Chapter 62: Victory Through Defense (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 62: Victory Through Defense (1)
“How…?”
Cheon Wi-jin stared at Seok Myeong, his expression dazed.
His eyes were flooded with questions—how had Seok Myeong reacted in that split second? How had he pinpointed the back of his hand with such precision? And how had he managed to strike it using only the flat of his blade?
So, this was why I felt I could win.
Seok Myeong understood the situation from a different perspective.
The reason Wi-jin had lost his grip on his sword was that he had left himself completely exposed. From the very beginning, he hadn't utilized his family’s proper swordsmanship, opting instead for a reckless, haphazard assault.
His fundamentals were lacking.
Furthermore, assuming that Seok Myeong wouldn't be able to dodge, he had overextended himself with a desperate thrust, which ultimately proved to be his undoing.
“Just how did you…”
Though the duel hadn't technically ended, Cheon Wi-jin’s face was flushed a deep, burning red.
For a warrior, dropping one's sword was the ultimate mark of shame.
He accepted it as a defeat—and a crushing one at that, dealt by a man he had utterly looked down upon.
Step.
Seok Myeong offered no verbal reply. He simply turned around and walked a short distance away. He reached down and picked something up from the ground—it was Cheon Wi-jin’s sword.
Rip.
Seok Myeong tore a strip of fabric from his own sleeve. He wrapped the cloth around his hand and began to wipe the blade.
Sshhh, sshhh.
The spectators watched in stunned silence. Some were still reeling from the shock of seeing the sword dropped, while others couldn't fathom why Seok Myeong was tending to another man's weapon.
After wiping the blade a dozen times, Seok Myeong approached Cheon Wi-jin. He politely held the sword out before the man’s trembling eyes.
“Take it.”
“……”
“And now, show me. Show me the swordsmanship the Cheon family takes such pride in.”
Cheon Wi-jin took the sword reflexively, staring at Seok Myeong with a bewildered expression.
“I stopped by your family shrine for a moment before coming here. It was empty, perhaps because everyone was busy preparing for this duel. I happened to look inside, and next to the altar, I discovered a precious inscription I hadn't expected to see.”
“……”
“Yi Su Wi Seung (以守爲勝)—Victory through defense. Seeing those words, I realized something. Just as the Hwal-geom Jin-in’s Heavenly Strength Big Dipper Formation does, this spirit must surely permeate the swordsmanship of the Cheon family. The domineering style you displayed just now is likely not your true self.”
Victory through defense.
The words Seok Myeong emphasized reached the ears of every member of the Cheon family present.
Some men flinched, while others felt a sudden heat rising in their chests.
“This time, do not look down on your opponent. Set aside your pride and your contempt for me. Focus only on the sword. Empty your mind of everything else and pour your heart into every form.”
It was a stern rebuke. A sharp admonition.
Yet, no one present felt offended by Seok Myeong’s words.
The Great Ancestor who founded the Cheon family—the words Seok Myeong quoted were the very ones left behind by that legendary figure who once looked down upon the world.
Watching from the sidelines, Cheon Wi-seol and Cheon Wi-hyeon felt a heavy tightness in their chests. Though their expressions remained unreadable, it was clear that Seok Myeong’s words had sent ripples through their hearts.
However, the one who reacted most profoundly was Cheon Wi-jin.
“……”
His mind slowly began to drift back.
He saw himself getting angry at the Qingcheng Taoist, heard his own sarcastic remarks, and felt the fury he had experienced upon receiving the martial challenge letter.
But the moment he recalled the time before all that, he received another shock.
The day before the challenge letter arrived.
He had been swinging his sword countless times, cursing at himself in frustration.
“Why isn't it working?!”
“The wall is right in front of me! What on earth is the problem?!”
“I have to move forward. I can’t win if I just keep defending like this!”
In his memory, he had been desperate. Even though martial arts aren't meant for show, he had been obsessed with producing a tangible result. For three years, he had been unable to break through the high wall standing right before his eyes.
“Do not forget your duty in pursuit of pleasure; hide your light and bide your time.”
One must not forget their purpose by being swept away by emotion; one must hide their strength and wait for the right moment.
These were the words his elder brother had always emphasized since they were children. He didn't know why, but they suddenly surfaced in his mind at this very moment.
Step.
Seok Myeong returned to his original position.
Without a word, Cheon Wi-jin took his stance once more.
He turned his body slightly to the side, raised his sword to shoulder height, and pointed the tip diagonally toward the ground.
To an observer, it was a peculiar stance. While a right-handed swordsman usually puts their left foot forward, he had placed his right foot in front. It was a starting pose that felt less like an attack or a defense and more like an invitation to the opponent.
So that’s it. The true swordsmanship of the Cheon family.
Seok Myeong could guess the nature of the style just by looking at that movement. It didn't feel like he intended to simply defend. He had left the space on his right open, yet the position of the sword was aimed directly at his opponent.
I won't be taken down easily this time either.
Seok Myeong drew External Qi into his Dantian. The energy that had been swirling around his body slowly seeped inside. Based on his previous experience, even if this energy entered his Dantian, it wouldn't transform into internal energy. However, it had the advantage of protecting his body further, much like Astral Energy, and allowed him to imbue his sword with a heavy force similar to internal strength.
