Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Chengdu Tang Family Training Ground (2)
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The reason hidden weapons can never become mainstream is that they don't allow for frontal clashes.
Hidden weapons have weak stopping power.
To block an opponent's attack, weapons must clash head-on.
This holds true whether it's a spar, a duel, or a fight to the death.
The best way to secure victory is to thwart what the opponent wants to do while carrying out your own intentions.
But those who rely mainly on hidden weapons can't achieve that, so they resort to other tactics.
Interference. Or strikes so exquisitely placed that the opponent can't even dream of blocking them.
In truth, sparring against someone who uses hidden weapons is no easy feat.
With melee weapons, you can always pull back at the last moment. But hidden weapons don't allow for that.
Once thrown, you can't retrieve them. Not unless your martial prowess reaches an extraordinarily high level.
Moreover, for maximum efficiency, hidden weapons are a field where virtue lies in unhesitatingly targeting vital points.
In every way, they clash with the nature of sparring.
Even so, Tang Majeong was several moves ahead right now, making an even match possible.
Tang Majeong meticulously disrupted Seolha by fine-tuning the internal energy infused into his hidden weapons.
A sword flowing like clouds. Cloud Flow Sword.
It was supposed to connect seamlessly without pause or interruption.
But Tang Majeong's thrown hidden weapons flew with exquisite precision, targeting the tip of Seolha's extending blade, her wrist, her stepping foot, or any blind spot.
From the look of them, the hidden weapons he was throwing were for practice.
Practice hidden weapons, not lethal ones. Their tips had been blunted to prevent fatal injuries.
Yet the internal energy packed into them was far from negligible. Getting struck by one of those was tantamount to suffering a lethal wound.
So, to stubbornly ignore a solid hit and press on would be utterly unsightly.
Like insisting you weren't hit in a survival game after taking a fatal shot.
Seolha's sword kept breaking rhythm, and she looked troubled, but she calmly deflected each hidden weapon one by one.
No clean hits had landed yet. Likely because Tang Majeong was holding back somewhat.
Sparring is inherently tricky. One side has to pull their blows to let the other connect.
So, calling this "guidance" would be more accurate than "sparring."
That said, this spar wasn't pure charity for Tang Majeong either.
I may have created it, but Cloud Flow Swordsmanship was a super-grade martial art.
Its profundity was considerable, offering plenty for any martial expert to admire.
For instance, something like Seolha now—her martial robe fluttering as she spun her body full circle and thrust out.
If there had been someone here truly versed in swordsmanship, they would have shot to their feet shouting "Oh!"
Perhaps because of that, Tang Majeong switched tactics, scattering hidden weapons with both hands.
Fluttering sleeves and spraying hidden weapons.
The multiple projectiles from his left hand were feints; the one slyly tossed from his right was the real strike.
Seolha noticed it too. But noticing isn't the same as reacting to everything.
Uncharacteristically, Seolha gritted her teeth and swiftly swung her sword to sweep away the feints.
Even feints demand response, lest they become real.
Unlike melee weapons, hidden weapons—even feints—can prove lethal.
Better to view them as probing checks.
In any case, having deflected all those probes, Seolha unleashed her sword at the incoming real threat with astonishing focus.
Clang! The tip of Seolha's blade shattered the hidden weapon.
Wow. Black Wall material, as expected. So tough.
The Cloud Flow Sword, carved from Black Wall, utterly pulverized the projectile.
But Seolha's expression darkened. She'd spotted the small iron needle lodged in her side.
In truth, Tang Majeong had thrown two with his right hand from the start.
One was a sleek flying dagger; the other, a far smaller iron needle.
Had its tip been any sharper, the needle would have embedded deep in Seolha's flesh.
As it was, it merely dangled there.
She'd seen the flying dagger, but unfortunately missed the needle.
Seolha's defeat stemmed from her inexperience.
Tang Majeong had also momentarily unleashed his full prowess upon reading her sword path.
"Thank you. I've received much valuable instruction."
"The pleasure was mine. Your skill is astounding. You've broadened my horizons today."
They exchanged polite bows, and Seolha returned to my side with her usual composed expression.
But I could tell. She was inwardly frustrated about the loss.
Yeah. It felt different from losing to Yeonhwa.
A fruitful defeat. That's crucial.
You can't win every time. A martial artist tastes countless defeats over a lifetime.
How you accept them and grow is up to you.
Of course, that doesn't mean I'm planning to lose.
In any event, it was Yeonhwa's turn now.
But it seemed Tang Majeong had no intention of going again.
He glanced aside, gestured grandly, and called out to someone.
"Myeong-un! Come here! Care to give it a go?"
Tang Myeong-un. The Tang Family's young lord. A woman who acted the part of a man.
Tang Myeong-un didn't refuse and strode to the center of the training ground.
Yeonhwa glanced at me with an expectant look.
