Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Great Net Sword
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'Is this really something to get so worked up about?'
Cheonhwi stared for a long time at Hyeoncheong, whose mouth hung open and eyes bulged wide.
He simply couldn't comprehend Hyeoncheong's reaction.
To make such a fuss just over restoring a martial art.
'Most of them couldn't even properly interpret the incantations in the manuals.'
To him, who had stepped into transcendent realms, all the martial arts in the Ten Thousand Scriptures Pavilion were as clear as the palm of his hand.
Especially the advanced ones—techniques like the Jade Ring Wondrous Step or Plum Blossom Sword Art, which he had faced directly in the past—were child's play to restore.
But that was by his standards alone.
For non-martial artists... no, for anyone else but him, it was different.
To restore a martial art, one had to reach such transcendent heights or achieve great mastery to wield it fluently.
Even then, it wasn't guaranteed to be possible.
It was then.
"M-most of them, you say?"
Hyeoncheong shook his head urgently to regain his composure before asking.
"Yes."
Cheonhwi answered flatly.
And with that, Hyeoncheong realized it wasn't exaggeration— it was the truth.
'Not just one, but most of them?'
Stunned by Cheonhwi's response, Hyeoncheong asked again.
"D-does that mean you've read all the manuals in the Ten Thousand Scriptures Pavilion?"
"Not all of them yet."
"Hah."
Hyeoncheong let out an incredulous laugh.
That answer rang even truer.
'He read most of them.'
How many manuals were in the Ten Thousand Scriptures Pavilion? Hundreds at least.
It had taken him a minimum of four years to read them all.
'And he read most of them.'
Cheonhwi indifferently watched Hyeoncheong, who couldn't hide his shock.
That expression again.
It was all too familiar.
The gazes he always received were filled with unveiled shock, awe, or fear, just like Hyeoncheong's.
'Getting this surprised over something so minor.'
Cheonhwi felt bored.
'I read every manual in the Heavenly Demon Scripture Repository in under six years.'
His benchmark was the Heavenly Demon Scripture Repository.
But he didn't know.
That it was the unparalleled repository of martial manuals in the world.
Not only did it house every demonic art manual in existence, but also those plundered from the Central Plains when the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had dominated the martial world.
While Cheonhwi remained nonchalant...
'Is... is what he said really true?'
Hyeoncheong, oblivious to Cheonhwi's thoughts, was still in turmoil.
Then, a way to verify Cheonhwi's words suddenly came to mind.
'If I compare it to the incantations of a recently restored manual, I'll know if it's real.'
He immediately moved his trembling lips.
"Then, do you know the incantation for the Great Net Sword?"
"Great Net Sword?"
The moment Cheonhwi heard the name, the incantation for the Great Net Sword floated into his mind.
The Great Net Sword was a sword art that had once made waves in the Mount Hua Sect long ago, but it had faded into obscurity after being lost five hundred years prior.
"Ah, that one? Sure, I know it."
"Can you demonstrate it then?"
"..."
Cheonhwi shot Hyeoncheong an annoyed look, as if sensing a test.
'What a hassle.'
The old him would have snapped, "Are you testing me?!"
But what could he do?
He was the junior disciple, and the other was his martial uncle.
"Haa, fine."
With a sigh, he rose from his seat.
Hyeoncheong, startled by Cheonhwi's sudden stand, parted his lips.
"Why are you getting up?"
"You want to see the Great Net Sword, right?"
"...!"
Hyeoncheong's eyes widened.
"Are you going to demonstrate it yourself?"
"Is there another way?"
Hyeoncheong stared at the nonchalant Cheonhwi, his own eyes bulging.
He had expected just the incantation recited, not the art performed.
'Reciting the incantation and actually demonstrating are worlds apart...'
Cheonhwi looked down at Hyeoncheong, who could no longer hide his astonishment.
Contrary to his thoughts, demonstrating was easier for Cheonhwi than reciting.
