The Sword Emperor Transmigrates

Chapter 164

Leonard sparred with around thirty Black Dragon Knights like so, giving them objective assessments afterward.

Though the matches lasted shorter than ten exchanges, he could tell with his eyes closed how much progress they had made in two months. And with his Dragon Eyes, he could see in even more detail.

All thirty-two knights have reached the tenth stage of their respective cultivation arts. Reaching the eleventh stage requires them to resonate their training with Visualization, so in practical terms, they have reached the highest level of mastery.

They learned incredibly fast, even for Transcendence Tier experts. Sure, there were some cultivation arts such as Thirteen Lightning Flashes that benefited greatly from elemental affinity, but techniques such as Passage Sword Arts and Five Returns were very difficult to master.

It was possible that training in the House of Cardenas’s unique, formless swordplay for so long actually helped them learn these new techniques.

Thanks to their mana cores, they also learn cultivation methods very fast. Most of them have reached the fifth or sixth stage, and some have even reached the seventh.

Leonard had picked out cultivation arts that weren’t too heavily steeped in Daoism or Buddhism, then gave simplified explanations of scriptures that required philosophical knowledge. It worked, but it inevitably came at the price of sacrificing some of the essence and profundity behind some of the ideas. However, since they were all Transcendence Tier knights, such knowledge wasn’t requisite.

“All rivers run into the sea.” Since the Black Dragon Knights had already paved their own way to the top, the conventional way of learning only served as a reference.

Crackle. No. 32 attacked with his Cold Frost Sky sword energy, which was based on the Three Yin Technique. Everything his sword touched would freeze over with a thin layer of ice. The coldness would not only cut into the skin and flesh but also permeate all the way to the bones. It could only be offset by expelling the energy through Breath Circulation or using a cultivation method that generated a lot of yang energy.

Yeon Mu-Hyuk had obtained the technique after killing the Yin Wind, a master martial artist who enjoyed working as a mercenary assassin, despite not being part of the Yellow Lotus Temple.

But I feel a little bad comparing No. 32 to that piece of scum, Leonard thought.

The coldness enveloping No. 32’s sword was so potent that there weren’t many people at the North Sea Ice Palace who could match it. The Yin Wind couldn’t even compare, considering that he’d just barely reached the Apex Realm when Yeon Mu-Hyuk faced him. The only unique skill that would be able to match No. 32’s Cold Frost Sky sword energy was Sky-Facing Glacier Ridge at the eighth stage or higher, which not even Yeon Mu-Hyuk had been able to learn.

Cold Jade Divine Palm

Leonard’s palm turned as white as marble, and he dispelled the sword energy, pushing forward and overpowering his opponent.

When something was cold enough, merely standing in its proximity made one shiver. Though Cold Jade Divine Palm wasn’t nearly as incredible as the Bare-Handed Demonic Art, the energy that it condensed into the palm was easily stronger and sharper than most sword energies.

With a few more strikes, Leonard completely defeated No. 32’s Cold Frost Sky Style and let go of his sword. “Instead of aiming for one decisive attack, make your opponent accumulate minor wounds and slow them down with the cold energy infused in your sword. If they can’t respond to your next attack, their body will freeze, and even if they can respond, they’ll be very distracted.”

“Yes, sir!”

The final match was over, and No. 32 returned to his place. The arena became silent again.

Leonard looked down at the Black Dragon Knights. “Thank you for your diligence and for following my instruction, everyone.”

Today was his last day teaching cultivation arts at the 7th Divison’s base. Leonard himself had learned a lot with them, but there was still so much of the world left to see. He couldn’t just stay in one division.

He’d only been in one fight with a Void Deity, and the Blue Dragon’s and Red Dragon’s outposts were teeming with powerful enemies that would help him advance his martial arts. He had no reason to linger at the Black Dragon’s base.

“Two months is by no means a long time to train in martial arts, nor is it enough. But the progress you’ve made is commendable,” Leonard said. “Though you may no longer have my guidance, from here on out, it is up to you to learn on your own. Do not neglect to teach your peers as well.”

His farewell message was terse, but no one fell out of attention or snickered.

They were simply showing respect to a fellow Cardenas knight.

