Chapter 40
Chapter 40
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Martial Tournament (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
'What... what was that just now?'
He had instinctively pulled back, but Yeonghogyeol still couldn't fully comprehend what had just happened to him.
'Why?'
He hadn't let his guard down.
On the contrary, he had gone all out, intending to end the match in one swift strike.
He had been confident. But then his opponent's gaze flicked toward his chest, and everything fell apart.
The moment their eyes met, an illusion flashed in his mind—a single ray of light piercing straight through his chest.
His head signaled that it was just an illusion, needless worry, but his body, honed through brutal training since childhood, reacted instantly.
By the time the crowd's laughter snapped him back to reality, he had already halted his attack and retreated far from his opponent.
"Sharp instincts."
Sima Geon murmured softly as he advanced toward Yeonghogyeol.
The courage of the weak was always welcome.
The crowd erupted in cheers and encouragement for Sima Geon's actions.
The cheers peaked when he unleashed the Thread Finger Technique, the same one he had used on Old Man Su.
Yeonghogyeol stared in disbelief at the slowly unfolding Thread Finger Technique.
By common reputation, Yeonghogyeol's older brother, Yeong Ho-ki, the eldest son, was considered the Yeongho Clan's top rising talent.
'What nonsense.'
Yeong Ho-ki, complacent with external praise and showing no growth, could never be his match.
He might be a bit behind for now, but soon enough, he was certain he would surpass him completely—not just in outsiders' eyes, but even within the clan.
And now, this opponent dared to use the Thread Finger Technique against him!
His eyes flashing with rage, Yeonghogyeol drew his sword of retribution.
As he channeled his full inner energy, his very presence shifted.
Fierce winds whipped across the arena with him at the center, and razor-sharp killing intent stabbed toward Sima Geon like daggers.
"Die!"
Yeonghogyeol's full-powered strike hurtled toward Sima Geon.
It was a deadly assault that had several judges leaping to their feet.
"That's a dangerous attack. We need to stop it."
"Such killing intent! Charging in a tournament match to take a life!"
The judges, who had grasped the strike's power faster than anyone, moved to intervene—just then.
"Let it be."
Ha Hu-gok stepped in to halt them.
Under skeptical gazes, he pointed to Sima Geon, who moved indifferently despite the utterly lethal assault that left no room for retreat.
"Nothing will happen. Everyone, sit down."
"What do you mean by that?!"
"A man's life is at stake. We have to stop them."
Scoffing at their protests, Ha Hu-gok jerked his chin toward the arena.
"Whose life? It doesn't look all that dangerous."
It didn't take long for the judges to understand and accept Ha Hu-gok's words.
The assault, which had seemed to weave a dense net across heaven and earth ready to shred Sima Geon to pieces, was effortlessly pierced by the straight-extending Thread Finger Technique.
"Damn it!"
Yeonghogyeol twisted his body desperately to evade the sword slicing through the heart of his offense as it closed in.
"What is this...?"
"I-Impossible!"
It was unbelievable, even seeing it with their own eyes.
The judges, who knew better than anyone the power infused in Yeonghogyeol's attack, gaped in shock.
Their astonishment paled compared to Yeonghogyeol's.
His full-powered, ultimate strike had been blocked all too easily.
He wanted to counterattack, but there was no opening.
His opponent was still pressing with the Thread Finger Technique.
That's how it appeared from the outside. But it wasn't a mere Thread Finger Technique.
The gaze preceded the sword.
Wherever the gaze lingered, the sword seemed poised to strike at any moment.
Desperately deploying the Yeongho Clan's famed footwork to its utmost to escape that gaze, he couldn't shake it off for even an instant.
'I have to do something. I need to evade his gaze to break free.'
His mouth went dry.
A bone-chilling sense of crisis made his whole body tremble.
But there was no real solution.
He could only pour everything into dodging that impassive gaze and the sword that followed it.
The cheers for the underdog had long faded.
The crowd, who had buzzed with excitement at Yeonghogyeol's flashy counter, now jeered in unison at his frantic evasion.
After half a ke (about 15 minutes), the jeers died away, and the crowd fell into complete silence.
When the silence reached its peak, the prolonged match ended.
Unbeknownst to himself, Yeonghogyeol had been backed to the arena's edge, where he slipped and tumbled ignominiously off the stage.
Lying sprawled on the ground, he couldn't even think of getting up, gasping raggedly for breath.
His face drained of color, turned ashen blue; the sweat pouring like rain had dried into white salt crystals crusting his skin.
After some time, once he barely regulated his breathing, Yeonghogyeol staggered to his feet.
The crowd's stares didn't register.
Slowly turning, he gazed at the empty arena.
His opponent was already gone.
At the sight of the vacant stage, Yeonghogyeol drooped his head powerlessly.
Yeonghogyeol's elimination shocked everyone. He wasn't a top favorite, but he was rated as having comparable skill.
Unlike the vaguely puzzled crowd, anyone with even basic martial knowledge was utterly appalled.
They knew all too well how difficult it was to crush a talent like Yeonghogyeol in such a manner.
Amid the judges exchanging incredulous opinions, only Ha Hu-gok maintained his calm demeanor.
"Truly remarkable. He seemed no ordinary from the first match, but I never imagined he'd defeat Yeonghogyeol, whom the Yeongho Clan has nurtured with such care."
