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Chapter 275: The Generation of Yuseong. (3)

The surroundings were eerily quiet.

Only the sound of breathing filled the once-bustling street.

How did it end up like this?

With the sudden appearance of the Sword Dragon and the Sleeping Dragon…

It was an unexpectedly abrupt start to the sparring match.

But given the people from Hanam, especially those familiar with martial arts, they were intensely focused on the match between the two.

Especially since the two were among the top ranks in Yuseong’s generation.

It was almost certain that they would become the representative martial artists of the Gu Paibang and the Hwasan Sect in the future.

And furthermore…

When the current Sword King, Nangong Seoga, eventually steps down from his title, it was anticipated that a fierce competition for the position of Sword King would arise.

Thus, for the spectators, it was a thrilling spectacle.

A showcase of young masters’ strength was always welcomed.

However…

“… Eh… eh…”

“What the heck…?”

The current situation was enough to silence those who had been cheering loudly just moments ago.

“The Sleeping Dragon and the Sword Dragon… have they collapsed?”

The two, who had been fighting valiantly, suddenly lost consciousness in an instant.

The problem was…

“What on earth just happened?”

Most were clueless about what had transpired.

Just as a sudden stillness fell…

The Sleeping Dragon and Sword Dragon had stopped in unison, gazing at each other, apparently to perform some sort of action.

In that moment, a wind began to swirl around them, and they both collapsed to the ground.

While many stood there in bewilderment, one thing was clear:

In the center of the two fallen masters, someone was standing.

Given the circumstances, it was clear that he was the one who caused this situation.

“Could… could it really be possible?”

“Is that kid a martial artist…?”

“I’ve never seen him before.”

Even the onlookers couldn’t discern his identity.

He had a fierce gaze and a rather youthful face, with a rather scrunched-up expression.

It was a countenance that made it hard to approach him for conversation.

As the shock settled and everyone tried to comprehend the situation…

“Ah!”

Among the throng of people, someone shouted out loudly.

“That face…! I’m sure I’ve seen it before.”

A face that looked so intense and difficult to forget was hard to dismiss.

Moreover, recalling the deeds of that young man when he first revealed himself in the Central Plains made it even more remarkable.

“Jin Ryong! That kid is definitely Jin Ryong!”

“Jin Ryong? You mean the Jin Ryong!?”

The latest addition to the Six Dragons’ Three Peaks…

The one who overwhelmed the Holy Dragon and the Holy Being at the Dragon Meeting, thus rising as a new prodigy.

Jin Ryong, Gu Yangcheong.

That young man was indeed Gu Yangcheong.

But the issue was…

“Uh, even if it’s Jin Ryong…”

“Could this just be a coincidence?”

No matter how much of a new genius and rising star Gu Yangcheong was, could he really take down the already renowned Sleeping Dragon and Sword Dragon like this?

As a result, most of the spectators couldn’t easily believe what they were witnessing.

Meanwhile, far off, Gu Jeolyub and Muyeon were watching.

“What could he be thinking?”

“… Here he goes again; it seems like the First Prince is just as reckless as ever.”

While they once advised him to think before acting, now he was the one diving into chaos without a second thought.

Of course, even if they thought so…

Gu Jeolyub felt quite surprised inside.

The way he had just subdued the Sword Dragon and Sleeping Dragon in the blink of an eye was impressive.

“I barely caught that.”

The speed was so quick that he nearly missed it.

Having once been beaten up by Gu Yangcheong, he was somewhat prepared to witness it.

Had that previous experience not existed, he might not have seen a thing.

“Just how strong is he?”

Gu Jeolyub had never seen Gu Yangcheong fight seriously, so he had no way of knowing how strong he really was or what level he had reached.

He could only tell that he was at least stronger than Muyeon, which suggested he had transcended the peak level.

To think he reached such heights at that young age…

How could that even be possible?

“…Seriously, if it weren’t for his talent, with that personality, he could end up dead somewhere…”

“You little brat? We’ll see about that.”

The sudden telepathic intrusion from him made Gu Jeolyub grimace.

The peasant-like First Prince had good hearing too.

“Oh, this is bad… I might need to make a run for it.”

But he wasn’t the only one in panic.

The most startled of all were not the spectators, nor Gu Jeolyub, but…

The one attending to the Sleeping Dragon, Woo Hyeok, who was a disciple of Wudang.

“Uh… uh…?”

Seeing Woo Hyeok collapsed and unconscious, Woo Yi-hyuk kept muttering in confusion.

This shouldn’t be happening…!

It was impossible for his senior to fall so easily.

