Chapter 280: An Exhibition Spar
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 280: An Exhibition Spar
The strong prey on the weak.
It was a saying that applied throughout the Murim, but among the members of the Evil Faction, it was treated as absolute truth.
Of course, the Heavenly Demonic Cult also revered the survival of the fittest, but they didn't indiscriminately covet the possessions of the weak. They had laws in place to protect the vulnerable, to some extent.
But the Evil Faction had no such thing.
Without the protection of the strong, the weak were simply plundered.
That was why, if they thought an opponent was strong, they would either grovel on the ground or flee immediately.
But the Iron Snake Gang was different.
Even though their leader, the Ghost Hand Twin Swords, had been killed overnight, the gang hadn't disbanded and still held its ground. Considering the nature of the Evil Faction, this was clearly strange.
“Even without the Ghost Hand Twin Swords, the Iron Snake Gang is still a great threat to the people of Seoyu County who lack the protection of a sect or dojo.”
“So, you're saying you want to subjugate their remnants?”
Mujin nodded.
“The government isn't helping its people. How can I, a disciple of Wudang, stand by and do nothing?”
Hearing his words, I pretended to ponder while extending my mana detection.
If I hadn't dealt with the Ghost Hand Twin Swords, Mujin would have most likely gone to face them alone.
Although he was quite talented and his realm was approaching the peak of the supreme level, it was uncertain whether he could have defeated the Ghost Hand Twin Swords with his current skills.
Sending such a promising young talent to such a dangerous place alone?
‘Not a chance.’
Vwoom—
I expanded the range of my mana detection.
Soon, I detected a man with an unusual aura not far away.
On the surface, he looked like a ronin leisurely sipping tea, but he couldn't fool my eyes.
‘Transcendent... and a very stable realm at that. Plus, I can feel a faint Immortal Qi, so he’s almost certainly from the Wudang Sect.’
Just as I expected, they had secretly assigned him a guardian.
Of course, they wouldn't have sent an elder, so it must have been a considerably skilled First Generation Disciple.
I withdrew my mana detection and continued my thoughts.
As I said before, I would normally have refused a request from a complete stranger.
It might have been a different story if he were a breathtakingly beautiful woman, but Mujin was a man several years older than me.
Why would I do something that looked like a pain in the ass for someone else's benefit?
But this time was an exception.
“If you're truly uncomfortable, I will...”
“I'll do it.”
“Pardon?”
“As you asked, I will cooperate in subjugating the Iron Snake Gang.”
The moment I finished speaking, Mujin's face lit up.
“Th-thank you! With you by our side, Young Hero Kang, wiping out the Iron Snake Gang will be a piece of cake!”
“Before that.”
I raised a finger toward the overly excited Mujin.
“You have to grant one of my requests as well.”
“A request...?”
“Oh, it's nothing much.”
I had always been curious.
What would the swordsmanship of a proper martial artist look like, unlike the pathetic fist techniques of that buffoon, the Sword Dragon?
I couldn't ask Cheon Yeo-hwa, as she primarily specialized in palm, hand, and qi techniques rather than the sword.
And I didn't like the idea of just grabbing anyone and asking for a spar.
I had wanted to ask the elders from Mount Hua or the Zhongnan Sect whom I met at the old temple, but the situation hadn't been right for a duel.
In the end, I had to set aside the Formless Sword Art for a while and focus on training the Crimson Cloud Thunder Art and the Blood Flame Asura Demonic Art.
That wasn't bad, of course, but I couldn't help but want to broaden my horizons.
And just then, a martial artist from the famous Wudang Sect, a member of the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes—one of the most outstanding young talents of the Orthodox Faction—had appeared before me.
Of course, he was a step down from the elders of Mount Hua and the Zhongnan Sect, but this wasn't the time to be picky.
“Let's have a spar.”
“A spar...?”
Hearing my request—no, my proposal—Mujin looked at me with a somewhat reluctant expression.
