Chapter 159
Chapter 159
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 159
Chapter Title: Huashan and Zhongnan Arrive
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The arrival of the Mount Hua Sect and Zhongnan Sect sent the hearts of every swordmaster in Jangwon pounding wildly.
The overwhelming momentum of their approach, followed by the grand procession stretching behind them, displayed their supreme authority.
At the forefront of that procession stood two middle-aged men.
One had a gentle, affable face framed by a white beard, his daoist robe emblazoned with a plum blossom over the chest.
The other wore a somewhat stiff expression, his chest bearing the image of a continuous mountain range.
Sangseo, elder of Mount Hua.
Wonam, elder of Zhongnan.
The two warriors stood side by side at the entrance, immediately shooting each other sidelong glares and clicking their tongues.
"Don't you ever get tired of it? I never thought you'd follow us all the way here, even matching our arrival time."
"Pot calling the kettle black. Zhongnan beat you to Sanyang by a step, and who was it that came trailing after?"
In Shaanxi—no, across the entire Central Plains—Mount Hua and Zhongnan were the quintessential rivals, their names appearing together everywhere.
Of course, as pillars of the orthodox sects and the Murim Alliance, they never severed ties or openly clashed.
Even so, a constant undercurrent of rivalry flowed between them, meaning they could hardly be called friendly.
As they traded barbs from opposite sides, a voice suddenly cut in.
"Aigoo, we've been waiting only for esteemed guests like you!"
The patriarch of the Sanyang Byeok Clan, who was hosting the Shaanxi Sword Prowess Assembly, rushed out personally to greet them.
"It's an honor to meet you again. I am Byeok Yeojin, patriarch of the Sanyang Byeok Clan."
"I remember."
"Thanks for the invitation."
"We're grateful you've graciously accepted."
With Byeok Yeojin welcoming them, Sangseo and Wonam promptly turned their heads and dispersed.
Byeok Yeojin then guided their followers to the lodgings, while the two elders, hands clasped behind their backs, made their way toward where Hyeok Mulin was seated.
They naturally took seats at a distance, one on the right and one on the left, and instantly, people swarmed like clouds, drawing all attention.
"Elder, do you perhaps remember our Geumjeong Sect...?"
"I've been looking forward to picking up our conversation from the last Sword Prowess Assembly."
"Word is you've reached even higher realms since then..."
"An honor to see you again!"
Everyone seized the rare chance to impress these figures with their clans and sects.
Who were they, after all?
The two great sects that could rightly be called kings of Shaanxi Province.
Sangseo and Wonam, accustomed to such scenes, handled the flood of attention with practiced ease.
"I understand your intentions. Calm down, everyone."
After soothing the crowd and settling them, Sangseo engaged them one by one.
He knew from experience that listening carefully and moving on was the quickest way to wrap things up.
And the same went for Wonam across the way.
After a considerable time fielding flattery about their clans, sects, Mount Hua, and Zhongnan, the two elders smoothly shifted the conversation once things had settled.
"Among all the late-generation talents Shaanxi has produced across the ages, this bunch stands out as the finest."
Wonam steered the topic to the late-generation disciples, the true focus of the Shaanxi Sword Prowess Assembly.
Sangseo nodded from across the room.
"This generation has kids who can already bloom plum blossoms. Had me agonizing over who to take."
"Ooh...!"
"Plum blossoms at that age...!"
The crowd buzzed at Sangseo's words.
Mount Hua and Zhongnan always took just one late-generation talent from the Shaanxi Sword Prowess Assembly per generation.
The absolute best, the top prodigy of the bunch.
"They say you know a promising tree from its first leaves. Mount Hua's picks this time will surely stand as the Central Plains' finest late-generation talents."
Sangseo nodded proudly as he boasted.
A moment later, Wonam replied in a casual tone.
"Do you know why they say 'bide your time and await success'?"
"No idea."
"True talent emerges through endless training. What seems like talent on the surface before that isn't real—it's just false ability grasped before proper self-reflection."
Crack.
Sangseo, overhearing from across the way, picked up seamlessly as if offering a mere counterpoint.
"Some think endless training will unearth talent even in the talentless—a grave mistake. People like us can already see it plain as day."
"Sometimes folks don't realize their own poor judgment and just assume flaws in others."
"......"
"......"
The two fell silent, glaring at each other briefly.
After clashing fiercely with their opposing views, they turned to the crowd.
"What do you all think?"
"W-Well, that is..."
The people, who had been pouring out words like a waterfall, suddenly clammed up.
They wanted to impress both Mount Hua and Zhongnan.
No one wanted to pick a side and make enemies.
So they mumbled vaguely, deflecting to each other.
'Didn't expect much, but still, predictable as ever.'
Sangseo shook his head at the sight.
He hadn't anticipated bold answers from such sycophants, but seeing it firsthand still drew a sigh.
As the deflections dragged on, the turn finally reached one man.
Sangseo tilted his head upon seeing him.
'Hm?'
Was there someone this young here?
An unfamiliar face from the last assembly, Sangseo wondered briefly before posing the same question.
"What do you think?"
The man gave a refreshingly direct answer.
Just not the one Sangseo expected.
"You're both wrong."
"......!"
The crowd gaped in shock.
Danri Jong's eyes bulged as if they might pop; he hurriedly whispered to Hyeok Mulin.
"Assembly Lord, wait—!"
But Hyeok Mulin continued faster than the warning.
