As expected, the two were suspicious fellows

Bi Ryu-yeon, who had demonstrated an extremely evasive movement that was impossible to tolerate with a human body.

The next in line was a trap.

After effortlessly dodging the attacks of arrows and flying needles,

the spot where Bi Ryu-yeon stepped suddenly sank down without warning.

If he had fallen in like that, he would have suffered from the sharply bladed spears.

He had almost become a human-meat skewer.

However, before falling into the trap, Bi Ryu-yeon nimbly leaped and threw his body out. He had no desire to be roasted golden brown over a bonfire as a meat skewer yet. But waiting for him where he thought was a safe zone was another danger, not a trap. This one was a hidden threat two or three times more dangerous than a simple trap. It was clearly a trap that operated based on meticulous calculations.

Pointed logs rushed at him from all directions. These logs, tied with sturdy ropes, had a no-joke speed when they attacked Bi Ryu-yeon due to their weight. They charged at him with a fierce momentum that could shatter even the hardest rock into pieces, occupying all eight directions. With a tremendous power that seemed capable of easily reducing a human body to dust, a precise timing without a single error, and an indiscriminate continuous attack without room to catch a breath. The logs that had attacked from eight directions intertwined at the exact spot where Bi Ryu-yeon had been standing.

“Bang!”

A loud boom that shook the air rang out. The logs that collided and entangled with each other couldn’t withstand their own forces, and some of them shattered into pieces. Soon, the fragments of the broken wood scattered into the air. At this moment, even the complexions of Hyo-ryong and Jang-hong, who had been watching Bi Ryu-yeon, turned pale. They were worried, thinking, ‘Could he have been hit?’ That’s how much more powerful this attack was compared to the previous ones. But their expressions, which had been pale for a moment, soon brightened. It was because a human figure had gently descended on top of the pile of entangled logs. That figure was, of course, Bi Ryu-yeon.

Don’t ask if you already know! Just a moment before the group of massive logs rushed at him to crush him, Bi Ryu-yeon had nimbly soared upward. It was a leap so fast and swift that it was invisible to the eye. Even Hyo-ryong and Jang-hong had difficulty catching it.

Bi Ryu-yeon, who had softly landed on top of the pile of logs, waved his hand at the two as if telling them not to worry. Even this trap, which the designer must have meticulously installed after countless efforts and thorough calculations and research, failed to even graze the hem of Bi Ryu-yeon’s clothes. Moreover, seeing that the smile on his lips still hadn’t disappeared, it seemed as if he was enjoying this situation. It was a sight that once again confirmed Bi Ryu-yeon’s nerve, which was tougher than whale tendons.

As if they couldn’t lose to him now, Hyo-ryong and Jang-hong glanced at each other, grinned, and then followed behind Bi Ryu-yeon. There was no hesitation in their steps anymore. Also, their eyes were shining brightly with confidence. They seemed to be filled with a sense of superiority. Bi Ryu-yeon’s group, who had broken through all the ruthless traps that were perfectly designed to send people to the afterlife, finally arrived safely in front of their destination, the Sword Spirit Hall Hall.

In fact, even though it was a dormitory where they would live for a year, they were inwardly dumbfounded that they had to go through such hardships just to reach a single dormitory. Having to arrive at their sleeping quarters by penetrating a field of powerful and terrifying mechanical devices that could easily annihilate a horde of enemy soldiers… It was a truly unbelievable and harsh reality.

From the first impression, the Heavenly Martial Arts Academy was not to be taken lightly. So, even after reaching the door of the dormitory through countless difficulties, they hesitated to open the door and even felt anxious. They were worried about what kind of malicious things would pop out from inside this tightly wrapped gift box. But the hesitation was only for a moment, and Hyo-ryong soon opened the door.

“Swish!”

“Gasp!”

Hyo-ryong was startled by the sudden ambush and quickly jerked his head back. A hidden arrow brushed past his face, barely missing it. As the wind from the arrow’s path struck his face fiercely, Hyo-ryong felt his heart grow cold. If his reaction had been a little slower, the hidden arrow would have mercilessly ravaged his face. Thinking about that, Hyo-ryong naturally felt a chill run down his spine.

As Hyo-ryong, who had returned his head to its original position, and Bi Ryu-yeon and Jang-hong, who followed behind, entered, the inside of the Sword Spirit Hall Hall came into clear view. Instantly, Jang-hong’s brows furrowed slightly. The expressions of the other two also clearly showed a sense of absurdity.

‘This is absurd. Isn’t it much more severe this year than in previous years?’

