Chapter 126
Chapter 126
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: Triple Harmony Righteous Formation
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Han Ibi was humming a cheerful tune.
He had easily brushed off the overtures from the top students.
Since they all belonged to different sects, it was only natural that their teamwork wouldn't mesh well.
Han Ibi had snatched the towels from Gil Son-lok, Yuk Hyeon-rip, and Jeon Gal-yeon one after another.
Among them, he felt a twinge of regret for having to leave a minor shoulder wound on Yuk Hyeon-rip, who had resisted the most fiercely.
'As expected, these scholars aren't as soft as they look. But...'
Han Ibi stood still, lost in thought.
'...where the hell did he go?'
It had already been nearly half a shichen without encountering anyone, and Han Ibi was starting to grow anxious.
The spot he was in now was the northern marshlands.
The tranquil atmosphere, with the yellowish-brown reeds gently bowing their heads in rest, wasn't half bad.
Reeds as tall as a man had always been perfect for hiding.
The other trainees and instructors probably thought the same.
Squelch, squelch!
However, the scattered puddles made walking treacherous.
'As expected... hiding in the reeds was too obvious a trick.'
It was then.
A sound drifted in from afar.
Han Ibi closed his eyes and gauged the direction.
'Hm. That way.'
Han Ibi headed toward the noise.
An island within an island.
It was a reed islet surrounded by the shallow lake in the marshlands.
The distance to the opposite side was about three zhang.
'I'm not exactly on friendly terms with water...'
Han Ibi activated his "Design Analysis" skill to scan beneath the surface.
Since it wasn't a deep lake, he pinpointed sections shallow enough to cross without submerging too much.
Anyone else would have struggled to spot them with the naked eye.
Han Ibi let out a sharp whistle and leaped toward the lake.
Then, following his analysis, he bounded across the water.
His movements looked almost like...
"S-Senior Brother! That guy's using Lily Pad Crossing right now!"
Yeom Gyeong-bin of the Wudang Sect, hiding in the reeds, exclaimed with wide eyes.
"Maybe a hidden master in disguise..."
His senior brother from Wudang, Yang Je, shot back with an irritated expression.
"Quit with the Lily Pad Crossing nonsense. Look closely. His ankles dip in every time he touches the surface, and the height varies. He's stepping on the raised lakebed underneath."
Yeom Gyeong-bin nodded with an "Aha."
'Still pretty impressive...'
Then, So Tae-suk from the Jeonjin Sect, who was hiding with them, spoke up.
"Should we have taken him out first when he showed up?"
Yang Je shook his head.
"The goal of this test is to survive to the end, so no need to rush. We've done well so far, haven't we? The key is letting the trainees fight each other as much as possible. It'll be better to ambush them after they come off the island, at the right moment."
Everyone nodded.
Yun Bang-mun from the Geomchang Sect, with his rather straightforward nature, looked a bit dissatisfied.
Reaching the reeds on the opposite side, Han Ibi moved as quietly as possible to avoid making noise.
He crouched low to stay hidden from enemies.
Soon enough, he spotted the source of the commotion.
They were locked in quite the fierce battle.
'Oh ho! So they're all here.'
Indeed.
Familiar faces.
Jong Ri-hyeok, So Eun-ri, Baek Mi-hu... and Hyeon from Shaolin.
'Hold on! Why are you mixed in with them!'
Baek Mi-hu was one thing, but Hyeon was an utterly mismatched addition.
Every time he swung his fist, his sleeve whipped through the air with a ferocious whoosh.
'But who are they fighting?'
Han Ibi examined their opponents.
'Huh!'
Unexpected foes.
Yes.
Two of them, so "they" it was.
And they weren't trainees—they wore black uniforms and masks.
'Maybe one of them is Instructor Heo?'
Without hesitation, Han Ibi activated Eagle's Eye Technique.
It was then.
'What? Why does it keep slapping restrictions on me here? Internal energy... I need to save some for now.'
To recover internal energy, he needed time for meditation and qi circulation.
He decided against activating Heavenly Insight.
However...
Human nature being what it is, the more he tried to resist, the more curious he became.
In the end, Han Ibi gave in.
'Hmm. The system doesn't prompt randomly... If it's Instructor Heo, better to jump in and fight together now. Yeah. Made up my mind. Yes! Activate it!'
He succumbed to the system's temptation.
Heavenly Insight
Enhanced perception and analysis
In an instant, Han Ibi's vision was bathed in deep blue.
A novel visual state he'd never experienced before.
Startled at first, he quickly turned his gaze to the masked fighters.
'What's this? Nothing's happening...'
Then he realized.
As he focused, their movements etched into his mind with crystal clarity, like slow motion.
Physical traits, sword habits, walking gait, lightness skill patterns...
Along with an enlightening clarity, they overlapped with the instructors he'd seen before.
Han Ibi thought.
'Oh ho. They're mixing movements and switching weapons to hide their identities... but they can't change their builds and habits overnight. The slender one is Tang Hyo-bi of the Sichuan Tang Clan. And the burly one is Na Sin-su of the Joyang Sect. Strikeout here.'
It was then.
Hyeon's shout rang out.
Or rather, it was closer to a scream.
"Damn it all!"
And rightly so—Hyeon had a gash on his thigh, blood flowing freely.
At that moment, Jong Ri-hyeok yelled to his group.
"That one's Instructor Tang Hyo-bi of the Sichuan Tang Clan! Everyone, watch out for hidden weapons!"
