Chapter 35: The Duel (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 35: The Duel (1)
Cling—!
A sharp, crystalline ring echoed through the inn.
It was a refined, haunting sound, as if the finest blade among a thousand had finally been drawn. The resonance of the steel sliding from its scabbard was so pure it seemed to vibrate against the senses.
“The ring of your blade is truly exquisite. As expected of the ‘No Sword No Person’ Qingcheng Sect.”
With a relaxed smile, Cheol Mu-jin drew his own weapon. As he did, a massive greatsword—a rarity in the Jianghu—revealed its heavy, imposing length.
What incredible pressure.
The moment Cheol Mu-jin gripped his hilt, the intimidation he had been suppressing surged forth once more. Standing before that razor-sharp slab of iron, his aura was so intense it was difficult to even maintain eye contact. He had likely released only a fraction of his true power.
Seok Myeong bit his lip hard. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to run, but he anchored himself with sheer tenacity. Even if he were destined to fall, he could not retreat. He had to exchange at least a few blows to uphold the honor of the Qingcheng Sect.
Ssssss.
Seok Myeong began to circulate his inner qi.
Energy pooled in his lower dantian, gradually swelling in volume. Soon, his middle dantian opened; as the inner qi flowed through it, his racing heart began to steady. Finally, his upper dantian flared, numbing his fear and honing his mind to a razor's edge.
Though the amount of energy he could perfectly control was not vast, Seok Myeong’s three dantians were responding in unison to his will. As they activated, the crushing pressure from his opponent seemed to shrink. Eventually, it faded entirely, until it felt as though he were simply facing an ordinary man.
“May I make a proposal?” Seok Myeong asked, finally offering a formal fist-and-palm salute.
“Speak.”
“Please grant me the first three moves.”
“……”
Cheol Mu-jin stared intently at Seok Myeong, searching for his true intent.
“What kind of trick are you trying to pull now?” Cheol So-yeon cut in sharply.
From his manner of speech to his every action, she found nothing about this boy likable. She was certain he was scheming. Otherwise, there was no way a brat like him could hope to withstand even a single strike from Cheol Mu-jin.
“I have heard it is the etiquette of the Jianghu for those of great renown to grant three moves to their juniors. Since I lack both fame and years, I ask that you grant me this courtesy. What do you say?”
“Hmm.”
Cheol Mu-jin stroked his beard. It was indeed a custom to grant three moves during a teaching duel, but it was merely a tradition—one he could easily refuse if he wished.
“Very well,” Cheol Mu-jin agreed.
“Grandfather!”
“So-yeon, stay back.”
“But…!”
Cheol Mu-jin waved a hand to silence her. To him, it didn't matter what the boy tried. Whether he used a surprise attack, a change of rules, or a cheap trick—it was all the same. In fact, he was curious. He wanted to see what clever scheme the boy would employ to escape this predicament.
“Then, I shall begin.”
“I am waiting.”
Ssh.
Seok Myeong took his qi gathering stance and faced Cheol Mu-jin.
Three moves. He had three opportunities to attack, which meant he had to stake everything on those three exchanges.
Woooooom!
As he pushed his internal energy to the limit, the power of One Cycle instantly flooded into his sword. Seok Myeong carefully regulated the flow; if he forced it too hard, the unrefined, pure demonic qi would erupt uncontrollably in all directions.
Ssssh.
A brilliant light began to bleed from the tip of his blade.
“Sword aura?”
“It’s sword aura!”
At the sight of the shimmering light, everyone except Hyeok-jin gasped. Judging by his appearance, the boy looked barely twenty, yet he had already achieved the incredible feat of manifesting sword aura.
“Indeed…!” Cheol Mu-jin’s expression brightened, his voice sounding almost welcoming.
Sh-sh-shk!
Seok Myeong’s sword aura extended until it reached a foot and a half in length. Then, several colors began to coalesce within the light: purple, blue, and white.
“What on earth is that…!”
The spectators were bewildered. How could a single person manifest three distinct types of energy simultaneously?
“Phew… Haa…!”
The moment the three energies converged, Seok Myeong took a deep breath and exhaled. This was the absolute limit of the power he could control. The previously silent Dark Heaven Bracelet began to emit a low, vibrating hum.
“Communicate with it.”
As he stared at the swirling energies, he seemed to hear Baek Yang-cheon’s voice echoing from his memory. His master had told him: Do not try to control the energy, do not try to harmonize it—simply communicate with it. Then, it will naturally become yours.
However, Seok Myeong still did not fully grasp the meaning behind those words. He had yet to master the ultimate secrets of the swordsmanship his master had left behind.
‘Right now, I have to pour in everything I have.’
Since he hadn't yet digested Baek Yang-cheon’s deeper teachings, he had to fight with what he currently possessed. Seok Myeong cleared his mind and mapped out his three moves.
He only had one real chance. Rather than attacking with disconnected forms, linking three specific techniques together offered the best possibility of dealing even a fraction of damage.
‘The first move will be the Heaven and Earth Sword’s first form, Sprinting Scratch Sword. Second, I’ll use the Azure Cloud Red Mist Sword’s fifth form, Heat Point Sword, to pull my inner qi back into a single point. Then, I’ll finish with the Heaven and Earth Sword’s sixth form, Dividing Horizontal Sword.’
The reason for inserting a technique from the Azure Cloud Red Mist Sword was to maintain the flow. Even if their applications differed, the Heaven and Earth Sword and the Azure Cloud Red Mist Sword shared a common foundation—specifically, the fluid connection between blade and form. This was his path to victory.
“You are more impressive than I thought. Come.”
Cheol Mu-jin watched with deep curiosity and gravity. Three types of energy moving as one was a sight he had never encountered, and he found it utterly fascinating.
