Chapter 234
Chapter 234
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 234
Chapter Title: Exchange (6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The next participant from Fragrant Orchid Pavilion was truly Namgung Yun.
As he stepped onto the sparring arena, many spectators cheered his nickname and name with anticipation.
"Namgung Yun! Namgung Yun!"
"Flying Dragon Sword!!!"
"Number One Junior of the Realm!"
However, in one corner, there were people crossing their arms and chatting.
"...But is the Flying Dragon Sword really the Number One Junior of the Realm? From what I saw today, that Shaolin monk Woncheol held his own pretty well."
"Monk Woncheol is making his debut in the martial world at this tournament, right? Can't be helped. If he was jealous, he should've come out to the world earlier."
"Forget Monk Woncheol—even that Ghoul Dragon Eon Yong-un who just sent Maejin-ak flying is here."
"True, at the spring tournament, the Ghoul Dragon overpowered the Flying Dragon Sword, didn't he?"
"That was the Fragrant Orchid Pavilion falling for the Ghoul Dragon's trick wholesale—no direct matchup. Who'd win for real?"
"Didn't you see Maejin-ak go flying just now? Obviously the Ghoul Dragon! They say he even diced up a Demon Head!"
"Nah, the Namgung family's sword isn't something to take lightly."
Were those conversations getting to him?
Namgung Yun tore his eyes away from me and shot sharp glares toward various parts of the audience.
"......"
Meanwhile, having caught my breath, I was ready to start the match. I tossed a joke his way.
"Yun, your siblings got beat."
"...Siblings? I only have one little sister."
"Ah, you said you'd treat the Azure Bamboo folks as little bros. So that makes all the Azure Bamboo disciples your siblings too."
"...Does it work that way?"
"In that spirit, your big bro here is about to take on Shaolin. Hey, make way."
It was just a joke.
But Namgung Yun furrowed his brow.
"...Are you telling me to forfeit? I can't do that. In the Demon Defense Alliance, I'm your junior, and I begged to be treated as a little bro despite my age. But today, I'm representing Fragrant Orchid Pavilion."
He shook his head firmly.
"...And it's time for the world to know who truly deserves the title of Number One Junior of the Realm."
"Joking, joking. Can't you take a hint?"
I assumed a starting stance and ended the conversation.
"Let's begin."
Namgung Yun nodded at my words and drew his sword with movements that seemed almost reverent.
"I'll come at you."
As he finished speaking, the Namgung family's signature lightning qi wrapped around his drawn sword.
Then, like a bolt of lightning on a flint, he charged toward me.
The guy in his pitch-black uniform moved so fast it was as if...
Shhha-shak—
The trailing afterimages stretched like roiling storm clouds.
And as the lightning-qi-clad sword swung, it was like a dragon soaring through the skies spewing thunderbolts.
I swung Regret to meet his sword and thought.
Kaaang!!!!!!!!!!!!
'The Flying Dragon Sword lives up to its name in sound alone.'
It wasn't just noise.
There were no wasted movements.
Every action was preparation for the next technique and defense against mine.
His sword whipped out to seal off my paths completely.
'Azure Sky Unhindered Sword.'
I could see how it earned its arrogant name: the master of the heavens fears nothing.
Clang!
I deflected the sweeping strikes along their angle.
For thrusts, I closed the distance to deny him space.
Kaka-kang!!!!!
I'd seen him swing before, but experiencing it firsthand, he was tricky to handle.
'Tricky in a different way from Jeonghyeon.'
For a moment, I considered wrapping my sword in sword aura and overwhelming him.
But I dismissed the idea immediately.
'That consumes too much internal energy.'
Shaolin was up next.
Woncheol especially had profound reserves.
I couldn't afford to get distracted by Shaolin, but neither could I burn myself out here without a thought for what followed.
'Right now, my attainment, internal energy, and combat experience all outstrip Yun's. A gap will show itself if I keep engaging.'
Clang!!
Clang! Kaka-kaka-clang!!
After exchanging a few clashes with that mindset.
A thought crossed my mind.
'...Why's he going this hard?'
It was a real-sword duel, so giving it his all was natural.
But his gritted teeth and glaring eyes were the issue.
'Even Senior Maejin-ak didn't have that look. What's his deal?'
I asked my master, wondering if I was the only one noticing.
The ridiculous reply came right away.
- Have you been bullying Yun all this time? Not even calling him by name properly? This is him venting that resentment.
'......?'
- What?
'...You just called him Yun too.'
