Chapter 72: Third Cloud Training Camp (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 72: Third Cloud Training Camp (1)
Heo Il checked on Namgung Jun, who was walking beside him, and nodded in satisfaction.
"It seems eating well these past two weeks has certainly paid off."
"Yes. I am in peak condition. I have also completely adapted to the changes in my body from the great art and the opening of my meridians."
Namgung Jun climbed the peak side-by-side with Heo Il.
Although a thick fog shrouded their surroundings and limited their vision, the two rising stars walked without hesitation.
This was one of the peaks of Huangshan. Just like the main fortress, a formation had been deployed here, making it difficult for outsiders to trespass.
"I never expected we would enter the Third Cloud Training Camp together. Time truly flies. But Young Hero Namgung's achievements are even faster."
"Senior Heo's help played a big part."
"Thank you for saying so."
Chuckling as he toyed with the brim of his bamboo hat, Heo Il looked around.
The smile faded slightly from his eyes.
"They're starting to gather."
Other Clouds could be seen here and there along the mountain path. Many were unfamiliar faces, likely belonging to the branches rather than the Ten Halls.
Everyone climbing this peak was a Cloud gathering for the Third Cloud Training Camp.
In other words, they were all peers in the same class.
"There are quite a lot of them."
"The Third Cloud Training Camp isn't held on a regular schedule. It only opens when there are enough candidates, so if you're unlucky, your promotion can be delayed."
Namgung Jun nodded as he scanned the faces of the Clouds around them.
Hadn't Heo Il mentioned he was preparing for the Third Cloud promotion exam when Namgung Jun first joined? Yet he was only entering the training camp now, which meant the timing had to align perfectly.
"I was certainly lucky."
"Isn't luck also a skill in the Jianghu?"
"That must be the entrance over there."
As they chatted lightly, the two arrived at the entrance of the Third Cloud Training Camp. Passing through the gate, they stepped directly into the training ground.
While it couldn't compare to the training ground at the main fortress, it was still considerably spacious.
There are quite a few, Jun thought.
The candidates for this class were gathered in the training ground. Though their attire varied, they all wore bamboo hats and had two clouds embroidered on their sleeves. Perhaps because they had gathered not only from the main fortress but also from branches scattered across the Jianghu, their numbers were substantial.
And the auras they exude are impressive.
The presence of several Clouds who seemed to be from the branches was nearly on par with that of the Clouds from the Ten Halls.
Looking at the cultivators gathered at the Third Cloud Training Camp, one could catch a glimpse of the Azure Heaven Association's true strength.
The Second Clouds in the training ground subtly sized one another up, their eyes darting about. They were assessing the peers they would be competing against.
Namgung Jun and Heo Il, having just entered, also had to face these subtle, probing gazes.
"Hmm?"
Heo Il leisurely enjoyed the stares sweeping over him before whispering softly, "I don't know about me, but Young Hero Namgung, your reputation has certainly preceded you."
Heo Il could feel it clearly.
The gazes that had initially been scattered were gradually focusing on Namgung Jun. It was obvious that several Clouds had recognized him.
Furthermore, by straining his ears, Heo Il could hear some of them whispering.
"The Azure Star Sword. Is he already challenging the Third Cloud promotion?"
"I heard he's the youngest to be promoted so far. If he becomes a Third Cloud as well, he'll set yet another record."
"I wonder if his swordplay lives up to his reputation."
A flurry of gazes, mixed with curiosity and competitiveness, swept over him like a biting wind. Such blatant attention at close range would normally be immensely pressuring.
However, Namgung Jun merely walked on with an indifferent expression.
None of the Second Clouds present possessed an aura strong enough to catch his interest.
I heard Baekri Cheong entered closed-door cultivation after gaining an enlightenment.
If Baekri Cheong had entered the Third Cloud Training Camp, he would have been his greatest rival.
After scanning the Second Clouds once, Namgung Jun broadened his view.
Below a platform set up in the training ground, twenty martial artists stood in a row. They were the instructors for this training camp—Third Clouds drafted from the Ten Halls.
