Chapter 426
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 426
Chapter Title: You're Amazing!
Group training had ended.
Ha Mu-baek had left, and the instructors had left.
But the cadets didn't leave.
They stayed behind, stealing glances at something—or rather, someone.
The person at the end of those gazes.
Ung-cheol.
It was only natural.
A sword strike that had forced Ha Mu-baek himself to block with sword aura.
They hadn't known before, but now they realized their instructor was a monster beyond imagination.
So naturally, all eyes turned to Ung-cheol.
"Ung-cheol!"
While everyone else was just watching...
One person stepped forward first.
"Yeah? What's up?"
Ung-cheol asked, his face showing considerable fatigue.
"Spar with me!"
A sudden demand for a duel.
The kind of request that made you wonder what was wrong with this guy.
But Dan Mok Un-roe was staring at Ung-cheol with eyes full of shining excitement.
She'd never seen Instructor Ha use sword aura against any cadet before.
Not even Joo Woo-myung or Baek Ri-pyeong.
Her gaze burned with pure, unadulterated longing.
Ung-cheol couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
He was sure he'd had that same look in his eyes during his solo training sessions.
"Sure. But we can't do it here in the main drill hall, so let's move somewhere else."
Dan Mok Un-roe nodded vigorously.
The two headed toward Squad Seven's drill hall.
The curious eyes of the other cadets followed them, but only a few actually trailed behind.
Squad Seven's cadets and Jeok Ga-ye.
Bi Jin-hyeop watched the pair with a look of utter dismay.
'If two clumsy cadets like them clash in a spar, it'll hurt like hell... those lunatics.'
He shook his head and headed for the Devouring Dragon Pavilion.
The surroundings had already grown dark.
His stomach was rumbling loudly for food.
One group heading to the drill hall, one person heading to the Devouring Dragon Pavilion.
Most of the cadets, glancing between the two paths, chose the Devouring Dragon Pavilion.
Curiosity was one thing, but they were just too exhausted.
Dan Mok Un-roe walked with anticipation lighting up her face.
A spark of curiosity flickered across Ung-cheol's face as he followed.
'Squad Seven... let's see.'
How far would his skills take him against them?
That kind of curiosity.
After all, these were the ones who had proven themselves against him in last year's Summer Combat Festival and Winter Combat Festival.
Ung-cheol unconsciously clenched his fist.
Strength surged through it.
And so, the two arrived at the drill hall along with the cadets.
"It's too dark. Should we light some torches?"
Dang Jin-san asked as he surveyed the drill hall.
He was right.
There wasn't even any moonlight.
Dan Mok Un-roe's gaze turned to Ung-cheol.
"Better safe than sorry, so yeah, let's do it."
Ung-cheol nodded.
There was no reason they couldn't spar, but since this was against a strong opponent, it was wise to prepare for any mishaps.
Dang Jin-san pulled out several torch stands from a storage box at one side of the drill hall and lit them with a fire starter.
Flames quickly roared to life, illuminating the surroundings.
Long shadows stretched across the drill hall.
The two picked up wooden swords prepared at the edge of the drill hall and took positions in the center.
"Hyah!"
Dan Mok Un-roe struck first.
Her curiosity about Ung-cheol's power had overwhelmed her.
Clack!
The sound of wood clashing against wood rang out.
Ung-cheol blocked Dan Mok Un-roe's sword with careful eyes.
'Weak.'
That was his impression.
Definitely weaker than the instructor's strikes.
'If it's this level...'
Confidence welled up in him.
Recalling the sensation from the daytime duel, he focused on his sword.
His dantian sent inner energy surging through his limbs.
"Hyah!"
Ung-cheol swung his sword with fierce intensity.
Whoosh!
Dan Mok Un-roe swiftly dodged out of the path of the oncoming blade, its momentum tremendous.
Swoosh!
Even so, the wind grazing her forehead was sharply cutting.
"Impressive..."
A smile crept onto Dan Mok Un-roe's lips.
