Chapter 22

Training (5)

Namgung Jun had earned Dan Jungse’s acknowledgment.

“Amazing. Honestly, I never expected you to endure this much.”
“You may be young, but your mental fortitude is worthy of admiration.”
“My blood is boiling! Had Namgung Jun joined Iron Tower Hall, he would have adapted perfectly.”

Not only the Hall Master but even the Iron Tower Hall members who had watched the spar acknowledged Namgung Jun’s grit.

Most people were sent flying the moment they tried to withstand the relentless fists of the Hall Master.

Yet Namgung Jun had endured to the very end, standing firmly on both feet.

Even for Iron Tower Hall members who underwent brutal external-body training every day, that was no easy feat.

And so Dan Jungse’s external-body training began in earnest.

It was every bit as brutal as expected.

Using the stamina and mental resilience Namgung Jun had demonstrated during their spar, Dan Jungse pushed him to the absolute limit.

Naturally, there was no such thing as stopping halfway through the training.

“I have already confirmed your perseverance. You have fulfilled your part by proving yourself.”

Dan Jungse stood with his arms crossed.

The muscles beneath his skin twitched subtly, almost as if they were excited.

“Now it is my responsibility to raise your physical condition as quickly and accurately as possible without injuring you.”

In Namgung Jun’s hands were short iron bars.

At both ends of each bar were discs with holes in them, allowing the weight to be adjusted by adding or removing plates.

Dan Jungse had personally designed the equipment and commissioned the Iron Forge Pavilion of the Ink Fragrance Division to manufacture it.

Even a single bar was not light.

Once various-sized plates were attached, the weight became truly formidable.

Merely holding the iron implements in both hands felt as though his entire upper body was being crushed beneath an immense pressure.

“Hu...”

Taking a horse stance, Namgung Jun repeatedly lifted and lowered the weighted bars.

Standing beside him, Dan Jungse carefully observed his muscles and even felt them with his own hands as he continuously offered advice.

“Simply moving is not enough. You must understand how the muscles move and where they are being stimulated! Visualize it! Imagine it in your mind just as you would during mental cultivation!”

The Sword Emperor of Namgung Jun’s previous life had been an unparalleled master.

Yet even he had not possessed Dan Jungse’s profound understanding of the human body.

He had simply learned through endless repetition and training how to move in order to generate great power.

Dan Jungse was different.

He had organized his theories into structured formulas and had even drawn diagrams of countless postures.

His knowledge of the body was astonishingly deep.

Across the entire martial world, it would be difficult to find another martial artist who had delved so deeply into physical cultivation.

As he received instruction, Namgung Jun became convinced of one thing.

Regardless of one’s realm, any martial artist taught by Dan Jungse would experience tremendous growth.

Once again, I find myself learning.

Namgung Jun concentrated with all his might, determined not to waste a single moment of the close instruction Dan Jungse was giving him.

Nor did the guidance end with training sessions.

Dan Jungse advised him in all aspects of daily life, helping him restore his body at a remarkable pace.

Combined with the rapid progress of the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art, Namgung Jun’s physique improved visibly with each passing day.

Even Dan Jungse found himself secretly surprised and proud of the results.

But I cannot simply receive instruction forever.

Dan Jungse’s external-body training method focused on developing the entire body at the beginner level.

However, the deeper one progressed, the more it became tailored toward fist fighters who wielded martial arts with their bare hands.

A swordsman’s body and a fist fighter’s body were fundamentally different.

The method would certainly benefit Namgung Jun to a degree, but in the future it could also disrupt the balance his body required as a swordsman.

That was why Namgung Jun did not simply use it as training assistance.

He studied the principles and formulas in depth.

His goal was to eventually adapt the method into something suited specifically for himself as a swordsman.

And if he succeeded—

Would it not greatly increase the strength of Heavenly Sword Hall as well?

For that future, Namgung Jun endured the pain of his body burning itself apart.

“Ghh...”

A groan escaped his lips.

The intensity of the training was so severe that even Dan Jungse had placed such importance on mental fortitude from the very beginning.

Enduring it with his frail body was anything but easy.

Yet Namgung Jun never gave up midway.

Drops of sweat splashed onto the dirt, soaking the ground beneath him.

His shadow trembled visibly upon the earth, but his posture never once collapsed.

Even as his body shook so badly that it was painful to watch, he maintained perfect form.

“He swung his sword stubbornly during the spar as well.”
“He really endures well. Quite a few in our hall tried to quit halfway through.”
“The more I watch him, the more unfortunate it feels. He should have joined Iron Tower Hall.”

Witnessing Namgung Jun’s determination firsthand caused the Iron Tower Hall members to train even harder themselves.

“Hup.”

A restrained breath escaped Namgung Jun’s mouth as he repeated the training posture.

Both arms holding the weighted equipment trembled violently, yet he stubbornly maintained the form.

“Good! Three more repetitions!”
“...Wasn’t the previous one supposed to be the last?”
“The fact that you can still complain means you have energy left!”

Iron Tower Hall’s external-body training consisted of many different methods.

Some involved repeatedly performing specific postures to stimulate the muscles.

Others required members to complete challenges while competing against one another, training the entire body through intense exertion.

“Haaap!”

“Faster!”

Today, Iron Tower Hall conducted a group training session.

It was a training exercise in which every member of the hall participated.

