Reincarnation of the Cloud Dragon - Chapter 16

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This chapter is translated by Falnar Novels Team.
Support us by reading on our official site: https://falnarnovels.com
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Chapter 16.
The fervent heat that had threatened to burst from the Clearing mere moments before froze solid with the arrival of a single figure.
Chuk Mu Gwang, wielder of the Mad Blood Blade.
The disciples seized upon primal terror, like herbivores standing before a colossal predator.
A voice glacial as ice shattered through the roar of the Waterfall.
“You wretches have conducted unauthorized matches, disrupting the discipline of Zamadong, and wagered amongst yourselves in petty gambling schemes.”
He paused, his gaze dissecting each terrified disciple’s face with methodical precision.
Wherever his eyes fell, shoulders trembled involuntarily.
At last, he pronounced his judgment.
“Therefore, I shall impose punishment. Does anyone object?”
It was a trap masquerading as a question.
To object was to challenge the instructor’s authority directly; to remain silent was to confess guilt and accept defeat.
A poisonous silence spread through the gathering.
‘Curious. How many of these whelps will dare challenge me?’
Chuk Mu Gwang’s test had already begun.
From the very moment the disciples entered Zamadong!
The Way of the Strong could not be internalized through mere recitation or memorization.
“The ringleaders—step forward!”
As the command fell, every eye turned toward Yun Cheon and Yu Ha as if by covenant.
Yet neither man averted their gaze from Chuk Mu Gwang.
While the other disciples cowered and lowered their heads, Yun Cheon and Yu Ha met his eyes directly, unflinching.
‘So it’s that one again… and the other is Yu Ha. That one from the Ilwol Trading Company.’
The remaining disciples retreated a step, as if disclaiming involvement.
Muk Ha Jin found himself oddly pleased by this turn of events.
‘Pathetic! If fortune favors me… perhaps Muk Wi Jin, one of the collateral branch’s finest, and that wretch will both be expelled from Zamadong? Two thorns removed at once? Kekeke. This actually strengthens my position!’
A smile he could not suppress played across Muk Ha Jin’s lips.
Yet contempt flickered across Chuk Mu Gwang’s eyes as he observed the scene.
‘Tsk. Not even proper sect disciples.’
How had the main school become so docile?
They should be conducting life-or-death duels with blood splattering, yet here they were, cowering over mere unauthorized sparring and gambling.
Did they think Zamadong was some backwater martial school?
‘Utterly disappointing.’
Chuk Mu Gwang’s gaze lingered briefly on Muk Ha Jin.
‘The Way of the Strong. So few have grasped its true meaning. The Snake and Scorpion Ink Family breeds earthworms, not serpents.’
It was the very moment Chuk Mu Gwang resolved to end this farce.
“Instructor!”
The one who shattered the frozen silence was someone no one had anticipated.
Yalü Hee.
With fists clenched, she stepped forward without hesitation, confronting Chuk Mu Gwang’s declaration head-on.
“How can it be a crime for disciples of Zamadong to test their strength against one another?”
Muk Ha Jin was startled, but he dared not raise his voice and muttered lowly.
“Yalü Hee! That foolish woman! Volunteering for punishment….”
But Yalü Hee paid him no mind and continued speaking.
Her voice carried the pride of the Yalü Family, one of the Twelve Orthodox Families.
“Is it not a betrayal of the doctrine of the strong to suppress the savage nature of a starving wolf and transform it into a docile lamb!”
As her cry ended, a silence fell as if even the roar of the waterfall had ceased.
Yu Ha, watching the scene unfold, nudged Yun Cheon’s ribs and whispered so only he could hear.
“Quite the pride for a daughter of the Yalü Family. And she hasn’t even wagered stakes like we have.”
“….”
From Yun Cheon’s perspective, she had no particular reason to step forward.
Merely the fundamental principle that martial artists naturally engage in sparring.
‘…She calls herself a martial artist, yet she remains untainted by the demonic path.’
Her bearing was closer to that of a martial artist pursuing the martial way itself.
Perhaps the one most befitting a martial artist in this place was not Yun Cheon and Yu Ha, who had stepped forward for the reward of each pae, but her.
The moment Yalü Hee came forward, a chilling smile finally graced Chuk Mu Gwang’s lips.
His gaze was that of a hunter who had at last discovered a wolf cub in an arid desert.
‘Hoh. A daughter of the Yalü Family again. It must not have been easy for her to step forward. This child passes. The rest are utterly worthless.’
Chuk Mu Gwang waved his hand dismissively.
“Tsk, Yun Cheon, Yu Ha, Yalü Hee. Only you three students remain—the rest of you cowardly whelps, get out of here.”
As his command fell, the students scattered in disarray.
In an instant, only four remained in the Clearing: the three of them and Chuk Mu Gwang.
