Live Combat Training
Beom Undae's guts twisted every time he so much as looked at Yeop Pung. The feeling only curdled further once a rumor swept through the entire Cheonun Sect—that Yeop Pung had come back to Nagun Peak nestled in Un Cheoncheon's arms.
In truth, he had already decided to drop the feud and hole up on Nowoon Peak for some quiet cultivation. Then Han Buri, Peak Master of Nowoon Peak, became Acting Sect Master—and overnight, everyone on that peak, from the elders down to the last miserable rat, was on the rise.
Beom Undae figured his chance had come again. Curry favor with Han Buri, latch onto the Cheonbong Army, and he would have all the openings he needed to grind Yeop Pung into the dirt.
I'm captain of the Cheonun Army's 1st Unit now, aren't I? Look at these idiots scrambling around Yeop Pung. Once the training instructors arrive, every last one of them will be on their knees in front of me.
Hmph. Speak of the devil. Beom Undae was already glaring at Yeop Pung with those sly, venomous eyes.
Just then, a bellow rang out from the far side of the training ground.
"Everyone, fall in!"
Yeop Pung watched every face around him go white in an instant. They clapped him on the shoulder, shot him meaningful looks, and hurried back into formation.
"Yeop Pung, you're the new guy. Keep your head down and show some respect. Don't go picking a fight with them!"
Wang Maeng drilled the warning into him one last time, then fell in with the rest.
In a matter of seconds the Cheonun Army 1st Unit had locked into a perfect square. Only two men remained outside the ranks: Beom Undae, standing there like he couldn't be bothered, and the newcomer Yeop Pung.
Yeop Pung narrowed his eyes and studied the figures coming toward them. A group of several dozen was approaching from a distance, led by a young general in white armor—the same cut and make as the set Sa Cheonseong had worn. Yeop Pung recognized him at once. A commandant of the Cheonbong Army had arrived.
Behind the commandant came a column of young Cheonbong soldiers, all of them powerfully built. They were about the same age as Yeop Pung's group, but every last one sat at the border between the 4th and 5th Meridians. A few who looked especially dangerous seemed to have already reached the 6th.
Killing intent filled their eyes. A thick stench of blood and battle-lust rolled off their bodies. One glance was enough to know these were not opponents to take lightly.
They're here to pick a fight. No question.
The moment Yeop Pung took in the atmosphere, he knew the situation was bad. Just as Wang Maeng had said, the training camp had been peaceful for three days—probably because they had been waiting for him to come back.
Looking more closely, Yeop Pung vaguely recalled that the commandant at the front had been one of the competitors at Taibai Peak. In the Ascent Battle, this man's sprinting speed had been second only to Sa Cheonseong's, and his cultivation sat at the 6th Meridian Mysterious Realm. He had taken third place in the Autumn Hunt. His name was Deung Chung.
Sa Cheonseong went down in a single hit. So the Cheonbong Legion sent this guy after me?
Yeop Pung stood there with a perfectly calm face.
Deung Chung strode up and planted himself with arrogant ease. Beom Undae, standing beside him, immediately bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"Cheonun Army 1st Unit, two hundred soldiers assembled! We pay our respects to the Commandant!"
"We pay our respects to the Commandant!"
Wang Maeng and the others roared it out right after him. They already looked like they had had some training drilled into them.
Deung Chung swept a cold gaze over them all, then curled his lip in a sneer.
"Did none of you eat today? I can't hear you!"
He bellowed so hard that fat droplets of spit splattered across the faces of Wang Maeng and Yo Yeong-chun in the front row.
"We pay our respects to the Commandant!"
Wang Maeng's face flushed crimson in an instant, but he had no choice. He roared even louder, putting everything he had into it. The geniuses of the Cheonun Sect, mocked like performing monkeys, screamed themselves hoarse until the sound shook the whole of Nowoon Peak.
"Hmph! This pathetic when it comes to military discipline? No wonder the Cheonun Sect has fallen this far!"
Deung Chung dismissed them all with a single cutting remark. Then he slowly turned his gaze toward Yeop Pung.
"Well, well. Looks like our sickly little friend finally found the strength to join training?"
The open mockery in his voice was as good as announcing to everyone that he had come here today specifically to pick a fight with Yeop Pung.
Yeop Pung looked at Deung Chung without a flicker of expression. As if he had already expected something like this, he spoke evenly.
"My name is Yeop Pung. I'll be joining training starting today."
"I already know you're Yeop Pung!"
Deung Chung said it with a cold sneer. His eyes were sharp as blades.
"I also know you stole our Cheonbong Army's hunting tournament championship and put Sa Cheonseong in a hospital bed. Yeop Pung, you're really something. The Cheonun Sect must have its ancestors watching over it, having someone like you around!"
Yeop Pung said nothing.
Deung Chung kept needling him.
"If it weren't for you, His Excellency the Governor wouldn't even have thought of disciplining the Cheonun Sect, and the Cheonbong Legion wouldn't have prepared a special training session like today's just for your 1st Unit. Heh heh. Yeop Pung, you really have yourself to thank for all of this!"
Yeop Pung still said nothing.
"Yeop Pung... you..." Deung Chung faltered, as if he had suddenly run out of things to say.