Even during the spar with the elders…

Even if he ended up losing, he never easily crumbled.

Despite his lazy personality and laziness personified, he was still a talented individual who could have contended well.

“Uh… umm…?”

Woo Yi-hyuk thought he might be seeing a hallucination.

Otherwise, the scene unfolding in front of him had no sense of reality.

At that moment…

“What are you just standing there for? Aren’t you going to take him away?”

The voice of the young man, who looked more annoyed than his senior, broke the silence.

Then Gu Yangcheong seized Woo Hyeok by the back of his neck and flung him effortlessly toward Woo Yi-hyuk.

“Ugh!”

Like tossing a lightweight object, Woo Yi-hyuk gasped as he caught Woo Hyeok’s body.

After confirming that, Gu Yangcheong spat on the ground.

“I can’t believe they’re fighting in a situation like this with so many witnesses. Ridiculous.”

He let out a deep sigh that somehow seemed quite annoyed.

“Why don’t they at least just use their swords lightly…”

Tsk, tsk…

Jin Ryong clicked his tongue and held back further complaints.

Who would have thought these lunatics would actually go all-out to the point of trying to raise Taoist Qi in the middle of the street?

Had I not stepped in, it could have turned into a complete mess.

‘These moronic bastards.’

After all, with their competitive spirits as men, it’s likely they wouldn’t have backed down until the very end.

Gu Yangcheong shot a resentful glance around as if to say something.

“If you’re going to do a job, do it properly.”

In that moment, Woo Yi-hyuk wondered where Gu Yangcheong was looking as he followed his gaze.

But there was no one there.

“What are you dawdling around for? Hurry up and take him away.”

“Ah…”

“What about this guy? Why hasn’t anyone come for him?”

The one nudging with his foot was none other than the Hwasan Sect’s rising star, Sword Dragon Yeongpung.

Still, to Gu Yangcheong, he was just a burdensome weight.

Even though he was a face he hadn’t seen in a while, the greeting was dimmed by the current state of affairs.

Yes, there was a Sleeping Dragon who needed to be taken care of.

Yet for some reason, the disciples of the Hwasan Sect weren’t seen anywhere around.

What to do?

‘I can’t just leave him behind…’

As Gu Yangcheong pondered his next move, a thought crossed his mind.

Was there really any need to take him with, after all?

Surely no one would bother the disciples of the Hwasan Sect, right?

Finally, Gu Yangcheong nodded.

He decided to just leave and go.

“Yeah, I’ll just toss him aside and head back to the lodging…”

“I’ll take care of the kid, so don’t worry about it.”

As he was about to leave Yeongpung, still unconscious, behind…

He halted as a melodious voice rang out from behind.

A fragrant flower scent wafted through the air.

It was a rich, fragrant aroma that surpassed the faint Plum Blossom fragrance he had noticed from Yeongpung.

“It’s been a while.”

Gu Yangcheong couldn’t help but show an expression of slight surprise at the sight of the woman smiling and approaching him.

“…What are you doing here?”

She was someone who seemed a bit out of place in this moment.

She should be spending time with her own disciples in the mountain village by now.

With a smile, the woman responded to Gu Yangcheong’s words.

“I had some things to attend to.”

As her smile spread, a floral scent enveloped the area.

It was so enchanting that the watching young men swayed under the aroma.

Dressed in pure white martial robes similar to Yeongpung’s, adorned with a light pink plum blossom leaf on her chest…

The most beloved female master among the common people, the Plum Blossom Sword Queen, So-i.

She appeared right before Gu Yangcheong.

In a certain building atop a mountain in Hanam.

Softly.

In a small meeting room bathed in gentle sunlight.

A cup of tea, still warm, sat on the table, while the cool winter breeze whispered in from the window.

An elderly man, seemingly steeped in the weight of years gone by, was repeatedly brushing a letter with a brush.

On his shoulder, a blue band read “Official Ruler” in white.

Slowly, he brought the brush to a halt and asked the man standing in front of him,

“I heard dragons are having a spar in the street.”

As he slightly raised his head to change his gaze, the old man’s eyes had pupils that resembled fluffy white clouds.

His heavy yet clear gaze held a profound presence.

The man standing before him gulped silently.

“… Yes.”

“What was the reason?”

“… The Sword Dragon struck first against the Sleeping Dragon.”

“The Sword Dragon…”

The head of the Gu Paibang, Cheonghae Ilgeom, furrowed his brow slightly at the name that surfaced in his mind.

“I remember him not being an overly emotional lad.”

