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The First Swing of the Azure Cloud Sword, Chapter 2: Azure Cloud Surge.
A second sword that sweeps like a wave. This move, which can be called a rotational upward slash followed by a rotational downward slash, had the advantage that it could mix techniques.
By launching the upward slash as a strong technique to crush the opponent’s defense with my experience, I could then delve into openings with the swift technique. After causing confusion with the upward slash using a deceptive technique, I could smash them down with a strong downward slash.
“The level of understanding itself isn’t bad considering the training time. For now, let’s keep progressing like that.”
Today’s temporary master was Teacher Jeong Mu. Every time I switched the technique, Teacher Jeong Mu pointed out the twists in my internal energy flow and showed me how to convert it smoothly.
Of course, the results were a mess due to my poor energy perception, but the teacher nodded in satisfaction as if the mere fact that I understood the technique was enough for him.
“Anyway, in time, the pieces will fit together. You’ve only had a month of teaching, so just ignore what time will fix and focus on what you need to fill in.”
“That’s right.”
A month is a short time. The amount of learning that can be accomplished in a month has its limits. It’s too precious a time to cling to what cannot be done. It seems like the teachers feel the same way about the month being extremely short as I do.
“By the way, how did the snack supply go?”
“I sent the disciples out, so they should be back by dinner.”
A fleeting thought crossed my mind about whether giving the children sweets every day was a good idea, but I decided that it couldn’t be helped because it was a period of change, even if it seemed excessive.
No matter how much I cared for the children, Jeomchang is a Daoist sect. There were definitely parts missing in the children’s lives. I could think of it as compensation, or… for now, both the children and teachers need to adapt.
The kids have been celebrating every day for a month.
In the afternoon, I learned martial arts from Teacher Yeong-yul. Seeing that Teacher Yeong-yul had a highly focused expression, it was clear he was reluctantly teaching because of the other teachers’ intense scrutiny. It would surely be a bother to him to teach me during such a precious time slated for preparation for the evening prayer’s preliminary round.
“Hey, Teacher! If you ate out yesterday, you should give others a chance.”
“What do you mean ate out! I volunteered for this! Ugh… to think I wouldn’t fight with skill but resort to cunning…! Those so-called great teachers from Jeomchang…”
Of course, he merely grumbled while properly overseeing my martial arts training.
“Well, I’ll take my leave to practice now. See you later.”
“Yes.”
After quickly showcasing the new technique of the Qingshin Bullet, I watched Teacher Yeong-yul’s disappearing figure transform into a dot and shook my head before heading downstairs for a meal.
When I headed to Chae Seon Dang, I found Black Cat and Hyeok Gi-rin already eating, so I joined them. It seemed Black Cat had made another leap today.
“Do you two have time briefly after your meal?”
“Um. I’m fine. How about you, Miss Black Cat?”
“If my senior calls, of course!”
“Then please help me for a moment.”
—
“Today, we have brought in external evaluators.”
“No way…”
Hyeok Gi-rin looked at me with a shocked expression.
“Umm, what do you mean by help…”
“Exactly. Help evaluate the teachers’ techniques.”
“Really?” Hyeok Gi-rin, with a pale face, said.
“Evaluating the teachers! What a sacrilege…!”
“Haha, it’s alright. After all, it’s technique meant for the kids to see, so don’t feel pressured.”
“Right. The teachers also seem fine with it, so why are you so worried? They’ll all see it in an hour anyway.”
After forcibly sitting down the fidgeting Hyeok Gi-rin, I finally took my place as a judge. Eleven teachers, each with their own determination and enthusiasm, were staring at us.
“Now, before today’s selection, I’ll announce the upcoming schedule. The day of the prayer meeting will see demonstrations at this hour to select the performers.”
“The selection will be made by three judges based on who presents the most outstanding performance.”
“Immediately after the selection, the next task will be announced, and the teaching for that task will take place the next dawn. We’ll aim to distribute opportunities evenly to the teachers, but that’s a goal only. If someone’s skill is lacking, they might not get any performance time at all.”
“Hmm… that’s quite rational.”
“Yes. It hit hard that the person who would teach your martial arts will be affected directly.”
