SIMB Chapter 41: Sword Unification
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TL: FoodieMonster007 If you see this, you are at the wrong site!
"What kind of external arts class is this?" A burly man said in a gruff voice. His name was Yang Yirak, and he was an external arts instructor at the Azure Dragon Academy.
With a thick finger, Yang Yirak pointed at Baek Suryong, who was skillfully dodging the students' attacks. " He's pushing them out of the circle without even teaching them properly. On top of that, he's offering them money as a reward! External Arts is the sacred study of physical training, not a game…!" he complained.
"Please calm down, Mr. Yang," Namgung Su said.
Yang Yirak immediately stopped sulking, but did not stop glaring at Baek Suryong. "…Alright, but I still cannot accept such a frivolous person as an instructor. First of all, he's way too skinny!"
Yang Yirak flexed his large muscles. "It is impossible for an external arts instructor to gain the trust of the students without a well-conditioned body. In this respect, that pretty boy Baek Suryong is already disqualified… Fellow instructors, am I wrong?"
Several of the instructors nodded in agreement, and all of them who did had one thing in common: they saw the look in Namgung Su's eyes.
Mr. Namgung must be furious that someone other than him is getting so much attention…
A mere newbie instructor shouldn't be allowed to outshine or humiliate their seniors…
He has offended Mr. Namgung, so even if he is accepted, he probably won't last very long.
The most calculative instructors agreed with Yang Yirak. Even though student evaluations would be taken into account from this year, it wasn't difficult to eliminate a new instructor candidate if all the instructors were against it.
"……" In reality, Namgung Su was couldn't care less about the other instructors' ingratiating. Only Baek Suryong interested him.
However, thinking he had gained control of public opinion, Yang Yirak announced, "Looks like we've all made up our minds. Without further ado, let's get him to halt that joke of a class and…"
"Did you say that young man doesn't know external arts? I disagree," Noh Goonsang interrupted in a voice that was barely a whisper, but no one here could ignore him.
Yang Yirak looked at the old man awkwardly. Damn the principal. Why is he so talkative this year? He never said anything in the past years' new instructor selections!
Yang Yirak cautiously said, "Mr. Principal, as I said before…"
"Mr. Yang, let me ask you something. Is it necessary to have a large physique and lots of muscles like you to be able to teach external arts?"
"…No, but the body doesn't lie. Those who have practiced external arts for a long time and do it properly have a good body, and naturally teach better."
Noh Goonsang shook his head. "That's true, but old folks like me don't gain much muscle even with training, and too much unnecessary muscle reduces flexibility and slows one down considerably."
"Speed comes from muscles, too!"
"Heh. You're not wrong about that either." Noh Goonsang smiled gently at the muscle-brained Yang Yirak as if soothing a child, then continued, "What I'm trying to say is that different martial arts require different types of physical training in order to master them, and depending on their natural constitution and personality, different people also need to train different muscles. It's not always just a matter of increasing muscle mass."
"……" The old man's words were soft, but his gaze was stern, and Yang Yirak dared not contradict him. Even though he was a proud martial arts instructor of the Azure Dragon Academy, the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva Noh Goonsang was a legendary figure who had been included in the top hundred martial artists of the orthodox faction for decades.
"From what I can see, Candidate Baek Suryong is considerably proficient at external arts. Do you think otherwise, Mr. Yang?"
"I… That…"
Noh Goonsang was staring at him with clear, unclouded eyes, but Yang Yirak felt like there was a blade at his throat and didn't dare lie to the old man. He gulped and admitted, "…He's better than average."
"Better than average, hmm? Hehe… I'm already looking forward to Mr. Yang's class this year."
"……" Yang Yirak bowed his head in embarrassment. However, he hadn't given up just yet. Using voice transmission, he sent a message to Namgung Su.
[Mr. Namgung, will you stand still and take all this lying down? The principal is biased towards that pretty boy. Please say something. If it's you, not even the principal can…]
[Why should I?]
Yang Yirak shuddered, chills running down his spine. Startled, he was just about look toward Namgung Su when…
[Don't you dare move the thing on your neck this way. Do you plan on telling the whole world that you're sending me a telepathic message?]
[S-Sorry.]
Cold sweat dripped down Yang Yirak's back at Namgung Su's merciless tone.
