Genius Martial Arts Trainer

Chapter 6:

It’s been completely shattered, hasn’t it?

“Mu-gung and Mu-jin, come forward!”

It was the morning of the sparring day.

With a resonant voice that indicated no need for further discussion, Hye-jeong called out.

Hye-jeong glanced at Mu-jin with a complex expression.

For the past week, Mu-jin had been practicing on his own each dawn, but during the morning martial arts training session, he always practiced the Revolving Fist Technique with utmost effort.

After observing this behavior for seven consecutive nights, even Hye-jeong started to feel somewhat perplexed.

‘At least, it doesn’t seem like he is making excuses to avoid training.’

The young lad seemed to have his own unique method of training.

But even so, it was not something that could be completely forgiven. Even if he had his own training method, how could he dare compare it to that of the Thousand-Year Shaolin?

‘I hope that through this opportunity, you will come to recognize that Shaolin’s methods are superior to any training methods you know.’

As a martial artist of the Buddhist sect, it was also his role to correct the misguided path of a young disciple.

Having concluded his thoughts, Hye-jeong then turned to look at Mu-gung.

‘With Mu-gung, correcting that child’s erroneous thoughts should be more than achievable. Hmm.’

He was the one who had shown the most remarkable progress among the seventy or so newcomers.

Despite being just basic martial arts, the young child had an exceptional understanding of the complex Revolving Fist Technique. Every day, he participated diligently in training and took the initiative to practice whenever he had the time.

Added to that, his natural physical strength was far superior to the other children, making him a truly promising talent for Shaolin.

Feeling Hye-jeong’s expectant gaze, Mu-gung’s heart was racing.

‘Master Uncle Hye-jeong is watching me!’

His dream was to become renowned in the martial world as a Shaolin disciple.

At this moment, he intuitively felt that he was taking a step closer to that dream.

‘I’m sorry for you, but I must step over you to rise.’

Seeing an opportunity to make a strong impression on Master Uncle Hye-jeong, Mu-gung emitted a fighting aura and stared down Mu-jin.

“Eutcha.”

Regardless of what Hye-jeong and Mu-gung were thinking to themselves, Mu-jin was casually stretching his legs, alternating between them to loosen his muscles.

Once he felt his muscles were sufficiently relaxed, Mu-jin asked Hye-jeong in an easygoing tone, “Are we ready to start now?”

Mu-gung’s forehead vein bulged at the calm demeanor.

‘Hmph. He’s just putting on a front!’

Even though that was what he was thinking, the still young Mu-gung was unwittingly becoming more tense.

“Begin!”

Was it due to his anger?

Mu-gung’s judgment was somewhat clouded, and as the ever-relaxed Mu-jin rushed in at the start of the sparring, Mu-gung’s body moved before he had fully thought it through.

The first form of the Revolving Fist Technique, which he had been training relentlessly for the past three months, sprang out reflexively.

As expected, and to Hye-jeong’s hope, the Revolving Fist Technique performed by Mu-gung boasted a level of completion that was incomparable to his peers.

His punch, which shot out in a straight line like a drawing, was incredibly swift, and even produced a sound-breaking effect that was uncommon for his age.

However.

For Mu-jin, who had been observing and practicing the Revolving Fist Technique for seven nights and days and understood Mu-gung’s movements, the attack was predictable to the point that he could dodge it without even looking.

Right before Mu-gung’s fist could make impact with his face, Mu-jin dodged at the last second by swiftly bending his upper body.

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“!?”

Startled, Mu-gung tried to transition to a different form at the moment he saw his punch miss.

But Mu-jin did not miss the split second when Mu-gung’s balance was off. He used his shoulder to press down on Mu-gung’s abdomen and simultaneously pulled at Mu-gung’s legs with both arms.

It was a perfect tackling move.

The action that Mu-yul had been practicing by rubbing against trees was, in fact, practice for this tackle.

“Wha- What?!”

“What’s going on?!”

As everyone who had expected Mu-gung to win the sparring match was left in shock by the sudden turn of events,

Mu-jin carefully laid Mu-gung down, making sure the young boy’s head did not hit the ground as he fell from the tackle.

Then, with a lightning-fast move, he slipped to the side and simultaneously applied an armbar.

The entire confrontation, from the start of the sparring to Mu-gung being subdued, took barely more than a second.

With the battle decided in such a short span, some were left with dumbfounded expressions, unable to grasp what had happened, while others gaped in amazement.

