Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Reflections of a Prodigy
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Looking back, it had been that way since childhood. Yun Hyu couldn't understand others.
Why did they move so slowly?
Why couldn't they comprehend the contents of the manual?
What was the reason they couldn't imitate such simple movements?
Out of a child's pure goodwill, he had offered advice at times. The instances when he received thanks could be counted on one hand. Most openly envied and antagonized him, or broke in spirit and put down their swords altogether.
Naturally isolated from his peers, Yun Hyu one day asked his father.
"Father. Why am I different from others?"
"It's because they can't keep up with your speed."
"They can't keep up with my speed?"
"Hyu, that's what they call talent. Don't waste your thoughts on those who envy you anymore. They'll spend their lives crawling on the ground, looking up to you."
Talent. An overwhelming innate aptitude that others would admire. Yun Hyu possessed exactly that kind of martial talent. It was overwhelming among his peers.
His father, a Hundred Households commander leading a hundred soldiers, saw hope in his son.
He imposed even harsher training while pulling every connection to befriend high officials in the court. It was all to help his son secure a position in the Imperial Guard.
Thus, before Yun Hyu had even reached adulthood, he became a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the shadow that served the imperial family of the Great Ming.
There too, Yun Hyu's aptitude was widely recognized. Naturally, he began to become intoxicated with his superiority. He felt an omnipotence like standing alone atop a great mountain, looking down below.
But now, Yun Hyu was feeling a strange sensation. He was reevaluating himself. He even suspected that the place he had been standing on wasn't a great mountain, but the bottom of a well.
"Damn it."
He spat out a short curse and swallowed his despairing feelings. He corrected his stance and regulated his disrupted energy. Yun Hyu tried to erase the scene he had just witnessed from his mind. As the shock subsided, his previous fighting spirit reignited.
'I am the Emperor's sword.'
Among the 547 garrisons protecting the Great Ming, it was one of the elite martial forces. As one of its key experts, he had boasted he would serve as a touchstone—he couldn't show a shameful display.
'Perhaps you may be superior in comprehending martial arts. But the outcome of battle isn't decided by such petty tricks.'
He had been caught off guard by the unexpected strike, but now it was different. In fact, it might have been a good thing. He had imprinted one of the enemy's techniques into his eyes.
Rationalizing it that way, Yun Hyu hadn't completely lost his cool-headedness. In his mind, he continued to simulate the flow of the battle.
'Mere imitations can't produce true depth. I'll drag it into a battle of techniques and toy with you thoroughly.'
Just as he was steeling his resolve, Yuk Jin-yang spoke up.
"Is that all?"
"...Pardon?"
"The martial arts you've cultivated. Since we're at it, I'd like you to show everything you've got. As expected of the Embroidered Uniform Guard—there are quite a few tempting ones. Might as well commit them to memory while I have the chance."
The enraged Yun Hyu swung his sword instead of replying.
The two short swords whipped up forms in different trajectories.
It was the first stance of the Tiger Wind Forest Art: Twin Wing Flanking Strike. The sword in his left hand, gripped in reverse, targeted the head, while the right hand's sword unleashed a slashing strike toward the flank.
Claaang!
Yuk Jin-yang raised his right arm to block the opponent's left. Their forearms clashed at an angle. The flank strike was firmly caught by the left arm.
The opponent's sword momentum shifted fluidly like flowing water.
He twisted the sword in his left hand into a reverse grip, then brought it down toward the crown of the head. It was a linkage that unfolded in an instant. Yuk Jin-yang released the opponent's arm and spun his body once, unleashing a palm strike.
Thud!
Yun Hyu's form was pushed back a long distance. It carved a deep furrow into the dirt ground. In truth, the palm strike had been blocked by the sword's flat side. It had pushed him back, but couldn't be considered a proper hit.
Yuk Jin-yang paid it no mind and stepped into Moon Stream Subtle Steps.
With smooth, flowing footwork, he closed the distance. Without giving time to widen the gap again, he unleashed the second stance of Ten Thousand Rivers Single Source Art: Chaotic Water Split.
Closing to within breathing distance, a flurry of consecutive strikes bloomed like flowers in full display. The opponent countered without yielding, deploying swift swordplay with his twin short swords.
In that fleeting moment, an intense exchange of techniques unfolded. The true energy waves they generated churned into a fierce whirlwind.
Their clash was unlike that of later-generation experts. They didn't rely on powerful ultimate techniques but thoroughly probed each other's openings and weaknesses.
Any other martial artist watching would have exclaimed in admiration at the offense and defense.
As if by prior agreement, the two pulled back. The result of the exchange was a draw. Both had sustained minor scratches, but neither had landed a decisive blow.
Yun Hyu's complexion darkened. He seemed to have intuited something.
In contrast, Yuk Jin-yang had leisure. The more they exchanged, the more familiar the opponent's skills became. Since they were deploying similar martial arts, he had gained much.
"Indeed, the true essence of the Tiger Wind Forest Art isn't merely in the variations."
Variations and feints were mere results. The core lay in the precise distribution of power through the movements of both arms. Before long, Yuk Jin-yang had gone beyond mere imitation of the forms and was grasping the true principles.
"I could incorporate it elsewhere."
"..."
"Come at me again. I'll show you something interesting."
"Overconfidence can be poisonous."
Snaping back, Yun Hyu charged once more. Yuk Jin-yang's response differed from before. Instead of Tiger Wind Forest Art, he used Ten Thousand Rivers Single Source Art. Both arms simultaneously deployed the two stances: Backstroke Dance and Chaotic Water Split.
