Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Wudang (2)
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‘This is bad.’
The moment Ouyang Jue unleashed the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts, Master Hyeon Geom swallowed dryly.
It wasn't that he judged it unstoppable. He just felt a sense of unease.
What he was about to unleash was a technique of a first-rate master or higher, on the verge of forming a sword aura.
‘Could it be… he's reached the pinnacle of the sword?’
It was an absurd notion by the standards of the martial world. An event that belonged only in the tales of heroes told in the marketplace.
But Master Hyeon Geom recalled the path Ouyang Jue had walked thus far.
Unexpected, and unconventional.
Wasn't it because of this continuous trail of surprises that he had invited Ouyang Jue personally?
So he harbored no arrogance, no thought of "surely not."
He took in the sight before him, exactly as it was.
And took a step forward.
*Whoosh-*
The internal energy gathered at the tip of Master Hyeon Geom's sword mingled with the great void, emitting a clear light.
Even at that moment, Master Hyeon Geom was pondering how to soothe Ouyang Jue's heart.
If only the shock that followed hadn't occurred.
*Clang, Ruumble!*
"...Hmph!"
A faint sigh escaped Master Hyeon Geom's lips.
The judgment he'd made just moments ago was no mere baseless fear; the weight he felt was different.
The internal energy imbued in Severing Manifestation was not something that could be estimated at merely five years' worth.
Nearly half a cycle, almost thirty years of internal energy, was not an amount a young man like Ouyang Jue should possess.
‘No, could it be.’
Master Hyeon Geom's eyes narrowed.
He had long known that Ha Jin-ak was bedridden. Thus, he had assumed the martial arts Ha Jin-ak had cultivated were now useless.
‘But what if that wasn't the case?’
The third form of the Taiji Wisdom Sword, Yin-Yang Great Void.
The sword, locked in a contest of strength with Severing Manifestation, seemed to retreat for a moment before shooting back toward Ouyang Jue.
*Clang!*
Sword met sword, the techniques of the two Taoists clashing, sending crimson sparks flying.
Master Hyeon Geom still had the upper hand, but at the same time, he didn't.
His judgment, acknowledging Ouyang Jue as at least a first-rate warrior, had turned out to be an underestimation.
To think he was even a master of internal energy!
*Drip.*
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead, dampening the front of his robes.
‘A full forty years of internal energy? Could Ha Jin-ak have transferred his energy in that short time during the Black Dragon Gang's attack?’
Moreover, he didn't seem to be struggling much despite using so much internal energy.
He must have been given a Small Purple Spirit Elixir to fortify the major meridians for his Purple Mist True Energy.
"To think Mount Hua was hiding such a prodigious talent...!"
Into the chaotic tangle of Master Hyeon Geom's thoughts, a single sword strike flew.
The internal energy it contained totaled fifty years.
It was more than even his highest estimate, causing Master Hyeon Geom's face to stiffen.
Furthermore, Ouyang Jue had unleashed this sword art not to kill him, but to completely humble him.
Ouyang Jue's lips parted slightly.
"Please, do not test Mount Hua again."
Though it sounded as if he might stop his sword there, Ouyang Jue did not loosen his grip on Severing Manifestation.
Instead, he circulated his Purple Mist True Energy to its peak, as if to secure a decisive advantage right here.
*Ssssk.*
Like a high mountain shrouded in clouds after the rain, the dense mist summoned by the Purple Mist True Energy carried the scent of plum blossoms, tantalizing both sight and smell.
It was truly the Realm of the Sword's Fragrance.
Master Hyeon Geom forgot Ouyang Jue's age. The fact that he was a junior from a distant generation was now irrelevant.
Just as Master Hyeon Geom was about to draw out thirty percent of his true strength, a familiar voice came from behind him.
"Junior Brother Ouyang, that's enough. Withdraw your hostility."
The moment those words ended, Ouyang Jue retracted his Purple Mist True Energy.
With this turn of events, it was Master Hyeon Geom who was flustered.
"Y-You are...?"
"My apologies for the late greeting, Master."
Liu Zhangming clasped his fist in a light yet courteous gesture.
"I am Liu Zhangming, a disciple of Mount Hua's Sect Leader, Bai Duanxian, and the second senior brother to Junior Brother Ouyang here."