“I apologize, but... my realm is shallow. I don't think there is anything for you to gain from a spar with me, Young Hero.”
“Don't worry about that. I'll limit my internal energy to a first-class level and won't use my Aura.”
“...Pardon?”
What I wanted wasn't to unilaterally defeat my opponent.
It was to witness various martial arts and, within them, find a clue to advance to the next realm.
The fact that Mujin was weaker than me didn't matter. As the saying goes, when three people walk together, one is bound to be my teacher. There's something to learn from everyone.
“No matter how I look at it, it seems I'll be the one learning more, but... very well. I will do my best.”
With that, Mujin and I left the inn and headed for the forest outside Seoyu County.
There was no suitable place for a spar within the town.
After finding a decent clearing, I stood there and faced Mujin. Cheon Yeo-hwa stepped back, agreeing to act as the referee.
“Hyun-woo, you are forbidden from using killing moves. The Young Daoist, however, may use them.”
“...Understood.”
I faced Mujin and raised my sword.
It was a simple iron sword I'd bought from a blacksmith. Perhaps because there were hardly any martial artists in this town, it was poorly balanced and looked shabby.
But for now, it was enough.
Mujin also drew the sword from his waist and stood before me. His composed presence silenced the air around us.
He was clearly holding a sword, yet it felt like I was facing a Daoist practitioner cultivating the Way.
“You may come first," Mujin said softly.
A weaker martial artist yielding the first move to a stronger one.
Anyone watching would have called him arrogant.
But they would only say that because they didn't understand the martial arts of Wudang.
The symbol of the Wudang Sect is the Tai Chi.
From the circulation of Yin and Yang, a flow of softness and stillness is born. This flow emits a continuous, unbroken Sword Qi.
They receive and subdue the opponent's blade, felling the enemy with an endlessly soft sword.
Striking after the opponent; softness overcomes hardness.
That was the essence of the martial arts Wudang pursued.
‘Well... it sounds fancy, but everything I know is just what Cheon Yeo-hwa told me.’
So, I was about to see it for myself.
Just how skilled was the top young talent of the Wudang Sect, a sect called the greatest sword sect under heaven alongside the Mount Hua Sect and the Namgung Family?
I restricted my mana and internal energy and charged toward Mujin.
I also avoided relying on my physical strength as much as possible.
Unleashing the swordsmanship I had honed through real combat, I aimed for Mujin's flank.
Clang!
Perhaps because I had held back my strength, Mujin blocked my sword without much difficulty. To gauge his limits, I began to gradually increase my power.
Kaaang! Kang!
A heavier sword strike than before stormed toward Mujin.
Though it wasn't a killing move, a momentary mistake could cost him a limb. It was a fierce and sharp blade.
But Mujin blocked every single attack as if to prove a point.
Rather than being surprised, I progressively increased my speed. The sword, without any Sword Qi, drew an arc through the air, flying as if to strike Mujin's weak points.
I didn't use the Formless Sword Art. Without using Sword Qi, it wouldn't have any real power anyway.
Beads of cold sweat formed on Mujin's face as my sword grew faster, but he didn't take a single step back.
His clear blue eyes shone. From that point on, he no longer tracked my sword with his eyes.
It was as if he was looking beyond it.
To be precise, he was reading the movements of my muscles.
Curiosity piqued, I added an element of unpredictability to my sword, which had been swinging at a constant speed.
Fwoosh!
“?!”
As the already swung sword suddenly accelerated in mid-air, a look of bewilderment crossed Mujin's eyes.
But he didn't dodge.
Instead, a blue Sword Qi formed on his blade, which was engraved with a pine tree pattern.
Immediately after, Mujin's sword entangled with mine as if to wrap around it.
With a movement like a flowing stream of water, it pulled, pushed, and struck my sword away.
Kaaang!
There wasn't a single break in the series of movements.
“Haap!”
In that instant, the flow I had maintained was completely shattered. Having lost the initiative in a flash, I watched Mujin's sword cut through the air toward me and fell into thought.
