Chapter 141
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: I Can't Lose
Their spar was dazzling, reaching the absolute peak of splendor.
The spectators stared in a daze, utterly entranced.
Countless stars from the Heavenly Star Sword Technique embroidered the sunset sky growing ever darker.
Waves from the Great Ultimate Benevolent Sword swept those stars away.
Their clash was nothing short of magnificent and beautiful.
"Whoa..."
Exclamations like that leaked out from all around.
Baek Ri-pyeong and Ju Woo-myeong.
Ju Woo-myeong and Baek Ri-pyeong.
A faint smile played on both their lips.
It was as if nothing that had happened before had ever taken place.
Neither had entered a trance-like state.
It was inevitable.
The experiences from the two days of the Eastern Tournament were infused into their swords.
Yesterday and today.
The insights they had gained were innumerable.
Now was the time to make them truly their own.
Sword techniques that grew ever more refined with each passing exchange.
How many among those gathered here could even recognize it?
"The Eastern Tournament has been a stroke of fortune for those boys. Assimilation following enlightenment. How many times in a lifetime does an ordinary warrior get such an opportunity?"
Gong Son Mu-wae said in admiration.
Ha Mu-baek simply watched in silence.
"Whoa!!"
Dan Mok Un-hye and Gong So-yu watched, letting out cries of awe.
Dan Mok Un-hye had already shaken off the shock of her brother losing.
She was simply immersed in the incredible spectacle the two were creating.
'Was it really my mistake after all.'
Ha Mu-baek thought, slightly furrowing his brow.
Baek Ri-pyeong and Ju Woo-myeong's skills were evenly matched.
Those on the platform were the most surprised by this fact.
They had thought they knew Baek Ri-pyeong's abilities reasonably well.
It was inevitable, as rumors had quietly spread about the clash between Fierce Dragon Corps Squad Seven and Hidden Dragon Corps Squad One in the preliminary round.
Wasn't Fierce Dragon Corps Squad Seven the group that couldn't even handle a single Dang Chu?
They had been shocked enough when those same warriors defeated Namgung Ji-hu in the Summer Combat Festival and crushed Hidden Dragon Corps Squad One.
Now, in the Eastern Tournament, Baek Ri-pyeong had single-handedly beaten Namgung Ji-hu, and was now locked in a deadlock with Ju Woo-myeong.
Did this even make sense?
They had entered the pavilion in March, and now it was December.
Just nine months—no, at most ten—had passed, yet such a transformation?
Several instructors and corps leaders glanced up at Ha Mu-baek on the rooftop.
How had he taken someone no one paid attention to—none other than the sole disciple of the former Wudang's Greatest Sword—and raised him to match blows equally?
In a mere ten months.
Their gazes were filled with questions.
Some even shot envious looks.
Moyong Jin-ho simply gazed at Ha Mu-baek with a detached air.
'Perhaps the Pavilion Lord's words were all true after all.'
Truth be told, Moyong Jin-ho hadn't fully believed the words Pavilion Lord Pang Do-yul had secretly shared the day before Ha Mu-baek arrived.
It was inevitable.
There was a critical flaw in what he said.
Hadn't he claimed fewer than twenty people in the entire martial world knew that fact?
'So how did the Pavilion Lord know about it?'
The Dragon Training Pavilion Lord's prestige was immense only within the pavilion itself; expand the scope to the entire martial world, and the story changed.
Even in the Righteous Heaven Alliance headquarters alone, there were over fifty people more formidable than the Pavilion Lord.
Yet the Pavilion Lord knew something most of those people didn't?
'It's absurd.'
That was why he had only half-believed the Pavilion Lord's words.
They were too suspicious to accept fully, yet too unsettling to dismiss as complete lies.
Especially seeing how cautious even Pang Do-yul had been.
So he hadn't touched Ha Mu-baek either.
And it had proven to be a wise choice.
Looking at everything Ha Mu-baek had accomplished in the Dragon Training Pavilion so far.
But watching the Eastern Tournament now, he couldn't shake the thought that the Pavilion Lord's words might all be true.
'Otherwise, how could he produce such results...'
