Chapter 239: Chapter 239
Many disciples were holding the horse stance in Samongpyeong, sweating profusely.
“Ugh.”
“My arms feel like they’re going to fall off…….”
Although not even half a shichen had passed, as if they had reached their limit, the disciples trembled like aspen trees and let out shallow groans.
It was a horse stance repeated for one shichen every day.
Thanks to that, recently, they would easily finish it by just sweating a little.
However, it was different now.
‘If it weren’t for these iron rings!’
‘This is torture! Torture!’
Spitting out anger and lamentation inwardly, they resentfully looked at their arms stretched straight forward.
Iron rings were firmly fixed on their wrists visible through their sleeves.
A weight amounting to thirty catties each.
Just one was heavy enough, but weren’t they wearing them on both wrists and ankles?
There was no hardship like this hardship.
Meanwhile, Cheon-hwi, who sat down bringing a chair to the seat of honor in Samongpyeong, was looking at them suffering in disapproval.
“To not even be able to do that, phew.”
A sigh came out on its own.
Weren’t their two arms stretched straight forward trying to slowly go down since a while ago?
And they hadn’t even picked up their swords yet.
Cheon-hwi clicked his tongue while staring at the iron swords modestly placed next to them.
However, he soon shook his head.
“Still, compared to the first day, they are like fairies. Fairies.”
It was when Cheon-hwi recalled the first day when they couldn’t withstand the weight of the iron rings and collapsed just from the horse stance.
Step… Step…
The heavy sound of footsteps getting closer broke his thoughts.
Cheon-hwi slightly turned his head back.
There, the Guild Leader of the Martial Training Pavilion, Hyeon-yang, was walking over while lightly holding a heavy fifty-catty iron sword with his left hand.
‘Oh, he’s lifting it easily. He must have trained quite hard.’
Cheon-hwi’s gaze, which had been scanning Hyeon-yang, soon headed to his left wrist.
“Oh, you’re wearing two? It should be quite heavy to even lift the iron sword.”
“Even so, I can’t wear them on my right hand, can I.”
Hyeon-yang retorted after briefly glancing toward his powerlessly drooping right hand.
“Well, that’s true too.”
“And I felt like I could train my left hand faster this way.”
At Hyeon-yang’s continued words, Cheon-hwi nodded with a satisfied expression.
As expected, he’s the most hardworking.
‘Tsk, how nice would it be if those guys learned by seeing this kind of mindset.’
Cheon-hwi, who was briefly looking at the disciples doing the horse stance, shook his head from side to side.
After that, looking at Hyeon-yang, he asked.
“How is it? Have you gotten used to the left-handed sword?”
At the question, Hyeon-yang looked at the fifty-catty iron sword held in his left hand and smiled softly.
“Only now does the sword listen to me.”
Oho.
Cheon-hwi’s eyes shone.
It hadn’t even been a year since he trained the left-handed sword. But it listens?
It was impossible with ordinary effort.
‘He probably worked as if he were dying.’
Cheon-hwi, wearing a smile, said.
“That’s great.”
Hyeon-yang nodded at Cheon-hwi’s words and opened his mouth.
“But why did you call me?”
At Hyeon-yang’s direct question, Cheon-hwi stood up from the chair and said.
“I thought we could spar.”
“A spar……?”
“Since you said you’ve gotten used to the left-handed sword, shouldn’t you do proper martial arts training from now on?”
“Through sparring?”
“That’s right. I figured sparring would be better than talking.”
“Right.”
Hyeon-yang’s eyes sparkled as he answered.
It was what he had been waiting and waiting for.
Cheon-hwi, confirming Hyeon-yang’s reaction, lightly picked up the iron sword he had casually thrown on the ground.
“Then let’s go to the training grounds.”
Before those words even ended, Cheon-hwi’s figure vanished like a candle blowing out.
“Heo…… To not even be able to see him.”
He had been continuously looking, but he only realized the movement after it vanished from his eyes. When Hyeon-yang let out admiration at that astonishing footwork.
“……!”
“Martial Uncle?!”
A commotion broke out among the disciples.
The disciples doing the horse stance flinched, looking with surprised eyes at Cheon-hwi who abruptly appeared nearby.
“Why are you trying to move. It hasn’t even been one shichen yet.”
Cheon-hwi scolded them as they flinched.
