Chapter 114: Recruiting at Guando (2)
“External martial arts primarily focus on training the body. I’m talking about the skin, muscles, bones, and so on. But there’s a limit if you only focus on physical training. Once you cross certain boundaries, the body deteriorates rapidly. That’s why martial artists in ancient times struggled. They wondered how to overcome these limits. That’s how internal energy training came about. Spirit beings gather the energy of nature to form internal cores, shedding the guise of mere creatures to become spirit beings. Observing that, humans tried to imitate it, and that’s how internal energy cultivation methods began. But not everyone focused on internal energy. Some never let go of external training.”
“Could that be…?”
“Yes. Yun, the skill you’re currently learning—Heavenly Extreme Iron Armor Technique—is one of them. It’s gone through countless modifications, so it’s now completely different from the original version. In any case, Heavenly Extreme Iron Armor is not like ordinary external techniques. It’s a martial art created to combine external and internal power. That’s why I told you to practice internal energy cultivation consistently.”
“But even if I accumulate power through internal energy cultivation, most of it seems to go to the skin,”
Tak Yun blinked, his eyes like little beads, and answered.
He had been practicing internal energy cultivation diligently as instructed, but in reality, very little of the energy remained in his dantian.
Of course, as his martial power increased, his skin became harder and more resilient.
“Of course. Heavenly Extreme Iron Armor is fundamentally an external technique. Naturally, your focus will be on external training. But just because there’s little power in your dantian doesn’t mean the energy you’ve accumulated has gone anywhere.”
“Huh?”
“What matters when reaching Sword Energy Perfection isn’t the quantity of internal energy—it’s the density. And that density varies greatly depending on how well and efficiently you manage your vital energy.”
Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz!
A resonant sound emanated from Seok Jin-ho’s left hand.
Yet, the characteristic glow of martial energy was nowhere to be seen.
Even though a massive energy wave flowed from his left hand.
“Hmm?”
“Hmm?”
Seeing this, Jung Ma-ryung and Tak Yun widened their eyes in surprise.
Having seen martial energy before, they could tell with certainty that what they felt was indeed martial energy.
But still, the characteristic glow of martial energy was absent.
“There are two types of martial energy. One is the external martial energy most people know. It looks like this.”
Whoosh!
Golden energy surged from Seok Jin-ho’s left hand.
It was martial energy formed using the Mixed-Origin Heavenly Thunder technique.
“And the other is internal martial energy. That’s what you just felt. But its strength is not significantly different. In fact, it’s more efficient. Its consumption of vital energy is much lower than external martial energy. And this is the type of martial energy you, Yun, need to acquire.”
“Internal martial energy…!”
“Eventually, you’ll be able to handle both, but first, you should master internal martial energy. Start with your hands, then the arms. Eventually, your entire skin will become a protective martial energy layer.”
“Wow!”
Not all peak masters could manifest protective martial energy.
It required considerable power, so Jung Ma-ryung looked at Tak Yun with genuine envy.
“That’s awesome, brother!”
“It’s possible, but it doesn’t mean you can do it right now.”
Even Chae So-gang, with sparkling eyes, looked on enviously. Tak Yun smiled awkwardly.
Yet, he couldn’t hide the smile at the corner of his mouth.
Even imagining such a level made his heart race, even though he hadn’t achieved it yet.
“Right. You still have a long way to go. Even if I teach you, mastering it personally is another matter. If it were easy, so many wouldn’t have failed at crossing the Wall of Wailing.”
“I’ll work hard.”
“Don’t overdo it. Remember the short-term training course participants? Overthinking becomes poison. At times like this, you need to keep it simple. Ultimately, the way to surpass the wall is the righteous path. If you seek shortcuts, you’ll fall into corruption. Eight out of ten die at the destination if it leads to corruption.”
Gulp!
Though the words were calm, they struck the three like a chilling warning.
At the same time, they realized again how fortunate they were to meet Seok Jin-ho.
At least when it came to martial arts, Seok Jin-ho was godlike to them.
“All right, let’s begin training. Yun, start again with internal energy control. What you’re doing now is far from enough.”
“Yes.”
“Ma-ryung, you know what to do without me explaining, right?”
“Yes! I’ll focus on completing the Dao Thread Technique first!”
If sword energy perfection symbolizes the peak, mastering the sword proves the ultimate level.
So Jung Ma-ryung, without being told, ran to a side to practice the Thunder-Strike Technique.
“So-gang, you’ll manage on your own.”
“Am I really doing well?”
Chae So-gang carefully asked while observing Seok Jin-ho.
She wasn’t sure if she was performing correctly.
Though she was working as hard as Tak Yun and Jung Ma-ryung, results mattered most.
“Good. For now, you’re still in the growth stage, so don’t overstrain. Getting injured wastes as much time as recovery.”
