Chapter 69
Chapter 69
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Frenzied Sword Qi
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Pfft-choo!”
Namgung Hyeok sneezed and sniffed his nose.
“Why did you push yourself so hard?”
“When someone offers hospitality, you accept it. Et-choo!”
“Yes, accept one more round of it and you’ll be toasting with the grim reaper in the afterlife.”
“Are you performing an exorcism to send me off now?”
“I’m just worried, that’s all.”
“Khum!”
Namgung Hyeok cleared his throat awkwardly. He’d caught a chill just from making one round of visits to the Hefei Ten Swords’ sects, and now his body was in this state.
‘I’ll open one more meridian before winter hits.’
In truth, his foundation was steadily building up.
The Azure Heaven Bright King Art was developing a proper system, and its usage was gradually taking shape.
If he refined this system until the art reached full maturity, he wouldn’t just break through his Nine Yin Blocked Meridians—he’d take another step toward ascension.
‘I can do it, I can do...’
“Pfft-choo!”
Namgung Hyeok sniffed his nose a few more times.
“Here.”
Geum Cheomsang held a bamboo tube to his mouth.
“What’s this?”
“Drink it first.”
Slurp slurp slurp! Slurp slurp!
Namgung Hyeok sucked on the tube vigorously.
“More, more more.”
Slurp!
Namgung Hyeok pulled away from the tube.
“Kkh, sweet?”
“Honey water mixed with wild ginseng extract.”
“Not bad?”
“It’s my specialty.”
“Oh, show-off.”
“I picked it up naturally while serving you drinks lately, young master.”
Geum Cheomsang puffed up with pride, and Namgung Hyeok tilted his head.
“You’ve got the knack for crafts, so why can’t you handle martial arts?”
“...Ahem, this suits me better.”
“If you want to keep attending me, you need to master some proper martial arts.”
“What? Where’s the logic in that?”
“You don’t know how scary the jianghu is. The jianghu’s a place where you sleep rough and get stabbed. Enemies everywhere. You need to be able to protect yourself at least.”
“With this weather, sleeping rough would kill you before any blade does, young master.”
...Fair point.
“And the enemies everywhere thing? Seems like it’s for other reasons. With your personality...”
“You’re crossing the line?”
“...Ah, now that winter’s properly here, I’m just worried about your health, young master. It’s my loyal heart speaking—please take extra care in managing it.”
Geum Cheomsang averted his gaze slyly as he said it.
Namgung Hyeok stared at him intently, and Geum Cheomsang hurriedly changed the subject.
“Ah! Oh yeah, the elders were looking for you again.”
“What? Those old-timers have some stamina. Why do they keep coming?”
“They have stuff to give you, want to chat, go for walks...”
“Am I a dog? Walkies?”
“...You can’t keep dodging them forever, right? Even I’m reaching my limit on excuses.”
“Haa, these old coots. Since when are we buddies?”
Namgung Hyeok clicked his tongue.
Thinking of the old folks barging in without warning made him sigh.
For now, dodging worked, but their sudden visits were starting to get on his nerves.
Geum Cheomsang glanced at him cautiously.
“But young master, wouldn’t it be good to get on friendly terms with the elders? They’re the real power in the family, and it’d help your future activities...”
Namgung Hyeok scowled deeply.
“You think I’ve been dodging from the start?”
“...No.”
“It’d be one or two at a time! But they swarm in packs nonstop—is that normal? Huh? I can’t even eat because of them!”
“You still eat plenty...”
“Enough, it’s too much.”
“What about me then?”
“You dodge too.”
Geum Cheomsang’s eyes welled up with grievance, but Namgung Hyeok brushed it off lightly.
‘Time to get ready?’
Namgung Hyeok slyly opened a drawer.
It was piled high with banknotes and silver taels.
But a faint worry creased his face.
‘This is just temporary.’
Money spent was money gone, and there wasn’t much you could do with it.
Keep fleecing the Hefei Ten Swords’ sects indefinitely?
‘Gotta consider the backlash.’
His relations with the ten great sects’ leaders were a delicate balancing act.
Squeezing them wasn’t like with the Heaven-Earth Sect.
They knew it too, so he had to respect a minimum line.
Anyway, it was temporary.
‘Time to set up a stable income.’
