Chapter 155: Round of 16 (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 155: Round of 16 (1)
“Hah… a genius has emerged from the Diancang Sect.”
“That final strike… even I felt a chill down my spine.”
“How long has it been since we last saw a Sword User of the Four Suns…?”
The elders murmured amongst themselves.
A deafening roar erupted— Waaaaaaaah────────!!
Oblivious to the profound technicalities of the martial arts displayed, the spectators simply erupted in wild cheers.
Standing in the center of the martial arts arena, Hwangbo Hye-ji struggled to manage her stiff expression.
…This isn't fair.
Winning like this didn't feel like a victory in the slightest.
Hwangbo Hye-ji closed her eyes tightly, then opened them and began to walk off the stage with heavy steps.
She felt a single, piercing gaze locked onto her. As she stood before that person and forced a smile, a sharp voice lashed out like a whip.
“Do you enjoy seeing him look so triumphant? Just how much breathing room did you give him that he managed to achieve enlightenment right in the middle of a duel?”
“Mother… but I still won…”
“Hye-ji. Have I not told you time and time again? You must absolutely crush your opponents if you wish to rise higher.”
“But I still earned the title of a Dragon and Phoenix…”
“Is that what matters right now?”
Hwangbo Seo-rin, Hye-ji’s mother, raked her sharp gaze over her daughter.
“Listen to the murmurs around you. The ignorant masses are making a fuss over your victory, but those who truly understand martial arts aren't even sparing you a glance.”
“But…”
“Diancang. Diancang. Do you really want to hear nothing but that name, even after you were the one who won? I am saying this for your own sake. Why can’t you just do as I say?”
“…I’m sorry.”
Hwangbo Hye-ji lowered her head. Despite receiving first aid, her injured shoulder throbbed intensely.
Watching her, Hwangbo Seo-rin let out a heavy sigh.
“I’m sorry for being harsh. But you can do better next time, right?”
“Yes, Mother…”
*
Hwangbo Hye-ji fell into deep thought.
To think a simple shift in mindset could make such a monumental difference.
Eun Wi-ryong’s final sword strike had been absolutely dazzling—so much so that it was hard to believe it came from the same man who had previously looked at her with the dead eyes of a fish.
Aligning one's mind.
Reaching a higher plane through absolute self-conviction.
Hwangbo Hye-ji wasn't deaf; she knew that to climb higher, she needed to forge that same unwavering conviction within herself.
But what use was knowing? The path was difficult precisely because acting on that knowledge was so hard. If someone could perfectly execute everything they knew they should, they would already be an Immortal.
“Lady Hwangbo, congratulations. How is your injury?”
“Young Lord Namgung… Yes, I’m fine.”
Hwangbo Hye-ji greeted Namgung Myeong with a polite smile. However, Namgung Myeong’s eyebrows twitched as he studied her face.
“My Lady, did something happen?”
“No, nothing at all. But shouldn't you be the disappointed one, Young Lord? The quarter-finals were right in front of you…”
“I am fine. I can simply try again next time.”
Namgung Myeong laughed as if it truly didn't bother him. Just then, another voice chimed in.
“Hm? What’s this? What is my little brother up to over here?”
Turning their heads, they saw Seo-jun looking at them with a smirk.
“Ah, Brother.”
“Right, right. Little brother, are you working on your love life?”
“That’s—!”
As Namgung Myeong jumped in surprise, Seo-jun chuckled. He glanced at Hwangbo Hye-ji once and nodded.
“Myeong.”
“Yes?”
“When things are ambiguous, just go for it.”
“I’m not sure what you mean…”
“Don’t worry about the aftermath. You’ve got me, not just your father. And if things get really messy, we’ve got that old man Pae Jin-gwang too.”
“You've got this!” With that final word of encouragement, Seo-jun vanished.
Namgung Myeong stared blankly at the spot where he had been, scratching his cheek.
