Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Learning Through Actual Combat
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At that moment, Seo Ui-jae was seen approaching Han Ibi's side. He'd come to check on the delay.
Baek Beom-sang Elder briefly explained the situation.
Seo Ui-jae nodded and turned to Hong Gu-geum.
"Shall we begin right away?"
Hong Gu-geum nodded silently.
Now that she'd achieved her goal, Bok Yeon-hwa turned and quickly made her way back.
Seeing her, Han Ibi hurried over and called out.
"Master! How did it go?"
"Prepare to compete."
"Ah, you got permission."
Han Ibi felt a mix of excitement and worry.
Bok Yeon-hwa said,
"You'll go in the final match."
"Pardon? What do you...?"
"I'll go second and face off against Elder Nam."
'Whoa! She's telling me to run the last game, the main event?'
Han Ibi felt his heart pounding harder without realizing it.
'No, wait... If this old lady loses her match, I won't even get a chance to step up?'
Just then, the voice of Elder Seo Ui-jae, who was hosting, rang out.
"There will be a slight change to the sparring tournament proceedings."
The murmurs died down in an instant.
"We'll switch the order of matches. For this round, Elder Nam Cheol-hong and Elder Bok Yeon-hwa will compete."
The Qingcheng Sect disciples were momentarily stunned.
But they soon grasped the significance and erupted in cheers and applause.
Nam Cheol-hong's martial arts were renowned for their flashy, spectacular style.
Bok Yeon-hwa's skill level, however, was shrouded in mystery.
Most people judged her only by her status as the 'former sect leader's daughter' and 'mistress of the Wudang Sect'—mere prestige.
So, plenty of disciples harbored complaints.
And now, a matchup between these two was happening right here, right now?
It might never have even taken place!
How exciting was this?
The disciples' cheers grew louder by the second.
On the other hand, Hong Gu-geum looked quite displeased.
There was a clear air of dissatisfaction...
But today was a day for sanctioned deviations and festivities, after all.
Seo Ui-jae announced,
"Would the two elders please take the stage."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a sharp whoosh cut through the air.
At the same time, a dark figure appeared atop the sparring arena.
The crowd of martial artists gasped in surprise.
The figure was flipping through the air with elegant flair.
It was none other than Nam Cheol-hong, pushing his lightness skill to the limit.
"Whoa! Check out that lightness skill!"
"Ahh! I've never seen such mesmerizing Phantom Ring Bewildering Steps... You really can't help but be entranced."
"That's no human feat. It's immortal artistry!"
Han Ibi could sense the man was no ordinary fellow.
He'd always seemed like the eternal second to Yi Sin-song... but his martial prowess showed no such gap.
In that instant, Bok Yeon-hwa took a single step forward.
The eyes of the disciples and crowd sparkled with anticipation.
How would her rival respond to Nam Cheol-hong's 'provocation disguised as flair'? It was a key moment.
'Lightness skills have always been flashier and more elegant when performed by women, right?'
Everyone was thinking along those lines.
Then Bok Yeon-hwa moved.
And the entire crowd collectively drew in a sharp breath.
Gasp!
Because Bok Yeon-hwa had displayed a movement so astonishingly simple.
She simply... walked up to the arena.
Step by step.
No flair, no pretense.
Just a straight path.
She ascended when ascending was needed, and walked when walking was called for...
Smack!
Han Ibi saw stars dancing before his eyes.
The sheer absurdity halted his thoughts in their tracks.
As he wondered what the hell was going on, he realized it was So Eun-ri who'd slapped his cheek.
Han Ibi yelped.
"Hey! Little... no, Junior Sister So! Are you insane?"
So Eun-ri shook her head.
Clutching his stinging cheek, Han Ibi demanded,
"What the hell was that?"
So Eun-ri made an apologetic face and replied,
"No choice. Master sent a transmission."
Han Ibi still looked dumbfounded.
"A... transmission?"
"Yes."
"What did she say?"
"If Jong Ri-mae doesn't snap out of it and watch the match instead of fooling around, slap him hard."
"Come on, even if she said that, did you have to hit me this hard?"
"She said she wouldn't forgive me if I held back."
"That was probably just talk!"
"Master never says anything lightly..."
Holy crap. What absurdity...
Just then, Seo Ui-jae's voice reached Han Ibi's ears.
"Then..."
All eyes turned to Seo Ui-jae.
"...we shall commence the third match, a spar between the next sect leader candidates."
- Woooaaah!!
The massive cheers once again engulfed Mount Qingcheng.
Han Ibi rubbed his throbbing cheek and watched the two combatants.
Nam Cheol-hong struck a domineering pose like Mount Tai itself.
His aura was majestic, as if he alone propped up the world.
