Chapter 335
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 335
Chapter Title: I'm Leaving
Guest Hall.
Ha Mu-baek entered his spacious, elegantly furnished room.
He leaned back comfortably against the bed and unfurled the manual Bing Chwi-seol had given him.
As she had said, it began by explaining why the Ice Heaven Palace was located in the North Sea.
'A calamity that will befall the world...'
What on earth could that be?
He couldn't even begin to guess.
And the Ice Crystal was the power to stop that calamity?
'How?' The question arose, but Ha Mu-baek didn't dwell on it and turned the page.
Ice Crystal Radiance Piercing Heaven Force.
He wondered why it instructed to pass this on to the successor.
And why Bing Chwi-seol had sensed that he was the successor.
With the thought that maybe everything would become clear after reading it all, he continued.
One character at a time.
One character at a time.
They passed through Ha Mu-baek's eyes and stacked neatly in his mind.
How long had he been immersed in reading like this?
Then he reached the crucial passage.
'Pass it on when the successor appears.'
The manual truly ended there.
Ha Mu-baek straightened up on the bed and assumed a cross-legged position.
Now that he had read it all, he understood.
Why Bing Chwi-seol believed he was the successor.
Her intuition had been quite accurate.
'Emperor Sword Form.'
He recalled one sword technique.
'Reverse Muscle Three Hands Scripture.'
The one Hyun-gil had mastered.
The one Ha Mu-baek had observed and mimicked.
'Prajna Paramita Great Scripture.'
The energy contained within it.
Hyun-gil had said the Reverse Muscle Three Hands Scripture was a fragment of the Radiance.
The manual Bing Chwi-seol gave him was called Ice Crystal Radiance Piercing Heaven Force.
The word "Radiance" was in its name.
No, even without that name, as he read and visualized it in his mind, he knew.
It carried the same energy as those.
Thus, after obtaining three martial arts and one energy, and examining them closely...
He realized.
The same energy, but with different aspects.
By breaking those aspects into pieces and fitting them together...
They clicked perfectly into place.
One complete martial art was formed.
All the fragments gathered.
Radiance.
The brilliantly shining light.
The nemesis of all foul things in the world.
That was this martial art.
The fire and ice energies he had just acquired.
Both could be wielded through Radiance.
The fire energy that blazed fiercely on its own, shining brightly.
The ice energy that froze pure white, reflecting light from all directions.
Both.
Because they partially possessed the attribute of light?
The moment he circulated his internal energy according to the principles of Radiance...
The fire and ice energies intertwined naturally, as if they had always been one.
They were already energies melted into Ha Mu-baek's internal energy.
But through wielding Radiance, they became internal energy he could control freely at will.
'Heaven's Will...'
Ha Mu-baek recalled Bing Chwi-seol's words.
Bing Ok-ryeong had read heaven's will, created this martial art, and written to pass it to the successor.
Bing Ok-ryeong had left no further explanation about who the successor was or how her descendants should find them.
Yet Bing Chwi-seol, using intuition gained from sorcery, had handed the manual to him.
And Ha Mu-baek had gathered all the fragments of Radiance.
If it hadn't been Ha Mu-baek...
Even with the manual, could Radiance have been completed?
Impossible to say.
Ha Mu-baek opened his eyes.
Another day had passed.
He had completed Radiance and made some progress in Ice Crystal Radiance Piercing Heaven Force as well.
If the Ice Crystal were nearby, he felt he could utilize its energy.
"Now it's time to head back."
The rebellion in the Ice Heaven Palace had been resolved.
He had spent unexpected time on this sudden stroke of fortune.
Now he needed to return to the Dragon Training Pavilion.
He couldn't keep leaving the disciples to his master forever.
Ha Mu-baek rose to his feet.
A warm meal was placed in front of the door.
No answer when he called, so they must have left it there.
Bringing warm food at every mealtime, even without knowing when he would emerge.
Ha Mu-baek brought the food to the table and picked up his chopsticks.
After a hearty meal...
He left the Guest Hall.
He had changed into the clean white uniform prepared by the Ice Heaven Palace.
Ha Mu-baek set off.
The Ice Heaven Palace warriors who spotted him cupped their fists and bowed deeply.
