Chapter 76
Samun Training Corps (5)
All activities of the Samun Training Corps had finally come to an end.
The results of the written and martial examinations were combined to determine first and second place.
“Come forward.”
At Ha Mujung’s command, the trainee who had secured second place stepped onto the platform.
There had been many talented individuals in this training corps, yet the one who claimed second place was someone who had attracted little attention.
A man with a bamboo hat tilted slightly to one side and a stealthy gait.
The runner-up of this training corps was Heo Il of the Heavenly Sword Hall.
He had scored nearly full marks on the written examination and proven his ability by enduring four instructors during the martial examination.
“The Heavenly Sword Hall has produced quite a few talented individuals lately. Even my hall must remain vigilant.”
Ha Mujung crossed his arms as he looked at Heo Il.
“Young Hero Namgung’s assistance played a significant role. I learned a great deal from him.”
“Is that so? Having a companion you can use as a goal is a fortunate thing. Make good use of that opportunity.”
Ha Mujung lightly patted Heo Il on the shoulder and handed him a small wooden box.
It contained the spiritual medicine awarded to the runner-up.
With movements as quick as someone throwing concealed weapons, Heo Il tucked the box into his robes.
After Heo Il stepped down from the platform, the final ceremony began.
The recognition of the top graduate.
“Trainee Namgung Jun.”
Waiting below, Namgung Jun slowly ascended the platform.
“Thanks to you, this training corps was rather enjoyable.”
“I learned a great deal as well.”
No further explanation was necessary.
Everyone present already knew who the top graduate was.
Skipping many of the formal procedures, Ha Mujung immediately ordered the reward for first place to be brought forward.
“Namgung Jun. This is a reward suited to you as you are now.”
Gong Junam arrived carrying a long case and briefly met Namgung Jun’s eyes.
As always, his expression was indifferent.
Yet Namgung Jun could tell.
There was encouragement and praise hidden within that gaze.
When Gong Junam silently presented the case, Namgung Jun spoke.
“Hall Master, may I open it?”
“Go ahead.”
Namgung Jun slowly opened the long case.
Inside lay a sword.
A pitch-black hilt.
A dark lacquered scabbard.
The entire weapon was adorned in simple black.
There were no elaborate decorations, yet it possessed an unmistakably refined elegance.
This is no ordinary sword.
He did not even need to draw it.
The hilt and scabbard alone were enough to tell him.
The weapon inside the case was undoubtedly a treasured sword.
As Namgung Jun’s eyes lit up, Ha Mujung let out a low chuckle.
“Only now do I see the eyes of a boy your age. Go on. Draw it.”
Without hesitation, Namgung Jun reached for the sword.
The cold, smooth sensation fit perfectly into his hand.
It was the first time he had ever touched it, yet the hilt seemed to settle naturally into his grip, drawing a smile from him.
Holding the scabbard with practiced ease, he slowly drew the blade.
A crisp metallic sound rang out.
A jet-black blade emerged.
Namgung Jun’s eyes widened.
“It’s heavy.”
“I’m told it was forged from Black Iron and Kun Iron. In terms of sheer durability and weight, few weapons within the Blue Heaven Society can compare.”
Black Iron and Kun Iron.
Both metals were renowned for their weight, hardness, and powerful elasticity.
Though their detailed properties differed, both were exceedingly rare and difficult to obtain.
And forging Black Iron and Kun Iron together would be a challenge in itself. Most craftsmen wouldn’t even dare attempt it.
One draw of the blade was enough to understand its value.
“It truly is a precious sword.”
His voice was filled with unmistakable excitement.
“Within our society, no one will be able to wield that sword better than you.”
Namgung Jun did not disagree.
Being heavier and sturdier than ordinary swords was certainly an advantage.
Yet beyond a certain point, such qualities could become drawbacks.
Especially for a treasured sword like this, one designed almost entirely around strength and weight.
Most martial artists would struggle to wield it properly.
But Namgung Jun was different.
The Great Method and Meridian Opening had dramatically elevated the quality of his physique.
