Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 258

The next day.

“It’s been a while since I’ve stood in this spot.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, standing on the platform, looked down at the training grounds.

The Myulsa Army was lined up there. Though they exchanged brutal jokes in private, not a single one of them made a sound now.

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Jeagal Ayeon beside him.

“Did you rest well?”

Jeagal Ayeon replied softly, her face still showing fatigue.

“I slept for two days straight.”

“Are you feeling a bit better now?”

“Do I look like I am?”

“No.”

“Then why ask if you know?”

“I know, but I’m telling you to snap out of it. It looks like dark energy is pouring out of your eyes.”

“Hmph.”

Indeed, it was a rare occasion for all members of the Myulsa Army to gather. It wasn’t a place to show off one’s fatigue.

Yeon Ho-Jeong spoke to the lined-up soldiers.

“Did you all eat?”

“Yes!”

The resounding voices echoed across the training grounds and spread in all directions. The sound was so loud that even Yeon Ho-Jeong flinched without realizing it.

‘What’s with these guys?’

All sorts of emotions could be felt in their voices.

The most direct emotion was anticipation.

While Yeon Ho-Jeong was away, they had continued their grueling training with Muk Bi. They didn’t just train in the training grounds; they also rode horses, raced through mountain paths, and engaged in mountain warfare, dividing into teams.

It was a series of intense training sessions, with some people even suffering serious injuries. Even with such injuries, they would discuss each other’s strengths and weaknesses at night and thoroughly internalize them to avoid mistakes in the next training session.

Muk Bi’s choice was excellent.

She was strong, but her understanding of Central Plains martial arts wasn’t that deep. Though her insight was excellent, as she occasionally showed with her ‘return to the origin’ [a concept of martial arts where all techniques are derived from a single source], she couldn’t possibly oversee the martial arts of so many soldiers individually.

In other words, there was only one way for her to properly train the Myulsa Army: through practical combat and unity.

‘They’re well-honed.’

If Yeon Ho-Jeong had suffered through grueling missions, the Myulsa Army had also trained at the risk of their lives.

‘Now they truly seem like one body.’

They had worked together so much that they now knew what each other had to do without needing to speak.

However, before they left for their mission, they didn’t have this level of military discipline.

“Vice-Captain Muk.”

Muk Bi, standing at the very front of the soldiers, raised her head.

“Yes.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Yes.”

Though their discipline was strict, Muk Bi was still Muk Bi. She didn’t give Yeon Ho-Jeong special treatment even in front of everyone.

That was the Myulsa Army. It wasn’t just mediocre; it was a unique characteristic of the Myulsa Army.

“Well, it’s been a while since we’ve gathered, but the sunlight is too nice to just have some drinks with good snacks, right? Today, let’s check how much your individual martial arts have improved.”

The soldiers’ faces lit up.

They had improved as a group through practical training, but they didn’t know how much their individual skills had improved.

Now, the Myulsa Army Commander, a transcendent master who had already far surpassed the level of a late-stage expert, was going to assess their martial arts. It was something they had been eagerly waiting for.

“Peng Man-Ho, step forward!”

“Hmm. The heat is considerable.”

As they approached the Myulsa Army’s training grounds, the cold winter air seemed to have heated up.

Jeagal Mun-Ho smiled.

“The energy is different now that the Commander is here. Indeed, not just anyone can be a Commander.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho, who had been walking with his hands behind his back, soon realized that the air around him felt strange.

‘Hmm?’

Whooosh.

A sharp killing intent was carried on the wind.

Jeagal Mun-Ho’s face hardened.

Killing intent? In the Martial Alliance, of all places?

Whoosh!

Jeagal Mun-Ho used his movement technique to rush towards the training grounds.

That’s when it happened.

Bang!

“Kuaaak!”

With a tremendous explosion, a swordsman flew through the air and crashed into the wall of the training grounds.

Thud!

He didn’t even have time to use a falling technique. The swordsman, who had fallen straight to the ground, couldn’t get up and just writhed.

“What is this?”

Jeagal Mun-Ho, who had been staring at the swordsman with his mouth agape, looked at the training grounds.

