The Golden Young Master’s Gathering
Seok Ho-in, the Mad Tiger Young Master, honestly believed that if there was one thing he could claim over Seok Geum-ryong, it was martial skill. As for business sense or the achievements he had built so far, he knew he fell short. But on that one point alone, he had always considered himself superior.
Even after he had been humiliated in the previous clan meeting’s internal clash of inner power, that blind conviction had not changed. This time, he had even vowed to show the world the difference between elder brother and younger brother before everyone’s eyes.
Crack-crackle-crack!
But the moment he met Seok Geum-ryong’s second form of the Heaven-Shattering Seven Stars Sword Technique, the mighty, overwhelming Great Gate, everything collapsed.
His own movement, his sword energy, everything.
Slash!
And because he had not stepped back in time, a deep wound opened on his shoulder.
Even that had only remained a superficial cut, because at the very last instant Seok Geum-ryong had eased off and shown restraint in his hands.
“You, you...”
Seok Ho-in had plenty he wanted to say to Seok Geum-ryong.
But, like a nightmare of being beaten senseless in a dream, his mouth would not open properly, and his tongue would not obey him.
The reason he could not continue was simple.
Thud!
He had taken Seok Geum-ryong’s sword strike head-on, and all the strength had drained from his body.
In the end, Seok Ho-in had only a shallow cut on his flesh, but in mind and body he was already completely broken.
“Unfortunately... there will be no resurrection for the defeated, nor any additional qualification.”
Looking down at the despairing Seok Ho-in, Seok Geum-ryong delivered the cold reality.
He had clearly said that he would allow defeated contestants to return only if someone could beat him. But after taking on the four eliminated participants alone, there had not been a single one who could do more than fail, much less leave even a scratch.
Waaahhhh!
Seok Geum-ryong had literally defeated the four eliminated contestants in the blink of an eye, and the spectators erupted in another wave of thunderous cheers.
After all, they were called eliminated contestants, but the four men he had faced were mostly first-class and super first-class masters, the very rising talents expected to carry the Hebei martial world into the future.
“The time it took to defeat them all...”
“No more than the span of a single cup of tea!”
Little Heavenly Beggar Cha Bok-sam and Little Mouse of the House of Darkness, Gyeon Ja-bok, both stared in shock, their keen eyes shining with astonishment.
The two of them had already guessed, through their sharp judgment, that Seok Geum-ryong was an outstanding master and would suppress them, but they had never imagined that he would overwhelm all four men in barely the time it took for tea to cool.
He is nothing less than... autumn wind scattering fallen leaves!
Cho So-yeon, Yin-Extending Sword, who had hidden her face behind a veil, let out a stifled gasp as well.
Her expression was exactly right. Those who blocked Seok Geum-ryong’s path had scattered like leaves blown apart by the wind, and there was no more precise phrase, no more perfect comparison than that.
At the very least, among the young and newly rising talents, there seemed to be no one capable of stopping Seok Geum-ryong.
“This...”
For that very reason, Paeng Jin-mo, Stubborn Single Blade, the man who had so readily claimed victory in the first themed contest, let out a baffled sigh.
He was clearly the winner, so why did it feel as if victory and applause had been stolen from him?
I would never, ever be able to beat that man!
Cha Bok-sam felt the same way about recognizing Seok Geum-ryong’s true worth.
To be honest, he had expected to gain very little from the Hebei Exchange Meeting, perhaps only a bit of light networking or the gathering of information.
And yet, what was this?
He had come intending to enjoy himself lightly, but after Seok Ho-in, Seok Geum-ryong had shown an impossible level of skill that completely overwhelmed Cha Bok-sam.
Considering that Cha Bok-sam, the Beggars’ Sect’s most promising young talent, was already regarded as one of the top ten young figures in the martial world, one could imagine what Seok Geum-ryong’s current position truly was.
“Now then, regrettably, there will be no resurrection for the defeated, and the four of you will have to remain only as observers. Any objections?”
At last, Seok Geum-ryong, having finished everything he needed to do, asked the eliminated contestants.
“...”
Having a mouth but no words.
They had mouths, but nothing to say.
Moreover, Seok Geum-ryong had not imposed an unreasonable rule; he had personally demonstrated what was possible. What more could anyone add?
“No objections. Good. Then let us move on to the second themed contest.”
Seok Geum-ryong smiled brightly.
When the crowd first saw that smile, it had the look of a handsome, kindly scholar. But now it was different.
In that smile, they could sense the presence of a perfect ruler, one impossible to refuse.
* * *
Had Seok Geum-ryong, the Golden Young Master, shown such madly overwhelming martial skill that no one could have predicted it?
Not only Cha Bok-sam, who had initially come just to enjoy the event, but even Gyeon Ja-bok, the Hebei branch master of the House of Darkness, who had come quietly to gather information, ended up throwing himself into the proceedings.
As a result, the second and third contests became fierce struggles with no one holding back.
Add to that Paeng Jin-mo, who had won the first contest, and even Cho So-yeon, who showed more determination than ever before, and the atmosphere grew hotter still.
Waaah!
Waaah!
The young martial artists, shining bright in their prime, fought fiercely, and the guests who had come to observe the Hebei Exchange Meeting, naturally, were not the only ones moved.
“This is astonishing, truly astonishing.”
“Has there ever been a gathering this heated, where every participant gave it their all and left so satisfied?”
Even the senior figures of Seokga Manor, who had come watching with worry and unease over whether Seok Geum-ryong could truly manage the Hebei Exchange Meeting properly, found themselves speechless with astonishment.
In that moment, they understood and remembered once more why Seok Geum-ryong was called the Golden Young Master.
