Chapter 171
Chapter 171
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: The Frog in the Well
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They say that when a person faces death, their life flashes before their eyes.
But what Hyeok So-jin saw was not his past life, but an image of himself cheerfully crossing the Sanzu River on a red cloud.
‘…I’m going to die!’
Snapping to his senses, Hyeok So-jin threw himself to the left with all his might.
*CRASH!*
The force of the Cheon-su-gong-pa’s fist grazed his rolling body and smashed into the training ground wall.
*Ruuuumble.*
The pavilion standing before it began to collapse entirely.
—A fist technique like this…
Not only Pung Yeo-rang, who was watching from behind, but even Hyeok Gong-baek was left gaping.
The single punch Bu Eun-seol had unleashed surpassed the power a human could possibly generate; it was like dozens of cannons firing at once.
*Whoosh.*
A gust of wind swept away the thick dust that filled the training ground.
“You moved.”
Bu Eun-seol muttered nonchalantly, withdrawing his fist.
Hyeok So-jin, who should have been standing tall in the center of the training ground, had moved five *jang* to the left.
‘This madman, he really used a full-power attack…’
Just as Hyeok So-jin was about to shout,
*Fssss…*
his words caught in his throat as he looked down at the fabric around his shoulder, which was disintegrating into dust.
The area of effect of Bu Eun-seol's Cheon-su-gong-pa fist was so wide that even after moving five *jang*, he hadn't managed to evade it completely.
‘Is he not afraid of death?’
Hyeok So-jin glared at Bu Eun-seol.
If he gave the order, the masters of Jeol-cheon-myeol-ji would immediately swarm out and tear Bu Eun-seol to pieces.
“…”
But Bu Eun-seol stood tall with a calm expression, as if nothing had happened.
‘He's serious.’
A bead of sweat trickled down Hyeok So-jin's brow as he swallowed hard.
‘To counter a fist technique of this magnitude, my Shin-yeol-ma-gi would need to be at the seventh star.’
“I see now why you were so confident about the bet.”
Clearing his throat, Hyeok So-jin feigned indifference.
“Indeed… with a single-move technique like that, no one could take it head-on.”
He shook his head and continued.
“No, if you can use such a technique at will, there might not even be a need to fight…”
But then, unexpected words came from Bu Eun-seol's mouth.
“No need to worry. I won't be using this technique again.”
“What do you mean?”
“A true attack is something one should be able to unleash at will, regardless of stance or situation. But I haven't yet mastered this technique to that extent.”
Brushing off his hands, Bu Eun-seol spoke with a relaxed expression.
“Not that a frog in a well would understand what I'm saying.”
Hyeok So-jin's body flinched.
He had an inkling of what Bu Eun-seol was trying to say.
A frog in a well.
Hyeok So-jin, who idled his days away, looking upon the world with cold indifference.
While Bu Eun-seol was advancing, he would not make a single step of progress.
“Whatever my martial arts are like, what business is it of yours?”
Enraged, Hyeok So-jin's eyes flashed as he spoke.
“Just because you've diligently trained your martial arts, you think you have the right to lecture me…”
“I'm not lecturing you.”
A heat hot enough to melt steel radiated from Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
“Prepare yourself.”
“For what?”
“You lost the bet. Time to fulfill your promise.”
*Shing.*
As the Muk-geom was drawn, the air in the training ground seemed to freeze over.
“Not some playful bet, but a real fight.”
At that moment, Hyeok So-jin's pupils trembled violently.
He realized that Bu Eun-seol was truly about to swing his sword at him.
‘This guy… he's serious.’
Hyeok So-jin could feel it instinctively.
Bu Eun-seol would fight for real, and if that happened, he would by no means escape unscathed.
*Vwooom!*
A low hum echoed as an inky sword aura flared six *chi* high from the Muk-geom.
‘He materialized his true energy across the entire blade?’
His perpetually languid eyes flew wide open, as if they would tear.
‘Does his internal energy exceed two cycles?’
Hyeok So-jin's own internal energy was at the level of about a hundred years.
And that was only because he had consumed elixirs instead of meals since childhood, coupled with the ability of the Shin-yeol-ma-gi to circulate energy around the clock.
‘I was so proud that my internal energy was second to none among the heirs of the Ten Demonic Sects.’
Hyeok So-jin gritted his teeth.
‘My three-star Shin-yeol-ma-gi can't possibly block his attack.’
Then, Bu Eun-seol looked down at Hyeok So-jin with a cold gaze.
“From now on, I will launch a full-power attack with all my might. Don't resent me for not warning you beforehand.”
“Are you serious? You're going to cut me down? Here, at our headquarters?”
“I've already spoken with Elder Hwan-ma.”
*Thrust.*
Aiming the Muk-geom at Hyeok So-jin's forehead, Bu Eun-seol spoke in a chilling voice.
“Even if I cut you down countless times, the Elder will not intervene.”