And he possessed sword skills honed over an entire previous lifetime.
“Our spar damaged your current sword considerably, did it not?”
Ha Mujung’s gaze shifted to Namgung Jun’s waist.
“Yes. I was already considering replacing it.”
Namgung Jun touched the sword hanging from his belt.
The match against Ha Mujung had left it heavily damaged.
The blade had not broken, but it was riddled with chips, hairline cracks, and even slight warping.
These were not problems that simple maintenance could solve.
I acquired a new sword at exactly the right time.
The treasured sword he had just received would serve him well until the day he obtained the Heavenly Reliance Sword.
“What is its name?”
“Yeongjeong Sword.”
Namgung Jun immediately liked the name as well.
He could already feel himself growing attached to it.
After receiving the Yeongjeong Sword and two spiritual medicines, Namgung Jun stepped down from the platform.
With the awards for first and second place concluded, Ha Mujung looked over the trainees who had completed the program.
“I, Ha Mujung, Hall Master of Martial Training, personally guarantee it.”
His deep voice, infused with internal energy, instantly spread throughout the training ground.
“From this moment onward, every trainee present here has been promoted to the rank of Third Cloud Warrior. Fulfill your duties as members of the Blue Heaven Society.”
Thus, the Samun Training Corps came to an end.
***
Upon returning after completing the training corps, Namgung Jun and Heo Il received an enthusiastic welcome from the swordsmen of the Heavenly Sword Hall.
After a brief celebration of their promotion to Third Cloud Warrior, life returned to normal.
Namgung Jun immediately devoted himself to becoming familiar with the Yeongjeong Sword, engaging in endless sparring matches against the Third Cloud Warriors of the Heavenly Sword Hall.
Today’s opponent was Gong Junam.
A practitioner of Heavy Sword techniques, Gong Junam possessed sword force ranked among the top five within the Heavenly Sword Hall.
There could hardly be a better partner for adapting to a new sword.
BOOM!
Namgung Jun’s Yeongjeong Sword collided head-on with Gong Junam’s greatsword.
As Gong Junam drew his sword upward, the force behind the stomp of his foot was so immense that the ground split apart with a cracking sound.
A naturally gigantic physique.
An enormous greatsword.
Combined with the principles of the Heavy Sword.
The sword force Gong Junam could unleash was tremendous.
Its power was enough to split apart a massive boulder in a single strike.
“Hup!”
Yet even so, he could not push back Namgung Jun’s sword.
At best, he could barely hold his ground against it.
“Haaah!”
Letting out a thunderous shout, Gong Junam stepped forward while keeping their blades locked together.
He intended to use the superiority of his external strength to break Namgung Jun’s stance.
A tremendous weight immediately spread through Namgung Jun’s blade.
Even for him, it was not something to take lightly.
Namgung Jun relaxed his wrist and tilted his sword slightly diagonally.
Naturally shifting to Gong Junam’s flank, he aimed for the opening near the man’s upper ribs.
Swooosh!
He was not using his full strength.
He had merely put a moderate amount of force into the strike.
Even so, the azure sword slash bulldozed through the air, producing a heavy whistle.
“How refreshing.”
The sensation of the blade cutting through the air traveled through his grip.
Clean.
Heavy.
Perfect.
His previous sword could never have delivered such a feeling.
People often said that a great swordsman did not choose his sword.
Yet it was equally true that a superior treasured blade could elevate a swordsman’s abilities even further.
Was that not why Nam Yeongshin of his previous life had been so particular about his weapons?
BOOM!
Gong Junam drove his greatsword downward as though stabbing it into the earth, intercepting the strike.
His eyebrows twitched.
A solid, defense-oriented sword style was his specialty.
Yet despite that, the hand gripping the greatsword tingled painfully.
The power behind the attack was no joke.
However, Gong Junam had no time to be surprised.
He had witnessed Namgung Jun’s spar against Ha Mujung.
He knew well enough.
This was far from the limit of Namgung Jun’s strength.
“Come at me harder.”
“As you wish.”
WHOOM!
