Chapter 174
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 174
Chapter Title: Battles of the Elite Four
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Clang, clang, clang, clang!
The atmosphere on the sparring stage shifted.
Suddenly, Mun I-cheon began pressuring Ma Seong-gyun.
“No way!”
“The Mount Hua Sword Prodigy is being pushed back?”
Even Ma Seong-gyun, his opponent, showed clear signs of fluster at the abrupt change in Mun I-cheon’s sword path.
Seol Hwa-un immediately recognized what Mun I-cheon was using.
‘It’s the Void Sword Dance. He’s unconsciously blending it into his swordsmanship!’
Mun I-cheon himself probably didn’t even precisely know what he was doing right now.
‘It’s a small miracle born from his ironclad resolve to win and his intense focus.’
Amazingly, Mun I-cheon’s swordsmanship was growing steeper in real time.
Ma Seong-gyun sensed it too, and his eyes changed. Soon, a pure white plum blossom bloomed from the tip of his sword.
One of the spectators shouted.
“It’s the Plum Blossom Swordsmanship!”
Swish, swish, swish, swish!
Countless plum blossom petals rained down toward Mun I-cheon. It was astonishing, but he, already lost in a trance, destroyed each petal with his wooden sword.
Swish, swish, swish, swish, pop!
But Ma Seong-gyun’s Plum Blossom Swordsmanship was too exquisite to block entirely.
Some of the unblocked petals grazed past Mun I-cheon’s body.
Slash!
Splat!
Blood sprayed from spots all over his body, but Mun I-cheon thrust his wooden sword forward vigorously, as if feeling nothing.
Swish, swish, pop!
“……!”
Finally, the wooden sword reached right in front of Ma Seong-gyun’s nose. Ma Seong-gyun raised his sword with a hardened expression to parry it.
Clang!
Unable to withstand the force behind the sword, the wooden sword flew back dramatically. It was commendable that it hadn’t flown out of his hands.
Ma Seong-gyun’s sword spun gracefully, aiming for Mun I-cheon’s neck.
Splat!
A fairly deep sword wound appeared on his neck, blood spurting out.
“Ah!”
It was a wound severe enough to collapse immediately from, but astonishingly, Mun I-cheon caught the wooden sword soaring into the air with both hands and swung it down.
Whoosh!
‘No way?!’
Even Ma Seong-gyun hadn’t expected a counterattack in that situation, so despite dodging quickly, he couldn’t fully evade it.
Thwack!
Whether by chance or intent was unclear, but Mun I-cheon’s wooden sword struck precisely the left shoulder that Jin Pyo had wounded earlier.
Ma Seong-gyun had twisted his body to minimize the impact, but even so, he took considerable damage.
“……!”
Confirming that Ma Seong-gyun hadn’t fallen, Mun I-cheon tried to swing his wooden sword again.
Already deep in a trance, he paid no heed to his own condition.
Of course, his badly wounded body staggered regardless of his will, but even so, he didn’t stop swinging the wooden sword.
‘He’s tenacious.’
Grinding his teeth, Ma Seong-gyun suddenly looked into Mun I-cheon’s eyes.
“……!”
‘His eyes are glazed over. Unconscious state?’
Only then did he instinctively realize he couldn’t take down Mun I-cheon without going all out.
‘Damn, no choice?’
If he slipped up, Mun I-cheon might even die. But he couldn’t afford to lose after coming this far.
Whoosh!
A clearer sword aura than ever before gathered on his blade.
‘Don’t blame me.’
As Ma Seong-gyun, with a resolute expression, was about to swing his sword.
“The match ends here.”
Someone appeared behind Mun I-cheon. It was Seol Hwa-un.
Whoosh!
Lacking consciousness, Mun I-cheon reacted immediately. He spun around and thrust his wooden sword backward.
Swish!
Seol Hwa-un gave a faint smile.
“Your fighting spirit is impressive.”
