Book 18 Chapter 7

(Training)! (Training)! (Training)! Cultivation!

- One Refinement, One Thousand Strikes

"Hah, hah, hah!"

Namgung Sang ran. The internal energy he had accumulated his entire life was now being used entirely for moving his two feet. Lush branches, jagged and uneven, brushed past his cheeks, but he paid no mind to the red scratches appearing one by one on his face. He ran as if he knew nothing but running. He had to go faster, lower, and farther away. That was the only way to survive.

"How could this happen?"

Namgung Sang couldn't believe it.

"How…"

He wanted to cry. How could his colleagues, whom he trusted and relied on more than anyone, betray him? How could his friends, who should have helped him more than anyone, drive him into the abyss of death?

For a moment, the face of a woman he had left behind flashed through his mind. But he quickly shook his head, dismissing the bitter thought. He was sorry for her, but there was nothing he could do. He had to survive first.

His vision, obscured by the dense forest, suddenly brightened. The mountain path ended, and a stream appeared. Judging by the gentle flow and gradual slope of the water, he could infer that it was downstream.

"If I go a little further…"

He felt like he could escape this hellish mountain. Hope for escape appeared. It was a brighter light than ever before. But that light of hope disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

With a hardened expression, Namgung Sang looked at the bushes to the left of the valley.

"Come out!"

After a moment, a rustling sound came from the bushes Namgung Sang was looking at, and a person walked out. He was a young man with a gentle impression, dressed in a blue martial arts uniform. The long sword hanging from his waist bore a unique mark that only disciples of the Wudang sect could possess, and his blue sleeves, fluttering in the mountain breeze, were embroidered with dragon patterns. The young man was Hyunwoon, the Flowing Sword, one of the Nine Dragons, his close friend, and the vice-leader of the Vermilion Bird Squad.

Seeing the face of his friend, who was like a sworn brother, Namgung Sang's expression darkened.

"Hyunwoon, was it you?"

He nodded silently.

"Do you really have to block me?"

When Hyunwoon didn't answer, Namgung Sang pleaded again with a mournful voice.

"Hey, Hyunwoon. If you're still my friend, just let me go."

Namgung Sang begged with a desperate voice. But Hyunwoon shook his head with a pained expression.

"I'm sorry, Namgung. You know better than anyone that I can't let you go like this. You know that better than I do."

"…"

"Give up. And let's go back. Everyone is waiting."

Then Namgung Sang violently shook his head, refusing the offer.

"I will never go back there! That place is hell!"

Namgung Sang shouted in a frantic voice. It was the truth and desperation of his heart, compressed and bursting forth. But even that desperation was insufficient to break Hyunwoon's resolve and persuade him to change his mind.

"…I'm sorry, Namgung. But I have to take you. If I don't bring you back, then we will be the ones seeing hell…"

"You would… betray your friend?"

Namgung Sang's words hit a sore spot. He thought Hyunwoon would feel some guilt if he had a conscience.

"Do you think I like doing this? I'm suffering too."

"No! You don't understand! You… you… haven't experienced it! If you had experienced it, you would think the same way I do! And you wouldn't be blocking my way like this! You would have known that it's not something a human should do!"

"But I haven't experienced it, have I? So I can only feel your emotions superficially. Besides, my mission is to bring you back."

Hyunwoon's will was firm. Namgung Sang felt he couldn't persuade his friend through conversation anymore.

"Let's go back. Miss Jin is waiting too. Aren't you sorry to her?"

Those words had an effect. Namgung Sang hesitated. He agonized. He conflicted. And he sulked. Namgung Sang's tightly shut lips opened.

"Her… I believe she would understand me."

Hyunwoon sighed at the answer that came at the end of his agony.

"I wouldn't be so confident. Do you really have to pass? If so, I have no choice but to be an obstacle to you."

Hyunwoon said in a pained voice.

"Hyunwoon, do you really think you can stop me?"

