The Genius Grandson of the Namgung Family
Chapter 8
Namgung Gyu-hyeon was originally a martial artist with the surname Hwang. Ten years ago, he passed the entrance exam for the Blue dragon pavillion despite coming from an unremarkable family.
 Three years ago, he received recognition from Sword Master Namgung Mu-ryong, was granted the Namgung surname, and officially became a member of the Namgung family. What earned him the greatest recognition from the Sword Master was his ‘eye’ for spotting talent and his ability to ‘educate’ and draw out that talent. That’s why he was given the position of Basic Instructor at the Blue dragon pavillionâa role that might seem insignificant at first glance but was actually the most important.
Today, Namgung Gyu-hyeon was utterly bored.
‘This year, except for two or three, they’re all just mediocre.’
While some showed talent that made his eyes sparkle, this year’s overall level was lower. Namgung So-hwa had come in midway and displayed brilliant talent that brought a smile to his face, but there were more candidates who made him frown.
‘But…’
The last candidate. The child who was only registered for the entrance exam because the family head had ordered it last night. Just ten years old and supposedly hadn’t learned any proper martial arts…
“W-what is this?”
Namgung Gyu-hyeon had suddenly risen from his seat.
Tap tap tap
“Phew- Is the test over?”
The child had instantly demonstrated footwork techniques and just took one deep breath, showing no signs of being out of breath or tired.
“Ah… Pass, you pass. Go outside and wait for further instructions.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Ha Hyeon bowed politely and left the Blue dragon pavillion.
“Huh… Brother. What exactly is your niece?”
“That’s what I’d like to know.”
Another person on the training ground. It was Gi-cheol Namgung, who had wanted to see Ha Hyeon as soon as possible.
“Now I see why Father was so confident in letting him take the Blue dragon pavillion entrance exam.”
Gi-cheol Namgung couldn’t help but smile at Ha Hyeon’s martial prowess. Glancing aside, he saw Gyu-hyeon wearing a somewhat serious expression.
“But there’s still the second test, Brother.”
“What’s there to worry about? Even if he fails the test, heâs now a member of our Namgung family anyway.”
“But then I won’t be able to teach him!”
Hearing Gyu-hyeon’s words, Gi-cheol seemed to realize something new.
“Ah! Then I can teach him instead!”
“Brother!”
Gi-cheol burst out laughing at Gyu-hyeon’s loud protest. While Gyu-hyeon might not care about other things, he was absolutely sincere about talented individuals. For him to react this strongly was proof enough of Ha Hyeon’s genuine talent.
After passing the first test and waiting briefly outside the Blue dragon pavillion, a servant came out to tell all successful candidates to enter again. The successful candidates filed into the Blue dragon pavillion, with Ha Hyeon following behind.
“First test passers, gather here!”
Counting the people gathered at the Blue dragon pavillion entrance as directed by the guide, there were thirty successful candidates. Out of over five hundred applicants, only this many remained after just the first test.
“So you passed the first test too?”
Namgung So-hwa, who was behind Ha Hyeon, pretended to be surprised as she spoke. Instead of answering, Ha Hyeon just nodded with a slight smile. Despite having a sharp mind, Ha Hyeon still wasn’t sure how to deal with Namgung So-hwa.
Just then, the Blue dragon pavillion entrance opened slightly, and Namgung Gyu-hyeon came out.
“Congratulations to everyone who passed the first test. Once you pass the second test, you can proudly become members of the Blue dragon pavillion. The second test is simple. It’s a martial arts match with Blue dragon pavillion warriors.”
His voice seemed to carry internal energy, as it was clearly audible despite not being particularly loud.
“A match? How are we supposed to win against Blue dragon pavillion warriors?”
“Yeah, we’re here to learn…”
Some weaker candidates voiced their complaints. They had already assumed they couldn’t win the matches.
“Don’t worry. It’s not a real match but a simplified one, and losing doesn’t automatically mean failure. Just show everything you’re capable of.”
