Book 2 Chapter 26

As expected, the two were suspicious individuals.

Bilyeon, who displayed an extremely wicked evasion maneuver that was utterly unacceptable for a human body.

The next waiting turn was a trap.

After leisurely dodging attacks from arrows and needles,

the spot Bilyeon stepped on suddenly gave way without warning.

If he had fallen in, he would have met sharp spears and

would have been unable to avoid misfortune.

He almost became a human meat jerky.

However, before falling into the trap, Bilyeon swiftly leaped out and flung himself away. He still had no desire to become meat jerky to be roasted golden brown over a campfire. But where he landed, believing it to be safe, another danger awaited, not a trap. This time, it was an ambush, several times more dangerous than a simple trap. It was clearly a trap that operated based on meticulous calculations.

Beautifully thick logs with pointed ends attacked him from all directions. These logs, tied with strong ropes, descended with incredible speed due to their weight. They attacked from all directions with a furious momentum that could shatter even the hardest rock into pieces. Their immense power, capable of crushing a human body into dust, the precise timing with not a single error, and the indiscriminate continuous attacks that left no room to breathe. The logs, attacking from all sides, entangled precisely at the spot where Bilyeon stood.

"CRASH!"

A deafening roar that vibrated the air echoed. The entangled logs, unable to withstand their own force, shattered into pieces. Soon, fragments of the broken wood scattered into the air. For that moment, even Hyoryong and Janghong, who were watching Bilyeon, turned pale. They were worried, thinking, 'Did he get hit?' The attack was that much more powerful than any before. However, their pale expressions soon brightened. It was because a figure had gently landed on top of the pile of entangled logs. That figure was, of course, Bilyeon.

Don't ask what you already know! Just before the massive swarm of logs descended to crush him, Bilyeon had swiftly shot up into the sky. It was a leap so fast and swift it was almost invisible. So fast that even Hyoryong and Janghong could barely catch sight of it.

Bilyeon, who had landed gently on the pile of logs, waved to the two as if to say, "Don't worry." This trap, which the designer had clearly spent countless efforts, meticulous calculations, and research on, did not even manage to brush the collar of Bilyeon's clothes. Moreover, seeing that a smile hadn't left his lips, it seemed as if he were enjoying the situation. It was a sight that confirmed Bilyeon's indifference, tougher than a whale's sinew, once again.

As if they couldn't afford to lose to him, Hyoryong and Janghong exchanged glances, smiled, and then followed Bilyeon. There was no hesitation in their steps anymore. Their eyes shone with confidence. Perhaps it was a competitive spirit arising. Bilyeon's party, having broken through all the ruthless obstacles set up to send people to the other world, finally arrived safely in front of their destination, the Geomhon Tower (Sword Soul Hall).

In fact, they were inwardly amused that they had to go through so much trouble just to reach their accommodation, even if it was where they would be staying for the next year. Having to pass through a field of powerful and fearsome mechanical devices, capable of easily annihilating a horde of enemy soldiers, just to reach their beds… It was truly an unbelievable and harsh reality.

From the first impression, Cheonmu Academy was not easy. Therefore, even after arriving at the door of their accommodation after immense hardship, they hesitated to open it, feeling uneasy. They worried about what other malicious things might jump out from this tightly wrapped gift box. However, the hesitation was brief, and Hyoryong soon opened the door.

"Pffft!"

"Gasp!"

Hyoryong yelped in surprise at the sudden sneak attack and jerked his head back. A hidden arrow narrowly grazed his face. The path the arrow took became wind, violently striking his face, making Hyoryong's heart go cold. If his reaction had been even slightly slower, the arrow would have brutally ravaged his face. Thinking about it made Hyoryong's spine chill.

As Hyoryong returned his head to its original position, and Bilyeon and Janghong followed him in, the scene inside the Geomhon Tower came clearly into view. At that moment, Janghong's brow furrowed slightly. The expressions of the other two showed utter astonishment.

'This is unbelievable. This year's situation is much more severe than in previous years!'