Thud.
The moment everyone’s eyes fixed on Seok Myeong’s lead foot, he moved.
His figure blurred and vanished in an instant. The spectators’ gazes shifted rapidly toward Cheol Mu-jin.
“……!”
Seok Myeong had already closed the distance like a lightning bolt, thrusting his sword forward. The movement was so blindingly fast that no one in the room could keep up—not Go Gu-heon, not Hyeok-jin, and certainly not Cheol So-yeon.
“Hup!”
But Cheol Mu-jin was different. As if he had experienced this a thousand times, he defended by lightly flicking his greatsword to the right.
Zzzzzing!
Along with a powerful vibration, an invisible wave of internal power flooded the inn like a surging tide.
Air-Breaking Sound.
The sound of exploding internal power shattered into tiny fragments, scattering in all directions. The bystanders covered their ears at the piercing noise.
Whish!
When his initial attack was parried, Seok Myeong moved laterally, targeting the lower body. Quickly changing directions after executing a form was the most effective way to divide an opponent's attention.
“Oho, wonderful!”
The old man let out an exclamation of admiration as he engaged Seok Myeong’s blade. His face was filled with anticipation, wondering what the boy would do next.
Clang!
As the swords clashed for the second time, a series of powerful air-breaking sounds erupted.
“……!”
Just as Cheol Mu-jin was about to block the third attack, Seok Myeong’s eyes burned with an intense fire.
The previous two forms were merely feints for the Heaven and Earth Sword’s sixth form, Dividing Horizontal Sword. They were designed to close the distance to within a single pace and force the opponent to focus on the visible blade before he unleashed the final, lethal strike.
“Haat!”
With Seok Myeong’s shout, the sword aura imbued with three energies surged forward. The interior of the inn was bathed in blue, white, and purple as the energy swept toward the old man.
‘You brat!’
Cheol Mu-jin, who had intended to block by simply raising his sword, suddenly widened his eyes. It wasn't because of the incoming sword aura. He felt an ominous sense of unease from Seok Myeong’s movements as the technique was unleashed. His long years of experience in the Jianghu screamed of danger.
Vrrrrrrr!
Cheol Mu-jin channeled a sudden surge of internal power not only into his sword but also into his free hand. Directing both his blade and his palm toward Seok Myeong’s energy, he unleashed his full might.
BOOOOOOM!
A massive explosion followed the deafening impact. The wall of the inn behind Cheol Mu-jin was blown away instantly, and part of the roof collapsed as the entire building shuddered. Everything in the vicinity—tables, chairs, and decor—was pulverized into dust.
It was a terrifying display of internal power. The scale of the attack was so shocking that the bystanders could hardly believe their eyes.
“Haa.”
As the dust settled, Cheol Mu-jin’s state was revealed. He looked wretched. Half of his clothes were torn or scorched away. His face was blackened with soot, looking as if he had been caught in a furnace. His previously relaxed expression was gone, replaced by a grim, hard look.
“Phew…”
The old man waved his hands to clear the air and let out a long sigh. His gaze was fixed on Seok Myeong, who was looking back with a bewildered expression. There was a look in the old man's eyes that questioned if such an attack was even possible for a human of his age.
Seok Myeong looked at Cheol Mu-jin and let his sword fall to the floor. Then, he bowed his head and offered a formal salute.
“I have lost.”
“What?”
“……!”
Everyone’s eyes turned to Seok Myeong. He remained with his head bowed, his gaze fixed on the floor.
Cheol Mu-jin shouted in disbelief. “What was that just now?”
“……”
“I asked what you just did!”
He had seen it. Another sword aura had been hidden within the three differently colored ones. He had thought Seok Myeong was merely extending his sword, but when he saw the boy pull back, he had panicked and gathered energy in both hands. He had parried the main aura with his greatsword and pushed the hidden energy away with a desperate palm strike.
Dual Sword Operation.
If he hadn't been watching the movements with absolute focus, it was a dangerous moment that could have cost him his life.
“I hid a second sword aura.”
“How?”
“That is a high-level martial art of my sect. I cannot reveal it.”
Silence fell over the room. Even though the youth had conceded, no one spoke. No one had expected a mere twenty-year-old to be able to inflict this much damage on a master like Cheol Mu-jin. The revelation that he had hidden a second sword aura was staggering. Manifesting sword aura was difficult enough, but to manifest two—and hide one within the other—was unheard of.
“You admit defeat when we’ve barely started? Do you have no pride?” Cheol Mu-jin asked, his face hardening. To concede before he had even shown his full strength felt like an insult.
But Seok Myeong remained composed. “This duel was not to protect my own pride.”
“Then why? Why did you challenge me at all?”
“It was to protect the pride of the Qingcheng Sect.”
“What?”
Cheol Mu-jin glared at Seok Myeong, his eyes demanding a proper explanation.
“I believe the pride I was taught is not about winning through recklessness, but about showing one's will in the face of it. I believed that simply by challenging you, I protected the pride of Qingcheng. Beyond that, I lacked the ability to continue, so I declared my defeat.”
“However, that recklessness could have killed you.”
“Then I would have died. But I knew you would not do that, Elder.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Just as the status of the Qingcheng Sect does not change even if someone insults it, your pride would not be increased by killing me.”
“…Heh, hahahaha!”
The corners of Cheol Mu-jin’s mouth curled into a genuine laugh.
“Pride… indeed. But the situation is different now. By dueling you, my reputation has taken a serious hit. Wouldn't that be reason enough to kill you?”
“It is not.”
“And what is the reason this time?”
“You did not launch a single attack against me, Elder. I may have considered it a duel, but to you, it was merely a senior guiding a nameless junior.”
“……”