Chapter 111
Chapter 111
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 32
>Chapter Title: The Final Gateway (1)
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
The fingertips that had reached her without her even realizing it.
"You're slow."
-Drip!
At Mok Kyung-un's words, a bead of cold sweat trickled down Mo Ha-rang's fair cheek.
Even the slightest movement felt like it would pierce her throat.
She was inwardly flustered.
She acknowledged that Mok Kyung-un possessed a bizarre power unlike others, but she hadn't considered it superior in terms of martial prowess.
But what was this?
'......He's different.'
What on earth had happened in just one day?
Even setting aside that she couldn't gauge his martial arts level with her qi sense, what was going on here?
The sharp energy transmitted from the fingertips of the Sword Scripture Finger felt akin to that of a master who had reached the transcendent realm.
'This sensation... Father, no......'
It resembled what she had felt from the head of the Flower Room, the only transcendent master she could contend with.
That same sensation emanated from Mok Kyung-un.
'No. That can't be.'
Mo Ha-rang immediately denied it.
No matter how prodigious his talent, reaching the transcendent realm at just seventeen or eighteen wasn't that simple.
Even if he had an enlightenment, how could he achieve it in a single day......
'Ah!'
Could it be because he consumed that?
The Heaven and Earth Pill.
A secret medicine of the Heaven and Earth Society, said to grant 10 to 15 years of inner energy with just one pill.
10 to 15 years was an insurmountable gap for any warrior.
'.......But could this alone create such a difference?'
Mo Ha-rang continued to grow confused.
Watching her, Mok Kyung-un felt inwardly satisfied.
Thanks to the overlapping opportunities from the reports, he had entered the transcendent realm, but he still wasn't sure of its exact level.
That's why he had tested it against Mo Ha-rang, whom he had sparred with before, to check how much he had grown.
'Not bad.'
As Cheong-ryeong had said, the gap was clear.
Now he understood why transcendent masters and pinnacle masters were realms beyond comparison.
Every one of her movements was far more visible than last time.
-You're still far from it, fledgling.
At that moment, Cheong-ryeong's voice rang in his ears.
-You've just shed the novice label, but from the transcendent realm onward, the differences between entry, maturity, and peak are stark. You have a long way to go.
'......Of course.'
He had no intention of getting complacent.
His target for revenge might be a peerless master nearing the transformation realm from the peak of transcendent, so this wasn't satisfactory yet.
However, apart from that, another emotion arose.
Mok Kyung-un had viewed martial arts and sword techniques merely as tools for revenge.
But ascending to a higher realm sparked interest in martial arts itself.
How much stronger could he become through martial arts?
'I want... to taste more. More.'
It was a pure emotion he hadn't felt in a long time.
As he was thinking that, Mo Ha-rang spoke to Mok Kyung-un.
".......Did you perhaps consume the Heaven and Earth Pill?"
"Ah, that."
Mok Kyung-un pulled out a small silk pouch from his bosom and showed it to her.
The Heaven and Earth Pill was inside it.
Cheong-ryeong disliked calling it the Heaven and Earth Pill.
So in her presence, he called it the Moonlight Pill.
"I haven't eaten it yet."
"Pardon?"
Mo Ha-rang's brows furrowed in surprise as she stared at the pouch.
She had naturally assumed Mok Kyung-un had consumed it.
Yet he had grown this strong in such a short time without even taking it?
'.......A monster.'
She had believed she would never be outmatched in martial arts, but now she felt inexplicably frustrated.
Could she ever escape this demon's grasp?
* * *
The next day around noon.
Various chairs were placed around the platform in the plaza behind the Threadblood Valley's lodging, and guests from the inner castle began arriving one by one.
A glint appeared in the eyes of Threadblood Valley Lord Yi Ji-yeom, standing on the platform.
It was due to an unexpected figure.
'The Shadow Vice-Leader?'
A diminutive middle-aged man with a sharp impression.
He had been puzzled by the unfamiliar face, but upon learning his identity, he couldn't help but be astonished.
The Shadow Vice-Leader had never participated in the Vice Selection Ceremony before.
Given his position and secretive nature, plus the peculiar rumors surrounding him, Yi Ji-yeom had been curious.
But,
'.......Beyond expectations.'
He tried to gauge his level with qi sense, but it was hard to discern.
That meant the Shadow Vice-Leader's martial prowess was on par with his own, or possibly superior.
If true, it was quite surprising.
Yi Ji-yeom had recently advanced his martial arts through enlightenment from the secret manual Mok Kyung-un provided.
Yet even he couldn't fathom this level......
-Twiiing!
At that moment, a string sound reverberated in his eardrums.
At the sound, the gazes of those already present turned toward the entrance to the plaza.
There, a beauty lounged seductively in a four-man palanquin.
She appeared to be in her late twenties to early thirties, exuding an extraordinary aura.
-Twiiing!
As the string sounded again, one of the executives seated shook his head.
It was none other than Thunderbolt Fist King Won Byeong-hak, one of the Five Kings.
'Here we go again.'
What an unpredictable woman.
If not for her willful personality, she would have become the fourth vice-leader, but her uncontrollability led her to accept the valley lord position instead, keeping her out of the inner castle.
Her skills could have made her a vice-leader or more.
-Twiiing!
"Hmph."
As the string rang once more, several red-belted warriors nearby grimaced.
It was because of the true energy infused into the sound each time she plucked the string.
She was Melody Beckoning Valley Lord Hang Yeo-ryang, who could imbue sound with inner energy.
Threadblood Valley Lord Yi Ji-yeom inwardly clicked his tongue.
'Even this woman has come.'
Unlike the Shadow Vice-Leader, he knew her well.
Among the unique martial lineages in the martial world, one was sound arts.
