Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Elder Selection Test (3)
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Do you remember the joint battle, the second test of the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon?
Chang On watched Deok-pal deliberately keeping his distance and recalled that day.
‘Back when I was learning the Phantom Maze technique from Lord Maeng Ak, he used a similar tactic.’
Maeng Ak, too, was originally a fist practitioner.
So, under the pretext of teaching the Phantom Maze technique, he would always close the distance when sparring one-against-many with So-so, Chang On, Do Gwang, and Gwang-uk.
Then one day, terrified of getting hit, the four disciples facing Maeng Ak decided to keep their distance instead.
‘That's when the Lord used a mysterious footwork to leave afterimages and corner us.’
It was, quite literally, a mysterious footwork.
It involved dodging attacks at a much faster speed than usual, leaving behind afterimages. Because of that single technique, the four disciples, who had resolved not to get beaten that day, were thrashed soundly.
The afterimages confused their eyes, making it difficult to find a reference point to either close in or back away.
Recalling that footwork, Chang On found the solution to his duel with Deok-pal.
‘There's no need to rashly close the distance and give up the spear's advantage in range, nor is there any need to fret over the opponent's provocations.’
To replicate Maeng Ak's footwork as closely as possible, Chang On slung his spear back onto his back.
At this sight, Deok-pal and many in the audience expressed their confusion.
It wasn't a common sight for a warrior to sheathe their weapon in front of a perfectly fine opponent.
But Chang On paid them no mind and focused solely on his feet.
It was as if he believed that if he could just replicate the footwork, someone like Deok-pal could be easily subdued.
Deok-pal found himself watching the bizarre situation of a spearman putting away his spear mid-duel to practice his footwork.
He, too, sensed something unusual about Chang On, but he didn't approach recklessly.
He calculated that this could all be a trap.
However, as time passed, Chang On's footwork grew closer and closer to completion.
Only then did Deok-pal realize he had given Chang On too much time, and he charged.
“Junior! Your foolishness ends here!”
As a martial artist who used kicking arts, his movement was faster than expected.
In an instant, he closed in on Chang On, who was distracted by his footwork, and threw a kick.
“Hyaap!”
So much internal energy was imbued in his foot that a blue aura billowed from it, threatening to overflow.
But that was all.
Chang On, who had just succeeded in replicating the footwork, had already moved his feet a step faster.
In the end, the foot imbued with blue energy struck not Chang On, but his afterimage.
Clang!
As his attack failed, the sound of Chang On drawing his spear once more reached Deok-pal's ears.
Simultaneously, a fierce gust of wind accompanied the sharp spearhead aiming for his neck, which came into his view.
“Tch!”
Deok-pal barely managed to dodge by ducking his head.
However, the large evasive movement left him vulnerable to a follow-up attack.
He hurriedly raised his head to prepare for the next assault.
But what was this?
Chang On was not where he was supposed to be.
He had already executed his footwork, leaving only an afterimage as he moved.
Realizing he'd been had, he hastily backed away and scanned his surroundings.
Fortunately, he was able to locate Chang On again.
‘Chang On's martial prowess is greater than I thought. I can't afford to attack recklessly!’
As a practitioner of fist and kicking arts, Deok-pal was already at a disadvantage against the spearman Chang On in a battle of techniques.
He had to drag the fight into a battle of internal energy or strategy, where he was more confident.
He once again distanced himself from Chang On, trying to bait him into attacking first.
Then, when Chang On got close enough, he planned to channel internal energy into the soles of his feet and close the distance in an instant.
Just then, Chang On taunted him as if preparing to attack.
“If you’re so scared of your junior, your fists will never reach me today.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Chang On twirled his spear and closed in on Deok-pal.
His speed was no less than Deok-pal's own movement technique.
He approached just enough for his spear to reach Deok-pal and thrust.
A dark purple aura enveloped the spear, aiming fiercely for Deok-pal's chest.
Deok-pal, who had been waiting for this moment, channeled a portion of his internal energy into his soles, kicked off the ground, and instantly dodged the spear to get close to Chang On.
The distance was so close it seemed either his fists or his feet could land a blow.
“You let your guard down, relying only on the length of your spear, you fool!”
This time, Deok-pal brought both fists together at his chest before launching them at Chang On.
Just seeing the fist energy imbued in both his fists was enough to tell that his internal energy was deeper than that of his peers.
It was a fist technique that vividly revealed the days Deok-pal had spent consuming countless elixirs as the youngest son of a merchant group.
Of course, because Chang On used his footwork, it didn't connect.
Once again hitting nothing but an innocent afterimage, Deok-pal swallowed a bitter groan and retreated.
‘What in the world is that footwork? Every time I think I've landed a hit, it's just a damn afterimage!’
Deok-pal's expression crumpled.
It meant Chang On's solution was working successfully.
In the end, the fight turned into a pattern where Chang On would continuously attack using the reach of his spear, with Deok-pal managing a counterattack only once in a while.
Of course, that rare counterattack landed not on Chang On, but on his afterimage.
Thus, victory naturally began to lean toward Chang On.
As the tide of the battle turned, the cold sweat pouring from Deok-pal's entire body increased.
In contrast, Chang On remained dry, leisurely executing his spearmanship without giving up any distance, draining Deok-pal's stamina.
The situation looked exactly like Deok-pal was being cornered and mercilessly tormented.
The tension had vanished from the duel, replaced by a sense of pity.
Deok-pal was not unaware of this either, and swallowing his frustration, he signaled his defeat.
“Junior, that's enough... I have lost.”
“I have learned a great deal.”
Accepting his surrender, Chang On raised his spear high as if he were a triumphant general, drawing a response from the crowd.
