Chapter 55: Reflection
Got him!
I was certain I had seized the advantage.
But at that very moment...
Yu Gwangcheol's hand moved toward the hilt of his sword for the first time.
His blade flashed as it left the sheath.
CLANG!
Sword met sword.
I endured the heavy impact that shook my wrist and thrust my blade forward again.
But that was as far as I got.
CLANG!
Yu Gwangcheol's sword completely blocked the space my sword path needed to advance through.
The line of Mirror Flower Straight Flash was broken.
I had no choice but to retreat one step.
Silence followed.
In the end...
everything happened exactly as Yu Gwangcheol had said.
All four of us had failed.
Not one of us had even managed to brush the hem of his robe.
Hyeongwon ground his teeth in frustration.
Yu Seola lowered the tip of her sword while steadying her breathing.
Myeongjeon remained seated on the ground with his head lowered.
I also stood silently with my sword in hand, staring at Yu Gwangcheol.
He looked down at us with a calm expression.
Then spoke in a low voice.
“You're lacking.”
He shook his head.
“Far too lacking.”
He continued,
“Now you should understand just how much you're missing.”
"..."
None of us could say anything.
Yu Gwangcheol looked at us.
“Did the four of you truly think that joining forces would be enough to stand against me?”
He gave a faint smile at our silence.
“Learning begins with recognizing your own shortcomings.”
His gaze swept over us.
“You need to reflect on what you lacked during that spar.”
I nodded.
Because he was right.
We could grow precisely because we were lacking.
And because of those weaknesses...
we could become stronger.
I wasn't discouraged by this defeat.
If anything...
my expectations for the coming special training only grew.
What exactly is he going to teach us?
Before that curiosity could settle...
Yu Gwangcheol spoke again.
“Don't rush to find the answer immediately.”
His tone remained low.
“Take your time.”
“Replay what you just did in your mind and figure out exactly what went wrong.”
His eyes slowly moved across all four of us.
“What were you trying to achieve with your first move?”
“And when it was stopped, why was it stopped?”
His expression hardened.
“Don't answer with vague feelings.”
“Find a clear cause.”
Hyeongwon raised his head.
“If Elder could simply tell us now...”
Yu Gwangcheol smirked.
“Now?”
He shook his head.
“You still want everything handed to you.”
“Before I give you the answer, you need to think it through yourselves.”
"..."
Yu Gwangcheol sighed and shook his head.
“Fine.”
“I'll give you more time.”
He turned away.
“When I return after one meal's worth of time, explain what you've realized.”
With that...
Yu Gwangcheol slowly walked toward the opposite side of the training ground.
The four of us left behind looked at one another.
Still sitting on the ground, Myeongjeon muttered,
“Couldn't he just tell us?”
He sighed.
“I don't understand why he's dragging this out.”
Yu Seola smiled slightly.
“Grandfather is extremely old-fashioned.”
She shrugged.
“He'll probably explain everything himself when he comes back.”
Hyeongwon didn't respond to either of them.
He was lost in thought.
It seemed the ease with which his attack had been neutralized had shocked him more than he wanted to admit.
I replayed the spar with Elder Yu Gwangcheol inside my head.
I had no choice but to acknowledge the martial prowess of Explosive Sword Yu Gwangcheol.
He had stopped my strongest strike with ease.
And yet...
I'm sure I felt something catch at the tip....
Was I imagining it?
After finishing his lecture, Yu Gwangcheol leisurely left the training ground.
He walked a short distance before stopping and looking around.
After confirming no one was nearby...
he lightly pulled at the end of his right sleeve.
"...!"
His eyes widened for a brief moment.
Then immediately settled again.
His expression remained calm...
but his fingertips trembled slightly.
Along one side of his sleeve...
there was a line as thin as a thread.
So faint that no one would notice it unless they looked closely.
But there was no mistake.
His sleeve had been cut.
"..."
Yu Gwangcheol slowly closed his eyes.
He recalled the spar with the young disciples.
Especially that final flash-like attack aimed at him.
Not bad.
He hadn't expected that he would actually need to draw his sword.
And certainly not against a child who hadn't even reached twenty.
But he had been forced to.
That final strike from the young disciple had been that sharp.
That powerful.
I nearly embarrassed myself in front of the children.
In truth...
this was also one of the reasons he had told them to take time for reflection.
After boldly declaring that they wouldn't even be able to touch the hem of his robe...
how humiliating would it be if they discovered this?
Of course...
it wasn't only because of his pride.
If the disciples realized what had happened, the balance of authority during the upcoming training might be disturbed.
...And I do have my dignity as First Elder to maintain....
He brushed a hand over the cut sleeve.
Then carefully straightened it as though nothing had happened.
Unless someone stared directly at it from close range...
there was no way they would notice.
...Han Mujin.
Yu Gwangcheol repeated the name inwardly.
He remembered the boy's eyes.
The way Mujin had refused to let go of his sword path until the very end.
The strike he had unleashed clearly contained the power of Great Void Golden Body Tempering.
That vicious external cultivation art that, within Kunlun...
only Jin Gwangung had ever successfully mastered.
His talent really is extraordinary.
He had reconnected the lost sword path of True Immortal Cheongun.
He had defeated a poison master like the Thousand Poisons Old Demon.
And now...
he had earned the recognition of that eccentric Jin Gwangung and even mastered Great Void Golden Body Tempering.
Han Mujin.
That brat really is something.
Yu Gwangcheol smiled faintly.
Then he made a decision.
I'll have to work him properly.
The word "talent" sounded sweet.
But for a young martial artist...
it could become poison.
He needed to be taught properly so that confidence in his talent wouldn't lead him astray.
What was necessary for that?
Appropriate trials.
Appropriate challenges.
