Chapter 41: Martial Arts Tournament (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 41: Martial Arts Tournament (1)
A realm above the Transcendent Realm.
Chun-bong scratched her chin before speaking.
"It’s usually called the Profound Realm, or sometimes the Half-God Realm. To begin with, you could probably count the number of such martial artists in the entire Murim on one hand."
"Is it really that rare?"
"Of course. Hmm..."
Chun-bong tilted her head back and forth as she expanded on her explanation.
"Actually, no. If you really scoured every corner, there might be more than you’d think. Masters from five or six generations ago might be living quietly somewhere."
"No way. By then, they’d have died of old age."
"Once you reach the Profound Realm, there are no limits on your lifespan. You can live forever as long as your mental strength allows it. Well, that’s just what I’ve heard. Anyway, moving on."
Transcendent Realm.
Chun-bong wrote the words in the dirt and added another term right beside it.
Creation Realm.
"The Transcendent Realm is, quite literally, the stage where one achieves harmony with the Qi of nature. From what I know, you can even manipulate Qi that is far removed from your own body."
One of the ultimate symbols of the Transcendent Realm was the Sword Control Art.
It referred to the ability to control a sword purely with Qi. It was a legendary technique, known to be accessible only when a martial artist could perfectly command natural Qi and manifest their own mental imagery into reality.
"How do you know all that?"
"My father told me."
"Aha."
Suddenly curious, Seo-jun asked, "By the way... what realm was your dad in?"
"He was hovering right on the threshold between the Super Peak Realm and the Transcendent Realm."
"Was he the strongest in the family?"
"No. The strongest in the family was a distant ancestor. I just called him Grandfather, though..."
Chun-bong stared blankly into the air, a bittersweet smile playing on her lips.
"Grandfather was a master of the Profound Realm. He was a true god of the sword, completely worthy of the name of the Divine Sword Geum Family."
"Uh... hmm..."
Seo-jun wanted to ask how on earth the Divine Sword Geum Family could have been destroyed with someone like that around, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.
Instead, he simply reached out and gently stroked Chun-bong’s head. She gave a wry smile.
"Are you wondering why the Divine Sword Geum Family was wiped out?"
"What? Can you read minds now?"
"You’re just predictable."
Chun-bong let out a short laugh and explained.
"One day, Grandfather suddenly vanished. It’s highly unlikely he was ambushed; he probably achieved Ascension."
"Aha..."
"And unfortunately, my father was in a very vulnerable state while trying to fully break through into the Transcendent Realm... He was struck down at his absolute weakest moment. Which means someone must have leaked that information."
"What a bastard."
"Yeah. A bastard I’d like to chew to pieces."
Grind. Chun-bong gnashed her teeth.
Seo-jun picked her up and rocked her back and forth. A small burst of laughter tickled his ear.
"Fine. Stop it. It’s been a long time anyway."
"Ahem. Just accept the comfort while I’m offering it."
"Be quiet."
Chun-bong, still giggling, whispered into Seo-jun’s ear.
"Anyway, tell me if you’re ever in trouble. Since I’m technically treated as Grandfather’s direct disciple, my seniority is absolutely insane. Aside from the Murim Alliance Leader, there aren't many people in the entire Righteous Faction with higher seniority than me."
Of course, it didn't mean much in practical terms right now, but she could still command a certain level of sheer, undeniable respect.
"Hmm, so..."
Seo-jun did a quick mental calculation.
So, while Chun-bong was just a kid physically, her identity as Geum Hee of the Divine Sword Geum Family meant she would be treated like a total ancient fossil?
"Gasp! Geum Chun-bong, you brat! You were actually a grandma this whole time?"
"You son of a..."
He got hit.
* * *
According to Chun-bong’s subsequent explanation, being Geum Hee didn't necessarily mean she'd be treated like an old fogey by everyone.
The Divine Sword Geum Family was a bloodline clan, not a sect, and apparently, different factions didn't care all that much about each other's internal seniority.
Seniority was more about the familial feeling of calling people 'father' or 'brother' within the same sect.
