Chapter 320
Chapter 320
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 320
Chapter Title: Wudang Sect (3)
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Some time had passed since the warriors from the Zhuge Clan and Wudang Sect joined forces and set out together.
After their first battle together and several more skirmishes besides, they had finally entered Dengfeng County in Henan Province.
"We've finally arrived."
"That's Mount Song, the sacred peak of the Iron Sword... Truly one of the Five Great Mountains of the Central Plains."
Having overcome all sorts of hardships, the group now savored the scenery with satisfaction as they drew near their destination.
'No more fights from here on out, right?'
That was the thought on everyone's mind.
From Dengfeng County to Mount Song, where Shaolin Temple stood, it was just a stone's throw away. The chances of trouble arising here were practically nil.
The fact that conflicts had drastically decreased the closer they got to Shaolin's sphere of influence was proof enough.
"As expected of Shaolin. They've stabilized security to this extent. Thanks to them, the last stretch has been relatively smooth, hasn't it?"
"It's a rare martial conference, after all. Shaolin must have put in some extra effort."
As everyone relaxed and took in the surroundings,
Wudang Sect's representative, Perfected Unhyeon, was lost in serious thought.
'...His name was Ha Seung-hoon, if I recall.'
The puzzle that had occupied him lately was none other than the young man included in the Zhuge Clan's delegation.
A talent he had steadily observed with interest ever since their striking first meeting.
'Impressive.'
His interest had only grown after the first battle fought alongside the Zhuge Clan and Wudang Sect.
And how could it not?
He had witnessed the young man's growth right before his eyes during their time together.
'"Day by day it is new again." He embodies that phrase perfectly—renewed daily, advancing every moment.'
As an Enlightenment Realm master, there was no way he could miss the changes in the object of his attention.
Not only had he noticed Ha Seung-hoon's inexplicable growth rate, but he had also discerned that it stemmed from the influence of the surrounding warriors.
'He seems to have absorbed quite a bit from Wudang this time...'
That was precisely why he was brooding now.
The young man's swordsmanship and movements were gradually taking on shades of Wudang style, but at this level, it was too vague to call him out on it.
He hadn't stolen any sword forms or techniques.
It was just natural enlightenment gained from real combat influences—hardly something to nitpick over.
After all, soft sword arts weren't exclusive to Wudang.
Unaware of "Mimicry" and its linked abilities, Perfected Unhyeon had no choice but to ponder deeply.
And above all...
'It'd be a shame to let him slip away like this.'
Something had dawned on him while traveling with the Zhuge Clan.
Ha Seung-hoon and the clan weren't as closely bound as he'd assumed.
They treated him with the polite formality reserved for a recent acquaintance, not a long-time clan member—a sight that upended his initial hypothesis.
Even Zhuge Chung-hyuk, the clan's representative, kept a distant demeanor toward him.
And the most decisive clue of all:
The foundation of the young man's martial arts bore no relation whatsoever to the Zhuge Clan's.
'I might have misunderstood from the start. If he's not a promising talent cultivated by the clan but merely a temporary guest warrior...'
A glint appeared in Perfected Unhyeon's eyes.
Then perhaps this was a chance to draw him to Wudang Sect?
His aptitude seemed to align remarkably well with Wudang swordsmanship. Luring him in with superior techniques could work wonders.
'It won't match someone trained in Wudang's core arts from childhood, but with that potential, it shouldn't be a major issue.'
The world had changed.
Even to pursue the Dao in peace required formidable strength.
Of course, Wudang's teachings couldn't be shared lightly, so more careful scrutiny was needed. But his character, observed during their journey, had already passed muster.
'Plenty of time ahead. I'll broach the subject casually sometime.'
Perfected Unhyeon glanced at the young man, who was admiring the scenery like the others.
The conference was still far from over, leaving ample time for conversation.
While Perfected Unhyeon mulled this over, the group pressed on.
"Amitabha. Welcome. You must be weary from the long journey."
They had finally arrived at Shaolin Temple on Mount Song, host of the martial conference.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Hugo's growing steadily, too."
Hugo—codename for the entity studying abroad alone in the Strong Return World to become a splendid martial artist, under the alias Ha Seung-hoon.
After Harris helped him lay his foundations, he was now entering full growth mode with Harley's support.
'"Heavenly Mechanism Physique" followed by "Nameless Art."'
A nameless martial art.
He had tried assigning it a name in the skills menu just in case, but the system showed no reaction.
Probably because its direction wasn't set yet...
'Growth-type skills evolve based on how you develop them.'
Then there was no point obsessing over it now.
He just needed to keep progressing steadfastly, as before.
"Hubert's still analyzing manuals nonstop."
Raiding numerous sects had flooded them with martial arts texts, keeping Hubert—who'd been skimming them in his spare time—busier than ever.
