Chapter 10: Heavenly Sword Hall (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 10: Heavenly Sword Hall (1)
Namgung Jun stepped into the pavilion of the Heavenly Sword Hall alone.
Watching his retreating figure, Lee Se-ha wore a pleased smile.
'As expected of Jun.'
Unleashing a barrage of sharp Qi Waves at a newcomer was the Heavenly Sword Hall's traditional initiation ritual, designed to test their reaction. Curious to see how her disciple would handle it, she had stayed behind to watch instead of entering with him. She hadn't, however, expected him to draw his sword right away.
'Normally, the pressure would utterly suppress one's mind and body.'
When the initiation began, more than a few recruits would collapse on the spot. Even Lee Se-ha herself, when she had undergone the ritual, had only barely been able to move after pushing her Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula to its absolute limit.
Yet Namgung Jun showed no such weakness.
Not only did he calmly withstand the Qi Waves, but he even drew his sword, provoking his seniors as if this level of pressure was nothing to him.
'His control over his internal energy has grown even more proficient since I last saw him.'
Because Namgung Jun's internal energy still lacked depth, he couldn't completely suppress the Qi Waves pressing in from the Heavenly Sword Hall swordsmen. However, he tightly wove his own energy into a protective barrier, preventing his seniors' power from buffeting his body and robes.
Sensing this, several of the swordsmen let out quiet gasps of admiration and began toying with their hilts. His unexpectedly bold attitude naturally sparked their desire to cross blades with him.
"I've heard about you. They say you have quite a talent for the swift sword."
A middle-aged man suddenly appeared before Namgung Jun. With his arrival, the oppressive Qi Waves targeting Namgung Jun vanished all at once.
Three clouds were embroidered on the man's sleeves. He was a Third Cloud.
"Let's exchange a few blows. I must see for myself whether you're a newcomer worthy of a welcome, or just a child who needs to be coddled."
Namgung Jun's lips curled upward.
The man's words were harsh, but his heart clearly wasn't in it. He was just putting on a threatening front to intimidate him. Though his voice was rough, there wasn't a shred of genuine malice behind it.
Thus, Namgung Jun smiled easily and gripped his hilt.
"I was hoping for this."
"Very well."
Swoosh!
Courtesies like a senior yielding the first move did not exist in the Heavenly Sword Hall.
As if to demonstrate the principle of striking first to seize the advantage, the middle-aged man's swift sword lunged straight for Namgung Jun's wrist.
'He's trying to stop me from drawing my sword entirely.'
Namgung Jun stepped to the left, executing the Infinite Steps of the Namcheon Palace.
Having dodged the thrust by a hair's breadth, Namgung Jun's sleeves fluttered violently. Even though his first strike missed, the middle-aged man's transition into his next attack was seamless. With a slight twist of his wrist, he extended his sword in a sweeping horizontal arc—a sword path designed to cut off the Infinite Steps.
However, Namgung Jun's movement defied expectations. Instead of continuing to evade, he closed the distance.
A sharp Sword Light was already flickering from his scabbard. As Namgung Jun unleashed his own swift sword to turn the tide, the middle-aged man met him head-on without backing down.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In an instant, their blades clashed over seven times, producing a series of sharp, metallic rings.
Thud!
Namgung Jun executed an Earth-Trembling Stomp to disperse the shockwave surging through his body. Meanwhile, the middle-aged man was already twisting at the waist, swinging his sword once more.
Though they seemed evenly matched in their exchange, there was a clear disparity in their internal and external cultivation. The middle-aged man, who had been trying to keep Namgung Jun under constant pressure, felt his eyebrows twitch. Despite being a breath behind in power, Namgung Jun had actually gone on the offensive.
'So he's the aggressive type?'
The strikes of the Thirteen Lightning Flash Sword Thunders rained down relentlessly, targeting the middle-aged man's upper body.
