Chapter 140
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: The Stronger One
"A Wudang versus Zhongnan final, eh? I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out."
Gong Son Mu-oe spoke while gazing at Joo Woo-myeong and Baek Ri-pyeong, who were sitting cross-legged in meditation, regulating their breathing.
He then turned his eyes to Ha Mu-baek.
"I've seen plenty of martial tournaments, but this is a first. Participants who keep growing right in the middle of their matches. Honestly, I have no clue who'll win the finals. Both those kids—Baek Ri-pyeong and Joo Woo-myeong—seemed to have made another breakthrough in the semifinals. How on earth did you teach them?"
His eyes held genuine admiration.
Ha Mu-baek silently watched the three children.
"Eh, it's their own talent."
Gong Son Mu-oe looked incredulous at the nonchalant reply.
He had no idea how Ha Mu-baek had trained them.
Half a shichen passed.
Now, only another half shichen remained.
As the sun dipped toward the west, the air grew steadily colder.
Yet hardly any spectators left their seats.
It was all anticipation for the upcoming finals.
Murmurs began to ripple through the crowd as people shared their opinions here and there.
This was a matchup between Wudang and Zhongnan, after all.
Excluding Shaolin and the Beggars' Clan among the Nine Great Sects and Eight Great Clans, every faction specialized in swordsmanship.
Wudang, Huashan, Kunlun, Qingcheng, Emei, Jingeong, Zhongnan, Kongtong.
All eight sects boasted renowned sword techniques.
But Wudang and Huashan were considered the pinnacle.
That's why Joo Woo-myeong's quarterfinal bout against Yeong Ho-jun had drawn so much attention.
Zhongnan was one of the Nine Great Sects and Eight Great Clans, but it was often rated as one of the weaker ones.
Yet here it was in the finals.
And with a Fierce Dragon Corps cadet, no less.
The question of how Zhongnan's disciple would fare against Wudang's hung in the air, exciting the crowd.
"Think Baek Ri-pyeong can win?"
"No way. His opponent's Joo Woo-myeong from Wudang."
"Come on, you saw that insane performance in the semis."
"What about Joo Woo-myeong's terrifying show just now?"
Debate raged on.
The spectators were too busy voicing their own takes to notice much else.
In stark contrast, the platform above was calm and quiet.
Perhaps it was Pavilion Lord Pang Do-yul's outburst of anger right after Joo Woo-myeong and Dan Mok Un-roe's match, or maybe the disappointing semifinal bracket—either way, silence reigned up there.
Pang Do-yul merely kept quiet, staring at the three by the arena.
'You were in real danger this time.'
'Fervor for battle.'
During his meditation, Joo Woo-myeong recalled the words Ha Mu-baek had spoken to him at the end of his match.
"In real danger" came after he'd snapped out of his trance-like state, and "fervor for battle" at the very tail end of it.
Right after emerging from the trance, no thoughts had crossed his mind, but as memories returned, so did a sliver of insight.
He clung to that sliver and sank deeper into meditation.
The koan was fervor for battle.
Joo Woo-myeong replayed his swordplay from within the trance, repeating "fervor for battle" over and over.
And why he'd been in danger.
Why his master had opposed his time in the Fierce Dragon Corps.
'Ah... aah...'
Bit by bit, the reason dawned on him.
Fervor for battle was the desire to clash with others.
Different from the drive for self-improvement.
A mind set on rivalry, on victory.
That was what had manifested as his inner demon.
Fervor for battle that crossed into excess became an inner demon.
He had awakened from the trance just before falling into it.
Thanks to Ha Mu-baek.
The Taiji Beneficent Sword was no sword wielded in fervor for battle.
Yet he'd nearly lost himself to it, teetering on the path to demonic deviation.
'Then... should I abandon fervor for battle?'
That was how the koan evolved.
But he found no answer.
He realized it was time to end the meditation.
The Summer Combat Festival wasn't over yet.
Joo Woo-myeong slowly opened his eyes.
Around that time, Dan Mok Un-roe opened his as well.
Baek Ri-pyeong was already on his feet.
Joo Woo-myeong's gaze met Han Seol-bing's.
She stood there, arms crossed, perfectly still.
In that instant, he realized she had been standing guard for them.
"Thank you, Instructor."
Han Seol-bing smiled faintly.
"Any progress?"
"Not sure."
Han Seol-bing nodded lightly at his answer.
"Good enough. Now go win that final match."
Confirming all three were up, she leaped away.
To the rooftop where Ha Mu-baek sat.
"Oh? A prime spot like this?"
Ha Mu-baek just chuckled softly at her teasing.
"Haha, welcome, Instructor Han."
Gong Son Mu-oe laughed and greeted her warmly.
The finals were about to begin.
Joo Woo-myeong and Dan Mok Un-roe's meditations had taken nearly a full shichen.
Dan Mok Un-hye waved at her brother.
Dan Mok Un-roe, who had already spotted his sister, glanced up at the rooftop.
He pushed through the crowd toward the building where Ha Mu-baek's group was.
"Want me to fetch him?"
Han Seol-bing asked Ha Mu-baek.
