The Introverted Heavenly Demon - Chapter 11

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Introverted Heavenly Demon Episode 011
Sword Training
When I finally completed all twenty laps, Do Yul approached me with his palms pressed together and bowed deeply at the waist.
“Minor Sect Leader! That was extraordinary! Your stamina has improved tremendously!”
“What do you mean?”
“Even when I asked you to run twenty laps before, you would only ever complete ten… This is the first time you’ve finished all twenty laps, is it not?”
It seemed that Baek Yeon had been cutting corners during his physical conditioning all this time.
Not knowing this, I ran at a faster pace than usual and completed all twenty laps without hesitation, leaving Do Gyo Du overwhelmed with emotion.
“It’s not as difficult as I thought.”
It wasn’t mere flattery—the fact that Baek Yeon had struggled with even this level of training and resorted to shortcuts made me wonder if he truly lacked perseverance.
Though it was hardly surprising, given that he had lost his mother at such a young age and fallen into despair.
After that, various other training exercises continued.
When I grasped the iron bar and completed one hundred consecutive pull-ups, Do Gyo Du was moved to tears of joy.
‘Could my internal cultivation have improved my basic physical strength as well? I should ask Myeong Joon about this next time we meet.’
After finishing the basic training throughout the morning and returning from my meal.
Do Gyo Du was waiting with two wooden swords prepared.
“Minor Sect Leader, we shall now begin formal sword training.”
In truth, sword training was the part I felt least confident about.
‘Combat is something I’m really not confident in…’
External cultivation training was, in essence, practicing combat, and for an introvert like myself, it seemed like an insurmountable challenge.
Unlike internal cultivation, which could be practiced alone and even while locked away facing a wall, the very act of facing an opponent and exchanging techniques felt burdensome.
And what I disliked most was…
“There is no need to be nervous with the Sect Leader present.”
Baek Yeon had been training only with Do Gyo Du until now.
Perhaps due to the recent rapid progress of my Hyeon Ma Gyeong, expectations for me had grown higher.
For whatever reason, today the Sect Leader himself had come to observe my talents firsthand, and not only him, but the Left Elder, Woo Sa, and all the major figures of the Divine Sect known as the Eight Luminaries had gathered at the Training Grounds.
It was also the first day I would begin sword training with Do Gyo Du.
Already burdened with anxiety, having so many eyes watching only made it worse.
Yet, having resolved to survive as a Minor Sect Leader of the Demonic Cult, I could not avoid this.
‘As long as I don’t stumble and make a fool of myself, that should be enough. I can manage that much.’
I steadied my trembling heart and gripped the wooden sword firmly.
“What should I do?”
“Today, I merely wish to observe your skill. So, simply attack me with all your strength.”
“With this wooden sword?”
“Yes.”
“What if you get injured?”
“Pardon?”
Though I had not spoken loudly, with only Do Gyo Du and myself in the vast Training Grounds, my words carried farther than expected.
Laughter erupted from the distance.
“Hahahaha!”
“Did you hear what the Minor Sect Leader was saying?”
“Do Yul Gyotdu should be on guard.”
Even the Sect Leader, who rarely displayed emotion, let out a soft chuckle.
Why was he laughing? I had only spoken out of concern that Do Yul Gyotdu might get hurt.
“Is my words amusing?”
However, at my carelessly uttered remark, the laughter that had been echoing throughout the hall abruptly ceased as if it had never existed.
‘What now?’
Though I had no such intention, my voice had come out louder than expected due to the tension I felt moments before.
My expression must have seemed rigid and threatening as well.
Do Yul Gyotdu’s face froze like ice.
A strange, truly strange silence stretched on for a long moment.
“My apologies. I had no intention of mocking you, Minor Sect Leader.”
Do Yul Gyotdu bowed at a ninety-degree angle in apology.
I wanted to apologize in return, but a ruthless Minor Sect Leader could not apologize to a subordinate before the Sect Leader.
I simply wanted to end this awkward moment and retire to my chamber to rest.
“Make your preparations.”
“Yes.”
“May I use my inner power?”
“Of course, Minor Sect Leader. Please attack with all your strength.”
Things had become unnecessarily awkward between Do Yul Gyotdu and me.
‘So if he’s telling me to use all my strength, the Sect Leader must be evaluating my qualifications based on how I attack, isn’t he?’
I grasped the wooden sword with what I could only describe as an ungainly stance.
‘Gods, I’m trembling so much.’
Knowing the Sect Leader was watching made me impossibly tense, my heart thundering in my chest.
If the Sect Leader judged me lacking in qualifications for the position of Minor Sect Leader, all the carefully constructed image and achievements I had built would crumble to dust.
This was the Sect Leader who had once even spoken of sealing my dantian. If he became disappointed in my swordsmanship today and continued to accumulate disappointments, leading him to strip me of my position as Minor Sect Leader….
I held the wooden sword aloft with both hands, taking deep breaths to draw upon my inner power while focusing my consciousness on my dantian.
