Chapter 137: 27th Floor. Murim (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 137: 27th Floor. Murim (6)
Two martial artists emerged.
One was a middle-aged man dressed in elegant, classical attire, while the other was a young man with a smug, frivolous expression. Recognizing them, Wind Blood Blade Chicheon muttered under his breath.
“Soaring Heaven Sword. And the Flower Heaven Taoist.”
Soaring Heaven Sword was one of the Ten Great Masters, just like Chicheon himself. Among that elite group, he was considered slightly superior to Chicheon. The Flower Heaven Taoist was a rising powerhouse; though young and relatively inexperienced, he was widely expected to one day join the ranks of the Ten Great Masters.
Standing before them, Soaring Heaven Sword spoke.
“Wind Blood Blade. It has been a long time.”
“...It has, Soaring Heaven Sword.”
“It is a pity we must meet under such circumstances. We have come to escort Faded Heaven Supreme to the Murim Alliance. This matter does not concern you. Step aside.”
Instead of answering, Wind Blood Blade drew his saber. Soaring Heaven Sword let out a heavy sigh.
“Wind Blood Blade, I am well aware that your daughter received a great favor from Faded Heaven Supreme. You have spent years guarding him to repay that debt, but I believe you have fully settled your grace by now.”
“If you are going to speak of grace, then you should know well what a child means to a parent.”
“...We do not intend to harm Faded Heaven Supreme. We simply wish to seek his assistance. In the process, we may even be able to treat his illness.”
“I wonder about that,” Kang Jun-hyeok interjected, his expression unreadable.
According to the history he knew, Faded Heaven Supreme eventually failed to overcome his illness and died. Soaring Heaven Sword’s eyebrows twitched at the interruption.
“I stand with Wind Blood Blade. I am Faded Heaven Supreme’s guardian—and your enemy.”
“...I was told there was only Wind Blood Blade.”
Soaring Heaven Sword frowned. He had thought the two of them would be enough, but this was an unexpected obstacle.
However, he couldn't sense any significant internal energy emanating from Kang Jun-hyeok. If that were the case, they could simply dispose of him quickly and then combine their strength to suppress Wind Blood Blade.
Wind Blood Blade’s low voice rang out.
“Martial artists don't settle matters with words. If you intend to take him, be prepared to die.”
“...A regrettable choice. Flower Heaven Taoist, that man is yours. Subdue him and then come assist me.”
“Understood.”
“Then, Wind Blood Blade, let us take this elsewhere. I fear the aftershocks of our battle might harm Faded Heaven Supreme’s frail body.”
Wind Blood Blade accepted the proposal and moved away. The Flower Heaven Taoist drew his saber with a smirk.
“Nice to meet you. What’s your name?”
“Kang Jun-hyeok.”
“Kang Jun-hyeok, eh? You really think you can stop me? Soaring Heaven Sword told me to subdue you, but I’m not exactly the merciful type.”
A cruel, murderous intent swirled in his eyes.
“I’ll settle for taking your limbs!”
Boom!
The Flower Heaven Taoist lunged toward Kang Jun-hyeok.
Jun-hyeok gripped his sword.
Clang!
Sword and saber collided. The Flower Heaven Taoist burst into a mad laugh.
“Haha! Hahahaha!”
He spun his body, his saber moving in a blur. It was as flamboyant as a dance, yet it aimed for Jun-hyeok’s entire body with the fluid, lethal grace of a performer’s blade.
Clang!
Jun-hyeok swung his sword to defend, but the attack was too broad and dense. His blade moved frantically to keep up. The Flower Heaven Taoist bared his teeth and stepped forward.
Screech!
The relentless saber broke through the defense and grazed Kang Jun-hyeok’s arm. Jun-hyeok retreated with quick footwork.
“Hahaha! Weak! Too weak! Become a sacrifice for my martial arts—!”
The Flower Heaven Taoist, mid-laugh, suddenly froze.
“...You. What are you? Why is there no wound?”
Despite clearly slashing Jun-hyeok’s arm, there wasn't a single scratch on the skin.
