.
They were weak, no matter how he looked.
Faces reddened, but no one could retort since it was Cheonhwi saying it.
"If that bothers you, think of it as better footwork to dodge attacks easily and pressure foes."
It was a gentler way to put it.
Like the fox borrowing the tiger's might.
More palatable, as their flushed faces eased.
"Watch. See how much difference good lightness skills make."
Cheonhwi moved immediately.
Whoosh—
He vanished from their sight in an instant.
"See?"
So Unhyeon and Cheon-gi shivered as his voice came from behind.
"Wh-when did you get behind us?"
"S-sajje?"
Cheonhwi walked between them.
"What if I were the enemy?"
They realized without him saying.
Instant death.
Their throats bobbed heavily.
Cheonhwi tossed them a carrot as they finally grasped the urgency.
"Once you're ready later, I'll teach you this lightness skill."
"Really?"
"For real?"
"Of course, after some training."
As they clenched their fists excitedly.
"Then horse stance for you two as well."
"What? Ho-horse...?"
"Not lightness skills?"
"Huh? You want lightness skills?"
A smile crept onto Cheonhwi's face.
"Want to circle that mountain with lightness skills? Your skills would improve fast."
Harsher than what he'd told Cheon-geuk.
"N-no, horse stance is good."
"Yeah, horse stance is the best basic training."
They submitted like Cheon-geuk.
"Then dasahyeong, Gu sa..."
"Sajje."
Yeob-wol approached hesitantly.
Behind him, Cheonyu grinned and thumbs-upped.
His eyes shadowed, as if scolded by Cheonyu.
"Sorry about earlier. I was just..."
"Dropping the sword?"
"...I'll follow your lead, sajje."
"Good."
Cheonhwi nodded.
"Yeob sahyeong has the most deficiencies here. The vaguest grasp on everything."
"Meaning..."
Cheonhwi smiled softly.
"Horse stance it is."
Cheonhwi's advice varied for each, but it all led to one thing in the end.
After assigning horse stance under the moonlight to Hyeonjin, Cheonyu, and Gu Gyeomwi as well, Cheonhwi clicked his tongue.
"Techniques, my ass."
He had tailored advice one by one, but from the moment they demonstrated, his planned training was horse stance only.
"Can't even handle basics."