Chapter 206
Chapter 206
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 206
Chapter Title: Towards the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering
In Henan, at the sheer cliffs of Mount Song.
A boulder the size of a house was tumbling down at arrow-like speed.
Or perhaps calling it arrow-like wasn't quite right.
Its circumference spanned at least ten jang—a rock so massive that nearly ten grown men would have to link hands to encircle it.
The roar it made as it rolled was like thunder.
Boom! Boom! Kwang!
Standing in horse stance at the path where such a boulder was crashing down was a monk.
His frame was so enormous it seemed unbelievable he was human, yet his face was boyishly innocent and pure, contrasting his rugged build.
Adhu, hailed as Shaolin's greatest prodigy in a century from the thousand-year-old Northern Shaolin.
Adhu poked his head out toward the boulder and let out a spirited shout.
"Haaap!"
The boulder collided with his head. Both were round, but the difference in size and material made it obvious which should shatter.
But...
Kwaaaaang!
The boulder split in half. Amid the thick dust cloud that obscured all vision, a bright voice rang out.
"Master! I did it! Hehe!"
A frail, skinny old monk, utterly uncharacteristic of a Shaolin practitioner, laughed just as cheerfully as Adhu.
The Shaolin abbot, Rakbul—one of the Heavenly Martial Ten Venerables, said to possess martial prowess touching the heavens.
"Heh heh heh. Well done. Congratulations on your achievement, my disciple."
For any skilled martial artist—at least peak realm or higher—splitting a rock in two wasn't particularly difficult.
Yet Rakbul praised Adhu for a reason.
"You overcame the boulder with pure human flesh, without drawing on internal energy. At this level, we can say your Iron Head Skill is complete."
Among Shaolin's Seventy-Two Supreme Arts was the Iron Head Skill.
As the name implied, it was a technique to harden the head like iron.
What made such a seemingly crude external art one of Shaolin's supreme techniques?
"Now that your head is a stone one, your body is one step closer to the Vajra Immovable."
By fortifying the head—the most vulnerable protruding organ of the human body, eliminating one of a martial artist's two great weaknesses.
It was the introductory art leading to the Vajra Immovable via Shaolin's foundational Yi Jin Jing.
That was the true essence of the Iron Head Divine Skill.
Adhu, however, didn't know this... or rather, he'd heard but didn't care.
He was just upset at being called stone-headed.
"Master! I'm not stone-headed!"
"Foolish child, if you split a rock with your head, that's stone-headed."
"Hiiing."
"Heh heh heh, Adhu. If your head is as hard as stone, imagine how tough the rest of you must be. In the near future, you'll thank this master."
Rakbul, spouting vulgar jests, waved his hand up and down.
His speech and actions were those of a lecherous old rogue, but his sole witness, Adhu, was pure as a blank sheet, so Rakbul's dignity remained intact.
"Tch. No fun. A proper monk should blush beet red at such words for the teasing to be worthwhile."
"Master, Senior Brother said to tell him if you say monk-like things."
"...That Beop-gak. Not even the Discipline Hall head, yet so rigid."
Rakbul, glancing slyly, asked again.
"Will you tell him?"
"Yes!"
"Why?"
"Because Senior Brother promised rice cakes!"
Rakbul slapped his knee.
"Then we must ensure you don't run into Beop-gak! Let's go, Adhu! To watch the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering!"
"Uung... But I want to tell him and eat the cakes..."
"Hey now. Don't you need to meet your friend? Yang-hwi, was it?"
Adhu's face lit up.
"Yang-hwi! Yes, I want to see him!"
A memory flashed in Adhu's mind: his last conversation with Yang-hwi.
It was three years ago, yet vivid as yesterday.
—Let's part for ten nights and meet again. If you're good, I'll grant one wish.
—Then I want to try alcohol!
—Uh... sure. A cup of reunion wine. Sounds good.
"I need to mooch booze off Yang-hwi. Bet it'll taste great?"
"Good grief. My long-returned disciple shows interest in liquor, so I planned to initiate you myself."
"But Senior Brother said never to eat or drink anything Master offers."
Rakbul, the Shaolin abbot no less, was prone to tempting his disciples with alcohol and meat.
