Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Impossible.
Only a first-generation swordsman could freely change the initial number of sword techniques handed down from generation to generation.
If Bu Eun-sul, who was the first to learn swordsmanship, intentionally changed it, he would be a sword genius comparable to Hua Wu Sword Gate’s secretary, Red Cloud.
‘It can’t be because he’s mastered the Beast Sword.
Qin Wushuang shook his head as he imagined something strange.
“That’s impossible.
Even if you were a heavenly cultivator, you could never master the beast dao within a month.
What he didn’t know was that Bu Eunsul was not only extremely knowledgeable about human anatomy, but also terrifyingly tenacious.
Huixin.
In the meantime, Feng Feixue’s sword herbs had become even sharper.
Twirl.
This time, even as she was retrieving the sword, the tip of the sword once again snapped, revealing a killing power even though it was only a sword.
‘That.’
Qin Lie’s mouth dropped open as he watched.
‘Such cruelty is reserved for the enemies of one’s teacher or parents.
With each rotation of Bu Eunseol’s wrist, the slashing became more vicious and cruel.
“The sword technique in the text is called the level of the martial arts.
If the Hua Wu Sword was that vicious, it might be called the best sword art in the world, but it wouldn’t be included in the ten gates of the Maiden of the Sky.
However, Bu Eunseol’s Hua Wu Thirty-Three was more like a flesh sword dripping with blood.
“Hmph.
Bu Eunseol was puzzled.
‘It’s like my senses are changing the flavors.
He was clearly practicing the Hua Wu Thirty-Three Forms correctly, but his hand senses were spontaneously changing the sword path.
‘It’s because of the beast.
The more he practiced the Hua Wu Shi, the clearer his sense of the beast became.
It was as if a wolf that fought instinctively with only its tusks and claws had been trained by humans to perform refined tactics.
‘The senses of the Beast Dao and the sword path of the Hua Wu Sword?
Bu Eunseol felt a strange sensation.
If this instinctive sense of the Beast Dao were to be put into the moderate sword path of the Hua Wu Sword?
It would fail.
Changing the sword herbs that had been passed down for generations would not be tolerated.
Bu Eunsul suppressed his beast senses as much as he could and unfolded the sword herb.
However, when the sixth candlemark passed,
-Hmph.
A black shadow appeared in front of her eyes.
It was the beast that had killed her grandfather.
Blood glowed in her eyes as she realized the imaginary enemy was real.
At the same time, she unleashed the Seven Seconds of the Fifty-Three Fierce Saber Sea.
Qi Yic.
The water that should have been gently spreading out sliced through the air in a blaze of lightning.
But The Shadow easily dodged the blow.
“Strong.
Bu Eunsun had sliced through the bodies of countless martial artists before.
But he’d never seen one whose slices were as smooth as glass.
‘He’s using a sword technique that’s incredibly flexible and fast.
Boom!
The black shadow in front of Bu Yunxue’s eyes unleashed a swift sword.
“Kick!
Feng Shui ducked with all his might, but the sword was like a living creature, following Feng Shui’s brow.
Feng Shui laid down horizontally and spun his body like a top.
Whip.
The sword grazed her forehead, and she was about to unleash the Fifty-Three Eighty-Three Swords, the Tong Tian Three Swords.
“Not good enough!
The Tong Tian Three Elements were too euphemistic and soft, not the right kind of herb for a counterattack.
At that moment, Bu Eunsul unknowingly rotated her wrist and unleashed the Tong Tian Three Formations.
Block, block, block!
Then, the tip of the sword rotated violently and stabbed into Shadow’s side like lightning.
-Hoohoo.
The black shadow let out a low laugh, then lightly rotated his sword, dissipating the initial energy of the Three Heavenly Swords.
He then brought the tip of the sword down and raised it up from the ground.
It was the very same blade that had brutally severed Grandpa’s two arms.
Flash!
Bu Eunseol instinctively deployed all the remaining five chi of the Hua Wuxing Samshik.
Paaaaaaah!
The sword herbs poured out one after another, forming a single mass and colliding with the shadowy herbs.