“Nonsense. I'll ask Grandfather myself.”
As Hyeok So-jin scoffed and tried to move,
*Flash!*
a flash of light drew a thin line of blood on his cheek.
“I told you to prepare yourself.”
*Drip. Drip.*
Hyeok So-jin's eyes widened as he watched the red drops of blood fall to the ground.
His life had been a tedious repetition.
He had thought he wouldn't mind dying at any moment.
But now, faced with death, his mind went blank.
‘I'm going to die from his sword strike?’
It wasn't fear. It was indignation.
If only he had properly mastered Jeol-cheon-myeol-ji's ultimate technique, the Shin-yeol-ma-gi, he could have deflected such an attack in an instant…
No, if only he had diligently learned any of the hundreds of demonic arts he knew, he wouldn't be this helpless.
The life of a lazy genius.
In reality, it was closer to the life of a foolish idiot than that of a genius.
“Wait!”
He couldn't just die like this.
Hyeok So-jin held up a hand and spoke urgently.
“I haven't properly trained in martial arts until now.”
“So?”
“This is unfair.”
“Hilarious.”
Bu Eun-seol smiled coldly.
“Do you think you could have faced me if you had trained diligently from now on?”
Then he continued in a low voice.
“While you were here wasting your days, I was enduring bone-grinding training with little sleep, and I went out into the martial world to fight battles that straddled the line between life and death.”
“It's just that I…”
“Because life was boring?”
A contemptuous smile played on Bu Eun-seol's lips.
“Those who truly have no attachment to life don't make bets. They simply live day by day, swallowing their anguish.”
Bu Eun-seol had witnessed the lives and deaths of countless people.
Seeing Hyeok So-jin make a bet, he had seen through him—that he wasn't truly weary of life.
“You look indignant. Fine.”
Bu Eun-seol lowered the Muk-geom he had been aiming and said coldly.
“Two years, three years? Name the day. If you want to postpone the fight, I will. However…”
Pausing for a moment, Bu Eun-seol stared intently at Hyeok So-jin.
“During that time, I will be journeying through the martial world and improving even further.”
Then, with an utterly solemn expression, he said.
“No matter what you do, you will never be able to defeat me in your entire life.”
Hyeok So-jin's eyes widened in shock.
A giant.
The sight of Bu Eun-seol standing tall exuded an aura like that of Mount Tai, so immense he didn't dare look up.
‘Was I truly a frog in a well?’
Hyeok So-jin had always believed no prodigy surpassed him.
But now, before his eyes, stood a peerless martial prodigy he could never overcome.
“Don't be ridiculous!”
Hyeok So-jin mustered his courage and raised his internal energy once more.
*Krrrr…*
In that instant, a sharp energy surged from Bu Eun-seol's entire body, and the shape of a giant sword seemed to appear behind him.
It was a kind of aura that manifested naturally from having repeatedly fought bloody battles on the verge of death.
‘This man…’
*Thump, thump.*
A genuine warrior, one who carried his life on the edge of a blade and walked a path drenched in blood, stood before him.
He could never win.
Realizing this, Hyeok So-jin felt not fear, but a long-forgotten desire ignite within him.
“I've lost.”
Hyeok So-jin bowed his head.
There was no longer any room for pride. He cleanly admitted defeat and respectfully clasped his hands.
“For now.”
A sharp glint flashed through Hyeok So-jin's languid eyes.
“Later, I will come find you. Let's have a proper match then.”
‘So he intends to train properly.’
*Clack.*
Nodding, Bu Eun-seol sheathed the Muk-geom.
“Fine. I accept.”
At that, Hyeok So-jin straightened his posture and said.
“You'd best be prepared. If I train my martial arts properly, I will never lose.”
Then, as if remembering something, he clenched his fists and muttered in a low voice.
“Well, no matter how strong I get… I can only ever become the Lord of Jeol-cheon-myeol-ji, managing a bunch of old demons.”
Only after hearing those words did Bu Eun-seol understand the root cause of Hyeok So-jin's despair.
‘So the shackles that tormented him were his status as the heir to Jeol-cheon-myeol-ji.’
Whether he tried or not…
the only position Hyeok So-jin would ultimately reach was that of the Lord of Jeol-cheon-myeol-ji.
No matter how much of a martial prodigy he was, no matter how hard he trained, nothing would change.
“But now that I have a goal in you, I'll try again.”
The anguish and languor had vanished from Hyeok So-jin's eyes.
Spurred on by Bu Eun-seol, his heroic spirit was rekindled. From now on, he would train properly to defeat him.
‘This should be enough.’
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
Then he turned his head and spoke to Hyeok Gong-baek.
“It seems the second promise has also been fulfilled… What do you think?”
“Hmm.”
Hyeok Gong-baek hummed and walked slowly to the center of the training ground.
After a moment of contemplation, instead of answering, he voiced a question he had been holding back.
“By the way.”
“…?”
“Were you really going to cut So-jin down?”