Moyong Jin-ho was the Fierce Dragon Corps Leader.
As such, he knew exactly what state Fierce Dragon Corps Squad Seven's cadets had been in when they entered the pavilion.
Thus, no one present was more shocked than him.
His shock had even transcended into detachment.
Only Pang Do-yul wore a faint smile, focused solely on the spar, as if he had expected this all along.
In truth, with such a beautiful duel unfolding, it was hard to look away anywhere else.
They were putting on an exchange so intense it was impossible to tear one's eyes from it.
Even lower-level instructors couldn't catch every nuance of the changes.
Those who had pulled their gaze from the spar to look at Ha Mu-baek—whether for good or ill—had been that deeply shocked.
Shuuuuk!
Sseeeek!
The sound of swords slicing through the air rang out.
Clang!
Clang clang clang!
The clash of blades echoed.
Exchanges too fast to follow with the naked eye.
No one could tell who had the edge.
But the two clashing head-on knew.
Baek Ri-pyeong was gradually being pushed back.
Ju Woo-myeong's Great Ultimate Benevolent Sword was claiming more and more space on the arena stage.
The area where Baek Ri-pyeong's stars could fall was shrinking bit by bit.
Yet Baek Ri-pyeong refused to yield an inch.
He stepped forward instead.
As if pouring everything he had into it.
His feet on the Taiyi Steps were unflinching, and his hands wielding the Heavenly Star Sword Technique moved even faster.
Ju Woo-myeong responded without faltering.
'Stay free of competitive spirit, focus on the essence of the sword.'
It was a tiny insight gained just moments ago.
Ju Woo-myeong concentrated on it.
The Great Ultimate Benevolent Sword revealed its true form more and more, dominating the arena's space.
Before long, Ju Woo-myeong had even stopped his footwork, devoting everything to the sword's variations.
'I can't lose.'
Baek Ri-pyeong gritted his teeth and drew up more internal energy.
Internal energy surging from his dantian throughout his body.
Following the Taiyi Heart Method, it flowed into his limbs and empowered his sword.
Sword aura began to flicker on his blade.
With it, his sword moved stronger and faster.
Brighter, swifter stars hurtled toward Ju Woo-myeong.
Sword aura gleamed on Ju Woo-myeong's blade as well.
Sword light flashed from all directions.
The darkening surroundings lit up in bursts.
The sword aura on Ju Woo-myeong's blade grew denser.
Baek Ri-pyeong pushed his internal energy further, but there was a clear limit.
Ju Woo-myeong, systematically trained under the former Wudang's Greatest Sword in the Wudang Sect.
Baek Ri-pyeong, neglected in his home Zhongnan Sect after his grandfather's death, then shipped off to Fierce Dragon Corps.
That fundamental difference.
It was deciding the fight.
Their talents were not vastly different.
Nor their efforts.
Both had trained relentlessly.
Their insights were equal too.
Both had seized consecutive strokes of fortune in the Eastern Tournament.
The sole difference?
How their sects had treated them.
That was it.
That gap was widening the distance between them now.
Ju Woo-myeong's Great Ultimate Benevolent Sword, backed by solid and majestic internal energy, was destroying the stars one by one.
Baek Ri-pyeong gave his all.
But the sword stars shattered into pieces.
The tide of the duel was tilting toward Ju Woo-myeong.
Yet Ju Woo-myeong's sword showed no openings.
Just the Great Ultimate Benevolent Sword.
Manifesting in its pure form.
This was different from his semifinal bout with Dan Mok Un-roe.
No more swinging wildly in excitement or combat fervor.
There were no flaws.
It was the Great Ultimate Benevolent Sword in its truest essence.
With movements growing ever more precise.
Baek Ri-pyeong hurled countless stars, but it felt like slamming into an unbreakable wall.
Before, he would have given up here.
But not now.
Thanks to Ha Mu-baek.
His experiences with Ha Mu-baek taught him never to surrender until the very end.
From their first meeting.
The Summer Combat Festival.
Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest.
And the training and spars preparing for the Eastern Tournament.
All of it was enlightenment and growth for Baek Ri-pyeong.