Finally grasping the situation, Master Hyeon Geom lowered his guard and gave a hollow smile.
"How long have you been watching?"
"As his senior brother, I was worried, so I was following him."
If that was true, didn't it mean he had seen everything from start to finish?
Master Hyeon Geom's gaze, filled with a strange intensity, shifted between Liu Zhangming and Ouyang Jue.
"Both senior and junior brothers, at such a young age... haha..."
Soon after, as Master Hyeon Geom moved his lips to speak, the Wudang Taoists hidden in the bushes revealed themselves.
It was as if none of them had noticed Liu Zhangming. Their expressions were a clear mixture of competitive spirit and admiration.
Watching them, Ouyang Jue thought.
‘Not a single one of them is sneering or refusing to accept it. Wudang is Wudang, after all.’
But… with Liu Zhangming stepping forward, not Ouyang Jue who was just a registered disciple, the situation would unfold differently.
Looking at the current situation, wasn't it a case of a much higher-ranking elder Taoist toying with a junior under the pretext of a test?
Seeing Master Hyeon Geom's predicament as he realized this, Ouyang Jue grinned.
* * *
*Clatter, thump thump.*
Inside the well-made carriage, the eight Taoists were each lost in their own thoughts.
Two Taoists wore robes embroidered with plum blossoms; the rest all wore the Taiji symbol that Wudang revered.
Normally, they might have chatted amidst a strange tension, but not now.
"That was truly amazing just now!"
"Such skill at an age not yet twenty! I can't help but be impressed, Fellow Taoist Ouyang!"
The skill Ouyang Jue had shown was far beyond their expectations.
That alone plunged the Wudang Taoists into a swirl of complex emotions.
When the fact that the Mount Hua Sect had been manipulated by the Golden Ring Merchant Guild secretly spread, how had they regarded them?
There had been a tendency to look down on them, thinking that while they might be a true Taoist sect, they would never shine as a martial sect.
But look now.
‘Mount Hua is also an opponent not to be underestimated…’
*Stare.*
Despite the competitive gazes from the Wudang Sect, Ouyang Jue sat comfortably, meeting their eyes.
In any case, he would have to reveal a certain level of skill when fighting the Black Dragon Gang.
And he had set that limit with the skills he had just shown Master Hyeon Geom.
Swordsmanship just on the cusp of the pinnacle.
‘This should be a sufficient warning to Wudang. It's about time to get to the main point.’
After a soft cough, Ouyang Jue spoke.
"By the way, Senior Brother, what brings you all the way here?"
"Is there any special reason? I was simply concerned whether my junior brother would arrive safely."
Liu Zhangming replied calmly, his gaze sweeping over the Taoists. At the end of his gaze was Master Hyeon Geom.
And his gaze held a clear rebuke.
The fact that they had invited Ouyang Jue only to test him was displeasing from Liu Zhangming's perspective, and more broadly, as a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect.
If this were to be made public, it would draw much criticism, whether to keep Wudang in check or for other reasons.
If Liu Zhangming, the current leading candidate for the next Senior-most Brother, vouched for it, it would become undeniably clear.
And since Liu Zhangming was famous for his outstanding character, it would spread even more widely.
That same Liu Zhangming now questioned Master Hyeon Geom.
"Master, your jest went too far. May I interpret this in another way?"
"..."
Master Hyeon Geom cleared his throat awkwardly.
The curiosity and greed he had harbored for Ouyang Jue since their meeting at the Nine Dragons Tournament had ultimately come back to this.
‘Who would have known that free-spirited Fellow Taoist would treat a single orphan with such courtesy and gentleness?’
That's why he wanted to arrange a separate meeting to ask. He wanted to hear face-to-face why the Fellow Taoist named Ouyang Jue had changed.
*Huuu,* Master Hyeon Geom let out a deep sigh.
‘Hasn't my greed grown so large that it has become arrogance?’
This was, without a doubt, a mistake.
Master Hyeon Geom bowed his head lightly and clasped his fist.
"M-Master!"
At this sight, a few of the Taoists' eyes widened in bewilderment. But Master Hyeon Geom did not change his posture and asked Liu Zhangming and Ouyang Jue for forgiveness.
