Chapter 349
Chapter 349
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 349
Chapter Title: Supreme of Gold and the World's Best (1)
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Sword God Baek Mu-hyeon.
The man who could cleave heaven and earth with his sword alone.
'...I.'
Had loved the sword since childhood.
He couldn't remember exactly.
But in his earliest memories, the youngest version of himself was swinging a sword, so it went beyond mere fondness.
'A sword maniac.'
That was why his initial nickname had been Sword Mad Dog—literally, the mad dog obsessed with swords.
And that was actually high praise.
In a martial world where swordsmanship was everything, earning a title for being sword-crazy was no small feat.
There was a saying: unless you're mad, you can't reach the top.
You couldn't ascend to the highest realms without losing yourself to something!
'With this sword.'
The young man Baek Mu-hyeon vowed.
Shing!
As he gazed at his reflection on the blade's worn edge.
'I'll become the strongest.'
The strongest of this generation?
The best under heaven?
No.
He wouldn't settle for that much.
"Mu-hyeon? That kid? He's a genius!"
"Haha, he's a demon. A demon. They say talent is innate, and that fits him perfectly. You can just tell at a glance. He's different."
"Right. Even if you brought in the hottest young talents from the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, they wouldn't stand a chance against our Mu-hyeon."
"Yeah, that's not even young talent level anymore. Elders, maybe."
Despite being only in his early twenties, Baek Mu-hyeon was already a rising star in the world.
A brilliant new star, shining brighter than the old established ones.
Most would puff up with pride at such admiration.
But...
...
Baek Mu-hyeon remained calm.
He simply swung his sword with maximum efficiency.
And diligently mastered everything needed to control it.
He built his foundation with the Three Powers Sword Technique, the root of all martial arts.
And cultivated his qi with the Three Powers Qi Art, which unified heaven, earth, and man.
'Growth is slow.'
But no heart art or sword style was more perfect or sturdy.
That was what Baek Mu-hyeon, hailed as a genius, believed.
'Worlds apart from unorthodox or demonic arts.'
Those were the techniques impatient people chased for quick power spikes.
They granted immediate strength upon learning.
Making them dangerously tempting.
'But they can't beat a foundation built from the ground up with orthodox arts.'
Orthodox arts were like a man's lower body.
No matter how much you trained just the upper body, you'd eventually be overtaken by someone who properly trained their legs—even their upper body would lag behind.
That was the power of foundations.
The force that amplified output and drew out all the qi within.
Of course.
He had no sect.
No master to teach him.
Strangely, Baek Mu-hyeon.
From birth, he moved and thought solely to become the strongest.
As if it were his destiny.
"I yield. Sword Mad Dog."
"Your swordsmanship is incredible—vast as Mount Tai itself."
"What is your sword sect?"
Countless experts across the land knelt before Baek Mu-hyeon's blade.
They asked what mighty art he wielded.
'What else? The Three Powers.'
He declared it proudly at first.
"What? Three Powers? Ha, right."
"Three Powers? If you don't want to say, just say so..."
"Are you mocking us now that you've won?"
Most reacted that way, so he stopped mentioning it later.
Fair enough.
Even he would have reacted the same.
The Three Powers.
Were cheap martial arts sold for pennies in back-alley markets.
The techniques of beggars.
Lowly arts on par with the Six Harmonies Art.
'Tsk tsk.'
Baek Mu-hyeon found people ridiculous.
Chasing flashy arts while ignoring peerless techniques right in front of them.
Even legendary arts like Shaolin's Hundred Step Divine Fist or Tathagata Divine Palm were ultimately inspired by the Three Powers and Six Harmonies.
Wudang's Taiji, Beggar Clan's Dog-Beating Stick, Mount Hua's Plum Blossom, Emei Crouching Tiger, Kunlun's Cloud Dragon Great Eight Forms...
And so on.
Strip them down, and they all stemmed from the Three Powers and Six Harmonies.
So.
Baek Mu-hyeon couldn't understand.
Martial arts suited each person differently.
Why chase someone else's perfected art to achieve mastery?