*—Please make me one promise instead.*
Before coming here, Bu Eun-seol had made a request of Hyeok Gong-baek.
It was, ‘From the moment I step onto the training platform, please do not intervene, no matter what happens.’
At the time, Hyeok Gong-baek had nonchalantly agreed to the proposal.
He was confident in Hyeok So-jin's martial prowess, but he also thought, ‘Would he really do something to the heir of Jeol-cheon-myeol-ji?’
But a moment ago, when Bu Eun-seol had aimed the Muk-geom at Hyeok So-jin, he too had realized.
Bu Eun-seol had been serious.
“Yes.”
“Hahaha. Hahahahaha!”
In that moment, Hyeok Gong-baek burst into hearty laughter.
“You're not just bold, you're downright audacious! Guhahaha!”
The peerless grandmasters who held the martial world in their grasp all possessed an unapproachable madness.
A true madness that allowed them to shatter worldly principles and conventions, and to commit any act without hesitation.
After laughing heartily for a while, he nodded.
“Our headquarters will officially support you from now on. I will send a messenger to the Ma-jeon to relay this to the Ma-jeon-ju immediately.”
“Thank you.”
As Bu Eun-seol showed a relieved expression, Hyeok Gong-baek asked.
“Are you leaving right away?”
“Yes.”
Bu Eun-seol respectfully clasped his hands.
“Then, I will take my leave.”
“I wish you luck on your path.”
“Thank you. Farewell.”
Turning around, Bu Eun-seol vanished from Jeol-cheon-myeol-ji.
Hyeok So-jin watched Bu Eun-seol's departing figure with misty eyes.
A warrior's spirit.
The sight of Bu Eun-seol's back, possessing a fiery warrior's spirit, was profoundly shaking Hyeok So-jin's heart.
Hyeok Gong-baek nodded and said.
“He has been completing his martial path by journeying through the martial world alone. That is why he can display such prowess at his age.”
Hyeok So-jin's body flinched at those words.
Journeying through the martial world.
He too had once intended to set out on such a journey. But because he could learn martial arts so easily, he had given up on the idea.
*—Martial arts are something I can easily learn just by looking at secret manuals. There's no need to walk a path of hardship by journeying through the martial world.*
But now he finally realized.
That it was impossible to perfect one's martial arts without life-or-death battles.
“Will you follow him?”
Just then, Hyeok Gong-baek's benevolent voice rang in Hyeok So-jin's ears.
“If you want to follow him, you may.”
“What do you mean…?”
“For a warrior who pursues the martial way, strong enemies and trials are a constant.”
Hyeok Gong-baek said, gazing at Bu Eun-seol's disappearing back.
“Just like that successor of Nang-ya-gak.”
He knew.
That his grandson, his heroic spirit rekindled, wanted to follow Bu Eun-seol on his journey through the martial world.
But that his pride was making him hesitate.
“Go. If you journey with a man like him… not only will you be able to perfect your martial arts quickly, but there will also be immense benefits for you.”
Persuaded by Hyeok Gong-baek's powerful words, Hyeok So-jin took a deep breath.
“Will it really be all right for me to leave?”
“Hahaha. What could be more painful than watching my grandson laze around every day? Go on, hurry.”
Hyeok Gong-baek felt both pride and worry as he looked at his suddenly matured grandson.
“Ah, and just in case…”
“No.”
“Hm?”
“Don't even think about secretly sending the Sa-hon-dae after me.”
Hyeok So-jin said firmly, having seen right through Hyeok Gong-baek's intentions.
“If you do that, it won't be a journey through the martial world, but a tour.”
“True, you can't forge a good sword without hammering it.”
A warrior grows through trials.
Clearing his throat, Hyeok Gong-baek pulled Hyeok So-jin into a tight embrace and said.
“Take care of yourself.”
He may be the Lord of Jeol-cheon-myeol-ji, whose name shook the world, but right now, Hyeok Gong-baek was just a grandfather who cherished and loved his grandson.
“Don't worry.”
After hugging Hyeok Gong-baek tightly for a while, Hyeok So-jin remembered something and let out a small, "Ah?"
“I have to chase after him quickly.”
He had arrived by carriage, but he hadn't arranged for one to leave.
Bu Eun-seol must have used a swift movement technique to leave Jeol-cheon-myeol-ji.
“Hahaha. Don't worry. We can find his whereabouts easily.”
“How?”
“His destination is obvious, isn't it?”
“You mean you know where he's going?”
“He is the successor of Nang-ya-gak. With only the support of our headquarters, it will be difficult for him to secure the position of heir to the Ma-jeon.”
Hyeok So-jin narrowed his eyes.
“Then he must be heading there.”
“That's right.”
A flash glinted in Hyeok Gong-baek's eyes.
“Mu-ha-su-yu-jeong. He will try to gain the support of that massive and powerful female sect to secure his position as the heir of the Ma-jeon.”