Impeng

Impeng is a Demonic Academy instructor whose duties repeatedly place him at the boundary between the princes' rivalries and the Academy's tests.

Biography

Instructor of the Eighth Group

Impeng receives the Academy group led by Chun Mukeum and containing the supposedly untrained Chun Yeowun. He does not want the difficult assignment and initially assumes Yeowun will endanger real-sword formation practice after missing two weeks. Even so, he visits the recovering cadet each morning to teach missed fundamentals because an instructor is responsible for the whole group's chance to pass. (Chapters 13–20)

During practice, Impeng controls the formation changes with colored flags, watches endurance, and punishes Jahyun when sabotage creates repeated safety incidents. Yeowun performs every movement correctly and withstands the static formation better than trained classmates, forcing Impeng to revise his expectations. (Chapters 15–21)

From Skepticism to Recognition

Impeng is prepared to help Yeowun during the yellow-tag challenges in repayment for the eighth group's success, although another instructor takes the needed duel. After Yeowun defeats Sang Munyo, Impeng awards the yellow tag and openly admits that the cadet's growth has changed his mind. (Chapters 42–43)

He later leads the instructors who release Yeowun from mountain confinement. Impeng lends him an outer robe, answers questions about remaining tags, and warns him not to challenge Senior Instructor Hou Jinchang recklessly. His concern reflects institutional duty and an acquired investment in the cadet rather than factional allegiance. (Chapters 66–68)

Fourth-Test Duties

After Yeowun defeats Sang Munyo in the fourth-test encounter, Impeng presents the Black Dragon Ball and formally recognizes him as a squad leader and peer-ranked Master. The respectful change in address completes Impeng's movement from reluctant instructor to procedural acknowledgment of ability. (Chapter 100)

Impeng remains a test opponent rather than becoming Yeowun's follower. Mun Ku later defeats him to pass the same evaluation. The result shows that he is a credible Academy threshold, but not one of the institution's top senior combatants. (Chapter 110)

Appearance and personality

The corpus emphasizes Impeng's role rather than his appearance. He is strict, impatient, and initially biased by Yeowun's reputation, but takes student safety and group preparation seriously. Unlike instructors who let pride override office, he updates his judgment and delivers rewards once the tests are passed.

Martial arts and abilities

Formation Instruction

Impeng teaches multi-person sword-and-shield formations and controls transitions through flag signals. He evaluates spacing, endurance, layered shields, and the timing of swords thrust between defenders. His intervention when a cadet is stabbed includes leaving the weapon in place to avoid catastrophic blood loss and carrying the victim to treatment. (Chapters 15, 19–20)

This is teaching and battlefield organization rather than a named personal formation art. Success depends on every cadet obeying the sequence; Impeng can punish or retrain a saboteur but cannot make a deliberately broken line function by himself. (Chapters 20–21)

Instructor-Level Martial Skill

Impeng is qualified to oppose cadets in the fourth test, meaning a candidate must defeat him in direct combat to advance to squad leadership. Mun Ku eventually does so. The source does not provide the formations from that duel or a precise rank beyond his Academy standing. (Chapter 110)

He also uses lightness movement to run up the mountain with other instructors and has enough sword experience to recognize that Yeowun's unfamiliar art is outside the Academy's ordinary schools. These observations support professional competence without inventing a signature technique. (Chapters 66, 68)

Relationships

• Chun Mukeum: The prince assigned to his eighth group.
• Chun Yeowun: A cadet Impeng gradually treats with greater respect.
• Mun Ku: The cadet who defeats him during her fourth test.

Items

The supplied chapters do not consistently identify a named signature item for Impeng.