Chapter 53
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Sparring with Jeong-seon
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"Hoo..."
The growth over those five days wasn't limited to the Formless Swordsmanship.
By meditating morning and night every day to build up my internal energy, both the Solar Heart Method and my internal energy cultivation had risen to LV.2.
I had no frame of reference, so I couldn't gauge the exact speed of my progress, but Pung-un had this to say.
It was fast enough to make them suspect I was a demonic cult spy.
According to him, it was high praise, but somehow, Pung-un's gaze had started to feel piercing.
Today, the four of us gathered in the clearing, waiting for Instructor Cheol-woong.
"Ah, when's he coming?"
Jeong-seon bounced on her toes like she'd been waiting for this day alone, craning her neck like a meerkat and wildly scanning left and right.
Her bound hair swayed side to side.
And as if rewarding her anticipation, Cheol-woong came into view in the distance.
The moment he approached, Cheol-woong eyed me and Seol-young intently.
Then he nodded.
"All four of you did well."
"Yes! Thank you!"
Jeong-seon lit up at Cheol-woong's words like she was wagging an invisible tail, and the rest of us—including me—couldn't help but smile at the praise.
When someone who never praises you actually does, it hits even harder.
"Sorry for leaving you all in charge. The Pavilion Lord needed my support on the trip to Shaanxi."
"Shaanxi... that's where..."
"Where the Mount Hua Sect and Heavenly Martial Academy are."
Cheol-woong nodded at Pung-un's words and added that he'd specifically visited the Heavenly Martial Academy.
Pung-un stared off into space with distant eyes, pondering something deeply, before responding.
"Was it... for the martial tournament, by any chance?"
At the mention of the martial tournament, Jeong-seon and Cheol-woong widened their eyes in surprise.
Seol-young—
was expressionless as always.
"...To be precise, I went to set a date for a friendly match before the tournament."
"A fr-friendship match with the Heavenly Martial Academy?!"
Jeong-seon yelped in shock at Cheol-woong's revelation.
I leaned in and whispered to her.
"What's a martial tournament?"
"What?!"
My question made Jeong-seon freak out for an entirely different reason.
Pung-un stepped in to explain on her behalf.
"It's where academies send out their cadets to spar against each other."
"Are there rewards for good results?"
"There are prizes for standout cadets, but more importantly, it draws crowds to the academy."
Pung-un explained that drawing crowds was the biggest reward of all.
The attention poured on an academy based on tournament results was beyond imagination.
Parents sent their kids to top performers, funding better training environments with money or elixirs.
With promising disciples from major sects and bright cadets gathering, merchant guilds threw in support to build connections.
That funding let academies nurture even better cadets for the next tournament.
And that's why Heavenly Martial Academy held the unchallenged top spot.
They reinvested every bit of support into cadets and facilities, to the point where their scale dwarfed other academies.
They even had private dorm rooms—with private baths.
Given all that, the gap in skill with other academies was huge, so they skipped friendly matches altogether.
Frankly, internal spars trained them better anyway—no need for friendlies.
So why a friendly match now—and with our Human Martial Academy, of all places?
Instructor Cheol-woong glanced at Pung-un.
"Seemed like you had a deep connection with a cadet there named Nangong Yue."
"Huh? Ah, haha... well, yeah..."
"She requested the match as their representative. Emitting killing intent I wouldn't believe came from an orthodox sect member."
"..."
Pung-un turned pale, forcing an awkward smile.
She'd gotten kicked out of Heavenly Martial Academy over a romantic scandal—what the hell had he done?
Heavenly Martial Academy issuing the challenge seemed tied to our protagonist Pung-un's mess-ups.
Once challenged, refusal wasn't an option.
Better to lose openly than have rumors of dodging out of fear—it preserved the academy's pride.
Besides, no one would trash them for losing to Heavenly Martial Academy.
Jeong-seon shot Pung-un a resentful glare.
"What the hell have you been up to...?"
"By the way, you four are automatically in."
Cheol-woong declared firmly.
"What?! ...Even him? He's only been training a week!"
The shocked Jeong-seon jabbed a finger at me.