"The world has far more experts than people realize."
Ha Hu-gok's words drew a vigorous nod of agreement from Hwal In-gae.
"You're right, Senior No. Whew, still astonishing. And all he's shown so far is that one Thread Finger Technique? We can't even gauge his true level."
Hwal In-gae watched Sima Geon returning to his seat, his face full of bewilderment.
"We'll see soon enough. The remaining kids have decent skill too."
"I'm not so sure. If we hadn't seen it, maybe, but we watched it happen right before our eyes. He doesn't seem like he'll lose. If anyone has a shot, it's probably that kid."
Hwal In-gae said, eyeing Namgung Hak ascending the arena.
"The Sword Saint's youngest son. They say he's surpassed his father's realm at that age?"
Ha Hu-gok's musing made Hwal In-gae startle visibly.
"You knew?"
"You're underestimating the main family too much. We're not as ignorant of the world as all that, even if not on par with the Five Great Clans."
Sensing the thorns in Ha Hu-gok's tone, Hwal In-gae shot to his feet and bowed.
"My apologies. That wasn't my intent."
"Tsk tsk. No need to be so startled. I know how that old monster treats you lot. Anyway, enough idle chatter—let's watch the matches. This one should be interesting in its own way."
Clicking his tongue, Ha Hu-gok turned back to the arena. Hwal In-gae, sweating coldly in his awkward stance, slumped weakly into his seat.
Contrary to Ha Hu-gok's expectation of it being "interesting in its own way," the second match ended in Namgung Hak's one-sided victory.
Perhaps spurred by the previous bout, Namgung Hak pressed his opponent relentlessly from the start, securing a flawless win without allowing a single counter.
His foe was Yi Jwa-seung, one of the eight who passed the preliminaries—alongside Sima Geon, considered the weakest.
Yet Yi Jwa-seung was a direct disciple of the prestigious White Tiger Sect and had displayed considerable skill to reach this stage. The crowd hailed Namgung Hak's dominance as befitting the Namgung Clan's representative.
Unlike the first two one-sided matches, the ensuing bouts unfolded with fierce unpredictability.
Especially the clash between Dang Chul-yeong and Ak I-do, which drew the most attention, lived up to the hype.
Dang Chul-yeong wielded a dozen flying daggers freely, his dagger arts fast and flashy enough to strain the eyes just tracking them as he probed for openings. Ak I-do parried them perfectly and countered fiercely with spearwork worthy of being called a pinnacle of the martial world.
The match, lasting half a shichen (about an hour), ended with Dang Chul-yeong's victory, thanks to his edge in experience and inner energy.
As their duel concluded, the crowd—gripping their seats in tension—roared applause for victor and vanquished alike, shaking the arena.
As the atmosphere peaked, Ha Hu-yeon, the tournament's de facto star, took the stage.
Many raised doubts when Ha Hu-yeon represented the Ha Hu Clan.
To stand as representative over countless rising talents, one should have some fame—but Ha Hu-yeon's name was virtually unknown.
Even within the clan, there had been significant backlash.
With the clan head's 70th birthday celebration and the Five Great Clans' dubious motives in mind, sending the near-outcast Ha Hu-yeon as representative baffled many.
Clan head Ha Hu-on dismissed all complaints and fielded Ha Hu-yeon anyway. True to form, Ha Hu-yeon crushed opponents with overwhelming skill, passing the preliminaries and proving his choice right.
Ha Hu-yeon's opponent was Pang Ha-gyun of the Habuk Pang Clan.
Pang Ha-gyun was famed for wielding a massive broadsword as big as his body; en route to this stage, he had shattered every foe's weapon with brute force.
Ha Hu-yeon versus Pang Ha-gyun.
Their clash, pride of clans on the line, was hailed as the tournament's highlight.
Each swing of Pang Ha-gyun's broadsword unleashed the Habuk Pang Clan's signature Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber techniques. When Ha Hu-yeon's sword danced, the Yeongho Clan's world-renowned Nine Dragons Swordsmanship shone in its ultimate forms.
It was a true dragon-tiger clash; no one could predict the outcome. Even Ha Hu-gok watched tensely.
Then, after two ke yeoui (about 30 minutes).
Ha Hu-yeon, gradually yielding to Pang Ha-gyun's storm-like assault and worrying his supporters, unleashed Nine Dragons Slash. The balance tipped.
Pang Ha-gyun couldn't handle the nine-pronged wave of sword qi crashing down and was pushed off the arena, collapsing.
He sprang up and leaped back onstage instantly, but fearing disaster if continued, the judges intervened.
Declaring Ha Hu-yeon's victory, Pang Ha-gyun protested vehemently. But Ha Hu-yeon had halted his attack the moment Pang fell offstage. Had it continued, he wouldn't have survived. Recognizing this, the Pang elder soothed the furious Pang Ha-gyun and conceded defeat.
With Ha Hu-yeon's win, the four victors emerged at last.
Ha Hu-yeon of the Ha Hu Clan, Dang Chul-yeong of the Sacheon Dang Clan, Namgung Hak of the Namgung Clan, and the unexpected dark horse, Sima Geon under the name Black Wolf.
'The Dang Clan, huh?'
Sima Geon glanced at Dang Chul-yeong, his decided opponent, then slowly turned away.
A half shichen rest was granted before the next round.