Ping!
However, the two-pronged sword qi that protruded from the ground moved like a pterodactyl, slicing through the sword herbs and wrapping around Bu Yunxue’s forearm.
A crunch.
With both of his arms cut off, Feng Feixue dropped the iron sword in his hand.
At the same time, the black shadow in front of her disappeared like mist.
“…….”
There was silence in the hall for a while.
Qin Wushuang, who had been staring at Bu Eunseol for a long time, revealed an expression of admiration.
“You have quite the concentration.”
Qin Lie could guess.
That Bu Eunseol had fought fiercely against an imaginary enemy, and had been defeated.
“Passed.”
“Passed……?”
Looking down at the iron sword she had dropped, Bu Eunseol shook her head.
“I’ve been defeated.”
“You’re bound to lose. The Hua Wu Thirty-Three Forms is a basic sword technique that is difficult to use in practice.”
Qin Lie smiled dryly.
“What this Beginner Pavilion is judging is whether or not you have a basic understanding of swordsmanship, and whether or not you can execute the Hua Wu Simplicity Technique in practice.”
Cluck.
He picked up Bu Eunseol’s iron sword from the floor.
“And you’ve done both perfectly.”
Clang.
After returning the sword to its scabbard, Qin Gak patted Foo Eun Seol on the shoulder.
“You have indeed been an excellent Hua Wu Thirty-Three. You can move on to Intermediate immediately if you wish.”
Like Sau, Qin Gak was thorough in his instruction.
What if he hadn’t explained the texts or demonstrated the sword techniques because it was too much trouble?
Bu Eun-sul would never have been able to master the Hua Wu Sim Sect in four days.
“What you can learn in this infernal dao is only the basics of the swordsmanship of the text. When you finally become a Ten Demon Warrior, you’ll be able to learn all the rest of the subtleties.”
Qin Lie nodded to Bu Eunsul.
“I wish you the best of luck.”
“Thank you.”
Bu Eun-sul clasped her hands together and bowed deeply.
Without hesitation, she opened the door and crossed to the intermediate hall on the other side.
Qin Wushuang narrowed his eyes as he watched her depart.
“I see, you’ve mastered the Beast Dao in just a few days.
As a peak swordsman, he could tell from her practice sword that she had mastered the Nangyagak Beast Dao in a short time.
“Your bones look ordinary, but they’re unbelievably strong.
It was his intense obsession with martial arts and his extraordinary understanding of the human body that allowed him to perfect the Beast Dao.
However, Qin Lie, who was unaware of these facts, only thought that Bu Eunsul possessed tremendous muscles and qualities.
“This should be fun.
Among the boys and girls who flocked to the beginner’s hall, there were many who were just as good as Bu Eun-sul.
Qin Lie was looking forward to what was to come.
* * *
After leaving the beginner’s hall, Bu Eun-sul went to the intermediate hall without delay.
The intermediate hall was built in an empty lot a little farther away from the beginner hall. As it was the final stop on the way to the upper level, it had the largest and most spacious exterior.
“Excuse me.”
Bu Eunseol looked up at the tall gates of the martial arts center and opened them.
Dozens of pairs of glowing eyes came into view.
“…….”
Inside the hall, all the candidates of the Ten Demon Warriors seemed to be taking a break from their training.
“What’s going on.”
A middle-aged man stood at the front of the hall with his arms crossed.
He was dressed in a blue robe, and a sword as wide as a man’s forearm was strapped to his back.
He was Chen Yunguang, the cusp of the intermediate rank.
“I’m called Bu Eunsun, I just finished my beginner’s training.”
“Beginner?”
Chen Yunguang looked dumbfounded.
Most of the practitioners here had reached the Intermediate Pavilion within a day or two.
Not only that, but they had just completed all of their training and were ready to take the examination to advance to the upper echelon.
But now, there’s a practitioner who’s just finished the beginner level?
“Dun Jue.”
Chen Yunkang spoke in a low voice.
He had thought that the one who had failed the Beginner Pavilion had finally made it to the Intermediate Pavilion.
