Reincarnation of the Cloud Dragon - Chapter 57

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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 57.
Crash!
The heavy gate of the Black Dragon Gang, recently repaired, shrieked under a vicious kick.
The door wailed repeatedly as crude kicks rained down from outside.
“Come out! Show yourself, you whelp—are you a Black Dragon or just a lowly earthworm!”
“How dare a mere 100th-ranked member of the Feng Yun Ranking claim the title of dragon! I’ll sever that arrogance with a single blade today!”
“Black Dragon Gang dogs, open this gate! Have you scurried into your holes like rats out of fear!”
Beyond the gate, the roaring voices of martial artists and vagrants drawn like moths to the gang’s reputation spilled over the walls and defiled the Training Ground.
As curses and mockery intermingled, the area before the Main Gate descended into marketplace chaos within moments.
Yet the firmly shut door showed no sign of opening.
Not from fear—but solely to preserve the flow of cultivation.
Whoooosh—
Within the walls, the Training Ground’s air was strangely both frigid and scorching.
…
Over a hundred gang members trained in the Black Dragon Qi Technique with unwavering discipline.
Their rough breathing filled the Training Ground.
As if the vulgar noise from outside was never heard at all, every member’s gaze remained fixed upon a single point—the Elevated Platform.
Rustle.
Yun Cheon, having completed his demonstration of the Black Dragon Qi Technique atop the platform, slowly straightened his body.
In the eyes of the gang members who had witnessed their new leader’s martial prowess firsthand burned an intensity that seemed ready to pierce the heavens.
‘At last they no longer waver at mere noise.’
A glimmer of satisfaction crossed Yun Cheon’s eyes.
Not long ago, these ruffians would throw punches at a single insult.
Now they remained as immovable as stone, unfazed even by provocations echoing over the walls.
The Black Dragon Gang was undergoing a complete metamorphosis.
As Yun Cheon lowered his hand lightly, his voice settled low across the Training Ground, breaking the silence.
His qi-infused voice swallowed the commotion beyond the gate in a single breath, striking clearly into the ears of every member.
“Withdraw your momentum and listen carefully.”
As his qi-infused voice pierced their ears, the members straightened their postures in unison.
“You have refined your bodies through mastering the foundational qi techniques. From this day forward, the Black Dragon Gang shall reorganize its structure by dividing into specialized divisions, rebuilding the sect’s framework. Remember this well—you are no longer street rabble wandering the lower districts. You are martial artists of this sect, pursuing the Way of the Warrior.”
A declaration of reconstruction.
An unfamiliar sensation—pride—bloomed in the hearts of the gang members.
Then, one member near the front of the formation asked cautiously.
“Leader, how will the divisions be organized?”
Instead of answering, Yun Cheon pointed in turn to the four assistants standing beside the platform.
Then Yun Cheon called out the names of his four instructors.
“Jin So Wol shall oversee spear techniques, Yalü Hee shall oversee saber techniques, and Chui Geom Yi Mok shall oversee sword techniques. So Ryong, you shall serve as overseer while simultaneously instructing in unarmed combat and external cultivation methods.”
As Yun Cheon called their names, the four stepped forward.
A traditional saying has been passed down through the Martial World: “A hundred days for the spear, a thousand days for the saber, ten thousand days for the sword.”
The spear requires a hundred days to master the fundamentals, the saber takes a thousand days, and the sword—ten thousand days, or a full thirty years—before one truly comprehends its essence.
While this phrase is commonly used to mean that the sword is the most profound weapon, Yun Cheon’s perspective differed slightly.
‘Difficulty in handling also means slower mastery of full power.’
With blades on both sides and the ability to thrust, the sword was truly a jack-of-all-trades weapon.
However, one had to master diverse and unconventional sword techniques, and the slender blade had to withstand the weight of heavy weapons—making it genuinely difficult to wield properly.
In contrast, the spear easily commanded distance advantage, while the saber achieved swift practical results through its overwhelming, domineering power.
I was curious which path these motley recruits would choose according to their nature.
Fortunately, the Black Dragon Gang had gathered three masters capable of demonstrating the essence of spear, saber, and sword.
Jin So Wol with her ever-changing spear techniques, Yalü Hee with her swift wind-like saber, and Yi Mok with his mysterious sword mastery.
“This is your chance to prove your aptitude. Stand before the weapon you wish to learn from.”
The moment I finished speaking, the gang members began their silent jockeying for position.
“Move.”
The instant I gave my brief command, over a hundred gang members surged forward in unison.
Gone was the hesitant, wavering demeanor of before.
Those who had run through the dawn bearing the weight of heavy iron had now clearly recognized the direction their instincts pulled them.
