Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Dragon-Phoenix Tournament (3)
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The moon hung full and bright in the night sky.
In an empty lot at the edge of a secluded alley in the city, Mok Ri-won drew his sword.
Then he looked up.
‘The moon is bright tonight.’
The moon sat upon a bed of thin, pale clouds, gazing down at him.
Beside it, Mount Huang soared high into the heavens like a steadfast general guarding the emperor.
Mok Ri-won smiled faintly and steadied his stance.
How could he skip training under such a magnificent scene? The thought crossed his mind.
Saaah—
He closed his eyes, and a breeze stirred.
Cool night air settled on his skin.
It seeped into his lungs as well.
Mok Ri-won spread the crisp, pure air throughout his body, layering it over the ferocious inner energy that knew only brute force.
Dark sword qi rose like mist, and soon the sword began to move.
A routine he had never skipped since the day he first learned the sword.
The sword dance under the moonlight began.
Swish—
The motion slicing through empty air was incredibly slow.
It was almost at a standstill.
One might call it no dance at all, but this was precisely Mok Ri-won's training method.
He had endlessly extended the sword dance he once witnessed from Mok Seon-o, focusing on each individual moment to dissect the essence of the forms.
Then, he reassembled those broken-down forms to suit his own body.
Thus, fully digesting the Meteor Seven Swords martial art.
Mok Ri-won poured his full concentration into completing the process, then regulated his breathing as he thought of one man.
‘Namgung Un.’
Spear Star Namgung Un.
The Peak Realm expert of the Namgung Clan he had met earlier that day.
He imagined a spar with him.
The image of the middle-aged man came vividly to mind.
A man whose mere gaze pressed down on him like a mountain.
He drew his sword and unleashed his sword qi.
‘The Namgung Clan’s sword.’
Now, he needed to overlay it onto the imagined figure, but Mok Ri-won didn’t know the Namgung martial arts.
Instead, he clothed Namgung Un in the Three Talents Sword Technique.
The three fundamental sword forms—horizontal cuts, vertical slashes, and thrusts—that formed the basis of all swordplay.
It was enough.
Swish—
Mok Ri-won drew his sword toward the imaginary foe.
Namgung Un executed a vertical slash known as Mount压顶.
Thud—
The tip of Mok Ri-won’s sword, clashing with his, struck the ground.
It had been crushed by Namgung Un’s power.
One might ask how he could judge a clash without directly opposing the sword, but that didn’t apply to Mok Ri-won.
He could sense the weight infused in that vertical slash just by recalling the power he had faced firsthand.
‘So far away.’
Too far.
An impossibly high wall stood between him and Namgung Un.
A single vertical slash had already overwhelmed him. If the man unleashed the true Namgung sword arts, Mok Ri-won wouldn’t even be able to breathe properly.
Mok Ri-won opened his eyes.
It was a despairingly vast gap, yet a smile played on his lips.
‘That’s the Peak Realm, huh.’
His eyes filled with longing.
He acknowledged what needed acknowledging; now it was time to find the path to reach that height.
‘It’s not an insurmountable wall.’
The wall of the Peak Realm was high.
But it wasn’t impossible to climb.
Why not?
When he thought of Mok Seon-o and Ma Il-seok, who had spent their youth with him and displayed unfathomable power on several occasions, even Namgung Un’s lofty inner energy seemed relatively approachable.
‘The Peak Realm corresponds to the fifth star of Star-Link.’
He was currently at a mature third star.
The fifth star was achievable by mastering all pinnacle martial arts and grasping their true essence.
‘Of course, inner energy is required too…’
He had no worries on that front.
Mok Seon-o and Ma Il-seok had focused the most on ‘suppressing his inner energy’ during his growth precisely because Mok Ri-won’s talent—and the efficacy of the Star-Link Divine Art—were exceptional.
‘Master, the martial world is vast indeed.’
Mok Ri-won lifted his sword again with a joyful heart.
A strange anticipation welled up within him as he prepared to resume the sword dance.
What sparked this anticipation?
It was clear.
‘The banquet is the day after tomorrow.’
