Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Spar with the Azure Heaven Sword Dragon
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"What did you say?!"
The retainers of the Namgung Clan, seated all around, kicked back their chairs and shot to their feet.
When it came to the Namgung Clan, it was all about righteousness.
And righteousness meant the Namgung Clan.
But what? Ungrateful?
Their faces, glaring at Cheonhwi, had veins bulging from their necks in fury.
"You bastard! Do you even know where you are to spout such nonsense?!"
"Looks like that flimsy fame lately has gone to your head!"
"To dare insult our house...!"
Their voices rose to a fever pitch, throats nearly bursting.
A mere Daoist of the Mount Hua Sect had insulted the head of the Namgung Clan—in the heart of the Namgung Clan itself. The onlookers' rage pierced the heavens.
But then.
"Who gave permission to speak?"
Namgung In quelled the uproar.
Those who had been raging like wild beasts fell silent as the grave at a single word, grinding their teeth to swallow their anger.
With one phrase, he seized control of the Namgung Clan's atmosphere, then tilted his head.
"Ungrateful, you said?"
Namgung In's gaze pierced through Cheonhwi.
It was a cold, sharp stare that would make anyone flinch and avert their eyes.
'What're you glaring at?'
Far from shrinking, Cheonhwi met it head-on without flinching.
"I thought you were deaf, but you heard that just fine."
The air shifted in an instant.
The Namgung retainers said nothing to their lord's words, but killing intent began to seep out.
Soon, it erupted like a drop of water in boiling oil, savage murderous aura crashing down on Cheonhwi all at once.
Just as the atmosphere turned utterly feral and unpredictable.
"My apologies, Namgung Patriarch. Could you calm your anger for a moment?"
Hyeonjin wedged himself between them.
Reading the dire mood, he hastily apologized.
"We're sorry."
"My junior brother doesn't know the ways of the world yet, causing this mess."
"We've been disrespectful."
Following his lead, the Plum Blossom Sword Guards chimed in desperately.
Their bodies trembled faintly.
'A-as expected of the Namgung Clan...'
'C-can't... breathe!'
They had stepped in to prevent a fight, but the onslaught of killing intent from all sides felt suffocating.
'...Dangerous.'
Even Hyeonjin, who was holding up best, noticed the Plum Blossom Sword Guards paling and bowed deeply again.
"Our sect's disciple is still young and lacks judgment..."
But his words fell on deaf ears.
"Words carry heavy responsibility."
Namgung In ignored Hyeonjin entirely.
His gaze fixed solely on one person.
The foolish young Daoist behind Hyeonjin's shoulder, staring him down without a blink.
"One wrong word can breed lasting grudges, even decide a sect's rise or fall. Especially in the jianghu, where without power, you shouldn't wag your tongue carelessly—you know that much."
"So if you've got real power, you can say whatever you want?"
Cheonhwi replied innocently, and Namgung In's eyebrow twitched violently.
"...Are you saying you have the power to take responsibility against our house?"
Cheonhwi scanned everyone inside the Grand Heavenly Hall.
This much...
"Plenty."
The air grew heavy in a flash.
Namgung In stared at Cheonhwi with calm eyes, then spoke coldly.
"Bold."
"Not bold—just obvious."
"Obvious?"
As Namgung In glared at Cheonhwi, refusing to yield an inch.
Swish—
A young man appeared before them in a flash of brilliant lightness skill.
"Father. I'll hold him accountable."
"You?"
"Yes."
The Namgung Clan's second young master, Azure Heaven Sword Dragon Namgung Jingyeong, spun around sharply.
What's with this guy?
As Cheonhwi met the straight gaze of Namgung Jingyeong, the man suddenly clasped his hands in a formal salute.
"I request a spar with you, young friend."
"No, that won't do..."
Hyeonjin tried to refuse in panic, but Cheonhwi beat him to it.
"Sounds good."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Atop the Namgung Clan's training grounds.
Cheonhwi and Namgung Jingyeong faced off at a distance, standing tall. The area around the grounds brimmed with heat.
"I'll teach you some manners!"
"Second Young Master!"
Of course, as the Namgung Clan, the cheers were one-sided for Namgung Jingyeong.
"To think it'd come to this."
"Damn, junior brother."
The deafening cheers made Hyeonjin and the Plum Blossom Sword Guards shrink back.
"Martial Uncle, you think he'll be okay? Junior brother was sick not long ago..."
"Martial Uncle, we need to stop this spar now!"
Hyeonjin's face darkened at the fidgeting Plum Blossom Sword Guards' pleas.
Every word mirrored his own heart.
But.
"Too late."
The moment Cheonhwi accepted, there was no reason to stop it—or way to intervene.
'Hah. He's really pissed.'
He understood the patriarch's feelings.
A young Daoist had openly insulted him as head of the house.
In front of all the clan retainers, no less.
If it were him, he'd be furious too.
'Still, isn't this overkill, Namgung Patriarch?'
His gaze turned to Namgung Jingyeong.
Azure Heaven Sword Dragon Namgung Jingyeong.
Broad shoulders and muscles peeking through his robes looked forged from steel.
Not towering in height, but his build made him seem larger than the taller Cheonhwi.
'Not just that.'
Sweat beaded on Hyeonjin's forehead as he watched.
'That aura...'
Not for nothing was he one of the Five Dragons and Four Phoenixes among the later-generation talents of the Bicheon Conference.
His presence was fiercely overwhelming, true to his reputation.
'The patriarch called him on purpose.'
Wrinkle formed between Hyeonjin's brows.
A "responsible" spar? It felt entirely steered by the patriarch's will.
"His opponent is none other than the Azure Heaven Sword Dragon. Can junior brother even hold out...?"
Hyeonjin snapped at someone's remark.
