Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Journey (3)
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The next day, at dawn.
Ouyang Jue, who had woken early, took off his Daoist robes and wrung them out tightly.
The altitude was so high that they were close to the clouds, making the air incredibly humid.
The saying that it was filled with rain, fog, and snow all year round was no empty boast.
A scholar, upon seeing this, might have called it a land of immortals, but to Ouyang Jue, that was nonsense.
If that man had tried to sleep here for even a single night, he wouldn't have spouted such bullshit.
‘The air is thin, making it hard to breathe, and it’s so humid it’s infuriating.’
For anyone less than a master, this was the perfect place to catch a strange illness and die screaming, rather than adapt.
Thinking this, Wi Jin-cheon seemed quite extraordinary.
Not only had he become that man's disciple, but he had also lived in a place like this for over ten years.
He must have had a unique constitution or been born with a natural talent for martial arts.
Ouyang Jue reached out and opened the door.
Creeeak…
The half-rusted hinges screamed due to the damp air, and through the open door, a thick fog was revealed.
But the fog was not all there was.
Through the darkness before dawn, a man's voice could be heard.
“Awake?”
“You've been radiating your fighting spirit since the crack of dawn. How could I possibly stay asleep?”
“Heh heh.”
As the man let out a faint chuckle, Ouyang Jue stepped out of the room and put on the Daoist robes he had briefly taken off.
The man, watching him intently, spoke.
“I didn't call you out for a fight. I just wanted to talk.”
“...People don't usually poke others with their fighting spirit when they just want to talk.”
At that, the man scratched his chin as if he had nothing to say.
“Let's just say it's because I'm an uncivilized barbarian, just like you said yesterday.”
“Well, now. He's apologizing for being ignorant. I can't very well refuse to accept it. How perplexing.”
What more could he add when the man called himself a barbarian?
As Ouyang Jue sniped back lightly, the man let out a hearty laugh.
“It's not easy to take a liking to someone you just met yesterday. Are you really a Daoist?”
“The barbarian here might not know, but in the martial world, I am a rising talent known as the Plum Blossom Sword Hero.”
“...So I'm a barbarian, and you're a promising young talent called the Plum Blossom Sword Hero? Well, your skill at sarcasm is certainly befitting a Daoist.”
Even as he said this, the man showed not a hint of displeasure.
In the first place, his words about being uncivilized had been sincere.
Heavenly Martial Peak was a sect that took in orphans with no connections and passed down its teachings to a single successor.
The man, in particular, had no name at all.
“Just call me Nameless. Or you can call me a lowborn, like my disciple does.”
“You want me to call you Nameless. Do you truly have no name?”
“If that's too much, you can just call me 'Mister'.”
Just as the Omniscient One didn't care about age, Nameless seemed unconcerned with names or formalities.
As Ouyang Jue sat comfortably on a rock, Nameless gave him an interested look.
“‘A large stride lacks agility, a small stride lacks stability.’ Have you heard of it?”
Ouyang Jue answered immediately.
“It means that if your stride is too large, you aren't agile, and if it's too small, you aren't stable. I don't see why you're asking me about the basics of fist arts and footwork here.”
“It may be a basic principle, but I've never seen anyone use it properly.”
Not even his own disciple, Wi Jin-cheon, understood its true meaning and was still struggling with it. Nameless grinned, praising Ouyang Jue's exceptional skill.
“I wanted to test the first martial artist the Omniscient One ever brought here, but when I blew the door off, I was taken aback by how young you were.”
“Are you serious? Anyone could see you threw that to kill me.”
Despite Ouyang Jue's disgusted rebuke, Nameless maintained a shameless expression.
“That's why I said you're amazing. I never imagined that someone who could press down Mount Tai with short steps, whose every minor movement is flawless, would be only eighteen.”
“If this were the Martial Alliance, this wouldn't have been dismissed as a minor incident.”
Nameless ignored Ouyang Jue's words.
“‘With great skill comes great courage; with great courage, skill grows even greater!’ Unlike that long-nosed fellow who just plays with swords in the mountains, you've diligently trained both your skill and your courage. I was truly impressed.”
“...Well, you're just stating the obvious.”
“But something about it felt unnatural.”
At that, Ouyang Jue wondered if Nameless was just trying to find fault, but seeing his dead-serious expression, he adopted a listening posture.
Seeing this, a faint smile formed on Nameless's face.
“I could tell yesterday that you have confidence in the skills you've mastered, and your courage is also formidable. But every time I launched a powerful strike, your reaction slowed down a little.”
“I did?”
Ouyang Jue asked in surprise, and Nameless nodded firmly.
“It was subtle, but it was definitely different. Could it be that you fought someone powerful, got thoroughly beaten, and are now weighed down by the pressure?”
At those words, Ouyang Jue unknowingly thought of the Black Dragon.
A power that was impossible to resist.
That was the first time his martial arts, honed for decades, felt like nothing more than the desperate schemes of the weak.
Against a truly strong opponent, half-baked martial arts are useless.
Realizing this, he had resolved to become stronger, and had benefited from organizing the secrets of the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts.
But to be told he looked like he was being crushed by the shadow of the Black Dragon?
‘Then it was all for nothing.’
Ouyang Jue held back his response and replayed yesterday's spar in his mind.
The recollection was not long.
Ouyang Jue's gaze fell to the ground.
“You're not exactly wrong.”
“It must be the one the Omniscient One was wary of.”