The famed young prodigies of this generation, called the Dragons and Phoenixes.
He anticipated using them as stepping stones to ascend to greater heights.
The Fist Dragon Il-un he met earlier had inner energy on par with his own.
From what he heard, most bearing the Dragon-Phoenix title possessed similar levels of power.
And that wasn’t all.
—Namgung Jincheon. I still say no one but Brother Namgung can take the championship.
Jegal San had stated it with conviction.
Among this generation’s young experts, Namgung Jincheon was unparalleled.
An uncrossable gulf separated him from the others.
‘Brother Jegal, you don’t know that.’
Mok Ri-won smiled as he denied the words and began his sword dance.
‘I haven’t even stepped onto the arena yet.’
Competitive spirit.
And ambition for self-improvement.
Having finally laid eyes on the true martial world, Mok Ri-won continued his sword dance with the burning aspiration of a true warrior.
*
Two days passed in a flash.
Mok Ri-won entered the venue of the banquet with sparkling eyes.
His attire, of course, was the same gray martial robe he always wore.
“Is that outfit really okay?”
“Of course! What could suit a martial artist’s banquet better than a martial robe?”
You’re probably the only one who thinks that.
Dang Hwa-seo swallowed her retort and forced an awkward smile.
Even so, a thought lingered in her mind.
‘…Dressing him up would just draw even more stares.’
Mok Ri-won was handsome.
Devastatingly so.
Even in that shabby martial robe, his looks shone through. If she dolled him up further, every eye in the banquet hall would fixate on him.
Dang Hwa-seo shuddered as she recalled the black robe he had worn for disguise while escaping the previous city.
‘Right, I have no idea how I’d handle him in that.’
Plenty of people would surely drool over him.
The thought made her head throb and irritation surge.
Truth be told, there was no real reason for his drawing attention to annoy her—not even a speck.
But Dang Hwa-seo didn’t dwell on it.
No, perhaps she deliberately avoided such thoughts.
She unconsciously turned away from the petty truth at the end of that line of reasoning.
“People are already arriving. Brother Mok, see that man over there?”
“Hm? The one in the Taoist robes?”
“Yes, that young Taoist. He’s the face of this generation’s Wudang.”
Mok Ri-won gazed at the man sipping tea in his white Taoist robes.
As Jegal San said, a serene aura like a still lake emanated from him.
“Immortal Dragon Hyeon-gong. After Brother Namgung, he’s pretty much the next top swordsman in this gathering.”
“Oh ho, a title with the character for immortal…?”
“Ah, it’s because that Taoist has such a carefree personality. They gave him that nickname because he looks like one.”
“Ah, got it.”
Indeed, he remained undisturbed by the surrounding bustle, as if in another world entirely.
Mok Ri-won found it fascinating and stared for a while until their eyes met as Hyeon-gong looked up.
“Ah.”
Hyeon-gong regarded Mok Ri-won for a moment.
Then he smiled faintly and looked away.
Mok Ri-won had been staring blankly until Jegal San’s chuckling snapped him out of it.
“Look at him. Doesn’t he just scream ‘I have no interest in worldly affairs~’?”
“Haha….”
Mok Ri-won felt a bit embarrassed.
“Mind if I go say hello first?”
“I wouldn’t recommend it. I’ve tried talking to the Immortal Dragon several times, but he doesn’t really listen. It’s like talking to a wall.”
“Hmm… Too bad. His aura feels unique; I wanted to discuss martial arts.”
“You can do that on the arena. Anyway, take a look over there instead.”
Jegal San pointed in another direction.
As Mok Ri-won’s gaze shifted, Dang Hwa-seo clicked her tongue.
“Hm? Little Sister, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just saw an unpleasant face.”
Jegal San chuckled and said to Mok Ri-won,
“Oh right, my sister wouldn’t be thrilled. Brother Mok, that tall, lanky woman over there is Emei Sect’s White Phoenix Hye-un. She and my sister bicker every time they meet at these gatherings.”
“Bicker, my foot.”
“My sister acts tough, but she pays a ton of attention to her. They’re both from Sichuan, similar ages, young experts… The martial world loves pitting these two against each other to debate who’s superior….”
