Chapter 168: The Finals (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 168: The Finals (1)
Chun-bong’s bold declaration: "But I’m cute."
To her, it was a perfectly serious statement. To Yang So-hong, however, it was a little hard to swallow.
"…Fine, I understand. We'll let our skills do the rest of the talking."
Yang So-hong lowered his spear tip toward the ground, dropping into a starting stance.
Chun-bong pouted and drew her sword.
"He’s the one who asked."
Who was the one who suddenly claimed to be disappointed and started spouting rude remarks? Still, Chun-bong decided to forgive him out of the boundless kindness of her heart. Or rather, it was more accurate to say she simply didn't care.
Yang So-hong? She probably wouldn't ever see him again after today anyway. Since he hadn't insulted her family, she was willing to let it slide.
Suddenly realizing her 'polite society mask' had slipped, Chun-bong immediately corrected her posture and tone.
"Very well. Let us begin."
The referee, who had been quietly listening to their exchange, raised his hand to the sky. He swept it down in a sharp arc.
"Begin!"
Ta-daak!
The moment the referee’s hand dropped, Yang So-hong lunged forward. Twisting his waist, he pulled his right arm—and the spear it held—far back. His left hand reached out, guiding the spear shaft between his open thumb and index finger, aiming the deadly tip straight for Chun-bong’s chest.
'A thrust.'
Chun-bong sensed it instinctively. Instead of dodging to the side, she stepped directly into his range.
Flutter!
Her dragon robe billowed as her lithe figure sliced through the wind.
'If I follow Oppa’s advice…'
Even this duel was merely a stepping stone for her inevitable match against Su-ah Unni.
Swoosh!
Yang So-hong’s spear shot forward with terrifying momentum. Chun-bong’s eyes locked onto the spearhead—a single, explosive point of pressure.
"Hup…!"
She pushed the Chun-bong Divine Art to its absolute limit while simultaneously executing Flowing Clouds Blue Heaven.
Clang—!
Her sword traced a perfect circle, parrying the spear’s trajectory. Chun-bong immediately pressed her advance. Startled, Yang So-hong rapidly retracted his spear, unleashing a blinding flurry of thrusts to keep her at bay.
Swish-swish-swish-swish!
Dozens of spear thrusts flew toward her like a torrential rain of steel. The red tassels attached to the spearhead blurred erratically, an optical illusion designed to conceal the true nature of the strikes.
It was obvious that Yang So-hong was intensely wary of the Chun-bong Divine Art. He was deliberately targeting a wide, sweeping area to counter her unpredictable movements.
Chun-bong only smirked.
Azure Dragon Breaking Heaven.
Deep within Chun-bong’s Dantian, an unfathomable reserve of internal energy surged all at once.
Rumble!
The ethereal image of an azure dragon coiled around Chun-bong’s blade. However, it was fundamentally different from Seo-jun’s Yellow Dragon Breaking the Heavens. The visual manifestation of the dragon was faint, almost translucent.
Unlike Seo-jun’s technique, which leaned closer to a Qi Art, Chun-bong infused the physical steel of her sword with the crushing, overbearing essence of a Hegemon’s Blade.
KRAAAAAAAAACK—!!!
Boom! Chun-bong’s rising slash collided with Yang So-hong’s spear, sending the weapon violently careening upward through sheer, unadulterated force.
"What… such strength…!"
Though severely flustered, Yang So-hong managed to spin his spear. Using the momentum of his deflected spearhead, he twirled the shaft and launched a brutal upward strike with the heavy spear butt.
Whoosh!
Tilting her head just enough to let the blunt end graze past her, Chun-bong seamlessly linked into her next form.
Azure Dragon Emerges.
Chun-bong’s sword fractured into a myriad of afterimages. Her blade stretched out in nine distinct directions, descending upon Yang So-hong with the dizzying subtleties of illusion and transformation.
"Urgh…!"
Yang So-hong gritted his teeth and desperately countered with his own technique. Dragon-Tiger Clash. It was a rough, explosive move, embodying the savage ferocity of a brawling dragon and tiger.
The spear shaft bent and snaked like a dragon's spine, while the spearhead at the end of the flexing wood slashed down like a tiger’s claw.
Bracing for a massive, bone-jarring recoil, Yang So-hong gripped his weapon with all his might.
