Return of the Cloud Dragon — Chapter 21: Half a Step

"Permission granted."

That single word settled the boiling air of the training grounds. Every gaze in the arena converged on the one person about to face Chief Instructor Jeok Mu-gwang, the Mad Blood Blade, all by himself.

Clank.

Yun Cheon stepped onto the dueling platform.

The contrast between the two figures was almost surreal. A cadet weighed down by heavy iron rings on all four limbs, like a prisoner in chains—and standing across from him, a peak-realm master among instructors.

The strangeness of it silenced the arena in an instant, as if cold water had been dumped over the crowd. In that absolute stillness, the sound of Ma Chung and Ya Jin swallowing dryly from the instructor's bench rang out with terrible clarity.

Damn it all… the original plan was for the boy to shine against his fellow cadets. If this goes wrong, my investment goes to waste.

Ma Chung clutched his head.

Wait—hold on. What if he actually performs well against Instructor Jeok Mu-gwang? But… is that even possible?

Beside him, confusion clouded Ya Jin's eyes as well.

Did Instructor Jeok Mu-gwang sense the boy's talent? If this continues, taking him into the Shadowless Killing Sect may become difficult….

Senior Drill Instructor Ya Jin had just realized that he could no longer monopolize Yun Cheon within his own sphere.

Of all times, he has to appear at the public observation! My rivals will only multiply. I must send word to the sect at once.

Only Yu Ha's eyes gleamed as he watched the extraordinary spectacle unfold with genuine delight.

Jeok Mu-gwang versus Yun Cheon, is it? Considering the instructor's temperament, this will unfold in a way none of the other cadets could ever comprehend.

On the dueling platform, Jeok Mu-gwang stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Whelp, this time there's no restriction of the circle like last time. Think you can handle it in that state?"

Yun Cheon's answer was brief.

"…I will simply do my best."

At that very moment, just as the duel was about to begin, Yayul Hui stepped forward.

"Chief Instructor! Instructor Jeok Mu-gwang is a master of a far higher realm than any of the drill instructors! Therefore, that fact must be factored into the evaluation of this cadet!"

At that audacious outburst, an imperceptibly faint smile flickered across Gal Mu-heun's lips on the dais.

Ho. A daughter of the Yayul Clan, is she? Considerable spirit. It cannot have been easy to step forward in an atmosphere like this.

He nodded as though it were only natural and spoke.

"Naturally… I shall take it into account."

From Gal Mu-heun's perspective, Yayul Hui's action was precisely in accord with the Demonic Path. As his moniker 'One Brush Soul Snatcher' suggested, he was a master of the brush technique with profound scholarly attainments—and unbending spirit and conviction in the face of power were exactly the demonic dao he pursued.

"Even if Instructor Jeok Mu-gwang refrains from using internal energy, he remains a master who stands far beyond the level of an ordinary drill instructor. This fact will be reflected in Cadet Yun Cheon's evaluation."

Gal Mu-heun's gaze turned toward Yun Cheon.

"Your opponent was switched at the last moment—for the sake of a fair contest, do you have any other requests?"

Yayul Hui screamed inwardly.

Ask him to shorten the time you have to endure, or demand some other restriction! Anyone with your head could think of a reasonable handicap in a heartbeat!

But Yun Cheon's answer defied everyone's expectations.

"Please permit me to exchange blows with him freely from the start. Just as Cadet Muk Ha-jin did."

Disappointment and disbelief swept across Yayul Hui's face.

You idiot! You're going to face Instructor Jeok Mu-gwang with no restrictions whatsoever from the very start? That's absurd!

Only Yu Ha smiled at Yun Cheon.

Come to think of it… merely evading a peak master's attacks would be even harder than striking back. Even so, to demand no other conditions at all… Yun Cheon has left himself no choice but to show his true ability.

Gal Mu-heun's eyes gleamed with interest as well.

Yayul Hui, Yu Ha, and now Yun Cheon. It might be entertaining to nurture this batch of Hidden Demon Cave cadets myself… a pity there are observers present.

At last, he declared the duel's beginning.

"If that is the cadet's wish, so be it. Begin the duel."

Gong—!

The gong sounded, and the duel between Yun Cheon and Jeok Mu-gwang began.

"From what I saw last time, you have a decent command of spacing. Advance and retreat—the fundamentals of footwork. You know when to press forward and when to give ground."

Jeok Mu-gwang moved first. Still with his hands behind his back, he had done nothing more than flick his feet lightly, yet his form closed the distance at astonishing speed. It was lightfootedness incarnate.

"A rare attainment at your age—but this time, this instructor is not confined within a circle, so things will unfold somewhat differently than before."

With lightning footwork, Jeok Mu-gwang pressed in on Yun Cheon. Each of his footfalls seemed to coil around Yun Cheon's avenues of retreat, strangling them one by one.

