Chapter 50: Nine Moons Blade Hall (2)
“Training complete! Good work, everyone!”
“Wuaaaaah!”
“Finally! Finaaallyyy!”
“……”
The new trainees let out ecstatic screams. But to call it mere relief at the end of training would be an understatement—they were practically ecstatic.
The instructors, watching the overly enthusiastic reactions, gave bitter smiles inwardly.
‘Well, I can’t blame them. They finally get to escape this place for a while.’
As the instructors observed the trainees, the Pavilion Master shouted in a booming voice.
“Tomorrow, you will be heading to Qinghai Province!”
“Waaahhh!”
“You’ll be divided into two teams and deployed to different locations. Each team will be accompanied by five instructors and ten senior cadets.”
That meant each team would consist of nearly fifty members.
“You will stay in Qinghai for two months, and your grades will be determined by your performance there. So do not let your guard down!”
Even though he mentioned grades, few of the trainees were actually paying attention to what the Pavilion Master was saying.
“Tsk, there’s no schedule from today on, so get some proper rest!”
Clicking his tongue softly, the Pavilion Master left after those parting words.
“Finally, finally!”
“Waaah! No more of this damned physical training!”
“What do you mean training? That was a life-threatening survival camp!”
Even after the group combat training had ended, the physical conditioning for the new trainees had continued without pause.
No—in fact, the group combat sessions felt like short breaks in comparison. Thousand-Day Pass relentlessly pushed the new trainees into a hellish training regime.
And once again—it had to be said—Thousand-Day Pass’s physical training was not just harsh. It was an extreme training where one had to stake their very life.
The intensity of the training itself wasn’t necessarily overwhelming, but the moment one's mental focus slipped, the consequences became irreversible.
“If it’s Qinghai, it must be either Western Tranquility or Eastern Sea, right?”
“Probably. There’s no reason to send us somewhere totally remote.”
Qinghai was known as a borderland even within the Central Plains.
However, even in Qinghai, there were a few densely populated regions that rivaled central cities.
The largest city, Western Tranquility, and the second-largest, Eastern Sea, were among them.
“If that’s the case, then warm beds and hearty meals await us, right?”
“Of course—cities should be like that!”
“Anyone who interrupts my sleep is going to die!”
The new trainees vowed with eyes full of madness.
No matter how remote the Ten Thousand Mountain Range was, it was all relative.
The core areas of the cult, including the Eight Great Demonic Seals, lacked nothing when compared to the large cities of the Central Plains.
Coming from such places to living in this resource-starved environment of Thousand-Day Pass—how harsh must it have been for them?
While many eagerly anticipated this “business trip”—
“Huff! Hufffhh!”
“Forget Qinghai or whatever, let’s just rest already!”
Even among the sweaty and worn trainees, the Three Attendant’s voice boomed through the training ground—while sporting the most bedraggled appearance of all.
Thud!
Though they collapsed under the weight of their 120 kilograms iron shackles, only a soft thump echoed from their fall.
‘Those guys… they actually survived.’
‘How did they manage to survive?’
‘Poor souls…’
Once envied for joining the direct subordinates of Jin Yeomyung, the Young Master of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan, the Three Attendants had become a pitiful sight in just one month.
And it wasn’t just the Three Attendants.
“Why… why am I here too…”
Next to them, Baek Sang-ah lay sprawled, on the verge of tears.
Heavy iron shackles, round and solid, were also strapped to her arms and legs.
That was because a certain Jin had suggested that comrades training together should grow stronger together.
Baek Sa gently patted her on the shoulder.
“You’re the team leader, remember?”
“But I didn’t have to go through this when I was in training!”
Back then, physical training had only been brutal for the first two months after entering the pavilion.
After that, it was back to regular group combat training and then directly into field assignments without additional training.
“There are senior cadets who still quietly endure their training, you know? Especially someone like Senior Han.”
“That’s because that ba— I mean, that guy is just not normal.”
People like San Dojeon, who had recently joined, and Han Muyeon, considered the most talented among the senior cadets, were examples of that.
“And there's the Young Master.”
“He’s an even bigger freak.”
“Ugh!”
The Three Attendants trembled slightly as they recalled their master.
While each of their shackles weighed 30 kilograms, Jin Yeomyung was currently wearing black iron shackles weighing a whopping 90 kilograms—three times more.
“How can he move around like that wearing those? He didn’t seem especially gifted in external martial arts either.”
There was even a story behind that—how he had originally worn the same type of shackles as the Three Attendants but had switched them out, saying they were too light.
“Oh, we were curious about that too, so we asked.”
Said Heuksa, the biggest and most curious among them.
“He said he was born with it.”
“Huh?”
“You know, the Young Master is from the Jin Clan—of all places.”
“Ah.”
Baek Sang-ah finally understood.
The Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan.
A family so symbolic of the physical power of the Heavenly Demon Cult that it was often said any large-framed warrior in the Ten Thousand Mountain Range had ties to them.
A clan known to gather the most brutish and headstrong individuals in the cult.
‘Brutish?’
Baek Sang-ah tilted her head slightly.
‘More like a seasoned merchant than anything…’
Especially the way he manipulated both her and the Pavilion Master of Thousand-Day Pass—it felt like dealing with a merchant with over a decade of experience.
‘What kind of person is he, really?’
“Everyone seems tired.”
Just then, as they huddled together chatting, a young man with a kind-looking face approached them.
The number ‘3’ was inscribed on his right chest, indicating he was two cohorts above the newcomers—same as Baek Sang-ah.
“Ah, hello, Senior!”
“We greet Senior Han!”
