Chapter 323: Practical Training. (3)

Two months had passed since I entered the sect.

Soon, the cold winter would pass, and we’d greet the vibrant spring.

It was around the time when the frozen ground would melt and flowers prepared to bloom in full glory.

Damn it.

I gained a year in age without having accomplished anything.

‘This sucks.’

In the past, I hadn’t particularly cared about age.

But now, the fact that I was aging meant, that busy time was slipping away day by day.

It didn’t feel good.

I knew the time I had left was different from others, so every day felt precious.

Besides, it had been a month since I visited the hidden tomb buried beneath the Dragon Pavilion.

In the meantime, many things had happened.

The first was that information regarding the hidden tomb had reached the Martial Alliance.

For now, since the Dragon Pavilion’s training was ongoing, they couldn’t investigate directly.

However, a powerful formation was set up around the area where the hidden tomb was located.

Moreover, because Jamryong and I had been wandering outside, the number and patrol radius of instructors patrolling the grounds at night had increased.

It was like useless sentry duty.

Wouldn’t the instructors resent us for causing this situation?

‘I guess I owe them an apology.’

Even in my past life, I particularly hated being on sentry duty, so I felt quite apologetic.

But what could I do? I had my own problems to deal with.

I couldn’t afford to worry about others.

‘Tsk.’

Anyway, as soon as the Martial Alliance scheduled an investigation, regarding the discovery of the hidden tomb, additional cooperation was requested.

As I said, it was ‘cooperation’.

Not an interrogation or investigation, but a request for cooperation on how I found the hidden tomb.

This was likely because, my background was tied to Gugga, and I held the moniker ‘True Dragon’.

‘It seems Ilgeolpa was helpful after all.’

The fact that the source of my information was Gaebang, affiliated with the righteous sects, must have helped.

Fortunately, it seemed to have worked.

Of course, wandering around breaking rules at night, and other infractions were likely demerits, but I decided to ignore them for now.

‘Next is the issue with Geomhu.’

The reason Geomhu granted my request and briefly drew the attention of Cheonghae Ilgeom was none other than the precious item called the Plum Blossom Stone.

According to Geomhu, it should have been in the hidden tomb I was looking for.

Even if it had been there,

‘What if it was already gone?’

Geomhu had said it couldn’t be helped if it wasn’t found, but her expression suggested otherwise.

‘Actually, it seemed like a bigger problem than that.’

She seemed more shocked than if she hadn’t found the Plum Blossom Stone.

She wore a dazed expression for quite a while.

‘What is it? Did she hear something from Cheonghae Ilgeom?’

I couldn’t know what their conversation was about, so I had no choice but to move on.

The only problem here was,

‘what to do about this thing wrapped around my forearm.’

It was about the item covering my left arm.

The pale pink cloth wrapped around my arm as if it were a bandage.

The problem was, this wasn’t ordinary cloth.

For starters, it clung tightly to my arm and wouldn’t come off.

I tried everything to remove it, as if it were real leather, but nothing worked.

Furthermore,

‘If it were just normal cloth, fine.’

But from the bound arm, a faint…

Or rather, was ‘faint’ the right word?

It was hazy, yet undeniably potent.

It was the immense and dense Qi I had felt when Shin Noyang saved me from the hidden tomb, that I was now sensing.

This was definitely the Qi of Mount Hua.

As a result, the Mount Hua Qi residing in my dantian kept resonating with this new energy, humming all day long, making it impossible not to notice.

‘The real problem is… what this cloth actually is.’

The fact that Shin Noyang grabbed it so fiercely, even moving my body, meant Shin Noyang knew about this precious item too, and it was highly likely to be something he used.

Yeonilcheon’s lingering thoughts had mentioned that, the hidden tomb was originally prepared as a fortuitous encounter for Shin Noyang.

‘So, what is it?’

What kind of precious item is this?

I already had more than a few precious items adorning my body, so adding another felt ridiculous.

