Chapter 75
Samun Training Corps (4)
The violent aura erupting from Ha Mujung forced not only the trainees but even the instructors around him to retreat.
Pebbles trembled and rose from the ground while clouds of dust billowed into the air. Standing at the center of it all, Ha Mujung’s presence was overwhelming.
“Hah. The Soaring Star Sword is even more fearless than I thought.”
“Is this really happening?”
“The Hall Master actually approved it.”
Everyone in the training corps was left dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events.
A spar between a Hall Master and a trainee.
Normally, such a match would only occur as an instructional bout.
Yet judging by the atmosphere, this would be nothing like a lesson.
The martial examination is merely an excuse. They intend to fight seriously.
Namgung Jun aside, the Hall Master himself seems fully committed. This is going to be something else.
Crackle!
While everyone else widened the distance, Namgung Jun stepped forward.
Lightning from the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art cloaked his body like a curtain as he forcefully pushed back the aura of the Extreme Martial Supreme Battle Art.
Rumble!
The Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art and the Extreme Martial Supreme Battle Art.
The blazing yang energy and the overwhelmingly domineering force collided, causing the air itself to twist and scream as though it were being crushed.
Each collision sent translucent shockwaves rippling outward.
Even those not participating in the match had to circulate their internal energy to neutralize the pressure and shockwaves.
Watching Namgung Jun advance without hesitation, the trainees realized something.
He never intended to merely endure the time limit.
He genuinely intends to exchange blows with the Hall Master!
What terrifying aura! They said he was only at the peak stage of the Absolute Realm, but those rumors must be wrong.
Namgung Jun felt the cool touch of his sword hilt.
In contrast, his body had already become blazing hot despite barely moving.
This is the perfect opportunity to clearly feel the changes in my body.
One gak—approximately fifteen minutes.
It was not a time limit he needed to survive.
It was simply the amount of time available to clash head-on with the Hall Master at full power.
Feeling the fierce aura of the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art, Ha Mujung’s lips curled upward.
“You’ve grown even stronger than during the assembly.”
His sharp eyes gleamed brightly.
As the intensity in his gaze increased, so too did the violent fluctuations of the Extreme Martial Supreme Battle Art.
The merciless aura surged like a flooding tempest, threatening to swallow the entire training ground.
The blue lightning aura, inferior in raw force, was visibly compressed and pushed backward.
Whoosh!
Yet Namgung Jun’s pace neither slowed nor stopped.
Even as the surrounding air churned violently, the force of Infinite Step spread freely, carving a path forward.
As though it could advance anywhere.
“I’m coming.”
Ha Mujung answered simply by lighting a fresh stick of incense.
A bitter fragrance spread throughout the training ground as the opposing auras churned like raging storms.
Then—
A blue flash shot through the center of the arena.
Namgung Jun displayed the uncompromising, straightforward movement born from Infinite Step and the Heavenly Sovereign’s Immovable Body.
Aggressive.
Ha Mujung had not even attacked or attempted to interfere.
Yet merely resisting the overwhelming aura of the Extreme Martial Supreme Battle Art consumed tremendous energy.
Feeling as though he were smashing through invisible walls one after another, Namgung Jun fixed his gaze upon the Hall Master.
Ha Mujung simply stood with his arms folded, seemingly curious to see how close Namgung Jun could get.
Whoom!
The sword that had been guarding the middle stance slowly rose upward.
Like a banner, it climbed to the highest point above him.
Both of Namgung Jun’s arms straightened as they supported the blade.
“You forced your way through.”
Using only footwork and body movement, Namgung Jun had pushed aside the aura of the Extreme Martial Supreme Battle Art and closed the distance.
By the time Ha Mujung finished speaking, a sword had already appeared in his hand.
The blade pointed toward the ground.
The reversed edge faced Namgung Jun.
One sword stood in the high stance.
The other hung low.
Then both swept toward the center simultaneously.
BOOOOM!
A deafening crash, as though metal itself were being crushed, exploded across the training ground.
