Chapter 160
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: North Dragon's Flawless Breakthrough
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So Hye-ran's eyes widened.
‘That’s…!’
It had happened in the blink of an eye, but with her sharp gaze, she could confirm what she had seen.
‘A soft blade?’
It wasn’t just the North Dragon Squad Leader. The squad members were also drawing soft blades from their waists.
The North Dragon Squad all mastered fist and kick techniques as basics, but each specialized in different martial arts.
However, they shared one common martial art: blade methods.
The blade techniques refined by the Cold Family elders for the North Sea Ice Palace were truly remarkable.
Like Seol Hwa-un, they used soft blades for ease of wear, and having reached a profound level, they were no different from ordinary swords.
Clang clang clang clang clang!
Intense metallic sounds rang out almost simultaneously.
“Urk!”
“Ugh!”
Caught off guard by the fierce counterattack, the Vermilion Bird Squad members’ forms wavered inevitably.
The North Dragon Squad members didn’t miss the opening and pressed their assault relentlessly.
Clang clang clang clang!
Fortunately for the Vermilion Bird Squad, the two members at the rear quickly provided support, averting the crisis.
But the North Wind Squad members’ offensive showed no mercy.
Clang clang clang clang!
A properly trained three-man formation was truly threatening, but if even one faltered, it could become poison.
The North Dragon Squad tenaciously exploited the subtle gaps in the misaligned formation.
The only one unshaken was Squad Leader So Hye-ran.
Clang clang clang clang!
So Hye-ran’s sword and the North Dragon Squad Leader’s soft blade clashed chaotically. Neither yielded an inch.
Clang clang clang clang!
“……!”
The duel was so fierce that even the trio forming up with So Hye-ran couldn’t dare intervene and could only watch.
‘Whoa, incredible!’
‘On par with the Squad Leader? He’s not one of the North Sea Twin Heroes. Who the hell is this guy?’
Though sword and soft blade collided violently, unlike So Hye-ran’s grim expression as she swung her blade, the North Dragon Squad Leader’s face held a strange leisure.
Seeing this, So Hye-ran’s expression twisted.
‘He’s got the leisure to take my sword?’
Her enraged sword birthed countless sword flowers.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!
It was the Plum Blossom Twenty-Four Sword Technique.
Gorgeous plum blossom petals poured toward the North Dragon Squad Leader.
“…….”
Witnessing this, the North Dragon Squad Leader raised his soft blade.
‘Plum Blossom Sword Technique, eh. Fine, I’ll counter with a fitting art.’
Crackle crackle!
In an instant, pristine white frost coated the soft blade’s surface.
‘North Yin Blade Method.’
North Yin Blade Method.
It was the North Dragon Squad’s unique blade art, refined over long years by Bingju Valley’s elders from existing techniques.
The upward-thrust soft blade came slashing down swiftly.
‘Ice River Blade Force!’
Shrieeeek!
A sound like the air itself tearing echoed as a thick blade qi erupted forth.
Shuuuush!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The blade qi shredded the plum blossoms in a flash, then stretched toward So Hye-ran as if unsatisfied.
‘Breaking my Plum Blossom Sword Qi this easily?!’
Rather than shock, her fighting spirit surged.
‘Try breaking this one too. Plum Blossoms in Full Bloom!’
Fwaaash!
This time, only a single plum blossom formed, but it was three or four times larger and more vivid than usual.
The wondrous part was that as it flew toward the North Dragon Squad Leader, its size grew even larger.
“……!”
The North Dragon Squad Leader judged swiftly.
‘Must shatter it before it grows more!’
Far from dodging, he charged at the plum blossom, slashing down with his soft blade. Intense blade qi burst out.
Shuuuush!
Boom!
But this time, the plum blossom pierced through the blade qi. Still, the North Dragon Squad Leader didn’t panic.
‘Once more!’
He swung his soft blade again.
Kwaaaang!
The two forms were pushed back side by side.
So Hye-ran’s pupils shook slightly.
‘This guy… he’s strong.’
Even in a proper one-on-one, she couldn’t guarantee victory.
‘To think there was another expert like this in the North Sea Ice Palace.’
The North Dragon Squad Leader was equally impressed.
‘As expected of the Vermilion Bird Squad Leader. Won’t be easy to win.’
He charged at So Hye-ran once more.
‘But the match is ours.’
Amid this, three Vermilion Bird Squad members were struggling against a single North Dragon Squad member.
