Chapter 72 : The Three-Cloud Training Corps (1)
Chapter 72 - The Three-Cloud Training Corps (1)
Heo Il looked at Namgung Jun’s body as he walked beside him and then nodded his head with satisfaction.
“It certainly seems that eating properly for a fortnight has paid off.”
“Yes. My body is in optimal condition. I have also completely adapted to the changes in my body from the Great Art and the Forceful Breakthrough.”
Namgung Jun climbed the peak side-by-side with Heo Il.
Though their vision was limited as the surroundings were full of fog, the steps of the two rising stars were unhindered.
It was one of the peaks of Mount Huang, and just like the main fortress, a formation had been spread out, making it difficult for outsiders to intrude.
“I did not know that we would be entering the Three-Cloud Training Corps together. Time truly flies. And Young Hero Namgung’s accomplishments are even faster.”
“Your help was a big part of it, Senior Heo.”
“I am grateful that you say so.”
Heo Il, who had been letting out a smile while fiddling with the brim of his bamboo hat, looked around.
The smile that had been held in Heo Il’s eyes dried up slightly.
“They’re starting to gather.”
From all over the mountain path that climbed the peak, other Clouds could be glimpsed. There were also quite a few unfamiliar faces, and they appeared to belong to the branch offices, not the Ten Halls.
All those who were climbing this peak were Clouds who had gathered to be admitted into the Three-Cloud Training Corps.
In other words, they were classmates of the same batch.
“There are quite a lot of them.”
“The Three-Cloud Training Corps is not held regularly. It only opens when enough personnel are gathered, so if one is not careful, their rank advancement can be delayed.”
Namgung Jun nodded his head as he observed the faces of the Clouds visible in his surroundings.
Hadn't Heo Il said that he was preparing for the Three-Cloud rank advancement even when he had just been initiated?
But to think that he was only now entering the Three-Cloud Training Corps; it meant that the timing also had to be right.
“I was certainly lucky.”
“Is luck not also a skill in the Martial World?”
“It seems that is the entrance over there.”
In the interval while they were sharing a light conversation, the two rising stars arrived at the entrance of the Three-Cloud Training Corps.
As they crossed the entrance of the Training Corps, a training ground immediately came into view.
Though it could not be compared to the training ground in the main fortress, it was considerably wide.
‘There are quite a lot.’
In the training ground, the personnel corresponding to this batch were gathered.
Though their attire was all different, the fact that they wore a bamboo hat on their head and had two cloud patterns embroidered on their sleeves was the same.
Perhaps because they had gathered not only from the main fortress but also from the branch offices scattered all over the Martial World, there were a fair number of personnel.
‘And the bearing I can feel from them is also considerable.’
The bearing of a few of the Clouds who appeared to be from the branch offices did not seem to fall far behind that of the Clouds of the Ten Halls.
Looking at the Clouds gathered in the Three-Cloud Training Corps, a glimpse of the underlying strength of the Azure Sky Society could be seen.
The Two-Cloud members who were gathered in the training ground were furtively and diligently rolling their eyes and observing each other.
It was their intention to assess the lineup of their classmates with whom they would be competing, as they were of the same batch this time.
Namgung Jun and Heo Il, who had only just been admitted into the Training Corps, had to face the furtive gazes.
“Hmm?”
Heo Il leisurely enjoyed the gazes that were scanning him and then whispered.
“They may not know me, but it seems Young Hero Namgung’s fame is certainly well-known.”
Heo Il could feel it clearly.
The gazes, which had been dispersed at first, were gradually being focused on Namgung Jun.
It was clear that a few of the Clouds had recognized Namgung Jun.
Furthermore, if he strained his ears, he could hear a few of the Clouds muttering in very small voices.
“The Azure Star Sword. Is he already challenging for the Three-Cloud rank advancement?”
“I understand he’s the youngest to have advanced in rank so far; if he advances to a Three-Cloud as well, he’ll be setting another record.”
“I’m curious if his talent with the blade is as good as his fame.”
Various gazes mixed with curiosity and a competitive spirit blew in like a sword-wind.
Such blatant interest at a close distance was bound to bring a considerable pressure.
But Namgung Jun merely moved his steps with an indifferent expression.
It was because among the Two-Cloud members in this place, there was no one who had a bearing that drew his interest.
‘They said that Older Brother Baek Ri had gained an enlightenment and had entered into closed-door training.’
If Baek Ri-cheong had been admitted into the Three-Cloud Training Corps, he would have been his greatest rival.
