Heavenly Dipper Sword Secret
The flash that bloomed from the tip of Cheonhwa’s sword collided with the storm of flower petals Cheong-ha had unleashed.
Flash and wind locked in a brief, furious opposition. Then the flash seemed to slowly devour the petals, until at last it swelled into a radiance so blinding that no one could keep their eyes open—and vanished.
Flash and flower petals disappeared together. Silence settled over the sparring stage. The heavy hush that followed made the spectacle of a moment before feel like a dream. Yet the sharp scars carved cleanly into the floor of the stage testified that both techniques had been real.
“What in the world were those just now?”
“Ultimate techniques, most likely. Absolute techniques.”
“You’re telling me a first-class martial artist just performed something like that?”
One by one the dazed spectators came back to their senses. They could scarcely believe what they had witnessed with their own eyes. Everyone knew that great sects like the Nine Great Sects possessed devastating ultimate techniques such as the Nine Lives Absolute Arts, but who could have imagined that first-class martial artists—not even Peak Experts—would display such transcendent skill right before them?
“Was that the Plum Blossom Sword Formula Cheong-ha just used?”
“No… it looked similar, but it was clearly different.”
“Seven Absolutes Plum Blossom Sword, Three Ridges Plum Blossom Sword, Lustrous Plum Blossom Sword—I’ve never heard of, let alone seen, a form like that in any of the plum blossom sword arts.”
“And the sword form Cheonhwa used to counter it was just as new to me.”
“It resembled the final three forms of the middle section of the Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven, yet something about it was different.”
“Could the Huashan and Zhongnan Sects have created entirely new martial arts?”
Even the martial artists in the crowd were thrown into confusion. The final techniques Cheonhwa and Cheong-ha had revealed clearly belonged to a different realm—so refined they felt like superior martial arts, or something newly born that approached that level. The forms the two young men had displayed were that extraordinary.
“……Ha. Haha. Hahahahaha!”
When the final move of the Flower-Root Sword Formula—woven from three separate sword arts—was shattered, Cheong-ha burst into laughter. It was not the laughter of a man broken by shock; rather, it carried a strange sense of release.
That last technique of the Flower-Root Sword Formula had been the absolute limit of the power Cheong-ha currently possessed. And yet that full-powered strike had been crushed so cleanly, so completely.
Even at the end, he deliberately held back. I’m certain of it.
Having watched every instant from the front row, Cheong-ha could be sure. The flash could easily have swallowed the flower storm and still crashed down upon him. Instead, the moment it erased the petals, the light simply dispersed as though its strength had been spent—cut short by design. Only the one who had executed the technique could have done such a thing.
To control true qi outside one’s own body… is that truly possible?
Halting a technique mid-execution was no different from recalling an arrow already loosed. To achieve something like that required the level of a Peak Expert capable of Grasping Objects Through Empty Air. Even for a Peak Expert, retracting a technique once unleashed carried heavy risk; a single mistake could reverse the internal energy used or injure the body through backlash. Yet Cheonhwa’s face remained utterly calm even after cutting the technique short. There was no sign that the internal injuries he had taken in their match had flared up. Cheong-ha still had no idea how he had done it, but one fact stood beyond doubt.
“I lose.”
The final technique upon which he had staked victory had been broken. Continuing the duel would change nothing. And so Cheong-ha admitted his defeat without hesitation.
The moment he did, the referee snapped out of his daze and shouted:
“Th-the winner of this match is Cheonhwa of the Zhongnan Sect!”
A roar of cheers erupted from every side.
In that instant the champion of the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering was decided.
As soon as the final of the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering ended, the awards ceremony began at once.
Dang Tae-un, Family Head of the Sichuan Dang Family, presented Cheonhwa with a wooden case containing the medicinal pill refined from a hundred-year-old Polygonum multiflorum that had been offered as the prize. His face looked far more haggard than when Cheonhwa had first seen him. The betrayal of his son, the responsibility that followed, the prestige of the Dang Family that had plummeted—there was simply too much a Family Head had to bear. Indeed, discontent had already risen within the righteous path because of the recent incident. After order was restored he had personally visited the representatives of every sect, bowed his head in apology, and offered compensation for the damage. Even now he was pouring himself into recovery efforts throughout Dang-ga-ta.
“Congratulations on your victory, Daoist Cheonhwa.”
“Thank you.”
“As champion of the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering you will soon be known by a new epithet. I find myself quite curious what it will be.”
Dang Tae-un smiled faintly as he spoke. By long custom, martial artists who distinguished themselves at the Gathering received an epithet containing the characters for Dragon or Phoenix. Beomhye’s Iron Fist Dragon, Paeng Mu-jin’s Tyrant Blade Dragon, Namgung Myeong’s Heavenly Sword Dragon—all had been born from previous Gatherings. Naturally Cheonhwa, as champion, would receive one as well.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to it.
Back in the Zhongnan Sect he had been called Foolish Step. During his exploits in Shaanxi he had been known as Jade Light Sword. An epithet from the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering would be his third. Unlike the previous two, however, a Dragon-Phoenix epithet was bestowed only upon the most outstanding among the rising generation, and its fame would spread not across a single region but throughout the entire Central Plains. The mere presence of such a rising star within a sect was enough to elevate that sect’s honor.
Me… a Dragon-Phoenix.
He had simply run as hard as he could, never pausing for breath. When he finally looked up, he found himself standing at the very peak of the rising generation. The realization left him dazed, yet it was not an unpleasant feeling.
He had received the prize and exchanged a few courteous words; he expected the ceremony to conclude. Instead of declaring the Gathering closed, however, Dang Tae-un spoke again.