Vermilion Bird Squad members at the formation’s edge, not yet engaged, watched and tried to move several times.
But each time, the squad leaders in the middle restrained them.
“Hold the formation! Don’t forget what this training is!”
‘The bet from the start was breaking or holding the formation. Disrupt it for a pincer attack, and you’ve already lost.’
Meanwhile, the fierce duel between So Hye-ran and the North Dragon Squad Leader continued.
Clang clang clang clang!
Unlike before, unable to handle the power in the soft blade, she retreated a step.
Her focus was beginning to waver.
‘Tch!’
It was because she saw the squad members on her flanks being pushed back by the North Dragon Squad.
‘Damn it! Three against one and you can’t hold?’
Clang clang clang!
Even focusing fully made victory hard; with coordination disrupted, So Hye-ran was steadily pushed back.
‘Ugh!’
At one point, the North Dragon Squad Leader’s soft blade no longer flew at her.
“……?”
By the time So Hye-ran regained her senses, the North Dragon Squad Leader had already vanished.
‘Oh no!’
Turning her head belatedly, she saw the North Dragon Squad Leader and the entire squad had already broken through the defensive formation.
“……!”
The Vermilion Bird Squad stared at them in dazed shock.
It was the North Dragon Squad’s perfect victory.
“Vermilion Bird Squad Leader, thanks for the use of the training grounds.”
“…….”
So Hye-ran drooped her shoulders and soon wore a tearful expression.
* * *
The next day, Seol Hwa-un headed to the Alliance Lord’s Hall at an invitation.
Sima Won greeted him there.
“Hahaha, long time no see, North Heaven Fortress Lord.”
In charge of the Martial Alliance’s Civil Affairs Hall, he hadn’t changed much from three years ago.
“Long time, Civil Affairs.”
Behind Sima Won stood Sima Sin-yeong, whom he had briefly seen before.
‘He’s changed a lot by comparison.’
Though seemingly hiding his aura, Seol Hwa-un could sense it. He had grown much stronger than three years ago.
“Still the Second Strategist of the Strategist Division?”
Not expecting Seol Hwa-un to speak to him, Sima Sin-yeong flinched involuntarily.
“……I didn’t think you’d still remember me, North Heaven Fortress Lord.”
“Too intense to forget.”
It was a meaningful remark.
Sima Won’s eyes shifted slightly at the words, but he soon laughed.
“Haha, good memory too. Sin-yeong left the Strategist Division and now serves directly under me.”
“I see.”
“Then, inside…”
Thus, Seol Hwa-un moved to the conference room. As Sima Won halted, he murmured lowly.
“Truly a sharp one. How did he read your presence?”
It was astonishing, as Sima Sin-yeong had mastered a special technique to conceal his qi.
Thus far, no one in the Martial Alliance had realized he was an expert.
Sima Sin-yeong hesitated before speaking.
“Sorry, brother. I must have let my guard down when we first met.”
“Tsk tsk, so you were careless today too?”
Sima Sin-yeong shook his head quickly.
“Isn’t this the famed North Heaven Dragon of the Central Plains? I was extra cautious.”
“And still he saw through you?”
“……His realm seems far higher than expected.”
Sima Won shook his head.
“Of course, his level is beyond a late-stage prodigy. But that doesn’t explain reading your concealed qi.”
“…….”
“He probably remembered our first meeting and observed closely. Even so, the North Heaven Dragon is impressive.”
“My apologies. It’s my failing.”
“No helping it. I’ll have to ask the North Heaven Dragon to pretend not to know you. Be more careful from now on.”
“Yes.”
Turning, Sima Won smiled and gripped Sima Sin-yeong’s shoulder.
“Sin-yeong, endure the frustration a bit longer. If your skills are revealed, other sects will be on guard immediately. You understand?”
“Yes, brother.”
Sima Won’s eyes flashed.
“Don’t make me regret bringing you to the Martial Alliance.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
“I trust you.”
Sima Won then turned as if nothing happened and hurried to the conference room.
Left alone, Sima Sin-yeong muttered.
“……But brother, sometimes it’s too stifling.”
Though Sima Won provided full support, so few knew he was an expert thanks to his perfect concealment.
‘Is this my fate, to keep living like this?’
“Sigh.”
Letting out a deep sigh, he followed after Sima Won.
Meanwhile, entering the conference room, Seol Hwa-un spotted three people at the table.
