Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: A Day's Worth of Gold (2)
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To chase the faint thread of insight that had flashed through my mind.
I overlaid the image of myself, shaped in my mind's eye, onto the actual forms of Jeong Hyeon and Zhuge Seolji clashing before me, within the slowly flowing time.
'If I were Jeong Hyeon?'
At first, I placed myself in Jeong Hyeon's position and envisioned receiving Zhuge Seolji's Crouching Dragon Sword.
'It's not just called Crouching Dragon because Zhuge Liang left it behind—it's truly like a dragon biding its time.'
In defense, it deflected attacks lunging at it like a coiled dragon wrapped in scales. Then, just as you thought that, it roared like a dragon unleashing a massive sweep toward you.
The immense power, hard to gauge in limits, added sharpness to the process, making it literally difficult to find an opening.
With that, the image of Zhuge Seolji in my mind's eye shifted from human form to that of a white dragon.
'...A dragon, huh.'
But difficult didn't mean impossible—there was still a way.
'Now!'
If it were me, I'd thrust in with Heaven-Splitting Fierce Advance right here.
His body was opened too wide now to deflect it as he'd been doing all along.
If I narrowed the angle precisely and drove in a proper thrust?
'Zhuge Seolji would have to choose: either tuck his right shoulder and yield his forearm, or roll on the ground with Lazy Donkey Roll.'
And sure enough.
Sssskkk!!!
Jeong Hyeon must have seen the same path I did, extending his wooden sword without the slightest deviation from my prediction.
"!"
Zhuge Seolji twisted his body in a spasm, rolling across the ground.
In the process, the white deep robe he wore became caked in dirt and dust.
My mind's eye shifted the dragon's image from an elegant white dragon to a mud-covered one freshly risen from a muddy pond.
At the sight of Zhuge Seolji, the gathered onlookers gaped in unison.
"...Uh. Doesn't that mean Instructor Jeong Hyeon wins?"
"The match isn't decided yet, Young Master Wu. As Young Master Eon said, the conditions for victory are one side admitting defeat, becoming too exhausted to continue, or stepping out of the drawn circle."
"Is Sister's interpretation correct, Brother Yong-un?"
"It's right. Rolling on the ground doesn't mean you've lost."
"Still, won't Lady Zhuge admit defeat? I hear people in the White Path martial world treat Lazy Donkey Roll as deeply shameful. I can't imagine her pushing to continue in this situation...?"
At Woo Sorung's words, Yin Ha-seong and Yin Xia Lian nodded in agreement.
The backdrop of being the Zhuge family's precious jewel.
Added to that, the story of suffering blocked meridians in childhood.
And her appearance, so pure it bordered on mature.
Those three elements made Zhuge Seolji seem like someone who'd concede defeat at the slightest speck of dust on her.
But in reality, she was the type who would roll in the dirt if she thought she might lose.
"It's not over yet!"
At Zhuge Seolji's shout.
My Eon brothers let out dry chuckles in unison.
And Dang Ok-gi shook her head.
"Whew. That bi... Ahem. Hmm."
A message came from my master at my waist.
- ...What an odd one. Usually, those who call themselves righteous folk would see that as shameful, as your Wu boy said. But from the first impression, her eyes seemed a bit off.
Well, if her opponent had been me, the match probably would have ended there.
'I'd have anticipated her rolling like that, so I wouldn't stop at thrusting in—I'd follow with Heaven-Splitting Torrent.'
Even if I didn't know Zhuge Seolji's true nature, the outcome wouldn't change much.
At that moment.
In my mind's eye, the dragon-form Zhuge Seolji was sliced by the raging Heaven-Splitting Torrent, realizing the moment wasn't right, and retreating with tail tucked.
'I'd never stop my sword until I felt complete victory.'
In that sense, Jeong Hyeon was definitely different from me.
Like Sorung or Ha-seong might think they'd won at this point, or out of courtesy, or simply because he was soft-hearted, he halted his sword.
"Here I come again!"
"Come on."
Hm.
Setting everything else aside, I wouldn't say "come on" so politely.
* * *
Anyway, the next exchange began like that.
Thwack!!
Jeong Hyeon and Zhuge Seolji's wooden swords clashed once more.
The audience fell silent to avoid disturbing their concentration.
And time began to flow slowly again.
'This time, let's face Jeong Hyeon's sword.'
In the stretched-out instant like stretched candy, I placed myself in Zhuge Seolji's position and envisioned countering Jeong Hyeon's sword.
I'd glimpsed his sword while fighting Professor No Sam, but seeing it properly up close felt different.
If Zhuge Seolji was a dragon, Jeong Hyeon was Taiji.
'Not easy, as expected.'
Their wooden swords clashed wildly, but only Jeong Hyeon's held a stillness.
That stillness stemmed from Taiji. Neng Rou Zhi Qiang—the Wudang essence of overcoming hardness with softness.
A sword genius who walked a different tempo from others wielded that essence seamlessly without interruption, rendering most strikes powerless and superficial.
'Honestly, not the best matchup for me right now.'
If Master heard that thought, he'd scold me for saying such nonsense.
But it was the truth.
Isn't there a saying?
'In a fierce wind, the old tree breaks while the reed bends but doesn't snap.'
If my sword was the fierce wind, Zhuge Seolji's was the old tree, and Jeong Hyeon's the reed.
Ah, of course.
