Chapter 187: Those Who Temper Themselves
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Ye Woon-rang, having mastered the true transmission of the Azure Dragon Mental Cultivation Technique of Ascending Heaven Sword Dragon Ba Hun at the perfected level, finally began his true tempering.
That is, he had commenced the refinement of the Four Dragon Sword Styles, composed of Advancing Style, Circling Style, Defense Style, and Final Style.
He had already finished memorizing the formulas, and now only the process of learning each sword move one by one remained.
The key was time.
Just how quickly could he master them?
White Peak Sword Sect’s training grounds.
Ye Woon-rang, having taken a position in one corner of the wide space, held the sword in his right hand straight up.
A long blade standing before his chest.
The sword made of dark iron, a keepsake of his master Red Dragon Sword Captain Hong So, scattered a sharp energy.
It was a neat sword-drawing stance that gave the air of a swordsmanship master.
Currently, Ye Woon-rang’s gaze was fixed forward.
A gap of roughly twenty or so paces.
There stood a person, holding a sword angled downward.
-When you’re learning the Four Dragon Sword Styles in the future, I plan to assign you a sparring partner for realistic combat training.
The sparring partner Cheol Ryu-heun had mentioned previously – it was none other than the former Nine Demon Alliance Leader Gal Jung-heon.
GULP.
Ye Woon-rang swallowed dryly, his eyes gripped by strange tension.
It couldn’t be helped.
Because facing each other like this with swords in hand, that extraordinary presence was touching his entire body.
Gal Jung-heon’s posture was admirable.
Befitting a demon whom the Dragon Martial Gate’s first Patriarch Ba Hun had praised during his lifetime, even his relaxed movements alone were imposing.
He remembered their first meeting in the past.
‘It’s completely different from then.’
At that time, Gal Jung-heon, who had been disguised as a wanderer using the name Neung po, had kept his true power completely hidden, so he hadn’t felt this kind of imposing formless presence…
“Shall we begin?”
At Gal Jung-heon’s quiet question, Ye Woon-rang’s eyes changed.
“Yes!”
“Good. I’m fine, so execute your sword moves to your heart’s content.”
Having said that, Gal Jung-heon raised the Demon-Devouring Sword upright.
A perfect sword-drawing stance.
In truth, unless one was a master stronger than him, it would be difficult to catch an opening to approach.
It looked as if the person himself had achieved Sword-Body unity.
‘Being able to practice real combat with such a strong person is truly great fortune.’
Ye Woon-rang, having ignited the drive for achievement and competitive spirit in his heart, drew up true energy from his lower dantian.
But Gal Jung-heon was also inwardly admiring.
‘Outstanding inner power.’
The solidity of internal energy cultivation confirmed through energy sense.
It must be the effect of his internal power level rising one stage after achieving great success in the Azure Dragon Mental Cultivation Technique.
Soon Ye Woon-rang released true energy through his yongcheon points.
PANG!
A form advancing like a gale.
It was a sword technique called First Sword Charge from the Advancing Style within Four Dragon Sword Styles.
KAKANG!
Gal Jung-heon countered that sword technique without retreating and wore a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
‘Good.’
It was an excellent Advancing Style.
Though there were still many parts that needed refining.
Ye Woon-rang followed the formulas memorized in his head, rapidly moving left and right while continuously executing the Circling Style sword techniques connecting them with the Advancing Style.
KANG- KAKANG, KANG-!
Stinging metallic sounds and large heat hazes burst out ceaselessly.
Just like that, over ten exchanges passed in an instant.
Larger sparks flew as time went on.
JJENG, JJEOJEOJEONG, JJEOJEONG, JJENG- PEOPHENG, PENG, PEOPHENG-!
Metallic sounds and piercing sounds echoed, vibrating the air.
The transitions between the series of techniques weren’t smooth yet, but their momentum and power were at a level that couldn’t be casually looked down upon.
Ye Woon-rang marveled again even as he was executing the sword moves.
‘There’s not even a small tremor!’
It was martial prowess that couldn’t be denied.
Due to the gap in internal power, every time the swords clashed, tingling pain assailed his wrists.
However.
He was glad.
Because Gal Jung-heon was the optimal opponent for tempering his sect’s martial arts.