Ting—
"Huh?"
Yang So-hong’s jaw dropped. Chun-bong’s sword deflected with a feeble, hollow clink. A wicked smirk played on the corners of her lips.
"Got you."
By imprinting the overwhelming, crushing power of Azure Dragon Breaking Heaven into his mind, she had set the perfect trap. The follow-up, Azure Dragon Emerges, was essentially a massive feint.
Carrying almost no physical weight, Azure Dragon Emerges utilized the hallucinatory power of the Chun-bong Divine Art to disguise itself as a devastating, lethal strike within Yang So-hong’s mental imagery.
Naturally, Yang So-hong—having overcommitted every ounce of his strength to counter a phantom blow—was left completely wide open.
Shing!
The cold tip of Chun-bong’s sword pressed lightly against the underside of his chin.
"Good work."
"The winner…! Geum Hee of the Divine Sword Geum Family…!"
* * *
"Ah…! If only I had been in that position…!"
Yang So-hong’s hands trembled around his spear as he trudged down from the arena. Though the exact details of his lament were unclear, he seemed incredibly frustrated.
'Not my problem.'
The world was full of strange people.
Chun-bong giggled to herself and hopped down the arena steps with a light, bouncy gait.
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!!
Deafening cheers erupted, echoing loud enough to shake the very foundations of Henan province. Every single one of those roaring voices was directed at Chun-bong.
Thinking back for a brief moment to the bleak past of the Divine Sword Geum Family—a time that now felt so distant—Chun-bong puffed out her chest and walked proudly toward Seo-jun.
"Did you see that?!"
"Our Chun-bu-i is amazing!"
Seo-jun hoisted Chun-bong high into the air. Basking in the now-familiar sensation of floating, she thrust both hands toward the sky in triumph.
"I have descended!"
"My—my eyes…! You're so bright…!"
"Praise me!"
"Ooh…!"
While soaking in Seo-jun’s lavish shower of praise, Chun-bong suddenly glanced over at Namgung Su-ah, who was smiling quietly beside him.
Her greatest rival in this tournament. For this occasion alone, she was a terrifying final boss akin to the Heavenly Demon or the Leader of the Black Lotus Union…!
With a smug smirk, Chun-bong loudly bragged, clearly trying to keep Namgung Su-ah in check.
"Seriously, this Chun-bong Divine Art is insane, isn't it? If I just adjust my strength a little bit, everyone completely loses their minds."
"It’s not usually that effective. It’s only like that because you’re the one using it," Seo-jun replied.
"Huh?"
Chun-bong tilted her head at the unexpected answer. Seo-jun elaborated.
"I only just realized it myself, but this Azure Cloud Divine Sword is completely broken."
Most swordsmanship styles possessed a primary, defining essence.
Take the Namgung Clan’s Emperor Sword Form, for example; its core essence was 'Hegemony' and 'Weight.' 'Speed' existed merely as a supplement. While a skilled practitioner might mix in other subtleties depending on their mastery, the foundational direction of the sword art was always dominated by crushing weight and absolute hegemony.
However, the Yellow Cloud Divine Sword and the Azure Cloud Divine Sword were fundamentally different. They were absurd sword arts that simply crammed every single martial essence imaginable into one cohesive style.
It was only manageable for Seo-jun because he half-faked the Yellow Cloud Divine Sword as a Qi Art. If performed properly according to orthodox methods, its power—and its difficulty—were utterly nonsensical.
If one had to put a name to that all-encompassing essence, it would be 'Ten Thousand Swords.'
"It’s absurdly difficult to learn, but if you can actually pull it off properly, it’s basically a cheat-code sword art. Especially since its compatibility with the Chun-bong Divine Art is just too damn good."
A sword art capable of unleashing countless, infinitely shifting essences, combined with a mental martial art that forcefully projected hallucinatory images directly into an opponent’s mind.
From an opponent’s perspective, they’d have no choice but to curse the heavens. It was impossible to properly grasp what kind of sword was actually being swung at them.
Even Yang So-hong had lost solely because he mistook the weightless feint of Azure Dragon Emerges for a crushing Hegemon’s Blade and overcompensated to parry it.
"Ooh…."
Chun-bong’s eyes sparkled like stars.
