Chapter 18: Training (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 18: Training (1)
Namgung Jun, who was heading toward the Heavenly Sword Hall, stopped in his tracks and turned.
Behind him, a middle-aged man was taking heavy steps forward. His build was so immense that he looked less like a person and more like a giant ball rolling along. His eyes, sharply slit to the sides, were squeezed even narrower by the sheer fleshiness of his face.
Yet, his appearance was not the least bit comical. On the contrary, a heavy pressure, like a massive wall looming over him, weighed down on Namgung Jun's entire body.
A glint of curiosity flickered in Namgung Jun's eyes as he watched the man. There wasn't a single trace of sluggishness in his movements. Instead, a brisk agility was subtly woven into his heavy frame. Namgung Jun found himself curious to see how the man would move in actual combat.
Axes.
His gaze fell to the pair of hand axes hanging from the middle-aged man's waist. They were large enough that an ordinary martial artist would need two hands to wield one, but for this man, a single hand seemed more than enough.
Sensing Namgung Jun's gaze on his weapons, the middle-aged man stroked the flat of one axe and spoke.
"I am Kang Gok, the Crushing Hall Master."
"Greetings, Crushing Hall Master."
Namgung Jun bowed politely, recalling what he knew about the Crushing Hall. He had heard that when large-scale battles like sect wars broke out, the Crushing Hall always took the vanguard. Their power to instantly shatter enemy formations was said to surpass even that of the martial forces belonging to the Three Powerhouses.
Kang Gok, the leader of the Crushing Hall, was known as a supreme expert capable of unleashing strikes of terrifying power. It was said that even martial artists of equal caliber would be disarmed and dealt a fatal blow if they let their guard down for a single moment.
Perhaps because he practiced a straightforward martial art focused on heavy, powerful strikes, Kang Gok's tone was blunt and unreserved.
"I heard you encountered the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult on your very first mission."
"That is correct."
Step.
Crushing Hall Master Kang Gok took a step closer as he continued. With just that single step, the oppressive pressure on Namgung Jun's body grew even more pronounced.
"Are you properly aware of your current situation? Because from where I'm standing, it doesn't seem like you are."
After staring at Kang Gok for a moment, Namgung Jun nodded.
"Are you referring to my Nine Yin Severed Meridian?"
"Indeed."
A sharp gleam flashed from his fiercely slit eyes. Kang Gok's gaze swept over Namgung Jun's entire body, but the boy didn't even blink.
"I've been looking into the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult's recent movements. They are still pursuing you. This must mean your existence is of considerable importance to them."
Kang Gok took another step forward. Before long, the distance between them had closed to less than five paces.
"There's no telling what kind of sinister arts they might use your body for, but it's easy to see that it would pose a massive threat to the Jianghu."
Namgung Jun nodded. Kang Gok's concern was not an overreaction. The Sun-Moon Demonic Cult was rife with all kinds of bizarre sorceries and grand arts. In his past life, they had even used a great art to create a body that was neither male nor female, all to obtain the most suitable vessel for wielding both Yin and Yang energies simultaneously. As bizarre as their methods were, they possessed a terrifying depth.
A male body born with the Nine Yin Severed Meridian. It is only natural for the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult to covet it.
Namgung Jun's body was a rarity in the history of the Jianghu—perhaps the first of its kind. It wouldn't be surprising no matter what kind of experiment they attempted with such a unique constitution.
"Don't you think staying quietly inside the Azure Heaven Association's main fortress would be better? For your own sake, and for the sake of the Jianghu."
Namgung Jun nodded slowly and spoke.
"Originally, this matter could have been easily resolved if I had simply died. But my master did not make that choice."
"I respect the Heavenly Sword Hall Master's choice."
Nodding, Namgung Jun continued, "I was granted a new life through my master's chivalry. Therefore, it is only right that I contribute to the Jianghu through chivalry as well."
"Chivalry, you say."
A violent wave of qi erupted from Kang Gok, who had his hands resting on his hips.
"Those born with talent often harbor illusions. They believe they will survive long enough to become masters who rule the world."
Whooooosh!
The wave of qi raged like a howling gale. Even as Namgung Jun braced his entire body, he was slowly pushed back. The density of the Qi Wave was incredible. If Kang Gok chose to unleash his qi in earnest, third-rate martial artists would struggle to even stand.
"You will remain the target of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult until the day you die. Do you possess the martial strength to endure that?"
"My sword is straight, and it will always be so."
Namgung Jun's voice was filled with absolute conviction. Sensing that unyielding resolve, Kang Gok grew curious. Was this belief truly rooted in his own martial arts, or was it merely the foolish bravado of a hot-blooded youth?
At the sight of Namgung Jun's unwavering gaze, Kang Gok's right hand twitched.
Whoosh!
A fierce gust of qi rose, wrapping around his axe.
"Let's test it. Show me your sword."
Before he knew it, an axe was gripped in Kang Gok's right hand. The blade, radiating a cold, sharp energy, aimed straight for the crown of Namgung Jun's head and plunged down in an instant.
Tracking the incoming blow, Namgung Jun's eyes traced the deep blue light of its trajectory. Seeing the movement of his pupils, a look of surprise crossed Kang Gok's face.
He reacted perfectly?
Of course, Kang Gok had held back, so it wasn't his full power. Even so, it was not a strike that Namgung Jun, who had not even reached the Peak Realm, should have been able to react to. He should have failed completely. Yet, Namgung Jun seemed to have read the path of the axe perfectly.
The moment he saw Namgung Jun's spotlessly clear eyes, Kang Gok instinctively applied a fraction more strength to his wrist. He had a gut feeling—the boy before him could handle it.