It was incorporating the Tiger Wind Forest Art's method into Ten Thousand Rivers Single Source Art. While the Chaotic Water Split's barrage severed the enemy's trajectories bit by bit, Backstroke Dance unleashed a ferocious energy wave.
Yun Hyu felt dismay and gave up on direct confrontation. He finally acknowledged that the opponent's realm was higher than his own. And like before, he deployed the life-saving ultimate technique's movement skill. It was to create some variable somehow.
Using the Embroidered Uniform Guard's movement art supreme skill, Golden Leaf, he lifted his body into the air. It was a motion to seize the rear from mid-air.
Golden Leaf's utility didn't end there. Yun Hyu freely maneuvered his body even in the air, deploying ultimate techniques. The diagonal slashes from his twin swords targeted the nape, extending like a swift wind.
Shiiiing!
The triumphant ultimate technique rent the air repeatedly. The futile exhaustion of the supreme opportunity brought bewilderment. Belatedly, Yun Hyu's eyes pursued the enemy.
Yuk Jin-yang's feet weren't on the ground. He had already lifted into the air, spinning his body to naturally take his rear. Curiously, it resembled the movement skill he had just used.
"What in the...?"
"This must be how it's done."
Before he knew it, the voice came from behind. Goosebumps raced across his skin. It felt like his hair was standing on end.
'First the Tiger Wind Forest Art, now even the Embroidered Uniform Guard's movement supreme skill is stolen? Can he imitate supreme arts after seeing them just a few times? What nonsense is this...!'
Yuk Jin-yang's whisper reached him.
"You wanted to see the Yuk Clan's sword."
With the words, the metallic ring of a blade slipping from its sheath rang in his ears, disorienting him. The sharp kicking strike crossed the space diagonally.
"Gahk...!"
Yun Hyu let out a deathly scream as his flank was deeply slashed. He barely twisted his body—if he hadn't, the strike would have severed his spine.
Even the armor beneath his uniform was torn. In the moment of impact, he was certain.
Fortunately, the slash hadn't reached his organs. The momentum had weakened upon piercing the armor.
Yun Hyu gritted his teeth.
"Did you think a mere kicking sword technique could kill me?!"
He drew his dantian's true energy to its limit. His muscles swelled, imbued with explosive power. The twin swords in his hands whipped up a storm-like barrage.
It was a frenzy where reading trajectories was meaningless.
But Yun Hyu's heart, launching the assault, was gradually breaking.
'Such a gap in talent... No, a gap in realm?'
Yuk Jin-yang was blocking or deflecting all his sword strikes. Even his desperate lunges yielded no results.
As despair began to set in.
Suddenly, Yuk Jin-yang twisted the wrist gripping his sword. With delicate energy control, he maximized the repulsive force.
The twin swords that struck Silver Dew's blade flew away helplessly. The recoil was so intense he lost hold of his life-bound weapons.
The subsequent sword strike was about to sever the enemy's neck.
Clang!
A sword suddenly flew in, deflecting Yuk Jin-yang's strike. It was Yun Kang's intervention. He quickly caught Yun Hyu's collapsing body and retreated.
Yun Kang's expression was equally filled with shock.
"Truly astonishing. I never expected Hyu to be defeated so thoroughly."
Yuk Jin-yang quickly checked on his uncle. Yuk Ryul was glaring at the opponent with a twisted expression. Fortunately, no deep wounds were visible. He had merely let the enemy slip away.
Yuk Jin-yang raised one eyebrow.
"Uncle?"
"Sorry."
Yuk Ryul scratched his head sheepishly and explained.
"I didn't expect the opponent to pull out a life-saving ultimate technique to shake me off. I endured the disadvantage of technique exchange to play my trump card for my nephew's sake. Of course, I probably would have done the same."
"..."
"Don't look at me like that. Just say it outright."
On the Embroidered Uniform Guard's side, the opposite situation was unfolding. Yun Hyu, standing firmly on his own feet, hung his head low. He seemed to be barely holding back tears.
"I'm sorry, Uncle. I was lacking and couldn't draw out the enemy's full skill."
"No. Tend to your internal injuries first."
Comforting his nephew, Yun Kang sighed and adjusted his stance.
"We misjudged the young hero. I thought he was at the pinnacle among the alliance's badge warriors, but at this level, he might even reach division leader."
Yuk Ryul interjected.
"Will you surrender?"
"We can't do that. But let's end the fight here."
It was a leisurely tone. It felt out of place for someone who had just fought intensely. Yuk Ryul let out a hollow laugh.
"Heh, that's an odd way to put it. Anyone hearing might think you have the authority to end the fight."
"Of course, the victory is yours. After experiencing the Yuk Clan's sword that I'd only heard of, I've naturally learned humility. If the fight continues like this, we'll surely be captured."
Shaking his head, Yun Kang quickly added.
"But don't you also need to preserve your full strength? You have to go rescue Yeon Seong-gong. It won't be easy. The Hwangbo Clan has especially laid elaborate traps."
Yuk Jin-yang's expression hardened. He already knew their objective. He must have pierced even the recent military situation in Shandong.
Glancing at him, Yun Kang proposed soothingly.
"Though you hold the advantage, if we resolve to hold out, it would be hard for you to bear the consumption."
"Nonsense. Hunting a wounded wolf is easy enough."
"I'll give you cause for a truce. Take it."
Yun Kang sighed and tossed a silk pouch from his waist. It was quite large, filling one hand.
"It's the information on the White Lotus Sect we've gathered so far. It includes the current state not just in Shandong, but everywhere."
Yuk Ryul quickly opened the pouch and checked the contents. It was filled with all sorts of letters.
"Fine. We'll let you go. But we'll continue to detain that woman."
"There's another pouch."
Yuk Ryul clicked his tongue.