Chapter 280
Chapter 280
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 280
Chapter Title: An Unprecedented Clash of Legends
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"What...?"
Baek Hyeon-gyeong doubted his own ears for a moment.
He had been asked to do something he had never even considered, not in the slightest.
It wasn't a request involving Mount Hua Sect.
Just to have a spar with the Sword Sovereign.
At that bizarre request, Baek Hyeon-gyeong was momentarily at a loss for words.
He was about to ask Hyeok Mulin if he had heard correctly, wondering if he might have misheard.
"What did you just...?"
But at that moment.
"What?!"
Cheon Su-myeong's voice exploded first from the seat beside him.
He stared at Hyeok Mulin with a look of utter disbelief at this unagreed-upon talk.
This must be why he hadn't mentioned the purpose of visiting Mount Hua beforehand, saying we'd understand once we came up.
To think he intended to have him spar with the Sword Sage.
His eyes widened at the unimaginable purpose, and as he cried out, Hyeok Mulin calmly curved his lips into a smile.
"No need to be so surprised, is there? It's just a simple spar. I'm merely asking your opinion on it."
A simple spar, he says.
Hyeok Mulin was probably the only person in the world who would describe a battle between Nine Great Masters so casually.
They weren't even from the same faction; their relationship was one where thrusting a blade at each other's heart wouldn't be out of place.
Yet here he was, suggesting a spar to the leaders of those two groups with such a nonchalant expression.
Cheon Su-myeong couldn't fathom what Hyeok Mulin was thinking or discern his intentions.
Even so.
"You didn't even give me a heads-up beforehand. What if I refused?"
"I was certain that wouldn't happen."
"Certain?"
"Yes. After all, you're in no position to refuse a spar. Didn't you lose that recent bet to me and owe me a debt?"
At those words, Cheon Su-myeong's pupils dilated sharply.
"You don't mean...?"
"Exactly. I'm calling in the result of that bet now. You'll have to spar with the Sword Sage."
Cheon Su-myeong felt as if he'd been struck on the back of the head with a hammer, a tingling numbness spreading through his skull.
Could he have meticulously planned from that moment for things to unfold this way?
The reason he brought up the bet first and provoked him.
All his lingering questions finally clicked into place, and Cheon Su-myeong nearly let out a hollow laugh.
Then, at that moment.
"And this decision is also for your benefit."
"...For my benefit?"
"Yes."
Hyeok Mulin nodded and continued without pause.
"The Nine Great Masters always end up facing weaker opponents. No matter how renowned a master, the divine might of the Nine Great Masters turns them into the inferior one. Naturally, there's no need to hold back or reveal your full power."
The Nine Great Masters were each warriors who had transcended their own realms.
But against someone of equal stature, there was no longer any need to withhold full strength.
"This will be your chance to directly confirm the level you're standing at."
"It sounds plausible enough."
Cheon Su-myeong swallowed a grunt at Hyeok Mulin's words.
He was right.
He couldn't even remember the last time he'd fought with all his might.
Recently had been the same.
Even after gaining enlightenment from secluded training, it was hard to test that power directly against another warrior.
But even so.
"What if I renege on the bet and refuse this sudden proposal? What then?"
A bet was just a conversation between him and Hyeok Mulin.
Since they hadn't set the stakes beforehand, it wasn't some unbreakable obligation.
As Cheon Su-myeong posed the sharp question, Hyeok Mulin promptly replied.
"You won't refuse this proposal."
"What do you mean by that?"
Does that mean he'd force it even if refused?
'Then he's misjudged me.'
Cheon Su-myeong followed Hyeok Mulin out of personal interest, not to act like a loyal puppet fulfilling his desires.
As one eyebrow lowered, Hyeok Mulin delivered the follow-up.
It was just a single phrase.
But it pierced straight through the scattered fragments of Cheon Su-myeong's true heart.
"You wouldn't let this opportunity slip away."
"...!"
At those words, Cheon Su-myeong's pupils widened instantly.
Before he knew it, Hyeok Mulin's proposal had transformed into his own opportunity.
"An opportunity..."
He was right.
A man in the world who could match him with the sword, one of the rare few.
How could a warrior's blood not boil at the sight of such an existence right before him?
He had crossed swords with him a few times in their youth.
They were sword experts so renowned in the Orthodox Faction and Central Plains that second place would feel unjust; for better or worse, they hadn't been completely unconnected.
However, as their realms advanced and they each ascended to the seats of the Nine Great Masters, they no longer easily crossed blades.
Before long, they had become figures bearing the weight of the Demonic Cult and Orthodox Faction, respectively, and the aftermath of any battle's outcome would be immense.
Thus, they thought the only time they'd truly clash swords again would be during the Great Demonic War.
Yet here was the chance to exchange blows.
"Heh heh heh heh."
A chuckle escaped Cheon Su-myeong's lips as he honestly admitted to Hyeok Mulin's words.
"You're right. This is an opportunity I can't refuse."
Hyeok Mulin hadn't pushed him into the spar.
Thanks to Hyeok Mulin, he had gained the chance to spar with the Sword Sage.
With his mindset shifted, Cheon Su-myeong wore a satisfied smile.
He nodded, finalizing his decision with firm acceptance.
"Very well. I'll accept the spar."
As Cheon Su-myeong readily agreed, Hyeok Mulin nodded with an 'I knew it' expression.
Then, at that moment.
"Hold on."
Baek Hyeon-gyeong's voice poured cold water on the atmosphere.
