Chapter 131
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: Who Do You Think Will Win?
It was beautiful, as expected.
The sword style Namgung Ji-yu had just displayed was clearly the same as the Celestial Palace Carefree Sword that Namgung Ji-hu had shown moments ago.
Yet the path her sword traced was different—stunningly so.
Of course, Namgung Ji-hu's had been beautiful too.
The spectators had watched in awe, utterly entranced.
But Namgung Ji-yu's sword was something else entirely.
What was it?
It felt like beauty was at its very core.
Absurd as that sounded, plenty of people felt the same way.
And what of Yeon Ha-min's sword?
It was the Three Talents Sword Method—something anyone could pick up in an instant.
Dozens of manuals for it were stacked in the bookstore right in front of the Dragon Training Pavilion.
You could read one in less than an hour, and master the basics in half that time.
The Three Talents Sword Method was that accessible.
But Yeon Ha-min's version was different.
How is that the Three Talents Sword Method?
Can you really wield it like that?
It was hard to believe.
Her sword followed the forms of the Three Talents Sword Method precisely.
Yet it had depth—above all, it was beautiful.
As beautiful as Namgung Ji-yu's.
Namgung Ji-yu's sword targeted Yeon Ha-min's vital points relentlessly.
Chaeng! Chae-chaeng!
Each time, Yeon Ha-min's blade blocked the path.
Namgung Ji-yu's sword danced with fluid, intricate variations, subtle and profound.
Yeon Ha-min's was simple and direct, but rich with depth.
Perhaps because their styles contrasted so sharply, the exchanges grew fiercer by the second.
How can the Three Talents Sword Method...?
Namgung Ji-yu couldn't wrap her head around it.
Yesterday, today—it was the same.
How could she not pierce through a defense based on the Three Talents Sword Method?
Yeon Ha-min's sword was even more solid and unyielding than Dang Jin-san's.
And those occasional counterthrusts chilled her to the bone.
Show me.
Yeon Ha-min's eyes gleamed as she tracked Namgung Ji-yu's blade.
Ha Seol-ran had said it was visible to her.
Not quite at that level, but Yeon Ha-min could see it too.
She had seen Namgung Ji-hu's sword before and even sparred with him.
Yeon Ha-min didn't back down.
She stepped forward instead.
Advancing toward Namgung Ji-yu.
The two clashed without yielding an inch.
It was ferocious.
And brutal.
Two women wielding breathtakingly elegant swords, yet their bout was savage and unrelenting.
The veils covering their faces fluttered wildly.
Glimpses of their stunning features flashed, but no one paid them any mind.
Everyone was captivated by the raw, primal swordplay unfolding before them.
Two beautiful women locked in a clash of unbridled force.
Baek Ri-pyeong watched their exchange with calm eyes.
Namgung Ji-hu approached him.
"Who do you think will win?"
Baek Ri-pyeong shook his head at the question.
"I couldn't predict my own match. How could I know someone else's?"
"Sometimes you see things from the outside."
"No idea. What about you?"
"Honestly, I don't know either."
Namgung Ji-hu chuckled in response.
"What did you mean when you said training the Three Talents Sword Method was training the Heavenly Nature Sword Method?"
That was Namgung Ji-hu's real point.
Baek Ri-pyeong's words during his match.
She couldn't make sense of them.
"Try training the Three Talents Sword Method yourself sometime."
Baek Ri-pyeong smirked.
He hadn't imagined it until he'd tried it himself.
And he hadn't fully grasped it until he'd wielded the Heavenly Nature Sword Method again.
No amount of explanation could convey it.
You had to experience it firsthand.
Just like he had.
Namgung Ji-hu's expression turned ambiguous.
"Don't if you don't want to."
Baek Ri-pyeong added.
"Got it."
With that, Namgung Ji-hu turned his attention back to the match.
"What do you think this time?"
Gong Son Mu-oe asked Ha Mu-baek.
"I don't know if she planned it strategically or if it's instinct."
Ha Mu-baek thought back to last night.
He had only encouraged the defeated cadets—no specific advice for today's matches.
He'd let them think and act on their own.
He judged they were ready for that now.
Still, Yeon Ha-min's performance today was unexpected.
"Does that mean Yeon Ha-min has the edge?"
Gong Son Mu-oe picked up on the implication.
Ha Mu-baek nodded.
"Yes. For Namgung Ji-yu, this is practically a one-against-two fight."
"One against two?"
Gong Son Mu-oe looked puzzled.
"Her match against Dang Jin-san yesterday. He forced her to use everything she had."
"But she rested overnight. Hasn't her internal energy fully recovered?"
"Internal energy, sure. You know that as the head of Seonyugok Valley."
Ha Mu-baek countered.
"Ah!"
Gong Son Mu-oe exclaimed in realization.
"You're talking about muscle fatigue."
"Exactly. Even if internal energy powers martial arts, muscles move the body. You can amplify them and relieve fatigue with qi, but you can't erase the buildup entirely."
Gong Son Mu-oe nodded vigorously.
"Spot on. That's why external training matters. But Namgung Ji-yu shows little sign of it."
"Most martial artists are the same."
"True enough. Even our valley's disciples... Tch. I'll have to overhaul their training when we get back."
Ha Mu-baek smiled faintly.
