Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Chapter 11 Uninvited Guest (1)
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Shick!
Nangong Yun-ho's sword, executing the Divine Martial Swordsmanship, moved like a streak of light.
As he swiftly deployed the sword, the technique transformed entirely.
Suuuuh.
The blade that had been flashing brilliantly just moments ago, as if it could slice through sunlight itself, now moved slower than a caterpillar.
If a moment ago it had been a swift sword wielded with a reed in place of an iron blade, now it felt like he was swinging the heaviest iron sword forged in the world.
Despite wielding the same sword.
"Looks like you're finally starting to grasp the sword's rhythm."
He had surpassed mere technique sparring, entering the realm of adjusting the sword's speed, angle, and trajectory.
At this point, he could unleash countless variations and irregular sword techniques from the same forms.
Baek Ri-seol's display was entirely different.
Whish!
Baek Ri-seol tossed three swords into the air.
She danced about, alternately grasping the airborne blades, slashing and thrusting at the empty air, then tossing them again to engage an imaginary foe.
Baek Ri-seol didn't limit herself to just holding the swords with her hands.
Chwik.
When her hands weren't enough, she wrapped the swords in her flowing sleeves to slice at the opponent, and she didn't hesitate to kick them into flight with her toes.
Whiiiii—.
The three swords danced around her like living beings, joining her in a sword dance.
"Now you seem to understand why it's called not swordsmanship, but a sword dance."
She had stopped clinging to forms and chosen the sword as a tool for dancing.
A simple, yet crucial change.
It meant she was beginning to grasp the martial principles underlying the Phoenix Flame Heavenly Dance.
Baek Ri-seol's latent genius had advanced another step.
"Unlike a white crane, a phoenix's wings don't need to be just two, right? Flame wings are made of countless sparks, after all."
That was the reason she wielded three swords.
Soon enough, she would incorporate four, five, or even more into her sword dance.
'Well, the Crimson Flame Witch carried four swords herself.'
Her blossoming talent was drawing closer to the image of that infamous witch from the past—or perhaps the future.
Whether that was good or bad.
Meanwhile, on one side, Jegal Tan was ceaselessly moving, leaving trails of sword light in his wake.
Fwoosh! Fwoooosh!
Now, pale blue will-o'-the-wisps trailed behind him like ghosts.
Frustrated by the lifeless sword energy that melted away under direct sunlight like some spectral apparition, the 'Azure Flame True Art' he had been taught was finally showing its effect.
The Azure Flame True Art was a lost Daoist secret technique that allowed one's true energy to be infused with intent for more precise control.
With the Azure Flame True Art thickening the afterimages of his sword energy, Jegal Tan's sword began creating illusions.
Sssaaaaah.
As the sword moved, countless blades rose along its trajectory in a dizzying illusion.
The bewildering sword energy would surely dazzle the opponent's eyes and strike at their openings.
Chwaak!
Bundles of sword energy whipped through the air in all directions, revealing their sharp menace.
Watching this, Chu Un-hwi frowned and flicked a stone with his index finger.
Ttang!
"Eek!"
Jegal Tan dropped his sword and fell on his butt.
"You idiot. You planning to wreck all the scarecrows I just barely fixed?"
"I'm sorry. I got too immersed in the sword..."
"Save your immersion for your bedroom at home! Don't come over here!"
Shick! Shick!
Jegal Tan slunk away to the side, shoulders slumped, as Chu Un-hwi waved him off like a stray dog.
His dejected mood was palpable even from behind.
Watching this, Moyong So-hye spoke up.
"Instructor. Is it really okay for me to just keep fixing scarecrows like this?"
"What's wrong with fixing scarecrows?"
"I want to train in flashy, cool techniques too."
"How about decorating the scarecrows with hair for some flair?"
"Not that!"
Chu Un-hwi replied to the shouting Moyong So-hye with a helpless shrug.
"Fine. I'll teach you."
"Really?"
"The Asura Bloodwood Hundred Eight Hands—a technique that won't stop until it smashes the opponent's skull once unleashed. Pretty good, right?"
"Where's the 'good' in that?!"
Moyong So-hye hugged a scarecrow and burst into tears.
"Please teach me a normal martial art. My friends keep disappearing one by one during sparring."
"The jianghu is a place where you stand alone. You don't need friends anyway."
"You don't have any friends, Instructor, and it looks like you never will, but I do! Waaah."
"They're all future rivals. Knock 'em all down."
As they bantered back and forth, it was time to practice on the scarecrows like lightning.
Jegal Tan returned and called out to Chu Un-hwi.
"Instructor. It's about time to start."
"Oh, has that much time passed already?"
"Yay! Freedom at last!"
Chu Un-hwi chuckled at Moyong So-hye's joyful hopping.
Is it really that great?
Contrary to expectations, Jegal Tan proved to be a capable talent.
Above all, his memory was exceptional.
"A woman from Silver Corner? I vaguely remember."
He claimed he rarely forgot anyone he'd seen once.
As expected of the Jegal family.
"There are several female students matching that description. Without precise features, it's hard to pinpoint."
That made sense. It had to be that way.
"Any other distinguishing traits?"
Not entirely absent.
The problem was they weren't easy to mention.
'She has a mole in her cleavage.'
