Book 2 Chapter 17

The Consequences of Reckless Resistance

Upon hearing the commotion, Gam Un-su rushed over in one go.

As soon as he saw the two people, he fearlessly and boldly shouted.

With the eldest senior disciple gone, he was the first disciple of Hoa Jang and

was in a position to be responsible for the fellow disciples and household in place of their master.

That is why he always acted boldly.

"Who are you?"

"Who are you, why!"

Bilyu-yeon kindly corrected Gam Un-su's insolent remark. Lee Gwan-u and Son Gon-u, who were guarding the tightly shut main gate outside, tried to stop the two people who were making a racket and trying to enter the premises, but with a mere flick of Bilyu-yeon's wrist and foot, they were sent flying to the other side of the ground in vain. No matter how promising a martial artist they were, they were only mere subordinates. It was impossible for them to stop Yeom-do and Bilyu-yeon in the first place.

"Crash!"

Son Gon-u and Lee Gwan-u rolled amicably on the ground, warmed by the sun. Their luck, which was already nonexistent, continued to worsen. The innkeeper, who had opened the closed iron gate to see what the commotion was outside, was also hit in the bridge of his nose by Bilyu-yeon's flying fist and sent flying three jang, falling unconscious. The reason was the trivial matter of him closing the gate, hindering their path. Thus, Bilyu-yeon and Yeom-do entered Hoa Jang without much effort. Facing them, Gam Un-su came running, out of breath. His face was full of bewilderment.

However, Gam Un-su, who was pathetic from the first impression, was not pleasing to Bilyu-yeon's eyes. So Bilyu-yeon completely ignored him. He didn't feel he was worth dealing with. Bilyu-yeon didn't take his presence seriously at all. Perhaps thinking Bilyu-yeon's behavior was an insult, Gam Un-su's face turned red. Filled with pride as a promising martial artist and a future Heavenly Official, Bilyu-yeon's disregard was an unbearable insult.

"Who are you?"

Bilyu-yeon's gaze turned to Gam Un-su. However, due to his long bangs, Gam Un-su could not directly see Bilyu-yeon's eyes. A faint smile reappeared on Bilyu-yeon's lips.

"This person is also as ill-mannered as the one before. Who are you to ask about someone's identity without introducing yourself first?"

"I am Gam Un-su, a direct disciple of this Hoa Jang. Who exactly are you?"

However, Bilyu-yeon ignored Gam Un-su's question again. And then he acted as if he knew him.

"Ah, so you are the second disciple of Hoa Jang who doesn't know his place because he's bad at math. Nice to meet you."

"Place? What do you mean by place?"

"Aren't you the second disciple who is desperate to enter Cheonmu Academy through special admission using your sect's recommendation, with your meager and pathetic skills? That's not knowing your place. Ah, another talent you possess is an extraordinary ability to completely misjudge your own position, someone told me."

"Sh, shut up! You rude bastard!"

Gam Un-su was dumbfounded. Had he ever been so utterly ignored in his life? No matter how hard he racked his brain and rummaged through his mind, absolutely not. When would a direct disciple of a first-rate sect, walking on a bright path, ever receive such shabby treatment? For the first time in his life, his personality and pride were crushed and miserably discarded after receiving such a humiliating insult.

Now, his patience had reached its limit. No more words were needed. At that moment, Gam Un-su drew his Jeolho Sword and, in one go, unleashed the supreme form of his sect's secret sword technique, which he had proudly honed, towards the one who had first insulted him. Fierce sword energy descended upon Bilyu-yeon.

The Jeolho Sword, used by almost all disciples of Hoa Jang, including him, is much wider, thicker, and longer than ordinary swords. Therefore, those who clash swords with the Jeolho Sword for the first time are first bewildered by the unexpectedly wide range of its sword's influence, and second, by the powerful sword pressure that tears at their grip. Due to its wider and thicker width, thickness, and weight than an ordinary longsword, the sword power generated by it is no joke. Therefore, an ordinary longsword without internal energy is often cut in two before the Jeolho Sword.

This terrifying sword power and sword wind were also unique characteristics of the Maeng Ho Bi Gyeok Sword Technique. A fierce sword power that overwhelms the opponent's sword. A furious momentum that seems to cut the enemy in two in one go. The 26th form of the Maeng Ho Bi Gyeok Sword Technique, evaluated to possess such immense power, was unleashed towards Bilyu-yeon.

Gam Un-su was confident and imposing when he first displayed his sword technique. But when he attacked Bilyu-yeon with the secret sword Maeng Ho Bi Gyeok Sword Technique, which he believed he had mastered and had no rival, he found it had no effect whatsoever. The sword energy could not even cut a single thread of his clothes, and the sword wind only served to cool his sweat as he moved. In short, it was useless, completely helpless.

