Chapter 100: The Sect Master's Return
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As the sun was setting low on the horizon.
TANG, TANG, TANG, TANG… TUKTUK, TUKTUK, TUKTUK, TUKTUK… SWISH, SWISH, SWISH, SWISH… TUK, TUK, TUK, TUK…
The spacious workshop within White Peak Sword Sect was currently filled with ceaseless noisy sounds of tools being wielded.
Workers including Tae Sa-ja were each shedding beads of sweat while making something.
Various pieces of lumber that had been neatly carved stood out.
What the group was making was none other than a large rectangular bathing tub.
Of course, the one who had ordered this was Cheol Ryu-heun.
A few days ago, before leaving for Wuyang, he had separately called Tae Sa-ja and ordered the bathing tub production.
Already five.
Giant bathing tubs born by the hands of the workers.
At a glance, each was large enough to easily accommodate twenty to thirty people.
However.
The target number Cheol Ryu-heun had ordered was a total of six.
So they had to make one more as the last, which was why the noisy sounds of each wielding their tools were getting faster.
“How is it, does it fit exactly?”
“Seems like it… Oh! Wait, there’s a bit of a gap opening here?”
“Damn, jeez…”
“Again, again! Hurry and bring another one!”
“AAAH! Sh… so… my finger… got smashed.”
“Hey, shut up! This isn’t the time to be in pain!”
“You know the Sect Master is coming today, right? If we don’t finish before then, we’ll…”
“Don’t say unlucky things! We can do it!”
“Yeah, yeah! Focus. If we just fit this side together well, the rest will be smooth sailing!”
“Ah, sh… The hammer broke again. Wait, is there a spare?”
“Again? You bastard, use some appropriate strength! There’s exactly one left now.”
“That plank over there looks like an appropriate size?”
“Hmm, let’s see.”
“Oh, it’s similar! If we just shave the corner a bit more and fit it, it’ll work!”
Amid all that, Tae Sa-ja briefly stopped his hammering and raised his voice to boost the morale of the personnel working with him.
“Okay, okay! Everyone, attention! The summit of completion isn’t far off! If we do well on the work the Sect Master assigned, an opportunity to learn first-rate martial arts will naturally come to us too! Slaves, let’s put in a little more effort!”
At that, ten workers inwardly bristled.
Urgh, stop with the slave talk!
You’re in the same boat anyway!
However.
Just as Tae Sa-ja said, they believed an opportunity to learn first-rate martial arts would definitely come.
More precisely… Their expectations for Cheol Ryu-heun’s abilities made them hold such feelings.
Perhaps through him, even those without talent for martial arts could achieve remarkable growth through some kind of teaching.
About ten days ago, when Cheol Ryu-heun had taken guest martial artist Ye Woon-rang and left to visit the Red Cat Merchant Guild in Baizhou, what Yeop Hwon had separately told them was truly shocking.
-Several powerful ultimate techniques that will make our sect’s future even brighter have been born. Last night, through the Sect Master’s hands.
It was astounding.
Who could create ultimate techniques in merely one night?
Even being former bandits, they could well appreciate how difficult that was.
At that point, all the workers had already pledged to bury their bones here at White Peak Sword Sect.
Indeed.
Their minds were completely made up.
No matter what happened, they would not leave White Peak Sword Sect.
They absolutely could not return to their days as lowly bandits who just went around recklessly stealing others’ belongings.
They would definitely receive disciple qualifications from Cheol Ryu-heun, learn first-rate martial arts, and become proper swordsmen of the martial world.
A success story of lowly bandit origin becoming an orthodox faction first-rate swordsman.
Just imagining it in their heads was thrilling beyond measure.
Suddenly.
‘Hm?’
Tae Sa-ja felt something warm like water flowing from his nostril.
One worker beside him said with eyes wide.
“Oh? You have a nosebleed! Must be from overwork.”
Startled, Tae Sa-ja wiped his nose once with his sleeve.
“Bl… blood!”
Leaving behind a short cry, he collapsed flat.
THUMP.
It must be because of that absurd fear of blood.
The workers were quite flustered.
“Gasp, he fainted…!”