“After twenty days, if you’ve mastered the Hua Wu Thirty-Three Forms, you’ll have to reconsider learning the textual sword arts.”
“I’ve just come from Nangyagak.”
“Nangyagak?”
Chen Yunguang’s eyes widened at Bu Eunsul’s answer.
“It’s called the Forty Doors, and it’s a gate of death for disciples who practice ignorant cultivation methods.
You went to study the martial arts of Nangyagak, and not elsewhere?
“How long have you been there?”
“I was there for three days.”
“Full moon…….”
Tian Yunguang looked dejected.
Just like Sau and Qin Wushuang had done so far, he thought that Bu Eunsul had been wasting his time.
“I’ll be taking the examination to become a senior officer in a little while.”
With a wry smile, Chen Yunguang spoke again.
“Since you’ve also passed the Beginner Hall, you can sit down first. After tomorrow, you may have to stay and train alone in the Martial Hall.”
Laughter erupted from all directions.
“Hahahaha.”
Some of the seated practitioners were openly sneering.
“That guy. Isn’t he the one who collapsed in the boat wearing a robe?”
“That’s right. It seems like he came here after failing in his attempts to master the Nangyagak martial art.”
“How pathetic, such a fellow is a candidate for the Ten Demon Warriors.”
Even as the sneers poured in, Bu Eunsul’s eyes did not waver.
Instead, she looked sympathetically at those who were criticizing her.
-Those who can’t prove themselves without tearing others down.
I’ve met many such people in my time as a dyer.
They sneer for only one reason.
They sneer at you for choosing to do something a little different than everyone else. For example, my grandfather chose to be a dyer.
“Now, the test begins.”
Chen Yunguang swept his formidable gaze across the group.
“Those who are called will step forward and name their opponents.”
“We’re going to have a duel?”
A boy in the front asked, and Chen Yunguang shook his head.
“We’ll judge how skillful you are with the sword in real life. That’s why you’ve been trained in the Hua Wu Thunderbolt Sword.”
Fire Thunderbolt Sword
As its name suggests, the Thunderbolt was a swift, herbivorous sword.
As its name suggests, it was a sword that was made up of swift, herbivorous attacks.
“As you all know, the Hua Wu Thirty-Three Swords and the Hua Wu Thunderbolt Sword are not the kind of swords that can be used in a life-and-death battle.”
Chen Yunguang said in a low voice.
“They are merely a process to skillfully use the swords.”
He paused for a moment and narrowed his eyes.
“By now, you must all be wondering the same thing. How did a just and compassionate swordsman become a first-rate swordsman?”
When there was silence, he spoke again.
“Once again, what you have been taught is only basic swordsmanship, not the Hua Wu Sword.”
The trainees gathered in the hall were stunned.
Even here, in the midst of the heavenly talents, the Hua Wu Thunderbolt Sword was difficult to master.
It was just a training technique to make them better at using the sword?
“Mr. Cusp. I have a question.”
At that moment, a boy standing in the front row cautiously asked.
“I’m not sure what you mean by skillfully using the sword. Most of us have all practiced sword techniques since childhood and…….”
“It should be to the point where your sword and arm are indistinguishable.”
Chen Yunguang coldly cut off the boy’s words.
“In order to use the Hua Wu Sword, the arm hanging from your shoulder must become the sword. Do you understand?”
There was another silence inside the hall.
To have to reach such a high level to learn the basics of swordplay.
“Once again, this test will not be about winning or losing, but about how skillful you are with the sword.”
The boys suddenly realized the meaning of the test.
Their skill would be measured by clashing swords in real life.
“Wall Hanseong. Step forward.”
Among those sitting on Tian Yun Guang’s horse, an arrogant-looking and large boy stood up from his seat.
“Name your opponent. It doesn’t matter if he wins or loses, so feel free to do so.”
“Can I nominate anyone?”
“Yes.”
The corners of Wall Han’s mouth twitched and he extended his wooden sword in front of him.
“Then I’ll point to him.”
The man he pointed to was none other than Bu Eunseol, who stood lurking in the corner.