“Ordinarily the spiritual medicine offered as the championship prize would be the end of it. But for you, Daoist Cheonhwa, there is one more gift.”
“A gift?”
“It will be faster to see it than to hear me explain. Bring it.”
At his gesture, servants of the Dang Family who had been waiting behind him stepped forward carrying an elegant jade case. When the lid was opened, a white long robe was revealed.
“Is this… the robe I asked to have repaired?”
“Precisely.”
Dang Tae-un nodded. The white robe woven with Heavenly Silk had been left tattered after the battle against the spirit beasts during the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace’s assault. Cheonhwa had entrusted its repair to the Sichuan Dang Family, never imagining it would be returned to him like this before so many eyes.
“Would you care to examine it?”
At the suggestion Cheonhwa lifted the robe from the case. Unlike the plain white garment of before, the renewed robe was now beautifully embroidered with cloud patterns. Its material, too, felt anything but ordinary. A single light touch told him at once that this was no mere silk.
“Family Head… this is…”
“The robe you were wearing already contained Heavenly Silk. We simply added the Heavenly Silk we had in storage and remade it.”
Cheonhwa’s words caught in his throat. At the same time his hands, still holding the robe, began to tremble of their own accord. According to Dang Tae-un, the garment he held was a treasure crafted entirely of Heavenly Silk—a Heavenly Silk Treasure Robe.
“May I truly accept something so precious?”
“I heard the story from my daughter. Thanks to you, the assault was repelled without catastrophic loss.”
Had Cheonhwa not stepped forward and issued orders through Dang Sowol, the scale of the damage was something Dang Tae-un preferred not even to imagine. Moreover Cheonhwa had stood at the very vanguard, holding the line against the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace. The Sichuan Dang Family lived by the creed of repaying kindness twofold and grudges tenfold; they could never have let such a debt pass unacknowledged.
“But I was not the only one who helped people during the attack. To give a treasure of this caliber to me alone is excessive.”
“Is that so? Then let us ask them.”
So saying, Dang Tae-un turned toward the watching crowd and projected his voice with the Six Harmonies True Voice.
“If anyone objects to Daoist Cheonhwa alone receiving this gift, step forward now! As Family Head of the Sichuan Dang Family I swear that no one who protests will be held accountable in any way! But if you agree that he should receive it, remain silent!”
The only answer that returned was silence. Not a single person raised a voice of dissent—even though Dang Tae-un himself had sworn that no blame would fall. The fact left Cheonhwa wearing a blank, bewildered expression.
“Keh-keh-keh. Looks like you’ve been thoroughly outmaneuvered.”
Through the gentle silence came a laugh, and with it an elderly man of advanced years stepped forward. It was Dang Myeong-cheol, the Supreme Elder of the Sichuan Dang Family.
“Supreme Elder, what brings you here?”
“An old man half-retired from the world has no need of such grand titles. Just call me ‘Elder’ comfortably. And if you ask why I’ve come…”
A mischievous smile played about Dang Myeong-cheol’s lips as he continued.
“As the original owner of the material used to make that robe, I came to see the face of the one who will receive the gift.”
At those words Cheonhwa’s face went pale. Heavenly Silk was a precious material; even a great house like the Sichuan Dang Family could not easily possess enough to fashion an entire garment. Yet Dang Myeong-cheol had handed it over as if it were nothing of consequence.
“Your expression is poor. Do you dislike the gift this old man is giving you so much?”
“It isn’t that. I simply cannot be certain I am worthy to receive it.”
A treasure that exceeds one’s station is said to bring harm. A Heavenly Silk Treasure Robe was an item that could just as easily have been passed down through generations as a treasure of a great sect or even the imperial court. Cheonhwa could not bring himself to declare that he deserved such a thing.
Dang Myeong-cheol gave a short laugh.
“It is precisely because you are that sort of person that I had the Heavenly Silk Treasure Robe made and offered it without hesitation.”
“What do you mean?”
“As you say, the Heavenly Silk Treasure Robe is a precious object. If some half-baked fellow walked around wearing it, he would be inviting a violent death.”
“……”
“But what of you as you stand now? Far from coveting the robe, you continually question whether it suits you. That is why this old man freely handed over the Heavenly Silk.”
Dang Myeong-cheol jerked his chin toward the crowd. Cheonhwa turned his gaze and looked at the people. Every pair of eyes fixed upon him was filled with goodwill.
“The Sichuan Dang Family that hosted the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering, and the countless people gathered here—every one of them has acknowledged your merit. Only you refuse to acknowledge yourself.”
“……”
“Humility is not a bad thing. But there are positions that require one to stand tall.”
As champion of the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering, Cheonhwa now stood at the absolute summit of the righteous path’s rising generation. That meant he had become the very face of the next generation of the righteous path. What would it mean if such a person lowered his head and diminished himself when he had done nothing wrong?
“Ordinary folk would be pleased, of course. An outstanding person who remains humble is showing proper courtesy. But the jianghu is no such gentle place.”
The martial world of the jianghu was a realm of blades and mountains of swords. Even the weak who failed to put on a bold front were easily swallowed. There was a reason the phrase “the dusty, wind-blown jianghu” existed.
“As the former owner of the Heavenly Silk, and as an old hand of the jianghu, I tell you this: the master of that Heavenly Silk Treasure Robe is you. Even if the entire jianghu said otherwise, this old man would still recognize you.”
At those words Cheonhwa closed his eyes once, deeply. When he opened them again, no trace of hesitation remained. He unfolded the robe he held and drew it over his shoulders. Tailored to his measurements, it settled perfectly against his frame. As the wind stirred, the cloud embroidery shimmered and swayed.
And so the awards ceremony of the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering drew to a successful close.