'Why bother reciting the whole thing?'
The Great Net Sword's incantation was needlessly long.
About two chapters' worth, at a glance.
"Aren't you going to watch?"
As Cheonhwi urged with his gaze, Hyeoncheong reached out, touched the floor, and stood.
"You can really perform it?"
At the persistent questions, Cheonhwi openly showed his irritation.
"You'll see."
Cheonhwi promptly exited the chamber.
Moments later, the two stood alone in the courtyard, facing each other.
Though thick darkness blanketed the yard, obscuring everything, it posed no hindrance to Cheonhwi or Hyeoncheong.
"Here goes."
Cheonhwi said curtly, and Hyeoncheong swallowed hard in anticipation.
Swoosh—
Cheonhwi raised the wooden sword he had brought.
He then spread his feet shoulder-width apart, aligning the sword tip with his eye level.
In that instant, Hyeoncheong's pupils trembled.
'Th-this! It's identical!'
He gasped inwardly.
It was a stance utterly different from what was written in the manual, yet it perfectly matched the starting form he had restored for the Great Net Sword.
Dry saliva gathered in Hyeoncheong's throat.
Then the wooden sword moved dramatically.
Whoosh!
Slicing through the darkness, the wooden sword thrust toward the brilliant full moon overhead.
In that moment, dozens of sword gleams appeared.
Flash!
The gleams sparkled like lightning in the dark, splitting into branches that shattered the moon into fragments before netting them completely.
Like a great net.
'More intense and perfect than my own restoration of the Great Net Sword...'
As he stared dazedly at Cheonhwi performing toward the moon...
Crack!
The moon's shattered fragments broke free of the net, falling like meteors.
As Hyeoncheong gawked blankly...
"That's enough, right?"
Startled!
Hyeoncheong snapped out of his trance, having been lost gazing at the shooting stars above.
'An... illusion?'
The shooting stars that had filled the sky moments ago were gone.
No, they had never been there.
"...So it's true."
Having witnessed a Great Net Sword so flawless it felt unreal, he murmured weakly.
"...!"
Then his eyebrows shot up.
Suddenly, his beard quivered as he whipped his head toward Cheonhwi.
'I mentioned the Great Net Sword first, and it's at this level... then the others...'
Gulp—
His throat bobbed heavily.
Soon, he asked cautiously.
"Did you really restore most of the manuals you've read, just like the Great Net Sword?"
"Still don't believe me?"
At Cheonhwi's indifferent reply, Hyeoncheong unconsciously clenched his fist.
Feeling the sweat soaking his palm, he nodded.
Then, in a low voice...
"...Hwi."
"Yes?"
As Cheonhwi turned to him, Hyeoncheong made a careful request.
"Could you help restore the martial arts?"
"Restore martial arts?"
"Yes."
Cheonhwi's expression twisted.
'So that was the goal all along.'
Restoring them was easy, but helping others was another matter.
It wasn't enough to just hold them in his head; he had to write them down separately, add interpretive notes to the incantations, and so on.
What a chore.
"Sorry. I need to train."
Rather than flatly refusing, Cheonhwi skirted around it.
'No reason to go to the Ten Thousand Scriptures Pavilion anymore anyway.'
Hearing this, Hyeoncheong paced anxiously, racking his brain.
'With Cheonhwi, we could restore our sect's lost manuals quickly. I have to keep him here. Tempt him with something he'd be interested in...'
So desperate that even a Daoist shouldn't think of "temptation," Hyeoncheong pondered.
Flash!
A bolt struck his mind.
'That's it!'
There was only one thing Cheonhwi would be interested in.
He voiced the idea.
"Don't you want to see new manuals you haven't seen in the Ten Thousand Scriptures Pavilion?"
Cheonhwi's body jolted.
His eyes sparkled like stars in the sky, and a low voice escaped.
