Chapter 169
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 169
Chapter Title: The Fifth to Seventh Matches
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Jin Pyo's all-out strike regrettably failed to destroy every petal. As a result, some of them rained down toward him.
Pa-pa-pa-pa!
The petals grazed him, inflicting countless wounds, but Jin Pyo paid them no mind.
"Eeyaap!"
He pressed on without pause, unleashing the Nine Palaces One Thrust to its conclusion.
"......!"
Ma Seong-gyun twisted his body in a flash, but his reaction was a beat too slow.
Paat!
Jin Pyo's sword grazed Ma Seong-gyun's left shoulder. Blood soon soaked the area.
But that was as far as it went.
Ma Seong-gyun's blade was already at his throat.
"That was an impressive technique."
"......"
"Will you concede defeat?"
Jin Pyo squeezed his eyes shut.
'This is the end.'
He had given it his all, yet he could only manage a light cut on Ma Seong-gyun's shoulder.
Even so, considering their original skill gap, it was a remarkable feat.
"I yield."
Ma Seong-gyun sheathed his sword.
"A fine match. ...I'll look forward to our next encounter."
'Next time.'
It felt like he'd earned Ma Seong-gyun's recognition. It wasn't a bad sensation at all. Jin Pyo offered a faint smile.
"Let's cross blades again, Young Master Ma."
Seol Hwa-un nodded as he watched him.
'Looks like it was a satisfying bout.'
Ma Seong-gyun was definitely different from the other entrants.
'Stronger than expected.'
A true contender for the championship.
Even when he'd taken that wound at the end, Ma Seong-gyun had seemed utterly composed.
If he'd poured everything into the Falling Plum Petals, Jin Pyo's sword never would have reached him.
'He probably figured that was more than enough to defeat Jin Pyo.'
Not that he'd underestimated him—more like he had to consider the eyes of the other entrants, so going all-out would have been unwise.
Seol Hwa-un, catching the gazes of the other two judges, declared the victor.
"Mount Hua Sect's Ma Seong-gyun wins!"
Waaaaah!
A massive cheer erupted from the stands.
"What an awesome clash!"
"The Mount Hua Sword Eagle lives up to his name."
"That Jin Pyo kid held his own pretty well, though? Nearly broke through the Plum Blossom Swordsmanship."
"Shanxi's Sword Lake, huh? He's no slouch."
As everyone had predicted, Jin Pyo was eliminated. Yet the number of eyes on him only grew.
It was only natural that the Shanxi Sword Sect's reputation would rise.
* * *
The fifth match of the preliminaries.
Namgung Family's Namgung Seo-ha versus Kunlun Sect's secular disciple Nam Do-wol.
Namgung Seo-ha, from the so-called world's greatest clan, drew immense attention.
The Namgung Family had placed fourth in the previous tournament and produced a champion even before that.
But compared to the other top contenders, he drew less notice. The general consensus simply wasn't that high on him.
From that angle alone, one might think he didn't live up to the prestige of the world's greatest clan.
However, Namgung Seo-ha was a collateral branch member, not direct lineage.
The very fact that he'd advanced to the preliminaries was impressive in itself.
The clash between Namgung Seo-ha and Nam Do-wol was fierce.
Even as a collateral, Namgung Seo-ha's skills befitted the Namgung name, while Nam Do-wol displayed prowess hard to believe from a secular disciple.
Their evenly matched duel ended in Namgung Seo-ha's victory by a mere half-move.
"Impressive as expected! And the Namgung Family already has two more talents like that?"
"Yeah. Must suck for him. If he'd been from another sect, he might've been the top dog."
"Who knows. Isn't it more honorable to be in the world's greatest clan, the Namgung Family?"
"Haha, maybe."
Though neither prodigy had drawn much prior attention, the match held special significance.
It was the first clash between the Nine Great Sects, representing the Martial Alliance, and the Eight Great Families, representing the Orthodox Heaven Alliance.
"So the Eight Great Families are the real powerhouses."
"What're you talking about? That was just a secular disciple."
"Kunlun says there's no real difference between secular and mountain disciples. Breaking through the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament qualifiers proves he's no ordinary secular disciple."
"No difference? Doesn't that make it even more impressive?"
"So what? Kunlun didn't get a single mountain disciple into the prelims."
"Hmm. Honestly, the skill gap wasn't that big. We'll see in the next match."
The next bout was another clash between the Nine Great Sects and the Eight Great Families.
Shaolin's third-generation disciple Won Myeong versus the Jegal Family's young expert Jegal Pyo.
Unlike most Jegal Family members, Jegal Pyo had a robust, burly build, in stark contrast to the smaller-framed Won Myeong.
Seol Hwa-un watched Won Myeong closely.
'Solid build. In terms of muscle quality, he doesn't fall short of Jegal Pyo at all.'
Frankly, he'd been quite surprised that a Shaolin young expert had made it through the qualifiers.
Sure, there were exceptions like Hong Gwang, but Shaolin disciples rarely appeared in the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament.
Shaolin martial arts were the epitome of late-blooming techniques.
'If we're just talking potential, he doesn't match the other young experts.'
Yet he'd crushed his qualifier opponents with ease.
'I didn't watch closely enough then.'
Seol Hwa-un was curious about Won Myeong's true, hidden strength.
The duel soon began.
Contrary to his appearance, Jegal Pyo wielded delicate swordsmanship. Facing him barehanded, Won Myeong struggled to close the distance and fell into a defensive posture.
'His footwork is excellent... but it falls a bit short for breaking through Jegal Pyo's strikes.'
Jegal Pyo showed not the slightest gap, as if determined not to let him approach.
