Chapter 191
Chapter 191
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: Thunder Sword's Triumph
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Baek Jong and the elders of the Nine Great Sects had faces as hard as stone.
Amid the sparring arena, sword qi blazed with crackling thunder, drawing a groan from Baek Jong.
Unknowingly, he clutched the hem of his robe.
‘This…… what…….’
The dynamic bolts of lightning surging from Namgung Hyeok’s sword left Baek Jong stunned.
It was lightning in the truest sense.
Forks of it endlessly shot from the blade, taking form with such ferocity that even from afar, one couldn’t help flinching.
“Is…… is that the Namgung family’s sword qi?”
“I’d heard that when the Namgung family’s sword reaches its pinnacle, it achieves supremacy, but I never imagined it to this extent.”
“……Hasn’t that sword qi reached perfect maturity?!”
Exclamations erupted from the elders here and there.
Any master of their caliber among the Nine Great Sects knew full well.
Sword qi was something that naturally manifested once one freely controlled their internal energy and attained enlightenment in martial arts.
It was merely a byproduct of training in martial arts.
What a martial artist should pursue was not the creation of sword qi.
No one trained in martial arts just to produce sword qi.
At least not in the Nine Great Sects.
One trained in their sect’s swordsmanship, refined it, and sword qi would express itself as a result.
Thus, the deeper the understanding and enlightenment in martial arts, the more refined the swordsmanship became, the more distinct the form, power, and aura of the sword qi grew.
Like the Plum Blossoms of Mount Hua fully blooming, the Taiji of Wudang becoming crystal clear, or the Sunset of Qingcheng dyeing red.
Such sword qi wasn’t something one could produce simply by having profound internal energy.
It required a profound depth of insight and enlightenment in martial arts, distinct from raw power.
That was precisely why Baek Jong and the elders were shocked by Namgung Hyeok’s sword qi.
Sword qi born from harmony between enlightenment and understanding of martial arts, swordsmanship, and internal energy.
It possessed a grandeur and might worlds apart from the clumsy attempts of later-generation disciples.
‘How did such a monster emerge from the Namgung family!’
It was on another level.
Another dimension entirely.
Over decades of life, he’d heard such tales countless times and witnessed them himself.
Every so often, the martial world produced geniuses beyond comprehension.
Like Hyeonwon, the second-generation disciple of Qingcheng Sect.
But Namgung Hyeok’s level was beyond even that realm.
Before him, all became fireflies before the sun.
Even the Four Divine Stars, the Seven Dragons, and Hyeonwon himself seemed infinitesimally small.
Namgung Hyeok was the monster who devoured their genius whole.
Baek Jong’s face grew grave.
‘He’s already become a dragon.’
Such a colossal dragon, a towering tree, would only grow larger with time.
Unless its head was severed or roots uprooted, it would keep expanding.
And it would influence everything around it.
Whether positive or negative, all would be swept up.
‘Hah…….’
In this stage crafted by the Nine Great Sects to flaunt their power and influence, Baek Jong sighed at the ironic shadow of the Namgung family now looming over it.
A spark of unease ignited in his chest: to escape that shadow in the future, the Nine Great Sects might have to surpass Namgung Hyeok himself.
With a heavy sigh, he refocused on the sparring.
‘The match isn’t over yet.’
Hyeonwon’s pupils trembled faintly.
Namgung Hyeok’s form vanished amid the terrifying lightning surging like it would scorch flesh.
Only a single sword floated in the air, quivering, as if.
It felt like an illusion.
Yet the pressure and energy prickling his skin were anything but.
A smile crept across Hyeonwon’s lips.
The energy of the Heaven-Earth One Qi Art stirred, flowing into his sword.
He cloaked himself amid the sword qi spilling like threads.
A red sunset gathered at his sword tip.
Squeezing out every ounce of internal energy, Hyeonwon emptied his mind.
In that instant, the sword of Namgung Hyeok before him moved.
Boom!
A heavy footfall echoed as the blade, risen to the heavens, plummeted like a guillotine.
“……!”
Shiiiiiing!
Blood vessels bulged in Hyeonwon’s eyes under the sword pressure crushing his shoulders.
Ruuuuumble!
The sword qi forming Azure Clouds burned away in an instant. Lightning lashed out, coiling around his arm.
“Urgh!”
Grunting stifledly, Hyeonwon thrust his sunset-glowing sword.
Whoooosh!
The energy cloaking his sword targeted Namgung Hyeok, hidden behind it.
The red sunset sword qi advanced unhindered.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
Though his expression twisted faintly at the lightning coiling his wrist, Hyeonwon endured.
Sword waves rose from his blade, rippling like ocean swells dyed red with sunset atop them.
Hyeonwon’s gaze shone with clarity.
The sword moved at his will.
Seventy-two variations in one strike, the Azure Clouds Descending Sword within.
Faster than thought, the sword moved, energy following.
A strange sense of liberation.
An exhilarating thrill like breaking free from an egg, loaded into the sword tip.
A bizarre emotion he’d never felt in all his training as a Qingcheng disciple seized Hyeonwon in that moment.
Lost in a trance, Hyeonwon thrust his sword.
Shwaaaaa!
The languidly flowing sword accelerated to a streak of light.
Just as Hyeonwon’s sword would pierce Namgung Hyeok’s——
Clench!
A grinding sound like teeth gnashing, and cracks spiderwebbed through the red sunset blanketing the arena.
Lightning bolts spewed through the fissures, shattering the sunset.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
Hyeonwon’s mouth fell slightly open.
Forgetting the match entirely, he stared dumbfounded at the lightning dismantling the sunset.
Craaaack!
