Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 83: An Unexpected Proposal (1)

A clash of internal power against the Ardent King Hegemon, Jin Gyun.

Even though I was now considered among the ranks of the Eight Great Masters who had surpassed the wall, everyone had predicted Jin Gyun’s superiority.

Contrary to the expectation that I would naturally be pushed back by a master who had tempered his internal energy for decades, a reversal occurred.

Ssssh!

Jin Gyun’s feet, planted firmly on the ground, were pushed back nearly three paces.

Exclamations erupted from the surroundings as the crowd went wild.

Having absorbed the internal energy of Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon—who had surpassed the wall beyond the wall—I was confident I wouldn't be easily pushed back, but even I hadn't realized I had ascended to this degree.

The Lesser Conversation Sword chattered excitedly.

The reason it said this was because the duel wasn't just a contest of internal power.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Jin Gyun’s Rending Saber, which had been clashing in mid-air, had momentarily plummeted during the exchange.

It seemed his focus had wavered for a split second out of shock the moment he was pushed back. However, the saber quickly soared again to engage the Namcheon Iron Sword.

"…Impressive," Jin Gyun said, his face flushed.

The fact that he could speak without his voice wavering while channeling his internal energy to such a degree meant he hadn't yet exerted his power to its absolute limit.

True.

I was still only using eight-star internal power.

Moreover, since I was only using my lower Dantian, the sheer capacity was on a different level. If this turned into a war of attrition, Jin Gyun would be at an absolute disadvantage.

Jin Gyun spoke again. "To be honest, I was skeptical."

I considered responding nonchalantly, but I figured it was better to show some signs of struggle.

This wasn't a life-or-death struggle, and there was no benefit in completely humiliating a man of his reputation in a place where all eyes were watching.

"You… flatter… me…"

I spoke with forced, heavy breaths as if I were struggling. I even strained my facial muscles to make my face look flushed.

Seeing this, a flicker of relief appeared in Jin Gyun’s eyes.

It would be if I won from here, wouldn't it?

Who said anything about losing? I’m just going to end it appropriately.

I’ll give him some face and suggest we wrap it up here. A senior of his standing wouldn't be able to bring himself to suggest ending it first.

Just as the Lesser Conversation Sword said, the fire of battle was alive in Jin Gyun’s eyes. A corner of his mouth curled up.

"It’s been a long time since my blood boiled like this."

He looked ready to see this through to the end. Seeing this, I sent him a secret sound transmission.

[…Senior. Many eyes are watching; how about we end it here? Please, allow this junior to save some face as well.]

[I intended to do so, but how often does one get the chance to fight an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠equal like this?]

'Intended to?'

What did that mean?

While I was wondering, Jin Gyun’s internal power surged even higher. I had thought he was at nine or ten-star power, but it seemed he had been holding back as well. As expected, the title of one of the Eight Great Masters wasn't just for show.

Ssssh!

As the power intensified, grains of sand began to slowly hover around the two of us. it was a sign that our respective powers were perfectly balanced.

Judging by the veins bulging on Jin Gyun’s forehead, he had now drawn his internal energy to its absolute peak.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The Namcheon Iron Sword and the Rending Saber clashed in the air, ringing out as they executed brilliant forms.

Everyone held their breath as they watched the fight.

It was truly remarkable. I knew he was nearly seventy years old, yet he could maintain such high levels of concentration at that age.

Unlike my sword, which moved freely on its own through the power of the Twelve Formations, he was controlling the Rending Saber through his Qi while simultaneously engaging in an internal energy duel.

In terms of fighting spirit and everything else, he was a martial artist to the core.

Because he was channeling his power to the limit while also dividing his focus, it was clear that Jin Gyun’s physical strength was depleting rapidly. The beads of sweat forming on his forehead told the story.

Drip.

A bead of sweat rolled down his face.

Jin Gyun, realizing he was sweating, looked at me, and his pupils trembled.

'!?'

Ah… I suppose I couldn't help this part.

Regardless of my breathing or flushing my face, controlling my sweat glands wasn't something that could be done through sheer will.

He realized I wasn't giving it my all.

Perhaps because of that, the trembling in Jin Gyun’s eyes turned into a simmering rage. It was as if he felt toyed with.

Jin Gyun’s voice reached me through sound transmission.

[Do you take this old man for a fool?]

[…I do not.]

[Whatever the reason, if we agreed to a duel, you should give it your all. This half-hearted consideration is nothing short of an insult to me.]

Since he put it that way, I felt guilty for not going all out.

However, since I couldn't reveal the True Blood Golden Body or the Demon Path Awakening, the best I could do was push my internal power to its peak.

