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Chapter: 10
Episode 10: Martial Hall (3)
Several days later, early in the morning.
Jeokun surveyed the trainees gathered at the Martial Hall’s training ground.
Since it was still the beginning of their training, it would have been natural for them to look exhausted, yet their eyes were filled with determination.
‘This year’s group is definitely different.’
As his gaze casually shifted, it met a pair of calm, unreadable eyes.
Black eyes whose thoughts could not be discerned.
‘I’m already looking forward to seeing what he’ll show today.’
Over the past few days, while everyone had been practicing their cultivation method and physical conditioning, the one who had stood out the most was Muyeon.
His fundamentals were so extraordinary that it was hard to believe he had never practiced martial arts before.
‘So he truly inherited the talent of the old Jin Clan—the legendary Sword Gate?’
Even the long-forgotten name came to mind.
‘I should observe him a little longer before reporting him to the Lord of Martial Studies.’
Organizing his thoughts, Jeokun finally spoke.
“Today, we will be training footwork.”
Before one could wield a sword, one first had to learn how to walk.
No matter where a sword was aimed, every strike always began with the supporting foot.
At that instant, my eyes swept sideways.
Jeokun’s figure blurred, disappearing from where he stood before instantly reappearing behind the trainees.
“This is the Heavenly Secret Mirage Step of the Zhuge Clan.”
The trainees erupted in astonishment.
“Whoa! Instructor disappeared and appeared somewhere else!”
“I didn’t even see him move!”
“So that’s the Heavenly Secret Mirage Step of the Divine Strategist Zhuge Clan!”
“Isn’t that the legendary movement technique that lets you switch places in an instant?”
The Heavenly Secret Mirage Step was the Zhuge Clan’s foundational footwork.
But “foundational” by no means meant “simple.”
Its steps left behind almost no traces.
Its movements flowed like water, impossible to predict where they would end.
The moment a single step touched the path…
The place where one had been was already empty.
Ghostlike and unpredictable.
Those words might as well have existed solely to describe this footwork.
Seeing the trainees’ reactions, Jeokun smiled faintly.
Meanwhile, as I listened, my eyes narrowed.
‘As expected of one of the Five Great Clans’ signature arts.’
I had seen it before in my previous life, but witnessing the Heavenly Secret Mirage Step again was nothing short of astonishing.
‘If the Jin Clan’s martial arts emphasize weight and stability, then the Zhuge Clan’s martial arts revolve around change.’
Which meant…
From this point onward, I would be walking a path completely different from my previous life.
That realization made my heart pound.
‘With this martial art… perhaps I can reach Zhuge Sang a little sooner.’
Jeokun slowly paced as he continued.
“Footwork is not merely walking.”
It determined the path one advanced upon.
With a single step, the road to life and the road to death were separated.
“For a swordsman, it is the advancing step taken before thrusting the blade. The principle remains the same no matter what weapon you wield.”
Every martial art…
Always began beneath one’s feet.
Jeokun looked every trainee in the eyes.
“Among them, the Heavenly Secret Mirage Step carries the meaning of ‘a thousand branching steps.'”
Its essence lay in stepping ahead of time itself, reaching the future before it arrived.
As expected of the movement technique belonging to the clan known as the Divine Strategists, its mysteries could hardly be described with words.
Jeokun continued his explanation.
I quietly nodded.
‘Once the Heavenly Secret Mirage Step reaches mastery, it’s difficult even to follow the user’s movements with your eyes.’
Back when I had belonged to the Martial Alliance…
I had crossed swords with Zhuge Clan martial artists on numerous occasions.
Every single time, there had only been one thing I needed to watch.
Not their swords.
Not their killing intent.
But their feet.
‘And now… I’ll be learning that miraculous footwork myself.’
A surge of excitement welled up inside me.
At this moment, I could not help but feel tense as a martial artist.
That was simply how new martial arts were.
Jeokun stepped onto the platform.
“From this point onward, I will teach you the mnemonic verses and stepping positions of the Heavenly Secret Mirage Step.”
The Heavenly Secret Mirage Step followed the stepping positions of the Eight Trigrams.
One circulated true qi according to the mnemonic verses while stepping onto designated positions.
