Chapter 383
Chapter 383
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 383
>Chapter Title: Converging at the 100th Chapter (4)
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The Light Sword Wanderer Ji Oe was utterly dumbfounded.
“Sword isn’t everything in life?”
How could someone like that have reached a realm beyond Gu Cheon-mu’s Sword Path Sword Extreme?
He couldn’t believe it.
There’s a saying: Hundred Days for the Saber, Thousand Days for the Spear, Ten Thousand Days for the Sword.
The sword is the most difficult weapon among all armaments.
Even devoting one’s entire life to it makes even minor achievements hard to come by, so reaching the pinnacle required one’s mind to be filled solely with the sword.
“Hah.”
Was he doing this on purpose?
Just to avoid a duel with him.
In that instant, Ji Oe fell into contemplation.
Retreating now was unthinkable with such a tantalizing prize right before his eyes.
For a sword master, backing off without tasting it was impossible.
A martial artist’s essence lies in their will to fight.
‘My opponent has reached the sword extreme, capable of receiving everything I have. Even if it’s rude, if I let this chance slip, it’ll never come again.’
-Shhk!
Ji Oe slowly moved his hand toward the sword hilt.
It was right then.
-Slither! Slither!
A sharp blade touched the back of his hand that was reaching for the hilt, and a snake-shaped staff head aimed at his throat.
The sword’s owner was the masked Mara Hyun, and the snake staff belonged to the Eight Venom Snake Staff Gu Yang-so.
Gu Yang-so spoke to him in a low voice.
“Our lord has refused. Remove that hand, Ji Oe.”
At this warning, Ji Oe’s eyes sharpened.
He had suspected as much from the aura that evaded his senses.
Yet both were transcendent masters who had surpassed the wall.
Ji Oe scanned them both with his eyes and spoke.
“...You keep surprising me. To have Transformation Realm masters as subordinates. Though after subduing even the Nine Manor Lord, one of the Six Thousand Protectors, it’s not all that shocking.”
Mok Kyung-un looked at him impassively and said.
“Is that all you have to say?”
It was an order to leave.
Ji Oe inwardly couldn’t hide his disappointment in himself at Mok Kyung-un’s utter indifference, showing not the slightest interest.
No matter how inferior his level, to not spark even a shred of curiosity in this man—it made his life, devoted solely to the sword, feel utterly wasted.
“Please let me go.”
At Mok Kyung-un’s words as he waved his hand, the Eight Venom Snake Staff Gu Yang-so and the masked Mara Hyun withdrew their staff and sword in unison.
“I understand your warrior’s will to fight and competitive spirit, but it’s time to go, Ji Oe.”
“You...”
Ji Oe furrowed his brow.
This man clearly had a young face, so why did his speech and demeanor make him seem oddly aged?
Ji Oe stared piercingly at Gu Yang-so before turning his head.
Then he said to Mok Kyung-un.
“Can you not give me even one chance?”
“No.”
“Then there’s no choice but to create my own opportunity.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth.
-Pat!
Ji Oe kicked off the ground, his form shooting toward Mok Kyung-un.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
-Papapapapak!
Gu Yang-so and Mara Hyun moved to intercept him simultaneously, but in that moment, his form slipped past them like oil and closed in right before him.
“What movement technique is that?”
“No way?”
The two masters’ eyes flashed at Ji Oe’s bizarre movement art.
Especially Mara Hyun, who prided herself on being the fastest in movement techniques aside from her lord Mok Kyung-un and her hidden master So Ye-rin.
By then, a sharp sword aura rising from Ji Oe’s sword fingers surged toward Mok Kyung-un’s forehead.
However,
-Paaaaang!
“What?”
His sword aura was deflected by an immense force.
-Chrrrrrr!
Pushed back five paces, Ji Oe grimaced as he looked at the one who had repelled him.
It was none other than Shaolin’s precept-breaking monk, the Subduing Demon Fist Master Ja Geum-jeong.
“Huh?”
Ji Oe reacted this way because Ja Geum-jeong’s internal energy surpassed his expectations.
By sense, he appeared to be at the absolute peak realm.
Yet in that instant, the fist force felt boundless.
As if he had drawn in the surrounding qi.
“Ke ke, I wanted to test you anyway. Come at me!”
“No way, you...”
Before he could finish speaking,
Someone grabbed his shoulder and tried to shove him forward.
It was Mara Hyun.
-Pak!
Ji Oe aligned his shoulder with her push while lifting his rear foot to kick Mara Hyun’s head from behind.
-Thud!
Thanks to that, Mara Hyun’s form was shoved forward, nearly toppling her.
Mara Hyun swiftly regained her posture, her eyes sharpening.
Her body was remarkably flexible for her age.
Her movements included many unexpected feints.
That only made her want to clash properly all the more.
-Pak!
Mara Hyun assumed a retreating stance.
Ji Oe widened the distance and said.
“You’re decent, but you’re not the one I want to duel.”
“If you want to duel so badly, break through all of us first.”
“Hah.”
-Pat!
As Ji Oe let out a sigh, Mara Hyun unleashed a storm-like retreating assault.
His consecutive kicks created dozens of afterimages, pressing in with blinding speed that made the eyes dizzy.
-Chachachachachang!
Ji Oe had already drawn his sword and blocked only the true strikes amid Mara Hyun’s kicks.
Feints were mere shadows, so he focused on those aiming for vital points.
But in that moment,
-Tatak!
Mara Hyun’s form split into three.
As her form suddenly divided, Ji Oe hurriedly switched to offense and defense.
Since all three clones held equal power, mere defensive forms wouldn’t suffice.
Ji Oe’s hands sped up, the sword’s trajectory multiplying.
-Chachachachachang!