As the foremost prodigy of the Hwasan Sect, one of the few points to be proud of, the Sword Dragon wasn’t one known for quickly resorting to violence.

He recalled having seen him in action, and remembered him as someone not given to rage, who wouldn’t unsheathe his sword first.

After recalling that, Cheonghae Ilgeom nodded.

“Indeed… young fellows can occasionally quarrel, but then…”

What’s important is not the fight between the Sleeping Dragon and the Sword Dragon.

“That the match between the Sleeping Dragon and the Sword Dragon concluded in a different manner?”

“Yes.”

It was to be expected that if a victor had emerged, it would have been between the two sparring.

As Cheonghae Ilgeom speculated, he presumed that it was likely the Sleeping Dragon who had claimed victory.

Yet intriguingly, he learned that it was not the two who had caused the stop.

“Jin Ryong was the one.”

“Yes, he is the son of the Mount Shan Clan’s Hohyeop.”

“Ugh…”

Hohyeop Gu Cheolun.

And Jin Ryong.

“Right, I’ve heard of him.”

The young talent who had swept through the martial arts tournament and had ended up at the very back of the lineup.

Through the stories of Hohyeop and Keombong, he had surely given the leaders of the Hwasan Sect and Cheonan a headache back then.

‘Even so, to have subdued the Sleeping Dragon and Sword Dragon?’

To interrupt the fight was one thing, but to knock both of them out in an instant?

That sounded quite extraordinary for a single late-stage talent.

Cheonghae Ilgeom, with a gleam in his eye, asked the man reporting to him.

“Is there no lie in what you say?”

“… Yes, I saw it with my own eyes.”

The man spoke while struggling to swallow hard.

Having kept his truth from his sect leader, who also held the position of the head monk of the Shinryong Temple.

He had firmly declared he witnessed it first-hand.

Ironically, he had missed Jin Ryong’s movements altogether at that time.

Given his experience as a refined master at his peak.

“Wisek.”

“Yes, Sect Leader… I mean, Official Ruler.”

Could you do such a thing?

At the Official Ruler’s question, Gu Wi-seok clenched his fist behind his back where the Official Ruler couldn’t see.

“… I’m not so sure.”

This too was a lie.

He knew he couldn’t achieve that.

He was certain of it.

It would be too much for him to manage, given that the Sleeping Dragon and Sword Dragon were at levels far above his expectations.

They were almost at an equal standing for him.

‘Then what exactly is that guy?’

That master who had subdued the two in an instant.

Moreover.

Gu Wi-seok bit his lip as he recalled the last thing that had just happened.

While hiding on the roof and stealthily observing, Jin Ryong had spotted him with ease and met his gaze.

He then said to him:

– If you’re going to do a job, do it properly.

That was how easily Jin Ryong had penetrated his hiding place.

In truth, Jin Ryong was someone who couldn’t even be categorized as a late-stage talent.

He thought.

If Jin Ryong indeed became a part of the Shinryong Temple…

In the midst of countless serpents and mountain snakes, merely differentiating him as a mere beginner would simply unleash a massive dragon.

“The son of Hohyeop is not as simple as they say; it seems.”

He had heard somewhere that this had indeed been the case in the past.

What could have transpired for him to change so much?

Cheonghae Ilgeom pondered over Gu Wi-seok’s words as he exhaled lightly.

“Regardless, since he is said to be that strong, I would very much like to see his face at least once.”

If what Gu Wi-seok said was true, then certainly Jin Ryong was a monster that could grasp the current era in one handful.

Cheonghae Ilgeom released a joyful laugh and sipped from his cup.

“Wisek.”

“Yes, Official Ruler.”

“Now that this matter is settled, look into something else.”

“What about…?”

As Gu Wi-seok responded hesitantly, Cheonghae Ilgeom whispered quietly to him.

“They say a descendant of the Sword Sovereign is seeking an audience with the Shinryong Temple.”

“Since he’s a late-stage talent, try to find out what he’s about. He should be arriving in a few days.”

“Understood.”

The tales of Sword Dragon, Sleeping Dragon, or even Jin Ryong were so shocking that they made everything else drift away from his thoughts.

With a slightly pale face, Gu Wi-seok stepped out the door.

Left alone, Cheonghae Ilgeom gazed out the window and closed his eyes.

Five days until the entrance exam for the Shinryong Temple.

This generation’s geniuses were exceptionally radiant.

Let alone the fact that these geniuses were converging at the same place, it felt as if a storm were approaching.

“I can’t wait.”

What would happen next?

Cheonghae Ilgeom couldn’t help but smile in anticipation.

 

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