“I suppose once you reach the Super Peak Realm, you also learn how to read minds.”
“They do say one's perspective changes entirely,” Hwangbo Hye-ji replied with an awkward smile. Namgung Myeong looked at her for a moment, then reached out his hand.
“Wait, ah…?”
Hwangbo Hye-ji’s face turned beet red as he gently took her hand.
“My Lady, I would like to meet your mother.”
“M-my mother…?”
“Would that be alright?”
“Y-yes…! Of course!”
Namgung Myeong gave a faint smile as he watched Hwangbo Hye-ji nod frantically.
Any longer, and it might become dangerous.
Hwangbo Hye-ji’s mental condition didn't look good. Martial artists around her age often fell prey to Inner Demons. It wasn't unusual for young cultivators who hadn't yet solidified their own path to stumble.
He usually tried not to interfere in other clans' business, but…
Better to go for it than to regret it later.
This was a lesson he had learned from watching his brother.
And if push came to shove, he had the Namgung Clan behind him. The power of a great clan was meant to be used for times like this.
*
Hwangbo Hye-ji’s mother, Hwangbo Seo-rin, was a martial artist at the Peak Realm. Her husband had married into the family to carry on the Hwangbo lineage.
She had originally set her heart on the martial path, but due to a lack of talent, she shifted to managing the clan’s internal and external affairs. She had distinguished herself as a strategist, carving out a significant position of power within the family.
Namgung Myeong had heard the rumors—specifically, that she couldn't let go of her own dreams of martial greatness and was forcing excessive expectations onto her daughter.
Without hesitation, Namgung Myeong sought out Hwangbo Seo-rin with Hwangbo Hye-ji in tow, offering a polite bow.
“This junior offers his respects.”
Hwangbo Seo-rin looked at Namgung Myeong and then at her daughter, who was following behind him with her hand still held firmly in his. Hye-ji’s face was flushed deep crimson.
After staring blankly for a moment, Hwangbo Seo-rin regained her composure and accepted the greeting.
“So, you are the Young Lord of the Namgung Clan. To what do I owe the honor of this visit?”
“I know this is sudden, but there is something I must say.”
Namgung Myeong gently pulled Hwangbo Hye-ji forward to stand beside her mother. He had something to say to both of them.
“I know this is presumptuous, but I believe it is time for you to let your daughter go.”
It was, indeed, an incredibly presumptuous thing to say.
Hwangbo Seo-rin’s expression turned to one of utter bewilderment.
“Excuse me…? What on earth are you talking about?”
“If things continue like this, an Inner Demon will take root in Lady Hwangbo’s heart. A martial artist must establish their own will. If your will and Lady Hwangbo’s will clash within her, it will inevitably lead to Qi Deviation.”
“…That is for our clan to handle. Young Master Namgung, is that all you have to say?”
“No.”
Namgung Myeong looked at Hwangbo Hye-ji. Her eyes were trembling violently at the completely unexpected turn of events.
Should I have observed the situation a bit longer…?
Hesitation reared its head, but Namgung Myeong shook it off. Now was not the time for second-guessing. He had already crossed the line. Since he had started, he had to see it through to the end.
I’ll trust in you, Brother.
When things are ambiguous, just go for it.
That advice must have been given because his brother had seen right through his dilemma.
Namgung Myeong spoke with absolute seriousness.
“My Lady, I do not mean that you should turn against your mother. It is only right for family members to respect each other's opinions. However, your own will cannot be absent from that process.”
“Y-Young Lord Namgung…”
“If you truly believe your mother’s words are correct, then there is no problem… but that is not how it looks to my eyes. I hope you will think seriously about this. About what your own will truly is.”
Caught between Hwangbo Seo-rin and Namgung Myeong, Hwangbo Hye-ji didn't know what to do. Finally, she hung her head low.
“P-please, I’d like you to leave now…”
“As you wish.”