"It seems you're both mistaken. I never accepted the spar. And I won't in the future either."
Hyeok Mulin's gaze turned to Baek Hyeon-gyeong.
His response was somewhat expected.
From his perspective, refusal was natural.
Though Baek Hyeon-gyeong was also one of the Nine Great Masters like Cheon Su-myeong, the weight of responsibility he bore was different.
Cheon Su-myeong had already retired to the position of Supreme Clan Patriarch, bearing no responsibility for his clan.
Of course, if he stepped forward like in the recent incident, that would change, but his default stance was thus.
One could see it now.
He had come all the way to the Central Plains with Hyeok Mulin without any burdens, showing he had largely shed the responsibilities on his shoulders.
But Baek Hyeon-gyeong was different.
He too was gradually distributing the weight on his back through recent events and encounters with Hyeok Mulin, but he still held the position of Mount Hua Sect's Sect Leader.
His actions were Mount Hua's actions, his decisions were Mount Hua's decisions.
His victory was Mount Hua's victory, his defeat Mount Hua's defeat.
Thus, Baek Hyeon-gyeong couldn't accept the spar lightly.
So he clearly expressed his refusal to Hyeok Mulin, but.
"I see."
Hyeok Mulin responded as if he'd expected it, calmly sipping his tea.
Then he slowly parted his lips again.
"However, this isn't an empty request."
Hyeok Mulin took something from his bosom.
He placed it upside down on the table and pushed it forward.
Seeing it before him, Baek Hyeon-gyeong's eyes trembled faintly.
"This is..."
"The Plum Blossom Token you gave me before."
"You can't mean...!"
"Yes. I'll use it now."
At Hyeok Mulin's words, Baek Hyeon-gyeong's face paled in dismay.
The Plum Blossom Token he had personally given to Hyeok Mulin earlier.
It was given because he was Mount Hua's benefactor, but also as a means to track its use later and confirm his identity.
To think it would be used in this way.
In Mount Hua Sect's history, the number of times the Plum Blossom Token had been issued could be counted on one hand, yet they all shared one certain commonality.
That was.
'No request was ever refused; all were fulfilled.'
As it was a token of gratitude given only to precious benefactors, no request was denied.
Thus, Baek Hyeon-gyeong could say nothing, merely staring at the Plum Blossom Token with a stiff expression.
Then, at that moment.
"Sword Sage. No need to agonize. I'll leave the spar's outcome unmentioned. And if you refuse, I'll withdraw without hesitation."
"Is that true?"
Even after presenting the token, he'd accept a refusal?
Baek Hyeon-gyeong looked at him with pleasant surprise.
"Yes. However."
Meeting Baek Hyeon-gyeong's eyes, Hyeok Mulin conveyed his sincerity in a subdued voice.
"This is also an opportunity that won't come again for you. Think it over once more before deciding."
...An opportunity that won't come twice.
At Hyeok Mulin's calm voice, Baek Hyeon-gyeong slowly closed his eyes.
Baek Hyeon-gyeong was also a warrior who had dedicated his life to the sword.
And the one designated as his sparring partner was none other than the Sword Sovereign.
Sword Sovereign and Sword Sage.
Baek Hyeon-gyeong and Cheon Su-myeong.
Two sword experts who had walked similar yet entirely different paths.
It was astounding enough that these two names, never absent from discussions of sword prodigies, were gathered in one place.
And the Heavenly Demon himself had set the stage for their spar.
Honestly, upon first hearing the request, his only thought had been to refuse.
But listening to the conversation between Cheon Su-myeong and Hyeok Mulin, the more he thought...
'Will such a chance come again?'
Would there ever be another opportunity to spar at full strength without worry of death or the results leaking out?
Of course, the opponent was the Sword Sovereign, and the observer was the Heavenly Demon.
The two leaders of the Demonic Cult were together, while Baek Hyeon-gyeong was alone.
Even if the Heavenly Demon intervened during the spar to take his life, it wouldn't be strange.
'...But him.'
For some reason, he felt certain that the Hyeok Mulin he had seen with his own eyes up to now would never do such a thing.
Thus, pushing aside such worries, he could think purely about the spar.
And the words 'an opportunity that won't come again' kept echoing in his ears.
As Baek Hyeon-gyeong fell deep into thought, Hyeok Mulin casually tossed one final remark his way.
"Sword Sage."
"...?"
Baek Hyeon-gyeong slowly opened his eyes and looked at Hyeok Mulin.
He then spoke.
"It's fine to make a decision and act for yourself once in a while."
Baek Hyeon-gyeong had lived his entire life for Mount Hua Sect.
So wouldn't it be okay to choose for himself just this once?
At Hyeok Mulin's advice, Baek Hyeon-gyeong swallowed hard.
'Now I understand why the Murim Alliance warns against him.'
At the meeting hosted by the Murim Alliance, when cautioned to beware of the Heavenly Demon Hyeok Mulin, Baek Hyeon-gyeong had tilted his head, unable to feel he was truly that threatening.
But after realizing his identity and conversing again, he now vaguely understood why the Alliance feared him.
With just a few words of conversation, he had ignited a spark in the heart that had only gazed toward Mount Hua.
Finally, he slowly parted his lips.
"I've decided."
And the conclusion he reached after much deliberation was.
"I'll accept the spar with the Demon Sword Sovereign."
It was an unprecedented clash of the Nine Great Masters, arranged under the Heavenly Demon's auspices.