‘What was that just now...?’
What Mujin had just displayed wasn't a simple Soft Sword technique that deflected an opponent's attack to find an opening.
His sword, as if it had the elasticity of a Flexible Sword, bent to wrap around my blade and deflect the attack.
‘Was that ‘softness overcomes hardness’?’
Subduing the strong with the soft.
A phrase that sounded like a literary expression had just unfolded before my eyes. I lightly dodged the sword Mujin swung and recalled the path his blade had taken.
Wrap, pull, and push away.
I replayed that flow in my mind, imprinting his sword path into my eyes.
“Hyaaaaaaah!”
The blue Sword Qi embroidered the air, continuing endlessly.
This was it—the continuous, unbroken sword of Wudang.
True to his reputation as a promising young talent, his amount of internal energy was substantial.
Well, techniques like striking after the opponent or maintaining a continuous flow were ultimately based on immense internal power. It wouldn't work if he lacked it.
To put it nicely, it was a martial art for late bloomers, but realistically, it was also a style that couldn't display much power until one reached a certain realm.
In Mujin's case, however, not only his internal energy but also his swordsmanship had already reached the peak of the supreme level.
All he lacked now was enlightenment.
I could actually provide him with what he was missing, but I decided against it.
‘He'll figure it out on his own.’
Even without my help, with his talent, he would be able to step into the next realm soon enough.
Crash, Craaash!!
The blue Sword Qi raged, shattering trees and rocks all around. I could feel the power of his attacks steadily increasing.
But I still didn't use my Sword Qi.
I just carefully observed the endlessly continuing sword path, occasionally blocking or dodging an attack.
Perhaps the fact that his attacks couldn't reach me, no matter how much he poured on, wounded his pride. Mujin gritted his teeth and swung his sword.
“Cheonghwa Ilnyeom!!”
The even sharper Sword Qi completely cut off my escape routes.
The moment I had nowhere left to run, a flawless diagonal slash flew toward my shoulder.
The tip of the sword carried Mujin's will—his determination to land a hit this time.
It was certainly a fierce attack, but it was a strike that wouldn't work against a Transcendent who could deploy a Protective Aura.
Besides, there were many ways to dodge this attack even without using my Sword Qi.
But instead, I stared at the sword he brandished and slowly extended my arm.
The sword and I were one; there was no need to treat them as separate entities.
‘Is this how you do it?’
Sword and sword entangled.
I pulled the entwined sword and then pushed it forward to strike.
Chaeng!
“?!”
In that moment, astonishment spread across Mujin's face.
Ignoring his reaction, I struck the back of his hand with the pommel of my sword.
“Keuk?!”
Having instinctively dropped his sword, Mujin took several ragged breaths and stared at me.
“...H-how did you just do that?”
His eyes, looking at me, trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
After a moment of thought, I said softly,
“It just worked.”
*
In the middle of a secret chamber, where a single candle was the only source of light.
A man prostrated there, trembling and drenched in cold sweat.
Slither—
Countless centipedes were crawling up and down his hands and feet.
Normally, he would have scorned them as small, insignificant creatures and crushed them underfoot, but now, the man didn't dare to move a single finger.
If even one of the hundreds of centipedes crawling on the floor had a change of heart, he would be a dead man.
“...So, who did you say has arrived?”
A voice came from beyond the darkness.
It was the voice of an old, hideous man.
Worried about getting on his bad side, the man anxiously and hastily answered the question.
“Th-the Blue Dragon from the Wudang Sect has arrived!”
“The Blue Dragon?”
Tap, tap, tap.
Hearing the man's words, the old man tapped his fingers on the desk. He seemed lost in thought for a moment.
The silence did not last long.
“Yes, one of the Five Dragons should be sufficient as a beacon to signal the start of the war. Kuhuhu... Those Old Daoist bastards. I can hardly wait to see the looks on their faces when the head of their precious disciple is all that returns.”