Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Clash of the Sword Saints
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In the center of the Murim Alliance stood the arena.
This arena, which had only opened during festivals or tournaments, was exceptionally accessible now, drawing in crowds.
The faces of those entering the arena were filled with broad smiles and anticipation.
It was because the two participants in this public spar were no ordinary masters.
The pride of the Mount Zhongnan Sect, the Zhongnan Sword Saint.
And the rising absolute powerhouse who had elevated the Mount Hua Sect's reputation, the Mount Hua Divine Sword.
It was a duel between them.
Those stepping into the arena couldn't hide their excitement.
"To think I'd live to see masters of the Heavenly Martial Realm sparring."
"What are you waiting for? Let's go in."
"We might not get seats if we're late."
The noisy interior of the arena was matched by the clamor outside.
"Why are you blocking us?"
"Let us in too!"
The public duel between the Zhongnan Sword Saint and the Mount Hua Divine Sword had only been confirmed two days prior.
"No more can enter."
Yet in less than a fraction of an hour, the arena was packed.
As the arena filled to the brim with crowds,
"I'm worried."
Hyeonjin's eyes wavered with unease from his seat with a clear view of the arena.
He knew Hyeondo was strong.
But his opponent was an absolute master who had long ago reached the Heavenly Martial Realm and shaken the world with his fame.
His anxiety grew.
"I wonder if Senior Brother will be alright."
"It's quite the view."
Meanwhile, Cheonhwi, sitting beside Hyeonjin, waited for the spar with utter nonchalance.
'I wonder if the Mount Zhongnan Sect's martial arts have changed a bit.'
His eyes, brimming with interest, scanned the arena for a moment when two figures appeared.
It was the Zhongnan Sword Saint and Hyeondo.
They ascended so swiftly and silently that most of the crowd couldn't even perceive it.
"I'd heard rumors of you and always wanted to meet someday."
The Zhongnan Sword Saint smiled wryly.
"But I never imagined it would be like this."
"The feeling is mutual."
Hyeondo replied in a stiff tone.
He had heard so much about the Zhongnan Sword Saint that his ears had blistered.
He was the great hero who, at the late age of seventy, had ventured into the jianghu and immediately displayed absolute might, dominating all challengers.
"They call you the Mount Hua Divine Sword who felled the White Ghost, yes?"
"An undeserved title."
"Is that so."
The Zhongnan Sword Saint's eyebrows arched.
Then, he drew his sword.
The blade emerging from the worn scabbard was impeccably maintained.
It wasn't a treasured or famed sword worthy of such acclaim, but the moment it entered his grasp,
"Waaah! It's Jade Dew!"
"That's the Zhongnan Sword Saint's famed Jade Dew Sword!"
The shabby sword became a legendary blade.
"A beautiful sword."
Hyeondo, watching, voiced his admiration.
The sword itself was ordinary.
But in his hand, it was different.
The Zhongnan Sword Saint caressed the blade.
"This is Jade Dew, my companion since I first ascended Mount Zhongnan."
"That explains it."
Hyeondo couldn't hold back his awe.
Those words meant they had been together for at least decades.
Yet it looked as good as new.
How meticulously he must have cherished it was plain to see.
'He's different from the other Mount Zhongnan Sect Taoists. Rumors are never wrong.'
The Zhongnan Sword Saint's speech and demeanor,
and his attitude toward the sword, were worlds apart from the greedy Taoists of the Mount Zhongnan Sect.
He embodied the great hero of legend.
Clack.
Hyeondo also gripped and drew his sword.
It was a sword mixed with cold iron, a relic from his master.
"You possess a fine sword as well."
Hyeondo smiled softly at those words.
"The sword bequeathed by my master. No, my companion, White Snow."
The Zhongnan Sword Saint mirrored the warm smile that seemed to melt the viewer.
"White Snow—a fine name indeed."
"Haha, thank you."
The two, exchanging smiles toward each other, engaged in light conversation when,
Whoosh!
Without warning who struck first, they unleashed their internal arts, radiating fierce auras.
Then, the wind began to rage.
"Hup!"
"Ugh! Such immense presences!"
The spectators raised hands against the onslaught and fixed eyes on the arena.
A vortex bloomed between the sword-wielding pair.
It was as ferocious as a dragon's claw intent on shredding their space.
At that moment, Hyeondo raised his sword and spoke.