The impact shook the arena floor violently.
Yet Ha Mujung remained rooted where he stood.
Namgung Jun, on the other hand, was pushed back three full steps.
The deep footprints carved into the shattered stone spoke volumes about the force he had endured.
The trainees stared in shock.
“Only three steps? He took the Hall Master’s sword head-on!”
“That sword force is absurd!”
“So this is the heavy swordsmanship we’ve only heard rumors about?”
Among the Ten Hall Masters, none could rival Ha Mujung in the raw power of a single strike.
The domineering force generated through the Extreme Martial Supreme Battle Art possessed overwhelming destructive might.
Even renowned masters of the martial world often found their weapons shattered when attempting to receive his attacks directly.
Yet here stood a mere trainee who had endured the Hall Master’s strike head-on.
Ordinarily, his weapon should have broken, and he should have been sent flying across the arena coughing blood.
The Hall Master didn’t seem to be holding back.
Then how is he still standing there unharmed?
He’s practically a monster.
The trainees, who understood Ha Mujung’s strength more intimately than anyone else, felt their hearts pound violently.
“That is extraordinary sword force. To achieve such growth in so short a time...”
Recalling the Songshan Assembly, the scars across Ha Mujung’s face twitched.
A faint trace of surprise revealed itself.
He casually rolled the wrist holding his sword.
Meanwhile, Namgung Jun brought his blade back to the middle stance.
His hand throbbed.
The sword trembled slightly.
Yet he paid it no mind.
This much had been expected.
Heavy Sword versus a domineering martial art.
A brutal collision of power against power was inevitable.
As expected. The strongest Hall Master among the Ten Halls.
Despite facing numerous powerful opponents, Namgung Jun had never once been outmatched in the raw force of a single strike.
This was the first time he had conceded ground in a direct contest of strength.
Good. If he is the strongest Hall Master, then this much is only natural.
The smile twisting across Namgung Jun’s lips deepened.
Unlike his previous life, he was now studying many branches of swordsmanship.
Yet if one day he returned to a single path, the destination would undoubtedly be the Heavy Sword.
Someday, I will create a sword art that surpasses the Heavenly Wind Sword Art.
A sword so vast and so heavy that it could suppress the entire Sun Moon Demonic Cult with a single blade.
Boom!
Stamping the ground, Namgung Jun shot forward first.
Every time he received one of Ha Mujung’s strikes, it felt as though he were batting away a massive boulder falling from a cliff.
No matter how he deflected the sword attacks, overwhelming force and pressure crashed down upon his entire body.
Had this been his body before undergoing the Great Method and Meridian Opening, he would have already reached his limit and suffered internal injuries.
KRAAANG!
The swords of the two swordsmen violently tore through the air.
Each collision unleashed thunderous explosions and colorless shockwaves.
Perhaps he had already adapted after suffering a disadvantage in the first exchange.
Though he could not seize the upper hand, Namgung Jun was now enduring Ha Mujung’s domineering sword force like an iron wall.
Whoooosh!
The sword winds woven together by the Heavenly Wind Sword Art gathered around his blade like thick ropes, shielding it.
BOOM!
Yet every time he endured one of Ha Mujung’s strikes, those sword winds unraveled like loose threads.
Namgung Jun did not waste even the scattered remnants of sword force.
Without utilizing every fragment, he would never have been able to withstand Ha Mujung’s relentless offense.
I need to focus not only on releasing power, but also on controlling its flow.
Even while unleashing his Heavy Sword techniques, he blended in the principles of the Thirteen Flashing Thunder Swords and the Jade Cloud Layered Wall Stance, dispersing sword force and then gathering it together again.
During the process, both of his feet sank into the ground up to his ankles.
Namgung Jun paid it no mind.
Boom!
As he stamped the ground and coordinated the strength of his entire body, he clearly felt how different he had become.
If his former body had been like a thick tree branch, his current one felt more like a resilient steel rod.
Drawing out greater strength had become easier.
