The Beginning of the Showdown (2)
His breath caught in his throat.
Whatever one might have felt from that back view, everyone here knew exactly how much was riding on this match.
This makes all the previous duels feel like mere entertainment.
On one side stood Heo Gong, an elder of Wudang.
And on the other, Chung Myung—the strongest genius of the younger generation, and the undisputed number one swordsman of Mount Hua.
Whether they were truly equal opponents or not, no one could deny that this was a match anyone would want to see at least once in their lifetime.
The result of this contest would probably spread across the world with more uproar than anything Mount Hua had done since leaving its mountain headquarters.
“Sahyung.”
Baek Sang asked in a slightly trembling voice.
“Do you think he can win?”
“Hmm.”
Baek Cheon hesitated, unable to answer right away, before finally speaking with difficulty.
“...It would be normal for it to be hard.”
“I knew it.”
“......”
Even to Baek Sang, Chung Myung was a monstrous freak.
By now, even Baek Cheon and Yu I-seol—who had gone beyond being mere geniuses of Mount Hua and into the realm of being the greatest prodigies in the world—still seemed no different from children before Chung Myung.
But...
No matter how you look at it, his opponent is Wudang’s elder.
By common sense, there was no way that should be a fair fight.
That was not just Baek Sang’s thought, but the shared belief of all the Mount Hua disciples.
“I just hope Chung Myung doesn’t get hurt.”
A normal third-generation disciple would not have their pride wounded by losing to a Wudang elder. But that bastard was so utterly convinced he was the center of heaven and earth that he seemed like the sort who would be offended even by the loss.
As Baek Sang looked toward Chung Myung with worried eyes, a dry voice brushed past his ear.
“So... by common sense, yes.”
“...Yes?”
A strange look entered Baek Cheon’s face.
“Like I said, that would only make sense if the other side were someone who could actually be measured by common sense.”
At Baek Cheon’s words, the rest of the Five Swords nodded and added their own comments.
“I just can’t imagine him losing.”
“Which is stronger, Seol Cheon-sang or that elder called Heo Gong?”
“...Hmm. Hard to say just by looking.”
“Feels like he won’t lose.”
“Same here.”
Baek Sang’s face twisted in disbelief at the conversation of the Five Swords.
“Have you all lost your minds? He’s a Wudang elder, for heaven’s sake.”
“We know that. That’s why we’re saying it.”
“Exactly... that’s why...”
Even as he said it, Baek Cheon himself seemed absurdly aware of how ridiculous his own words sounded, and he shook his head.
“Right. He’s a Wudang elder. Which is exactly why this makes no sense...”
Then he let out a deep sigh.
“What am I supposed to do? It’s even harder for me to imagine Chung Myung losing.”
“...You’re joking, right?”
“I’d like it very much if I were.”
Baek Sang stared blankly at Baek Cheon. No matter how hard he looked, Baek Cheon’s face was not one of joking.
Dazed, Baek Sang looked around—and among everyone present, he found the one person who might still be able to see this situation objectively.
“M-Monk. Hye Yeon. Please, say something.”
“...Amitabha.”
Hye Yeon joined his palms and spoke in a solemn tone.
“Wudang’s sword is very strong. Moreover, if it is a Wudang elder, one might say their sword has reached the heavens.”
“R-right.”
“So it should make for a fine match.”
“......”
Baek Sang’s mouth slowly fell open.
Have they all gone insane or something?
The opponent was Wudang—the elder of the greatest sword sect in the world.
No matter how monstrous Chung Myung was, how could anyone possibly say that with a straight face?
“What the... what is this...?”
As Baek Sang muttered nonsense in a daze, Baek Cheon simply watched him quietly.
Come to think of it, none of them had really seen Chung Myung draw his sword properly since the younger-generation disciple tournament.
During the fierce battles with Maninbang, Chung Myung had fought where no one could see him. In the North Sea, they had not followed.
They had caught only a glimpse during the recent battle with the Dae-byeol Bandit Band, and even that had been in the middle of combat, so they could hardly have seen anything clearly.
Besides, there was an unbridgeable gap between the Dae-byeol Bandit Band’s leader and a Wudang elder. Their status alone was different, beyond mere skill.
So this reaction makes sense.
They must have been judging Chung Myung’s skill as being only at the very top among the younger generation. At best, they likely thought he was just a little better than Hye Yeon.
Tsk.
Baek Cheon furrowed his brow slightly and forced out words he had not wanted to say.
“All of you, watch carefully.”
“...Yes?”
“His personality is absolute trash.”
The Five Swords chimed in at once, as if they had been waiting for it.
“A jackal.”
“A beast of a bastard.”
“Apologize to beasts, Sahyung!”
“......”
Baek Cheon coughed lightly and continued.
“In any case, that bastard is now the undisputed number one sword of Mount Hua. Watch carefully what kind of sword you’re supposed to be chasing.”
At his words, the Mount Hua disciples stopped their chatter and focused on Chung Myung standing on the platform. Their eyes held a strange mix of anticipation and excitement.
Mount Hua Divine Dragon.
Meanwhile, Mu Jin watched Chung Myung step onto the platform and bit his lip slightly.
Chung Myung did not seem all that different.
He seemed a little taller, a little broader than before, but the easy expression and relaxed movements from back then had not changed one bit.
Not when compared to the day Chung Myung had dealt him that devastating defeat.
The man himself had not changed, but Chung Myung’s standing could no longer be compared to what it had been back then. He was still called the strongest genius of the younger generation now, just as he had been then, but the meaning behind those words was no longer the same.
Had that made the loss of the past feel any lighter to Mu Jin?
Of course not.
In his eyes, fixed on Chung Myung, a thick, lingering fighting spirit and passion glimmered.
“Calm yourself.”
“Ah...”