“Don’t tell me it’s already hard?”
“Heop!”
“Th-that couldn’t be.”
Cheon-hwi grinned while looking at the disciples who denied it with faces that obviously looked tired.
“Right? I didn’t think so. The horse stance couldn’t possibly be hard just because this much weight was added.”
At that moment, the disciples laughed awkwardly.
“Then keep maintaining the horse stance.”
Continuing to speak, Cheon-hwi’s lips slowly twisted.
“No matter what happens from now on.”
The disciples looked at him with puzzled expressions at the continued words, but instead of explaining, Cheon-hwi lifted his head toward the seat of honor.
Tak.
Hyeon-yang, his eyes shining, stomped his foot.
Hwiririk…
Hyeon-yang, who flew over with his taoist robe fluttering largely, landed softly in front of Cheon-hwi.
Cheon-hwi looked at Hyeon-yang, whose expression was stiff as if he was nervous, and raised his iron sword.
“Now, then come.”
Usually, it was almost unheard of for a Martial Nephew to yield the first move to a Martial Uncle, but everyone here thought Cheon-hwi’s words were natural.
Because that Martial Nephew was none other than Cheon-hwi.
“I shall.”
Hyeon-yang calmly lifted the iron sword.
Kkwaak…
Power naturally entered his left hand.
Two iron rings and an iron sword.
As he tried to lift that much weight, the muscles in his arm continuously screamed.
However, next, as Hyeon-yang raised his internal energy.
Seueuk…
The screaming muscles calmed down.
‘Let me pour out my everything.’
Feeling the strength of his left arm, Hyeon-yang slowly exhaled with an expression full of determination.
His eyes became calm.
At the same time, following his will, the Plum Blossom Qi Art heaved and formed Gangqi.
Hyeon-yang quietly looked down at the red Gangqi blooming on the dark iron sword. Soon, his hand went down slightly.
And at that moment.
Paat!
His body shot forward like lightning.
As Hyeon-yang unfolded Dark Clouds Spewing Thunder and closed the space in one breath, the iron sword moved and started to fluctuate like a wave.
At the same time, the plum blossom fragrance flowing out from the sword tip spread in all directions.
‘He has become very skillful.’
Cheon-hwi, seeing him, felt satisfied inside and swung his iron sword.
Kaaang!
As the two solid iron swords clashed, a rough explosive sound burst out, and the wind raged.
And as if that were the start.
Kaang! Kang!
Explosive sounds continuously burst out.
“Guild Leader?!”
“……!”
The disciples looked at the clash of the two with surprised eyes.
Everyone knew that Hyeon-yang, who couldn’t use his right hand, had started to newly learn the left-handed sword.
But that hadn’t even been long ago.
The left-handed sword shown just now looked to the point where it seemed like he had trained for at least a few years.
Meanwhile, unlike the admiration of the disciples, Hyeon-yang gritted his teeth at the formidable situation.
‘Heup!’
He swallowed his groan inside.
Due to the shock received every time the swords clashed, his hand gripping the iron sword felt like it would be ripped apart.
However, he couldn’t stop like this.
‘Not yet.’
Hyeon-yang’s eyes shone piercingly.
Ududuk!
His shoulder muscles twisted greatly.
Kung!
He roughly stepped down with true steps.
“Heop!”
“Heok!”
The after-storm spreading centering on his soles swept over Cheon-hwi and the disciples.
“Ugh!”
The moment the disciples taking the horse stance couldn’t endure the wind and closed their eyes.
“The starting stance and posture are perfect, but…….”
An indifferent voice was heard.
Cheon-hwi spoke without even blinking an eye despite the driving dust and wind.
“It’s still lacking.”
Cheon-hwi moved the iron sword to his left hand, and immediately swung the sword.
Peoeok!
Hyeon-yang’s two eyes opened wide.
The surface of Cheon-hwi’s sword, which had lightly deflected his left-handed sword, had struck his flank.
When he looked at Cheon-hwi with bloodshot eyes due to the intense sharp pain.
“Martial arts isn’t something achieved just by blindly following explanations and postures. What’s important in the left-handed sword is internal energy operation…….”
Along with the endlessly continuing advice, the iron sword kept moving.
Peok! Peok! Peok!
“Eup! Eup!”
