Chapter 32: Swords and Swordsmanship

As Myeol Mang awoke from his sleep the next morning, he heard his master's voice.

“Nineteen hours. That’s how long you slept. That’s rather impressive actually.”

“Huh?.... Oh, good morning Master…. How are you?” Myeol Mang yawned out.

“I’m fine, now I assume you’re still partially asleep?”

“Somewhat… Just give me a minute or two so I can start thinking straight.”

“Here, don’t think and just look.” The original Myeol Mang said as he grabbed a sword leaning against the end of Myeol Mang’s bed.

The original Myeol Mang then unsheathed the sword, revealing a shiny silver sword sharpened and polished to near perfection.

“Wow… Master, how did you turn my sword this sharp?”

“I used a whetstone from a legendary blacksmith's tomb to sharpen the edges, and the polish work I did by hand using oil from the same blacksmith's tomb.”

“......”

“.......”

“Master, I can’t tell if you’re being serious right now or not.”

“I’m being completely serious, I went to the location of a legendary blacksmith's tomb, borrowed his whetstones and polishing oil and left.”

“I…. Alright, I’m just going to ignore that for now. But thank you for sharpening and polishing my sword while I slept, Master.”

“You’re welcome, Myeol Mang. Now, get out of bed and go to the training hall, Seo Jun and Mi Yeon are waiting for you.”

Hey where’s your windows

“Yes, Master.”

Myeol Mang then climbed out of his bed and changed into the pair of clean robes at the end of his bed.

“Uhhhh, quit being so loud…”

“Good morning Sung Ho, I’d like to catch up with you about the past week, but I’ve got training to attend to.”

“Have fun…” Sung Ho yawned out as Myeol Mang left the room.

As Myeol Mang walked out into the yard he was met with the light morning breeze and the bright yet soothing morning sunlight.

“Mmmmmm, such a good day to train.”

After standing still for a moment to enjoy the morning breeze, Myeol Mang began to walk towards the training hall.

Yet as Myeol Mang arrived in front of the main hall, Jin Tang’s voice came from behind him.

“Myeol Mang, I see you’ve come out from your solitude, how was your week of blacksmithing?”

Turning around and bowing to Jin Tang, Myeol Mang then spoke.

 “Master Tang, I’ve been well, and my week of blacksmithing was a great success!”

“Oh? Would you mind showing me your sword then?”

“Sure, here you go Master Tang.” Myeol Mang said as he handed Jin Tang his sword.

Jin Tang then unsheathed Myeol Mang’s sword and examined the edges.

“Hmmmm, a rather fine sword you’ve made, Myeol Mang. Especially for only using a week's worth of time. It’s sharpness is superb and its polish is excellent. Good job.” Jin Tang said as he handed the sword back to Myeol Mang.

“Thank you Master Tang, is there anything else you wish to discuss before I start my training with Mi Yeon and Seo Jun?”

“Have you given your sword a name yet?”

“A name?”

“Yes a name, most martial artists give their weapons a name to signify the bond between them and the weapon.”

“No I haven’t, does it matter when I name it?”

“No it doesn’t, some martial artists have to listen to their sword during fights for years just to figure out a proper name for it.”

“Ah okay, I’ll think of a name for it after the training with Mi Yeon and Seo Jun. I’ll see you later, Master Tang.”

“See you later, Myeol Mang.”

Myeol Mang then walked into the training hall and saw Seo Jun standing over a collapsed Mi Yeon.

“It looks like I win again, Mi Yeon.”

“Yeah…. You win again, Seo Jun.”

Seo Jun then extended his hand to Mi Yeon and helped her up off the floor.

“So, you two had a friendly match while waiting for me?” 

“Oh, Myeol Mang! Good morning, how was your rest?” Mi Yeon asked as she skipped over to him.

“Honestly it was pretty good, you actually start to miss sleep after not having it for two days.”

“You didn’t sleep for two days? Why did you do that?” Seo Jun asked as he approached Myeol Mang.

“Well, I wanted to complete my sword as fast as possible… Uhhh, why are you two just staring at me like that?....”

“I’m not sure what it is, but something about him changed after he spent that week alone working on his sword…. He feels more… Relaxed than before.”

“Yeah, it’s really weird, a week ago his personality was somewhat cold or angry, and he was unphased by anything unless he had a question about something. But now he feels more relaxed, more open to conversation and interacting with us.”

