Chapter 72

Third Cloud Training Corps (1)

Heo Il examined Namgung Jun's physique as they walked side by side and nodded in satisfaction.

“It certainly looks like the past half month of proper eating paid off.”

“Yes. My condition is optimal. I've completely adapted to the changes caused by the Great Law and the meridian opening.”

Namgung Jun climbed the mountain peak alongside Heo Il.

Dense fog blanketed the surroundings, limiting visibility, yet the two rising talents advanced without hesitation.

They were ascending one of the peaks of Mount Huang.

Like the main stronghold itself, the area was protected by formations that made intrusion by outsiders extremely difficult.

“I never expected we'd be entering the Third Cloud Training Corps together. Time truly flies. Though your progress has been even faster, Young Hero Namgung.”

“I received a great deal of help from you as well, Senior Heo.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

Smiling as he idly touched the edge of his bamboo hat, Heo Il glanced around.

The amusement faded slightly from his eyes.

“They're starting to gather.”

Figures could be seen emerging from various paths winding up the mountain.

There were plenty of unfamiliar faces among them, many seemingly belonging to branch divisions rather than the Ten Halls.

Everyone climbing this peak had gathered to enter the Third Cloud Training Corps.

In other words, they would all become members of the same class.

“There are quite a few people.”

“The Third Cloud Training Corps isn't held regularly. It only opens when enough participants have gathered. If the numbers don't line up, promotion can be delayed.”

Namgung Jun nodded while observing the people around them.

When he had first joined the Changcheon Society, hadn't Heo Il already been preparing for promotion to Third Cloud Rank?

Yet only now was he entering the Training Corps.

Timing played a major role.

“I've certainly been fortunate.”

“Luck is a form of skill in the Jianghu, isn't it?”

“It appears that's the entrance.”

As they chatted casually, the two arrived at the entrance to the Third Cloud Training Corps.

Passing through the gate, a training ground immediately came into view.

Though it couldn't compare to the training grounds within the main stronghold, it was still remarkably spacious.

Quite a large gathering.

Participants of this training cycle had already assembled on the grounds.

Their clothing varied, but all wore bamboo hats and sleeves embroidered with two cloud insignias.

Since they had gathered not only from the main stronghold but also from branches scattered throughout the Jianghu, their numbers were substantial.

And their auras are impressive as well.

Several participants who appeared to belong to branch divisions possessed auras that seemed no weaker than those of the Ten Hall members.

Seeing the collection of martial artists gathered here offered a glimpse into the true strength of the Changcheon Society.

The Second Cloud martial artists assembled on the training ground subtly observed one another.

Everyone wanted to assess the peers who would become both classmates and rivals.

Namgung Jun and Heo Il, having only just arrived, naturally attracted their share of attention.

“Hm?”

Heo Il casually followed the various gazes directed their way before quietly whispering,

“Whether people recognize me or not, Young Hero Namgung, your reputation has clearly spread.”

He could feel it distinctly.

The scattered gazes gradually converged upon Namgung Jun.

Several participants had obviously recognized him.

When he listened carefully, he could even hear a few murmured comments.

“The Rising Star Sword. He's already attempting promotion to Third Cloud Rank?”

“I heard he's already the youngest person to achieve promotion thus far. If he advances to Third Cloud as well, he'll set another record.”

“I wonder if his swordsmanship truly lives up to his reputation.”

Curiosity and competitive spirit mixed together, blowing toward him like a sharp wind of blades.

Such blatant attention from nearby observers would normally create considerable pressure.

Yet Namgung Jun merely continued walking with an indifferent expression.

There was no one present whose aura particularly interested him.

Brother Baekri entered secluded cultivation after gaining an enlightenment, didn't he?

If Baekri cheong had entered the Third Cloud Training Corps, he would undoubtedly have become Namgung Jun's greatest rival.

After surveying the gathered participants, Namgung Jun broadened his focus further.

Below a raised platform at one side of the training ground stood twenty martial artists lined up in formation.

They were the instructors assigned to this training cycle.

