Chapter 12
Chapter 12
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: The Five Mountains Gathering
-----------------------------------------------------------------
At the hour of the hare as the sun rose.
Cheonhwi strolled along a winding dirt road that stretched out long and meandering.
Normally, he would have been at the Ten Thousand Scriptures Pavilion by now, but today he had turned his steps toward somewhere else.
Waaaaah—
A cheer erupted from afar.
Cheonhwi's eyes lit up.
The destination he headed to instead of the Ten Thousand Scriptures Pavilion was the source of those cheers.
Peach Grove Plain, where the Five Mountains Sword Sects gathering was being held.
'What kind of martial arts do the other sword sects use? Are they similar to Mount Hua Sect's?'
Imagining the martial arts he would witness while observing the gathering, a sense of anticipation welled up within him.
With excited steps, he walked for a good while before spotting a large gate.
'Here it is.'
Looking up at the plaque above that read 'Peach Grove Plain,' Cheonhwi reached out his hand.
The firmly shut gate slowly opened.
Kiiiik—
His brows furrowed involuntarily.
'There are really a lot of them.'
The sight that came into view as the gate opened was not to his liking.
The vast training ground right in front was packed with Daoists surrounding it.
A rough glance showed well over a hundred of them.
'Huh? There are other uniforms too.'
Though more than half were clad in the red Daoist robes proudly worn by Mount Hua Sect disciples, they weren't the only ones.
Blue, white, black, green.
Around the training ground, people in four other colors of Daoist robes stood distinctly separated, excluding the red ones.
As if walls had been erected between them.
'Each sword sect has its own formation.'
Still, this being Mount Hua Sect's territory.
No matter that it was a grand assembly of the Five Mountains Sword Sects, they were different sword sects.
Moreover, rival ones at that, so it was only natural.
'Then I should go over there?'
As Cheonhwi scanned those in the different colored robes and moved toward where the Mount Hua Sect disciples were gathered.
Waaaaah!
An excited cheer burst from the front, and the watching crowd stirred.
'It already started?'
Cheonhwi quickened his pace.
Soon arriving behind the Mount Hua Sect disciples, he lifted his head to see the situation on the sparring platform.
'Damn it.'
A curse slipped out involuntarily.
All he could see were people's backs.
His view was blocked by the crowd in front, so he couldn't see the training ground.
He had overlooked it since he rarely mingled with people.
He was now just a fourteen-year-old boy.
And due to his past sickly state, his height was less than five feet, making it impossible for him to see the training ground.
'Gotta go to the front.'
He quickly surveyed his surroundings.
Spotting a small gap.
Swish—
He slipped through it.
"Huh?"
The Mount Hua Sect disciples at the very back, cheering while watching the training ground, turned their heads at the sudden intrusion into their side and widened their eyes.
There was a small child below them.
Large eyes and a straight, upturned nose.
Even cherry-like red lips.
He was a young boy still with baby fat, but his features promised to make many women weep when he grew up.
The female disciples reacted first.
They gazed at Cheonhwi with shining eyes.
"Oh my!"
"Who are you?"
As the female disciples buzzed, the nearby male disciples also focused on Cheonhwi.
Like the girls, they admired his appearance at first, but soon tilted their heads.
"Who's that?"
"Was there a kid like that among our sect's disciples?"
Many looked at Cheonhwi, but no one knew who he was.
It was inevitable.
Originally, Cheonhwi had stayed confined to his quarters due to illness, so even within Mount Hua Sect, only a few knew his face.
After recovering, it was worse.
Going back and forth only between his quarters and the Ten Thousand Scriptures Pavilion every day—who would recognize his face?
Cheonhwi, feeling uncomfortable under the focused gazes, furrowed his brow.
He had only wormed his way in to watch the training ground, but the piercing stares were increasing.
'Why are they staring like this?'
But Cheonhwi didn't know.
That his frowning expression only drew more attention.
"Oh my! Is he frowning?"
"He's so cute!"
As the female disciples fussed over Cheonhwi's changing expression.
"Huh? Isn't this Junior Brother?"
A massive shadow engulfed Cheonhwi and the surrounding female disciples.
"Medical Hall Leader?"
At the appearance of the Medical Hall Leader, Cheongo, the female disciples surrounding Cheonhwi flinched.
Recalling what he had just said, they widened their eyes.
"But..."
"He called that kid Junior Brother..."
Realizing Cheonhwi's identity in their confusion, they opened their eyes wide.
"No way..."
"Junior Brother Cheonhwi?"
As they were shocked by the appearance of the long-rumored Cheonhwi.
'The indigo-robed guy from before?'
Cheonhwi hardened his gaze upon seeing Cheongo.
"Hahaha! You've gotten a brighter complexion in just a few days, Junior Brother."
Unaware of Cheonhwi's thoughts, Cheongo welcomed him with a laugh and asked.
"Here to observe the Five Mountains Gathering?"
"Yeah."
Cheonhwi replied curtly, as if annoyed.
Hearing that, Cheongo quickly scanned Cheonhwi and the people around him with interested eyes, then moved his lips.
"You won't see well from here, so follow me closely."
As he spoke, he moved.
With his muscular frame over six feet tall, the clustered people parted like the sea, creating a path.
'Now I can move forward.'
Following the striding Cheongo for a few steps.