And what was this conspicuous item, so blatantly visible?

‘It doesn’t seem to have any special abilities.’

Should I just think of it as cloth that emits Qi?

Or does it have another purpose I’m unaware of?

‘The problem is, the person who could tell me has fallen back asleep.’

After saving me when I needed it most, Shin Noyang went back to sleep.

And on top of that,

‘even that beast has gone quiet.’

The one who used to cry for food every day has since then hidden its presence.

Did it disappear? No.

I could sense it was still inside me.

Time clearly flows onward, but within that flow, unknown events seem to swim by.

Circling around me, making me dizzy.

Do they think they’re actual fish?

Tuk tuk.

I kept tapping the desk with my fingertips.

It’s an old habit I fall into when I’m feeling complicated.

‘…The hidden tomb incident is over.’

I also have a habit of putting aside things I can’t figure out.

That’s a recent habit.

There’s so much I need to do, I can’t afford to waste time getting caught up in unsolvable problems.

So I postpone them and focus on what needs doing now.

It was a kind of compulsion.

Tuk tuk.

Continuously tapping the desk with my fingertips, I brought up people’s faces and names in my mind.

‘…That guy is from Gaebang, so he’s hard to find right now. Where is the other one from?’

The reason I recalled and wrote down people one by one was simple:

‘There are more than I thought. Can I take them all down?’

I was thinking about the ones I needed to kill.

I knew well that righteousness and chivalry had long died in this world, and the Blood Calamity right after made that abundantly clear.

Though rotten inside, many called themselves righteous sects while wearing a shiny facade.

When you consider how often those acting as they pleased under the guise of unorthodox sects clashed with the Demonic Cult because they found them ‘fucking annoying,’ it almost seemed like the unorthodox sects were cleaner.

This is why I said the time right after I left the Dragon Pavilion was the turning point.

I kill those who deserve it.

The reason I relentlessly pursue higher martial cultivation is to reach a level where I can carry out this process smoothly.

Woong.

‘There it is again.’

I frowned at the sensation.

Lately, my mind gets dizzy like this occasionally.

It subsides quickly if I endure it, but the nauseating feeling isn’t pleasant.

It tends to put me in a bad mood.

“Hoo.”

Would I feel refreshed if I threw up? I even thought that far. That’s how bad it felt.

“…Student Doe.”

‘Is my training insufficient? I need to increase the time….’

“Gu Yangcheon, student Doe.”

“…!”

Because I was spacing out, I didn’t properly hear myself being called.

Snapping back to reality, I looked forward.

Cheolhwan-o was glaring at me with a heavily furrowed brow.

Right. We were in the middle of training.

“Yes.”

“Since you didn’t respond even after the instructor called you three times, is it safe to assume you weren’t paying attention?”

“I did respond. Perhaps you couldn’t hear me because I was too quiet.”

“…Oho.”

It was obviously a lie.

Cheolhwan-o probably knew that too. That’s why his expression was contorting like that.

It’s amazing how much a face can crumple.

That’s novel information.

“Since you claim you were paying attention, may the instructor ask you a question?”

“Yes. I will listen attentively.”

“Regarding why the Azure Sky Bird is particularly inactive at night…”

“It’s because they’re trying to make babies. They’re quite perverted, so they only do it at night.”

“…”

“Ah, their weakness is their beak, so you just need to be careful of that… But since they can’t fly anyway, they can’t escape, so you can just grab them and burn them…”

“That’s enough.”

“Yes.”

This is really valuable information, but they’re not listening.

The Azure Sky Bird is a type of blue demonic beast.

It’s a bird that cannot fly despite having wings.

Its neck is a bit long to call it a chicken.

Anyway, it’s one of the few demonic beasts that mate, and strangely, they only do it at night. Perhaps because of this, attacks from them are less frequent after noon.

Hunting them then is also convenient.

Whether my answer was correct or not, Cheolhwan-o let out a sigh of disappointment, and resumed the training.

‘I guess I do need to focus.’