At the head sat the Wudang Divine Sword Myeonghyeonja, with two elders to his right.
Myeonghyeonja welcomed Seol Hwa-un.
“Come in, North Heaven Fortress Lord.”
“Long time, Divine Sword.”
“Haha, receiving greetings from the renowned North Heaven Dragon feels strange. Truly impressive.”
It could sound sarcastic, but Seol Hwa-un replied calmly.
“You overpraise.”
“Amitabha. Long time, North Heaven Fortress Lord.”
Seol Hwa-un smiled at the elder’s greeting.
“Long time, Wind True Person.”
One of the elders on the left was Kunlun’s Fengjinzi.
“True Person, now? Embarrassing. Just call me Path Master.”
“I heard you became Kunlun’s Grand Elder. You deserve the honorific.”
“Hahaha. Is that so.”
Still weak to praise, Fengjinzi.
“News travels fast. Haven’t been Grand Elder long.”
“Not just anywhere—Kunlun. Of course I’d know.”
“Hahaha.”
Seol Hwa-un had reason to show him goodwill.
When branches were being established at Taegok, Kunlun’s leader sent congratulatory letters and gifts.
Fulfilling the promise from the past spar with the former North Wind Brigade Leader and elder.
Seol Hwa-un naturally viewed Kunlun favorably.
Then, Fengjinzi introduced the elder beside him.
“Ah, this is Moyong Yang, who’ll handle judging for the Justice Heaven Alliance. Familiar face, right?”
Moyong Yang nodded.
“Indeed. We exchanged greetings at the Noble Pavilion. Meet again, North Heaven Fortress Lord.”
“So it seems.”
He was one of the elders present when greeting Namgung Seong.
Moyong Yang, a Justice Heaven Alliance elder from the Moyong Family, was known for his gentle nature but intolerance of injustice.
Seol Hwa-un realized why he was summoned with them.
As he sat, Myeonghyeonja spoke.
“Now the Dragon-Phoenix Meet preliminary judges are all gathered.”
Martial Alliance’s Fengjinzi, Justice Heaven Alliance’s Moyong Yang, and neutral Seol Hwa-un were selected as judges.
“Tomorrow the Dragon-Phoenix Meet preliminaries begin. Gathered you judges beforehand to get acquainted.”
“…….”
Myeonghyeonja looked awkward.
“But you all already know each other. Feels like unnecessary trouble.”
Fengjinzi shook his head.
“No, Divine Sword. We should review detailed rules and assign roles for judging.”
Entering quietly, Sima Won chimed in.
“Wind True Person is right. I’ve brought the Dragon-Phoenix Meet rulebook.”
He distributed thick documents to the judges.
Seol Hwa-un peeked inside and closed it.
‘Unnecessarily detailed.’
It specified arena dimensions, out-of-bounds criteria down to foot placement.
‘Hardly ever used in practice.’
In his past life as Martial Alliance Lord, he had hosted the Dragon-Phoenix Meet.
More precisely, he was the one who started it.
Decisions came via judge consensus in controversies, but fairness and consistency issues caused endless noise.
‘Well, precise rules make judging easier than vagueness.’
“Now, from page two.”
As Sima Won explained the judges’ roles at length, Seol Hwa-un met Myeonghyeonja’s eyes.
“…….”
He hadn’t forgotten the incident three years ago. Then, the Evil Cult accurately pinpointed Seol Hwa-un’s group’s return route north.
It was bizarre.
Shaanxi Province was fully under Martial Alliance control; unorthodox couldn’t obtain such info.
Seol Hwa-un commissioned the Hao Clan to investigate, soon learning why.
‘The Martial Alliance’s surveillance unit happened to be absent from Shaanxi then.’
The Alliance’s direct Hidden Shadow Pavilion. Highly suspicious. No reason for their absence at the time.
‘Someone deliberately created that situation.’
Few in the Martial Alliance wielded such influence.
‘Civil Affairs and Divine Sword.’
Not Sima Won, so likely Divine Sword Myeonghyeonja.
‘But no proof.’
Seol Hwa-un still mourned those fallen North Wind Brigade members.
‘Myeonghyeonja.’
Feeling the gaze, Myeonghyeonja’s lip curled slowly. Seeing the smile, Seol Hwa-un felt irked.
‘Provoking me?’
But he quickly regained composure.
‘I’ll accept that provocation.’
Seol Hwa-un’s eyes turned icy.