Chapter 26: Show Them
The impudent Hyeongwon, who clearly had no idea how to respect his elders, walked past me and stepped into the center of the training ground.
A sharp spear rested in his hand.
It was a simple weapon without a single flashy decoration.
Unlike the gleaming spearhead, however, countless faint handprints had been worn into the shaft.
I immediately understood what those marks meant.
They were traces left behind from gripping that spear and training with it every single day.
Hm. So he's surprisingly hardworking.
The shaft had been worn smooth from use, while the spearhead remained perfectly sharp.
The weapon itself silently showed just how much grueling training its owner had endured.
Hyeongwon raised the spear upright and took a short breath.
Then he respectfully bowed toward the Sect Leader and the Elders.
“Disciple Hyeongwon will demonstrate the Martial Discipline Spear Art today.”
Expectation and curiosity immediately appeared on everyone's faces.
The Martial Discipline Spear Art.
A special martial art secretly passed down only to those qualified to become the future master of the Martial Discipline Office.
It was considered a superior martial art that embodied the very spirit of the Martial Discipline Office, the organization responsible for enforcing Kunlun's rules and laws.
Since it was taught only to a select few, everyone's interest naturally grew.
Every gaze in the viewing area turned toward the tip of Hyeongwon's spear.
A moment later...
the spear moved.
His first movement was a thrust.
The sharp spearhead stabbed repeatedly through the air.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
With each piercing sound, silver points appeared in the air where the spear had passed.
Of course, they weren't real points.
They were afterimages left behind by thrusts moving at incredible speed.
Those silver points floated at perfectly even intervals.
Their arrangement was so precise that it looked as though someone had measured them with a ruler.
Hyeongwon immediately followed with his second movement.
Whoooosh!
The spear swept broadly across the air.
Its horizontal path passed directly through every silver point.
And at that instant...
the separated points connected into a single line.
A straight silver line.
It extended cleanly and evenly, like the stroke of a finely sharpened brush gliding across paper after being dipped in ink.
A perfectly smooth brushstroke without the slightest wavering.
Spear arts naturally focused on power and momentum.
Because of that, they often lacked delicate control.
But Hyeongwon's spear showed no such weakness.
His technique possessed not only power and speed...
but precision as well.
"...!"
Anyone watching could understand.
The silver line remaining in the air was not merely a beautiful trajectory.
It was the result of countless hours of brutally refined training.
He had reached a level high enough to overcome one of the spear's natural limitations.
And Hyeongwon wasn't finished.
He adjusted his stance.
Then he firmly gripped the center of the spear shaft with both hands.
His shoulders and arms tensed at the same time.
The spear began spinning rapidly around its center.
Whoooosh! Whoooosh!
The long spear spun faster and faster.
It looked as though a massive steel disk had appeared before him.
As its speed increased, dust and small stones on the training ground were pulled into the wind.
The air wasn't merely moving randomly.
It gathered along the circular path of the spear and formed a clear vortex.
The concentric rings drawn through the air and the swirling wind rising from the ground merged together.
To those watching...
it looked as though a circular barrier had formed around Hyeongwon.
What had once existed only as afterimages now gathered real wind and dust, creating something visible before everyone's eyes.
“Impressive. How did he already reach that level...?”
“It has been a long time since I've seen the Martial Discipline Spear Art performed with such balance.”
Quiet admiration came from the viewing seats.
Dust continued spinning in perfect circles around Hyeongwon.
The sight naturally reminded everyone of an inescapable boundary formed by absolute law.
If Yu Seola's Snowflake Sword Art had resembled sharp snowflakes filled with icy killing intent...
then Hyeongwon's Martial Discipline Spear Art resembled strict rules capable of suppressing and controlling everything within their reach.
A short while later...
Hyeongwon stopped the spear.
He returned it upright and straightened his posture.
His breathing hadn't even become rough.
His face remained calm.
He cupped his fists toward the Sect Leader and Elders.
“Disciple Hyeongwon has shown everything taught to me by Master Gwangheon.”
The training ground fell silent for a moment.
Then Sect Leader Cheon Gwangcheon slowly nodded.
“Hyeongwon.”
“Today, you proved with your own hands why you were chosen as the Young Hall Master of the Martial Discipline Office.”
“Excellent.”
The words were simple.
But they were unmistakable praise.
Hyeongwon briefly looked toward his master.
Iron Lion Gwangheon watched his disciple without moving.
His cold expression remained unchanged.
Yet his eyes shone unusually brightly.
There was unmistakable confidence and pride in his youngest disciple.
The viewing area was also buzzing with discussion.
“The Snowflake Sword Art was excellent in its sharpness, but... the Martial Discipline Spear Art had a far stronger foundation.”
“Yu Seola may have had more overwhelming momentum, but Hyeongwon was clearly superior in depth.”
People nodded as they exchanged evaluations.
Strong satisfaction showed on their faces.
They looked almost as though they no longer expected anything more impressive to appear.
Then...
“The final representative.”
Cheon Gwangcheon's voice rang throughout the training ground.
“Han Mujin, direct disciple of First Elder Jin Gwangung. Step forward.”
Yet the audience barely reacted.
Instead, indifferent gazes and dismissive murmurs appeared here and there.
“I heard he's from the Event Hall.”
“Didn't he train for only a few weeks?”
“First Elder Gwangung must have been desperate if he chose someone from the Event Hall as his representative.”
I calmly rose from my seat.
Countless sharp gazes looked me up and down.
I ignored every single one.
Then I silently walked toward the center of the training ground.
At that moment...
“HAN MUJIN!”
Jin Gwangung's booming laughter filled the entire area.
“GO OUT THERE AND HAVE SOME FUN! KUHAHAHA!”
I instinctively looked toward the highest seats.
Somehow...
he was already standing.
One hand rested on his waist.
The other held a bottle of alcohol that I had no idea where he'd gotten from.
His face was flushed red.
His eyes gleamed from drinking.
And his huge body movements drew everyone's attention.
The Elders sitting beside him simply frowned.
None bothered trying to stop him.
Seriously...
He brought alcohol here of all places?
I shook my head inwardly.
Still...
a small smile appeared on my face.
Jin Gwangung's ridiculous encouragement had loosened some of the tension that had been building inside me.
Fine.
Let's have some fun.
I stopped in the center of the training ground.
Then I cupped my fists toward everyone seated in the viewing area.
“Kunlun disciple Han Mujin will demonstrate everything he has learned today.”
The Sect Leader nodded.
I drew a deep breath.
Then I pulled the sword from my back.
Shiiing!
A clear metallic sound rang out.
The silver blade reflected the light.
Several people's expressions shifted.
“A sword?”