Beyond what the Namgung family could provide, he needed money he could secure himself.
He had to ascend.
With solid backing and resources, he’d climb higher, faster.
In his past life, he hadn’t.
Despite heaven-sent talent, he’d faced countless hurdles and only touched the path to ascension in his later years.
He’d seized a few chances, but ultimately failed, awakening in this Namgung family second young master’s body.
‘One lifetime of failure is enough.’
The Azure Heaven Bright King Art’s system was taking shape.
He needed an environment where he could charge ahead without other worries.
‘I’ll figure something out soon, bide my time.’
Having sorted his thoughts, Namgung Hyeok rose.
“Off somewhere again?”
“The training grounds. Wanna come?”
“...Why’s the room so chilly? Shall I add some firewood?”
Namgung Hyeok chuckled at Geum Cheomsang’s evasion and headed out.
Standing before a massive lion statue, Namgung Hyeok deeply inhaled the dawn air.
Whooo!
He circulated the Azure Heaven Bright King Art.
The redesigned circulation method sent its energy flowing through his body.
Freer, faster, more vigorous than before.
Now the path was paved—no blockages.
One breath expelled impurities, drew in external qi, shattered it finely, and pulled it to his dantian.
The fist-sized energy core in his dantian brimmed with fullness.
“Faster.”
Having found the breathing method best suited to the Azure Heaven Bright King Art, his internal energy accumulated far quicker than before.
“Still not enough.”
In the past, he’d sucked in heaven-and-earth qi through his crown and breathed through every pore, so he couldn’t settle for this.
‘Need to prepare spirit pills too.’
With winter bringing strong yin energy, he should stock a few.
‘Something reliable.’
To refine pure internal energy, he filtered qi so thoroughly that even spirit pills’ energy got shattered.
In simple terms, his body no longer settled for low-grade stuff like Ink Spirit Pills.
He needed higher purity.
Like Great Return Pills...
“Great Return Pill. Great Return Pill.”
Hah, what a world of difference.
Back then, he’d snatched and devoured what the Sword King hid to eat—rare, but obtainable.
Now, not only were they extinct, the recipe was lost too.
‘...Tch, alchemy lost to time. Damn baldy monks! Useless, useless!’
Those old trees must’ve ascended to paradise nicely.
Agh, frustrating.
“You lose that? You lose that?!”
The world’s top pill master’s recipe, gone.
“Haa, in the long run, having alchemy like that would be best.”
The labor, transport costs—it wasn’t pocket change.
Better to find a way to make spirit pills himself.
Making and using was way better than buying when needed.
“Gotta keep that in mind too.”
One problem sparked a chain of tasks like potato vines.
Tsk tsk tsk!
Namgung Hyeok shook his head and drew his sword.
Shing!
“Timing’s key.”
It was necessary anyway, so maybe accelerate it.
“Gotta tidy up territories too.”
It felt like time to fortify his defenses.
His Poison Overlord instincts were kicking in.
Whooo!
The Azure Heaven Bright King Art circulated, surging energy to the sword tip.
Ziiiiing!
A bluish glow bloomed at the blade’s edge.
In the dim space, azure haze stretched five feet, flickering like flames.
Sword qi.
Namgung Hyeok stroked the sword qi rippling along the blade.
“...Good that sword qi’s manifesting, sure.”
Is this sword qi?
“Back then, one swing cleaved mountains, split clouds!”
Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh!
Namgung Hyeok swung irritably.
“Wow, a breeze! That’s gonna slice flesh?”
Whoosh whoosh whoosh! Whoosh whoosh!
Blue flames whipped around, flashing wildly.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Swoooosh! Swoooosh!
As Namgung Hyeok slashed neurotically.
The Thunder Dragon Squad, sweating buckets in the courtyard while doing his assigned training, stared blankly.
Geon Cheon-hwi whispered.
“That goblin fire or something?”
The lights whipping in the dawn courtyard evoked will-o’-the-wisps.
Tak Hyuk-dong squinted.
“...Isn’t that Second Young Master?”
“Huh?”
“But he lit his sword on fire, looks like. Whew, plays with fire like a lunatic.”
“Sword? Wait, isn’t that sword qi?”
“Sword qi? Huh? Sword qi?”