"Of course, with enough consecutive fights, muscles adapt even without strong external training. But for her..."
"This is probably her first time. Look—signs are already showing."
Gong Son Mu-oe spotted something mid-reply.
Chaeng!!!!
A deafening clash rang out, louder than any before.
The two swords locked, each pushing against the other.
Namgung Ji-yu had no choice but to meet Yeon Ha-min's aggressive pressure head-on.
Then.
A faint tremor ran through Namgung Ji-yu's arms.
Damn it.
She gritted her teeth.
But the spasms spread, intensifying.
Yeon Ha-min noticed.
Her arms tensed.
She shoved harder.
"Nngh."
A thin groan escaped Namgung Ji-yu's clenched teeth.
"Haat."
Yeon Ha-min's shout was soft but steady.
Namgung Ji-yu summoned every ounce of her internal energy. It was already at its peak, but she squeezed out the last drop from her dantian.
Celestial Palace Great Circulation Heart Technique.
She circulated the Namgung Clan's secret method for direct descendants frantically.
Qi flowed into her quivering arm muscles.
She compensated for her failing strength with internal energy.
Back to a stalemate.
Yeon Ha-min circulated the Three Talents Heart Method.
She poured out everything she had.
Namgung Ji-yu was the pampered jewel of the prestigious Namgung Clan.
Yeon Ha-min couldn't match her reserves, but she'd trained diligently.
Hadn't she endured those brutal poison pills twice?
Qi from her dantian surged through her meridians like a torrent.
"Haat!"
Yeon Ha-min's fierce shout erupted.
At the same moment.
"Kyaaak."
Namgung Ji-yu's scream rang out.
She flew backward.
Thud.
She crashed to the ground, struggling to rise.
In that instant, Yeon Ha-min closed in and swung her sword down.
Whoosh.
The blade halted an inch above Namgung Ji-yu's crown.
Namgung Ji-yu stared blankly.
The match was decided.
"I lost."
She murmured, eyes closing.
Yeon Ha-min withdrew her sword.
"Woooaaah!"
"Incredible!!!"
"Wheee! Wheee!"
Whistles pierced the cheers engulfing the arena.
The breathless duel had ended.
The second loss for a Namgung.
Perhaps the crowd grew even more excited by the string of defeats from prestigious clans.
It felt like their fixed notions—that they could never beat scions of great houses—were shattering.
"Hoo."
Namgung Ji-yu exhaled and tried to stand.
She hadn't even fully risen when Yeon Ha-min's sword had come at her.
But her body felt limp.
Not a scrap of qi left.
"Here."
Yeon Ha-min extended her hand. She was still right there.
Namgung Ji-yu stared blankly at it.
"Grab on. Your whole body must be drained. Tomorrow, every muscle will scream."
Yeon Ha-min smiled gently.
Her rare grin was refreshing.
Namgung Ji-yu nodded and took the hand. A smile tugged at her own lips.
Hidden by their veils, no one saw.
"Awesome!!"
Clap clap clap clap!!!
Applause and cheers erupted anew.
Thus, Yeon Ha-min and Namgung Ji-yu descended from the stage together.
The two quarterfinal matches of the 8-strong bracket were done.
Two remained.
The arena's heat intensified.
Ju Wu-myeong clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly.
Two brilliant matches in a row.
How could his blood not boil?
Ju Wu-myeong's gaze turned to the stage.
He'd be up soon.
His opponent: Yeong Ho-jun of Huashan Sect.
Yeong Ho-jun stared back.
Their eyes locked in midair.
The moment of reckoning arrived.
They ascended the stage slowly.
Cheers exploded from all sides.
How could they not?
Until now, it had been Hidden Dragon Corps versus Fierce Dragon Corps.
This was different.
Affiliations aside, their origins...
Huashan versus Wudang.
Wudang versus Huashan.
Disciples of the two sword sects that stood as twin pillars among the Nine Great Sects clashing in the Summer Combat Festival quarterfinals.
Anticipation gleamed in every eye.
An age-old debate.
Which was the supreme sword sect of the Nine Great Sects—Huashan or Wudang?
Even if it was just two Dragon Training Pavilion cadets, this bout felt like an extension of that timeless rivalry. It drew every gaze.
The two slowly drew their swords.
They exchanged light bows.
Then sought openings.
For a moment, neither moved.
Their blades hung utterly still, as if time had frozen.
Yeong Ho-jun struck first.
His sword quivered faintly, then began blooming into flowers.
One by one.
Plum blossoms scattered through the air.
Twenty-four in all, surrounding Ju Wu-myeong.
"Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique!!!"
Someone in the crowd shouted.
Huasan's famed signature style, known to all.
And now it unfolded before their eyes.
"Full bloom at his age? Impressive."
Full bloom.
The term for manifesting all twenty-four flowers of the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique.
Ha Mu-baek murmured in admiration.
Not many Huashan masters he'd met on the battlefield had reached that realm.
"If you're impressed, he must be something special."
"He's changed beyond recognition in just a few months."
Ha Mu-baek replied to Gong Son Mu-oe.
"So, how will this match go?"
"Unfortunately, it's too late. If he'd snapped out of it sooner, maybe. But he just hit full bloom... Not enough against Wu-myeong. The Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique truly begins at full bloom. Yeong Ho-jun's only at the starting line."