Chapter 74: Chapter 74
Hyeon-jin shut his mouth.
It was exactly as he said.
What did it matter if it were real combat.
The changed Falling Blossom Sword Art was more outstanding.
Cheon-hwi turned his head away from Hyeon-jin, who was standing still like a mute who ate honey.
“So, what are you going to do?”
He stared straight at Gu Gyeom-wi.
“It seems the Falling Blossom Sword Art is your specialty, do you want to learn this?”
“Will I become stronger if I learn it?”
“I can’t guarantee that, but.”
Cheon-hwi did not give a definite answer.
As said, even though it was a supreme martial art, it required an equal amount of effort and luck.
Still.
“It should be better than before.”
Gu Gyeom-wi nodded with a stiff expression and immediately shone his eyes.
A moment later, Gu Gyeom-wi took a flashy and splendid stance that did not suit his large build and began to ask Cheon-hwi.
“Ju, Junior Brother. How is it?”
“Hmm. Twist your waist a little more.”
“Like this?”
Cheon-hwi stroked his chin and examined him.
The posture was good, but something was strange.
“…Are you embarrassed right now?”
Gu Gyeom-wi’s face turned red.
“As my build is large, if I unfold such a light sword art…”
“Rather, empty your mind. If you care about such things, there will be no end to it.”
Cheon-hwi added words as he looked at Gu Gyeom-wi, who was still acting awkward.
“They say to become a Taoist immortal, you must discard, let go, and empty your mind.”
Gu Gyeom-wi’s eyes grew larger.
“Yes, Junior Brother is right. I must empty it, but to think I kept such things in mind.”
Realizing the Taoist teachings he had forgotten, Gu Gyeom-wi’s stance became much more comfortable.
At first, it looked light and flashy, not suiting his heavy build, but as time passed, it was melting into him.
“It’s a bit better now.”
Seeing that, Cheon-hwi turned his body, and there was Hyeon-jin, who had regained his senses at some point.
“…Could you give me some advice as well?”
Cheon-hwi looked at Hyeon-jin, whose gaze had changed, and smiled broadly.
“Sure.”
As soon as those words ended, Hyeon-jin poured out questions.
“Why do you unfold it like this here?”
“Plum Shadow Creating River? This form is a style that hides a heavy sword within an illusion sword. It hides internal energy behind to aim dually and stretches out vigorously…”
“If there is Yang, Yin must exist. You mean to use the energy contained within it in reverse.”
“…Yes.”
Cheon-hwi had lightly explained the Plum Blossom Sword Art, but Hyeon-jin matched its profound principles to Taoist ideology.
He understood.
To leave it in a martial arts manual, it had to be established in accordance with that ideology.
At that time, Cheon Yu carefully approached.
“Junior Brother, can I also receive advice?”
He had already embraced up to two people, would adding one more be harder?
“Sure.”
Cheon Yu smiled warmly and moved.
“It would be better to see the martial arts, right?”
“That would be convenient.”
Cheon Yu immediately demonstrated his martial arts.
Footwork and sword arts, palm arts and fist arts.
Cheon Yu showed quite outstanding skills, but.
‘Is he about half a move above Namgung Jin-gyeong?’
It was a pity to call him the Eldest Senior Brother of the Mount Hua Sect.
‘It would be unimaginable in the past.’
The Eldest Senior Brother of the Mount Hua Sect was similar to the Second Young Master of the Namgung Clan?
‘And a sword doesn’t suit him.’
Cheon-hwi grasped Cheon Yu’s disposition.
When he held a sword, his balance collapsed, and he was unable to unfold proper martial arts.
“Eldest Senior Brother, you should rather throw away the sword.”
“Throw away the sword?”
“Junior Brother! Eldest Senior Brother must become the next Sect Leader and learn the Purple Cloud Sword Formula!”
At the shocking words, Hyeon-jin and Gu Gyeom-wi, who were waiting for their turns, were startled, but.
“Can I know why?”
Surprisingly, Cheon Yu was calm.
“You seem to already know.”
“Haha. Still, I wanted to gain certainty through Junior Brother’s words.”
“Then alright. Eldest Senior Brother’s disposition doesn’t suit the sword.”
“Hahaha.”
Cheon Yu burst into loud laughter.
It was a fact that he already knew as well.
After becoming the Eldest Senior Brother, he had learned the Plum Blossom Sword Art and touched upon various sword arts to learn the Purple Cloud Sword Formula, but.
‘Palm arts and hand arts suit me better than sword arts.’
Seeing Cheon-hwi instantly grasp the disposition he had continued to hide, he laughed.
