Chapter 64: Mount Song Gathering (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 64: Mount Song Gathering (3)
"Here is your iron token."
Namgung Jun examined the iron token the proctor handed him.
The front was embossed with the characters for Azure Heaven (蒼天), and the back with the character for One (一).
Looking at the iron token Baekri Cheong received, he saw it was engraved with the characters for Azure Heaven (蒼天) and Two (二).
It seems each iron token is engraved with the sect's name and a number.
This was likely a measure to track wins and losses and to prevent any potential cheating.
"Third group. Move out!"
Namgung Jun tucked the iron token into his robes and looked around.
Some of the other rising stars were already entering the Tiger-Forming Forest under a proctor’s guidance.
"Brother Baekri, it looks like it will be difficult for us to move together."
"Indeed. It seems we must move separately. They're staggering our entry times and locations into the Tiger-Forming Forest."
The proctors of the iron token battle were not allowing rising stars from the same sect or those with close ties to enter together. They had randomly mixed the participants into five groups, sending them in at different times and from different locations.
"Brother Namgung, I shall head in first."
"Yes. Please be careful."
About fifteen minutes passed after Baekri Cheong entered the Tiger-Forming Forest.
Seeing that the burning incense had reached the marked line, the proctor spoke.
"Time is up. The last group will enter through the northwestern entrance."
The rising stars of the fifth group, including Namgung Jun, began to move.
"Watch the person in front of you closely and follow."
The proctor cautioned them as they approached an area thick with fog, the product of a formation. The mist was so dense that one could easily get lost if they fell even slightly behind.
After they had walked about ten steps, the fog cleared in an instant, revealing the scenery deep within the forest.
We've passed through the formation.
The proctor finally stopped when they reached a junction where the path split, stretching deeper into the Tiger-Forming Forest.
There were five paths in total. It seemed designed to let each rising star choose their own way.
"Choose a path, one by one. After that, you are free to move as you wish and focus on acquiring iron tokens."
"Does the path we choose affect the battle?" one of the rising stars asked.
The proctor shook his head. "It is merely to scatter you, so any path is fine. Of course, if you are unlucky, you might run into a strong opponent."
After pondering the proctor's words for a moment, the rising stars each chose a path and set off.
Namgung Jun chose the middle path and headed deeper into the Tiger-Forming Forest.
How far had he walked?
The path abruptly ended. Before his eyes lay nothing but a dense tangle of undergrowth, rocks, and trees.
It begins now.
Namgung Jun looked at the towering, densely packed trees that surrounded him. Being left alone in the forest made the reality of the iron token battle truly sink in.
I wonder how the others will move.
Namgung Jun recalled the faces of the rising stars he had met at the banquet. Some would be frantically searching for iron tokens from the very start, while others would conserve their strength and bide their time.
Unlike a standard martial duel, this battle required a strategy that accounted for numerous variables to achieve a high rank. If one acted rashly, relying solely on their martial arts, they would likely be eliminated in an instant.
"Hmm."
However, Namgung Jun had little to agonize over. His primary goal in this battle was to experience as many martial arts of the Nine Great Sects as possible.
In doing so, the iron tokens would naturally accumulate.
He needed to seek out other rising stars as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Namgung Jun climbed the tallest tree nearby to survey the terrain. Although he couldn't gauge the exact size of the Tiger-Forming Forest, it was clearly vast.
In his past life, when he had focused solely on the sword, it would have been difficult to locate multiple, constantly moving opponents in such an environment. There would have been no other way than to spread his senses wide and keep them sharp.
But in this life, he had grown while learning various skills as an elite of the Azure Heaven Association's Ten Halls. Now, he was more than capable of getting what he wanted from this battle.
"Shall I get moving?"
As Namgung Jun's pace quickened through the undergrowth, a faint bluish light flickered in his eyes. He began searching for traces of the other rising stars scattered throughout the Tiger-Forming Forest.
*
Dong Gakho dashed through the forest, using his lightness skill. He felt a few faint presences nearby but paid them no mind.