Tak Hyuk-dong’s eyes bulged.
“Really...?”
As dawn broke, the vivid blade and azure haze left him gaping.
“What the hell kinda sword qi is that?!”
Does sword qi take after its owner’s personality?
The Thunder Dragon Squad gawked at the berserk sword qi.
“...Insane, how much internal energy does he have?”
They knew his arts were profound, but sword qi?!
How much internal energy and swordsmanship insight to manifest something so brutish?
Whoosh whoosh whoosh! Swoosh! Swoooosh!
Namgung Hyeok’s swings sped up.
The squad was ten zhang away, yet the brutal roar and sword wind tugged their collars.
Gulp.
Dry swallows.
A realm they couldn’t yet touch.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Sword qi swings brought gusts of pressure.
Huh? Closer than before?
Wait.
When’d he get this close?
...Didn’t our eyes just meet?
“Young master?”
Swoooosh! Swoooosh!
Sword qi grazing his nose-tip, Geon Cheon-hwi bent backward, nearly toppling.
“...W-wait!”
Boom! Boom!
Namgung Hyeok thrashed sword qi wildly every which way.
Geon Cheon-hwi and the squad screamed, scattering.
Namgung Hyeok lamented.
“Frustrating as hell! Doesn’t slice a thing?”
...Were you really trying to slice?
Blood drained from the squad’s faces.
“Pissed off now, pissed! Gotta slice something today!”
...Not us, right?
“...Young master?”
“Waaaaaah!”
* * *
“Whew, long road ahead, long way!”
Namgung Hyeok sheathed his sword with a flick and clicked his tongue, heading out.
Tasks roughly done, time for a lap around Hefei.
As he tried slipping out of the Namgung estate.
“Hm?”
Namgung Hyeok spotted Namgung Baek approaching from the front.
Namgung Baek, walking toward him, also stopped upon seeing him.
Namgung Baek stared blankly.
Namgung Hyeok stared back sullenly.
Silence fell.
Cracks formed in Namgung Baek’s expression.
“You don’t even greet your uncle now?”
Hah, greet? You little shit.
I was secluded in the Heavenly Mountains when you weren’t even born.
Namgung Hyeok scowled hard.
Twitch.
His head tilted ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly.
‘He’s looking down on me.’
Namgung Baek’s brow twitched.
“Arrogant punk. Is the family elder a joke to you?”
Namgung Hyeok chuckled in disbelief.
Throwing a tantrum for elder treatment now?
Hah, cute kid.
Elder treatment?
Namgung Hyeok rubbed his hands together.
“Aigoo, Uncle! Busy man like you, why pretend to know me? Be on your way.”
“...You mocking me now?”
“Uncle! I’ve got places to be... Ah, shit, damn it.”
Namgung Hyeok rubbed his hands, then scowled instantly.
His gaze shifted past Namgung Baek’s shoulder.
“Haa, crap. Caught.”
“Hyeok-ahhh!”
“Aigo, our Hyeok’s here!”
Cheerful voices rang from behind Namgung Baek.
He turned in confusion to see the Great Elder, Seventh Elder, and Fifth Elder beaming as they rushed over.
Then five more elders followed.
Namgung Hyeok’s face twisted oddly.
“Ha, shit!”
As he spat curses with a sigh, Namgung Wigyung unleashed Chasing Wind Divine Step, soaring like a crane and grabbing Namgung Hyeok’s arm.
Namgung Hyeok let out a long sigh, staring at the sky.
“Our Hyeok! This grandpa brought gifts.”
“Know what Uncle brought today? Hidden weapons from Sichuan Tang Clan. I’ll show you!”
“Hey now, it’s my turn first—new realm Thunder Justice Ten Swords!”
Surrounded by the crowd in an instant, Namgung Hyeok glared resentfully at Namgung Baek.
Then he was dragged off far away by the storm of elders.
Namgung Baek stared dazedly at the elders’ vanishing backs.
“...What the...”
Seeing it firsthand, it wasn’t just fondness.
Witnessing the rumors’ truth, Namgung Baek was speechless.
Grind!
He clenched his teeth.
Staring coldly at the direction Namgung Hyeok and the elders had gone, he quietly turned.
‘...This won’t do.’
Namgung Baek headed somewhere.