Chapter 52: The Finals (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 52: The Finals (2)
The martial arts tournament hosted by the Mount Hua Sect held a somewhat ambiguous status.
Countless martial artists flocked to the event simply because the prestigious Mount Hua Sect was hosting it, but factions of equal standing saw little reason to participate.
This was why, with the exception of Namgung Su-ah, not a single member of the Nine Great Sects and One Clan or the Six Great Clans had entered the tournament.
Of course, if Mount Hua had offered the Purple Mist Divine Art—a technique passed down exclusively to the sect leaders and their successors—as a prize, the heads of the Six Great Clans would have cast aside their pride and come running. But the Mount Hua Sect wasn't insane enough to do that.
But still...
Why on earth did this woman join?
Seo-jun scratched his head, staring at Namgung Su-ah on the opposite side of the arena.
The Namgung Clan surely had plenty of spirit herbs and fine swords. Was she just here because she was bored?
"Hehe, why are you staring so intently?"
"I was just wondering where I should hit you so it hurts without leaving too much of a mark."
"Oh my... If that's the case, then here."
Namgung Su-ah stroked her own stomach.
"Wouldn't the abdomen be best?"
"Aha."
This woman is definitely a bit strange.
Shaking his head, Seo-jun looked toward the referee.
The referee met Seo-jun's eyes, glanced at Namgung Su-ah, and raised his hand.
"Then..."
Swish!
The moment the referee's hand dropped—
"Begin!"
Boom!
Seo-jun kicked off the ground with a heavy stomp and shot forward.
Reacting instantly, Namgung Su-ah pinned her scabbard with her foot and spun, drawing her greatsword in one fluid motion.
Crackle!
Lightning Qi flickered across the blade as it left the sheath.
It seemed she intended to force him back, but Seo-jun simply smirked.
This was exactly what he wanted.
Unlike Chun-bong, he had absolute confidence in his own physical power.
Click.
Seo-jun skidded to a halt mid-dash and crouched low.
He dug his feet into the ground and twisted his entire body.
The sword inside his scabbard groaned under the weight of his immense internal energy, letting out a sharp cry.
Wrooooooom—
Now.
Sensing the perfect moment through his fingertips, Seo-jun drew his blade using the principles of the Wang Family Blade Technique.
KABOOM—!
The arena shook with a thunderous explosion.
Namgung Su-ah stumbled, but she used the shockwave's momentum to leap into the air, spinning as she fell.
Naturally, her greatsword followed, swinging down in a massive vertical arc.
Seo-jun quickly retracted his Half-Sword and coated the blade in blue Sword Qi.
Snowy Plum.
Blue plum blossoms scattered along the path of his sword.
"I was waiting for this."
Namgung Su-ah smiled brightly.
Simultaneously, her momentum exploded outward.
Seo-jun felt a heavy pressure weighing down on his body.
The sky.
An endless, vast firmament was crushing him.
The blue sky was so deep it felt like staring into an abyss, a depth one dared not face. Above the head of the bowing mortal, a single bolt of lightning struck down.
So this is the Firmament Boundless Sword Technique.
The plum blossoms beneath the sky scattered fruitlessly.
Seo-jun looked up at Namgung Su-ah’s descending greatsword and grinned.
"This is more like it!"
Whoosh—!
Blue plum blossoms erupted.
The blossoms, which had seemed insignificant beneath the infinite sky, bloomed in profusion until they finally blanketed the heavens themselves.
Enveloped in the petals, Seo-jun swung his Half-Sword upward.
CLANG—!
"Ugh...!"
Namgung Su-ah, who had swung her greatsword from mid-air, was sent flying backward.
Flip!
She twisted her body to land, but her skin was already covered in small cuts. Streaks of blood flowed down her flesh, only to freeze instantly. Namgung Su-ah trembled.
— Whoaaaaaaa—!
The crowd roared at the sight of her exposed skin, but neither Namgung Su-ah nor Seo-jun paid them any mind.
"This is wonderful..."
Namgung Su-ah smiled.
Seo-jun also gave a silent smirk. Then, he glanced toward where Jong-in was sitting.
No reaction?
He had intentionally made the plum blossoms bloom for all to see, but the elder didn't seem particularly bothered.
The audience was in an uproar, of course, but even Namgung Su-ah, who was currently fighting him, didn't seem to attach much significance to the plum blossoms.
Are my Murim friends more open-minded than I thought?
As Seo-jun let out a short laugh—
Boom!
