Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: 3rd Part. The Disciple Looks to the Master, and the Master Consoles the Disciple (2)
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Dam-ho lay sprawled on the ground, motionless for a long while.
Everyone thought he wouldn't be able to get up.
Some even watched with expressions suggesting Su-gyeong had gone too far.
Su-gyeong didn't look comfortable either.
He hadn't subdued him with pure Five Elements Shadow Fist, but had unfolded Plum Blossom Guard to exploit Dam-ho's weakness.
Su-gyeong let out a low sigh.
"Now it should be enough. No more...."
At that moment, Dam-ho, who had been lying utterly still, barely managed to raise his body.
Blood trickled from his nose and mouth.
Yet the fighting spirit in Dam-ho's eyes as he gazed at Su-gyeong remained unbroken.
Su-gyeong said,
"Junior brother, perhaps it's time to stop...."
"Continue."
In that instant, Immortal Hyun-geom's voice rang out.
Su-gyeong looked at Immortal Hyun-geom.
"But...."
"Cheon-gyeong's fighting spirit hasn't broken yet. Do you intend to end it on your own when your opponent hasn't surrendered? I have no desire to pass down martial arts to someone so lax."
Su-gyeong gritted his teeth.
Immortal Hyun-geom's intent was clear.
To break Dam-ho's will, to erase his obsession with martial arts.
He believed that was the best for Dam-ho.
*Don't blame me, junior brother.*
Su-gyeong picked up a wooden sword nearby and charged at Dam-ho.
Su-gyeong's footwork, disordered like scattering plum blossoms, dazzled Dam-ho's eyes.
Dam-ho first stepped back.
It was his way of creating distance to gauge the opponent's intent.
Shiiik!
Su-gyeong's foot grazed the tip of his nose.
Sweeping Leaves Leg Technique.
Like sweeping away fallen leaves on the ground, Su-gyeong's kick sliced through the air.
The foot that seemed to pass by Dam-ho twisted at an eerie angle and plunged straight down toward the crown of his head.
Puk!
Dam-ho crossed both arms to block Su-gyeong's Sweeping Leaves Leg Technique.
A fierce shock spread from both forearms throughout his body.
His face twisted involuntarily from the excruciating pain.
Su-gyeong aptly mixed Sweeping Leaves Leg Technique with Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword strikes in his assault.
Under the sharp sword strikes and flashy kicks, Dam-ho seemed unable to respond properly and retreated helplessly.
"Th-that...?"
The first-generation disciples watching showed pity on their faces.
Though many didn't particularly like Dam-ho, they couldn't help feeling sympathy at the sight of him being so one-sidedly overwhelmed.
Un-gyeong said to Mu-gyeong,
"That's reality. No matter how strong one's will, it can't overcome fundamental differences. The path of a warrior doesn't suit Cheon-gyeong."
"Still...."
"Senior brother is the one who will lead Mount Hua in the future."
With that, Un-gyeong shut his mouth tight.
But his intent had clearly been conveyed to Mu-gyeong.
"Tsk!"
Mu-gyeong clicked his tongue in frustration.
In the meantime, Su-gyeong pressed Dam-ho even more fiercely.
Unable to find anywhere else to retreat under the linked sword and leg attacks, Dam-ho curled up his body.
"It's over."
Su-gyeong's sword shot toward Dam-ho.
It was the stance of Plum Blossoms in Full Bloom.
A flashy technique that created the illusion of countless Mount Hua plum blossoms blooming all at once.
Dam-ho, exposed to the plum blossoms, had nowhere to dodge.
Su-gyeong was certain of his victory.
*Now.*
That was when it happened. Dam-ho's eyes gleamed.
In his excitement, Su-gyeong's movements had grown larger. A flaw had emerged.
Pat!
Dam-ho kicked off the ground with his right foot.
A single step forward, and a single punch.
Puk!
Dam-ho's fist pierced through Plum Blossoms in Full Bloom and squarely struck Su-gyeong's chest. Fortunately, his internal energy protected him, so the damage wasn't severe.
For the first time, bewilderment appeared on Su-gyeong's face. Had Dam-ho's fist carried normal internal energy, this single blow would have shattered his chest to pieces. It was a strike that exploited the opening perfectly, a fierce counterattack.
Su-gyeong felt a chill run down his spine.
He had dismissed the limping foe as laughable, but there was an unexpected move. And that move was powerful enough to send shivers up Su-gyeong's spine.
*If that guy's fist had internal energy behind it, this one strike would have killed me.*
Su-gyeong unwittingly glanced at Immortal Hyun-geom. He wore a displeased expression, but showed no intent to end the spar.
*Then...?*
There was still a chance.
Su-gyeong swept at Dam-ho's waist with Sweeping Leaves.
Puk!
Dam-ho's face contorted. An immense shock had hit as if to snap his waist.
Dark red blood flowed from Dam-ho's mouth. Proof of not just external wounds, but deep internal injuries.
Immortal Hyun-geom's voice rang in the staggering Dam-ho's ears.
"You undoubtedly possess remarkable talent. That move just now is proof. However, without a body and internal energy to back it up, even such talent is useless. This is reality. Accept it and give up."
"I... can't do that."
Dam-ho shook his head.
His lips were bitten so hard they had burst, blood flowing down.
