Chapter 15: Disciple Training Content (6)

Cheon Hwi’s broadcast had begun.

Even the title seemed to declare, “We’re going to show off Choa’s martial arts progress.”

Drawn in by that provocative headline, viewers poured in like a rising tide.

It’s time for legends and heroes!!!

The promised day has arrived

Is the martial arts prodigy I’ve been looking for here today?

The chat was more active than usual.

Cheon Hwi’s rising popularity definitely played a part, but more importantly, countless viewers had been eagerly waiting for this stream.

A never-before-seen concept, a martial arts master taking on a disciple.

And not just anyone, but Choa, already a famous streamer herself.

No other broadcast could match the level of buzz this generated.

You said the goal was C-rank, right?

To solo an E-rank dungeon, you’ve gotta be at least C-rank

Let’s see how much she’s improved in just a week, hehe

Cheon Hwi had confidently declared the goal, Solo-clearing an E-rank dungeon.

To do that alone, you’d need to be at least C-rank.

By conventional logic, that goal was impossible, but viewers, already addicted to the dopamine rush of plot twists, were hoping for an exciting reversal.

Could Choa really pull it off?

To satisfy the curiosity of those rooting for her, at the very least, she would need to demonstrate combat ability on par with a veteran D-rank Hunter in today’s stream.

“It’s been a week already, huh?”

A week already, Great Hero

Look, Choa-nim’s standing back there

With a bold, confident smile, Cheon Hwi greeted the viewers.

The excited audience quickly turned their attention, scanning for Choa’s appearance.

“Well, since everyone’s got their expectations, there’s no need to drag things out with small talk.”

Kyaaa

Now this is it

Someone knows what they’re doing

This is what being a Great Hero is all about

Skip the small talk—let’s get to the point.

Viewers went wild as Cheon Hwi made it clear he wasn’t going to explain the results with words—he’d show them directly.

“Lady Choa, are you ready?”

“Yes! I’m ready!”

As Cheon Hwi, who had been taking up most of the broadcast screen, casually stepped aside, Choa appeared behind him, fully prepared.

A pure white martial robe embroidered with golden thread.

Though the robe had a loose fit, the black sash tied tightly around her waist made it cling like a dress, highlighting the elegant lines of her figure.

Whoa, that martial robe lol

Ba-bang! lmao

Never mind her skills, this is already eye candy

The Great Hero’s tastes are… very specific

Viewers went wild at the bold and unique outfit.

But the hype soon cooled.

Because across from Choa, the pure white mannequin began to walk forward with heavy, deliberate steps.

?

What is that thing?

Why is it moving?

This is literally like something from a horror story lol

In fact, the combat mannequin Cheon Hwi had brought from the Association
was a piece of unreleased tech—unknown to the public.

Cheon Hwi had acquired it through a few rounds of negotiation with the Chairman of the Association, with the purpose of pushing Choa’s development by providing more realistic combat experience.

What exactly he had to offer in return for it, that would soon come to light on its own.

Smirking at that thought, Cheon Hwi continued the stream.

“That mannequin is a combat training unit developed recently by the Association.
Its body is built with advanced technology, and the AI inside uses pre-programmed techniques to react to a wide variety of combat situations.”

He gave a brief explanation of the mannequin.

Since it was not yet publicly known, he figured a bit of context would help the viewers understand.

That kind of thing exists?

Never heard of it

I majored in Golem Engineering and I’ve never even heard of that

As Cheon Hwi finished his explanation, the chat filled with messages expressing disbelief.

But as if mocking the skepticism, Cheon Hwi glanced at the chat and casually revealed the source of the mannequin.

“It’s something I got from the Chairman of the Association. I don’t know how it was made, so just wait for the official announcement from the Association.”

Wait, what?

You got what from who now?

He just casually name-dropped the Chairman lol

I took a critical hit from that name-drop—where do I go to heal?

The Chairman.

Not someone whose name is thrown around lightly, but when it comes to credibility, no one questioned it.

After all, he’s among the elite of the elite, one of the few Hunters with powers and authority beyond the law.

It wasn’t too far-fetched to imagine that they might have a few futuristic golems like that lying around.

This was the moment viewers fully accepted the origin of the combat mannequin.

“Of course, I didn’t just get it for free.”

It was already well known that Cheon Hwi had connections to the Chairman.

During his very first stream, the sight of the Chairman addressing Cheon Hwi with honorifics had spread like wildfire.