Namgung Sang glared at Hyunwoon, and a thick killing intent began to rise from his body like a misty fog. In response, Hyunwoon also gathered his full energy.

"If necessary!"

Hyunwoon answered without a moment's hesitation and drew his sword without delay.

"You can curse me. But I will take you back."

He seemed to have sorted out the turmoil in his mind. The hesitant are always weak.

"Hyunwoon, does Wudang give swords to friends to point at each other?"

Namgung Sang shouted in a heartbroken voice.

"Namgung, I don't want to do this either! All you have to do is go back! I don't want to cross swords with you!"

"I told you earlier. Don't make me waste my breath. I will never go back to that hell."

"Tsk, tsk, why do you want to drink the punishment wine when you can decline the celebratory wine? Can you handle that punishment wine?"

"I have never thought I was inferior to you in swordsmanship, Hyunwoon. I, Namgung Sang, am still the leader of the Vermilion Bird Squad."

Namgung Sang also drew his sword. Although they were both members of the Nine Dragons, he had never thought he was inferior to Hyunwoon. It was the same even though Hyunwoon was a disciple of the Great Wudang Sect and had trained Wudang's Xuan Jian to its limit.

"Who said the punishment wine was just one cup?"

As Hyunwoon raised his hand, a figure emerged from the bushes. It was a woman.

"Geum-sang, why don't you go back?"

"Sister…"

She was none other than Namgung Sansan, one of the Seven Peaks and Namgung Sang's twin sister.

But this was not the end. Her appearance was just the beginning.

No Hak, Geum Yeong-ho, Dang Sam, Dang Mun-hye.

All of them were colleagues who had eaten from the same pot and suffered together. They were colleagues of the Vermilion Bird Squad, like family, blocking his way.

"Let's stop, Captain!"

No Hak said. He sometimes called him Captain instead of Leader.

"Stop this. According to my calculations, this will only lead to immense loss with no profit."

Geum Yeong-ho advised. The phrase "according to my calculations" was a habit that always fell from his lips.

"It's not too late. Your weak heart is poisoned. You can still be detoxified here. But if you're any later, it will be irreversible. Do you really want to experience that hell?"

Dang Sam advised with a sincere heart.

"I agree with Dang Sam. The more the poison spreads, the more painful it will be."

Dang Mun-hye chimed in with Dang Sam for the first time in a long while.

"Are there others besides you?"

"Of course."

As soon as the answer came, familiar faces appeared from the bushes.

Il Gong of Shaolin, Cho Cheon-u and Hwa Seol-ok of Huashan, Mo Yong-chwi of Mo Yong Clan, Dan Mok-su-su of Dan Mok Clan, and the often-confusingly subtle-colored Yi Ja-ryong of Kunlun, Cheong Mun of Qingcheng, and the eldest daughter of Hwangbo Clan, Hwangbo Ok-yeon.

All of the Vermilion Bird Squad, except for him and Jin Ryeong, were blocking his path.

Hyunwoon looked around and said again,

"Didn't I tell you? The punishment wine is not just one cup. Can you handle all of our punishment wine?"

"Even if I have to drink all that punishment wine and collapse, I will never, ever go back to that hell!"

Namgung Sang said, gripping his sword tightly.

"If I go back there, I will surely be killed."

"But if we don't capture you, we will be killed. Besides…"

"Besides?"

"Either way, you'll be killed eventually if you run away. You've been the most bullied, yet you still don't understand that person?"

"Th-that's…"

Hyunwoon's words were indeed reasonable.

"So why not go back and resist fate?"

Namgung Sang lowered his head. The conflict in his heart was clearly visible on his face.

"But… but… I will never go back."

Kuaaaang!

Suddenly, with a beastly roar, Namgung Sang charged at his Vermilion Bird Squad colleagues without warning.

"Ugh! He's lost it! Geum-sang has gone crazy!"

"Block him, everyone!"

