Chapter 401
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 401
Chapter Title: Surprised Though...
Training with the Poison Cadavers continued for three full days.
By that point,
the disciples had finally reached a stage where they could hold out against the Poison Cadavers without suffering major damage.
Ha Mu-baek nodded approvingly at the sight.
The Poison Cadavers were done.
That was his judgment.
Fierce Dragon Corps Squad Seven faced off against Ha Mu-baek once more today.
And they were utterly crushed.
It was already past dusk, with darkness settling in.
"That's it for today."
At Ha Mu-baek's words, the Fierce Dragon Corps disciples collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.
Ha Mu-baek checked on them briefly before leaving the grand training ground.
The instructors who stayed behind to look after the disciples were Pyeong Deok-jo and a few who followed him.
Namgung Ji-hu watched the entire scene before turning away.
He had come out every day up to today to observe the training with the cadavers.
Which meant he had skipped all of Hidden Dragon Corps' training sessions.
In truth, now that he had reached the pinnacle realm, the Hidden Dragon Corps' drills held little meaning for him anyway.
He was already stronger than their assigned instructor.
Namgung Ji-hu had watched the Poison Cadavers and Fierce Dragon Corps' training from start to finish with full focus.
He kept his senses wide open, trying to adapt to the cadavers' eerie aura however he could.
And so.
Once training ended, Namgung Ji-hu headed to Hidden Dragon Corps Squad One's training ground.
That was when his real cultivation began.
While observing the Fierce Dragon Corps' training, he analyzed the Poison Cadavers' movements and reconstructed them in his mind.
After creating imaginary Poison Cadavers,
he swung his sword at them.
Starting from the Three Talents Sword Method he had mastered, then Grand Linked Sword Method, Soaring Bow Free Sword, and up to Emperor Sword Forms.
He executed each one without slacking, giving his all.
The foes at the tip of his blade were four Poison Cadavers.
Enemies he had conjured himself.
While the Fierce Dragon Corps disciples formed formations to face two Poison Cadavers,
Namgung Ji-hu was different.
Even if they were imaginary foes of his own making, he faced four at once.
Since he could cleave them apart in one strike with sword force,
he held back even from using sword energy.
Assuming the exact same conditions as the Fierce Dragon Corps disciples, he swung his sword countless times.
Amid the four cadavers' combined assault, Namgung Ji-hu took not a single scratch.
At least in his imagination.
After unleashing every sword technique,
his body was drenched in sweat.
Sweat droplets ran down his hands to the tip of his sword.
The Namgung Clan treasure sword, Great Thunder Bow Sword, which he had received from the newly appointed clan head Namgung Hwa-u, kept shedding his sweat drops.
"Hoo..."
Namgung Ji-hu let out a deep breath.
"This should be enough, right?"
At least in his own view, it wasn't bad.
Training assuming real combat with the cadavers.
Even though it was against imaginary enemies in empty air,
he considered it no different from actual battle.
"Alright then."
Namgung Ji-hu straightened his stance and raised his sword again.
The moment he closed his eyes and focused,
blue sword force surged along his blade.
And as he moved the Great Thunder Bow Sword according to the Emperor Sword Forms' stances,
with a single stroke, the four Poison Cadavers were bisected and fell.
Namgung Ji-hu's sword didn't stop.
He continued, fully executing the Emperor Sword Forms.
Only then did he finish his movements, sit cross-legged, enter meditation,
and resume training in his mindscape.
Mindscape cultivation, to which he was gradually adapting.
In this way, Namgung Ji-hu was steadily advancing deeper into the pinnacle realm.
Today was just like any other day.
So thought the Fierce Dragon Corps disciples as they finished lunch and gathered at the grand training ground.
Ha Mu-baek, who had arrived first, was chatting with Han Seol-bing under a large tree's shade, smiling faintly.
"You're really going to bring those out?"
Han Seol-bing glanced at the supply wagon and asked.
Ha Mu-baek nodded.
"Why not? That's why I caught them."
"Even so... Blood Cadavers..."
