Chapter 430
Chapter 430
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 430
Chapter Title: Waves (4)
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"Vice Leader! The boat carrying the Zhongnan Sect disciples!"
"I see it. Don't make a fuss and put some distance between us and the boat with the Righteous Martial Academy team."
"Yes, sir!"
"...I should have suspected something from how Chang Liang was keeping his distance. Both the Zhongnan Sect Leader and I were too hasty."
The Kunlun Sect, having witnessed the boat with the Zhongnan Sect participants sinking, began to distance themselves from us.
In the meantime, Jeong Won-hae leisurely swam back to our boat.
"Puhah."
I extended my hand toward him.
"Good work."
Jeong Won-hae, grabbing my hand and climbing back aboard, gave an awkward smile.
"It was nothing. They were all focused on the Alliance Leader's boat up ahead and that monster standing at our bow, so they weren't watching below the surface."
"It's just an unfamiliar environment. Whatever."
"Yes. Truth be told, the first strike was the only one that landed easily. If they're on guard, they could block it without much trouble, yet they're retreating like that. Ah, I'll take the helm from here."
Yin Xia Lian handed the rudder over to Jeong Won-hae.
With that, our boat began cleaving through the water even faster.
Tang Ok-gi rounded her mouth in awe and praised Jeong Won-hae.
"Ooooh. The Young Palace Lord really is different. It's way faster than when Ha-yeon was steering? What a beast!"
Yin Xia Lian chuckled and spoke up.
"Tell me about it. I've dodged river pirates on Yangtze boats before, but this guy's the real deal."
With an expert at the helm who was seasoned in handling boats.
And the other teams opting to hang back while keeping an eye on us.
We crossed the lake at Dangan Lake first and approached the first checkpoint.
"Brother Eon! That's the first checkpoint where the senior academy student is holding the flag, right?!"
"Yeah."
Confirming that, I spoke up to brief my teammates on what they needed to know.
"We need to hurry. Get ready to leap out the moment the boat reaches the shore."
Dokgo Cheol nodded and asked a question.
"The Alliance Leader's marching speed has been famous since your rookie days, right? Is that why?"
"That's part of it. We have to think about the competition too."
I glanced back at the pursuing rivals as I spoke.
"Huashan and Kunlun are closing in tight. Zhongnan's... hitched a ride on the Qianling Sect's boat. That's probably the strength of one of those ancient great sects Professor Chang Liang mentioned."
Having checked the status of our trailing competitors, I turned back to my Eon siblings and continued.
"Thanks to the Young Palace Lord, we've opened up some distance... but Huashan, Kunlun, and Zhongnan all have their own signature lightness skills."
Namgung Young replied.
"Huashan has Dark Fragrance Leap. Kunlun has Cloud Dragon Eight Steps. Zhongnan has Unburning Step. All renowned as the best under heaven."
"Right. Some of us have lightness skills that can match theirs, but with the mission requiring the whole team to reach the finish line, the moment we hit land, the terrain turns against us. Keep that in mind."
Dokgo Cheol grabbed a rope and responded.
"Got it! We'll prepare to dock the second we arrive. Seon-ah, you handle the anchor!"
"On it!"
Thanks to my siblings moving with perfect coordination at my command, we docked in an instant.
That allowed us to immediately pursue Gongson Mu-gyeol, who had started climbing the mountainside first.
However, the pursuit from teams all using ascent techniques was fierce.
The first to appear behind our boat were the Kunlun disciples.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
They flapped their distinctive long sleeves, stepping like dragons parting the clouds as they overtook us.
Then, Chang Liang and the Huashan Plum Sword Guards, who had been right on their tails, brushed past us too.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A moment after those two teams took the lead.
When we reached the second checkpoint marked on the map.
"Brother Eon! Zhongnan's almost caught up!"
The Zhongnan disciples, looking like drowned rats, caught up to us with blazing eyes.
The moment the Zhongnan team overtook us.
Sect Leader Hwang Baek-wol tossed out a line as he passed.
"We're going ahead!"
Peng So-cheon and Yin Ha-seong spoke up in turn at the departing Hwang Baek-wol.
"Not very gentlemanly. Yong-un just did his 'Yong-un' thing. And an adult throws it back like that."