“Ah, no need to be so formal. Just take it easy.”
Waving his hand gently, the young man offered a benevolent smile.
He was Han Muyeon, currently hailed as the top talent in all of Thousand-Day Pass.
Behind him stood San Dojeon, known as the greatest physical force of Thousand-Day Pass.
Nod.
Nod.
San Dojeon and Baek Sang-ah exchanged silent greetings with their eyes.
“Seeing all my team members gathered like this makes me curious—what were you talking about?”
“Ah, it wasn’t anything big. We were just talking about the Young Master.”
“Young Master? Ah, Junior Jin Yeomyung?”
Baek Sang-ah noticed it.
Just for a moment—one of his eyebrows twitched slightly.
“Yes, Junior Jin Yeomyung. I’ve heard he stands out the most among this cohort.”
“He certainly does.”
“Of course!”
The Three Attendants nodded proudly with satisfied expressions.
“Hahaha, he’s so excellent, I’m worried he might steal all my spotlight. Come to think of it, where is Junior Jin? Didn’t he take part in training? I don’t see him.”
“Ah, the Young Master was summoned by the Pavilion Master as soon as training ended.”
Han Muyeon’s face stiffened as he tried to make light of it.
“The Pavilion Master? Why?”
“No matter how high-ranking the Pavilion Master is, he can’t ignore the presence of the Young Master.”
“Hmm, true.”
Indeed, being from the direct bloodline of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan made that expected.
He himself remembered how much attention Ma Chulsoo had received when he entered the pavilion as a top senior cadet.
But Han Muyeon couldn’t ignore the possibility that the matter could also be heading in a different direction.
“A shame. I was hoping to have a conversation with him as team leader.”
Clap clap.
He clapped his hands once as he continued.
“If you’re ever interested in the Heroic Will Society, just let me know anytime. We’re always open to accepting new members.”
“Ah.”
“Yes, understood, Senior.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Their responses were far more lukewarm than expected, and Han Muyeon’s expression twisted slightly.
In truth, the Heroic Will Society, which he led, was a powerful faction.
Even senior cadets far more experienced than Han Muyeon were part of it, and with the backing of an actual Elder, anyone who joined was practically guaranteed a solid post upon completion.
And yet—those insolent eyes!
After that, Han Muyeon kept trying to continue the conversation, but between the Three Attendant’s blatant idolization of their master and Baek Sang-ah’s sour attitude, he gained nothing.
“H-hmph! Well then, I’ll see you all tomorrow.”
And so, Han Muyeon departed in a lonely stride.
“Why do you think he came?”
As soon as Han Muyeon disappeared, Baek Sang-ah’s eyes turned sharply cold.
“Reconnaissance.”
Baek Sa’s eyes, along with everyone else’s, sharpened as well.
“If he really is behind all this, then the Young Master’s presence would have hit him like a sudden natural disaster.”
“True enough.”
“But… do you think he’d really make a move outside? Isn’t that too risky?”
Even if he did act outside, he’d be going with five instructors.
“It’s fine. The whole setup was created for that to happen.”
Baek Sang-ah muttered darkly.
“The daughter of the Ju Clan has died. If we drag this out any longer, who knows how many more victims there will be?”
Ju Guk-seon had ultimately been assassinated.
Not even at Thousand-Day Pass, but after being transferred to the main headquarters.
She was taken to the underground prison of the main cult, and just a few days later, she left behind a suicide note claiming she had brought disgrace to her clan—and took her own life.
It was ruled a suicide, but no one believed it wasn’t effectively an assassination.
Gulp.
At those words, the Three Attendants unconsciously swallowed their spit.
Whether this was a power struggle inside the cult or a conflict with an outside force…
They now realized they were entangled in a battle they could no longer escape.
***
Bang Manhu, the Pavilion Master of Nine Moons Blade Hall, sighed.
“Ugh! No matter how you look at it, managing fifty people continuously is just too much.”
“Pavilion Master, perhaps it’s time we request the Heavenly Demon Cult to stop sending people.”
At a subordinate’s cautious suggestion, Bang Manhu raised his voice in frustration.
“Do you really think we can do that?! The only reason we’ve been able to hold out here as demonic sect members is because of our connection to the Heavenly Demon Cult!”
“But the branch’s finances are reaching their limit. The tribute we pay to the cult is one thing, but covering food costs for all these fledglings is bleeding us dry.”
“Urgh!”
Bang Manhu’s face twisted at his subordinate’s words.
“Damn it, if not for those damn Evil Overlords of Heaven bastards…”
A martial sect doesn't survive by just sitting on land.
They had to run businesses—escort agencies, trading companies, inns, pleasure houses, and more—to sustain themselves.
In the case of Nine Moons Blade Hall, they had taken a relatively moderate approach, operating things like fortune-telling parlors and general stores.
But the first problem was that such businesses didn’t generate much profit. The second was that lately, competitors were flooding into the area.
“These pests who used to keep quiet are suddenly flooding into Eastern Sea City. Aren’t they afraid of the Kunlun Sect?”
Though Eastern Sea City was a mix of various fringe factions and demonic sects like theirs, if one had to pick who the territory belonged to—it was clearly the Kunlun Sect.
Half of Eastern Sea City was occupied by Kunlun’s branch families, and disciples from the main sect occasionally made patrols.
Even though the Evil Overlords of Heaven’s main base was only about 20 to 30 kilometers away in Western Tranquility, Kunlun had effectively served as the fortress wall that blocked their expansion into Qinghai.
But now, that balance has slowly begun to collapse.
“If we’re not going to request a halt in reinforcements, we should be demanding even greater support instead.”