Namgung Jun, who had scanned the Two-Cloud members in the training ground once, took in an even wider view.
Below the platform that was set up in the training ground, twenty martial artists were standing in a single line.
They were the instructors for this Training Corps, and they were Three-Cloud members who had been selected from the Ten Halls.
Gong Jun-am was also among the instructors, but they did not exchange separate greetings. He merely looked at Namgung Jun and Heo Il with a stiff gaze and then turned his head.
It was Gong Jun-am’s own blunt greeting.
“Everyone has gathered.”
A middle-aged man stepped onto the platform.
The countless scars that remained on his entire body were like looking at the scar-covered hide of a fierce tiger that had been through all sorts of battles.
As his large, round, and savage eyes radiated out, the Two-Cloud members flinched.
The middle-aged man paid them no mind and erupted with an even more savage gaze.
“I am the Martial Conquest Hall Master, Ha Mujung. I have come to be in charge of this Three-Cloud Training Corps.”
There was not a single Cloud who did not know of the Martial Conquest Hall Master, Ha Mujung.
The Hall Master who was called the strongest even among the ten Hall Masters of the Azure Sky Society.
The man who was evaluated as the most likely candidate for the next Uicheon Sword Lord.
Ha Mujung was commanding the Two-Cloud members gathered in this place with his name and presence alone.
“As you all know, the Three-Cloud Training Corps is the same as the Three-Cloud Rank Advancement Test. If you complete all the courses of the Training Corps, you advance; if you are discharged, you have failed to advance.”
Regardless of their affiliation, everyone looked up to Ha Mujung with sparkling eyes.
“The reason we have the form of a Training Corps is because the Three-Cloud rank is a position as important as the backbone, the very core, of the Azure Sky Society.”
The Two-Cloud members who were listening to Ha Mujung’s words from below the platform nodded their heads.
The Three-Cloud rank corresponded to the position of a mid-level officer in other sects or powers.
It was common for a newly advanced Three-Cloud member to take on the role of a team leader who managed the One-Cloud and Two-Cloud members, and a mid-level Three-Cloud member with accumulated experience and meritorious deeds would sometimes take on the role of an Acting Hall Master in the Hall Master’s absence, or of a Branch Leader.
“The Three-Cloud is not a rank you can advance to simply by being strong in your martial arts. You all must, through the Training Corps, fill the capabilities befitting a Three-Cloud member.”
Ha Mujung scanned the Clouds below the platform in sequence and then crossed his arms.
“Then we will begin the training at once.”
It was the beginning of the Three-Cloud Training Corps.
……
The daily routine of the Three-Cloud Training Corps was simple.
From dawn until dusk, all sorts of theoretical lectures were held in succession.
It was a process of filling the knowledge required to be a Three-Cloud member.
They were educated on various virtues, starting with the responsibilities and roles of a Three-Cloud member, the art of managing people, battle tactics, code words, the location of and contact methods for each branch office, methods of coordination between the Clouds of each province, and the knack for responding in an emergency situation.
The scribes of the Ink Scent Division were in charge of the lectures, and as there was a great deal of knowledge they had not known, it was of great help.
Among the various lectures, the one that Namgung Jun was particularly interested in was the lecture on the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult and the Eight Great Unorthodox Powers.
The information on the key masters and military groups of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult and the Eight Great Unorthodox Powers, and the martial arts analysis and counter-methods for each power, was a very interesting study.
‘It is certain that in the current Martial World, the Unorthodox and Demonic Paths are powerful.’
Not only the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult, which was trying to swallow up the entire Martial World, but also the Eight Great Unorthodox Powers, which had taken root in various places and were committing villainous acts, were a great and difficult problem.
The Martial World is wide, and there are many great enemies.
This was the reason why the Azure Sky Society was always short on hands.
‘The bastards that need to be cut down are piled up like a mountain.’
As Namgung Jun was engraving all the names that had come up in the lecture in his mind, the scribe, who had been catching his breath for a moment, opened his mouth.
“The Eclipse Blade Corps.”
The scribe, who had been lecturing on the numerous military groups of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult, including the Battle Groups, brought out the name of the final military group.
“There will be no Cloud who does not know of them. The strongest military group of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult, which moves directly under the Cult Leader.”
At the scribe’s explanation, the Two-Cloud members who had been listening to the lecture nodded their heads with hardened faces.
The Eclipse Blade Corps.
The sword users who received teachings directly from the Demonic Cult Leader.
In essence, they were at the same time his honor guard and his disciples.
The number of times the Eclipse Blade Corps had revealed itself in the Martial World could be counted on one hand.