Softness doesn't always overcome hardness.
For example, a typhoon can uproot the reed entirely.
The Heaven-Splitting Sword Canon was a technique worthy of that comparison.
'Soon, the day will come when I wield such a sword.'
But I hadn't reached the level to draw out the true essence of Heaven-Splitting Ten Swords yet.
I'd only mastered four forms, their proficiency and heart method weren't at great completion, and my internal energy didn't fully overwhelm Jeong Hyeon.
'...Makes me think I need to live more diligently from now on.'
I thought I'd been diligent, but now my body felt lacking.
No good.
I need to eat more and swing the sword more.
I've ransacked the entire Righteous Martial Academy.
With such thoughts, I varied the sword swings in my mind's eye.
Fast and swift, then, matching his stillness, added power and ferocity.
Then it hit me: this was just a sword swung in the mind, so I lightened it even more than when matching Heaven-Splitting Torrent.
And recalled the sword movements Zhuge Seolji used to shake it off.
'Softly. Softer. Like Jeong Hyeon's sword, like Zhuge Seolji's motions.'
Stillness amid motion.
Embracing Heaven-Splitting energy, infused with stillness, clash and push back.
'!'
Then, the Taiji-formed Jeong Hyeon in my mind's eye wavered greatly for an instant.
The feeling that something was about to reveal itself grew stronger.
I'd grasped the thread.
But at that moment.
Thwack!!!! The sound of wooden swords clashing rang out loudly, and my Eon brothers' voices followed simultaneously.
"Brother!!!!"
"Young Master Eon!"
"Brother Eon!!"
I must have closed my eyes without realizing it.
When I opened them, Zhuge Seolji's sword was planted right in front of me, aimed between my legs.
"Haha. Haha."
With Zhuge Seolji sprawled and panting, Jeong Hyeon held his wooden sword to her throat.
Yin Ha-seong turned to me.
"Brother, a wooden sword flying straight for your crotch—why didn't you move? I nearly pissed myself!"
"...You predicted it'd hit exactly there, didn't you, Brother Eon? Seems possible for someone of your caliber."
"Is that the issue? Doesn't it naturally clench for any man? Ah, maybe Brother Yong-un's got balls of steel?"
As Yin Ha-seong and Woo Sorung bantered on a silly topic, Yin Xia Lian accurately caught my change.
"Young Master Eon. Your eyes seem deeper now."
Worth of the Sword Hou's disciple, that insight.
At Yin Xia Lian's words, Yin Ha-seong and Woo Sorung stared at my eyes.
"...Damn. While swords clashed wildly, I was just thinking 'what's that, scary,' and you gained enlightenment? Brother Yong-un, what are you?"
"R-Really. Is that top student level?"
They burst into dry laughs, and Master chimed in.
- Ho. I left you alone since you seemed deep in thought, and you came back with something.
'Not quite enlightenment, but I snagged something as you said. It's a bit jumbled and rough, though. Could use your wisdom, Master. Will you hear out this unworthy disciple later?'
- Of course. That's what I'm here for.
Of course, first I had to send back that Zhuge leech.
I strode toward the nearly exhausted, panting Zhuge Seolji.
"Can you continue?"
At my words, she mumbled something indistinct.
"...Ha-ho iss-eo."
Hard to make out, but probably "I can."
Her spirit was admirable, but anyone could see she could barely lift a finger.
I wanted to move before the insight I gained slipped away.
So I whispered in Zhuge Seolji's ear.
"Zhuge Seolji. Get lost, you mutt."
* * *
After unexpectedly hosting Jeong Hyeon and Zhuge Seolji's duel.
Zhuge Seolji, looking like a drowned rat, didn't officially appear before me again.
'But Dang Ok-gi, why hasn't she come? Fine for Zhuge Seolji, but she bet gold on losing. Now that she lost, she should come pay up that gold she said she'd cough up as compensation!'
Anyway, after the Haryu Park incident, security around Dangan-gu tightened, so no major incidents occurred.
Thus, my Eon brothers and I steadily prepared for enrollment.
Well, "preparing for enrollment" wasn't anything special.
I just informed my Eon brothers that they'd been selected as scholarship students by the Student Affairs Department, and washed and starched the white uniforms issued for the entrance exam.
The rest of the time was training.
Everyone seemed spurred by Zhuge Seolji's visit.
Not just Jeong Hyeon, Yin Ha-seong, and Woo Sorung—even Yin Xia Lian joined my morning training, practicing at least basic stances with Oh Geum-hee and various animal forms.
I especially poured my heart into pursuing the thread I'd caught from the duel of those two geniuses, Zhuge Seolji and Jeong Hyeon.
Of course, the massive picture I'd glimpsed that day didn't unfold in an instant.
- If it veers off track, I'll let you know, but experience the trial and error in training yourself. Those moments will return as the sword you need in critical times later.
Under Master's watchful eye, I made positive trial and error, unraveling the thread bit by bit.
In the meantime, the remaining spring break flew by like an arrow.
Finally, the entrance ceremony day arrived.
"Beloved returning students. Respected guests. Thank you for gracing us with your presence amid your busy studies, training, and duties. The purpose of gathering you on this fine day is to celebrate and welcome the 160 rising dragons who will walk the path of righteousness in the future. But first, let us hear the pledge from the new students. New student representative, Eon Yong-un, to the podium."