His whole body ached. It felt like being repeatedly hammered with an iron mallet. Especially his left knee hurt. He desperately wanted to just lie down. That might bring relief.
But Dam-ho endured, standing firm.
As Immortal Hyun-geom said, accepting reality wasn't hard. But doing so would mean denying his own identity.
The resolve to become a strong warrior, all his efforts so far, would come to nothing.
At the unchanging stubborn light in Dam-ho's eyes, Immortal Hyun-geom's gaze grew even colder.
"What are you doing? Su-gyeong. The match isn't over yet. How long do you plan to stand there dumbfounded?"
Su-gyeong flinched at Immortal Hyun-geom's icy voice.
*Damn it!*
Su-gyeong gritted his teeth and attacked Dam-ho. With one Sweeping Leaves strike, Dam-ho had already lost the ability to defend himself.
To continue using martial arts against such a person? It was no different from ordering merciless violence against someone unable to protect himself.
Puk-puk-puk!
Su-gyeong's Sweeping Leaves relentlessly battered Dam-ho's entire body. Each time, Dam-ho's body shook pitifully like a leather sack.
The sound of breaking bones rang out, his whole body covered in dark red bruises, yet Dam-ho stood enduring to the end.
It got to the point where even Su-gyeong yelled out,
"Please give up, Cheon-gyeong."
Even the one striking couldn't feel at ease.
What he wanted was a fair spar, not this merciless violence. But Immortal Hyun-geom's cold gaze wouldn't let him stop.
"Cheon-gyeong."
"Urgh!"
The sight was so brutal that many first-generation disciples turned their heads away. Even Un-gyeong, who had opposed Dam-ho learning martial arts, was among them.
"Just fall already."
It had come to the point where even Un-gyeong said that.
Dam-ho's state was that wretched.
The blood vessels in his eyes had burst, making the world look entirely red. In the blurring world, he no longer felt pain. The pain had numbed his nerves entirely.
"Cough!"
Dam-ho vomited blood. The black blood staining his chest showed his internal injuries were far from ordinary.
Dam-ho knew he could endure no longer. His will remained firm, but his body had reached its limit.
Dam-ho looked at Immortal Hyun-geom one last time. Immortal Hyun-geom flinched for a moment.
Because of the eyes Dam-ho fixed on him.
The desperation, the vicious killing intent, and the unyielding malice in those eyes stirred Immortal Hyun-geom's nerves.
That wretched appearance didn't suit the pure Taoist sect of Mount Hua. Immortal Hyun-geom bit his lip hard.
A instinctive revulsion welled up from deep in his chest. His heart was rejecting the existence of Dam-ho.
He knew this was the moment to stop.
If it went further, Dam-ho wouldn't just be barred from the warrior's path—he wouldn't even be able to live a normal life.
*But...*
The revulsion in his chest sealed his lips. In the meantime, Dam-ho took a few more Sweeping Leaves from Su-gyeong.
Dam-ho barely moved his lips.
"I... will never give up...."
Puk!
At that instant, Su-gyeong's final strike landed on his temple.
The thread holding Dam-ho's consciousness snapped. Like a puppet with cut strings, Dam-ho twitched and collapsed with a thud.
"Cheon-gyeong!"
Only then did Mu-gyeong and Han So-yu rush to Dam-ho.
Su-gyeong closed his eyes and raised his head. An unidentified liquid—sweat or tears—trickled down his forehead.
At that moment, Immortal Hyun-geom's voice echoed through the hall.
"What are you doing? The losers don't leave the Martial Hall."
At that frosty command, the defeated disciples hoisted Dam-ho on their backs and exited the Martial Hall.
Without looking back, Immortal Hyun-geom said,
"Continue the spars."
"Sage uncle!"
Several first-generation disciples burst into Immortal Hyun-so's residence. On the back of one was Dam-ho, battered beyond recognition.
Immortal Hyun-so leaped down from the platform in shock.
"Ho-ya! What happened?"
"We were sparring and it got out of hand...."
"Sparring? What kind of sparring leaves someone like this? This looks like the aftermath of a life-or-death duel! What on earth.... No. Lay him down quickly."
The first-generation disciples hastily laid Dam-ho on the platform.
Dam-ho's condition was poor. No, catastrophic.
His breathing was ragged, blood continuously flowing from his nose and mouth. It was miraculous he was even alive in this state.
"Ho... ya! Can you hear my voice?"
Immortal Hyun-so's voice trembled wildly. Before his sole disciple's well-being, the old master's composure shattered mercilessly.
Dam-ho didn't respond. No, he couldn't. He was wandering on the edge of death now.
"Who the hell did this to you?"
"Sage uncle, please calm down."
"Calm? Yes, I must calm."
With trembling hands, Immortal Hyun-so rummaged in his bosom. He pulled out a small wooden box.
Opening it revealed a pitch-black pill. Immortal Hyun-so hastily dissolved it in water and trickled it bit by bit into Dam-ho's mouth.
"Ho-ya! You must live. Ho-ya! Where do you think you're going, leaving your master behind?"
After administering the entire pill, Immortal Hyun-so hurriedly massaged Dam-ho's entire body.
"Ho-ya, Dam-ho! You rascal...."
Immortal Hyun-so's wail echoed into the night sky.