Chapter 150
Chapter 150
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: Dawn and Dusk Lessons
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"...What a fucking idiot."
Im Won-pyeong, the instructor for the beginner class, snorted derisively.
A martial artist stood at a distance, swinging a wooden sword. As if putting on a show for everyone, the downward strike was excruciatingly slow.
The students let out gasps of admiration. The sight was utterly ridiculous. The assistant instructor standing beside him chuckled awkwardly.
"A guy with no internal energy pulling that crap... Doesn't it look pathetic, Senior?"
"Can't argue with that."
Silent Sword.
His nickname made them tense for a moment. It was meant to intimidate and assert dominance, but inwardly, they were still shaken.
But hadn't he heard it yesterday? Straight from the academy lord's mouth.
A half-baked martial artist with no internal energy.
"Birds of a feather flock together."
Teaching what they don't have-nothingness itself.
The whole scene was laughably pathetic. Feeling foolish for having been tense before, Im Won-pyeong turned his head away.
The assistant instructor let out a small sigh of admiration.
"But... his sword swings look pretty solid. The content sinks right into your head."
"What?"
"...N-no, nothing. Sorry, Senior."
"He's the one who dared challenge authority. The guy who tarnished the prestige of the great Nine Divisions General. Watch your mouth, Deung-pyeong."
Im Won-pyeong lowered his voice.
"He's the one we need to drag down. Make any more useless noise, and I'll cut your tongue out."
"...I'll be careful."
Im Won-pyeong gave a few more pointers to the promising young heir he was teaching. With this level of private tutoring, he could rake in a fortune.
It was income befitting his skills. Compared to that, those other kids yielded not a single coin, even if he taught them.
That fabricated hero called Silent Sword would tire out and crash on his own eventually.
Benevolence? Righteousness? Mercy?
Those things brought nothing.
"Anyway..."
Im Won-pyeong smirked.
"Kids raised with nothing never know their place."
...
I taught the children. After the first lesson ended, some kids hesitantly approached me.
"Um... Instructor. Could we ask a question...?"
"Ask away."
"Th-thank you!"
Correcting their stances directly wasn't hard. A few simple nudges, and they fixed in an instant.
I kept reminding the students of the importance of stamina and conditioning in between. But some asked curiously.
"Isn't internal energy more important than external force...?"
"I heard that true internal energy makes external arts useless..."
"The other instructors keep emphasizing heart methods..."
The First Demon was right.
It was an era where even the young were taught only the importance of breathing techniques.
I hadn't been much different once. There was a time I dreamed of acquiring the world's greatest heart method. But I shook my head at them.
I recited the First Demon's teachings verbatim.
"External force must be perfected for internal energy to truly exert its power."
"Does that mean the other instructors are wrong?"
"I wouldn't say they're entirely wrong. Internal energy is important too. But without a solid external foundation, you can't even draw half the power you possess."
Students without connections entering the Cheonmu Academy were usually brimming with passion for martial arts.
If not, their tuition and time so far would crumble to dust.
That's why they gathered on their own to train fervently, even without instructors. And those who heard the rumors came to me for help, even if they hadn't attended my classes.
I taught them generously. At the same time, I looked into the Cheonmu Academy's swordsmanship.
Seven Absolutes Sword Art.
The most basic sword of the academy, taught in the beginner class, had simple forms. None of the seven stances were difficult.
A basic sword, through and through. But its essence was rock-solid. It was like a sword made to forge the vessel itself...
Intermediate students who'd seen it once roughly memorized the forms and moved on. They skipped building a proper vessel and jumped straight to advanced arts.
Weak lower bodies. Insufficient stamina to support them. In my eyes, truly competent students in the intermediate class could be counted on one hand. And those few were hailed as prodigies or geniuses.
...The level is low.
Even lower than I'd thought.
Of course, they weren't weak. That much was certain. But looking back at my own staircase of unconscious steps built on fatigue, theirs seemed fragile enough to shatter at any moment.
I didn't want to raise Gwang-yang and Na-rin as such martial artists.
They'd strut around thinking they were strong and die to a single blade.
So I ramped up the training intensity.
Na-rin and Gwang-yang gasped for breath.
"M-Master... I'm dying..."
"C-Can we... really do this...?"
"I can tell from the academy's state. There are no role models here for you to follow."
Still, I set the bar just high enough that they could grit their teeth and manage.
Suddenly, I understood the First Demon's feelings. Why my master had driven me so hard.
The desire to at least mold them to a satisfactory level.
I gripped the wooden sword from the training hall over my shoulder.
"So before you leave, I'll set you properly on the path."
"Uwaaaah!"
"I-I'm dying!"
"You won't die. Probably."
As I pushed them hard, people started peeking at us curiously during dawn and dusk.
