Screams echoed across the dusty sect training field. Under the scorching sun, dozens of students from Class 1 and Class 2 swung wooden swords with powerless movements. The air felt heavy, not from burning passion, but from the despair that hung in every corner of the cracked-walled area.
Instructor Ma, a man with deep scars on his arms and a sword no longer sharp, stood in the center of the field, his face red with anger.
"You call that a slash?! You look more like a beggar swatting away flies!"
Ma shouted, his voice hoarse from years of training students who seemed to have no future.
Yoe Choin stood at the edge of the field, observing the scene with eyes that glowed blue like Blueprint. In his eyes, he didn't see a warrior; he saw neglected human resources and chaotic nutrition.
"Gwi-Hyuk," Choin whispered quietly so as not to be overheard by the other students.
"Look at that Year 2 student over there. His shoulders have dropped three inches. His balance is off. If he continues training like that, his muscles will suffer permanent damage before he reaches Foundation Stage 2."
Gwi-Hyuk simply nodded curtly, his eyes remaining wary of Instructor Ma.
Choin stepped forward to the center of the field, each stomp on the cracked ground caused by the poor quality of the soil, creating a sudden silence among the students. Instructor Ma turned, his eyes narrowing with hatred as he saw the figure he considered a "trash young master" approaching.
"Young Master Moen Kang Yo,"
Ma said in a very unfriendly tone.
"The meditation cave makes you forget your place. This is a training field, not a place for you to leisurely stroll."
"I came to see the development of this sect's future 'pillar,' Instructor Ma,"
Choin said in a calm but authoritative tone.
"But all I see is a pile of materials that will collapse in a rainstorm."
Ma clenched his fist around the cracked hilt of his sword.
"How dare you insult my methods! You talentless bastard, what right do you have to comment on these students' training?"
Ma suddenly lunged forward, not with the intent to kill, but rather to teach a "lesson" with his Structure Realm aura. However, Choin didn't flinch. He simply shifted his foot an inch to the side, an efficient movement that avoided Ma's pressure point.
"Instructor, your sword is tilted,"
Choin said flatly.
"You attack with emotion, neglecting the stability of your lower body. That's why your movements are so predictable."
Instructor Ma stopped, his breath quickening. He was shocked that his attack, which was supposed to pressure his opponent, had missed so easily.
"What do you know about swords?!"
Ma shouted again.
"All I know is that a building with a strong foundation, filled with people who lack the ability to maintain its foundation, will eventually collapse,"
Choin replied.
"You force them to swing their swords a thousand times a day, but you never correct their stance. You put a huge load on a structure that's still raw. The result? They don't become stronger, they just become tired and damaged."
Choin pointed to the students, who were now watching transfixed.
"Look at them. Their nutrition is poor, they don't get enough rest, and your methods rely solely on brute force. You want them to become sharp swords, but you treat them like firewood that can be replaced at any time."
Instructor Ma was stunned. The words hit him harder than any sword. As a desperate man, he realized that every sentence Kang Yo uttered was the truth he had been trying to ignore.
"Then what is your solution, Young Master?"
Ma asked, his voice softening, though still laced with doubt.
"Give me the right to teach Classes 1 and 2 for three hours every morning,"
Choin said without hesitation.
"I will introduce a new method—a measured training sequence. We will improve their 'foundations' first before building their sword techniques."
"You? Teaching?"
Ma almost laughed sarcastically, but then he saw Gwi-Hyuk standing behind Choin with a very serious look. He also sensed a dense, 3rd-level Structure Realm aura emanating from Choin's body, proving that the man before him was no longer the trash he once was.
"If there's no significant improvement in their physical strength within a month, I'll leave and never disturb this training field again,"
Choin made his final bet.
Instructor Ma looked at his students, then back at Choin.
"Very well. One month. But remember, Young Master... if you're just messing around, I'll be the one dragging you back to the meditation cave."
Choin grinned faintly.
"Deal done, Instructor."
As Choin and Gwi-Hyuk walked off the field, Yoe Choin muttered to himself to the real Moen Kang Yo.
"Demon Boss, the first phase of pillar recruitment has begun. After finance and instructors, we just need to find a strategist."
"Do as you please, Foreman. But don't forget, Elder Gong won't stand by and watch you seize authority in his field,"
Kang Yo replied in a warning tone.
Unbeknownst to them, behind the cracked walls of the training pavilion, a disciple with a special symbol on his robes had been observing the entire conversation from the beginning. He immediately ran to Elder Gong's pavilion to report that the "Bastard Child" had not only returned, but had begun interfering in the internal affairs of the sect they had previously controlled.
In the distance, the sound of Han So-Wol's abacus clattering could be heard growing faster, as if counting down the hours until the first outbreak of conflict at Evernight Gate.