[Give it your all. This old man also has a hidden trump card.]

A hidden trump card?

What could he possibly have left while already pushing his power to the limit?

Regardless, I had no choice but to go all out. I had tried to end it gracefully for the sake of his reputation, but since he considered that an insult, I had to be decisive.

[I was short-sighted, Senior.]

I slowly ramped up my power to nine stars.

Rumble!

Immediately, Jin Gyun’s figure, our palms still pressed together, was pushed backward.

As the balance of power shifted once more, sand fragments fell toward Jin Gyun’s side, gouging into the ground.

"The Ardent King Hegemon is being pushed back again!"

"Is the Lesser Sword Immortal’s internal power actually superior?!"

The murmurs from the crowd grew louder.

But Jin Gyun seemed unable to hear them anymore. Instead, he stared straight at me and asked:

[Is this… your… best?]

Jin Gyun, still being pushed back, sent the transmission with great effort.

Unfortunately, it wasn't. I shook my head slightly.

'!?'

Jin Gyun looked utterly flabbergasted, unable to hide his shock.

Right now, through internal power alone, I was nearly at the level of those masters who had surpassed the wall beyond the wall.

The stunned Jin Gyun sent another transmission.

[Give it your all.]

[It might be dangerous for you.]

I meant it. If I applied my power to its absolute peak here, Jin Gyun would undoubtedly suffer a severe internal injury. If our powers were somewhat balanced, it might be fine, but he would take the full brunt of the aftermath of the clash.

[I told you to do your best!]

His will was firm.

In that case, I had no choice. I had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to draw my power to its absolute limit.

[Senior… if you aren't careful, you will be in danger.]

"What?"

Jin Gyun blurted out loud in response to my warning.

Regardless, I steadied my breathing and drew the maximum power I could exert from my lower Dantian.

Cr-cr-crack!

At that moment, an intense wind pressure erupted, and the ground around my feet began to shatter. Exerting my power to its peak made it difficult to prevent the energy from leaking outward.

"Ugh! What is this?!"

"Get back!"

The onlookers scrambled away from the shockwaves. Those with weak internal energy were even retching, finding it hard to breathe just by being near.

"The—the Lesser Sword Immortal’s power is this great?"

"Look over there!"

Slide!

Jin Gyun, who had barely been holding on against nine-star power, was now being pushed back helplessly. At this rate, the match would be over soon.

[This old man has a hidden move as well.]

'A hidden move?'

It happened right then.

'My palms are getting hot.'

I felt an intense heat radiating from Jin Gyun’s palms. This level of heat was Scorching Yang Energy.

As the Scorching Yang Energy mixed with his internal power, his strength suddenly surged as if exploding. Haze even began to shimmer from his entire body due to the heat.

"The air around them is getting hot."

"Ah! It’s the Blazing Flame Divine Art!"

I had heard of it. The signature technique of the Ardent King Hegemon, Jin Gyun. It was said that his unique Scorching Yang Energy, once mastered, could even ignite flames on his Rending Saber.

I hadn't realized he could manifest such heat within his internal power as well. Moreover, his power had momentarily become equal to mine.

Sizzle!

My palms weren't just hot; they felt like they were going to burn. The Scorching Yang Energy was trying to burrow into my body. Now I understood why he said ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he had a hidden move.

No, not quite. Even though his power had spiked with the Scorching Yang Energy, I still held the upper hand. If I held out, he would eventually exhaust himself and collapse, but I figured I should stop here.

With this much Scorching Yang Energy, I was bound to get burned. I could easily endure it with my recovery ability, but if I did, I would be revealing that ability to all these people.

I would have to take the brunt of the energy backlash, but this was the place to end it.

"Ugh!"

Flash!

I pulled my palms away from his. Immediately, the backlash from the balanced internal energies sent my body flying backward.

Slide!

I only came to a stop after being pushed back nearly five paces.

At the perfect moment, I bit my tongue slightly, letting a trickle of blood run down the corner of my mouth. Between the haze rising from my palms due to the residual heat and the blood, it was enough of a performance to uphold his reputation.

"Huff… huff…"

The Ardent King Hegemon, Jin Gyun, stared at me while breathing heavily. A smile was playing on his lips.

He seemed satisfied, believing that his hidden trump card had allowed him to overwhelm me at the very end, if only for a moment.

Thinking a winner had been decided, the crowd erupted in cheers.

"Wooooooo!"

"The Ardent King Hegemon won!"

"He’s a level above!"

"As expected, experience cannot be beaten."

It seemed I had successfully saved his face.

"As expected of my grandfather!"