"I know that!"
The unflappable Hyeonjin losing his temper stunned the Plum Blossom Sword Guards.
"Martial Uncle?"
"I know Cheonhwi can't hold against the Azure Heaven Sword Dragon. But what can we do? He accepted the spar!"
Hyeonjin pounded his chest, unleashing pent-up frustration.
He too was on edge, suffocating with worry, though unspoken.
The Plum Blossom Sword Guards fell silent, heads bowed.
"All we can do now is pray nothing happens..."
Covering his face with his palm, Hyeonjin muttered in despair.
"...Let's just wait quietly for it to end. But just in case..."
Trailing off, he blinked and whispered to the Plum Blossom Sword Guards.
"If something goes wrong mid-spar, be ready to intervene."
"...!"
Their heads snapped up, eyes hardening.
Words they'd waited for.
Soon, with tense faces, they gripped their sword hilts, ready to draw at any moment.
"Understood."
"We'll be ready to move anytime."
Meanwhile, Cheonhwi eyed Namgung Jingyeong across from him, wooden sword in hand.
'Didn't expect to see Namgung Clan techniques before the Nine Great Sects.'
Things had taken a weird turn.
He'd come to the Murim Alliance to witness orthodox martial arts.
Yet here he was, appraising the techniques of the unrelated Bicheon Conference's Namgung Clan.
'Wonder what he'll use.'
He recalled Namgung Clan arts from memory.
Many came to mind, but sword arts topped the list.
Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art, Great Cyclic Sword Art, Heavenly Wind Sword Art, and more...
'They were solid back then.'
A intrigued smile spread across Cheonhwi's lips.
'Unlike Mount Hua's fall, they didn't decline—must've improved.'
Then Namgung Jingyeong saluted.
"I am Namgung Jingyeong of the Namgung Clan."
"Ah, Cheonhwi of Mount Hua."
After the exchange, Namgung Jingyeong drew his sword from his belt.
Shing—
True to the clan heir, it gleamed with obvious sharpness—a famed blade.
"In this spar, I intend to use Lightning Flash Thirteen Sword Thunder."
His tone clipped, he stepped forward with his left foot, raising his sword.
Cheonhwi's eyes sparkled.
Lightning Flash Thirteen Sword Thunder? New sword art?
He'd never heard of it in either life.
What's it like? Lightning flash means fast sword, right?
Excited at a new art, Cheonhwi grinned widely.
"And you, young friend? What art will you use?"
"Nothing specific..."
Cheonhwi pondered, then drew his sword.
"Guess I'll go with Six Harmonies Sword Art."
"Six Harmonies Sword Art...?"
Namgung Jingyeong's left eyebrow twitched.
Six Harmonies Sword Art was basic stuff even street kids knew—a third-rate art.
And he'd use that?
"No intent to use a famed orthodox sword art? I hear Mount Hua's Plum Blossom Sword Art is renowned."
"If needed, I will."
Namgung Jingyeong's face twisted.
"Insolent brat. I'll fix that attitude today."
As his tone hardened, his sword flashed.
So swift the afterimage lingered before thunderous whoosh erupted.
Yet Cheonhwi casually flicked his sword, deflecting the downward strike effortlessly.
"...!"
Namgung Jingyeong's eyes widened—he hadn't expected a clean deflection.
But he recovered swiftly.
Sheathing his momentum, he charged again mercilessly.
A flurry of ten exchanges in a blink.
'Splitting air to spark thunder qi?'
Cheonhwi parried while admiring the sword art.
It aptly harnessed wild thunder qi.
'Hmm. Few more looks?'
He deliberately let strikes graze by razor-thin margins.
"Hup!"
"Cheonhwi!"
The clueless Plum Blossom Sword Guards flinched with every near-miss.
"...Hah! D-dodged?"
"Phew—."
Relief at dodges, but tension mounted.
Namgung Jingyeong's strikes grew fiercer.
"Th-think he'll be okay?"
"His assault's speeding up. He's dodging for now, but if this continues..."
Cold sweat beaded on their foreheads watching the spar.
The sword art was astonishingly fast and superb.
Even they'd struggle against it.
Yet Cheonhwi somehow kept deflecting, uneasily.
"As long as he avoids vitals."
"Dodge!"
They cheered and fretted at his every move.
"Martial Uncle! I can't take it anymore. Better to act first than wait for disaster!"
Gu Gyeomwi spoke up, unable to watch.
Cheonhwi barely deflected, but the razor-sharp thrusts seemed poised to impale him.
"Can't. Moving first would just provoke the Namgung Clan."
Hyeonjin rasped.
He wanted to intervene too.
But it'd escalate from spar to deathmatch.
As they bided time.
"Hmph! Slippery like a rat."
Namgung Jingyeong sneered at the evasive Cheonhwi.
"But how long can you keep dodging?"
His sword intensified.
Whoosh—whoosh—
Even faster strikes.
Cheonhwi dodged with bored ease.
'Nothing more to see here.'
Lightning Flash Thirteen Sword Thunder was fine, but Namgung Jingyeong wielding it was too green.
Lightning flash, thirteen, sword thunder.
Properly executed, thirteen thunderbolt strikes like flashes.
But this? Laughably slow for "lightning," short of thirteen, and "thunder"? Just flailing fast swings.
'In expert hands, it'd be decent...'
Interest gone, Cheonhwi met the next swing head-on for the first time, repelling it.
Clang!
A sharp crack like shattering bronze, and Namgung Jingyeong's sword and body flew back.
"H-how did you block Lightning Flash Thirteen Sword Thunder...!"
As Namgung Jingyeong panicked at the sudden counter-repel.
"Can't kill in a spar, after all."
Cheonhwi muttered, stomping into stance.
"No choice. Bite down tight."