I got it.
I felt stronger, sure, but not tournament-ready.
More than that, I had zero interest in competing.
Whether Human Martial Academy boomed with new talent didn't faze me.
My priority was maxing Solar Heart Method ASAP to cure Seol-young's illness.
So I chimed in.
"I think it's too soon for me as well."
But Cheol-woong saw things differently.
He turned to Jeong-seon.
"Seong-han could take you right now and not lose."
"Huh?"
Our voices overlapped in disbelief.
Why say something like that?
And sure enough—
It stung Jeong-seon's pride.
"I trust your eyes, Instructor, but you're wrong this time."
"Then prove it."
"...If I win, grant my one wish."
"Deal."
This was bad.
Cheol-woong's chastity now hung on my victory.
Jeong-seon smirked wickedly at me.
Look at that face.
Orthodox sect? More like demonic cult.
I didn't want to see my roommate consumed by lust like that.
Cheol-woong, Pung-un, and Seol-young backed away slowly, leaving just Jeong-seon and me facing off in the clearing's center.
Cheol-woong tossed us wooden swords from who-knows-where.
...Had he planned this all along?
Provoking Jeong-seon on purpose, ready with swords, forcing a spar?
Because I'd refuse the tournament?
The thought sent chills down my spine.
Glare at Cheol-woong, and he smirked faintly back—like, now you get it.
"We got played..."
"Swords up!"
Ignoring that, Jeong-seon— with a wish on the line—was raring to fight.
One thing I'd learned as my internal energy grew: Jeong-seon had vast reserves compared to other cadets.
That let her snag the high number seven slot without ties to famous sects like Mount Hua or North Sea Ice Palace.
The moment I raised my sword and Cheol-woong shouted "Begin!", Jeong-seon closed the gap in a flash.
Pouring energy into her lightness skill left deep footprints with every step.
Sand exploded skyward from the force.
She reached me in an instant, swinging with all that momentum.
Her blade arced toward my head, loaded with energy.
Thud.
But Jeong-seon's sword met mine too easily.
"Huh?"
Even she hadn't expected it to be blocked so simply—her body froze in shock.
I didn't miss the opening, slashing at her waist.
She tried to block late with her wooden sword—
Crack.
The sword splintered under the impact, sending her flying.
Even I was surprised by the power.
As I approached the fallen Jeong-seon, she sprang up and threw a punch.
It never landed.
One lesson from surviving a zombie-infested world: never let your guard down until they're dead.
Corpses looked just like zombies on the ground.
So I always stayed vigilant around the fallen.
That habit saved me here—
Blocking with my bare hand.
"...Wow."
I smacked her gut with the sword's flat side, dropping her again.
A light tap, but without energy to cushion, she clutched her stomach and hit the dirt, mumbling softly.
"I lost..."
The match was decided. Cheol-woong nodded at me knowingly.
Pung-un looked conflicted.
Seol-young was expressionless as ever.
"See? My eyes never lie."
Cheol-woong clapped my shoulder.
Played again.
Back at the dorm, Jeong-seon stared blankly at the sky.
Did I hit her too hard?
If she'd sulked or raged, I could've apologized—but this zoning out made it awkward.
So I quietly tidied my bedding and prepped for bed.
Prep meant just pre-meditation.
'Hm?'
Something felt off.
My internal energy circulated more vigorously than usual.
Burning away the yin energy around me, it swelled stronger.
What puzzled me was why the room reeked of yin energy tonight.
"Seong-han, doing meditation?"
Her voice came softer than usual—
The fake-sweet tone she used with Instructor Cheol-woong.
I kept my eyes shut, focusing.
Break concentration, and qi deviation might hit.
I gritted my teeth and ignored her.
"...Can I watch up close?"
"Ngh..."
My lips trembled.
I never knew a voice could terrify like that.
Worse: as she drew nearer, my energy burned the yin qi even fiercer.
Did she have Nine Yin Severed Meridians too?
All that yin qi around...
Feeling her gaze the whole time, I finished meditating—and my Solar Heart Method had reached LV.3.