Chapter 15
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Senior and Junior
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A clash with a junior.
Back when I was a third-rate ronin, this was the kind of situation I'd always watch from a corner, filled with envy.
The world of ronin is harsh and unforgiving. No one knows who will die or when. That’s why there’s no systematic relationship like senior and junior, as you’d find in a martial arts sect.
Now, thanks to the unparalleled figure known as the Ronin King, a clear hierarchy has been established, but back when Ha Yuseong was a ronin, it was utter chaos.
It was like a band of outlaws—no! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a demonic cult.
Might made right.
Therefore, whenever new recruits arrived, a power struggle to determine the pecking order was like a rite of passage.
Naturally, the loser would be relegated to the bottom rung.
And that spot was always reserved for Ha Yuseong.
Thirty years had passed like that.
How he had longed for it all that time.
For a fine junior to appear and throw down the gauntlet before him!
Of course, if Ha Yuseong were to lose this fight, he was prepared to submit to his junior, even though he was the senior.
He had joined the Murim Alliance with the same mindset.
Though his rebellion failed due to his complete defeat at the hands of the Unit Leader.
Isn't there a saying in the world? Fail, and it's treason; succeed, and it's a revolution!
This was likely the rule that governed the world of martial arts.
Though the Murim Alliance, one of the pinnacles of the martial world, probably didn't operate solely by that rule.
Still, the strength of one's power is an absolute truth that transcends any era!
That was why Ha Yuseong seriously accepted his junior’s rather impudent request for a spar.
*Shing.*
He drew his sword.
***
Hae Myo simply couldn't stand it when this guy, who was clearly younger than him, spoke in such a condescending tone.
To be told he was the junior of someone like this?
Ha! The Murim Alliance, those bastards! They must really look down on our Huashan Sect!
Of course, he admitted to making a small(?) mistake recently.
But still, how much has the Huashan Sect contributed to the martial world over the years!
‘I, Hae Myo, will one day become the First Sword of Huashan, reclaim the title of Sword King stolen by the Namgung Family, and prove that Huashan still stands strong!’
The first sacrificial lamb was the man before him.
At the same time, Hae Myo glanced sideways at Namgung Yuya.
‘Hmph! Your days of strutting around just because you’re from the Sword King’s family are numbered!’
In reality, the Namgung Family lived quietly, and this was Namgung Yuya's first time out in the martial world.
‘First, judging by the way he’s holding his sword, he looks like he learned some crude swordsmanship from a marketplace.’
Swordsmanship learned from a prestigious school is different from the very stance.
Hae Myo drew his sword and took the stance of the Fourteen Forms of Plum Blossom Sword.
Behold! This is a form that has inherited the very essence of the great Huashan Sect!
“Ho! The aura alone is different.”
At Ha Yuseong's surprised remark, Hae Myo snorted with a "Hmph!"
‘At least you have a discerning eye!’
You'll probably pass out when you see the great Huashan Sect's swordsmanship that follows!
“My swordsmanship is still unrefined, so I’ll take the first move.”
“Be my guest.”
“Alright!”
Ha Yuseong swung his sword, and Hae Myo blocked it.
Huh?
Feeling the immense weight from the sword, Hae Myo realized something was wrong.
His wrist had almost been broken.
“As expected, swordsmanship learned in just three days is easily blocked.”
Three days? Don't give me that crap!
What a ridiculous lie!
Not three days, more like three years!
Seeing Hae Myo's flustered expression, Namgung Yuya nodded his head with a strange sense of satisfaction.
‘Yep. You’re screwed now!’
Namgung Yuya knew very well since the incident at the inn that Brother Ha was anything but ordinary.
That's why, in a way, he was curious about the outcome of this fight.
Hae Myo was known among the many people in the martial world as one of the talents who would lead the next generation.
He was on a completely different level from the Three Hounds of Henan.
Could Brother Ha really hold his own against someone like Hae Myo?
***
As the spar continued, Hae Myo felt a strange sensation.
The sword approached.
It felt somewhat familiar.