And he felt virtually no strain upon his body.
My body has changed.
Without the dramatic transformation brought about by the Great Method and Meridian Opening, he would never have been able to generate sword force of this magnitude.
Nor would he have been able to endure the Hall Master’s savage assault for this long.
But now was different.
His body, transformed to a level bordering on rebirth itself, supported his every technique.
Simply by elevating the quality of his physique, not only had his sword force increased dramatically, but his overall martial prowess had risen as well.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Another series of collisions forced Namgung Jun backward.
The training ground was now covered with deep tracks carved by his retreating feet.
Meanwhile, Ha Mujung remained standing exactly where he had begun the match.
Namgung Jun did not concern himself with that fact.
At this point, merely maintaining his stance without collapsing was already an achievement.
The immense force flowing through his sword was enough that the blade could have shattered at any moment.
Without his almost divine swordsmanship and the principles of the Jade Cloud Layered Wall Stance, it would have broken long ago.
Even so, my wrists are going numb.
Considering that he had yet to fully harmonize essence, energy, and spirit, merely enduring the power of the Extreme Martial Supreme Battle Art was a tremendous accomplishment.
Yet Namgung Jun was not satisfied.
Even from the Hall Master’s overwhelmingly domineering swordsmanship, he intended to learn and take what he could.
Increasing sword speed through the principles of the Thirteen Flashing Thunder Swords.
Using the insights of the Jade Cloud Layered Wall Stance to compress and refine sword force that would otherwise scatter.
BOOOOM!
For the first time, the sword that had done nothing but stagger and retreat pushed forward firmly.
It lasted only an instant.
But for that brief moment, Namgung Jun’s sword did not yield.
“Your sword force increased again during the fight?”
“Thanks to you, Hall Master.”
Ordinarily, one would not even have the strength to answer.
Yet Namgung Jun’s breathing remained calm.
Feeling that, the veins on the back of Ha Mujung’s hand bulged.
“Then I shall increase my strength as well.”
Ha Mujung spun, his sword rotating with terrifying force.
The monstrous sword wind generated by the movement sought to sweep Namgung Jun away.
BOOOOM!
Heavenly Wind Sword Art.
Piercing Giant Wind.
Layer upon layer of dense sword wind surged forth, driving upward against Ha Mujung’s blade.
As a result, Namgung Jun managed to retreat only a few steps before regaining his footing.
“A remarkable application. Redirecting the strikes of the Extreme Martial Supreme Battle Art is difficult enough. Doing so with sword wind alone is even more impressive.”
For the first time, Ha Mujung stepped forward.
That single step sent nearby stones skittering away as though fleeing from him.
Looking ready to charge and unleash another strike, he suddenly stopped and let out a brief hum.
At the same moment, the spectators instinctively turned their heads.
The incense stick planted atop the platform had burned away completely.
One gak had already passed.
Ha Mujung had already sheathed his sword.
Crossing his arms, he said,
“Outstanding growth.”
“Thank you.”
As he put away his weapon, Ha Mujung looked Namgung Jun over one final time.
“Once this training corps ends, I will be departing immediately for my next assignment. But the next time we meet, we will likely stand at the same rank.”
Namgung Jun responded with a respectful bow.
“Amazing.”
“The Hall Master actually acknowledged him.”
“Well, after crossing swords like that, it’s hardly surprising.”
The trainees and instructors alike were astonished by Ha Mujung’s rare praise, yet none found it unreasonable.
The strength Namgung Jun had displayed was far beyond that of an ordinary trainee.
Even the rank of Third Cloud Warrior was insufficient to represent his true ability.
Should the opportunity arise, Namgung Jun could challenge for promotion to Fourth Cloud Warrior immediately.
A dazzling talent.
The eyes of those watching him sparkled with admiration.
Quietly observing Namgung Jun, Heo Il lifted his gourd and spoke.
“The top graduate of this training corps has been decided.”
His voice was fairly loud.
Yet not a single person offered a rebuttal.