At the voice from beside him, Mu Jin unconsciously loosened the fist he had been clenching.
“There will be plenty of other chances for you to have your revenge.”
“...I know.”
“What matters first is restoring the honor of the sect.”
Mu Jin quietly nodded.
He had no intention of throwing a tantrum and insisting that he should be the one to step forward here. The situation had already moved beyond anything he could influence.
He only regretted that the one who would settle accounts with the Mount Hua Divine Dragon was not him, but his sahyung.
“That child is certainly remarkable. Not only did he defeat you, but I hear he practically triumphed over Shaolin’s finest genius as well, and even cut down that Dae-byeol Bandit Band chief, Gwang U-do.”
“...Yes.”
“But something impressive now does not necessarily remain impressive later.”
Mu Jin turned his questioning gaze toward Heo Sanja.
“What do you mean?”
“I have seen brilliant talent disappear countless times.”
“......”
“It is not the strong who survive, but the survivors who become strong. Rare genius often loses its light after even a single defeat. I wonder whether that child has the iron will to swallow defeat and rise again.”
Heo Sanja narrowed his eyes.
Mount Hua is dangerous.
He had known that since coming here, but seeing it with his own eyes made it obvious that Mount Hua was far more formidable than the rumors of the jianghu suggested.
If left alone, how much stronger would they become? The thought was enough to frighten him.
My mistake was failing to find the proper root.
He had realized it only when Heo Gong stepped forward.
Just who it was that the Mount Hua disciples looked to when confronted by someone too much for them to bear.
Even that Five Swords group—whose skill had been undeniable enough that even enemies had no choice but to acknowledge and admire them—had unconsciously looked to Chung Myung the moment Heo Gong made his move.
That child was the one leading them.
He had heard rumors like that before, but until seeing it himself, he had not believed them. No matter how fallen Mount Hua had become, it was still once one of the great orthodox sects that had towered over the world. Who in their right mind would believe that such a sect was being led by a boy barely out of adolescence?
Anyone with even the slightest sense would have laughed it off.
So he had assumed that Chung Myung was merely the sort of talented youngster meant to shoulder the sect’s future someday, a pillar-in-the-making loved for his potential and strength. He had believed the rumor that this boy was at the center of Mount Hua’s rising momentum was an exaggeration.
But the truth was not the former, but the latter.
At that point, the rest no longer mattered.
Heo Sanja’s judgment had been correct. If they wanted to cut Mount Hua’s momentum, they had to break Chung Myung first.
Even if Wudang won a complete victory, as long as Chung Myung remained unbroken, Mount Hua’s momentum would not stop. In other words, even if Wudang suffered a perfect defeat, if they could only crush Chung Myung, Mount Hua would no longer be able to exert itself.
Therefore...
This child must be broken here, now.
Even if excessive force causes an accident.
And if it was Heo Gong, he would understand this better than anyone. Was that not why Sect Leader Heo had sent him out here in the first place?
Amitabha.
It was a thought a Daoist should never have, but to him, the future of the sect mattered far more than abstract righteousness.
Today, here, Heo Gong will sever Mount Hua’s pulse.
A cold light glinted in Heo Sanja’s eyes.
When Chung Myung stepped onto the platform and faced him, Heo Gong wore an odd expression.
It was a truly awkward situation.
Had he ever, even once in his life, imagined he would one day seriously exchange swords with someone three full generations below him?
It was embarrassing beyond words, but no one could live by doing only what they wanted.
That was the role of Wudang’s elders: to handle their duties properly in exchange for being granted their usual freedom.
Heo Gong looked at Chung Myung with a serious gaze.
“It’s no easy thing to cross swords with you.”
“I’m a pretty expensive man.”
Heo Gong nodded.
“Yes, yes. Not just expensive—extremely valuable.”
“Oh? You know it?”
“Of course I do.”
Heo Gong’s gaze turned chill.
Then, in a voice so quiet it would not reach beyond the platform, he said,
“For Wudang to cross swords with you, we had to acknowledge defeat, and the Sect Leader himself specially sent me here, did he not?”
“......”
“We paid quite a price. But seeing you face me like this, I don’t regret it at all.”
This was sincere.
He had thought he could afford to act lofty because he was standing above the platform. But this child called Chung Myung kept exactly the same attitude here, even standing right in front of him.
At this rate, he’s growing so fast it’s frightening.
Heo Gong’s resolve hardened even further.
He did not agree with the Sect Leader’s direction. Heo Sanja’s logic was also tiring at times. But all of it was for the sake of setting Wudang straight again.
If this child became a massive obstacle in Wudang’s path, then even if Heo Gong had to shoulder disgrace, he intended to remove that obstacle.
“I’ll teach you a thing or two. My lessons are rather painful, so you’d best be careful.”
Shrrring.
Heo Gong slowly drew his sword.
But even after his opponent assumed his stance, Chung Myung merely sighed, showing no particular sign of tension.
“Honestly, every damn one of you.”
“...What did you say?”
At the sharp question, Chung Myung gave a snort of laughter.
The aura Heo Gong had been extending gently carried within it a minute killing intent, so faint it would ordinarily be almost impossible to notice.
“I mean, I can understand the righteous sect bastards acting like this. They’ve always been like that.”
Heo Gong frowned at Chung Myung’s incomprehensible words.
But his suspicion vanished almost immediately.
Shrrr-ring.
Chung Myung slowly drew his sword.
“You keep talking about teaching me, saying it wasn’t a waste, saying this and that...”
“......”
“Since when did Wudang get so high and mighty that it started talking down to Mount Hua?”
A thin, sharp smile curved at the corner of Chung Myung’s mouth.
“I’ll smash that pride to pieces for you.”
Their fierce gazes locked in the air, intertwining like blades meeting in mid-strike.