Reincarnation of the Cloud Dragon - Chapter 19

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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 19.
The shockwave left by Gal Mu Heun’s promise was immense.
The eyes of disciples filling the Training Ground blazed with greed and ambition.
‘Damn it! Normally these were just sparring matches between disciples!’
Even Ma Chung and Kyoto seemed bewildered, clearly unaware of the test’s true nature.
If this continued, all the effort spent teaching Yun Cheon would bear no fruit.
Ya Jin, the senior instructor, was equally absorbed, stroking his chin as he analyzed this unfamiliar testing format.
‘…A rather complicated approach.’
From the Elevated Platform, Gal Mu Heun, master of the Demonic Way Hall, surveyed both the roiling disciples and the equally tense instructors in turn.
“As you all know… disciples face survival and reward. However….”
His chilling voice cut like a blade, piercing the instructors’ ears.
“Do not forget that I shall evaluate the instructors as well.”
At this icy declaration, taut tension rippled through the ranks of instructors.
Though they held rank above the disciples, they were instructors in name only, not true masters. Within the Demonic Cult’s hierarchy, they could hardly claim elevated status.
Losing their instructor positions would be a trivial matter.
Gal Mu Heun, satisfied with their reaction, gestured with his chin toward a corner of the Elevated Platform shrouded in darkness.
There, shadowy figures sat motionless, their identities obscured.
“Heh… In particular, observers from each organization within our sect have come to seek talent in this evaluation… instructors who display incompetence should prepare themselves.”
Though his voice carried a note of amusement, his words were unmistakably a threat.
Now this test had transcended mere disciple survival—the instructors’ honor and futures hung in the balance.
The disciples they had poured their hearts into teaching had become adversaries in an instant.
Moreover, using excessive force against those who began at lower levels would incur penalties, meaning the instructors’ ability to assess talent was itself under scrutiny.
A cruel paradox.
The instructors’ expressions hardened, their gazes upon the disciples transforming.
Gal Mu Heun, satisfied with the atmosphere he had cultivated, finally raised his hand.
“Then, let the Zamadong evaluation commence.”
Gal Mu Heun’s declaration echoed across the vast Training Ground.
“The sparring rules are simple. Internal energy and lethal techniques are forbidden. Begin!”
Before his words even finished, simultaneous clashes erupted across dozens of Combat Platforms scattered throughout the Training Ground.
The dull thuds of bone and flesh colliding, sharp whistles of air being rent asunder—all erupted from every direction.
“Ugh!”
“Gasp!”
The disciples’ fierce battle cries.
The instructors’ cold commands.
And the brief screams of eliminated disciples intermingled.
Though they were disciples under their tutelage, with their own necks on the line, mercy was absent.
Though they showed restraint in technique, those disciples who fell short of even that standard were swiftly eliminated.
Yun Cheon’s sharp eyes swept across the entire Combat Platform.
‘The instructors’ strength is roughly first-rate….’
The realm of first-rate was peculiar indeed.
Before her lay a wall of insurmountable distance, bearing the name ‘Peak’.
Thus, if disciples of this age could stand against the Kyoto, they would be worthy of comparison with the rising talents of the so-called prestigious orthodox sects.
First-rate was the highest realm an ordinary person could reach through relentless cultivation, investing sweat and time.
Yet simultaneously, it was a realm of despair—where countless would spend their entire lives training, never breaching that wall, dying as first-rate cultivators.
‘Are the Kyoto not merely teachers, but those who entered the sect to transcend that wall?’
After all, the highest realm one could teach and guide others to was ‘first-rate’.
Beyond that, everything was determined by one’s innate talent and enlightenment alone.
In other words, the Kyoto were those who had first reached first-rate, earning the qualification to teach others.
Yet simultaneously, they were those blocked before that wall.
‘The captured disciples standing against the Kyoto in just one year would be impossible… unless they were the offspring of Demonic Cult members who learned martial arts from childhood.’
