The Supreme Who Rules the Boundless Sky - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Spear Heaven Martial Emperor Episode 10

‘Quite a considerable number.’

Namgung Hyeok’s eyes gleamed as he counted the people gathered at the Training Ground.

Even though they were only recruiting for a Third-Class Battle Unit, a crowd four times the capacity had gathered.

This was quite an exceptional occurrence.

‘It seems brother put in some effort.’

It appeared that his previous request to Namgung Cheon had worked well.

Specifically, to make contact with those who still remained loyal to the former family head.

Indeed, among those gathered here, there were skilled masters mixed in who didn’t match the level of a Third-Class Battle Unit.

Those were probably the people Namgung Cheon had brought.

Moreover…

[Word has spread that the captain distributed Small Azure Pills.]

Such Telepathic Communication reached his ears.

Ho Young was looking at him with hearty laughter.

Namgung Hyeok nodded slightly toward him.

As Ho Young said, his act of distributing Spiritual Medicine seemed to have had some influence.

‘Well, that’s natural.’

Not just martial artists, but all humans wanted to receive proper compensation for their achievements.

However, in reality, rewards rarely matched such contributions perfectly.

But when someone appeared who properly provided such rewards, many people wanted to serve under him.

‘That’s good for me.’

Having many people gather meant many talents were also drawn in.

Even with a small number, he could fill the ranks with talented and strong individuals.

‘Of course…’

That alone wouldn’t be enough.

Namgung Hyeok cupped his fists toward the people gathered at the Training Ground and spoke.

“Thank you all for gathering today to join our unit. I am Namgung Hyeok, who will lead this newly established unit.”

“…”

The murmuring applicants all fell silent and focused on him at Namgung Hyeok’s words.

While ordinary people might have been intimidated, Namgung Hyeok spoke without any sign of being cowed.

“Though I would like to select everyone present here, please keep in mind that since our unit is organized as a Third-Class Battle Unit, we can only recruit a maximum of thirty people. Now, let’s begin the test.”

Namgung Hyeok gazed at them quietly and spoke.

“From now until I say it’s over, do not move from this spot or open your mouths. That is the test content. If you break either rule, you will be eliminated.”

“…!”

Everyone showed surprised expressions.

They had naturally expected that a test for a unit led directly by Namgung Hyeok would examine individual Martial Arts skills.

But standing still and waiting was the test content?

‘If that’s the case…’

‘I can do this too!’

Those who were relatively less confident in their martial prowess cheered inwardly.

Conversely, others openly frowned. But they couldn’t directly challenge Namgung Hyeok about it.

The test had already begun.

An hour passed like that.

“…”

Though quiet silence still lingered in the test area, no one had been eliminated yet.

Everyone only moved their eyes to observe each other, saying nothing.

Half a shichen passed.

“I, I can’t do this anymore.”

The first elimination appeared.

Namgung Hyeok didn’t speak, quietly raising his hand to point outside the Training Ground.

The eliminated person walked out with a tired expression, trudging along.

One shichen passed like that.

“Haah…”

“Why do we have to do this to join the Military Force?”

Though still only a few, eliminations continued steadily.

They shook their heads as if they couldn’t understand and left the Training Ground.

Eventually, three shichen passed.

“Why are you making us do this?”

Someone who had tried hard to endure but was eliminated asked as if he couldn’t understand.

Namgung Hyeok didn’t answer. He simply raised his hand to signal them to leave.

But the person didn’t leave quietly and voiced his complaints.

“You could easily select people without doing this! I was confident I could rank in any field, whether Swordsmanship or anything else! But why this foolish test… Hueok!”

The eliminated person who had been voicing heated complaints gasped.

Namgung Hyeok’s cold gaze pierced through him.

At the same time, his overwhelming presence pressed down on the eliminated person’s entire body.

He felt all the hair on his body stand up. It was like being prey before a predator.

“…”

The eliminated person trembled, unable to breathe properly.

Namgung Hyeok pointed outside with his finger once more.

The eliminated person barely managed to move his feet and leave the Training Ground.

Night fell like that.

“Stop.”

“Pu, puha…”

“Uheoeok.”

At Namgung Hyeok’s single word, those making strange sounds collapsed.

Their entire bodies were soaked with sweat. Though they hadn’t run or swung swords, their bodies trembled as if exhausted.

Namgung Hyeok spoke to them.

“Exactly thirty people remain. Everyone who stayed passes.”

“…!”

The successful candidates’ eyes trembled with emotion.

They felt a sense of achievement having passed a test that was much more difficult than expected.

But they simultaneously felt puzzled.

The skills of those remaining here were varied.

There were excellent people, but also some who were objectively lacking.

They found it strange that the test was based solely on patience without examining such skills at all.

“You all look curious about why we conducted such a test.”

Namgung Hyeok spoke calmly.

“To be honest, I didn’t think differences in skill were very important when selecting people. After all, martial power can be rapidly improved through training up to a certain level.”

Everyone listening showed surprised expressions.

But regardless, Namgung Hyeok continued speaking.

“However, patience isn’t a quality that can be developed in such a short time. What I wanted wasn’t simply people with strong martial power, but people who would patiently fulfill their roles regardless of what orders came down. You all met exactly that criterion. That’s all.”