Amid that, Namgung Yun's sword swung toward my face.
I crossed Regret into an X to block the strike.
Clang!!!!
The Namgung clan's signature rigid sword energy clashed with Regret, sending a fierce gust whipping at my face.
Whoooosh!!!!!!
Heaven-Splitting Swordsmanship had no forms emphasizing such rigid strength.
Come to think of it, a question arose.
'Heaven-Splitting internal energy embodies dominance and power—why no such forms?'
The answer was simple.
They exist.
'I'm just not ready to learn them yet.'
And that meant I still had plenty of room to grow.
I grinned and swung my sword forth.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ To Namgung Yun, Eon Yong-un was like a mirror reflecting his past mistakes.
When he looked at himself in the mirror that was Eon Yong-un, Namgung Yun saw the self who had basked in the Namgung family's prestige and the fawning praises of genius.
Unlike him, Eon Yong-un had forged his own path with his own strength.
That's why this matchup meant more than anything to Namgung Yun.
This duel wasn't just a fight—it was a chance to show the world who the true Number One Junior of the Realm was.
And an opportunity for him to shed his empty title and be reborn anew.
Thus, he intended to pour everything into this battle.
'A name I enjoyed without thought. Even if I set it aside, I must give my all.'
Namgung Yun gritted his teeth.
Of course, it wasn't just about relinquishing the title of Number One Junior of the Realm.
Deep in his heart, he acknowledged Eon Yong-un.
But that very acknowledgment fueled his swordsman's competitive spirit.
Clang!!!!
He wanted to catch up.
To stand side by side.
No, to be brutally honest, he wanted to win.
Regardless of possibility.
Claaang!
Kaka-clang!!!
So Namgung Yun gritted his teeth and unleashed his sword forms.
Dozens of exchanges later.
'A gap.'
In a fleeting instant, a sliver of opening appeared.
Namgung Yun swung his lightning-wrapped sword at it.
Screeeeech!!
But the strike he thought was his perfect moment was effortlessly intercepted by Eon Yong-un's Regret.
Clang!!!!
Regret twisted slightly at contact, sparking as it slid away.
It slipped out of Namgung Yun's range.
Kiiiiing!
At the same time, Eon Yong-un's figure vanished behind Namgung Yun's ear.
'Missed...'
Eyes wide open, yet he'd lost track of Eon Yong-un's movement.
No time to hesitate.
'!'
Namgung Yun hurriedly stepped into footwork, swinging toward the direction where killing intent prickled his skin.
Clang!!
Guided by utmost focus and instinct, he blocked—but Eon Yong-un wasn't limited to swordplay.
Sure enough, a palm strike from the left hand came flying.
Shwaaack!!
The Namgung clan pursued swordsmanship, but all martial arts began with footwork and fists.
They had fist and palm techniques too.
Shwaaaaack!
Namgung Yun countered the incoming palm with the Namgung clan's Heavenly Thunder Palm.
Boom!!!!!
But in palm arts, Eon Yong-un was clearly superior.
As the palms clashed with a deafening roar in his ears.
Namgung Yun's body was flung back by the recoil.
"Cough."
He barely blocked, but his insides churned, and his wrist throbbed.
In that moment, one word flashed through Namgung Yun's mind.
'Monster.'
And various thoughts followed.
'...As expected, strong.'
A plainly stronger foe.
But it wasn't shameful.
No, it was enjoyable.
The joy of learning from a duel against a superior had long been ingrained in him.
'But I can't back down like this.'
As said before, this wasn't merely about victory or defeat.
Even if he yielded the title of Number One Junior of the Realm, he wanted the world to see that the Namgung heir had shown martial prowess worthy of his house.
He wanted to stand tall, able to say he'd given his all here, no matter where he started anew.
With that resolve, Namgung Yun envisioned the pinnacle sword in his mind.
'Emperor Sword.'
He quickly readjusted his grip on his sword.
Took a short breath.
"Hup."
And kicked off toward Eon Yong-un.
He'd only mastered one form so far, and at his current level, it wouldn't unleash full power.
But it was the strongest sword Namgung Yun could wield now.
In that instant.
A chunk of his internal energy drained into the sword, transforming into the World-Purifying Annihilation form.
Screeeeeeeeeck!!!
Clang!!!!!!!
A eardrum-shattering boom assaulted his ears.
'Blocked without effort, as expected. The steps I was pushed back...'
Just two.
A ferocious strike that could cleave bedrock, yet Eon Yong-un still stood within arm's reach.
