Swordsmanship Training
When I finally completed all twenty laps, Do Yul approached me, cupping his hands together and bowing deeply.
"Young Sect Leader! This is magnificent! Your stamina has improved tremendously!"
"What do you mean by that?"
"In the past, even when I asked you to run twenty laps, you always stopped at ten... This is the first time you have completed all twenty!"
It seems the fellow named Baek Yeon used to slack off during physical training.
Unaware of this, I had not only run at a faster pace than usual, but I had also naively completed all twenty laps. No wonder Instructor Do is so deeply moved.
"Once I actually tried, it was nothing of consequence."
I wasn't just saying that to be polite. To think he slacked off because he found even this level of training difficult... Was the original Baek Yeon actually lacking in persistence? Well, he had lost his mother at a young age and was in despair, so it wasn't entirely surprising.
Various other exercises followed.
When I gripped the iron bar and performed a hundred consecutive pull-ups, Instructor Do looked as if he was about to burst into tears of emotion.
Did my basic physical strength improve as a result of my internal energy cultivation? I should ask Myeongjon when I see him again.
After spending the entire morning completing basic training and returning from lunch, I found Instructor Do waiting for me with two wooden swords.
"Young Sect Leader, we shall now begin your swordsmanship training in earnest."
Honestly, swordsmanship training was the part I was least confident in.
I really have no confidence in fighting...
External training, simply put, is practicing how to fight. For an extreme introvert like me, it was bound to be a daunting task. Unlike internal cultivation, which can be practiced alone—even locked away staring at a wall—swordsmanship requires facing an opponent and exchanging forms. The sheer social interaction of the process was incredibly burdensome.
And worst of all...
"There is no need to be nervous just because the Sect Leader is present."
Until now, Baek Yeon had always trained one-on-one with Instructor Do.
But perhaps because of my rapid progress in the Dark Demon Scripture lately, expectations of me had skyrocketed. Today, of all days, the Sect Leader had decided to witness my talent with his own eyes. Not only him, but the Left and Right Guardians, as well as the major figures of the Demonic Cult known as the Eight Demons of the Sun and Moon, had all gathered at the training grounds.
It also happened to be the very first day of my swordsmanship training with Instructor Do.
It was already stressful enough, but having so many eyes watching made it infinitely worse.
But since I had resolved to survive as the Young Sect Leader of the Demonic Cult, I couldn't run away.
I just need to avoid making a fool of myself by panicking, right? I can at least manage that.
I gripped the wooden sword tightly, trying to calm my racing heart.
"How should I proceed?"
"Today is merely to observe your current skills, Young Sect Leader. Therefore, you need only attack me with all your might."
"With this wooden sword?"
"Yes, indeed."
"What if you get hurt?"
"Pardon?"
I hadn't spoken particularly loudly, but since only the two of us were standing in the middle of the vast training grounds, my words carried surprisingly far.
Laughter erupted from the spectators in the distance.
"Hahaha!"
"Did you hear what the Young Sect Leader just said?"
"It is Instructor Do who should be nervous."
Even the Sect Leader, who rarely showed any emotion, let out a smirk.
Why are they laughing? I only said it because I was genuinely worried Instructor Do might get hurt.
"Do you find my words amusing?"
The moment I casually uttered those words, the laughter that had been echoing from all sides instantly died down.
Ah, what now?
I had no such intention, but because of my nervousness, I had spoken louder than intended. My expression must have also been incredibly stiff, making it look highly threatening.
Instructor Do's face froze like ice.
A strange, suffocating silence stretched over the training grounds.
"I apologize, Young Sect Leader. This humble servant had absolutely no intention of mocking you."
Do Yul bowed his head ninety degrees, pleading for forgiveness.
I'm the one who wants to apologize, but a ruthless Young Sect Leader can't apologize to a subordinate in front of the Sect Leader.
I just wanted to get this over with and go back to my room to rest.
"Prepare yourself."
"Yes, Young Sect Leader."
"May I utilize my internal energy?"
"Of course, Young Sect Leader. Please attack with all your might."
Great, now things are awkward between me and Instructor Do.
Anyway, if he wants me to go all out, that means the Sect Leader is going to evaluate my talent based on this attack, right?
I gripped the wooden sword in a stance that felt awkward even to me.
Ah, I'm going crazy. I'm so nervous.
Thinking about the Sect Leader watching made my heart race with intense anxiety. If the Sect Leader decided I had no talent, all the reputation and achievements I had painstakingly built might go down the drain. This was the man who had once threatened to destroy my dantian. If I disappointed him today, and if that disappointment accumulated until he stripped me of my title...