However, the first line of defense, deployed by the "Invisible Trio" composed of Yi Ja-ryong, Cheong Mun, and Hwangbo Ok-yeon, who were trying to reduce their invisibility by playing an active role, was easily breached. The sword power embedded in Namgung Sang's sword was incredibly powerful.

"Tch, he just got unreasonably strong…"

Hyunwoon said with a frown. He felt a sense of crisis that the gap might widen to the point where he couldn't catch up. But the thought of the process he inevitably had to go through to close that gap sent a shiver down his spine. He really wanted to avoid that path.

"Block him! You must block him! If you don't, we'll die!"

"Ah, he's going that way. Block him from that side!"

"Waaah!"

His friends rushed at him like a pack of dogs.

"Don't all rush in haphazardly. Use the combined technique! Let's subdue him in one go."

In fact, their combined technique had already reached a state of perfection. It was a skill they naturally acquired by constantly fighting against opponents of vastly superior levels. However, as long as not everyone was gathered, there were bound to be weaknesses. Namgung Sang charged towards the area he was supposed to handle.

"Oh no!"

Normally, Namgung Sang should have handled this part, but he was too busy attacking to defend. The Vermilion Bird Squad's combined attack was ridiculously broken. Clearly, Namgung Sang was showing completely different mobility compared to just a short while ago. He surpassed them in speed, accuracy, and power in every aspect.

'Is this the result of hell?'

Hyunwoon couldn't figure out whether to envy his friend's transformation or not.

However, Namgung Sang was one person, and they were all except two of sixteen. If they let him escape, it would be a matter of pride. There was no more friendship. It was a matter of catching him or escaping. Just then, a woman emerged from the bushes and blocked his path. The moment he looked up and confirmed her face, Namgung Sang had to taste despair.

"Wh-what… How… you…"

The last person to block him, it was none other than his one and only lover, Jin Ryeong. The sword he was holding lost its strength and slipped to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Sang… I can't help it either."

Avoiding eye contact, Jin Ryeong spoke in a trembling voice.

"Ryeong… you too…"

It was a bolt from the blue.

Thud!

Taking advantage of Namgung Sang's unguarded lapse, Hyunwoon, who had silently approached from behind, struck the back of his neck, knocking him unconscious. He collapsed like a sandcastle washed away by a wave.

"Whew~ Don't make your friends work too hard, Namgung."

Hyunwoon said, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Let's drag him!"

Scrape, scrape. Two parallel lines appeared on the damp mountain path at regular intervals. Unaware or unconcerned that Namgung Sang's feet were dragging on the ground, Hyunwoon and Dang Sam carried him up the mountain, each with an arm around him.

Namgung Sang was dragged between Dang Sam and Hyunwoon, spread out like laundry. When the two released their arms that were restraining him, Namgung Sang, overwhelmed by despair, knelt on the ground as if he had no strength to stand on his own legs. Hyunwoon and Dang Sam tilted their heads up and said,

"We've brought him, Senior Disciple Brother!"

The reason they looked up was because their Senior Disciple Brother, Bi Ryu-yeon, was floating in the air, lying down. This wasn't because this person had some special levitation ability. It wasn't because the ki filling his body had no place to go and was being discharged. He was simply leaning against a rope connected between two trees. Bi Ryu-yeon, who had his eyes closed, slightly opened them.

"You're here?"

Bi Ryu-yeon said indifferently, turning his head slightly.

"Where did you catch him?"

"We caught him downstream from the stream."

"Hmm, he went farther than before."

"Yes. Last time, he was caught around the midstream," Hyunwoon replied.

"How many times has this been?"

Bi Ryu-yeon asked, folding his fingers one by one.

"This is the third time."

Hyunwoon counted three fingers and replied.

"If you have a friend with weak will, isn't it a friend's duty to be their lacking will? Wasn't it your job to monitor this weak-willed person? What did I say would happen if you let him escape again?"

"Th-that…"

Hyunwoon only stammered and couldn't answer. Perhaps his brain was refusing to remember because a very terrible situation awaited them.

