Chapter 38
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: You Are the Sword of Completion (2)
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‘Even though Father told me, I just can't seem to understand what he meant.’
Namgung Cheok had called Namgung Jun last night to talk.
That a Sword of Completion was living in a rural part of Sichuan.
Honestly, he had thought it was utter nonsense, but after meeting Jin Je-yong, he felt he could understand a little of what his father was thinking.
If it wasn't some illusion or trickery, the martial prowess he displayed was on a level he couldn't even begin to fathom.
‘Could he be a master who has achieved the reversal of aging?’
The reversal of aging referred to a state where one attained enlightenment and their body became young again.
While states of profound mastery were occasionally seen, the reversal of aging was a realm straight out of mythology.
“No, something like the reversal of aging can't possibly exist.”
Namgung Jun leaned towards the idea that Jin Je-yong's martial display was a form of illusion.
But then, the way Namgung Cheok showed such unusual respect for Jin Je-yong bothered him.
‘If he said he was the disciple of a friend, that would be understandable. Especially if they were comrades-in-arms who fought together in the War of Righteousness and Evil.’
Faced with a situation he couldn't comprehend, Namgung Jun forced himself to come up with a reason.
Amidst this, Namgung Cheok had called him over for a sparring match.
The man standing before him was a young man in his early thirties.
This man, who seemed to lack confidence, held a wooden sparring sword and kept glancing over at where Namgung Cheok was.
‘Yes, this is how one should react when facing the head of the Namgung Clan with a sword.’
The great Namgung Clan was, true to its name, a prestigious house of the sword. Its current standing was no less than that of the Wudang or Huashan Sects, members of the Nine Great Sects, One Union.
In any case, it was an order from his father, the greatest master of the Namgung Clan. It wasn't difficult to teach a lesson in the Namgung Clan's swordsmanship for the sake of an acquaintance and a junior of the martial world.
“Alright. In accordance with the chivalry of the martial world, I will grant you the first three moves. Feel free to show me your sword.”
Namgung Jun appeared as composed as ever.
That was because Nam Gyeong's demeanor, no matter how one looked at it, was hard to see as that of a master.
His hesitant glances and hunched posture were not those of a swordsman confident in his blade.
“Ah! Thank you. Then, I'll begin.”
Nam Gyeong said so and raised his sword.
‘Hmm, an ordinary opening stance… Ack?!’
The moment Namgung Jun tried to assess Nam Gyeong's stance, he felt a poking sensation on his forehead.
Nam Gyeong had approached without him noticing and was standing there with his wooden sword.
“Tsk! You were careless.”
Namgung Cheok's clicking tongue reached Namgung Jun's ears.
He had been careless, just as his father said. Nam Gyeong's timid demeanor was irrelevant in the face of such astonishingly fast swordsmanship.
“My apologies. In my arrogance, I underestimated your sword, young man. Let's try again.”
Namgung Jun frankly admitted his mistake.
At that, Nam Gyeong withdrew his sword and took his stance again.
‘Heh, he possesses a fast sword that's difficult for even me to react to.’
Namgung Jun erased Nam Gyeong's clumsy demeanor from his mind and focused.
Nam Gyeong held his sword forward, aiming at Namgung Jun, and stood sideways at an angle to minimize the area exposed to his opponent.
‘There are no openings. This man is a formidable swordsman.’
The instant Namgung Jun, breaking into a cold sweat, was about to swing his wooden sword, Nam Gyeong's blade tapped his Adam's apple.
It was so fast that he couldn't even react.
Namgung Jun's eyes widened as he stared at Nam Gyeong.
Nam Gyeong, feeling his gaze, turned his head and avoided eye contact.
“Haha! It seems I've lost. Completely lost. Your sword is remarkable, young man. What is your school?”
Though his pride could have been wounded by losing to the unknown Nam Gyeong, Namgung Jun instead frankly admitted defeat and praised his skill.
Nam Gyeong smiled shyly and opened his mouth.