‘Unlike the Jin Clan’s martial arts, which firmly occupied each direction, the Heavenly Secret Mirage Step never remained in one place for long.’
Its steps merely brushed across the Eight Trigrams.
It never fully stepped upon any true trigram.
The moment one completely occupied a trigram…
That position had already been read by the enemy.
‘Therefore, every step of the Heavenly Secret Mirage Step must move through the gaps between the trigrams—the spaces where the Eight Trigrams transformed into one another.’
I had already thoroughly studied the Zhuge Clan’s martial manuals over the past two years, so the theoretical aspects were firmly organized in my mind.
But theory ended here.
From now on, it was actual practice.
If I wanted to master this footwork quickly, I would have to devote myself completely.
Jeokun’s explanation ended.
The trainees spent some time repeating the mnemonic verses before moving into position.
“From now on, perform the Heavenly Secret Mirage Step.”
Faint outlines of the Eight Trigrams had been drawn across the training ground.
They were likely the remnants of countless previous trainees’ practice.
A line connected Heaven and Earth.
Water and Fire crossed one another.
At Jeokun’s nod, the trainees began moving exactly as instructed.
“Don’t step directly on the true trigrams. Move between them.”
The explanation was simple.
Putting it into practice was not.
“That’s easier said than done!”
“Ugh! When I circulate my qi according to the verses, my body lurches forward!”
Most of these children came from smaller sects and families throughout Hubei Province, so they had all learned basic footwork before.
But the Heavenly Secret Mirage Step was different.
“You must understand a thousand branching paths before this technique can be completed. Did you think you’d succeed from the beginning?”
Jeokun sternly reprimanded them.
Their movements were clumsy, but at least each of them was trying their best.
Then his gaze stopped.
Jusang had been progressing well until he accidentally stepped directly onto the Qian Trigram.
His balance immediately tilted.
“Huh?!”
His foot slipped without finding purchase.
His balance collapsed, and he toppled sideways.
Thud.
Jusang rolled across the training ground.
“Jusang, try again.”
“Y-Yes!”
The second attempt.
The third attempt.
Neither was much different.
Trying to avoid the trigrams, he ended up stepping right on top of them, while his hurried footwork outpaced the movement of his body.
“The problem is that you’re trying to throw your body forward before moving your feet.”
Despite Jeokun’s correction, both Jusang and Daemyeong only became more tangled, their steps like knotted thread.
They were overthinking every movement, and their bodies refused to cooperate.
The sound of trainees hitting the ground echoed throughout the training field.
Amid all the chaos, however, a few continued moving quietly.
‘Hmm… Muyeon’s movements aren’t bad.’
His steps weren’t especially fast.
Nor were they particularly large.
He seemed to step onto a trigram, only to brush past it.
Just as it appeared he would descend onto the next one…
The place was already empty.
“He’s performing exactly as he was taught.”
That was Jeokun’s assessment.
But there was still one issue.
He was slow.
Far too slow.
Like a calf taking its first uncertain steps.
‘Even with such exceptional talent, this must be his limit.’
The Heavenly Secret Mirage Step was simply that difficult.
Even Jeokun himself, despite already reaching the Peak Realm, had only achieved about seventy percent mastery.
And even that placed him among the fastest of his peers.
His gaze naturally shifted elsewhere.
At that moment, Zhuge Jeonggwon was moving at an astonishing speed.
Confidence filled his face.
‘Even though he’s from a branch family, he still carries Zhuge blood. It seems he learned the Heavenly Secret Mirage Step beforehand.’
Which meant both his cultivation method and footwork had already reached the Initial Success stage.
‘The Zhuge Clan truly is different.’
Their starting line itself was different.
Someone who had studied martial arts since before turning ten naturally possessed advantages over those who had started later.
‘Compared to him…’
Jeokun looked back at Zhuge Muyeon, who was still advancing with slow, measured steps.
‘Even if he isn’t too old to learn martial arts, this gap will inevitably grow.’
There were things that effort alone could never overcome.
That too was part of the martial path.
A trace of bitterness flickered across Jeokun’s eyes as memories of long ago resurfaced.
Or at least…
That should have been the case.
“…This boy is a genius.”
One week later.
That was Jeokun’s evaluation upon returning to the training ground.