Janghong had never seen anything this bad before. Even though it was a traditional hazing ritual for newcomers, this year's event was unprecedented. Until now, they had always kept it within reasonable limits that could be managed. But this year, the atmosphere was different. For some reason, they even felt a sense of murderous intent. Who would dare to escalate things to this extent?

The interior was a masterpiece. In the corridors and on the second floor, sharp iron skewers emitted a white gleam, as if calling for blood. The skewers, packed densely and haphazardly, varied in length. It was so dense that it gave the illusion of looking at a forest of swords.

A sword forest, stretching out with white keenness that seemed to tear the sky apart! How could such an obstacle be installed on a normal corridor? They almost felt like praising the effort.

As they stared in disbelief, a line of text caught their eyes.

'Welcome! The path will open when you ring the bell.'

It was a very childish and trivial message, clearly written in a hurry as the ink was still wet.

"Bell?"

The bell seemed to refer to a small metal bell located at the very end of the seemingly distant corridor… Bilyeon, who had briefly admired the sword forest, which could be described as immense, turned his gaze towards Hyoryong. Hyoryong seemed lost in thought, with his head still lowered. Bilyeon smiled at him, deep in thought.

"It seems like they want us to break through this, right?"

With his gaze fixed on the sword forest, Hyoryong nodded.

"It looks like it. Is it a challenge?"

"It's a provocation."

Bilyeon kindly corrected Hyoryong's statement. Hyoryong nodded in full agreement. Bilyeon had an easy option to smash through the entire sword forest and force his way through, and he had the ability to do so. However, he didn't want to ruin the building where he would be living for a long time. So, he decided to break through for now.

The simplest (?) method was to walk on the sword tips. Whether walking across a 10-zhang sword forest on knife-sharp tips could be described as simple was questionable, but Bilyeon didn't seem to pay much attention to the 560-jin Dragon-Bound Weights on his wrists and ankles. Did that mean he was confident in breaking through? Bilyeon was so confident and self-assured that it made the onlookers worry.

"This is going too far!"

With a playful, exaggerated complaint, Bilyeon leaped. And with an unbelievable lightness, he landed softly on the sword tips. It was as natural as a butterfly landing on a flower to gather nectar. As Bilyeon grumbled, it was indeed going too far. But what could be done now? It had already happened… Bilyeon, standing on the sword tips, smiled and extended one foot forward.

This was just the beginning. Mechanisms targeting him from all angles – above, below, left, and right – began to operate simultaneously. However, to him, who moved lightly and cheerfully on the sword tips as if dancing, the swarms of arrows whistling past his ears and the indiscriminate rain of projectiles pouring from all directions posed no threat. As his dangerous and elegant dance on the sword tips grew faster, his body's rotation also quickened. Soon, Bilyeon's form began to spin at a speed barely visible to the naked eye. At that moment,

"Pfft!"

An arrow shot out from somewhere and flew towards his face. And following it, countless arrows rained down like a swarm of bees, targeting him. It was an extreme situation where he could turn into a human hedgehog at any moment, bleeding and falling. But…

"Ah!"

Hyoryong and Janghong simultaneously let out shouts of exclamation. Their shouts were a mixture of admiration and shock.

Bilyeon Gate (Flying Thunder Gate) - Secret Technique of Unique Movement:

Phoenix Dance - Rotating Heaven Phoenix Wing Ascent

The countless arrows and countless hidden weapons shot at Bilyeon could not even touch his body. They were swept away by the air currents generated by his dance and scattered uselessly in the air. It looked as if an invisible barrier of wind was protecting him. How could one not be astonished by such a marvelous sight?

After rendering ordinary mechanical devices and projectile weapons useless in an instant, Bilyeon leisurely looked back at Hyoryong and Janghong and waved as if to say, "Don't worry." Hyoryong and Janghong awkwardly waved back with sheepish expressions. Now, there was less than half a jang left to the bell. Just then, Bilyeon suddenly felt a killing intent chilling the back of his neck. Bilyeon turned his head.