There was only one prey he was targeting in this iron token battle.
The Azure Star Sword, Namgung Jun.
He was the youngest among the rising stars participating in this gathering, yet he was incredibly arrogant. The way he acted so high and mighty, relying on his martial arts, was utterly pathetic.
Arrogant bastard. I'll teach him a lesson.
His failure to draw his sword at the banquet was merely the result of a momentary lapse in concentration combined with bad luck.
But things were different now.
By consuming the Eternal Reverence Pill, he had managed to break through a bottleneck he hadn't been able to breach for over a year. Even for a highly precious spirit elixir, achieving such a dazzling breakthrough in a single day was extremely rare.
Having received a brief word of praise from the Sect Master, his confidence soared even higher.
I've taken the Eternal Reverence Pill. If I meet the Sect Master's expectations this time, the position of future Sect Master will be within my grasp.
The combination of the Eternal Reverence Pill, his sudden growth, the Sect Master's praise, and his own ambitions forged a powerful conviction that surged through him.
Now, if I can just find him...
Dong Gakho's train of thought was abruptly cut off.
A sword tip, gleaming with a cold blue light, pierced through the bushes on his left.
Dong Gakho hastily twisted his ankle, throwing his body to the side. Having pushed his speed to the limit with his lightness skill, maneuvering was difficult. He stumbled violently, as if colliding with an invisible wall.
Barely regaining his balance after several frantic steps, a groan escaped his lips.
"Ugh!"
Hastily widening the distance, Dong Gakho immediately checked his waist. Beneath the horizontally slashed hem of his martial uniform, a faint trail of blood was spreading. The stinging sensation told him the blade had grazed him.
"You move in unexpected ways."
Dong Gakho had no time to examine his wound. The voice of the opponent he had been so eager to meet echoed in his ears.
"You!"
Before him stood the boy, gripping his sword with a casual posture. Despite having just delivered a spine-chillingly sharp ambush, he looked completely unbothered, as if nothing had happened.
"An ambush? You act like a common street thug. Is it because you lack pedigree?"
"Have you forgotten the purpose of this battle? This isn't a duel; it's closer to real combat."
Dong Gakho couldn't refute it. Moreover, since those were the words of his sect's elders, arguing would be no different from spitting in the face of the Mount Song Sect.
Instead of running his mouth, Dong Gakho reached for his waist. Though he didn't like how it started, this was the very situation he had been looking forward to.
He drew the treasured sword he had received upon becoming the head disciple of the Mount Song Sect.
"It won't be like the banquet, Namgung Jun."
Seeing Dong Gakho so full of confidence, Namgung Jun observed him with a calm gaze.
"Your aura has indeed changed. Did you consume some spirit elixir?"
"A precious spirit elixir that the likes of the Azure Heaven Association could never obtain," Dong Gakho spoke proudly, but Namgung Jun's face remained impassive. He didn't seem to care about Dong Gakho's transformation in the slightest.
"Stop wasting breath and come at me."
"Let's see how long you can keep up that attitude!"
Dong Gakho channeled all the internal energy filling his dantian, intending to go all out from the very beginning.
Nine Valleys Sword Art.
The sword art, which embodied the rugged ridges of Mount Song, lunged straight for Namgung Jun's shoulder. The Sword Qi fully enveloping the blade amplified the power of the form even further.
Dong Gakho felt a surge of pride at the strike he had unleashed. He could clearly feel that he had surpassed his past self.
At this level, couldn't I trade blows even with Yeong-il of the Mount Hua Sect?
Before he knew it, the blade was on the verge of touching Namgung Jun's shoulder.
Swish!
Namgung Jun simply brought his sword flat against his shoulder and twisted the blade, drawing a smooth arc through the air. The movement was so natural that Dong Gakho was momentarily confused, wondering if the sword had been resting there from the start.
But the sensation traveling up his wrist was undeniable.
The fiercely descending sword failed to cut Namgung Jun's shoulder and was deflected to the side.