In the Central Plains martial world, only a handful could properly wield sound arts, and Hang Yeo-ryang was one of them.
-Twiiing!
Hang Yeo-ryang, lounging seductively on the palanquin, plucked the pipa's string with her finger.
The vibrations spreading through the sound grew stronger.
As a result,
"Ugh."
Some of the red-belted warriors with weaker inner energy couldn't endure it and covered their ears.
'Still the same.'
What a distasteful hobby.
She often suddenly infused sound arts into her pipa, embarrassing those around her.
Even the good-natured deputy leader had sternly warned her about it.
Yet she continued her bad habit, letting it go in one ear and out the other.
'Whew.'
Deciding he couldn't just leave it be, Yi Ji-yeom cupped his fists and raised his voice.
"Long time no see, Melody Beckoning Valley Lord."
-Valley Lord~ Valley Lord~ Valley Lord~
His voice echoed across the entire plaza like an afterimage.
The robust true energy in his voice made the eyes of Hang Yeo-ryang, lounging seductively, gleam.
The other executives who arrived first reacted similarly.
From this single greeting, they could tell Yi Ji-yeom's inner energy had deepened.
Hang Yeo-ryang was no exception.
She opened her mouth in surprise.
"Your inner energy has deepened since we last met, Threadblood Valley Lord."
"How could that be?"
"You're being too modest."
"It's not modesty. Hearing your beautiful pipa strings, I sense your power deepening day by day. The energy in the sound is making even my own qi boil."
"Hahaha. Is that so?"
He had said it indirectly, but the intent was simple.
Stop infusing power into the strings before you injure those around you.
That was the meaning.
She understood instantly, but,
-Twiiing!
"Then, as an apology to the valley lord, I should play a proper tune."
'This woman really......'
It was utterly exasperating.
He had sent a messenger bird inviting her out of courtesy, assuming her personality meant she wouldn't come.
But she appeared suddenly and acted as willfully as ever, putting him in a bind.
Yi Ji-yeom looked to Thunderbolt Fist King Won Byeong-hak, one of the Five Kings, seeking help.
He hoped the high-ranking executive would step in.
But,
'!?'
Won Byeong-hak was sitting still, turning his head and pretending not to notice.
Even for her willfulness, she couldn't easily ignore a warning from one of the Five Kings, a senior executive.
He couldn't understand why.
'I'm sorry, Threadblood Valley Lord.'
In truth, Won Byeong-hak had met her beforehand and secured her promise not to touch the child of the Secret Scripture Gate.
With mutual interests at stake, he couldn't intervene.
If this willful woman targeted the Secret Scripture Gate's child out of spite, it would be trouble for him.
-Swish!
Unable to comprehend but with Won Byeong-hak not stepping up, Yi Ji-yeom turned to the next best, the Shadow Vice-Leader, one of the Three Vice-Leaders.
But the Shadow Vice-Leader covered his mouth and laughed like a woman, showing no intention to intervene.
'No choice then.'
Yi Ji-yeom inwardly clicked his tongue.
With things as they were, he had no option but to confront her strongly, even if it soured relations.
Facing her as she plucked the pipa strings......
"Melody Valley Lord. That's enough."
A voice rang out then.
She stopped plucking and turned with a frown.
Standing there was none other than,
'Fate Blade King?'
Fate Blade King Son Yun, one of the Five Kings, rested his massive sword on his shoulder, glaring at her with a fierce expression.
His imposing presence, larger than average and covered in scars, stood out above everyone present.
"The Fate Blade King has arrived as well."
Melody Beckoning Valley Lord Hang Yeo-ryang stopped plucking and cupped her fists in greeting.
Yi Ji-yeom inwardly welcomed Son Yun's appearance.
Among the Five Kings, Son Yun was renowned for his strong principles.
Disliking boundary-crossers and clear in his likes and dislikes, he had clashed with the willful Hang Yeo-ryang multiple times before.
Rumors said she had nearly lost her head to his sword.
In a way, he was her natural predator.
"Am I intruding somewhere I shouldn't be?"
"No, of course not."
"Then behave and take a seat. You're preventing the Threadblood Valley Lord from proceeding with the final gateway because of you."
Her eyes sharpened at his sharp words.
The rumors of their bad blood were apparently true.
The atmosphere grew quite chilly.
It neared a powder-keg situation.
At that moment, Threadblood Valley Lord Yi Ji-yeom stepped between them, cupping his fists.
"It's an honor to have the Fate Blade King observe as well."
The heavy mood eased slightly.
Son Yun, who had been staring piercingly at Hang Yeo-ryang, turned his head, relaxed his scowl, and spoke.
"Threadblood Valley Lord. Long time no see."
"Indeed. I didn't expect the Fate Blade King at the Vice Selection Ceremony."
The reason Yi Ji-yeom said this was simple.
Fate Blade King Son Yun already had exceptional disciples.
Especially his eldest disciple Woo Ho-rang, whose talent ranked among the top five late-generation prodigies in the Heaven and Earth Society.
For such a man to participate in the ceremony was puzzling.
"I have my reasons."
"And what might those be?"
At Yi Ji-yeom's question, Fate Blade King Son Yun turned his head and looked at one of the six youths standing in the plaza.
That someone was none other than Mok Kyung-un.
[What? You lost to whom?]
Just yesterday, he had no intention of coming here.
But upon hearing that his youngest disciple Yeop Wi-seon had caused a major incident and even lost to someone, he changed his mind.
'Ha.......'
Not long ago, Mok Kyung-un had been a mere third-rate novice.
For such a person to defeat Yeop Wi-seon—who had reached the pinnacle realm and learned martial arts directly from him?
He simply had to come.
[Chapter 32: The Final Gateway (1)] End