Most of the disciples appeared to struggle merely to endure against a Kyoto.
Yun Cheon claimed a spot at the edge of one of the many Combat Platforms. Beside him stood Yu Ha and Yalü Hee, arms crossed.
Yu Ha observed this pandemonium as though it were an amusing spectacle, beginning his commentary.
Where his chin gestured, a disciple was sent flying pathetically by a single kick from a Kyoto.
“The Kyoto are serious about this. That one won’t be seen in Zamadong anymore.”
As his words drew to a close, Yalü Hee’s turn was called.
“Next, disciple Yalü Hee!”
She exchanged a glance with Yun Cheon and Yu Ha before heading toward the Combat Platform.
‘I’ll be back soon.’
Yet beneath her casual farewell, her heart burned with competitive fire.
‘…I’ll show Yun Cheon and Yu Ha that I surpass them both.’
True to her resolve, Yalü Hee’s match unfolded differently from the start than the other disciples’.
She circled the Kyoto with minimal movement.
The Kyoto’s sharp attacks repeatedly cleaved empty air against her restrained footwork.
Her gaze remained fixed on a single point—the Kyoto’s bare chest.
Precisely where the black iron plate would be attached a moment later.
‘The real match begins after the black iron plate is attached.’
Dong—!
At last, the gong announcing the half-mark rang out.
“Disciple Yalü Hee, your movements thus far have been excellent. I shall now give my all as well.”
As the Kyoto affixed the black iron plate to his chest, Yalü Hee drew her saber from its sheath.
Yet Yalü Hee, too, had not been fighting at full strength.
In the next instant, her momentum transformed.
“Haaah!”
With her battle cry, the blade sang free, and a fierce wind swept across the Training Ground.
At last, the Guang Feng Yalü Family’s Thirteen Winds Blade manifested at her fingertips!
The first technique—Single Blade Severs Wind!
Clang!
The Kyoto defended without difficulty, but it was merely the beginning.
The second technique erupted without pause—Summoning the Raging Wind—tearing through space with a piercing shriek as it targeted the Kyoto’s upper body.
The instant Kyoto sidestepped, Yalü Hee’s form pursued him as if she had anticipated his every move.
The third technique—Wind God’s Shadowblade!
Like a wind deity slicing through shadows, her body became a gust of tempest, launching a sudden assault from behind Kyoto.
‘Hmm… she possesses considerable skill.’
Kyoto twisted his body and launched a counterattack.
Yet Yalü Hee had anticipated it, deflecting his strike with the flat of her blade.
The sole defensive technique of the Thirteen Winds of Guang Feng, flowing seamlessly into the fourth technique—a counteroffensive.
Reverse Wind Returning Blade!
The blade, turning his own force against him, aimed for Kyoto’s flank.
Caught off guard by the unexpected counter, Kyoto had no choice but to hurl himself backward, retreating.
The fabric of his garment tore away in a long, ragged strip.
The Training Ground erupted in murmurs.
“Kyoto retreated?”
“So this is truly the daughter of the Guang Feng Yalü Family?”
Before Kyoto could even steady his stance, his pride wounded, Yalü Hee’s relentless assault resumed.
The fifth technique—Raging Wind Returning Wheel!
Her body spun like a top, transforming into a colossal blade wheel that descended upon Kyoto.
Kyoto calmly deflected her successive strikes with methodical precision.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Victory flickered before Yalü Hee’s eyes.
“I’ll end this here!”
For there remained one final, supreme technique from the first half of the Thirteen Winds of Guang Feng.
‘Wind Blade Chaotic Dance!’
Her blade created afterimages as it swept forth like a tempest unleashed.
It was in that very moment.
“Foolish! Unleashing a technique you have not yet perfected!”
Kyoto’s eyes blazed with insight.
Though the momentum surpassed all her previous techniques, the blade force—imperfectly controlled—was nothing but ornate display.
It exposed fatal openings.
