Chapter 10
Heavenly Sword Hall (1)
Namgung Jun entered the Heavenly Sword Hall alone.
Watching his retreating figure, Lee Seha smiled in satisfaction.
As expected of Jun.
Bombarding a new recruit with sharp sword intent from all directions and observing how they reacted.
That was the initiation ritual of the Heavenly Sword Hall.
Curious about how his disciple would handle it, Lee Seha had intentionally stayed outside to watch instead of accompanying him inside.
But he had not expected Namgung Jun to draw his sword immediately.
Most people end up overwhelmed in both body and mind.
When the initiation began, it was not uncommon for recruits to collapse to the ground on the spot.
Even Lee Seha himself, when he had undergone the Heavenly Sword Hall's initiation, had barely managed to move after pushing the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art to its absolute limit.
Yet Namgung Jun showed none of that.
Not only did he calmly withstand the pressure, he actually drew his sword and challenged his seniors.
As if this level of pressure was nothing at all.
His control over internal energy has improved while I wasn't looking.
Because Namgung Jun's cultivation was still lacking, he could not suppress the sword intent pouring in from all directions.
However, he condensed his internal energy with remarkable precision and firmly established his own domain, preventing the seniors' sword intent from further toying with his body and clothing.
The swordsmen of the Heavenly Sword Hall noticed it as well.
Several were already clicking their tongues in admiration while resting their hands on their sword hilts.
His composure far exceeded their expectations, stirring within them an irresistible urge to cross swords with him.
"I've heard about you."
A middle-aged man had somehow arrived before Namgung Jun.
"You've got some talent with the swift sword."
The moment the man appeared, the oppressive sword intent surrounding Namgung Jun vanished all at once.
Three cloud insignias were embroidered on the man's sleeve.
It signified the rank of Three Clouds.
"Let's see for ourselves. I need to determine whether you're a recruit worthy of welcoming—or merely a child who needs to be nurtured."
A faint smile tugged at Namgung Jun's lips.
The man's words sounded harsh, but there was no real malice behind them.
It was obvious he was deliberately speaking in a threatening manner to intimidate him.
His voice was rough, but there wasn't the slightest hint of ill intent.
Thus, Namgung Jun responded with equal ease, gripping his sword hilt.
"That's exactly what I was hoping for."
"Good."
Whoosh!
There was no such thing in the Heavenly Sword Hall as offering the first move to a junior out of courtesy.
As if to demonstrate the principle that the one who strikes first wins, the middle-aged swordsman's swift blade immediately targeted Namgung Jun's wrist.
Trying to stop me from drawing my sword altogether?
Namgung Jun stepped to the left.
It was the Infinite Step of the Southern Heavenly Palace.
His sleeve fluttered violently as he narrowly avoided the thrust.
Though the opening strike had missed, the middle-aged man's offensive flowed naturally onward.
With a slight twist of his wrist, he extended his sword horizontally.
The trajectory was aimed at cutting off the path of the Infinite Step.
Yet Namgung Jun moved in a way that defied expectations.
Instead of continuing to evade, he closed the distance.
At that very moment, a sharp sword light was already stirring within his scabbard.
The middle-aged man met Namgung Jun's sudden reversal of momentum head-on rather than retreating.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
More than seven exchanges collided in an instant, producing a storm of metallic shrieks.
Boom!
Namgung Jun stamped his foot, dispersing the impact that had surged into his body.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged man twisted his waist to the left as he continued swinging his sword.
Though they were evenly matched in the exchange of techniques, there was a clear difference in internal and external cultivation.
The middle-aged man's eyebrow twitched slightly.
Even though Namgung Jun had been forced half a beat behind, he had somehow seized the offensive instead.
An aggressive temperament?
Flashes of the Thirteen Flash Lightning Swords burst forth one after another, relentlessly targeting the man's upper body.
The middle-aged swordsman deflected the attacks aimed at his chest and shoulders, his body spinning through the air.
