37 – 03# A Needle in a Sack (8)

In the pre-dawn stillness, I awoke from slumber, drawing the frigid air deep into my lungs as I retrieved my wooden sword. With my goal so clear and unwavering, I couldn’t dare indulge in late sleep.

My primary objective was to reach the Hwagyeong realm, where one could manifest sword ki. Frankly, in these modern martial arts novels, a master of the Jeoljeong realm wasn’t even treated as a proper expert.

To be precise, Jeoljeong wasn’t exactly a low level. Absent the aid of elixirs and the like, it was said to take forty years of relentless training, day and night, to reach that state.

The problem was that in most modern martial arts stories, through some lucky chance, every Tom, Dick, and Harry started out in Jeoljeong. That was why, even having reached Jeoljeong at the age of thirty, I couldn’t afford to slacken my training.

At least, I needed to reach Hwagyeong, the realm of sword ki, to avoid being swept away wherever I went. Soon after, Sua, Seolhwa, and even Namgoong Yeon followed me out into the courtyard.

“Did you cough, Master?”

“Yes, and did you all sleep soundly through the night?”

“Thanks to Master’s profound grace, we were able to spend a peaceful night.”

Sua, being my top disciple, offered greetings in place of Seolhwa and Namgoong Yeon. At first, it was a bit overwhelming, but I’d grown accustomed to it and simply went along.

Seolhwa, however, still seemed weak in the mornings, as she kept nodding off. As much as I wanted to let her sleep longer, Sua would never yield on this point.

[As a disciple, how could I comfortably continue to slumber in such a state, even after the master coughed? It would be a breach of etiquette.]

Even when I awoke earlier than usual, around Insi (between 3 and 5 AM), Sua stubbornly woke Seolhwa and brought her out. It was then that I finally realized.

If I couldn’t stop her no matter what I did…

It would be better to set a time and stick to it.

In any case, after returning a suitable greeting as usual, I took up my wooden sword and began to practice the Samjae Sword Style. I was still quite far from mastering the ultimate depths of the Samjae Sword Style.

Downward Slash. Horizontal Slash.

And Thrust.

Originally, the Samjae Sword Style consisted of forms too rudimentary to even be called stances, but when one eventually reached its ultimate mastery, its power would eclipse that of any other martial art under the heavens.

Honestly speaking, it was simply because I couldn’t use any other martial art. I was reluctantly training in the Three Talents Sword Style. Of course, I was also surreptitiously studying the Murong Family’s martial arts in my spare moments…

But so far, I hadn’t achieved any remarkable results. In any case, tailored to my ability, my disciples also pulled out their wooden swords as if accustomed to it, and began to practice the Three Talents Sword Style. All except for one.

“Master, why do you only ever train in the Three Talents Sword Style?”

Nangong Yeon, a new disciple who’d arrived just a few days ago, wore a bewildered expression, unable to conceal his question. I understood his confusion. Even if decayed, a crucian carp is still a fish, and he must have only seen incredible martial arts at the Nangong family estate.

However, I couldn’t just tell him outright that I only knew the Three Talents Sword Style. Putting my pride aside, that would be the same as revealing my weakness directly.

Especially now, when we were already dealing with the troublesome Demonic Cult, there was no point in broadcasting my critical flaw – that the Three Talents Sword Style was the only technique I could use.

So, I employed the same convenient excuse I’d used on Sua, delivering it personally to Nangong Yeon. I fixed him with the most dignified expression I could muster at a moment’s notice.

“The Three Talents Sword Style is the genesis of all swordplay, and ultimately, the destination toward which all swordplay strives. In other words, it is the very foundation of all swordsmanship.”

“I… I don’t understand what you mean at all.”

I’m screwed. It didn’t work.

Usually, saying just that much was enough for them to understand and accept it. But apparently, it wasn’t working on Nangong Yeon. Caught off guard, I improvised, continuing my explanation.

“Every sword technique, every movement, ultimately ends in a strike or a thrust. Therefore, if you hone those fundamentals sharply through the Three Talents Sword Style, other movements will naturally become more refined and even more lethal.”

“Ah, so it has such profound meaning!”

“No matter how strong you build your castle on unstable foundations, it will eventually become nothing more than a castle in the sand. If the basics aren’t solid, it will collapse.”

Fortunately, my words seemed to have some credibility. Nangong Yeon’s eyes shone with admiration as he nodded. Seeing that, I quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

And just then, as we were endlessly training in the Three Talents Sword Style before breakfast, the moment the sun timidly began to rise, the sound of someone knocking on the main gate echoed.