I asked for free exchange of blows, and he means to open with a contest of footwork?

Having read Jeok Mu-gwang's intent, Yun Cheon answered with the Limitless Step. Weighted down by the heavy iron rings, he seemed to move a beat slower. To the watching cadets, his footwork looked hopelessly outmatched.

"The difference in speed is enormous!"

"So that's… the footwork of a peak-realm master!"

Under even Jeok Mu-gwang's lightest probing steps, Yun Cheon appeared helpless, driven back, scrambling just to defend. At that precarious sight, the cadets in the stands began laughing openly.

"What the hell is that? Is he joking around?"

"He can't even move properly with those iron rings on!"

"He dares face an instructor without even removing them? The arrogance is beyond belief!"

Yet as time passed, the contest began to flow in a strangely unsettling way.

Yun Cheon's movements were neither blindingly fast nor endlessly varied—and somehow, that was exactly what grated on Jeok Mu-gwang's nerves.

I've already seen Jeok Mu-gwang's movements once before.

The actual distance between them was clearly short. And yet it felt as though Yun Cheon stood not one step ahead, but several—as if he were anticipating every advance and retreat before it happened.

This boy's movements aren't fast at all, but where he arrives is uncanny…!

Jeok Mu-gwang was unquestionably the faster of the two, yet Yun Cheon, eerily, could not be caught.

"……?"

"What's going on?"

"Don't tell me… the instructor's going easy on him?"

"Obviously. He said he'd take it into consideration, didn't he?"

"He said he'd factor it into the evaluation, not that he'd go easy…."

On the platform, one ferocious exchange of footwork followed another—but among the cadets, whose level was too low to grasp what they were seeing, bewildered questions kept erupting.

Gal Mu-heun, Lord of the Mad Path Pavilion, however, pierced the situation at a single glance.

Hoo…! That is the subtlety of slowness (The Art of Subtlety)! A gait that governs not speed but space and flow itself—how can a mere cadet already be walking his own martial dao?

Yu Ha, too, could not contain his astonishment.

A monster. How can he possibly do that? I know those afflicted with severed meridians often carry some heaven-defying hidden gift, but this talent is beyond all reason!

But Yun Cheon's inner world was different.

He had once been the First Sword of Kunlun, the one called the Cloud Dragon. Months of hellish training and every manner of medicinal herb had tempered his body like steel and steadied his vital energy.

…They call it severed meridians, so I can't use internal energy. But that's no handicap—my opponent isn't using it either.

In a contest of pure technique under identical conditions, there was no reason for him to lose to a warrior of mere peak realm.

Hah… it defies belief. Where on earth did a boy like this crawl out from!

The most shaken man of all was Jeok Mu-gwang himself, locked in the duel. The hem of Yun Cheon's robe, brushing within a hair's breadth of his fist only to slip away again, was gnawing away at his patience.

Not only had he failed to seize superiority in footwork—every strike of fist, palm, and heel carved nothing but empty air.

Damn it, he's clearly not fast, and yet I cannot touch him…!

It had been Yun Cheon, all along, who had concealed his true skill in the three-on-one duel before.

I had him investigated and found nothing out of the ordinary. A gutter-orphan fished off the streets—possessing a gift for the ages, truly?

Just as bewilderment crept into his mind, Yun Cheon—having now fully committed Jeok Mu-gwang's footwork to memory—felt his eyes flash cold.

It was time, at last, to pay back a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠debt.

Swoosh—.

In that instant, Yun Cheon's foot moved at an uncanny angle, penetrating Jeok Mu-gwang's radius by the width of a single sheet of paper. It was a movement like a shadow seeping into the cracks of the world.

Ya Jin's eyes flooded with disbelief.

That movement is… the Shadowless Step of my own sect? While lugging around those slabs of iron? No—rather, he's inverted the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠weight itself to anchor his center…!

The next moment, Yun Cheon's upper body vanished from sight. Then a violent rotation stirred the air, split it apart, and loosed a razor-sharp kick. The target was singular: Jeok Mu-gwang's flank.

"Th-that's my Blood Wind Leg!"

Ma Chung shot up from his seat without thinking.

That boy—that monster of a boy—is demonstrating my martial art against Instructor Jeok Mu-gwang! Did he actually keep our promise?

It had been a promise even Ma Chung never expected to be honored. To think the boy would demonstrate his technique against an instructor, of all things.

Where does the nerve come from!

Jeok Mu-gwang moved to deflect Yun Cheon's Blood Wind Leg with a light knife-hand. But Yun Cheon, as though he had anticipated even that, folded his leg mid-swing, then wheeled through another half rotation and drove into Jeok Mu-gwang's lower line.

Pang!