He hadn't expected to change everything with a single conversation anyway.
“I apologize for the intrusion.”
After finishing his greeting politely, Namgung Myeong left the Hwangbo Clan’s villa.
*
“What? Seriously?”
Seo-jun’s eyes widened. Hwangbo Jun nodded, his expression complicated.
“Yeah. Because of that, I can’t even go back to the villa. The atmosphere is absolutely terrifying…”
They were currently at the Namgung Clan’s villa. Hwangbo Jun had sought refuge here, looking as if he had been half-chased out of his own home.
“Wait, why did you come here? Don't you have any friends?”
“…This whole mess happened because of the Namgung Clan, so where else would I go?”
“To a friend’s house, you brat.”
“Hmph.”
Hmph, my ass. Do you want a beating?
Seo-jun clicked his tongue, though he was secretly impressed by Namgung Myeong’s boldness.
“Anyway, I didn't know my little brother had that much drive in him.”
To think he’d barge right into the Hwangbo Clan and drop a bomb like that.
He had told him to make a move on Hwangbo Hye-ji, sure, but he hadn't expected him to take it this far.
“That’s my brother. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”
Regardless, he liked it. If you're going to go for it, it’s better to just let it rip and get it off your chest. The aftermath would sort itself out somehow.
“Then what about me?”
“Hey, if the bride-to-be is basically a grand-niece to me, then isn't her mother essentially a niece to you? Why are you so intimidated?”
“The world… doesn't revolve solely around generational seniority.”
“Just give her a good flick on the forehead or something.”
“You crazy bastard. Martial force can’t solve everything.”
“Can’t it?”
“You’re hopeless. I bet you’d even hit your own wife.”
“What did you say, you punk?”
“…I’m sorry. That was a slip of the tongue.”
Seo-jun lowered his raised fist.
Well, Myeong will handle it.
His brother was wiser than him, after all.
And if things really went south… well, he could always lend a helping hand.
They were family.
He was more than willing to provide some heavy-handed support for his brother’s love life.
*
From the Round of 16 onwards, only two duels were held per day.
Seo-jun wondered if it was okay for the schedule to be this relaxed, but he figured the organizers had their reasons.
Perhaps they were considering the physical condition of the Rising Stars as they approached the finals.
As Seo-jun sat waiting for Chun-bong’s duel to begin, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
Wait, aren't the Hwangbo Clan and the Namgung Clan on bad terms?
Judging by the reactions of the Namgung martial artists earlier, they certainly didn't seem very friendly.
Was this one of those situations? Love blooming between rival factions?
You know, like Romeo and Juliet.
It was practically a romance novel plot.
“Ho ho, you’re already here.”
Hearing the voice, Seo-jun turned his head to see an old man approaching him.
“Ah, you’re…”
“I am Eun Yu-do of the Diancang Sect. In the Murim, I am known as the Sword that Pierces the Sun.”
After a brief exchange of greetings, Eun Yu-do got straight to the point.
“I am truly grateful for the advice you gave my disciple. ‘A frog in a well is just sitting in a well looking at the sky.’ Those words perfectly pierced through both Wi-ryong’s situation and the martial arts of Diancang itself. You likely don't know much about our sect's techniques, yet the perspective of a genius is truly entirely different.”
“Is that so?”
He had just blurted out what he felt, but it seemed to have hit the mark perfectly.
As Seo-jun smiled, Eun Yu-do mirrored him with a faint smile of his own.
“I believe the successor of the Geum family has a duel today.”
“That’s right.”
“Her opponent is Mu-hye of Wudang, if I recall? That will be a difficult match. Will she be alright?”
“It’s not like I am the one who won’t be alright.”
Whether Chun-bong would be alright was the real question… but he figured she’d be fine.
“Twenty moves.”
“Hmm?”
“I expect it to be over within that.”
Wudang’s Taiji?
Our Chun-bong already did her homework with the Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Astral Qi.