Han Seol-bing said with a worried expression.
"The disciples can't even take down Poison Cadavers, so how could they handle Blood Cadavers?"
At Ha Mu-baek's question, Han Seol-bing nodded this time.
"They didn't lose to the Poison Cadavers, though. Taking down Blood Cadavers isn't their job. That's for the Demon-Sealing Corps."
Ha Mu-baek briefly thought of the Demon-Sealing Corps.
He wondered if they had returned safely and if all was well there,
but now was the time to focus on the Fierce Dragon Corps.
"The Fierce Dragon Corps' role is to defend and support the Demon-Sealing Corps so they can take down the Blood Cadavers. They need direct experience in that. You saw what happens if they half-ass it against Poison Cadavers, right?"
She couldn't argue with that logic,
so Han Seol-bing had no choice but to concede.
Wi Ji-gun, now demoted to squad member, stood a step back, silently listening to their conversation.
With Ha Mu-baek's barrier up, no one else could eavesdrop.
However,
Fierce Dragon Corps Squad Seven
could guess from Ha Mu-baek's expression during the talk that today would be different from yesterday.
That faint smile.
Grueling ordeals always followed such smiles.
"Guess it's today."
Dang Jin-san muttered upon confirming the smile, and Yeon Ha-min nodded.
"Around the end of yesterday's training, the instructor seemed pretty satisfied."
Dang Jin-san looked shocked at Yeon Ha-min's words.
"You can tell that? Looked the same as always to me."
"Ha-min's right. Brother's eyes were different."
Ha Seol-ran backed her up.
With Ha Mu-baek's own sister saying so, they had to agree.
Even if they couldn't fathom how his eyes were different.
"So starting today, we face Blood Cadavers?"
Baek Ri-pyeong said, eyeing the Fierce Dragon Corps disciples gathering at the grand training ground.
Blood Cadavers.
The strongest cadavers Fierce Dragon Corps Squad Seven had faced in the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest.
However,
they were ones they could beat one-on-one.
But
impossible for the rest of the Fierce Dragon Corps disciples.
"Wonder how it'll go."
Nak Woo-jin asked.
"They'll hold out."
Far stronger than Poison Cadavers,
but recalling yesterday's performance against them, they wouldn't go down easy.
"As long as they don't get infected."
Dan Mok Un-roe said worriedly.
Get infected by a Blood Cadaver, and you'd turn into one soon after, right there.
That was the scariest thing about Blood Cadavers.
"But this means today's training ramps up, right? So what about us?"
The conversation paused at Dang Jin-san's point.
"Today's gonna be rougher."
Joo Woo-myeong steeled himself with a mutter.
From their experience with Ha Mu-baek, he'd surely drill them even harder.
As they chatted, the time came.
Ha Mu-baek stepped onto the platform.
The Fierce Dragon Corps disciples formed ranks in the center of the grand training ground.
"Everyone, fall back to the edge of the training ground."
At Ha Mu-baek's command, the disciples moved swiftly.
"Squad Seven, forward."
At his order, Fierce Dragon Corps Squad Seven tilted their heads but moved to the center.
"Watch closely how to take down Poison Cadavers."
Ha Mu-baek said curtly to the disciples and flicked his hand.
Two Poison Cadavers flew from the supply wagon and landed amid Squad Seven.
Before they could even form up.
"Kraaaah!"
"Kuuuuh!"
The freed Poison Cadavers swung wildly at Squad Seven,
but they instantly drew swords, blocked, and
quickly formed a formation.
"Fast."
Namgung Ji-hu murmured in quiet admiration as he watched.
Namgung Ji-yu nodded beside him.
Now,
she doubted she could beat any one of them.
Not that she had slacked on training.
The formed-up Squad Seven immediately poured attacks on the Poison Cadavers.
The cadavers' arms flew through the air, heads soon following.
Swords laden with energy sliced their bodies apart in an instant.
The other Fierce Dragon Corps disciples stared blankly.
Seeing what they had struggled so hard against handled so easily.