He poured it all into his sword, clashing against Ju Woo-myeong's.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The resounding clash of steel!
Baek Ri-pyeong hammered at the wall without rest.
Aiming at one spot only.
With the mindset that one successful strike was all it would take.
He focused a thousand—no, two thousand—stars on that single point.
And then.
Cracks began to form in the wall.
Even though the Great Ultimate Benevolent Sword dominated most of the arena's space.
Forced to block the Heavenly Star Sword Technique targeting one spot, Ju Woo-myeong's sword converged there too.
A massive wall of sword energy blocking Baek Ri-pyeong.
The sword barrier from the Great Ultimate Benevolent Sword.
It couldn't fully stop Baek Ri-pyeong's strikes.
As two thousand stars poured into one point.
Even the sturdy wall cracked.
An assault concentrated on a single point.
Ju Woo-myeong adjusted his sword.
To block the pinpoint attack, he shrank the sword barrier's size.
But its thickness grew.
Thus, both focused on that one point.
Ultimately, their swords fiercely traded blows at that single spot.
Blades brimming with sword aura shone brighter and brighter.
Finally.
That one point.
Their swords, moving like lightning, clashed tips exactly there.
Zheeeng~!
A piercing ring echoed.
The two froze in place.
Not a twitch.
They simply stood there.
Swords halted, and the two halted.
Even the spectators' eyes froze.
A moment that felt like time itself had stopped.
"Gulp."
Someone swallowed dryly, the sound ringing out.
As if on cue.
"Kuhuk."
Baek Ri-pyeong spat blood and staggered back.
"Cough."
Ju Woo-myeong spat blood too.
But he held his ground.
He raised his sword again.
Stepped forward.
At that instant.
"I lost."
Baek Ri-pyeong lowered his sword, conceding defeat.
He had poured everything into that final strike.
His dantian screamed in protest.
He hadn't spat blood for nothing.
Of course, he could have squeezed out one more.
But he didn't.
This was a spar.
In real combat, he would have.
But this wasn't a fight to the death.
It was a spar where defeat didn't mean dying.
There would be a next time.
Now was the time to admit defeat and withdraw.
Ju Woo-myeong lowered his sword at Baek Ri-pyeong's concession.
It had been by a hair's breadth.
Ju Woo-myeong had just enough left for one final swing.
No more than that, even for him.
Unless it were a battle for his life.
That one last reserve.
It had clinched the victory.
"Winner: Ju Woo-myeong!"
The judge's call rang out.
Ju Woo-myeong and Baek Ri-pyeong stood facing each other.
Smiles dawned on both their faces simultaneously.
"Urk."
Baek Ri-pyeong swayed.
Ju Woo-myeong moved to support him.
But soon Ju Woo-myeong swayed too.
"Woooaaah!!!! Amazing!!!"
"The best!!!"
Thunderous cheers erupted from the crowd.
Clap clap clap clap!
Unceasing applause poured forth.
Then, Pang Do-yul rose from his seat.
He unleashed a lion's roar infused with internal energy.
"I declare Ju Woo-myeong the champion of this year's Eastern Tournament!"
At Pang Do-yul's announcement, the cheers grew even louder.
"Woooaaah!!! Ju Woo-myeong!!"
"Ju Woo-myeong!!"
"Ju Woo-myeong! Ju Woo-myeong! Ju Woo-myeong!!"
"Baek Ri-pyeong was awesome too! Great job!"
The crowd's roars made their ears ring.
The two stood shoulder to shoulder on the arena, waving to the spectators.
Stumbling down, Dan Mok Un-roe waited with a smile.
"You did great. Both of you were incredible."
At Dan Mok Un-roe's praise, they smiled in unison once more.
"Instead of smiling, you should start circulating your energy and tending your injuries."
A sudden voice from behind.
When had he appeared?
Ha Mu-baek was there.
"Yes."
"Understood."
Answering together, they sat cross-legged and immediately began meditating.
By now, the sun had fully set, the sunset faded, and darkness fallen.
"Brilliant. Both of you. Beyond even my expectations."
Ha Mu-baek whispered softly, as if blending into the dark.
He stood there, arms crossed, silently watching over them.