Indeed.
Tang Hyo-bi had initially held back on projectiles.
But Hyeon's divine strength was beyond imagination.
Cornered by a near-fatal fist, he had no choice but to resort to them.
Of course, anyone might predict as much from the circumstances.
But staying clear-headed in such a desperate fight was no easy feat.
Perhaps because he was the protagonist, his judgment was swift.
'So the protagonist isn't flawless after all...'
Anyway, Hyeon was now sidelined in the four-against-two battle.
That left Jong Ri-hyeok, So Eun-ri, and Baek Mi-hu to face the pair.
Making it even tougher, naturally.
Cursing, Hyeon fell back.
And his absence left a gaping hole.
The evenly matched fight had shifted to the "instructor alliance's" advantage.
Moreover, with his identity exposed, Tang Hyo-bi no longer hesitated with projectiles.
Shiiik!
Tang Hyo-bi's needle projectile homed in on So Eun-ri's lower body!
Ting!
The needle clattered far away.
It was a flying dagger.
And it flew straight toward Tang Hyo-bi without losing momentum.
Startled, Tang Hyo-bi spun in midair to evade it.
Naturally, all eyes turned to the dagger's origin.
"Young Master Jong!"
Baek Mi-hu cried out.
But Han Ibi closed in instantly via Zhongli Swift Leopard Step and shouted.
"Triple Harmony Righteous Formation—Advance Guard Stance!"
Jong Ri-hyeok and So Eun-ri's expressions changed.
It was the basic formation every Qingcheng disciple knew, an efficient manpower array devised by the legendary Qingcheng Three Masters over two hundred years ago.
Han Ibi stood before the two masked instructors, dodging Tang Hyo-bi's projectiles.
"I'll take the apex."
As if by instinct, Jong Ri-hyeok and So Eun-ri took their positions.
Now the three formed a triangle, encircling the two instructors.
The instructors were elite masters, but from utterly different sects with no prior teamwork.
Plus, Qingcheng's manpower formations were largely unknown in the martial world, leaving them rattled.
Then Han Ibi shouted to Baek Mi-hu.
"Lady Baek, keep doing what you're doing. Forget defense—maximize your attacks."
Nodding at Han Ibi's words, Baek Mi-hu drew her leopard claws and pounced like a beast on the two instructors.
The battle-hardened instructors tried to split and break the formation.
But...
The very existence of the Triple Harmony Righteous Formation's Advance Guard Stance blocked them.
Tang Hyo-bi was checked by Han Ibi's left and So Eun-ri; Na Sin-su by Han Ibi's right and Jong Ri-hyeok.
They were forced back to the triangle's center.
And Baek Mi-hu's leopard claws raked toward them once more.
Tang Hyo-bi desperately raised his sword.
But Jong Ri-hyeok's blade disrupted his guard.
Na Sin-su fared no better.
His strike for the claws wasted on So Eun-ri instead.
Then Han Ibi yelled to Baek Mi-hu.
"Two steps left, one forward!"
Baek Mi-hu shifted positions on reflex.
And then...
"Lady Baek, hold the apex for a moment."
Thus, a new triangle formed: Baek Mi-hu, So Eun-ri, Jong Ri-hyeok.
With that, Han Ibi hurled four flying daggers at once.
"Triple Harmony Righteous Formation—Binding Frost Stance!"
Han Ibi shouted.
Jong Ri-hyeok instinctively guided the inexperienced Baek Mi-hu.
They executed the formation's key binding technique!
The triangle's vertices relentlessly attacked, cutting off the "prey's" escape routes.
No room to dodge daggers.
Two of Han Ibi's daggers whistled through empty space, but...
The other two sliced cleanly through Tang Hyo-bi and Na Sin-su's silk towels.
Silently fluttering to the ground.
Han Ibi stepped in Bagua Footwork, snatching them up with a grin before they hit dirt.
Tang Hyo-bi and Na Sin-su peeled off their sweat-soaked masks and retied them.
Tang Hyo-bi flung his worthless mask to the ground and bellowed.
"Damn brats!"
Han Ibi simply smiled back.
Han Ibi turned and said.
"Alright, everyone. Follow exactly where I step to cross."
He led the way off the islet, traversing the lake.
Jong Ri-hyeok, So Eun-ri, and the others stared at him in bewilderment.
Hyeon, still trapped on the island and unable to retreat, shouted loudly.
"Truly miraculous!"
He followed right after Jong Ri-hyeok.
The rest trailed behind Hyeon in single file.
Baek Mi-hu laughed.
"Nice not getting my pants wet."
Yeom Gyeong-bin of Wudang, watching from nearby, said to Yang Je.
"Should we charge now?"
Yang Je shook his head.
"Let's observe first. Hmm... from their faces, looks like the instructors lost."
Yeom Gyeong-bin glanced over and sure enough, the instructors hightailed it across the lake and left.
Hyeon lumbered after them.
Then he overheard Han Ibi saying.
"Brother. Where do you think the Demonic Cult leader's hiding?"
Jong Ri-hyeok replied.
"We've scoured Demon Valley Island but haven't spotted him."
"Right? I searched hard too, no luck... So, here's the thing..."
Baek Mi-hu chimed in.
"Got a good idea?"
"Demonic Cult guys are known for unexpected strategies, right?"
"Yeah."
"And Instructor Heo, possessed by the cult leader, will try his best to use them. So..."
(Continued next time)