The teachers analyzed my intentions with sharp gazes, alert to the selection dynamics. A commendable tension filled the air.
Black Cat poked me in the side.
“Hey, what trouble did you get into again?”
Ignoring Black Cat’s question, I continued speaking.
“Now, from this moment, we’ll select the performer for today’s prayer meeting.”
In the tense atmosphere, the teachers swallowed hard.
“The theme for today is, as announced last night, [Eliminating Tang-gwa from the Bowl].”
Gambling tricks and sleight of hand are among the more difficult skills. Unlike with card games, you see the contents every time the cup is passed. The movements are vigorous, and taking place in a wide-open area alters the level of exposure.
Even so, the reason gambling can deceive people is that there are plenty of opportunities. Failed to trick them? Just give it another shot. Once you do manage to deceive them, you’ll just need to stop.
From that perspective, eliminating tang-gwa from the bowl is a true advanced skill. Unlike the countless chances provided by gambling, it must appear as though the tang-gwa has vanished with a single opportunity using just one bowl.
The difficulty of the hand skills is already extreme, but achieving this requires more than just sleight of hand. Psychological gaps, angular calculations, and so forth… It could be said that simply mimicking actions wouldn’t even come close to implementation.
However.
Unlike me, who struggles due to my poor martial arts, all the teachers are Hwa-gyeong.
What that means is…
“Did you prepare that table?”
“Well, of course.”
It means I can just solve it with martial arts.
“Now, shall we begin with Teacher Yeong-yul?”
“Sure thing.”
“Start from yesterday’s joint position and show the linked movements.”
“Got it.”
As Teacher Yeong-heo took a deep breath to calm both his mind and body, Hyeok Gi-rin whispered.
“Um… what exactly are we supposed to evaluate?”
“How seamlessly it’s done. Think of it as critiquing flaws. How skillfully it was presented if someone completely got tricked… So, just score the teachers in your hearts, alright?”
“….”
Hyeok Gi-rin sighed as if the earth was crumbling beneath him. Black Cat would figure things out on her own.
“Then, I’ll start!”
Teacher Yeong-yul joined hands to present the tang-gwa, dropping it into the bowl and flipping it over.
“Hmm!”
Tsutsuzuzuzu!
This part was where it significantly differed from me.
“Oh.”
Black Cat couldn’t help but exclaim lightly.
Special effects!
By imbuing the bowl with intense qi, the magic took on a mysterious quality. With the hazy form, granules burst at the boundary between qi and the sword intent. While the teachers could neatly apply qi on that bowl, the visual effect of the qi swirling, bursting, was a fantastic spectacle!
When Teacher Yeong-yul removed the bowl, the tang-gwa had vanished.
“Hmm… what just happened?”
“Oh..!”
Hyeok Gi-rin let out a sigh of admiration and applauded, while Black Cat cocked her head in confusion. Being the one who’s seen my technique the most, it seemed Black Cat immediately sensed the oddity.
“What do I say… there was absolutely no hand movement.”
“That’s because the teacher used a different method to execute the technique. Just evaluate how convincing it was.”
What can a Hwa-gyeong do? They can perform [Void Grasping Things]. It’s possible to move objects without even touching them—it’s madness.
How would that apply to magic?
If, while covering the bowl, I could lift the plank and hide the tang-gwa away in the drawer below while seamlessly closing it?
That’s the art of disappearance. The reason for using intense qi for special effects was not only for flair, but also to mask the flow of qi involved in performing Void Grasping Things.
Therefore, this was more of a contest of mastery over Void Grasping than mere sleight of hand. How discreetly could you cover the plank? Would there be noises from the tang-gwa or the plank clashing inside the bowl? Such things.
“Ahah.”
I explained the trick to Black Cat and Hyeok Gi-rin and while Black Cat nodded without emotion, Hyeok Gi-rin wore a look reminiscent of a child whose innocence had been shattered.
“I… I was genuinely shocked to think the teachers had perfected their techniques overnight…”
“Cough, cough…”
Teacher Yeong-yul cleared his throat sheepishly, while I stifled a laugh. Thinking about it, Hyeok Gi-rin had also been an audience member at the performance with the kids, so it seems I hadn’t considered that aspect.