Namgung Su-ah charged first.
Unlike the passive approach she had shown in previous matches, she was now incredibly aggressive.
She held her greatsword high.
The entire sky seemed to be contained within her blade.
The weight of the heavens pressed down on Seo-jun, but in the end, that too was merely the movement of Qi. Effortlessly parrying the pressure, Seo-jun took a deep breath.
Ssshh...
He had seen enough.
As always, he couldn't replicate the literal weight contained in her sword.
However, the sheer vastness and gravity of that sky—that, he could capture in his own blade.
Seo-jun closed his eyes and raised his Half-Sword high.
‘Man is a lowly creature born of the earth who aims to ascend to the heavens; only when he reaches the sky and becomes a Heavenly Being does he achieve the true meaning of "Man." The first step begins by dragging the sky at the tip of the sword down to the earth.’
The oral chant of the Three Talents Sword Art. He recalled the words for the first time in a long while, only to promptly discard them.
He simply hooked the sky onto the tip of his sword and let it drop.
The sky fell miserably, crashing down like a bolt of lightning.
The plum blossoms blooming below welcomed the heavens, and the sky, softly embraced, was contained within the flowers.
Heavenly Plum Blossom.
The swords of the two martial artists fell toward each other and collided.
CRACK—!!!
The impact completely shattered the arena around them, sending a shockwave of Qi in all directions.
"Oh dear."
Jong-in leaped into the fray.
The plum blossoms of Mount Hua bloomed from his gracefully drawn sword.
As he moved like he was performing a sword dance, the shockwave hurtling toward the audience transformed into a gentle breeze that did nothing more than tickle their hair.
— Woah, WHOAAAAA—!
Amidst the cheers, the dust began to clear.
Plum blossoms carrying the remnants of lightning swirled around Seo-jun before dissipating.
"Really... this is absurd..."
Namgung Su-ah looked at Seo-jun, swaying on her feet.
Just how many martial arts did he know? Was the sky contained within the plum blossoms a mere coincidence?
Her mind was a mess, but the duel wasn't over.
The plum blossoms newly blooming from Seo-jun's Half-Sword were burning a fiery red.
Crackle—
Namgung Su-ah also strained to draw out her lightning.
Her acupoints throbbed from the forced circulation of her internal energy.
How can this man bloom so many plum blossoms and not run out of energy?
Pushing aside the trivial question, she gripped her greatsword tight.
Seo-jun just smiled.
The technique to conclude this duel had already been decided.
Fwoosh!
The flames blooming atop the Half-Sword condensed endlessly.
"After all, Mount Hua is all about the fire."
Namgung Su-ah’s expression stiffened at the sight of the plum blossoms scattering like sparks.
"W-wait a moment..."
The momentum she felt was ominous.
His previous attacks had been formidable, but they couldn't compare to this.
If that hit her, she would definitely die.
Namgung Su-ah flinched and took a step back, but—
Tap!
Seo-jun’s figure was already right in front of her.
"Mount Hua is erupting!"
Volcano.
FWOOOOOOSH—
Namgung Su-ah’s eyes widened as a tidal wave of crimson plum blossoms surged toward her, but they never actually struck her.
The blossoms, boasting a terrifying beauty, swirled around her before soaring into the sky.
"Ah..."
Namgung Su-ah stared blankly up at the reddened sky and let the strength drain from her arms.
Thud.
Her raised greatsword hit the ground.
"The plum blossoms..."
"This is for Chun-bong!"
"Huh?"
Thwack!
A fist flew out and buried itself in Namgung Su-ah’s abdomen.
"Gah...!?"
Clutching her stomach, she sank to her knees.
Seo-jun looked down at her and grinned.
"With this, our grudge is settled—"
"Ngh... Haa..."
Uh... did I hit her too hard? I didn't even use internal energy.
A flustered Seo-jun checked on her.
"A-are you okay...?"
"Haaah... Ngh, ahh..."
Seo-jun immediately scrambled backward.
What the hell. Why is she making those sounds?
He hurriedly distanced himself from Namgung Su-ah and watched her warily. After a moment, she lifted her head.
"Mmm..."
Her face was flushed, and her eyes were unfocused.
Pant... pant...
The look in her eyes as she breathed heavily and stared at Seo-jun was... bizarre.
"W-what is wrong with this woman?"
As Seo-jun panicked, Namgung Su-ah gave him the brightest smile he had seen yet.
"Haa... I... I lost."
She flicked her red tongue out to lick her lips.