Only then did Chuk Mu Gwang reveal his true intentions.
“Foolish brats. Still unable to comprehend the meaning of the doctrine of the strong….”
He faced them with the relaxed countenance of a true examiner.
“In my judgment, you three have each bared your fangs in your own way. That pleases me.”
Yu Ha laughed with casual ease.
“Ha ha, so we’ve somehow passed the test on our own?”
“You find this amusing? Do not be mistaken. The test only begins now.”
Yalü Hee received his words with cold derision.
‘She speaks truly. Examiner Chuk Mu Gwang would never let this pass so easily….’
Yun Cheon doubted his true intentions.
“Heh heh, you understand well. Baring fangs is not all there is—even frightened dogs bare their teeth!”
The instant his words ended.
The playful expression of the examiner vanished.
A killing intent erupted from his body, bearing down upon the shoulders of the three.
“Ugh….”
Without anyone being first, groans burst from the lips of all three.
“Pride without strength is merely arrogance, strategy without strength is merely cunning, and skill without strength is merely recklessness.”
In that moment, the familiar cruel smile returned to Chuk Mu Gwang’s lips.
“If you cannot prove your strength against this examiner, you will all be judged as having acted with foolish audacity—the lowest evaluation!”
“Now you tell me to do my best? That’s too much, Instructor!”
Yu Ha continued to grumble, still maintaining his composure.
Thud—!
Then Chuk Mu Gwang stamped his foot down with tremendous force.
The sound was heavy, yet the result was exquisitely precise.
The dark energy that erupted from beneath his foot carved deep into the ground.
Centered on his body, his inner force spiraled outward in a complete circle, etching a perfect concentric pattern.
‘Such a tremendous level of inner force control!’
The depth and width of the carved marks showed not a single inch of deviation.
‘This is nothing like a reckless stomp fueled by brute strength! He carved the earth with exquisite precision, exactly as he intended!’
Everyone could perceive the profound subtlety woven into Chuk Mu Gwang’s single move.
“Hehe… Are you afraid? Can you bare your fangs even while understanding that fear? That is the very difference between a dog and a beast!”
Based on what they had shown so far, Yu Ha and Yalü Hee were at best entering the realm of first-rate masters.
For Chuk Mu Gwang, a supreme expert at his peak, subduing them without using inner force would be effortless.
“I will impose a restriction. I will not use inner force. If you can drive me out of this circle by any means, your victory is assured. Come!”
The moment his declaration fell, the first to move was unexpectedly Yalü Hee.
“I gratefully accept your instruction, Instructor!”
Her tone seemed respectful, as if offering sincere thanks.
Yet her blade draw carried a razor-sharp momentum.
Shiiing—!
With a piercing sound of air being split, her saber flashed like lightning toward Chuk Mu Gwang’s neck.
It was the Guang Feng Thirteen Blades of the Guang Feng Yalü Family, one of the Twelve Orthodox Families.
A swift blade worthy of its name.
But Chuk Mu Gwang did not move an inch.
Instead of evading the incoming blade, he simply raised his right hand lightly.
With only his index and middle fingers, he moved like lightning to gently ‘catch’ the tip of her blade as it came hurtling down.
“…!”
Yalü Hee’s eyes widened in shock.
Her first strike, the One Blade Breaking Wind, executed with all her might, could not advance even an inch, as if blocked by a towering mountain range.
“The Guang Feng Thirteen Blades, I see. Your foundation is not bad… but!”
The moment Chuk Mu Gwang twisted his fingers with a sneer, Yalü Hee’s blade was sent flying helplessly, and she staggered backward several steps.
“Too light.”
It was at that very moment.
From the shadow of her retreating figure, someone sprang forth.
“Now!”
With a shout, Yu Ha swept up ash and kindling from the fire and scattered them toward Chuk Mu Gwang’s vision.
Simultaneously, he lowered his body like a serpent and drove forward, targeting Chuk Mu Gwang’s lower body.
“Such petty tricks do not work even on the blind.”
Yet Chuk Mu Gwang did not even close his eyes—he merely swung his sleeve once.
Whoosh—!
A gale erupted from his sleeve, sweeping away the ashes and sending Yu Ha’s form tumbling backward with ease.
Both attacks were rendered utterly powerless—a sight of despair.
“So the wolf cub thought he could manage, but you’re still a pup in diapers. Is that truly all you have?”
“….”
Yun Cheon watched without the slightest reaction to Chuk Mu Gwang’s provocation.
He did not move recklessly because of the weight of the iron rings.
No—there was no need to move.
He saw through not Chuk Mu Gwang’s technique, but the ‘circle’ in which he stood, his feet, and the subtle shifts in his center of gravity.
‘He is strong. But precisely because of that strength, he does not move. The arrogance that he can end everything within that circle—that is his only flaw.’