Tap!
Seol Hwa-un seized the wooden sword and simultaneously struck his pressure points for麻穴 and 昏穴.
Pop, pop, pop!
Mun I-cheon’s body immediately went limp. Seol Hwa-un caught him as he began to collapse and sealed his acupoints to staunch the bleeding from his wounds.
Examining his condition, Seol Hwa-un frowned.
‘A little later, and it would’ve been dangerous.’
He promptly raised his voice.
“Due to Mun I-cheon’s severe injuries, Ma Seong-gyun is declared the winner!”
This was precisely why the judges had to watch the matches closely.
No matter who won, no one should die from the sparring. They had to intervene appropriately to prevent tragedies.
Event staff rushed onto the stage and carried Mun I-cheon away.
Woooaaah!
“Amazing!”
“As expected of the Mount Hua Sword Prodigy!”
But at that moment, there was someone watching the departing Mun I-cheon intently.
“Amitabha. A rare prodigy indeed.”
It was none other than the Undying Divine Monk, Grandmaster Mu-gak.
“……He might even become the cornerstone of a new Martial Alliance.”
His eyes shone brighter than usual.
* * *
The second match of the four strongest.
It was the matchup between Hwang Bo-young and Won-myeong, the prodigies Seol Hwa-un was personally most anticipating.
‘Let’s see what you’ve got.’
Regardless of skill level, facing Hwang Bo-young would force Won-myeong to inevitably use the Blood Forest martial arts.
‘He’ll have no choice but to reveal quite a bit.’
However, Won-myeong, stepping onto the stage, said something unexpected.
“Amitabha. I never imagined I’d face off against a lay disciple in the four strongest matches.”
Hwang Bo-young nodded in agreement.
“Haha, same here.”
“Lay disciple Hwang Bo, I have a proposal. Will you hear it?”
“What is it?”
“Let’s settle it with a single fist. Whoever loses or is pushed back loses.”
“……!”
Hwang Bo-young’s eyes widened at the unexpected suggestion.
“What do you think? It doesn’t seem too disadvantageous for you, Lay disciple Hwang Bo.”
“Is that so?”
“Whoever wins advances to the finals with most of their strength preserved.”
“Hmm.”
“Considering your opponent is the Mount Hua Sword Prodigy, doesn’t it raise your chances of victory even a little?”
Hwang Bo-young gave a faint smile.
“You seem quite confident, Monk Won-myeong.”
“Hahaha, we’ll only know once we clash.”
“You plan to use that fist technique that broke Namgung young hero’s sword in the previous match, right?”
“……!”
Won-myeong flinched involuntarily. Then, Hwang Bo-young’s transmission voice reached his ear.
[It’s a fist technique you shouldn’t carelessly reveal to outsiders. That’s why you want a quick finish, isn’t it?]
Won-myeong found it hard to deny.
[How did you……!]
[Don’t forget. Since our clan was established, we’ve never once stopped aiming for the title of supreme fist of the world.]
“…….”
[Naturally, we take great interest in all the world’s fist techniques. That includes tales of the fist techniques secretly passed down in Shaolin.]
Embarrassment appeared on Won-myeong’s face.
‘Damn. Besides the North Heaven Dragon, there was someone else who knew about the Vortex Flow…….’
Vortex Flow was the name of the Blood Forest martial lineage, with fist and staff techniques as its signatures.
Before coming to the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly, Won-myeong had heard from Hong Gwang to be cautious since Seol Hwa-un knew about the Blood Forest.
In a way, it was inevitable. No matter how tightly hidden, the Blood Forest had existed for hundreds of years.
It wouldn’t be strange if various sects whispered about it among themselves.
‘The North Heaven Dragon knowing the exact name “Blood Forest” is the unusual part.’
Fortunately, Hwang Bo-young didn’t seem to know the precise name.
“Very well.”
A confident smile appeared on Hwang Bo-young’s face.