‘Hahaha. Even Master didn’t know this.’
He seemed reliable and trustworthy.
“Then in Junior Brother’s eyes, what martial art do you think I should learn?”
“Hmm. It would definitely be palm arts or fist arts. Looking at it, it seems you have been continuously learning those two since the past.”
“Are you saying weapons won’t do?”
“They don’t suit you, Senior Brother.”
When Cheon-hwi spoke firmly.
“Hearing you say that makes me feel refreshed.”
Cheon Yu spoke heartily.
“That’s a relief.”
Cheon-hwi, who was speaking, suddenly turned his head.
“More than that, why don’t you come out now?”
The Plum Blossom Swordsmen, who had been secretly watching after finishing preparations for camping out, poured out.
The Plum Blossom Swordsmen that appeared were four in total.
They were So-wun-hyeon, Cheon Geuk, Cheon-gi, and Yeop Wol.
“Ha, haha.”
“Junior Brother!”
“What are you watching so secretly?”
The Plum Blossom Swordsmen scratched their heads.
“Could you teach us too?”
Cheon-hwi scanned them.
Filled with enthusiasm, their eyes sparkled more than the starlight in the night sky.
“Alright. Instead, you have to follow all my words, is that okay?”
“I don’t mind if it’s to become stronger.”
“That much is something to endure!”
The Plum Blossom Swordsmen all answered as if it was obvious.
Seeing that, Cheon-hwi’s lips twisted.
“Then I’ll take it as you’ve agreed.”
As soon as they said they would follow his words, Cheon-hwi immediately bossed everyone around as he pleased.
“First, try unfolding your martial arts.”
About two quarters later.
Having seen everyone’s martial arts, Cheon-hwi immediately pointed at them one by one and spoke.
“Senior Brother Cheon Geuk, go over there. And Senior Brother So and Senior Brother Cheon-gi, come this way. Senior Brother Yeop, go that way.”
Having divided the four Plum Blossom Swordsmen into three groups in one breath, Cheon-hwi opened his mouth.
“Senior Brother Yeop, like Eldest Senior Brother, throw away your sword and mainly practice palm arts.”
Yeop Wol protested in bewilderment.
“No, Junior Brother. I’ve devoted my whole life to sword arts, but you tell me to practice palm arts.”
“Practicing palm arts will allow Senior Brother Yeop to achieve faster accomplishments.”
“But if one is a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, they naturally have to practice sword arts…”
Yeop Wol, who was speaking, showed a look of difficulty.
It was because Cheon Yu next to him was looking at him while smiling beamingly.
“Haha. If it’s according to Junior Brother Yeop’s words, it seems I wasn’t a disciple of Mount Hua.”
“N-No. That is.”
Cheon-hwi glanced at the disobedient Yeop Wol before letting out an indifferent voice.
“Then Senior Brother Yeop, do as you have been doing. Just don’t regret it later.”
Seeing Cheon-hwi stepping back readily, Yeop Wol felt uncomfortable.
Cheon-hwi firmly cut off and organized things.
They had to hurry up and become stronger, and he had no intention of dragging along someone with strong stubbornness.
“Senior Brother Cheon Geuk’s problem is physical stamina.”
“Physical stamina?”
“I saw you panting up to your chin in the middle.”
Cheon Geuk shut his mouth.
“Your strength ran out in the middle, so your forms wavered. Perhaps if you had proper stamina, it would have unfolded like this.”
Hwoooong-
The vigorously thrust sword generated a vortex and pierced toward the lone floating moon.
“How could it be this different!”
Cheon Geuk burst into admiration.
At the same time, he felt his trust and belief in Cheon-hwi growing even larger.
“C-Can I also unfold it like this?”
“Let’s see after you build up your stamina first.”
“Understood. Then what should I do?”
“As expected, the best thing is the Horse Stance.”
At those words, Cheon Geuk was flustered.
Wasn’t the Horse Stance the most basic of basic trainings that he had already finished when he was young?
Trying to do it again was embarrassing.
“Junior Brother, can’t we do a different training?”
“Then do you want to run around that mountain all day?”
Looking at the high mountain Cheon-hwi pointed at, Cheon Geuk immediately stiffened his face and spoke.
“No, as expected, the Horse Stance is the best.”
“Right?”
Cheon Geuk bit the bullet and nodded, and Cheon-hwi stroked his chin.
“Hmm, let’s see. Let’s just do it for one double hour first.”
“O-One double hour?”
“Ah! And later when your stamina becomes okay, I’ll teach you a sword art that specially suits Senior Brother more than that sword art from earlier.”
