Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Unexpected Opponent
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A face beaming as brightly as if he'd run into his closest friend in the world.
For me, it was hard to understand why he was acting so chummy.
That guy doesn't even know my name yet, does he?
Ignoring my bewildered stare, Joo Ho-jeong waved enthusiastically and opened his mouth.
“Hey, swordsman buddy. Long time no see. I was really bummed when you up and left like that last time. Did you find your companions okay?”
“...Thanks to you.”
My heavy response to his light question was interrupted by the referee butting in.
“Y-You...!”
The referee, who seemed to know who Joo Ho-jeong was, wore an incredibly awkward expression.
Looking at him, the Young Fortress Lord spoke with utter nonchalance.
“Ah, sorry I couldn't come out right away. First time in a spar like this, so I was way too nervous.”
“...Th-That.”
The referee, flustered by this unexpected participant he'd summoned himself, subtly glanced at Ji-hyun.
Following his gaze, I spotted the greedy pig nodding vigorously.
A face unable to contain his joy at this unforeseen opportunity.
Looking at that mug made me want to pinch his chubby cheeks and rip them off physically.
“Ahem! Then, both sides, return to your positions.”
Under Ji-hyun's approval, the referee promptly ordered preparations for the spar.
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
No way he's actually allowing the Young Fortress Lord of Tyrant Heaven Fortress to step into the ring himself?
Not thinking about the fallout?
...Or does he not even know who Joo Ho-jeong is?
This put me in a tricky spot too.
If I won against Joo Ho-jeong, Tyrant Heaven Fortress would inevitably investigate me, whether I liked it or not.
That would naturally expose Hwaryeon and the others' identities to them.
Which meant our journey ahead would become far more dangerous.
...Should I just forfeit and leave it to Nangong Family Head?
I mulled it over seriously, but eventually shook my head.
The uncertainty of Joo Ho-jeong's exact martial prowess—specifically his internal energy level—was too big a risk.
A matchup between Nangong Family Head and Joo Ho-jeong would boil down to a clash of internal energy.
Sure, Nangong Family Head led a major clan, but the other guy was the heir to the world's largest sect.
Plus, he had the imperial family backing him.
Just that alone suggested he'd grown up gorging on all sorts of good stuff (like spirit elixirs, spirit elixirs, and more spirit elixirs).
If Nangong Family Head lost to Joo Ho-jeong?
Our entire plan would go up in smoke in an instant.
Even if we exposed their plot after losing to Tyrant Heaven Fortress, neither the branch members nor Hefei's citizens would trust the Nangong Family again.
Damned if I did, damned if I didn't.
Thanks to that smirking bastard, I was thoroughly cornered.
A sharp edge crept into my words as they spilled out.
“You just watched your guard get utterly crushed. You think you can beat me?”
“Hmm?”
Ho-jeong tilted his head at my reaction, then let out a chuckle.
“Beat you? You think I climbed up here calculating that?”
“...Pardon?”
I furrowed my brow at the cryptic question instead of an answer.
Then, his next words left me blankly stunned without realizing it.
“The one standing here isn't the Young Fortress Lord of Tyrant Heaven Fortress, nor some thug trying to seize Hefei. He's just a martial artist challenging the strong.”
“...!”
“So let's fight. As martial artists, pure and simple—no strings attached.”
-Thump
My heart pounded loudly.
As martial artists.
Words I never expected from a potential enemy—words that resonated deep within me.
Realizing he'd stepped into this ring with the same mindset as me, my irritation melted away like snow in sunlight.
In its place surged something far more intense and burning.
His declaration of challenging me as a fellow martial artist blew away all thoughts of forfeiting or fallout.
All that remained was raw fighting spirit.
Gripping an inexplicable urge to burst into laughter, I headed to my position.
Joo Ho-jeong followed suit, moving to his spot behind me.
Thus, we faced off, staring each other down.
It wasn't long before the referee's curt shout signaled the start of the spar.
“Begin!”