[I'm not interested in such petty nonsense, if you want to do something, do it yourself.]
With a tone of finality, Namgung Su returned to his lesson observation, leaving Yang Yirak to his own devices.
'I'm not interested in such petty nonsense, if you want to do something, do it yourself.' Damn it! What am I supposed to do? Yang Yirak couldn't figure out what Namgung Su meant (he has muscles for brains).
Shit. This is all because of that bastard. Yang Yirak directed his killing intent at Baek Suryong, who had been dodging, blocking, and even counterattacking all of the students' attacks in an unbelievable manner since the beginning of the class.
Honestly, if they swapped positions, he knew that wouldn't have fared as well as Baek Suryong. However, the worst thing was, the young man was so handsome that he was attracting everyone's attention!
Fuck. If he becomes an external arts instructor, he'll threaten my position. Yang Yirak gritted his teeth. Somehow, he had to get rid of that pretty boy. There had to be a way to ruin that class. Or, better yet, injure him so badly that he wouldn't be able to take the second practical test, the duel with an existing instructor…
Just then, a student caught Yang Yirak's eye.
"Keuk! Shit…"
A male student who had been unfortunate enough to be struck by the sword sheath was lying on the ground, grunting. As he staggered to his feet, Yang Yirak sent him a message.
[So Ju-Han. Use your qi.]
[What?]
The student's name was So Ju-Han. He had no talent, came from a mediocre family, and never worked hard, yet he used his status as an Azure Dragon Academy student to get drunk and sleep with women. If he had one redeeming feature, it was that he was interested in bodybuilding and had attended quite a few of Yang Yirak's classes.
During those classes, the two of them had hit it off and even visited the brothel together several times.
[Attack him with your inner arts techniques and blow him away.]
[What? But…]
[Don't worry about the consequences, I'll take care of that.]
[……]
[Do you really think you're going to get expelled from the academy for hurting a new instructor candidate? At worst, you'll be suspended for a few days.]
[Still, that's a bit…]
So Ju-Han hesitated, and Yang Yirak scowled.
[Or should I report to the Headmaster about you visiting the brothel?]
[That… You went with me!]
[Do you think Headmaster will believe you, or me? I'll get a few months' pay cut at most, but what about you?]
Blood drained from So Ju-Han's face. Yang Yirak threatened him again, and finally, So Ju-Han nodded.
[Fine, I'll do it.]
[Alright. I'll give you the signal to move, wait for it.]
Yang Yirak watched the match closely, waiting for the perfect moment to strike down Baek Suryong.
For a moment, their gazes met.
Hmph, I'll crush that smug face soon.
It wasn't long before the opportunity came.
"DIE!"
"AAAHHHHHH!"
Peng Sahyuk and Hyonwon Kang, two of the most prideful students in the academy, attacked Baek Suryong from both sides at the same time. They weren't using qi, but the intensity in their eyes was terrifying, like they were facing a life-and-death battle.
Yang Yirak immediately sent a message to So Ju-Han.
[Now!]
So Ju-Han gritted his teeth and released a gust of Blade Wind, aiming right in between Hyonwon Kang's and Peng Sahyuk's attacks.
"Blade Wind?"
"What are you doing?!"
"Hyung-nim, dodge!"
Several instructors and students exclaimed in shock.
On the other hand, Yang Yirak clicked his tongue disappointedly. So Ju-Han's Blade Wind was much weaker than he thought. Tsk, even if that hits, it'll only break a couple of bones. Well, no matter. That's enough. With that kind of injury, Baek Suryong won't be able to take part in the second practical test tomorrow.
"Which crazy bastard…!" Feeling the wind behind him, Peng Sahyuk forcefully redirected his punch, only to end up slamming it into Hyonwon Kang's side.
POW!
Hyonwon Kang bounced off to the side, and the recoil from the powerful punch sent Peng Sahyuk flying in the opposite direction.
"Keuk, fuck you…"
"You should be grateful, asshole, because if it wasn't for me, you'd have gotten stabbed in the back."
As the two students dodged to the side, the Blade Wind headed straight for Baek Suryong.
Yang Yirak tried his best to keep the corners of his mouth from turning up. It's too late to dodge now. You're finished!
In just a moment, that irritating pretty boy would fall down screaming, his bones crushed!
Huhu, show me how you struggle in vain…!