Toward such a Namgung Yun, Eon Yong-un smirked and spoke.
"Is that the Emperor Sword? My hands are numb. But it wasn't that tricky. The trickiness peaked right before."
The old Namgung Yun might have taken that smile as mockery.
But now he knew.
It was sincere advice.
Namgung Yun sheathed his sword.
"...My sword still can't reach you. I lose."
He'd lost, but there was no resentment.
Though he'd relinquished the title of Number One Junior of the Realm.
His sword, freed from false renown, would only grow stronger henceforth.
Having set down his sword, Namgung Yun.
Smiled with a lightness he hadn't felt in ages.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Namgung Yun declared defeat and descended the arena.
Normally, Dang Jun-gi, Dang Ok-gi's older brother and Fragrant Orchid's third participant, would step up.
But Maejin-ak blocked his path.
And headed to the judges' table, seemingly saying something.
'...Trying to nitpick again?'
It didn't take long to learn what Maejin-ak said to the judges.
"Azure Bamboo Pavilion's third participant, disciple Dang Jun-gi, achieved three straight solo wins in the preliminaries. To avoid injury from overexertion, Fragrant Orchid Pavilion forfeits."
Maejin-ak wasn't nitpicking—he was forfeiting.
Makes sense. If the semifinals had gone as Fragrant Orchid planned, Dang Jun-gi wouldn't have needed to fight.
And on our side, both I and Jeonghyeon were fresh.
'Judging that continuing the semis would just cause needless injuries and embarrassment?'
Either way, it worked in our favor.
"Group A's finalists: Azure Bamboo Pavilion!!"
Thus, Azure Bamboo's name plaque rose to the top of the bracket, hanging beside Shaolin's.
"Azure Bamboo! Azure Bamboo! Azure Bamboo!!!!"
"Ghoul Dragon! Ghoul Dragon!! Wait, shouldn't it be Ever-Victorious Dragon now?!"
"Ha, does this mean overall victory goes to Azure Bamboo? Best Junior is Eon Yong-un?"
"Overall win's probably Azure Bamboo's, but Best Junior's still up in the air. We're all martial artists here, right? It'll come down to who wins the no-rules division."
I cupped my fists lightly in response to the roaring cheers.
Then returned to the participants' tent at the arena's edge.
There was plenty of time until the finals, but settling my qi first seemed wise.
"Gonna circulate my energy a bit."
"Yes. We'll stand guard."
"Jeonghyeon-dojo will be inside. I'll watch the outside."
After circulating and tidying my internals.
I emerged from the tent feeling refreshed.
But beside Yin Xia Lian, who was supposed to guard outside, stood an old monk with white eyebrows.
None other than Shaolin's Abbot Gonghyo.
"This lowly disciple of the martial world, Eon Yong-un, pays respects to Abbot Gonghyo."
"This lowly disciple of the martial world, Jeonghyeon, pays respects to Abbot Gonghyo."
Abbot Gonghyo smiled kindly and nodded in acceptance.
"Ho ho. What abbot? Just a doddering old monk."
Abbot Gonghyo paused briefly after speaking.
Looking at me with a smile, he clearly had something to say.
Quick-witted Yin Xia Lian saw this and quietly led Jeonghyeon toward the Azure Bamboo disciples.
Then, Abbot Gonghyo spoke.
"I watched Azure Bamboo's matches closely. But watching the Ghoul Dragon's fights idly stirred a question in this old monk's heart, drawing me here despite knowing it might inconvenience you."
"Please ask."
"From the Ghoul Dragon's prowess against Fragrant Orchid, I surmise Azure Bamboo could have beaten Shaolin in the team match purely on skill. Yet, why resort to such tricks?"
"Because it's the surest way to win."
"...Can that truly be called righteousness?"
"Why does that matter?"
"...Hm?"
Abbot Gonghyo raised his eyebrows at my bold retort.
I continued.
"Imagine it wasn't a team match arena, but a battlefield against the Demon Cult. If upholding righteousness leads to greater losses, isn't that the real problem?"
"Ho ho."
Abbot Gonghyo chuckled as if it were preposterous.
"I understand what you're getting at, Abbot. It's sound doctrine, and I respect it. But I believe in my own path and will stick to it. At least for this tournament, the answer to what's right won't come so easily, will it?"
"How so?"
I pointed to the top of the bracket, where Azure Bamboo and Shaolin hung side by side.
"Because the winner writes the truth."