Chapter 137
Chapter 137
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: The Merciless Lesson
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Dan Hyeong-u nodded before Jong Chil could even ask. Jong Chil was one of the most precious people to him. There was no reason to deny the burning desire in those eyes.
Jong Chil stared blankly for a moment when Dan Hyeong-u nodded so abruptly. Then his eyes widened as he realized it was permission. He hadn't expected approval before even voicing his request. Dan Hyeong-u hadn't even heard what he wanted yet.
Jong Chil was deeply moved. He saw himself as less than the dirt under Dan Hyeong-u's nails. Yet Dan Hyeong-u's regard for him was nothing like that.
Unthinkingly, Jong Chil bowed his head deeply. His chest swelled so much he couldn't speak.
"Speak."
Only after Dan Hyeong-u's words did Jong Chil catch his breath and manage to open his mouth.
"C-Could you teach me that footwork too?"
Without hesitation, Dan Hyeong-u stepped forward. In an instant, his figure shifted behind Jong Chil. Jong Chil hadn't seen a single movement.
"Try it."
Dan Hyeong-u's words rang out. Only then did Jong Chil recall how he taught others. Dan Hyeong-u never explained with words. You had to figure it out by moving your body until it hurt.
Wasting no time, Jong Chil took a step. He couldn't afford to think. He needed to master this footwork to escape the endless beatings.
Dan Hyeong-u shook his head as Jong Chil stepped. He approached and placed a hand on Jong Chil's back.
In that moment, Jong Chil's foot shot forward against his will—a bizarre sensation.
Boom!
The training hall wall shook violently. Clutching his dizzy head, Jong Chil stepped back from the wall. He'd reached the end of the hall the instant his foot extended. No time to feel anything. This was beyond mere speed.
Regaining his senses, Jong Chil looked up for Dan Hyeong-u. He was already beside him.
"Try it."
Jong Chil tensed at the words. The torment awaiting him might make even the Sword King and Sword Demon's abuse seem like a joke.
He tried to recapture the earlier sensation and took a step.
'Damn it.'
As expected, Dan Hyeong-u's palm touched his back. Again, his body moved against his will.
Boom!
This time, he slammed into the opposite wall. His speed was top-notch—and so was the pain.
Swallowing screams and groans, Jong Chil turned. Compared to the Sword King and Sword Demon's beatings, it was still bearable.
As he turned, he saw Dan Hyeong-u. Before he could be told, his foot moved again. Twice in a row, same result.
Dan Hyeong-u's palm grazed his back, and Jong Chil crashed into the far wall again.
Boom!
Training in the hall ground to a halt. Countless eyes followed Jong Chil and Dan Hyeong-u. The sight etched a deep warning into their minds: never learn footwork from Dan Hyeong-u.
The Sword King and Sword Demon shook their heads at the scene. That level of abuse would break anyone. Even a master of external arts would suffer severe internal and external injuries crashing into walls at that speed.
Besides, Jong Chil had only learned basic external arts to build his body. He couldn't withstand such impacts.
"Truly impressive the more I watch."
"And it makes you feel smaller too, inevitably."
The Sword Demon replied to the Sword King, shaking his head again. Jong Chil's body was automatically training in external arts. Each time Dan Hyeong-u touched his back, massive energy surged. Both Sword King and Sword Demon could clearly sense it.
"Healing external wounds instantly while protecting internals with qi?"
"Impossible, but that's what's happening."
"He might slip from our grasp soon."
"Not a chance. I'm not that easygoing. Even among the Ten Great Masters, I rank high. He's got a long way to go to keep up."
The Sword Demon smiled faintly and nodded at the Sword King's words.
Jong Chil becoming the Sword King's disciple was pure chance. Teaching him alongside was chance too. And at the center of it all was Dan Hyeong-u.
Dan Hyeong-u had made the Jong Chil of today.
The footwork he was teaching now followed the same principle as the Falling Thunder Step. The Heavenly Thunder had learned it similarly—but not this brutally.
There was a clear reason Dan Hyeong-u taught Jong Chil this way. The Sword King vaguely understood it.
"Taking him back already..."
The Sword King murmured wistfully.
"Hah... hah..."
Jong Chil panted as if his breath might give out. Training with Dan Hyeong-u left no room to breathe. His body ached like it was shattering. But it was bearable. Far more painful than the Sword King and Sword Demon's prods, yet tolerable—miraculous.
Qi surged endlessly from deep in his dantian. Vitality never waned. Despite the frenzy, his strength didn't fade. His inner energy didn't deplete—in fact, it grew.
Jong Chil knew it was all Dan Hyeong-u's power. At first he hadn't noticed, but now he felt the intense energy flooding in each touch.
From sensing that energy, he vaguely grasped how to move.
Catching his breath, Jong Chil extended his foot. As he did, energy flowed through his limbs via the Four Limbs and Hundred Veins. Before his eyes, qi currents unfolded—the insight from hours of slamming into walls.
He surrendered his body to the qi flow naturally.
Whoosh!
