Chapter 71: What It Means to Be a Peak Master
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 71: What It Means to Be a Peak Master
The moment the Martial Alliance Leader and Ki Mu-hyeok faced each other on the dueling stage, the broadcasting station's rapidly climbing viewership ratings reached their peak.
All communities related to Martial Arts Practitioners were being plastered with content about Ki Mu-hyeok.
[What's up with him? Why's he acting so cocky?]
[He was a famous Rising Star once. But I heard he flunked his Constitution Test.]
[I'm betting my chicken coupon he gets knocked out in one hit.]
[Still, he seems pretty good? Maybe he can barely last three forms?]
[Looks like his dark history is about to be properly preserved.]
Public opinion wasn't very favorable towards Ki Mu-hyeok's attitude, which felt less like confidence and more like arrogance.
Even the dignitaries invited to the event looked at Ki Mu-hyeok with scornful eyes.
“To challenge a Peak Master…”
“Courage and recklessness should be distinguished, you know.”
“The Leader will surely teach him a harsh lesson.”
Indeed, obtaining a Peak Master License in one's first exam was unprecedented.
Even Richard Han, the world's greatest, only managed to acquire a First-Rate License in his first license exam.
Of course, he obtained Peak Master qualifications almost immediately after naturalizing in the US, but...
Amidst the stinging glares and criticisms aimed at him, Ki Mu-hyeok kicked off the dueling stage and launched a preemptive strike.
“You’ll have to prove your skill as much as your confidence!”
Yeo Pil-geuk shouted towards the charging Ki Mu-hyeok and unleashed a single blow.
At that moment, everyone felt as if the Martial Alliance Leader's fist had grown several times its size.
As the watching dignitaries nodded, expecting any ordinary Rising Star to be blown away by such a strike, CRACK!
After deflecting the Martial Alliance Leader's first blow with his sword, Ki Mu-hyeok took a step back and reset his stance.
His expression was so calm it seemed peaceful, like someone out for a stroll.
[...Huh?]
[That easily?]
[Just one step...]
The eyes of those who had been watching with displeasure, curious to see how well he'd do, widened.
Because no one had ever blocked the Leader's first strike as casually as Ki Mu-hyeok just had.
Before they could even think "amazing," they were dumbfounded, as if they'd witnessed something fundamentally wrong.
“Haha! It seems you’re not all talk!”
Only Yeo Pil-geuk laughed as if he'd expected it, clenching his fist once more.
His second, heavier fist shot out like a cannonball.
But again, Ki Mu-hyeok's response was concise.
Lowering his body, he simultaneously brought his sword up, deflecting the fist's trajectory sideways.
CLANG!
It was a force that could have shattered his sword if his timing had been even slightly off, but Ki Mu-hyeok seized the precise moment, minimizing the impact.
WHOOSH!
From the fist that had been deflected, wind pressure erupted belatedly.
The hair of the Rising Stars watching below whipped wildly in all directions.
Those watching the broadcast felt dazed, as if possessed by a ghost.
[What the...?]
[Why does he block it so easily?]
[Isn't the Leader going easy on him?]
In contrast, those who had even a little martial arts training or discerning eyes gaped, unable to believe what they were seeing.
It wasn't simply that Ki Mu-hyeok's martial arts were excellent.
His technique was incomparable to the previous Rising Stars.
The conciseness that concealed his skill.
Above all, his split-second judgment and the audacity to execute it.
CRACK!
After consecutively blocking the Martial Alliance Leader's third form, Ki Mu-hyeok, instead, lunged into his opponent's space.
At that moment, most people expected Ki Mu-hyeok to make a decisive move, like Shin Kang-heon.
But Ki Mu-hyeok's method was different, not just from Shin Kang-heon's, but from everyone else's.
The Leader's eyebrows twitched as he waited to counterattack.
‘A feint?’
The movement that seemed like a lunge was a feint.
Just before the distance Yeo Pil-geuk had waited for to counterattack, Ki Mu-hyeok stepped back half a pace and swung his sword.