I raised the wooden sword with both hands, taking a deep breath to focus my mind on my dantian and draw up my internal energy.
But in my state of extreme anxiety, my thoughts began to spiral in a bizarre direction.
If I get kicked out penniless, I'll probably get caught by bandits and die before the Murim Alliance can even send anyone after me.
Die...? I'm going to die?
And of all times, at that exact, absurdly sudden moment, the Heavenly Killer Star triggered.
My vision instantly turned crimson.
My heart beat like crazy.
My internal energy boiled, heating up my entire body.
I realized something was wrong and tried to stop, but I didn't have the strength to halt the wooden sword once it had already begun its descent.
My vision expanded, and everything slowed down.
"Eek!!!??"
Witnessing my glowing crimson eyes, Instructor Do's eyes widened in sheer terror, his face contorting as he gasped for air.
He raised his wooden sword to block my strike.
CRACK!
Perhaps Instructor Do had never imagined I would unleash such a monstrously powerful blow. The wooden sword he was holding shattered instantly.
BOOM!
Fortunately, as his sword shattered, it deflected the trajectory of my strike, causing the wooden sword to slam into his shoulder instead of his head.
"Argh!"
Do Yul collapsed, clutching his shoulder in agony as he rolled on the ground.
The vast training grounds fell into stunned silence.
"Ah..."
But the most panicked person of all was none other than me.
"Did I... do it again?"
In the heavy silence, my quiet mutter echoed exceptionally loud.
A few days later, in the early morning, I went to the training grounds to find a man waiting for me with a bandage wrapped around his right shoulder.
"Young Sect Leader."
"Instructor Do..."
I glanced at Do Yul's shoulder, which had been broken by my wooden sword. The injury from that unfortunate accident had not yet fully healed.
Even so, as soon as he was able to move his body to some extent, he returned to duty, determined to continue my martial arts lessons.
"I am deeply ashamed for showing such a pathetic display last time. I had no idea your internal energy was already so profound, Young Sect Leader."
"I, too..."
I almost blurted out 'I am deeply sorry too.' I need to stay sharp, even if the Sect Leader isn't around. I am the terrifying Young Sect Leader of the Sun and Moon Sect.
"I, too, did not know. I had no idea you would be unable to withstand even that much, Instructor Do."
"Haha. Indeed, you are correct."
"Will you be alright in that state? What will you do if your other shoulder breaks as well?"
"Do not worry, Young Sect Leader. Such a thing will not happen again."
"I shall hold you to that."
Thankfully, Instructor Do didn't hold a grudge and laughed heartily.
"Now, this time, you will be attacking these wooden training dummies. Please start with the one on the far left."
The unfortunate accident hadn't brought only bad results.
Having painfully realized just how terrifying the Young Sect Leader's martial arts were, Instructor Do had changed his teaching method. Instead of sparring with a person, he had me strike wooden dummies.
Thanks to that, I could focus on my swordsmanship training with a mind infinitely more comfortable than when facing a person.
Ten wooden dummies carved in human shapes stood in a row. They were identical in size and shape, but their colors were all different.
The first three on the left were green, the next three were blue, and the next three were red. As they went further to the right, the colors became darker and deeper.
And the dummy on the far right was pitch black.
"Should I strike with all my might?"
"Yes, Young Sect Leader. However, please do not use the Heavenly Killer Star. Only utilize the Dark Demon Scripture."
"I had no intention of doing so anyway."
Whew.
I gripped the wooden sword tightly, taking a deep breath and circulating my internal energy.
I had been practicing the Dark Demon Scripture diligently since my wall-gazing meditation, and I could feel my internal energy growing day by day.
Using the physical strength enhanced by my internal energy, I could unleash a far more powerful strike.
CRACK!
My wooden sword slammed down onto the head of the first dummy.
With a crisp snap, the wooden dummy split cleanly in half.
Is this okay?
"As expected, marvelous, Young Sect Leader! Now, please attack the next dummy."
Ah, I see.
Instructor Do was trying to measure the level of my martial arts using these dummies. Since he got hurt trying to do it himself, he must have decided to use this method instead.
The darker the dummy, the more force was required to break it.
CRACK!
The second dummy also shattered under my wooden sword, but I felt a distinct weightiness compared to the first.
"Whoa..."
When I broke the first dummy, Instructor Do had merely given polite praise. But when the second dummy shattered, his jaw dropped in genuine astonishment.
But it didn't stop there.
The third dummy was even harder, but it also shattered in a single strike.
Seeing this, Instructor Do gulped in silence, completely dumbfounded.
At this point, I was getting curious too.
How many of these dummies can I break? Just how high is my martial arts realm?