Her dantian began sending inner energy throughout her body.
"Hah!"
Dan Mok Un-roe kicked off the ground.
The sword technique she used was the Named Forms.
Since this was a spar with a fellow Fierce Dragon Corps cadet, she'd chosen them.
Clack! Clack-clack! Clack! Clack!
Their swords clashed furiously, producing loud clatters as they aimed at each other.
With every collision, Dan Mok Un-roe was the one pushed back.
Ung-cheol's divine strength was truly formidable.
It wasn't something she could handle easily.
Dan Mok Un-roe gradually drew up more of her inner energy.
Ung-cheol did the same.
Before long, a smile tugged at Ung-cheol's lips as well.
It wasn't comparable to Ha Mu-baek, of course.
But against beginner warriors, this opponent had a satisfying rhythm to her strikes.
How long did they clash like that?
A faint sword aura began to glimmer along both wooden swords.
Before they knew it, Dan Mok Un-roe was holding her own without being pushed back by Ung-cheol's sword.
It was only natural, really.
She had more inner energy accumulated.
What made Ung-cheol remarkable was that he was matching her blow-for-blow in a full-force exchange, despite her superior reserves.
However, as time passed...
Ung-cheol began to gradually fall behind.
A duel wasn't decided by sword strength alone.
Speed.
Variations.
And experience too.
Dan Mok Un-roe excelled in all of them.
She slowly gained the upper hand.
Still, Ung-cheol gritted his teeth and swung his sword with even greater focus.
'Stronger.'
He knew his strengths clearly.
So he doubled down on them.
Acknowledging where he was weaker than Dan Mok Un-roe, he poured everything into what he could do.
The result?
Bang!
The moment their swords collided again...
Both wooden swords shattered into pieces, scattering into the air.
The two froze in place.
"You're amazing!"
Dan Mok Un-roe exclaimed, her face full of admiration.
A smile—equal parts satisfied and dissatisfied—formed on Ung-cheol's lips.
He'd felt on the verge of grasping something again, but the sword's destruction had ruined it.
"Mind if I go next?"
Was it the thrill of watching their duel?
Baek Ri-pyeong stepped forward.
Ung-cheol nodded upon seeing him.
The runner-up of last Winter Combat Festival.
He wanted to test himself against him.
To know just how much stronger he'd become.
With Ung-cheol's permission, Baek Ri-pyeong tossed him a wooden sword.
And so the two began to clash.
Jeok Ga-ye, watching them, bit her lip.
'I want to spar too.'
Her competitive spirit was rising as well.
Yeon Ha-min glanced at her.
"Want to duel over there?"
She was more interested in Jeok Ga-ye than Ung-cheol.
The movements Jeok Ga-ye had shown when she first unleashed sword aura had left a deep impression.
Jeok Ga-ye nodded, and the two began exchanging blows on the other side of the drill hall.
Ha Mu-baek watched the scene from the academy rooftop.
"Heh, they're not half bad."
Wi Ji-gun was with him.
"Indeed. At that level, it's about time to wrap up their solo and blood training sessions."
The night was deepening.
Won Pyeong-sam eyed the trembling Bae Un-san with interest and asked.
"What about a martial art that could make you even stronger? I can't give you the great heavenly arts since you lack the qualifications. But I could give you something fairly powerful—stronger than Blood Sea Ghost Thread Formation."
Bae Un-san's eyes churned even more wildly.
It was a roundabout way of confirming it, but there was definitely a martial art that could repair his shattered dantian. And this man spoke of something stronger than Blood Sea Ghost Thread Formation as if it were nothing.
Just where had this guy come from?
'What kind of faction speaks so casually of such things...'
It was less shock and more fear.
Fear of powerhouses from beyond the Central Plains—places even the Central Plains couldn't imagine—that no one had known about until now.
"From what I see, you've suffered more than your share of humiliation for being weak. How about it? Don't you want to grow stronger? With enough effort, you could reach the entry level of transcendent mastery."