Thus, his other disciple and current Shaolin's de facto powerhouse, Beop-gak, who handled the heavy duties, issued a strict order.
Self-inflicted karma, one might say.
Rakbul smacked his lips.
"...The first cup tilted with a friend has its own charm. Heh heh heh."
Suddenly, Rakbul's expression turned grave.
"Adhu. The Wudang is stirring, eyeing the supreme sect. The Jinjeong, Kunlun, and Kongtong border sects drift from the Nine Great Clans' bond. The Five Great Clans move for their own ambitions. Amid the righteous sects' heated rivalry, heaven foretells chaos. I hope your purity clears this murky world."
Unlike his earlier childish antics, his words brimmed with sagely depth.
Shaolin traditionally sent no juniors to the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
That was why it was called the Benevolent Shaolin.
Worldly fame meant little to Shaolin.
But this time was an exception.
"Ung? I don't get it."
He hadn't expected Adhu to understand. It was just a heartfelt lament amid complex thoughts.
"The aspirations of this sword-bearing old man are too alien. So let us lay a different foundation, defy the contrived, and guide it right. Disciple, you must become the supreme dragon of the world."
"I don't get it."
Rakbul had spoken with rare gravity and wisdom, but it meant nothing to Adhu.
"Yang-hwi! It'll be so fun to see him again! He'll be happy to see me too!"
"Heh heh heh heh. Yes, that's you."
Rakbul knew who Adhu's friend was: Baek Yang-hwi.
The boy whose brilliance led even Pa Cheon-eum-hu, lord of the centuries-old Sacred Sound Jade Ling Sect, to break the one-successor tradition.
Disciple of a Heavenly Martial Ten Venerable dubbed heaven on earth, the junior who ushered the second renaissance to the clan founded by the supreme person of centuries past.
"This too is part of the spectacle. Should be entertaining. Among the Yangtze's after-waves, whose will be largest and swiftest? Heh heh heh heh."
"Adhu, if you fight, win. Otherwise, I won't have face to show Eum-hu."
"Sounds fun!"
"Yes, no pressure. Enjoy it. Life exists solely for joy. The Buddhist path is a mindset of joy!"
Rakbul—Joyful Buddha. His laughing form stretched long.
From one to two, then three, finally nine.
The Buddha took nine steps at birth, blooming lotuses at each.
Shaolin's supreme movement art: Lotus Terrace Nine Grades at its pinnacle.
"Let us go."
"Yes!"
In the current martial world, there was no supreme person.
But there was a supreme sect.
Shaolin.
The supreme sect's abbot and its top prodigy departed Mount Song.
Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. True to its name, dragons and phoenixes flocked endlessly.
Each with different aims, but seeking one thing ultimately.
Supreme of the world!
"But Master, if we leave without a word, Senior Brother will be mad."
"He'll chase after when he notices we're gone. Heh heh heh."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A boat sluggishly bucking the river current creaked as it docked.
"We've arrived at Geochun County in Hubei Province. Disembark if alighting, board if departing!"
Geochun County in Hubei Province: the easternmost county in Hubei, fronting the Yangtze.
Upstream lay the Je-gal Clan, one of the Five Great Clans, and it connected to Anhui Province nearby, making it bustling with travelers.
This was Taiji Sect's base.
"Tch. Poured a whole month into it, but got squat."
As Baek Yang-hwi grumbled, Dang-gun offered comfort.
"It's not without fruit. We spotted and slew Blood Cult seeds three times."
"True, but no new intel."
After meeting Je-gal Seol-ha, they'd spent a month circling Jiangxi and Anhui, gathering bounty posters.
Disguised as ronin and minor sect juniors, they lurked, ambushed by Blood Cult and counter-ambushing in turn, achieving modest success.
But all were lowly tails of the tails, yielding no significant info.
Reason enough for Baek Yang-hwi to grumble.
"We prevented needless... sacrifices, so our month was well spent. Don't regret it too much."
"Saying such righteous things makes me awkward. Anyway, shall we head out?"
The group left the cabin and disembarked.
With business at Taiji Sect, they planned to rest a few days in Geochun.
"Heavens! It's them...!"
"Green uniforms! White uniforms embroidered with feathers!"