Deflecting thrusts aimed at his chest and shoulders, the middle-aged man spun through the air. At the same time, his sword slashed horizontally and vertically, attempting to restrict Namgung Jun's movements. Yet even against strikes that seemed to rush in from all sides at once, Namgung Jun parried them with ease.
In fact, his technique was admirable—he used the impact of each parry as recoil to accelerate his own blade. Secretly astonished, the middle-aged man gradually increased his Sword Speed, and Namgung Jun matched him with even faster strikes.
Clash! Cl-cl-clang!
The two swordsmen exchanged dozens of blows in the blink of an eye, neither yielding a single step.
'He's keeping up with my speed?'
The middle-aged man pulled his extended sword back to his chest to prepare his next form. Though his movements were perfectly disciplined, his lips trembled slightly. He was utterly shocked.
The swift sword technique Namgung Jun displayed was simply absurd. The skill the boy before him possessed was profoundly exquisite. His swordsmanship was so outstanding that it only made his meager cultivation stand out all the more.
'To unleash sword strikes of this caliber with that body and internal energy!'
How many swordsmen in the Heavenly Sword Hall could actually trade blows with him head-on like this?
Swoosh!
"Hmm? They're getting faster."
"Is this really okay?"
"To think he can trade so many blows..."
The Heavenly Sword Hall swordsmen spectating the duel groaned in astonishment. They hadn't expected the spar to become this intense.
Their eyes remained glued to Namgung Jun.
'At this rate, it's hard to even call him a newcomer.'
'Where on earth did they find such a monster?'
Though they never skipped an initiation ritual, this was the first time they had seen such an evenly matched duel. Of course, the middle-aged man was holding back and controlling his strength, but it was still an astonishing feat.
'He wields his sword well. I see why the Hall Master took him as a disciple.'
As the middle-aged man traded blows with Namgung Jun, a growing sense of exhilaration washed over him. Though they had met for the first time today, he felt a strange familiarity, as if he had been reunited with an old sword-brother.
He grew curious.
Just how far could Namgung Jun go?
The middle-aged man tightened his grip on his hilt. But just as he began to channel his internal energy, a line of Voice Transmission entered his ear.
— That's enough.
It was a cold, sharp voice.
The Voice Transmission of the Heavenly Sword Hall Master.
'Heh. So she does worry about her disciple like a proper master.'
Quickly reigning in his excitement, the middle-aged man gradually lightened his strikes and began to back away. Recognizing his intent, Namgung Jun also took a step back to create distance.
Whoosh!
As both swordsmen sheathed their weapons simultaneously, a thick cloud of dust rose around them.
"The name's Gong Jun-am. I look forward to working with you. Next time, I hope we can cross blades with heavy swords."
It was a sudden self-introduction, but Namgung Jun didn't mind. He knew this was Gong Jun-am's way of acknowledging him.
"..."
Silence fell over the Heavenly Sword Hall the moment Gong Jun-am introduced himself. It was only natural.
The man who had stepped forward was one of the most prominent swordsmen among the Third Clouds. He also acted as the deputy Hall Master in Lee Se-ha's absence. He was not an opponent a mere newcomer could stand against, especially relying solely on sword skill.
"You've all seen enough of the newcomer's skills, yes?"
As Lee Se-ha approached with a bright smile, the members of the Heavenly Sword Hall finally began to speak.
"So the rumors were true! He won the martial tournament with a single strike every time!"
"Incredible. The youngest is no ordinary rookie."
"If anything, we should be the ones learning from him."
The swordsmen who had been watching from the sidelines activated their Lightness Movement Art in unison to draw closer.
"Welcome to the Heavenly Sword Hall."
"Apologies for the Qi Waves earlier. It's just our hall's initiation ritual... though you didn't seem bothered by it at all."
"I'd love to go on a mission with you. That's when we'll see your true worth."
The swordsmen clamored to introduce themselves, each talking over the other.
"I am Namgung Jun."
Having already adapted to the disciplined yet chaotic atmosphere of the Heavenly Sword Hall, Namgung Jun offered his greetings with his usual calm demeanor.