"It is gentlemanly. A rotten gentleman is still a gentleman, isn't he?"
"Ah?"
Eon Yong-myeong let out a dry laugh as he listened.
"...He must be pretty pissed."
Jeong Won-hae sighed.
"Sorry. It's because I'm not skilled enough in lightness skills that this happened."
I immediately shook my head.
"No need to apologize. It was my call to ask the Young Palace Lord to join us. Excluding me, So-ryeong, and little Zhuge, none of us can match their lightness skills anyway. I told you from the start it'd be disadvantageous for us."
"...Still."
"And there's a way to fix our lagging pace. That's why I let those guys pass without doing anything."
Namgung Young clapped and spoke up.
"Ah! We have to return to the lake at the end anyway. You mean we can catch up then?"
"That's one backup plan, but it's a last resort. For now, we push straight through."
I pointed at the approaching cliff ahead as I spoke.
Cheon Jang-ho freaked out.
"Push through? You don't mean straight across that treacherous ravine, do you?!"
Zhuge Seol narrowed her brows too.
"But doesn't that violate the Chief's rules? The map shows the path."
"They did mark a red line for the route. But think of it as just the Alliance Leader's suggested path. The task was only to pass through the 'checkpoints.'"
"Ah? Yeah, you're right. As long as we hit the checkpoints, any path works."
"The theme is reclaiming the Manin Blood. It's not about politely following behind."
Peng So-jin, who had been listening, spoke up then.
"Cutting straight across the ravine would let us catch up. But if they see us doing it, the other competitors might follow..."
She seemed to be asking a question, but then answered herself.
"...Ah. Who'd dare copy this stunt recklessly?"
I grinned and rolled up my sleeves.
"Now that you get it, let's go."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Meanwhile, a messenger pigeon flew into the VIP seats near Dangan Lake's dock.
This one marked with "Two" on its back was from the second checkpoint, which all teams had to pass.
Naturally, the message tied to its leg concerned the Heavenly Martial Tournament's progress.
As the seated guests held their breath, Gyeong Hye unfolded the news it carried.
"I'll announce the passing order at the second checkpoint. First place: Kunlun. Second: Huashan. Third: Zhongnan. Fourth: Righteous Martial..."
After that, rankings for Shaolin and other teams were called, but.
Most of the guests' attention was fixed on Eon Yong-un's team.
"Heh. They took first at the opposite dock, the first checkpoint, and now the Righteous Martial Academy team drops to fourth?"
Once the top four were announced, the gathered people began speaking up.
"The Dragon Fiend can strut around with a bunch of rookies at his academy, but against real seniors, he's just a bloody novice."
"Huashan's Plum Sword Guards, Zhongnan's Flowing Cloud Sword Guards, and Kunlun's Cloud Dragon Sword Guards aren't pushovers."
At the murmurs leaking from here and there, Shanxi Golden Carp Yi Gil-hwan spoke up.
"Are you confident in those words you spat?"
When a titan like Yi Gil-hwan holds a grudge, most sects can't escape trouble.
The head of the world's oldest merchant group isn't someone to dismiss lightly.
One of those who had spoken about Eon Yong-un gave an awkward expression.
"Shanxi Golden Carp senior. What I meant was..."
"Who said you could call me senior? I'm asking if you're confident—don't change the subject."
Yi Gil-hwan cut him off mid-sentence.
He pulled a money pouch from his sleeve and tossed it onto the table in front of the VIP seats.
"Mix of silver and gold notes, about five hundred nyang. Anyone confident in their words, bet against this old man."
Not silver—five hundred nyang in gold.
Even among these self-proclaimed VIPs.
Few could casually throw down five hundred gold nyang.
Most guests unwittingly swallowed hard.
The Southern Jiang Merchant King, Eun Se-pyeong, spoke up.
"Senior, for the sake of face, isn't five hundred nyang a bit awkward?"
"Came out for a outing and didn't bring much coin. Writing a note would look tacky."
To that reply, Eun Se-pyeong grinned and pulled out his own pouch, placing it beside Yi Gil-hwan's.
"I'll cover it. Now there's a thousand nyang on this side. Confident? Put your pouch opposite and let's see who wins. No guts? Then shut your mouths."