It was like sparring with a fellow disciple from the Huashan Sect.
A sword cutting a diagonal line.
At a glance, it resembled the fifth form of the Fourteen Forms of Plum Blossom Sword, the Falling Plum Blossom Flash.
But on closer inspection, it wasn't quite the Falling Plum Blossom Flash.
The original Falling Plum Blossom Flash was a sword art that emphasized speed.
But the Falling Plum Blossom Flash descending now emphasized weight.
*Thud!*
The moment their swords met, his knees buckled.
If he hadn't been protecting himself with internal energy, his knees would have surely given out.
It was less like clashing with a sword and more like being struck by a giant lump of iron.
‘What is this, does he have superhuman strength or something?!’
To have entered the Murim Alliance, he must possess at least one outstanding trait.
And that must be the superhuman strength he was displaying now.
Hae Myo switched from a defensive to an offensive stance.
For the first time, he kicked off the ground and advanced.
“Tah!”
The Fourteen Forms Plum Blossom Sword Art.
Third Form.
Radiant Plum Blossom.
With a kiai, Hae Myo flicked his sword upwards.
*Swish.*
Unable to withstand the sword's momentum, his opponent retreated. His steps seemed light. He looked skilled in footwork.
Hae Myo naturally continued his sword form.
The Fourteen Forms Plum Blossom Sword Art.
Fourth Form.
Opening Plum Blossom's Path.
The sword that had risen now curved smoothly and descended.
This time, his opponent raised his sword to block.
The moment the swords met.
Hae Myo's eyes gleamed.
‘Got you.’
The sixth form followed immediately.
The Fourteen Forms Plum Blossom Sword Art.
Sixth Form.
Plum Blossoms Fall.
His sword slithered like a snake, darting toward Ha Yuseong’s chest.
Ha Yuseong’s eyes widened.
‘Hmph! You’ve probably never seen such a high-level technique in your life. This is a counterattack that applies the profound principle of Redirection!’
He could see Ha Yuseong's sword moving a beat too late.
Hae Myo was certain his attack, aimed at his opponent's opening, would be a perfect success.
*Clang!*
Then came the sound again, and the repulsive force from the hilt.
This time, it was Hae Myo's eyes that widened.
“I was definitely faster.”
Hae Myo’s question was soon answered by Seo Pung, who had come outside to watch the fight.
“The principle of striking first by moving last.”
A high-level technique like Redirection, where you move after your opponent but your strike lands first.
“Although this is a little different.”
He had simply done it with brute physical ability.
Namgung Yuya shot a look that said, *When did this bastard get here?* Seo Pung glared back, and Namgung Yuya immediately lowered his gaze.
After blocking the attack, Ha Yuseong started muttering something.
“Ho! So you can wield a sword like that. So if I move my arm like this, and my feet like that, is this the rhythm?”
With the spar paused, Hae Myo gave him a look as if to say, *What the hell is this guy doing?*
“Is this how you execute the sword form?”
Regardless, Ha Yuseong continued to mutter to himself, swinging his sword aimlessly in the air.
“Are you ignoring me now!”
Whatever Hae Myo said, Ha Yuseong was lost in his own world.
At this, Hae Myo became genuinely angry.
“I’m getting serious now!”
*Blink.*
Hae Myo blinked.
In that instant, the atmosphere around him changed.
No! To be more precise.
The weight of the air around them shifted.
Hae Myo’s stance was the same as before, but it was fundamentally different.
Namgung Yuya recognized it instantly.
That’s!
‘It's incomplete, but it’s the Twenty-Four Forms of Plum Blossom Sword Art.’
The sword held high.
From it, a faint sword cry could be heard.
What Hae Myo was about to unleash was the fifth form of the Fourteen Forms of Plum Blossom Sword Art, the Falling Plum Blossom Flash.
However, it was clearly different from the version in the Fourteen Forms.
The Fourteen Forms Plum Blossom Sword Art was a watered-down version of the Twenty-Four Forms.
Even if it was the same numbered form, executing it with the Twenty-Four Forms was on a different dimension.
