Chapter 136
Chapter 136
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: Tiger Hunt Blade, Hyuk Ligwang
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From what I'd experienced in our spar, Hyuk Ligwang's martial arts were quite divorced from the established styles of the Central Plains, relying heavily on instinctive senses—making them a poor fit for me.
No, they probably wouldn't suit anyone from the Central Plains.
You could tell just by looking at Jeon-gal Cheon-sang.
It was laughable how he'd clumsily tried to practice both the mismatched Jeon-gal Clan techniques and Hyuk Ligwang's style together.
Of course, in this fake martial world, that alone seemed to earn him treatment as a decent master.
In any case, Hyuk Ligwang's martial arts offered me no real benefit.
That was why I'd asked for a single favor in exchange for teaching him a few techniques.
I still had no idea what help I'd request with that favor, or even if I'd ever need it.
But from what I'd heard indirectly about the Jeon-gal Clan's current situation, it felt precarious enough that I should prepare for something.
"Alright, shall we get started right away?"
A bubbly voice pierced my reverie.
Turning my head, I saw Hyuk Ligwang staring at me with eyes brimming with anticipation.
Ugh... A bearded old man making that face didn't exactly thrill me—it just felt awkward.
"...Where did the guy go who was calling me rude and presumptuous on our first meeting?"
"H-Hey! That was just me poking at you because I wanted to spar! Don't hold onto petty stuff like that, kid!"
I chuckled at Hyuk Ligwang's obvious fluster and stood up.
"I'm not holding onto it, but it looks like we'll have to postpone that until tomorrow."
"Why?"
Pointing at the incense clock burning beside the campfire in response to his clearly disappointed question.
The Hour of Yin had passed, giving way to the Hour of Chou.
"My night watch shift is over. Good night."
"......"
I turned away from the stunned Hyuk Ligwang, woke the next watchman, and went to bed.
*
The next day.
As promised, in addition to overseeing the group's training after dinner, I'd added a slot to teach Hyuk Ligwang.
While the others did their individual practice, I met him separately.
Hyuk Ligwang bounded over the moment he saw me, eyes sparkling like a puppy reuniting with its owner.
Ignoring his even more burdensome gaze than yesterday, I asked,
"So, what exactly do you want to learn?"
"What else? Obviously that unbelievable speed of yours."
His eyes, which had gone distant as if recalling our spar, refocused, and he clenched his fist.
"I've never seen anyone faster than you. If I learn that secret, the Tiger Hunt Blade can evolve even further."
"Hmm, I'm afraid that alone won't do it."
"What... do you mean by that?"
I explained the concept of emitting internal energy to the puzzled Hyuk Ligwang.
At first, he looked skeptical at the idea of expelling true energy from the body through acupoints.
Then, as a test, he tried releasing it through the Yong Spring acupoint.
"Whooooaaa!?"
Just like Seol-i had, he levitated into the air before finally admitting my words weren't a lie.
"Th-That's incredible. Now I understand how you could move at such speeds."
Hyuk Ligwang, who'd narrowly avoided smashing his head into a tree thanks to me, steadied his pounding chest and muttered.
In a low voice, I asked him,
"Do you now understand why I said this alone wouldn't suffice?"
"...Yeah. On its own, it's worse than nothing."
Hyuk Ligwang nodded gravely, his face quite serious.
Fortunately, he'd grasped the issue right away.
Recall our spar from a few days ago.
Hyuk Ligwang, transforming his inner self into a beast for swift, ferocious combat, had been fairly powerful—but his movements were incredibly simplistic.
Nothing but charges, and more charges.
Honestly, if the goal had been to kill rather than subdue unharmed, the spar wouldn't have dragged on so long.
The Tiger Hunt Blade's charges were that straightforward and honest.
Since no one in this fake martial world knew how to counter that speed, it hadn't been a problem until now.
"There probably aren't many who could dodge that charge of yours."
"No one's ever managed it. Maybe the Ten Supremes, but I've never crossed paths with them to find out."
I nodded along to his answer and sank into thought.
The Tiger Hunt Blade's flaw was clear.
It was the body's balance and speed.
The four-limbed beast-mimicking stance certainly yielded explosive velocity, but for a human walking on two legs, maintaining equilibrium was exceedingly difficult.
That was why its forms and strikes were so linear and simplistic.
At minimum, it needed feint strikes to mislead foes who might read its movements.
Hyuk Ligwang looked troubled at my opinion.
"But..."
"Yes, right now, that's impossible."
I alternated between recalling Jeon-gal Cheon-sang's Tiger Hunt Sword and Hyuk Ligwang's Tiger Hunt Blade.
Jeon-gal Cheon-sang's Tiger Hunt Sword was markedly slower than Hyuk Ligwang's Blade, but its strikes, which oddly exploited openings, were fairly threatening.
