Chapter 7
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Then, I Won't Yield Three Moves
Far off in the distance, another pair of eyes watched Jegal Myeong's group training. The gaze was filled with clear displeasure.
It was Sado Gwang.
'Ugh. I specifically told him not to do group training.'
He had gone to the Devouring Dragon Pavilion to say as much, only to get tangled up with that arrogant punk.
Who would've thought the Fierce Dragon Corps punks would be there, of all places?
'If he has time to waste on those expendable brats, he should pay a little more attention to the disciples from the Five Great Clans.'
He didn't like it one bit.
Were his words falling on deaf ears just because he came from a lesser family, unlike those from the Five Great Clans?
No matter what, it had been an order and a personal request from the chief instructor.
Sado Gwang had risen to become the Hidden Dragon Corps' chief instructor purely on merit.
That's why he felt the importance of connections all the more keenly. Without a strong backing, this was as far as one could go—he'd learned that the hard way.
In the end, Sado Gwang had latched onto the Five Great Clans, pouring every effort into earning their favor.
But there were still no results.
If only Jegal Myeong, who was from one of the Five Great Clans himself, would give those disciples a little more attention, things might turn around.
Why was he wasting so much care on those Fierce Dragon Corps trash?
To Sado Gwang, the Fierce Dragon Corps were a thorn in his side.
The atmosphere during self-study time had changed.
Dan Mok Un-roe, who had spent the whole day just doing horse stance, had switched up his training routine.
He ran laps around the training ground diligently, practiced his horse stance, and drilled the shield techniques Jegal Myeong had taught him.
He had asked for advice from Jegal Myeong at the end of the group training.
Simply moving the large shield according to the forms doubled as excellent strength training.
Jegal Myeong had designed it with that in mind.
Sweat poured off him, his whole body trembling, but Dan Mok Un-roe's face brimmed with vitality.
It was probably because he'd finally learned something that felt like proper martial arts.
The joy of gaining a foothold toward true power, most likely.
Ha Mu-baek sat on a rock under the shade of a tree, chin in hand, watching with a complicated gaze.
The boy trained so enthusiastically, looking so happy—could he really just leave them to their own devices?
"Hoo."
A sigh escaped him unbidden.
Just then, Dan Mok Un-roe paused his movements to catch his breath.
He had gone through all four forms of the shield technique Jegal Myeong taught him and was taking a short break.
Their eyes met—Dan Mok Un-roe and Ha Mu-baek.
After a moment's hesitation, Dan Mok Un-roe seemed to steel himself. He set down his shield and walked over to Ha Mu-baek.
"Instructor Ha."
"Hm? What is it?"
"During group training, I heard from cadets in other squads that everyone who enters the Dragon Training Pavilion has to learn basic martial arts."
Ha Mu-baek tilted his head at that.
He'd never heard of it.
Was there such a thing?
"They say cadets in other squads are learning the basics. When do we get to learn them?"
It was a question brimming with eagerness to learn.
Ha Mu-baek narrowed his eyes. He had no answer—he didn't know.
"Keep training for a bit."
If he didn't know, he'd ask.
And there was only one place Ha Mu-baek would go.
The Dragon Training Hall in the north of the pavilion, and within it, the pavilion lord's office.
Even showing up unannounced, Pavilion Lord Pang Do-yul was there.
"What brings you here?"
Pang Do-yul greeted him with a calm face.
"Is there basic martial arts that every Dragon Training Pavilion cadet must learn?"
"There is."
"Then why didn't I know about it?"
"The manuals were in the documents I gave you on the first day, weren't they?"
Ha Mu-baek racked his brain at the counter-question, recalling that day.
They were there.
He'd only skimmed the instructor rules and pavilion regulations, but there had definitely been a thin manual.
He'd glanced at it and tossed it aside because the contents were so ridiculous...
The title was...