Of course, if someone openly claimed to be the direct disciple of the Sword God, very few would dare ignore them.
Accepting that for now, Seo-jun chewed over Chun-bong’s explanations as they headed back to the inn.
Profound Realm.
Mind is Action. The realm where the mind itself becomes martial arts.
The famous Heart Sword and similar legendary arts were techniques uniquely wielded by martial artists at the Profound Realm.
No sword in hand, but a sword in the heart.
Just hearing the concept sounded incredibly cool.
If he could just casually drop a line like that and fire off a Heart Sword, everyone around him would probably faint in sheer awe.
Of course, that was completely out of the question for now.
Profound Realm? Forget the Profound Realm. Finding a single clue to reach the Super Peak Realm had to come first.
"Hmm... Super Peak."
"Don't even think about it. If you rush your cultivation, it'll only take longer."
"No, I just think the word sounds a bit... suggestive."
"...You crazy bastard."
Actually, he had thought about this before.
Super Peak Beauty. Isn't that something you could get arrested for just saying out loud?
Of course, it was nonsense.
"Anyway, you said the preliminaries are next week? I should just focus on training until then."
"Want me to help?"
"Were you planning on not helping?"
"Not really."
Hmph. Chun-bong snorted and grabbed Seo-jun’s hand tightly.
"I’m just holding it so you don't get lost."
"Yes, yes. Whatever you say, Boss."
"Mm. Good."
"Yessir—"
And so it went.
* * *
If one hears the Way in the morning, one can die in the evening.
Yes. If I can touch Chun-bong’s soft cheeks in the early morning, I can die in the evening.
"Mmm. Very good. Excellent condition today."
"What are you even doing?"
"Checking your physical condition?"
If you were a master in the study of Geum Chun-bong, you could easily tell her daily condition just by poking her cheeks.
Seo-jun, having fully indulged in squishing Chun-bong’s cheeks through her veil, exhaled a deeply satisfied breath.
Chun-bong frowned up at him.
"How can you do this nonsense every single day without fail?"
"Because that is who I am."
"Ugh."
Seo-jun and Chun-bong left the inn.
Today was finally the day of the preliminary rounds for the Martial Arts Tournament.
Perhaps because of that, the moment they stepped onto the street, Seo-jun was greeted by a massive, surging crowd that made him smack his forehead.
"Wow... this is a bit much, seriously."
"Tell me about it. It doesn't look like it'll be easy to push through this mob."
— Spectators of the Martial Arts Tournament, please move in an orderly fashion!
It looked like disciples of the Mount Hua Sect were trying their best to manage the traffic, but honestly, it wasn't nearly enough.
"This isn't a normal situation. Should we take the roofs?"
"Sure. Looks like quite a few people are already doing that."
Above them, several martial artists were already moving swiftly across the rooftops.
Nodding, Seo-jun scooped Chun-bong up into his arms.
"Let’s go, Geum Chun-bong!"
Finally, the long-awaited Martial Arts Tournament was beginning.
* * *
When they arrived at the preliminary site, it was relatively quiet.
This was entirely thanks to the Mount Hua Sect members strictly controlling the entry of spectators.
"Number seventy-eight. There is a large '78' written over there, so please head that way."
"Got it."
The wooden plaque he had received after passing the log-cutting test had a number carved into it, which seemed to be used for dividing the massive pool of participants into groups.
"What number are you, Geum?"
"One hundred twenty-five."
"This is getting ridiculous."
Weren't there just way too many participants? Seo-jun sighed.
"I’m heading over there for now, okay?"
"Yeah. Go win, Geum Chun-bong."
"You too. Make sure you win."
"Of course."
It had been a while since he’d operated independently from Chun-bong.
Seo-jun suppressed the trembling in his hands from the unbearable urge to tease her one last time and headed toward the tall flag marked '78'.
"Is it here?"
As he looked around, a man in a crisp blue robe called out to him.
"If you’re number seventy-eight, come this way."
"Ah, right."
Five other people were already gathered in front of the man. They all appeared to be fellow participants.