"I'll go first."
"Come."
The words barely ended when,
Kwaaaang!
A shockwave swept the arena.
The crowds, struggling to open eyes against the storm and glaring at the arena, gaped.
The tempest vanished in an instant.
Instead, the aftermath of their clashing swords tousled the spectators' hair and seized their minds.
"When did Senior Brother become like that..."
Hyeonjin stared blankly at the arena.
The power of the sword arts displayed by the Zhongnan Sword Saint and Hyeondo was utterly unreal.
Grip!
Intense pressure made his fists clench involuntarily.
Cold sweat trickled from his forehead and back, gradually soaking his robes.
'Is that what true masters are like...'
They were on another level.
Were they even human?
Just watching from afar made his body tremble as if in an earthquake.
Despair washed over him.
'I want to be like Senior Brother too...'
He gritted his teeth in resolve.
A stinging pain and hot liquid emanated from his clenched fist.
'No, beyond Senior Brother!'
He snapped his head up, eyes wide.
And burned their duel into his eyes.
"He's improved since before."
Cheonhwi also took in their clash.
Whether from the battle with White Ghost Castle, Hyeondo's skills had grown incomparable to before.
Cheonhwi's gaze swiftly tracked Hyeondo as he moved with footwork.
At this rate, he could step back.
His swordsmanship, rigid from following forms, was finally free.
He had escaped the forms into formless swordplay.
In other words, he had reached the realm where he could unleash any form at will.
'Now, if he reestablishes forms suited to himself there, the Taiyi Bewildering Sword Art will reach great completion.'
Learn the existing, break it, and absorb as his own.
That was true great completion.
After breaking through the Heavenly Martial Realm wall, Hyeondo's prowess had risen steeply.
Still below the White Ghost Castle Lord, but far surpassing any sect leader.
'A bit disappointing, though. Especially against that guy.'
His gaze shifted to the Zhongnan Sword Saint.
Their duel appeared evenly matched at first glance, but Cheonhwi's eyes saw the truth clearly.
The Zhongnan Sword Saint was going easy.
'Hmm. Internal energy is equal, but experience and skill gap is clear.'
Despite the minor difference in age, the Zhongnan Sword Saint's internal energy wasn't overwhelmingly greater.
But that was irrelevant.
A larger chasm existed.
"The current Mount Zhongnan Sect has no choice but to be stronger than Mount Hua."
Cheonhwi muttered, his gaze piercing the sword wielded by the Zhongnan Sword Saint.
The sword art he displayed was one Cheonhwi had seen before: the Mount Zhongnan Sect's Thirty-Six Swords of the World.
Yet it was subtly different.
And that subtlety was enough to transform the Thirty-Six Swords of the World.
'The infinite variations remain, but the power is far greater than before.'
The Thirty-Six Swords of the World consisted of majestic, ever-changing forms targeting thirty-six vital points.
But what of the Zhongnan Sword Saint's version?
Concise, with fewer changes.
The result of discarding superfluous forms.
Thus, the remaining forms were maximized and perfectly sublimated into one.
'Like how I recreated the Plum Blossom Sword Art into the Seven Ultimate Plum Blossom Sword, he's completely overhauled it. Whoever he is, he's got skill.'
He watched the duel with keen interest.
But as it dragged into the second bout, his expression cooled.
'What is this nonsense?'
It was absurd.
The martial arts they displayed were flashy and intense, pleasing to the eye.
'No wonder the righteous factions stagnate.'
The more he watched, the less interested he became.
This spar was mere spectacle.
The Zhongnan Sword Saint's Thirty-Six Swords of the World assaulted fiercely, but only superficially.
'He doesn't even intend to win?'
Despite multiple chances to overwhelm Hyeondo, he deliberately yielded, killing Cheonhwi's interest.
That wasn't all.
Hyeondo too had several openings to inflict fatal wounds on the Zhongnan Sword Saint but ignored them.
They were holding back for each other.
'Sigh, I expected too much.'
He propped his chin and glanced sideways.
Just then, the two separated.
Thud.
The retreating Zhongnan Sword Saint widened his eyes in genuine surprise.
"...Impressive skill."
Hyeondo caught his breath and spoke.
"Hoo. Just luck. I nearly fell to a single strike."
"Haha. You're too modest."
The Zhongnan Sword Saint smiled faintly as he spoke.