Thud.
Cheongo stopped.
Then he stepped aside.
Oh ho.
Cheonhwi's eyes sparkled.
The training ground was now fully visible right in front of him.
"Not a bad spot, right?"
"Now I can see properly."
Nodding, Cheonhwi shifted his gaze from the training ground to survey the surroundings.
'Huh?'
Turning at the gaze felt on the back of his head.
About ten paces back, he saw Sect Leader Hyeonsang and the elders from other sword sects seated.
His eyes met the Sect Leader's.
As he faced the Sect Leader's light smile of greeting.
"Hahaha, glad it suits you, Junior Brother. But it's surprising. I never imagined you'd come to observe..."
Cheongo spoke in his thick voice.
"Just wanted to see some martial arts."
"...Martial arts, you say?"
At Cheonhwi's response, Cheongo stroked his dark, scruffy beard.
Then he clapped his hands and added.
"Then you'll be disappointed. In the first spar just now, when Jeokun defeated the Mount Song Sect disciple, the Heavenly Flow Sword Art he displayed was exquisite..."
Cheongo spoke with a proud expression.
His explanation continued.
'What?'
But Cheonhwi, who should have been listening, ignored Cheongo's chatter and frowned while watching the sparring platform.
'They're kids?'
A boy who looked about twenty and a slightly younger girl.
The moment he saw them exchanging moves, his interest plummeted.
As Cheonhwi lost interest.
Clang!
The girl, who had been on the defensive, staggered.
"...Seollan is being pushed back."
Cheongo let out a groan.
Seollan was the weakest among the participating disciples, but he had never imagined she would be this disadvantaged.
"That Mount Tai Sect brat has unusual skill. He's wielding the Mount Tai Sword Art so proficiently..."
The Mount Tai Sword Art was one of the pinnacle sword arts even in Mount Tai Sect, said to take at least ten years to master properly.
Yet a brat who had just entered his twenties was executing it.
Proficiently, at that.
"Seollan might lose."
As Cheongo spoke heavily.
"Yawn."
Cheonhwi let out a yawn from boredom.
The spar was so peaceful it was dull.
Even with real swords drawn, there was no blood sprayed or wounds targeted.
They simply displayed their martial arts honorably against each other.
'No wonder the righteous sects lose to inferior foes despite their skills.'
He couldn't even laugh.
No matter that it was a spar, this was too much.
Spars were meant to prepare for life-and-death battles.
But what was this nonsense?
No variables, no sharpness.
The current match exemplified it.
'Sigh, pulling back the sword there?'
Seollan had swung first.
But to block the opponent's strike aiming for her shoulder, she retracted the sword she had swung first.
'Tsk tsk, if she had just swung through, the opponent would have taken a fatal wound, but she pulled back and took the loss.'
He watched their exchange with pity.
'Kids these days lack spirit, real spirit. Back in my day, we stabbed with resolve to get gutted ourselves. Scared of a mere cut and making all that fuss.'
Even the tiny bit of anticipation left vanished.
At a glance, it looked fierce.
Sparks flew each time their swords clashed while stepping footwork, and the crowd held their breath.
But that was merely by their standards.
Cheonhwi, who had witnessed blood-soaked spars daily in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, was unsatisfied.
It was completely child's play.
'The next spar will be different, right?'
As Cheonhwi thought that.
Clang!
Seollan was flung backward.
Roll—
Outmatched in internal energy clash, she retreated several steps.
Her neatly tied hair came undone, disheveled, as she panted heavily.
"Haa, haa."
After catching her breath, Seollan raised her sword.
Her hand gripping the sword trembled from the impact of the previous clash, and the internal energy within was faint.
Yet her eyes burned fiercely.
Crack—
Cold air spread around her.
Drawing out even the remnants of her Jade Maiden Heart Art internal energy, she gritted her teeth and swung her sword widely.
Her most confident technique.
The Graceful Lady Sword.
Whiiiish!
The opponent watching her, Domu of Mount Tai Sect, also swung his sword.
Clang!
A sharp sound rang out.
"It was a fine match."
Domu reversed his grip on the sword and politely cupped his fists toward Seollan, who knelt on one knee.
"......"
Seollan gritted her teeth and stood straight.
She then clasped her still-trembling hands from the shock and returned the salute.
"......It was a fine match."
At that moment.
"Well done!"
"Junior Sister, that was cool!"
Cheers erupted from the Mount Hua Sect formation.
Everyone had sensed Seollan would lose midway.
But they were impressed by her tenacious fight to the end.
"Hmm, good."
Cheongo beside Cheonhwi also smiled in satisfaction.
Seollan was a nameless disciple without even a formal title, but her opponent was Mount Tai Sect's head disciple.
The moment he stepped up as her opponent, her defeat was anticipated.
Yet Seollan didn't lose easily.
She held out tenaciously until the end and even pressured him a few times.
"......Our sect's future looks bright."
Cheonhwi looked at Cheongo and the Mount Hua Sect disciples in disbelief.
'What? Bright future? Yeah, real bright.'
As if confirming Cheonhwi's thought.
Their cheers didn't last long.
The very next spar.
"......I lost."
Jeokjae, who along with Jeokgeom was considered a prodigy among the second-generation disciples, had been defeated by a Mount Heng North Sect disciple.