Namgung Gyu-hyeon added at the end, ‘Actually, we don’t expect anyone to win. No candidate has ever won before,’ and continued speaking.
“Well then, I wish you all martial fortune. Enter one by one when your name is called.”
With these words, he went back inside the Blue dragon pavillion.
Some candidates started grumbling again. However, a few wore good expressions.
‘They must be confident. They trust that the Namgung family’s test won’t demand anything unreasonable, and they believe in their own abilities.’
Among those with such expressions was, of course, Namgung So-hwa. Ha Hyeon watched her and unconsciously adopted a similar expression. And waited for his name to be called.
After a very brief moment.
“Young Master Ha Hyeon. Please enter.”
This time, Ha Hyeon’s name was called first. Even before Namgung So-hwa. Ha Hyeon strode into the Blue dragon pavillion without hesitation.
Three men now stood on the training ground. Two of them were Namgung Gyu-hyeon and another person who had been present during the first test, and the remaining one had a large build but a youthful face that looked barely fifteen years old.
“Ha Hyeon. Come up here. From now on, you’ll have a simplified match with this Blue dragon pavillion warrior. In a simplified match, you can’t use direct strikes with techniquesâyou win by pushing your opponent down. Use all the footwork, internal energy, and palm techniques you can show and do your best.”
“I understand.”
Ha Hyeon stepped onto the training ground and looked at his opponent. An extremely handsome appearance with a well-trained, solid body. And a face that seemed familiar from somewhere.
“Nice to meet you, little brother.”
“What?”
“I heard about you from Master and Father. I’m Namgung Hwan.”
Ha Hyeon recalled that his second cousin’s name was Namgung Hwan.
“Brother… it’s you.”
“Yes. I asked for you to be first because I wanted to see you as soon as possible.”
“Ah, so that’s why I was first.”
“Yes. Anyway, pleased to meet you.”
“Pleased to meet you too.”
Namgung Hwan, seemingly pleased to be called brother, smiled brightly and took his stance. The simplified match that Namgung Gyu-hyeon used for the second test might have seemed like nothing on the surface, but it was a match that could accurately assess one’s qualities before learning basic martial arts.
Gyu-hyeon believed that flashy techniques weren’t particularly important for martial artists just starting out. However, the habits in basic footwork, the quality of internal energy built up from a young age, and one’s nature as a martial artist were extremely important as they demonstrated potential for future growthâand there was no better way to show these than this type of match.
‘Techniques can simply be learned later.’
They agreed to start the match at the signal of Namgung Gyu-hyeon’s clap.
‘While Hwan might not be exceptional in other areas, his innate talent alone ranks among the best of all martial artists I’ve seen so far. Of course, Min is… in a league of his own.’
He didn’t think for a moment that Hwan would lose. No, it was unimaginable that a warrior who had trained at the Blue dragon pavillion for years would lose to an applicant.
Clap
The moment Namgung Gyu-hyeon clapped. Ha Hyeon and Namgung Hwan rushed toward each other.
‘That’s right! A martial artist can’t win such a match by backing away. Running forward without even being taughtâtheir nature as a martial artists passes too.’
Gyu-hyeon almost clapped again without realizing it. This time in admiration. Usually, when someone charges fiercely at young children, they tend to become scared and step backward.
Logically, running backward is inevitably slower than running forward, and one would end up being pushed back by the aggressively charging opponent.
‘However, blindly rushing in isn’t always the best strategy.’
If one could accurately gauge the opponent’s strength it might be different, but if not, one should avoid engaging the opponent head-on as much as possible. Especially in a situation where it’s a given that the opponent is stronger than you.
‘In that aspect, there’s still a long way to… hm?’
Gyu-hyeon had to stop his train of thought. Just as Ha Hyeon and Namgung Hwan were about to clash while running straight forward,
Ta-da-dat!
Ha Hyeon suddenly executed footwork to move sideways and reached out both hands toward Namgung Hwan’s flank.