Even Jang-hong had never seen a case this severe until now. No matter how traditional the welcome ceremony for newbies was, there had never been a case as intense as this year. Until now, they had always ended it at a moderate level that could be handled well. But this year, the atmosphere was different from the start. Somehow, a sense of determination to kill could be felt. Who dared to make things escalate to this extent?

The inside of the hall was a masterpiece. Sharp iron spikes were gleaming white on the corridor and the corridor connected to the second floor, emitting a sharp glint that seemed to draw blood. The lengths of the densely and haphazardly embedded spikes were all different, making it seem as if one was looking at a sword forest.

A sword forest spread out, emitting a white sharpness that seemed to tear the sky! How they managed to install obstacles to this extent in a normal corridor, their efforts were admirable enough to want to praise them.

A line of text caught their dumbfounded eyes.

‘Welcome to the entrance ceremony! The path will open when the bell is rung.’

It was a very childish and bland phrase, and it was clear that it had been hastily written and posted recently, as the ink hadn’t even dried properly yet.

“Bell?”

If it was a bell, it seemed to refer to the small iron bell located at the far end of the corridor that looked distant… Bi Ryu-yeon, who had been appreciating the sword forest that could be described as countless for a moment, turned his head and looked towards Hyo-ryong. Hyo-ryong seemed to be lost in thought, continuously lowering his head. Bi Ryu-yeon grinned at him, who was absorbed in deep thought.

“It seems like they’re telling us to break through this, right?”

With his gaze fixed on the sword forest, Hyo-ryong nodded.

“It seems so. Is it a challenge?”

“It’s a provocation.”

Bi Ryu-yeon kindly corrected the incorrect part of Hyo-ryong’s words. Hyo-ryong also nodded as if he fully agreed with that opinion. For Bi Ryu-yeon, there was an easy method of smashing all the swords and forcefully breaking through, and he had the ability to do so, but he didn’t want to recklessly destroy the building where he would live for a long period in the future. So, for now, he decided to just break through.

The simplest(?) method was to step on the sword tips and walk. It was questionable whether walking on the sword tips for a length of 10 zhang[1] could be described as simple, but Bi Ryu-yeon didn’t seem to care about the 560-geun (approx. 360kg) Ink-Dragon Rings that were worn on his wrists and ankles. Did that mean he was confident in breaking through? Bi Ryu-yeon was so confident and overflowing with self-assurance that it made the onlookers worry.

“This is too much, even if it’s a joke!”

Bi Ryu-yeon leaped while making an exaggerated remark that sounded like a bluff. Then, he lightly landed on the sword tips with an unbelievably light touch. It looked as natural as a butterfly landing on a flower to collect nectar. As Bi Ryu-yeon had complained, this was too extreme, even as a joke. But what could be done now? The deed had already been done… Bi Ryu-yeon extended one foot forward while smiling confidently on top of the sword tips he had nimbly leaped onto.

This was just the beginning. The mechanisms targeting him from various angles, up and down, left and right, began to operate simultaneously. However, to him who moved lightly and nimbly on the sword tips as if dancing, even the swarm of arrows brushing past his ears and the throwing knives pouring in from all directions posed no threat. As the dangerous yet elegant dance on the sword tips gradually became faster, the rotation of his body also quickened. Eventually, Bi Ryu-yeon’s figure began to spin at a speed that was almost invisible to the eye. At that moment,

“Swish!”

An arrow that had flown out from somewhere aimed at his face. And following it, countless arrows flew at him like a swarm of bees. It was an extreme situation where he seemed like he would turn into a human porcupine, spraying blood and collapsing at any moment. However…

“Oh!”

Hyo-ryong and Jang-hong simultaneously let out a cry of alarm. Their exclamation was a mixture of admiration and astonishment.

Flying Thunder Gate – Secret Technique of the Poison Sect’s Cloud Body Step

Phoenix Dance – Returning to Heaven with Phoenix Wings Soaring Upward

The countless arrows and numerous hidden weapons shot at Bi Ryu-yeon failed to even approach his body and were swept away by the air current generated by his dance, scattering in vain in the air. It was as if an invisible wind barrier was protecting his body. How could one not be amazed at such an astonishing sight?

After rendering the considerable mechanical devices and flying weapons useless in an instant, Bi Ryu-yeon leisurely turned back to Hyo-ryong and Jang-hong, waving his hand as if telling them not to worry. Hyo-ryong and Jang-hong also waved back awkwardly with embarrassed faces. Now, the distance to the bell was less than half a zhang. At that moment, Bi Ryu-yeon suddenly felt a chilling murderous intent that made the back of his head grow cold. Bi Ryu-yeon turned his head.

