Chapter 1199

< 1199th Chapter > 1199. The Ascension Path of Light

I was treated by a doctor and had to meet with the demon sect leader, Bae Taek-Joo.

In a narrow space, it was just the two of us facing each other. But we weren’t equals. Unlike him who was free, my hands and feet were bound. I could feel the psychological pressure that Bae Taek-Joo might kill me.

“Subject 123. Why did you attack Instructor Jeong?”

Bae Taek-Joo’s deep voice echoed off the walls like a reverberating sound.

“It wasn’t an attack but an accident during sparring.”

“Instructor Jeong’s dantian is shattered. A martial artist’s dantian being shattered—surely you understand what that means?”

“I do. It basically means his life as a martial artist is over.”

“Yeah. You killed Instructor Jeong.”

“I didn’t kill him. He’s still alive, isn’t he?”

“Why did you do it?”

“For crying out loud, how many times must I say this? It was an accident. Instructor Jeong started the sparring session and handed me the sword. If you don’t believe me, ask the members of Squad 1. There are over a hundred witnesses.”

“…”

“And I got injured too. I suffered burns from the Scorching Yang Palm technique he used.”

I wiggled my left arm in front of Bae Taek-Joo, showing off despite my hands being tied, making it hard to lift my arm.

“The doctor treated me, so it’s wrapped in bandages now.”

“I saw it earlier; the oozing wounds and charred skin looked disgusting. Would you like to show it again?”

“That’s enough. According to the doctor, they applied some medicine. There will likely be scars, but it won’t cause any major issues.”

“Good fortune indeed.”

“… Instructor Jeong will leave the Demon Sect because of you.”

“He’s not leaving the sect altogether, though, right? He’ll figure out how to survive within it.”

In this world, martial artists are admired. Martial arts mean power, and the higher one’s realm, the longer their lifespan. Commoners both fear and envy martial artists.

Of course, not everyone can become a martial artist. In terms of ratio, less than 5% of people are martial artists, and among them, skilled ones are even fewer. Most live as farmers. Even the Heaven Horse Sect isn’t much different.

“Getting kinda hungry here. How long do I have to stay locked up?”

“… Subject 123. Let me warn you: behave yourself. Don’t defy or disrespect your instructors’ orders.”

“Yes, understood. But seriously, this was an accident. And here’s another thought… didn’t I blind someone on the first day? I think Instructor Jeong was hired by that guy.”

“That matter will be investigated separately. Until the results come out, you’re to stay put here and do nothing.”

“Here? What about food? If I starve, I might get a bit edgy. Also, I’d like to take a bath. We should maintain cleanliness, shouldn’t we?”

“Shut up and wait here.”

Bae Taek-Joo stood up and walked out.

I remained restrained.

‘Bae Taek-Joo tried to mentally push me to the brink but didn’t physically beat me. Things are going smoothly.’

I looked at my bandaged left arm. Pain surged through me. My arm hurt. I wanted to use Full Recovery already.


My heart was thumping like a chimney on overdrive.

‘No way. If the burn marks vanish now, they’ll think something’s fishy. I gotta pretend to be injured for at least a week… or maybe just three days.’

Eventually, I managed to return to the dormitory by evening.

I heard that the instructor I fought earlier had been dismissed from the training grounds.

—

“Trainee 123. Would you care to spar with me?”

Trainee 88, So Cheonma Cheonyu-un, approached me and struck up a conversation.

Ever since the incident where I wrecked an instructor’s dantian, no one really wanted to fight me—not even the instructors. They all secretly feared me. The gap between our skills wasn’t as wide as people thought, which didn’t help matters.

Officially, I’m at the ninth rank of Yeorisik (standing meditation), while the average skill level of the instructors is around eighth rank. The first team instructors hover around second rank of Chulji (emerging energy).

“Are you serious, Trainee 88? You wanna spar with me? Are you outta your mind?”

“Haha! Are you still hung up about that last sparring match? That was purely an accident. Both I and others know this.”

Cheonyu-un acted like a total gentleman. But in reality, he’s anything but. He just pretends to be one because it makes people like him. Cheonyu-un is the type who smiles to your face but stabs you in the back when you’re not looking.

The reason he’s approaching me now is because he’s sure I’m Yeom Guseok. And yesterday, I subtly showed him the crimson demon tattoo on my back when I took off my shirt.

Cheonyu-un knows about Yeom Guseok’s talents from the original story. Now he’ll try every trick in the book to make me his loyal follower.

At first, I’ll oppose him, then later pledge my loyalty—using the same knowledge of the original story that he does.

Cheonyu-un drew his sword, and I grabbed my greatsword. Unlike the refined blade of Hwaryeonbido, this one had a wider blade.

It felt awkward in my hands, but there was nothing to be done. In the original story, Yeom Guseok wields this weapon for his Zangwi Taebop (Slayer Ghost Sword Technique).

The instructors gathered around. They signaled the start of the sparring match as they watched Cheonyu-un and me closely.

I charged recklessly at Cheonyu-un, mimicking Yeom Guseok’s early fighting style from the original story.

“Quite fierce.”