No one blocked Ha Mu-baek's path.
No matter where in the Ice Heaven Palace he headed.
And so, the place Ha Mu-baek went was the underground chamber of the Palace Lord's Hall.
Where the Ice Crystal resided.
That was the first place Ha Mu-baek stopped, at its entrance.
The guards at the water gate asked him to wait a moment as they sent word inside.
Soon, the door opened.
Clean, cold energy rushed out.
The massive Eternal Ice Crystal came into view first.
Nearby, Han Seol-bing and Bing Chwi-seol sat cross-legged, immersed in cultivation.
Both were diligently training to consolidate their recent gains.
"I'm leaving."
Ha Mu-baek said shortly to Han Seol-bing.
At those simple words, both snapped their eyes open.
Shock was plain on their faces.
"Ha, Hero Ha. Already...?"
Bing Chwi-seol approached with a look of disbelief.
"I've lingered longer than expected. I have duties to attend to, so I must head back."
Ha Mu-baek said with a serious expression.
He figured stating it clearly would prevent them from trying to hold him.
Ha Mu-baek turned to Han Seol-bing, who had hurried over.
"You've got about a month before the second semester starts, right? Come then. I'm off."
With that, Ha Mu-baek cupped his fists toward Bing Chwi-seol.
"Thank you for your hospitality. The manual was a great boon. I must take my leave now."
Faced with Ha Mu-baek's resolute demeanor...
Bing Chwi-seol worked her lips several times but said nothing.
Instead...
She looked at Han Seol-bing.
"Seol-bing. You too..."
Bing Chwi-seol trailed off.
She wanted to tell her to go with him, but reality wasn't so kind.
Han Seol-bing had much to do.
She needed to repair the damaged formations in the Palace Lord's Hall.
And teach the child as well.
The child discovered by chance, who seemed born for formations.
Lim Jang-mu.
Right now, Han Seol-bing was the only one in the Ice Heaven Palace who could teach that child.
In the end, Bing Chwi-seol said no more and simply shook her head lightly.
She cupped her fists toward Ha Mu-baek.
"Hero Ha, we are truly grateful for your help, benefactor. The Ice Heaven Palace stands as your ally; for any matter of yours, we will rush to aid without hesitation. Just say the word, anytime."
The two bowed deeply to each other.
And just like when he arrived, Ha Mu-baek departed the Ice Heaven Palace swiftly.
On the journey back to Muchang, he allowed himself a bit more leisure.
Bang!
With a loud crash, a disciple flew back, tumbling with his shield.
"Your legs and lower back are weak."
A curt piece of advice.
Her voice was clear and pure, yet its content was as sharp as frost.
Everyone knew what would come next.
"Go practice Horse Stance. And increase your daily Horse Stance training time."
With that, she glanced sideways at Wi Ji-gun—no, Ji Gun-wi.
That side was still holding up well against her attacks.
It had to be.
Fierce Dragon Corps second-year Group Seven.
They were the ones Ha Mu-baek had trained personally.
Meanwhile, one group had rotated out, and the next entered.
Ji Gun-wi was now facing three groups at once.
When one collapsed, they went to train their weaknesses, replaced by the next.
Relentless training.
It was intense enough to exhaust even the female disciples who had once swooned over her looks.
Yet Instructor Ji Gun-wi didn't blink.
The disciples were moving almost on instinct now.
They couldn't rest even when a spar ended.
It was training so grueling it made them miss Ha Mu-baek.
"Hah... hah... hah."
Dang Jin-san gasped raggedly.
"How many rounds have we lasted?"
"Nine."
Yeon Ha-min answered Nak Woo-jin's question curtly.
Tension rippled across the five faces.
If they endured until ten groups rotated...
They could rest.
The rest time for this class.
That was the promise from their monstrous instructor.
And so far, no group had lasted ten.
Even Group Seven had knelt at the tenth every time.
Because the attack's momentum and direction changed completely then.
If the first nine were mere appetizers, the tenth was the main course.
She pushed relentlessly.
And now, with this rotation ending, the tenth was next.
As the next group rotated in...
"Then we begin again."
The moment the words ended...
The instructor's form split into three.
Afterimages from her blinding speed.
The disciples gritted their teeth.