'I should create my own.'
The path of a founding patriarch.
Baek Mu-hyeon was born with the talent to walk it.
Time passed.
Through his journeys in the jianghu, he grew tremendously.
When he subdued the Five Mountains Sword Sects, Sword Mad Dog became Sword Ghost.
When he defeated the heads of the Five Great Families, Sword Ghost became Sword Venerable.
When he single-handedly crushed the Demonic Alliance—the Four Evil Legions...
He earned the title Sword Emperor, emperor of swords.
"Sword Emperor Baek Mu-hyeon...!"
"No one rivals him in swordsmanship!"
"Sword? It's not just swords! He wiped out the entire Demonic Faction alone— who could face him single-handedly?"
"Indeed, he's the best under heaven!"
"Best under heaven! Sword Emperor!"
Step, step.
Baek Mu-hyeon walked slowly.
Swinging his sword steadfastly toward his goal.
But.
Doubts began to arise.
"Baek Mu-hyeon? He's strong. Strong, but stronger than the Heavenly Demon?"
"Nah, come on. They say the Heavenly Demon was the reincarnation of a true demon. Even fiercer than the evil god Asura."
"What about Shaolin's Bodhidharma?"
"Ugh, no matter how much you call Baek Mu-hyeon the best, how dare he compare to Bodhidharma?"
"Right?"
"Yeah, let's be honest. We shouldn't touch Wudang's Jang Sam-bong or Bodhidharma."
"Yeah, legends stay legends."
Who was the strongest across all eras?
Who was the Supreme of Gold and the World's Best?
It was a topic that thrilled the enthusiasts.
But.
No one wanted to shatter legends.
Shaolin's Bodhidharma.
Wudang's Jang Sam-bong.
The Heavenly Demon Church's founding Heavenly Demon.
The three eternal contenders for Supreme of Gold and the World's Best.
Baek Mu-hyeon hated that.
No matter how hard he tried.
No matter his achievements.
It grated that he couldn't squeeze into that trio.
So?
Kwa-gaga-gang!
He stormed Mount Song and demolished every temple.
"Wh-what! The Sword Emperor...!"
"N-Namo Amitabha!"
He went to Wudang Mountain and burned every Taoist hall.
"What is this outrage, Sword Emperor!"
"N-Namo Amitabha!"
Baek Mu-hyeon's rampage didn't stop.
He even trekked to distant Xinjiang and crushed the vicious Demonic Cultists.
At first, Central Plains folk clicked their tongues at his antics.
But when he wiped out the Demonic Church, Blood Cult, and White Lotus Cult...
"...Insane."
"A god!"
"The God of Swords!"
Sword God.
He earned a grandiose nickname implying he had transcended human limits.
But.
"Come on, still not beating the founding Heavenly Demon."
"Right? Word is, the founding Heavenly Demon conquered the entire Central Plains too. They feel similar."
"Hmm, but Sword God level should at least make him a candidate for Supreme of Gold and the World's Best, right?"
"Yeah, a candidate! At least a candidate!"
...!
These damn fools?
Grinding his teeth!
Baek Mu-hyeon finally snapped.
Becoming Supreme of Gold and the World's Best.
His childhood goal.
Wasn't achievable through effort alone.
It required universal recognition.
How would that happen?
The deeds of the dead were always exaggerated.
The founders' greatness was etched in the public's minds.
Baek Mu-hyeon realized.
He'd never hear it before death.
Only after.
In future generations.
Squeezing his name into that list would be his lot.
"Raaah!"
He raged.
Enraged, Baek Mu-hyeon swung his sword like a madman.
Boom! Kwaang! Kwanng!
Mountains split, seas churned, clouds vanished.
The despair of unattainable dreams filled every inch of his body.
Then, amid his fury, an unknown voice.
- Do you want to achieve your dream?
Startled, Baek Mu-hyeon whipped his head around.
'What?'
He was the current best under heaven.
The supreme sovereign who crushed the Demonic, Blood, and White Lotus Cults.
For such a man to miss a presence?