Of course, he couldn't escape the pressure of my energy aura and fell helplessly—but purely in terms of strikes, it had aspects more dangerous than the Tiger Hunt Blade.
Perhaps it was the trace of efforts to refine a hollowed-out Tiger Hunt Sword?
In contrast, the Tiger Hunt Blade was the opposite.
Its speed was superb, but the strikes were utterly basic.
Why the difference?
The reason was, of course, that explosive speed I'd mentioned.
I candidly laid out the issues I'd sensed with the Tiger Hunt Blade and Hyuk Ligwang.
"Hyuk Daxia, you can't control the Tiger Hunt Blade's speed. When your charge misses, you skid because you can't quickly regain your posture—that's the proof. Pursuing even greater speed without a countermeasure is a straight path to self-destruction."
During the spar, whenever I dodged and his charge failed, Hyuk Ligwang skidded, only correcting his stance belatedly.
And now, moving even faster?
Sure, ordinary fighters wouldn't stand a chance.
But against someone like me, who could evade the charge?
"You would lose unconditionally."
I stated it flatly.
"......"
Your martial art is utterly powerless against true masters.
Faced with words that would insult any fighter a hundred times out of a hundred, Hyuk Ligwang fell silent.
His complexion seemed more somber than angry.
"That look tells me you already sensed it yourself."
"...You're right. No one felt it more keenly than I did. But there was no solution. No matter how much a human imitates a tiger, they're still just human."
Tiger Hunt Blade.
A sword art modeled after a tiger's hunting posture.
Originally, it must have aimed to capture the explosive speed a tiger unleashes during a hunt.
But humans and tigers have vastly different physiques.
Humans don't walk on all fours to begin with, nor do they have paw pads to stabilize their balance.
"I gained tiger-like speed through internal energy, but my movements became terribly simplistic. Over the past century, from my Yeop Su Sect ancestor, to my father, to me, we've tried countless ways to fix it."
"Was turning your inner self into a beast one of those...?"
At my question, Hyuk Ligwang nodded heavily.
"It's called Fierce Tiger Manifestation. One of the achievements from the past century. It discards reason to maximize all senses and fighting instinct."
Indeed, he'd evaded my energy pressure thanks to those heightened senses.
As I nodded, Hyuk Ligwang continued.
"I've searched for countless methods and attempted them all. The reason I became a guest retainer in the Jeon-gal Clan was that too. They boasted of their vast collection of arts, so I hoped to find answers there."
"...I see."
"Of course, after luring me in, they kept me out of the library until Cheon-sang was born."
Hyuk Ligwang gave a wry smile before fixing me with a heavy gaze.
"You mentioned changing the linear forms and strikes with feints. Is that really possible?"
"Yes. Fortunately, there's a good method."
His eyes widened at my immediate reply, and he swallowed hard before speaking again.
"Then show me."
"You're already seeing it."
"...What are you talking about? What am I supposed to be seeing?"
I spread my arms wide with a chuckle at his baffled expression.
"Daxia, care to try lifting my body?"
"Kid, the mood right now isn't for joking..."
"It's no joke. Just try lifting me first."
"......"
Hyuk Ligwang eyed me suspiciously for a moment before grabbing my waist and heaving in one go...
-Grip.
"...Huh?"
...He couldn't.
My body clung to the ground like it was glued, refusing to budge.
"Wh-What is this...?"
Unable to hide his shock at the bizarre phenomenon, Hyuk Ligwang wrapped his arms fully around my waist and pulled with all his might.
"Grrrrraaah-!"
A guttural shout.
But my body still didn't move an inch.
Finally giving up, Hyuk Ligwang asked shakily,
"Wh-What in the world is this?"
"It's called the Suction Technique. I use true energy emitted from the Yong Spring acupoint to keep my soles planted firmly on the ground."
Suction Technique.
This was a method I'd developed while perfecting the Spear Palace Single Flash's Return Light.
Like the Tiger Hunt Blade, the Spear Palace Single Flash was a charging technique.
If that strike missed, the Suction Technique stabilized the body, redirecting the force for a Return Light follow-up.
Applying this to the Tiger Hunt Blade should allow mid-charge redirection.
Of course, it'd require grueling practice.
"...Ah!"
Hyuk Ligwang, who'd been blankly listening to my explanation, belatedly let out an exclamation.
He realized that mastering this Suction Technique would solve the Tiger Hunt Blade's chronic flaw.
His eyes trembled as if struck by an earthquake, revealing the depth of his emotion.
With a slight smile, I outlined the training schedule.
"To use the Suction Technique, you need smooth energy emission, so we'll start there."
"...Thank you!"
With that short but loaded gratitude, our Suction Technique training began.