At that, Ouyang Jue's gaze shot straight to Nameless.
He tried his best not to show any emotion, but he couldn't hide the widening of his eyes.
Nameless continued calmly.
“That guy is extremely tight-lipped, so I never heard who it was, but I often heard him ask me to be his practice partner, saying he needed to face someone brutishly strong like me.”
“...”
“So, was he stronger than me?”
To Nameless's question, Ouyang Jue answered honestly.
“Much stronger.”
“And yet you made it here alive. It's understandable that you'd be weighed down. The Omniscient One came to the right place.”
“So you're the Omniscient One's arrangement?”
A wicked grin deepened on Nameless's face.
“Of course.”
“Spoken like a martial artist trained in Zhangjiajie. You have no qualms about calling yourself strong.”
Despite Ouyang Jue's gentle prodding, Nameless nonchalantly picked his ear.
In fact, he acted even more relaxed.
“How should I dote on this cute little junior...”
“If you can, then try it.”
Shing!
Unlike yesterday, Ouyang Jue immediately drew Severing Manifestation.
Yesterday, he hadn't used his sword because he wanted to mess with Nameless, but this time, he decided to take the spar seriously.
Nameless's advice was not wrong.
It inspired Ouyang Jue with a desire to improve.
‘The longer I remain crushed by the Black Dragon's shadow, the slower my progress will be.’
He couldn't deny feeling like a pawn in the Omniscient One's grand design, but if it led to growth, he was willing to play along.
Moreover, Nameless was in no way inferior to the various masters known as the greatest fists in the martial world.
No, perhaps he even surpassed them.
‘To be able to spar freely with such a master is a fortunate opportunity in itself.’
Ouyang Jue raised Severing Manifestation high.
“Thank you for letting me have the first move.”
“Hey, when did I...!”
Clang!
The blade of Severing Manifestation sliced through the fog that blanketed the dawn, revealing the hot sunlight.
***
One shichen before waking Ouyang Jue.
Nameless stared at the Omniscient One with questioning eyes.
‘It's nighttime, he should just be lying down and sleeping.’
The words he'd spoken after secretly seeking him out were absurd.
To ask him to teach Ouyang Jue what he lacked.
He couldn't believe such a request was being made of him, the sole successor of a single-heir tradition.
And it wasn't as if Ouyang Jue's martial prowess was lacking.
Nameless spoke with a hint of irritation.
“After clashing with him once, it's clear he'll do fine on his own without me lecturing him. What's the rush?”
“It's because I feel a strong sense of responsibility for nurturing the next generation.”
“Bullshit.”
As if to show the Omniscient One himself, Nameless slowly unwrapped the bandage around the back of his hand.
The once-white bandage was soaked with yellowish fluid the further he unwrapped it.
They had only sparred for a mere moment, yet he was more injured than if he had trained all day.
Nameless's face was filled with scorn.
“Do you think this is something a promising junior can do? His internal energy is close to a full cycle, and his skill is great enough to wield it freely!”
“...”
“Even if he'd started learning martial arts in his mother's womb, he wouldn't be this good. Don't tell me... is he 'that bastard' you're supposed to fight?”
“No, that one is already dead.”
At the Omniscient One's words, Nameless let out a sigh of relief.
“That's a relief.”
“So, will you take Jue in?”
Nameless immediately showed his reluctance.
“I do like the kid's personality. It's refreshing, not at all like a Daoist. But still, I already have a disciple, don't I?”
“I'm asking you.”
At that, Nameless's eyes widened.
Who was the Omniscient One?
He was one of the top three sorcerers in the entire central continent, a monster who, by age alone, had already reached a level beyond human.
And such an old monster was saying the word "ask" to him.
And not by sending a messenger from Mount Mao, but by coming himself.
Nameless let out a dry laugh. "Heh, heh."
“You make it hard to refuse. So much so that it's troublesome.”
Nameless heaved a deep sigh.
The Omniscient One had always given him advice whenever he faced difficulties, but he had never once asked for anything in return or made a show of his help.
How could he refuse when such a man came to him and laid out a request?
Even from Nameless's perspective, he didn't feel particularly bad about it.
He had, after all, taken a subtle liking to the temperament Ouyang Jue had shown.
‘...Don't tell me this guy brought Ouyang Jue here knowing I'd find him acceptable?’
With the Omniscient One, it might be possible.
The thought sent an involuntary chill down Nameless's spine.
“You didn't come here planning this, did you?”
“I just came because it was close.”
“R-Right. Of course.”
Eventually, Nameless promised to devote his heart and soul to Ouyang Jue.
In truth, as the head of Heavenly Martial Peak, where single succession was the rule, it was a promise he should never have made.
Teaching him about his apparent weaknesses and sparring with him would be tantamount to teaching him half of Heavenly Martial Peak's martial arts.
But Nameless secretly felt that Ouyang Jue had potential that couldn't be wasted, and he felt compelled to repay his debt to the Omniscient One.
And compared to Ouyang Jue, his own disciple, Wi Jin-cheon, seemed a bit pathetic.
As the Omniscient One, having secured the promise, returned to the thatched hut.
The great bear, irritated that its wet fur hadn't dried, approached.
“Grrrowl!”
“You're asking when we're leaving?”
“Rooar!”
“Let's wait just a little longer.”
The Omniscient One looked toward the thatched hut where Ouyang Jue was sleeping.
“From what I can see, it won't take very long.”
His eyes were filled with strong confidence.