Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Elder Selection Test (4)
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The relentless series of tests had taken a considerable toll on the training ground floor.
The Fierce Tiger Staff of Nang Ah-ryang from the previous match had played a significant role in that.
Consequently, the Great Guardian ordered the two finalists to wait for a moment before their final match and had the former instructors of the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon swiftly repair the floor.
“Hmph, this should suffice. Now, you may begin.”
*Swish.*
Just as in the previous tests, the Great Guardian vanished after giving the signal to start.
His movement technique was so wondrous that he could have become a squad leader in the Windless Killing Curtain without any issue.
In any case, the final match began.
The finalists this time were a saber user and a swordsman, and the gazes they exchanged were exceptionally sharp.
The saber user, named Jang Pyeong-su, spoke first.
“Geo Pyeong! To think you’d follow me all the way here. Stop getting in my way and go back now.”
“Hah! Don't be ridiculous. I am also here under orders. What right do you have to say such things? Or could it be that you’re afraid of me?”
“It seems words are not enough. Draw your sword.”
“Hah! I was just about to cut you down myself.”
*Shing.*
After exchanging a string of incomprehensible words, they each drew their weapons and aimed them at one another.
Then, without any signal, they simultaneously raised their internal energy and began their assault.
“Haaap!”
Jang Pyeong-su, wielding the great saber, was slightly faster.
As he executed his footwork, he chaotically scattered saber energy to obscure his opponent’s vision.
Thanks to this, Geo Pyeong briefly lost sight of him, creating an opening. Jang Pyeong-su seized that chance, thrusting his force-infused saber forward.
“Tch!”
Realizing it late, Geo Pyeong retreated sharply to evade the saber.
While airborne, he launched a barrage of sword energy at Jang Pyeong-su, who was clicking his tongue in disappointment.
He too was a seasoned fighter, befitting a finalist.
Of course, Jang Pyeong-su easily blocked the sword energy with the flat of his saber before resetting his stance.
They continued the match, exchanging similar blows several times.
It was a fierce contest where neither side gave much ground.
The tense exchange was one where the balance could be shattered by a single, tiny mistake.
Then, recalling the match between Do Gwang and Jo Gwang-uk, they agreed to settle the fight in a single strike, just as they had.
They both knew.
At this rate, it would be difficult to determine a winner before the day was over.
“Let’s not drag this out. Let’s end it in one blow!”
“Fine, let’s see how long your confidence lasts.”
*Swoosh.*
After assuming stances to unleash their ultimate techniques, they raised their internal energy.
A whirlwind of wind began to swirl around them, engulfing the entire training ground.
Just then, a small stone hit the ground with a *clack!*—and at that sound, they moved.
“Haaap!”
This time, Maeng Ak did not intervene.
Their attacks didn't reach each other; instead, they collided in mid-air and were nullified.
*KABOOM!*
When the dust settled after the massive roar, both finalists were lying unconscious.
That was how much power they had both poured into that one attack.
Fortunately, they seemed unharmed, but it was a difficult situation to declare a winner.
In the end, this match, like the first, ended in a postponement.
The Great Guardian came up to the training ground, sent the two to the infirmary, and prepared for the next Great Elder test.
“Now, we will postpone the Lesser Elder test for the time being. The finalists for the Great Elder selection test may now come forward.”
*Thud.*
As soon as the Great Guardian finished speaking, the finalists began to appear on the training ground one by one.
Their presence was truly formidable.
While the Lesser Elder finalists could also be called masters, these individuals were on a completely different level.
How should one put it?
Just looking at them was overwhelming.
To the average spectator, they didn't seem like ordinary people.
“Hah, the future of the Cult is so bright.”
“With masters of this caliber among us, what is there to fear?”
The elders of the previous generation in the audience were even reminded of the golden age of the old Demonic Cult as they watched them.
Of course, even among these individuals, there had to be winners and losers.
The Great Guardian, just as with the Lesser Elder test, instructed them to each take a piece of paper with a number on it.
Using their ability to grasp objects from thin air, they each pulled a piece of paper from the box and unfolded it.
“Hoo, as fate would have it, this old man is first.”
The Old Elder said, showing the paper in his hand.
“Then, please choose your opponent.”
At the Great Guardian's words, the Old Elder, after deep consideration, chose Elder Gwak, who was standing before him.
Elder Gwak was a saber user who had kept to himself after falling out of favor with the Great Elder during the time of the Council of Elders, but his skills were anything but ordinary, and the Old Elder had taken a liking to him.
He chose Elder Gwak as his opponent because he wanted him under his command.
“Elder Gwak, my apologies, but would you indulge this old man?”
“I would be honored to learn a lesson from you, Old Elder.”
The test began as everyone else left the training ground, leaving the two behind.
An atmosphere quite different from the Lesser Elder selection test filled the training ground.
A cold and silent air, perhaps?
A quiet wind swirled around the two supreme masters.
Just then, Elder Gwak was the first to move, drawing his saber.
*Shing.*
The moment the flat of his saber left its sheath and caught the light.
His form instantly appeared before the Old Elder, and a single flash aiming for his neck was drawn in the air.
*CHWAAANG!*
The sharp edge of the saber cut fiercely through the air.
The Old Elder, with his white-eyebrowed eyes half-closed, read the attack and evaded it by slightly twisting his upper body to the side.
It was a very simple exchange, but it offered a glimpse into the tremendous skill of the two men.
Their movements were on a different dimension from the previous matches.
Immediately after evading the attack, the Old Elder counterattacked with a quick-draw.