Cheonyu-un pushed my blade away with ease, planting his feet firmly. His expression radiated confidence. Just like how I concealed my power with seals, he too was holding back. It was hard to gauge exactly how much, but I suspected he had reached the Oghe (Five Qi) realm.

KAAANG! CLANG!

Sparks flew as our weapons clashed. Despite trying to overpower him brute-force style, I was being pushed back instead of dominating.

‘He’s countering me with technique, not raw strength.’

He’s letting me attack while conserving his own energy. To him, my moves are probably amateurish. If I went all-out, I could dismantle his techniques and land a fatal blow.

‘But no. Here, I have to lose.’

I forced myself to suppress the rising irritation. I needed to stick to the plan.

Cheonyu-un deliberately left an opening. A trap—a deliberate weakness designed to lure me in. If I took the bait, the match would end with my defeat.

‘Still, I can’t ignore it. At this point in my supposed skill level, I wouldn’t recognize it as a feint.’

I had to play into his hands. With clumsy footwork resembling Yeom Guseok’s Zangwi Taebop, I lunged toward the opening.

Cheonyu-un seized the opportunity, spinning around and cleanly deflecting my blade. My wrist bent painfully.

‘Ugh… letting him win like this is killing my pride.’

I stubbornly gripped the hilt as the sword slipped from my grasp and swung it downward. The tip grazed his shoulder, drawing a splash of blood. Cheonyu-un’s eyes widened in surprise.

DONG!

My sword clattered to the ground. I clicked my tongue, inspecting my broken wrist. Forcing that last swing came at a cost—my wrist was shattered. No strength remained in my right hand.

“I lost.”

I spat out the words bitterly, staring at my broken wrist. An instructor rushed in to separate Cheonyu-un and me.

“…To still be able to swing a sword in that condition… impressive.”


“Huh, you really are something else.”

“Something else…? Are you mocking me? I’m just a loser.”

“I’m genuinely impressed, that’s all. How about another sparring match sometime?”

“……”

I narrowed my eyes and stared at Cheon Yu-un. He was smirking. I could sense his greed for what he had just witnessed—this confirmed the talent of Yeom Guseok.

“That won’t happen so easily next time.”

“Haha, I’ll be looking forward to it.”

From that day on, Cheon Yu-un and I started talking more and gradually grew closer. It was always him initiating the conversation. Things were going well.

—

It’s been two months since entering the Demon Arts Academy. The training period lasts one year, with exams every three months. Depending on exam results, students may either get demoted to lower ranks or, in the worst case, expelled from the academy altogether.

Academy Master Baek Tae-ju gathered all students in the plaza and announced:

“The Demon Arts Archive will now open. You must choose and master one martial art from within. In one month, we’ll test how much progress you’ve made.”

The Demon Arts Archive is where basic martial arts manuals are stored. But personally, I wasn’t expecting much. After all, this place only holds fundamental techniques; there’s no way advanced skills like those spoken of in legends would be here.

Most members of Team 1, who already possessed high-level martial arts, remained calm.

Team 2 was tense. One month later, they could either advance to Team 1 or get demoted to Team 3.

Meanwhile, Team 3 gleefully anticipated their chance. Unlike Teams 1 and 2, these guys didn’t have great skills yet, so the archive represented an opportunity for them.

“Team 1 goes first. Explore the archive and report your chosen skill to the instructor. By evening, you’ll receive a copy of the technique you selected. Remember: leave the original manuals undisturbed.”

My team, Team 1, entered the archive first. I wasn’t particularly interested. None of the techniques here caught my eye. Hidden treasures? Don’t make me laugh—there’s nothing special here.

As I wandered alone through the archive, one manual caught my attention.

“Slayer Ghost Blade Technique.”

This is the blade technique practiced by Yeom Guseok, and also the one I learned to impersonate him. It’s quite common—you can buy it at any black market if you have enough cash. Actually, getting into the black market might even be harder than finding the technique itself.

“This is the same technique used by bandits around this area, isn’t it?”

I passed it by without hesitation. Since I already knew the Slayer Ghost Blade Technique, I couldn’t select it again. I needed something new, something I hadn’t mastered yet.

“You should try this stepping method.”

Cheon Yu-un’s voice interrupted my thoughts. Turning toward the sound, I saw him leaning against a bookshelf, chatting with an emotionless beauty. Number 567, Yeo Ye-ha, daughter of Sword Demon Clan. Currently known as the First Beauty of the Demon Sect, she’ll eventually become the renowned Bright Blade Demon Empress, one of the most powerful figures in the Celestial Demon Sect.

“Why do you recommend this?”

Yeo Ye-ha’s tone was devoid of emotion.

It’s because of the effects of her current skill, “Emotion-Severing Demon God Sword,” which grants immense power at the cost of suppressing emotions.

“The Phantom Step specializes in concealing presence. Though it may seem useless now, having it won’t hurt. There will surely come a time when you need it—perhaps sooner than you think.”

“I see.”

“It’s just a suggestion. No pressure to learn it if you don’t want to.”

“No, I’ll practice it. I skimmed through the archive’s contents, but everything seemed pretty similar anyway.”

“In that case, you won’t regret it.”

“Thank you for the recommendation.”

With that, Yeo Ye-ha left.

Cheon Yu-un suddenly turned his head and locked eyes with me. Then he grinned mischievously.