“I’m confident in a one-fist showdown too. I accept your proposal, Monk Won-myeong.”
“Thank you, Lay disciple.”
The two faced each other and clenched their fists tightly. Soon, immense auras emanated from them.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The sparring stage trembled faintly. It was hard to believe this was caused by the auras of two late-stage prodigies.
“Ooooh!”
As the crowd stirred, Seol Hwa-un felt a bit disappointed.
‘A one-fist showdown. Using a trick to avoid revealing their martial arts as much as possible.’
On the other hand, he was also curious.
‘Does Hwang Bo-young have confidence against the strike that broke a sword cloaked in sword aura in the previous match?’
Hwang Bo-young was the one, along with Ma Seong-gyun, who had shown the most complete martial prowess in this Dragon-Phoenix Assembly.
‘It’s not mere bravado.’
Thud!
Dash!
Hwang Bo-young and Won-myeong charged at each other simultaneously.
“Haaap!”
Won-myeong’s body trembled slightly as his fist shot out.
“……!”
This time, Seol Hwa-un could observe his martial art in some detail.
‘I see! It’s not just using the fist’s penetrating power.’
Every joint in his body generated minute penetrating forces, all channeled into his right fist.
‘Impressive.’
Even Seol Hwa-un wouldn’t take that level of penetrating power lightly.
‘How will Hwang Bo-young respond?’
Hwang Bo-young was slowly extending his fist. His fist emitted a clearer light than ever before.
‘That’s!’
Seol Hwa-un had once faced a similar fist technique.
‘The one Hwang Bo Tae-seong used……?’
It was the Heavenly King Three Fists, Hwang Bo Tae-seong’s trump card in their spar.
Seol Hwa-un couldn’t help but be surprised.
‘Hwang Bo-young has already mastered that?’
The Heavenly King Three Fists were among the pinnacle fist techniques of the Hwangbo Clan, impossible to learn without reaching a certain level.
Of course, the single fist Hwang Bo-young was unleashing now was the Heavenly King First Fist, the introductory form of the Heavenly King Three Fists and one of the basic training forms.
It was still inadequate for real combat, but in a one-fist showdown, it was different.
Hwang Bo-young’s slowly moving fist gradually sped up, then shot out in an instant.
Shiiiing!
Soon, their fists collided.
KABOOOM!!
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The collision was so intense that the stage shook violently. Shockwaves cracked the stage floor in numerous places.
“……!”
The outcome was clear.
Hwang Bo-young had retreated only about a zhang, while Won-myeong had been pushed back a full three zhang.
‘At least three or four finger bones must be broken.’
With a bitter expression, Won-myeong hid his trembling right hand inside his robe.
“Amitabha. Truly impressive. This monk concedes defeat.”
“Thank you, Monk.”
“No need to mention it.”
Though he had made the proposal, he could have reneged and made excuses. After all, the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly rules didn’t enforce it.
But Won-myeong cleanly admitted defeat.
“With Monk Won-myeong’s concession, Hwang Bo-young wins!”
Woooaaah!
Thus, the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly finals matchup was set.
It would be Ma Seong-gyun of the Mount Hua Sect’s three great disciples versus Hwang Bo-young, young lord of the Hwangbo Clan.
* * *
Finally, the day of the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly finals arrived. The sky was clear blue, and the weather mild for winter.
The prodigies who had produced countless brilliant matches had fallen one by one, leaving only two.
“Perfect weather for the finals!”
Countless spectators entered the stands with excited expressions.
“It’s come to this. A finals between the Nine Great Sects and the Eight Great Families!”
“I’m already thrilled! Who will win?”
“Tough to predict. Both have far surpassed ordinary late-stage prodigy level.”
“Ah, I can’t wait to see it!”
Amid the largest crowd during the main tournament.
Ma Seong-gyun and Hwang Bo-young faced each other atop the sparring stage.