Chapter 39: The Beginning of Change (3)

Baek Ri-seol was the first to step forward.

She had been advised to conceal her Phoenix Flame Heaven Dance in public, so she opted for a simple dual-sword style.

“Baek Ri-seol, at your service! I will now demonstrate the White Crane Sword Dance.”

Her voice was clear and melodic, like the tinkling of jade beads.

But as her swords moved, the air filled with the sharp whistle of cleaving wind.

Swish!

Her left sword thrust forward.

Slice!

Her right sword slashed horizontally, like a bolt of lightning.

A flash of light, a ripple of energy, and then her swords were a blur, moving with incredible speed and precision.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

She danced across the training ground, her movements fluid and graceful, her swords a whirlwind of steel.

Her hands were invisible beneath her wide sleeves.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Faint lines appeared on the ground, etched by the tips of her blades.

She wasn’t even using her internal energy, but the sheer force of her swordsmanship was enough to displace the dust and dirt.

Jegal Tan’s eyes widened in astonishment.

‘Sword wind!’

A phenomenon that occurred when a swordsman’s skill reached a certain level, allowing them to focus their sword intent with incredible precision.

‘She’s already reached the sword wind level…?’

He was stunned.

It was a technique that required an exceptional level of control, something that a student who had only been training for a few months shouldn’t be able to achieve.

Even in Euncheon Hall, only a handful of students were capable of generating sword wind.

‘I have to admit, she’s incredibly talented.’

But Baek Ri-seol’s expression was one of dissatisfaction as she sheathed her swords.

“Hmm, it’s not as good as I thought it would be.”

“Sister, I think you did great.”

“But Instructor Cho can draw much cleaner lines.”

She pouted and swung her swords a few more times, then stepped back, muttering, “I need more practice.”

‘More practice? Seriously?’

She had a terrible personality, but her talent was undeniable.

Mo Yong So-hye was next.

“I’m a little embarrassed to show you my skills after watching Sister Baek’s performance. But I’ll do my best.”

She clenched her fists.

“Mo Yong So-hye, at your service! My technique is the Wooden Hundred Hands Technique! I’m going all out!”

Namgung Yun-ho tilted his head.

“Hmm? I thought it was called the Asura Heaven Crushing Fist.”

“I heard it was called the Blood Heaven Night Demon Fist.”

Mo Yong So-hye stomped her foot.

“Lies! Lies! I don’t want a name that sounds so violent!”

Fine.

Let’s just call it the Wooden Hundred Hands Technique.

Mo Yong So-hye, her eyes welling up with tears, clenched her tiny fists.

There was a dummy standing in front of her.

Bam!

Her small fist connected with the dummy’s head, sending it reeling.

Then, she unleashed a flurry of punches and palm strikes.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The dummy’s limbs flailed wildly as her attacks landed.

‘She’s different now.’

This wasn’t the Wooden Hundred Hands Technique he remembered.

She had incorporated elbow strikes and joint locks into her style.

Crack! Crack!

She was like a living weapon, her entire body a tool for destruction.

Jegal Tan swallowed hard.

‘Oh my…’

Crack! Crunch!

The wood splintered and shattered.

She struck the dummy’s neck with a chop, then retracted her hand, her fingers curled like claws, ripping out a chunk of wood.

Crunch!

She struck the dummy’s armpit with a joint lock, splitting its chest open.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

She struck its forehead, its solar plexus, its hip, and its collarbone.

The dummy was being torn apart by her relentless assault.

Namgung Yun-ho realized what he was witnessing.

‘This is the martial art of a beast!’

Baek Ri-seol also understood.

‘It’s the Asura Heaven Crushing Fist!’

Crunch!

Mo Yong So-hye drove both fists into the dummy’s chest and twisted.

“What have I…”

The dummy, which had been barely holding together, finally broke into four pieces.

“What have I learned?”

She looked at the splintered remains of the dummy in her hands and burst into tears.

“I can’t use this on a person!”

It was true.

If she used this technique on a person, she would be arrested on the spot.

Namgung Yun-ho, regaining his composure, asked, “What happened?”

“Well…”

Mo Yong So-hye recounted her conversation with their instructor.

“Good work, Bloodthirsty Chestnut Rat. This will make your Asura Heaven Crushing Fist even stronger.”

“Give me back my Wooden Hundred Hands Technique!”

“But now that your attacks are as brutal as a demon from hell, you need to learn how to control your combo.”

“Wow, is there a way?”

“You’ll have to figure it out yourself.”

“I can’t! It’s impossible!”

“If you don’t, you’ll turn your friends into mincemeat.”

“…Is what He said. Sob… sob…”

The three students were speechless.

It was just like their instructor to say something like that.

Baek Ri-seol patted Mo Yong So-hye on the back.

“You need to stop using your full strength. You’ll get arrested.”

Namgung Yun-ho added, “You need to learn how to stop your combo, like Instructor Cho said.”

“Okay.”

Mo Yong So-hye sniffled.

Namgung Yun-ho was the last to step forward.

“Namgung Yun-ho, at your service. I will now demonstrate the first three stances of the Shinmu Sword Technique.”

Jegal Tan asked, “Yun-ho, didn’t you learn the Clear Wind Sword Technique? It’s a basic technique from the Namgung Clan, but it’s still better than the Shinmu Sword Technique.”