"No doubt?"
"Seems so."
Whispers rose from all sides.
The "earnings"—or results—of their month's exploits.
"Lots recognizing us. Kinda annoying."
"Can't be helped. It's the talk of the region."
"Heh heh, after stirring things up like that, no surprise."
Sailing down the Yangtze from Geochun led to Wuhan.
Thus, weary travelers rested or recuperated here.
In short, Geochun teemed with juniors from eastern sects.
"Excuse me."
"Young hero, and young ladies. Might you be from the Dang or Baek Clan?"
A group of curious juniors approached.
A slight nod drew exclamations of awe and sighs.
"It's them!"
"Placard Snatcher Squad!"
"Wha? Squad? Squaaad?"
"Eek!"
His scowl sent the juniors fleeing.
Squad implied gang.
Not even unorthodox, yet dubbed a gang. Unexpected.
Though shaking down innocent juniors like street thugs for posters made it fitting.
"Brother, seems we've got a bad rep. Our upright clan—is this okay?"
"Might end up with a worse nickname. Placard Snatcher Squad is a moniker in itself."
Baek Yang-hwi replied shamelessly.
"Nicknames are better the more you have. Means you're that famous. Even Xiang Yu, rival to Han Gaozu, had tons: Overlord of the West Chu, One Man Army, Force Apart Mountains and Seas, etc."
"Yes. Our Je-gal Clan's founder had many too. Most famous as Crouching Dragon, also called Soaring Dragon, Red Cliff's Favorable Winds and Rains. Close friends called him White-Feathered Scholar."
As the group pondered if more was truly better upon hearing Baek Yang-hwi and Je-gal Seol-ha...
"Miss, this young master is from northern Hebei..."
"Not interested."
"Hahaha! To think such a beauty graces Hubei..."
"Rude. Begone."
Je-gal Seol-ha had coldly rebuffed the fourth suitor since disembarking.
Merely a quarter-hour out of the cabin.
'Good lord. Bees and butterflies swarming like mad.'
No issue, though. Her demeanor was icy as a north wind blizzard.
In the cabin, she'd seemed bubbly and lively.
Seeing her so coldly aloof felt odd.
'Is she upset?'
"Seol-ha."
"Yes?"
Nope.
"Just calling you."
"What. So silly. Straight to Taiji Sect?"
"Yeah. Pull the iron horns while hot and relax after."
A grand manor on Geochun's busiest street.
The plaque proclaiming "Taiji Sect" exuded majesty.
Rumor had it the Heavenly Martial Ten Venerable Taiji Sword Elder penned it himself.
"Brother, see that dashing young lord at the gate? The young sect leader."
Evidently, word of the Placard Snatcher Squad's arrival had reached Taiji Sect.
As they neared conversing range, the young sect leader spoke firmly.
"You seem to have business with our sect. I am Seong Ju-hun, Taiji Sect's young sect leader."
No need for full introductions, it seemed.
He already knew their purpose.
Still, courtesy demanded a fist salute.
"Baek Yang-hwi of the Baek Clan."
"Welcome. Enter."
The vast training ground bore scars everywhere: craters and rubble from countless spars.
"No need for long talk. Our sect accepts all challenge matches from juniors without limit. Is sparring what you seek?"
"Yes. To witness Taiji Sect's arts."
The young sect leader smiled confidently.
"With Baek and Dang Clans' momentum surging daily, I'll show you there's heaven beyond heaven."
Arrogant words. A young sect leader of Taiji had the right, perhaps.
Well.
Shall we see your skill?
—Little one, go.
"Yes, brother. Young sect leader, care for a bout?"
Not Dang-gun or Baek Yang-hwi, but Baek Heon-so stepped forward, crumpling the young sect leader's face.
Yet true to a righteous sect junior, he kept decorum.
"I know Baek Heon-so is the second young master, not yet twenty."
"Correct. Please go easy."
"Not even Dang Clan's young heir or Baek Clan's eldest, yet you challenge this young sect leader?"
"I hope for a fine match."
Face stiff, he fell silent briefly, then drew his sword.
"So be it. It'll be a good lesson."
'Good grief. He's pissed.'
But hmm.
Does he even qualify to be angry?