"Why, don't you remember?"

"Ah, I remember. I definitely remember."

"Answer me."

"We… would have to undergo a special training process…"

The thought of that process already made his stomach churn. He wasn't the only one feeling nauseous.

So far, they had only repeated the training they had received before.

"We have to keep our promise, right? For you, I'll ask Elder Guo specially. As for the other person, he'll be busy from now on."

Elder Guo referred to Yeomdo.

"Do you have any complaints?"

"Uh, no."

Why wouldn't they have complaints? They had enough complaints to last a month without running out. However, if they avoided their responsibility and broke their promise here, disaster would undoubtedly befall them. That disaster appeared before Namgung Sang, who was bowing down, having jumped down from the rope.

"Now, the matter of how to dispose of you remains."

Bi Ryu-yeon said, slowly circling Namgung Sang.

"…I leave it to your disposition."

Namgung Sang closed his eyes in resignation. Since his escape, which sought freedom, had failed, further resistance was meaningless. In fact, it was harmful.

Dang Sam also squeezed his eyes shut.

'Three Punishments Strike Technique…'

Namgung Sang's future seemed to be set with this, but…

"Magnificent."

Bi Ryu-yeon said. It was clearly directed at Namgung Sang.

"Huh?"

Namgung Sang, hearing the unexpected words, asked back with a bewildered expression. His face was already a pale ash, as if he knew the future that was about to come. Added to that was surprise. Something happened that defied everyone's expectations. Bi Ryu-yeon not only did not punish Namgung Sang, but he praised him. Namgung Sang looked up at the blue sky for a moment. It was a simple wish to look at it one last time before it collapsed. He hadn't anticipated that the day of the universe's end would come so soon. But the sky he looked up at showed no signs of collapsing even after a long time.

"I commend your spirit for not giving up even after failing twice. It's truly magnificent. A person shouldn't get discouraged and give up just because they fail once or twice. Isn't that right, Geum-sang?"

"Of course, yes."

Namgung Sang nodded repeatedly. A faint ray of dawn seemed to shine on his darkened path. However, that light was still as hazy as the ignorance of the unenlightened.

Bi Ryu-yeon nodded with great satisfaction.

"Hmm, it's impressive that you know that. They say failure is common in war. It's something that happens all the time in war. There are things people must not give up on, even at the risk of death. Geum-sang seems to have known and practiced that well."

Bi Ryu-yeon patted Namgung Sang's shoulder a couple of times as if he were proud. Everyone suspected that the technique of pressing bones with weight was added to his touch. Even if it looked normal on the outside, his bones might have been shattered and his internal organs damaged. It was entirely possible.

"Y-you praise me too highly, Senior Disciple Brother."

For some reason, after being praised a few times, the atmosphere began to shift strangely.

"Therefore, you shouldn't stop training just because you've failed a few times, would you? Showing such an unseemly sight is a disgrace to a warrior. No family would accept such a cowardly person as their son-in-law. In this difficult era, what use would they have for such a coward as a son-in-law? Isn't that right, Jin Ryeong?"

Jin Ryeong was startled when her name was suddenly mentioned. But if she was asked, she had to answer, so she couldn't just be surprised. Bi Ryu-yeon's invisible gaze was pressing down on her. In the flow of this conversation, there was only one answer she could give.

"Th-that's right! Senior Disciple Brother is absolutely right."

Jin Ryeong reluctantly agreed.

"You wouldn't want to marry such a coward either, would you?"

"Th-that…"

Jin Ryeong was momentarily speechless. Bi Ryu-yeon didn't loosen his grip.

"Huh? Do you really want to spend your life with such a coward? Someone who provides no support and repeatedly disappoints your expectations? Someone with not even a speck of courage, who fears failure, gives up, despairs, and is afraid to try again? Do you really, really, really want to spend your entire life with him?"

"Of course not. What woman in the world would want to spend her life with such a coward? Marriage isn't child's play, you know."