"I've felt enough from crossing swords that you're no one to fall to a single strike."
"Is that so."
"It's hard to say who's superior."
The arena buzzed as the Zhongnan Sword Saint's words echoed softly.
"Di-did the Zhongnan Sword Saint just acknowledge the Mount Hua Divine Sword as..."
"An equal!"
Waaaaaah!
Cheers erupted from the stands like oil poured on flames.
"Then, again."
As if waiting for the boiling atmosphere, the Zhongnan Sword Saint lunged first.
No sound, no presence.
Yet he vanished in an instant.
Not quite Phantom Stride.
It was akin to Shrinking Earth Technique, traversing space.
Whoosh!
With a light leap, he reappeared before Hyeondo's nose.
'...Fast!'
Startled by the blinding speed, Hyeondo urgently leaned back, but
Slice!
The sharp blade grazed his forehead, severing hair.
"Kuh!"
'Must regain stance...'
With a short groan, as he tensed his knees to recover,
"Not yet."
A voice came from below.
Simultaneously, sword energies assailed from all directions—no, everywhere.
"This is the true Mount Zhongnan's..."
The sword energies then engulfed Hyeondo.
"Thirty-Six Swords of the World!"
Hyeondo's pupils trembled at the unbelievable sharpness and pressure of the sword energies.
'Can't underestimate sword energy!'
Grinding his teeth, he erupted his internal power.
The yin-yang energy of the Taiyi Bewildering Art dwelled in his hand and sword.
"Hah!"
A fierce kiai burst forth, and
Kakakakang!
Metallic clashes rang continuously.
Meanwhile, plum blossoms had bloomed around the sword-swinging Hyeondo.
"Plum blossoms!"
"That's the Mount Hua Sect's Sword Flowers!"
The crowd's faces lit up.
Having witnessed the rumored sword flowers, they unconsciously clenched fists.
Then, Hyeondo, having shattered the Thirty-Six Swords of the World, raised his sword high and slashed down.
Whoosh!
As the swung sword neared the Zhongnan Sword Saint's shoulder,
Clang!
A metallic ring, and the sword rebounded.
"What!"
The startled Hyeondo looked at the Zhongnan Sword Saint.
Darkness enveloped his surroundings, twinkling with stars.
It was the most alien and domineering protective art of the Mount Zhongnan Sect's divine skills: the Milky Way Heavenly Strong Divine Art.
The Zhongnan Sword Saint kicked off the ground.
Boom!
Leaving a shallow dent in the arena floor from the force, he shot forward like an arrow and swung at Hyeondo.
Unleashing even the Milky Way Shadow Flight, he entangled swords with Hyeondo continuously.
Thus, two bouts into their spar,
"..."
The crowd watched in a daze.
As all lost themselves in the rapid afterimages and whooshes,
Step—
The two, who had been clashing madly, retreated to their positions with satisfied expressions.
"As expected of Mount Hua."
"As expected of the Mount Zhongnan Sect—no, this is the true sword of a Sword Saint."
As they acknowledged and smiled at each other,
"This should suffice."
With those words, the Zhongnan Sword Saint sheathed his sword.
"What..."
Hyeondo's eyes widened in surprise, and the Zhongnan Sword Saint approached slowly.
"My apologies."
He offered a quiet apology.
"My juniors erred. They were out wandering and neglected the inner affairs."
Finally understanding, Hyeondo smiled softly and held his sword reversed.
"Thank you for yielding."
"It belonged to Mount Hua originally."
The Zhongnan Sword Saint said gently.
"It's about time it returned."
Some in the crowd were bewildered by their sudden end to the spar,
"Huh?"
"Wh-what? It's over?"
"It was a truly magnificent duel!"
Starting from one shout, the confusion vanished, replaced by cheers from all sides.
"Y-yeah. Right. A splendid duel!"
"Waaah! To think these two are of the Murim Alliance— the Alliance's great fortune!"
"Zhongnan Sword Saint!"
"Mount Hua Divine Sword!"
Chants for the pair grew louder,
"I'll visit your sect and speak well of them."
The Zhongnan Sword Saint glanced at the flustered Mount Zhongnan Sect Taoists behind and said.
"Thank you."
Hyeondo smiled, and the Zhongnan Sword Saint returned a gentle smile before turning.
"Haha, until we meet again."
Thus, after over a decade, the plaque returned to the Mount Hua Sect's embrace.