"Dragon Training Heart Method, Dragon Training Sword Method, Dragon Training Fist Method, Dragon Training Step Method... something like that?"
"Exactly."
Pang Do-yul nodded emphatically.
Ha Mu-baek stared at him in disbelief.
"Hah. Pavilion Lord. You're serious right now? Those flashy-named pieces of trash?"
"The Fierce Dragon Corps is full of people who can't even master those flashy-named pieces of trash."
"..."
It was true.
"Do you think the Wa Dragon Corps or Hidden Dragon Corps would bother learning them? They don't even need to. They'd know it all after one glance. The scions of prestigious families and disciples of great sects have already mastered equivalents—if not better."
"Three Talents Heart Method, Three Talents Sword Method, Three Talents Fist Method, Three Talents Step Method. The Three Talents Arts, in other words. What's the difference? Just a superficial tweak to a few parts and a fancier name."
"Still better than the Three Talents Arts, isn't it?"
"You really believe that?"
Ha Mu-baek shot back in disbelief.
"You seem to think otherwise. Well, Jegal the instructor figured the basics weren't enough, so he even made shield techniques. You can't survive properly with arts like that. But still—even with the shield work, mastering the basics on top would be far better for them. If you didn't know they existed, your cadets certainly don't."
"Hoo..."
Ha Mu-baek let out a deep sigh.
"And another thing."
"What?"
"Are they really that useless? Even for you?"
Pang Do-yul asked with a sly smile. Meeting his gaze, Ha Mu-baek just shook his head and left the office.
Back at the training ground, the four were still training hard, and the one was pretending to train just enough.
"Attention."
At Ha Mu-baek's low call, the five gathered.
"I'll tell you about the Dragon Training Pavilion's basic martial arts that Dan Mok Un-roe mentioned."
If it weren't something all Dragon Training Pavilion cadets nominally had to learn, he'd have just told them to keep training on their own.
But since it was obligatory for every cadet in the pavilion, Ha Mu-baek the instructor had no choice but to teach it.
After meeting Squad Seven's members a full seven days ago, Ha Mu-baek was finally starting his first real duty as their instructor.
Dan Mok Un-roe watched with the brightest eyes.
"They're exactly what they sound like: basics. Some of you may already know equivalents. Dragon Training Heart Method, Dragon Training Sword Method, Dragon Training Fist Method, Dragon Training Step Method. These four. To be blunt, they're just the Three Talents Arts with a light touch-up."
Even after hearing the truth, Dan Mok Un-roe's sparkling eyes didn't dim.
Ha Mu-baek's gaze swept over Dang Jin-san, Baek Ri-pyeong, and Yeon Ha-min in turn. The rest of you already know this stuff, right?
"I'm already training my sect's basics."
Baek Ri-pyeong spoke up.
"Well, what I know isn't exactly that kind of thing."
Dang Jin-san from the Tang Clan, who specialized in poisons, hidden weapons, and whips.
"I've never learned any martial arts."
Yeon Ha-min's response.
That was unexpected.
Ha Mu-baek had definitely seen traces of the Hubei Yeon Clan in her. And yet she'd never learned martial arts?
No need to ask Dan Mok Un-roe or Nak Woo-jin.
"So just Dan Mok Un-roe, Nak Woo-jin, and Yeon Ha-min need to learn the basics?"
"I'll give it a try too. The Three Talents Arts won't clash with what I know anyway."
Unexpectedly, Dang Jin-san stepped up to learn alongside them.
Baek Ri-pyeong hung back.
He'd already built a solid foundation from basics back in the Zhongnan Sect, so there was no need for him to learn arts based on the Three Talents.
"Alright, let's start with the heart method. Come over here."
The four sat cross-legged under Ha Mu-baek's guidance, regulating their breathing.
That was it.
Despite the grand name of heart method, it was just abdominal breathing.
They called it a heart method because it allowed even the slightest accumulation of internal energy.