If I block it directly, my sword will break.
Namgung Jun immediately retreated, spinning on his left foot. As he widened the distance, his body moved in a series of spiraling motions.
Thud!
Drawing upon the profound principles of Silk-Reeling Energy that surged through his entire body, Namgung Jun executed an Earth-Trembling Stomp and slashed his sword upward.
It was one of the heavy sword styles he had mastered in his past life. A sword technique he could implement, if only faintly, with his current body. He had unleashed a single thread of the Great Wind Sword Technique's profound principles.
The descending axe and the rising sword clashed at a single point in midair.
Klaaaang!
Along with the heavy ring of clashing metal, the surrounding walls shook violently, and roof tiles came crashing down.
Namgung Jun was pushed back, frozen in his sword-extended posture, his feet carving deep furrows into the ground. After sliding back a considerable distance, he plunged his sword into the earth to finally bring himself to a halt.
Watching this, Kang Gok's eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
This is impossible.
Kang Gok slowly lowered his head. His gaze fell upon his own right foot, which had served as the anchor for his strike. It had been pushed back by about an inch. To an outsider, it might seem like nothing, but considering his opponent, it was an astounding feat.
He had been pushed back by the strike of a young junior who had not even reached the Peak Realm. Because he had not anticipated this in the slightest, the shock was all the greater.
Gripping his sword planted in the ground, Namgung Jun straightened his back and spoke calmly.
"I sought to imbue my chivalry into that strike just now."
Feeling the lingering vibration in his palms, Kang Gok couldn't help but ask, "And what is your chivalry?"
"The Way of Consistency."
To run a single thread through all. To hold righteousness and chivalry as a single attitude, unchanging from beginning to end. To have chivalry be the one conviction that pierces through both life and martial arts.
Therefore, it was consistency.
"The Way of Consistency... How can you be so sure? Most people start with chivalry, only to have it slowly chipped away by the harsh winds of the Jianghu until they eventually give up."
"With my comrades of the Azure Heaven Association by my side, what is there to worry about? It is enough for me to simply keep my own sword straight."
Kang Gok stared intently at Namgung Jun for a long moment, his fierce, turbulent qi still raging wildly around them.
Slowly, he lowered his axe.
"At such a young age, you have already found your own martial path."
Whoosh!
In an instant, the qi filling the air completely vanished. It was an incredibly swift retraction of internal energy. He was indeed a supreme expert who had achieved the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown.
"Your talent, your martial path—I have confirmed them both. Since you have taken your first steps as a true martial artist, it is absurd to debate your course of action."
Before long, Kang Gok's narrow eyes softened.
"It would be ridiculous to stand in the way of a young swordsman."
After gazing at Namgung Jun silently for a moment, Kang Gok rummaged through his robes and tossed a small wooden box to him.
"What is this?"
"An elixir. It should be enough to heal any internal injuries you sustained from blocking my strike just now."
With that, Kang Gok turned his back and walked away.
Watching him leave, Namgung Jun let out a soft chuckle. It had certainly been a powerful blow. However, perhaps because Kang Gok had masterfully controlled his qi, Namgung Jun had not suffered even the slightest internal injury. His palms were merely stinging, nothing more. The one who delivered the strike would surely know this better than anyone.
Yet, he had made such an excuse simply to have a pretext to hand over the elixir.
Namgung Jun clasped his hands in a polite salute toward Kang Gok's receding back, expressing his gratitude.
*
The Ink Fragrance Department of the Azure Heaven Association.
A scholar of the Ink Fragrance Department approached the Ink Lord, Yun Gyeong-jong.
"Ink Lord. The report you requested has just arrived."
Yun Gyeong-jong's eyes gleamed as he took the document from the scholar.
"Finally."
It was a brief response, but the scholar was deeply surprised.
For the Ink Lord to react like this? And over a mere report detailing the actions of a new Cloud-rank member?
This was a first. The Azure Heaven Association had many promising Cloud-rank members, but none, especially not a new one, had ever caught Yun Gyeong-jong's eye. Considering his usual dry, indifferent reception of even the mission reports from Hall Master-level figures, this was highly unusual.
"Hmm."
Setting aside the letter he was reading, Yun Gyeong-jong immediately reached for the report submitted by Heo Il. This was despite the fact that the letter he’d just put down concerned a matter of considerable gravity.
Utilizing the eye techniques of the Ink Fragrance Department to absorb the report's contents at a single glance, Yun Gyeong-jong's eyebrows raised slightly.
Heo Il's report was clear and concise. On the surface, it was a standard mission report, but a deeper look revealed it was filled with high praise for the new Cloud-rank member, Namgung Jun. Yet, it was neither biased nor exaggerated. It was written strictly from the perspective of a senior observing his junior.
It was simply that the new Cloud-rank member, Namgung Jun, had displayed such extraordinary qualities.
"As expected, he does not disappoint."
Seeing Yun Gyeong-jong's clear reaction, the scholar grew curious. What on earth was written in that report? The scholar wanted to take a peek, but he couldn't. Yun Gyeong-jong showed no signs of letting the document leave his hands.
Once the scholar quietly exited the office, Yun Gyeong-jong muttered to himself.
"This should quiet down the discussions regarding his future for a while."
Yun Gyeong-jong looked in the direction of the Heavenly Sword Hall's pavilion.
"This will be of great help."
He intended to immediately disclose the details of this mission to the Azure Heaven Association. This would undoubtedly serve as a massive boost to the association's morale. Regardless of their specific division, the emergence of a brilliant rising star always invigorated the entire organization.
"Now, do we have an elixir that would suit Namgung Jun?"