It felt hollow.
"To cut Poison Cadavers, you need sword energy in your blade. By year's end, all you first-years will reach that level."
Ha Mu-baek's words rang in their ears.
Disbelief colored the disciples' faces.
Their internal arts were merely the Three Talents Method.
How could that gather enough energy for sword force?
Ha Mu-baek ignored their reactions and flicked his hand again.
Whoosh.
The Poison Cadaver remains burned to ash in moments.
At Ha Mu-baek's glance, Squad Seven fell back to the edge,
and
"All Fierce Dragon Corps except Squad Seven, to the training ground."
The disciples at the edge formed ranks in the training ground.
The moment they all gathered,
Ha Mu-baek's eyes flashed,
and whoosh! Whoosh! Shing! Shing!
Four wooden coffins shot from the wagon,
crash!
shattering as
four cadavers burst out, swinging at the Fierce Dragon Corps disciples.
No warning ambush.
Just like what Squad Seven had faced moments ago.
The difference?
Squad Seven got Poison Cadavers.
These were
Blood Cadavers.
Another difference:
Squad Seven's dropped right in front of them, but these emerged from coffins.
From shattering to cadavers appearing,
a short delay gave them that much leeway.
Past training ensured the Fierce Dragon Corps didn't waste it.
Raised shields
bang! Bang! Boom! Bwoom!
blocked all Blood Cadaver strikes.
But
"Kuh."
"Ugh."
"Hup."
"Tch."
The force exceeded expectations, shoving them back in a line.
Panicked voices leaked out,
but the other disciples raised shields and swords,
pressuring the suddenly appearing cadavers.
They had already formed a formation.
Truly swift response.
"Surprised though..."
Namgung Ji-hu let out pure admiration.
"In group combat, even Hidden Dragon or Wa Dragon might lose to Fierce Dragon."
Namgung Ji-yu agreed.
At their current level,
without sword energy, only Hidden Dragon and Wa Dragon could cut Poison Cadavers.
However,
no matter how he racked his brain, he couldn't picture Hidden Dragon or Wa Dragon piercing that shield wall.
Of course, with Namgung Ji-hu, it might differ.
But they had seven Squad Seven members too.
Even at pinnacle, he doubted Namgung Ji-hu could dismantle the formation Squad Seven just showed.
"Instructor Ha really is something."
Namgung Ji-hu nodded at his sister's words.
He had felt it firsthand.
Meanwhile, the four cadavers and Fierce Dragon Corps disciples clashed fiercely.
It was a brutal struggle.
The disciples realized these weren't Poison Cadavers,
but had no time to dwell.
Better to swing shield or sword once more than ponder.
They had internalized that with body and mind.
Thus,
they had no spare moment to check the new cadavers' mouths.
"No teeth."
"None."
"Yeah, none."
Squad Seven, watching from the edge, could peer into the Blood Cadavers' mouths.
All four.
Every tooth smashed and pulled out.
Only one person would do that.
Ha Mu-baek.
"Custom training by level? He sure knows how to tailor it."
Dang Jin-san muttered, half grumbling, half impressed.
When they first met Blood Cadavers in the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest,
they got no such consideration.
Only Ha Seol-ran, whose skill lagged behind others then, had.
Now, the entire Fierce Dragon Corps received it.
Back then,
Ha Mu-baek had said it wasn't because she was his sister, but due to her skill level, that he pulled all the Blood Cadavers' teeth.
As if to prove it,
he tossed four cadavers into the Fierce Dragon Corps' midst without warning,
but all their teeth were gone.
"What kind are those? Teeth all pulled again?"
Namgung Ji-hu, checking a Blood Cadaver's mouth, asked his sister Namgung Ji-yu.
She had checked too.
Poison Cadavers had intact teeth,
so these were deliberately defanged.
Like the Four Corpses.
"Faster and stronger than Poison Cadavers, teeth all gone. Blood Cadavers."
Namgung Ji-yu answered calmly.
The true threat of the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest to ordinary Demon-Sealing Corps warriors.