Gong Jun-am was among them, but they did not exchange formal greetings. He merely stared at Namgung Jun and Heo Il with a stiff gaze before turning his head away.
It was Gong Jun-am's own blunt way of greeting them.
"Everyone is here."
A middle-aged man stepped onto the platform.
The countless scars covering his body made him look like a battle-hardened tiger clad in a hide of scarred flesh. As his fierce, glaring eyes swept over them, the Second Clouds flinched.
Unconcerned, the middle-aged man’s eyes glinted even more fiercely.
"I am Ha Mu-jung, the Martial Conquest Hall Master. I have been put in charge of this Third Cloud Training Camp."
There was no Cloud who did not know of Martial Conquest Hall Master Ha Mu-jung.
He was the Hall Master hailed as the strongest among the ten Hall Masters of the Azure Heaven Association. The man considered the most likely candidate to become the next Heaven-Reliant Sword Lord.
With just his name and presence, Ha Mu-jung dominated the Second Clouds gathered before him.
"As you all know, the Third Cloud Training Camp is essentially the Third Cloud promotion exam itself. Complete all the courses, and you will be promoted. Be dismissed, and you fail."
Regardless of their affiliation, everyone looked up at Ha Mu-jung with sparkling eyes.
"The reason we organize this as a training camp is because the Third Cloud is a crucial rank—the backbone and core of the Azure Heaven Association."
Listening from below the platform, the Second Clouds nodded.
In other sects or organizations, a Third Cloud was equivalent to a mid-level leader. A newly promoted Third Cloud typically took on the role of a team leader managing First and Second Clouds. Those with more experience and achievements might even act as deputy Hall Masters or as branch leaders.
"The Third Cloud is not a rank you can achieve simply by being strong. Through this training camp, you must develop the capabilities befitting a Third Cloud."
Ha Mu-jung scanned the Clouds below the platform one by one, then crossed his arms.
"Now, we shall begin the training immediately."
Thus, the Third Cloud Training Camp began.
* * *
The daily routine of the Third Cloud Training Camp was simple.
From dawn until dusk, various theoretical lectures were held back-to-back. It was a process designed to cultivate the knowledge and virtues required of a Third Cloud.
They were educated on various topics, starting with the responsibilities and roles of a Third Cloud, the art of leadership, battle tactics, secret codes, the locations and contact methods of each branch, coordination between Clouds in different provinces, and emergency response protocols.
Scholars from the Ink Fragrance Department led the lectures. Since there was so much they didn't know, the lessons were immensely helpful.
Among the various subjects, Namgung Jun was particularly interested in those concerning the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult and the Eight Great Unorthodox Powers.
The information on the key experts and armed forces of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult and the Eight Great Unorthodox Powers, along with the analysis and counters to each faction's martial arts, proved to be a fascinating study.
Indeed, the Demonic and Unorthodox Paths currently dominate the Jianghu.
Not only the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult, which sought to swallow the entire Jianghu, but also the Eight Great Unorthodox Powers, who had taken root everywhere and committed atrocities, were massive problems.
The Jianghu was vast, but its enemies were just as numerous.
This was why the Azure Heaven Association was always short-handed.
There is a mountain of bastards to cut down.
As Namgung Jun committed all the names from the lecture to memory, the scholar paused to catch his breath before speaking again.
"The Heaven's Mandate Demonic Sword Unit."
The scholar, who had been lecturing on the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult's numerous armed forces, like the Battle Units, brought up the final group.
"I'm sure there isn't a single Cloud here who hasn't heard of them. They are the strongest armed force of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult, operating directly under the Cult Leader."
At the scholar's explanation, the Second Clouds listening to the lecture nodded with grim expressions.
The Heaven's Mandate Demonic Sword Unit.
Swordsmen who received direct instruction from the Demonic Cult Leader. They were essentially his disciples as well as his personal guard.
The Heaven's Mandate Demonic Sword Unit had only appeared in the Jianghu a handful of times. However, every time they acted, they accomplished such staggering feats that they firmly engraved their presence upon the world.