With rumors spreading that Na-rin and Gwang-yang were my disciples, envious students appeared too.
I called out to a girl secretly mimicking Na-rin from the bushes.
"You there."
"Eek! S-Sorry!"
"Come forward."
The girl, looking ready to burst into tears any second, shuffled up to me.
Her reaction was, in a way, normal. Martial arts were a person's assets. Stealing a sect's techniques was no different from theft.
I brushed a leaf from her hair. Then I took up the Cheonmu Academy's basic swordsmanship-the Seven Absolutes Sword Art I'd mastered in a day.
It wasn't difficult. As a basic sword, it was simple, and for me now, trivially easy.
"How far have you learned the Seven Absolutes?"
"Y-Yes...? Up to... stage 3..."
"Fast."
Too fast. She was following the same path as the others.
Leave her be, and another mediocre martial artist would be born. I patted her head.
She blinked, her face flushing red.
"I-Instructor...?"
"Two paths lie before you. The easy one and the hard one. And the rewards are proportional to the difficulty."
"......"
"There's no fixed path in martial arts. The path you choose to walk becomes the way. But an inadequate body limits your choices. To expand those options, rigorous training is essential. And the more effort you pour in, the more you gain."
The girl blinked. I asked bluntly.
"The easy path or the hard one-which do you want?"
"I-I want the hard path...!"
"Good."
I pointed to Na-rin and Gwang-yang rolling in the dirt.
"Come here at mao hour and xu hour. Dawn and dusk. You need to sacrifice those two times to be called a true martial artist."
"Pardon?"
"Join them."
I gave the girl's back a nudge.
"You chose the hard path, so I'll help you."
Na-rin, panting in the dust, grinned through her groans.
"Welcome... to hell..."
Gwang-yang, collapsed from holding horse stance, shrugged his shoulders.
"Comrades... are always... better...!"
The girl flinched.
"C-Can I have a moment to think...?"
"Move your body instead of thinking."
I pushed her back firmly.
"That's the basics of a martial artist."
"Kyaaak!"
...
Rumors spread through the Cheonmu Academy.
Silent Sword was holding secret classes at dawn and dusk for the stragglers.
The academy lord made no official statement. He simply pretended not to hear and stayed silent.
As a result, students sneaked to the back mountain of the third hall where things were happening. And they witnessed the truth of the rumors with their own eyes.
Hell.
Students shouldered glossy logs and moved. Some groaned while gripping crudely made equipment.
"The lower body is crucial. It's the hardest part to train. Push to the limit. Only when you can't walk anymore have you truly trained."
The man called Silent Sword roamed tirelessly, correcting each student's form. Even as the number swelled past a hundred, he didn't complain-just kept instructing.
The entranced students soon felt their power growing. The Seven Absolutes became ingrained in their bodies, and their thrusting steps gained force.
Those lost in direction learned to grip their swords straight. Those yearning to grow learned to temper their bodies through instruction.
A true master. And talents blooming late by following his teachings.
Some students grew rapidly. Those drawing steep growth curves received a separate request from Red Cloud.
"You're capable enough to teach others."
"Then what about us...?"
"With numbers growing, I can't manage alone. But we can't abandon the teachings. Look after those I miss. Bring anything you don't know to me."
"...Can we really do it?"
"Time to gather everyone and lay it out."
Red Cloud assembled the students. He had them all sit, then cleared his throat.
"I believe opportunity must be fair to all. Even the destitute deserve a chance to learn. But it's not happening properly here, so we have to make it right ourselves."
"......"
"......"
"Teach the newcomers yourselves. Keep the teachings flowing down. Maintain special classes for the third and fourth halls, make benevolence a continuous tradition."
The students stared blankly at the instructor before them.
Red Cloud spoke softly.
"If they won't teach, help each other. Remember to give, and make it the norm."
"......"
"......"
"Think ceaselessly on why you wield the sword. Your goals may differ..."
He smiled.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile.
"Extend your hand to the weak. It will come back to you in time."
Righteous One.
Looking at each other, the students felt something boiling inside. They nodded and shouted in unison.
"Yes, Instructor!"
"We won't forget!"
"We'll make it happen! A unified tradition! A spirit we must never lose!"
The dawn and dusk training.
Made up of third and fourth hall students, it became a regular routine in less than two weeks.
Rumors spread mouth to mouth, becoming a secret class every Cheonmu Academy student knew of.
"H-Hi...!"
"Come on in."
Veteran trainees helped newcomers.
And they reflected on themselves while teaching the new ones.
In this virtuous cycle, Red Cloud's title changed.
From Instructor to Teacher-a warmer, more affectionate term.
"...Anyone."
He said.
"Can pick up the sword if they want. So don't hesitate-grab it."
His calm words carried weight.
Students without backgrounds or wealth...
"I'll teach you."
Had a power that commanded respect.