“I see.”
Chae So-gang immediately understood why she shouldn’t get hurt.
Also, she understood why Seok Jin-ho occasionally came to tell her to stop.
“Just continue like this. You can attempt to surpass limits only after your body is perfected. For now, focus on perfecting your body through training.”
“Yes!”
“But don’t aim for mediocrity. Always do your best.”
“I’ll remember!”
Feeling somewhat relieved of her anxieties, Chae So-gang answered loudly.
Then she went to a corner and began practicing the Nine Palaces Protective Technique.
“Chahap! Hap!”
“Ugh!”
“Hup! Hhup!”
“It’s about time to begin,” Seok Jin-ho thought, listening to the spirited cries of the three.
He then noticed a wooden structure nearing completion.
Watching the second building being raised, he felt nostalgic.
Initially, there was only one building, but now a stable, vegetable garden, and tea plantation had appeared.
An orchard was also being prepared.
Seok Jin-ho felt a sense of pride as the Seungcheon Martial Hall gradually expanded.
“Looking good.”
Although this life was far from the dazzling life of his past, Seok Jin-ho thought living like this wasn’t bad.
Unlike usual, Hwanghwa-hyeon was bustling from morning.
From early hours, a continuous stream of people came seeking Seungcheon Martial Hall.
“This is incredible.”
“They didn’t even post notices—just word of mouth, and this many people showed up?”
“Crazy. At least three hundred, I’d say.”
The three boys, carrying packs, laughed bitterly as they looked around.
Some came with families, but most came alone or with friends from the same region, totaling at least three hundred.
And even now, more were still arriving.
“How many will they take?”
“Not many, I guess. Including the hall master, only three people can teach martial arts.”
“They said they never took more than fifty students at Seokpung School.”
The three friends exchanged worried glances.
Although thousands gathered, space was limited, so anxiety grew.
“They’ll probably skip older applicants, right?”
“Who knows? The hall master decides. But being young is advantageous. Martial arts are best started early.”
“Will we be at a disadvantage?”
“I wish this kind of recruitment existed when we were ten.”
The three sighed simultaneously.
Fifteen was neither very young nor very old, making them anxious.
Especially when they saw kids who clearly looked younger, their hearts sank.
“But they won’t accept bribes, right? Seok family isn’t short of money.”
“Short-term courses? I heard they made a fortune from those. So small bribes probably wouldn’t matter.”
“Maybe, but if someone threw a huge sum, they might accept it.”
The boys glanced at someone.
A boy from a noble family sat in a four-person palanquin, showing no worry, as if he were guaranteed acceptance.
The three’s faces darkened.
“Life’s unfair, but let’s do our best. Who knows? Maybe all three of us will pass.”
“Right. Nothing is set in stone yet.”
“And even if only one passes, we promised to cheer for each other.”
The three forced smiles and joined hands.
At that moment, the firmly closed gate opened, revealing a young man in an elegant black martial uniform embroidered with the characters for Seungcheon (Ascending to Heaven) on the chest. Gasps arose from the crowd.
“Everyone, come in!”
“It begins.”
“Let’s go!”
“Don’t push!”
At Jung Ma-ryung’s shout, people began streaming into Seungcheon Martial Hall like a tide.
Entering first didn’t guarantee acceptance, but it helped secure a better position.
“This is quite a crowd.”
“Yeah, I didn’t expect this many.”
Seok Jin-ho looked down at the training ground, now a practice field.
He was amazed and proud that so many had gathered even though he only announced it in Hwanghwa-hyeon, not the entire central region.
The reputation of the hall had clearly risen.
“This shows how high the reputation of Seungcheon Martial Hall has become.”
“But do we have enough manpower to manage? I heard it’s busy in spring.”
Seok Jin-ho observed the young recruits lining up under the guidance of Tak Yun, Jung Ma-ryung, and Chae So-gang, along with the support of the Pyo-guk staff.
They had come voluntarily, without orders, to help.
“I thought you might be short-handed. I didn’t issue any commands; everyone volunteered.”
“Hmm.”
Seok Jin-ho glanced at the staff.
They were enthusiastically helping as if it were their own task. He chuckled softly, seeing through their intentions.
“Personally, I’ve received a lot of help from the hall master. So my sister came to lend a hand too.”
“I see.”
Seok Jin-ho’s presence had made it possible for Pyo-guk to organize quickly.
Even though he didn’t directly intervene, having Seungcheon Martial Hall ensured safety from the Black Faction, and his close ties with the hall master drew staff members to assist voluntarily.
“Don’t feel pressured. Everyone stepped forward on their own. But how will you select the students?”
Though there were some older teens, most were around ten years old.
It wasn’t easy to control them.
In a strange place with strangers, some kids cried immediately.
“Do we really need to choose? I think the weak ones will naturally drop out.”
