Return of the Mount Hua Sect

Thud!

Thud!

As soon as Chung Myung’s voice burst out, Hye Yeon and other Mount Hua’s disciples fell down like straw bales. Even after washing their eyes, the relaxed demeanor they had when they came to the training ground early in the morning was nowhere to be found.

“Hm, already?”

“It’s almost midnight.”

“Hmm.”

Tang Gun-ak slowly retrieved the hidden weapons, as if there was a lot of regret left.

“Just as I was starting to get warm. In my time, when I got excited, I would throw down hidden weapons for three days and nights… Do we really need to stop at a moment like this?”

“Don’t worry. We’ll start again in just two hours.”

At those words, Mount Hua’s disciples who were lying down like corpses raised their heads like a thunderbolts.

“Tw- Two hours (four hours)?”

“It was originally three hours, you bastard! Why are you changing your words?”

“Oh, was it?”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue.

“But have these guys’ stomachs gotten too full? Not just anyone else, but Gaju-nim of Tang Family of the world himself who trains you guys, but you can’t make an effort to secure even more than a rat’s tail’s worth of time!”

“Ugh…”

Honestly, he’s not that wrong. No, for something that came out of that bastard’s mouth, it was a rare, very rare correct one.

It’s not just anyone, it’s Tang Gun-ak. The Poison King, Tang Gun-ak. One of the absolute masters who dominates the current Kangho.

Isn’t this a situation where such a person is not just sparring or dueling, but spending the entire day giving them training close to real combat?

“If other people heard about this, they’d bring ten of thousand gold and beg for even a single session with him! But you lot are taking it for granted!”

“Ughhh.”

That’s right… That’s right, but….

“…Ten of a thousand gold or whatever, so I just want to survive.”

“If you die, what’s the point of getting stronger?”

“Spare me.”

“Amitabha…. I, I saw paradise….”

“That’s… hell, monk. You’re not going to paradise.”

Five Swords squeezed out sad tears.

Are the hands of Tang Gun-ak really so ruthless? No, not to that extent. If he had truly been trying to attack them in earnest, and if they had to defend against him all day, how many of them would still be alive?

Naturally, Tang Gun-ak was also considering their skills and providing appropriate conditions. Moreover, hadn’t they already been competing with Chung Myung, whose skills were on par with Tang Gun-ak and perhaps even better, for three years?

‘Yes, I understand.’

Baek Cheon trembled. Even though he understood all that, the goosebumps on his back showed no signs of subsiding.

The problem lay in the difference between a sword and throwing knives.

They have absolute trust in Chung Myung’s sword. No matter how fiercely he swings it at their necks, they have the ultimate belief that the sword will never actually cut them.

If they don’t have that trust, they could never engage in such lethal sparring. Because they have absolute confidence in Chung Myung’s abilities, they can attack and defend with all their might.

But the problem is that the throwing knives is not a sword.

No matter how much Tang Gun-ak renowned as Poison King of the world, and even if he has skills that even Chung Myung can’t surpass when it comes to unleashing and handling the throwing knives, aren’t throwing knives are weapons that are essentially out of one’s control once released?

Just a momentary mistake, a very simple miscalculation, and the knife could end up in someone’s head.

‘Who knew it would be this chilling.’

Every time the fierce throwing knives passed by his face, it felt like his soul was left and returned to his body, to add a little exaggeration.

If anyone wanted to experience a near-death situation, just standing in this place would suffice.

But they repeated that all day from this morning until midnight. Who could possibly remain sane under such conditions?

“How pitiful.”

“…I’d rather just roll my body.”

“As expected from Mount Hua Sect. I can’t compete with that.”

The extreme experience they were experiencing could be seen just by looking at the reactions of the surrounding Nokrim and Tang Family. Those who had been looking at the relaxed Mount Hua for a while with eyes full of resentment, now clicked their tongues as if they had seen the most pitiful person in the world. Even if they encountered a beggar from the Beggar Union who hadn’t eaten for three days, they wouldn’t look at them with such pity.

“How is it?”

Tang Gun-ak smiled strangely at Chung Myung’s question.

“There’s definitely a difference compared to throwing knives alone. I felt something similar during the battle at Plum Blossom Island.”

“Right?”

Tang Gun-ak nodded.

“What started as an effort to help them turned into me getting help instead. If we repeat this training for about 15 days, I think I might be able to grasp something.”

“Fi- Fiveteen days?”

“Are we doing this for another 15 days?”

“Are you joking?”

Five Swords convulsed in shock.

Even now, their clothes are full of holes, as if it had been hit by a rain of needles, and their body are full of scratches… but they have to do this for another 15 days? 15 days?

“And… I think I understand what Tang Family lacks and also found a solution.”

Tang Gun-ak looked at Mount Hua and Tang Family alternately with meaningful eyes. His eyes sparkled as if he had discovered an interesting toy, causing both Mount Hua’s disciples and Tang Family members trembled at the same time. For some reason, it sent chills down their spines.

“The combination is good.”

The most fatal weakness of Tang Family originates from the roots of their martial arts.

Other sects compensate for their weaknesses by swinging their swords and sparring with each other, but this is not possible for Tang Family. Most of the hidden weapons they use are things for which there is no substitute, unlike wooden swords the warriors use during sparring, which has moderately reduced power.

What would happen if feather-light needles were carved out of wood instead of iron? If you made it the same, it would be too light to hold any force, and if you increased the weight by making it larger, it would lose its characteristics as a concealed weapon, rendering it meaningless.

Besides, no matter how blunt you make the tips be, a hidden weapon is a hidden weapon. If you make a mistake and get stabbed in the eye, not only blindness but also your life is at risk.