Perhaps that pure part of Hyeok Gi-rin is still reminiscent of a child itself.
Next time, maybe Hyeok Gi-rin and I can judge together so he can enjoy the performance as well.
“Given that it’s all about illusion, adding some sound effects to muffle the noise would be a good idea.”
“Oh, that sounds reasonable.”
Unlike the shaken and shocked Hyeok Gi-rin, Black Cat made a keen observation. If someone were to know my magic thoroughly, it would definitely be Black Cat.
“Gathering!”
“Haaaap!”
Thus, the performances of the eleven teachers rolled out one after another. Some teachers failed to perfectly hide the plank, while others let their use of qi show too much. Then there were those who, immersed in manipulating their internal energy, were slow to pick up external reactions.
The three of us—Black Cat, Hyeok Gi-rin, and I—gathered at a distance to discuss.
“Black Cat, how about an assessment?”
“Sure.”
As soon as we started evaluating, I noticed the furious expressions of the teachers nearby. But didn’t the teachers also act like that during evaluations?
This selection is essential to maintain anonymity. It’d be exhausting for everyone if emotions lingered.
“Now, considering that we need to present today’s technique a few times also.”
Before, only the kid who told a lie made the tang-gwa disappear… but I had no idea if there would be that kind of kid today.
The kids had already learned that it’s not such a bad thing to honestly reflect on their wrongdoings.
Thus, today’s prayer meeting would revolve around whether the kids truly acted to correct their behaviors after saying they’d reflect on them… It may require multiple displays of the technique to eliminate the tang-gwa.
“Given that it’s about precisely manipulating the energy for Void Grasping, I suppose the teachers can’t perform infinitely.”
“Hyeok Gi-rin, please pay special attention to that point. After all, there are differences in the teachers’ internal energy levels.”
“Understood.”
With a collective assessment of mastery, visual capture, internal energy usage, etc., we finally finished.
As we returned to the judging seats, the anxious gazes of the teachers were fixated on us.
I clasped my hands to maintain the atmosphere.
“Deciding as a judging panel was quite difficult. Most teachers’ technical proficiency reached passing levels. I’d like to thank you all for your hard work.”
“…So, who is it?”
Under the impatient questioning of a teacher with a hurried personality, I promptly announced the results.
“The performer leading today’s prayer meeting will be…”
Just a fleeting thought of “Reveal in 60 seconds!” dashed through my head, but voicing that in front of the tense teachers could genuinely bring trouble down on my head.
“Teacher Un-gyeong!”
“Yay yay!”
With a celebratory uppercut, Teacher Un-gyeong basked in the thrill of success, and watching him joyfully shake his immortal beard warmed my heart too.
On the contrary, the mood of the remaining ten teachers instantly darkened like a storm cloud.
“It’s alright, teachers!”
As I exclaimed, the gazes from the ten disheartened teachers converged on me. Though there was no malice, being stared at by ten Hwa-gyeong martial artists definitively made my body tense up, but I lifted my internal energy and managed to shake that off as I continued speaking.
“Teachers, what did you think of today’s technique?”
“Hmm… it seemed a lot more splendid than yesterday.”
“Haha. It’s nearly akin to martial arts rather than mere technique.”
“Well, can everything in the world be neatly divided? If something can be substituted, it’s more efficient to substitute it. Setting aside that topic… won’t the kids enjoy this technique even more?”
Excitedly, Teacher Un-gyeong interjected.
“Hohoho! The kids might just seek me out from now on! Wahahaha!”
“Why does a teacher like you laugh so boisterously!”
“Isn’t it my job to be a model for the children? Agh!”
Even when reprimanded, Teacher Un-gyeong kept smiling brightly while other teachers shot him glares.
“Next task will be something even more dazzling.”
It was only then that the teachers’ focus shifted back to me.
“You needn’t become too disappointed as it’s merely a matter of placement. What the teachers ultimately want is the kids’ favor! Therefore, if you can wow them with an even more splendid technique, that should suffice.”
This was a precaution to prevent the motivation of the later teachers from dropping too low.
“Ah! Indeed. If the next one is more splendid, it should leave a lasting impression on the kids!”
Receiving the revived enthusiasm of the teachers, I announced the next technique.
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