‘Sword energy? Oh, without any warning?’

Sharp murderous intent that seemed to pierce, unannounced sword energy.

‘The sky is filled with shameful acts!’

Without any warning or notice, six sharp crescent-shaped sword energies that filled the passage rushed at Bi Ryu-yeon from behind. The group of sword energies that flew continuously, occupying the space with a time difference, was a meticulously calculated continuous attack that left no room for the opponent to evade. In such a narrow passage, and on the sword tips where the range of movement was extremely limited, avoiding the sword energy that attacked from above, below, left, and right with a time difference was an impossible task. And of course, the opponent had targeted this moment for this very reason. It was an excellent ambush that deserved praise, easily scoring over 90 points out of 100.

“Watch out!”

Hyo-ryong and Jang-hong’s eyes widened, and at the same time, the sword energy that had been flying with a white flash and a terrifying momentum engulfed Bi Ryu-yeon. A white flash erupted, and a shockwave swept the surroundings with a loud bang. The reverberation was much greater than expected. The shockwave tore through the air and mercilessly ravaged the walls of the corridor, turning the square walls into rags. The forest of countless protruding swords also instantly turned into ruins. It only took a moment for the shockwave-accompanied fierce whirlwind to transform the corridor into ruins. It had a terrifying momentum that guaranteed at least death with a mere graze. Even Hyo-ryong and Jang-hong were fully within the range of this murderous whirlwind. They were not spared from this killing storm either.

The violent shockwave and murderous rain of sword fragments engulfed the two of them. At that moment, Hyo-ryong stepped in front of Jang-hong, as if to shield him. It was an extremely dangerous action when such a fierce and violent force swept through a narrow space without mercy. Unless one had spare lives lined up, it was a far too dangerous action. Hyo-ryong’s action seemed reckless even to Jang-hong’s eyes.

“It’s dangerous!”

Jang-hong shouted, but Hyo-ryong didn’t even seem to hear him. His eyes were solely focused on the murderous storm that was about to engulf them.

“Shing!”

With a clear sword ring, a pair of swords were drawn and grasped in Hyo-ryong’s hands, and he swung the pair of twin swords.

“Supreme Strength of Heaven’s Firm Wall[1]!”

With a thunderous shout, a dazzling sword energy erupted from the pair of swords in his hands, forming a huge wall of sword energy like a rainbow in front of him. Even the small shower of sharp sword fragments swept by the shockwave couldn’t penetrate the white wall of sword energy erected in front of Hyo-ryong. Jang-hong’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Sw-sword curtain!”

The realm of the sword, the sword curtain, which required at least one hundred and eight swords to be unleashed in a second to form, had been executed. A glimmer of light flashed in Jang-hong’s widened eyes as he looked at Hyo-ryong. He was sufficiently astonished at the moment. A realm of the sword that couldn’t even be imitated with a mediocre level of mastery had unfolded before his eyes. Because this realm of the sword curtain was something that couldn’t be unleashed even if one died and came back to life with shoddy internal energy and unskilled proficiency that hadn’t reached the extreme.

Sword Curtain!

It was a supreme and unparalleled realm of the sword that stood shoulder to shoulder with Sword Hardness and Qi-Controlling Sword due to its power and depth. The realm of dreams that only those qualified to see the end of the sword could attain! Even in the entire Heavenly Martial Arts Academy, the number of people presumed to be capable of executing it could be counted on one hand. That was the realm of the sword curtain. A new disciple who had just entered had unleashed it.

There was no room for coincidence in the execution of the sword curtain. One needed to possess such ability and skill to even poorly imitate it. Only true divine power and true energy could enable the manifestation of the sword curtain. The fact that the sword curtain was possible meant that other things at the same level were also possible. In other words, it was proof that Hyo-ryong was by no means an ordinary person, or to put it negatively, an extremely suspicious character. Because there were very few people or sects that could cultivate someone to the extent of manifesting the sword curtain at such a young age, and within the scope of his knowledge, the person named Hyo-ryong was not included.

For Jang-hong, not knowing meant that it was synonymous with suspicion. He had that level of ability and qualification. Of course, if we were to talk about suspicion, Bi Ryu-yeon, who was causing a major incident up ahead, no, who was still causing it without rest, was also not to be taken lightly. No, it would be accurate to say that he was ten times more suspicious. Anyway, it was clear that both of them were subjects of caution.