Not something a male student could check.
If Jegal Tan had verified it, that would be a problem.
His head would be split open on the spot.
'She smells nice from the nape of her neck.'
Same issue.
Besides, who knew if the scent was only pleasant to him?
"Hmm... Nothing at all?"
"That's a shame."
"Indeed."
It wasn't entirely fruitless.
Just knowing there was someone in Silver Hall suspected to be a lover was a significant gain.
Moreover, Jegal Tan knew a great deal about Silver Hall.
"Silver Hall separates male and female students' quarters. But it's not impossible to meet."
"There's a secret training ground for discreet martial arts practice."
"Especially the one by the pond on the east side of Silver Hall, reserved for female students..."
Not only smart, but well-informed about Silver Hall too.
He had plenty of uses both now and in the future.
Immediately usable assets, as well.
"May I coordinate the Four Directions Sword Formation?"
To Chu Un-hwi, who was pondering how to teach the Four Directions Sword Formation, Jegal Tan's offer was like finding gold on the roadside.
"Yeah. Go ahead."
"Normally, it should be under the instructor's guidance for organic coordination..."
"Yeah, go ahead."
"At least assign each person's directional responsibility..."
"Yeah, go ahead."
With responses devoid of authority or intent, Jegal Tan stepped up to coordinate the formation himself.
"Hmph! Show-off!"
Of course, it wasn't without issues.
For some reason, Baek Ri-seol was sharpening her tongue.
"Why should I follow your orders?"
"I can master the Four Directions Sword Formation in no time anyway."
"I'll coordinate the formation!"
Chu Un-hwi looked at the stubborn Baek Ri-seol with listless eyes.
"Ri-seol."
"Yes, Instructooor~!"
"If I fail this exam, I'll be stuck in Bronze Hall. You'll all advance, but I'll remain here. No promotion, just rotting away in this place. Wasting away on a meager salary day by day."
Thankfully, after his earnest explanation, Baek Ri-seol yelped in shock and quieted down.
What a good kid.
Only then did Jegal Tan issue his commands.
"Nangong Yun-ho on the north, Baek miss on the south, west and east will be me and Moyong miss."
The Four Directions Sword Formation involved taking positions in the four cardinal directions to pressure an individual with numbers or defend against multiple attackers in an organic manner.
Though simple—being the Divine Martial Academy's most basic formation executed by just four people—it wasn't meaningless.
If it were utterly useless, it wouldn't be an exam evaluation criterion in the first place.
In any case, Jegal Tan led the formation far more efficiently than expected.
"No matter the direction of attack, let's maneuver the formation so Nangong Yun-ho stands at the vanguard as quickly as possible."
An excellent choice.
Nangong Yun-ho, adept at technique matching and adjusting forms, would stably block offensives and buy time.
"While Nangong Yun-ho holds the front, Baek miss intercepts the enemy's weak flank."
A sound judgment indeed.
Baek Ri-seol was like a sharp spare sword.
Fast and powerful, but lacking endurance. Inevitably so, as she moved ceaselessly wielding three swords.
The exam required only Divine Martial Swordsmanship, which might help a bit, but having immersed herself in the Phoenix Flame Heavenly Dance, even her Divine Martial Swordsmanship brimmed with its flair.
Filling a sturdy, stable sword art with splendor.
"Moyong miss supports Baek miss. I'll coordinate the formation."
In the end: Nangong Yun-ho tying down the enemy at the front. Baek Ri-seol swiftly crumbling the enemy's weak points in the meantime. Moyong So-hye providing support, and Jegal Tan commanding from the rear.
'Not bad.'
Chu Un-hwi was satisfied watching the four move organically after just a brief synchronization.
Even he would have structured it that way.
"If we do this right, we can aim for high scores in the midterm exam."
Best of all, the students who had demanded so much attention were now growing on their own.
He just needed to fix scarecrows and recover lost points.
What a beautiful picture.
"Now I can breathe easy."
The tough days were finally over.
The needy kids had settled in and were growing steadily.
He could now make ten scarecrows a day.
Golden days for personnel evaluations and point recovery had dawned.
No more being tied to tedious tasks—just spectate the midterm exam and search for his lover.
With all students participating, he could easily check those he hadn't seen, and if unsuccessful, earn points for promotion to Silver Hall.
"No more worries."
But life didn't always go as planned.
An emergency summons came in the morning.
He might ignore Bronze Hall Master Chung-hyun, but this was an academy-wide alert.
Rumors said the Murim Alliance's atmosphere was tense too.
"What's going on?"
"No idea. This is unprecedented."
Even Yeo Mae-hong, a Divine Martial Academy alumna usually in the know, seemed puzzled.
Waiting in the instructors' room, Bronze Hall Master Chung-hyun entered with a rare grim expression.
Unlike that morning, he had a white cloth draped on his elbow.
"White cloth?"
"Not at a time like this?"
"Damn it. What happened?!"
The instructors grew restless.
Chu Un-hwi asked Yeo Mae-hong, who looked sympathetic beside him.
"Instructor Yeo. What's that?"
"Seems like trouble at the Alliance."
Trouble?
Yeo Mae-hong explained.
"Draping a white cloth on the elbow means an instructor from the Divine Martial Academy has died."