“Well… Instructor Cho told me to seal all my other techniques and focus on the first three stances of the Shinmu Sword Technique.”

Instructor Cho again?

‘What is he thinking…?’

It was a baffling instruction, but Jegal Tan didn’t press the issue.

“I’ll begin.”

Namgung Yun-ho drew his sword.

He swung it through the air, his movements simple and direct.

*One Strike Return.*

A straight, vertical slash.

*Wind Splitting Cross.*

A diagonal slash, his sword tip trembling.

*Clear Wind Moon Slash.*

A horizontal slash, followed by an upward slash.

They were the most basic stances of the Shinmu Sword Technique.

Jegal Tan’s assessment was brief.

“Clean.”

“Very clean.”

Baek Ri-seol and Mo Yong So-hye agreed.

But that was all.

Namgung Yun-ho turned to them.

“Is it too plain?”

“It’s textbook perfect.”

“So it’s unremarkable.”

“The Shinmu Sword Technique is a basic technique.”

Even Jegal Tan, with his sharp mind, couldn’t come up with any further praise.

“I see.”

“Your execution is much better now. Maybe you should try incorporating some techniques from other sword styles.”

“No, it’s okay.”

Namgung Yun-ho sheathed his sword.

“I trust my instructor. He wouldn’t give me pointless instructions.”

“Hmm, are you sure?”

Jegal Tan thought their instructor was generally unreliable.

He seemed to be motivated by laziness, hunger, and a lack of ambition.

He was a skilled martial artist, but he spent most of his time sleeping on the training ground.

He didn’t seem like the type to put much thought into his teaching, but Namgung Yun-ho’s faith in him was unwavering.

‘Well, if he trusts him, I won’t interfere.’

Baek Ri-seol suddenly frowned.

“What’s wrong, Sister?”

“Nothing. I just had a sense of déjà vu.”

Déjà vu?

Jegal Tan was curious, but he decided to focus on his friend, who seemed to be in a gloomy mood.

‘I wasn’t planning on doing this, but…’

He drew his sword.

“If you’ve made up your mind, I won’t stop you. But my illusion swordsmanship is the complete opposite of yours. It’s flashy and unpredictable, unlike the simple and stable Shinmu Sword Technique. Sparring against a completely different style might be beneficial. What do you say?”

“Sure, thanks.”

They faced each other.

Their eyes met, a silent understanding passing between them.

Then, they clashed.

“Sister, let’s start too.”

Clang! Clang!

The sound of clashing steel filled the training ground.

***

A few days later.

Cho Un-hwi returned to his room as dusk settled, sighing deeply.

“Ugh, another wasted day.”

He stared at the wall, his expression glum.

He had wanted to fix the hole in the wall, but Yeo Mae-hong had talked him out of it.

There was no sign of movement from the other side.

“Is she still working?”

He had heard that the new reforms implemented by Dokgo Yul had led to an increase in overtime work.

She was probably still at the office, brainstorming new teaching methods.

“I don’t understand why they’re working so hard.”

He clicked his tongue and shook his head.

It was time to surrender to the comfort of his bed.

“Sleep is so addictive.”

How had he managed to live without it in his previous life?

It was all the Heavenly Destruction Society’s fault.

He chuckled as he recalled his past memories.

“…It’s all in the past now.”

Or maybe not.

But for now, he would enjoy the present.

He shed his Dongcheon Hall uniform and crawled into bed.

“Hmm?”

His sharp ears picked up a faint sound.

It was coming from a distance, but he recognized it immediately.

He had been hearing it for the past few days. But today, it was different.

The intensity of the clanging was different.

He grinned.

“They’re finally getting it.”

Those kids were a lot of work.

He sat up.

His warm bed was tempting, but…

“I guess I should do some actual teaching once in a while. I have to earn my salary.”

He leaped onto the windowsill and vanished into the night.

***

Clang! Clang!

“Gasp… gasp…”

Jegal Tan stumbled backward, his breath ragged.

He was exhausted.

His stamina and internal energy were depleted.

But he forced himself to stand up again.

He raised his sword, his body covered in dust and dirt.

Namgung Yun-ho stood across from him, his stance unwavering.

“Ha… ha… this is unbelievable.”

The change had been sudden.

Just a few days ago, Namgung Yun-ho had been struggling to defend against his illusion swordsmanship.

But then, something had changed.

Yesterday, he had started to block his attacks. And today, his aura had transformed.

‘Is it even possible to improve this much in such a short time?’

Jegal Tan decided to unleash his secret weapon.

*The Azure Flame Mantra.*

The cultivation technique that Cho Un-hwi had taught him to enhance his illusion swordsmanship.

It would allow him to create denser and more realistic illusions.

Cho Un-hwi had also taught him a few other techniques.

*The Illusory Heaven and Earth Formation, which distorted an opponent’s sense of distance.*

*The Myriad Transformations Illusion Formation, which created realistic illusions.*

*And the Concealment Formation, which masked his presence and appearance.*

He had no idea how Cho Un-hwi knew these techniques, but they had allowed him to manipulate the length of his sword, create illusions, and conceal his movements.

‘This should be enough.’

Who could possibly see through his illusions, where swords lengthened and multiplied at will?

“Oh my god! His sword disappeared!”

“Is that… illusion swordsmanship?”

Even Mo Yong So-hye and Baek Ri-seol were amazed.

But they were wrong.

Clang!

A simple horizontal slash cut through the illusion.