Chapter 189
Chapter 189
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: The Wall
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As Namgung Ryong finished channeling his qi, Namgung Wi-kyeong approached and lightly patted his shoulder.
“Are you alright?”
“……Yes.”
“No other pains anywhere?”
“……Yes.”
“Good work. It was a match worthy of the Namgung family name. Your skill has advanced impressively since I last saw you.”
Namgung Wi-kyeong was genuinely impressed.
Though he had lost, the swordsmanship Namgung Ryong displayed had reached an extraordinary level.
It was a clear advancement from the martial prowess Namgung Wi-kyeong remembered, something truly encouraging.
“Today’s defeat will serve as great nourishment for you.”
Namgung Wi-kyeong’s face lit up with joy.
It wasn’t just nourishment for Namgung Ryong alone.
Through this sparring tournament, the Namgung family would leap to greater heights, and the next generation might even reclaim their past glory.
Considering how the latebloomers of the other Great Families couldn’t even save face, this was monumental.
Namgung Wi-kyeong had every reason to rejoice.
But regardless, Namgung Ryong let out a sigh.
His expression was one of utter emptiness, as if he had lost the entire world.
The shadow on his face deepened his melancholy.
From the side, arms crossed, Namgung Hyeok spoke quietly.
“Hey, bro. Focus on channeling your qi properly so you don’t suffer internal injuries. A loss is a loss, but you still have things to do.”
“Hoo.”
“What, you gonna sulk forever? You finally have someone to step on—shouldn’t you be thrilled?”
“……Hooo.”
Namgung Ryong glanced at Namgung Hyeok for a moment before sighing deeply once more, as if the ground might cave in.
Hah hah hah, this kid’s tempting fate in front of an elder.
Namgung Hyeok chuckled in disbelief, but Namgung Ryong murmured softly.
“Wall…….”
“Wall?”
“……I saw it.”
“You saw the wall?”
*Nod.*
Namgung Hyeok stared silently at Namgung Ryong as he nodded.
Saw the wall?
The wall?
“Waaall?”
A vein bulged on Namgung Hyeok’s forehead.
Hyeonwon.
Sure, purely in terms of talent, that Daoist punk was Sword King level.
It was enough to make anyone despair.
The Sword King wall was something ordinary talent couldn’t even fathom.
But that didn’t make him a Sword King, did it?
And who was teaching him right now!
The supreme under heaven, unparalleled through the ages, who had even surpassed ascension—and now personally instructing him—yet this was cause for despair?
With enough time, making Namgung Ryong surpass Hyeonwon would be child’s play.
Namgung Ryong, who had been wearing a gloomy expression, flinched and raised his head.
“Who the hell taught you to see a damn wall like that?! Who gave you permission to see that wall, huh?”
Did seeing the wall require permission?
Namgung Ryong’s pupils trembled.
Namgung Hyeok spat fire from his mouth.
“Jeez, if you knew what you’re taking in right now, you wouldn’t be like this. That’s not something you digest in one go, you idiot!”
“I…….”
“You think a few words from me turn you into a master overnight? Huh? What’s a master? Someone who trains to the brink of death, fights, gains experience, and barely claws their way up. You think a couple words make it happen? Are you insane?”
“…….”
“And losing is a big deal? So what if you lost—did anyone die? Huh? Who died! There’s an elder right here, and you’re acting like it’s the end of the world!”
As Namgung Hyeok ranted with veins popping on his forehead, Namgung Ryong’s head drooped dejectedly.
Namgung Wi-kyeong, who had been watching with a pleased smile from the side, blinked in surprise.
Huh?
Had the roles somehow switched?
But it wasn’t entirely wrong.
Just a bit extreme.
Crossing the line a tad?
“Uh, hey…… Hyeok?”
“What!”
Namgung Hyeok glared irritably, making Namgung Wi-kyeong flinch.
Those fierce eyes looked ready to shoot flames.
“……Never mind. Carry on.”
“Tch!”
Namgung Hyeok clicked his tongue and turned back to Namgung Ryong.
He let out a hollow laugh at his brother’s still-serious face.
*‘Sigh, fine.’*
Shaking his head, he asked.
“So, you saw the wall—what now? Gonna give up?”
Namgung Ryong, lost in deep thought the whole time, lifted his head.
A clear light gleamed in his eyes.
“……I’ll surpass it.”
His voice was resolute and firm.
The gloom on his face eased somewhat.
He looked like he had realized something.
A strange smile tugged at Namgung Hyeok’s lips.
“Yeah. If that’s a wall, even a passing snail could call it one.”
“That’s a bit…….”
“Just a figure of speech.”
A chuckle escaped Namgung Ryong’s lips.
He knew Namgung Hyeok meant it sincerely, not just as a metaphor, by comparing Hyeonwon to a snail.
Who in the world would dare belittle Hyeonwon like that?
But to Namgung Hyeok, it seemed natural—and it probably was.
Anyone could see that arrogant statement stemmed from confidence and skill.
Understanding his meaning, Namgung Ryong nodded.
Watching the two, Namgung Wi-kyeong chuckled heartily.
The tense atmosphere from earlier had turned heartwarming.
*The second son is comforting the first. Hyeok may be rough, but he has depth.*
Not even close.
*‘Family Head, it seems our clan might soon reclaim its past glory.’*
Namgung Wi-kyeong nodded contentedly.
The words Namgung Jangcheon had said before he left—“That one’s not right in the head, so keep an eye on him”—had long faded from his mind.