For the first time, Jeok Mu-gwang unclasped his hands from behind his back and caught the kick with his open palm. The result: he retreated half a step.

That half step was the signal flare.

"That looked like Senior Drill Instructor Ya Jin's Shadowless Step just now, didn't it?"

"And that kick technique is Drill Instructor Ma Chung's! Blood Wind Leg, he called it!"

"Yu-Yun Cheon actually attacked the instructor?"

In that instant, the shoulders of Ya Jin and Ma Chung rose impossibly high.

My Shadowless Step… wielded that naturally. I must bring that boy into the Shadowless Killing Sect, no matter what…!

This absolute madman! He actually unleashed Blood Wind Leg against an instructor! My investment is a runaway success!

The two investors' expressions cycled from despair to astonishment to euphoria. From that moment, both were cheering for Yun Cheon with everything they had.

Yun Cheon no longer confined himself to defense and evasion. The brilliant counterattacks that kept erupting from him made it clear that Jeok Mu-gwang could no longer manage with bare hands alone.

…To think it would come to this, even with me refusing to draw a weapon.

Jeok Mu-gwang had always been confident he could subdue any drill instructor barehanded. Which made the shock all the greater. Tendons stood out at his brow.

"Hnngh…."

A low groan escaped his lips. Before the eyes of everyone, he had committed the disgrace of yielding half a step to a mere cadet. Rage boiled up in him at the humiliation—but faster still came a pure, unfeigned exhilaration at the fragment of true martiality this whelp had shown him.

I acknowledge it… whelp. Your footwork is no lesser than mine.

He no longer saw Yun Cheon as a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠child.

You are already a warrior.

At that very moment, the gong rang out.

Gong—!

The clear sound swept across the entire arena: half the allotted time had passed since the duel began. The referee's cry followed.

"Half the round has elapsed! Don the iron chest plates!"

Without taking his eyes off Yun Cheon, Jeok Mu-gwang drew a palm-sized black steel plate from his robe and affixed it to his chest. He now had something he must protect—the moment the contest was meant to shift into a war of position.

Yet instead of resuming, Jeok Mu-gwang halted the bout and spoke to the nearest instructor.

"…Bring me a wooden saber."

At those words, the entire arena erupted into murmurs.

"A wo-wooden saber?"

"The instructor… is drawing a weapon against a cadet?"

It was unprecedented. For Jeok Mu-gwang to take up a blade was a declaration that he would face his opponent with everything he had.

The moment his hand closed around the wooden saber, the air of dignity about the instructor vanished. In its place remained only a cold, cruel gleam—the eyes of a starving beast.

Blood-scented killing intent and madness pressed down upon the entire training grounds like a physical weight. The Mad Blood Blade. Only now did his moniker reveal its true substance.

"Now it gets real, whelp."

Before that overwhelming pressure, Yun Cheon—gasping for rough breath for the first time—shook his head.

"…I can go no further."

Words that sounded like an admission of defeat. The cadets let out a sigh that mingled regret with relief.

"You fought well, Yun Cheon!"

"Not bad at all!"

"What could he do once the instructor picked up a weapon?"

It was the very moment when even Ma Chung and Ya Jin were about to breathe sighs of relief, thinking, 'This much was more than enough of a showing.'

But Yun Cheon did something else entirely. Instead of conceding, he let a faint smile touch his lips.

And into the silent arena rang a foreign sound.

Clank—.

Every head snapped toward the source. Calmly, utterly composed, Yun Cheon was undoing the joint seams of the iron rings fastened around his own legs.

Boom!

The sound of the massive hunk of iron striking the platform floor hammered into everyone's hearts. Only then did the cadets truly see it—the grotesque slabs of iron that had shackled Yun Cheon's limbs all this time.

Shock washed over the training grounds.

"Wh-what is that thing?"

"The-the sound of it is unbelievably heavy!"

"Iron rings! Now that I think of it, he's been wearing them this entire time!"

"…He wasn't fighting at full strength? Against the instructor?"

Yun Cheon loosened his newly lightened body. Crack, crack. The sound of bone striking bone popped from his joints. The weight that had shackled his every movement was gone.

"Whew… my body feels light at last."

It was as though a compressed spring had finally been released, and his whole frame felt weightless.

Jeok Mu-gwang's eyes, too, flooded with disbelief.

"Ha…."

Yu Ha, Yayul Hui, and even Gal Mu-heun on the dais—every eye in the arena had gone round. All of them, without realizing it, had forgotten the existence of the iron rings binding Yun Cheon's limbs.

That was how utterly Yun Cheon had dominated the duel.

Then, in a low voice—but one clear enough to carry across the entire training grounds—Yun Cheon spoke.

"Now then, shall we try again, Instructor?"

No part of this book may be used in any form or by any means without the written permission of Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. — Dreambooks.