After deflecting every strike of the greatsword with heavy bursts of wind, Namgung Jun leaned forward.
Having tested the feel of his new weapon through the Heavenly Wind Sword Art, he began gradually unfolding his other sword arts.
Starting with the Thirteen Flashing Thunder Swords.
Then swift sword techniques.
Flowing sword techniques.
Even illusionary sword techniques.
All manner of sword strikes poured forth in a relentless storm.
KRAAANG!
Gong Junam’s eyes, hands, and feet grew busy as he struggled to handle the assault despite wielding a massive greatsword.
Namgung Jun’s sword always cuts directly through the flow and penetrates the opening. That is why my swordsmanship is being dismantled so effortlessly.
The greatsword that normally felt light in his hands suddenly seemed cumbersome and unbearably heavy.
He only just became a Third Cloud Warrior, yet aside from the Hall Master, no one in the Heavenly Sword Hall can truly match him now.
As he barely managed to receive Namgung Jun’s attacks, Gong Junam recalled the young man’s first day in the hall.
Even then, he had been far from ordinary.
But now he had grown into a veteran swordsman capable of standing at the forefront of the Heavenly Sword Hall.
Perhaps before long, the Heavenly Sword Hall would possess two Fourth Cloud Warriors.
The thought sent ripples through even Gong Junam’s usually emotionless heart.
What kind of swordsman will you become in the future?
If it could aid Namgung Jun’s path, Gong Junam was prepared to give everything he had.
Unlike the other swordsmen of the Heavenly Sword Hall, he was not skilled with warm words.
That was why he chose to look after Namgung Jun through the weight of his sword.
Creak!
The sound came from Gong Junam tightening his grip around the hilt of his greatsword.
KOOOOONG!
He had no intention of dragging the fight out.
He would show the finest strike he could produce.
Great Expansion Sword Art.
Severing Sky-Cleaving Path.
A horizontal slash containing every ounce of Gong Junam’s sword force.
Namgung Jun responded not with another sword art, but with the Heavenly Wind Sword Art.
A massive sword wind settled upon the blade raised overhead.
Heavenly Wind Sword Art.
Heaven Gazes Upon Autumn.
The two swords, each carrying their greatest possible power, collided.
KWAAAAAANG!
A thunderous explosion like a heavenly lightning strike erupted.
A circular shockwave swept across the training ground.
As a cloud of dust surged upward, a chilling cracking sound followed.
Crack.
The sound of Gong Junam’s greatsword splitting.
The fracture spread deeply through the blade until it was on the verge of breaking apart.
At this point, purchasing a new sword would be easier than repairing it.
As Namgung Jun’s gaze shifted toward the cracked blade, Gong Junam ruthlessly slammed the sword into the ground.
CLANG!
The greatsword shattered completely.
Gong Junam did not spare the broken weapon even a glance.
Instead, he looked directly at Namgung Jun, whose eyebrows had risen slightly.
“A sword can always be replaced. What I gained from this spar is worth far more.”
“I am relieved to hear you say that.”
“I hope it was helpful to you as well.”
“Of course. I have become familiar enough with this sword that I could take it on my next mission immediately. Without your help, it would have been difficult.”
At Namgung Jun’s words of gratitude, the stern expression on Gong Junam’s face softened ever so slightly.
“Then that is enough.”
***
After the spar, Namgung Jun finished circulating his energy and observing the state of his body before opening his eyes.
He had sensed someone outside.
Stepping out of his quarters, he found Yun Gyeongjong inspecting the various halls of the Heavenly Sword Hall.
“Ink Lord, what brings you here personally?”
“The Society Leader is looking for you.”
Yun Gyeongjong nodded after confirming Namgung Jun’s progress.
“It seems he has decided upon another reward in addition to the Strengthening River Great Method.”
Namgung Jun recalled the words Ha Huseon had spoken previously.
Apparently, the rewards from the Songshan Assembly would not end with the Strengthening River Great Method alone.
“I will prepare immediately.”
Together with Yun Gyeongjong, Namgung Jun headed toward the Blue Heaven Pavilion.