The domineering energy permeating the Qingcheng Sect seemed embodied entirely in his movements.
Bok Yeon-hwa, on the other hand...
"Master doesn't look imposing enough..."
Han Ibi muttered.
"Pao? What'd you say?"
So Eun-ri furrowed her brows, prompting a flustered response from Han Ibi.
"N-no, nothing. I just said she looks too composed."
"Should I slap you again?"
Han Ibi jumped back, waving his hands frantically.
"No, Junior Sister. I'm fine."
He resolved to watch the match intently, as his master had instructed.
As expected... Bok Yeon-hwa knew how to control the situation.
Then Nam Cheol-hong spoke up.
"Shall you go first, Elder Bok? Or me?"
His sleeves fluttered with every word.
Clearly, he'd built up a ton of internal energy.
Bok Yeon-hwa replied,
"I'll go first."
In truth, Nam Cheol-hong was older, but by entry seniority, Bok Yeon-hwa was his senior.
She clearly wasn't hung up on such things.
Whoosh!
A sound slicing through space.
Bok Yeon-hwa's wooden sword was already thrusting straight at Nam Cheol-hong's chest, where he'd posed dramatically.
Straightforward and simple trajectory.
Nam Cheol-hong smirked once, then unleashed his hypnotic lightness skill, Phantom Ring Bewildering Steps, once more.
His body moved faster than the eye could follow.
His form blurred into doubles, then triples—like a cloning technique.
Bok Yeon-hwa's wooden sword seemed to cut through empty air.
Her first strike missed. She swung wildly three or four times at his hazy, indistinct figure—seemingly futile blows.
A stark, pitiful contrast to Nam Cheol-hong's dazzling display.
But then...
Crack!
A loud smack echoed across the arena, startling the crowd.
Bok Yeon-hwa's wooden sword had struck Nam Cheol-hong's thigh.
"Lucky hit?"
"He let his guard down..."
The disciples whispered.
Tears welled in Nam Cheol-hong's eyes.
His left thigh throbbed with pain.
A real sword would've severed the leg.
But it was just coincidence. Pretending it hurt would be humiliating.
He chuckled as if nothing happened and thrust his sword forward.
Meanwhile, Han Ibi was blankly staring off at distant mountains.
Whoosh!
So Eun-ri's hand rose.
Han Ibi startled and protested,
"Junior Sister So! Look, obeying Master is important, but people need some flexibility!"
"Flexi-what?"
"Argh, that's not it! I'm not slacking! I'm reviewing Master's match in my head right after watching it."
Crack!
Another loud smack rang out.
Déjà vu from moments ago.
The only difference? The side struck.
This time, Bok Yeon-hwa's wooden sword had just hit Nam Cheol-hong's right thigh.
Whispers from disciples and crowd alike.
"What's with that? Why's he messing around like this..."
"Yeah. Seems like he's sparring casually with wooden swords, no tension."
"Elder Nam wants to show off more. Dragging it out like this—what a sight."
Nam Cheol-hong's face burned red as a bonfire.
But a few people grasped the truth...
The most shocked was Chae Geuk-ik, the Huashan elder and martial alliance witness.
He quickly schooled his expression.
And shot a scornful glance at the oblivious murmuring masses.
At that moment, Bok Yeon-hwa spoke.
"Shall we try again, Elder Nam?"
Nam Cheol-hong snorted.
"We haven't even started. Don't gloat over a fluke. I'll show you real skill."
Bok Yeon-hwa nodded.
"By all means."
She retracted her wooden sword and assumed stance.
But Nam Cheol-hong couldn't shake his unease.
Coincidental yet not-so-coincidental strikes.
This could only mean one of two things.
Her skill was so poor she'd flailed wildly and lucked out...
Or her skill so vastly superior she was toying with him...
Nam Cheol-hong shook his head vigorously.
'Impossible... I've scouted her swordsmanship thoroughly. If I unleash my true power, no worries.'
He resumed his signature Phantom Ring Bewildering Steps.
One body became two... then three... then six... Tiny tremors and rapid motion disrupted normal vision.
The most beautiful, sprightly lightness skill in Qingcheng's arsenal.
Exclamations erupted from honored guests and disciples alike.
"Who knew Qingcheng had such brilliant lightness skills."
"Can't believe it—thought those stuffy Taoists just read books all day."
"Wow! Our Qingcheng has such flashy footwork? So cool for real!"
"Don't even dream of learning it. You'd need three hundred years of study for one step."
Matching his footwork, Nam Cheol-hong's wooden sword danced organically.
Beautiful yet blindingly fast and fierce!
Soon, a storm of sword ki from his wooden sword whipped up.
Bok Yeon-hwa instinctively shifted to defense.
His sword ki looked ready to shatter her guard any second.
(Continued in the next chapter)