Of course, ‘focusing’ doesn’t mean focusing on the training itself, but rather putting more effort into pretending to focus.

‘It’s almost time, isn’t it.’

Until the time I’ve been waiting for arrives.

It’s not long now.

As the training drew to a close, Cheolhwan-o left a final word before departing.

“Soon, it will be the practical training period. Don’t forget to prepare.”

Hearing that, I nodded inwardly.

It was the information I had been waiting for days.

---

After finishing my daily tasks and eating, I usually chatted a bit with my companions.

It was the only time I could get some mental rest.

However, lately, I’ve even cut back on that and significantly increased my training time.

Since entering the second month, my companions have become busy, and I myself am pushing my body relentlessly.

‘Arm a little further forward.’

Whoosh! Pang!

Adjusting the angle, I unleash my internal energy.

Faint traces of my internal energy linger in the air.

Too bad. My release was a bit too late.

‘…Faster release is impossible. Should I mix in more feints?’

While focusing mainly on internal cultivation, moving my body like this was a review of the duels I had fought in the past.

‘Just being fast isn’t enough; I’ll get caught and restrained.’

The fights against Turyong and Paejon.

The lingering regrets from those times make me review them like this occasionally.

‘What’s the problem?’

My speed is greater.

Not to mention my internal energy.

But I couldn’t penetrate their defenses, and even when I entered their range, I couldn’t land a single hit.

They were slower than me, yet faster than me.

Is it a difference in perspective?

I keenly felt my shortcomings, so I strive to improve, but it’s not easy.

Even though the one who caused my defeat was Paejon, the pinnacle of martial arts, there are no excuses.

Losing is losing.

Do I regret or resent the defeat? Of course not.

I’ve already experienced countless defeats.

I know it’s unrealistic for me to catch up to geniuses.

That’s why I need to find something more.

‘If only my brain worked a little better.’

Then I could utilize future events more efficiently, and make better use of my body.

What if I could think half as well as Cheonyurang-a?

Maybe it’s frustration, but I find myself having pointless thoughts.

Hwaruk.

Recalling the flames surrounding my body, I channeled the heat into my dantian and took a deep breath.

The surrounding plains were already filled with the heat I had emitted.

“What do you think?”

After recalling all my energy, I asked the spectator.

“…Hm?”

It was a blank response.

I expected such an answer.

After all, the spectator was Namgung Bi-ah.

“How does it look?”

“…Was it cool…?”

“No, not that…”

I almost felt good for a second.

The reason I was suddenly doing this with Namgung Bi-ah was that while everyone else was busy, Namgung Bi-ah was the only one without a schedule, so we were training together after a long time.

Usually, Namgung Bi-ah would train for about half of what I do and then disappear, but today, I just asked her to stay with me.

Tang Soyeol hadn’t been seen lately.

Wi Seol-ah had started coming as if it were natural, but today, perhaps due to a schedule, she disappeared with a sullen look.

Moyong Hi-ah was always busy.

And since Gu Yeonseo was doing something else with her peers, I dragged the seemingly free Namgung Bi-ah along.

“Is there anything lacking?”

I doubted I’d get a good answer by asking Namgung Bi-ah, as she was undeniably a martial artist who had passed the peak, and a genius certain to become a master in the future.

I hoped to glean something.

Hearing that, Namgung Bi-ah tilted her head slightly, then looked me in the eye to answer.

“You’re too fast….”

“Then should I slow down….”

“Your body looks rushed.”

I considered slowing down, thinking she might not have seen the movements clearly, but Namgung Bi-ah brought up something else.

“Rushed?”

“Yeah… you look rushed.”

She repeated, clenching and unclenching her fist.

Rushed, huh.

I knew I was feeling rushed myself, but did it show in my movements too?

‘I need to fix that.’

I nodded.

If it was visible even to Namgung Bi-ah, it was a bit dangerous.

Namgung Bi-ah looked at me for a moment, then fell silent, before bringing up something else.