‘So you have learned footwork!’
Gyu-hyeon was certain that Ha Hyeon had learned the Rising Steps. Since Ha Hyeon had passed the first test without using a speck of internal energy, there was no way to know what footwork he had learned. But the explosive movement just now was impossible without considerable footwork training.
Whoosh!
But Ha Hyeon’s hands cut through empty air. As they reached out, Namgung Hwan had also deployed footwork, leaping away from Ha Hyeon’s range.
“Not bad!”
Namgung Hwan shouted excitedly, while Ha Hyeon bit his lip.
‘I thought I had completely caught him off guard.’
They had deliberately not used footwork and rushed in until just before contact to catch him off guard with the first move, but it seemed far from enough.
From then on, it was like a game of hide and seek. When Namgung Hwan would catch Ha Hyeon’s back, Ha Hyeon would deploy footwork to move to Hwan’s side or back. Then Hwan would either distance himself or catch Ha Hyeon’s back again.
Swish- Swish- Swish
The quiet training ground was filled only with the sound of the two moving like the wind.
“Hyah!”
Then Namgung Hwan shouted a battle cry and swung his arm at Ha Hyeon like lightning. It was easily twice as fast as his previous movements.
Thump
Namgung Hwan’s palm struck Ha Hyeon’s body. Ha Hyeon seemed to take quite a shock, staggering and sliding back. But they hadn’t fallen yet.
“Wow, you pulled back right at that moment? If you had been just a bit faster, my palm strike would have had no effect.”
Ha Hyeon felt a chill down his spine. If they hadn’t pulled back in the direction of the force to minimize the impact, they would have fallen without a doubt.
The one troubled by this situation was Namgung Gyu-hyeon.
‘This is enough to pass. But… I want to watch their match a bit longer.’
Glancing aside, he saw Gi-cheol Namgung nodding slightly, apparently thinking the same thing.
“Alright, try dodging this too!”
Namgung Hwan came in not just running fast like before, but using the Namgung family’s Infinite Steps footwork, making his speed truly like lightning.
‘So fast…! Huh? That footwork…?’
Ha Hyeon noticed in the split second while watching Namgung Hwan approaching at tremendous speed that his footwork seemed familiar.
‘That footwork… It’s the same as the footprints left on the training ground during the first test!’
Though the thought felt long, Ha Hyeon’s judgment and action happened in an instant. Despite seeing the footwork only once, Ha Hyeon remembered it vividly. This meant that although the speed was incredible, Ha Hyeon knew Namgung Hwan’s next path.
Ta-da-da
Ha Hyeon channeled maximum energy into his legs and executed the footwork without hesitation. They didn’t try to run away despite knowing the path. Instead, Ha Hyeon rushed at tremendous speed toward Namgung Hwan’s next position.
“Huh?”
Namgung Hwan was startled when Ha Hyeon approached much faster than expected. He tried to change direction in that instant, but it wasn’t easy while already executing footwork.
Thump!
Ha Hyeon covered his head with his arms and rammed straight into him. A body tackle with all his internal energy behind it. Given Ha Hyeon’s considerable size for his age, Namgung Hwan took an unexpectedly massive impact.
“Ugh!”
Namgung Hwan nearly fell but barely maintained his balance by concentrating internal energy in his legs. When he regained his senses and looked for Ha Hyeon…
“Gone?”
Ha Hyeon was nowhere in sight. And if they weren’t in view now…
“Hyah!”
Thud!
Ha Hyeon, who had somehow appeared behind Namgung Hwan, threw his body at him again with all his might.
Thump
Finally, Namgung Hwan fell forward and had to brace himself with his hands on the ground.
A first. For the first time since the Blue dragon pavillion entrance exam began, a Blue dragon pavillion warrior had lost to an applicant. And it was Namgung Hwan, the Sword Master’s grandson known for his supreme talent. And to a 10-year-old child at that.
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