“This is crazy! Time is tight, what is this…”
“Hey, wake him up quickly!”
“Damn, what do we do? Slap him?”
“We have to try something!”
“Move, I’ll try smacking him! Sorry, Boss. Wait, no. Squad Leader.”
SLAP, SLAP, SLAP, SLAP…!
* * *
The training grounds of White Peak Sword Sect.
Over one hundred disciples were each holding swords and completely absorbed in sword energy training under the guidance of Training Masters, the three Guyang brothers: Guyang Cheon, Guyang Ji, and Guyang In.
Here too, an anxious atmosphere similar to the workshop pervaded.
It was natural.
Because today was the day Sect Master Cheol Ryu-heun would return.
The disciples were continuously and repeatedly raising white haze-like sword energy onto their blades.
But.
Everyone’s expressions weren’t particularly bright.
There was a reason for that.
Because though they had released pure white sword energy from their blades, they had been stagnant for the last two days.
Instability of condensation.
In other words, the initial profound use of sword energy release meant condensing it straight like an actual blade and drawing it out, but the forms were all different, so they hadn’t achieved complete realization.
Most of the disciples’ energy was spreading here and there like a small fan.
This phenomenon was proof that considerable loss of energy was occurring in releasing sword energy.
Meaning the vital energy loaded on the blade wasn’t fully condensing but leaking out here and there.
Watching that, Guyang Cheon, Guyang Ji, and Guyang In kept chewing their lips anxiously.
-Sword energy release training should be enough in five days too, right?
The words Cheol Ryu-heun had left before – that was essentially a threat disguised as an order.
If they didn’t succeed in five days like the sword wind release training, they would suffer ten thousand whole-body twists, and if anyone died from that, they’d just be buried in a ditch…
The disciples were equally anxious.
“This is driving me crazy!”
“Sigh, with no time left…”
“This really… It feels like it’ll work but doesn’t.”
“I know, right?”
“Just when I barely gather and release it, it futilely scatters like spreading waves. Good grief.”
“We have to succeed.”
“Yeah, just thinking about whole-body twists makes me shudder!”
“Right. At this rate, we might end up buried in the ground together.”
“Ugh… Dreadful.”
“Shh, shh! Even the time to run our mouths is precious now.”
After briefly grumbling, the disciples again regulated their breathing and concentrated all their nerves on sword energy release.
Suddenly.
The white energy one disciple released through his blade wavered left and right before soon taking on a straight form.
“Ah! I did it!”
At the disciple’s delighted cry, everyone’s attention focused that way.
It was a success.
The sword energy that everyone had been picturing in their heads had finally appeared through one disciple’s hand.
It was obvious at a glance.
The fact that it was textbook sword energy at the initial release stage, having neatly stored vital energy straight to minimize loss.
The three Guyang brothers were excited along with him.
“See! You can indeed do it, can’t you! Now, everyone embrace even greater passion in your hearts and try! Those with passion like active volcanoes – glory awaits at the end of that path!”
“First is effort, second is effort, third is effort! Nothing in this world can defeat true effort! Make effort upon effort!”
“People with grit are bound to succeed! Those who have failed until now mostly lacked grit nine times out of ten! What is the essence of passion and effort? Grit! Let us all be reborn as swordsmen of true grit!”
The disciples actually had eyes that wanted to plug their ears.
Before they knew it, the sun had tilted a bit more.
Dusk was gradually falling.
Because of that, the tension and anxiety of all the disciples grew even more.
Yet.
Indeed, whether passion, effort, and grit had shone through, those who had entered the initial profound use of sword energy release began appearing one by two.
“My goodness… I did it!”
“Ah, me too!”
“Hahah! Look, this is how you do it, right?”
“Wow… It’s working!”
The joyful cries of disciples who had finally succeeded.
Large and small cheers followed.
Guyang Cheon, Guyang Ji, and Guyang In clenched their fists.
‘Just a little more, just a little more!’
Suddenly, loud sounds rang out consecutively from far beyond White Peak Sword Sect’s main gate.
TU-DU-DU-DU… TU-DU-DU-DU…
That ground-shaking sound was none other than Divine Wind’s hoofbeats.