Therefore, Tang Family can practice controlling and throwing hidden weapons into the air, but the experience of sincerely applying hidden weapons to an opponent is bound to be extremely limited. This was the same as an innate limitation.

However….

“Anyway, you blocked my throwing knives.”

“…Did we?”

“We didn’t do anything like that?”

“…I was just standing there.”

Tang Gun-ak smiled brightly.

“Surely, disciples of Mount Hua are humble. Is it because they resemble Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword?”

“…Is that an insult?”

“Gaju-nim. You’ve crossed the line. Please apologize.”

“That bastard, humble? Humble?”

Tang Gun-ak nodded contentedly as he watched the Mount Hua disciples having a fit.

“They’re still in good spirits. As expected, they’re reliable.”

Though he spoke playfully, Tang Gun-ak was actually quite surprised on the inside.

‘I never thought it would end up like this.’

No matter how much he trained with Chung Myung, there was a preconceived notion that the younger generation was still the younger generation. Therefore, Tang Gun-ak believed they wouldn’t be able to use even thirty percent of their abilities.

However, their skills easily exceeded Tang Gun-ak’s expectations. Though he didn’t show it outwardly, he was quite exhausted.

‘I almost had to use a lethal move.’

No matter how many throwing knives he threw, they somehow blocked and parried them while steadily advancing, which sent chills down his spine. What kind of training had these young people undergone to reach such a level?

Rather than strengthening their defenses and holding on, they move forward without being deceived by the variations in the throwing knives he creates.

“In other words….”

“Yes?”

Tang Gun-ak’s smile deepened.

‘If they’re at a level that can block my move, then the level of hidden weapons my children can do isn’t really a threat to them.’

Thus, it would be possible.

Just as he’s currently checking them by throwing his knives at them to his heart’s content, isn’t this no different from finding a perfect target for Tang Family that won’t get hurt no matter how much they attack?

“Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword.”

“Yes?”

“If it means improving skills, isn’t anything a good thing?”

“….”

“Huh?”

Under that subtle pressure, Chung Myung glanced at Mount Hua’s disciples.

Earnest eyes that said, ‘I don’t know what he’s talking about, but just say no!’ were pouring down on Chung Myung. Chung Myung nodded reassuringly as if telling them not to worry.

And he said while looking at Tang Gun-ak.

“Of course.”

“Hey, this damn bastard!”

“This rotten bastard! Selling his Sahyung off?”

“We’ll curse you from hell! We’ll kill you for sure!”

Chung Myung picked his ears.

“Howling like a dog under the moon.”

Mount Hua’s disciples glared at Chung Myung with venomous eyes, but it didn’t matter much. After all, one can’t kill someone with just a glare.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Let’s.”

“How about it? You still seem energetic. Want a drink?”

“Hmm. Since you’re offering, it’s hard to refuse. But let’s drink moderately today. I also choose the alcohol.”

“That’s a bit disappointing, but fine.”

Mount Hua’s disciples, who were looking at the two walking away while chatting, soon dropped their heads in confusion.

“…Yoon Jong-ah.”

“…Yes?”

“Sew that bastard Gol’s mouth shut.”

“…Soso went to get a needle a little while ago.”

“I see. She’s quick.”

Baek Cheon squirmed and barely managed to sit up.

“…I never thought throwing knives could be this scary.”

“You can say that again. I’m really feeling it painfully.”

“First of all, it’s scary that it’s not in someone’s hands.”

“Exactly.”

The people they had faced so far were all people who wielded weapons with their hands or punched them directly. That means that as long as they didn’t lose sight of the person, they could somehow deal with them.

But Tang Gun-ak is completely different.

Though he merely stood still, the throwing knives that left his hand flew at a formidable speed, toying with them.

“…There are no restrictions.”

“Yes. That’s right, Samae.”

Baek Cheon nodded heavily.

No matter how free a swordsman tries to be, they cannot escape the constraint of holding a sword in their hand. Thus, the changes in the sword are inevitably confined by the limits of the body.

However, the throwing knives that have left a person’s hand has no such limitations. Therefore, they can undergo unimaginable changes.

This was yet another shock to them. Having always lived with swords in their hands, they had never considered that the sword was confined by the limits of the body.

“…There’s so much to learn.”

“The pace is too fast, Sasuk.”

“But… One thing is certain….”

Baek Cheon continued as he looked at Tang Gun-ak’s back, which was now quite far away.

“If we fully embody this, our Mount Hua will become one level stronger. It’s an opportunity we can’t afford to miss as martial artists. I’m overjoyed.”

A still glow flowed out of his neat eyes.

However, the reaction of those who heard those words was only sour.

“That’s if we don’t die first.”

Jo-Gol grumbled.

“It wouldn’t be surprising if we died tomorrow… An opportunity, my foot.”

“….”

“Let’s go get some sleep. I’m exhausted.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

“I’m hungry too.”

“We need to eat something.”

One by one, they stood up and left Baek Cheon behind as they headed to their lodging.

“Anyway, that’s a kind of illness too.”

“Let it be. He’s our Sasuk, right?”

“Baek Cheon Siju sometimes holds too much weight. That too is an obsession.”

“It sometimes gives me chills. Ugh.”

Baek Cheon, who was left behind, blankly watched their backs trudging along.

“That… Guys?”

A cold wind blew from the riverside and swept through Baek Cheon.

He shivered and slowly stood up.

“Keuhum.”

He cleared his throat lightly and followed the others with an awkward look on his face.

“Let’s go together, guys. Guys? Hey?”

Baek-ah, who had completed its share of training and was watching the scene from behind, sighed and shook its head.