Wasn’t he the very person who had experienced the founding Patriarch Ba Hun’s Four Dragon Sword Styles long ago?
Therefore, he was helping the training with appropriate responses tailored to each sword technique’s characteristics.
‘Thank you!’
Having shouted briefly inside, Ye Woon-rang engraved in his mind one by one the parts that needed to be supplemented through the exchange of offense and defense.
Gal Jung-heon, matching sword moves in response, recalled old times.
-Try calling me big brother comfortably.
-Big Bro… ther…?
-It wouldn’t be bad to have a younger brother in the demonic martial world. After all, I’m older.
A conversation exchanged with Ba Hun.
He wore a faint smile again and murmured inwardly.
‘Ha. Big Brother… I’m finally calling you that from the heart. I will repay the debt of saving my life by raising Woon-rang. Just watch. If he dedicates all his strength to realizing the wondrous functions of the sword techniques like this, the dream of rebuilding the Dragon Martial Gate won’t be far off either.’
Suddenly.
PIPIT-!
Simultaneously with the sharp sound created by Ye Woon-rang’s sword, the clothes covering Gal Jung-heon’s left shoulder were slightly split.
The two stood apart for a moment and caught their breath.
“That last one was excellent.”
“You’re too kind. It was just once.”
“Well then, I’ll also use a bit more strength.”
“UGH. I’m somehow afraid.”
“Haha. Don’t be dramatic.”
Thus the swords of the two touched bodies again.
KAKANG-!
At the same time, in another corner of the training grounds, the three Teaching Heads Guyang Cheon, Guyang Ji, and Guyang In were sweating profusely while executing various sword techniques including the ultimate moves.
The sword technique application of the three showed a marked difference from before.
Their skill in executing the concise techniques within the White Peak Sword Art in connected chains was at quite a high level.
No.
Calling it “high level” wasn’t sufficient.
In terms of sword technique application alone, they had advanced to a state where calling them first-rate swordsmen wouldn’t be unreasonable.
Harmonious execution of each sword technique.
In other words, the unique characteristic of the White Peak Sword Art where the connection of several techniques sublimated into another technique was properly manifested.
Dropping like a sheer cliff then suddenly rising like a peak, narrowing greatly like a gorge then spreading wide like a forest – sword technique application far more flexible and free than the sword studies of ordinary martial sects was dwelling in the movements of those three.
On the surface, it seemed simple and straightforward as if drawing rugged mountains with jagged peaks, but the three Guyang brothers had finally stepped into that realm… The sword path where any technique could be harmoniously joined together.
However, the final three techniques within the White Peak Sword Art – that is, the three ultimate moves – still had many deficiencies.
But still.
The mere fact that they had improved to this level in a short period was truly an enormous achievement.
The three Guyang brothers themselves weren’t satisfied.
Because the goal each had to reach was at a higher place.
There was an example to follow.
Two figures in another spot within the training grounds.
The elite swordsmen representing the sect – Elder White Mountain Sword Excellence Yeop Hwon and Chief Supervisor White Flash Sword Tiger Hyeop Mu-geuk.
Currently, those two had reached the peak of technique-linking study, and all movements deployed through their hands looked as if they had been one from the start.
This was the essence of the White Peak Sword Art, which values not being bound by form and technique as the highest value.
Especially excellent was the harmony of the three ultimate moves, which precisely meshed the movement of muscles and bones with the flow of energy to display tremendous power.
To the extent that it made an opponent unable to readily discern whether it was one ultimate move or two or three.
Unless one was a fairly strong swordsman, it would be difficult to even gauge the timing for a counterattack against that technique linkage.
Last evening, Yeop Hwon and Hyeop Mu-geuk had finally perfectly mastered the essence of the last ultimate move, Mountain Road, and today they had even accomplished the harmonious linkage of all three ultimate moves.
Having witnessed that, the three Guyang brothers, as if receiving an even greater stimulus, spurred on their training while each crying out about passion, effort, and grit.
Yeop Hwon and Hyeop Mu-geuk exchanged a series of techniques in a realistic combat style like Ye Woon-rang and Gal Jung-heon over there.
JJENG- KKAGAGANG- PEOPHENG- KWANG-!
Loud roars burst out ceaselessly, attesting to the intensity.