Confusion clouded the Taoist’s face. Kang Jun-hyeok shook out his sword hand.
The man was strong. In terms of pure swordsmanship skill, his opponent was two or three levels higher than him.
The countermeasure was simple: use techniques other than swordsmanship. If he used his skills, magic, or the Authority of a Vampire, he could win easily.
However, Kang Jun-hyeok gripped his sword with both hands and took a firm stance. The Master of All Weapons spoke gleefully in his mind.
[A good stance.]
Since this was a Murim world, he would use the language of this world. He would wield only the technique of the sword.
He regulated his breathing and drew up his internal energy. The Flower Heaven Taoist shook off his confusion.
“I don’t know what trick you’re using, but you’ll die all the same once I pierce your heart!”
The Taoist’s saber moved again. It was as flamboyant as a dance, but it contained deadly poison. It pressured the air like falling petals, raining down on Jun-hyeok’s entire body.
The level of the Flower Heaven Taoist’s martial arts was high, and his proficiency was considerable. Even with a Rank B Observation skill, Jun-hyeok couldn't fully grasp the complexity of the movements.
“Whew.”
Therefore, this would be a battle of pure strength and technique.
He thrust his sword toward the swinging saber.
Clang!
“Foolish!”
The Flower Heaven Taoist sneered at Jun-hyeok for challenging him head-on. His saber technique was incessant. In a frontal confrontation, Jun-hyeok—whose skill was infinitely lower—shouldn't have stood a ghost of a chance.
He would overwhelm him with sheer pressure and volume.
Judging it so, the Taoist swung his saber. The weapons collided dozens of times in rapid succession.
Clash! Clash!
“...Hmm?”
The Flower Heaven Taoist’s face hardened. Something was wrong. The repulsion he felt every time he swung his saber was growing stronger. As if swallowing his power, Kang Jun-hyeok’s strength was amplifying with every strike.
Clang!
“Ugh!”
Finally unable to withstand the force, the Flower Heaven Taoist was pushed back. Panic filled his eyes.
“What is this?!”
Turning Adversity into Strength. Absorb Force to Break Momentum.
Kang Jun-hyeok had used the first secret principle to absorb the momentum of the Taoist’s saber, converting it into his own strength to shatter his opponent’s rhythm.
Jun-hyeok immediately rushed the flustered Taoist. The young master hurriedly raised his saber.
Clang!
Saber and sword met in a contest of raw strength. The Flower Heaven Taoist bared his teeth.
“Arrogant brat!”
He gathered his internal energy and poured everything into his blade.
While Kang Jun-hyeok’s physical body was bolstered by high stats, the power of internal energy possessed by a martial artist of a certain realm was formidable. The Flower Heaven Taoist was a master of the Peak Realm. In contrast, Jun-hyeok’s internal energy was merely at a third-rate level. Even with his stats, the overwhelming difference in energy caused him to be pushed back.
However, at a certain point, the power in Jun-hyeok’s sword surged. After reaching equilibrium, he actually began to push the Taoist back.
“Wh-What?!”
Claaaaang!
The Taoist was flung backward.
Self-Power Unification.
By gathering one's own strength into a single point, Jun-hyeok had focused the power of his entire body into his sword.
He caught his breath and lunged again. The Flower Heaven Taoist desperately attempted to defend.
Clang! Clang!
Their weapons collided. Jun-hyeok moved with a spinning momentum. The power in his sword grew progressively stronger, as if it were circulating and building upon itself.
Soryu Great River Pill.
A small stream shall circulate into the ring of a great river.
Over the past month, Kang Jun-hyeok had sparred incessantly with Wind Blood Blade. As a result, his proficiency in martial arts had risen significantly, allowing him to apply these principles in actual combat.
Screech!
Saber and sword clashed. The Flower Heaven Taoist could no longer pressure Jun-hyeok. It was driving him insane.
‘This makes no sense...!’
He could tell that the internal energy Jun-hyeok possessed was pathetic—at best, third-rate. Even being generous, it was only second-rate.