However, to his dismay, Baek Suryong neither stepped out of the circle, nor panicked and hastily released his qi. He simply…grinned and drew his sword in one fluid motion, gracefully slicing through the air.
SWISH!
The sharp blade wind was cleaved in half and reduced to a gentle breeze that ruffled Baek Suryong's hair and the hem of his robe.
Everyone's mouths dropped open in astonishment at the picturesque scene.
"…What did he just do? How did he do that?"
"He cut the Blade Wind with a sword…"
"He cut it… He cut it…!"
"No, but how…"
Although it was just a simple swing, the more experienced one was in martial arts, the more shocking Baek Suryong's feat was. The scene played over and over in their minds, but they couldn't fully comprehend it.
"!!" Namgung Su and Kwak Cheolwoo jumped to their feet, while Ak Yeonho's body shook as if he had been hit by an invisible blow. Without realizing it, Mae Geuklyom almost drew his sword.
"……" Noh Goonsang, the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva, closed his eyes for a moment to reflect on what he had just seen.
In the end, Yang Yirak was the one who broke the silence, stuttering, "I-Inner Arts… He used Inner Arts!"
The other teachers and students immediately stared at him in derision.
"Haha, I'll confess that Mr. Baek's split-second decision to cut the Blade Wind with Sword Qi was incredible. It seems that one of the students got too enthusiastic and used his qi, and since Mr. Baek didn't get hurt, I hope you all find it in your hearts to forgive the kid. Anyway, that was truly amazing. Even though he didn't use External Arts, that final Sword Qi was quite…outstanding."
Yang Yirak made a point to emphasize the words "he didn't use External Arts" to show that Baek Suryong had resorted to Inner Arts in the end, even though he had declared that he wasn't going to.
It was a desperate attempt to humiliate Baek Suryong even a little.
Unfortunately, his efforts were for naught.
"I used Inner Arts? Is that what you think?" Baek Suryong said, smiling gently.
Several of the female students immediately swooned and squealed.
Yang Yirak winced and replied, "Just now, when you cut the Blade Wind, you used Sword Qi…"
"He didn't use any qi at all," an old man's voice cut him off mid-sentence.
Yang Yirak glared resentfully at the person who had interrupted him again.
Noh Goonsang rose from his contemplation and looked at Baek Suryong with admiration. "What Mr. Baek just did was Sword Unification (身劍合一). Without using a single bit of internal energy, he pulled off a perfect sword technique. Oh my, you really put this old man to shame."
No one doubted the truth of the great master's words as suddenly, everyone realized why they had been so shocked by the sight of Baek Suryong's swordplay.
The next person to defend Baek Suryong was, surprisingly, Namgung Su.
"It is often said that External Arts is all about building muscle and strengthening the body, but the entire process of perfecting control over every muscle and joint is also an indispensable part of External Arts. The demonstration lecture that Candidate Baek Suryong gave just now was…" Namgung Su paused.
All eyes turned from Baek Suryong to him.
Aww, to think that he was such an honest guy… Baek Suryong smirked.
Seeing the smug look on his nemesis's face, Namgung Su's eyebrows twitched. With great reluctance, he clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and acknowledged, "…An excellent display of External Arts mastery."
"……" Dumbfounded, Yang Yirak clamped his mouth shut and scowled. Even Namgung Su, the Star Instructor of the Azure Dragon Academy, recognized Baek Suryong's skills. There was nothing more he could do.
Glancing around at the quiet audience, Noh Goonsang announced in a qi-enhanced voice, "Well, I guess this brings us to the end of Mr. Baek's class, and all of the demonstration lectures today. I thank every candidate for their efforts, and hope that everyone gets enough rest in preparation for tomorrow's duels."
""Thank you!""
With that, the first half of the practical exam ended, and the candidates dispersed and returned to their respective inns. The grades for the demonstration lectures weren't tallied yet, but everyone knew who the hero of the day was.
Baek Suryong…
All eyes were focused on a single person as he walked out of the Azure Dragon Academy and disappeared into the distance.
Translator's Note: After the lecture, Noh Goonsang starts calling Baek Suryong "Mr. Baek" instead of "Young Master Baek". It is an indirect hint that he has acknowledged Baek Suryong as a teacher. Yang Yirak is just being sarcastic when he says it.
If you see this, you are at the wrong site!