* * *
After his first day, Namgung Jun sat in the Heavenly Sword Hall's dormitory, his expression grim.
"Ugh."
The Yin Cold Qi of the Nine Yin Severed Meridian was overflowing throughout his body.
'Is it a seizure?'
Suppressing the pain, Namgung Jun sat cross-legged. His stiffening body refused to obey him, but he moved with practiced ease.
An extreme cold spread through his body, making him shiver uncontrollably. It felt as though invisible icicles were piercing his very skin.
"Whew."
Namgung Jun calmly recited the mnemonic of the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula. He began to circulate his internal energy using the method he had developed to cope with his past seizures.
'The intensity has worsened.'
The violently surging Yin Cold Qi was far more powerful than before.
Against the energy tearing through his meridians at random, his usual methods were barely effective. His only option was to endure with the Thunder Qi of his Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula until the seizure subsided.
Hum!
As his internal energy slowly soothed his meridians and resisted the Yin Cold Qi, a small vibration erupted within him.
The violently writhing Yin Cold Qi reacted to the Thunder Qi, causing a clash. As if refusing to allow any scorching Yang Qi within his meridians, it expanded in all directions, attempting to swallow the internal energy of the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula.
'Center it around the Tianzhong Acupoint...'
Any ordinary prodigy would have been overwhelmed by the Yin Cold Qi and succumbed to the seizure.
But Namgung Jun was different.
He still possessed the experience of circulating internal energy as a peerless expert from his past life.
By delicately manipulating the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula, Namgung Jun went beyond merely protecting his meridians and began to chip away at the Yin Cold Qi itself.
'If I just let it happen, it's nothing but a seizure. But if I can scrape away its energy bit by bit, it's no different from consuming a spirit elixir.'
Just as his precarious Qi Circulation was underway, the Yin Cold Qi threatened to surge once more.
Flash!
At that moment, a massive amount of scorching Yang Qi poured in through Namgung Jun's Mingmen Acupoint.
'Master.'
This was undoubtedly Lee Se-ha's Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula.
As her scorching Yang Qi began to suppress the freezing energy, his own Qi Circulation became much easier.
With Lee Se-ha's assistance, Namgung Jun continuously scraped away at the Yin Cold Qi of the Nine Yin Severed Meridian. The residual energy he siphoned off was integrated directly into his Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula.
How much time had passed?
Namgung Jun slowly opened his eyes.
The room was filled with a chill as biting as a mountain forest in the dead of winter. His breath misted in the air.
"Master."
"Jun, are you alright?"
"Thanks to you, I was able to get through it easily."
"I only did what any master would do!"
Lee Se-ha patted Namgung Jun's head, her expression proud. Possessing the senses of a supreme expert, she had realized he was having a seizure and had rushed over immediately.
Namgung Jun felt deeply grateful to her.
'With Master by my side, overcoming the Nine Yin Severed Meridian will be much easier.'
Lee Se-ha smiled brightly, as if sensing his thoughts.
"Perhaps it's because you're still young, but I'm glad the Yin Cold Qi of your Nine Yin Severed Meridian is still at a level I can manage."
"Indeed. But I must advance my Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula as quickly as possible."
"Yes. The Nine Yin Severed Meridian will grow stronger very rapidly."
Lee Se-ha's gaze shifted.
On the table sat a wooden box. It was the Fleeceflower Root he had received as a prize for winning the martial tournament.
Understanding the meaning behind her gaze, Namgung Jun immediately made a request.
"Master, I intend to consume the Fleeceflower Root right away. Could you assist me?"
As if she had been waiting for those words, Lee Se-ha's smile grew even brighter.
"Of course! Just trust your master."
Namgung Jun immediately sat cross-legged.
Feeling Lee Se-ha's hands press against his Mingmen Acupoint in the center of his back, he placed the Fleeceflower Root into his mouth.
Hummmm!
Master and disciple began circulating their qi, working in unison to absorb every last drop of the spirit elixir's power.