The largest crowd gathered before Yalü Hee.
Swift saber techniques and overwhelming power—for these former bandits, the saber was both the most familiar and most formidable weapon.
Yalü Hee gazed at the dozens of gang members arrayed before her, her lips curling into a cold smile.
“Let me be clear from the start—I cannot teach the saber techniques of the Guang Feng Yalü Family.”
The crowd before Yalü Hee flinched at her words.
“…!”
“However… I have been granted permission to transmit the Guang Xue Saber Technique, so there is no need for disappointment.”
“The Guang Xue Saber Technique?!”
“The Guang Xue Saber… Chuk Mu Gwang!”
“Even if it’s not the Guang Feng Yalü Family’s technique… it’s more than enough!”
Chuk Mu Gwang, who was also an instructor at Zamadong, held considerable renown within the organization.
Yalü Hee let out a soft laugh.
‘I wonder if they know that Yun Cheon matched that instructor Chuk Mu Gwang in combat?’
When Yun Cheon first proposed that I become an instructor at the Black Dragon Gang, I was utterly bewildered.
[Me, become an instructor? I’m not even a member of the Black Dragon Gang—I’m merely a guest…?]
But the explanation that followed left me no choice but to accept.
[To teach others, you must examine yourself. You’ve mastered the Guang Feng Saber, the Guang Xue Saber, and recently even the Wind God Technique. Yet… it seems you haven’t achieved harmony among these three martial arts. This is an opportunity to calmly reflect upon yourself.]
In truth, I had been agonizing in secret until dawn every day, trying to harmonize the three techniques, but had yet to find the answer.
[When you put it that way, how can I refuse….]
In the end, I accepted Yun Cheon’s proposal.
But once I had taken on the responsibility, I had no intention of doing things half-heartedly.
“If you underestimate saber techniques, you’ll pay dearly. The ascending martial arts that can reach perfection are on an entirely different level from what you learn in military academies!”
Yalü Hee spoke while fixing a sharp gaze upon the gathered gang members.
A considerable number of gang members had also gathered before Jin So Wol.
They were drawn to her, who symbolized the Black Dragon Gang’s legacy, and to the magnificent yet overwhelming presence of the halberd they had witnessed yesterday.
Jin So Wol lightly struck the Training Ground with her halberd, its shaft marked with the Black Dragon emblem.
Boom—!
The Black Dragon Gang’s flag hanging from the pole’s end fluttered violently.
The banner instinctively captured the gang members’ gazes.
“If you stood before me thinking only of the spear’s splendor, turn back at once.”
“…?”
The gang members wore expressions of bewilderment.
“Long-shafted weapons dominate the distance between opponents. True long-shafted weapons are far removed from splendor. Moreover, a flag is the symbol of a gang. Its weight is heavier than anything else! Are you prepared to bear that burden?”
Jin So Wol’s voice was cold and resolute.
Even as she spoke to the gang members, she was recalling words Yun Cheon had once shared with her.
[The spear is often called the king of a hundred weapons. It has great range and is easy to handle. Yet mastering it is proportionally difficult. Especially with a flag—without sufficient training, it becomes nothing but an obstruction.]
Jin So Wol nodded.
That was why she had not used the banner spear technique, instead removing the flag from the shaft and wielding it like an unconventional spear method.
[But… if one truly masters the banner technique, the flag becomes not an obstruction but a weapon itself. One capable of attacks impossible with the spear alone.]
“…!”
[Therefore, removing the flag is merely degradation. Even if handling the flag proves difficult at first, implement the original banner technique.]
Jin So Wol realized the shortcut she had believed in was actually a long detour.
‘The Patriarch’s words align perfectly with Father’s teachings…!’
From that day forward, the Black Dragon Heaven-Rending Spear reclaimed its true name.
The Black Dragon Heaven-Churning Banner.
Whoosh!
As Jin So Wol swung the banner spear, the black flag tore through the air with a sharp, piercing sound.
“Bearing a flag means being the first to catch the enemy’s eye. It is also the pride of one’s own forces. Only those with the resolve to bear that burden should remain!”
The gang members swallowed hard under her fierce momentum, straightening their spines.
The most unexpected sight unfolded before Chui Geom Yi Mok.
Only seven volunteers.
The smallest number, yet their eyes burned with fierce brilliance, carrying a strange and deadly intensity.
They were a handful of eccentrics pursuing the mysteries of the Unorthodox Sword—a weapon difficult to master, whose principles defied convention.
Yi Mok drained his wine bottle and swept his hazy gaze across them.