“I, I see.”

“Now, you’ve worked hard taking the test today, so rest well and gather here again tomorrow morning. I’ll give you basic explanations and teach you what you need to know.”

Hearing those words, the successful candidates returned home on trembling legs.

However, one young man who remained instead of leaving asked.

“Captain. Then may I ask just one thing?”

“Go ahead and ask.”

Namgung Hyeok nodded and spoke.

The young man hesitated for a moment before asking.

“What will be the name of our unit? We can’t just keep calling it a temporary squad.”

“A unit name…”

Namgung Hyeok fell into thought for a moment. Soon he opened his eyes straight and looked at the young man as he spoke.

“Pungwoon Unit.”

“…!”

“It means bringing forth new winds to the Jianghu. Our military combat unit’s name will be Pungwoon Unit.”

* * *

Rumors about the Pungwoon Unit that Namgung Hyeok created spread quickly.

At first, there was much talk about the selection method that had nothing to do with skill.

Some called the method foolish, while others called it wise. After all, third-class military combat units didn’t require that much martial prowess.

However, Namgung Hyeok paid no attention to the rumors about himself circulating within the family.

Instead, he began training the Pungwoon Unit members with all his heart and soul.

“Since everyone has learned different martial arts and their skills vary, it’s impossible to oversee individual martial arts training. So I’ll give the Pungwoon Unit training that can raise the military force’s combat power in a short time.”

The Pungwoon Unit members who first heard this were puzzled.

He said he wouldn’t oversee individual martial arts training, yet he would raise the military force’s combat power?

Something didn’t add up. But they soon understood what Namgung Hyeok meant.

“What we’ll be training from now on is Formation Techniques.”

“…!”

“From now on, the Pungwoon Unit will learn to fight as a group, not as individuals. Starting with the basic Three-Person Unity Formation, we’ll practice defensive formations, encirclement formations, and more. In our spare time, we’ll train in Light Body Technique to raise the entire military force’s mobility.”

Namgung Hyeok said this and began teaching the Pungwoon Unit members by organizing them into groups.

This looked less like training given by a martial arts noble house and more like instruction from battlefield instructors.

In reality, it wasn’t much different.

Namgung Hyeok was applying the same training he had given to his subordinates on the battlefield.

After training like this for about thirty days.

‘The foundation has been somewhat established.’

Of course, it was just the basics.

To Namgung Hyeok’s eyes, having actually rolled around on battlefields, it was nowhere near sufficient.

But Namgung Hyeok thought that this alone already surpassed the level of the Namgung Family’s Huainan Branch warriors he had fought alongside before.

Though martial artists often overlooked this, individual combat and group combat were clearly different. If those joining forces could coordinate properly, they could face even stronger enemies.

‘Now we just need to gain practical experience.’

“It seems the Pungwoon Unit’s training is progressing well.”

Namgung Cheon, who had approached at some point, said while watching the Pungwoon Unit’s training.

His illness had mostly recovered, and he was gradually resuming external activities.

Though intense training was still too much, he was once again showing his presence as the legitimate heir of the Namgung Family.

“I was surprised when you first selected these people. I thought you would choose only the strong ones to form your unit.”

“What’s important on the battlefield isn’t just individual strength, but also how uniformly they follow their commander’s orders. I selected these people because I rated them highly in that aspect.”

Namgung Cheon smiled upon hearing his answer.

“You really are an outstanding commander. You don’t just look at surface-level things, but see beyond. It reminds me of what I heard from that friend Geomlip.”

“So Geomlip talked about me?”

“Hehe. He told me tales of your valor from when you were on the battlefield. I was so surprised when I heard them…”

Namgung Cheon smiled mischievously and pulled something from his chest to offer it.

“What’s this?”

It was a pouch full of silver coins.

Namgung Hyeok looked at Namgung Cheon with a slightly surprised expression.

“Why are you suddenly giving me this?”

“Because this is all I can do for you right now.”

“…”

“Though it’s an officially authorized military combat unit, you probably haven’t received a budget yet since there are no achievements. You probably couldn’t properly equip them with swords and uniforms either.”

Namgung Cheon spoke with a serious expression.

“Use this to get new weapons made for them and unify their uniforms to instill a sense of belonging. Also feed them delicious food to boost morale, and keep the remaining money for when you need it. I’m giving this because I feel sorry for being an older brother who only receives help from his younger brother.”

“…I’ll use it well.”

Namgung Hyeok didn’t refuse and put the pouch in his chest.

He certainly needed the money, and there was no reason to reject Namgung Cheon’s sincerity.

Namgung Cheon smiled broadly and patted Namgung Hyeok’s shoulder.

“I’m always truly grateful. No amount of thanks would be enough.”

“Didn’t you help me a lot during childhood too, brother? Think of it as repayment for that.”

“Haha. Hearing you say that makes me feel a little better.”

Namgung Cheon wiped his slightly reddened eyes and continued speaking.

“Anyway, I came to deliver this. And there’s also something I need to tell you.”

“Something to tell me?”

“Yes.”

Namgung Cheon spoke with a serious expression.

“It seems the Pungwoon Unit’s first mission will be decided soon.”

“…!”

Namgung Hyeok’s eyes turned sharp.

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