Marriage is an act of sharing souls. Love and marriage are on a different level. It was only natural that one could not spend a lifetime with someone untrustworthy.

"Of course! Of course! A woman gets married to become a man's wife, not to become a clingy person's caregiver. Where in the world would you find such a woman?"

"That's right. Men are already mentally immature, so women have a hard time. If they act childishly, it's difficult. It's very difficult. Why would anyone want to suffer a lifetime?"

Bi Ryu-yeon, who agreed with Jin Ryeong's words, looked back at Namgung Sang.

"See? Jin Ryeong agrees too. Geum-sang, surely you don't want to be a coward who disappoints the woman who believes in you?"

Namgung Sang was sweating profusely inwardly.

Having come this far, he couldn't answer, "I'd rather be a coward." That would be the same as saying, "I have no desire to marry Jin Ryeong at all."

"Of course not. How could I betray someone who believes in me?"

Even though he answered like that, he felt a prickle of guilt inside. Strictly speaking, hadn't he already betrayed that trust three times for the reasons of "it's hard" and "I'm going to die"? A wave of guilt washed over him, making him feel like the worst scoundrel in the world.

"Then, choose."

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

"Whether you will continue the cultivation you have been doing, or stop here. I will not interfere with your choice in any way."

Namgung Sang's eyes widened at the unexpected proposal. Even if this were a dream, it would be easier to accept than reality.

"R-really, Senior Disciple Brother?"

"Have you ever seen me lie?"

"N-no."

The problem was that the more absurd it was to say, the more he tried to make it real. Bi Ryu-yeon had no need to lie, so he had never lied before.

"Then will you truly not interfere?"

"Of course."

"Really?"

"Uh oh, here he goes again. R-E-A-L-L-Y!"

Bi Ryu-yeon answered distinctly.

"Th-then…"

Before answering, Namgung Sang looked at his colleagues one by one. They were all watching with keen interest to see what decision he would make. His gaze finally stopped at where Jin Ryeong was standing. Seeing her looking at him with a face full of worry, he felt his heart ache with guilt again.

Namgung Sang quietly closed his eyes. And he calmed his churning heart. Recalling the cultivation he had done so far made his stomach churn again.

'Don't think about it. Don't think about it…'

If he remembered what he had done and experienced on this mountain, his barely solidified resolve would crumble.

'Yes, you only die once, not twice.'

Namgung Sang's eyes, which had been closed, snapped open. And as if fearing his mind would change again, he quickly shouted,

"I will do it! I will gladly accept any kind of training! Please train me, Senior Disciple Brother!"

The very fact that he made such a decision could be inferred from how confused Namgung Sang's mind was at that time.

"Hmm, your resolve is admirable! Alright! Leave it to me. Just trust me, just me!"

Bi Ryu-yeon nodded with a smile of satisfaction.

"What is training? The 'lian' in training means the 'lian' in refining. Then what is refining? It is the process of strengthening iron by hammering it. A good sword is completed through countless refining processes."

Everyone was listening intently to his words.

"There is a saying, 'One Refinement, One Thousand Strikes.' It means that it only becomes one refinement after a thousand hammer strikes in the flames. Therefore, a sword made of 'Baekryeonjeonggang' would be iron forged through one hundred thousand tempering processes. From now on, I will forge you into a sword harder than the Baekryeonjeonggang sword. So…"

Bi Ryu-yeon took a breath and said with emphasis,

"Be prepared!"

Bi Ryu-yeon said with a smirk.

Namgung Sang felt a sense of unease, as if he had been tricked by Bi Ryu-yeon's methods. However, the situation had already passed the point of no return, crossing the bridge of no return. He had already passed the stage where he could retract his words. Thus, Namgung Sang voluntarily walked into Bi Ryu-yeon's grasp, unaware of what awaited him. At this time, he had no idea that the torturous trainings he had endured so far were merely the beginning.

Making someone open the gates of hell with their own hands, that was where Bi Ryu-yeon's fear lay.