'Sword energy? Huh? Without warning?'

An unsolicited sword energy, imbued with piercing sharp killing intent.

'This is a disgrace that covers the heavens!'

Without any warning or reservation, six crescent-shaped sword energies, filling the passage, attacked him from behind. The waves of sword energy, arriving continuously and occupying space with time intervals, were a meticulously calculated series of consecutive chained attacks that left no room for the opponent to evade. In such a narrow passage, and especially on sword tips where movement was extremely limited, dodging sword energies attacking from above, below, left, and right with time intervals was impossible. And the opponent had certainly chosen this moment for this reason. It was an excellent sneak attack, worthy of a score of over 90 out of 100.

"Dangerous!"

Hyoryong's and Janghong's eyes widened, and at the same time, with a white flash, the sword energy, flying with terrifying momentum, struck Bilyeon. A white flash bloomed, and a shockwave swept through the surroundings with a roar. The reverberation was much larger than expected. The shockwave tore through the air, ravaged the corridor walls mercilessly, and turned the four walls into rags. The dense forest of swords that had sprung up instantly turned into ruins. It took only a moment for the fierce gust of wind, accompanied by the shockwave, to turn the corridor into a ruin. Its momentum was so terrifying that it guaranteed at least death if merely grazed. Hyoryong and Janghong were also within the range of this deadly gust. They, too, could not escape this deadly storm.

The fierce shockwave and the deadly rain of sword fragments engulfed them. At that moment, Hyoryong stood in front of Janghong, shielding him. It was an extremely dangerous act when such a fierce and savage force swept through a narrow space mercilessly. An act too dangerous unless one had spare lives ready, such an action by Hyoryong seemed reckless to Janghong at first glance.

"Dangerous!"

Janghong shouted, but Hyoryong didn't seem to hear him. His eyes were fixed solely on the deadly storm that was about to engulf them.

"Swish!"

With a clear sword sound, twin swords were drawn and held in Hyoryong's hands, and he soon swung the pair of twin swords.

"Great Unity Heavenly Firm Wall!"

With a thunderous cry, a brilliant sword energy bloomed like a rainbow from the twin swords in his hands, forming a giant wall of sword energy in front of him. Even the sharp sword fragments, flying in a downpour due to the shockwave, could not penetrate the white wall of sword energy erected before Hyoryong. Janghong's eyes widened in disbelief.

"A, Sword Curtain!"

The state of sword mastery, which requires at least 108 sword strikes per second to form, the Sword Curtain, was cast. A different light flickered in Janghong's wide eyes as he looked at Hyoryong. He was truly astonished. A realm of swordsmanship that ordinary practitioners couldn't even imitate was unfolding before his eyes. It was a realm of swordsmanship that couldn't be achieved even if one died trying with mediocre internal energy and incomplete mastery.

Sword Curtain!

Due to its power and depth, it stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Sword Force and Qi Manipulation Sword as a supreme and unparalleled realm of swordsmanship. It was a dream realm that only those qualified to see the end of the sword could attain! Within the entire Cheonmu Academy, the number of people estimated to be able to cast the Sword Curtain could be counted on one hand. And now, a new disciple who had just entered cast it.

There could be no coincidence in the casting of the Sword Curtain. One needed to possess such ability and skill to even attempt a clumsy imitation of the Sword Curtain. Only true body and true power could enable the realization of the Sword Curtain. The fact that the Sword Curtain was possible implied that other things of the same level were also possible. In other words, Hyoryong was not an ordinary person, and in a negative sense, he was an extremely suspicious individual. This was because there were very few people or sects capable of training someone to the point of realizing the Sword Curtain at such a young age, and Hyoryong was not someone he knew.

For Janghong, what he didn't know was directly linked to suspicion. He had the ability and qualifications for that. Of course, Bilyeon, who was causing a major accident up ahead, or rather, still causing it without stopping, was also not to be underestimated in terms of suspicion. No, it would be more accurate to say ten times more so. In any case, both were clearly subjects of vigilance.