Crash!
Dong Gakho's treasured sword ended up doing nothing more than carving into the innocent dirt.
"What?!"
Dong Gakho was bewildered. He hadn't expected his attack to be deflected so effortlessly, with his opponent barely moving.
Gritting his teeth, he wrenched his sword back.
"Haaah!"
Thud!
Executing an Earth-Trembling Stomp, he channeled the full strength of his body and immediately unleashed an ultimate technique. Considering the other rising stars he would have to face after this, it was a poor choice.
But he had felt it from that single clash. A sudden dread crept over him that if he didn't end it now, Namgung Jun would display even more unexpected sword techniques.
A sword path wound majestically, like the foothills of Mount Song. A form modeled after the endlessly stretching mountain ranges poured down toward Namgung Jun.
Nine Valleys Sword Art.
Upright Dragon Peak.
Perhaps because he had pushed his internal energy to its absolute limit without a thought for what came next, the power of the ultimate technique he unleashed was enough to surprise even Dong Gakho himself.
I've become this strong!
Just as ecstasy washed over Dong Gakho's face upon clearly feeling the martial achievement from consuming the Eternal Reverence Pill—
Whoosh!
Even as the winding sword strike tore through the air with a heavy, splitting sound, Namgung Jun's expression remained serene.
A rotation started at Namgung Jun's ankle, traveling up through his entire body until it finally reached his sword. A strike drawing consecutive, wave-like arcs clashed head-on with the ultimate technique of Upright Dragon Peak.
Foolish! To face the ultimate technique of the Nine Valleys Sword Art head-on!
Contrary to Dong Gakho's expectations, however, no violent shockwave erupted.
Like clouds flowing leisurely over a mountain range, the deep blue sword strike completely dispersed Dong Gakho's attack.
"What?!"
The ultimate technique of Upright Dragon Peak lost its power, scattering in all directions like dispersing clouds. The scene was reflected in Dong Gakho's wide, disbelieving eyes.
Slash!
Having deflected the ultimate technique head-on, Namgung Jun's sword momentum shifted abruptly. The qi flowing from his blade, which had been as light as fog, suddenly condensed and grew immensely heavy.
Thud!
Namgung Jun stomped the ground, and his sword, which had been raised high, fell vertically with fierce intensity.
Crack!
The air seemed to warp along the path of the descending blade. At such a terrifying speed, Dong Gakho couldn't even react properly. Clumsily raising his sword to block was the best he could manage.
Clang!
With a heavy, shattering sound, Dong Gakho's treasured sword flew into the sky, snapped in half.
Reversing his grip on the hilt in the blink of an eye, Namgung Jun struck Dong Gakho's right shoulder with the back of his blade.
Though it was a strike with the flat of the blade, the principles of the Heavy Sword were fully infused within it.
Crack!
Along with the sound of shattering bone, a scream erupted from Dong Gakho.
"Aaargh!"
Clutching his shoulder, Dong Gakho collapsed into a half-kneeling position.
"You! Do you think you can leave Mount Song in one piece after doing this to me?!"
"Doing this? If this were real combat, you would be dead."
Namgung Jun remained unfazed by Dong Gakho's venomous threats. Instead, he pointed his blade directly at Dong Gakho's neck.
Only then did Dong Gakho's mouth finally shut.
"If you wield your sword and tongue so lightly, your life will one day become just as cheap."
Thud!
Striking Dong Gakho's chest to knock him unconscious, Namgung Jun casually retrieved the iron token.
"Hmm."
Dong Gakho had drawn his sword with considerable hostility, but Namgung Jun felt no answering animosity. Wasting mental energy on such a petty squabble was pointless. His sights were set on a much higher, wider horizon.
"Next."
Having spread his senses wide, a spark of interest flickered in Namgung Jun's eyes. He sensed a single presence approaching him in a straight line.
"Come to think of it, I've been curious about this one for a while."
Wearing a faint smile, Namgung Jun immediately activated his Infinite Steps and moved.