However, within this extreme tension, my thoughts began spiraling in increasingly strange directions.
‘I’ll be cast out penniless, and before the Martial Alliance can even send someone, I’ll be caught by bandits and killed.’
Killed…? Killed?
-DIEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
Of all moments.
At the most absurdly inopportune moment imaginable, Cheon Ma activated once more.
My vision turned crimson in an instant.
My heart pounded with maddening ferocity.
My inner power surged and roiled, hot enough to set my entire body ablaze.
I tried to stop, sensing something was wrong, but I lacked the strength to halt the wooden sword already in motion.
In that moment, my vision expanded, and the movements of all visible objects slowed.
“Kyaaahhh!!!??”
Do Yul Gyotdu’s eyes widened as if they would split at the sight of my crimson gaze, his face contorting in horror as he gasped for breath.
He raised his wooden sword to block the strike.
Crack!!
Do Yul Gyotdu had never anticipated that I could deliver such a devastating blow with such ferocity.
The sudden, overwhelming force shattered the wooden sword in his grip as though it were nothing.
Bang!!!
Fortunately, as his wooden sword splintered, the trajectory of my blade veered off course, striking his shoulder instead of his head.
“Ugh!”
Yet Do Yul Gyotdu felt the immense pain surge through him, clutching his shoulder as he collapsed and rolled across the ground.
The vast Training Grounds fell silent in an instant, consumed by shock.
“Ah.”
But the most bewildered person was none other than myself….
“I’ve done it again….”
In that silence, my quiet murmur echoed across the Training Grounds with unusual clarity.

* * *
Several days later, early in the morning, I arrived at the Training Grounds to find a man waiting with bandages wrapped around his right shoulder.
“Minor Sect Leader.”
“Do Yul Gyotdu….”
I glanced at the collarbone of Do Yul Gyotdu, which had been fractured by my wooden sword that day.
The injury from that unfortunate accident had not yet fully healed.
Yet the moment Do Yul Gyotdu could move his body to any degree, he immediately returned to his duties.
Demonstrating his resolve to continue my martial arts instruction.
“I apologize for my poor showing last time, Minor Sect Leader. I had no idea your inner energy was so formidable.”
“As for me….”
I nearly reflexively said, “I am the one who should apologize.”
Even without the Sect Leader present, I must always remain vigilant.
Am I not the fearsome Minor Sect Leader of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect?
“I did not realize Do Yul Gyotdu could not withstand even that much.”
“Haha. Indeed.”
“Are you certain you are well enough? What if your other shoulder breaks as well?”
“Do not worry, Minor Sect Leader. Such an incident will not occur again.”
“I look forward to it.”
Fortunately, Do Yul Gyotdu also bore no ill will, laughing cheerfully.
“Now, you shall attack those wooden dummies. Begin with the one on the far left.”
The unfortunate accident from before had not brought only negative consequences.
Having vividly confirmed just how terrifying the Minor Sect Leader’s martial prowess was, Do Yul Gyotdu changed his teaching method, having me strike wooden dummies instead of wielding the wooden sword directly against people.
Thanks to this, I could now approach sword training with a far lighter heart than when facing actual opponents.
Ten wooden dummies carved in human form stood before me, identical in size and shape, yet each bore a different color.
The three dummies on the far left were shades of green, the next three were shades of blue, the next three were shades of red, and these nine dummies grew progressively darker and deeper in hue toward the right.
And the dummy on the far right was a perfect, pitch-black ebony.
“Should I simply strike down with full force?”
“Yes, Minor Sect Leader. However, please refrain from using Cheon Ma and operate only with Hyeon Ma Gyeong.”
“I was planning to do that anyway.”
I exhaled slowly.
Gripping the wooden sword firmly, I circulated my inner energy through my meridians.
My cultivation of Hyeon Ma Gyeong had continued even after my wall-facing meditation, and I could feel my internal power growing with each passing day.
By channeling my inner energy to amplify my physical strength, I could unleash far greater power.
Crack!
My wooden sword came crashing down upon the wooden dummy’s head.
The dummy shattered cleanly with a crisp sound.
Was this acceptable?
“Truly remarkable, Minor Sect Leader. Now please attack the next dummy.”
Ah, I see.
Do Gyo Du was measuring the level of my martial prowess through these wooden dummies.
He had originally intended to test me directly himself, but after getting injured, it seemed he had changed his approach.
So the darker the color of the dummy, the more strength required to break it.
Crack!
The second dummy also shattered under my wooden sword, though it felt noticeably heavier than the first.
“Wow….”
When I destroyed the first dummy, Do Gyo Du had merely uttered words of praise in a perfunctory manner.
When the second dummy shattered, his mouth fell open in genuine astonishment—he looked truly shocked.
But it did not end there.
The third dummy was somewhat more resilient, yet it too shattered from a single strike.
Witnessing this, Do Gyo Du swallowed hard, his silence speaking volumes of his surprise.
At this point, I too became curious.
How many dummies could I destroy?
What was the true extent of my martial cultivation?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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