It was so fast that even though Elder Gwak anticipated and dodged it, a part of his upper garment was torn.
*Gulp.*
The spectators held their breath, swallowing nervously as they watched the battle between masters who had surpassed the wall.
Of course, not many could accurately see all their movements.
Among them, Maeng Ak was assessing the Demonic Cult's total combat strength through this Great Elder selection test, not missing a single movement of the two masters.
“The Old Elder seems to have gotten even sharper.”
He had seen him train a few times after returning from the Windless Killing Curtain with the Great Guardian, and he seemed even stronger than back then.
To see him strive and grow like that at an age where retirement would not be strange was quite inspiring.
Just then, the Old Elder’s attack narrowly missed Elder Gwak’s shoulder.
*Pshk!*
A thin red line was drawn on Elder Gwak’s right shoulder.
Elder Gwak did not panic and maintained his posture, but that minute injury shook the balance that had been tenuously maintained.
“Hup!”
*Clang!*
When the Old Elder unleashed his Sword Control Art infused with internal energy, Elder Gwak struggled to parry it.
However, he ended up exposing his chest to the Old Elder’s subsequent palm technique.
“Keuk!”
Elder Gwak’s knee hit the training ground floor.
With that, the first match of the Great Elder selection finals came to an end.
Elder Gwak had demonstrated his own formidable attack power with his unique saber techniques, but there was an undeniable difference in experience.
“I have learned… much, honored elder.”
Elder Gwak brushed the dust from his knee, stood up, and bowed his head to the Old Elder in respect.
The Old Elder accepted his greeting and offered him a place in the unit he would later form.
Just then, the Great Guardian came up and concluded the match.
“You have both worked hard. With this, the Old Elder has become our first Great Elder. Congratulations.”
“Haha, this old man who should be retiring is ashamed before his juniors for being so greedy.”
“How can you say such a thing? Now, please step down and rest for a while. We will prepare for the next test.”
“Thank you.”
As the Old Elder and Elder Gwak descended, another finalist holding the paper with the number 2 came up.
He was none other than Mu Sal, the master of the Windless Killing Curtain and Maeng Ak’s man.
“I have already chosen my opponent.”
As he said, he came onto the training ground with a man carrying a spear on his back.
The spear-wielding man, like Elder Gwak, was a former member of the Council of Elders. He was a Vice Elder who handled the spear with great elegance but had a rigid personality.
The Vice Elder secretly resented that Mu Sal, a rolling stone, was trying to become a Great Elder.
The quick-witted Mu Sal had noticed this in his gaze while they were waiting and had chosen him as his opponent.
After all, martial artists were men whose fists were faster than their words.
The second test began immediately.
It seemed that Mu Sal, who used throwing daggers, would be at a disadvantage in a fight of distance against the Vice Elder.
But that was a different story if he immediately used his secret technique, the Black Poison Seal.
When using the Black Poison Seal, Mu Sal was so fast that even the Great Guardian, a master of movement techniques, couldn't catch him.
As soon as the test began, Mu Sal awakened the black snake he usually kept wrapped around his neck and had it bite him, activating the Black Poison Seal.
His plan was to go all out from the start and end it quickly.
The Vice Elder, sensing something was amiss, immediately thrust his spear, but there was no way it could hit the unbelievably fast Mu Sal.
“You seemed to dislike me quite a bit. With such pathetic skills, who are you to judge anyone!”
Mu Sal leaped into the air to dodge the spear and threw a dagger from his hand to attack the Vice Elder.
The dagger was as fast as Mu Sal himself and extremely menacing.
If the Vice Elder had lost focus for even a moment, he would have been defeated by that single attack.
But he didn't, and so he managed to barely parry the dagger.
Mu Sal, who seemed to have an endless supply of daggers hidden in his clothes, drew another and closed the distance.
The Vice Elder tried to keep him at bay by creating distance, but it was not enough to stop Mu Sal’s footwork.
*Shashashak!*
His movements were so swift that it was all one could do to follow them with their eyes.
How could one possibly stop such movements with the tip of a spear?
*Whoosh whoosh whoosh!*
As the sound of the spear futilely piercing the empty air echoed repeatedly, Mu Sal drew closer to the Vice Elder.
When he finally reached a distance where his dagger could connect, Mu Sal moved his dagger-wielding hand with the motion of a venomous snake.
It felt as if his hand and the dagger had become one.
*Clang!*
This time too, the Vice Elder barely managed to parry the dagger with his spear shaft.
The Vice Elder’s defense was more solid than expected.
And yet, the Vice Elder himself felt like he was being played with.
It was like being an ant sucked into an antlion pit.
He even started to wish it would just end quickly.
“You cur! Who do you think you’re toying with!”
“Hahaha! It’s because you’re such a coward that you can’t even land a proper attack with that long spear of yours.”
Mu Sal provoked the Vice Elder, looking for an opening.
But contrary to his outward anger, the Vice Elder's solid defense remained unshaken.
In the end, Mu Sal decided to use his ultimate technique, holding a dagger in each hand in a reverse grip.
Mu Sal quickly threw one dagger at the Vice Elder, who was tightly gripping his spear, to obscure his vision. Then, he used his rapid footwork to get behind him and aim for his neck.
The Vice Elder realized what was happening midway and tried to prepare, but the force behind the dagger was so immense that he couldn't help but allow the attack.
*Thud!*
With his neck exposed to the dagger, the Vice Elder admitted defeat and threw his spear to the ground.
The result overturned the expectations of many who had assumed that an assassin would be weak in a direct confrontation.