Chapter 255
Chapter 255
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 255
Chapter Title: Jonghyeon's Growth
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All eyes were focused on the open clearing.
More precisely, they were fixed on Cheonhwi and Jonghyeon, standing face-to-face in the center.
The Alliance Escort Squad members, in particular, couldn't tear their gazes away from Cheonhwi, who held his scabbard in hand.
It was none other than the Plum Blossom Divine Hero.
The unparalleled genius born of Mount Hua.
The great hero who had saved Shaanxi from the clutches of the unorthodox sects and routed the Bandit King.
His fame had now transcended the confines of a late-generation disciple, standing shoulder to shoulder with masters renowned throughout the world.
"To witness the Plum Blossom Divine Hero's martial arts firsthand."
"Is he really that skilled at such a young age?"
"We'll see soon enough."
Now that they had the chance to see Cheonhwi's prowess, which they'd only heard about in rumors, the Alliance Escort Squad members felt their hearts pounding.
As their eyes sparkled with anticipation more than ever before...
Smoothly—
Jonghyeon raised his sword in a precise high guard stance.
His small stature and sword smaller than average.
His appearance alone might seem endearing, but his aura was anything but ordinary.
Hyeondo, watching, let out a sigh of admiration.
"To handle Profound Heaven Robust Qi at that age already."
The Profound Heaven Robust Qi was widely known as a technique difficult to master properly. Even Ha Woojin hadn't been able to wield its energy properly until he was thirteen.
Yet here was Jonghyeon, so young, already controlling his qi with ease.
It was truly astonishing talent.
Unable to hold back his admiration, Hyeondo turned to Ha Woojin, who was tensely watching Jonghyeon, and said,
"Your disciple possesses remarkable aptitude."
"Hahaha, no, Senior Brother."
Despite his words, Ha Woojin beamed with irrepressible joy.
How could he not be pleased by praise for his disciple?
At that moment, Cheonhwi narrowed his eyes.
"His aura has definitely changed."
It was completely different from his wild, reckless days.
Calm and heavy.
Like a great tree with deep roots.
'His lower body has become much sturdier.'
With just a glance, Cheonhwi instantly discerned what Jonghyeon had focused his training on. He crooked his index finger and said,
"You first."
Those unfamiliar with Cheonhwi were startled by the gesture, which could seem rude, flinching in surprise.
They never imagined the great hero called the Plum Blossom Divine Hero would do such a thing.
Jonghyeon, however, felt a fresh sense of nostalgia rather than offense.
Wasn't it the same behavior from their first meeting?
'He wants to see how much I've changed.'
Jonghyeon's eyes deepened endlessly.
The same action as during their first spar.
It meant he wanted to gauge how much he'd grown.
"Hoo."
Locking eyes gently with Cheonhwi, Jonghyeon slowly exhaled cool air deep from his lungs.
Then, the Profound Heaven Robust Qi began to circulate.
The internal energy flow started from his lower dantian, sweeping through his lungs, chest, and shoulders before enveloping his entire body and reaching his feet.
'Heavy and strong. And...'
With preparations complete, Jonghyeon channeled the Profound Heaven Robust Qi into his toes.
The ground beneath his feet crumbled.
The moment his leather shoes began sinking into the earth, bit by bit, ever so slightly...
'Fast!'
Paat!
Jonghyeon's body shot forward.
Keeping his upper body as low as possible, he slashed downward so close to the ground that his sword nearly touched it.
Whoosh!
Then, in one motion, he swept it upward.
It was the Great Heaven Firm Sword Art utilized via the recoil of the Big Dipper Heavenly Firm Step.
The Great Heaven Firm Sword Art of weight and strength.
The Big Dipper Heavenly Firm Step of speed.
The fusion of the two arts manifested in Jonghyeon's hands.
'Oh ho.'
Cheonhwi smirked as he watched the sword blade rising, kicking up dust from the ground.
'His footwork has improved a bit.'
Jonghyeon had two weaknesses.
Footwork and sword handling.
His footwork, at least, seemed to have reached a passable level.
'Sword handling is still questionable.'