The sword emerged, splitting the sunset. The mirage-like glow he’d conjured vanished.
Lightning writhed from Namgung Hyeok’s sword like a living thing.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
Rumble-rumble-roar!
A single flash erupted.
Resembling Lightning Thirteen Thunders yet wholly different in sword form.
Faster, more domineering, heavier.
It was the Three Thunders Sword Method.
Namgung Hyeok’s sword plummeted explosively, cleaving space like a thunderbolt.
Lightning churned in all directions, flames rising.
Instinctively, Hyeonwon raised his sword.
Azure Clouds Descending Sword met Three Thunders Sword Method.
Rumble-rumble-roar!
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
A massive bolt twisted like a serpent, sweeping the ground and engulfing Hyeonwon’s body.
Pain like flesh searing, shock rattling his organs.
But above all, what shook Hyeonwon’s mind and body was the overwhelming pressure from Namgung Hyeok’s sword.
His expression wavered greatly at this unprecedented, colossal sword intent he’d never encountered.
‘What in the world is this……!’
Power beyond imagination loaded into the sword.
An unstoppable force beyond mortal endurance!
Hyeonwon’s eyes reflected the blue lightning pouring from Namgung Hyeok’s sword.
Boom-!
A belated explosion and searing roar rang in his ears.
Spectators shot to their feet, staring at the arena.
Amid surging mists like waves, a red sunset blanketed the arena in a grand spectacle.
The majestic grandeur left them breathless, chills racing.
As all gaped in awe, lightning tore through the vista, surging skyward.
Rumble-crash!
Vines devouring a tree, the lightning swallowed the sunset in an instant, nullifying the spectacle——a sight beyond mere thrill.
The whirling Three Thunders Sword Method incinerated Azure Clouds Descending Sword.
Literally incinerated it.
Soaring lightning devoured the clouds in a flash, shattering the sunset.
“Ah, ahh!”
“Mi…… insane.”
“Huh!”
“……What? What just happened?”
“Mm?!”
White dust billowed, shrouding the arena.
“The outcome? What’s the result?!”
The crowd gulped dryly, eyes fixed on the arena.
Through the settling dust, a hazy shadow appeared in their frantic gazes.
Gradually, the arena revealed itself, and the boisterous stands fell deathly silent.
The spectators’ eyes filled with shock.
Breaking the heavy silence, a sharp groan erupted from the arena.
“Urgh!”
Hyeonwon, hair disheveled wildly, knelt with a deathly pale face.
He swallowed the gushing blood, staring blankly ahead.
His defeated state was plain to see.
Strength drained from his entire body.
His trembling limbs betrayed he was far from normal.
Namgung Hyeok dangled his charred wooden sword, grinning.
“Did you take it well?”
Hyeonwon coughed harshly several times.
After a brief contemplation, he summoned strength into his knees.
“Urgh!”
Laboriously, yet by his own power, Hyeonwon rose.
He staggered, nearly collapsing again, but barely held.
Drawing deep breaths, he regulated his breathing.
Even breathing felt like his lungs were collapsing.
Qi and blood roiled, innards churning.
His dazed mind felt as if he’d crossed between life and death and returned.
Yet Hyeonwon steadied his ragged breaths and met Namgung Hyeok’s eyes.
Unlike his wretched appearance, his gaze shone with resolve.
“I took it well.”
Hyeonwon said solemnly.
Interest flickered in Namgung Hyeok’s eyes.
“Is that so?”
He understood the meaning behind those words.
That settled it.
Now, time for a proper settling of scores.
Namgung Hyeok rolled up his sleeves and strode toward Hyeonwon.
“We should see it through to the end, right? I hate leaving things unresolved. It’s a tournament, after all?”
“…….”
“Clench those teeth tight…….”
Thud.
Huh?
Hadn’t hit him yet?
Namgung Hyeok chuckled at Hyeonwon collapsing backward.
“Hey, hey. Avoidance faint?”
He prodded Hyeonwon with his foot, but no response.
As Namgung Hyeok considered kicking harder, the referee watching the arena leaped in like a flying squirrel.
Having endured Namgung Hyeok’s habit of grabbing whoever he met, the referee reacted like lightning.
He wedged into the narrow gap between Namgung Hyeok and Hyeonwon.
Whoosh!
“Stoooop! Stoooop!”
“Hey, he’s still alive…….”
‘You mad bastard!’
Clutching his waist, the referee restrained Namgung Hyeok.
“No, I wasn’t gonna hit…….”
As Namgung Hyeok stared in bewilderment, the referee declared.
“The match is impossible to continue! The winner is Namgung family’s Second Young Master Namgung Hyeok!”
At once, the silent stands erupted.
“Waaaaah! The Namgung family wins!”
“Namgung Hyeok won!”
“The Namgung family defeated the Nine Great Sects!”
Thunderous cheers boomed from the stands.
The faces of the Nine Great Sects’ elders in the VIP seats darkened.
Their worst fears had come to pass.
The Five Great Families’ elders opposite weren’t pleased either.
Though the Nine Great Sects were beaten, the victory clearly belonged solely to the Namgung family.
In this gathering, only Namgung Wi-gyeong celebrated Namgung Hyeok’s triumph.
“Hahaha! What fortune for the main house, true fortune!! The Family Head should have seen this, hahaha!”
Namgung Wi-gyeong shook with joy.
In nearly twenty years, nothing had gladdened the Namgung family more.
Defeating the Nine Great Sects before the eyes of the world, outshining the other Four Great Families to claim victory!
Emotion welled in his eyes.
All eyes turned to the beaming Namgung Hyeok.
A deep smile bloomed on his lips.