“A sword art?”
“It’s a martial arts manual that was buried in the Mount Hua Sect’s Ten Thousand Scenery Pavilion, and it’s quite an outstanding sword art.”
Vitality gathered in the eyes of Cheon Geuk, who had been displeased about doing the Horse Stance.
Seeing him, Cheon-hwi stroked his chin.
The martial art he was going to teach Cheon Geuk was the Shadow Snake Fist.
‘His stamina is lacking, but the reflexes I caught a glimpse of were fast, so it suits him.’
However, there was a slight problem.
That the Shadow Snake Fist was a fist art.
Although it was a martial arts manual in the Ten Thousand Scenery Pavilion as he said, it was a fist art closer to the Unorthodox Faction than the Orthodox Faction. It was these two things.
Was there no other way.
‘I’ll just newly create it as a sword art.’
Two days would be enough for it.
Soon, he turned his body and stared at So-wun-hyeon and Cheon-gi, who were looking with expectant eyes.
“Compared to the martial arts you’ve learned, the two Senior Brothers lack in lightness skills, so you roughly learned it, right?”
The two avoided his gaze and whispered.
“Even if we lack lightness skills…”
“It’s just lightness skills.”
Cheon-hwi put on a dumbfounded expression.
“No. It’s the most important.”
“Lightness skills?”
“Why is that important?”
“If the opponent is strong, you have to run away.”
“Are you saying to run away?”
When Hyeon-jin, who had been silently watching the situation from the side, asked in startle.
“Then do you want to die a dog’s death?”
“Do you think we would suffer like that?”
“Yes.”
Cheon-hwi spoke calmly.
No matter how he looked at it, they were weak.
Everyone’s faces turned red, but since the one who spat out those words was Cheon-hwi, no one could refute him.
“If that’s so uncomfortable, just think that your footwork must be good so it’s easier to avoid the opponent’s attacks and you can pressure the opponent.”
It was a word spoken as if he was being generous.
Like the trickery of monkeys.
However, perhaps it was a much more comfortable expression to hear, their bright red faces improved a little.
“Then take a look. How different it is if your lightness skills are outstanding.”
Cheon-hwi immediately moved his feet, and.
Swoosh-
He disappeared from their sight in an instant.
“How is it?”
Hearing the voice coming from behind their backs, goosebumps rose on So-wun-hyeon’s and Cheon-gi’s backs.
“W-When did you get behind our backs.”
“J-Junior Brother?”
Cheon-hwi walked out from between the two.
“What if I was an enemy?”
They realized it even without him speaking.
They would die immediately.
The Adam’s apples of the two swallowed hard.
Watching the two who finally realized the sense of alertness, Cheon-hwi tossed a carrot.
“Later, if I think you’ve gotten okay, I’ll teach you this lightness skill.”
“Really?”
“Are you serious?”
“Of course, first you have to train a bit.”
Just when the two tightly clenched their fists.
“Then as expected, the two of you should also do the Horse Stance.”
“What? Horse… Stance?”
“Not lightness skills?”
“Yes? Do you like lightness skills?”
A smile appeared on Cheon-hwi’s face.
“Then do you want to do a lap around that mountain with lightness skills and come back? Your skills will definitely increase significantly then.”
It was a much harsher word than what he had said to Cheon Geuk earlier.
“N-No. The Horse Stance is good.”
“Yeah, wouldn’t the Horse Stance be the best for basic training as expected?”
The two also surrendered like Cheon Geuk.
“Then first, Eldest Senior Brother and Senior Brother Gu…”
“Junior Brother.”
Yeop Wol approached hesitantly.
Behind his back, Cheon Yu was giving a thumbs up with a bright expression.
Having heard an earful from Cheon Yu, darkness was cast around his eyes.
“I’m sorry about earlier. I was also a bit…”
“Are you going to throw away your sword?”
“…I will follow Junior Brother’s words.”
“Alright.”
Cheon-hwi nodded.
“What Senior Brother Yeop lacks is the most out of everyone here. To the point where it’s the most ambiguous to touch on anything.”
“Those words mean…”
Cheon-hwi smiled gently.
“So do the Horse Stance.”
Cheon-hwi’s words were all different, but what they communicated at the end was ultimately one thing.
Later, Cheon-hwi, who made even Hyeon-jin, Cheon Yu, and Gu Gyeom-wi all do the Horse Stance in the moonlit night, clicked his tongue.
“What martial arts.”
He intentionally tailored his words for each of them, but from the moment they unfolded their martial arts, the only training he had in mind was the Horse Stance.
“When they even lack basic physical stamina.”
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