Some of the seated guests clamped their lips.
Others, after agonizing, pulled out their pouches and placed them opposite.
As this unexpected betting pool formed.
"Hm."
Sword Emperor Namgung Won crossed his arms and let out a faint sigh.
Namgung Won's longtime rival, Zhuge Cheok, sent a transmission.
[What's with that earth-shattering sigh?]
[Just worried. The Righteous Martial Academy team needs to dominate this tournament. It'd be a statement to the world in so many ways.]
[Spitting bad omens with that unlucky breath. Seal that trap of yours and quit it.]
[...What?]
[Think the guy who smashed the Blood Demon and roasted Baek Gwang-ho is a pushover?]
As Namgung Won and Zhuge Cheok began glaring at each other.
Flutter-
A messenger pigeon marked with "Three" flew into the VIP seats.
As everyone held their breath once more.
Gyeong Hye, checking the message, spoke.
"I'll announce the passing order at the third checkpoint. First place: Righteous Martial. Second: Huashan. Third: Kunlun. Fourth: Zhongnan..."
The two merchant titans grinned in satisfaction at the reversed rankings.
While those who had emptied their pouches for gold turned pale.
The Sword Emperor tilted his head.
"Heh. They got overtaken early due to inferior lightness skills to the other three sects. How'd they reclaim first?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ We hurriedly traversed the treacherous ravine and finally broke through the brush at the third checkpoint.
Splash!
Greeted by the lead group, headed by the Huashan Plum Sword Guards.
Screech.
Most of them widened their eyes in surprise, but team leader Chang Liang spoke as if he'd expected it.
"Figured you weren't following. Coming out from the side, huh."
"The Alliance Leader must have passed already."
"That's right."
I gave Chang Liang a slight bow and checked the next point.
"Next is Baekro Peak, right?"
"Yes!"
Then I leaped straight toward the opposite cliff.
One of the leading groups began following us.
"We're going that way too!"
None other than the Zhongnan disciples.
"Sect Leader, is this really okay?"
"What's not okay? It's the guy running the tournament committee. No issue copying him!"
"But even setting that aside, this is the Dan-ae Cliff..."
"Scared now?!"
"N-no, sir."
"Your lightness skills can handle it. Why can't you do what they did?"
Hwang Baek-wol boasted boldly.
However, the way my Eon siblings and I crossed the ravine wasn't something you could just mimic with superior lightness skills.
"...Uh!"
"Careful!"
"S-sorry, senior brother."
The Zhongnan disciples kept jamming hands and feet too hard into the rock face without minding those behind, causing support formations to crumble constantly.
- Even masters aren't used to unfamiliar terrain. The Zhongnan fools, half-soaked, got hasty.
With a thousand-foot chasm below, these minor oversights piled up, slowing them down.
"At this rate, we'll fall behind not just the Righteous Martial brats, but Huashan and Kunlun too!"
Hwang Baek-wol's growing impatience spread like a plague to his disciples.
Crack-
Rumble rumble-
Eventually, disciples started plummeting to the cliff base.
"Sect Leader! Watch out!"
"!?"
As top-tier experts, they wouldn't suffer life-threatening injuries.
But with the tournament rule requiring all team members to reach the finish, Zhongnan's victory was as good as gone.
At their sight, Cheon Jang-ho snickered.
"Idiots. Think anyone can pull this off?"
A hollow laugh escaped me at his words.
"Who was the one whining 'we'll die' earlier when I said to jump?"
"That's 'cause I'm still scarred from rolling under you, bro. Thought it was suicide. But hey, no shackles or weights this time? Totally different story. Heh heh heh heh."
Leaving the Zhongnan disciples behind.
My Eon siblings and I madly scaled the rock face.
Reaching the peak with the fourth checkpoint.
"Hm? They're climbing up from there?"
Gongson Mu-gyeol had just arrived at the fourth checkpoint.
But striking team warriors were with him too.
"......"
As I pondered how to attack this.
Gongson Mu-gyeol grinned and spoke.
"Figured a demon lord wouldn't come without minions?"
"Wouldn't make sense if he didn't. Especially transporting the Manin Blood."
"I won't hand it over easily."
"Never thought I would."
"Fine then. Come at me."