“It's the Sinnae Sword School in Sinnae Village, Clan Head.”
“This is the first time I've seen such a fast sword. Remarkable. Now I understand why my father told me to spar with you.”
Even as he spoke, Namgung Jun replayed the encounter with Nam Gyeong's sword in his mind countless times.
He pondered what kind of sword technique would be needed to stop his footwork that closed the distance in an instant, and what move could block the sword and create an opportunity to counterattack.
“Just as I expected, Jun lost.”
“He is a disciple I raised, elder.”
Jin Je-yong said confidently.
“Tsk! He's lost his fighting spirit since becoming the Clan Head. If he had held out a little longer…”
“The result would have been the same. Even if they fought a hundred times, he wouldn't have been able to lay a hand on my Gyeong. Look who taught him.”
Jin Je-yong's words grated on Namgung Jun's pride.
He acknowledged Nam Gyeong's skill, but he hadn't yet seen the full extent of Nam Gyeong's sword, and Namgung Jun hadn't shown his own, either.
‘If this were a life-or-death battle instead of a spar, the outcome would have been different.’
Namgung Jun reckoned that in a real fight, his greater experience gave him a high chance of winning.
He had only conceded victory because he felt there was no need to lose face by fighting desperately in a situation like this.
“So, you only taught him how to thrust?”
“Yes. I didn't have the time to teach him anything else.”
“Hmm, how on earth did you teach him?”
Namgung Cheok asked, looking at Nam Gyeong.
Although Nam Gyeong appeared timid, his skill was outstanding enough to overwhelm the head of one of the Five Great Clans.
And that head of the Namgung Clan was the disciple to whom Namgung Cheok, the Azure Sky Sword King and one of the Twenty-Two Masters Under Heaven, had passed on everything he knew.
“It's simple. I intensively taught him where and how to thrust.”
“How to see and how to trace the path of the sword.”
“Exactly.”
Namgung Cheok understood Jin Je-yong's words.
He then stepped onto the training ground and picked up a wooden sword. Nam Gyeong, who had not yet left, was standing before him.
“The sword is for slashing and thrusting. It can be said to be a weapon that combines the advantages of both the saber and the spear.”
Namgung Cheok extended his sword toward Nam Gyeong. The wooden sword, which had been swaying like a wave, suddenly lunged like a snake striking its prey.
Nam Gyeong's wooden sword shot out from his guard, deflecting the snake-like attack.
“Indeed.”
“Thank you!”
In an instant, Namgung Cheok's sword created over twenty afterimages.
Nam Gyeong took a step back, then shot forward like a spring. The wooden sword vanished from his hand, and only then did the sound of it cutting through the air follow.
“Kugh! I have lost.”
Nam Gyeong, who had stepped back again, let out a groan.
In his hand, he held only the hilt of the wooden sword.
But despite his overwhelming victory, Namgung Cheok's expression was not bright.
“Good. However…”
Namgung Cheok muttered, looking at his own wooden sword, which had been shaved down by about an inch.
“How on earth did you teach him?”
He looked at Jin Je-yong with eyes full of disbelief.
Jin Je-yong grinned and opened his mouth.
“We just had a very long and sincere conversation.”
Nam Gyeong's body trembled.
Seeing that reaction, Namgung Cheok let out a sigh.
“With swords?”
“Yes, with swords.”
***
There was a limit to how much martial arts could be conveyed through words alone.
For someone like me, who was already bad with words, explaining and teaching the sword verbally was not easy.
On top of that, unlike the quick-witted Jeok-sam, Nam Gyeong was slow to understand things.
“The important thing is a heart that doesn't give up.”
Still, the slow but steady Nam Gyeong never let go of his sword.
Thanks to that, he was able to gain enough skill to not get beaten up wherever he went.
“Only Gyeong could have reached that state.”
Nam Gyeong scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.
But contrary to his shy appearance, his sword was incredibly sharp. Sharp enough for the head of the Namgung Clan to admit defeat.
“Hmm, should I have taught him that way too?”