“No guests ever come this early. Who could it be?”

“I’ll go see.”

“No, I’ll go this time.”

I had a bad feeling. Though the chances were slim, the Demonic Cult might be waiting outside. I cautiously tensed as I threw open the gates. What met my eyes was…

“We are from the Seonmu Academy, Grandmaster.”

A guest from a completely unexpected place.

◇

Often, rumors are much ado about nothing compared to their physical form. How significant could rumors spreading through the marketplace, a veritable breeding ground for baseless gossip, really be?

However, recently there was a rumor circulating among the people that could not be ignored. It was that the prestigious disciples of the Seonmu Academy had been defeated by a single person.

In Henan, firmly controlled by the righteous martial arts alliance, the Seonmu Academy wielded absolute influence, so much so that they could even bring down a flying bird, so to speak.

For a rumor unfavorable to the Seonmu Academy to circulate in such a place was a very rare occurrence. Especially with the rumor that the Sword Demon, having returned to Henan, would establish a new academy spreading like wildfire.

“The young masters of Seonmu Academy aren’t the type to get beaten up, are they?”

“Aye, truly! I saw with my own two eyes them coming out completely ragged!”

“I saw it too! They really were the young masters of the Seonmu Academy!”

The Sunmu Academy’s reputation was so lofty that even common folk, unfamiliar with the finer points of the Murim, knew of it. And yet, to witness the Academy’s disciples beaten to a pulp en masse?

Rumors were bound to spread. However, not everyone took those rumors as gospel. After all, while the Sword Demon’s fame echoed like thunder within the Murim…

For commoners who scraped by day to day, the Sword Demon, a figure from decades past, had long faded from memory. He’d never actually harmed any of them, after all.

“Hear tell, that Sword Demon fellow was quite the master. No great surprise those young masters were defeated, wouldn’t you say?”

“The *real* story starts here. Apparently, upstanding men were all defeated by a single *girl*!”

“Now, now, aren’t you exaggerating a tad, brother?”

“No, I swear it’s true! I saw it with my own two eyes!!”

Words, though footless, travel a thousand leagues. The rumor, birthed in a tavern, quickly bypassed the marketplaces and started spreading throughout all of Henan. Leaving the Academy in a truly awkward position.

Originally, the Academy had no intention of interfering directly. If they did, it would be akin to half-admitting the rumors were true. Besides, there were many other ways to handle things without direct involvement.

Running an academy required money and ample supplies. And those, it was no exaggeration to say, were already firmly in the Sunmu Academy’s grasp. All they needed to do was cut off their lifeline…

And slowly starve them out until they could no longer withstand it. However, thanks to the imprudence of a few disciples, they could no longer ignore the situation.

“Not just one or two, but ten of them swaggered over, only to be thoroughly defeated.”

“Even worse, defeated by a *student*, not even the master. If we let this stand, the Academy’s name will be dragged through the mud.”

“Let’s just crush them with force. We have the numbers. What reason is there to be afraid?”

Henan was a region tightly controlled by the righteous Murim Alliance. It was only natural for the young instructors to speak so boldly. However, the elder instructors reacted with more caution.

“If we, too, are defeated should we intervene, then it will be truly over.”

“Surely you don’t believe the rumors? It can’t possibly be the real Sword Demon!”

“The circumstances are too convenient to simply dismiss it as nonsense. We need to approach this matter with greater care.”

The name ‘Sword Demon’ wasn’t one to be taken lightly. Though highly unlikely, if their opponent truly was the Sword Demon, even the entire Academy combined would be no match.

“…Therefore, what if we use this strategy?”

“What strategy are you suggesting?”

“In the end, this is a problem caused by the Academy’s own disciples. So, we should resolve the situation through a martial contest exclusively between disciples.”

“Not bad.”

By demonstrating the Sunmu Academy’s clear superiority through a martial contest between disciples… while simultaneously showing a willingness to reconcile, they could even cover up the disciples’ disgrace.

Truly, a win-win situation. But how wonderful would it be if everything went according to plan? The major flaw in this strategy was the absolute necessity of winning the contest.

“But what if we *lose* the contest?”

“That won’t happen. There’s only one opponent we need to be concerned about, the rest are nothing special.”

“You worry too much. Surely our Sunmu Academy’s excellent disciples won’t be defeated by some unknown, rootless vagrants?”

As the saying goes, ‘Know yourself and know your enemy, and you need not fear a hundred battles.’ Having already gathered some intelligence on their opponents through investigations, they didn’t even consider the possibility of their own defeat.