Chapter 97 : Dao's Horizon (1)
Chapter 97: Dao's Horizon (1)
Ha Hu-seon unfolded the paper.
“Martial Extremity Hall, Iron Tower Hall.”
That much had been expected.
They had originally been part of the Three Great Halls, so there was nothing unusual about it.
Everything depended on the final name that would leave Ha Hu-seon's lips.
Of course, it was undeniable that the Heavenly Sword Hall had achieved outstanding results in the Combat Strength Evaluation, but there was no helping the tension.
Would the Flying Divine Hall, one of the original Three Great Halls, retain its position, or would the Heavenly Sword Hall reclaim its place among them?
Even the disciples from halls other than the Heavenly Sword Hall and Flying Divine Hall focused intently on Ha Hu-seon's next words.
“It seems the Three Great Halls have changed this time. The new member of the Three Great Halls is the Heavenly Sword Hall.”
The aged voice of the Changcheon Society Master gently spread across the Grand Training Ground.
A moment later, cheers erupted from the Heavenly Sword Hall.
“The Three Great Halls? The Three Great Halls! They're calling us one of the Three Great Halls!”
“We did it! We've returned to the Three Great Halls!”
“I thought it would take several more years.”
The Heavenly Sword Hall swordsmen embraced one another in celebration before turning their gazes toward Namgung Jun.
“The youngest deserves enormous credit.”
“To be honest, the youngest did everything himself. We only followed what he told us to do.”
“Don't stand all the way over there. Come here, Namgung Jun.”
The Heavenly Sword Hall swordsmen dragged Namgung Jun from the corner to the center, freely patting his shoulders and ruffling his hair.
Man Ye-won also secretly reached out her hand, only to hurriedly withdraw it after receiving Namgung Jun's sharp glare.
'Not bad.'
The hands reaching toward him still felt rather unfamiliar.
Yet at the same time, it felt as though he was being acknowledged for truly living well as a member of the Heavenly Sword Hall.
After the announcement of the new Three Great Halls concluded, a banquet immediately followed.
The banquet was held directly within the Grand Training Ground.
An endless stream of food and wine was brought in, and the disciples of the Ten Halls sat where they pleased, enjoying the festivities.
During the Combat Strength Evaluation, each hall's disciples had remained gathered among themselves.
But the banquet was different.
They mingled freely, regardless of hall affiliation, gathering wherever their feet and hearts led them.
Several standard-bearers and disciples from the Flying Divine Hall even came to congratulate the Heavenly Sword Hall before accepting a few cups of wine and returning.
Drinking parties sprang up chaotically all around.
Yet no matter where one looked, the Heavenly Sword Hall remained the center of attention.
“It feels like it's been a very long time since I drank simply to get pleasantly drunk.”
Heo Il opened and closed his scar-covered right hand before smiling at the cup of wine Namgung Jun had filled for him.
Moonlight shimmered upon its surface.
“Sometimes, days like this are necessary.”
“Namgung Jun! Me too!”
As Man Ye-won held out her cup, Namgung Jun smiled and picked up the wine bottle.
“You've improved quite a bit as well. I was honestly surprised by how much progress you made.”
“Hmph. I only look lacking compared to you. I was considered quite a promising talent myself, you know?”
Grumbling, Man Ye-won poked at the side dishes with her chopsticks.
Yet the corners of her lips were subtly raised.
While Namgung Jun filled her cup, disciples from the other halls approached.
Their arms were laden with food and wine.
“Brother Namgung. I watched your performance closely.”
“Brother Baekri. You've come.”
Leading the group was Baekri Cheong, accompanied by the younger generation talents from the various halls who had competed against him during the Songshan Gathering Martial Arts Tournament.
Among them were Samyeop of the Flying Divine Hall and Jang Mun-hyeok of the Iron Tower Hall.
“Namgung Jun. You're already serving as a standard-bearer. We're still just a step behind.”
“Not only that. You completely overwhelmed even your seniors.”
“As expected of the Greatest Righteous Young Talent. Watching your performance today honestly made me feel proud.”
As each of them offered congratulations, Namgung Jun returned the gesture by filling each of their cups.
Looking around at the younger generation talents gathered about him, Namgung Jun nodded.