At the same time, his blade slashed vertically and horizontally, sealing off Namgung Jun's movements.
Yet Namgung Jun calmly dealt with the attacks rushing in from both sides simultaneously.
More impressive still was the technique with which he used the recoil from each collision to make his next strike even faster.
It was a level of skill worthy of admiration.
Surprised despite himself, the middle-aged swordsman gradually increased his sword speed.
Namgung Jun responded by becoming even faster.
Clang! Clang-clang-clang!
The two swordsmen exchanged dozens of moves in the blink of an eye.
Neither yielded even a single step.
He's keeping up with my speed?
The middle-aged man withdrew his sword back toward his chest to prepare his next technique.
His movements remained disciplined and precise.
Yet his lips trembled ever so slightly.
He was shocked.
The swift sword Namgung Jun displayed was utterly absurd.
The swordsmanship demonstrated by the youth before him was exquisite.
His skill with the blade was so extraordinary that it only made his comparatively meager internal and external cultivation stand out all the more.
To produce sword strikes of this level with a body and cultivation like that!
How many swordsmen in the Heavenly Sword Hall could truly exchange blows with him on equal footing?
Whoosh!
"Hm? They're getting faster."
"Is this really alright?"
"I didn't expect them to exchange this many moves."
The observing swordsmen of the Heavenly Sword Hall muttered in astonishment.
No one had anticipated the spar to become this intense.
Not a single one of them could take their eyes off Namgung Jun.
"At this point, calling him a recruit hardly feels right."
"Where in the world did they find a monster like this?"
Every time a new recruit had joined, the initiation ritual had been conducted without fail.
Yet never before had they witnessed such an evenly matched spar.
And that was despite the fact that the middle-aged swordsman was clearly holding back and carefully controlling his strength.
"He's good with a sword. I understand why the Hall Master accepted him as a disciple."
As Gong Junam crossed blades with Namgung Jun, he gradually felt a growing sense of exhilaration.
Though this was their first meeting, a strange familiarity surfaced within him, as though he had encountered a longtime sword companion.
His curiosity deepened.
Just how far could Namgung Jun follow him?
Strength entered the hand gripping his sword hilt as Gong Junam raised his internal energy further.
At that moment, a voice suddenly echoed in his ear through sound transmission.
—That's enough.
A cold voice.
It was the Heavenly Sword Hall Master's transmission.
Hah. So even a master worries about his disciple.
Quickly calming his emotions, Gong Junam gradually lightened his attacks and retreated.
Recognizing the intention, Namgung Jun also stepped back and widened the distance between them.
Fwoosh!
As both swordsmen withdrew their blades simultaneously, a cloud of dust rose around them.
"My name is Gong Junam. I look forward to working with you. Next time, I'd like to cross blades with your heavy sword."
Though the introduction was sudden, Namgung Jun was not surprised.
He understood that this was Gong Junam's way of acknowledging him.
"..."
The moment Gong Junam introduced himself, silence descended upon the Heavenly Sword Hall.
It was only natural.
Gong Junam was one of the most prominent swordsmen among the Three Clouds.
Whenever Lee Seha was absent, he even acted as the hall master's deputy.
He was not someone a mere First-Class Recruit should have been able to fight on equal footing.
And certainly not through swordsmanship alone.
"The recruit's abilities have been sufficiently verified, haven't they?"
Lee Seha approached with a smile.
Only then did the members of the Heavenly Sword Hall begin speaking again.
"They said he won the tournament by ending every match in a single strike!"
"He's incredible. The youngest isn't acting like the youngest at all."
"At this rate, we might be the ones learning from him."
The swordsmen who had been observing from outside immediately used their movement techniques and crowded closer.
"Welcome to the Heavenly Sword Hall."
"Sorry about the sword intent earlier. It's our hall's initiation ritual... though you didn't seem bothered by it."
"I'd like to go on a mission with you someday. Then we'll see your true capabilities."
The swordsmen hurriedly introduced themselves, each speaking whatever came to mind first.