As Cheonhwi thought this, the sword blade continued its relentless assault. He watched for a moment.
Smoothly—
Cheonhwi twisted his body sideways, evading the sword.
A heavy gust of wind followed belatedly, causing his robes to billow upward.
Cheonhwi glanced at the blade that had just grazed past his face, then lowered his eyes.
Toward Jonghyeon, who stared vacantly at his sword slicing empty air, Cheonhwi grinned.
"Can't space out."
With those words, Cheonhwi flicked his middle finger, striking Jonghyeon's dazed forehead.
Thwack!
"Ow!"
Jonghyeon clutched his forehead in pain.
"That can't be all, right?"
At Cheonhwi's following words, Jonghyeon stopped rubbing his forehead, lifted his drooping sword with teary eyes, and gripped it tightly.
"N-not yet!"
Jonghyeon shouted, clutching his sword firmly.
At the same time, he drew up the Profound Heaven Robust Qi.
Ssss—
White smoke rose from the sword blade.
"Sword qi?!"
"At that young age?!"
Exclamations erupted from all around.
It was faint white smoke, barely visible without close attention, but it was unmistakably sword qi.
"Reaching first-class at not even thirteen?"
"When did such a late-generation disciple..."
The Alliance Escort Squad members clicked their tongues in amazement.
During the spar, they'd only focused on Cheonhwi—who had paid attention to the young Jonghyeon?
They'd vaguely assumed he had some talent as the disciple of Flying Swallow Sword Lord Ha Woojin.
But his skill was far too exceptional for a mere late-generation disciple.
For now, Cheonhwi's presence overshadowed him, but in time, he would shake the jianghu.
Then, Jonghyeon charged again.
"Hah!"
With a spirited shout, Jonghyeon unleashed a barrage of techniques toward Cheonhwi.
Starting with the Great Heaven Firm Sword Art, then the Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven, the Heavenly Star Sword, and even the Heart-Hugging Kick and various other arts.
He demonstrated every technique taught by Ha Woojin without omission.
Whoosh—
Yet Cheonhwi evaded them all merely by shifting his feet.
And whenever Jonghyeon showed an opening, he flicked his forehead.
"Ow!"
Jonghyeon's forehead gradually turned bright red.
The throbbing pain now felt like it might split open, but Jonghyeon merely hesitated before swinging his sword again.
'...The rumors aren't exaggerated after all.'
Chukwang muttered inwardly, eyes fixed on Cheonhwi's feet.
Since the spar began, his left foot hadn't moved an inch—like the root of an ancient tree.
He was dodging those attacks using only his right foot and upper body.
Chukwang's eyes darkened.
'Could I do that?'
No immediate answer came to his self-questioning.
Subduing or felling Jonghyeon would be easy anytime.
But evading like that while only flicking foreheads was entirely different.
It required reading the opponent's movements, superb footwork, and precise qi control.
'I want to cross swords with him once.'
The thought arose unconsciously.
Seeing such a strong opponent stirred his blood as a martial artist.
But...
'Unfortunately, I can't.'
He suppressed his rising intent and swallowed it.
Cheonhwi was a guest invited by the Military Strategist.
How could he make such a request?
Meanwhile, the Alliance Escort Squad members were in an uproar.
Jonghyeon's techniques were impressive, but Cheonhwi's movements were even more astonishing, drawing their eyes unwittingly.
"Not only evading that sword form, but seizing the rear?!"
"I-Is that even possible?"
They weren't Alliance Escort Squad members for nothing.
Each was a first-class master, so they vaguely grasped how absurd this spar was.
"...Can you deflect it like that?"
"As expected of the Plum Blossom Divine Hero."
Watching Cheonhwi spar, the Alliance Escort Squad members gazed with envy.
It wasn't just now.
From the first time they saw him, admiration filled their eyes.
The jianghu had long been dominated by elder masters.
The long era of peace forged by the Nine Great Sects left no stage for young martial artists.
But Cheonhwi's emergence overturned the jianghu's landscape.
Hadn't a mere late-generation disciple, not yet thirteen, driven out the unorthodox from Shaanxi and felled the Bandit King?