"He'll come on his own. Or you can drag him if you want."
She shook her head at the response. What had she expected from this guy?
Still, she didn't move.
She knew Dan Mok Un-roe's level was high enough to reach them without trouble.
"Who do you think wins?"
Han Seol-bing asked.
"The stronger one."
The curt reply.
"No duh."
"Precisely, the winner is the stronger one. Being stronger isn't just about raw martial prowess. You can have weaker arts and still win. Then that makes him the stronger one. You know that."
Han Seol-bing fell silent.
She understood the meaning all too well.
She'd experienced it plenty in the last war.
In countless battles, it wasn't always the strong who triumphed. The one who survived and won became the strong one.
Even she herself had faced stronger foes and lived to win.
"But this is a tournament, not real combat."
"Only difference is the rules. Fundamentals are the same."
His response to her mild protest.
She pouted.
"Haha. What about you, Instructor Han? Who wins?"
"Woo-myeong."
"Bias toward your own?"
"No. He seems to have gained something from meditation. His aura's different."
Gong Son Mu-oe's gaze shifted to Ha Mu-baek at her words.
"You said no advice for the tournament... Heh heh heh."
"My mistake."
Ha Mu-baek said, averting his eyes slightly.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Han Seol-bing, unaware of the context, asked.
"Looks like he gave the kid a word when he stepped up to block that sword."
"Ah!"
Han Seol-bing let out a soft exclamation.
A single word from Ha Mu-baek.
For Joo Woo-myeong now, that was more than enough to spark enlightenment.
The day with the shortest daylight of the year.
The winter solstice.
That was yesterday.
Today was the second-shortest.
Sunset already dyed the western sky.
At that moment.
For the Summer Combat Festival's final match, Baek Ri-pyeong and Joo Woo-myeong stepped onto the arena.
"Woooaaahhh!!!"
"Yeeaaahhh!!"
"Win it for us!!"
"Joo Woo-myeong for the championship!!"
"Baek Ri-pyeong, take it!!"
Cheers erupted from all directions as the two ascended the stage.
Deafening roars.
The judge eyed them briefly, then nodded.
"Begin!"
At his shout, Baek Ri-pyeong and Joo Woo-myeong drew their swords.
Blades gleaming sharply at each other.
Baek Ri-pyeong moved first.
Weaving through the arena with Zhongnan's Great Ultimate Steps, he gradually closed in on Joo Woo-myeong.
Joo Woo-myeong didn't stand idle.
His feet shifted slowly at first.
Then he countered, tracing the directions of Wudang's Seven Stars Steps.
Great Ultimate Steps and Seven Stars Steps.
Zhongnan and Wudang footwork danced chaotically across the arena.
Of course, it wasn't just footwork.
Sword flashes darted toward each other.
Zhongnan's Four Directions Sword and Wudang's Supreme Pure Sword clashed.
Chaeng! Chaeng!
Less a full exchange than a probing skirmish.
The crowd swallowed dryly, watching intently.
Soon, Baek Ri-pyeong launched the first real assault.
Heavenly Star Sword from his hand.
Countless starry blades flew at Joo Woo-myeong.
Blending with the sunset sky, Baek Ri-pyeong's stars sparkled brighter.
Joo Woo-myeong's sword shifted to Taiji Beneficent Sword.
The Heavenly Star Sword Baek Ri-pyeong wielded now outpaced even Supreme Pure Sword.
It made sense.
This Heavenly Star Sword was twice as fast as the standard version.
After the semis, during his energy circulation, Baek Ri-pyeong must have grasped something—his doubled speed now came with doubled variations.
Different from the quarters and semis.
Baek Ri-pyeong, growing dazzlingly stronger with every match.
One's skills renewed daily, as they say.
This went beyond that.
He renewed himself with every bout.
But Joo Woo-myeong was the same.
His Taiji Beneficent Sword shattered every single star.
"That's not even Heavenly Star Sword anymore, is it?"
Han Seol-bing said in amazement.
"Might be better than their clumsy Heavenly Star River Sword."
Zhongnan's supreme technique, Heavenly Star River Sword.
Ha Mu-baek suggested Baek Ri-pyeong's version might surpass it.
"Even so, not quite that level..."
"It's not the sword art that matters. It's the one wielding it. You know."
Han Seol-bing nodded at his question. Still, the Heavenly Star River Sword etched in her memory was so magnificent she couldn't easily accept it.
She'd seen it only once, back then.
"You comparing it to that time's Heavenly Star River Sword?"
She nodded faintly at Ha Mu-baek's query.
"Milky Way Sword Hero Baek Ri-dan. His was at the pinnacle— the ultimate of ultimates. No one in Zhongnan wields it like that anymore."
Zhongnan's former sect leader, Baek Ri-dan, who perished in the last war.
Ha Mu-baek and Han Seol-bing had fought alongside him on the battlefield.
"You should've seen Han Pyeong's Heaven-Severing Demon-Slaying Blade."
"Pardon?"
"Truly horrifying Heaven-Severing Demon-Slaying Blade."
Ha Mu-baek grimaced, recalling the gruesome blade work from last spring.