Still, it’s important to keep personal and professional matters separate.

Even if Cheon Hwi was trying to adapt to modern society, he wasn’t so shameless as to take a highly-funded research tool just because he could.

“As I mentioned earlier, the mannequin uses pre-programmed techniques and movements.”

So then—what techniques had been loaded into it?

Just as he led the thought to that point, Cheon Hwi turned his gaze toward the chat, his smile mischievous.

Hmm…

Isn’t it the modified swordsmanship you showed before?

Did the Association load in some custom moves?

Viewers began speculating wildly, each with their own theory, but none of them hit the mark.

After watching the chat for a while, Cheon Hwi turned his head, his eyes calmly settling on Choa—whose eyes were now wide open with intensity.

“It’ll reveal itself soon enough. Let’s just watch and see.”

The smartphone shifted position.

Floating gently in the air, it now moved in a new direction under the guidance of Telekinetic Grasp.

Is it happening? Is the big moment here? Is it?!

Why am I actually getting hyped over this lol

My heart’s pounding and my pants are literally damp right now

Why are your pants wet, bruh 😭

The viewer count was nearing 2,000.

On the broadcast screen, Choa and the combat mannequin were now facing each other.

“There’s no better way to prove one’s strength than a martial arts duel between two fighters.”

That was the signal.

The moment Cheon Hwi finished speaking, the mannequin, which had been standing still, suddenly shifted into a stance.

It leaned its body forward, both arms angled diagonally outward.

It was a pose that resembled a boxing guard at first glance, but from the front, its arms clearly formed the shape of the character 八 (eight).

And then, the mannequin launched forward, pushing off the training room floor.

“Ugh?!”

Startled, Choa’s eyes widened as she reflexively pulled into her own stance.

The distance between them had closed in an instant, and with hurried control of her breath, Choa focused her gaze.

She took a deep breath in, then exhaled sharply—like spitting.

Her breath steadied her mind.

Choa locked eyes on the mannequin’s movement.

Its right arm, slightly pulled back compared to the left.

A lifted shoulder positioned forward.

And a center of gravity subtly leaning to the left.

“The left arm’s just for distraction. The real attack’s coming from the right.”

Choa swung her sword.

A wide horizontal slash came slicing toward the mannequin’s right arm.

The charging mannequin hesitated, it halted its advance the moment it saw her strike.

Pulling its upper body back with impressive speed, Choa’s sword barely grazed the surface of the mannequin’s chest.

So close!

Thought she landed a hit!

From the very first clash, the intense exchange had viewers impressed.

Some expressed regret that the attack didn’t land, but many others were surprised by Choa’s response.

Actually, she handled that pretty well

The way she immediately targeted the right arm instead of panicking, damn

Doesn’t her stance look kinda sharp too?

These reactions mostly came from viewers who had followed Choa’s training videos on her channel.

A surprise attack, a solid response, and now, with the mannequin having pulled back, Choa leapt forward.

She dashed forward, matching the distance it had retreated, and exhaled a long breath.

As her breath flowed, true energy surged from her dantian, and the internal energy of Blood Heaven Asura Technique began circulating through her body, enhancing her strength.

Her crimson eyes flashed with a bewitching glint.

Pouring her rising power into her sword, Choa raised her weapon into an overhead stance.

Then—she brought it down.

A strike powerful enough to split the mannequin’s head in two came crashing down.

“Wha…?!”

But in the blink of an eye, the mannequin’s reaction made Choa gasp in shock.

What the hell?!

What did we just see?

That’s insane, what even is that?

Even the viewers, who were sure she had landed a clean hit, flooded the chat with their astonishment.

“Didn’t I tell you?”

The moment it detected the descending sword, the mannequin tilted its head ever so slightly to the side.

Then, twisting its waist, it spun its body mid-step.

Its center of gravity shifted completely, and the rotation of its joints generated recoil.

The mannequin’s left hand swung forward, smashing directly into the body of Choa’s sword.

What had been Choa’s perfect, well-timed finishing strike was now flung off course, spiraling awkwardly through the air.

“It’s not just some training dummy I picked up.”

With a mischievous smile on his face, Cheon Hwi’s eyes narrowed.

He paid no attention to the stream at all, his full focus was on watching Choa.

And then he quietly spoke.

“I taught it a martial art.”

Cheon Hwi had trained the mannequin with a single martial technique, in exchange for sharing its learning data with the Association.

That was the deal that allowed him to borrow the mannequin.