Ji Gun-wi adjusted her power to match her opponents' levels.
Even against Group Seven.
But this was the strongest she had pushed so far.
She knew it was the tenth round.
"Ugh."
A groan escaped Dan Mok Un-roe's lips.
"Ack!"
Dang Jin-san cried out.
"......"
Yeon Ha-min clenched her teeth.
"Mm."
A small groan from Baek Ri-pyeong.
"Hup."
Even Nak Woo-jin.
Truly lethal strikes came one after another.
Yet the disciples were blocking well.
Their focus pushed to the limit.
'Hmm. Not bad.'
Ji Gun-wi nodded faintly.
Baek Ri-pyeong, Dang Jin-san, Dan Mok Un-roe.
These kids had woven their insights from mastering signature techniques into the Joint Strike Formation.
Thus, even with the same forms, their movements held far greater depth than others.
Even so...
That was the end.
'Time.'
She needed to drop these kids too and send them to train their flaws.
In Ji Gun-wi's eyes, they were still full of shortcomings.
Wi Ji-gun.
Her disciple was Ha Mu-baek.
So her benchmark was Ha Mu-baek.
In the end, all the disciples she taught now seemed lacking.
Sssak.
Ji Gun-wi's wooden sword thrust at the Joint Strike Formation's weak point.
A spot that, once breached, would cause the rest to crumble naturally.
Not a flaw in the formation itself.
Just a vulnerability exposed because Fierce Dragon Corps Group Seven hadn't perfected it yet.
'What training to assign them this time.'
As she pondered Group Seven's next drill...
Chaeng!
A sharp ring echoed.
Not a thud, but a clang.
The sound of a wooden sword clashing against a disciple's training blade and bouncing off.
It was Yeon Ha-min.
She had appeared, gripping her sword tightly to deflect Ji Gun-wi's wooden sword.
Then she raised her shield to cover the gap.
'Ho?'
Interest flickered across Ji Gun-wi's face.
This was beyond her expectations.
As she foresaw, Baek Ri-pyeong should have been down, and Dan Mok Un-roe falling to the next strike.
But...
Yeon Ha-min.
The girl had broken the flow.
She had pushed her focus to the absolute limit.
Refusing to fall helplessly again.
Yeon Ha-min entered peak concentration.
And a new world unfolded in her vision.
Precognition.
A dangerous and difficult ability.
She had sealed it until she grew stronger, until the instructor deemed it fine.
Now she unleashed it.
She hated being toyed with and losing at the tenth every time.
Exerting extreme focus...
She used it for the first time since the Eastern Martial Tournament.
'Not clear.'
And she was startled.
Scenes one breath ahead, once crystal clear...
Were now blurry.
Not one, but two or three.
Yeon Ha-min thrust her sword toward the least blurry one.
Barely blocking.
If her choice and reaction had been a beat slower, she would have seen but done nothing.
Ji Gun-wi moved her sword again.
'Four this time...'
Four possible future movements visible.
How strong did one have to be...
To show such motions in one breath?
Having heard from Ha Mu-baek about her ability...
Yeon Ha-min could guess why four futures appeared.
Not yet fixed.
The instructor moved so fast the future one breath ahead wasn't set.
'If I get stronger... Will I see the fixed one?'
As she thought that...
The most vivid movement.
She moved toward it.
This time, not defense.
An attack.
Yeon Ha-min poured all her power into a precise sword thrust per the forms.
Ji Gun-wi twisted her sword path against the sudden counter...
Swish.
But the tip of Yeon Ha-min's sword grazed Ji Gun-wi's hem.
At that instant...
Ji Gun-wi halted her sword.
Her form, split into three attacking three spots simultaneously, merged back to one.
She gazed steadily at Yeon Ha-min.
'What a marvel.'
A thrust to a place impossible to predict.
Yet she countered as if she knew in advance.
An intriguing girl.
Another condition for this sparring training.
If they so much as grazed her hem, they could rest for the class duration.
Group Seven.
Endured ten rounds and grazed her hem.
A promise was a promise.
"Second-year Group Seven, half an hour rest. Next group, come in."
At her words...
The disciples froze mid-motion for a moment.
Then looked at Group Seven with eyes full of envy.