“Well, he wasn’t entirely cold, he still got flustered when he found out I used the same washroom he did.” Mi Yeon snickered.

“Hey! Am I even a part of this conversation?”

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“What do you think happened during the week he spent in the Forge? Maybe he overheard one of our conversations about him?”

“Hey!”

“But that wouldn’t explain him becoming more relaxed. Maybe something changed within his body while he was in the Forge?”

“HEY!”

“Yes, Myeol Mang?”

“Can you please back up a little bit? You two are crowding me.”

“Oh, sorry Myeol Mang. Sometimes when me and Mi Yeon get into a conversation about someone we can’t seem to stop. Now, are you ready to start learning swordsmanship?”

“Yes I am.”

---

“My lord, may I enter?”

“Yes you may.”

After hearing the room's door open and close, the Heavenly Demon then turned away from the map upon the wall and looked at the neatly dressed man who entered the room.

“You summoned me, my lord?”

“Yes, has the Head Guardian informed you of the mission?”

“Yes, my lord. He told me that I will be departing on a raid with the Illusion Fist Squad, Silent Sword Brigade and the Phantom Blade Squad.”

“Good, then you should know why I’ve summoned you here then.”

“Is it to discuss the details of the raid?”

“Yes, now listen closely, as what I am about to say must never be spoken outside of this room.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“The raid you will be leading, its purpose is to find the Heavenly Demonic Pill book. You will be raiding the Vanishing Demon’s palace to find the boy who is currently in possession of the book. Use whatever amount of force necessary to ensure that you succeed.”

“Find the boy who has the Heavenly Demonic Pill book and eliminate him, then bring the book back to you. Is that all I need to do during this raid?”

“Yes. Everything and everyone else within the Vanishing Demon’s palace is of no consequence.”

“Is there anything else, my lord?”

“Yes actually. If you happen to find a boy named Myeol Mang, capture him and bring him to me alongside the book. He may be useful in persuading the fool in the basement to work for me.”

“I will see to it that the raid is a success, my lord.”

---

“Good, now first, show us your sword.”

“Sure, but why do you want to see my sword?” Myeol Mang said as he handed his sword to Seo Jun.

“Well, you spent a week in solitude working on this sword. Everyone in the palace is curious about this sword, it's not everyday that a healthy young boy like you shuts himself in a blacksmithing building for a week just to work on one sword.” Mi Yeon replied as she leaned over Seo Jun’s shoulder to look at the sword.

“Oh… Yeah, that makes sense. No wonder Master Tang wanted to see my sword.”

Myeol Mang sat in silence as he watched Seo Jun and Mi Yeon examine his sword’s edges and handle.

“Well, what do you think?”

“I think it’s amazing you managed to forge this sword in a week, especially after the minimal amount of training I gave you before you shut yourself in the Forge.”

“I agree with Seo Jun here, the sharpness and polish work seems unreal for someone who was barely given any teaching.”

“I didn’t really do anything special, I was mainly just doing what felt natural to me.”

“Well, either way good job on forging this sword.” Seo Jun said as he put the sword in its sheath and handed it to Myeol Mang.

“Thank you. Now, can you please start teaching me the Nine Sages Sword technique?”

“Not yet, first you must learn how to properly wield your sword.” Seo Jun replied.

“How to properly wield my sword?”

“What Seo Jun means is that you have to learn how to properly use your sword before you can learn sword martial arts.”

“Like learning how to use your legs to stand before learning how to walk?”

“Exactly, you have to learn the basics of the sword before you can jump straight into learning complex sword techniques.”

“Thank you for explaining it to him, Mi Yeon. Now, Myeol Mang, unsheath your sword and hold it out in front of you with two hands, and have your legs shoulder distance apart.”

Myeol Mang then unsheathed his sword and tightly gripped the mint green handle before sliding his feet shoulder width apart.

“Don’t grip the handle so tightly, It’ll limit your hands flexibility while slicing. Move your left leg out a tiny bit more too.”

“Alright.” Myeol Mang replied as he relaxed his hands and slightly scooted his left leg outwards.

“Good, good. Now, you’ll be practicing nothing but vertical slashes today, so listen closely. When swinging vertically you must step with your weaker foot while raising the sword above your head, then once your weaker foot lands on the ground you swing downwards and finish through with the swing towards your right side. Now try for yourself.”

Hhhhssssssss!

Hoooooooooooo!

Myeol Mang then began to step with his left foot after calming his breath and swung upon the empty air in front of him.

Swish!

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