"Who's there!"
- No need to wonder who. Just passing by, stopped by the noisy fool on the road.
...!
It was eerie.
- Heh, remarkable. A Sword Constellation born in this backwater world.
Whoever it was.
Undoubtedly a being from beyond the heavens.
Otherwise.
He couldn't have missed it.
"C-Could you be... an immortal?"
- An immortal.
Snicker.
The unknown being chuckled.
- In your terms... hmm, no. Immortals are mere constellation-grade. If anything, think of me as the one who manages immortals.
O-One who manages immortals?
Baek Mu-hyeon's eyes bulged.
Then.
The Old Lord of Heaven.
Jade Emperor?
- Not quite. Speak quickly. Do you want your dream? Or not. If not, I'll be on my way.
"I-I do!"
Desperate cry!
- Very well?
The mysterious being's reply was simple.
- Then it shall be so. No great difficulty.
Thwak!
A deafening ring shook his ears.
Then.
Baek Mu-hyeon's world went black.
* * *
When he first opened his eyes.
Before him stood Shaolin.
Not the Shaolin of his era, mighty on Mount Song.
But a monk in wall-facing meditation.
Ah.
Baek Mu-hyeon got chills.
He instinctively knew.
'Bodhidharma.'
The great monk who crossed from India to Mount Song.
The damned priest always topping the Supreme candidates!
Shing!
Baek Mu-hyeon drew his sword.
Yes.
The work of that unknown being.
So the Sword God could fulfill his dream.
Encountering the best under heaven from every era.
"Hahaha!"
Baek Mu-hyeon laughed maniacally.
Couldn't return to his own time?
Didn't matter.
He had no family, master, or lover.
His dream was to conquer every era's best under heaven and claim the Supreme throne.
He'd sell his soul for it.
"Amitabha, who are you?"
"Who am I?"
Baek Mu-hyeon grinned.
"The grim reaper from the future, here to drag you to hell."
"...Such fiery speech. Kwanseum Bosal."
Bodhidharma sighed and rose.
"Strength and weakness matter not. What a foolish soul."
He lowered his gaze slightly and assumed a stance.
"Awakening the deluded is Shaolin's duty. But fear not. This fist will free you from arrogance in an instant."
"Good. No long tongue—just fists."
Baek Mu-hyeon's smile deepened.
"Bodhidharma, you're a man after all!"
"Amitabha!"
The clash of two absolutes transcending time and space.
Kwaaaang!
Bodhidharma and Baek Mu-hyeon's duel.
Thud!
Ended in a mere three exchanges.
Three moves, and Bodhidharma's defeat.
"Cough!"
Sword to the gut, Bodhidharma vomited blood and knelt.
"What?"
Baek Mu-hyeon frowned.
Beyond absurd—utterly baffling.
"Why so weak?"
Precisely, Baek Mu-hyeon was ridiculously strong.
But anyway.
Martial arts evolved over time.
Ages passed, weaknesses fixed, strengths amplified.
So the Shaolin arts of Baek Mu-hyeon's era versus the founding Bodhidharma's...
Old versus new?
"Damn it, you Central Plains gossiping bastards. This is your Supreme? What the hell?"
"Urk... Amitabha. How can such an impossibility...?!"
For Bodhidharma, it was ridiculous.
His foe pierced the flaws in his unparalleled art too easily.
The art no contemporary could match.
"Th-this can't... Ack!"
In the end, Bodhidharma met an unjust end.
To a mysterious intruder.
* * *
Next.
A Taoist seated in lotus position atop a temple.
Baek Mu-hyeon's gaze fell on Wudang's Jang Sam-bong.
"So, Jang Sam-bong this time?"
"...Namo Amitabha?"
"Damn. You lot don't even deserve my real sword."
Clang!
Baek Mu-hyeon tossed his sword aside.
Then yanked a branch from a nearby sturdy tree.
Slash, slice!
Shaved it with his hand into a simple wooden sword.
"Best under heaven? This'll do for you."
Sword God Baek Mu-hyeon.
The moment he raised the wooden sword.