Shing!!

Almost in unison, the Black Dragon Knights unsheathed their swords from their waists. Their swords were made up of all shapes and sizes, and they held them upright with the flat of the blade facing Leonard, not the edge.

This was the greatest gesture of respect one swordsman could give to another.

It had been a long, long time since a Cardenas who wasn’t a commander had received such an honor. Not even many veterans had received it.

Though Leonard didn’t know much about the family’s customs or its history, even he could feel the respect from their swords.

This was my first time teaching someone properly, but it was something that was worth doing at least once.

As he turned his back to the thirty-two knights and walked away, a small smile flashed across his face. He’d thought that a teacher was merely someone who took charge of their student’s martial arts training and future hopes, but now he saw it in a different light. In truth, a person could reflect and expand upon their own learning when teaching others.

However, it came at the heavy price of their free time.

Tomorrow, I’ll leave this place. Leonard sat down in his mostly bare room and assumed the lotus position. He wasn’t planning to meditate or do Breath Circulation, but it was simply a habit he’d picked up as a martial artist.

Perhaps he’d come to grow attached to the Black Dragon Knights in the past two months he’d spent as their teacher. He kept thinking about points of improvement for specific people.

He pushed aside the distracting thoughts and closed his eyes. My work here is done. If there are any commanders with the making of a Grandmaster, it won’t be long until their martial arts theory catches up with that of the Central Plains.

They hadn’t had to start from scratch. Leonard had taught them methodically, and now they simply had to pick up from where he left off.

Even Demian and Audrey had directly come up with ways to improve their practice and tried to invent new techniques after reading Leonard’s books. Though they didn’t develop something as great as hidden cultivation methods, they would be able to easily write books about First-Class martial arts techniques. In fact, Leonard wouldn’t be surprised if they had made significant developments in the past two months.

I was a little surprised that observing and learning about Hellgates deepened my understanding of the Eastern God Style though, he thought.

As a concept, Hellgates were almost irrational. They were doors between dimensions, where the laws of nature warped. Though the Eastern God Style could quash such phenomena, Leonard had no intention of attempting it.

Even though the Eastern God Style had a little bit of an edge due to the way it functioned, it didn’t matter if the force that powered Hellgates was ten thousand times more powerful.

Even if Leonard became a full-fledged Demigod Tier expert, he wouldn’t be able to undo the distortions they caused. Perhaps it could be possible if he reached the Deification Tier, but at the Transcendence Tier, it wasn’t even worth considering.

“...I wish I had been able to learn more about Draconic Words,” he muttered out loud.

That was the one thing he regretted. If he’d had access to some library that had centuries’ worth of material, he would have been able to look into Draconic Words without having to be wary of others.

But seeing as how he’d had no time to leave the base and how it wasn’t an ability that he could practice openly, he’d barely made any progress. However, it was still better than nothing.

I was disappointed when I found out that Draconic Words are limited by the number of words used. When he’d told the tongue Demoniacs to “shut your mouth,” it had been a very inefficient command. To be precise, it was the result of the difference between the language he’d spoken in murim and the language he now spoke in this world.

Written words were the visual forms of language, and there were two main types: ideograms and phonograms. Words that communicate their meaning and words that communicate their sound.

“Break apart” was two words, but in murim, “pah” was one word that meant the same thing and was therefore a more efficient command.[1]

A real dragon wouldn’t speak in a human language, they would use Draconic “Words” with their intention alone. Anyone could see that. In the same way, Leonard could use murim words because they encapsulated his intention for him.

He’d discovered this while practicing in secret. That said, he hadn’t made much progress with the Heavenly Nature Sword Art, which was used to control Mimong, or with the Southern God Style. But that was to be expected because they wouldn’t be very useful against Demoniacs and couldn’t be used when he was with the Black Dragon Knights.

“Hm?”

Just then, he sensed a presence that enveloped the entire base. His eyes shot open, and he turned around. It was a Demigod Tier expert. However, the presence was a familiar one, so he wasn’t too surprised.

It had been over a month since he’d heard from him. Demian was here.

* * *

Sure enough, the White Dragon Commander greeted him with a tired face and weary smile. “It’s been a while, Leonard.”