Kyoto received the tempest of her blade strikes, and in that fleeting instant when her center of gravity crumbled beneath her exhaustion, he seized his opportunity without hesitation.
Crack! Splinter!
Yalü Hee’s sword screamed as it shattered into fragments.
Her body was hurled backward by the impact, yet she remained standing firmly upon both feet, refusing to fall.
‘Damn… I have not yet even perfected the first half of the Thirteen Winds of Guang Feng.’
Though defeated, her eyes still burned with unbroken fighting spirit.
Upon the Elevated Platform, an observer from the Iron Blood Squad, distinguished by a crimson armband, gazed down with evident satisfaction.
“Yalü Hee, is it? Her fighting spirit alone is quite impressive. She may be worth cultivating…”
Yalü Hee descended from the Combat Platform, her broken sword still in hand, her gait composed and unwavering.
Someone called out to her just as she stepped down from the platform.
“Hey, Yalü Hee! Is that all you’ve got? Open your eyes wide and watch my match carefully! I’ll show you exactly who truly deserves to stand beside you!”
It was Muk Ha Jin of the Snake and Scorpion Ink Family.
He passed by Yalü Hee and strode toward his Combat Platform, casting an arrogant glance in her direction.
“You’ve worked hard. That fellow seems quite interested in you.”
Yu Ha whispered beside her with an intrigued tone.
“I hear you haven’t sought instruction from any of the Kyoto, not even once? Does the martial arts of the Snake and Scorpion Ink Family suffice on its own?”
“…Hmph. Not interested. More than that… Yun Cheon.”
Rather than respond, Yalü Hee let out a scoff and turned to Yun Cheon with a question.
The hunger to recognize her own limits burned far brighter than any wounded pride.
“How was my technique? Is there anything you’d advise me on…?”
I hadn’t expected her to seek counsel first, yet I answered readily enough.
“Your momentum was sound. However… your blade seemed to outpace your footwork.”
Yalü Hee, who had sought the advice, was startled instead.
“…How did you even notice that!”
“….”
I offered the counsel without emotion and simply gazed upon the Combat Platform where Muk Ha Jin had ascended.
Standing atop the platform, Muk Ha Jin flicked his tongue like a serpent toward his opponent.
It was Kyoto, who had once evaluated his bone structure as superior.
“Kyoto. I am grateful that you assessed my bone structure as superior, but in this evaluation, you shall become my prey.”
At the arrogant provocation, Kyoto’s brow twitched.
“…Student Muk Ha Jin. No matter how much you are a disciple of the Twelve Orthodox Families, you cannot transcend the passage of years.”
“If you are so confident, Kyoto, why not engage in a true clash of full strength rather than a tedious defensive bout?”
Kyoto was himself a martial artist.
He was not one to let a student’s provocation pass unanswered.
Kyoto cast a questioning glance toward Gal Mu Heun, the Chief Instructor.
“Very well. If both consent, that would be entertaining indeed.”
With Gal Mu Heun’s approval, the match was set.
Clang—!
As the gong sounded the start, Muk Ha Jin’s form scattered like smoke.
Serpent’s Stride.
Clinging low to the ground as a serpent crawls, he carved a grotesque curve rather than a straight charge, burrowing into Kyoto’s embrace.
“What!”
In the moment Kyoto shifted his stance against the unexpected movement, Muk Ha Jin’s both fists extended simultaneously.
Yin Serpent Dual-Head Fist!
One fist was a feint targeting Kyoto’s face, while the other, like a serpent’s fangs, drove into his ribs with lethal intent.
Thud—!
Kyoto hastily lowered his arms to block the strike, yet the impact drove him back several steps.
The Training Ground stirred with commotion.
“Unbelievable! A true clash of full strength right from the start.”
“Muk Ha Jin actually pushed Kyoto back!”
“Is that… truly the level of a student?”
The composure drained from Kyoto’s face.
‘Damn it! At that age, he’s already reached the ranks of first-class masters! He’s no mere disciple. This bastard truly intends to defeat me!’