“None of you have remained stagnant since then either. You're all progressing rapidly, so there's no need to become impatient.”
“Hearing that from you gives me confidence, Brother Namgung.”
“I hope we can spar again soon. Every time I duel with you, Namgung Jun, I gain tremendous insights.”
Throwing a steamed bun toward Namgung Jun, Baekri Cheong spoke.
“Now that the Heavenly Sword Hall has entered the Three Great Halls, we'll probably be carrying out many more joint missions together.”
“Joint missions?”
Before Baekri Cheong could answer, Samyeop of the Flying Divine Hall replied.
“When missions are particularly large or difficult, two or three halls sometimes work together. There are also missions assigned specifically to the Three Great Halls.”
“Come to think of it, Brother Namgung, you've never participated in a joint mission before, have you?”
“That is correct.”
Samyeop and Jang Mun-hyeok nodded with fresh surprise.
“Well, joint missions aren't all that common.”
“Even so, you've never experienced one? That really puts into perspective just how quickly you've been promoted.”
Namgung Jun chuckled softly as he picked up his chopsticks.
Most of the dishes had gone cold while they talked, but they possessed a charm of their own.
He slowly sampled the food while raising his wine cup.
Sharing drinks with like-minded companions was always enjoyable.
Before he knew it, memories of drinking with his disciples in his previous life surfaced once more.
He had never been one to drink heavily.
Yet when each disciple insisted on offering him a cup, he would inevitably end up drinking quite a lot.
He often became pleasantly intoxicated.
Even then, he never used his internal energy to dispel the alcohol.
Watching their faces gradually redden together over drinks had always been one of his happiest moments.
His disciples were no longer beside him now.
Instead, he was surrounded by his comrades of the Changcheon Society.
Just as the liquor warmed his throat, warmth quietly spread through one corner of his heart as well.
“Hoo.”
Just as Namgung Jun took a quiet breath, wishing to engrave this moment more vividly into his memory—
-Could you come up here for a moment?
Namgung Jun raised his head.
Judging from the direction, the Voice Transmission had come from the pavilion erected atop the platform overlooking the Grand Training Ground.
It was the Changcheon Society Master.
---
When he entered the pavilion, the Changcheon Society Master, the Ink Master, the Elder Council Master, the Hall Masters, Division Masters, and the other senior officials were all already present.
He had heard that the officials held a separate gathering so that the ordinary disciples could enjoy themselves freely.
Why someone who was merely an ordinary disciple had been summoned to such a place was beyond Namgung Jun's understanding.
“You've come.”
“Greetings, Society Master.”
Lee Se-ha shoved the Hall Masters seated on either side of her aside before patting the newly created space beside her.
“Jun. Come here.”
“Hah. Your love for your disciple truly knows no bounds.”
Though the Radiant Wing Hall Master clicked his tongue after being abruptly pushed aside, he still nodded toward Namgung Jun.
“Come, sit. I'll fill your cup.”
“I'm not certain whether I'm worthy of being here.”
“No one present thinks otherwise.”
As Namgung Jun sat beside Lee Se-ha, the eyes of every senior figure turned toward him.
Some were already acquainted with him.
Others were seeing him for the first time.
Yet the emotions reflected in their gazes were remarkably similar.
Some looked upon him as an exceptional junior.
Others regarded him as an equal martial artist.
Ha Hu-seon slowly began speaking.
“The Heavenly Sword Hall's remarkable advancement during this Combat Strength Evaluation was unmistakable. No one here could deny that you stood at the center of it.”
Namgung Jun simply lowered his head modestly.
“Namgung Jun. I'm pleased by your growth, so I would like to give you a gift. Though, perhaps calling it a gift is an exaggeration.”
At Ha Hu-seon's nod, Yun Gyeong-jong handed Namgung Jun a martial arts manual.
The moment Namgung Jun accepted it, his eyelids twitched slightly.
Southern Sky Guiding Horizon Sword.
The primary sword art mastered by the Sword Emperor in his previous life.
Yet without even opening it, Namgung Jun immediately sensed something unusual.
'This appears to have been recopied recently, yet it's unusually thin.'
It was an ancient martial art.
The manual could easily have been damaged during the destruction of the Southern Heavenly Palace.