“…Want to?”

Namgung Bi-ah’s words made me flinch for a second.

“I told you to add context.”

I sighed and cautioned her, and only then did Namgung Bi-ah clap her hands, showing she’d forgotten.

That was close.

“A duel… want to?”

So it was a duel after all.

But Namgung Bi-ah’s question made me wear a strange expression.

Come to think of it, I’d never dueled Namgung Bi-ah before.

In this life, Namgung Bi-ah had clung to me, wanting to duel, but I had never agreed even once.

And from some point on, Namgung Bi-ah stopped asking me to duel.

“That’s right, she hadn’t asked me to duel for a while now.”

I thought she’d given up because I kept refusing, but maybe it was different now that she was asking again.

As I said that, harboring such thoughts, Namgung Bi-ah tucked her hair behind her ear and spoke.

“…Because… I was scared….”

Scared?

“Of dueling me?”

“No…”

Namgung Bi-ah’s blue eyes turned towards me.

“Dueling me… you were scared.”

“…”

Was it because of her words?

I felt like my breath caught for a moment.

“Scared? Of me?”

“Yeah.”

I wondered what she meant, but I already knew.

I didn’t want to fight Namgung Bi-ah.

Even if it was just a duel.

“So… I don’t ask anymore. It’s okay.”

“But you just did.”

“So… I thought maybe you’d be comfortable with it.”

“No, it would be very uncomfortable.”

“Then it’s fine.”

Namgung Bi-ah returned to her usual expression, as if she had no lingering regrets.

She was still quick to change moods.

“Will you… someday?”

“…You make it sound like dueling is such a big deal.”

“Isn’t it?”

“No, it is.”

After all the bloodshed ends, when stability is restored, when there are no threats, and peace is finally found, should I place such grand significance on whether or not to have a duel?

“Seol-ah too?”

“…!”

Namgung Bi-ah’s words made my eyes widen.

Why was she suddenly bringing up Wi Seol-ah?

What did she mean by that?

‘What is it?’

Regarding what Wi Seol-ah had told me, did Namgung Bi-ah know?

“What the….”

“…Just kidding….”

As I stammered that out, Namgung Bi-ah chuckled slightly and spoke.

Then she beckoned me with her fingertips.

It was a signal to come closer.

She called me like she was calling a dog.

Grumbling, I approached anyway.

“What are you….”

Ssk ssk.

As I got closer, Namgung Bi-ah ruffled my hair with her characteristically languid touch.

“…It’s okay.”

“…What are you doing?”

Taken aback by the sudden action, I asked, Namgung Bi-ah smiled slightly and told me,

“When you… do this to me… it makes me feel good.”

“And?”

“So… I’m doing it back….”

She meant she was doing it to make me feel good.

It didn’t feel bad, exactly, but strangely, I felt a little happy about it, which was a peculiar feeling.

Watching Namgung Bi-ah diligently stroking my head, I let out an involuntary chuckle.

Thanks to that, I think I’ve trained enough for today.

---

As night fell, a full moon hung in the sky.

Above the walls surrounding the Dragon Pavilion, stood an unidentified figure.

Within the Dragon Pavilion, filled with Cheonghae Ilgeom’s aura, in a subtle position just out of reach, the figure stood there, gazing down motionlessly.

Without the slightest movement.

They were merely watching, but the figure’s eyes were fixed solely on one person.

Flap flap.

As they kept their gaze fixed, a bird flew towards the figure.

The figure, as if accustomed to it, took the scroll tied to the bird’s leg, which had landed on their shoulder, and opened it.

-Four days later. Proceed.

“…”

It meant the target date had arrived.

The figure crumpled the scroll after confirming this, and at that moment, the bird on their shoulder dissipated like mist.

Immediately after the bird vanished, the figure also disappeared into thin air, just like the bird.

As if they hadn’t been there at all, leaving no trace.

The figure’s moniker was Amwang (Dark King).

The master of the night.