Won Myeong was having a tough time of it.
Around the fiftieth exchange, when it seemed hopeless, Won Myeong charged straight ahead.
Seol Hwa-un frowned involuntarily.
'Charging in blindly like that? Can't hold back and just letting it happen?'
Sure enough, Jegal Pyo's sword flew precisely at him. Won Myeong looked about to be run through.
In that moment of crisis.
Won Myeong twisted, offering his shoulder—and Jegal Pyo's blade met it.
But then.
Pang!
Incredibly, the sword bounced away.
"......!"
Jegal Pyo's chest was left wide open. Won Myeong surged in, unleashing a devastating punch.
Puuuuk!
"Keuk!"
Jegal Pyo's massive frame tumbled across the arena and crashed to the ground. Given the flow up to that point, it was astonishing.
Seol Hwa-un, seeing he'd lost consciousness, immediately declared the winner.
"Shaolin's Won Myeong wins."
Waaaaah!
Officials soon rushed up to carry off the unconscious Jegal Pyo.
"As expected of Shaolin!"
"What a ferocious blow!"
"But how the heck did he deflect that sword?"
"Yeah. Did he master the Vajra Immovable Body Technique or something?"
Shaolin's long history meant its arts were well-known.
The Vajra Immovable Body Technique wasn't a lightness skill but an external art. Reaching its pinnacle supposedly granted the legendary Vajra Indestructible Body.
"Nah, no way. That's not something a kid that age could complete."
"True."
"Anyway, the Martial Alliance takes this one?"
"Tch. Just you wait for the next match!"
Having pierced Won Myeong's technique, Seol Hwa-un wore an intrigued expression.
'A harmony of a body honed to its limits and spiraling force at its peak.'
That's why Jegal Pyo's sword had flown off in an instant.
'And that final blow that felled Jegal Pyo followed the same principle.'
Jegal Pyo had a trained physique too, but it couldn't withstand the power in Won Myeong's fist.
It was a profoundly practical fist technique, uncharacteristic of Shaolin arts.
'No doubt about it—this is Blood Shaolin martial arts.'
Incredibly, he'd openly used the secretive Blood Shaolin arts in a public tournament.
"......"
Seol Hwa-un silently watched Won Myeong descend from the arena.
'Interesting. Is Blood Shaolin finally stepping into the jianghu?'
He couldn't even predict the storm Blood Shaolin might stir.
'Maybe they decided to reveal themselves the moment the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament was announced.'
The Martial Alliance might have been confident of victory with prodigies like Ma Seong-gyun and now Blood Shaolin's Won Myeong.
'Even if so, the Martial Alliance's win won't come easy.'
The Orthodox Heaven Alliance had Huangbo Family's young master, Huangbo Young.
'And there's the once-in-a-generation genius Mun I-cheon.'
Seol Hwa-un glanced at the bracket.
'At this rate, Won Myeong and Huangbo Young will meet in the semifinals.'
Huangbo Young hadn't fought yet, but Seol Hwa-un was certain he'd reach the semis.
'A proper clash between fist masters is coming.'
He was already looking forward to it.
The seventh match pitted Wudang Sect disciple Yu Jeong against Moyong Family's Moyong Je.
At the presiding judge's signal, both drew their swords and clashed.
Chaeng-chaeng-chaeng!
A fierce exchange ensued. It seemed evenly matched for a moment, but as time passed, Moyong Je gradually gained the edge.
"Well done!"
"The Moyong Family's overwhelming Wudang!"
An exaggeration, perhaps, but Moyong Je did appear to have the advantage.
Moyong Yang, seated beside Seol Hwa-un, beamed with pride.
"He's the one who'll lead our family's future. From a collateral branch, but his sword talent is exceptional."
Wind Blade Elder chuckled.
"Hohoho, looks like Elder Moyong's favorite."
"No point hiding it. I guided him personally back home. Teach him one thing, and he'd grasp ten."
"High hopes, then."
"Hohoho, can't deny it."
Seol Hwa-un nodded slowly. In his eyes, too, he was an outstanding swordsman.
Moyong Yang asked casually.
"What do you think, North Heaven Fortress Lord?"
"A fine talent. However......"
"......?"
"That sword on Daoist Yu Jeong's back bothers me."
Only then did Moyong Yang notice the second sword on Yu Jeong's back. His expression hardened slightly.
"No way......"
"No need for two swords unless he's trained in dual-wielding."
Of course, some carried spares, but no one brought a backup to an arena match.
Yet Yu Jeong was fighting with just one.
"And Wudang has only one dual-sword style."
Wind Blade Elder murmured lowly.
"Taiji Two Forms Sword......"
Taiji Two Forms Sword.
One of Wudang's famed Four Phenomena Flowing Swords, the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
Especially notorious for its difficulty, but renowned as the most powerful once mastered.
"If Daoist Yu Jeong has mastered the Taiji Two Forms Sword......"
Moyong Yang finished Seol Hwa-un's thought.
"It'll be hard for my Je-er to win."
As his face darkened, Yu Jeong leaped back, creating distance, and finally drew his second sword.
Sreung!
"Amitabha. Your skill is indeed superior, layman. Now this poor Daoist shall give his all."
Moyong Yang's face stiffened.
"You've been holding back until now?"
"My apologies. I thought one sword would suffice to defeat you."
"You dare......"
"Don't be too angry. It's been nearly fifty years since this poor Daoist last faced the Taiji Two Forms Sword."
"Taiji Two Forms Sword?"
It was a new name to Moyong Je, whose knowledge was still shallow.
"Look forward to it."
His hands moved, tracing a vast circle.