From the stands, the audience sent fervent applause and cheers to Chang On, who had become the first Young Elder.
Compared to the fierce duel between Do Gwang and Jo Gwang-uk, this second match had ended in a relatively one-sided fashion.
The Great Guardian returned to the training ground, declared Chang On the victor, and prepared for the next test.
Following that were the tests for Ha Gyeong and So-so, respectively, and both of them also seized victory in one-sided duels, much like Chang On.
Although both showed moments of struggle, they miraculously overcame their opponents by recalling something they had learned or seen from Maeng Ak, just as Chang On had.
Just like that, the number of remaining Young Elder positions naturally dwindled to four.
No, it was safe to say there were only three spots, as a winner had to emerge between Do Gwang and Jo Gwang-uk.
There were a total of six finalists remaining.
As the number of spots and finalists decreased, the tension in their eyes deepened.
Of course, among them was a man who stood so placidly that he was even dozing off. His name was Pyeong Tae-un, a martial artist with a disposition as peaceful as his name suggested.
He was around the same age as Deok-pal, but his parents and family background were the complete opposite.
He had grown up begging here and there, without a proper home or parents.
What was unique was that while wandering around to beg, he had naturally encountered a variety of martial arts.
He was a genius who, with his innate talent, had made all those martial arts his own and grown strong.
Coincidentally, the next person the Great Guardian called was him.
He casually picked a random opponent and trudged up onto the training ground.
Contrary to his relaxed demeanor, the aura naturally emanating from his entire body was remarkably sharp.
The swordsman chosen as his opponent seemed to sense it too, as he tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.
The duel began just like that.
A contest between a man letting out a huge yawn and another man tensely gripping his sword.
Many in the crowd booed Pyeong Tae-un's disrespectful attitude and cheered for the swordsman.
But the moment the duel began.
The boos turned into cheers.
Boom!!
The instant the Great Guardian vanished from the training ground, Pyeong Tae-un shot off the ground, appeared behind the swordsman, and knocked him unconscious with his unique palm technique before the swordsman could even react.
It was a very slowly extended palm strike.
It was so slow it almost felt like it was drifting like a cloud.
However, the swordsman could not dare to dodge that palm strike.
It was strange.
His own body was even slower than that incredibly slow palm strike.
The moment Pyeong Tae-un's palm touched his back.
The swordsman received such a significant impact that he dropped his sword, and in the end, he could not get back up.
His opponent was also a finalist.
Seeing him defeat a far-from-easy opponent with such ease, the crowd cheered even louder than they had for the previous duels.
“Hoh. Quite impressive.”
Even Maeng Ak, who was watching the situation, showed interest.
The Great Guardian, standing beside him, asked Maeng Ak, who seemed intrigued.
“It seems that man has caught your eye as well, Heavenly Demon?”
“Aren't martial arts with contradictory properties inherently difficult to face? A slow yet fast palm technique... not bad.”
“Seeing how he moved the moment I left the training ground, it seems he has innate senses as well.”
“A fine talent.”
To become a victor meant becoming a Young Elder, which was the same as becoming one of Maeng Ak's people.
Maeng Ak gave a welcoming smile at the appearance of a talent with such a rare skill.
And so, the fifth duel came to an end.
The next contestant was just as peculiar as Pyeong Tae-un.
Like So-so, she was a woman. Seeing her wield a spiked club, she appeared to be the daughter of the rather famous Nang-a Gate, one of the smaller sects.
She stood imposingly with a large spiked club resting on her shoulder.
And just as Pyeong Tae-un had done, she picked a random opponent and stepped onto the training ground.
She took a ready stance like a wild boar about to charge, and the moment the Great Guardian disappeared from the training ground, she rammed into her opponent.
She used her spiked club like a horn, pushing forward with the strength of her sturdy lower body.
Her opponent, a saber user, was momentarily startled by the brutish and absurd method and faltered, but he didn't go down as easily as Pyeong Tae-un's opponent.
He stabbed his saber into the ground, kicked off its flat side, and leaped into the air to evade her attack.
Then, from mid-air, he fired a barrage of saber energy at her.
As expected of a finalist, he showed he was no pushover.
Of course, the woman with the spiked club was formidable as well.
She deflected the saber energy by whirling her aura-clad spiked club above her head, then used that momentum to predict her opponent's landing spot and slammed it down onto the ground with a thud!
Suddenly robbed of his landing spot, the opponent revealed an opening, and she did not miss it.
With the same brutish lower body strength she had shown at the beginning, she stomped forward and swung her spiked club.
Her opponent barely regained his posture and blocked the spiked club with the flat of his saber, but he couldn't disperse the impact and was pushed straight out of the training ground.
The opponent, having been pushed out, declared his surrender, and the woman with the spiked club was victorious.
She once again shouldered her spiked club and shouted her name at the top of her lungs.
“I, Nang-a Ryang, have become a Young Elder!”
Her cry was so thunderous that it was louder than that of most men.
Her opponent couldn't hide his frustrated expression as he watched her, but she paid him no mind and continued to play to the crowd.
She was eventually stopped by the Great Guardian, but it was a clear display of her boisterous personality.
With that, the sixth duel concluded, and it was finally time for the last match.
However, looking at the expressions of the two remaining finalists, they were giving each other quite the intense look.
Should I say that sparks were flying in the empty space between their gazes?
These two men also seemed to be rivals, just like Do Gwang and Jo Gwang-uk.
“This is getting interesting,”
The first duel was also between rivals, and as it turned out, so was the last.
Just then, the Great Guardian called them both, and they ascended the training ground together.
As it was the final duel, the process of choosing an opponent was skipped, and they came up together.