There, a young man with a huge axe slung over his shoulder was standing.

“Your swordsmanship has become incredibly sharp, but why are there so many openings that weren’t there before?”

“Kueeeung!”

Yoon Ho, who had been writhing, finally managed to sit up against the wall. His face was pale, and his breathing was very rapid. It seemed like he was in no condition to stand.

“Now, for the last one.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Ok Cheong, who was sitting to one side.

Ok Cheong stood up with a tense expression.

“Please take care of me.”

“Alright.”

Swish.

Ok Cheong smoothly drew his sword and channeled his inner energy.

Whoooosh.

A blue light flickered on the Songmun Ancient Sword, the representative sword of Wudang [a famous Taoist martial arts sect].

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed with interest.

‘Oh?’

Ok Cheong was looking at him with a tense expression, but his eyes were clearer and deeper than before.

He was tense, but his body wasn’t overly strained. Yet, he wasn’t completely relaxed either. It was an ideal state of tension.

‘Look at this guy?’

The Hunwon Qi [a type of internal energy] emanating from the Songmun Ancient Sword felt as vast and deep as a calm sea. It was similar to the past, yet fundamentally different.

Qi moves according to one’s thoughts, and its nature changes depending on one’s concentration.

Ok Cheong’s Hunwon Qi was the same. If the Hunwon Qi of the past was endlessly deep and solely aimed at the pursuit of truth, the current Hunwon Qi was fiercely sharpened for the sake of complete martial arts.

The corners of Yeon Ho-Jeong’s mouth curved upward.

‘I didn’t expect this.’

In fact, if one were to pick someone among the Myulsa Army whose skills didn’t match their reputation, Ok Cheong would be the prime example.

As a disciple of Tak Mu-Ja, one of the Ten Sages of Seongcheon, the Sword Immortal, he was someone who would be treated with respect anywhere in the martial world. Yet, with that kind of status and martial arts, he couldn’t even withstand one move from Yeon Ho-Jeong. He was truly all show and no substance.

The current Ok Cheong was no longer the Ok Cheong of the past.

‘Just by changing his purpose, he changed the nature of his inner energy. Then…’

Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded.

“Come at me.”

Whoosh!

No sooner had he finished speaking than Ok Cheong approached. The movement of his feet as he pushed off the ground was surprisingly light. At the same time, the flexibility of his joints was incredibly outstanding.

‘Relaxation!’

Ok Cheong swung his sword.

Flash!

It seemed like he was drawing a smooth circle, but in an instant, he cut straight across the front.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes widened.

Clang!

The vibration flowing through the shaft of the Gwangryong Axe was tremendous.

Ok Cheong wasn’t disappointed. From the start, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s martial arts were beyond the norm. He wasn’t someone you could defeat from the beginning.

Thump! Thump!

Ok Cheong’s body appeared behind Yeon Ho-Jeong, leaving afterimages. It was a movement that confused the eye, an incredibly excellent footwork. He was amazed by the elastic movements he hadn’t seen a couple of months ago.

‘It’s not just that the nature of his inner energy has changed that makes these movements possible. He’s trained his lower body and abdomen incredibly hard.’

Without even looking back, Yeon Ho-Jeong swung the Gwangryong Axe.

Ziiiiing!

It was an incredible move.

The Gwangryong Axe, an unparalleled heavy weapon, was naturally deflected to the side, following the pattern of the Tai Chi drawn by the Songmun Ancient Sword.

It was an amazing move of ‘shifting flowers and grafting trees’ [a technique of redirecting force]. It was on a different level from the sword strikes of the past, which were just for show and bound by form.

Ok Cheong had finally begun to use a sword technique (劍法) worthy of the name, rather than just swordsmanship (劍術). This was the representative secret art of the Wudang Sect, the Tai Chi Wisdom Sword (太極慧劍).

Whooosh!

He didn’t use his sword again just because he had deflected the Gwangryong Axe.

To swing the sword again, there would inevitably be an opening in his movements. A blue light burst from Ok Cheong’s left hand.

Wham!

A powerful explosion resounded.