Namgung Cheok's gaze turned to Namgung Jun. Namgung Jun flinched and avoided his eyes.
But beating the sword into someone's body was no easy task. It required thrusting whenever an opening was shown, thrusting when the stance was wrong, over and over, endlessly repeating the process.
“The important thing is a heart that doesn't give up.”
“You mean that applies not only to the one learning, but also to the one teaching. I see. It's tedious and time-consuming.”
“That's right. In Gyeong's case, he held a sword every single day for three years.”
Since Jeok-sam had also quit learning the sword at the school, I was able to focus solely on Nam Gyeong.
“Of course, all of this was thanks to my master's teachings.”
“The Divine Sword… hoo, you mean Sang-ho?”
“Yes, Master always taught us from that high place.”
“…Sang-ho, you say.”
“Yes.”
Namgung Cheok pressed his forehead.
He seemed to be choosing his words, and after thinking for a moment, he declared to those around him.
“Hoo, yes. Alright. Swordsmen of the Namgung Clan, listen up!”
Namgung Cheok turned around and shouted at the warriors of the Namgung Clan.
The old man had a strong voice.
“Only those who are confident their spirit will not break shall remain.”
“What? Father, what do you mean by that?”
Namgung Jun shouted in response to Namgung Cheok's command.
It sounded like nonsense to me, too.
“You should leave.”
“What are you talking about? I am the head of the Namgung Clan, the Clan Head! I am not a man who bends easily or whose spirit is easily broken.”
Namgung Jun protested, thumping his chest.
But Namgung Cheok shook his head, stopping him.
“From now on, you will witness the true nature of the Azure Sky Unhindered Sword. But it will be a truly painful experience.”
‘Is this some kind of Zen riddle?’
I couldn't understand what Namgung Cheok was talking about either.
Namgung Cheok's gaze turned to me.
“You said you cut the sky, didn't you? Can you show me?”
I lifted my head and looked up at the sky.
It was a particularly blue sky, without a single cloud.
“Of course.”
I drew my sword.
***
Namgung Yong-yong came to the training ground looking for his father and grandfather.
The retainers of the Namgung Clan who had come for the Five Great Clans' meeting were already gathered there.
‘What is this situation?’
On the training ground stood the young man who had cut his wrist.
The one who had used a sword so fast that Namgung Yong-yong couldn't even react.
“Fath…”
“Yong-yong, you're awake. Come here and take a seat. That young man… is about to show us… our… Azure… Sky… Unhindered… Sword.”
*Grind!*
Namgung Jun was grinding his teeth, glaring at Jin Je-yong.
‘That man is going to demonstrate our clan's sword art? But why?’
Even if he were a hidden disciple, the Azure Sky Unhindered Sword Art was the pride of the Namgung Clan. It was not a martial art to be taught to outsiders.
Namgung Yong-yong couldn't understand, but the Clan Head said it was so, and the former Clan Head was also sitting silently in his place.
Namgung Yong-yong glanced around cautiously before speaking.
“Father, I may have lost because my skills were lacking, but surely he isn't such a difficult opponent for you or Grandfather, is he?”
“I lost to that man's disciple.”
Namgung Jun said without even looking at Namgung Yong-yong.
“What?”
Namgung Yong-yong asked again in surprise.
“A disciple? But that man can't be more than thirty years old.”
“He said his disciple is older. That man over there.”
Namgung Yong-yong turned his gaze to where Namgung Jun was pointing.
He saw Nam Gyeong standing there hesitantly.
No matter how he looked, he didn't seem like a master capable of defeating the head of the Namgung Clan.
‘Just what is going on…’
As these questions chased each other in his mind, Jin Je-yong drew his sword in the middle of the training ground.
“Watch. That man is the very definition of a Sword of Completion.”
Namgung Cheok, who had been heavily silent, opened his mouth.
Namgung Jun and Namgung Yong-yong both turned their eyes toward Jin Je-yong.
The moment he turned his body and swung his sword toward the sky.
The sky split apart.