Demian probably knew how much of a mess he looked, but he hadn’t had the time to clean himself up. Now that Leonard was aware of the House of Cardenas’ true mission, Leonard knew very well how many things the Seven Great Orders and their leaders suffered through.

“You must have been through a lot,” Leonard remarked.

Demian let out a burst of uncontrollable laughter. “Ha, indeed,” he agreed. “A Great God popped up, you see. I’ve just returned from killing it with two other commander-level knights.”

“Are they all that powerful?”

“Even the ones that are considered weak require at least two commander-levels to kill it. And since we fought Apollo, Olympus’s sun god, three of us were needed. He has the authority of Absolute Accuracy, so the sunrays he shot at us from his flying chariot were seriously annoying. We had to fight for two weeks straight,” Demian grumbled. “Fortunately, we defeated him, and none of us were seriously injured.”

He turned back to Leonard. “Originally, I was going to take you back tomorrow, but I’m a little tired. If I lie down, I think I might pass out for a few days, so I thought I might as well move it up by a day. Besides, I have some things I had to tell you in person.”

Leonard paled. “If you have to tell me in person, Commander, is it...?”

“Huh? Oh, no, it’s not. It’s not related to the Order of the Golden Dragon. Well, it’s not completely unrelated, but you don’t have to worry about them right now,” Demian said quickly, trying to put him at ease to get to the real message. “I assume you remember when I showed you the Subjugation Order? Circe was defeated while you were busy teaching, and now Aiolos is the only one left. Take care of it however you see fit.”

“Understood. Is there a certain day I have to defeat him by?”

“Well, it’s not urgent, so there’s no need to rush it. However...” Demian paused, then frowned, trying to find the right words. “The Blue Dragon has sent in a complaint about how long you’ve been staying here. You spent two months with the Order of the Black Dragon even though it wasn’t their turn, and they don’t want this to happen again, lest they have to wait even longer.”

Leonard didn’t know what to say either. Since they’d discovered knowledge that could turn the whole war against the Demoniacs on its head, it made sense that the Black Dragon Knights would come first. However, the Blue Dragon and Red Dragon simply saw it as cutting in line.

“Will this hurt Commander Audrey?” he asked, worried.

Demian chuckled and shook his head. “No. Knowing Grace, she only put in a complaint to be petty. It’s not that serious. Still, I think we’ll have to appease her a bit, which is why I brought it up.”

“Appease Commander Grace? By myself?”

“Don’t worry. She’s very simple, unlike that old man Wade or Commander Audrey. As long as her curiosity is satisfied, she’ll probably forget all about it with no hard feelings.”

Though Leonard didn’t know this, Grace was a little eccentric, even among the Seven Knight Commanders.

In order to reach the Demigod Tier, which was the bare minimum for becoming a commander, most martial artists had to train and train until they became something superhuman. The mind was stronger than the heart, and decisions had to be made logically, not impulsively.

Wade was a symbol of the direct descendants’ power and placed emphasis on duty and tradition. Audrey was an indirect descendant, but she had secured a position almost as high as Wade’s and valued honor. Either way, they had practical reasons for wanting Leonard, not personal ones.

“Grace is a little different. She doesn’t want you to elevate the Cardenas family or for the sake of the Blue Dragon Knights. It’s simply because you’ve piqued her own interest. I also think she felt a sense of camaraderie when she heard that you could use multiple swords at once. If you just spar with her a bit, I think she’ll quietly back down,” Demian explained.

A swordswoman who was driven by impulse and instinct.

The Blue Dragon Commander’s nature showed in her unique trait. When she fought, she became the human embodiment of freedom.

An old saying came to mind. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“Myriad changes based on myriad swords.” That’s her.

People who witnessed her Sword Manipulation used that phrase to describe it. Perhaps she could teach Leonard about a new unique trait or give him other insights he could apply to One Origin Five Elements Sword Arts.

He didn’t even notice his hands twitch, itching with excitement.

1. Leonard is talking about the distinction between Korean and Chinese characters. Chinese uses ideograms where an individual character encapsulates an idea, while Korean uses phonograms, and most words are made of at least two characters. ☜