Mara Hyun’s foot auras clashed with Ji Oe’s sword auras, producing deafening metallic clashes as blue sparks flew everywhere.
The guest hall’s floor cracked, the shockwave spreading outward.
-Papapapak!
Ja Geum-jeong flicked away flying stone shards with his hand, clicking his tongue in dissatisfaction.
“Damn it. This monk wanted a go, but that blue-eyed bastard stole the lead.”
He itched to jump in, but what fun was ganging up?
He could only watch for now.
Then, spotting an opening mid-clash, Ji Oe unleashed a domineering sword strike to create distance from Mara Hyun.
-Chaaaaang!
Mara Hyun deftly evaded the sword strike and tried to close in again, but
-Pat!
Ja Geum-jeong, who had been waiting for his chance, shot forward and unleashed a fist technique at Ji Oe.
It was his signature Subduing Demon Assault Fist.
Bursting into his chest guard in an instant, Ja Geum-jeong unleashed the three forms of the Subduing Demon Assault Fist—Striking Linked Assault—hurling punches with enough force to shatter Ji Oe’s sword.
-Chachachachang!
Under Ja Geum-jeong’s ferocious onslaught, Ji Oe had no choice but to focus on defense.
He had been adapting to Mara Hyun’s attacks, but struggling to adjust to this entirely different style.
Thus, Ji Oe’s form kept getting pushed back.
“Kra ha ha! Good! Block this too!”
Buoyed by momentum, Ja Geum-jeong unleashed another form of the Subduing Demon Fist Assault.
It was the seven forms’ Crushing Pressure Fist.
Gathering energy into one fist, its power was so immense it created shockwaves, bending even the sword aura-guarded blade.
“What internal energy?”
Dumbfounded, Ji Oe released the hilt and executed a bizarre technique.
It spun his sword like a windmill.
-Paaaaaaaang!
The spinning sword weakened the shockwave of Ja Geum-jeong’s fist pressure.
In that instant, Ji Oe unleashed emitting force toward the shockwave.
The emitting force passed through the spinning sword, flowed along Ja Geum-jeong’s fist, and repelled his form backward.
-Paaang! Chrrrrr!
Pushed back four paces, Ja Geum-jeong dispersed the penetrating energy with his feet.
-Kwadududuk!
Cracks spiderwebbed across the floor from the energy flowing out his feet.
White steam rose from Ja Geum-jeong’s mouth as he dissipated the energy.
Despite his churning internals and injury, his battle lust surged, his grin splitting to his ears.
“Whew.”
Ji Oe sighed.
Though called one of the Three Madmen, he had thought Shaolin’s precept-breaker the weakest of the three.
He was wrong.
‘Not someone I can defeat in one go.’
At least dozens of exchanges would be needed to decide.
Clicking his tongue, his gaze turned to Mok Kyung-un’s other subordinates quietly encircling him.
Not one was to be trifled with.
He thought he could exchange a few moves with Mok Kyung-un after shaking them off, but it seemed impossible.
‘Can’t even handle the subordinates...’
Clashing with them would exhaust him, leaving him unable to touch even a hair of Mok Kyung-un.
Realizing even burning with battle will was futile, Ji Oe withdrew his energy and raised both hands.
“What? Why raise both hands?”
Ja Geum-jeong raised his voice as Ji Oe showed this attitude mid-battle high.
Ignoring him, Ji Oe kept his hands up, clearly signaling no will to fight.
Then he said to Mok Kyung-un.
“My apologies. I tried to indulge my greed and exchange even a few moves with you, but I can’t even handle your underlings.”
“Hey. Lower those hands.”
“I have no more will to fight.”
“Shut up and lower them. You attacked the master—think we’ll just let you go? You pay the price.”
“I agree.”
The masked Mara Hyun sided with Ja Geum-jeong.
The other subordinates felt the same.
Gu Yang-so sneered.
“Our lord did give you a chance to leave. But as subordinates, we have our pride—you pay for what you did.”
“...”
Surrounded, Ji Oe had no choice but to lower his hands.
No excuse would work; he had clearly been rude, so their reaction was natural.
‘No choice.’
It was his own doing; he couldn’t avoid fighting them.
As he assumed a stance,
“I heard you spent twenty years in Sword Valley trying to surpass the Nine Manor Lord here.”
At Mok Kyung-un’s voice, Ji Oe replied with a shallow breath.
“...Yes.”
“Then what if you lost to me?”
Ji Oe paused, then answered with a face thick as iron.
“My life’s purpose was defeating the Nine Manor Lord who enlightened me with the sword. But when you subdued him, my purpose changed.”
“So I became your purpose?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think you can win?”
“Not yet.”
“Then what’s your plan?”
“I planned to follow you until I could defeat you.”
No sooner had he spoken than Ja Geum-jeong scoffed.
“Not mad for the sword, but shameless. First guy more freeloading than this monk.”
To Ja Geum-jeong’s ridicule, Ji Oe replied nonchalantly.
“Curse all you want. Having devoted my life to the sword, as long as I don’t stray from the path, I’ll pursue only it.”
“So devoted to the sw—”
-Shhk!
As Mok Kyung-un raised his hand, Ja Geum-jeong shut his mouth.
With him silent, Mok Kyung-un chuckled and said.
“Your shamelessness is amusing.”
“...”
“But I’m the type who exacts full payment.”
“Payment?”
“Yes. Unlike the Nine Manor Lord, I don’t feed and care for those trying to defeat me for free.”
“...Then what do you want?”
Ji Oe asked with a hint of unease.
Mok Kyung-un replied casually.
“In exchange for dueling you, I’ll take one year of your life.”
“One year? You don’t mean...”
“Yes, your loyalty.”
“!?”
[Converging at the 100th Chapter (4)] End