"Eek...!"
Terrified, Seo-jun looked at the referee.
"I won, right!?"
"Ah, yes."
Clearing his throat, the referee shouted.
"We have a winner for the tournament! The victor is Lee Seo-jun!"
— WHOAAAAAAA—!
A massive roar erupted from the crowd.
And Seo-jun bolted.
"Ch-Chun-bong...! Save me...!"
That woman was seriously out of her mind.
*
Using Chun-bong as an invincible shield, Seo-jun stayed far away from Namgung Su-ah, letting Jong-in’s praise go in one ear and out the other.
"You did well. There were some incidents, but... I am glad we could conclude this tournament successfully."
"Ah, yeah. When are you giving me the Plum Blossom Pill?"
"I can give it to you right now if you wish."
Seo-jun nodded and held out his hand.
Jong-in signaled to a Mount Hua martial artist standing behind him, then asked Seo-jun, "By the way, what do you plan to do now?"
"I don't know. I should probably head somewhere else first."
"Hmm... Must you? The timing isn't very good."
"The timing?"
Jong-in nodded.
"It hasn't fully escalated yet, but friction with the Black Lotus Union continues. The Murim Alliance predicts it wouldn't be strange if a war broke out soon."
Oh, right.
Come to think of it, he had meant to ask Chun-bong if it was okay to copy Evil Sect martial arts. He had completely forgotten.
Seo-jun scratched his head.
"Well, I can just avoid those areas."
"I see. And what do you plan to do about the Killing Star?"
"That... well, I'm sure it'll work itself out."
"I see..."
This guy, why is he being so clingy?
Seo-jun could feel a strong determination radiating from the man to keep him in Hwaeum County.
As Seo-jun looked at him with suspicious eyes, the Mount Hua martial artist returned carrying a decorative tray with several items.
A wooden box, two swords, and a book.
Jong-in pointed to them and explained.
"The winner may choose what they want first. The juniors who were eliminated in the semifinals may reach an agreement among themselves, or if they wish, they may duel again to determine priority."
According to the explanation, there was some flexibility with the prizes.
If someone wanted money, they would be given an equivalent value in silver taels. If a martial artist didn't use a sword, they could be provided with a different weapon.
Furthermore, the book was the Seven Plum Blossom Sword, one of Mount Hua's core techniques. Apparently, choosing it meant one could join the Mount Hua Sect.
If they didn't want to join, they would be given a different manual. But seeing the two martial artists' eyes sparkling, that didn't seem likely.
In fact, it looked like the two of them might fight to the death for the chance to join.
Of course, it was none of Seo-jun's business.
He quickly snatched the Plum Blossom Pill and tucked it into his robe.
That left Namgung Su-ah’s choice obvious.
She picked up a sword and looked at Seo-jun with burning eyes.
"Young Hero Lee?"
"Yes...?"
"This... would you accept this?"
When Namgung Su-ah held out the sword she had just received, Chun-bong snapped her eyes open and bared her teeth.
"Why would you give that to him! And if you're going to give a gift, do it somewhere else! How rude!"
Handing over a prize she had just received right in front of the Mount Hua Sect was certainly not the height of etiquette.
"Oh my, you're right. My apologies."
Bowing her head slightly, she gave a wide smile.
"Then I will visit your inn and give it to you then."
"What...! You...!"
Grrr!
Chun-bong bared her teeth again.
In the meantime, the remaining two martial artists had a heated discussion over the Seven Plum Blossom Sword and agreed to a duel.
It was a total mess.
Jong-in also seemed displeased, his brow furrowing.
Deciding this was the perfect timing, Seo-jun scooped up Chun-bong.
"Well then, I'm off!"
He ran like hell.
*
Hmm...
This was problematic. It would be truly problematic if they left Hwaeum County like this.
Especially that young girl.
He had to ensure that the bloodline of the Divine Sword Geum Family did not survive.
The martial arts of the Sword God...
Since things had turned out this way, it wouldn't hurt to pick up some extra profit.
Within Jong-in’s eyes, a murky, lingering greed swirled, directed at something unknown.
*
Back at the inn, Seo-jun took the Plum Blossom Pill out of his robe and fell into deep, serious thought.
"Ah...! To think I have to be the one to make those chubby cheeks disappear...!"
Oh, heavens!
Lamenting, Seo-jun picked up the pill with trembling hands.
"Ugh...!"
"Stop acting like a damn fool."
Chun-bong let out a long sigh.