SWISH!
A chilling sensation brushed past Yeo Pil-geuk's thigh.
Though it didn't touch his skin, the sharp edge sliced through the hem of his martial robe.
The first incident of its kind since the license exam began.
Yeo Pil-geuk didn't pursue Ki Mu-hyeok, who was casually retreating, but instead watched him intently.
“Why did you aim for the leg instead of a vital point?”
“I was taught that when fighting an opponent stronger than yourself, you shouldn’t get excited; stay calm. If possible, first cripple their mobility.”
To his past self in his previous life. And in this life, to Sword Demon Choi Geon.
—Just because you’ve gained a Divine Martial Art doesn’t mean you need to change the way you fight.
Mastering the Five Elements Divine Art was undoubtedly a heaven-sent opportunity.
But Choi Geon advised his disciple not to rely too heavily on the divine art.
—You already possess a perfected sword. Don’t adapt yourself to the divine art or anything else. Adapt it to yourself and use it.
Choi Geon also didn't try to force Ki Mu-hyeok to change his sword.
He merely honed the rough and fierce Vagrant's sword, making it even sharper and sturdier.
Yeo Pil-geuk grinned, seeing someone reflected in the young man's face.
“It seems you have a good master.”
“He’s the best master.”
For a brief moment, identical mischievous smiles played on both their lips. THUD!
Yeo Pil-geuk once again took a powerful forward step, rushing towards Ki Mu-hyeok.
The colorless qi wave emanating from his fist tore the air apart in all directions.
WHOOSH!
However, Ki Mu-hyeok calmly countered and blocked both the Martial Alliance Leader's fourth and fifth attacks.
“He’s truly insane…”
“He really blocked five forms in an instant, didn’t he?”
It took only a few minutes for Ki Mu-hyeok to transform the suspicious gazes directed at him into admiration and shock.
Viewers watching the broadcast, and those who had been mocking Ki Mu-hyeok on communities, had all stopped what they were doing and were now staring intently at him.
“...Can a Rising Star taking their first license exam really be that seasoned?”
“That aura... it’s something you’d only feel from a martial artist who’s fought a hundred battles on the battlefield...”
“Haha, he doesn’t even seem to be using much Internal Energy.”
Murmurs.
While even dignitaries from all walks of life grew boisterous, the Sect Masters of the Eight Great Sects, who could be called the top experts present, remained silent.
“...”
“...”
In truth, however, they were watching the duel with more focus than anyone else.
Changcheon Sword Elder Na Il-cheon suddenly let out a hollow laugh and muttered.
“Heh heh. Now I understand why Yeon-ha was so impatient...”
Unlike other Rising Stars, Ki Mu-hyeok wasn't demonstrating the strength of his martial arts, but rather the very method of his fighting.
Extending his sword only when absolutely necessary, and minimizing other movements, resembled the style of a Vagrant or an Assassin.
But while his overall approach was like that, the sword techniques that occasionally surfaced were in no way inferior to those of swordsmen from renowned Sword Factions.
In other words, if he put his mind to it, he could unleash dazzling sword strikes at any time.
“He doesn’t use more power than necessary, always looking for an opening. He has the temperament of a wolf, ready to bite at any moment. And yet, he’s also extremely precise...”
The person sitting next to Na Il-cheon condensed his complex thoughts into a single word.
“A genius.”
At Sun Moon Sect Leader Jang Jin-myeong's faint murmur, the other Sect Masters also unconsciously nodded.
They, too, were martial artists who had been called geniuses their entire lives. Who among the Sect Masters of the Eight Great Sects wasn't one?
Nevertheless, the display Ki Mu-hyeok put on was enough to shock even the Sect Masters.
“...We must bring him into our sect, no matter what it takes.”
“Don’t be so quick to boast. The Golden Glory Sect will make its move first.”
“Heh heh. What are you all doing?”
The Sect Masters of the Taiji Sword Sect, Golden Glory Sect, and Changcheon Sword Sect began to eye each other warily over a single Rising Star.
GRIT.