Three peerless experts had fallen to them, and in the past, the Ten Great Unorthodox Powers had been reduced to the Eight Great Unorthodox Powers because of them.
Brandishing an earth-shattering destructive power, the Heaven's Mandate Demonic Sword Unit was the very symbol of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult's military might.
"To face the Heaven's Mandate Demonic Sword Unit, all the Halls of the Three Powerhouses would have to mobilize, wouldn't they?"
"Even then, other Halls might need to lend their aid."
"Isn't the leader of the Heaven's Mandate Demonic Sword Unit also a peerless expert?"
The Second Clouds seemed weighed down by a sense of oppression just from hearing the unit's name.
It was only natural.
Even without today's lecture, they had heard of the unit's notorious reputation time and time again.
Watching them, the scholar clapped his hands to lighten the heavy atmosphere.
"No matter how strong the Heaven's Mandate Demonic Sword Unit is, they are not invincible. Who knows? Perhaps a talent who will crush them in the future will emerge from this very room."
After offering some standard encouragement about focusing on the present to prepare for an uncertain future, the scholar brought out the teaching materials he had prepared.
They consisted of several thick transcribed manuals, pieces of wood marked with sword scars, and rock fragments.
"Our association has steadily gathered and analyzed information on the Heaven's Mandate Demonic Sword Unit. In the process, we were also able to devise some counters."
The eyes of the Second Clouds widened as they looked back and forth between the manuals and the sword scars.
"Are those manuals the information and counters you mentioned?"
The scholar nodded.
"In truth, it's mostly information, with very few counters. However, the fact that we've even begun our analysis is what's important. It is proof that the Heaven's Mandate Demonic Sword Unit is not invincible."
The scholar took a step back, inviting them to examine the materials.
As the Second Clouds shared and read the transcribed manuals, they began to groan in dismay.
"These are the deeds of the Heaven's Mandate Demonic Sword Unit? Did a single armed force really do all this?"
"The characteristics of their sword paths are described in detail. I heard the previous Sword Lord and the Martial Conquest Hall once clashed with the Heaven's Mandate Demonic Sword Unit. This must be the record from that battle."
The Second Clouds carefully examined not only the manuals but also the preserved sword scars.
As they studied the scars, they fell silent.
Just looking at the sword marks gave them a glimpse of how powerful the Heaven's Mandate Demonic Sword Unit truly was. They were not called the strongest armed force of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult for nothing.
Hmm?
Namgung Jun's eyes narrowed as he examined the manuals and sword scars alongside the other Second Clouds.
The sword scars looked familiar.
Furthermore, as he reviewed the characteristics of the Heaven's Mandate Demonic Sword Unit recorded in the manuals, his conviction grew stronger.
Is this not the Life-Ending Twin Owl Sword of the Grand Envoy of Radiance?
The three close confidants who served the Demonic Cult Leader: the Left and Right Envoys, and the Grand Envoy of Radiance.
This was undoubtedly the peerless sword technique wielded by the Grand Envoy of Radiance.
To think his sword technique has been passed down like this.
The Grand Envoy of Radiance's Life-Ending Twin Owl Sword was still vivid in his mind. After all, in his past life, he, the Sword Emperor, had been the one to slay the Grand Envoy of Radiance after a duel that lasted for an entire day and night.
"Hmm."
Namgung Jun's eyes darted rapidly up and down the pages.
The more he examined the manual, the stronger his certainty became.
Of course, a great deal of time has passed, so it might differ from the Life-Ending Twin Owl Sword I faced back then.
But it couldn't have changed drastically. Any changes would likely be limited to a few new forms or minor alterations to the sword path.
In the entire Azure Heaven Association, he was probably the one who knew the Life-Ending Twin Owl Sword best.
Having finished reading the manual, Namgung Jun asked, "Are these all the counters?"
"Yes. After all, there are limits to the information and sword scars we could obtain."
After pondering for a moment, Namgung Jun shook his head.
"No. There are more."
"Pardon?"
At Namgung Jun's confident reply, everyone's eyes locked onto him.