However, every time they had ventured out, they had shown such incredible exploits that they had clearly engraved their presence in the Martial World.
Three peerless masters had died at the hands of the Eclipse Blade Corps, and in the old days, the Ten Great Unorthodox Powers had even been reduced to the Eight Great Unorthodox Powers.
The Eclipse Blade Corps, which showed off a destructive power that was close to earth-shattering, was the symbol of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult’s military might.
“To face the Eclipse Blade Corps, all the Halls belonging to the Three Strongest would have to step forward, wouldn't they?”
“Perhaps even the other Halls might have to lend a hand.”
“Is the head of the Eclipse Blade Corps not also a peerless master?”
The Two-Cloud members seemed to feel a sense of intimidation just from encountering the name of the Eclipse Blade Corps.
They couldn’t help it.
It was likely because, even without today’s lecture, they had heard of the infamy of the Eclipse Blade Corps to the point of being sick of it.
The scribe who was watching that sight clapped his hands to change the atmosphere.
“No matter how strong the Eclipse Blade Corps is, they are not invincible. And who knows. A talent who will one day shatter the Eclipse Blade Corps might emerge from this very room.”
The scribe, with a standard remark to be faithful to the present in preparation for a future day that may or may not come as his last, put out the teaching materials he had prepared.
They were several thick, hand-copied secret manuals and things like wood chips and rock fragments on which sword marks remained.
“Our society has steadily collected and analyzed information on the Eclipse Blade Corps. In that process, we were also able to create a counter-method.”
The eyes of the Two-Cloud members, who were looking back and forth between the secret manuals and the sword marks, widened.
“Are you saying those secret manuals are the information and the counter-method?”
The scribe nodded his head.
“In reality, the volume of information is large, and the counter-method is not much. Still, the fact that the analysis is actually in progress is what is important. It is the proof that the Eclipse Blade Corps is not invincible.”
As if to tell them to look to their hearts’ content, the scribe took a step back.
The Two-Cloud members, who were sharing and looking at the hand-copied secret manuals, began to let out low hums.
“Is this the record of the Eclipse Blade Corps’s deeds? To think a single military group really did all this?”
“The characteristics of their sword path are described in detail. I heard that the previous generation’s Sword Lord and the Martial Conquest Hall clashed with the Eclipse Blade Corps. It seems this is the record from that time.”
The Two-Cloud members carefully looked not only at the secret manuals, but also at the preserved sword marks.
The Two-Cloud members who were observing the sword marks were at a loss for words.
Just by looking at the sword marks, a glimpse of just how powerful the Eclipse Blade Corps was could be seen.
They were not called the strongest military group of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult for no reason.
‘Hmm?’
The eyes of Namgung Jun, who had been looking over the secret manuals and the sword marks along with the other Two-Cloud members, narrowed.
It was because the sword marks were familiar to his eyes.
Furthermore, as he observed the characteristics of the Eclipse Blade Corps written in the secret manual, his conviction deepened.
‘Is this not the Twin Owl’s Death Knell Sword of Great Master Gwangmyeong?’
The three trusted subordinates who assisted the Sun and Moon Cult Leader from his immediate side.
The Left and Right Envoys, and the Great Envoy Gwangmyeong.
Among them, it was clearly the peerless sword style that the Great Envoy Gwangmyeong had unfolded.
‘So the sword style of that time has been passed down like this.’
The Twin Owl’s Death Knell Sword of the Great Envoy Gwangmyeong was still vivid in his eyes.
For it was the Sword Emperor of his past life who had struck down and killed the Great Envoy Gwangmyeong at the end of an exchange of blades that had continued for days and nights.
“Hmm.”
Namgung Jun’s pupils, darting up and down, moved even faster.
The more he examined the secret manual, the stronger his conviction became.
‘Of course, as a fair bit of time has passed, it could be different from the Twin Owl’s Death Knell Sword I experienced in my past life.’
But the core of it would not have changed greatly.
If there were any changes, it would be at the level of a new sword path or form being added, or a portion of it being changed.
Perhaps, in the current Azure Sky Society, he himself was the one who knew the Twin Owl’s Death Knell Sword the best.
Namgung Jun, who had examined the entire secret manual, asked a question.
“Is this all there is for the counter-method?”
“That is correct. It is likely because there are limits to the information and sword marks we could obtain.”
Namgung Jun, who had been contemplating for a moment, shook his head.
“No. There are more ways to counter it.”
“Pardon?”
At Namgung Jun’s confident answer, the gazes of all were focused on him.