Only Sun Moon Sect Leader Jang Jin-myeong, alone, didn't join the battle of wills, quietly grinding his teeth.
‘So that brat who didn’t know his place, the one who supposedly saved Yang Ha-yun... that was him.’
In truth, he was barely suppressing his seething murderous intent.
Nothing pleased him.
Neither the recent incidents nor the arrogant genius flaunting his petty skills right before his eyes.
Just as he had done to the Great Heaven Sect Master, he was barely holding back from incinerating everything right here and now.
“Jin-myeong, are you feeling unwell?”
“...It’s nothing.”
At Na Il-cheon's question, Jang Jin-myeong forced a smile and shook his head.
CRACK! BOOM!
Before long, Ki Mu-hyeok was contending with Yeo Pil-geuk through seven forms.
The moment he surpassed the previous record set by Yang Ha-yun of the Sun Moon Sect.
Yeo Pil-geuk, momentarily retracting his fist, spoke.
“Excellent. Indeed, it seems insufficient to evaluate you by the standards of a First-Rate Expert.”
The Martial Alliance Leader's acknowledgment. Ki Mu-hyeok had displayed skill that would convince anyone who watched him.
As it was an obvious outcome, everyone nodded, awaiting his next words.
“However, to be recognized as a Peak Master, what you’ve shown so far is not enough.”
The Martial Alliance Leader, speaking resolutely, lowered his stance and pulled his right fist back to his side as if loading a weapon.
RUMBLE...
A thunderous sound emanated from the fist, now charged with a single strike, and the air around it began to distort.
Feeling that raw, immense power, Ki Mu-hyeok broke into a cold sweat for the first time since the duel began.
“Leader. Is that really for the Peak Master exam?”
Yeo Pil-geuk chuckled.
“To be a Peak Master means to have built one’s own world through martial arts. Do you know the best way to confirm that?”
As if he hadn't expected an answer in the first place, Yeo Pil-geuk immediately continued.
“Hardship and adversity that push you beyond your limits! For example, surviving against an opponent of a higher caliber than yourself. I believe only such a martial artist is worthy of being called a Peak Master!”
At that moment, Ki Mu-hyeok regretted, if only a little, his decision to help the failing Martial Alliance.
“I heard that until last year, just showing Sword Qi was almost enough to pass...”
“Silence!”
Yeo Pil-geuk, having silenced Ki Mu-hyeok's complaint with a lion's roar, turned his head and warned the other Peak Master exam participants waiting for their turn.
“Junior martial artists with boundless potential! Trust in the martial arts you have perfected yourselves. Then you will surely overcome the coming adversities!”
Yeo Pil-geuk, who had made some of the participants seriously consider forfeiting, looked back at Ki Mu-hyeok.
“Golden Ape Meteor Fist’s Secret Technique. First Form: Flash Play.”
“You crazy old...!”
Yeo Pil-geuk, who had kindly recited the form's name, boldly thrust his fist forward.
It was a golden fist, moving at an inescapable speed.
Ki Mu-hyeok's hair whipped wildly backward from the fist wind that erupted from the strike.
‘Is this crazy old man really trying to kill me?!’
Barely suppressing the curses rising to his throat, Ki Mu-hyeok unleashed his defensive forms with all his might.
CRASH!
One side of the dueling stage collapsed, and a thick cloud of dust billowed up, obscuring the view.
A moment later, beyond the settled dust, Ki Mu-hyeok stood, looking disheveled.
His once clean martial robe was a mess, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, indicating internal injuries.
But Ki Mu-hyeok did not fall; he still held his sword firmly, and his eyes were sharp and piercing.
“You truly endured. The sight of a young martial artist striving to overcome his limits is most pleasing.”
Yeo Pil-geuk nodded once, as if he had expected nothing less, then reset his stance.
“Now, two more forms remain.”
“...Tch. Are you really going to do this?”
Spitting blood onto the ground, Ki Mu-hyeok glared at Yeo Pil-geuk with eyes that had unconsciously turned fierce.