It wasn't just the energy; the sword technique itself was clumsy. It might be at a first-rate level, but his movements were ordinary. Compared to a genius like himself, the man was a mere novice.
And yet, he couldn't win. They were in a state of perfect equilibrium.
The opponent’s bizarre physical ability played a part, but there was a much bigger reason.
‘What on earth is this martial art?!’
It was utterly bizarre. It was a style that manipulated, brandished, and controlled the very concept of 'force.' Even while facing it, he couldn't recognize it as a known martial art. The only reason Jun-hyeok could stand against him was entirely due to the Divine Art of the Master of All Weapons.
“Cough. Cough.”
Faded Heaven Supreme watched the battle from the threshold of the cottage.
He was a man of genius talent. He could see the "answer" to any martial art immediately upon seeing it once. To be precise, that wasn't limited to martial arts; he could see the answers to all things in the world.
How one should act, how one should move, how one should progress—the solutions to everything were constantly flooding his mind.
For Faded Heaven Supreme, that was hell.
To see the answers to all things meant that everything was predetermined. Everything else was wrong; only one correct path existed. The world was nothing more than a toy moving according to a set script.
And that "answer" told him the truth about his own body: there was no way to treat his illness. He would die, suffering like this.
Knowing everything from birth, with his death already decided—if he was to be born like this, why was he born at all? It would have been better to never exist.
That was why he had given up on everything and stayed in this thatched cottage. Curing Wind Blood Blade’s daughter had been a mere whim. He believed he would live and die in obscurity.
But then, Kang Jun-hyeok appeared.
The martial art he performed was something that even Faded Heaven Supreme, who knew the answers of the world, could not understand. For the first time, color was etched into his colorless world.
‘...That is merely wearing the mask of martial arts.’
It was beyond the category of techniques. In essence, it was a power closer to the balance of the world or the laws of the universe. He had succeeded in understanding that much, but he still didn't know how to wield it.
Clash!
The battle grew more intense. The Flower Heaven Taoist grit his teeth.
‘No matter how special his martial art is, it requires preparation!’
He decided to trample Jun-hyeok before he could build any more momentum. With that, he kicked off the ground.
Swish!
Countless saber strikes unfolded, blanketing the world. It was an attack that left no room for escape.
At that moment, Kang Jun-hyeok’s sword moved.
Claaaaang!
The saber strikes vanished with a single, devastating sword strike. The Flower Heaven Taoist’s eyes widened in shock.
“...What?!”
His technique had been destroyed in a single blow. He had no idea how it happened. Even Kang Jun-hyeok was surprised; his body had reacted before his mind could process the move.
“Ah.”
Seeing that strike, Faded Heaven Supreme let out a soft sound. He stood up abruptly.
“Ah. Aah! Aaaaaah!”
For the first time in his life, he cried out in pure exclamation. His eyes were full of vitality, looking as if he had solved a problem for the first time in his life.
“...Kang Jun-hyeok. Please, look this way.”
Jun-hyeok turned his gaze. Even though it was a clear opening, the Flower Heaven Taoist was so flustered that he hesitated to attack.
Faded Heaven Supreme staggered as he gripped a sword. He moved his emaciated body.
The sword cut through the air. A bizarre, singular movement unfolded.
Faded Heaven Supreme’s body was infinitely weak. He had never properly trained with a sword, and his bones and muscles were ravaged by disease. The strike performed by such a man should have been pathetic.
“...”
However, Kang Jun-hyeok could see it—the meaning etched into that strike. He felt what was contained in that movement.
That was the answer.
Thud.
His strength exhausted, Faded Heaven Supreme slumped down. Even though he was at death's door, his expression was incredibly bright.
“I have passed on the flow. You will be able to realize the rest on your own.”
“What did you do?!” the Flower Heaven Taoist screamed, having no idea what had just transpired.
But Kang Jun-hyeok knew. What Faded Heaven Supreme had shown him was the solution.
[The proficiency of the Divine Art has increased significantly.]
[The proficiency of the Divine Art has risen from F to E.]
[The proficiency of the Mental Method has increased significantly.]
[The proficiency of the Mental Method has risen from F to E.]