You could buy the Three Talents Arts manual from any roadside stall for a few coins.
It was barely worthy of being called a manual.
The most common art among ronin. That was the Three Talents Arts.
Of course, the Dragon Training Pavilion's basics were a slightly refined version.
"Don't underestimate the Three Talents Arts. They're based on profound principles. I'll teach you the pure Three Talents Arts rather than the Dragon Training Pavilion's sloppy modifications."
The four focused on their inhalations and exhalations, practicing the breathing technique as they listened to Ha Mu-baek.
"What was that about?"
A rough voice came from behind Ha Mu-baek.
He was teaching the breathing in a shaded spot thick with trees at the edge of the training ground.
It was right by the path, and Sado Gwang, passing by, had overheard.
"The Dragon Training Pavilion's basics are a sloppy tweak to the Three Talents Arts?"
Sado Gwang was moving with Hidden Dragon Corps cadets.
Whether it was a coincidence or deliberate, only he knew.
But he'd seized on Ha Mu-baek's words to pick a fight.
"I'm in the middle of a lesson. Don't interfere."
Ha Mu-baek said in a low voice.
"How can I, the Hidden Dragon Corps' chief instructor, just walk by while you spew nonsense? My cadets heard it too."
Sado Gwang's eyes burned with fury.
He had no choice but to be angry.
He was the one who had revised the Dragon Training Fist Method among the pavilion's basics.
Ha Mu-baek's words were essentially calling Sado Gwang's work sloppy.
"It's my class."
"That 'sloppy' basic—the Dragon Training Fist Method—was crafted by my own hand with utmost care. So of course I can interfere."
His voice dripped with rage.
Ha Mu-baek smirked at that.
He could tell the man's level.
Decent skill, but not yet at the peak. No wonder it was sloppy.
The Three Talents Arts.
An art that unpacked the principles of the three talents.
Time had worn it down as it passed from hand to hand, diluting its original profundity into its current state. But it was no joke to scoff at, nor something to tamper with lightly.
That was what his master had taught Ha Mu-baek, at least.
"So that's how it is."
Ha Mu-baek's words made Sado Gwang roar in fury.
"You bastard!!!"
But it didn't end in a roar. He clenched his fist and swung.
This was different from the scuffle at the Devouring Dragon Pavilion.
That had been indoors, with eyes everywhere.
No—Jegal Myeong had been there then.
Not now.
There were still eyes watching. And more were gathering.
It was along the path to the eastern Hidden Dragon Corps barracks. Lots of people passed by, mostly Hidden Dragon cadets.
At the commotion Sado Gwang started, they began turning toward Squad Seven's training ground.
Sado Gwang's fist sliced through empty air.
Ha Mu-baek wouldn't get hit by something like that.
"Tch."
Sado Gwang gnashed his teeth, glaring at Ha Mu-baek despite striking first. What could be so infuriating?
"What kind of ruckus is this?"
"Ruckus? Hmph. You'll answer for your words. Prove the Dragon Training Fist Method is sloppy!"
A venomous shout.
Ha Mu-baek nodded toward the center of the training ground and stepped forward, meeting Sado Gwang's glare.
The breathing practice had stopped long ago. The four and Baek Ri-pyeong had already stood and followed behind Ha Mu-baek.
Of course, Sado Gwang and the Hidden Dragon Corps followed too.
Everyone could see Sado Gwang was furious, stomping forward with heavy breaths.
Word spread, and people started gathering.
The modest training ground was soon ringed by a crowd.
"I just don't get why he's picking on the Fierce Dragon Corps like this."
The group shield training.
Ha Mu-baek had known Sado Gwang was watching from a corner.
At Ha Mu-baek's level, he couldn't miss the presence.
"Then, I won't yield three moves."
Ha Mu-baek crooked a finger at Sado Gwang.
"You mangy cur!!!"
Sado Gwang bellowed and kicked off the ground.