At first, he was going to teach it a standard fist technique.

But thinking of the Association Chairman, who had always done him a few favors,
Cheon Hwi decided to go big, and taught the mannequin a divine art.

“Heaven and Earth Great Shift.”

This martial art isn’t so much about swordsmanship or striking techniques, but more about using internal energy and advanced body movement.

It’s a technique built from insight into the fundamentals of martial arts, digging deep into the essence of power, flow, and movement.

There are no flashy ultimate moves or devastating special techniques, but once mastered, it can elevate a martial artist’s entire foundation to a whole new tier.

However, it’s incredibly difficult to learn.

Even the training alone demands an absurd amount of internal energy, and controlling energy through its formulas is nightmarishly complex.

“Even the Association Chairman, who’s hailed as a genius, would probably suffer like hell trying to master Heaven and Earth Great Shift.”

Now we had a mannequin trained in this divine art, facing off against Choa, who had only just reached the Second-rate stage.

To anyone watching, the odds were clearly stacked against her.

Yet Cheon Hwi’s lips still held a faint curve of satisfaction.

Was it because the mannequin’s execution of Heaven and Earth Great Shift was still a sloppy, low-level version?

That was part of it.

But the real reason was Choa’s potential.

The mannequin’s half-baked Heaven and Earth Great Shift.

Versus Choa’s Blood Heaven Asura Technique and her Trait: Battle Instinct.

Sure, it was a divine art, and it would absolutely give her trouble, but if Choa gave it everything she had, Cheon Hwi believed she could win.

And just as that thought passed through Cheon Hwi’s mind.

“Hah!”

Choa’s sword, which had been flowing in soft arcs as she measured the distance,
suddenly drew a sharp and rigid path.

Her crimson eyes flashed as her body launched through the air.

Her thighs tensed, muscle straining with power, and her grip around the sword hilt tightened with precision.

And then.

“Uraaaah!!”

In a flash, Choa closed the distance, letting out a fierce shout as she swung her sword.

The mannequin’s execution of Heaven and Earth Great Shift was… sloppy, to say the least.

It barely resembled the correct form, and the movements lacked any of the subtle principles or refined understanding the technique required.

As a result, whenever the mannequin attempted to use the art, inevitable openings appeared in the motion of its arms.

With fierce eyes narrowed in focus, Choa locked onto those micro-gaps with deadly precision, and drove in a move from the refined standard swordsmanship that had been customized for her body.

Her strike blended perfectly with the true energy of Blood Heaven Asura Technique, which had strengthened her body, and with her Trait, Battle Instinct, that guided her to the right sword path.

It was the product of relentless training, designed to help her harmonize those two elements.

The result?

Holy crap

She just cut that thing!!!

Sent it flying like a freakin’ baseball lol

Choa’s sword connected cleanly with the mannequin’s torso, and sent it flying with a thunderous crash.

She hadn’t yet mastered how to imbue her blade with sword energy, so she couldn’t slice it clean in half, but the fact that she had landed a solid, undeniable hit had the viewers losing their minds.

The mannequin, which had been relentlessly dodging and countering every one of Choa’s attacks,crashed into th e wall and went limp.

Its systems froze up, unable to continue.

“Now, shall we go back to the question?”

Cheon Hwi grinned, pleased—exactly the result he was hoping for, if not even better.

“Can Lady Choa achieve the goal… or not?”

After that duel, everyone now had their answer.

By now, Choa had clearly surpassed the level of a D-rank Awakened, and with the time she had left, she could grow even stronger.

Cheon Hwi didn’t miss the perfect moment when that fact firmly settled into the minds of the viewers.

“Now then… are you really confident about this bet?”

As the saying goes, Don’t place your wager unless you’re certain.

“Well, I’m confident.”

Cheon Hwi reminded the audience of that old wisdom, then turned the question on them.

“What about you all?”

The chat exploded like a volcanic eruption.

The outcome was already clear to anyone watching.

[Tazza has donated 100,000 won!]

I… this humble man… kneels before thee…

Back when Cheon Hwi still held the title of Martial Alliance Leader,

he would constantly roam the martial world in search of talented individuals, so often, in fact, that it became a source of endless worry for his soldiers.

“See?”

They wanted to ask him to please preserve the dignity of the Alliance, but none of them ever did.

There was a reason for that.

“I told you Lady Choa was talented, didn’t I?”

Because if there was one thing Cheon Hwi had absolute confidence in, it was his ability to judge people.