"Great Hero. May I?"
"Yeah. Go ahead."
"Yes!"
She bounded lively to the center.
Then she greeted Tang Myeong-un familiarly.
"Brother Myeong-un. It's been ages since we sparred, hasn't it?"
"It has. Three times so far? Yeah, and I won them all?"
"Brother! That was years ago! I was just a kid then! And you're two years older than me!"
"Haha. A win's a win. Can't call it a loss after winning."
"It's different now! I'm no pushover anymore!"
"You look it. Well then, shall we see just how much you've changed?"
Listening to their banter, I couldn't help but wonder.
She knows about that? So they raised her like a boy from childhood?
[Seolha.]
[Yes, Great Hero.]
[Tang Myeong-un's really a man?]
[Yes.]
[For real? Who confirmed it?]
[Pardon?]
[That guy's... Never mind.]
I nearly asked if someone had seen her naked body, but stopped. Too weird.
Sounded like a pervert. Like I wasn't right in the head.
I checked once more. Definitely a woman.
Sheesh. What's her story?
In any case, regardless of my questions, the spar between Yeonhwa and Tang Myeong-un began.
"Huh? What's that stance? Not Longbow No-Mind Swordsmanship?"
"Correct. It's a new sword art I've learned. Completely different from before."
"Alright. Let's see what you've got."
Yeonhwa shot forward immediately, arm drawn way back with her sword tip aimed at Tang Myeong-un as she charged.
Islet One Swordsmanship is the pinnacle of thrusting. A single strike impossible to evade, even if you know it's coming.
Recognizing it, Tang Myeong-un instantly leaped sideways while flicking her sleeve to launch a hidden weapon.
A method to evade while simultaneously checking the opponent's advance.
Yeonhwa spotted it and swiftly released her stance to deflect the projectile.
She then reset her form and kicked off the training ground once more.
It went on like that. Yeonhwa repeated charges and deflections without landing a solid thrust.
Both knew. All it took was one thrust to win. One block to deny it.
Tang Myeong-un's attainment was a step above Yeonhwa's.
Peak mid-stage or so. Right between the training hall master from earlier and Yeonhwa.
Two years older at twenty-two, it was still a respectable level.
Besides, this was the Tang Family. Standard metrics couldn't fully gauge their prowess.
Hidden weapons and poisons didn't factor neatly into realm evaluations.
Yeonhwa kept blocking projectiles while hunting for that one opening.
A proper thrust. Just once.
Tang Myeong-un kept hurling hidden weapons, but Yeonhwa's persistence seemed to weigh on her.
No surprise. Martial arts like this were rare.
Seolha's Cloud Flow Sword at least had a flowing rhythm, offering some prior experience. But not Yeonhwa.
The Point Sword School's Islet One probably wasn't like this either.
After a prolonged exchange, as Tang Myeong-un threw another hidden weapon, Yeonhwa charged straight in.
Tang Myeong-un startled—she'd expected Yeonhwa to deflect as usual.
Yeonhwa assumed her stance and thrust her sword home.
Islet One Swordsmanship's seventh form. Seven Leaves Piercing Sword.
A technique said to skewer seven falling leaves with a single thrust.
It incorporated that many variations. Perfect for this moment.
Yeonhwa's blade impaled Tang Myeong-un's thrown hidden weapon and pressed onward.
It halted abruptly before Tang Myeong-un's heart. A grinning face.
"I win, right!? I won!"
"No. Look at your robes."
Yeonhwa looked down and saw her martial robe's chest torn open.
"You missed one. This doesn't count."
"What are you talking about! Hidden weapons here don't kill! So I win!"
"Ugh. Hwa-ah. Stop pounding your chest like that, you grown woman. What do you think you're doing?"
As Yeonhwa thumped her own chest for emphasis, Tang Myeong-un turned away, visibly embarrassed.
"Oh, come on, I'm dressed! It's not like anything's showing! Anyway, I won! That's one out of four now!"
"Sigh. Fine. Whatever you say. Jeez..."
Tang Myeong-un shook her head ruefully.
Her mannerisms were utterly masculine. Convincing enough that no one would suspect otherwise.
In any event, Seolha and Yeonhwa had each completed one round of sparring.
Training Hall Master Tang Maun then eyed me with thinly veiled anticipation.
"If I may, Grove Lord—care for a spar?"
"With you?"
"Haha. By coincidence, I'm the strongest hereabouts. Quite fortuitous, wouldn't you say?"
Truth be told, this had likely been his aim from the outset. Everyone's always scheming.
Not to mention the growing crowd of onlookers.
Makes sense—watching others spar is fine training in itself. No one would pass up the chance.
For his earnestness and the sake of the spectators, it felt like I ought to put on a show.
Fortuitous encounters aren't always grandiose.
Sometimes, something like this becomes someone's golden opportunity.
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