In such times, every young martial artist couldn't help but cheer for Cheonhwi.
He was the one who could change this stagnant era of the old guard.
Meanwhile, Jonghyeon was panting.
"Hah, hah."
Due to tension, perhaps.
Though brief, they'd exchanged dozens of blows, and fatigue rushed in swiftly.
Seeing this, Cheonhwi chuckled.
"Tired already? Then..."
Gazing at the blade flashing past his nose, Cheonhwi whispered before lightly tapping the incoming sword with his index finger.
Clang!
Unlike the light motion, the blade shuddered violently, and Jonghyeon, bearing the full recoil, gasped.
"Urk!"
As Jonghyeon's face twisted in pain...
"Rest."
Cheonhwi's serene voice pierced Jonghyeon's ears like a thorn.
Startled, Jonghyeon looked up.
Cheonhwi's impassive gaze looking down filled his vision.
For a moment.
Thwack!
Intense pain exploded on his forehead, and Jonghyeon's consciousness snapped off.
Ha Woojin hurried over.
"It'll sting a bit."
Supporting the collapsing Jonghyeon, Ha Woojin chuckled at the brightly flushed forehead. Properly cradling Jonghyeon, he asked Cheonhwi,
"How was he?"
"Better than before."
"That's a relief."
A simple reply, but Ha Woojin smiled.
It was enough.
"Hm?"
Then Cheonhwi turned his head.
Feeling the concentrated gazes, Cheonhwi scratched his head and moved away.
They stared piercingly.
Even on his way to his lodging, he brushed off the lingering stares and plopped down upon arrival.
"Time to rest now?"
To Hyeondo's question as he approached, Cheonhwi nodded.
"Yeah. Finally."
Thus the night passed, and the next morning...
"Here you go! Great Hero!"
Cheonhwi eyed curiously the Alliance Escort Squad member handing over the bowl with unusually booming enthusiasm at his simple request.
And it wasn't just him.
All the nearby members watched him with sparkling eyes.
An unfamiliar, novel gaze.
"What's with them?"
When Cheonhwi asked Hyeondo,
"Heh heh, think of it as a show of goodwill."
Hyeondo chuckled heartily.
"...Not sure I like it."
As Cheonhwi frowned,
"Ow ow."
Jonghyeon, applying salve to his forehead, whimpered with teary eyes.
"Heh heh, endure it."
Though laced with laughter, Ha Woojin's firm words made Jonghyeon pout.
Thus, a brief time for preparations passed.
"Then, let's depart."
With Chukwang yanking the reins, the journey resumed.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "The Murim Conference, huh..."
Deputy Military Strategist Seolgeom scowled deeply at the towering stack of papers on his desk.
"What's their scheme?"
His mind was a mess over the Military Strategist, who hadn't stirred from his lair in ages, suddenly orchestrating this.
"Too excessive for revenge against Mount Hua Sect. And he clearly doesn't want war with the Evil-Black Alliance."
No matter what, the Military Strategist had always prioritized the Murim Alliance's safety and balance.
For him to risk the Alliance's existence over something like this now? Unlikely.
"Did he notice something...?"
As Seolgeom's brows furrowed,
"Tsk tsk, what's troubling our Deputy Strategist so much?"
A mocking voice came from above.
"When did you arrive? Black Crow."
"Just now."
"Lying without even wetting your lips."
Seolgeom coldly grabbed the snake pin on his desk and flung it upward.
Kwachik!
It embedded in the roof.
"Quite hasty."
With a low voice, the pin in the roof slid inward. Then, through the small hole, eerie snake-like eyes appeared.
Glare at those eyes, Seolgeom snorted and muttered,
"Isn't it urgent now?"
"Hm, true enough."
The eyes vanished from the hole, and now the voice came from beside him.
"But isn't this our chance?"
Seolgeom's eyes darkened at Black Crow's now serious, mocking-free tone.
"I know without you saying."
Seolgeom's lips curved up as he spoke.
"Moreover, if we seize this opportunity well, who knows. We might even drive those two thorns from the Alliance."