Swish.
With the sound of rushing wind, Cheon Wi-jin charged. This time, perhaps having utilized a Body Lightness Law, he arrived before Seok Myeong in the blink of an eye.
Whir.
His first sword form was simple.
Seok Myeong retreated warily, but the attack was a basic thrust—nothing more, nothing less. Moreover, it didn't even seem to carry much power.
Clang!
However, the transformation began from that small collision.
After Seok Myeong dodged several times, their blades finally met. Immediately, Wi-jin’s swordsmanship became faster and more sophisticated. Furthermore, remarkably, his internal strength was also increasing.
Before he knew it, Seok Myeong found Wi-jin moving so fast his eyes could barely follow, his internal strength soaring to a level that was difficult to withstand.
How unusual. He keeps his ground while constantly opening up space. To think such a method could be used.
Wi-jin constantly twisted his body to leave gaps. He was creating openings to lure an attack. But Seok Myeong did not strike those openings; he left them be.
Clang!
The moment a massive impact occurred, Seok Myeong bit his lip and steadied his reeling mind.
It was then.
Along with a rain-like flurry of strikes as fast as lightning, the opponent’s sword lunged toward his chest.
This is…!
In an instant, Seok Myeong’s expression changed drastically.
That was a Sword Shadow.
As the opponent’s internal strength continued to surge, he had finally manifested a Sword Shadow. It was a touch-and-go situation.
Seok Myeong concentrated all his strength into a single point. At the same time, he struggled to remember. That movement of Baek Yang-cheon when he used the Heavenly White Divine Art.
He recalled that technique—a simple sword form, yet one that transformed External Qi by following the flow of the body.
K-BOOM!
When the swords collided, it wasn't the sound of clashing metal, but the sound of something exploding and vanishing.
Someone gasped in horror and shouted.
“He blocked a Sword Shadow with a physical sword!”
“How is that even possible?!”
It was exactly as they said. Seok Myeong had countered with a simple sword, devoid of any manifested Qi, yet Cheon Wi-jin’s tangible energy had vanished in an instant.
“Ugh!”
However, Seok Myeong was not unscathed. His clothes were shredded from his sleeve to his shoulder, and he was pushed back a considerable distance. He hadn't been able to completely neutralize the Sword Shadow.
Zzzzzzt.
“…!”
The moment Seok Myeong looked forward again, his eyes widened. A change was occurring within the three-foot-long Sword Shadow.
“S-Sword Aura!” someone watching from the side screamed.
A dense, transparent, and brilliant energy was clinging to the tip of the blade. He had finally manifested the Sword Aura he had yearned for so desperately.
“Snap out of it!”
In contrast to the buzzing crowd and their exclamations, Cheol So-yeon shouted loudly at Seok Myeong.
The opponent was using Sword Aura. That meant a single mistake in response could cost him his life. In such a situation, how could he be so distracted?
Yet, despite her cry and Cheon Wi-jin’s approach, Seok Myeong simply stared at him with an incredibly calm expression.
Perhaps because Cheon Wi-jin’s internal energy was still lingering in his body, Seok Myeong was barely holding his sword, his hands trembling. Hyeok-jin and Cheol So-yeon watched the situation anxiously, their eyes wide as if they were ready to leap in at any moment.
“…!”
And in that moment, something happened that no one could have imagined.
Thud. Clatter.
Cheon Wi-jin—the man who had been a ball of hostility—suddenly threw his sword to the ground and dropped to his knees.
“Great Hero…”
He was on the verge of tears. He had realized it.
His opponent had already experienced something far beyond Sword Aura. Whether Seok Myeong had been acting to draw out his full potential or not, the truth was that he had never been his match from the very beginning.
“Thank you. This debt…” He struggled to continue, suppressing his overwhelming emotions. “…I will never forget it.”
*
“Could you stay here for just one more day?”
It was that afternoon when the Cheon Family Head came to see Seok Myeong.
“I will come to see you tomorrow morning.”
Given that he mentioned a meeting, the main topic would likely be this duel. Of course, since there was the encouraging development of Cheon Wi-jin manifesting Sword Aura, there would be much to discuss.
Was it just his imagination? The Family Head’s back as he turned to leave seemed somehow unburdened.
“Shall I take a walk?”
Step, step.
Seok Myeong, who had been staying in his room, stepped outside to get some fresh air. For some reason, Cheol So-yeon and Hyeok-jin were nowhere to be seen.
After walking for a bit, he came upon an open space with a stone pagoda. He wondered if the marble-paved ground was a training area, and there, he saw a young man performing a sword dance.
Seok Myeong recognized him as Hyeok-jin by the broad saber planted in the ground nearby. It was because Seok Myeong had handed him the Sword-Saber Collection that Cheol Mu-jin had given him before they arrived here.
“Hyeok-jin… hm?”
Seok Myeong, who was about to call out to him, quietly closed his mouth. Unlike his usual self, Hyeok-jin’s aura was remarkably serious.