The two who had been swinging swords like that finally stopped their moves and widened the distance.
“WHEW, WHEW… Elder, are you alright?”
“HUFF, HUFF… Don’t worry.”
The two rested for a while and caught their ragged breath, then soon shared the same concern.
“I’ve been feeling a wall for a while now.”
“Hmm, this old man feels it too. When linking ultimate moves, if it goes on long, I feel like my internal power runs somewhat short.”
“Yes, that’s right. The sword movements are perfectly harmonious, but the invisible inner power operation keeps hitting something.”
At that moment, a voice suddenly reached both their ears.
“You realized on the same day together. Well, that’s convenient for me.”
It was the words of Cheol Ryu-heun, who had appeared close by at some point.
Yeop Hwon and Hyeop Mu-geuk paid their respects briefly, then fired off questions as if competing.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Could it mean that this is a perfectly natural phenomenon?”
Cheol Ryu-heun, standing with hands behind his back, nodded slightly.
“Yes. As an effect of both of you having reached a martial level above the late Master during his lifetime, you’ve come to face yet another new wall.”
“Ah…!”
“I see…”
As Yeop Hwon and Hyeop Mu-geuk exclaimed, Cheol Ryu-heun’s indifferent voice continued.
“The time has come.”
At that, the two rounded their eyes and spoke in unison.
“Pardon?”
“The blessing of pain.”
At Cheol Ryu-heun’s brief response, Yeop Hwon and Hyeop Mu-geuk tilted their heads.
“……”
The blessing of pain.
Was it part of training?
But… Somehow they didn’t want to know.
At that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun spoke nonchalantly.
“It means it’s time to receive new teachings.”
“…!”
Both their pupils wavered.
Saying such things with an emotionless face made it even more frightening.
“Well, there’s nothing as exciting as hearing people screaming like they’re being torn apart in the dark of night.”
Hearing Cheol Ryu-heun’s words, Yeop Hwon and Hyeop Mu-geuk were immediately terrified.
URGH!
Is he saying we two will suffer something that makes us scream?
Something exciting he says…!
What kind of hobby is that!
Suddenly, Cheol Ryu-heun’s gaze turned toward the main gate.
“That’s unexpected.”
Yeop Hwon and Hyeop Mu-geuk also looked at the main gate.
“Why so suddenly?”
“Has someone come to visit? I don’t detect any presence…”
Soon Cheol Ryu-heun, having withdrawn his gaze, spoke briefly.
“They’ll arrive soon. Someone you’ve met before.”
* * *
“Ah, is that the place?”
“That’s right.”
Seop Pyo nodded and answered Cui Lan’s curious question.
Their gazes rested on the distance ahead.
What came into view was none other than White Peak Sword Sect.
Cui Lan was being carried on the back of her master Seop Pyo due to the aftermath of injuries she had suffered a few days ago.
A bit of time passed.
Seop Pyo arrived at the main gate, let Cui Lan down, and lightly moved his right hand.
TANG, TANG, TANG.
Having knocked on the gate and waited quietly, he heard several people’s presence.
CLATTER, CREEEAK-
Soon from beyond the wide-open main gate, three people walked out.
Simultaneously, Cui Lan and Seop Pyo let out startled voices.
“KYAAAAAH! Is this hell!”
“URGH! Why are there three Hell Kings…!”
Guyang Cheon, Guyang Ji, and Guyang In who had come out to greet them scrunched up their faces.
GRK, what hell! Who are you calling Hell King!
At that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun’s indifferent voice leaked out from behind the three.
“What brings you here?”
When he revealed himself, Seop Pyo’s expression changed.
“Ah! Sect Leader Cheol. Well… Somehow I ended up coming here.”
At that moment, Cui Lan standing beside him forgot her pain and sparkled her eyes.
“Sect Leader Cheol! Nice to meet you. I’m Cui Lan, a disciple of my master. Wow, I only heard about you… You’re really cool in person.”
At that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun suddenly plugged his nostrils and sent a chin gesture toward Seop Pyo.
“Shit swordsman, did you wash well before coming? When meeting your elders, you should be clean from head to toe.”
Seop Pyo immediately bristled and shouted inside.
GRK, shut up!
Damn old fogey, here we go again!