There was nothing strange about that.
Even so, Namgung Jun feigned ignorance as he asked.
“What manual is this?”
“This sword art has never been placed within the Hall of Martial Records. It has been passed down exclusively to successive Changcheon Society Masters. However, more than half of the manual has been destroyed. It is incomplete.”
Ha Hu-seon smiled bitterly before continuing.
“So much has been lost that it is nearly impossible to cultivate properly. But after seeing the technique you displayed today, Azure Sky Vast Expanse, I thought perhaps it might still prove helpful.”
“Am I truly permitted to read it?”
“Of course. Though it is only half a manual, I hope it proves useful to you.”
Namgung Jun nodded.
Now that he had obtained the Southern Sky Guiding Horizon Sword manual, there would be no issue demonstrating its principles in the future.
“Thank you.”
“If you encounter anything you cannot understand, ask me anytime.”
---
After the Combat Strength Evaluation concluded, daily life returned to normal.
The rewards for rejoining the Three Great Halls were substantial.
The budget allocated by the Ink Fragrance Division increased.
Medicinal elixirs were also distributed to every member of the Heavenly Sword Hall.
Naturally, since they were mass-produced supply elixirs, their effect on increasing internal energy was not particularly great.
Still, they were certainly better than having none.
After consuming the supplied elixirs, the Heavenly Sword Hall swordsmen resumed their usual training.
Having realized the effectiveness of the new methods, they naturally devoted themselves to cultivating the Sword Foundation Art and the Great Expansion Sword Art.
Although the all-day sparring sessions and sword discussions of the intensive training period no longer continued, Namgung Jun never refused those who sought his guidance.
At the same time, he continued studying the Southern Sky Guiding Horizon Sword manual.
'It truly has suffered severe losses.'
Large sections of the cultivation formulas and diagrams were missing.
Even so, one question lingered in his mind.
'The Southern Sky Guiding Horizon Sword is unquestionably a heavy sword art. On the other hand, Azure Sky Vast Expanse contains the principles of every sword art I've learned in this life. Then why did he recommend that I study the Southern Sky Guiding Horizon Sword?'
As he examined the manual, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
'I know the complete Southern Sky Guiding Horizon Sword...'
But the successive Changcheon Society Masters would not.
Looking at the same cultivation formulas, perhaps they had expanded in entirely different directions while attempting to reconstruct the missing portions.
Had they not each gazed upon their own sky, across different eras and different worlds?
Though the endless sky itself remained the same, what it contained could vary infinitely.
Because he knew everything, Namgung Jun suddenly realized that his own perspective had become narrow.
He slowly raised his head and looked outside.
Beyond the narrow window, the sky stretched endlessly.
Had he too, before realizing it, been looking only at the small fragment of sky confined within the window frame?
'Was I complacent? Perhaps I had become too trapped by the memories of my previous life.'
Lost in thought for a moment, Namgung Jun stepped outside, still carrying the Southern Sky Guiding Horizon Sword manual.
Rather than viewing the sky through a window, he wanted to lift his head and experience its vastness directly.
'How fascinating. Simply changing the way I think makes even the same sky appear different.'
A gentle smile gradually formed on Namgung Jun's lips as he gazed upward.
He had believed he had gained countless insights in his previous life.
Yet now, looking upon the sky this way, he realized there had been many things he had overlooked, and many more yet to discover.
Advancing forward did not mean reaching the end.
Perhaps precious things he had never noticed before were quietly waiting behind him.
“The Martial Dao is not a straight road stretching endlessly ahead. It is like the boundless sky extending infinitely in every direction.”
After taking a slow breath, Namgung Jun opened the Southern Sky Guiding Horizon Sword manual once more.
He cast aside the preconceived notion that it was merely a heavy sword art and began dismantling each cultivation formula one by one.
Little by little, Namgung Jun immersed himself within the Southern Sky Guiding Horizon Sword.
Now that his perspective had changed, even the cultivation formulas he had long known—and the traces left behind by successive Changcheon Society Masters as they attempted to reconstruct the Southern Sky Guiding Horizon Sword—appeared entirely different.
Thus, Namgung Jun devoted himself to the Southern Sky Guiding Horizon Sword throughout the entire day.