I'm standing here running my mouth all by myself and you won't even say a word? What am I supposed to do when it gets this awkward?
"Why aren't you saying anything?!"
Yeop Pung raised an eyebrow.
"What exactly do you want me to say?"
"You—!"
Deung Chung's words died in his throat.
"Ah. Right."
Yeop Pung nodded, then suddenly raised his voice.
"You—!"
He even copied the exact same tone.
Who the hell does he think he's calling "you"?!
Deung Chung had never dealt with someone like Yeop Pung before. For a moment, his mind went completely blank.
"Yeop Pung, what the hell are you saying?!"
"Yeop Pung, what the hell are you saying?!"
This time Yeop Pung even copied Deung Chung's expression down to the last wrinkle.
Pfft!
Wang Maeng and the others watching from the side couldn't hold it in any longer. They burst out laughing. The Yeop Pung they were seeing after a month apart was even more shamelessly slick than he had been on Taibai Peak.
"Enough!"
Deung Chung's whole body trembled as he forced his rage down. He slashed a hand through the air.
"Shut up and get back in formation. Now!"
Yeop Pung's face remained blank as he quietly returned to the ranks and took his place. But behind that expression, his mind was anything but calm.
The shameless needling had been a necessary choice. If he could have, he would have just clapped a hand over Deung Chung's mouth himself—but he couldn't. Even Sect Master Lee Sujol was hiding on Nagun Peak, swallowing his pride. Yeop Pung couldn't afford to step up and blow this into something bigger. First he needed to find a way to contact Heukgu. Then he could figure out how to deal with these bastards.
Across from them, Deung Chung took a deep breath and barely managed to collect himself. He lifted his chin and looked them all over.
"Cheonun 1st Unit. Enjoyed your last three days of comfort?"
"We thank the Commandant for his consideration!"
Only Beom Undae and Baek Reung answered at full volume. Everyone else kept their heads down and said nothing.
"Why isn't anyone talking?"
Deung Chung sneered.
"Looks like you really did have it easy. Ignoring a superior's question? Hmph. Today I'll teach you the rules of the Cheonbong Legion properly. Step forward!"
"Sir!"
With a thunderous shout, the dozens of Cheonbong soldiers behind Deung Chung strode forward.
"Today we'll conduct the most basic live combat training of the Cheonbong Legion. I've specially brought you sparring partners. They're all elite soldiers of the Cheonbong Legion, so you weaklings can experience what a real fight looks like. That way you won't piss yourselves in terror when you face the Four Barbarians on the battlefield!"
Everyone was sneering furiously on the inside, but not a single person dared to say it out loud.
One by one, the dozens of Cheonbong soldiers let their Profound Qi pressure roll out. Every face in the Cheonun ranks went deathly pale.
They're not even pretending. They came here to kill us!
The Cheonun 1st Unit averaged around the 4th Meridian. Only five of them—Wang Maeng, Beom Undae, and a handful of others—had reached the 5th. There were even disciples still stuck at the 3rd Meridian. The Cheonbong soldiers, on the other hand, started at the 4th Meridian at their weakest. Most were at the 5th. A few had even reached the 6th.
How the hell are we supposed to win this? They're just telling us to walk onto the platform and take a beating.
They all already knew this so-called training was a blatant assault. In a little while, not a single one of them would leave the training ground in one piece.
"Hmph!"
Deung Chung saw the stricken looks on the Cheonun disciples' faces and crowed inwardly. He raised his voice again.
"Today's training will proceed as one-on-one matches. When your name is called, step out and fight. Keep the contest reasonable and don't go overboard with your attacks. Of course, light injuries are unavoidable. Training begins in five minutes!"
Light injuries are unavoidable? What kind of garbage is that?
Everyone who heard those words knew instantly that the Cheonbong Army would not hold back at all. Their idea of a "light injury" was probably a broken arm or leg.
"Fall out and warm up!"
Beom Undae didn't spare a single word of support for his own unit. He just barked the dismissal.
Across the way, the Cheonbong martial artists all wore cruel smiles as they started rolling their wrists and ankles. The crack of joints popping rang out like a death drum, heavy with tension. The sound pressed down on the Cheonun disciples' chests like a weight.
Damn it! We'll fight them to the death if we have to!
They gathered together, faces burning with rage. Wang Maeng began circulating the Profound Qi in his body. He clenched his teeth and spoke to his brothers.
"Brothers, even if we lose this time, we can't let Cheonun's honor get dragged through the mud. Let's tear a chunk of flesh off these bastards!"
"Senior Brother Wang is right!"
Everyone around him was seething with righteous fury. They clenched their fists, steeling themselves to fight to the last.
But just then, a lazy voice drifted over.
"Tear a chunk of flesh, my ass."
Everyone turned. Yeop Pung looked at them with glittering eyes, the corner of his mouth curling in a mischievous grin.
"Here's how today's fight is actually going to go..."
They sidled in close around Yeop Pung. As they listened, every face twisted into something unnatural. Then, as one, they snapped their eyes wide and glared across at the Cheonbong Army.
What the hell? That's killing intent!
Deung Chung and the Cheonbong martial artists felt a sudden chill race down their spines.
What are those Cheonun bastards planning?