"Talent's brilliance manifests at different times depending on environment. It might bloom early or late, so both arguments can be right or wrong."
Gazes darted between Sangseo, Wonam, and Hyeok Mulin.
The two stared at him stiffly, then slowly nodded.
"The young warrior has some depth of thought."
"Glad to see a bright future for orthodox murim."
Hyeok Mulin's words were an undeniable truth, so they acknowledged rather than refuted.
The crowd took a fresh look at Hyeok Mulin, while Danri Jong sighed in relief.
'Thought my heart would stop.'
Standing up to Mount Hua and Zhongnan head-on.
Yet he'd affirmed their points, saving face.
In a situation that could have passed quietly, he'd drawn all eyes with that rhetoric.
Danri Jong marveled that Hyeok Mulin wasn't just peerless in martial prowess but also a silver-tongued speaker.
'A heads-up beforehand, and I wouldn't have nearly keeled over.'
As Danri Jong gazed at him complexly,
"But who are you? You seem new to this assembly."
Sangseo asked Hyeok Mulin directly.
He slowly curled his lips.
Meeting the elder's puzzled eyes head-on, he said,
"I am Hyeok Mulin."
The gathering of late-generation talents unfolded much the same on the left side.
All attention gravitated to those from Mount Hua and Zhongnan, centering the conversation around them.
Yi Uitae, glaring at them, bit his nails.
'Those bastards stole the spotlight again.'
He'd long harbored resentment toward Mount Hua and Zhongnan disciples.
Their skills weren't far off his, yet their backgrounds hogged all the attention—envy and jealousy boiled within.
Gnawing his lip as he glared, he pondered how to redirect the focus to himself.
Sweeping his gaze over the crowd in thought, something caught his eye.
'That's it!'
Spotting Danri Hyang, he grinned wickedly.
A moment later.
"Danri Hyang! Let's pick up where we left off!"
As he raised his voice, the late-generation talents turned to him.
"Pick up?"
"You mean what he mentioned earlier...?"
"Yeah, let's spar right now. You're not backing out, are you?"
Declaring the spar triumphantly to steal the spotlight, Yi Uitae smirked as eyes locked on.
Danri Hyang, the one he'd called out, sipped his tea impassively.
Then he slowly rose and turned away.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Yi Uitae demanded.
"Come outside. I'll play with you a bit."
"Ooh!"
Cheers erupted at Danri Hyang's bold acceptance.
Yi Uitae's face hardened, but he soon laughed and followed.
'Acting cool. You'll be rolling on the ground soon enough.'
As they moved to the courtyard center, the overseers on the left soon turned their way.
"What's with them?"
"Sounds like they're sparring."
"Schedule's for tomorrow, I thought."
"A little warm-up beforehand isn't bad."
"Hope it's a good show."
Sudden as it was, they watched the late-generation talents with interest.
Preparations wrapped quickly; Danri Hyang and Yi Uitae faced off.
The signal rang out, and Yi Uitae lunged aggressively.
He unleashed a diagonal slash in fluid sequence.
Full of spirit, but to Danri Hyang, the flaws screamed.
Shuk—
Danri Hyang slid his sword forward simply.
Yi Uitae panicked, abandoning his trajectory for defense.
The result was comical.
Yi Uitae, who'd started fierce, now flailed to block Danri Hyang's languid swings.
The outcome came swiftly.
Drip.
Danri Hyang's blade rested at Yi Uitae's throat.
Blood trickled where tip met skin.
Yi Uitae dropped his sword in disbelief; victory decided.
Onlookers tsked at him.
"Tch, no fun."
"Nothing special."
"Form was sloppy."
"Must've skimped on training."
"Weakest of the late-generation bunch, no doubt."
They criticized freely.
Hyeok Mulin smirked overhearing.
Yi Uitae wasn't exceptional, true.
But he looked weaker due to Danri Hyang's dominance.
Yet no one noticed Danri Hyang won purely on fundamentals, no fancy techniques.
Only two here saw his true worth.
'...No, three.'
Scanning the warriors, Hyeok Mulin nodded.
The Nine Great Sects lived up to their name.
Sangseo and Wonam had clocked the skill gap in that brief exchange.
"What's that kid's name?"
"Danri Hyang."
"From the Danri Clan..."
Lost in thought, they turned back to conversations.
Time passed; dusk fell into dark night.
Sangseo and Wonam, drained from endless talk, rose first.
"I'll take my leave."
The crowd followed suit like they'd been waiting.
As most dispersed, the gathering wound down naturally.
Then.
A middle-aged man, quietly listening from a corner, slowly stood.
He ambled over, seating himself opposite Hyeok Mulin.
"Hey."
"......!"
Even those leaving whipped around in shock.
"That guy can talk?"
He'd attended dozens of Shaanxi Sword Prowess Assemblies without uttering a word.
Just gestures at most.
First time anyone heard his voice.
Thud.
Even Sangseo and Wonam halted, turning back with stunned faces.
The man met Hyeok Mulin's eyes squarely.
"Mind if we talk a bit?"
"Be my guest."
Hyeok Mulin smiled invitingly.
"So, what brings you? What's got you curious?"
All eyes fixed on him.
The question mirrored everyone's wonder.
What changed to make him speak now?
He stared intently at Hyeok Mulin before speaking.
"You..."
You?
What are you trying to say?
As anticipation peaked,
"......Who exactly are you?"