Unfortunately, no S-grade or higher arts had turned up yet.
'There are a few A-grades, at least.'
Even those wouldn't exist without looting Shura Sect, that massive evil faction led by an Enlightenment Realm master.
A-grades were top secrets even in great sects, so it was only natural. But having tasted the S-grade "Infinite Eight Trigrams Flight Technique," they fell short of satisfaction.
'Still, I should learn a few. They might spark "Nameless Art's" growth.'
After some thought, I nodded in decision.
Having roughly sorted Hugo's status, my thoughts turned to Harley, also in the Strong Return World.
'Harley worked hard this time.'
Mostly focused on destruction and slaughter, but effort was effort.
Thanks to him, they'd racked up a tidy sum of karma, too.
Harley had aimed to pick up a useful martial art while there...
"...But finding something suited to him isn't easy. I half-expected as much."
I let out a deep sigh and shook my head.
Naturally, attempts to apply systematic martial arts to Harley's body weren't one-offs.
With his supreme physique, mastering true martial techniques would be devastatingly effective—that much was obvious.
But the results had been underwhelming.
'Not entirely useless, though.'
Harley's exploits so far proved it.
Learning efficient body use and proper force projection showed what happened when a monster adopted human techniques.
However, venturing into refined realms like advanced fist or footwork—systematized martial arts proper—changed everything.
It was like forcing on ill-fitting clothes; he couldn't exert his strength properly.
'For Harley, at least, instinctual swings outstrip punches following martial principles.'
He'd hoped the murim world, brimming with exotic arts, would yield something fitting...
Sadly, no breakthroughs yet.
'Well, persistence will pay off eventually. A high-level art perfectly suited to Harley and satisfying me won't be common.'
Hugo's—no, Ha Seung-hoon's—murim journey was just beginning.
Full activity ahead would expose him to myriad arts and manuals naturally.
He could cherry-pick then.
'No rush anyway.'
They'd just reached Shaolin, but the main conference was still days away.
Gathering scattered delegates from across the continent took time, after all.
So today...
"Hmm, chicken it is."
To console Hugo for the vegetarian temple fare ahead.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ In the depths of the northern mountains, the Immortal Fortress shrouded in its usual eerie aura.
[Hmmm, can't use this right away.]
A sinister voice emanated from a laboratory deep within.
A voice that could fell the weak-minded and stiffen even so-called heroes.
[Still, just in case... I'll store it for now.]
It belonged to Outerica's nemesis: Immortal King Hans.
Having inadvertently finished off the Heaven-Defying Society's leader and seized a fragment of his divinity, Hans had returned to the Immortal Fortress to recover his damaged body and properly contain it. Lately, he'd holed up researching intriguing new material.
That had just wrapped up.
Swoosh—
With a casual wave, the corpses on several lab tables were devoured by rising shadows and vanished smoothly.
Pale, bloodless faces clad in Strong Return World attire unseen in Outerica.
Experts supplied via Harley.
'As expected, turning other dimension natives into undead the usual way is tricky.'
Unlike with Awakened.
These were pure products of Strong Return World's laws, foreign bodies in Outerica.
As if the world rejected otherworldly mysteries.
'Well, all of them cultivate internal energy, so no surprise.'
To undead them properly now, Hans crossing to Strong Return World personally was best.
As an Awakened unbound by world laws, his black magic would work fine there.
Quality might dip without local facilities and materials, but...
[No.]
Hans halted his musing, blue light flashing from his eye sockets.
Using this world's undead methods there would naturally be inefficient.
Why not supplement with local techniques?
'Right, they have jiangshi creation among their sorceries.'
Zhuge Clan, where Hugo stayed, avoided such dark arts, but intel gathering had yielded details easily.
Even Zhuge Hye-mi, bedridden and bookish, had mentioned it.
'Mainly used by Demonic Cult or Blood Cult forces.'
Operating in shadows, they lagged in manpower compared to upright groups.
To compensate, they devised methods like jiangshi arts—manipulating strong warriors' corpses at will.
[Kukuku—jiangshi arts, intriguing. Applying them to other undead... especially Awakened...]
Strong Return jiangshi were notoriously hard to make, yet even mass-produced ones surpassed first-rate experts.
Hugo, bolstered by skills, stats, external arts correction, and newly acquired "Nameless Art," barely scraped peak first-rate.
'Time for a field trip.'
Hans stroked his chin bone as he exited the lab.
Nothing much left for him in Outerica anyway.
Heinrich remained with the church, rushing northbound prep for the final battle.
Once done, packing up was inevitable. Visiting the new home beforehand wasn't bad.
'First, rein in the kids.'
And so—
the invasion of an otherworldly demon king loomed over the crumbling murim world.