Right, Oppa did recognize it after all! He knew exactly how incredible the swordsmanship of the Divine Sword Geum Family truly was.
And the Chun-bong Divine Art was just as amazing! Which meant she, the genius who had mastered all of it, was the most amazing of all…!
"Hmph! Fine! I shall grant you the immense honor of giving me a piggyback ride home!"
Riding a high of sheer excellence, Chun-bong graciously bestowed a reward upon Seo-jun.
"Yahoo!"
Seo-jun cheered, his mood soaring right alongside hers.
* * *
The semi-final duel between Namgung Su-ah and Hye-un, held the following day, ended in a smooth, undisputed victory for Namgung Su-ah.
Though Hye-un had gained his own profound enlightenment and possessed martial skills that rivaled the absolute top tier of the Peak Realm, there was still a significant, undeniable gap between him and Namgung Su-ah, who was already knocking on the door of the Super Peak Realm.
With this, the two rising stars who would compete for the grand championship of the Yongbong Gathering were finally decided.
Namgung Su-ah of the Namgung Clan, and Geum Hee of the Divine Sword Geum Family.
A few gossiping martial artists who still remembered the tournament at Mount Hua began to chatter:
"Back then, the Flower of Namgung won against the Faceless Snow Sword."
"Faceless Snow Sword? Who’s that?"
"Who else? The successor of the Divine Sword Geum Family. Last time, she didn't even reveal her true identity, but she earned that nickname because of her outstanding sword skills and the white veil covering her face."
"Hoh, then do you think the Flower of Namgung will take the win this time as well?"
"Who knows? Even back then, it seemed like the Flower of Namgung only won by a hair's breadth…. However."
"However?"
"Looking at their performances in this Yongbong Gathering, the Flower of Namgung certainly seems to have the upper hand."
It was true.
The official record between Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah was one win and zero losses in favor of Namgung Su-ah. Statistically, Namgung Su-ah maintained an overwhelming 100% win rate.
"Hey…! What do you mean, 100%?! You… son of a…! We only fought once!"
"Now, now, Chun-bu-i, be a good girl. No bad words," Seo-jun scolded gently.
"When did I?! I didn't say anything bad! I said ten-tenths! Ten-tenths!"
Chun-bong hopped up and down in place, fuming.
Ever since the semi-finals ended, she had been constantly on guard against Namgung Su-ah while preparing for the finals.
She had even called off their usual joint training sessions, locking herself away in a secluded corner to hide her moves from Su-ah. She carefully swallowed her words during casual conversations, paranoid that her inner strategies might be read.
Namgung Su-ah only giggled, seemingly finding Chun-bong's hyper-defensive behavior absolutely adorable…
Regardless, it was abundantly clear that Chun-bong was pouring an incredible amount of fiery zeal into winning the Yongbong Gathering.
Sometimes, in the dead of night, Chun-bong would secretly tug on Seo-jun’s sleeve, dragging him out into the moonlight for extra training.
This was the same Geum Chun-bong who usually dozed off the second the sun dipped below the horizon…!
"Yawn…. Hurry up…. Let's spar before I fall asleep…."
Deeply moved by Chun-bong’s newfound enthusiasm, Seo-jun worked hard to help her refine her arts.
Indeed, Chun-bong’s swordsmanship was nothing short of extraordinary when she fully utilized the orthodox Azure Cloud Divine Sword. Her occasional flashes of pure genius, operating within the brutally difficult framework of the Azure Cloud Divine Art, displayed a lethal sharpness that managed to surprise even Seo-jun.
And so, the days bled away, and the final day of the Yongbong Gathering finally arrived.
The grand finals. Chun-bong’s ultimate revenge match. And Geum Chun-bong’s firm, unyielding resolve to secure the championship gift for her brother….
"Geum Hee of the Divine Sword Geum Family…!"
Standing atop the massive arena, Chun-bong scanned the roaring audience with heavy, intensely focused eyes.
'Today is the day.'
Today, in this very place, the Divine Sword Geum Family would be resurrected in the truest sense of the word.
Pat-pat.
Chun-bong slapped her soft cheeks with both hands. When her eyes snapped open again, they burned with fierce, undeniable intensity.
"I’m going to win."
The proud blood of the Geum family burned white-hot in her veins.