Simultaneously, the fierce-looking faces of the three Guyang brothers drained pale as a sheet of white paper.
‘No!’
The startled three urged competitively.
“Qu-quickly!”
“Hurry, hurry, hurry!”
“Make haste!”
Since half the personnel still hadn’t succeeded, they were anxious.
Meanwhile, Divine Wind’s hoofbeats came even closer.
TU-DU-DU-DU, TU-DU-DU-DU-DU-!
Guyang Cheon, Guyang Ji, and Guyang In clasped their hands together and interlaced their fingers, hearts pounding with anxiety.
Ah, please…!
Gazes that seemed to shout so.
All the disciples ceaselessly trying were equally anxious.
Soon, the hoofbeats of Divine Wind, pressing close, changed to a CRASH thunderous sound.
Following that, a large shadow was seen soaring high over the rooftiles of the main gate.
It was Divine Wind, having kicked off the ground and risen.
WHIIIIIING-
The moment Divine Wind, crossing the air, was dropping down to the training grounds.
SHOO-SHOO, SHOO-SHOO-SHOO-SHOO, SHOO-SHOO-SHOO…
White sword energy extended straight and unwavering from the blades of the disciples who had been struggling until now.
The hoofbeats of Divine Wind that had brought tension created a miracle of complete training completion for all.
THU-DUNK!
The moment Divine Wind landed on the training ground floor, the three Guyang brothers greeted in unison.
“Welcome back, Sect Master!”
Not to be outdone, all disciples lined up in orderly rows and columns and showed proper courtesy.
Cheol Ryu-heun let go of the reins from his hands and asked expressionlessly.
“Success?”
At that, Guyang Cheon stepped forward as representative and answered.
“Yes. It was close, but every single person realized the initial profound use of sword energy release.”
Yeop Hwon stepped onto the ground and smiled brightly.
“Ho-ho, good work. I’m delighted myself.”
Hyeop Mu-geuk also took position beside him, nodding slightly and showing a pleased smile.
At that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun dismounted and threw out an indifferent voice.
“Going forward, if we proceed with various training for five days at a time like this, within a couple months, you’ll even be able to perform Sword Controlling Technique. Right?”
Before the absurd words, everyone inwardly bristled.
Urgh, Sword Controlling Technique my foot!
We haven’t even mastered all the forms within the White Peak Sword Scripture yet!
Just barely achieving sword energy release in five days was enough to make us want to throw up, what is this…!
Soon, Guyang Cheon asked with a curious expression.
“Has the Thousand Snake Gang matter been wrapped up well?”
“Yes, they were eliminated.”
At Cheol Ryu-heun’s brief answer, questions from Guyang Ji and Guyang In followed.
“Sect Master, why is your martial attire torn like that?”
“There also seem to be faint traces of blood at the corner of your mouth…?”
“From fighting the Dark Hall Master. Well, it’s all over now. I killed and disposed of him nice and clean today.”
At the unexpected words, the training masters and disciples were all shocked.
What?
Ah, the Dark Hall Master…?
The one said to be a powerhouse in the same rank as the Five Supreme Martial Experts of Hunan… That fearsome Netherworld Sword Fork Jeo Gyeom…?
Cheol Ryu-heun paid no heed whether they were shocked or not.
“Where are the workers?”
“Ah, yes. At the workshop over there…”
The moment someone answered quietly, eleven workers came across the training grounds and approached.
“We greet the Sect Master.”
At Tae Sa-ja’s respectful greeting, Cheol Ryu-heun asked with a chin gesture.
“Did you make them?”
“Yes, all six large bathing tubs are complete.”
“Then go fill them with water.”
“Understood.”
When Tae Sa-ja and the others hurriedly disappeared to the other side, Hyeop Mu-geuk tilted his head.
“Sect Master, why did you order the bathing tubs made?”
“For group bathing.”
“Ah…”
“Washing with Sky Clear Stone Milk will be refreshing.”
The moment Cheol Ryu-heun uttered those words, everyone including Hyeop Mu-geuk wore expressions of having lost their souls.
It couldn’t be helped.
Because Sky Clear Stone Milk was a supreme elixir that barely produced a few drops over several decades.