It was the Wudang Sect’s palm technique, the Four Symbols Wind Thunder Palm (四象風雷掌). A palm technique that aimed for a one-hit kill with immense power, unlike the usual Wudang martial arts, had been unleashed in an instant.

“Good.”

Of course, Yeon Ho-Jeong wasn’t hit by the Wind Thunder Palm.

He grabbed the deflected Gwangryong Axe with his left hand, blocked the Wind Thunder Palm with his right hand, and simultaneously grabbed Ok Cheong’s hand tightly.

“You’ve really improved a lot.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong swung his head.

Thwack!

“Kuh!”

Blood burst from Ok Cheong’s forehead.

In close range, where their hands were intertwined, he had used a headbutt. It was a crude move that even common thugs didn’t use much these days.

No one would have expected the great Byoksan Hojang [Yeon Ho-Jeong’s title] to use such a barbaric method. But Ok Cheong wasn’t flustered.

Swish!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was about to strike his forehead again, quickly released his hand and stepped back. Ok Cheong’s sword was already rising towards his groin.

Snikt!

The hem of his robe was cut off by the sharp ancient sword.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes blazed.

Thud!

He retreated and then charged with explosive speed. Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had charged with terrifying speed, rammed into Ok Cheong with his whole body.

Wham!

“Kuh!”

It was a tremendous blow.

It felt like he had collided head-on with a rolling boulder. Ok Cheong, who had flown three yards, quickly used the Jeyun Step [a type of footwork] to regain his balance.

Whoosh!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had already flown up with the Gwangryong Axe in both hands, forcefully slammed it down where Ok Cheong had been standing.

Ok Cheong’s eyes turned blue.

Kwaaaang!

The training ground floor cracked from the powerful blow.

Fwoosh.

The thick cloud of dust slowly settled.

Trickle.

The Songmun Ancient Sword, which had been raised high, was now slanted diagonally downward. Perhaps due to the impact of the sword blade and the Gwangryong Axe, Ok Cheong’s left shoulder was stained with blood.

But he had saved his life. He had deflected the Gwangryong Axe, which had been swung down with the intention of splitting him in half, with the Tai Chi Wisdom Sword.

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

Crack!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had pulled the Gwangryong Axe out of the ground, said,

“That’s enough.”

“Hoo!”

Ok Cheong gasped for breath.

“Thank you for the spar.”

His injuries were quite severe, but Ok Cheong’s voice was unwavering. Even the blood flowing from his shoulder was slowly stopping. He had begun to staunch the bleeding with his surging Hunwon Qi.

From the beginning to the end of the spar, he had shown the demeanor of a martial artist.

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked around and said,

“Did everyone see that well?”

The soldiers stared blankly at Ok Cheong. Even those who had trained with him didn’t know that Ok Cheong’s skills had improved this much.

Yeon Ho-Jeong clicked his tongue.

“It is said that one must give up one thing to gain another. But to forget the essence of the martial arts you have learned in pursuit of the mysteries of practical combat is nothing but putting the cart before the horse (主客顚倒) [a Chinese idiom meaning to mistake the primary for the secondary].”

“…”

“All of you are using extremely practical martial arts. But you also made many mistakes. However, Ok Cheong was not like that. Ok Cheong added practical sense to the foundation of Wudang martial arts and achieved his own martial path (武道) [the way of martial arts].”

“…”

“This is the unification of training (鍊武) and practical combat (實戰). I know you all worked hard, but forgetting your essence is something you should be ashamed of.”

The soldiers lowered their heads. They had nothing to say.

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Ok Cheong.

“Ok Cheong.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“You’ve done well. It was truly impressive. If you continue like this, I have no doubt that you will soon reach a moment of explosive growth.”

Ok Cheong smiled.

“It’s all thanks to you, Commander.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“Why is it my doing when you’re the one who worked hard?”

He spoke to Muk Bi.

“Let the kids rest for a while.”

“Yes. Oh? But where are you going?”

“Yeah.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at the gate beyond the training grounds.

Jeagal Mun-Ho was looking at this place with an admiring expression.

“It seems he’s here about the crazy mad dog issue. I thought the time was coming, but I didn’t expect it to be this soon.”