Swords already drawn, Joo Ho-jeong and I charged at each other simultaneously.
And I was shocked to realize our speeds were nearly equal.
His sword, propelled by internal energy emission like mine, clashed against my own.
-Kaang!
A piercing metallic ring echoed clearly.
Sparks flew as our blades ground against each other.
Beyond them, I saw Joo Ho-jeong grinning brightly.
“You...?”
“Amazing. To think internal energy can be used like this...!”
I pushed back his sword with force and stepped back a pace.
Undeterred, Joo Ho-jeong rushed at me.
-Boom!
His stomping foot shook the platform.
Stamping the ground, he closed in instantly.
I sidestepped with footwork, and he shot past me—
“Uwak!?”
-Kwang!
He tumbled onto the platform.
“Owowow... Dodging like that causes problems, huh. What do you do in a case like this?”
Joo Ho-jeong groaned as he picked himself up.
The audience snickered at what looked like a clown's antics.
But unlike the clueless crowd, I couldn't laugh.
“...How?”
The stance and movement Joo Ho-jeong had just shown.
It was unmistakably internal energy emission from the Yongquan acupoint on the sole, just like Sky Palace Flash Step.
Nothing else could explain that speed.
Suddenly recalling his entrance onto the platform, I turned to the stands.
In the center seats, next to a veiled woman, was an empty spot.
That's probably where Joo Ho-jeong had jumped from.
The problem was the distance.
From the platform to those seats was at least eight zhang.
Impossible for an ordinary human to cover in one leap.
Yet Joo Ho-jeong had done it, straight from the stands to the platform.
As far as I knew, there was only one way.
Internal energy emission.
For a split second, I wondered if someone else had taught him the concept.
But no—his clumsy tumble just now, and his awkward movements didn't fit.
Plus, what he'd said during our clash.
-Amazing. To think internal energy can be used like this...!
His tone suggested it was his first time.
Putting his words and the circumstances together led to one conclusion.
He'd grasped internal energy emission just from watching it a few times in the previous match.
-Chill
The realization sent goosebumps over my skin.
Mastering the knack just by watching?
“...Impossible.”
My mind whispered it was absurd, a bad joke, but my instincts screamed it was true.
Only one way to confirm.
“Who'd you learn that internal energy emission from?”
I'd dropped the polite speech, asking him directly.
Brushing off his disheveled uniform, he blinked wide at my question, then chuckled.
“Who from? Isn't it obvious?”
“Answer straight.”
“Oho, getting rough with your words? Is that your true self?”
Joo Ho-jeong grinned mischievously.
I hardened my face and unleashed my aura, and only then did he shrug and reply.
“Who else for something this amazing? Obviously from you and the Nangong heir.”
“.......”
My instincts confirmed, I was speechless.
Hearing he'd truly mastered it from just a few glimpses left me dumbfounded.
But my shock didn't end there.
“Alright, round two?”
Ho-jeong charged again.
His internal energy emission smoother now, he rocketed in and swung at my shoulder.
-Whoosh!
“...!?”
A familiar, heavy whoosh.
I blocked on instinct, narrowing my eyes at the substantial strike.
He hadn't loaded his full body weight, but this was unmistakably...
“...Heavy Sword.”
“Hoo? They call it Heavy Sword? Heavy Sword... fits perfectly. Then what's this?”
-Skreeek!
Twisting free, Joo Ho-jeong whipped his sword twice in rapid succession.
It created the illusion of two blades alternating, the essence of Quick Sword.
A tad slow, but definitely infused with its principles.
Dodging back with a hollow laugh, I had to admit it.
Watching him wield internal energy emission, Heavy Sword, and Quick Sword alike.
Joo Ho-jeong was that kind of person.
One blessed—or cursed—by the heavens.
One who grasps hundreds, thousands from a single clue.
One who shatters the old world and forges the new.
There's a word for such people.
Genius.
“...Ha.”
It seemed my martial arts—and I—had become the catalyst awakening that genius.