Having observed the attack patterns and martial arts of both fighters, Yun Cheon finally resolved to act.
Had he moved without fully grasping Yu Ha and Yalü Hee’s techniques, their movements would have hindered one another instead.
Watching the collision unfold, Yun Cheon had committed their martial arts and Chuk Mu Gwang’s movements to memory.
‘Now I must move.’
In that instant, his gaze, Yalü Hee’s, and Yu Ha’s met briefly in the air.
No words were spoken, yet understanding passed between them.
‘We go all out!’
Yalü Hee clenched her teeth once more and adjusted her grip on her blade.
Yu Ha lowered his stance and began circling around Chuk Mu Gwang.
Clang—
This time, Yun Cheon joined the assault as well, the iron rings on his limbs ringing with a heavy tone.
“Instructor! We come again!”
With Yalü Hee’s cry, a true three-against-one coordinated strike began in earnest.
Unlike Chuk Mu Gwang’s taunts, the exchange was anything but trivial.
Yalü Hee’s swift blade held Chuk Mu Gwang’s gaze from the front, while Yu Ha exploited openings with unconventional attacks from the angles.
And through the infinitesimal gaps created by their combined assault, Yun Cheon’s Formless Step wove its way through.
Dozens of exchanges erupted in mere moments.
Even Chuk Mu Gwang found himself inwardly impressed by their seamless coordination.
‘They haven’t even practiced together, yet such movements are possible… This is… because he anchors the center?’
Unlike the other two, Yun Cheon did not attack hastily.
He was simply there around Chuk Mu Gwang, like water or a shadow.
His peculiar footwork consistently eluded Chuk Mu Gwang’s predictions by half a step, and those minute differences granted Yalü Hee and Yu Ha room to breathe.
Of course, this did not constitute a proper battle.
Crash!
“Cough!”
Boom!
“Ugh…!”
Yalü Hee and Yu Ha were driven into the dirt dozens of times, sent flying again and again.
Their clothes were already filthy with mud and sweat, and blood trickled from the corners of their mouths.
Yet they rose again.
The presence of Yun Cheon, who never fell and held his ground beside Chuk Mu Gwang, rekindled the dying resolve burning within them.
Chuk Mu Gwang’s brow furrowed for the first time, a subtle contraction of muscle.
‘That bastard… what is this bizarre footwork? He barely attacks, focusing entirely on evasion and disruption. He has some skill in prolonging the fight.’
Since Instructor Chuk Mu Gwang had promised not to step beyond the circle, I circled the perimeter, exploiting that distance to its absolute limit.
To his eyes, it appeared I was merely enduring, holding my ground.
But my true objective lay elsewhere.
My gaze had been fixed on Chuk Mu Gwang’s legs from the very beginning.
How much time had elapsed?
Enough time to constitute hundreds of exchanges—a duration beyond mere counting.
“…Impressive, you whelps. Though you swore not to leave the circle, you’ve endured this long. However, as matters stand, your defeat is certain.”
At last, I exhaled heavily and retreated, creating distance.
At my withdrawal, Yalü Hee and Yu Ha stumbled backward as well.
Both Yalü Hee and Yu Ha were caked entirely in mud and blood.
Meanwhile, at the center of the Clearing, Chuk Mu Gwang still stood without the slightest disturbance.
He gazed down at the three of us, battered and broken, showing not a trace of fatigue.
“This concludes it. Will you accept your defeat?”
His voice brimmed with the composure of a victor.
“What do you mean, sir?”
Yet I wiped the blood from my lips and smiled wickedly.
“We’ve won.”
“What?”
Chuk Mu Gwang’s brow creased. Instead of answering, I gestured with my chin toward his feet.
“Look at what’s beneath you, Instructor.”
Chuk Mu Gwang glanced down absently at his feet.
“…!”
His eyes filled with shock.
The clear outline of the circle he had originally etched with his true force had vanished without a trace.
Chuk Mu Gwang was not alone in his astonishment.
Only then did Yalü Hee and Yu Ha comprehend.
“Ha… haha.”
What I had been doing during those hundreds of exchanges instead of attacking.
It was not merely enduring.
While fighting, I had been erasing the board itself!
“…You planned this from the start?”
The ground was now a tangled mess of hundreds, thousands of footprints and battle scars.
Where the circle began and where it ended was now utterly indistinguishable.
Only a murky, churned quagmire remained.
‘The circle has disappeared.’
The test’s condition: force the instructor beyond the circle’s boundary.
That very premise had been obliterated.
Chuk Mu Gwang now stood bewildered upon a circle that no longer existed.
“Kahahaha!”

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This chapter is translated by Falnar Novels Team.
Support us by reading on our official site: https://falnarnovels.com
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