All of them were Third Cloud martial artists selected from the Ten Halls.

Gong Junam was among them.

However, they did not exchange greetings.

Gong Junam merely looked toward Namgung Jun and Heo Il with his usual stern expression before turning away.

It was his own uniquely taciturn form of greeting.

“Everyone is here.”

A middle-aged man stepped onto the platform.

Countless scars covered his body, making him resemble a battle-worn tiger wrapped in scarred hide.

The moment his fierce eyes swept across the crowd, many participants instinctively tensed.

The man paid them no mind and released an even more intimidating gaze.

“I am Ha Mujung of the Geukmu Hall. I will be overseeing this Third Cloud Training Corps.”

There was no one present who did not know the name Ha Mujung.

Among the ten Hall Masters of the Changcheon Society, he was regarded as the strongest.

He was also considered the leading candidate to become the next Heavenly Sword Lord.

His name and presence alone dominated the entire gathering.

“As all of you already know, the Third Cloud Training Corps is effectively the Third Cloud promotion examination. Complete every part of the training program, and you will be promoted. Withdraw from the program, and you fail.”

Regardless of affiliation, everyone looked up at Ha Mujung with shining eyes.

“The reason this corps exists is because Third Cloud Rank represents the backbone and central pillar of the Changcheon Society.”

The participants beneath the platform nodded in agreement.

Within most sects or organizations, Third Cloud Rank corresponded to a middle-management position.

A newly promoted Third Cloud martial artist would typically serve as a squad leader responsible for overseeing First and Second Cloud members.

Veteran Third Cloud martial artists with sufficient experience and merit could even act as deputy hall masters or branch leaders in the absence of their superiors.

“Third Cloud Rank is not a position earned through martial strength alone. Through this Training Corps, you will acquire the qualities required of a Third Cloud martial artist.”

Ha Mujung slowly surveyed everyone below the platform before crossing his arms.

“Then we'll begin immediately.”

Thus began the Third Cloud Training Corps.

The daily routine of the Third Cloud Training Corps was straightforward.

From dawn until sunset, one theoretical lecture after another filled the schedule.

It was a process designed to cultivate the qualities expected of a Third Cloud martial artist.

The participants received instruction in a wide range of subjects: the responsibilities and duties of a Third Cloud member, leadership and personnel management, battlefield tactics, coded language, the locations and communication methods of various branch divisions, coordination between members across different provinces, and procedures for handling emergencies.

The scholars of the Hall of Ink Fragrance were responsible for these lectures.

Since much of the material was unfamiliar, the lessons proved immensely valuable.

Among the many lectures, the subjects that particularly drew Namgung Jun's interest were the Sun Moon Demonic Cult and the Eight Great Evils.

Information regarding the major experts and military forces of the Sun Moon Demonic Cult and the Eight Great Evils, as well as analyses of their martial arts and methods of countering them, made for fascinating study.

The current Jianghu truly is dominated by the unorthodox factions.

Not only was the Sun Moon Demonic Cult attempting to swallow the entire martial world, but the Eight Great Evils had also spread their roots everywhere, committing countless atrocities.

The Jianghu was vast.

And there were many great enemies.

That was why the Changcheon Society's manpower was always stretched thin.

There are enough people to kill to fill a mountain.

As Namgung Jun committed every name mentioned in the lecture to memory, the scholar, after taking a brief pause, spoke once more.

“The Heavenly Demon Sword Corps.”

After discussing numerous military organizations of the Sun Moon Demonic Cult, including the War Division, the scholar finally introduced the last and most notorious force.

“There should be no one among you who doesn't know the name. The strongest military force of the Sun Moon Demonic Cult, operating directly under the Cult Leader himself.”

The Second Cloud martial artists listening to the lecture nodded with grim expressions.

The Heavenly Demon Sword Corps.

Swordsmen personally instructed by the Demonic Cult Leader.

They served simultaneously as his personal guard and his disciples.

The Heavenly Demon Sword Corps had appeared in the Jianghu only a handful of times.