“Get up and free yourself!”

“A Shaolin disciple cannot even withstand that much!”

After the situation had concluded, some of the second-class disciples, who had regained their senses, threw out their unsolicited advice, though they knew it amounted to nothing.

However, they understood in their minds.

Even though they were unfamiliar with the technique of the armbar, as individuals who had practiced martial arts for at least a decade, they knew the position could cause immense pain to the arm.

It was just that they found it difficult to accept the situation when the disciple they had faith in was defeated so easily, and their words were merely an expression of their struggle to come to terms with it.

“Grrrgh.”

And Mu-gung, who was caught in the technique, was in agony. A terrible pain shot through his arm, while the second-class disciples he wanted to impress kept shouting at him to free himself and stand up.

Adding to this, the kid Mu-jin, who had overpowered his arm, was now saying,

“Hey. If you resist, your arm might break. Why not just give up?”

Creak.

He pressed just enough on the arm, adding a subtle threat to his words.

Mu-jin had no intention of actually breaking the arm of the child who was much younger than him. His words were merely meant to encourage the child to surrender before getting hurt.

The only issue was the current predicament Mu-gung found himself in.

“Oh, come on, get up!”

“You haven’t even trained properly! With your strength, Mu-gung, you should be able to break free!”

On one side, the second-class disciples that Mu-gung wanted to impress were yelling at him to stand up.

Creeeak.

“Hey, hey. If you apply more force, your arm will dislocate, you get the feeling? If you push any harder, you might end up crippled for life, kid. Just surrender already.”

On the other side was Mu-jin, still holding onto his arm and adding pressure with his words.

Unable to withstand the pain and the tremendous pressure coming from both sides, Mu-gung finally…

“Grrrgh. Sob. Sniff. Waaaah!!”

…burst into tears.

This was the same kid who stood a head taller than other children and who tried to act like an adult.

“……”

“……”

As Mu-gung, who had been notably larger than his peers, lay on the ground crying his heart out, a hush fell over the practice area.

“I let go. I let go. I’m sorry, okay? It was my fault.”

As Mu-gung began to cry, Mu-jin quickly released the armbar and soothed Mu-gung, gently massaging the arm that must have been under strain.

“Tch. This is why you shouldn’t make an adult fight with a child.”

Even though it was a fair sparring match, Mu-jin muttered to himself, feeling as though he had bullied a much younger child.

Naturally, everyone’s gaze turned toward Hye-jeong, who had arranged this sparring match.

“Ahem.”

One of the second-class disciples, who had quickly regained composure, coughed awkwardly, and everyone else turned away their gaze.

“Grrrgh. Sob. It’s, it’s so unfair!”

Then, amidst his crying, Mu-gung shouted out with a voice filled with sorrow.

“Unfair?”

“You just rushed in at the start! And you didn’t use the Revolving Fist Technique, you used some strange technique to attack! It’s unfair! If we fought properly, I could win!”

Mu-gung, who had been trying to act mature, started wailing like a child once he began crying.

“Oh dear. That’s right. I’m sorry. Our Mu-gung-hwa is exceptionally good at the Revolving Fist Technique, isn’t he?”

“It’s Mu-gung, not Mu-gung-hwa!!”

“Oh dear, my mistake.”

As Mu-jin was consoling the whimpering Mu-gung lying on the ground,

“It seems there is some merit to what Mu-gung is saying.”

One of the second-class disciples stepped forward, having observed the situation.

“If it is a sparring match between Shaolin disciples, it is natural to use Shaolin martial arts. You have broken that rule.”

The second-class disciple spoke triumphantly as if he had caught Mu-jin in a fault, but Mu-jin merely snorted in response.

“Didn’t you say just a few days ago? The focus of Shaolin martial arts is to ‘subdue’ the opponent.”

“That’s correct.”

“I have clearly subdued Mu-gung. More cleanly than if I had used the Revolving Fist Technique.”

“What!?”

“If I had used the Revolving Fist Technique, we would have continued to exchange blows, which could have led to more serious injuries than now. But how is it now? Although Mu-gung has burst into tears, isn’t it true that he is not injured in the slightest?”

While Mu-jin did threaten to break his arm, he did not actually do it. Moreover, he was careful even when tackling Mu-gung to the ground to avoid any mishap like hitting the head.

In essence, he had managed to subdue Mu-gung without leaving any injury or harm to the body.