Hyeon-yang’s face, enduring the continuing sharp pain, turned very red like a plum blossom.
However, Cheon-hwi didn’t stop.
Because experiencing it directly with the body was faster.
Doesn’t it say that hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once, seeing a hundred times is not as good as realizing once, and realizing a hundred times is not as good as doing once.
No matter how many times one heard and saw, it couldn’t compare to directly doing it.
“You should dodge to the left. Before drawing the sword diagonally, unfold your footwork. For the left-handed sword, think of doing all the actions you did in the past in reverse…….”
Along with words pouring down like a waterfall, Cheon-hwi’s iron sword continued to move about.
“Keu, keuk!”
At the merciless battering, a groan eventually leaked from Hyeon-yang’s mouth.
The faces of the disciples watching that sight gradually became pale.
‘Even so, to the Guild Leader…….’
‘He’s crazy! Crazy!’
‘Now there is no top or bottom anymore!’
They couldn’t hide their astonishment.
It was because, although they thought they couldn’t help Cheon-hwi treating them carelessly, they never expected him to use force against the Guild Leader of the Martial Training Pavilion.
Yes, it must be done like this.
Meanwhile, Cheon-hwi, who was continuously cornering Hyeon-yang, sparkled his eyes.
Usually, if one was overwhelmed like this, instead of unfolding swordsmanship, they were bound to shrink their body or step backward.
However, Hyeon-yang was different.
He didn’t think of stepping back.
Rather, he desperately unfolded the Plum Blossom Footwork and Chaotic Flower Wind Flow Sword to counterattack the continuously driving attacks or deflect the offensive.
Putting his advice into it.
‘His learning ability is good too, and if he continues to grow like this, he might regain his previous martial might faster than expected.’
Cheon-hwi grinned and swung the sword.
Kaang!
Hyeon-yang dropped the sword due to the overlapping shocks.
“Keuk!”
The iron sword that flew backward dropped to the ground with a thud, raising dust.
Cheon-hwi approached Hyeon-yang who was slowly walking toward the place where the sword had dropped.
“Shall we stop?”
Hyeon-yang opened his eyes sharply.
Then he moved his trembling left hand and picked up the dropped iron sword.
“No, it’s still lacking.”
A smile hovered on Cheon-hwi’s mouth.
“Good.”
Soon, as Hyeon-yang took his stance, Cheon-hwi swung the sword again, and dull sounds rang out in Samongpyeong.
Peoeok! Peoeok!
a one-sided spar like before continued to unfold.
However, Hyeon-yang didn’t give up.
As time passed, his movements were becoming dull, but fierceness was added to the sword that accepted Cheon-hwi’s advice.
“…….”
The disciples who were doing the horse stance had at some point forgotten what they were doing and couldn’t take their eyes off the great battle in front of them.
At first, they thought it was pitiful.
Because they knew better than anyone how much each of those strikes hurt.
That wasn’t all.
It was clear that it would be mentally hard too.
Weren’t they receiving teachings while getting beaten up by a Martial Nephew in front of the disciples they had taught, with their right hand lost?
Perhaps if it were them, they would have run away because the situation was disgraceful and embarrassing.
However, Hyeon-yang didn’t do so.
“Keuk! N-not yet.”
Seeing Hyeon-yang stand up and face off while continuing to suffer from Cheon-hwi, they felt their hearts beating hotly.
Soon, they also released the horse stance and shouted.
“Guild Leader!”
“Cheer up just a little more!”
They burst out vigorous cheers.
It was partly because they empathized with Hyeon-yang, but also because they put in an earnest single wish.
‘Please just hit him once!’
Of course, they respected Cheon-hwi.
However, the training they had received for the past few years was atrocious to the point of shuddering.
Dark Fragrance Pills, thrashings in the guise of spars.
And now even iron rings and iron swords.
‘Guild Leader! We ask of you!’
‘Just, j-just one hit!’
Around the time the disciples were cheering with eyes filled with earnestness, hoping to vent their anger for what they had suffered so far.
What are they doing?
Cheon-hwi looked at them at the surrounding shouts, and smirked with an absurd expression.
‘Seeing this, it seems they want me to get hit.’
Cheon-hwi’s mouth corners slowly went up.
‘Well, let’s see later.’
Cheon-hwi withdrew his gaze from them and swung his iron sword. The heavy iron sword accurately struck Hyeon-yang’s flank.