"New manuals...?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After the Five Mountains Sword Sects conference ended, the long-empty Cloud Amidst Pavilion was finally bustling with Daoists for a grand assembly.
"Have there been no rumors about our sect circulating in the martial world lately?"
Everyone shook their heads at the Sect Leader's initial low remark.
"It's quiet."
"The other sword sects are holding back due to the conference results."
The Sect Leader smiled faintly in satisfaction at the responses.
"The rumors haven't spread as much as I feared."
"It's all thanks to Cheonhwi."
Hyeonryeo, who had been listening quietly, beamed as she replied, and everyone agreed.
As she said, it was thanks to Cheonhwi.
Though they had won at the conference, they couldn't boast.
Cheonhwi had overwhelmingly defeated the strongest later-generation disciple there.
Spreading word of victory in such circumstances would be like smearing mud on their own faces.
Then the Sect Leader spoke.
"Good."
With a relaxed expression, he stroked his beard and added softly.
"We can't have a repeat of Hyeon-gang."
"Hmm..."
Everyone sighed in relief.
Why had Hyeon-gang so many enemies?
Because those jealous of his exceptional talent and skill targeted him.
As everyone relaxed...
"I've heard rumors of smoke rising from Falling Goose Peak lately."
The Martial Training Pavilion Leader changed the subject to lighten the slightly sinking mood.
'Oh no, Cheonhwi.'
Hyeondo paled.
About a month ago, while going back and forth to Falling Goose Peak, he had spotted the smoke first and knew exactly what Cheonhwi had done.
Cheonhwi's meat-eating.
Witnessing the absurd situation, he had tried to stop the meat-eating in horror, but Cheonhwi was stubborn.
'Meat-eating is forbidden.'
'Why?'
'Daoists must abstain from killing...'
'Really? Then I just won't be a Daoist.'
'Wh-what do you mean?'
Faced with Cheonhwi's attitude that he'd leave at the drop of a hat if meat were banned, Hyeondo panicked.
In the end, he raised his hands first.
'Just don't get caught.'
Hyeondo's throat burned.
'I can't report this.'
But unaware of Hyeondo's plight, the others tilted their heads.
"Smoke?"
"Did you see it?"
"No, I didn't."
"Did someone light a fire?"
As they reacted without knowing the truth, Hyeondo squeezed his eyes shut.
"Cheonhwi has been boiling water lately, maybe because he's cold."
"Cheonhwi?"
"Cheonhwi did?"
"Yes."
Hyeonryeo—one of the few who knew alongside Hyeondo—interjected.
She signaled Hyeondo with her eyes.
"Come to think of it, Cheonhwi mentioned feeling chilly lately."
Reading her prompting gaze, Hyeondo seized the lifeline and chimed in.
"His treatment isn't fully..."
"...He must still feel cold."
The attendees wore sympathetic expressions.
Though Cheonhwi had recently shown astonishing prowess, most remembered him bedridden.
"Senior Brother Hyeondo, is Cheonhwi alright?"
At the Martial Training Pavilion Leader's concerned question—despite his usual stoicism—Hyeondo smiled gently.
"It wasn't serious."
"That's a relief."
Thoughts of smoke vanished from the Daoists' minds as they thought of Cheonhwi.
'Phew.'
Hyeondo glanced at Hyeonryeo, and the two nodded in satisfaction.
'Nice one, Junior Sister.'
'It's for Cheonhwi.'
Having muddled through, the Sect Leader turned to Hyeonil.
"...Why did you request this grand assembly?"
All eyes turned to Hyeonil.
He was the Secret Pavilion Leader, handling all of Mount Hua Sect's intelligence.
Seeing the grave, silent Secret Pavilion Leader since the assembly began, tension gripped the room.
This assembly had been called at his urgent request.
Gaining the floor, the Secret Pavilion Leader nodded and half-closed his eyes.
His mouth opened, and the air grew chill.
"White Ghost Castle has begun to move."