It was a powerful temptation.
Strong enough to momentarily push aside the fear that had just surfaced in his mind.
But Bae Un-san soon shook his head.
He knew his own vessel better than anyone.
Excessive greed would only destroy him.
"The martial art that repairs the dantian—that one."
"To be precise, it's one that uses the middle dantian."
"Yes. Give me that, and I'll help you seven times. Seven times."
Won Pyeong-sam stared at Bae Un-san silently after his response.
The more he looked, the more he liked this guy.
Even faced with an offer that could ensnare anyone with desire, he'd only wavered briefly before regaining his composure.
A guy like that wouldn't botch things over pointless greed.
Very useful indeed.
"Looks like there are no dantian-lost cripples around here?"
"He's detained far away."
"Detained, huh. How do you plan to bring him?"
"I'll find a way, step by step."
He spoke calmly, but his eyes said he already had a plan.
In other words...
Won Pyeong-sam didn't need to worry about that part.
Won Pyeong-sam fell into thought for a moment.
Weighing the number seven against the value of what he would give them.
"That dantian-lost one must be no ordinary man."
Won Pyeong-sam didn't deny it.
"Nine times. Make it nine."
"Eight times."
Bae Un-san countered immediately.
"Feels like I'm taking a loss... Fine, eight's a good number anyway. Eight it is."
With Won Pyeong-sam's acceptance, their deal was sealed.
"Looking forward to working with you."
Bae Un-san cupped his fists in salute.
Won Pyeong-sam returned the gesture.
"Likewise."
Their eyes met in the air.
Bae Un-san pulled a cord at one side of the room.
A bell-like ring echoed, and martial artists entered.
"Clean this place up. And treat this guest of the head family with utmost care."
The martial artists bowed deeply at Bae Un-san's command.
"Please come with me."
Bae Un-san led Won Pyeong-sam to the sect leader's quarters.
The two settled there once more.
Aromatic tea was placed on the table.
"What should we handle first?"
"The Demonic Cult's stone family."
A very brief statement, but Bae Un-san's expression changed instantly.
"You mean the Demonic Cult Leader's kin?"
Won Pyeong-sam nodded at the question.
"Find their whereabouts."
"Hoo."
Bae Un-san let out a deep sigh right away.
"If it's something like this... we've made a bad deal. Too much of a loss for us."
"It's already done."
Won Pyeong-sam chuckled.
"Understood."
"And another."
He immediately brought up the second request.
"There was recently a clash between two tremendous powers. Find that location."
It was far too vague a commission.
That's why Bae Un-san's face twisted.
"The scope is too broad. How tremendous exactly?"
"At minimum, a battle between transcendent experts."
One fragment of the Ten Thousand Desolations had lit up with fire, after all. It had to be at least that level.
He planned to go there and examine the traces.
"If it's that scale... I can narrow it down somewhat. Understood."
A battle between transcendent experts.
Now that the war between the Blood Cult and Demonic Cult was over...
Fights between masters of that caliber weren't commonplace.
He figured he could track it down somehow.
"Then let's go see that child now."
"Pardon?"
Bae Un-san echoed in surprise at Won Pyeong-sam's words.
"It'll take time to investigate, so in the meantime, as promised, I'll take a look at the martial art."
"Ah! I'll guide you."
From the sect leader's quarters at the top of the Example Pavilion, they headed back to the lowest floor.
To the secluded training chamber deep underground.
Before the thick iron door.
Bae Un-san rapped harshly on the iron latch.
Yeong So-hyang, deep in thought, turned her gaze toward the door.
There was only one person who would seek her out during her seclusion.
Sect Leader Bae Un-san had said he'd come personally if something arose.
'What's going on?'
The fact that something had happened in the Black Heaven Gate that required her.
With a worried expression, Yeong So-hyang opened the door.
Creeeak.
The heavy iron door groaned open.
The first person Yeong So-hyang saw wasn't Bae Un-san.
A middle-aged man she didn't recognize stood there, smiling brightly.