That brat Jin Yong was looking at me and grinning, his face full of pride for his grandfather.

While everyone was proclaiming the Ardent King Hegemon’s victory, a voice threw cold water on the celebration.

"Is this truly a victory for the Ardent King Hegemon?"

It was the Ghost-Slaying Fist Demon, Jang Mun-ryang. He had been watching the duel as well.

"What do you mean by that?"

"If it’s not his victory, then what…"

As people looked on in confusion, Jang Mun-ryang pointed toward the air. Everyone’s eyes naturally followed his finger.

And then—

'!!!'

The crowd began to buzz.

Only the Namcheon Iron Sword was still floating in the air, while Jin Gyun’s signature weapon, the Rending Saber, lay abandoned on the roof of the courtyard storehouse.

In their focus on the internal energy clash, the people had missed this.

"The Rending Saber fell!"

"The Lesser Sword Immortal’s Sword Control Art was maintained until the end."

"Wait, if that’s the case…"

The people’s gazes shifted back and forth between Jin Gyun and me. Even though they had jumped the gun claiming his victory, they knew exactly what this meant.

"It’s a draw!"

"Ha!"

"To think the duel would end like this."

All the onlookers were filled with admiration.

The duel had been two-fold from the start: a contest of internal energy and a contest of sword control. In the final moments, while unleashing the Blazing Flame Divine Art, Jin Gyun’s concentration had wavered.

"Ha…"

Even Jin Gyun seemed to have forgotten about it for a moment. He shook his head in disbelief as he looked at the Namcheon Iron Sword hovering in the air.

'This way, neither of us loses face.'

It was a satisfying setup. Since it ended in a draw, I didn't have to make an enemy of the Ardent King Hegemon.

Looking at it this way, the ability of the Twelve Formations—where the sword moves on its own—was far more broken than a swordsman directly performing the Sword Control Art.

'Come back, Namcheon.'

I reached out and recalled the Namcheon Iron Sword, sheathing it. Then, I politely gave Jin Gyun a fist-and-palm salute.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior."

At my respectful greeting, Jin Gyun stared at me intently. Then, he suddenly burst into a hearty laugh.

"Hahahaha! Hahahaha!"

After laughing for a good while, Jin Gyun shook his head and spoke.

"The waves of the Yangtze behind push the waves in front. It won't even take ten years. It is I who have learned a lesson from you."

Snap!

Jin Gyun returned the salute. I had been worried he might realize what I did and feel insulted, but I was relieved he accepted the result so magnanimously.

However, Jin Gyun’s voice reached my ears via sound transmission.

[Can you spare a moment of your time?]

'Huh?'

*

Because he asked for a private conversation, I followed Jin Gyun into a vacant room in the inn.

I thought it would be just the two of us, but one of the men who had been sitting with him at the second-floor table followed us in.

As soon as the door closed, Jin Gyun gave a light wave of his hand. Immediately, the room was filled with Qi, blocking any sound from leaking outside.

"Sit."

Jin Gyun gestured toward a chair at the round table. He sat down first, and I followed suit. I was curious why he wanted to speak so secretly.

"Senior. May I ask why you sent everyone away to speak with me in private?"

"Before that, I must apologize."

"What do you mean?"

"Originally, I intended to stop once I had gauged your skills. However, this old man’s competitive spirit got the better of him, and I found myself wanting to reach a conclusion with you."

Ah…

So that’s why he said those things. But why did he want to gauge my skills in the first place? With his level of mastery, he should have been able to gauge them to some extent through Qi sense alone.

"If I offended you, please let it go."

"Not at all. How could I be offended by you, Senior?"

"You haven't changed since I last saw you. Your character has grown as upright as your martial arts. The Namcheon Sword Guest raised his disciple well. This is truly a case of the student surpassing the master."

I offered another salute in respect.

"You flatter me."

The polite pleasantries were dragging on. What was the main point that he was hesitating so much?

Jin Gyun made eye contact with the middle-aged man sitting at the table. When the man nodded, Jin Gyun turned his gaze back to me and spoke.

"I’ll get straight to the point."

"Please, go ahead."

"I need your help."

"Pardon? My help?"

"That’s right."

"What kind of help are you referring to?"

At that question, Jin Gyun spoke to me in a meaningful voice.

"I need your support so that this old man can become the Alliance Leader of the Martial Alliance."

'!?'

What on earth was he talking about? For a moment, I thought I had misheard him.

But even more shocking words ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flowed from his mouth.

"It hasn't been officially announced yet, but the current Alliance Leader, the First Sword of Wuhan, Baek Hyang-muk, has been impeached by the Elder Council."

'!!!'