"My name is Namgung Jun."
Having already adapted to the Heavenly Sword Hall's oddly refined yet chaotic atmosphere, Namgung Jun calmly returned their greetings.
***
After spending a day in the Heavenly Sword Hall dormitory, Namgung Jun's expression was poor.
"Urgh..."
The frigid energy of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians surged throughout his entire body.
A flare-up?
Suppressing the pain, Namgung Jun sat cross-legged.
His body had already grown stiff and barely obeyed him, but he moved with practiced familiarity.
The extreme cold spreading through him made his body tremble uncontrollably.
It felt as though invisible frost and icicles were burrowing beneath his skin.
"Hoo..."
Calmly reciting the formula of the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art, Namgung Jun began circulating his internal energy according to the methods he had developed through countless previous attacks.
The severity has increased again.
The frigid yin energy rampaging through him was far stronger than before.
Its violent assault upon his meridians rendered his usual countermeasures far less effective.
The only option remaining was to endure until the attack subsided using the lightning qi of the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art.
Woooong!
As his internal energy slowly flowed through his meridians and resisted the yin energy, a faint vibration emerged from within.
The raging yin energy had reacted to the lightning qi and begun colliding with it.
As though unwilling to tolerate the existence of yang energy within the meridians, the yin energy spread further and further, attempting to devour the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art's power.
Centering around the Tianzhong acupoint...
Any ordinary young expert would have been completely overwhelmed and forced into a full attack.
But Namgung Jun was different.
He still retained the experience of having once controlled internal energy as a peerless master in his previous life.
With meticulous precision, he guided the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art.
Not only did he protect his meridians—he began consuming the yin energy itself.
If I simply endure it, all I suffer is an attack. But if I scrape away portions of the energy bit by bit, it's no different from consuming a spiritual medicine.
As he delicately continued circulating his qi, the yin energy suddenly surged again.
Whoosh!
At that instant, a tremendous amount of blazing yang energy entered through the Myeongmun Acupoint on his back.
Master.
There was no mistaking it.
It was Lee Seha's Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art.
As Lee Seha's scorching yang energy suppressed the freezing yin energy, the circulation process became vastly smoother.
Receiving his master's assistance, Namgung Jun relentlessly scraped away at the cold energy of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians.
The remnants he harvested became part of his Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art.
Time passed.
Eventually, Namgung Jun slowly opened his eyes.
The room was filled with cold air resembling a mountain deep in winter.
His breath formed visible mist each time he exhaled.
"Master."
"Jun, are you alright?"
"Thanks to you, I was able to get through the attack much more easily."
"As your master, that's only natural!"
Lee Seha smiled proudly as he patted Namgung Jun's head.
Possessing the senses of a supreme expert, Lee Seha had immediately noticed his disciple's flare-up and rushed over without hesitation.
Namgung Jun felt genuine gratitude toward him.
As long as Master is beside me, overcoming the Nine Yin Severed Meridians will become much easier.
Lee Seha seemed to feel the same and smiled brightly.
"Maybe because you're still young, the cold energy of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians is still within what I can handle. That's fortunate."
"Indeed. But I need to raise my mastery of the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art as quickly as possible."
"That's right. The Nine Yin Severed Meridians will only grow stronger at a terrifying pace."
Lee Seha's gaze shifted.
A wooden box rested on the table.
It was the heshouwu he had received as the championship prize.
Understanding the meaning behind his master's glance, Namgung Jun immediately spoke.
"Master, I'd like to consume the heshouwu right away. Would you be willing to assist me?"
As though he had been waiting for those words, Lee Seha's smile brightened considerably.
"Of course! Just trust your master."
Namgung Jun immediately sat cross-legged once more.
Feeling Lee Seha's palms press against the Myeongmun Acupoint in the center of his back, he promptly placed the heshouwu into his mouth.
Wooooong!
Thus began the master-and-disciple's joint circulation technique, aimed at extracting every last bit of power from the spiritual medicine.