With a slight twist of his body, Bilyu-yeon had already completely evaded his sword momentum. And with the next step he took, it was like lightning.

"Thump!"

In just one step, he penetrated Gam Un-su's embrace in an instant, and at the same time, with a single punch, Gam Un-su's breath was choked as if it would burst. All the qi and blood in his body were in turmoil with a single blow. As Bilyu-yeon's right fist directly struck his abdomen, the flow of vital energy was instantly cut off.

"Splat! Thump! Thump! Splat! Thump thump thump!"

A sound like violent hail pouring on a thin metal plate echoed. It was a sound that would seem cheerful and lively to an unaware listener. Bilyu-yeon's barrage of punches was perfectly harmonized in rhythm and tempo, elevating to the realm of art. While Bilyu-yeon's right fist was lodged in his abdomen, a barrage of confirmation punches rained down on Gam Un-su's face and entire body, who couldn't even utter a groan or a scream. The Gu Ta Jeol Myeong Kwon, his specialty, the Sam Bok Gu Ta Kwon Beop, was activated. The dozens of punches that rained down instantly robbed him of his consciousness.

Ah! The subsequent situation was so tragic that it will be omitted. Knowing it will only be detrimental to your mental health. There are times when ignorance is bliss. Thus, Gam Un-su, the rising star of Hoa Jang, had a strange and wondrous experience of seeing stars on the threshold of the underworld in broad daylight. And then, he lost consciousness along with the countless twinkling stars. He must have wanted to escape reality as quickly as possible. Bilyu-yeon looked at Gam Un-su, who was lying on the ground, and made a peculiar expression of surprise.

"Huh, this guy is too weak?"

Bilyu-yeon was dumbfounded. It was too anticlimactic. The young man who was supposed to uphold the honor of the sect collapsed so easily. It was pathetic. Gam Un-su was utterly defeated without even managing a proper counterattack, let alone resisting Bilyu-yeon's single move. This was the result of foolishly challenging them, relying on the Maeng Ho Geom Gyeok Se, which had not yet reached mastery. He himself was arrogant, believing he had mastered the secret sword technique to its utmost, but in reality, that was not the case.

To a master's eyes, his skills were still far from complete. That was Gam Un-su's true strength at the moment. However, Bilyu-yeon, who had no intention of forgiving an opponent who dared to defy him, no matter how weak, struck him down without him even being able to feign resistance. If it had been Yeom-do, he would have been too scared to even stand properly in his presence. It would have been fortunate if he hadn't wet himself.

"Tsk tsk, with this level of skill, you intended to enter that great place? Isn't that place actually nothing special? You can't even block a single punch thrown with one step, and you're a talent to lead the future of your sect. Are you going to collapse relying on a pillar of rotten wood? Do you want to ruin your sect? I advise you to lock yourself up for a while and focus on improving your skills. It would be beneficial for you to hide in a cave and quietly hone your sword. Don't think about going outside. Honestly, it's so pathetic and inadequate that it's not even fun to fight. Your name is wasted, your name is wasted. You should be grateful to me for saving you from being utterly disgraced. Be grateful!"

However, Bilyu-yeon's words did not reach the ears of the already unconscious Gam Un-su. Bilyu-yeon was disheartened by the fact that the supposed greatest talent of a prominent sect collapsed weakly in a single step. Or, since the eldest disciple was admitted to Cheongwan, is he the second greatest talent? In any case, shouldn't there be some reaction to make it interesting? Is the single step of the Thunderclap Step really that difficult to block?

'Huh? I went easy on him, but why did he look incredulously stupid after I penetrated him in one step, and why did he faint after I threw one punch? Did he make a grimace as if he was about to die in one hit, and then faint after two more hits? How can I safely punch people like this?'

This was Bilyu-yeon's honest feeling. However, not all of his words were right. Although he did not lie, he omitted several facts. Therefore, it could not be denied that the story was exaggerated.

The Gu Ta Jeol Myeong Kwon, also known as the Sam Bok Gu Ta Kwon Beop, the pinnacle of striking techniques, overlooked the fact that a single move refers to dozens of consecutive punches. Of course, there was a high probability that he deliberately ignored these facts. There was only suspicion, no concrete evidence. Even if he was hit in the early stages of the bombardment, it was a move that even a skilled master would find difficult to block.

Furthermore, a single step of the Thunderclap Step is a flash that leaves no afterimage, isn't it? The Thunderclap Step is a footwork technique that penetrates the opponent's embrace in an instant like lightning, and it only has a single step. To talk about two steps with a footwork technique that only has one step is ridiculous. Whether he doesn't even think about that, or deliberately ignores it, is unknown, but Bilyu-yeon remained an oddball as ever.