*The Family Head worried needlessly. With a blessing like this? Hah hah hah!*
As Namgung Wi-kyeong basked in warm thoughts, madness glinted in Namgung Hyeok’s eyes.
The corners of Namgung Hyeok’s mouth curved up wickedly.
“I’ll show you. That so-called wall is nothing.”
“…….”
“I’ll shatter his bones!”
……Huh?
That didn’t connect right.
Namgung Ryong stared blankly at Namgung Hyeok.
Namgung Hyeok said with blazing eyes.
“In the end, I’ll have to settle it with my own hands.”
Hyeok?
“Sigh, I was hoping to snag that Azure Mystic Oil without much hassle. Tch!”
“…….”
“Yeah, nothing’s free in this world. I’ll collect it thoroughly. I’ll show you what a real wall is!”
Namgung Hyeok’s eyes shifted from blazing to gleaming maniacally.
“Grand Elder…….”
“Hah hah hah.”
“Um…….”
“Hah hah hah, what a blessing, what a blessing.”
“……Please stop him…….”
Hyeok’s foaming at the mouth and charging out.
As Namgung Ryong urgently opened his mouth in his own way, Namgung Hyeok had already slammed the door and stormed off.
“Hah hah hah hah! Just like the main family’s spirit! Splendid, splendid!”
Namgung Wi-kyeong’s booming laughter echoed through the room.
Namgung Ryong’s pupils shook violently.
* * *
The day of the sparring tournament finals dawned.
Countless crowds flooded the venue.
The stands, seating thirty thousand, were packed to the brim, and the VIP seats held elders and the Righteous Heaven Alliance leadership.
“The Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families meeting in the finals.”
“Man, impossible to predict the winner. Both crushed heavy hitters to get here.”
“This tournament had too many surprises. Hah hah, who’d have thought the Namgung family would reach the finals!”
“Hah hah. This’ll be fun, real fun.”
The stands erupted in excitement.
People no one had expected before the tournament began were now facing off in the finals.
Moreover, Namgung Hyeok and Hyeonwon had advanced by defeating renowned disciples from the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families.
Was that any small feat?
Especially Namgung Hyeok’s divine prowess left spectators speechless……
Depending on the view, it looked like a clash between the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, or Namgung Hyeok crushing the Nine Great Sects.
That only heightened the crowd’s thrill.
In stark contrast to the heated stands, the VIP seats were deathly silent.
The elders from the Nine Great Sects looked ashen, deepening the gloom.
Baek Jong kept swallowing hard.
*‘……They have to win the finals just to save face.’*
Save face?
They could protect the Azure Mystic Oil the Nine Great Sects had prepared together.
*‘If not, that precious item might fall to some random punk.’*
Namgung Hyeok’s momentum was beyond imagination.
Fail to break it, and their hard-prepared Azure Mystic Oil would be his.
*‘Everything rides on Hyeonwon? Hm, it’s possible, but the opponent…….’*
Why couldn’t he picture Hyeonwon winning?
His skill against Namgung Ryong had been awe-inspiring.
*‘Ugh. Muryang…… Subul. Everyone lost their heads. Starting the finals without a plan!’*
Separate from Hyeonwon’s potential.
Namgung Hyeok was a problem already deemed unsolvable, bringing deep despair.
*‘Qingyunzi, that old Daoist’s got no answers either.’*
Look at his face.
Utterly detached.
Qingyunzi gazed at the arena with a serene expression.
No worry, no joy.
Where had he seen that look before?
Somewhere……
Baek Jong sighed deeply and whispered to Mount Wudang’s Heo Won.
“What do you think?”
“No idea.”
“Hm?”
“I sensed the Dao in that child Hyeonwon’s sword. He hasn’t shown his full power yet, so it depends on how much he’s hiding.”
It was Mount Wudang’s Heo Won speaking.
Even with the tournament bruising their pride, his words carried weight.
Baek Jong’s eyes gleamed.
*‘Hasn’t shown his full power?’*
More than the Dao in the sword, that piqued his interest.
It meant Hyeonwon’s realm might exceed what he’d shown.
Holding back and hiding power were distinctly different.
Heo Won continued.
“I hope Hyeonwon wins.”
“Well, of course…….”
“If Hyeonwon wins, we achieve our goal too.”
“What? But that’s already…….”
“If Hyeonwon wins, the audience won’t judge the tournament otherwise. They’ll say the Namgung family shone, but the Nine Great Sects have geniuses like grains of sand. People don’t remember second place. In the end, it’ll go our way.”
Heo Won’s voice held a mystical air.
*‘He saw that far? Hah, a true Mount Wudang man.’*
Baek Jong nodded in admiration, then glanced ahead.
*‘Those Five Great Families…….’*
They were already grinning ear to ear; it reached all the way here.
Unlike the Nine Great Sects, just having a Five Great Family in the finals was cause for uncontainable joy.
It had been ages since one made the finals.
The Namgung buzz could wait.
Look at that.
Namgung Wi-kyeong.
Already toasting in celebration as if they’d won?
Well, well?
Dancing too…….
He really was?
Namgung Wi-kyeong was bouncing his shoulders, celebrating as if the Namgung family had clinched victory.
As Baek Jong gritted his teeth,
*Boom! Boom boom boom! Boom!*
Majestic drumbeats rang out, and the Righteous Heaven Alliance’s White-Clad Sword Corps entered the arena alongside the finalists, Namgung Hyeok and Hyeonwon.
Cheers exploded as all eyes turned to the two making their splendid entrance.
The two slowly ascended the arena and faced each other.
The tournament’s atmosphere boiled over.