“But, that’s…”

“That’s preposterous! How can you not use Shaolin martial arts in a Shaolin sparring match!”

The second-class disciples, who outwardly appeared much older, started to argue unreasonably against Mu-jin’s logical rebuttal.

Watching this unfold, Hye-jeong quickly realized that the atmosphere was turning sour and stepped forward.

“Mu-jin.”

“Yes, Master Uncle Hye-jeong.”

“Are you saying that you deliberately used that technique to subdue Mu-gung without injuring him?”

“That’s correct.”

“Then, the technique you used could be seen as somewhat aligning with the spirit of our Shaolin. After all, the essence is to subdue without harm.”

“!!!”

“Therefore, today’s sparring victory rightfully belongs to you, Mu-jin.”

The second-class disciples looked at Hye-jeong in surprise at his unexpected support for Mu-jin. Even Mu-jin, who had thought of Hye-jeong as rather old-fashioned, was visibly stunned.

However, Hye-jeong had more to say.

“However, there is one important issue that has been overlooked. The technique you used could indeed be more efficient than the Revolving Fist Technique in subduing an opponent. But that is only when the opponent is a mere street thug. The reason why we at Shaolin learn martial arts is to subdue vile demons and wicked bandits who have mastered martial arts for evil.”

Hye-jeong had interrupted the second-class disciples’ objections and validated Mu-jin’s victory for a reason.

It was because of the subtle current that had begun to flow among the novice disciples who had witnessed the sparring.

The Revolving Fist Technique, which they had struggled to learn over the past few months, had been so easily countered.

To make matters worse, the second-class disciples, who had been teaching them this martial art and tormenting them for months, were now resorting to petty arguments.

It was natural for the novice disciples to start wondering, ‘Why am I enduring such hardship to learn this when it seems so ineffective?’

While the second-class disciples, inexperienced in societal interactions due to their focus on training, failed to read the mood, Hye-jeong, a first-class disciple with considerable experience in the martial world, had picked up on the sentiment.

‘If left unaddressed, all these disciples might leave Shaolin.’

It would be fortunate if they merely left, but if the departing disciples spread word of this incident, it would bring unparalleled disgrace to Shaolin.

Therefore, Hye-jeong decided to acknowledge Mu-jin’s victory as a way to shift the atmosphere and then…

“So, this time I will personally demonstrate the essence of our Shaolin martial arts! The power of martial arts meant to oppose the vile demons who misuse their skills!”

Hye-jeong intended to show the disappointed novice disciples what Shaolin martial arts truly were, aiming to transform their disappointment into anticipation.

“Bring me a rock!”

At Hye-jeong’s command, two of the quicker-witted second-class disciples understood his intent and rushed out.

A short while later…

The two second-class disciples returned, carrying a rock that was much larger than an average person.

“Hoo.”

Approaching the rock, Hye-jeong steadied his deep breath and assumed the starting stance of the Revolving Fist Technique.

“Watch carefully. This is the true power of the Revolving Fist Technique that you have all been learning.”

His powerful internal energy, which had been coiled in his dantian, spread through the hundred meridians of his limbs, and the moment the prepared Hye-jeong threw his punch…

Boom!!!

The massive rock was shattered into countless pieces.

“Wowwww!!”

Thanks to Mu-jin’s earlier performance, the young novice monks who had momentarily doubted Shaolin’s martial arts now burst out with exclamations of awe without exception.

Mixed into their exclamations was the anticipation that if they could endure their current hardships a little longer, they too could obtain such divine power.

Hye-jeong, looking pleased at this scene, turned his gaze towards Mu-jin, the one who had initiated this event.

“Ohhhh!”

And Mu-jin too, let out an exclamation of admiration while looking at the shattered rock.

‘Yes, this is martial arts.’

Before him was a scene he had imagined while reading martial arts novels in his youth.

What were martial arts as described in those novels?

With a single sweep of a blade, a mountain would be cleaved.

With one swing of a sword, hundreds of enemies would be utterly destroyed.

With one punch thrown, the bodies of foes would explode…

“Uh…?”

While expressing his admiration like the other children, Mu-jin suddenly made a curious face, then pointed at the shattered rock and looked towards Hye-jeong.

“…Didn’t you say the technique was for subduing?”

“That, that’s what I said, yes?”

“It’s been shattered to pieces, hasn’t it?”

“……”

“……”

A peculiar silence once again descended upon the practice ground.