While sharp, assessing glances were exchanged as they sized each other up, Seo-jun just casually plopped down on the ground.
"Excuse me, how many people do we need before we start?"
"Group seventy-eight has eight people, so we just need two more."
"Aha."
That Mount Hua Sect guy was a bit blunt. The one he had met last time seemed much more sociable.
As he sat idly waiting for the group to fill up, someone came sprinting over from a distance.
"Group seventy-eight is here!"
"Stand over here."
Now there were seven.
The last person hadn't arrived yet, but as the scheduled time hit, the Mount Hua martial artist spoke up.
"In that case, one person will get a bye. We will move to the training grounds first."
Following the martial artist for a short walk, they arrived at a pristine, neatly swept training ground.
He didn't know exactly what materials were used or how it was built, but one look told him they had spent a massive amount of money on it.
'They built something like this in a city at the foot of the mountain, not even at Mount Hua itself.'
Well, considering the Mount Hua Sect was essentially the size and wealth of a small kingdom, it wasn't impossible.
"The bye will be decided by drawing lots. From the left, you are numbers one through seven."
The Mount Hua martial artist pulled out a bamboo container, dropped in some wooden sticks, and shook them.
When he pulled one out, the number written on the end was seven. Seo-jun, who was standing on the far right, scratched his head.
"Aw, I didn't really need that."
It was actually a bit disappointing. He had wanted to warm up.
As Seo-jun clicked his tongue, the burly man next to him grinned and slapped his shoulder heavily.
"The young lad has good luck! Not that it matters, since you'll be eliminated right after anyway. Hahaha!"
Who is this guy?
As Seo-jun stared at him blankly, the Mount Hua martial artist quickly set the matchups among the remaining six.
Since there were so many participants to filter through in the preliminaries, it seemed they were rushing through the process as efficiently as possible.
"Seo Bok-woo, Myeong Ju-am, step forward. As this is a duel, lethal moves are strictly forbidden. If you use a lethal move..."
After a brief, stern set of instructions, the duel began immediately.
It seemed the Mount Hua martial artists assigned to each group were also responsible for safety and refereeing, and their cultivation realms appeared to be around the Peak Realm.
That meant the Mount Hua Sect had at least a hundred martial artists at the Peak Realm just running errands down here.
'They really are huge.'
While he was lost in thought, the first duel ended in a flash.
"Winner, Seo Bok-woo! Next..."
It was the turn of the middle-aged man who had been talking nonsense to him earlier.
"Park Yi-hong, Dam Je-il, step forward. The rules are the same as before. I repeat..."
So his name was Dam Je-il. How can someone's name literally be 'Je-il' (Number One)? Does that mean his younger brother is named Dam Je-i (Number Two)?
"Dam Je-il? Is that the Dam Je-il from Madanhyeon?"
"The Forceful Overlord Blade, Dam Je-il! Dammit. This tournament is a bust too."
Surprisingly, the man seemed to be somewhat famous among the rabble.
Seo-jun could practically see the motivation of the other participants plummeting in real time.
"Begin!"
As soon as the referee shouted, Dam Je-il charged forward like a wild boar.
Despite his heavy build, he possessed considerable speed.
Boom!
"Urgh...!"
"Hahaha! Just surrender quietly!"
Every time Dam Je-il swung his large, heavy blade, his opponent staggered back under the sheer weight of the blows.
Then, in an instant, Dam Je-il’s eyes flashed dangerously, and his blade lunged forward with sudden rapidity.
"Heugh...!"
The man collapsed backward as the heavy blade stopped mere inches in front of his throat.
"I... I lose."
"Hahaha! That was dull!"
"Winner, Dam Je-il!"
Seo-jun scratched his head as he watched Dam Je-il laughing loudly enough to hurt his ears.
'He doesn't seem like that much of a master.'
Honestly, did these Murim guys just hand out grandiose titles to anyone with a pulse?
'I really don't get it.'
There was simply no understanding the minds of these Murim people.
Anyway, the guy uses a blade...
The Wang Family Half-Sword Art... no, wait. Should I just face him with the Wang Family Blade Technique?