Peoeok!
Hyeon-yang’s eyes became bloodshot.
However, even amidst that, Hyeon-yang bit his lips and swung the iron sword with all his strength.
Tuk.
The tip of the iron sword touched Cheon-hwi’s shoulder.
It was a very feeble force.
However, it was the moment his sword reached Cheon-hwi for the first time.
“Waaaaah!”
The disciples let out roars.
Hyeon-yang smiled faintly and parted his lips.
“T-touched…….”
The instant Hyeon-yang, who exhausted all his energy, was about to collapse just like that, Cheon-hwi reached out his hand and supported him.
“It was okay.”
Cheon-hwi, who carefully laid the fainted Hyeon-yang down on the spot, lifted his head and spoke while looking at the cheering disciples.
“It’s good that you’re rejoicing over there, but…….”
At that moment, the disciples swallowed their breath.
“You released the horse stance?”
“Th-that is…….”
“Because we got a little excited…….”
Only then did the disciples realize their mistake and sweat profusely.
However, Cheon-hwi smirked instead of handing down a punishment.
“Well, I’ll let it pass this time.”
Everyone made a surprised expression.
‘He’s letting it pass? That Martial Uncle is?’
‘Did the sun rise from the west today?’
Then Cheon-hwi twisted his mouth corners.
“Instead, spar with me one by one.”
Shadows fell on the disciples’ faces.
‘I knew it!’
Around the time the disciples despaired.
“Hm? Why? You don’t want to?”
At Cheon-hwi’s words, everyone flinched to the utmost, and urgently shook their heads from side to side.
“H-how could that be?”
“That’s right! It is an honor to get to spar with you, Martial Uncle.”
Cheon-hwi nodded.
“Of course you should be. The Guild Leader of the Martial Training Pavilion also engaged in the spar with such heart and soul, so how would he think if the disciples hate sparring.”
Cheon-hwi sank his eyes calmly.
The reason he sparred with Hyeon-yang in a spot clearly visible on purpose was because of this.
‘The Guild Leader of the Martial Training Pavilion came out to spar this seriously, so could they refuse?’
As expected, the disciples’ eyes widened.
Cheon-hwi, seeing the disciples who soon made a resolved expression, wiggled his iron club…… No. Iron sword.
“Then it seems you are prepared, so…….”
Cheon-hwi lifted the iron sword.
“Let’s go.”
He swung the iron sword along with his words.
And from that moment on, screams continuously rang out in Samongpyeong.
“Keuheok! M-Martial Uncle! Stop!”
“Uaaaaak!”
“Kyaaaak!”
Cheon-hwi, seeing them screaming without fail, grinned and said.
“What are you doing? Not moving quickly. At this rate, when will you be able to hit me?”
“H-hit you…….”
“Wh-what do you mean by that?”
The disciples were frightened and denied it, but.
“Hey, stop feigning ignorance. Even though you wanted me to get hit.”
“Th-that is…….”
“Then try dodging well.”
Cheon-hwi, wearing a twisted smile, swiftly swung the iron sword in his hand.
Peok! Peok!
“Uaaak!”
“M-Martial Uncle! Not me! I didn’t think such…… Kyaak!”
Two ke later, Cheon-hwi, scanning the disciples who were lying on the floor without a single exception, clicked his tongue and rested the iron sword on his shoulder.
‘With this level of skill, it’s lacking.’
Cheon-hwi’s eyes narrowed.
Jianghu would now become chaos.
In such a situation, it wasn’t like he could take care of everyone in the Mount Hua Sect.
‘Tsk, if it were the Cult, I wouldn’t have had these worries.’
If it were the Heavenly Demon Cult, there were many cultists and many masters, so he wouldn’t have had to care about every single detail like this.
However, the Mount Hua Sect was different.
Since the disciples were few and the masters were few.
‘It’s not like I have multiple bodies.’
In the end, everyone had to survive on their own.
And in order to do so, each individual had no choice but to build up their skills.
‘That is, to minimize sacrifices as much as possible.’
Cheon-hwi raised his sword and said.
“Then shall we get up again now?”
At that time when harsh training continued to unfold in Mount Hua like that.
A group of people slipped out from Mount Heng Stronghold, the general stronghold of the Green Forest located in Hunan, and started moving north secretly.