“Should I rip your mouth open to shut you up?”
“…….”
Jegal San’s mouth clamped shut.
Mok Ri-won shrank back at Dang Hwa-seo’s icy demeanor.
‘Yeah, better not bring up the White Phoenix.’
Mok Ri-won gained another lesson and glanced at Hye-un one last time.
There,
‘Hm?’
Hye-un stared straight at him with a blank expression.
“Young Hero Mok.”
Dang Hwa-seo’s voice rang out sharply.
Mok Ri-won hurriedly looked away and turned to her.
Dang Hwa-seo glared at Hye-un and her group with bloodshot eyes.
“Don’t let your eyes wander. More weird women will swarm you.”
“Weird women is a bit much….”
“You wouldn’t understand, Young Hero, but those Emei nuns are obsessed with lust despite being nuns. Some even fool around among themselves. They’re worthless trash not worth associating with—don’t even look their way.”
Gulp.
Mok Ri-won swallowed dryly.
‘W-Women together….’
His cheeks flushed at the risqué imagination, and Dang Hwa-seo let out a hollow laugh before glaring at him with contempt.
“Enjoying that?”
“N-No! I wasn’t thinking anything!”
Mok Ri-won squeezed his eyes shut.
For some reason, irritation boiled within Dang Hwa-seo, and she shot him a venomous glare before clicking her tongue and looking away.
“Anyway, if that lustful phoenix approaches, come straight to me.”
“Lustful phoenix is going too far….”
“She is. Every year she comes here, she picks a man and devours him.”
“Hm… I’ve heard those rumors too.”
Even Jegal San chimed in, leaving Mok Ri-won sighing deeply.
‘The Emei Sect I knew wasn’t like this….’
Mok Seon-o had told him otherwise.
The Emei nuns were true heroines with deep Buddhist faith and pure inner energy.
He’d even been impressed by their profound martial arts when exchanging blows.
‘Master lied….’
Mok Ri-won’s face fell.
…Strictly speaking, Mok Seon-o hadn’t lied.
Back then, the martial world was tense against the Blood Heaven Cult, and the nuns who stood against true villains were indeed heroines.
The current Emei young experts’ behavior—and that of their leader, White Phoenix Hye-un—had simply shifted.
Of course, oblivious Mok Ri-won could only tremble with betrayal.
“What a disappointment….”
“Don’t be too let down. Aside from that lustful phoenix, there might be some outstanding heroines.”
Dang Hwa-seo looked satisfied at Mok Ri-won’s pouting lips.
As their chatter continued, Mok Ri-won suddenly noticed something odd.
“…Come to think of it. Quite a crowd has gathered, but no one’s approaching us.”
People had gathered in numbers.
Warriors from various prestigious sects began conversing among themselves.
Yet no one came their way.
Finding it peculiar, Mok Ri-won voiced it, and the two fell silent.
“…….”
“…….”
“Little Sister? Brother Jegal?”
Mok Ri-won asked innocently again, but they couldn’t respond.
Of course not.
Dang Hwa-seo had always been prickly before.
She had no real acquaintances.
Jegal San’s frivolity was infamous across the martial world.
No one approached him first.
Simply put, they were the outcasts of this banquet.
Innocent questions sometimes stabbed deep into the heart.
Dang Hwa-seo and Jegal San panicked over their awkward situation, and the uncomfortable silence stretched on endlessly.
Fortunately—or heaven-sent—a lifeline appeared before them.
“Ah, Monk Il-un!”
Mok Ri-won called out to Fist Dragon Il-un entering the banquet.
Il-un spotted Mok Ri-won and the pair, then approached with a beaming smile and pressed his palms together in greeting.
Dang Hwa-seo and Jegal San felt a surge of gratitude at his approach, but it would vanish instantly if they knew his true intent.
‘I need to shut that Jegal Young Master’s mouth.’
From the moment he entered the banquet, Il-un had one goal.
Prevent Jegal San from spilling what happened two days ago.
“Patrons! Good to see you after two days.”
Il-un smiled warmly.