The proof was the sword cry ringing before his eyes.
Even though Namgung Yuya was just watching from the side, he felt as if his skin were being sliced.
Then, Namgung Yuya’s eyes widened. Ha Yuseong, too, was taking a stance that, at a glance, looked the same as Hae Myo's.
No! He had been uncertain before, but now he could see it clearly. Since the start of the spar, Ha Yuseong had stubbornly stuck to a single stance.
And it was very similar to Hae Myo’s.
But it was neither the Fourteen Forms nor the Twenty-Four Forms of Plum Blossom Sword Art.
All the while, Ha Yuseong continued to mutter to himself.
“Where do you think you’re looking! The one you are fighting is me! Hae Myo!”
Hae Myo's Falling Plum Blossom Flash descended upon Ha Yuseong.
Ha Yuseong subconsciously raised his sword to block.
*CLANG!*
Hae Myo's sword was lightly deflected.
At the sound, Ha Yuseong awoke from his own world.
“I see. I think I finally understand a little of what I couldn't grasp.”
Still speaking in riddles only he could understand, Ha Yuseong raised his sword.
It was the same stance as before.
The stance of the one form he had been using all along.
In truth, this was the only form Ha Yuseong knew.
To be more precise, it was one, yet not one.
It was something Ha Yuseong's current enlightenment couldn't yet comprehend, but through this fight, he felt he might be able to understand the Fake Plum Blossom Emperor's words just a little.
[I was not a genius who could create something from nothing, nor a prodigy born with special gifts, nor even a talent who could achieve things through effort. I was ordinary.]
The Fake Plum Blossom Emperor was ordinary, so the martial arts of the Huashan Sect were too profound for him. Yet, he could not give up on Huashan's techniques.
Because Huashan was his friend, his family.
His only home to return to.
That was Huashan.
[As such, all I received from Huashan was a single form. I did the best I could. I spent my entire life training this one form, in hopes of one day returning to Huashan.]
The only sword technique the Fake Plum Blossom Emperor could perform was a single form.
The Falling Plum Blossom Flash, the easiest form in the Fourteen Forms of Plum Blossom Sword Art.
The way to execute the form was simply to raise the sword and swiftly strike down.
However, the "swiftly" part was a realm the Fake Plum Blossom Emperor's talent could never reach.
[I deconstructed and reassembled this one form. And in the end, I was able to create my own twenty-four forms of the Twenty-Four Forms Plum Blossom Sword Art.]
It was a new Twenty-Four Forms of Plum Blossom Sword Art, born from the original.
[If someone should ever complete this sword art, I hope they will deliver it to the Huashan Sect. So they know that ‘I’ still love Huashan.]
The Fake Emperor's Twenty-Four Forms of Plum Blossom Sword Art.
First Form.
Falling Plum Blossom Flash, First Weight.
Adding weight upon weight.
The ground he stomped on sank.
The air was crushed by the descending sword.
Hae Myo blocked, but he couldn't stop the crushing force of the blade.
‘At this rate, I’ll be cut!’
The sword was right before his eyes.
Normally, the attack should have stopped here, but his opponent seemed to have no intention of doing so.
He looked into his opponent's eyes.
They were filled with ecstasy.
Hae Myo knew better than anyone what that was.
The ecstasy of one heading towards a new world.
The martial world called this an epiphany.
Just as he felt he was about to die.
A hand intervened between him and the sword.
The hand lightly gripped the razor-sharp blade and said.
“That’s enough.”
Only then did Ha Yuseong realize what he had just done.
“Ah! Oh dear! Junior! My apologies. I was lost in thought for a moment! My apologies! My apologies!”
He repeatedly bowed his head in apology.
The junior, Hae Myo, who had just escaped death, spoke to the terrifying senior who had nearly killed him.
“It's alright, Senior! I'll be in your care from now on!”
In the martial world, the logic of power is clearer than anywhere else.
On his first day in the Crouching Dragon Unit, Hae Myo submitted to Ha Yuseong.