Yet every time they emerged, they left behind astonishing accomplishments, firmly engraving their presence upon the martial world.

Three peerless masters had fallen to the Heavenly Demon Sword Corps.

Long ago, their actions had even contributed to reducing the Ten Great Evils into the current Eight Great Evils.

Displaying destructive power capable of shaking heaven and earth, the Heavenly Demon Sword Corps had become the very symbol of the Sun Moon Demonic Cult's military might.

“To oppose the Heavenly Demon Sword Corps, all three halls of the Three Pillars would probably need to mobilize.”

“Perhaps even additional halls would have to lend support.”

“Isn't the leader of the Heavenly Demon Sword Corps a peerless master himself?”

The participants seemed to feel pressure from merely hearing the organization's name.

And that was only natural.

Even outside today's lecture, the infamy of the Heavenly Demon Sword Corps was something they had heard about countless times.

Watching their reactions, the scholar clapped his hands to lighten the atmosphere.

“No matter how strong the Heavenly Demon Sword Corps may be, they are not invincible. Who knows? Perhaps one day, someone among you may emerge and shatter them.”

With a conventional reminder to focus on present efforts while preparing for the future, the scholar brought out the teaching materials he had prepared.

Several thick manuals.

Fragments of wood bearing sword marks.

Pieces of shattered stone.

“All these years, our Society has continuously gathered and analyzed information regarding the Heavenly Demon Sword Corps. Through that process, we have even developed methods of countering them.”

The eyes of the gathered martial artists widened as they alternated their gazes between the manuals and the preserved sword marks.

“Are those manuals really records of their information and weaknesses?”

The scholar nodded.

“In truth, most of the content consists of gathered intelligence. The sections discussing countermeasures are relatively small. Still, what matters is that analysis is ongoing. It proves that the Heavenly Demon Sword Corps is not invincible.”

The scholar stepped back, silently inviting them to examine the materials freely.

As they distributed the copied manuals among themselves, the participants began murmuring in astonishment.

“These are records of the Heavenly Demon Sword Corps' actions? Did a single military unit truly accomplish all this?”

“The characteristics of their sword paths are described in incredible detail. I heard the previous Sword Lord and the Geukmu Hall once clashed with them. These must be records from that encounter.”

The participants carefully examined not only the manuals but also the preserved sword marks.

Those studying the sword traces gradually fell silent.

The marks alone revealed how terrifyingly powerful the Heavenly Demon Sword Corps truly was.

There was a reason they were considered the strongest military force of the Sun Moon Demonic Cult.

Hm?

While examining the manuals and sword marks alongside the others, Namgung Jun narrowed his eyes.

The sword traces looked familiar.

And the more he read about the characteristics described in the manuals, the stronger his certainty became.

Isn't this the Twin Eclipse Sword of Destruction used by the Radiant Envoy?

The Sun Moon Cult Leader's three closest subordinates.

The Left Envoy.

The Right Envoy.

And the Radiant Envoy.

Among them, this was unmistakably the peerless sword art wielded by the Radiant Envoy.

So that sword art has been passed down in this manner.

The Twin Eclipse Sword of Destruction remained vivid in his memory even now.

After all, it had been the Sword Emperor of his previous life who killed the Radiant Envoy after a duel that lasted through countless days and nights.

Namgung Jun's eyes moved rapidly across the pages.

The more he examined the records, the more convinced he became.

Of course, enough time has passed that the Twin Eclipse Sword of Destruction I encountered in my previous life may differ somewhat from its current form.

But it could not have changed drastically.

At most, a few new sword paths or techniques might have been added, while others had undergone minor alterations.

In fact, there was a good chance that no one within the current Changcheon Society understood the Twin Eclipse Sword of Destruction better than he did.

After finishing every manual, Namgung Jun asked,

“Are these all the countermeasures that have been developed?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, there are limits to the information and sword traces we've managed to obtain.”

After a brief moment of thought, Namgung Jun shook his head.

“No. There are more.”

“...What?”

At Namgung Jun's confident response, every gaze in the room turned toward him.