“Those were truly fierce and entertaining bouts. In the first contest, Stubborn Single Blade Paeng Jin-mo, young hero, claimed victory. In the second, Little Heavenly Beggar Cha Bok-sam, young hero, took the win. In the third, Yin-Extending Sword Cho So-yeon, young lady, pulled off a dramatic comeback victory. And...”
“...in both the second and third contests, the one who secured runner-up finishes and received high praise for his excellent results was Branch Master Gyeon Ja-bok of the House of Darkness.”
At last, all the contests ended, and the time came to summarize and present the results.
At Seok Geum-ryong’s words of summary, everyone present, from the participants to the curious onlookers watching the Hebei Exchange Meeting, felt a deep sense of regret.
In truth, this was as close to unprecedented as it came.
No matter how lively an exchange meeting became, it usually only meant a brief flurry of entertaining matches. Most of the time, people grew bored or weary and ended up yawning, wondering when it would finally end.
But this Hebei Exchange Meeting, held in celebration of Seok Geum-ryong’s fourteenth birthday, was entirely different from the start.
The participants themselves had enjoyed it with sweating palms and tremendous excitement, and many of them seemed to wish time would simply stop there.
“Now then, after a comprehensive evaluation, I will announce the champion of this exchange meeting.”
Seok Geum-ryong said.
There were four candidates for the title of champion.
As mentioned earlier: Paeng Jin-mo of the Hebei Paeng Clan, Cha Bok-sam of the Beggars’ Sect, Cho So-yeon of the Nine Yin Association, and Gyeon Ja-bok of the House of Darkness.
Among these four, who best embodied the theme of heroism and showed the clearest understanding of both the contest and its purpose?
The decision was not difficult.
“The champion is... Cha Bok-sam, participant of the Beggars’ Sect!”
After evaluating the contest not only by himself but together with several of his retainers, Seok Geum-ryong awarded the title of champion to Cha Bok-sam.
The reason was that at first Cha Bok-sam had taken a lukewarm stance, but from the second contest onward he had participated actively, earned excellent results, and even shown the image of a hero and a man of great generosity by caring for the injured first.
Waaahhhh!
At last, with the selection of a brilliant champion in this record-setting Hebei Exchange Meeting, the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers and congratulated him without restraint.
“Little Heavenly Beggar Cha Bok-sam!”
“Cha Bok-sam! Cha Bok-sam!”
With the cheers of visitors and spectators added to the mix, the entire Seokga Manor seemed to tremble.
This year’s Hebei Exchange Meeting is a tremendous success!
Seeing that, even Seok Geum-ryong, who rarely made hasty judgments, inwardly celebrated the event as a great success.
That alone was enough to show how extraordinary and rare this scene was.
“Thank you for granting the title of champion to someone as lacking as me. If I had known it would turn out this way, I should have tried harder from the first contest.”
Hahaha!
Cha Bok-sam, who had gone up to the stage to speak to the assembled guests as champion of the exchange meeting, joked lightly.
But only for a moment.
“I would like to bow my head in gratitude to Young Master Seok Geum-ryong and to the people of Bukcheon-won at Seokga Manor for hosting such an unprecedented Hebei Exchange Meeting today and for opening the eyes of so many participants with such astonishing and inventive themes and events. And also...”
Cha Bok-sam, the champion of the Beggars’ Sect, was known for his usual sense of justice and easygoing nature.
He immediately stepped down from the stage and headed toward Seok Geum-ryong.
“Today, I was deeply impressed by Young Master Seok Geum-ryong, the Golden Young Master. Ironically, one of us is the son of a great magnate and the other a poor beggar, but... if you don’t mind, would you allow me to be your close friend?”
Cha Bok-sam made the first offer himself.
As a young hero, Cha Bok-sam was widely connected and had many acquaintances, yet he had never once been the one to propose friendship first.
But today is different.
Today he had seen the strength and martial prowess of the Golden Young Master, Seok Geum-ryong.
He had also felt the courage and presence of someone who, despite his youth, could host and manage everything with perfect command.
So Cha Bok-sam had a strong intuition.
The one who would shake the Hebei martial world, and beyond it the whole Central Plains, was none other than Seok Geum-ryong.
For that reason, despite the difference in their ages, and though they were not brothers who called each other elder and younger, he decided to become his friend.
“It is my honor to become friends with the renowned hero of the Central Plains martial world, Little Heavenly Beggar Cha Bok-sam, young hero.”
Seok Geum-ryong did not miss this opportunity either.
By the nature of his background, Seok Geum-ryong was confined to Hebei Province, and even within Seokga Manor itself, so his network was limited.
And yet here was no less than a likely successor of the Beggars’ Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects, offering to forge a bond of friendship. That was an honor.
And that was not all.
“Young Master Seok Geum-ryong. Please do not forget the House of Darkness either. We will always be waiting for you!”
Gyeon Ja-bok of the Hebei branch of the House of Darkness spoke first, his heart aching as he reminded him that the place with the deepest connection was not the Beggars’ Sect, but the House of Darkness.
In fact, even...
“I’m very interested in you too, Young Master Seok Geum-ryong. If the chance arises, please... visit the Nine Yin Association. I’ll make sure to explain in advance, so any time is fine.”
He was even invited by Cho So-yeon, the Yin-Extending Sword, the mysterious disciple of a Hebei martial sect made up mostly of women martial artists and female heroes, so much so that it was called a forbidden female sect in Hebei.
And on top of that, because Cho So-yeon was extremely shy and nobody knew her true face, earning the favor of the uniquely nicknamed Veiled Beauty only doubled the surprise and joy.
“Thank you, everyone!”
Seok Geum-ryong had completely succeeded in hosting a record-setting Hebei Exchange Meeting.
In the end, he not only gathered several valuable connections but also displayed his impressive martial skill before the many onlookers.
Was there ever a more perfect event than this?