"My apologies. This happened because of my personal greed and curiosity. I never meant to look down on the Mount Hua Sect."
It was an impeccably clean apology.
However, Liu Zhangming's expression was exceedingly cold.
As if to say this wasn't a matter to be blamed on an individual, Liu Zhangming, much like Bai Duanxian when dealing with small and medium-sized sects, understood the ecosystem that was the 'martial world'.
"If it was due to personal curiosity, shouldn't you have come to our sect and summoned Ouyang Jue, rather than borrowing the name of Wudang?"
"Now, see here, Fellow Taoist Liu!"
"The same goes for all you Fellow Taoists who stood by and watched."
Even in the tense atmosphere that felt like it could explode at the slightest touch, Liu Zhangming's indifferent eyes cast a chill over the carriage's interior.
Coming from Liu Zhangming, who had always maintained friendly relations with other Taoist sects, the weight of his words was by no means light.
"Junior Brother Ouyang departed from Mount Hua after receiving an invitation sent by the Wudang Sect. Master Hyeon Geom, you must know well whose seal was stamped on it."
"...Hmph."
Master Hyeon Geom let out a low groan. Not only he, but also the Taoists sitting in silence knew whose seal it was.
Then suddenly, a Taoist sitting in the corner of the carriage spoke in a suppressed voice.
"Aren't you going too far, Fellow Taoist Liu?"
The current Sect Leader of Wudang and the second-in-command of the Martial Alliance, the Grand Purity Immortal, Master Cheonghwa.
Liu Zhangming had indirectly referred to an absolute master whose influence extended beyond his sect to the entire Central Plains.
And he did it to clarify Master Hyeon Geom's responsibility!
At that moment, Ouyang Jue, who had been silent, spoke.
"Let's stop there."
Liu Zhangming asked back in surprise.
"...What did you say?"
"Senior Brother Liu, let's stop here. I had quite a bit of fun myself."
At those words, Liu Zhangming's expression hardened.
As a senior brother who had always watched over Ouyang Jue, this was nonsense.
‘Is this really the same junior brother who always said you should take what you can get? Has he been possessed by some evil spirit in the meantime?’
Letting this go now would be the same as condoning it. How could he say such a thing?
As Liu Zhangming's complexion grew serious, Ouyang Jue let out a small laugh.
"There's no need to be so high and mighty. Won't the Master take care of this himself?"
"...Tsk."
At that, Master Hyeon Geom shot Ouyang Jue an annoyed glare. But Liu Zhangming tilted his head, still not convinced.
"Are you telling me to overlook this disrespect and injustice?"
"That's not it, Senior Brother Liu. Don't they say you can't even stop a Taoist's mouth with honey?"
"Then?"
"That's something the Master will prepare appropriately."
Saying so, Ouyang Jue glanced at Master Hyeon Geom.
"What in the world am I supposed to prepare?"
His expression was not just crumpled, but completely shattered.
It would have been much better to either apologize definitively as Liu Zhangming said, or offer some suitable compensation.
Better than ending things ambiguously like this.
Ouyang Jue shrugged.
"Besides, both Senior Brother Liu and I are still unqualified to act as representatives of the Mount Hua Sect. This is a matter that can be decided with the Sect Leader after we return to Mount Hua."
As he said this, Ouyang Jue recalled the recent fight.
That was the very reason he had remained silent until now.
The swordsmanship Master Hyeon Geom had displayed.
Within the flowing currents drawn by the Taiji Wisdom Sword, he had gotten a rough sense of the swordsmanship Wudang pursued.
By seeing this and experiencing it firsthand, he felt he could gain a clue about the sword cry Gwak Un-pae used to unleash.
To experience more of this process, it was better to stay close and gain from it rather than become enemies.
"It wouldn't be bad to have a sparring match with Fellow Taoist Yeop Cheong after all this time."
At the casually dropped name, Master Hyeon Geom flinched.
It was none other than the disciple he had asked him to go easy on at the Nine Dragons Tournament.
‘As expected… Junior Ouyang is…’
Master Hyeon Geom decided he needed to change his assessment of Ouyang Jue from top to bottom, and nodded.