“No… calling him a genius isn’t enough.”
In just one week, Muyeon had performed the Heavenly Secret Mirage Step not as an imitation of its form, but with its completed flow.
It was something that completely defied common sense.
Even the current Patriarch, Zhuge Sang, had been famous for his rapid progress during childhood.
But surely…
Not this fast.
To reach Initial Success in merely one week.
Heavenly Martial Physique.
Yin-Yang Physique.
Stories of heaven-blessed constitutions had always seemed like little more than legends.
Yet witnessing what stood before his eyes…
Those tales no longer felt absurd.
“My mind is reeling. Has he really never learned this before?”
Still suspicious, Jeokun glanced sideways.
The trainees were secretly stealing looks at Zhuge Muyeon.
Wariness.
Jealousy.
“When the child everyone expected to fall behind suddenly takes the lead, people naturally become more vigilant.”
That much competitive spirit was necessary.
One always needed rivals to move forward.
But…
Suddenly, Jeokun remembered the face of a certain genius he had once met in the Martial Alliance.
A name that had once shaken the world…
Yet was now forgotten.
“I cannot let him walk the same path I did.”
Taking a slow breath, Jeokun made his decision.
“I’ll report this matter to the Hall Master.”
Within his heart, a quiet certainty settled.
The possibility…
That the Zhuge Clan might be witnessing the birth of another absolute master.
His gaze drifted toward the sky.
The sun that had once stood high overhead had already begun descending toward the mountain ridges.
“End training. Everyone, gather.”
“Yes, Instructor!”
At his command, the trainees quickly assembled in orderly lines.
Only two weeks.
Yet within that short time…
The children had undoubtedly begun transforming into true martial artists.
“Today’s training ends here.”
A wave of murmurs immediately spread.
“Already?”
“But the sun’s still high!”
“Maybe it’s because we’re doing too well!”
Watching them, Jeokun chuckled.
He silently took back that last thought.
“Over the past two weeks you’ve learned your cultivation methods and footwork. Starting tomorrow, we’ll begin a new phase of training.”
“What kind of training?”
Daemyeong asked with bright, innocent eyes.
Jeokun slowly walked over and picked up a wooden practice sword resting nearby.
“Swordsmanship training.”
“Woohoo!”
“We finally get to hold swords?!”
The training ground instantly erupted with excitement.
After all, the beginning of martial arts was the sword.
“So head back early today and get plenty of rest. Full-scale training begins tomorrow. Dismissed!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the trainees dispersed with excited expressions.
I watched them blankly before letting out a slow breath.
‘Hmm… I actually wanted to train a little longer.’
I had endured seven years for this opportunity.
The Heavenly Secret Mirage Step had only reached the second level of mastery, yet the more I practiced it, the deeper it became.
It was the complete opposite of the Jin Clan’s martial arts, where one precisely occupied each position.
‘At this rate, it’s still insufficient for actual combat.’
If I wanted to combine it with my swordsmanship, I needed to reach at least the third level of mastery.
At that moment, I finally understood why the Zhuge Clan possessed so few masters who had broken through to higher realms.
‘Was Zhuge Sang really even human, mastering this before he turned twenty?’
Even though he had been my enemy…
As a fellow martial artist, I couldn’t help but acknowledge him.
“Perhaps I’ll rest a little today as well.”
My thoughts drifted to Hyeona, who was probably alone at the detached residence.
Maybe I’d keep her company for a while.
She didn’t seem to have many friends.
Just as I turned to leave the training ground—
My body suddenly froze.
A pair of fierce eyes met mine.
“Instructor… did you need something?”
Only then did Jeokun seem to realize he had been glaring.
He awkwardly cleared his throat.
“Ahem… you looked deep in thought, so I was waiting.”
“Ah… I see.”
“Hurry back and rest. Rest is also an important virtue for a martial artist. Especially for a child like you, whose bones and muscles are still growing…”
Despite his rugged appearance, he was surprisingly the nagging type.
Teaching truly seemed to be his calling.
“Yes. Then this disciple will take his leave.”
I bowed respectfully before turning toward the exit.
Yet…
Even as I walked away, the prickling sensation on the back of my head refused to disappear.