“The sword… a small elite force, eh? Hehehehe. But how can I help it? My sword cannot be learned with a clear mind.”
Yi Mok staggered as he drew his blade.
The moment he grasped the sword, the flow of air transformed.
“The sword is a path one can walk a lifetime without reaching its end. Especially mine—it pursues the Unconventional, not the Orthodox. Any who wish to walk the same path as others should abandon this now and take up the saber or spear instead.”
Despite Yi Mok’s warning, the seven gang members did not flinch.
To them, Yi Mok’s bizarre and wondrous movements held far greater allure than orthodox martial techniques.
Moreover, Yi Mok was a master of higher standing than Yalü Hee or Jin So Wol.
Finally, those gathered before So Ryong were all sturdy, powerfully-built men resembling bears.
They were martial warriors who trusted their fists and bodies more than weapons.
So Ryong greeted the gang members while displaying his bursting musculature.
“The Black Dragon Iron Body that the Patriarch granted us is no longer merely a mediocre external technique.”
Since inheriting the Black Dragon Internal Energy, his Black Dragon Iron Body had been pioneering new realms.
As So Ryong activated the Black Dragon Body Technique, a dark crimson luster bloomed across his skin.
“I may not understand the transformations and techniques that other instructors speak of, but I know one thing. If you pour effort into it, anyone can grow stronger. The body doesn’t lie.”
“…!”
“Only those confident they can work harder than anyone else, even if their bones shatter and flesh tears, stand before me!”
Had So Ryong, the former Black Dragon Gang leader, been merely a scheming commoner, the Black Dragon Gang would have crumbled long ago.
A damaged cultivation method.
Years of protecting the Black Dragon Gang alone, without a master to guide him.
Yet So Ryong trained the Black Dragon Body Technique every single day, and at some point, he had reached first-rate mastery with nothing but incomplete external techniques.
A victory born purely from obsession.
There were no shortage of gang members who followed such a So Ryong.
Heat and battle cries erupted from all directions, filling the Training Ground completely.
I sat in lotus position once more upon the Elevated Platform, observing the gang members divided into four sections moving in perfect unison below me.
Though they wielded different weapons, their eyes all gleamed with a single, common will.
The primal desire of a martial artist—to grow stronger than yesterday.
‘These men… belong to the Demonic Cult, yet they cannot be said to have been tainted by the Demonic Way.’
My eyes grew cold and sharp.
The Demonic Cult, that colossal monster, kidnaps and brainwashes countless souls, using them as expendable tools of the Demonic Way.
But if one looks into their true nature, they are merely martial artists driven by the desire to grow stronger.
What if I could guide them not toward the madness of the Demonic Way, but along the pure path of the Martial Arts?
‘That would be nurturing my own power while simultaneously gnawing away at the very roots of the Demonic Cult.’
The Demonic Cult is ultimately a place governed by the logic of the strong.
If I could prove overwhelming strength without following the Demonic Way, there would be no need to sell their souls to the madness of the Demonic Way.
‘I will separate the Demonic Way from true Martial Arts within the Demonic Cult itself!’
Beyond merely rebuilding a faction, I would cultivate a group that reveres pure Martial Arts untainted by the Demonic Way from within the very heart of the Demonic Cult.
This was the beginning of the grandest revenge I had designed.
“It seems everyone has chosen their weapons.”
My gaze turned toward the Main Gate, sealed shut.
“You cowardly bastards! Do you really plan to hide behind that door until sunset!”
“The Black Dragon Gang leader, come out this instant!”
The Main Gate had now reached its limit from the fierce kicks battering it.
I opened my mouth softly.
“Is everyone ready?”
“Yes, leader!”
As all the gang members answered with full voice, the martial artists outside the gate, who had been pounding it, froze.
“What… what is this? What’s happening inside?”
“What kind of battle cry is that…?”
Then I gave my command.
“So Ryong. Go and remove the bar.”
“As you command!”
At my quiet order, So Ryong smiled with a hint of bloodlust and grasped the heavy wooden bar.
Click!
“With these dogs barking so incessantly, it would be discourteous of me as the gang leader to continue ignoring them.”
Creeeeak―!
The massive gates of the Black Dragon Gang, sealed shut until now, swung wide open.
Beneath the torrent of noon sunlight, the martial artists who had been clamoring outside the gates froze in their tracks.
What they faced was not a gang of terrified underlings.
Beneath the fluttering banner of the black dragon, two hundred martial artists stood in perfect formation.
The gang members radiated a chilling, razor-sharp killing intent.
At the sight, the challengers instinctively retreated a step.
“Let those who wish to challenge the Black Dragon Gang step forward!”

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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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