Various training tools were scattered throughout Iron Tower Hall’s vast training grounds, and the participants had to complete dozens of tasks within a strict time limit.

To an outsider, the tasks might have sounded easy for martial artists.

But that was far from the truth.

The use of internal qi was completely prohibited in every challenge.

The tasks had to be completed using nothing but physical strength—that is, one's mastery of external-body cultivation.

It was no simple matter.

Thud! Thud!

Using the strength of his legs and waist, Namgung Jun repeatedly climbed onto and descended from a seven-foot-high box, causing heavy impacts to echo endlessly.

“Faster! At this pace, how do you expect to reach three hundred repetitions?”
“Your landing is too loud! You're using too much force!”

As the veteran members serving as instructors shouted their encouragement and criticism, complaints erupted from another part of the training grounds.

“This rope is way too slippery!”
“Senior Geum! Didn't you soak the rope in too much oil?”

Several men hanging from ropes suspended at the height of a three-story building wore miserable expressions.

“Slippery? You should be wondering whether your grip strength and leg strength are lacking!”
“Anyone who slips and falls starts over from the beginning and climbs back up!”

The instructors remained completely uncompromising.

The trainees had no choice but to grit their teeth and endure.

Namgung Jun was no exception.

“Huu!”

After sprinting back and forth across Iron Tower Hall’s enormous training ground countless times, his breathing had become extremely ragged.

Even so, he moved on immediately to the next task without resting.

This time, he had to hang from a horizontal iron bar suspended in midair, twisting and rotating his entire body while repeatedly maintaining specific postures.

His muscles screamed in protest.

Yet Namgung Jun’s expression never changed.

Sweat flew through the air whenever his body spun around the bar.

Not much left.

He could clearly feel sweat running down his face.

Yet even raising a hand to wipe it away felt wasteful.

Time was running out.

Many Iron Tower Hall members had already completed every challenge and were resting.

Of course, Namgung Jun’s goal was not to achieve an outstanding record.

Compared to before, his condition had improved tremendously, but he knew his body was still far from properly trained.

That was why his goal was simply to pass within the allotted time.

For Namgung Jun, passing alone would be a tremendous accomplishment.

He had already completed fourteen tasks.

Only one remained.

“Keep going!”
“You're almost there!”

The Iron Tower Hall members who had already finished their training cheered him on.

After spending so much time together and constantly watching him train, they had long since accepted Namgung Jun as one of their own.

Remarkable.

Even most newcomers collapse during their first group training session.

No one had expected someone who had begun external-body training only a month ago to come this far.

His perseverance had always been acknowledged.

But there were limits to how quickly a body could grow stronger.

And yet Namgung Jun had somehow completed nearly every task and pushed all the way to the finish.

“Haaah!”

After perfectly completing the final challenge, Namgung Jun let out a shout and collapsed onto the ground.

Breathing was difficult.

A sickly sweetness rose from the back of his throat.

He wanted nothing more than to relax and let his body go limp, but the violent spasms wracking his muscles made that impossible.

All he could do was lie there and endure.

“Drink water little by little. Slowly.”

“Truly incredible. Who would have thought he'd finish within the time limit?”

Watching from the raised platform, Dan Jungse nodded with satisfaction.

Then his eyes suddenly widened.

Namgung Jun’s entire body, sprawled on the ground, began trembling violently.

This was not merely the result of overexertion.

The muscles throughout his body repeatedly contracted and expanded in an extremely irregular manner.

At the same time, an intense cold aura flowed from him, rapidly cooling the heated air around him.

No amount of external-body training could produce such a phenomenon.

An outbreak of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians!

Having heard about it before, Dan Jungse immediately understood what was happening.

“Namgung Jun!”

Even as Dan Jungse shouted, Namgung Jun struggled to compose himself and circulate his qi.

Rather than interfering recklessly, Dan Jungse stood guard and calmly observed his response.

So this is how his body reacts.

Instead of focusing solely on Namgung Jun’s meridians, Dan Jungse carefully examined the physical symptoms manifesting throughout his body.

Woooong—

After circulating the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art for some time, Namgung Jun finally managed to suppress the episode and slowly opened his eyes.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes. Once I catch my breath, I'll resume training.”

Dan Jungse dropped down and sat cross-legged in front of him.

“So the attacks of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians affect more than just the meridians themselves. The effects spread throughout the entire body. The symptoms appearing in your muscles are particularly severe.”

“That is correct. In the beginning, I couldn't even control my body properly and would lose consciousness.”

Dan Jungse nodded.

“If an attack occurs during real combat, it would be a terrible ordeal. There must have been many moments when it became genuinely dangerous.”

“Yes. Fortunately, it hasn't happened at such a time yet. But I can't rely on luck forever.”

After pondering for a moment, Dan Jungse finally spoke.

“I may not be able to suppress the attacks themselves. However, I believe it may be possible to free you from the loss of bodily control they cause.”

Namgung Jun’s eyes slowly widened.

“Truly?”

“If you continue refining your body through my external-body training method and reach the point where you can control your muscles entirely through your own will, then the chances are high.”

Carefully examining the muscles that had stiffened from the icy cold brought on by the attack, Dan Jungse continued.

“Of course, it won't happen immediately. I've never experienced a severed-meridian condition myself, so further study will be necessary...”

Dan Jungse flexed his muscles, his expression filled with confidence.

“I think it's possible.”