As Gam Un-su collapsed so easily, Bilyu-yeon somehow felt skeptical about Cheonmu Academy. He seemed not to have realized that he had already become dangerously strong. Gam Un-su's fellow disciples and disciples who arrived later and watched the situation cried out in shock at this unexpected turn of events. Some of them exploded with rage. A shame that made them want to bite their tongues and die gripped them all. An Hu-gang, the third disciple, who quickly rushed over and helped the fallen Gam Un-su, glared at Bilyu-yeon with eyes full of hatred and shouted. Not only him, but the eyes of the fellow disciples surrounding him also swirled with intense hatred towards Bilyu-yeon.

"You… you made my senior disciple like this… If our eldest senior disciple were here, you wouldn't have been able to defeat him so easily."

An Hu-gang's resentful voice was filled with venom. His shout was also a shout that represented the feelings of all the warriors of Hoa Jang. The common feeling of the disciples was, 'If only the eldest young master were here, we wouldn't have been so utterly defeated!' The disciple who was supposed to take the test at Cheonmu Academy was Gam Un-su, the second disciple of Hoa Jangju Hoam Menggeom Ho Cheon-sang. However, with a month left until the exam, his luck had run out, just as his name suggested.

However, in reality, the true rising star of Hoa Jang was not Gam Un-su. The favored disciple of Hoa Jangju Ho Cheon-sang, and the brilliant hope of Hoa Jang, had already passed the Cheonmu Academy exam last year and become a Heavenly Official, so he was not present at this location.

Seeing that the disciples still firmly believed in him even after being so thoroughly defeated, their trust in him seemed immense. A man who could bear such trust must not be an ordinary person with ordinary abilities. Indeed, the eldest senior disciple is the next sect leader who will carry the sect into the future. It was not a position that anyone could hold, nor could anyone become it. But still, he was not present at this moment.

"Oh, really? Then bring him later. I'll fight him anytime. However, tell him to come prepared to die. And I want to ask you not to resent me too much for shattering your expectations then."

Bilyu-yeon was still full of sky-high confidence, an arrogant and overbearing fellow. And then, with a brazenly confident stride, he walked towards the inner courtyard. Now, no one in the outer courtyard possessed the ability to stop him.

Although there were no problems or obstacles in disturbing Hoa Jang so far, Yeom-do's expression had not been good for a while. His brow and forehead were creased in three layers as if he was displeased, and his complexion was not bright. In fact, since entering Hoa Jang, Yeom-do had felt a strange sensation stimulating his nerves. He felt as if that aura was only detectable by him. That extremely unsettling aura not only made him uncomfortable but also disturbed his composure and made his actions awkward.

"Woong! Woong!"

His beloved sword, Hongyeom, had been crying out for some time. It trembled its blade, announcing its presence. Gently stroking Hongyeom, which was crying out on its own, Yeom-do carefully appeased his beloved sword. It was said that from ancient times, legendary swords and blades crafted with the utmost dedication by artisans possessed a spirit that would cry out to warn their owner when they were in danger. Furthermore, weapons imbued with a spirit read their owner's heart, represent their owner's heart, and reflect their owner's latent will. Swords and blades imbued with a spirit gain their own will and are already treated as spiritual objects.

From this perspective, Yeom-do's beloved sword, Hongyeom, was a legendary sword that was second to none in being called a spiritual object. But Hongyeom was crying now. However, the sound of the sword's cry that Hongyeom was emitting now was not a warning of the owner's danger. Unlike Yeom-do's strange and unsettling feeling, it was a mournful melody like a ballad of desperate love.

'Is it a resonance? Who exactly is emitting an aura that can shake me in such a small martial arts arena? Hongyeom is crying. Hongyeom, who did not cry even when surrounded alone by a hundred elites of the Black Society, known as the strongest assassination group… I can't believe it.'

No matter how much Yeom-do pondered, he couldn't understand. He never thought there was such a person in Hoa Jang. Even if he wracked his brain, the result was the same. However, this uncomfortable feeling that had been stimulating his intuition since a little while ago could not be shaken off no matter how much he tried.

His mind could not calm down easily. His chest fluttered, and his blood flowed fiercely throughout his body, making his heart pound. It was an ominous premonition. His instincts were sending continuous warnings. Hongyeom had never made a sound like this before. That's why Yeom-do felt even more anxious. This cry, like a ballad of love, seemed to bring him a greater sense of foreboding than a warning cry.

However, as if indifferent to Yeom-do's feelings, Bilyu-yeon went deeper into the inner courtyard. But no one could stop his advance. Not only did they all fail to stop him, but the price of their resistance was extreme pain and a strange, unfamiliar experience of seeing stars in broad daylight.