Chapter 25: The Beginning
Jin Gwangung spread his pillar-like arms and firmly grabbed both of my shoulders.
“That robe looks surprisingly good on you.”
He laughed.
“You finally look somewhat like a proper Taoist.”
The smell of alcohol coming from his mouth was overwhelming.
I didn't even need to ask.
He had probably spent the entire week buried inside some pleasure house drinking himself senseless.
I sighed inwardly.
But I kept my expression polite.
“You were the one who chose it for me.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“Kuhahaha!”
“Good!”
“You really are a disciple who understands proper manners.”
His chest puffed out.
“All my careful teaching was worth it.”
Careful teaching?
You disappeared for an entire week.
Was this eccentric old man truly convinced he was a wonderful master?
Jin Gwangung narrowed his eyes.
Then he lowered his voice.
“Anyway...”
“you properly prepared for the Elders' Lecture Gathering, right?”
His grip on my shoulder tightened slightly.
“You'd better perform well today.”
“I even gave you my precious sword.”
His smile became dangerous.
“If you somehow embarrass this old man...”
“you understand what that means, don't you?”
"..."
What exactly did this man expect from me?
He threw a sword at me and disappeared for a week...
and now he wanted me to come back with victory?
An ordinary disciple would probably look miserable and beg,
Why are you doing this to me, Master?
But I wasn't an ordinary disciple.
I was Han Mujin.
A man living his third life.
I hadn't joined this Elders' Lecture Gathering merely to fill the representative seat.
I would win.
I would tear apart Baek Cheongu's hypocritical mask.
And I would save Sect Leader Cheon Gwangcheon.
I looked directly at Jin Gwangung.
“Master.”
“Don't worry about anything.”
“Today, I'll show everyone exactly what I'm capable of.”
“Kuhahaha!”
Jin Gwangung laughed loudly.
“Good!”
“That's exactly how a real man should answer!”
Apparently satisfied...
he slapped my shoulder enthusiastically.
I humored him while we walked toward the viewing seats.
Soon...
we sat beside each other.
A short while later...
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The sound of drums shook the entire training ground.
At the same time...
Sect Leader Cheon Gwangcheon slowly rose from the highest seat.
“Everyone gathered for the Elders' Lecture Gathering...”
His voice filled the training ground.
“Listen carefully.”
The gathering I had waited for...
finally began.
“Everyone gathered for the Elders' Lecture Gathering, listen carefully.”
Every eye turned toward Cheon Gwangcheon.
His voice was calm but firm.
“Traditionally, the Elders' Lecture Gathering is a place where Kunlun's First Elders exchange their martial knowledge.”
He looked toward the representatives seated behind the Elders.
“However, today the Elders themselves will not compete.”
“Instead, the representatives personally taught by each Elder will demonstrate their martial arts.”
“Through those demonstrations, their achievements and martial understanding will be displayed.”
He looked across each representative.
Every young martial artist's eyes burned with competitive spirit.
“Today's evaluation will be based on three standards.”
He raised a finger.
“First, the degree of completion in the martial art demonstrated.”
A second.
“Second, the harmony between internal energy and form.”
Then a third.
“And finally...”
“the amount of time each representative has trained under their Elder.”
He paused briefly.
For just a moment...
his gaze seemed to pass over me.
Then he continued.
“Long years of training that create great depth are naturally important.”
“But if someone achieves something remarkable in only a short period...”
“that demonstrates not only the representative's talent, but also the excellence of the teacher's guidance.”
He nodded.
“Therefore, the training period will also serve as an important part of the evaluation.”
So that's why.
I nodded slightly.
One question that had bothered me for some time was finally answered.
Why Jin Gwangung had chosen someone from the Event Hall as his representative.
Great achievement in a short training period.
That was the reason.
If Jin Gwangung failed to submit a representative...
he risked losing his position as Hall Master of the Abandoned Martial Hall.
Given his terrible personality...
who would willingly enter his lineage?
Then...
by coincidence...
he saw me demonstrating the Three Severing Palms in the Martial Training Hall.
The core criterion was achievement relative to training time.
I had only just entered his lineage.
If I demonstrated even modest improvement...
my extremely short training period could earn me a surprisingly high evaluation.
Jin Gwangung had clearly noticed that advantage.
So that's why he didn't care about training me properly.
He probably hadn't expected much from me from the beginning.
He simply needed someone to fill the representative position.
Still...
perhaps afraid I would embarrass him...
he had pressured me not to ruin his reputation.
Damned old man.
So he never expected much from me anyway.
I complained inwardly.
But I wasn't truly angry.
His pressure meant little to me.
Regardless...
today I intended to show everyone exactly who I was.
Cheon Gwangcheon finished his explanation.
“Then representatives...”
“show everything you have learned here today.”
He returned to his seat.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
The drums sounded again.
Soon...
the first representative's name was called.
“Representative of First Elder Na Gwangdo...”
“Disciple Myeongjeon, step forward.”
Myeongjeon cautiously stood from his seat.
He glanced around nervously.
Then he quickly walked toward the center.
Standing in the middle of the training ground...
he swallowed hard enough for his throat to visibly move.
Then he deeply bowed toward the Sect Leader and Elders.
“Disciple Myeongjeon will show everything he has learned.”
His voice sounded confident.
But his fingertips trembled slightly.
He was obviously nervous.
Still...
once he took his stance...
the shaking stopped.
The training ground became silent.
What will he demonstrate?
A palm technique?
Movement art?
He had brought no weapon.
So I observed carefully.
Then...
SWOOOOOSH.
A strong current of air gathered around Myeongjeon's feet.
His pants fluttered wildly.
It almost looked as though a small whirlwind was forming around him.
Myeongjeon controlled his breathing.
Then he drove strength into his feet.
“Haa!”
His body suddenly moved forward as though sliding across the ground.
He began using a movement technique.
Myeongjeon crossed the training ground repeatedly.
His movements were fast enough to make tracking him with ordinary eyes difficult.
And surprisingly mysterious.
Faint afterimages remained behind him.
Every time he moved...
more afterimages appeared.
The faint trails connecting them resembled a chain of small clouds.
“Oh....”
Several people in the audience quietly exclaimed.
Encouraged by the reaction...
Myeongjeon increased his speed.
He moved in every direction.
Five...
then six...
afterimages appeared.
For a moment...
it looked as though several Myeongjeons existed simultaneously across the training ground.
I watched with folded arms.
I recognized the technique.
Kunlun Cloud Step.
One of Kunlun's representative movement techniques.
It imitated clouds.
Free enough to travel across the vast sky...
yet calm enough not to be disturbed even by powerful storms.
It was said that someone who mastered Kunlun Cloud Step to its highest level could move across the heavens as freely as drifting clouds.
But right now...
he looks less like a cloud and more like mist being blown around by the wind.
Myeongjeon's technique was fast and flashy.
But there was little freedom in it.
Instead of the natural looseness Kunlun Cloud Step pursued...
his movements looked unstable.
As though they might collapse at any moment.
And just as I expected...
the impressive display didn't last long.
Myeongjeon's speed suddenly began decreasing.