He no longer regarded Muk Ha Jin as a fledgling.
He recognized him as a ‘first-class master’ capable of threatening his own position.
“Ugh…!”
Kyoto threw his full strength into a counteroffensive.
The exchange between them transcended the level of other Combat Platforms.
It appeared not as a match between a disciple and Kyoto, but as an equal duel between two masters.
“Half a quarter has passed. Kyoto, don the iron restraint!”
Even after unleashing his full power, Kyoto had failed to suppress Muk Ha Jin within the time limit.
‘If I’m caught out by this fledgling now, my life as Kyoto is finished.’
As the iron restraint was affixed, Kyoto’s eyes transformed.
“I’ll end this here, fledgling!”
Kyoto surged forward like a tempest.
Muk Ha Jin’s complexion hardened for the first time under the intensified pressure.
Yet what blazed in his eyes was not fear, but venom as cold as a serpent’s.
‘Whether it’s that country bumpkin Yun Cheon or Yalü Hee, I despise them all! Had this been a true duel, I would have crushed his arrogance!’
His original plan to restore the Snake and Scorpion Ink Family’s honor by subduing Yun Cheon before everyone had crumbled to dust.
Then he would demonstrate overwhelming dominance against Kyoto instead.
Muk Ha Jin abandoned evasion and chose the path of mutual destruction.
Crash—!
In the precise instant Kyoto’s attack struck his abdomen, Muk Ha Jin unleashed a serpentine fist aimed at the iron restraint.
Yet Kyoto denied him passage, absorbing the blow with his shoulder.
Their attacks crossed, but the consequences diverged sharply.
Muk Ha Jin’s body flew from the Combat Platform like a scrap of paper, crashing beyond its edge.
A clear defeat.
But Kyoto, who remained upon the platform, could not cry out in victory.
Kyoto staggered, clutching his wounded shoulder.
A hollow victory, marred by injury.
The Training Ground fell into momentary silence before erupting in an even more tremendous roar than before.
Though the disciple had lost, he had proven his worth completely by wounding Kyoto.
“Wow!”
“Muk Ha Jin is the best!”
“…The Snake and Scorpion Ink Family truly is superior. Even above Yalü Hee, it seems?”
Upon the Elevated Platform, even the Blood Wolf Squad observer murmured approvingly of his fighting spirit.
‘Tenacious and cunning as a serpent. And with such reckless audacity that he wouldn’t hesitate at mutual destruction… I like him.’
Yu Ha, who had been observing, turned to Yun Cheon with a question.
“Impressive, isn’t it? Wounding Kyoto like that. What do you think, Yun Cheon?”
Yun Cheon maintained his impassive expression, alternating his gaze between the staggering Kyoto exiting the platform and Muk Ha Jin being carried out on a stretcher.
The assessment that emerged from his lips was utterly cold.
“…How foolish.”
“Hmm? That’s quite a harsh assessment.”
“Kyoto could have shattered that bastard’s heart in the final moment. It was only a sparring match that saved him. In actual combat, he would already be dead. That proved nothing about true skill.”
Yu Ha gazed at Yun Cheon’s profile, an intriguing smile playing across his lips.
At that very moment, his name was called.
“Next, disciple Yu Ha! Ascend to the Combat Platform!”
Yu Ha shrugged his shoulders as he spoke.
“Well, looks like I’m up first. I’ll be back, Yun Cheon.”
His gaze shifted toward the Elevated Platform, where the observers from the Ten Thousand Demons Hall sat watching.
“Your goal is to catch the eye of that oldest monster up there, isn’t it? Am I wrong?”
“….”
When Yun Cheon responded with silence, merely meeting his stare, Yu Ha smiled with genuine sincerity for the first time.
“I’ll claim that position first, then. If you want to impress them, you’ll have to surpass me.”
Yu Ha seemed far more conscious of Yun Cheon than he had been of his match against Kyoto.
He walked toward the center of the Combat Platform with his usual unhurried grace.

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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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