His body cut forward through the air. With a mere thread of true qi, he crossed the hall. Immense speed, but laughably slow compared to when Dan Hyeong-u assisted.
Still, Jong Chil was satisfied. With this footwork, he could escape the Sword King and Sword Demon. To him, it was a blink to traverse the hall.
Grinning brightly, he turned to Dan Hyeong-u. Unlike usual, Dan Hyeong-u stood still, watching without approaching.
And lightly shook his head.
"Just as I thought."
Dan Hyeong-u turned and walked toward Jo Seol-yeon, Umun Hye, and Jegal Rin. His single step placed him before them—an awe-inspiring sight no matter how often seen.
Jong Chil tilted his head, baffled by Dan Hyeong-u's words and actions.
As he puzzled, the Sword King and Sword Demon approached with sly grins.
"How was it, kid? Way easier with us, right?"
Jong Chil recoiled at the Sword King's words, face paling. He'd been so absorbed he forgot about them—and the resumption of training.
"What? Think that sloppy footwork lets you run?"
Jong Chil's face twisted at the Sword King's taunt. Dan Hyeong-u's wasn't sloppy. He'd prove it.
His foot shifted subtly. Follow the qi flow and ride it—that was all. Easier now after trying once.
Whoosh!
His body slipped between the Sword King and Sword Demon. Simultaneously, their figures vanished.
Thud!
Jong Chil's eyes bulged in disbelief as he clutched his side with both hands.
Crash!
He tumbled awkwardly across the floor. Lying there, stunned, he glared at the Sword Demon who'd kicked his side. The Sword King stood beside him, looking pitifully at Jong Chil.
"Told you. Sloppy footwork won't save you."
Jong Chil's face twisted again. He couldn't accept it. Just not mastered yet. More practice, and he'd escape. He repeated it inwardly.
"Time to finish our interrupted training?"
Jong Chil rose shakily. In that moment, he realized his broken arm was healed. He looked at Dan Hyeong-u with profound respect. Fixed without notice—like no human could.
'Well, I never thought he was human anyway.'
Convincing himself, Jong Chil glared at the Sword King and Sword Demon. Venom dripped from his eyes now.
The Sword Demon nodded vigorously at that gaze. Finally, the eyes he wanted. That was one reason for their harsh treatment. Jong Chil would grow much faster now.
Jong Chil's training resumed. Far more grueling than before. Yet he didn't utter a single scream amid it.
Deep into the night, a man shot through the moonlight.
Whoosh!
His body halted just before the wall. His face, lit by the moon, was rigidly set.
"What's wrong with it?"
It was Jong Chil, practicing the footwork Dan Hyeong-u taught him today. But it wasn't easy as hoped. The movements were smooth—seeing and riding qi flows natural. But that was it.
No different from daytime. Just a bit smoother; no speed gain.
Jong Chil couldn't understand.
Fast enough now, but his foes were top Ten Great Masters: Sword King and Sword Demon. Shaking them at this speed? Impossible.
He moved again.
Whoosh!
Sound of slicing wind, instant arrival at opposite wall. Still, expression grim.
"Not enough time yet?"
First day of training. Can't fill on first bite. Be content with sensitivity to qi flows and natural execution. Sleep to endure tomorrow's hell.
"Ugh."
Thinking of tomorrow made him shudder. Their training terrified him. Together, it was hell's doorstep.
"Hah."
A sigh escaped. Head down, he trudged away.
As Jong Chil vanished, two figures appeared. The Sword King and Sword Demon, who'd watched his every move.
"Tsk tsk. Already plotting escape..."
The Sword King clicked his tongue; the Sword Demon shook his head.
"Means it's that tough."
"Tough? Who made him this strong? Without us, he'd never reach this level."
"True, but I wonder if I'd endure it myself."
The Sword King nodded readily.
"Same here. But his talent's so lacking, we had no choice for his future."
The Sword Demon nodded. Right. Otherwise, no such harsh training. Or if the joint disciple rumor hadn't spread.
"Speaking of, I didn't cause the mess."
The Sword Demon murmured lowly. The Sword King fell silent. Unpleasant, but true. If he hadn't overstepped at the Paeng family, the rumors wouldn't have spread.
"Eh. Screw the rumors—quit entirely?"
He said it, but had no intention. He'd cling to Jong Chil till the end. Same for the Sword Demon.
They vented frustrations from Dan Hyeong-u's training on Jong Chil. Without that, they might go mad.
"Grateful in a way, but..."
"Exactly. Train him harder into a master. Can't have him getting beaten everywhere."
The Sword King nodded vigorously. Unacceptable. Regardless of origins or Jong Chil's feelings, he was their disciple. No master wishes ill on theirs.
"Hope he doesn't get too obsessed with that footwork."
"No results, he'll quit soon. But if he breaks through that wall, it'd be fine."
"Breaking it means retraining Heavenly Thunder too—impossible."
The Sword Demon nodded.
"Just a what-if. Unlikely."
They fell silent, then left wordlessly.
Only moonlight remained, keeping watch.